Atrium: On Gestures

video upload by Whimsical Raps

"Atrium is a new instrument where playful gestures meet dynamic systems.

This video demonstrates some of the gestures that will serve as trusted tools on your first adventures with Atrium. Everything from making notes and navigating pitches to mapping modulation and recording your unique gestural dialogues. Building blocks for developing a personal technique.

The next chapter, Atrium: On Systems, will outline the deeper levels of composition and performance planning. Until then revel in the well-lit corners and unknown expanses, awaiting your curious ear and heart.

https://atrium.whimsicalraps.com/"

Whimsical Raps: Atrium

video upload by Whimsical Raps

"Atrium is a new instrument, where playful gestures meet dynamic systems.

new ways to compose
 new ways to express
  new ways to play

https://atrium.whimsicalraps.com/

five voices of analogue synthesis, controlled and modulated polytimbrally. we’ve taken ideas from our decade of modular exploration, and rethought how we reach into polyphony.

each voice is shaped by its harmonic energy while three core timbre modes push into richer territory. from simple suboctave and noise waves, through frequency modulation, and landing in formant synthesis reimagined. all squeezed through a lowpass/gate combination, providing balance and occasionally emphasis.

no digital multi-effects here, just spectres in the machine. a novel configuration of three filters, two delays, and feedback. front and almost centre — this resonant body is meant to be played. sequenceable, modulatable, while feeding back not just sound, but shape for unfolding cybernetics.

and to modulate! everything mappable to everything else, tactile input extended on the fly, mapping as a performance in itself. sources are dynamically phased across voices, and stretched in relative duration. gestures captured into five recorders, extending play rather than overriding it, all twisted in time at your whim.

Atrium is deeply learnable, and for those moments of quick change, instantly recallable. extensible with usb and midi and cv input.

//

a series of improvisations, exploring but a few edges of this new instrument.

performed by Trent Gill
recorded by Dani Derks
projections from Sean Hellfritsch"

Whimsical Patching // 4. Utility Drum Machine

video upload by Whimsical Raps

All parts here

from Dani:
"When I take inventory on why modular synths remain compelling to me, it is because the format puts one in direct conversation with _voltage_. As mentioned in other videos, every signal in a modular synth is voltage -- some of it moves quickly enough to hear, some of it moves slowly and is excellent for modulation, but pushing this common denominator to its edges often leads me to make choices that a computer or desktop synth simply cannot facilitate with the same improvisational ease. But I also love working with computers as an end-of-chain glue -- not just for editing or effects, but to bring a new set of possibilities to the playground.

This video is a supercut of two processes:

a. The core is a conversation between Cold Mac and Just Friends. Just Friends provides cycling envelopes and pulses, which run through a self-patched Cold Mac. Though Cold Mac is primarily known as a utility module, cross-patching its wavefolders and slews creates gnarly delights out of simple input signals. Adding the inherent rhythmic interrelation of envelopes from different channels of Just Friends to the mix can quickly create a fuzzed-out chaotic drum machine with low subs and bursts of noise. Modulating SURVEY, both by hand and voltage, reveals a world of timbral shapes.

b. While (a.) was exciting and revelatory, it was missing something. Whenever I sequence drums, I love to layer percussive hits with additional samples -- so I took to @kriista's Data Knot, which packages FluCoMa's real-time descriptor analysis tools into an army of useful Max/MSP objects. Data Knot allowed me to use audio from my 'utility drum machine' to crawl through slices of @natesmithdrumsofficial's Pocket Change and a Bonnie Raitt isolated vocal track, which filled things out in a really fun way.

Both the original modular-only recording and the responses of Data Knot are layered to create this hybrid result which, to me, feels really organic and fluid."

Whimsical Patching

video uploads by Whimsical Raps

Playlist:

1. Whimsical Patching // 1. Audio-Rate Modulation

from Dani:
"One of my favorite aspects of modular synthesis is that signals we can hear are made of the same basic building block as signals which provide control and modulation -- they're all just voltage moving at different rates!

When we use an audio signal in the place of control voltage, we're touching into a technique broadly known as audio-rate modulation. Using audio-rate modulation in the Whimsical Raps ecosystem is incredibly rewarding, as it can unlock unexpected behaviors in familiar and new modules alike.

