Eurorack Improv no2

Published on Aug 23, 2017 Richard Lacy

"A fun patch with Sarah Mac, which were enjoying playing with enough to share…

This started as an ambient idea with Rings, but it got out of hand! Mixed straight to stereo, no overdubs or fiddling afterwards. The only computer involvement was to record the stereo audio from the little Mackie mixer.

Geek notes below.

Main clock is the Doepfer Dark Time Sequencer.

1. DarkTime - Rings (pitch, strum and structure from the Dark Time) - AQA Dual SVS in band pass - Z-DSP (valhalla).
Modulation: Maths Ch1 - Rings Position. Maths Ch 4 - Z-DSP reverb time.
A-145 LFO - Z-DSP wet/dry mix.
2. Bass: Korg MS20. Pitch CV from Analogue Solutions SQ8. Gate from 4MS RCD
3. Bass Drum: Atlantis triggered from an SQ8
4. Descending ambient line: Metropolis - A-110 VCO (saw) - Dave Smith Curtis Filter
5. Radio Music Voice: Turing Machine - RadioMusic - A-120 VCF
6. Radio Music frozen in Clouds. Triggered from a clock divider as a percussive element.
7. Low warbly sound: 4MS RCD - AS EG - A-110 pitch CV - (saw) Shapeshifter pitch input - AM Snowfall VCF. Not sure how the Shapeshifter was configured, but it was a nutty little sound on its own!)
8. 4MS SMR - 4MS DLD. The SMR is receiving modulation from Tides and a Moog CP-251
9. 80s-style synth line. This one is a bit nuts… The Stepper Acid - (pitch) two A-110 VCOs - AS Unity Mixer - A-106 VCF (LP) - Veils VCA. Then…
Stepper Acid gate - A-143-1 Complex EG. Ch 1 - Veils. CH2 and Ch3 are firing in series and modulating the filter.
There's a second chain here, starting with the inverted output of the AS Unity Mixer - A-105 SSM VCF.
Stepper Acid accent output - A-143-2 Quad ADSR. Three channels, firing in series, feeding the three CV inputs on the filter. The overall effect of this makes a nice complex sound for a simple synth sequence.

All the audio went into a little Mackie desk. 2 FX sends:
Aux 1: Deeper Spring Reverb
Aux 2: Moogerfooger Clusterflux.

We could have done more with this patch to refine it, but really it’s just a Jam!
Thanks for watching."

Stepper Acid - Eurorack Step Sequencer From New Modular Manufacturer Transistor Sounds Labs

Stepper Acid demo 3 Published on Aug 4, 2014

Tasty little Eurorack step sequencer that fits inside a skiff.

"Nina demonstrating two prototype Stepper Acid units, one with a faceplate and one without. She's using a bit of a hack to trigger the drums: she's using the gate and accent output of one unit and the accent out of the other unit to trigger them. This isn't how you're supposed to use it, but she really wanted to play some drums alongside her acidline. :)"

Although this is the first official Transistor Sounds Labs posts, the prototype demo was previously posted here. This is how it all begins folks.

Stepper Acid Modular Synth Jam (w/ MPC 1000, Trigger Man, Eurorack Benjolin, etc.) #TTNM

Published on Apr 7, 2015 The Tuesday Night Machines

"Trying out my new Stepper Acid sequencer!

Together with the Turing Machine, the intellijel uScale and another Sample & Hold (the Klangbau LogFn module in this case), I can get three quantized sequences playing at the same time. So cool!

Questions or comments? Go ahead and post them below! :) Thanks for watching! Check out my channel for more Synthesizer Music.

Audio gear used:
- Eurorack Modular Synthesizer (with Transistor Sounds Labs Stepper Acid Sequencer, Malekko Wiard Anti-Oscillator, Intellijel Dixie, Klangbau Köln Rob Hordijk Benjolin, Klangbau Logistische Gleichung, Erica Polivoks VCF, Delptronics Triggerman, etc.)
- Akai MPC 1000 with JJOS 2 (master clock & 808 drum sounds)
- Zoom R16 (recording & mastering)"

Transistor Sounds Labs Stepper Acid Eurorack Sequencer Demo

Published on Jul 31, 2016 mylarmelodies

"Let's Play with the amazing Stepper Acid Sequencer! If you like this, please support me and access a 50-minute bonus Stepper Acid video on Patreon for $4+ Patrons: https://www.patreon.com/mylarmelodies"

Brighton Modular Meet 2015: Transistor Sound Labs Stepper Acid

Published on May 31, 2015 sonicstate

"Brighton Modular Meet 2015: Transistor Sound Labs Stepper Acid One for the acid heads!"

