A limping synth jam featuring the Korg Monologue, Volca FM, Novation Circuit and Zoom MS70-CDR.
The Novation Circuit is the master clock, with tempo 90 BPM. The Monologue and the Volca follow suit, but the delays on the MS-70CDRs have tempo set to 75 and 77 BPM, resulting in a limping 5/8-ish time signature.
Total eclipse of the moon over Norway tonight. A mellow jam featuring the Korg Monologue, Volca FM, Novation Circuit, EHX720 Looper and Zoom MS70-CDR.
The chords were played into the EHX720 looper note by note from the Monologue. The Circuit is doing arp, base and drums. The Volca FM is doing a simple repeating pattern. And the Monologue is used for the solo.
"Waveformer presents the "Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit Vol 3" soundbank for Korg Wavestate - available for purchase from https://gumroad.com/waveformer.
This is my third volume in the “Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit” series of soundbanks for the amazing KORG Wavestate synthesizer. It was built over a period of 12 months and was completed in April 2023.
The soundbank has 21 original Performances. All Performances contain four Layers with multiple Lanes of Wave Sequences, designed to be easy to tweak and reshape as you play them live. Most of the Layers use Arpeggiators which interact with the Wave Sequences to transform the rhythm, pitch, timbre and dynamics of the notes from the Arpeggiator. The individual Layers in a Performance are designed so they work well together and can play alone – just like individual members of a band.
The accompanying user manual describes each Performance in detail, with a guide to both playing and twisting knobs. It also includes tips and tricks for the Wavestate and some insights into how the Performances were designed.
I hope you’ll find this soundbank inspiring. Thank you for your support. :-)
"Waveformer presents the "Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit Vol 2" soundbank for Korg Wavestate - available for purchase from https://gumroad.com/waveformer.
This is my second soundbank for the incredible Korg Wavestate synthesizer, built over a period of 6 months in the first half of 2021. The soundbank has 22 original Performances inspired by the Berlin School of Electronic Music, and it continues in the spirit of the first volume released at the end of 2020.
All the Performances are built from four Layers, each with multiple Lanes of Wave Sequences. The Performances use Arpeggiators, allowing you to play a few notes, perhaps a short melodic phrase, and the Arpeggiators and Wave Sequences will take it from there, play the notes in different order and automate the parameters in a musical way. The Performances are designed for live tweaking, taking advantage of the Wave Sequences to modify rhythm, pitch, timbre and dynamics. The individual Layers in a Performance are designed so they both work well together and can play alone – just like individual members of a band.
The accompanying user manual describes each Performance in detail, with a guide to both playing and twisting knobs. It also includes some general tips and tricks for the Wavestate and some insight into how these Performances were built.
I hope you enjoy playing this soundbank as much as I have enjoyed making it :-)"
"Waveformer presents a new Sound Bank for Korg Wavestate "Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit" available for purchase from https://gumroad.com/waveformer.
This sound bank is the result of four months of programming the wonderful Korg Wavestate synthesizer. It consists of 20 Performances inspired by the classic sound of the Berlin School of Electronic Music.
All Performances are 100% original and were programmed from scratch, using all four layers. Most of the Performances combine Arpeggiators with Wave Sequences to create generative patterns where you use the keyboard to feed in the notes and let the Arpeggiators and Wave Sequences juggle notes and automate parameters. They are built to be tweaked and twisted while playing, drastically modifying the melodic, rhythmic and sonic content. Each Performance is described in depth in the included user manual, with suggestions for both playing techniques and knob-tweaking strategies."
The album contains eight live recordings from spring 2019 using the Novation Circuit groovebox as the only sound source, with focus on sound design, melodies, harmonies, and playing the Circuit as an instrument in its own right.
"First part of a three-part jam, featuring the Korg Monologue, Arturia MicroFreak, Novation Circuit, Volca FM, and with Zoom MS-70CDR and Korg NTS-1 on effects.
My music on Bandcamp: http://waveformer42.bandcamp.com/
This jam was originally planned to be around 45 minues, with lots of different parts, and lots of different solos played live on the Monologue. All planned out over 3 sheets of paper with plenty of notes scribbled all over. I did record a 45 minute take, but wasn't happy with the performance so I decided to scrap it. And ... playing the whole thing live was kind of daunting, so I chickened out and decided to make this a three part jam with a common soundset and some common themes.
"Here's a live sound design jam with the Korg Wavestate - Ambient with a touch of Berlin School.
The patch/performance is called 'WF Berlin Sternwarte' and is a part of the 'Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit' available here: https://gumroad.com/waveformer
My music on Bandcamp: https://waveformer42.bandcamp.com/
The performance uses four layers. Layer A is an arpeggiator, Layer B is a solo instrument, Layer C is an arpeggiated bass and layer D is a pad.