Here, Mangrove (our formant oscillator) modulates Silhouette's (our new 'signal combiner') SPOT, which is mixing six audio channels from Just Friends (our six-voice digital oscillator). I noticed that sending Mangrove into SPOT bleeds Mangrove's audio signal into the mix, so I tuned Mangrove to harmonize with Just Friends. This endowed FORMANT changes with new power, adding harmonic depth to the chaotic modulation -- notice the sizzle around 0:30 as FORMANT is cranked up.

Once INTONE adds distance between the ratios of Just Friends' oscillations, I reduce FORMANT to a low-frequency grumble -- I particularly enjoyed Silhouette's delayed vocalizations of these changes across the stereo field. Manually scanning SPOT offsets the input channels we're highlighting, which reveals the new INTONE-spread pitches. Increasing FORMANT introduces audible discontinuities as Mangrove regains its pitch, which are unique in the left and right channels. A final INTONE adjustment is added for performative spice, which is caught by the bucket-brigade device for a muted splash of stereo color."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Patching W/ Confidence: W/Del

video upload by Whimsical Raps

"W/ is a 2hp module from Whimsical Raps which provides three different engines for traversing the present moment. 'Patching W/ Confidence' is a video series which offers educational walkthroughs of W/ 2.0's various functionalities. This video focuses on W/Del, which provides a varispeed delay and looper with modulation."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sounds from Superbooth 2025: Meng Qi + Whimsical Raps Horizon⁠

video upload by Perfect Circuit

"We're on the ground in Berlin at the year's biggest synth event. Stay up to date with all the latest gear news, announcements, and preorder info on our Superbooth coverage hub."

How does an all Mannequins Case sound? // 5 ambient patches with breakdowns // Silhouette

video upload by Lesjamusic

"A sequel to my Mannequins Silhouette ( • Silhouette by Mannequins // What is i... ) intro video. Pulled together all of the Mannequins by Whimsical Raps modules into one case, and created these 5 ambient drone patches, with a little help from Norns and some Intellijel utilities.

Gear used:
Just Friends
Crow
Mangrove + PPM
Sisters
Cold Mac
W/ (Wdel)
Intellijel 1u VCO, Duatt, Stereo Mixer and 62hp Palette Case.
No external effect processing used, apart from some dynamic processing to bring it all up to level. No reverbs / delays etc - everything comes from the case.

00:00 Introduction
01:42 Patch 1: Tidbits and Mangrove
04:12 Patch 2: Free running hyper growl 🐯
06:48 Patch 3: Scary constellations
09:15 Patch 4: All Mannequins monosynth
11:18 Patch 5: Just Harmoni-Friends"

Maps w/ Trent: SxE1 Silhouette

video upload by Whimsical Raps

"A stroll through the new SIlhouette module, describing functionality & the use cases that I've had in mind while creating the module. A little bit of description of some technical details, and other novelty items.

Preceded by a 20ish minute performance trying to dig into the radical timbral transformations possible with the module, driven by a pair of simple arpeggios."

Silhouette by Mannequins // What is it? // 1st day patch

video upload by Lesjamusic

"Welcome to the latest Mannequins module by Whimsical Raps: Silhouette.

OK so please excuse a few things here.

Firstly, I think this is genuinely the first vid posted with Silhouette outside of Mannequins official launch (I have no cheat sheet except the WIP manual!), and so some of the function descriptions aren't super crisp - if you like this video then I will record a follow up with more of an in-depth look.

Secondly, there's only one patch here, and I haven't yet even got around to trying mixing CV!

Finally, I have a horrible cold, and so apologies for the mouthbreathing. Not even a noise gate could filter it out!

That said, here's my first day intro to Silhouette by Mannequins. YMMV!"

Timeless Garden Horizon: An enigmatic instrument for sonic exploration

video upload by CatSynth TV

"Trent of Whimsical Raps gives us a tour of the Horizon, a collaboration between Whimsical Raps and Meng Qi. It has an intriguing interface and contains a wide variety of features including arpeggiators, pinged filters, resonant filter banks, and delays."

Additional posts here.

Silhouette by Whimsical Raps

video upload by Whimsical Raps

"~Braided signal combiner illuminated in two planes~

Sounds and shapes outlined in SILHOUETTE. Animated foregrounds of analogue delay, set among a backdrop in texturized stereo. At once mixer, scanner, bus compression and reverb.

