Minimalism for Modular #5: Hans Otte's Book of Sounds

video upload by Electrum Modular

"An introduction to the ethereal music of Hans Otte, via a modular interpretation of two parts (2 and 7) from his Book of Sounds (1979-82).

Also contains several ideas for generative/aleatory sequencing in a modular system: in particular, decoupling pitch and gate, combining a multi-channel sample player (Disting EX) with a sequencer that has per-step gate outputs (0-Ctrl), and using a series of probabilistic gates (Missed Opportunities) to distribute/alternate pitch variations.

0:00 Introduction
1:41 First patch (Book of Sounds, part 7)
6:28 Second patch (Book of Sounds, part 2)

For those new to Hans Otte’s music, I would recommend his own rendition of The Book of Sounds:



And this 1995 album, Aquarian Music: • Siebengesang (Seven-Song)

PSP Pianoverb free download: https://www.pspaudioware.com/products...



Alexander Holm's Salamander Grand Piano, downsized by j_e_f_f_g, and reformatted for the Disting: https://app.box.com/s/rxl1nz0zv5hl62c...

A special thank you to Silvia Otte, for generously providing the photographs of her late father.

'Le Sacrifice: Introduction' from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, played by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski (78rpm record, His Master's Voice, 1939):
https://archive.org/details/78_first-...

Processed through a bandpass filter, with frequency boost around 3mHZ, and combined with filtered white noise, etc. to create the vintage radio effect

Images of Hans Otte’s “On Earth” (Edition Kölnischer Kunstverein II):
https://archive.org/details/cd_editio...

Sources:
Amy C. Beal, American Experimental Music in West Germany from the Zero Hour to Reunification (University of California Press, 2006) – in particular, for the reference to Otte’s wartime experience.
Ingo Ahmels, Hans Otte: Klang Der Klänge (Schott Musik International, 2006)

Modules used:
Expert Sleepers' Disting EX and Disting Mk4
QuBit Bloom
Dnipro's Metamorph
Cutelab’s Missed Opportunities
Tesseract’s Sweet Sixteen Faderbank
Tesseract’s Step Fader II
ALM's Pamela's New Workout
ALM’s MFX
Doepfer’s Sequential Switch (A-151)
Low Gain Electronic’s Shortbus
Intellijel’s Quad VCA
Behringer Neutron
Make Noise’s 0-Ctrl"

minimalism for modular #4: sample + hold + phase

video upload by Electrum Modular

"Tiny changes over time are essential to minimalist (and ambient) pieces. This video demonstrates how to create gradually evolving sequences with a sequencer and a “sample and hold” that are NOT perfectly synchronized. Any sequencer and “sample and hold” will work! Detailed patch notes included.

The piano multisample is Alexander Holm's Salamander Grand Piano, downsized by j_e_f_f_g. I have reformatted the filenames so they work on a Disting - you can download them free from:
https://app.box.com/s/rxl1nz0zv5hl62c...

Modules used:
Expert Sleepers' Disting EX and Disting Mk4
QuBit Bloom
ALM's Pamela's New Workout
Dnipro's Metamorph
Alright Devices' Chronoblob
Intellijel's Scales"

Early Autumn Chill Ambient / Mimeophon Beads Flame Chord Machine Plaits Volca Ensemble Oscillator

video upload by Wac- Lounge

"Thank you for watching!
Here are the simple patch notes, a list of the gear, and more information.

https://wac-lounge.bandcamp.com

Instagram / wac_lounge

Percussive voice = Plaits processed by Mimeophon(clocked by Steppy) sequenced by Chord Machine program controlled & triggered by Steppy enveloped by System100-140ENV modulation from System100-140ENV & LFO(attenuated by MATHS) slew limiter A-184-1
Random lead voice = Mob of Emus CH1 processed by A-120VCF1 & Beads sequenced by Mob of Emus CH3 slew limiter MATHS modulation from Mob of Emus CH6
Synth lead voice = Mob of Emus CH1 processed by A-120VCF1 & Echoz sequenced by Mob of Emus CH3 slew limiter MATHS modulation from Mob of Emus CH6
Brass-like lead voice = Ensemble Oscillator with modulation from Mob of Emus CH5 & MATHS sequenced by Flame C-3mk2
Reverse piano voice = Disting triggered by Steppy
Piano loop voice = Volca sample
Master clock = Volca sample (divided by Steppy)

CLICK FOR MORE »

Expert Sleepers disting NT

video uploads by Expert Sleepers

Playlist:

1. disting NT - Factory preset demo

A brief demo of some of the presets included on the disting NT's MicroSD card.