Synthesis Technology - E352 2 Op FM Acid Electro Jam

Published on Sep 19, 2017 DivKidVideo

"Here's a jam with the E352 from Synthesis Technology (or Synth Tech). By now I'm sure you know the module is awesome and if not check out the links other E352 videos below.

Here I'm using the E352 in 2 Op FM mode with the FM modulation shown on the Mordax DATA oscilloscope next to the module. I've mixed a looping envelope and faster more percussive envelope before modulating the FM index (depth of modulation). There's also an accent out of my sequencer going to FM Ratio (tuning difference) to accent certain notes with different tones of FM. There's also a a slow looping envelope into the wavetable modulation. These all come from the Qu-Bit Contour. The sequence is from the killer Stepper Acid from Transistor Sound Labs which you can see top right in the video (just). I'm playing the sequencer in terms of starting and stopping and also manually stepping through steps while stopped. The E352 goes through the ZVEX Fuzz Factory and you can see me move the dry/wet blend manually throughout (it's never that wet, just added a bit of hair and grit in places). That then goes onto the Make Noise Erbe Verb before going into the WMD Performance Mixer. The Performance Mixer has an inverted envelope (the WMD MME) going into it's level modulation to create the side-chained affect against the kick drum. The Kick is the KICK mode on Braids from Mutable Instruments, the Hi Hats are from Mutable Instruments Peaks and the clicky percussion is also from Peaks but put through the WMD Geiger Counter. The rhythms are generated from the Stepper Acid clock going into a Chaos Divider from Tsyklon Labs."

Previous posts.

Transistor Sound Labs - Stepper Acid & Stepper Drum - SynthFest UK 2019

Published on Oct 7, 2019 Sound On Sound magazine

"Transistor Sound Labs intorduce their Stepper Acid 303 style sequencer and Stepper Drum drum sequencer for
Eurorack."

See the SynthFest UK label below for more.

Homebrew step sequencer, "Stepper Acid"

via Zoë

"My partner (Nina, who took this picture last year: http://m.matrixsynth.com/2011/12/idow-matrixsynth-modular-pic-of-week_26.html ) and myself have started work on building an acidline step sequencer together. It's in the early prototype stages at the moment, so there's no interface, just a preset pattern, but it's already starting to sound pretty good hooked up to our Doepfer! The project is open source, for both hardware and software, so anybody can see how it works and cannibalise it into their own open source projects.

How it looks: pictured
How it sounds: http://bytenoise.co.uk/misc/stepper-acid-2012-05-27-2.mp3
How it works: https://github.com/ZoeB/stepper"

Stepper Acid demo 2

Published on Sep 22, 2013 Zoë Blade·29 videos

"A teaser showing what Nina and I have been up to with Stepper Acid."

Transistor Sound Labs Stepper Acid Extended Demo

Published on Nov 9, 2014 Transistor Sounds Labs

"We were making some demos of Stepper Acid's features, and Nina got carried away making a track. Enjoy!"

Now available via Transistor Sound Labs

Stepper Acid Guide

Published on Nov 17, 2014 Transistor Sounds Labs

"A guide to the various features of Stepper Acid."

Tales From The Rack no.5 - Eurorack Performance.

Published on Feb 27, 2018 Richard Lacy

"Hello. Another tale from the Eurorack and a piece which started out as a ‘reel’ for the Make Noise Morphagene, recorded beforehand with the PPG Wave 2.2.

Perhaps the notable thing about this piece, is that even though it’s a big patch, most of the modules aren’t even breaking a sweat. They’re just doing simple jobs. There are some definite Floydian tendencies here; influences come to the surface sometimes….

As ever, it’s one pass and no overdubs (see the end of the Patch Notes for mixing info).

I’ve tried to make this one a bit more interesting visually (still using an iPhone5 with a shattered screen and it always drifts out of sync with the audio, which is infuriating!). It can be difficult to see what modules are in the system from the main wide shot, so I thought I’d add some close ups. Also, I have no idea how to edit video, so it’s time to learn.

Thanks for listening. If you like what I’m doing, please like and subscribe. Your support is most welcome!

Patch Notes:
Doepfer MAQ 16/3 is the clock source.
Clock to 4MS rotating Clock Divider and Frequency Central Pocket Calculator and some multiples.

