Analemma - downtempo ambient

video upload by rustyjaw

"Have worked on this on and off for a couple of months. The basic outline of the track took shape fairly quickly, then the familiar self-doubts crept in and I spun for a while. Not seeing a way to move forward, I stopped working on it. The holidays came and went, and I left this project in stasis. But when I finally came back to it with fresh ears, I could sort of see a path forward. I reworked parts and found the groove again.

I think the bass in this is probably the most interesting part, it came about from experiments with MIDI FX on Hapax, using random LFOs to influence filter and amp settings on the OB6, creating this off-kilter wobbly sound with some funkiness. That then inspired the percussion.

The major players in this are: 3Rd Wave (the opening sound), OB-6 on bass, Prophet, Digitakt, Digitone doing background ambience, Minilogue, and a sprinkling of the Make Noise NUSS system."

Eutelia

Published on Aug 24, 2019 rustyjaw

"It's been a while. Took some time away from music, although I didn't intend to take this long. I suffered a bit of a creative crises for a while, really not thrilled with my own music. Feeling like I had fallen into ruts, working the same tools in the same manner. I started to worry that I'd drift so far form music making that it would be hard to find my way back, so I decided to just try and learn something new. I focused on learning to use loops with the Deluge. I took the Deluge out of my room (ah, battery powered gear!) in an attempt to steer clear of those ruts.

That was the genesis of this track, using the Deluge to crunch up some drum loops and make variations. The rest flowed organically from that, I built much of the track on the Deluge using internal sounds, and then moved it to the studio to reroute some of those tracks to external gear. I found that just exercising the music muscle in the name of satisfying a curiosity was enough to kickstart inspiration.

Sound sources:
Deluge synth is doing bassline and ethereal pads
Deluge for all beats, processed with internal fx
JP-08 for muted keys/chime-like sounds
Digitone for thin panning pad and occasional bubbly arps
Rings is the arp lead (being fed a modulated BIA), but the Peak also mirrors the same melodic lines for layering
Morphagene is glitching about on a recording of the Rings, this is fed into Magneto for ambiance

Stillson Hammer MkII is running stepped modulation to BIA, Rings, and Morphagene"

Parhelion

Published on Feb 12, 2019 rustyjaw

"I started this track on the deluge using piano samples, and then layered in a Digitone patch tweaked to sound like a piano.

I found the layering of the 'real' piano and the synthetic one quite interesting, but the "song" didn't really take shape until I started noodling with the Peak. I used the BeatStep Pro as a keyboard to play the Peak and record the MIDI on the Deluge. The remaining buzzing/floating line is the JP-08 run through Clouds, which is being modulated by various random outputs from the Ultra Random Analog."

Two hundred seasons // Digitone + Eurorack drone ambient

Published on Dec 22, 2018 rustyjaw

"A little hymn to 50 years of existence.

Deluge is for control only here, no sounds. Opening chord is JP-08 going into Magneto and then into Clouds then out to Strymon Flint Reverb.

Digitone is going into H9.

Rings fed plucked notes from Dixie II, using Double Andore as VCA. Rings then goes into DLD.

Later, waterfall sounds (field recording from Fern Canyon, CA) from Morphagene into Cinnamon filter.

The track was arranged on Deluge, I'm mainly manipulating Magneto and Morphagene speed/Cinnamon cuttoff levels, Clouds levels, and H9 settings."

Caronagraphic // Digitone and Deluge ambient

Published on Dec 8, 2018 rustyjaw

"Further explorations of the Deluge, learning to use the arranger. It feels like having a super power to have such control over song structure after spending so much time working only on a modular.

This is 3 tracks from the Digitone, drums from Deluge, arppegiated synth line is Deluge, bass is JP-08.

The only module being used here is the 4MS DLD, which is adding a subtle delay on the bassline.

Deluge audio runs through Flint (it's hidden behind the stand), Digitone runs through the H9. Everything is recorded to 3 stereo tracks on the Zoom H6.

Please excuse the flickering lights! Or alternatively, enjoy the light show. The refresh rate of the LEDs interferes with the 30fps video capture. I'll have to figure out a better way to do this."

Fano Plane // Eurorack Ambient

Published on Aug 27, 2018 rustyjaw

"A meandering stroll across a steppe under a light rain.

Quick patch notes: The structure of the track is, once again, based on Argos Bleak. Using its 4 outputs as 2 pairs of dyads, one pair creates the gong-ish bell sounds, and the other to the main melodic line. Each pair is multed to secondary oscillators as 'backing' sounds.

The noise washes in the latter portion are from a recording of rainfall on my iPhone that I fed into Morphagene and pitched down a little. That runs through optodist for some slight distortion.

Bassline is AJH Mini Mod sequenced by Stillson Hammer MkII"

Cloudburst Devotional // eurorack ambient

Published on Mar 29, 2018 rustyjaw

"Patched during the furious rains, blossoming in the sun that follows.

