I’ve just fallen in love with this album (i have to share it so this topic make sense):
I don’t know if those sounds came out of a modular, but in this particular track, I’m interpreting it as if the 4ms SMR were behind the dissonant atmosphere, and as if clouds or morphagene were behind the glitch sounds.
I’m looking for recommendation on modules that excel in this kind of glitch/organic sound (in its nature, or in the way you patch it). Of course there is a big wiggle room, but my paradigm here will be Ecker’s beautiful music, and maybe the amazing work behind https://glitchmachines.com/.
You can do this type of stuff with an er301 using the included granular, self generating patches and sliced sample players with the included multi clocked delays / granular delay effects. Load in found sounds and samples and CV mangle with a sequencer. A decent multichannel 4 track CV/Gate sequencer is needed. I use Monome Ansible Kria / Earthsea / White Whale sequencer and Monome Grid as they are more hands on
The er301 is a modular synth in itself (a little bit like a Nord Micro-Modular) and has all the typical components and building blocks of a modular system - envelopes, sample + hold, noise, VCA’s, oscillators, pedal oopers etc and you can create any sound (including self generating patches) internally + sampler manipulation and a whole section of effects. What it doesn’t have is a proper sequencer and it can’t physically output CV though the outputs (outputs not DC coupled), but it can input CV from an external source and route CV internally between modules. I make self generating patches triggered from White and Pink Noise, but you can use an external sequencer.
Clouds (especially w/ Parasites loaded) is really good for glitch sounds. Parasites lets you use brutally tight windows on your grains for extra clicks, and using triggers instead of the Density parameter lets you do more rhythmic things. I also love the timestretch mode with the right material for more consistent glitchy textures.
I also use the EuroDDL for glitched loops, sending gates, square wave LFOs, EOR/C to the Kill input.
The Er301 does the granulation also. Er301 is $1000, but can do the equivalent of 6u / $3000? of modules with that one module alone - it’s a mini computer modular synth. I can put 5 granulators on one channel of er301 and there are 4 channels to play with. The only thing holding back on that module is the CPU - you really have push it hard to max it out. Because of the er301 I play gigs with 3u instead of 6u or 9u. Its a sound designers dream and joy for glitch / sample mangling - its just the lacks a sequencer / interface modules to modulate it externally. I have lots of videos on my Instagram.
This last one I have 3 different delays on the same channel - 100% internal sounds and modulationn
I’m sold out on the E301, It really seems like an amazing have, particularly in a small rack, to increase versatility, plus it is the sound im looking for.
Thanks so much for the attention, again! I couldn’t find anything about the quantizer unity capacities on the microtonal area? Do you have this information?
Microtonal stuff was requested (like what is on the Ornaments and Crime module) but it’s not implimented yet. There is currently a whole bunch of scales to choose from. However, there will be Scala import coming for user defined microtonal stuff. Just bare in mind there is no CV output on the er301 (dc coupled only) so the quantizer can only be applied to CV coming into the unit and on the internal units and oscillators.
