296T mixed outputs and Selective FM | Buchla/Tiptop 200T Series | Episode 8

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I had a second long session with the 296T after my first patch video. This video tries to justify why the 296T could be worth the big footprint so it can be more than 'just a big equalizer'. This always depends on the type of music you'd like to make on a modular, and for many, a multimode filter would be more than enough. The 296T is like a surgical audio tool, doubling as an EQ or filter. In this video, I'll use the brutal Manis Iteritas as a source and use both the attennuated & program outputs to sculpt something new from it. It's a very rich voice with artifacts and noise because of the 6-operator sawtooth algorithms and it does not have many sweetspots outside it's heavy industry character. The 296T is an ideal tool to help you tame it for different applications and sounds, even ambient.
Also, there's true magic in the technique of 'selective FM', where you can use indivdual band outputs to 'FM' your VCO. It's a trick I've learned with the MakeNoise FxDf fixed filter. The 296T can take it to another level.

I wish you a great New Years Eve and I am looking forward seeing you in 2024. Happy patching!"

Strega RainForest

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I am preparing a 40 minute gig for January 2024, which is going to be a bit like a live album also composed live. During the sessions I had a happy accident with Strega. I got this amazing 'rainforest' stacked with tropical birds (with some help from Imitor Versio and Desmodus). So in this video you'll get a sneak peak. I had no idea where it came from and the original session wasn't exactly filmed to explain things. But I figured it out. So the second part is about recreating the patch. I think creating organic life out of a VCO and a crappy delay definitely qualifies as alchemy. Or witchcraft. Today, Strega is a good witch."

Tesseract Tukra | Survival Guide

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"This is one of the toughest videos I've made so far. Just imagine a module that has 80 buttons which are all menu items, and many of these buttons have secondary functions. Many of them open one or more pages. It's huge. I noticed that reference videos don't really work, because there's no reference. It's just one big tablet of hieroglyphs. So I tried a different approach for this 'survival guide'. Since this is a production value channel, I focused on what a competitive high end drum sequencer should be capable of - and how it's done on Tukra. While I was diving into these fundamental tasks, I discovered one of the best sequencers out there, only to realize that I was only scratching it's enigmatic surface. Welcome to episode 1!"

Drone Music | Maths + Morphagene + DPO = Motor Synth

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I saw the Gamechanger Audio Motor Synth MK II on the Erica booth at Dutch Modular Fest and I was intrigued by the sound and the mechanics of eight precision drone engines. Unfortunately I can't justify a purchase due to price and my focus on Eurorack. But that sound... So I was inspired to try to make something similar with a clever envelope, a complex oscillator and a drone engine sample. I am using Maths, DPO and Morphagene, but any combo of an ADSR, growling VCO and sample player with pitch CV would work.

This video basically covers the fun of combining a VCO with a Sample and mult pitch to both of them. It will open up a weatlh of new sounds you've never heard before, but offer a new level of complexity and awe.

I guess you can see this as Shared System Tutorials episode 45 too. So the series goes on, but the thumbnails are no longer directly tied to the series."

Buchla/TipTop Audio 296T Programmable Spectral Processor

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Sure, the 52 HP 296T Spectral Processor is very big. And it's deep too. As a physical module and as an instrument. It's also power hungry taking almost 800 mA in total. It doesn't come cheap, but this is not an 'inspired by the 296' module like Fumana, Spectraphon or Sputnik. It has both the name Buchla and the magic numbers on it. And TipTop made it real."

Loquelic Iteritas Percido | Patch Tutorial & Survival Guide

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"This video is a bit like a community service. The Loquelic Iteritas Percido is often described as one of the most difficult and unpredictable VCO's in Eurorack, so maybe this video can finally help you out. But this 'issue' applies to all complex oscillators. They're complex. Where a sawtooth can only do a saw, a complex oscillator can make millions of sounds by combining two VCO's by clever 'algorithms', mod/fm busses and patches. It's not immediately obvious, but the LIP is also inspired by the Buchla 259. It has two independent VCO's, a mod bus and a wavefolder. What makes complex even more complicated is the built in ADR envelope that can affect pitch, amplitude and timbre in various degrees and strengths. It's easy to forget that you don't need to dial in everything to make a sound. Even if you don't own a LIP (and not planning to), this video could give you some new insights that will help to patch your more classic 259 designs (DPO, Furthrrr, Brenso, Cs-L, Verbos CO, 258T, etc).

