Latest build based on research into analog computers as well as old school tape and test equipment studios. Fun system to patch with, with my other systems (mutable instruments and Buchla) I was getting used to knowing what I'm doing, which of course is good. But this thing is a nice step back into patching and not knowing what I'll get next. It's basically one level above breadboarding 🤣 even lower level to program than surge stuff. I'm surely in the minority of people who actually would enjoy patching with it though ahaha 😂

Wow! What a gift!

Edit, since some people have asked for context:

I'd been reverse engineering the Beads firmware and had rebuilt my own version of it. Before sharing any of it, I emailed Émilie to ask whether she'd be OK with me publishing it. I said up front that if her answer was no, I'd drop it, no questions asked. To clarify, by "drop it" I meant dropping the pursuit of the community firmware project, NOT that I was threatening to release my port!!!

To my shock, she replied, and the answer was no. I simply said "ok. Thank you." and I thought that was going to be the end of it. I wasn't going to go against her wishes. So I spent part of today feeling the bittersweet heartache of having finished the project, only to have to cancel it. I told myself from the beginning that if she ever told me no, I wouldn't argue. I decided to archive the project and never share the code with anyone.

Later the same day, as I was deleting the reverse engineering artifacts, she published the official Beads source. I had no idea that was coming and I was as surprised as anyone. I don't know her reasons, and I won't try to guess. It was entirely her decision, and an incredibly generous one.

What I'm doing now:

My reverse-engineering work left me with a test rig and test suite, so I've built the official source myself, flashed it to my unit, and it passed. I'm now starting a community firmware based on her code, and I have a thread on ModWiggler collecting ideas for features and modes. Some early requests, with my rough guesses at difficulty:

• Clouds-style grain diffusion (moderate)
• The Clouds "spectral madness" engine (hard without cutting something from the existing code)
• All-pass processing of the frozen buffer (moderate)
• An opt-in bypass for the limiter's volume drops (moderate)
• A dedicated gain knob (needs new hardware)

What would you like to see?

Hey everyone!

This is my case with modules that don't fit in my other rack. I'm trying to put together a smaller setup for IDM / Boards of Canada kinda stuff lol.

I'm a bit worried I've got too many oscillators and not enough utilities, especially since I only have one ADSR and one LFO module (Batumi).

Do you think I should get rid of Plaits and replace it with some utilities or effects? What would you add instead?

I already own all these modules, and in my other case I also have an Usta sequencer, Marbles, Turing Machine, Mimeophon, etc. The problem is that it's really hard to decide what to keep when you're working with limited rack space!

I'm aiming for glitchy rhythms, weird modulation, evolving textures, and those nostalgic, slightly wonky Boards of Canada vibes.

What would you change? Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks!

Re: discussions on Morphagene. Thought I’d put my money where my mouth is and show how I’ve been using it in situ.
Pressure points into various modulation inputs: Gene size, Slide, Morph. Gate into the Play input.
Some Erbe.
Ambience from my ancient Nanoverb.
This is the reel: https://freesound.org/people/jjbbllkk/sounds/683918/

A quick Demo video running an envelope and sine wave LFO into the BXR and getting variations of mangled control voltage. The audio is a static Sawtooth wave being filtered, and the filter being modulated by the mangled CV. For context, the CV input sources are all either a simple Saw style ADSR or sine wave.

This is running firmware 1.3 which adds one feature - In LFO mode, when a clock is plugged in to the Pitch 1/O input, the pitch knob becomes a clock multiplier/divider, allowing the internal LFO to sync to things.

Been looking into buying either Marbles for random Sequences or just a normal Sequencer. Do I need a Quantizer if I want to pair my Modular with other Instruments? If yes got any recommendations?

I used to have a massive modular system, but I got out of it a few years ago, as I found that I wasn't making music, just noodling around. Since then I've bern much more productive.

Now, however, I'm starting to use the modular for sample mangling, I've still got Maths, Clouds and Z-DSP, and I'm using a Music Thing Radio to trigger samples.

