Liminal Patch 010 : Dark Ambient Modular Exploration : 10 Minutes of Threshold Invocation

video upload by Botched Creative

"AETHERIS NEXUSis a 10-minute descent into modular tension, where structured performance collides with controlled unpredictability. A convergence of control and surrender. Droning analog oscillators stretch across a dark horizon. Sculpted noise writhes in the aether—each exhale a ghost of resonance. Randomized ostinatos emerge like faulty memories. Pulsing bass figures carve a path agnostic to meter—structured, but answerable only to their own internal logic.

Recorded live to multitrack, each voice was captured in real time—a fleeting convergence of structure and volatility. What emerged was part performance, part algorithmic drift: a mesh of voltages and reactive systems colliding in ways that can’t be precisely reentered.
An improvisation encoded in circuitry and instinct. Once aligned—now gone.

Liminal Patch 010 marks the end of Series One. Liminal Patches Series Two will return after a brief hiatus.

0:00 :: Intro
0:30 :: Synth layer 01 : Moog Subharmonicon
1:21 :: Synth drone 01 : Archae Loki
1:53 :: Texture drone 01 : Maneco Labs Grone 2 Dark Drone Machine
2:15 :: Bell Sequence : Black Corporation Deckard's Voice
2:35 :: Texture drone 02: Forge TME Vhikk X
3:21 :: Bass Synth : Moog Matriarch
3:52 :: Synth drone 02 : Winterbloom Castor & Pollux
04:20 :: The middle bit
09:08 :: The end logo
09:23 :: A subtle hint


Main Synths:
Moog Subharmonicon, Moog Matriarch, Archea Loki, Winterbloom Castor & Pollux. Black Corporation Deckard's Voice, Maneco Labs Grone 2 Dark Drone Machine, Forge TME Vhikk X.

Sequencer:
Qu-Bit Bloom

Processors:
Make Noise Maths, Happy Nerding 3x Mia, ALM Pam's Pro Workout, Xaoc Devices Zadar, Xoac Timiszoara, Expert Sleepers ES-9, Intellijel Quadratt, Thorn Audio VC LFO, Maneco Labs Clusterverb, After Later Audio Cloaks,

Post-Processing:
Abelton Live (tracking), Motu Digital Performer (mixing), Kush Audio, Slate Digital, Valhalla DSP, Waves plugins.

Become the infinite threshold."

Liminal Patch 008 : Ambient Eurorack Modular Exploration

video upload by Botched Creative

"Creaturae Imaginis is a slow-burning descent into tone, texture, and atmosphere—12 minutes of ambient analog synthesis, layered with subtle generative elements. Recorded live to multitrack, each voice was captured in isolation, allowing for extensive post-processing and detailed mixing. The result is a piece that blurs the line between raw performance and sculpted sound design—a meditation on presence, process, and the strange beauty of voltage in motion.

Main Synths:
Forge TME Vhikk X, Maneco Labs Grone 2 Dark Drone Machine, Moog Mother 32, Moog Matriarch, Archea Loki, Winterbloom Castor & Pollux.

Sequencer:
Arturia KeyStep Pro

Processors:
Make Noise Maths, Happy Nerding 3x Mia, ALM Pam's Pro Workout, Xaoc Devices Zadar, Xoac Timiszoara, Expert Sleepers ES-9, Intellijel Quadratt, Thorn Audio VC LFO, Maneco Labs Clusterverb, Maneco Labs Filter Eko, Animal Factory Vivisect, After Later Audio Cloaks,

Post-Processing:
Walrus Audio Fable, OBNE Darkstar, Meris Mercury X, Meris Mercury 7, Meris Polymoon, Meris LVX, Boss RE-20, Chase Bliss Mood, Chase Bliss Generation Loss, Strymon Timeline, Strymon Big Sky, Abelton Live (tracking), Motu Digital Performer (mixing), Kush Audio, Slate Digital, Valhalla DSP, Waves plugins.