00:00 Introduction
00:16 Neutral settings
00:48 2xVCO+Mod+Fold=259
01:04 Coarse and fine tuning pitch push encoders
01:33 Trig/Loop/Free
01:46 The Envelope
01:58 Algorithms
02:17 LIP on the Scope
06:10 Try to imagine a picture for a sound
08:12 The Damp knob
08:57 If you can't dial in a sound, maybe you'd need a filter.
09:51 Heavy Industry
10:49 The Moody Ambient Side
14:07 Brass sounds"

Intellijel SeaLegs | One of the best delays out there.

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Anything I'd say about SeaLegs would come out as a sales pitch. What I can say is that I am a happy customer and it will give a lot of existing delays a hard time if this were a competition. But it's not. A typical Rabbit Hole has a lot of delays to choose the best one for the right job. If you still need to pick your very first delay module, you can safely put it on your shortlist."

Update:

Sealegs Firmware 1.1 Update


"A quick addendum to my Sealegs video. Firmware 1.1 was released while I was making my video and repairing my ShapeShifter so I totally missed it and forgot to check. It adds two important features: Drive can now be set to different positions in the signal path. The Digital mode doesn't shift pitch anymore when you change clock divisions (slider) or trigger Clk with a pattern. So it now comes a bit closer to a Mimeophon."

Bad Shape | Adventures with a broken Intellijel ShapeShifter

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"I am preparing a video for the Intellijel Sealegs delay which was also good opportunity to refres my limited knowledge of Metropolix, ShapeShifter and Rainmaker. I got the ShapeShifter used, and it's never been in good shape. I never found the time or need to send it in for repairs because it has to go to Canada and there's no warranty.

So when I use ShapeShifter, I need to recalibrate it, or even reinstall the firmware when presets are lost. It has amnesia so my guess is that its memory doesn't survive a long powerdown. I was curious if all the necessary software would still work. I think ShapeShifter was introduced somewhere around 2014 and the digital world is changing much faster than analog.

After installing firmware, my ShapeShifter turns into a super advanced LFO because the VCO still needs calibration. I think it ticks below 1 Hz from time to time. It's useless as a voice in this state, but it can still make amazing sounds. I may have to keep it like this and find myself a new one. But it's not a bad thing."

Versio, Legio and/or Alia? - All Of Them 2023

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"This is a bit of a tribute to Noise Engineering, the discontinued Iteritas family, the birth of the Alia platform and a trip down memory lane. This video features most of the Versio firmwares, the alternative Multiversio firmware, Cursus Iteritas, Manis Iteritas, Basimilus, Debel Alia and the Loquelic as well as the Mimetic Digitalis sequencer. The Rabbit Hole is not a fairy tale and sometimes I feel I went way to deep for the sake of this channel. This video is not sponsored, endorsed or affiliated with Noise Engineering in any way. It's more like an independent fan film. Expressions used in this video are my own. As always, what works for me, may not work for you so always think twice before you buy, and then think again. I want to inspire, which is hopefully a positive way of 'influencing'. I hate that word.

There's a bit of a dark undertone in this video, maybe you don't even notice it. But it hurts when a whole line of gear gets discontinued for whatever reason. It feels like I made a bad decision on those modules even though this is bullshit. Suddenly, they feel old, especially when they're ported to something way more clever like the new Alia platform. I also had this feeling when I started with a discontinued old Shared System in 2018. It's now one of my most cherished gear. I had the same feeling when Mutable Instruments retired. I now have that same feeling when MakeNoise announced the last run of the Black & Gold, and maybe the concept of 'systems' all together. It feels a bit like all your favorite bands are breaking up. Whatever. It will pass. Regardless, there's some great music coming from these modules and I had a wonderful time with the Iteritas and Versio line. This turned out to be a true dream machine and everything I patch just works (for me).

I've finished my Noise Engineering case after four years and I may be drawing the line here because there's no more room for new modules. 'All of Them' refers to a video I made in 2020, featuring a compare of the Iteritas family (CIP excluded). And suddenly, they're all history except the LI, CIP and my personal favorite LIP which is - imho - still at the top of the food chain. I'll focus on new firmwares for Alia, Legio and Versio, and probably make a few videos about small NE setups with the stuff I have. Today, 2023, it's both cool and shocking to see how the landscape has changed. Now let's hope the Daisy chip will stay around for a long time."

Traffic Water Hotel | by Jasmine & Olive Trees | 'eurorack module of 2023'.

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"There are hidden gems out there by companies that did not exist a year ago. This, my dear friends, is a diamond. Lost in traffic, shaped by water and hiding in Room 2C of a dark hotel with Doorman that speaks triggers. Confused? You won't be after watching this video.

