AndreasKrebsBlog

This is about sequencer lines with varying lengths and about drones and how both can interact. No. This is about how trivial and experimental things may meet and live in some kind of unexpected coexistence.

Here we go:

http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media/improvisation-20100919a.mp3

Track length is 24:22.

We start with a bright sequence: two A-111 VCOs (pulse waves) into an A-106-5 SEM VCF, Bandpass out into an A-188-1 BBD and then into an A-131 VCA. Some pingpong delay from Ableton Live. VCF and VCO are controlled by an A-140 ADSR, an A-155/154 Sequencer with controller through an A-156 Quantizer plays the melody (transposed manually by keyboard).

Beginning at 0:39, there’s a bassdrum sound, created with an A-106-6 XP filter through an A-132-3, bopth controlled by A-140 ADSR. The bassdrum is triggered by the same sequencer as the bright sequence voice.

The choir at 0:50 is a GForce M-Tron.

At 1:40, the bass sequence starts:  this is done with three A-110 (modulated pulse waves) going through an A-105 SSM VCF and then into an A-131 VCA. VCA and VCF are controlled by an A-140 ADSR. Another A-155/A-154 Sequencer with controller drives this sequence (same A-156 Quantizer used), the sequencer is used in 16-step mode here (via  A-150 Dual VC Switch). Same manual transposing used as for the bright sequence. The A-154 Sequencer Controller triggers the A-154 of the bright sequence.

A digital voice (NI Massive) is introduced at 3:00.

Around 5:00 sequence lengths of both sequencers are varied (reduced to 7 steps, and 15 steps).

A drone is faded in starting around 9:40. The sound is basically done with two A-143-9 VC Quadrature LFOs, crossmodulating each other with their inverted cosine outputs, both being modulated by slow triangle LFOs from an A-143-3. The two sine outputs of the generators are sent into two audio ins (stage 1-6 in / stage 7-12 in) of an A-101-3 Modular Vactrol Phaser, being modulated by the two cosine outputs of the two A-143-9s. Then we go into two VCAs of an A-132-3. A reverb from NI Reflektor does the rest.

Around 13:40, a noisy soundscape starts which is later transformed into a rhythmic part: coloured noise from an A-118 Noise Generator and digital niose from an A-117 Digital Noise Generator are mixed and sent into an A-127 VC Resonance Filter. The A-117 noise is clocked by the A-154 Sequencer Controller clock (two derived clock signals via A-165 Trigger Modifier and A-160 Clock Divider, manually switched via A-182-1). After the resonance filter, we go into an A-188-2 Tapped BBD (modulated by a random voltage from the A-118 and an A-170 Slew Limiter) and then - with two different tap mixes into two A-108 filters (both use the 48 dB out and are controlled by the cv out of the tapped BBD).

No overdubs, just an A-100, GForce M-Tron and NI Massive, some effects in Ableton Live and mastering in Cubase.

Have Fun!

Andreas

“riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay …” (J. Joyce)

This is a relaxing piece, running like a river - always the same, always new. Some rhythmic things may appear to be somehow strange at first listening. Don’t worry.

Here we go:

http://www.andreaskrebs.de/assets/media/improvisation-20100912a.mp3

Track length is 17:23.

Some technical details:

We start with some kind of percussive noise. This is done with an A-188-2 Tapped BBD. Digital Noise is amplified via A-132-1, modulated by an A-142 VC Decay and then put into the BBD. The result is put into an A-108 Ladder VCF (48 dB output) to reduce BBD noise and then into an A-132-3 VCA, controlled by an A-140 ADSR.

Then we have an ostinato bass line: three A-110 VCOs are mixed (A-138) and then put into an A-106-6 XP VCF. Two VCF outputs are usd here: 2 pole LP and 3 pole HP/1 pole LP. Both outs are fed into an A-134-1 VC Panning Module (modulated by an A-147 VC LFO, reset by a trigger derived from clock signal). Then we go into an A-132-3 VCA, controlled by an A-140 ADSR.