0:01 Aleatoric Piano
1:30 Granulated Piano
3:39 MIDI Song Player
4:20 "Rahoy" (Kirbinator demo)
06:14 Mixer

2. disting NT - Quickstart

An introduction to installing the module, understanding some basic concepts, navigating the UI, loading and editing a factory preset, and creating a basic preset from scratch.

00:08 Unboxing and installation
01:12 Power up
02:12 Loading a preset
03:45 Hiding (and showing) the help
04:38 Concepts and terminology
08:32 Navigation
12:08 Starting a fresh preset
12:49 Adding an algorithm
15:35 Saving the preset
16:14 Adding another algorithm and connecting them up
19:09 Adding an independent sub-patch
22:06 Removing an algorithm
23:12 Reordering algorithms
24:03 Modifying the Aleatoric Piano preset for external clock
26:55 Algorithm "specifications"
29:30 Navigation recap

3. disting NT - USB disk mode

A quick demo of the "USB disk mode" feature of the disting NT, which allows you to mount the module's MicroSD card as a removable drive on your computer.

4. disting NT - Introduction to Mappings

A demonstration of setting up CV, MIDI, and I2C control over the disting NT.

00:01 Introduction
01:42 CV Mappings
05:22 MIDI Mappings
07:48 I2C Mappings

5 disting NT - Connecting the breakout

The disting NT is supplied with a 'TMB' breakout module. This video shows one way this can be used, to provide TRS MIDI input and output, and to expose the two additional audio outputs.

via Expert Sleepers "The disting NT is the latest in the line of modules from Expert Sleepers that started with the original disting in 2014, which performed one of 16 very different functions at the turn of a knob. This concept has evolved through the disting mk3 (2015) - which added the possibility of firmware updates, and so a continually improving selection of functions - and the disting mk4 (2017) - which added a display, and brought the MicroSD card slot onto the front of the module, emphasising its increased importance for functions such as sample playback - to the disting NT’s predecessor, the disting EX (2020).

CLICK FOR MORE »

Making a modular synth with 10 Distings

video upload by Signal Sounds

"The Expert Sleepers Disting mk4 now contains over 100 algorithms and it's been said that you could theoretically build an entire system using only Distings. Challenge accepted!

Algorithms used:
G-6 Clock
H-5 Dual Euclidean Patterns
F-6 Shift Register Random Quantised CVs
I-7 Dual Audio Playback
B-8 VCO with waveshaping
H-1 Crossfade/Pan
D-5 LP/HP filter
E-2 AR Envelope & VCA
D-2 Tape Delay
L-2 Mono-to-Stereo Reverb

How do you like using your Disting? Let us know in the comments...

Disting mk4 is available here:
https://www.signalsounds.com/expert-s..."

Disting MK4 Added To This Small Eurorack System

video upload by John L Rice

"Quick test after receiving this used Expert Sleepers Disting MK4 in the mail today. The Disting does a couple hundred different functions or so but I’m just using it as a reverb here."

Vermona meloDICER
2hp Rnd
Tall Dog Electronics uBraids
Expert Sleepers Disting Mk4

5 great algorithms in the Expert Sleepers Disting Mk4

video upload by Signal Sounds

"Our guest host is a good friend of Signal Sounds and a regular on the channel: The Unperson! Here he explores five of his favourite algorithms on the Expert Sleepers Disting mk4. This classic 4HP Eurorack module now contains over 100 algorithms covering just about every audio and CV function imaginable in a synthesiser. Every rack should have (at least) one!

What's your favourite Disting algorithm? Let us know in the comments...

Disting mk4 is available here: https://www.signalsounds.com/expert-s...

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:37 A-6 Quantizer
03:04 C-3 Clockable Ping Pong Delay
05:11 B-2 Slew Rate Limiter
07:13 K-1 Wavetable VCO
10:11 L-1 Stereo Reverb"

You can find additional posts featuring The Unperson here.