Enjoy the in-between world."

Liminal Patch 005 : Semi-Generative Ambient Modular Synthesizer Exploration | Tempus Vacuus

video upload by Botched Creative

"7 Minutes of semi-generative ambient modular synthesizer exploration. Recorded live to multitrack.

Main Synths:
Archaea Loki, Winterbloom Castor & Pollux, Black Corp Deckard's Voice, Maneco Labs Grone 2 Dark Drone Machine, Forge TME Vhikk X.

Patching Notes:
0:00 :: Intro
0:14 :: Layer 01 : Forge TME Vhikk X
0:43 :: Layer 02 : Maneco Labs Grone 2
1:55 :: Layer 03 : Black Corp. Deckard's Voice
2:35 :: Layer 04 : Winterbloom Castor & Pollux
3:26 :: Layer 05 : Archaea Loki
3:45 :: The Rest of the Video

Sequencer:
QuBit Bloom Fractal Sequencer.

Processors:
Make Noise Maths, Happy Nerding 3x Mia, ALM Pam's Pro Workout, Xaoc Devices Zadar, Erica Synths Black Low-Pass VCF, Doepfer A-140-2V Envelope Generator, Expert Sleepers ES-9, Intellijel Quadratt, Thorn Audio VC LFO, Maneco Labs Clusterverb, Endorphines Ghost, Xaoc Timiszoara.

Post-Processing:
Abelton Live (tracking), Motu Digital Performer (mixing), Kush Audio, Slate Digital, Valhalla DSP, Waves plugins.

Full disclosure: The video portion was recorded after recording the audio (I don't have ten hands).

Enjoy the in-between world."

Zaturn CV Sampling

video upload by gotharman

"Connecting a Zadar to Zaturn via the new USB CV prototype, recording a sampling of Zadars output, and converts it into a Draw Wave.
www.gotharman.dk"

Eurorack SEM filter comparisons

video upload by John Schussler

"Looking at several eurorack clones of the Oberheim SEM filter, including:

Doepfer A-106-5 SEM type VCF
God's Box Humpback
Studio Electronics SEM
Plankton Electronics Spice VCF
Bubblesound Dual SEM20"

Eurorack SEM Filter comparison - session 2

video upload by John Schussler

"This comparison is low pass only. It would take far too long to compare (in what I view as a useful way) every output and mode, so this is it for now.

In theory they're all based on the SEM circuitry, but some do have alterations.
I'm less concerned with "purity" or adherence to the "original" sound as I am with how good they sound period.

Source VCO is an Acid Rain chainsaw. Envelope is Zadar. Sequencer is Pittsburgh Modular microSequence.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Dry
02:57 Resonance
07:43 Input gain
15:57 Knobbage"

Also see SEM vs SEM - November 2023 edition

Eurorack formant modules - part 2

video upload by John Schussler

"I did a comparison of some formant filters a while back ( • Eurorack Formant Filter comparison [posted here] ), and since then have acquired a few more, so time for another comparison.

This one includes the 2hp vowel, which isn't actually a filter, and the Noise Engineering Fala Versio, which isn't trying to be a talk box.

So it's all formant-y, but not strictly filters

Source audio is (for the filters) an Acid Rain Chainsaw VCO. Modulation courtesy of Zadar.

00:00 Intro
00:20 2hp Vowel
04:08 MotoMouth
08:12 Fala Versio"

Noise Engineering - New Oscillators

video upload by John Schussler

"Noise Engineering makes killer modules, so it's always a good day when new stuff comes out. Over the past several months they've released a bunch of new modules, including 4 new oscillators (not to mention a bunch of other stuff).

I was interested to see how the voices compared to each other, to see if each had a specific character that would clearly stand out as unique to that module. I was also interested to see how the Sinc Legio, which is a smaller form factor than the others, stacked up.