Layer A (arp) and Layer C (bass) use the Multi Filter and morphs between a low pass filter and a band reject (notch) filter using the Pitch Envelope, adding a nice and bouncy attack. For Layer A, I have mapped the Mod Wheel to control how much the Pitch Envelope affects Filter Morph and mapped the joystick to Filter Cutoff, Env amount and Morph amount. During the jam, I felt the need for some racheting, so I added that as I played, using the Step and Shape Sequences to trigger the Filter and Amp Envelopes. See the patch notes in the video for more details.
My music on Bandcamp: http://waveformer42.bandcamp.com/
The Novation Circuit is connected by USB to my laptop running the Chrome web browser. The Circuit Bender web application listens to the incoming MIDI messages from the macro controls for Synth 1 and Synth 2 on the Novation Circuit and sends the MIDI messages for synth and drum panning back to the Circuit.
Since macro controls can be recorded and played back by the Circuit, it is possible to achieve pan automation on the Circuit using the Circuit Bender web application. This web application will only work in the Chrome and the Opera web browser, since they support Web MIDI.
This is a hack with some limitations, but it works for me, and I had a lot of fun creating it. Enjoy! And let me know about your experience with this in the comments :-).
Gear:
- Novation Circuit
- Laptop running the Chrome web browser
- Korg Mini Kaoss Pad 2S (for recording)
Connections:
- Circuit connected to the laptop using USB
- Circuit audio - KP2S (for recording)"
Wavestate performance mod knobs:
Knob 1: Layer A (arp melody 1) Octave
Knob 2: Layer B (arp bass) Octave
Knob 3: Layer C (lead/pad) Octave
Knob 4: Layer D (arp melody 2) Octave
Knob 5: Layer A (arp melody 1) Amp Level
Knob 6: Layer B (arp bass) Amp Level
Knob 7: Layer C (lead/pad) Amp Level
Knob 8: Layer D (arp melody 2) Amp Level
Joystick X changes the Filter LFO Intensity for Layer C (lead/pad).
Joystick Y changes the sample sequence loop for Layer C (lead/pad).
ModWheel sets the Filter Cutoff for Layer C (lead/pad).
The audio is recorded to SD card on a Zoom R16 mixer/recorder and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version)."
"This is a Berlin School style jam where I explore how to use a MicroFreak Cloud Grains oscillator to provide different timbres across the keyboard. I familiarize myself with OXI ONE's matriceal sequencer. And finally, I get to know the Golden Master as an end-of-chain device for balancing levels, adding some polish and in general gluing the mix together. Jam and patch notes are included as text overlays in the video.
Thank you to Endorphin.es for sending over the Golden Master pedal for me to test out.
Wavestate performance mod knobs:
Knob 1: Layer A (arp) Octave
Knob 2: Layer B (arp bass) Octave
Knob 3: Layer C (pad) Octave
Knob 4: Layer D (solo) Octave
Knob 5: Layer A (arp) Amp Level
Knob 6: Layer B (arp bass) Amp Level
Knob 7: Layer C (pad) Amp Level
Knob 8: Layer D (solo) Amp Level
Joystick X changes the retriggering of notes in Layer B (bass).
Joystick X changes the retriggering of notes in Layer A (arp).
ModWheel sets the Filter Cutoff for Layer D (solo).
The audio is recorded to SD card on a Zoom R16 mixer/recorder and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version)."
Wavestate performance mod knobs:
Knob 1: Layer A (arp melody 1) Octave
Knob 2: Layer B (arp bass) Octave
Knob 3: Layer C (pad) Octave
Knob 4: Layer D (arp melody 2) Octave
Knob 5: Layer A (arp melody 1) Amp Level
Knob 6: Layer B (arp bass) Amp Level
Knob 7: Layer C (pad) Amp Level
Knob 8: Layer D (arp melody 2) Amp Level
Joystick X changes the wavesample and filter modulations for Layer C (Pad).
Joystick Y changes filter modulations for Layer C (Pad)
ModWheel sets Filter Cutoff for Layer C (Pad).
The audio is recorded to SD card on a Zoom R16 mixer/recorder and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version)."
"My first jam with the Dreadbox Nymphes polyphonic analog synth, together with the Oxi One sequencer, the bluebox mixer/recorder and the Zoom MS-70CDR effect pedal. Jam and patch notes are included as text overlays in the video. All patches and project files are available for download with link in the video description.
