Buchla Kaleidoscope 29 / Fugindo (261e, 281h, 292h, euroracks)

video upload by takao_kurokawa

"Buchla LEM Snoopy & some eurorack and effects

eurorack modules:
Whimsical Raps: Silhouette
ADDAC System: Stochastic Function Generator
Five12: Vector Sequencer
Chase Bliss Reverse Mode C
OTO Machines BIM"

Eurorack Study 5 / Estava Bem Tranquilo.

video upload by takao_kurokawa

modules:
Whimsical Raps: Just Friends, Mangrove, Three Sisters, Silhouett
Joranalogue: Morph 4
Make Noise: Maths
Five 12: Vector Sequencer
Hikari Instruments: Dual Delay
Happy Nerding: FX Aid

Eurorack Study 3/ Cerulean Wind (Mannequins Just Friends, Mutable Marbles, Joranalogue Route4, etc.)

video upload by takao_kurokawa

Modules:
Whimsical Raps: Just Friends w/
Joranalogue Audio Design: Route 4
Mutable Instruments: Marbles
ALM Busy Circuits: Pamela's Pro Workout, MFX

#eurorack #modularsynth #ambientmusic #experimentalmusic

Whimsical Raps Atrium's Polyphonic LFO

video upload by Matt Lowery

"The Whimsical Raps Atrium is equipped with a five voice polyphonic LFO, and it's so much fun that it felt worth documenting with a short video.

Like what you hear? Come explore my sample packs: https://otakusound.gumroad.com/l/Boke...

Initial Patch Setup Notes:

LFO Mapped to Notes
LFO Mapped to Chord
Change Mapped to Sustain
Change Mapped to Lens

After that, all adjustments are made on camera."

Whimsical Raps Atrium // Monome Norns // 36 Minutes of Uninterrupted Ambient

video upload by Lesjamusic

"My friend Simon (aka mosaictapes on Instagram) came over the other day, and we were toying around with the Sines app on Norns. We added some noise options, including modulating the frequency with noise, giving this lovely instability to the sound. Then added two sequencers: One wave based and one stochastic drift based. Here the drift sequencer slowly plays the sine waves, represented by the bars in the Grid (sorry about the cable in the way!). DM me on IG if you would like a copy of this edited script.

I added an evolving bass drone on Atrium - something that's super easy to do with the internal gestures and LFOs. Cocoquantus has a little loop of the Norns, then there's Oto Bim and Boum, and Walrus Audio Slöer just off screen. There's no talking here, and no changes in the patch - I just thought I would leave it running for you to enjoy / mong out to 🫠🫠🫠

#whimsicalrapsatrium #monomenorns #cocoquantus"

Whimsical Raps Atrium // No Talking // 3 Early Explorations

video upload by Lesjamusic

"My first hour or two with the Whimsical Raps Atrium. What a beauty.

My Norns script Nexus provides the sequencing over a nifty USB cable.

00:00 Patch 1
02:16 Patch 2
04:19 Patch 3

#ambientcuration #whimsicalrapsatrium #ambientmusic"

Whimsical Raps ATRIUM: sound engine exploration (no talking)

video upload by Pete Midi

"Clearly beyond a normal analog synth but I like the extravagant concept and the unique design of Whimsical Raps ATRIUM. Still a few things are missing that hopefully will be implemented in a future firmware update. But, in principle, the ATRIUM has the features that make it a perfect drone and lead synthesizer for me. In this video I just checked the basic possibilities of the sound engine in combination with the user interface elements. I will try out the sequencer options at a later date …

00:00 unboxing
00:20 timbral mode: wave
02:13 timbral mode: fm
03:12 Ramp modulation I
04:34 Ramp modulation II
05:19 Ramp mod. & chord spread
06:22 spectre/delay I
07:10 spectre/delay II
08:16 lfo modulation I
09:20 lfo modulation II
10:54 midi host port
12:39 timbral mode: form"

Atrium: On Systems

video upload by Whimsical Raps

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

This video articulates the core systems for composition and environment building in Atrium. Methods for structuring play, while allowing and encouraging the artist to embed personal creative ideas. These systems set the rules of play, subtly redefining the specifics of familiar gestures.

The next chapter, Atrium: On Connections, looks beyond these five walls. Exploring how Atrium can be extended, as a leader or collaborator.

https://atrium.whimsicalraps.com/"

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."