[patch] Krell: An Aleatoric Sound (Blofeld)

video upload by Synthesizer Video Service

Also see What is Krell? Louis & Bebe Barron - Ancient Krell Music (Forbidden Planet) & More

"This is a mega-tutorial about how to program the Krell sound from the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet" on a Waldorf Blofeld. You should expect heavy use of modulation and modifiers. But first, we are going to have a look on the history of the Krell patch. Then we start programming with the help of my "Blofeld Modifier Simulator".

Attention! My sorry, I forgot to set the sustain to 65 in envelope 4 :(

[00:00] The Krell Patch (Example)
[01:06] Complaining
[02:38] History of the Krell Patch
[07:30] Programming of Low Bouncing Noise (Part 1)
[17:09] How Not to Do the Low Bouncing Noise
[20:37] Programming of Low Bouncing Noise (Part 2) and Simulator
[29:00] Programming of High Theremin Noise
[36:46] Reverb
[38:14] Arpeggiator
[39:50] Final Patch
[40:53] Summary
[47:38] Outro"

Additional Krell posts

[demo] 10 Minutes of Krell Patch (Blofeld)


"This is a demonstration of a self-playing eternal patch, programmed on a Waldorf Blofeld synthesizer. A lot of modulations and modifiers were used. There was no external post-processing and no external effects were applied. The hands were off the unit and the keyboard, though the arp is playing very slow and long 'notes'.

'Krell' is an alien species from the film "Forbidden Planet" (1956). The soundtrack for these creatures was composed by Louis and Bebe Barron and very popular among modularists. It's a good example for an aleatoric patch - a sound playing with the help of randomness."

Patch from Scratch: STREGA KRELL

video by MAKEN0ISE

"Krell music has a long history. Let's delve into it!

This is just one possible way to do Krell music with Strega. How would you do it?

Here are a load of Krell-related links to explore!

Todd Barton’s original Krell walkthrough" [posted here with the original and an 0-Coast Krell demo]

Todd Barton’s Krell Music
https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/se...​

“Krell Music” album release https://auralfilms.bandcamp.com/album...​

“The Great Krell Machine Volume 1” https://flagdayrecordings.bandcamp.co...​

Info and stream/download for “Music and Poetry of the Kesh”
https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/m...​
https://ursulakleguintoddbarton.bandc...​"

0-Coast Patch of the Week #11: Krell

Published on Apr 13, 2017 MAKEN0ISE

All parts here.

"This popular self-playing patch is usually implemented on modular systems, but the 0-Coast is the rare standalone synthesizer with the necessary power and capability. Use this as a jumping off point for your own generative explorations.

Hear Bebe and Louis Barron’s original Ancient Krell Music from 'Forbidden Planet' here"

Louis & Bebe Barron - Ancient Krell Music (Forbidden Planet)

Uploaded on Jan 13, 2011 A Place For The Soundtracks

"Forbidden Planet : Original Motion Picture Soundtrack By Louis & Bebe Barron (1956)."

Building The Krell Muzak Patch

Building The Krell Muzak Patch from todd barton on Vimeo.

"Here's a patch cord by patch cord demonstration of setting up the Krell Muzak 1 patch from scratch on a Buchla 200e with the following modules: 261e, 266e, 281e, 292e, and 291e. A photo of the original patch, audio and video can be accessed here"

Update:

Building the Krell Patch on Black & Gold Shared System Plus

Published on Jan 3, 2018

"The Krell Patch is a popular self-playing music originally developed by Todd Barton on the Buchla 200e system. This video recreates it on the Black & Gold Shared System Plus, adding a couple embellishments and encouraging you to go expand it on your own."

What is Krell? Louis & Bebe Barron - Ancient Krell Music (Forbidden Planet) & More

video upload by SoundtracksForLiving

You'll often see videos with references to "Krell" patches. Where did the reference come from? The 1956 film Forbidden Planet and specifically the sounds created for it by Bebe and Louis Barron. The Krell was the intelligent alien race in the film. The above is a playlist I found of various Krell style compositions starting with "Louis & Bebe Barron - Ancient Krell Music." The actual style of composition is considered Musique Concrete which began in the 1940s, much earlier than the film.

