Wednesday, 13 October 2021

Watson Beat - AI for music

  IBM has released the Watson Beat code to the public on GitHub .
This Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool is designed to compose music.
 
 
 There are two main ingredients to prepare to create your song with The Watson Beat. 
 
First, you need a midi file with a simple melody. 
 
 The second ingredient is the ini file.
You can find out more here:
 
 

Special note on running on Windows : you will also need to install cygwin as environment to run the code on. All development/testing of this code was done in *nix systems, and there is something different about the Windows shell so you need a *nix bash script emulator (which is what cygwin is).

 

Monday, 11 October 2021

Elk Electroniks - next meeting

 NSW is opening up again.
Hopefully this time for good.

Vaccination levels are nearly 80% .... hopefully they will reach 90% and over.

Looking forward to the next synth meeting in November at Elk Elektroniks in Wollongong


See you all there.


Saturday 20th November, 2-6pm.

$10 at the door

Sunday, 10 October 2021

Moog Mother 32 - sequencer - Step Mode - slides, glides, racheting , rolls, etc

For both of these features we need to use the glide control knob.
Also check out the 8 LEDs. These will light up when you are playing a sequence.
LED 6 indicates a ratchet. 
LED 5 indicates a glide
 
 
For both slides & ratchets, enter STEP mode if you are editing
an existing pattern.
Press SHIFT + STEP

------------------------------------------

Repeats, rolls, ratcheting
 These are multiple repeats that occur on specific steps.
 
1. Enter Step mode
     SHIFT + STEP
 
2. Press SHIFT + Turn the glide knob.
   The 8 LEDs will indicate the number of repeats on the step 

 ------------------------------------
 
Slides, glides, ties, slurs.
Glides allow you to tie notes together and slur between them.
this needs 3 things.
1. Starting note needs to be set to max duration 
   ie 8 LEDs

2.  the end note needs a min duration
    ie 1 LED
 
3. we now need to program the last note to be a Glide using the glide knob.
    a, turn the glide knob fully anti clockwise to let the seq know that glide is off.
    b, turn the knob clockwise till the 8 LED row shows 1 LED lit.
        This tells the seq that there is a glide on that note.
 
4. Play the sequence.
    initally, you wont hear any slides.
   Turn the glide knob during the performance to initiate slides

 
note:
steps 1 & 2 are how you program ties.
  That is, how you tie two notes together.
Step 3 is how you add a slur to the tie to make a glide.
'
--------------------------------------------------------------


Remember to SAVE your CHANGES.


1.Press SHIFT + Record (1 second ... the LED indicating the memory slots blinks yellow)

2. Press SHIFT + Record



Thursday, 7 October 2021

Helvetica Scenario - NLC - Build notes - part 1

 These are my build notes for the Helvetica Scenario


Its a dual sample & hold module with a voltage controlled slew for each channel.



It contains a simple jerk chaos circuit running at approx. 300Hz to supply a signal for sampling. So, it is similar to the sample and hold section of the Buchla 265 Source of Uncertainty except it uses chaos as a source rather than white noise and a 100Hz oscillator,


To get it running, patch a signal into the clock input. Clock 2 is normalled to Clock 1 so a signal on 1 will drive both channels.











I'll use a DG 411


 
Resistors & Caps


 


 I'll build my own vactrol
If making your own vactrols, select RL to suit your LEDs, generally 4k7 is a good starting point for modern bright LEDs.

You will need a biploar LED
I've ordered some 3mm bipolar LEDs from Ebay.
Use a 4.7k for red/blue


 To be continued when the LEDs arrive.......

Links

The MPE QuNexus sequencer with modular synths

 The New firmware greatly expands of the capabilities of this keyboard

I bought my black controller nearly 10 years ago and Keith is still updating them.
The new red version has the keys labeled differently,



It's now a powerful 25-key MPE keyboard controller and three track Arpeggiator/Step Sequencer.
 Each track can control different instruments, arpeggiate, and play step patterns up to 32 steps in length.
What's MPE?
MIDI Polyphonic Expression. or Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression.
 