This is conceptually simple, overlayed repeating patterns, with subtle variations that slowly meander from the source.

Starts with Rings fed by Basimilus Iteritas Alter, but the BIA is first filtered by Bastl Cinnamon to round out it's tones. This goes into Magneto.

The bass is pure AJH Mini Mod VCO into Mini Mod VCF, with subtle modulation on the filter freq and exp CV on the VCO.

Main melody is 3 waveforms from Dixie II layered with STO, all filtered through the AJH Sonic XV. Slow, delayed envelopes into the filter from Quadra. This all goes into the 4MS Dual Looping Delay. These voices are controlled by Argos Bleak, using vibrato, getting a sequence from Stillson Hammer MkII.

The flitting effervescence in the latter half is from Hertz Donut, a simple sequence from it is fed into Morphagene, and played out backwards into Echophon then into Magneto."

Miura Ori // semi-generative ambient

Published on Feb 18, 2018 rustyjaw

"Another Argos Bleak-centered track. Making heavy use of the vibrato to slowly swing all the oscillators around the notes detuning each several cents above and below the note.

Why "semi-generative"? Well there are two programmed sequences being played into the A and B inputs on the Argos, but the note/chord changes are triggered by random gates from the Stillson Hammer into the Argos Bleak's quantizer-trigger in. The chords themselves are presets I created in the Argos, but they are 'chosen' by Rene's unquantized out as it very slowly steps through a sequence.

What is decidedly not generative is the way I control the mix levels and filter cutoffs. But for the most part the track kind of runs itself which was a good exercise for me in giving up a little control :-)

And finally, I was able to sneak Magneto in for the crystalline chiming sounds that come in about halfway through. Magneto is in Loop mode."

petrichor daze

Published on Nov 13, 2017 rustyjaw

"rainy day ambient"

overgrowth - modular jam

Published on Oct 29, 2017 rustyjaw

"An exploration of contrasts; floaty twinkling, entwined melodic vines enervated by the heft of crackling bass.

Basic patch notes:

Sequencers:
Copper Traces - Seek (main 64-step melody)
Industrial Music Electronics - Stillson Hammer MkII (channel 4 dedicated to modulating the Assignable A input)
Make Noise Rene - mainly driving the ambient background

Filters:
AJH Synth - Minimod VCF (main melody, plus other sources)
AJH Synth - Sonic XV (bassline)
Mannequins - Three Sisters"

Eurorack Modular Videos by rustyjaw

Dusk Published on Jun 12, 2017

Two videos recommended and sent my way via John L Rice. The second is further below.

"A simple ambient jam for the summer.

Some quick patch notes:

First (plucked string) voice:
Rings and STO sequenced by Copper Traces Seek

Bassline and "lead":
Pittsburgh Modular Synth Box (bassline) and Industrial Music Electronics Piston Honda MkII (slow lead) both sequenced by Stillson Hammer Mk II

Background melodies:
Synthesis Tehcnology E330 - sequenced by Stillson Hammer Mk II
Intellijel Dixie II (and multed copy of Dixie II melody recorded into Morphagene) sequenced by Make Noise Rene (Rene X input from Zularic Repetitor)

Fiters:
Three Sisters - plucked string voice and background melodies
AJH MiniMod VCF - bassline
AJH Sonic XV - lead

Effects:
Mutable Instruments Clouds x2 (looping delay mode on both)
Make Noise Erbe Verb (plucked strings sound, and background melodies)
Make Noise Echophon - background melodies
Dual Looping Delay (plucked strings)
Zvex Instant Lo-fi Junky (lead)"


Colloidal Flow

Published on Sep 3, 2017

"A reworking of the last patch I posted. This is a significantly different take, focusing on the ambient and drone with the sequenced parts blended in more.

PADS:
VCOs: E330 Multimode VCO (in Wavetable mode) into Clouds looping delay

PADS 2:
Direct outs from STO (sine) and Dixie II into clouds reverb

PLUCKY SYNTHS:
VCOs: STO and Dixie II
Sequencer: Turing Machine into uScale II, uScale A and B outs going to each VCO
Envelopes: Quadra
Envelope Triggers: Zularic Repetitor
Delay: Dual Looping Delay

16th NOTE SEQ:
VCO: Piston Honda MkII
Sequencer: Stillson Hammer Mk II
Filter: MiniMod VCF
Envelope (VCA and filter): Quadra

Variations in the bassline are from the Assignable A and B inputs on the SHMkII, they are being fed random S&H from the Ultra Random Analog, a multed copy of the S&H feeds into the shift input on the uScale, so both sets of sequences change at the same time.

KICK:
VCO: the sub bass out from STO into Pittsburgh Synth Box LPG in, triggered by output 4 from Zularic Repetitor"