"Musique concrète (French pronunciation: ​[myzik kɔ̃.kʁɛt], meaning 'concrete music') is a genre of electroacoustic music that is made in part from acousmatic sound, or sound without an apparent originating cause. It can feature sounds derived from recordings of musical instruments, the human voice, and the natural environment as well as those created using synthesizers and computer-based digital signal processing. Compositions in this idiom are not restricted to the normal musical rules of melody, harmony, rhythm, metre, and so on. Originally contrasted with 'pure' elektronische Musik (based solely on the production and manipulation of electronically produced sounds rather than recorded sounds), the theoretical basis of musique concrète as a compositional practice was developed by Pierre Schaeffer, beginning in the early 1940s."

And on the soundtrack for Forbidden Planet via Wikipedia:

"Forbidden Planet‍ '​s innovative electronic music score, credited as 'electronic tonalities,' partly to avoid having to pay any of the film industry music guild fees,[citation needed] was composed by Bebe and Louis Barron. MGM producer Dore Schary discovered the couple quite by chance at a beatnik nightclub in Greenwich Village while on a family Christmas visit to New York City; Schary hired them on the spot to compose his film's musical score. While the theremin (which was not used in Forbidden Planet) had been used on the soundtrack of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), the Barrons' electronic composition is credited with being the first completely electronic film score; their soundtrack preceded the invention of the Moog synthesizer by eight years (1964).

Using ideas and procedures from the book, Cybernetics: Or, Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine (1948) by the mathematician and electrical engineer Norbert Wiener, Louis Barron constructed his own electronic circuits that he used to generate the score's 'bleeps, blurps, whirs, whines, throbs, hums, and screeches'.[12] Most of these sounds were generated using an electronic circuit called a 'ring modulator'. After recording the basic sounds, the Barrons further manipulated the sounds by adding other effects, such as reverberation and delay, and reversing or changing the speeds of certain sounds.[21]

Since Bebe and Louis Barron did not belong to the Musicians Union, their work could not be considered for an Academy Award, in either the 'soundtrack' or the 'sound effects' categories. MGM declined to publish a soundtrack album at the same time that Forbidden Planet was released. However, film composer and conductor David Rose later published a 7" (18 cm) single of his original main title theme that he had recorded at the MGM Studios in Culver City during March 1956. His main title theme had been discarded when Rose, who had originally been hired to compose the musical score in 1955, was discharged from the project by Dore Schary sometime between Christmas 1955 and New Year’s Day. The film's original theatrical trailer contains snippets of Rose's score, the tapes of which Rose reportedly later destroyed.[22]

The Barrons finally released their soundtrack in 1976 as an LP album for the film's 20th anniversary; it was on their very own Planet Records label (later changed to Small Planet Records and distributed by GNP Crescendo Records). The LP was premiered at MidAmeriCon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Kansas City, MO over the 1976 Labor Day weekend, as part of a 20th Anniversary celebration of Forbidden Planet held at that Worldcon; the Barrons were there promoting their album's first release, signing all the copies sold at the convention. They also introduced the first of three packed-house screenings that showed an MGM 35mm fine grain vault print in original CinemaScope and stereophonic sound. A decade later, in 1986, their soundtrack was released on a music CD for the film's 30th Anniversary, with a six-page color booklet containing images from Forbidden Planet, plus liner notes from the composers, Bebe and Louis Barron, and Bill Malone.[21]"

So now when you see a Krell patch posted here on MATRIXSYNTH, you'll know exactly where the reference came from; Bebe & Louis Barron, in 1956, for the film Forbidden Planet.

Hardcore Krell with the DB-01

video upload by Richard DeHove

"When I explained to a friend that I was doing a Krell patch on the DB-01 they summed it up as: "Blips and bloops with added bass and distortion". That sort of hurt but actually seems quite accurate. The nature of a Krell patch is absolutely blips and bloops. At least using a DB-01 you avoid the next level of modular insult which is 'a $10,000 fart machine'.

