New Music Toolbox: Synthesizing Environmental Sounds by Peter Speer

4-part series playlist above by New Music USA. You can find the write-up on https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/synthesi...

"Let’s do a quick exercise: listen to a sound, any sound (a baby crying, a phone ringing), and ask yourself: can I hum it? Trace the movement of the sound with your hand in the air and observe: is it rising and falling in a pattern? The answers to these questions point toward the equipment needed to recreate them. I’d like to synthesize the sounds of the beach, in particular a memory I have of an afternoon spent there as a child. We’ll begin with the sound of ocean waves from the listening perspective of the shoreline. It’s low tide and the surf is mild. The sun hangs in the air, lazily. Read more on https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/synthesi..."

The Blue Ridge Parkway at Dawn

video upload by Peter Speer

"Driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, heading north from Asheville, at dawn on September 25, 2021.

Soundtrack: Oberheim OB-8 + Make Noise Strega

#blueridgeparkway #morningdrive #dronemusic"

Scream Patch Tutorial

video upload by Peter Speer

"A 'Scream Synthesis' patch technique, utilizing audio-rate FM and feedback.

Audio begins at the 1 minute mark. It's scary stuff. Heads up.

This video was originally filmed and posted to Vimeo in 2013, and is being re-posted here for ease of sharing.

The patch was inspired by a post Grant Richter made on the MW forum about the Malekko Anti-Oscillator's FM normalizations alongside that module's release in 2009, specifically the quote:

'When you feed back the output to the input of most any circuit, you form chaotic functions. Chaotic functions usually 'bifircate', that is split in two. The places where the chaos is momentarily stable are called 'attractors', when you hear frequency warbling or jumping, strange instabilities, it is switching between attractors at an audible rate, this is very common in nature, so if you hear any wounded animal sounds or scarier things, we are just copying the math from mother nature.'

The entire post can be found here:

https://modwiggler.com/forum/viewtopi...

Take this technique and make something cool with it!"

Make Noise Strega | Episode 05 | Patches from the Manual

video by Cinematic Laboratory

"For this episode, I wanted to let you hear the numerous patches which are documented in Strega's manual. There are patches from Alessandro C, Tony Rolando, Peter Speer, Walker Farrell, Sarah Belle Reid, LightBath, Jake (Pugh?) and Tim Held. I realized I didn't leave much space for 'Bare Strega' in my previous videos, so this was a very cool way to let you hear it 'as intended'."

Mirage Effect

Mirage Effect from Peter Speer on Vimeo.
Sidebands falling and rising in the lingering summer heat.

Serge Animal, Buchla Music Easel, Moog MF-104

August, 2018

Om Shanti (extended)

Om Shanti (extended) from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

Two moments from Alice Coltrane's "Om Shanti," stretched to a more eternal tempo.

January 6, 2019

Moogfest 2018 (live edit) - Modular on the Spot, Moogfest | Eurorack Modular Synthesizer

Published on May 26, 2018 Lightbath

Moogfest 2018 (live edit)
Modular on the Spot
Durham, NC
May 19, 2018

Patch notes archive available through Patreon rewards: https://patreon.com/lightbath

All hardware performance/improvisation recorded straight to 2-track and mastered Premiere with compression and eq. This performance is an edit of the full 36-minute set available exclusively on Patreon.

I'm so grateful to have been a part of Moogfest 2018. It was great to hang a bit with lightbeams Emily Sprague, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and Sean Hellfritsch and to see some cats—like Waajeed and Jamire Williams—from my 'past life' as a guitarist in NYC. Thank you to Yoga After Dark and Modular on the Spot for having me.

It was an honor to play another MotS event, this time alongside Rodent, Peter Speer, Sarah Belle Reid, Jake Pugh, Jerry Kaba, and Lee Coleman. As with my first MotS experience, the vibe was one of immense support. It was so much fun to lead the audience through some air guitar moves. Truthfully, I don't know how that happened, but I'm glad it did. Thanks to all who participated!

And lastly, it was great to meet some of you IRL after my set. I also finally got to meet Richard Devine and talk shop (thanks to his wife and family for giving us some time to do so). Many thanks to Iain Smith for helping to cart my gear up the hill to the car.

Putney Proxy

Putney Proxy from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"A meandering tour of side bands and beat frequencies, performed on the Buchla Music Easel.

November, 2017"

Aflame/Asunder

Aflame/Asunder from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

May, 2017

www.diode-ring.com

Make Noise Morphagene

0-COAST MIDI CONTROL

0-COAST MIDI CONTROL from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Controlling the Make Noise 0-Coast synthesizer with external software (Max/MSP, OSCulator, Ableton Live), a Nintendo Wiimote and a KMI QuNexus keyboard.

Note: all effects (Reverb, Bit Crush, Beat Repeat) are in Ableton, not the 0-Coast.