The custom patch on the Nymphes uses a triangle oscillator with a dash of white noise. The velocity is set to modulate the filter envelope decay and the filter amount. And an LFO with some delay/fade in modulates pitch, creating a vibrato effect on longer notes. The LFO rate is set to key tracking, so higher notes have a faster rate.
The Nymphes has complete MIDI CC support for all parameters, and the Oxi One sequencer sends CC messages to vary the filter cutoff and the decay time for the amp and the filter envelopes on a per-step basis.
The Zoom MS70-CDR adds a bit of chorus, autopan and autopan delay, widening the stereo image from the Nymphes' mono output. For some parts of the jam, I turn on a Bass Octave effect that helps fatten the sound.
A big thank you to Dreadbox who sent me the Nymphes to play with.
The audio is recorded to SD card on a bluebox recorder/mixer and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version).
The Nymphes patch, Oxi One sequence and bluebox project settings can be downloaded from here:
The Zoom MS-70CDR patch is included below. To load a patch into the MS-70, connect your MS-70 to your computer using a USB cable, go to https://g200kg.github.io/zoom-ms-util..., right-click an available patch slot, select "Import Patch from text", and paste in this text.
"In this live improvised jam, I introduce the Wavestate to some old and new friends - MicroFreak, Monologue, Volca Drum, Novation Circuit, 3 Zoom MS-70CDRs and Korg NTS-1. The only prerecorded sequence is the drums on Volca Drum. The rest of the jam is live playing and active use of the arpeggiators on the Wavestate and MicroFreak. The recorded video is annotated with some notes about the performance.
During the jam, I let each synth/layer have a solo part where it is up front and center - the MicroFreak, the Monologue and the two arp parts and the pad part on the Wavestate. I try to think of them as different members of a band.
My music on Bandcamp: http://waveformer42.bandcamp.com/
The Wavestate patch/performance is a slightly modified version of "WF Charlottenburg" and is a part of the "Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit" available here: https://gumroad.com/waveformer.
It has four layers - 2 arpeggiators, one arpeggiated bass and one pad. I added some inharmonic wavesamples to steps 9-16 of the pad sample wavesequence, moved around a few notes and rests on the timing lanes for the two arps, added some octave shifts to the pitch sequences, and some ratcheting to one of the arps.
During the jam, I play around with the wavesequence lanes for all the four layers - timing lane to change rhythm, sample lane to vary the wavesamples, pitch lane to add some octave changes to some notes, shape to add ratcheting, and gate to add some variation to note length. The wavesequence loop lengths are different from lane to lane, creating interesting polymeter effects. I also modify pan, filter cutoff, envelope decay and reverb mix through the jam.
"It's been a long time since I jammed with my MicroFreak, and it's been like hanging out with an old friend, where you find you're immediately on the same wavelength. In this jam, I explore the wonderful Cloud Grains oscillator that is new with MicroFreak firmware version 5.0. I'm treating the MicroFreak and the Zoom MS-70CDR effect pedal as one integrated instrument, and the patches on each of the boxes are designed as if it is one singe patch.
The custom sample loaded into the Cloud grains oscillator morphs between different timbres with metallic overtones and distortion which are tamed by the lowpass filter in the MicroFreak.
Key/Arp mode is set to Random, which is a new feature in Firmware 5, where each new note played generates a random value that can be used for modulation. In this patch, this random value is set to modulate the Sample Grain Start Position through the Wave parameter. The result is that each note played has a different timbre, and that the timbre is constantly changing. This same random value also modulates Cutoff slightly, to further vary the timbre. And it modulates the Amp Envelope Decay/Release Time, for varying note lengths, and finally the Cyclic Envelope Fall Time, which varies the shape of the looping envelope.
The Cyclic Envelope is looping and set to modulate Filter Cutoff. This introduces a rapid rhythmic / wobbling effect. The LFO is set up to modulate the Cyclic Envelope Rise Time, in effect varying the attack portion of this wobbling effect between sharp and soft.
Some parameters that can be interesting to play with on the MicroFreak as the arpeggiator plays are Filter Cutoff and Resonance, Cyclic Envelope Amount, and Glide.
The effect patch on the Zoom MS-70CDR is Bass Ensemble into LO-FI Delay into Stereo Delay into HD Reverb into Exciter. The LO-FI Delay Mix is all the way down at the beginning of the jam, and introduced after about 4 and a half minutes.
The video contains further patch and jam notes as text overlays.
"This is an upbeat improvised live jam om the Korg Wavestate synthesizer, based on a single custom Wavestate patch with four layers used as individual parts.
