Month: April 2016

the new (old) DAW pt 4

Sync…
..became an issue. I originally started by recording a clock signal from the modular to track 16 on the AW and then routing that back to the modular via OMNI out 4 into a Doefper A119. Some of the modules didn’t like the gates they were getting, so I put another device (Alesis SR16 Drum Machine) in the chain that would receive/send MIDI clock from the AW. The modular now syncs via a Pittsburgh Modular MIDI3.

This allows me to “rehearse/jam” without the AW being in PLAY/REC – the SR16 generates its own clock. This also guarantees I get a correct tempo setting for the AW (when it becomes then lock source)
routing update: 

AD1: Waldorf Blofeld L
AD2: Waldorf Blofeld R
AD3: SE Boomstar 4075
AD4: Modular Demo rig 1
AD5: Modular Demo rig 2
AD6: SR16 Main R (kick out)
AD7: SR16 Main L (snare out)
AD8: SR16 Aux R (hat out)

(Presonus DigimaxLT via ADAT)
SL1-1: empty

SL1-2: empty
SL1-3: empty

SL1-4: empty
SL1-5: Shure KSM27 to modded TubePRE via insert return

SL1-6: Ibanez AD200 Return
SL1-7: Eventide H9 Return

SL1-8: Eventide H9 Return

Playflow…
…is the new challenge. 

I can’t just throw anything down and chop it up the way I’m accustomed to*
Individual parts have to run a minimum amount of time to be useful. 
Sources for these parts are in different locations and require different methods to generate them. 

I’ve decided that I should have a “workable” patch on the modular that will deliver melodic and rhythmic parts on two separate outputs as a guide for the entire piece. The rule I’ve set for myself (for now) is to be able to play the patch live. This also has the side benefit of being prepared for the meetup  (oscpgh) this weekend.

I was originally programming parts on the SR16, but I seem to be getting more interesting things in real time on the modular. 

Percussion patch is:


Sequencer: MFB SEQ01
Kick: PGH Mod LPG
Snare: Livewire Chaos Computer (clocked by Dalek Modulator Square out) Binary Gate out to VCA 

The SYMMETRY control of the Dalek waveform and PROBABILITY switches on the Chaos Computer affect timbre of the noise shaped by the VCA. 

Melodic patch: 

(2) Livewire AFG, sync’d, SAW out mixed into Livewire Frequensteiner, into Doepfer VCA 
PGH Modular KB1 controls 1voct and triggers ADSR (fed to VCA and Frequensteiner) 
Livewire Vulcan Modulator LFO L to FM in on AFG1 (vibrato), LFO R to FM in on AFG2 (sync sweep)

I went into the weekend with the idea that I’d give specific musical/sonic roles to the Modular, Boomstar and Blofeld. A couple passes at this approach didn’t seem to intrigue me as much as limiting myself to “Modular only” and layering additional takes on top of the “workable patch”. For the moment this is a really good thing, considering I won’t have anything but the modular and H9 at the meetup (and I really need to be sharp on it). 
I’m really motivated by the idea of an entire project made with a single source (modular synth).
I didn’t come up with anything I’d keep, but I also didn’t produce another folders worth of stuff that will sit unused on a hard drive, promoting anxiety as to whether or not it should be thrown away. 
This new way of working delivers a kind of satisfaction similar to learning an instrument or first experiments on reel to reels (over 40 years ago). 


*actually, I CAN do a lot of chopping and rearranging with the AW, it’s just a lot faster to redo takes at the moment. I fully intend to get good at the surgical editing later. 

the new (old) DAW pt 3

preparation for OSCPGH 2016 has become a good bit of source material (read: motivation) to stay in the trenches on the new playflow.

OSCPGH is a synth meetup and I build synths. It’s a demo gig for me. 

The next two weeks of posts will be equally divided between prep for the meetup and current production technique. In addition to dumping the DAW, I decided to go minimal on sources:

Studio Electronics Boomstar 4075
Waldor Blofeld Desktop
Eurorack Modular (just the 9U demo rig for now)

All three synths will be used to make rhythm and melodic parts (I suspect the modular will do most of the rhythm work).

here’s my first pass at a demo rig:

Basic objective is get as much Livewire in the box as possible while still leaving room for whatever makes it function as an instrument. After yesterday’s exploration, it definitely needs another oscillator (AFG).

Week one summary:

First pass at signal routing made it possible to put things together quickly, without the typical frustrations that come with doing things a new way.

 Current config:

AD1: Waldorf Blofeld L
AD2: Waldorf Blofeld R
AD3: SE Boomstar 4075
AD4: Modular Demo rig 1
AD5: Modular Demo rig 2
AD6: Eventide H9 Return
AD7: Eventide H9 Return
AD8: Ibanez AD200 Return

I have an additional 16 inputs via MY8AT cards. I’m only using one of the MY8ATs with a Presonus DigiMaxLT (the only thing connected is a Shure KSM27).

RECORDER inputs change based on the track. Tracks 1 – 4 are usually recorded from input 4 (or 5 if I want parts of a patch recorded separately).

The modular demo rig got most of the set up attention, but there were a couple of “deep” features on the AW that needed to be set up:

MIDI CLOCK
I installed a Pittsburgh Modular MIDI3 module into the demo rig specifically because it converts, and even divides, incoming MIDI clock. The AW has a dedicated port for MTC but I used the MIDI CLOCK sent via the MIDI OUT port.

OMNI OUTS
Some may not consider these deep, but my definition of deep (in the mixer section) is anything beyond the IN/OUT and MONITOR controls. My OMNI assigns are:

OMNI A: Aux 1 – sends to Eventide H9 L
OMNI B: Aux 2 – sends to Eventide H9 R
OMNI C: Aux 3 – sends to Ibanez AD200 (nice and gritty analog delay)
OMNI D: Aux 4 – send to anything I connect (re-amp, pedal effects, etc)

All the returns come back via input channels.

Getting down to work:

Everything starts with the modular.
The newly configured case is the starting point based on some preconceptions and I start patching with those in mind – especially building patches around clocked elements. Before I can use the AW to clock the modular I have to set a tempo is and the AW has to be playing. Until I’m at a point where I can make that decision, I rely on clock signals generated by the modules (gates from Chaos Computer, squares from Vulcan Modulator or AFG). Once I get something I’m ready to work with, I do some calculations and set the AW tempo.

Week one recap:

pros:
overall audio quality (running 48k 24bit)
overall better summing (part of “overall audio quality” but mentioned because of how quickly mixes happen)
(even though expectations were lowered) faster results from being forced to “make decisions”

cons:
exporting/sharing finished mixes and clips less convenient that simply rendering a .wav file

Handling the final mixes was the first thing I considered before making the decision to transition back to the AW. At the moment this only becomes an issue when wanting to share samples/clips of ongoing work. I could easily put a computer in the studio and send a feed of the ST track (mixdown) to it (via ADAT) and defeat the point getting all the computers out, but that’ll take a couple of weeks to get over my purism.