#755

Just starting my journey down the Serge rabbit hole after picking up a NTO, DUSG, SSG & DCSM last week. I threw them into this little system while I’m learning them and already feeling a big difference in approach to patching compared to more modern eurorack… so much to learn but I’m already feeling like these modules have a unique sound and feel that I’ve never really experienced before.

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#756

Hey folks!

I’ve started to build out my first Serge 4x4 boat. It’s being seeded by a purchase here on the forum (thanks @VicenteJr!), which includes a Sequencer/Programmer & a Carnivore. From this foundation, I thought to try to emulate the Mantra, which I’ve read on other forums is a great Serge starter template, and looks similar to some small systems floated in this thread as well, which were essentially a DSG, Carnivore & filter.

I know I cannot create a one to one mapping, but I thought I’d grab the DSG mkii XL & the VQF / Stereo Mixer. The latter, however, is out of stock from what I can tell. I care less about the output—I am happy to throw an input jumbler into the mix—but I guess I’m worried about lack of audio mixing within the patch.

One other options would be the VCFS / VCFS module, which has some basic signal mixing, which might be enough in a system with probably not more than two oscillators at a time anyway?

This would be the finished product. I think it would be fine, but also curious to crowd source perspective about hidden or missing functionality that experience might illuminate.

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#757
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#759

I enjoyed the part where Tcherepnine describes a music composition exercise where he broke a score into small segments (which he calls “patterns”) and rearranged the pieces as a new collage. I recognize this as a technique for poetry popularized by the surrealists and its really interesting that patching modular synths can be approached from that direction.

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#760

So I got 6 board kits from Elby (Compact Osc, Noise/S&H, DUSG, Res EQ, VCFQ, and Wave Mults). Is anyone interested in me documenting the build process? Gonna house in a Hammond 1444. If not I might just post highlights as I go :slight_smile:

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#761

would love to see the higlights :muscle:

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#762

I’m would most definitely be interested in full documentation! I’m currently building the Res EQ and Wave Mults (as well as other modules) from Elby and would love to compare your build to mine. :slight_smile:

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#763

I’d be really interested in a documented build, i’d like to do kind of the same thing (SSG,DUSG,WM,VCFQ,ResEQ,) later this year, never built (nor used!) serge before so any tips will be welcome :slight_smile:
Also interested in your housing/mounting options, will you make a single front panel for all the modules or individual ones ?

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#764

I’ll add my vote for documenting this. I used to have a Serge system (1980), and would like to again, and this might be an affordable way to achieve this.

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#765

I’m probably going to do a 1444-1273 (12" x 7" x 3") + bottom plate and screws, an AI Synth DIY power supply inside with terminal block distro, and mount the Elby boards on CLee brackets. But I’m going to get the case and PSU in a couple of weeks and see how it all might fit together; first step is getting modules built, tested, and calibrated.
I also want to build a Teensy-based 4U banana module so I can upload and run various programs/pieces, but that might be housed in another case so I can keep things more modular. I also have a Sidrax that uses banana, and I want to try and use the Teensy on that as well…

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#766

Hey folks, debugging a not-fully-working R*S Sequencer / Programmer module. The symptom is that I’m not getting any CV out from output A.

I am very new to debugging something like this, but from the look of other banana jacks on the board that are functioning, it looks like the jack for A could be the culprit:

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I don’t think it’s fully separate (although it could be?) but it’s certainly not as well connected as others.

Just looking for someone with a bit more experience to say if re-doing this connection might be a good place to start?

Thanks!

#767

Absolutely a good place to start, looks potentially problematic and is easy to just reflow / reinforce that joint. Was that a DIY build?

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#768

My understanding is that it was a Patch Point build. Thanks for the tip! I will give it a try.

#770

Continuation of the modulation series of serge drones.
Slow modulations and subtle shaping with the resEQ.
(play at low volume)

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#771

Glad you’ve enjoyed those walkthroughs, @muncky & @gnome666. NCOM has been on my short list to write about for a while. I have a bunch of notes (many courtesy of @cebec) from long-gone blog sources with lots of tips and uses for NCOM. And I still haven’t had a chance to work my way through @ht73’s excellent comparator post from last summer (there’s just not enough time to do all of the things!).

In any case, thanks for wishing aloud for what you want - it helps to know!

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#772

So a month and a half ish after my original post here, I have a recording of my first patch on this system.

I’m having a ton of fun so far. I think the only thing I’d tell my past self is: you’ll miss having dedicated VCAs… but! it will inspire you to patch a little differently.

For example, most of the movement in this patch is achieved by being fairly aggressive about modulating filter frequency to reduce cutoff. Obviously a simple thing to do, but something that I’d found myself doing only minimally before, if at all. It had me thinking more about texture.

This had a downside as well. As I mention in the linked thread where I posted the video, I took about a week trying to build something else on top of this sequence (before adding all the effects) and really struggled to find room for anything else. In the end this is also very ok. But there was a little frustration I had to work through.

I’m not sure if I will leave this boat as it is. I have the filters module up for sale so I could potentially fund a filter / stereo mixer module, which is now available at Patch Point. While I’m having fun with the texture focus, I think I’d like to be able to experience a Serge system with some more VCAs for more traditional sounds.

Similarly, I feel like I want to try a dedicated oscillator at some point. While I love the ideology on display here that allows for the possibility of modules to satisfy a variety of different purposes, I admit I miss the “fine” knob a dedicated oscillator would have :wink:

Also, I find myself missing more complex envelopes. When I did experiment with using the DSG & Carnivore as a LPG (& VCA), I struggled to dial in AD envelopes that I really enjoyed. I can’t say that I ever see myself making room for the Extended ADSR module, so I guess I’ll stick to textures & plucks in Serge-land :slight_smile:

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#773

Are you feeding the slope generators back into themselves to control the rise and fall functions? Joining the two sections? A DUSG can cover a lot of shapes.

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#774

This is awesome, thank you!

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#775

yea, that whole DUSG series is the most in-depth well explained Serge module tutorial i think I’ve ever watched :slight_smile:

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#776

I wouldn’t bother with the ADSR, it’s rather slow regardless of setting or exponential shape/feedback and I don’t miss it. The DSG can be very fast, capable of very acoustic-style plucks and strikes.

To expand the range of envelope shapes, there are three techniques I find useful:

  1. Feed a very thin pulse into the USG input instead of triggering it via gate in. This way you can get very long decays without skipping triggers, like a standard AR or AD. The other USG can be used to synthesize the thin pulse by setting the rise and fall times to minimum and triggering it via gate in.

  2. Use feedback as mentioned – output into rate control. you can get exponential shapes with positive feedback, or inverse exponential with negative.

  3. Full-wave rectification, if possible – The '73 CV mixer/processor naturally full-wave rectifies (takes the absolute value of) its intended output, so negative CV’s get inverted and become positive. So you can process a percussive envelope by gradually introducing a negative offset. The shape will start ‘welling up’ at the end, also with reduced attack. The rectification trick allows you to morph an envelope into its inverse without zeroing it out, like a scaling control would do. Unfortunately I think the rectification was considered a bug and optimized out of newer designs, but if you can figure out some other way to patch this on a modern system, it can be helpful in terms of modifying envelope shapes in useful ways.

These tricks don’t get you the full functionality of an ADSR but they can significantly expand what you’re able to do.

In general for pluck sounds I’d use linear shape to control the VCA and exponential for any other kind of timbre control – and always use the thin pulse trick. Triggered use cases are better for slow LFO’s that are synchronized to the main time grid.

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