More info: http://makenoisemusic.com/

diode-ring.com"

LR Respite

LR Respite from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"A daydream collage of meditative motifs.

Drone: Telharmonic

Tabla: Braids (PLUCK mode) --> Streams (ch.1 fed into ch.2) --> Rings

Birds: MMG (self-oscillating)

Static: Clouds (in Freeze mode)

Modulation: Frames, Tides, Wogglebug, Tempi

www.diode-ring.com"

Binary Zone+ patch tutorial

Binary Zone+ patch tutorial from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Playing with the sequencing idea first presented in the Blacet Binary Zone module, this patch uses Frames (Mutable Instruments) as a voltage mixer, combining and scaling gate outputs from Tempi (Make Noise), outputting repeating melodic sequences from timing information.

Basic patch:

Tempi outs 1-4 --> Frames ins 1-4

Frames mix out --> VCO 1v/oct in

By setting channel levels on Frames, each pattern of clock divisions entering the module is referenced by a specific voltage at the output. When these patterns overlap, their voltages are summed and the resulting voltage pattern at the output grows more complex.

By modulating the State parameter on Tempi, different arrangements of patterns can be created, altering the output (essentially creating new sequences built around the same notes described by Frames' channel levels).

Likewise, by modulating the keyframe on Frames, different input levels can be recalled, altering the notes in the patterns created by the Tempi gates.

Tempi output 6 --> Tempi Gate Select, Frames Modulation

By feeding a Tempi channel back into its State select input, and multing this to Frames' modulation input (while in Sequencer mode), precisely timed alterations of the voltage sequence can be produced. Additionally, the repetition of these patterns can be offset by having an unequal number of Keyframes (Frames) and States (Tempi).

www.diode-ring.com"

TEMPI PWM Patch

TEMPI PWM Patch from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Using the Make Noise TEMPI's Run/Stop behavior as a hack for integrating pulse width modulation into a module which otherwise does not include it.

The patch is described in detail in the video, but the tl;dr versions is: two channels run at the same tempo division, with one controlling the Run/Stop behavior of the other (via the Mod input). Adjusting the phase of the modulator effectively modulates the pulse width of the second channel.

www.diode-ring.com"

Misc Showers

Misc Showers from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Transforming a pulse stream into a variety of rainfall sounds: 'Hurricane Under a Tarp' (starting at 0:02), 'Rain On a Tin Shack' (starting at 0:40), 'Carwash' (starting at 0:54), 'Gutter Dripping on a Metal Plate' (starting at 1:12), 'Rapidly Heating Pipes' (starting at 1:27) and finally 'Storm At Sea' (starting at 2:03).

The tone source in this patch is the Telharmonic's Noise output, fed into a QMMG VCA, opened by Maths Ch. 4 and sent through a band pass filter (QMMG Ch. 3 and 4 in high and low pass filter modes respectively). This is then passed into Clouds (in Clocked Delay mode) and from there to the Erbe-Verb, which does most of the heavy lifting.

The DPO (in LFO mode), Wogglebug, Pressure Points and Maths (Ch. 1) all provide modulation, and TEMPI supplies the timing information.

www.diode-ring.com"

I particularly liked 'Gutter Dripping on a Metal Plate' (starting at 1:12), 'Rapidly Heating Pipes' (starting at 1:27).

I Went Away to Sea

I Went Away to Sea from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Patch notes:

Sample: Clouds in Time-stretch mode, deconstructing a moment from Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia."

Tones: Rings in Modes 2 (first half) and 3 (second half), processing an output from Clouds

Wind gusts: Braids in Cloud mode, with pitch-shifted echo and modulated atmosphere via the Echophon and Erbe Verb.

Modulation: Tides controls the sample's playback position; Frames controls Tides' rate as well as the sample's window size and reverb depth; Pressure Points controls Rings' timbre and pitch; the Wogglebug controls all aspects of the windstorm.

Rosie acts as a central mixer for the three voices.

www.diode-ring.com"

First Snow

First Snow from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

Constanze M 757

Constanze M 757 from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Clouds, scanning through two seconds' worth of 'Requiem;' RF Nomad peering into the shortwave; homemade inductor amplifying a phone's thought process.

September, 2015

www.diode-ring.com"

Coincident Functionality

Coincident Functionality from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Summertime 2015

www.diode-ring.com"

DD Gamelan

DD Gamelan from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"Using the on-board timing facilities of the Erbe Verb, Echophon and Clouds (in time-stretch mode) to mimic the shifting rhythms of a gamelan ensemble.

Bell voice: Braids
Bass voice: Shapeshifter
Drone: EHX Ravish Sitar

www.diode-ring.com"

Solar Dust

Solar Dust from Peter Speer on Vimeo.

"A patch written for a recent duo performance with Jeremy Lemos.

www.diode-ring.com"