#1749

I have one of these. The ability to save presets for everything is definitely fantastic. It does have CV I/O but it feels kind of restricted even compared to most semimodulars – you have a CV input and output jack for each of the fixed destinations (filter cutoff, LFO 1 rate, …), but none of the fixed sources. So you can’t patch an LFO or envelope from the Matrixbrute directly to the modular, you have to use a matrix connection to internally patch your LFO to one of the 16 predetermined output parameters, and then you can use the output jack for that parameter. Likewise there is not any way to get modulation from the modular into the matrix, so there’s not really a way to use external CV to control any parameter besides these fixed ones. The assignable modulation routes are also not available as CV jacks. There are a couple other I/O things I think would really let me get more use out of it in conjunction with the modular, like a mode where you could use the gate input as a single-step trigger input for the sequencer rather than a run gate, or access to FM input or sync signals for the oscillators (the Sync In/Sync Out jacks are for 24PPQN sequencer sync). It’s always seemed kind of weird to have this nearly-modular level of capability inside the synth, and 30+ CV jacks on the back panel, but to have these limitations on its ability to integrate with a Eurorack system given how recently it was designed. I’d be thrilled if it had even a much smaller number of CV I/Os if they were assignable.

1 Like
#1750

I’ve noticed it for sure. I used to sell a lot via MW and various Facbook groups and that has really slowed down. I do better on Reverb as was mentioned above but that still takes a while. One thing (at least in the U.S.) might be the prevalence of sales from retailers. You can almost always get 10% off new modules now, which brings down the price of used ones.

1 Like
#1751

i’m currently brainstorming quick/intuitive ways to capture sequences or gestures to be used as looping modulation sources in a live context. there are modules like bishops miscellany (stepped only), or various cv recorders (currently experimenting with the o_C hemisphere cv recorder) which seem effective - but i’m also interested in options that are more visual with the potential for saving patterns.

there’s the midi –> cv interface route… making cc sequences on the op-z, or that ribn ipad app - which has the benefit of being highly visual.

any tips or tricks y’all would care to share?

#1752

Planar2 feels really good. I wish I could make it make sense in my case. As you already know, TSNM can loop it’s pressure data. The LS1lightstrip also seems to be a good option, though with a bit less less feedback. None of those, however, offer a saving option.

#1753

I guess W/ in the CV captioning mode definitely allows for saving patterns … but definitely not “highly visual” by most standards :joy:

2 Likes
#1754

thanks for the tsnm reminder - i’ll have to play around with that mode some more.

LS1 is a fun suggestion. good price, too. quantized loops would be nice, but not essential.
that reminded me of the SDS-RIT_M

planar2 is a good call - the record function looks very intuitive. don’t really need the joystick, or all those panning vcas.

w/ is def not visual enough for me.

i just read that the malekko quad lfo has gesture recording which looks handy.

1 Like
#1755

The Vectr was good for that. A bit big and probably too many features, but it let you record 3 CVs (x y x) and had various quantization options

#1756

I’ve the bigger version; the LP1 Lightplane. It’s cool, and I find the interface a lot more playable than something capacitive like Pressure Points (if that’s the right technical term). Record time is only 4.5 seconds though, it’s much more gesture recording than pattern recording in that sense.

#1757

The Bastl CV Trinity seems worth looking at. 6 channels of voltage recording either following a master clock or individually triggered, with dedicated knobs for slew and step length. Also looks like it can save to memory!

2 Likes
#1758

I am trying to achive bell & gong like sounds with my modular. Any tips? At one point I had Rubicon which & thru zero fm really produced some lovely bell sounds.

Other sounds I’m trying to hunt down are wooden percussion instrument type of sounds, so I’d be up for any suggestion to those sounds as well.

I know it’s just the matter of exploring these things myself, but probably many of you have already found some patches that produce these organic-like sounds.

#1759

obviously rings has these out of the box, but for bells you could go additive - just explore the spectra of some bell recordings, or AM/FM, depends what you like. I find that real bells also have low frequency oscillations (modulation) on their overtones. Wood - you’d maybe treat as strike/impulse + body resonance = a bit harder to make -> probably needs a fair few very short delay lines (disting or else).

3 Likes
#1760

Thanks, this is helpful, I’ll explore. And I don’t know why but I’ve always avoided getting rings / clouds because it’s so overused and easily recognisable sound. More satisfying to patch the sounds than get them being “out of the box”.

#1761

Rings is interesting if you feed it audio other than its self-generated impulses. also i think the modulation inputs don’t seem to enjoy much of a reputation - structure might be problematic to patch in, but position can give you nice timbres. but yeah going back to the principles - additive or fm for bells, resonance (delay lines) for wood or anything of the kind. You can get interesting “scrapes” out of Clouds, and I guess maybe Morphagene or something else granular (unless you regard sampling as cheating :smiley:)

2 Likes
#1762

I guess it’s a cliche, but I’m a fan of the “woody” sounds I can get with a (non-resonant) lowpass gate. Possibly less realistic than some more involved patching, but quite good imo.

5 Likes
#1763

Rings is a powerhouse. It’s easy to avoid sounding boring and samey with it.

Using the audio input of course is one major way to do that. If you think of Rings as a sort of filter array / delay line / reverb, that encourages some more creative thinking. (You can drop the frequency enough so it acts as a really messed-up delay.) Patch feedback paths with it through other modules (or a second Rings), modulate the FM or position inputs, etc. Feed it white noise or harmonically rich signals and use a VCA or LPG after it as if it were a traditional oscillator. Or feed it a frequency-swept sine or Shepard tones. At some settings, you can feed it a plain sine and it’ll generate more harmonics than what went in.

Even using the internal exciter, keeping the brightness low so it’s not metallic isn’t really part of the “cliche” sound. Or really short decays used to feed something else (another resonator, comb filter, reverb etc.)

Or send the pitch input wild signals to make it go completely nuts.

…all this said, I admit I never bought Clouds partially because I wanted to avoid the cliche :laughing: (And partly because a while back, I kind of burned out on granular in the VST plugin world.)

6 Likes
#1764

Plonk is also excellent in these, as well as the more woody sounds.

#1765

this is beautiful. which of the two is making the air-y feedback-folded-onto-itself (especially prominent around 4:30)?

#1766

Thanks! I think that’s the lightly FM’d Harmonic Oscillator.

1 Like
#1767

there’s rings/plonk/rainmaker/elements/et al for quick access to those types of sounds. however, as a few others have mentioned fm/am/wavefolding and lpgs are also great if you want to roll your own.

I did a performance several years ago with a friend who cast some hollowed out bronze forms tuned to a scale, that were amplified(piezo) and played with a small mallet. I accompanied him using a small Bugbrand system with 2 quadrature sine vcos, wavefolder, dual lpg, two A/D slopes and a joystick with two touch plates. I setup one vco to dynamically fm(exp) the other through one channel of the lpg and then the results went through the wavefolder(barely opening it) and the other channel of the lpg. I used the joystick to change the pitch of both vcos and the touchplates to trigger the slopes that opened both channels of the lpgs/wavefolder. I was able to get a lot of great metallic/bell timbres both harmonic and inharmonic and when the wavefolder was dialed up a bit more into more woody textures as well.

Another option is two super clean sinewaves going through a good carrier rejecting ring mod(like the wiard xmix) and then through an lpg.

3 Likes
#1769

Thanks, very helpful- lots to test out on my next session.

You wouldn’t happen to have a recording of the gig? Would be curious to hear

1 Like