On a more positive note, this little project does highlight that the Erica Synths DB-01 is a very fast and capable generative machine and an able sequencer.
(No other effects or processing of the sound other than what you see.)

0:00 Krell blather
0:37 Patch setup
2:30 Bass starter
2:48 Lead starter
4:14 Random but not krell
5:45 Random playback
6:32 Envelopes via LFOs
8:13 Krell time
10:41 No effects
10:55 Pause to sparsify
13:00 Lead VCA tweaks
14:00 More pitch control
17:37 Krellish
18:00 External CV crazytime

My site: https://richarddehove.com/
Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove"

At last: the Krell Patch on a Frap Tools modular system!

video upload by Frap Tools

"It's time to confront ourselves with a pinnacle of modular synth techniques: Todd Barton's Krell Patch.

Inspired by Bebe and Louis Barron's soundtrack for the 1956 sci-fi film "Forbidden Planet", this patch revolves around a 'modulation feedback': a single LFO drives the whole patch and triggers many S&H circuits that generate random voltages, which, in turn, constantly modulate the LFO speed and shape.

Original track from the film score: [below - also see this post]
Original Todd Barton's Tutorial: [posted here back in 2012]

00:00 Introduction
01:03 The krell patch as per Todd Barton's instructions
14:25 An extra tip with the USTA sequencer"

Ancient Krell Music

video upload by Louis & Bebe Barron - Topic

"Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Ancient Krell Music · Louis And Bebe Barron

Forbidden Planet

℗ 1956 Planet Records

Released on: 1999-01-06

Auto-generated by YouTube."

Buchla 296e Tutorials & Demos by Todd Barton

Published on Oct 14, 2016 Todd Barton

Playlist:

1. Buchla 296e tutorial 01

"I plan on doing a little series of tutorials on the workings of the Buchla 296e Spectral Processor. This is the first."

2. Buchla 296e tutorial 02

"This is the second episode in my series on the basics of the Buchla 296e Spectral Processor, and focuses on morphing. I am simply going through the 3 page "manual" that you can download at buchla.com go to Support tab and look for 200e User's Guide. I am also posting these on my Buchla Blog of easy access: http://toddbarton.com/category/buchla..."

3. Buchla 296e tutorial 03

"continuing with my little tutorial series on the Buchla 296e Spectral Processor, this time looking at the Split Filter function."

4. Buchla 296e tutorial 04

"Looking at the Comb Filter and some more at the Split Filtering function of the Buchla 296e Spectral Processor."

5. Buchla 296e tutorial 05

"continuing with my Buchla 296e Spectral Processor tutorials, this one on the Spectral Display and the Envelope Followers."

6. Buchla 296e tutorial 06

"continuing the series with Voltage Controlled Bandwidth Filters."

7. Buchla 296e tutorial 07

"Methodically going through all the functions of the Buchla 296e Spectral Processor. this episode on Spectral Transfers. For best audio of the two examples go to:

https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/29...
and
https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/bu..."

8. Buchla 296e tutorial 08

"Episode 8 of my series of basic tutorial on the Buchla 296e. This time I look at Sampled Envelopes."

9. Buchla 296e tutorial 9

"I'm really excited about this tutorial! Having methodically covered the Buchla 296e manual in episodes 1-8, I took a break and explored new territory beyond the manual. This time looking to see if the 296e would feedback on itself. It does! and it is amazing! Enjoy."

SoundCloud demo here: https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/spectral-feedback-sampler

10. Buchla 296e Transfer Test

"This is a test, just scrolling through the Transfer Mode settings on the Buchla 296e Spectral Processor. Better audio here: https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/bu..."

11. Buchla Percussive Lava Lamp

"more research and exploration of the Buhla 296e Spectral Processor. Be sure to hear the better, stereo audio here: https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/bu..."