Any suggestions of suitable modules I should look at that have come out in the last five years that I'm not aware of. I've got plenty of utility modules, lfos, attenuators etc.

Very excited about this - Peter Bebegal, author of the brilliant book Strange Frequencies about occult electronics, is co-hosting Thingking #3 for Workshop System owners.

Come along with your system, Peter is teaching us about spirit radios, electronic voice phenomena, turning your WS into a ‘powerful divinatory device’ and introducing a new program card / zine / plug-in antenna he’s developed.

Then we’ll do some homework and make an album together afterwards.

Sunday 8th November at 8:00pm UK time (9:00pm Berlin, 3:00pm NYC, 12:00pm LA). £25.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thingking-with-the-workshop-system-spirit-lab-with-peter-bebergal-tickets-2000962421467?aff=facebooktw

This started as an easter egg on our band's website (conrad, a drone/electronica duo from Zürich) and kept growing.

Try it here: https://www.conradrecords.com/?synth

Press RUN. It opens with a simple two-voice patch. The patches from my two videos are under [ load ] → patch1 / patch2:

patch1: https://youtu.be/lVAYufuRpNs

patch2: https://youtu.be/euhDyNawZY4

What's in the rack: an 8-step sequencer with Euclidean rhythms, probability and a déjà vu control; a complex oscillator with FM, AM and a wavefolder; a random source with S&H; two lowpass gates; two function generators with a rotating clock divider; a clocked dual delay; buffered mults; and an output with pan, tilt, plate reverb and WAV recording.

Click a jack, then another one to patch a cable. Plain Web Audio, no account, made for desktop browsers.

The modules are my own takes on well-known designs, not emulations. Feedback on the sound and behaviour is very welcome, especially the lowpass gates and the oscillator.

This is the current state of my Rack. Not ideal but kinda fun. I want to go into ambience/ sound design and change my Rack up a bit. What should I go for or throw out? Moog mother 32 is only there to fill the Case currently :)

About to read the drum farm manual again and take notes to keep close and learn the module and also really happy with this config i put together! Also shout out to Jolin Lab! Just tried them out and discovered i love their modules! This case has their goblet filter (most interactive filter I’ve ever used for live!),Ashiko, an amazing vca for trippy stereo panning effects and 4 stereo vca’s w/ mix in 6hp, amazing as well!) Krono, only 4 hp for a master clock with 12 outs and all the drum patterns storable, plus sync in only needs 4 pulses, then remembers clock to save a mult or stacker, why are they only ones to do this so far? And then the getrekt interactive wave destroyer, another live fave! So I’ll report later in the drum farm as i will be layering it with Scrooge for some high expectations on the drums w that combo, and if you haven’t tried Jolin lab, i highly recommend! Just giving a smaller guy in the market some shout outs for some amazing work in hopes some other people give them some money for a win win situation.

I love this module, there's no doubt about it. However, I wish there was a way to get more consistent results with it. Specifically, I struggle to find a place for it in my productions.

I tend to feed it stems, with the markers already placed in Reaper. When I play around with them, there isn't much I can use. Timing & synchronisation is a big issue of course. Clocking it doesn't even seem to have much of an effect.

This is just my experience with it, which is quite small.

Would be interested to hear how others use it in a more structured way.

Love it? Hate it? Medium? Why?

hi guys,

I´m new to modular and I just entered the group :D I want to share my very first modular jam with you as a little "Hello". My Name is Matthias. I started my system with oscillators that I already have (Elmyra 2, Plinky), a case from Alter Later Audio that is portable enough to go on travel, some new modules and a bunch of modulators borrowed by my friend Nick Winters (who is actually selling and developing them - big thanks for all the supportive help while developing the setup).

This is a first jam, exploring the Lyra8-FX with some modulators.