Nostalgic Lo-Fi Piano Ambient / Hector Chord Machine Rings Mimeophon Beads Voca

video upload by Wac- Lounge

"Thank you for watching!
Here are the simple patch notes, a list of the gear, and more information.

https://wac-lounge.bandcamp.com

Echoed bell voice = Rings processed by Mimeophon(clocked by Steppy) sequenced by Mob of Emus CH3
Granular ambient voice = Mob of Emus CH2 processed by Beads & Disting(Tape delay) sequenced by Mob of Emus CH4 slew limiter A-184-1
Echoed arpeggio voice = Mob of Emus CH1 processed by Hector(Delay) sequenced by Flame Chord Machine clock & program changed by Steppy enveloped by MATHS
Synth lead voice 1 = Hector(Plaits clone) processed by Hector(Delay) sequenced by Hector(Note sequencer triggered by Steppy)
Synth lead voice 2 = Hector(Plaits clone) sequenced by Hector(Note sequencer triggered by Steppy) modulation & enveloped by Hector(ADSR)
Synth lead voice 3 = Ensemble Oscillator modulation from Mob of Emus CH6 & MATHS sequenced by Flame C-3mk2
Piano loop voice = Volca Sample
Master clock = Volca Sample(divided by Steppy)


The list of the gear
——————————

CLICK FOR MORE »

Ambient for Inner Peace /Poly Effects Hector (Plaits Marbles Clone) Beads Echoz Ensemble Oscillator

video upload by Wac- Lounge

"Thank you for watching!
Here are the simple patch notes, a list of the gear, and more information.

https://wac-lounge.bandcamp.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wac_lounge/

Granular ambient voice = Hector(Plaits clone) processed by Beads sequenced by Hector(Marbles clone)
Echoed random sequencing voice = Hector(Plaits) processed by Hector(LP filter+Delay) modulation & sequenced by Hector(Marbles + ADSR)
Percussive voice = Hector(Plaits) processed by Echoz modulation & sequenced by Hector(Marbles+ADSR)
Synth lead voice = Hector(Plaits) processed by Hector(Delay) slew limiter & sequenced by Hector(Note sequencer triggered by Steppy)
Strings synth voice = Ensemble Oscillator modulation & sequenced by MATHS
Reverse piano loop voice = Disting triggered by Steppy
Master clock = Hector(divided by Steppy)

CLICK FOR MORE »

Spring Chill Ambient / Plaits Echoz 2hp Arp Volca Sample Beads Disting Ensemble Oscillator

video upload by Wac- Lounge

"Thank you for watching!
Here are the simple patch notes, a list of the gear, and more information.

https://wac-lounge.bandcamp.com

Instagram

/ wac_lounge

The list of the gear
——————————
Mutable Instruments
Plaits
Beads

Make Noise
MATHS
Mimeophon

CLICK FOR MORE »

Nostalgia Unwound / Reel to Reel + Beads / Ensemble Oscillator Rings Echoz Mob of Emus

video upload by Wac- Lounge

"Thank you for watching!
Here are the simple patch notes, a list of the gear, and more information.

https://wac-lounge.bandcamp.com

Instagram

/ wac_lounge

Reverse piano voice = Reel to reel(SONY TC-4860)
Echoed Piano voice = Reel to reel processed by Beads
Synth lead voice = Ensemble Oscillator modulation & sequenced by Flame C-3mk2
Sine wave lead voice = Mob of Emus CH1 sequenced by Mob of Emus CH3 triggered by Steppy slew limiter = MATHS
Sine wave voice loop = Mob of Emus CH2 processed by Disting(delay clocked by Steppy) sequenced by Mob of Emus CH4 triggered by Steppy
Echoed pitch bending voice = Rings processed by A-120VCF1 & Echoz sequenced by 2hp Arp triggered by Steppy modulation & enveloped by MATHS & Mob of Emus CH5
Master clock = Mob of Emus CH6 (divided by Steppy)

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sonic sculptures (generative modular music)

video upload by Electrum Modular

"(For Paula)

This patch was inspired by hours (weeks?) of listening to Morton Feldman’s exquisite music. It ended up quite different harmonically from Feldman’s pieces, partly due to the limitations of a modular system. The envelope generators and attenuators required some tweaking to get that balance between repetition and divergence, revolving and evolving. In retrospect, I could have left longer silences between notes.
NOTE: no delay effect used here, as it would have reintroduced a pulse.

“Almost all of Feldman’s music is slow and soft. Only at first sight is this a limitation. I see it rather as a narrow door, to whose dimensions one has to adapt oneself (as in Alice in Wonderland) before one can pass through it into a state of being that is expressed in Feldman’s music. Only when one has become accustomed to the dimness of the light can one begin to perceive the richness and variety which is the material of the music...Feldman sees sounds as reverberating endlessly, never getting lost, changing their resonances as they die away, or rather not die away, but recede from our ears, and soft because softness is compelling, because an insidious invasion of our senses is more effective than a frontal attack.”” -- Cornelius Cardew, quoted by John Tilbury in “On Playing Feldman”

Video sequences from Works of Calder (d. Herbert Matter, 1950), an experimental film featuring a soundtrack by John Cage; available at archive.org.