12. Playing the Buchla 296e

"Using clock divided and processed pulses and CVs to sculpt a little S&H sequence heard right at the beginning of the video. Better audio: soundcloud.com/user7621213/296e-vca-dance"

13. Spectral Transfer Transmissions

"this is based on two static sounds whose shifting timbres are creating spectral arrays. the fast bubbly sounds are being created from specific envelop followers of specific frequencies. better audio: soundcloud.com/user7621213/spectral-transfer-transmissions"

14. Buchla Spectral Krell

"better audio here: soundcloud.com/user7621213/spectral-krell
The 296e is analyzing a low, varying pitched triangle wave and the envelopes outputs are opening and closing VCAs on the 292e. . . the same envelopes are triggering random voltage generators that go to the oscillators."

15. Buchla Spectral Krell ii

"more Spectral Krell, this time just a short teaser. for a much longer audio of same: soundcloud.com/user7621213/spectral-krell-ii"

Krell Muzak by Todd Barton on Buchla

Image of the patch used for the pieces below.

bartonmusic · Krell Muzak 1

"seven minutes of a self-generating Buchla 200e patch. love the randomly subtle timbral shifts and articulations that arise. listen in a large room if possible or headphones otherwise. this patch almost seems to breathe"

bartonmusic · Krell Muzak 2

"a variation on the same Buchla 200e patch that self-generated Krell Muzak 1."

Krell Muzak the patch from todd barton on Vimeo.

Buchla Easel Krell Patch 1

Uploaded on Mar 27, 2014 DJjondent·215 videos
Published on Mar 27, 2014

"Lots of random Buchla Easel goodness.

Many thanks to Todd Barton for his inspiration regarding the Krell self-generating Muzak patch and to of course the 'Krell Beings' from the Forbidden Planet."

KRELL MUSIC

Building The Krell Muzak Patch

Building The Krell Muzak Patch from todd barton on Vimeo.

"Here's a patch cord by patch cord demonstration of setting up the Krell Muzak 1 patch from scratch on a Buchla 200e with the following modules: 261e, 266e, 281e, 292e, and 291e. A photo of the original patch, audio and video can be accessed here: http://m.matrixsynth.com/2012/08/krell-muzak-by-todd-barton-on-buchla.html"

KING KRELL

video upload by MAKEN0ISE

"A self-playing Spectraphon/Morphagene patch! 'King Krell' is the brainchild of Jon King and Rodent516. It utilizes the Spectraphon and Morphagene's CV outputs to create a self-playing system with no additional modulation sources needed! (But it could be fun to expand from here...)

The 'Krell patch,' originally by Todd Barton, is a famous self-playing patch technique inspired by music from the film Forbidden Planet. Various approaches to Krell have been featured on our channel before:"

Make Noise 0-Coast Krell Patch __--,,,;;'From Scratch';;,,,--__

Published on May 30, 2017 JAkoGreyshire

"My favorite Krell Patch. I first build the basic Krell patch. Then I expand upon the patching... I let the 0-coast do it's random thing for a while until I remembered that I forgot one last patch point....

It is a Krell patch.....Some might find it a bit dull.......others may enjoy the subtleties of listening for patterns in a random voltage generated and modified synth talking on its own...........Specially after the 0-coast has been heavily patched. ......... er whatever....."

Kosmic Krell

Published on May 16, 2017 intellijel

"In this video we have created a short piece inspired by the Krell patch, a type of self generating music that takes its name from the music of the alien race featured in Forbidden Planet. The Krell patch uses random sources to generate melodies and gates, with higher notes using faster envelopes creating quick trills and slower bass swells.

In this case we are using a µScale to quantize the random notes into a Harmonic Minor scale. Delay and pitch shifting is being applied by Rainmaker, sidechain compression of every third step by Jellysquasher, and reverb from Springray.
Enjoy!

You can view a step by step demonstration of creating a Krell patch on a Buchla system here: https://vimeo.com/48466272" [posted here]

Puer Autem Krell: Make Noise 0-Coast

Published on Jul 4, 2016 Genshi Media Group

"This is my attempt at a 'Krell' patch using only the Make Noise 0-Coast analog synth and the Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo. If you don't know what that is, Google 'Todd Barton's Krell Patch'. In short, it's a sci-fi soundscape created by an evolving, self-generating patch; inspired by Todd Barton's Krell patch on the Buchla which, in turn, was inspired by the first electronic film score for a movie 'Forbidden Planet' from 1956 by Bebe and Louis Barron. If you do not 'get' what this exercise in synthesis is about, then simply move along..."

