Here’s a miniature synthesizer, purpose built to work with my biometric modules. In addition to the brainwave and muscle sensing control modules, it has two VCOs, two VCA/ring modulators, and a cycling slewing module for generating envelopes. There’s also a 2 hp dual multiple to use up the space that remained.
Left to right:
- SoundMachine BI1 Brainterface
- ADDAC Systems Muscle Sensing
- Pittsburgh Modular multiple
- MakeNoise Function
- MakeNoise modDemix
- MakeNoise STO (2)
I described the Brainterface in an earlier post, when it came to live in the Eurorack case I use for manual controllers. (That case is getting more manual controllers.)
The ADDAC303 Muscle Sensing is new. It’s part of my exploration of biometric sensors for controlling synthesis. It works quite well to pick up muscle movement from three sensors attached to the body. I expect to be posting more about experiments with it. Suffice to say here that it puts out a control voltage and also a gate signal.
I really enjoy linear FM, especially when two oscillators can cross modulate sine waves. The MakeNoise STO fits the bill nicely. It has sine wave output and linear FM. And it also sports a Sub-Oscillator output with a very unusual feature: it can be gated on and off. Plus, there is a variable wave shape output with voltage control. Plus sync, exponential FM. A very nice VCO.
Add to this the MakeNoise modDemix, a very flexible dual VCA and ring modulator. Patched to the Linear FM input, a modDemix VCA gets you dynamic depth linear FM. The ring modular dimension affords yet another way of combining the two oscillators. ModDemix can also serve as the output mixer.
MakeNoise Function is yet another variant on the universal slewing module pioneered by Serge, and it does the job nicely. It can serve as an envelope generator, variable slope LFO, sample and hold, and so on. It can be triggered by brain wave or muscle changes. Nice for sweeping any of the control inputs on oscillators or VCAs.
STO Cross Modulation Test Recordings
These test recordings show off the modulation capabilities of the STO. (The biometric controllers are not used for these demos.)
For this test I patched the sine wave output of each STO to the linear FM input of the other STO. The output is taken from one of the STO sine waves. Initially you hear just a manual sweep of the frequency. Then the FM level is brought up, one way, and various frequencies manually played with. Finally, the cross FM level is brought up, so you get a sense of the sonic possibilities.
The next recording is a demonstration of cross patching the STO Sub-Oscillator outputs into the S-Gate input that turns the Sub-Oscillator on and off. Similar to the first recording you first hear one Sub output by itself. Then that output is S-Gated by the Sub output of the other STO. Finally, the second STO has its Sub output gated by the Sub output of the first. Kind of crazy! You’ll hear silence at a few points where the output is totally gated off.
I tried cross patching the wave output to modulate the waves of each other, but (as noted in the STO manual) audio rate modulations on the wave selection are not that useful. So instead, here, I made a demonstration where one STO wave output is heard, with its waveform being swept by a slow cycle from the Function module. Then at one point, linear FM of that STO is done by using the other STO.