It was largely popularised by ROLI , the LinnStrument and the Haken Continuum

It's allows more acoustic like controls from your instruments
allowing more modulation of individual notes.

This is done by sending/receiving additional control messages along with each note. An MPE controller will transmit multiple ‘dimensions’ of expression alongside each note’s pitch 
It's not actually new as it uses tech that has existed when MIDI was first created in the 1980s.
 
 The MIDI protocol uses 16 channels.
A standard MIDI keyboard usually uses just one of these. 
A MPE controller can use all 16 on a per note basis. Each note can have its own MIDI channel
and have the equivalent of a pitch,modulation wheel & aftertouch..

The QuNexus keyboard has two dimensions (Tilt and Pressure) that can be configured to send these messages, and the MPE factory preset (Preset C) defaults to Tilt as CC74, and Pressure as Chanel Aftertouch
 
 For more info 
 
 
 Back to connecting to a synth.
These are some basic notes to get you started.
The power is supplied via the right USB connector (marked MIDI expander).
 
There are 2 CV output ports on the left side of the QuNexus and 1 CV input port on the right side.
I found one of these cables works fine.
photo*

Outputs

The two outputs are
3,5mm (1/8”) stereo plugs that you need to split to dual 3.5mm (1/8”) mono plugs
Output 1 is a Gate1/CV1
Output 2 is for CV 2 & CV3
 
The default routings for factory preset A (Basic 2.0) are:
Gate - Track 1 - Note Ons and Offs. Note Ons are expressed as 5 volts.
CV1 - Track 1 - Note Pitch
CV2 - Track 2 - Note ons and Offs. Note Ons are expressed as 5 volts.
CV3 - Track 2 - Note Pitch

Inputs

The input jack on the right is a stereo jack. 

It receives data from the 2 CV inputs and converts them to MIDI messages:
CV1 - CC#112
CV2 - CC#113
 

Sequencer

To turn on a track’s step sequencer, 
1. hold shift and press “Sequence”.
 
2.  While still holding shift, press
     “Rec” and then let go of shift.
     You are now in Step Input record mode. Each note that you play on the
      keyboard will be entered sequentially into the step pattern
 
 2a .Add/delete rests, ties
      To enter a Rest, hold Shift and press/release the “9/Rest” key.
      To enter a Tie, hold shift and press/release the “10/Tie” key
   
 3. To play the sequence
     hold Shift and press/release the “Play” key
 
 4. To stop the sequencer:
    Hold shift & press stop.
 
5. To clear the notes stored in a sequence
    hold Shift and press “Stop/Clear” for 3+ seconds.


 Overdub sequence
While a track is playing, you can overdub or  record notes into its sequence pattern.
Hold Shift and press “Rec” while the sequencer is playing.
 
You can erase notes during overdub recording by holding shift and pressing or holding “9/Rest”.
 This is a really cool way to change your sequence of the fly
 
 

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Roland -SE 02 - clocking with an external trigger

 The SE-02 has a TRIGGER IN and TRIGGER OUT jack on the back of the synthesizer. 
 
This is a great way to sync and clock the se02 with old fashioned analog triggers, gates, etc.
You can of course just use MIDI, but where's the fun in that?
 
The manual is a bit cryptic so here is a brief and hopefully simplier rundown.
 
For this to work you need to set the SEQUENCER clock source to trigger or“trg" (tr9).
 
First, set the MODE switch in the common section to SEQ mode.
The MODE SELECT SWITCH is where you can switch between PATCH, SEQUENCE or SONG mode.
In SEQUENCE mode, use the buttons to choose the type of data you wish to sequence - Note, Gate, Glide, clock, etc
 
IN this case we want the sequencer to advance every time it receives a trigger.
 
