#15

I often leave my headphones plugged in.

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#16

Yeah I suppose it’s about making patching a little more efficient. Been great to hear the ideas in this thread. I love that modular kind of gives you every possible option and at the same time I have to acknowledge that there are some of those options I’m always leaning on and others I’m not interested in being able to access.

One thread of this journey that exemplifies where I’m at: I often used to basically recreate most of Qu-Bit’s Chance module in my patches. I wanted multiple modulations that would each randomize within certain parameters every time I sent a trigger. After getting Chance I suddenly had all this happening in 14hp and with way fewer cables. Now though, I want a bit more control over it. I can’t force Chance to only give me saw waves, or leave out triplet clock divisions, etc. So I’m considering going back to more basic building blocks and creating that kind of a sub-patch that would take up a part of my system.

9 Likes
#17

Recently I’ve been tailoring my euro setup towards a “complete instrument experience”, culminating into my concept of a master patch. I’ve been working through various iterations of a signal flow that will allow me to have a static conception of how the instrument functions, with enough flexibility in sequencing / modulation / mixing to allow for expression / novelty.

This approach has been influenced by a couple factors: working as a synth tech and dissecting synthesizer design frequently with the realizatiom that these instruments have their own master patch; the feeling of being spread too thin on my ambitions within my euro setup (i.e. having both an unwieldy sonic playground and an intentional instrument in the same place); and my deepening interested in using Kria as the underlying basis of a musical process.

The master patch is my disciplined way to explore Kria in this way. I’m using Teletype/TXi to bridge the gap between Kria and Just Friends to keep thing tidy from a “patching” point of view but there’s still a whole world of experimentation available via i2c connectivity; that process will continue to grow even if/when I realize a default patch (which will always be up for tweaking in some way).

This idea was also enabled by my decision to start building a diy synth with Serge/CGS circuits, which I’ve been designing with the intention of channelling ephemeral exploration. I imagine that synth will likely not stay patched between sessions…

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#18

No. Every session starts with removing the old cables. Reason for this is that for me pre-patching only creates frustration. The moment is gone and only thing left is this weird noise. Only exception is when I’m recording overnight, as mentioned by others.

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#19

Most of the time when I am finished playing I remove all the cables from my modular, cables connecting to the effects etc. I always start with one piece of gear when playing and add new ones when I need them. The only exception recently was when I was playing a gig that had an unusual amount of preplanning (at least for me).
Albeit I have few things that you could consider a prepatched modular (mother-32 for example) so this might make a difference in my approach to full modular case.

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#20

most times i unplug everything at the end, mandala-style.

there was a period in which i had a specific clock path always in place, and for some reason i’m yet to identify, it just hindered my practice. it’s meant to be reset. meant to start from zero every time, it seems. more joy this way.

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Modular Occultism
#21

I believe unpatching is an equally important process when unlocking the potential that modular has to offer. There’s always so many happy accidents to be found. I find that there is also something cathartic will unpatching as well, however, this principle is usually subdued as a system grows in size.

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#22

I’m a Serge player mainly, and can confirm @jasonw22 earlier comments :slight_smile:

For me, with this instrument, leaving things patches feels at odds for how it is played. Each piece is like a building block, and the different relationships is often the composition or performance. When I start a new piece I patch from nothing because each module might play a very different role.

You do learn patterns and techniques through practice, so it’s not that I’m always doing completely different things. But since the modules are so low level, they usually take on quite different roles for each new piece that I work on.

While I’m working on a piece, a related series of pieces, or a performance I might leave it patched for periods of time. Like right now I’m preparing for a short tour and will be using almost the same patch throughout because I’m preparing a set. Each show will be improvised, but with the same starting point. Sometimes I’ll start from nothing live, but for this specific set of performances there’s a suite of sounds that I know I want to work with each night.

11 Likes
#23

I’m assuming pre-patching only refers to patch cables?

I have so many modules that work with other types of connections, have the ability to save presets, or have normalled connections that it leaves a gray area for what it means to be pre-patched.

The Expert Sleepers ES-8 uses an ADAT cable to connect to the ES-6. The ES-6 is only usable with the ES-8 with that cable. The ES-8 is only usable as an audio interface with the USB cable connected.