Featuring #intelljel #sealegs"

DivKid Showcase | Mutes | Ochd | Rnd Step | Ochd Expander | Ochd + Ochd + Expander

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"One of the first voices I heard when I started modular in 2018 was Ben DivKid Wilson's and it's been my goto channel for learning a new module ever since. The DivKid modules are simple, affordable and small, but offer something that wasn't there before they were released. I used them in almost all my patches, often off-screen or underexposed. In my first Ochd video (January 2020) it doesn't even show. With the release of the Ochd expander I realized how important these modules are for my case. This DivKid Show is a contribution to the contributions Ben already made to the modular community. For those who are new to modular it's cool to have all modules in one video (except Stereo Strip, I don't have it). The shots from his videos are used without kind permission but I am sure it's OK. As always I am not affiliated with anyone or anything.

The opening music is an adapted remix of one of Ben's youtube music library tracks (empty moons of Jupiter), free for everyone to use on videos."

NextTuesday | by This is Not Rocketscience (TiNRS)

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Tuesday was a procedural sequencer, introduced around 2017. It was forced into history because of the Covid-19 part shortage. Fortunately TiNRS decided to revive it because it's a super handy 'patch buddy' when time is short and you're facing a composer's block. NextTuesday is faithful to the original but adds a root knob and a second quantized 'mod' output.

Procedural sequencing means it's a bit like a jukebox or radio station. It has 14 built in algorithms and each algorithm can 'walk' a map of melodies like Mutable Grids did for rhythm. You can use X/Y coordinates to navigate the map and ! controls the note density. There's clock/reset to sync other gear, and master 'ticks' for ticks, beats and end of loop. These are super useful as masterclocks and triggers (e.g. synced delay, etc).

Procedural sequences may give you the impression that you're stuck with factory melodies. And that's true. But it's fun to accept the limitations and expand from there. After all, it's modular, and Tuesday is a great day for patching."

Additional NextTuesday posts.

All Hallow's Eve

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Having some fun with John Carpenter's classic Halloween theme.
Happy Halloween!"

The Grainmakers Playlist

video uploads by Cinematic Laboratory

"This playlist features granular eurorack modules that all need to process the same reference sample. I hope this gives a good impression of what the modules can do for you. They're all different, they're all great."

Playlist:

1. Grainmakers Playlist Introduction

I've been working on a huge video over the last few days and when I reached 30 minutes I decided to break it up into a playlist. This is cool! I can make updates and add new modules as they emerge. It's not supposed to be the ultimate grain guide, but it's cool to hear all modules chew on the same sample and hear what comes out. It's easy to be impressed by a bad module with a great soundsource, or underwhelmed by an amazing module that need to process something unworthy of its grains. So it all comes down to what they have to offer. And there are no bad modules. It's great fun to hear how a standard concept can turn into completely different experiences. So this is just a short playlist introduction.

2. Mutable Instruments Beads | Grainmakers Playlist

In this episode, Beads needs to chew on a reference performance.
Beads is an effect, but it can process an internal wavetable synth on its own.

3. Qu-Bit Nebulae V2 | Grainmakers Playlist

Our next contender in the playlist is the Qu-Bit Nebulae. It may be a bit underappreciated, but wow. A unique feature is elastic audio for time stretching.

4. Qu-Bit Mojave | Grainmakers Playlist

Next, Mojave needs to chew on Sebastian Lexer's grand piano.

5. Loopers | Lubadh & Morphagene | Grainmakers Playlist

Loopers are often confused with granular synths, especially with the Morphagene. Loopers don't grain or spray, they're digital tape machines.
Sometimes, when you think you're into grains, you'd actually been looking for a looper. It's time to show the difference, so they're an important addition to the lineup.

6. 1010Music BitBox MK2 | Grainmakers Playlist

The BitBox may not seem an obvious choice for granular processing, but if this playlist were a competition, then BitBox MK2 would be the King of the Grainfields. Granular processing offers limited CV support in the current firmware, but the sheer processing power is almost an insult to the other modules. Fortunately, it can't offer the hands-on experience like dedicated modules.

7. Error Instruments x TINRS Brinta | Grainmakers Playlist

8. Melotus Versio | Grainmakers Playlist

It's a Versio. What can I say. Awkward, special, amazing and breathtaking. It's unique feature is no pitch control. While this sounds like a flaw, it's almost a musthave feature when you run notes, effects and chords through it. Don't touch the melody. Just make it grain. Top 3 module in my list. And if it doesn't fit your needs, install a different firmware! If you own a different Versio, give it a shot. Nothing creates techno atmospheres and backdrops like Melotus.