1. Set the MODE switch to SEQ.
2. Press the NOTE button and GATE button to make them light 
3. Use the [1] - [3] buttons to select a parameter, and use the VALUE knob to edit the parameter’s value. 
    The display indicates the value . In this case press button [2].
    Button 2 sets the clock sync.
    The choices are: Int: Internal
                              N id: MIDI IN 
                              USb: USB MIDI
                              tr9: Trigger In
4. To save this setting perform the Song Write operation.  
    This setting is saved with a selected sound patch.
 
A. Press the VALUE knob. You will see the current song's blinking LEDs
B. Use the [0] - [16] buttons to select a new destination.
C. Press the VALUE knob. You will see a confirmation message appear on the display.
D. Press the VALUE knob to save.
 
 5. Connect the GATE or TRIGGER output of your external sequencer to the TRIGGER IN 
      jack on the SE-02
.

Monday, 4 October 2021

Mother 32 & DFAM - Live jamming ideas

 
Some ideas for live jamming using a M32 , DFAM, etc. 
This form of live jamming is full of experimentation and improvisation

 Not After Midnight patch.
This will be released on my 3rd album - Pursuit of Harmony.
Above is a basic setup
Other options maybe to set the assignable output jack to Random
Mult this and use the CV to control things like filter cutoff or resonance
 Thus to clock the two synths,
 Patch gate out (M32)----> Gate in (DFAM)
This syncs both synths.
Or make the DFAM the master clock
Trigger(DFAM) to Tempo(M32) 

Maybe add a 3rd synth ... another DFAM, Sub Harmonicon , etc

The DFAM Patch "kick bass & Snare" is another good place to start.
 
M32 Sequencer
1. Start with the default basic 1 step loop  -- it just plays the note C
    To initialise this pattern press:
    SHIFT + RESET + PATTERN 
2. Press Step END + Step 4 
    This creates a 4 bar loop  , it sounds the same as the notes are all C
3. Change the pitch of one note , then another,  then another, ...... till you find a sequence you like.
     Do all of this live.
4. Of course you can start with a sequence you have already prepared and just manipulate
    the sequence live.
 
    Remember you can jump between KB mode & STEP mode while the sequencer is running.
    Each mode allows you to do different things to the sequence while it's running.
    Press:   SHIFT + KB or SHIFT + STEP
    You can easily tell which mode you are in by watching the LEDs under steps 1 to 8
    while the sequencer is running.
     If its a single tracer then you are in KB mode.
     STEP mode will have each active step lit.
 
In live KB mode
There are many things you can do.

1. RESET - returning a pattern to step one.

2. Change the pitch of the loop - transpose it
    The Step buttons act like a keyboard.  
    Press them to transpose the entire loop up, and down.
    Use the Arrow & Step buttons to transpose the sequence up & down more
    than 1 octave

3. Hold a note
    Press HOLD to pause the pattern.
    The current note will be repeated at the current tempo while
     the button is pressed.
     As soon as HOLD is released, the sequencer will resume.

4. Add SWING
    Hold down SHIFT  while rotating the Tempo/Gate Length knob.
    This moves the off beats 
    The swing / tempo/ gate knob has values between -100% to +100%
    Thus, 12'oclock = 0%, 
     -100% is fully anti clockwise
     + 100% is fully clockwise.

    when set to a value between -100% and 0% 
    it moves the off beats earlier in time.
    At -100% only the off beats will play.

   when set to a value between 0% and +100% 
    it moves the on beats later n time.
    At +100% only the on beats will play.

   When set to 0% no swing is applied
    All notes are played with equal timing.

5. Accent
   Press SHIFT + ACCENT during playback
   This adds an accent to every step in the pattern while
   these buttons are pressed.
   As soon as you let go, everything returns to normal.
   None of your live changes are stored in memory.
   
6. Mute
    Press SHIFT + Rest
    This mutes the entire sequence.
    Good for dropping the melody from the M32 in and out of a mix, while the DFAM
    for example is playing in the background.