The patch is part of an upcoming soundbank for the Wavestate. My two other soundbanks can be found here:
Wavestate performance mod knobs:
Knob 1: Layer A (arp melody) Octave
Knob 2: Layer B (arp bass) Octave
Knob 3: Layer C (pad) Octave
Knob 4: Layer D (arp fx) Octave
Knob 5: Layer A (arp melody) Amp Level
Knob 6: Layer B (arp bass) Amp Level
Knob 7: Layer C (pad) Amp Level
Knob 8: Layer D (arp fx) Amp Level
Joystick X sets the sample bit rate for the Layer C (Pad) Decimator.
Joystick Y sets the sample frequency for the Layer C (Pad) Decimator, and some filter modulation to the right.
ModWheel sets Filter Cutoff for Layer A (Arp) and B (Bass).
The audio is recorded to SD card on a Zoom R16 mixer/recorder and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version)."
"December is upon us. Here's a live Wavestate jam inspired by the northern lights, crunchy snow and frosty weather this month brings to Norway. The jam is recorded in one take and uses one custom 4-layer patch with arpeggiators, a pad and a solo layer.
The Wavestate patch used in this jam is part of an upcoming soundbank for the Wavestate. My two other soundbanks can be found here:
I'm using the Wavestate's decimator (bit crusher) effect on both the arpeggiator and the pad. The resulting sound reminds me of cracking ice, crunchy snow and wind blowing across snowy mountain plateaus. The reverb has a lot of high end and I take out almost all the lows to prevent the bass from becoming too muddy.
Wavestate performance mod knobs:
Knob 1: Layer A (arp melody) Octave
Knob 2: Layer B (arp bass) Octave
Knob 3: Layer C (solo) Octave
Knob 4: Layer D (pad) Octave
Knob 5: Layer A (arp melody) Amp Level
Knob 6: Layer B (arp bass) Amp Level
Knob 7: Layer C (solo) Amp Level
Knob 8: Layer D (pad) Amp Level
ModWheel controls the sample for the solo instrument in Layer C
Joystick X controls Layer A (arp melody) Phaser Effect Mix and Layer D (pad) Decimator Effect Sample Rate
Joystick Y controls Layer A Delay Effect Mix and Layer D (pad) Decimator Effect Bit Depth and Filter Cutoff
The audio is recorded to SD card on a Zoom R16 recorder/mixer and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version)."
"I've gotten myself a Digitakt :-). This is my first attempt at combining it with the KORG Wavestate synthesizer. The video contains jam and patch notes in the video description below and as text overlays.
The Wavestate patch is part of the "Berlin School and Ambient Construction Kit Vol 3" soundbank, available here:
Wavestate performance mod knobs: Knob 1: Layer A (arp melody 1) Octave Knob 2: Layer B (arp bass) Octave Knob 3: Layer C (arp chords) Octave Knob 4: Layer D (arp melody 2) Octave Knob 5: Layer A (arp melody 1) Amp Level Knob 6: Layer B (arp bass) Amp Level Knob 7: Layer C (arp chords) Amp Level Knob 8: Layer D (arp melody 2) Amp Level
The Digitakt uses 5 tracks for sample playback: Track 1 Kick (factory sample) Track 2 Percussion (factory samples) Track 5 Plinks and plonks and plucks (loop sampled from Wavestate) Track 6 Closed Hihat (factory sample) Track 7 Open Hihat (factory sample)
The audio is recorded to SD card on a Zoom R16 mixer/recorder and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 18 (free version)."
"This is a tutorial on how to create a Ratcheting effect on the Korg Wavestate. Ratcheting means retriggering a note or a step in a sequence multiple times. You could also call it note repeat. It is frequently used in the Berlin School type of electronic music.
My music on Bandcamp: http://waveformer42.bandcamp.com/
"Here's a jam using the new Odds oscillator for NTS-1 from Sinevibes, together with the Arturia MicroFreak and the Zoom MS-70CDR. The Odds oscillator is a "stochastic control synthesis plugin", which translates into lots of cool oscillator models that can be modulated, transposed and triggered with variable probability. The video contains patch notes throughout the jam.
My music on Bandcamp: http://waveformer42.bandcamp.com/
The NTS-1 receives notes from the MicroFreak via MIDI, and also has the arpeggiator turned on, so it plays arpeggiated notes based on the incoming MIDI notes from the MicroFreak. The Odds oscillator plays fifths with random probability, octave shifts and parameter modulation.
The audio is recorded to SD card on Zoon R-16 mixer/recorder and normalized in Audacity. Video is recorded on a Canon EOS M50 mk2 with the included EF-M 15-45mm lens. Audio and video is synchronized in DaVinci Resolve 17.