Easel Ambient Palette Patches

Published on May 23, 2016 Todd Barton

"Here's a rough and ready tutorial on suggested techniques for building and performing an ambient music patch on the Buchla Music Easel. Be sure to also checkout yesterday's patch which was derived from this patch.
Here is a link to a photo of the patch:
https://www.hightail.com/download/cUJ...

for one-on-one Skype tutorials go to:
http://toddbarton.com/buchla/buchla-s..."

Easel Ambient Palette Patch Two

Published on May 23, 2016

"Here is a second patch. I recommend watching the first video. In this video I only touch on the main parameters -- there's more detail in the first vid. Here is a link to the patch
https://www.hightail.com/downloa/cUJX...

For one-on-one Skype tutorials go to:
http://toddbarton.com/buchla/buchla-s..."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Corsynth C106 - The Krell Patch

Published on Oct 10, 2017 Corsynth

"A Krell patch using the C106 Dual Loopable VC AD Envelope.The Krell patch is an auto generative patch, that evolves over time without touching the the modular."

Corsynth C106

Favorite NEW FEATURES of Gotharman's URANO Modular Synth #TTNM & a KRELL Patch

video upload by THE TUESDAY NIGHT MACHINES

Gotharman website: https://gotharman.dk

"Here's a very quick rundown of my favorite 10 new and unique features of Gotharman's Urano modular synthesizer.

0:00 Hi
0:11 It's a Modular Synth
0:35 Single Signal Bus
0:50 Bigger Touchscreen
1:05 Wavetables
1:30 Sequencer Main Screen
1:46 1V/Oct Note Sequencer Output
2:09 Sequencer Ratcheting
2:20 Trigger Probability
2:32 Easier Gain Staging
2:47 Improved Potentiometer Smoothing
3:00 Stay Tuned!

Get free wavetables here:
https://waveeditonline.com/

WaveEdit open-source wavetable editor:
https://synthtech.com/waveedit"

Attempted a KRELL PATCH and got carried away // Gotharman's Urano Modular Synth #TTNM

video upload by THE TUESDAY NIGHT MACHINES

"I wanted to create a Krell-like patch on Gotharman's Urano modular synth, but then I added some drones and effects and drum samples and a bass line and ... oh well ... it's a jam session now, I guess. :D"

THE TUESDAY NIGHT MACHINES:
https://nightmachines.bandcamp.com
https://nightmachines.tv

#jamuary2024 12 Ripplemaker ('Buchla Easel') & Korg Volca Modular (Mini 'Buchla')

video upload by SynthAddict

"Time for some 'west coast' synth action...

Enjoy the wierd, wacky, and sometimes noisy timbres from Buchla-style digital synthesis with complex oscillators, wavefolding, etc.

The Volca Modular is running a modified Krell patch.
Krell patch is a generative style patch based on the amazing sound design from Louis and Bebe Barron for Forbidden Planet in 1956, where the characters discover the old Krell civilization."

Building the Hordijk Krell

Published on Jul 28, 2018 Todd Barton

"I did a little mini-series on my @synthtodd instagram of building the Krell Patch on the Hordijk system. Here is the compilation.
I’ve tried to offer a possible set of parameters that are the basics of a Krell style patch on the Hordijk instrument. It is merely the most simple of beginnings...it is up to your curiosity and imagination to develop it and bring it to maturity."

The Krell Patch :: Five Evocations for Make Noise 0-Coast & Eventide Anthology X

Published on Oct 7, 2017 experimentalsynth

"Five short vignettes showing some of the many, many places you can go when you combine this small-but-powerful analog mono-synth from Make Noise with world-class Eventide effects processors.

The Krell Patch is an auto-generative patch that can be coaxed and goaded into a number of different timbral shapes. Combine that with other-worldly reverbs, harmonizers, rhythmic echoes, moving band-pass filters, and a lot more... and you're half way to Krell already."