7. Ratchet
    Hold down SHIFT & rotate the GLIDE knob
   This will add between 1 to 4 ratchets to each step in your pattern.
   
 
In live STEP Mode 
Here, the M32 will repurpose the 13 note keyboard & the arrow buttons 
so you can interact with the pattern that is running.
Enter STEP Mode (while the sequencer is running ) by pressing
SHIFT + STEP.

 1. turn notes ON or OFF to vary the melody.
     The 8 buttons above the Step LEDs are the step buttons
     They are used for turning on and off the steps.
     Just press the button for the step you wish to mute or turn on.
     The 4 buttons (1-8, 9-16, etc) are pattern page selectors.
     Use these if your pattern is more than 8 steps long.
  
2. nudge the pattern forward and back.
    Use the arrow buttons.

 
4, change the loop length 
    If you have the DFAM running ... its creating a 8 step sequence.
    The M32's 4 step sequence should be running nicely with it, but you can change that length
    to be 5 or 7 steps to give variation to the melodies.
 
   a. Go to STEP mode first (Press SHIFT + STEP)
   b. press END Step + STEP #.
 
5. You can of course change the sequence length to anything up to 32 steps.
 

 
While the step LED is blinking you can modify any parameters of each step
  Gate length, Accent, Rests, Tie, Glide on / off, Ratchet count.
    
 
 
   Edit steps
    Mute steps
 
 


Saturday, 2 October 2021

Merzouga - Morocco

 
Merzouga is a village in the Sahara Desert in Morocco, on the edge of Erg Chebbi, a 50km long and 5km wide set of sand dunes that reach up to 350m. 
Its a great place to see the desert and sand dunes.
 

 










Tuesday, 28 September 2021

Elk Elktronics ELKLIK

 A brief video of the ELKLIK module used in a standard eurorack case.


The pressure points channel a into input 1, channel b into input 2 of Elklik.
Mainly used in the above video as a voltage controlled switch..
The filter has a LP and HP out. The Elklik is randomly switching between LP and HP.
 
You can also use the module as a kind of clock. Plug + 5v into one input. Just trigger the relay on/off.
The common out provides the clock out. The out is basically a pulse wave that jumps between 0v and +5v
So the noise is causing the Elklik to jump randomly between the top and bottom sequencer rows

This module is part of a kickstarter campaign.
 

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

NLC - Big Jobs - Build notes

 These are my build notes for the NLC Big Jobs module.



This module is an audio rate chaotic signal generator; it contains 3 phase locked loop ICs (PLL) connected in a circle via their phase difference inputs.


There is an early NLC module called a Vactrol PiLL ... this is possibly related
Vactrol PiLL - Build notes


The Big jobs was inspired by the paper - A New Type of Intermittency from a Ring of Four Coupled Phase-Locked Loops by Hasegawa et al – although uses just 3 stages and has external control. 


It looks like a pretty easy build.


















The 4046 ICs  are the Phase lock Loop CMOS chips
 

Links
Vactrol PiLL - Build notes


I'm going to build my own vactrol
Some notes:

In andrew's notes he talks about using the GL5516
The 5516 gives about 50 Ohms at full brightness

I'll use a 5516 & a 4.7k resistor and a orange LED


"
The circuit for driving the vactrols is quite minimal: one
resistor! So it is better to make your own vactrol and use the
brightest LED you can find. Then select RL to be at least 4k7 which
seems to be enough to protect the LED from any harm.For LDRs, you can
buy them from Tayda but cheapest option is a bag of 100 GL5516 on
ebay will cost $4 or so, with postage. 
                                                              "











There are 3 seperate circuits, so you will need to make 3 vactrols.


 
Im using the s1Jl for protection against accidently plugging the module in backwards
 
Install headers to PCB 1
 

PCB 1 attaches to the faceplate



You're done :-)


Links
Vactrol PiLL - Build notes
 
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