Sequencer: Pittsburgh Modular Micro Sequence. Reverb: TipTop Valhalla
Envelope: Zadar

00:00 Intro
00:20 Debel Iteritas Alia
07:17 Incus Iteritas Alia
10:37 Acid!
18:54 Sinc Legio
26:21 Toros Iteritas Alia
42:45 Toros drone"

Morpheus | A tribute to Dave Rossum and E-mu Systems

video upload by Cinematic Laborat

"Back in the 80's, I used to own an E-mu Proteus 2 and the legendary Emulator IV sampler. I noticed the Morpheus, but I did not pay much attention to it, because I felt the Emulator could record samples AND do Z-plane synthesis. No idea what it was, never used it. But the Morpheus became an ambient legend because of those Z-Planes. The specs didn't make much sense. It offered three AHDSR envelopes and two complex 8-stage function generators per voice, where each stage could do something different and you could jump to a stage based on conditions (like key velocity) With the knowledge I have today I'd immediately say WOW.

E-mu Systems is gone (due to the PC/Mac), but Dave Rossum's creations live on in Eurorack. The Assimil8or could be compared to the Emulator sampler. Control Forge is the multi-segment conditional function generator and the Morpheus now only provides the Z-Plane filter. To get an idea, it's like a 3D wavetable for filters you can traverse with X, Y and Z coordinates mapped to frequency, morph and amplitude (not 100% sure).

So yes, I was thrilled to give it a try. I hooked up Plaits and a bunch of LFO's, only to discover it sounded like crap. Que? Yes. Plaits came in too hot so I had to use a VCA. Uncontrolled CV can make the Morpheus explode in extreme clipping which the module - and your 24 bit audio interface - can't possibly handle. So It needs a limiter too if you just throw CV at it. After one day of shooting video I was very disappointed and almost decided to put it back in the box and do something else. I checked videos from collegue YouTubers and it all sounded 'more is less' with the frantic filter changes, clicks, pops and digital harshness. Terrible. Was this it? It can't be. Not from Dave Rossum.

It's impossble to cut a long story short now, but I studied the old Morpheus brochure and listened to some orginal sounds. Then all the pieces fell together. It sounds best when used like the old E-mu. It needs a polyphonic source, a big pad or a collection of moody samples. It needs a clever function generator, like two chained Maths or a Buchla 281 quad function generator. Or a ZADAR! I tried a little proof of concept with Knobula Poly Cinematic and one Maths, and yes. This is the way. In the final patch I used BitBox with a bed of three layered samples (Emulator!) and three complex functions from Zadar, triggered by Maths. And there it was. A eurorack Morpheus doing true Z-Plane Synthesis."

ER-301 Mannequins Black Ambient System

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

via this auction

"Massive Ambient Modular System

Includes:

Orthagonal Devices ER-301

Xaoc Devices Zadar

Mannequins Mangrove

Mannequins Three Sisters

Mutable Instruments Beads

Michigan Synth Works F8R (Custom Black)

Intellijel Dual VCA 1U

Intellijel Quadratt 1U

Instruo Ochd

Intellijel Ins 1U

Intellijel uMidi 1U

Intellijel Dual Stereo Outs 1U

Intellijel Pallette 104

original silver panels will be included with modules as well as most of the original boxes."

CLICK FOR MORE »

SEM vs SEM - November 2023 edition

video upload by John Schussler

"The G-Storm Electro SEM VCF arrived the other day, and I figured I'd give it a listen in comparison to what, up to this point, I think is the best SEM eurorack module: the Studio Electronics SEM VCF.

(Spoiler alert: The G-Storm gives the SE a serious run for its money)

I've also thrown in the Bubblesound SEM20 and an AMSynths Obie XA. The Bubblesound is mostly SEM, but with some MS-10 bits grafted on that makes it more aggro. The Obie XA isn't a SEM at all, different chip, but is also modeled after an Oberheim filter so I figured I'd toss it in for contrast.

