Ambient Engine is designed not just for 'making songs' but as a 'device that continuously generates sound.'
Load samples
Adjust the playback range and density
Add fluctuations with modulation
Record in real time
Even without playing, the sound continues to change autonomously according to the parameter settings.
Import sounds recorded with your smartphone and instantly create your own ambient music."
"This series of studies explores an idea that Benge has been working on over the past year or so, namely that of Cybersynthesis. This involves programming self-contained patches on various modular systems which, once set in motion, will produce dynamic, evolving soundscapes, sometimes purely abstract in nature, at other times veering towards the more melodious
Many different methods were deployed in the patches, depending on the system being used, but normally multiple sequencer and switching devices were combined to give varying degrees of control over long time periods, often without repetition
Other things like random control signals and semi-random events were combined with the sequencers and switching units to bring variation to the performances the machines were making
The key idea at the heart of Cybernetics is the concept of bringing control to chaotic processes. To do this, some kind of feedback loop would ideally be established that can monitor and limit events that might otherwise spin out of control. The Serge and Modcan systems featured here each have various comparator circuits that can, to a certain extent, achieve this highly advanced synthesis feature
In the absence of such sensor paths, it is sometimes possible to use audio or voltage mixers and feedback chains to set various parameters to be on the very edge of chaotic behaviour, an approach used in many of the patches on display here
Other techniques such as the quantisation of voltages and the forcing of notes to play within certain predetermined musical scales were also employed in some of the pieces, which is another way of taming chaotic elements into into a more musical realm
Overall, a wholly experimental approach was applied to the various setups, with the intention of providing an insight into how these machines can behave. Of course, each system has an almost limitless depth to the complexity of patches available, and each track on the album provides just a single snapshot of each instrument used. But hopefully it provides an interesting glimpse into the wonders that these self-playing systems can achieve
Tracklist:
01 - Buchla 100 and EMS VCS3
02 - Serge Paperface
03 - Modcan A-Series
04 - ARP 2500
05 - Buchla 200 and DK Synergy
06 - Serge and LW Comparator
07 - Moog Modular 3C
08 - Roland Discrete System
09 - Buchla 200
"In part one of this vlog I had ordered and received the pcbs, 3d printed parts and most of the components. In this part I finish the first one and try it out."