9. MISO Cornflakes | Grainmakers Playlist

This is the last one for today :). Still a few more modules to cover, but it's already a great list. Here's MISO Cornflakes chewing on the Lexer piano. Again, it's a totally different experience, because Cornflakes adds special harmonizing features and stacking of grains. No other module has it - as far as I know. It can make wonderful new sounds from something familiar.

10. Instruo Arbhar V2 | Grainmakers Playlist

I already made plenty of Arbhar videos, but this is the second V2 video. In this playlist, all granular modules in my collection need to process the same audio file so it's easy to figure out what they do. Now it's Arbhar's turn.

11. Clouds & Clones | Grainmaker Playlist

This playlist would not be complete without a tribute to Clouds, one of the first modules in Eurorack that brought grains to the case. Clouds was launched in 2015 and discontinued in 2017. But that wasn't the end of it. It's been revived and extended in many forms, making it one of the most successful modules in Eurorack even today. From a techical perspective, Clouds is no match for the modern grainmakers in this playlist. But from the perspective of production value it's still a super useful module, especially if you manage to install the Parasite firmware. It's easy to forget that granular synthesis doesn't need big buffers. Sometimes a small 1 sec buffer is exactly what you need to get that desirable classic granular stream.

12. Combinations | Grainmaker Playlist

I got a question if Lubadh and Mojave would make a good combo. I had no idea. I figured this whole playlist is still 1-dimensional. So I patched these two up and then and I just had to make this video! I am still using the reference track so you get a good idea of how big the sonic playground becomes when you combine any looper with any granular engine. Results may vary, but wow. The bottom of the Rabbit Hole simply has a doorway to the next one. And it always gets deeper than the one before.

13. ADDAC 112 | Grainmakers Playlist

I may have unintentionally kept the best for last. The 112 combines a looper and granular engine in one big module. This is the last entry in the playlist.
The 112 will return soon for a dedicated video with some carefully selected samples to play with.

14. I missed a few | Grainmakers Playlist

After finishing the 112 video I was confident I covered enough 'grainmakers' in this playlist. I doublechecked if Disting EX and Phonogene should be in it, but no. The third one definitely needs to be on it! It doesn't show up when you search for 'granular' on ModularGrid, but it immediately went to my personal top #2.

Qu-Bit Mojave | Live Granular Sandstorm

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"It's not easy to make a Mojave video after doing one about Arbhar V2. First, let me clearify that Mojave is an effect that needs a source, and Arbhar is more like a granular synth that can run completely by itself. I will clear this up in the forthcoming Grainstation 2 video with a big compare of synths vs effects. I am not sponsored so I can share my personal thoughts on this.

Mojave is great for processing rhythmic atonal sounds like percussion or found sounds. It's not ideal for processing melodic phrases because it's hard to keep in tune. There's no typical harmonic spread but somekind of random sequence generator that follows a scale. So it can suddendly behave like a granular engine with a built in 'Marbles' and you have no control over what's going on except shutting it up. If you're in the wrong scale, it can go major in a minor patch. It's designed for live, but it can easily trash your gig too.

But don't get me wrong, Mojave is definitely a keeper. This video is a journey where I slowly learn to understand and deeply appreciate the module.

If you already own Beads, you may want to skip Mojave because they're roughly on the same functional and sonic level. If you're completely new to granular, you need to figure out if you want an effect or a synth. Mojave has no storage, it doesn't remember anything when the power goes down. And if you're serious about live graining (and sustaining) real acoustic instruments, forget about the built-in mic and get a decent stereo field recorder with audio out. However, since Mojave has no storage, I'd recommend having a sample player nearby and store your field recordings there."

You can find additional Qu-Bit Mojave posts here.

Instruo Arbhar V2 | The Lexer Method Reloaded

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"First of all, it's impossible for me to cover all new features in this video, so I'll revisit V2 as I learn it. In a nutshell, the grain count is doubled and grains can be much smaller than before. The most important feature for me, obviously, is stereo support. But I was surprised to find out that processing in mono still has a lot of advantages. You just can't hard-pan a stereo source like in mono so mono sounds 'wider'. V2 also adds a file system on the USB drive where you can load and save 42 scenes, where each scene saves your settings and the six buffers. It also offers a library where you can select samples from your collection, and build your own buffer scene. Finally, V2 adds 'accumulative mode', which translates to punch in/out recording in your buffer. It's been an amazing experience.