VCO is a Befaco Pony, first on saw then on square. Sequencer is a Clank Chaos. Envelope is Zadar.

Be forewarned: a lot of this video is me going back, and forth, and back, and forth, and back and forth between modules. Don't get seasick.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Standard gain
03:43 Gain up
06:46 Resonance up
08:56 Tight envelope
16:00 Square wave"

Last Time Playing This Patch Before Unplugging Everything

video upload by Izntrik

"Just a streamed synthesizer techno, electronic, and ambient jam session. Less polished than live shows, more for practice and experimentation. It's almost time to ruin this patch and move a bunch of modules around to expand my live setup into two eurorack cases instead of one. More drums, more control, more fun! Gets a little experimental at the end. Enjoy the synths!

Patch Notes:
Intellijel Metropolix is the sequencing Plaits and Doepfer A-111-6. Zadar is sidechaining, modulating morph on Plaits, and pulse width modulation on the Doepfer. Basimilus Iteritas Alter switches between quantized voltages from the Polar 8 and also sample and hold pitches from Metropolix with triggers from the euclidean sequencer running on Ornament and Crime Hemispheres, runs into the WMD C4RBN filter for wavefolding and saturation. Tesseract Modular Polar8 is controlling delays, drum density, resonance, saturation, A-111-6 pitch, euclidean offset, and BIA pitch. Prok and Pico Drums are being triggered by the 6equencer and Dnipro Dot. Endorphin Ghosts, ALM MFX, and Qu-Bit Prism for effects.

All music and socials can be found on Izntrik's website
https://www.izntrik.com/

My name isn't Rick
Orlando DJ and Producer
DJ - Everything
Produce - House & Techno"

Making Sound Machines - Farbshaper

video upload by John Schussler

"I covered the Making Sound Machines Farbfolder in a previous vid: [below]

The Farbshaper is similar, but not such a standard wavefolder design. It has a gain circuit that's unusually responsive to the amplitude of the input signal, giving it a very organic sound and variety of timbres you don't get on other folders.

The input signal is all sine wave from the Befaco Pony VCO.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Source audio
00:45 Sweeps
02:50 Sequence"

Making Sound Machines Farbfolder vs. Joranalogue Fold 6


"Just got the new Farbfolder in from thonk.co.uk and put it together (it's an easy build, just knobs and jacks). I must admit the sexy color LEDs at the top caught my eye. They've 3D printed a light guide and used a transparent panel, so it gives you an excellent show of das blinkenlights. (Die? Das? I've forgotten what little German I had.)

But of course there's always the real question, how does it sound? And how does it compare to others at its size? I figured I'd pair it against the Fold 6 from Joranalogue, which is also 4hp, for a head-to-head.

Source audio is a Befaco Pony VCO sine wave. Envelope from Zadar.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Farbfolder
08:19 Fold 6"

Gotharman's VCF8 in Eurorack

video upload by gotharman

"The VCF8 (Dual Band Spaze Filter) installed in EuroBoard.
Sound source: BL Braids.
Modulation: Pico VCO 1 and ZADAR.
www.gotharman.dk"

Noise Engineering Versio - Praetereo firmware

video upload by John Schussler

"There's a new firmware available for the Noise Engineering Versio modules
called 'Praetereo.' It's a drifting loop maker, in the same vein as the Soma
Cosmos or Hologram Microcosm.

There's a thread for it on ModWiggler with links and detailed info: https://www.modwiggler.com/forum/view...

No commentary from me in this one, just listening. VCO is a Cwejman VCO-2RM, with one side going to the left channel and one to the right. Seqencer is the OK200 Degree. Envelope: Zadar.

