Improvisation XII – Separate Reality

This has a lot to do with being relaxed and was done in the mood of having some cool – hot summer days (and enjoying a great german „multikulti“ soccer team).

We start with a kind of bass drum sound. This is coloured noise (from an A-118) put through an A-106-6 (12 db LB output used). Seems to become my „standard BD“.

Then there’s some „hihat“: 6 oscilators output of an A-117 Digital Noise put through an A-124 Wasp Filter. Both BD and HH are controlled by A-140 ADSRs, triggered by an A-155.

The main sequence sound is somewhat complicated – but quite versatile – this time: we have three different sound sources at the beginning of this sound:

  1. An A-110 square wave put through an A-115 Audio Divider.  The A-110 square wave is pulse modulated by an A-146 LFO (triangle).
  2. A second A-110 (sine wave) put through an A-136 Distortion/Waveshaper, which is modulated by an A-143-9 (sine and 180° sine).
  3. Random clock output of an A-117 Digital Noise Generator. The DNG is modulated by the same sequencer as the two A-110s – plus an A-183-2 (used just as a manual voltage source).

All three sources are mixed in an A-138 and then put ino an A-127 VC Resonance Filter (modulated by its internal LFOs). Then we go into an A-132-3 VCA, being modulated by an A-142 VC Decay. The VCD is triggered and modulated (decay length) by the same A-155 that controls the pitch of the VCOs and the DNG. After this, the signal is put into an A-101-3 Modular Vactrol Phaser, being modulated by two independent LFOs from an A-143-3. Only the 12 stage output of the phaser is used here. Now we go into the third of Doepfer’s „Big Three“: the A-188-2 Tapped BBD. Delay frequency (for Karplus Strong sounds) is controlled by the same A-155 Sequencer that controls the VCO pitch. The two outputs (different taps / polarizations of the BBD are used for the two outputs)  are sent into two A-108 Ladder Filters. For both filters, the 48 dB output is used and there’s an A-140 that controlls both filters.

That’s it, basically. Some GForce M-Tron choir is used, an Arturia Jupiter 8V (both played via Doepfer LMK-2+ in split mode, bass controlls the Arturia as well as the transposition of the A-155), some effects in Ableton, some mastering in Cubase. No overdubs.

Here we go:

UPDATE! Here’s an alternative version with the M-Tron choir being replaced by some lush Arturia CS80V Strings:

Track length is 18:35.

Have Fun!

Andreas