Title image: Tentoonstelling Kinetische Plastiek Am. beeldhouwer Alexander Calder in Stedelij, Bestanddeelnr (October 2, 1969); creative commons.

Modules used:
Expert Sleepers’ Disting EX
Disting mk4
ALM’s Pamela’s New Workout
Behringer Neutron
ALM’s Pip Slope x2
Make Noise Maths
Intellijel Quad VCA
Tesseract’s Sweet Sixteen"

6 ace things a Disting does.

video upload by mylarmelodies

I believe this is the 2014 video: Expert Sleepers Disting 16-in-1 Eurorack Module Demo

"Being a demo of 6 interesting things an Expert Sleepers Disting MK4 can be: A Pulsar VCO (2:57), a Stereo Tape Delay (6:58), a Granular Pitch Shifter (13:45), a Shift Register Sequencer (16:46), a 1V/Oct Sampler (21:46) and a Dual Sampler (26:26).

Signal Sounds hired me to make a new Disting video following my one from 2014: Mega thanks to them for supporting this as ever, this was fun & they are good people. Hat tip to Os at Expert Sleepers for endlessly making this thing useful!! Here's to 10 more years?"

https://www.signalsounds.com/

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro & Montaaage
02:57 Pulsar VCO
06:58 Stereo Tape Delay
13:45 Granular Pitch Shifter
16:46 Shift Register Sequencer
21:46 1V/Oct Sampler
26:26 Two Voice Sampler

Moog Mavis, Prophet 5, AJH Synth large Eurorack modular synth Performance

video upload by DreamsOfWires

"Performance using Eurorack and Sequential Prophet 5. The modular consists mostly of AJH Synth modules (list below), a Doepfer Mini Synthesizer Voice and a Moog Mavis.
This is a slightly simplified section of something I've been recording for Bandcamp. A reflection of the present with an ear to the past. It'll be released on Bandcamp soon if I'm satisfied with it once it's finished, no promises.
I wanted to build a piece around a simple, analogue, un-quantised sequencer. The manual scaling and slowing of the sequence was inspired by Tangerine Dream's 'Phaedra', which begins rather chaotically, before the sequence morphs and slows to become more melodic. A fascinating piece of music and synth tweaking from the early 70's.
The ambient drone sounds and polyphonic Prophet presets (which I also created) are more inspired by the movie and television soundtracks of the past, if anything, or at least in my imagination of them.
This was entirely recorded within the Eurorack modular system - the mix isn't the best, but I like creating something in this way, set in stone, frozen in time, warts and all, perfectly imperfect.
My music: https://tomorrowthecure.bandcamp.com

Modules used:
Sounds - 2 full AJH Synth MiniMod voices (equivalent of a Minimoog), with 1 using a Sonic XV instead of a Transistor Ladder Filter. Additionally, a Fixed Filter Bank 914, Wave Swarm, Tone Science Triple Cross, Precision Voltages, Ring SM and CV Mix (for scaling the sequence), Dual LFO, 2x Muting Mxer. Doepfer A-111-5 (same voice as a Dark Energy), Moog Mavis, and Music Thing Modular Radio Music (Japanese funeral ceremony sample).
Sequencer - Erica Synths Sequential Switch with CV Expander.
Effects - Happy Nerding FX Aid (master reverb), ALM Busy Circuits MFX (Mavis drone reverb), XAOC Devices Sarajewo analog 'bucket brigade' delay.
Mixing - Cosmotronic Cosmix.
Audio recorder - Expert Sleepers Disting Mk4 (as WAV recorder)."

'Dark Energy' Mini Synth, AJH Chance Delay, Penrose, Vox Digitalis, Radio Music sample/wav player

video upload by DreamsOfWires

"Melodic Eurorack performance with Doepfer A111-5 Mini Synthesizer Voice, the new AJH Synth Chance Delay probability/gate delay, Sonic Potions Penrose quantizer, Music Thing Modular Radio Music wav/sample player, Doepfer A118-2 Noise Random S&H, Noise Engineering Vox Digitalis sequencer, Happy Nerding FX Aid XL, Cosmotronic Cosmix, Expert Sleepers Disting Mk4 as wav/audio recorder, Happy Nerding Isolator headphone/audio output.

A small 84hp rig in a DIY case with 4MS power. I created the sample loops in Audacity from some choir music. FX Aid algorithm is delay into reverb. LFO2 from the Mini Synth triggers the sample & hold clock, this sends random voltages to the quantiser, which converts them into the chosen notes on it's keyboard.

