totally agree. obviously we’re getting into some more ‘out’ stuff here, but one of my favorite starting points with the module is to use it in a completely straightforward way (vca, cv crossfader, whatever), and then keep adding ins/outs while listening to the whole patch become more complex and interconnected, with the survey knob being a kind of master controller.
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exactly
i have no qualms admitting that i don’t always get what’s going on with my synth, especially with regard to CM patches
mac + other whimsical modules make it so easy to start in familiar territory and gradually push toward the fringes of my knowledge (and beyond)
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it wouldn’t be discovery if you already knew where you were going.
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thanks . i forgot to post the direct recording for those interested in this
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really interesting stuff! some of the early bits–the higher-pitched dry, crinkly, crackly textures–would make excellent background soundbeds. add melodic instrumentals on top; instant ambient bliss.
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this patch is designed for two filters, eg, and a wavefolder
[ vcas + ext mixer optional ]
mac pans output of folder to filters for shaping
one filter is fed back into folder
eg provides cv control of pan fade
results got even more windy than this excerpt
[akin to a sax or muted trumpet] which was the surprise
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the possible new jf / whimsical discussion got me thinking of this thread again, here’s one i was playing around with tonight, JF in plume mode, triggers from ansible running MP and wogglebug’s BURST:
Left (out) > CURVE
Right (out) > RAMP
Crease (out) > RUN
IDENTITY, 3N, 5N > output
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Okay, back to the top with the Cold Mac.
I got one–planted in between two Mangroves and two JFs–and it will never leave that spot. It’s astoundingly cool.
Odd question then: I have another 6U case that needs more basic utilities–mults, simple unity mixer, rectifier, inverter, basic logic, etc.–but especially some mixing.
I thought of buying a MI Kinks and an MI Links.
8hp.
Call it about $200.
Cold Mac is 8hp and about $200.
What would you do?
Cold Macs seems to offer more than those 2. I’d go with what you know and like.
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I keep forgetting that I need to learn this module 
…oh ya, and teletype and just friends and guitar and everything else
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I wasn’t able to get these to make anything audible, but somewhere in there I stumbled into crazy tuned feedback by patching mac back into a few ins. Not sure the exact configuration.
Will it hurt anything to feed mac back in to the module, or is it like the minimoog headphone cable trick–essentially harmless?
Experimentation encouraged!
Well yeah but Trent mentions that he knew there was some way to make it oscillate, but specifically didn’t mention patching audio back in, which would be the first thing I figured one would try if they were trying to get the circuit to oscillate. But he didn’t mention that, so I wanted to get his formal ok before I kept trying that. Most things aren’t harmful in the world of patching, but some stuff, like using a mult as a mixer, is generally considered to be a bad idea if you want to prolong the life of your gear
I used to do this all the time - not a problem. Actually it’s one of the things that makes it such a great module
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been wanting a dj style* filter for a long time, realized last night that this is easy to do with cold mac + 3 sisters.
*(by “dj style” i mean a filter that is all pass at noon, low-pass counterclockwise, high-pass clockwise)
source audio to sisters “all” input
sisters “high” output to cold mac “left” input
sisters “low” output to cold mac “right” input
cold mac “slope” output (the one on the far right, what is this called? trough?) to sisters “fm” input
sisters freq set to about 16, fm set full clockwise
listen to cold mac “right” output
use cold mac “survey” knob to adjust the filtering
throw a rave!
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This is why I love this forum.
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so true
also this is why ColdMac is so hard to explain…with some imagination, it’s a perfect expander for whatever you pair it with
Cold Mac for President.
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I patched up Trent’s Cold Mac ‘Surveillance’ patch a couple week’s ago. Lost about 6 hours that day mesmerized at what I could get from it.
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My lovely wife endowed me with a Cold Mac for Christmas and my brain broke. I managed to find this thread and am feeling a little more confident with it. This is a pretty simple expansion on the DJ filter @shellfritsch mentioned except I’m using a R*S VCFQ:
EDIT: some patch notes first…
*sequence coming from kria, delay/reverb from Clouds off-camera
**I’ll go ahead and tell ya the rest of this patch is just me being random
FORMANT Output > VCFQ In
VCFQ HI > CM LEFT In
VCFQ Low > CM RIGHT In
CM RIGHT Out > OR (1)
OR Out > FORMANT CV
SLOPE Out > VCF Freq CV
LOCATION > VC Q
VCFQ NOTCH > SURVEY
Monitor Cold Mac AND Output
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