The bass line is coupled / transposed with an NI Absynth voice.

A second percussive voice: coloured noise from an A-118 Noise Generator is fed into an A-188-1X BBD. Then, we have again an A-108 - A-132-3 combination for final processing (both modulated by another A-140). Then we go into an A-101-3 Modular Vactrol Phaser (modulated by sine and negative sine of an A- 143-9 Quadrature LFO) and stereo out.

A bassdrum is made with white noise from an A-118 fed into a resonating A-105 SSM VCF and then into an A-132-3 VCA. Both VCF and VCA are controlled by an A-140 ADSR. Trigger comes from an A-160/A-161, synced to DAW clock.

Two A-155/A-154 Sequencers are used: the first one for the percussive BBD voices, the second one (in 16-step mode) for the bass line. Sequencing is a bit special here: everything is controlled by a sync trigger from Ableton Live. The bass-line sequencer is triggered directy by this one. The other sequencer not. I put the DAW trigger into an A-165 Trigger Modifier. The “+/-” output (triggers when the input trigger raises and again when it falls) is sent into an A-162 Trigger Delay to create a gate signal instead of a short trigger. The resulting gate is then inverted by an A-165 and then used as clock for the A-154. To create constantly changing patterns, the first and last step of the A-154 are modulated by two independent LFOs (slow triangle waves).

Then we have GForce M-Tron Mellotron strings.

We hear an NI Massive arpeggiated voice.

No overdubs (only the starting points of a few Absynth bass sounds were adjusted to be more “out of sync”). Have fun!

Andreas

In this piece, I try to find a balance between unexpected and expected, “ugly” and “beautiful”. It starts with a comparably “rough” part, until ca. 5:40. Then the music gets more rhythmic and less experimental (with a few “flashbacks”, of course). From 9:10 on, the party starts.

Let’s take a look at the technical aspects:

All modular synth voices are mor or less “percussion”, i.e. without defined pitch. Two oscillators (A-111-1, both sine waves) are put through an A-114 Ring Modulator and then into an A-106-5 SEM filter. After this, we go into an A-132-2 VCA. VCA and VCF are controlled by an A-140 ADSR. One of the A-111s is pitch controlled by an A-148 Sample and Hold, the second one has a static pitch. That’s the first sound you will hear (together with some hissing noise for sonic obscurity).

The most complex voice: A triangle wave (A-111-1, no pitch changes) is sent into an A-196 PLL. The PLL will try to follow the (static) pitch, but is adjusted in a way that this will fail somehow. The result is then sent into an A-126 VC Frequency Shifter to add tonal complexity. Then we go into an A-137-1 Wave Multiplier (being modulated by two LFOs from an A-143-3) and finally into an A-127 VC Resonance Filter and an A-132-3 VCA. You can hear this voice from 0:29 on (with VCA gain, later on, the VCA is modulated by an A-140).

Then we have another voice, being built by some noise (A-118, colored output) sent through an A-132-1 VCA and then into an A-188-2 Tapped BBD. To avoid the BBDs internal VCO noise, we go through an A-108 VCF (48 dB lowpass) before we go into the final A-132-3 VCA. The first VCA (the A-132-1) is controlled by an A-142 VC Decay.

Finally, there’s a bassdrum-alike sound created with an A-106-6 VCF (12dB lowpass out), fed by no input at all, but with self-resonance modulated by an A-140 and some white noise from an A-118.

Ah, and everything is triggered by two A-155 Sequencers, A-160 Clock DividerA-165 Trigger Modifier, A-163 Frequency Divider, etc. Triggers are synced to Ableton Live.

In addition to the A-100, I used a (heavily processed) EZ Drummer, NI Absynth and NI Massive. Everything was recorded without any overdubs, just some effects in Ableton Live and some mastering in Steinberg Cubase.

Here we go:

http://www.andreaskrebs.de/asstes/media/improvisation-20100905a.mp3

Track length is 20:54. 

Have fun,

Andreas