This is a weird piece. More nerd doodling than music, perhaps…

Setup is quite minimal: one oscillator, one filter, ADSR and VCA. However, to achieve the desired sound, an A-155 Sequencer (partly controlled by an A-154) is used as an oscillator here. But let’s start with the primary source of all events: the random output of an A-118 Noise Generator. This random signal is sent into an A-156 Quantizer and then to filter frequency and to the LFO frequency that triggers the oscillator frequency. As a trigger LFO, I use an A-143-9 (which is quite unusual, but helpful, since it can achieve quite high frequencies. The sine waves trigger the sequencer anyway…).

As mentioned before, the Sequencer is the VCO here. Waveform is drawn by adjusting its step potentiometers. Frequency is controlled by said LFO, but I use the A-154 to control mode and first step of sequence. Mode: driven by a slow triangle LFO (A-146), I change the sequencer mode: forward – backward – pendulum (results in 1 oct down) – random (results in colored noise) and back. First sequencer step is changed by another slow LFO (A-147 sine out). This results in playing a kind of arpeggio melody (related to mathematical exact shortening of waveform cycles from 8 to 2 steps in the sequencer running at audio speed).

Sequencer (VCO) output is then sent into an A-106-5 SEM filter which is controlled by (a) random output of A-118 and (b) an A-140 ADSR, triggered by the raw VCO output: VCO out is sent into an A-199 Ext. In to get a trigger signal. This trigger controls the next „Sample & Hold“ of the A-156 Quantizer (see above) and triggers the Envelope (after being processed by an A-162 Trigger Delay).

That’s it. No human interaction during the piece. No overdubs, just some mastering with Cubase after recording the track.

Here we go:

Track length is 2:59 (some may say „at least he kept it short…“).

Have fun,

Andreas