1. PPG Wave sampled into Morphagene. Played by a clock divider. Metropolis pitch CV is modulating the slide control. Output to AQA Dual State Variable Filter, then to the TipTop Z-DSP (Halls Of Valhalla).

2. Gate output of the Metropolis is playing the Atlantis (main bass). Pitch CV comes from the Stepper Acid, running on a very slow clock. There’s a Switched Multiple in the pitch CV path, meaning I can choose a static bass note, or kick in the full chord progression.

3. The Stepper Acid is also playing the chords. The post Switched Multiple pitch CV is going to a few places:
Shapeshifter in chord mode: Cello 1. Shape modulated by an LFO.
Three Doepfer VCOs are tuned to the rest of a chord, the third requiring an offset generator.
All signals go to a Ladik mixer, then to an Analogue Solutions Telemark Filter. The filtered signal finally ends up in the Rainmaker, giving a bit of space.

4. Plonk. This is the guitar-type sound. Fixed note and the gate comes from the 4MS RCD on the div-3 output. Plonk output goes to the 4MS DLD.

5. Something I’ve done before, but I like it… 4MS Spectral Multiband Resonator. Bands tuned and locked. Band levels controlled by six Analogue Solutions AR Envelope Generators. The EGs are triggered from the outputs of of the A-149 Stored random Voltages.

6. Bass drum. Braids triggered by an Analogue Solutions SQ8.

7. Snare drum. Braids triggered by a Doepfer clock sequencer.

8. Hats. Doepfer white noise into a Telemark Filter. Doepfer ADSR and VCA doing the rest, triggered by the Turing Machine.

9. Perc. TipTop One triggered by the Turing Machine. The Turing Machine was locked throughout. I meant to alter the pattern partway through the track, but I forgot! All drum reverbs come from Pro Tools.

10. I still haven’t fallen out of love with Rings and Clouds in their most basic forms yet, so here they are doing their thing. Was determined not to use them, but I patched them in and they sounded ace. Doepfer Dark Time Sequencer is providing the notes and gates. Rings Position is being modulated by Tides, quite heavily towards the end. Rings is just repeating a four note sequence; it’s Clouds doing the time shifting and blurring.

11. The big filthy sound: pitch is coming from two Analogue Solutions SQ8 sequencers. Un-quantised, for more varied harmonics and going Evian a Doepfer Slew Limiter. There were only two Doepfer VCOs left by this point, so that’s what we’re using. Tuned in octaves, the square wave of one goes into the A-113 Subharmonic Generator, giving lower octaves and another intervals.
All these signals are mixed together, the intervals being a bit quieter, but their harmonic content is used in what comes next. It’s a lot of filtering!
First up is the AM Snowfall Filter, not taking much off the top, but there’s a thickness to the sound. Second is the Eowave Fluctuations Magnetiques. All four filters in use, with each one tuned to a different resonance, waiting to be ‘peaked’ by the changing notes. Third is the Dave Smith Character; this is where the big distortion is coming from. Lastly everything goes through an Analogue Solutions SY-03 for overall tone control.
By this stage, I’ve run out of reverbs and delays, so this is getting delay and reverb from Pro Tools.

12. Maths. Used as two envelope generators. These envelopes are fed into the ‘initial gain’ input of two Korg MS10s.
The first has fixed pitch, playing a high 7th. The second is playing root, sharp 5 and 7th. Notes from an SQ-8.
You can hear these gently fading in and out in a rather Floydian manner. External reverb and delay.

13. Korg MS20 has a sample and hold on the gate and is playing a low root note, used at both ends of the piece.

Nearly everything goes via a Mackie mixer (under the camera). I’m using this to bring parts in and out. From there, it goes to Pro Tools."

Sine Wave Shaper Modular Synth Jam (w/ Stepper Acid, Klangbau Waveshaper & Tube VCA) #TTNM

Published on Apr 14, 2015 The Tuesday Night Machines

"The main sound of this patch is a sine wave from the Klangbau XR-VCO, which gets processed dynamically by its own waveshaper, the Klangbau Wavefolder module and the Klangbau Tube VCA (Röhren VCA). There is also the Klangbau Benjolin playing through a Doepfer Bit Crusher. The bass drum is a filtered square wave (Dixie - uVCF).