The new Mannequins module from Whimsical Raps. December 2024"

SILHOUETTE

BRAIDED SIGNAL COMBINER ILLUMINATED IN TWO PLANES

Sounds and shapes outlined in SILHOUETTE. Animated foregrounds of analogue delay, set among a backdrop in texturized stereo. At once mixer, scanner, bus compression and reverb.

Built around a focal system defined by SPOT, lighting signals from a ring of 6 inputs. Here we find LIGHT and SHADOW, the latter pushed out in time through a dynamically filtered BBD delay. Together defining a foreground; a point of interest; focused; sharp.

The remaining assortment collected; a background; context and shape. A second stereo pair, LEFT and RIGHT, dynamically peering through a LENS. Control dynamics in simple VCA style, side-chained to the SPOTlit signal, or expanded to shorten transients and make space. Fill in the gaps with BLUR, smearing the background in time for rich ambient trails leaning into lush sweeping strings.

At its heart patch-programmable -- internally for dramatic feedback & oscillations -- cross-patched for extra drama. Very capable in a large system to fold complexity, but shining in tiny cases with feedback. A joyful micro-modular with Just Friends and crow, shaping sounds, or sounding shapes.

Beyond mere combination, SILHOUETTE pulls signals into relationship. Whether in full quadraphonic space, cohesive stereo sets, or dynamic & nimble singularities. See your sounds; hear great sights.

SUPERBOOTH 2024: Timeless Garden - Horizon Experimental Synth

video upload by sonicstate

"At Superbooth 2024, Sonic State got a sneak peek at the Horizon*, a new collaborative instrument by *Trent from Timeless Garden *and the developer of the Wing Pinger. The Horizon* features a resonator system built around the Wing Pinger device, with delays, a filter bank, and a touch sequencer/play surface to tie it all together. The unique design of the Horizon allows for exploration and inspiration, offering both melodic and experimental sound possibilities.

Trent demonstrated the capabilities of the Horizon, showcasing its ability to create strange and interesting sounds through feedback, FM modulation, and stepped modulation effects. The touch sequencer enables users to create melodies with variable step lengths and pitch quantization controlled by sliders. With analog signal processing and rich bucket brigade delay sound, the Horizon offers a unique sonic experience for musicians looking to push the boundaries of traditional synthesis. Stay tuned for the release of the Horizon in 2024, with an estimated price range between one and two thousand US dollars. For more information on the Horizon visit the link below:

https://timeless.garden/" Note the bottom of the page notes Meng Qi + Whimsical Raps.

Follow-up to this post.

"Horizon celebrates a world of ambiguous dualities~~ harmony/chaos, smooth/stepped, intuitive/practiced, manual/automatic. Built around an invertible heirarchy of pinged-filter cores, and a resonant garden of delays and filters. A rapid and responsive playing surface, smoothly blurring between textures or precisely sculpting a spectral landscape. Honed musicians and freeform experimentalists alike will find their own personal expressions within.

At centre, two Mountains of pinged filters, cross-coupled with smooth and stepped frequency modulation. These pings flow into a resonant filterbank and stereo delays, guided and recirculated by Tide sliders. The filterbank follows the path of 5 Bird sliders, collecting resonances from a playful just-intoned scale generator. Between these worlds flow Currents controlled by the touch surface, capable of wrangling chaos into pure tones or latching into sequences for otherwise busy hands. As the Tides ebb and flow, sequence & delay times are modulated in rhythmic/harmonic steps transforming relationships and shifting priorities.

Sitting proudly at the centre of a performance, or nestled into a larger setup with Eurorack CV i/o. Process external sounds, or use global feedback for an added layer of unpredictability."

Just friends, Monome ansible kria, beads, STO | exercise caution

video upload by patchesinblue

"exercise caution

an afternoon exercise with kria sequencing whimsical raps justfriends and the makenoise sto with sparks from mutable instruments beads.

at one point during the performance, my entire arm covered the frame while i was adjusting the filter cut-off on the whimsical raps three sisters, so i included some amazing clips of the sky that felt right for the music for that section.