00:00 Introduction
00:52 Mono vs Stereo
02:25 Effect vs Instrument
05:13 Microsound and polyphonic grains
06:01 Chord Ratios
08:09 Buffers
08:45 Load/Save scenes
10:12 The Strike Engine
11:18 Messy effect
12:25 Arbhar Follow Mode and Tagh random source
13:15 Accumulative Mode with Mellotron Micro"

DPO vs Spectraphon

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"So how do these two compare? Let's have a friendly 'competition' where both win, a bit of drama and some cool patch examples that show the major differences.

A short observation reveals a similar layout of two VCO's and an FM-bus in the center. But Spectraphon's deck-knobs are used for adjusting the bands in a parametric EQ, while DPO's knobs are used to design and sculpt waveforms. Spectraphon uses statistic models of captured sounds, DPO makes original complex sounds that just can't be captured in a spectrum array - and it offers a mighty wavefolder. So DPO is a fruit, and Spectraphon is a fruit processor that makes/blends juice.

It takes a lot of space to use both in a single case so you may need to make a choice. Using an XPO next to the SP brings you closer to the DPO and you can make a lot of new sounds, but again, the DPO's internal routings make all the difference.

There are four challenges in this video: the 'drone', 'sweet dreams', 'processing audio' and 'bad dreams'. Both modules meet at neutral ground, and can use the same configuration of Marbles, Ripples, Stages, Veils and Clouds. It's been a bit like playing chess against myself so there's no winner. In the 'drone' challenge they were limited to their own rows, the other challenges allowed using everything, including each other. These two rows make up really cool starterkits too.

00:00 Introduction
02:04 Challenge 1: The Drone
06:06 Challenge 2: Sweet Dreams
09:49 Challenge 3: Processing Audio
12:01 Challenge 4: Bad Dreams"

Instruo Troika | Life after Retirement

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"One of the first Instruo modules I am aware of is Troika. It's a three oscillator VCO that started as a hand made heavy brass panel module and was officially retired a month ago. There aren't much videos around except for the official 'how it's made' and a handful of videos from a time where Eurorack was still a niche (six years ago). The official lifespan is 2016-2023. Honestly, I never had much interest in the Troika until I gave it a try last Jamuary in VCV Rack. It sounds absolutely amazing and it immediately went to my wishlist. When Instruo announced the module's retirement I got one.
My module has serial 22 so I can't help wondering how old 'brand new' really is.

When I started to make this video, my mindset was 'Moog/Subtractive/Eastcoast' because of the 3-Osc design. I recreated the mimimoog layout with a few special guests like Maths and Clouds, and AJH Transistor Ladder as the iconic Moog filter.

It's been three days of enjoying cool music and this morning I realized how important a 3-Osc VCO is for approximating 99.9% of the best 80's sounds ever. It sounds more like an ARP 2600 because of all the patchpoints (and Maths as the LFO). It got even better when I swapped the ladder filter for Instruo's 1047 multimode filter which was part of the older ARP 2500. So my personal conclusion is that Troika is a super interesting VCO for anyone with a love for the 70's-80's and want to go a few steps further than the Moog and the ARP can offer.

I was able to buy a used one about a year ago, but decided not to do it, because I did not see any added value to the stuff I alread have. I can now say, if you find a reasonably priced used one, it's worth it."

Ornament 8 | Episode 01 | Patching Errors (featuring Error Instruments Cloud Busting)

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Ornament-8 is an organismic sequencer that's completely, I mean totally, different from any sequencer I know. I am starting this video with zero knowledge and at some point I just gave up. So welcome to episode 01! This episode is called 'patching errors' . After failing miserably with Pulsar-23, I wanted to find out if Ornament-8 would be able to sequence Error Instruments' Cloud Busting - which has pins. It worked very well and it's been a lot of fun."

XPO Tutorials | Episode 04 | Exotic woodwind & pipes

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"This video is about XPO and Maths, but it may work with any VCO that supports a bit of waveshaping and linear FM. Maths plays a crucial role, so without Maths (or equivalent) it's near impossible to pull this off.

It's always fun to make a new video, but this one was more than fun. I've been patching a bit yesterday, no goal in mind, and suddenly came up with a sound that reminded me of a bagpipe. I explored it this morning, googled the typical scale used and recorded in one go. It felt great to make some 'traditional' music on the modular instead of the usual weird bleeps and bloops.

LIN-FM
The 'secret' of this video is a) using the XPO's LIN-FM input while overriding the default sub oscillator with something more subtle like the sine or the triangle and b) creatively using the Maths channels to 'sculpt' pitch movement, attenuate it so it's really modest, and then patch the sum of all modulation into the LIN-FM. It's not difficult, but it will take time to find something convincing. However, it will be easy to find something really exotic, weird and fun."