I am interested in the aleatoric style in which the composer chooses patterns with randomized elements and applies sonic colorings. Most of these example works are experiments of discovery. I will work with a patch for hours until I get something interesting. I don't claim to be a composer, so much as a dabbler in sounds.
I recently built a self-oscillating autonomous chaos circuit by Ian Fritz, called the Jerkster.
The Jerkster Chaos Circuit
I’ll soon publish photos of this module. The first interesting patch I’ve created with it is demonstrated in this recording. You are listening to a collection of modules set up to create a random harmony, using the CGS Infinite Melody, two MOTM-310 VCOs, two MOTM-440 filters. The Modcan Dual Quantizer keeps it on pitch, and the Dual Oakley ADSR-VCA modulates the notes. All of that is pretty standard. The interesting part is what the Jerkster does: First, it provides a chaotic vibrato applied to the filters. The X and Y outputs (which look fantastic on the Veeblefetzer displays) are used for these. The Z output is patched to a comparator to produce a random trigger for a sample and holds that also modulate the filter cutoff frequencies. The random trigger is divided by factors of three and four to gate the envelopes. The Jerkster is itself controlled by a third sample and hold.
This is unusually mellow for a chaotic patch. Realize that the chaotic aspect of it is in controlling the rhythm of the notes, as well as in the varying vibrato. This is aleatoric and runs without intervention. You hear one of the many scales available from the quantizer. The 5th-Octaverb effect from the MPX-1 is used here, as well.
Chaotic Harmony [3:52m]:
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Over four years ago, in December, 2003, I made a simple patch with the MOTM-120 Suboctave Multiplexer in the Cross Product mode, which digitally forms four ring modulations on four suboctaves of two different oscillators.
Cross Product
I jotted down that patch on some note paper. Two weeks ago I decided to replicate that patch, and here are some of the results. The simplicity of the patch makes it easy to reproduce. I used all of the same modules, including the MOTM-310 VCOs, MOTM-101 S&H, Oakley S&H, MOTM-820, MOTM-440 and MOTM-410. The first is the straight output, running in real time with no manual intervention.
For the second recording, I added the CGS Bi-N-Tic Filter in series with the MOTM-440. This lends a much darker, bassy timbre with the special strangeness of the Bi-N-Tic.
Cross Product 2008 [4:36m]:
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Cross Product With Bi-N-Tic Filter [4:24m]:
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This is my first patch with the Tellun Dual Lag. It starts with two MOTM-310 Micro VCOs, one of them driving a Wiard-Blacet Miniwave (Socket Rocket ROM). Two Oakley Sample and Hold modules, the first sampling the MOTM-101 slow random output, are cascaded to produce a two-step random sequence. These two voltages control the Bank and Wave selection on the Miniwave and also are quantized by the Modcan Dual Quantizers (both on A-3) and sent through the Dual Lag Processor to the 1V/Oct control inputs of the VCOs. One lag is longer going up, the other longer going down.
Each section the dual MOTM-480 handles one audio signal from the above. Bandpass outputs are used. Resonance is set high (8). FM is applied with two slow sinewave LFOs from a MOTM-380.
This patch also has spatial modulation. Headphones are recommended! A stereo cross-panner is patched up, consisting of two MOTM-190 VCAs, two channels of an Oakley Multimix, and my own Matrix mixer. The Multimix inverts the signals, which are mixed back with the originals so as to phase-cancel when the VCA is at unity gain. The result is that each signal pans left to right, inversely from each other. Control for the VCAs is the Blacet EG2070 in LFO mode with its two convenient 180-degree outputs, moving between zero to +5V. The VCAs are in Linear response, as is the output of the EG.
Lastly, the Lexicon MPX-1 adds the Delay>Detune preset for post-processing. This is a self-running patch.
Undersea [3:37m]:
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This recording features two types of ring modulation, each on a different signal path. The first uses two CGS VCOs that are digitally ring modulated by a CGS digital XOR gate. This signal passes through the Blacet Stonz phaser and then through a Blacet fixed filter (my newest module) and lastly through an Oakley ADSR/VCA. The second signal originates from two MOTM-300 VCOs ring modulated by a MOTM-190 in RM mode. This signal is sent through the Encore Frequency Shifter and then a second Blacet fixed filter and on through another Oakley ADSR/VCA. The two signals are mixed and the MPX-1 Octave Cascade effect is applied. The control section is two LFOs and some digital logic to generate gates for the ADSRs and the Advance control for the CGS Infinite Melody, which modulates the four VCO frequencies. The patch affords a lot of variation, depending on how all the parameters are set. This particular recording happens to have been made without any knob twiddling.
Two Ring Modulations in Octaves [3:44m]:
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I am starting to think about simple patches that could be performed in real time. Here, two CGS VCOs drive two Blacet Miniwaves. The third VCO is the Modcan VCDO, which has a built-in wavetable. Three different envelope generators (Blacet 2070, Encore UEG, and MOTM-800) modulate the Miniwave WAVE selection plus the VCDO FM Ratio. An automatic glide between two pitches occurs every so many cycles of the LFO triggering the envelope generators. The audio outputs were manually mixed for recording without passing through any filter or VCA. I used a Rich Chorus effect from the MPX-1. The recording is a “performance” in real time, in which I twiddled knobs to vary such things as modulation depth, Miniwave BANK, and VCDO FM Index.
Three Waveforms [11:21m]:
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The fourth of four short recordings based on noise. All aleatoric music is based on some random elements. This one has the least noisy sounds. The patch was an evolution from the Noisy, Slinky, and Screechy patches. It became evermore pitched. Modules contributing to this patch include the Cynthia ZO and a MOTM-300 VCO for through-zero dynamic FM, two CGS Steiner Filters, the CGS Infinite Melody, and two Blacet Time Machines. Echos were made with MPX-1 digital effects (Wild Thing preset). Random gates were obtained by the Blacet Improbability Drive feeding the Blacet IO module.
The third of four short recordings based on noise. The screech in this is courtesy of Blacet Time Machines.
Screechy [1:10m]:
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The second of four short recordings based on noise. This one starts including pitched sound.
The first of four short recordings based on noise. This one is the most noisy.
Two variants of a patch that uses a complex pattern generator based on the CGS Infinite Melody, two MOTM-390 LFOs, and CGS Digital Logic. Four envelope generators drive the Quad Low Pass Gates. Pitch voltage is derived from the Infinite Melody and the Modcan Dual Quantizer. The two MOTM-300 and two CGS VCOs are tuned differently in each of these recordings. Included in the fray are the Encore Frequency Shifter and the MPX-1. Aleatoric-Double-Harmonic is a single stereo track with the Low Pass Gates in LP/VCA mode. Four-Gates is actually two stereo tracks mixed together (you hear eight gates), and the Gates are in Low Pass mode, resulting in a darker tone color.
Aleatoric Double Harmonic with Frequency Shifter [1:41m]:
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Four Gates [1:55m]:
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