Orthogonal Devices’ ER-301 is connected to a Monome Teletype via I2C in the back and preset saving is basic functionality for both modules. It’s interesting to think about unpatching a module with presets as wiping the presets before patching.

Pittsburgh Modular Lifeforms SV-1’s connections are normalled by default. So in a weird way it would require intentionally patching dummy cables into it in order for it to be non-pre-patched.

But to answer the question, I always leave the non-patch cables plugged in and remove all the other patch cables. For modules that have normalled connections I start without patch cables so I start with a normalled connection. For modules that have preset saving I start from a new preset, but I don’t wipe out existing presets.

1 Like
#24

I usually work on a specific patch for a few weeks, then leave it completely patched and spend a few weeks practicing with it, improvising, composing, recording, then - unless it’s the start of a really serious piece - document it, destroy it, and start again.
I used to start from scratch each time, but it was hard to get past that “dabbling” feeling.
I try to think of modular patches, as well as software patches, as “invisible instruments” (or, with modular / hardware, semi-visible or just new instruments) that require practice, learning the subtle and not-so-subtle possibilities, etc.
Thinking instead of the entire modular system as an instrument creates too many possibilities at any given given moment, leading to - in my case, I know it’s not the same for others - somewhat inexpressive playing and noodling for the sake of noodling.
(nothing wrong with noodling of course, just not where i am these days).

9 Likes
#25

I patch, play, possibly record, definitely document, and then unpatch. Tropes and habits definitely find their way through, and I’m more ok with that than sticking with any particular modality.

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#26

One advantage of patching from nothing each time is that it is great practice for recreating signal flows quickly. My own aim is to patch from scratch for my live performances (and programme sequences from scratch too). This feels like it provides a more engaging experience for the audience, but needs a lot of practice to get confident (and quick!) at it. It also requires some thought to how to build a patch that sounds good all the way through its own creation, which is interesting in itself. Finally, although repatching basic outputs and effects is kind of tedious after a while, I have started to see it as a kind of ritual helping to create a meditative state for actual performance. (At least, that’s my aim - doesn’t always work!)

5 Likes
#27

I’ve got a small eurorack setup (and a Moog Grandmother since yesterday), but some things in the case do actually tend to stay patched. This is the way I’m using external gear to run my sequencers and process some sounds. The rest is being patched along the way.

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#28

I patch, record, unpatch in a single session.

All that stays plugged in are pedals into my ADDAC200PI, and multiples to audio interface inputs to give convenient patch points.

When I had more pedals, I kept them in relatively fixed chains. At the moment I’m down to Tensor and Dark World for the modular, and an Analog Drive on my Reface CS. But once I pick up Mood, it’ll probably be in a chain after Tensor.

2 Likes
#29

Got any suggestions for how to maintain a continuous output signal while repatching? I’ve struggled with this a bit. The need to make something happen right away can lead me to set up a simple patch that I later want to break up to change aspects, but that process usually means I lose that sound…

#30

I usually keep a befaco stmix patched into RIP :slight_smile:

At one point I decided it would be fun to make a small number of connections with cables of a certain colour and leave them patched for a long period of time - whilst still unpatching the rest of the system. I guess basically turning the modular into a semi modular.

It actually wasn’t fun though.

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#31

I seem to have accumulated a fascinating amount of different mixing devices. And some of them I combined into a fixed routing arrangement with specific cables I usually never remove. All other cables are normally being removed partially or completely after a certain period of time. Sometimes this may take longer, other times only one single shot.

Even though both those points have been mentioned already by several contributions above, I’ll just chime in to give them a little nod and attach some more weight to them. Nothing more, really.

#32

I usually patch in either the 4ms SMR to create a drone (although a “macro” oscillator like Plaits is good for getting a drone up and running quickly too). Or I might start the disting playing back a spoken word sample, and while that’s happening start patching up some oscillators and sequencing. A good trick is to put the first voice through a mult so you can start patching a “copy” of it through effects/filters and then mix that in when it’s ready.

6 Likes
#33

The mult idea is great! I should have thought of that…

#34

If I’m composing melodic lines and I’m focused on actually writing something that isn’t meandering slop, then yes.
If I’m focused on alternatives, rhythm and gate manipulation with random sources, or finding new texture, then no.