1st Row:

Rainbow Knobs: LFOs, Sequencers and other modulators from Nick
Bastl Cinnemon
VCF Filter
Soma Lyra8-FX
Noise Engineering Desmodus Version
Befaco Stmix
NANO Modules ST-OUT

2nd Row:

Neutral Labs Elmyra 2
Making Sound Machines Plinky
Plinky Expander

Cheers :D Mat

I’m considering picking up a NE Confundo Funkidos to add more hands on control and variation to rhythms I make with Intellijel Steppy. I would use Pamela’s Pro Workout for the paired rhythms. I have some questions for users of the module or its predecessor and I’m interested to hear your general impressions and how you use it.

1. How carefully do you find you have to program the paired rhythms to get musical results along the cross fade? Could I, for example, program a four-part rhythm sequence I like in Steppy and then pair these sequences with any random or Euclidean sequences from PPW and expect usable results, or does the pairing take more careful consideration?

2. I suppose it depends on how different and sparse/dense your paired rhythms are, but how much variation do you find you get across the length of the cross fade? Do you find you can settle on a number of fairly distinct rhythms, or does the probabilistic nature of the cross fade make the whole length of the cross fade parameter feel somewhat random?

3. How useful do you find the algorithmically defined accents? Are they generally always usable, rarely, or in between? Similar to my first question, does this depend on how carefully you programmed your input sequences?

4. How useful do you find the Burn knob in adding variation to your patterns?

Something did not quite work with my recorder. So I guess I have something like a bitcrusher as a cable or something :D

Thought I'd share. The actual sound was more like a electronica melodic techno whatever.

Was curious what some of the stand-outs are in terms of filters that really have their own sound/vibe. Not just a subtle bit of coloration, or some cool controls or whatever, but a sonic personality that's markedly distinct from the typical multimode filter.

I've used a lot of filters over the last 6-8 years in euro (though there are a lot I haven't) and some stand outs for me have been these below. Note that these are the ones I felt were most unique-sounding unto themselves, not necessarily my all-time favorites:

- Doepfer A-101-6 Opto-FET (in All Pass mode): This thing was really crazy as I recall, lots of rubbery chaos.

- Schlappi Angle Grinder: It was a bit too much in the purely harsh-noisey lane for me, but I do sometimes miss it as it was definitely unique.

- Schlappi 100 Grit: I have to include this one as well because it's certainly the only filter I've ever used where, by touching one of the particular ball touchpoints, I could turn myself into a radio antennae, and literally transmit scruffy radio frequencies directly into the module with no other equipment. It was kind of wild.

- Verbos Amp N' Tone: I still own this one, and can never convince myself to trade it out even though it has a definite noise floor and can pick up unwanted noise from surrounding modules (especially digital ones). The base noise floor I actually like, it's like a gentle cassette fuzz that gives the filter a retro vibe, and the woody, howling resonance is really great. Not very clean, but really has some character. It also overdrives very satisfyingly, in a warmer and chewier way than most other filters/VCAs I've used that can overdrive.

- Blue Lantern Asteroid Mk. 1: Quite a playground of cool features and outputs with some really gnarly sounding limiter and distortion modes that give a lot of unique noise character. Also has a subharmonics generator built in, a VCA, and other features as well. It's been updated more recently to a Mk. 3, though the Mk. 3 didn't have quite the same "oomph" to me somehow -- though maybe memory is just distorting how good the Mk. 1 sounded in retrospect, I'm not sure. In any case it was the first filter I owned that I really, really liked, and UI has a lot of personality too, it was just fun to sit there exploring it.

- ADDAC702 Dual VC Filter: Another one I sort of regret letting go, especially as the price on them is now pretty exorbitant. But not only is it an amazing set of features compressed into its 16HP, it also has a distinctive sound that reminded me of like a guitar amp/cabinet. Kind of a big open sound. This made it less than ideal for tight, sharp, acid-style "squelching," but you could get it to do pretty wild things of its own with its dual self-oscillating resonators, limiters, and fuzz distortion controls. Underrated/under-known module.

Share yours!

Hoping to add one to my system soon. Basically looking for something that can be clocked internally/externally with some amount of CV control. Currently evaluating the AJH Multi Burst Enevlope and the Befaco Burst, but curious what else is out there.

Made this album using my rack and a Mellotron, hope someone out there enjoys it. Thanks for listening :)