Audio gear used:
- Eurorack Modular Synthesizer (with Malekko Wiard Anti-Oscillator, Intellijel Dixie, Klangbau Köln Tube VCA, Klangbau Waveshaper, Klangbau XR-VCO, Klangbau/Hordijk Benjolin, Erica Polivoks VCF, Stepper Acid, etc.)
- Zoom R16 (recording & mastering)"

Eowave - Domino & Transistor Sounds Labs - Stepper Acid

video upload by SchneidersLaden

"After some years the Transistor Sound Labs Stepper Acid sequencer is finally available again! We took the opportunity and combined it with the updated version of the easy and effective Domino synthesizer voice by Eowave. What a fun combo!

The two modules provide you with an easy workflow, great sound and live performance capabilities. The two modules, a case and three cables is all you need to you started. Recommended!"

New Stepper Drums from Transistor Sound Labs // Synthfest 2018

Published on Oct 23, 2018 DivKidVideo

"Here's the exciting new Stepper Drum from Transistor Sound Labs. Nina runs us through the module and some of features and just like their Stepper Acid sequencer the Stepper Drum looks amazing quick and responsive to performance and getting ideas down quickly. Ratchets, bursts, polymetric patterns, several channels, pattern chaining and a lot of other goodness too."

Stepper Acid x0x Jam

Published on Feb 20, 2015 Transistor Sounds Labs

"Here's Nina having a quick jam on some Stepper Acids, x0x-heart, M303, Frequency Central Meth Amp and Tiptop drum modules."

Bitloader (Transistor Sound Labs) - Modular Meets The Elektrons 2015 Performance

Published on Aug 24, 2015 DivKidMusic

"Here's Zoe and Nina from Transistor Sound Labs (think Stepper Acid sequencer!) with their first live performance under the name Bitloader. A couple of acid filled jams with live keys and plenty of modular twiddling.

You can download the audio from this set here -
https://soundcloud.com/bitloader/sets..."

Bitloader live at Bells N Whistles Crackles N Pops 2015

Published on Feb 25, 2016 DivKidVideo

"Time for some acid from Bitloader (Zoe and Nina from Transistor Sound Labs that make the awesome Stepper Acid).

Eurorack Improv no 4 Gently does it. Ambient polyrhythms

Published on Nov 9, 2017 Richard Lacy

"More ambient stuff from the rack...
One pass and no overdubs. Patch notes below.

Doepfer Dark Time Seq is the master. Clock is being sent to various sequencers and the 4MS RCD, which in turn is running other sequencers in different timings.

1. The soft-sounding patterns from the outset are similar to thing I did on an earlier video: A149-1 RCV and A149-2 are randomly (clocked random) firing six AS AD envelope generators. These are controlling the levels of the six bands of the 4MS SMR. The bands are from multiple scales and are locked. Audio out goes via the Dave Smith Character for some extra fatty crust. Using the EGs allows me to hold some notes and not others, creating patterns or pads depending on the settings.
2. Bass: AS SQ8 sequencer into the Atlantis pitch CV. The gate comes from the div3 output of the 4MS RCD, so the notes are changing independently of the gates.
3. The Rings sound: Metropolis into Rings pitch CV. TipTop One is playing a metallic sound every four beats. this audio goes into the input of Rings. Rings audio out goes to Clouds for a bit of reverb and delay. Then it goes through the AQA Dual SVS for filtering.
4. Shapeshifter open fifth pattern: We're in chord mode with a bit of modulation, making for a choppy, guitar sort of sound. Audio goes to the Rainmaker for delay.
5. Synth arpeggio: Stepper Acid into two A110-1 Oscs. Filtered through an AS Telemark filter with an envelope on the cut off. Output goes to the 4MS DLD, then to the Z-DSP for a big reverb.
6. Snare Drum: Braids into an AS Telemark filter.
7. Bass Drum: it's an Electribe, just out of shot, under the camera. It can take a gate input for clock, so happy days; I can alter the bass drum pattern easily.
8. Korg MS20: out of shot, playing one note with lots of filter and volume modulation.
9. Korg MS10: out of shot, playing two notes from an AS SQ8

My previous videos were recorded straight to stereo, but this one went multitrack into ProTools. Mainly so I could delay and reverb on the MS parts! No overdubs though.
Thanks for watching! Please like and subscribe!"

Transistor Sound Labs - Nina's Major Noodle

Published on Sep 13, 2015 Transistor Sounds Labs

"Three Stepper Acid parts on the modular; lead, strings and TR-909 style drums on the MOXF6. Composition, performance and cinematography by Nina Richards; video editing by Zoë Blade."