LFO2 also triggers the Chance Delay, which is using the Length control to convert the incoming LFO pulses (square wave) to very long gates - each gate will be completed before it responds to another incoming pulse, meaning it can be used as a clock divider with continuous control, rather than simple preset divisions.

The Chance function determines the probability of the module outputting a gate signal - here I'm using it as a switch to trigger the Vox Digitalis, so with Chance at zero it won't advance the sequencer, whilst at full/100% it will trigger it on every gate it generates. Since those gates are a division of the incoming pulse rate, this means the sequencer will change samples on the Radio Music at a much slower speed than the notes produced by the Mini Synth, which is runs at the same rate as LFO2 and the sample & hold.

Mini Synthesizer Voice is the Eurorack version of the Dark Energy standalone synth.
More Dark Energy here: [posted here]
Performance using Chance Delay: [posted here]
My music can be found here: https://tomorrowthecure.bandcamp.com"

Two Sketches: Doodling on the Buchla Music Easel

video upload by Electrum Modular

"This video suggests some ideas for extracting extra melodic mileage (and an accompanying bass line) from the Easel’s 5-step sequencer, using the keyboard arpeggiator and external delay and reverb. Further patch details in the captions.

Other gear used:
Mutable Instruments' Beads
ALM's Pamela's New Workout
ALM's MFX
Expert Sleepers' Disting Mk4
Intellijel Out"

MACHINE

video upload by murratti 127

"Alan from After Later Audio plays the bass drum from mosaic and resonate from after later audio as a touring machine, this signal is filtered with night rider from ryk and the mimeophone is used as an effect. Pique from after later is used as a drum voice and is controlled by 0-ctrl from make noise. disting mk4 by expert sleepers runs with shift register quantized CVs and plays acid rain's chainsaw. this signal runs through the roucha legio and yester version from noise engineering. maths and wogglebug play a little too.
Hope you like this video! Comments welcome!"

Polyphonic Plaits: Canon in G Minor, in Four Parts

video upload by Electrum Modular

"Trying out the new Macro Oscillator2 algorithm on the Disting EX, which gives you four independent Plaits voices. I'm using the iPad app, Fugue Machine, to sequence the four Plaits.

Gear used:
Qu-bit Bloom
Behringer Neutron
Mutable Instruments’ Beads
Make Noise Maths
Expert Sleepers’ Disting Mk4
Expert Sleepers’ Disting Ex
Pamela's New Workout
Quad VCA
Dnipro Metamorph
Intellijel Steppy
ALM's MFX

#modularsynth #eurorack"

Hoquetus modularis (featuring Disting EX)

video upload by Electrum Modular

"Exploring the wonderful world of hocketing, using Disting EX's 'Chord Engine'.
Recorded "live", adding only EQ + compression in Logic Pro.

Patch is described in the video. Just one clarification: as the sequencer spits out a new note every 2 bars, and the voices take it in turns to be the recipient of that new note, each voice changes note every 8 bars. As there are 7 notes in the sequence, this piece effectively repeats itself every 56 bars.

The piece excerpted in the first few seconds is “In saeculum breve,” a motet by an anonymous French composer, from the 13th-century manuscript, the Bamberg Codex. To avoid incurring the wrath of the copyright gods, I made my own version, inputting midi into Logic Pro and using brass instrument instead of voices, and adding convolution reverb with an impulse file recorded in a large church.

Gear used:
Qu-bit Bloom
Behringer Neutron
Mutable Instruments’ Plaits
Mutable Instruments’ Beads
Moog Subharmonicon
Make Noise Maths
Expert Sleepers’ Disting Mk4
Expert Sleepers’ Disting Ex
Pamela's New Workout
Quad VCA
ALM's MFX
Doepfer A-151 Quad Sequential Switch
Tesseract Modular's Sweet Sixteen

+ EHX Cathedral reverb

#modularsynth #eurorack #electronicmusic #ambient"

Instill //Subharmonicon/DFAM/Mother 32/Tides/Rings/Plaits//

video upload by Aleatoric Machine

"An ambient eurorack modular synthesizer patch featuring:
Moog Subharmonicon, DFAM, Mother 32 x 2
Mutable Instruments Marbles, Rings, Plaits, Tides, Stages
Make Noise Maths, Function, Mimeophon
Doepfer VCF, VC Stereo Mixer
Strymon Magneto
2hp MMF, VCA, Verb
Ornament and Crime
ALM Pamela's New Workout, Pexp-1
Expert Sleepers Disting mk4
Acid Rain Maestro, Constellation
Malekko Voltage Block
Intellijel Mixup, lots of 1u tiles
Chase Bliss Mood, Wombtone, Dark World"