This Norns script is a port inspired by the Drone & Drama Teensy instrument, a design and implementation originally made open source by Barry Joseph Cullen. In essence, it’s a 3x sine oscillator (drone) instrument with a bitcrushed, filtered noise channel (drama). I’ve been using it to accompany a friend in an improv setting as well as using it in some of my own solo sessions, and the instrument is really fun and playable! It’s great for exploring phasing and adding tension.
Back to the script, here are some additions I’ve made to the original design:
Using SinFBOsc for the optional of additional harmonics (tweak the feedback param for each osc)
Sub-audio frequency support
Filter resonance control
Global oscillator slop
Demo
For a demonstration of an earlier version of this script, see this lines post featuring myself on OP-1 and dnd. Note that this recording was pre-bitcrusher, but it does show usage of sub-audio frequencies with feedback (the glitchy clicks).
Additional Information
To see Barry’s original instrument in action, check out this Youtube video:
Additionally, note that the Drone & Drama Teensy is itself a compact version of a larger Drone & Drama instrument, which is analog rather than digital. I’d definitely recommend checking out his website - there are many videos and recordings of the instrument (and others!) in action there.
Thanks! TBH I’ve been wondering if the name is a reference to the idea of the PB as well. Been chatting with the folks involved in the D&D project today so perhaps I’ll ask
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And aside: some kind of Plumbutter recreation has always been a Norns script dream of mine. I’ve sent some audio snippets of attempts to folks and the usual response is “oh this is amazing but sounds nothing like a Plumbutter”
Seems fine to me! I’m sure I’d enjoy something even inspired by the behavior of plumbutter—and who knows, I might even enjoy it more with some digital sounds.
excited to check this script since I loved that SinOscFB snippet : )
Means a lot coming from you, glad you enjoyed the recording! Hope you enjoy the script - it’s a simple idea but I’m finding it endless fun especially combined with my fuzz pedal.
The low frequency SinOscFB has already become such a frequent trick of mine that I’m working on a remix of this script - “all drama” - that uses sequenced SinOscFB as a sort of drum machine for nerds. Hoping to post updates here once I develop it
been running this in the background while working all morning - love it!! equal parts beautiful and terrifying
maybe it’s moving a little out of the spirit of it, but it’d be cool to incorporate lfo controls over each parameter, a la hnds ? (would be happy to make a PR for it!)
Thanks, glad you’re enjoying it! As this is a tribute/port to somebody else’s project I’d like to keep feature additions pretty minimal or slow to evolve - I’d recommend exploring two sine waves with close-by frequencies for producing amplitude modulation, or using Sines for full LFO control. I’ll keep this in mind though!
This thing is fun! & the name compells me to use it in my dungeon synth project somehow ha
Did notice the noise channel seems a lot quieter than the other ones
Love it. And interesting, I’ll have to take another look as I haven’t noticed that so far in my own playing, but I keep volumes pretty low so maybe I haven’t hit that case yet.
Have you checked to see what the noise filter cutoff is at (noise runs through a filter then bitcrusher)? It starts out pretty low at 200hz by default I think, which really only lets crackles through.
When I check the Norns mixer screen I’m finding that at amp of 1 each of the drones just about maxes out the level meter wheras the noise channel at 1 amp only gets to around 0db at any setting, even with at the highest freq with full resonance
Ahh, gotcha - I think setting all of the amps to 1 overloads the Limiter on the output so you hear ducking in response. For no ducking I’d stick with keeping volumes at or below 0.25 for now, but perhaps I should work on an update that doesn’t require this.
Unrelated, I pushed an update this morning that automaps a Midi Fighter Twister when connected before script launch. The controls are:
getting some real harsh Noise out of the latest version at extreme settings
happy to hear that!
Speaking of - heads up, the latest version now includes a circular FM param (osc mod) on the global oscillators page. It’s also mapped to the last unused slot on the MFT - knob 15 (row 4, column 3).
still would love the noise channel to be louder somehow
So, I’ve been recording a lot with D&D and I’m kind of in agreement here. And the most interesting setting for the noise channel in my opinion is quite low in volume, as it interacts with the bitcrusher in weird ways. I’d love to make that more prominent somehow…
Also another note I’ve discovered while recording - if you have the global Norns compressor on you’ll hit that same volume limiting behavior I mentioned about the Limiter code internal to the engine. Sometimes it’s nice, sometimes it sucks away what I’m trying to keep in the foreground.
maybe time for me to finally dare get into messing with norns script
Feel free to DM me - I’m happy to chat if you’re interested in learning how to modify D&D.