@patchesinblue on instagram, twitter, bandcamp and soundcloud"

Worth the Hype? The Mannequins by Whimsical Raps Mangrove Formant Oscillator

video upload by pitch patch

"This is a demo of the Mannequins by Whimsical Raps Mangrove formant oscillator. I go through all knobs and show you three patch ideas.

Mangrove is an analog formant oscillator that contains a triangle-core with a dedicated square wave output and a shaped impulse-train generator output through an internal VCA and waveshaper.

Many of the brands in the world of Eurorack modular are small businesses that produce in small numbers. To me, it is deliberating that not everything is immediately available all the time and every once in a while there are modules that are on backorder, out of stock, or out of production. With its unconventional and inspiring design, the Mangrove formant oscillator is highly regarded even years after its release. I think it is well worth the hype."

Cocoquantus 2 w/ Sidrax, MakeNoise RxMx | gentle reminder

video upload by patchesinblue

"gentle reminder

fall has brought with it mixed colors and feelings. i went through another patch in blue. i'm not sure if I'm out on the other side yet. making this was hard. but i'm here anyway

thank you for listening

Ciat-Lonbarde Cocoquantus 2
Ciat-Lonbarde Sidrax Organ
Whimsical Raps Mangrove
MakeNoise Phonogene
MakeNoise fxdf/RxMx
Oto Bam"

Teletype and Just friends | it was practically magic

video upload by patchesinblue

"first time using i2c to have the Monome teletype speak to Whimsical Raps just friends. i started studying and got distracted

the MakeNoise mimeophon is there to preserve and repeat the history of what was said; occasionally; like little echoes of memories that surface suddenly, often blurring the lines between what was said and what was meant and understood

the er-301 adds grains of weariness from having to listen and remember

the Hologram Electronics microcosm creates much needed space to breathe

Thank you to vecteezy for their bird vectors that helped me created the animation"

Get Well Soon ~ Ambient Modular Synthesis

EZBOT

"I put together this skiff to create 'out of this world' kind of sounds. Featuring most of the Whimsical Raps modules, I have yet to get myself a Just Friends or W/. What you can't see is that the outputs are being run into Strymon BlueSky which is set to shimmer. This is a song for my sister."

slow music - Playing with the new w/ firmware

junklight

"Basically this whole patch/track snowballed out of playing with the exciting new firmware for the Whimsical Raps w/ module - this is using the delay mode. Absolutely no scripts on either Crow or Teletype for once. Having decided that it was a candidate for leaving the rack - I'm getting to know Rene a lot better and using it more. Ochd also proving to be superb - it gets used in *everything*. A proper 'value for money' purchase!

The new "landscape" setup is really helping me get to know modules better - because I can see them properly! Looking forward to the virus easing enough for me to go for an eye test and get some varifocals or something (I'm not hurrying 'cos of all my heart stuff )

I stopped caring about "views" so it builds very slowly, won't interest the watch the first 10 seconds and skip crowd at all. Eagle eyed viewers might spot a little doggy in the mix :-) The video layout possibly marginally better than last weeks but still working on it"

Crow: First (Monome Crow + Mannequins)

Published on Oct 20, 2019 S. B. Arweiler

"First flight with Monome Crow. This is Crow's 'first' sequencer, sequencing Mannequins Mangrove and a self oscillating Three Sisters. Just Friends is only used as a clock source in this patch. Everything goes through Bastl Thyme. EHX Catehdral adds reverb in the mixer's."

via monome

"crow speaks and listens and remembers bits of text. A scriptable USB-CV-ii machine.

crow connects to norns and computers running Max, Max for Live, and other serial-enabled applications. We’ve created various norns scripts and Max for Live devices which require no programming, and we’ve also created tutorials and studies to get you started quickly programming your own ideas into this tiny, powerful module.

crow also stores a complete script, so that without a USB connection it can continue to run, responding to CV input and ii messages.

A collaboration by Whimsical Raps and monome.

Specifications

Eurorack, 2hp width, 41mm depth
Power consumption: 60mA @ +12v, -15mA @ -12V, no 5V
2 input, 4 output, 16bit [-5V,10V] range
Rear panel digital communication bus (ii)
full Lua scripting environment"

Mannequins Just Friends

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Multi-function, multi-purpose module. Purchased new from Whimsical Raps in about 2015 or 2016."

CLICK FOR MORE »