Last in the chain is a Yester Versio module. If you hear a regular delay, it's that, not the Praetereo. And occasionally I bring in the Yester wavefolder. If you hear effects happening but don't see my hand making them, it's the Yester.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Part 1
08:30 Part 2
18:00 Part 3"

New from Bard Synthesizers - LPG and Ring Modulator

video upload by John Schussler

"I recently got a couple new modules from Bard Synthesizers. The VTG low pass gate is available as part of his normal product lineup, but the ring modulator is a custom build. I'm guessing if you like it you could talk him into building you one as well, but note that it takes a bit longer, what with it being a custom build and all.

Here's a little sampler to get an idea how they sound. Plus some extra from the Erica Synths Fusion Ring Modulator at the end for comparison.

Source VCOs are an Acid Rain Chainsaw and a Befaco Pony VCO.
Envelope from Zadar.

00:00 Intro
00:20 LPG
06:00 Gilbert Ringmod
11:27 Erica Ringmod"

The module that makes complex modulation easy – Xaoc Zadar

video upload by Monotrail Tech Talk

"Interesting modulation is what makes eurorack patches come to live. I have been using Zadar from Xaoc devices for some time now, and really enjoy it for the interesting and complex modulation signals it can create. Today we take a look at how the module works, and of course I give a series of patch examples and ideas along the way."

Timetable:
00:00 – Intro
01:09 – Zadar overview
04:11 – Zadar menu
06:13 – Envelopes
12:37 – Complex voltages
17:11 – Audio rate
19:55 – Expander

VCF10 in Eurorack -EuroBoard MkII

video upload by gotharman

"-Main/lead sound: Dreadbox Hysteria into VCF10 in EuroBoard MkII, modulated by Zadar and another Hysteria.
-Pling synth: Hysteria into VCF11 (Zaturn) in EuroBoard MkII, modulated by Zadar.
-Kick drum: Qubit Tone modulated by Mutable Instruments Stages.
-Noise synth: Gotharman's Windy into Qubit Tone, modulated by Blue Lantern Braids.
-Cymbal: Urano Cymbal oscillator into VCF13 (Diode Drive) inside Urano.
-Reso synth: Urano Osc Type 1 into VCF12 (FilterBank) inside Urano.
-Snare Drum: Windy into Setonixsynth Marsupial, into Intellijel Springray, into FX Aid pitch shifter, modulated by Zadar.
-Sequencers: Urano and Tubbutec 6equencer.
www.gotharman.dk"

Also see: New Gotharman's EuroBoard MkII Filters for Eurorack

Massive Eurorack Setup for Sale

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

via this auction

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WMD Legion vs Intellijel Dixie II+

video upload by John Schussler

"As is so often the case with these videos, I'm trying to make a 'keep or sell' decision. In this case between the WMD Legion, which has just arrived, or the Intellijel Dixie II+, both of which are 8hp VCOs.

They have different feature sets, and that's not really what interests me here. In this video I'm just doing a comparison of the basic sounds, getting a feel for whether there's a big difference in sound quality that would indicate keeping one or the other makes sense, or if they're so similar it's just a feature competition.

Sequencer: Stochastic IG. Envelope: Zadar

00:00 Intro
00:20 Saw
01:15 Triangle
01:59 Pulse
02:49 Pulse+sub
03:41 Pulse width
04:34 Saw+sub
05:01 Triangle+sub
06:01 FM
11:15 Legion features"

Sovage Engineering - L'Ecorcheur eurorack distortion

video upload by John Schussler

"I did a video a little while back comparing some distortion modules, and included the L'Ecorcheur. At the time I didn't really understand how the Glitchzr knob worked, so the demo was...sub-optimal.

Here's another try, focusing this time just on the L'Ecorcheur. Starting with the Glitchzr knob down, so we get a better comparison of its straight distortion capabilities, then later we turn it up for the full experience.

VCO is a WMD Legion in swarm mode. Envelope: Zadar. Sequencer: Stochastic IG

00:00 Intro
00:20 Sweeps
06:06 Sequence
13:49 Zone output
14:37 CV in and GLITCHZR"