A much shorter but important remark concerning the patch bay of the SubH: At some point, the fine people at Moog's must have realised how much of a head scratcher their new machine was, and they published a very insightful booklet titled: "The Subharmonicon: Patching with Intention". I STRONGLY recommend any SubH owner to download it and try all the patching exercises that are presented therein. To me, it was a real eye-opener, one that I wish had been thrown in the box along the patch book and the user manual. But still ... keep some Tylenol at hand, for even with this wonderful guidebook, diving into the SubH is no small challenge !
Great explanation as usual. I had been wondering for a long time how exactly the SUB inputs on the patch bay reacted to the control voltage. You just gave me the answer ! However, I have to disagree with one point in your presentation: your saying that the SubH is not as prone to self-patching as most other synths. I for one believe it has just about the same potential, but the many idiosyncrasies of the SubH make it a very difficult machine to patch (and a very difficult machine to use in general !). Allow me to develop a few examples of self-patching that, I feel, truly push the boundaries of the SubH (sorry if this is a bit long, I hope it can be of interest to some of the SubH owners here): 1. Patching two sequencers to the same VCO. This one is subtle, thanks to a design choice of the engineers at Moog's that was extremely clever. Imagine that to assign Seq1 to Oscillator1, as is often the case (for instance by pushing on the corresponding button in the Assign section of the oscillator). So far, the result is simple: VCO1 simply plays the four-notes loop programmed on Seq1. Now, patch Seq2 OUT into VCO1 IN. In a "normal" machine, this would be designed so that Seq2 now supersedes Seqq1 and starts commanding VCO1 with its own, four-notes melody. This is not what happens on the SubH. Indeed, when you assign two sequencers to the same oscillator on the SubH, the final control voltage sent to the VCO is THE SUM of the two voltages sent by the sequencers. In other words, assigning Seq2 to VCO1 AFTER having already assigned Seq1 to it does not REPLACE the four-note loops programmed on Seq1 but TRANSPOSES IT by an amount related to the note programmed on Seq2 at that same moment. A few brief examples will help make this much clearer: - Imagine that Seq1 plays a four-notes loop while Seq2 plays four times the same note. By assigning both Seq1 and Seq2 to VCO1, VCO1 now plays the original four-notes loop of Seq1, transposed by a fixed amount that depends on which note Seq2 is playing. So far, nothing to write home about ! - Now, program a true four-notes sequence on Seq2 as well, and make Seq2 and Seq1 run at the rhythm. Now, things are a bit different: VCO1 still plays a four-notes loop, but each note is the result of the initial note programmed on Seq1, transposed by an amount that follows the note played on Seq2 at the same time. The four-note loop of Seq2 has now completely changed the four-notes loop of Seq1. But this is still silly and uninteresting (why use two sequencers to produce one loop ?). - The interesting part happens when you now desynchronise Seq1 and Seq2. While Seq1 plays its normal four-note loop, Seq2 forces VCO1 to transpose each note by an amount that follows the rhythm and melody of Seq2. The result can be ... anything ! A simple illustration of this patching strategy can be heard on a piece I shared a while ago (sorry, this is no self-promotion, I am just trying to illustrate my clumsy explanation with an example): ua-cam.com/video/_LCHFFh817M/v-deo.html . At 00:37, you can hear the SubH play a slow four-notes bass line with one of its oscillators, on top of which the other oscillator plays a higher 16-notes loop. This was made by using the above patch, and choosing a rhythm ratio of 4:1 between Seq1 and Seq2. Each time Seq2 plays a note, Seq1 runs through 4 steps and VCO1 plays a different four-notes loops. Each of these four-notes loops are in fact identical, except that they are each transposed by a different amount following the note programmed on Seq2 during that cycle. In other words, the above patch has transformed the two 4-steps sequencers of the SubH into one fourt-step sequencer plus one 16-steps sequencer. Now, if the rhythm ratio between Seq1 and Seq2 is made more complex than 4:1, the final generated melody can be ... anyone's guess. I believe that this is one of the most important self-patching patterns that you can apply to the SubH, and it opens a whole realm of possibilities that transcend the more limited four-notes cycles of the sequencers. 2. Patching the OUTPUT of a sequencer to the INPUT of a used Rhythms For instance, imagine that Rhythm1 is assigned to Seq1 and Rhythm2 to Seq2, with each sequencer assigned to its corresponding oscillator. Now, patch Seq2 OUT to Rhythm1 IN. Depending on the four notes programmed on Seq2, VCO1 will now play the four notes of Seq1 in a syncopated, often non-repeating way following each change of note of Seq2. If you apply this patch on top of patch #1 above, then things get even wilder, since with each rhythm change (due to Seq2 advancing by one step) also comes a different transposition of the notes played by VCO1. You end up with a syncopated, non-repeating generative melody that bounces between the notes of Seq1 and their transposed values following intervals governed by Seq2. Here again, the same piece I linked to above can serve as an example ( ua-cam.com/video/_LCHFFh817M/v-deo.html ). This very patch was plugged on top of patch #1 above starting from 03:45. The initial 16-steps high-pitched loop played by VCO1 has now turned to a non-repeating generative melody mingling the two oscillators in a mostly unpredictable way (but that still follows the same fundamental notes and transposition intervals, which allows one to keep it melodic if those are all well chosen). Another, even starker example can be heard starting from 05:35 . 3. A much simpler self-patch (but nonetheless often nice) is to patch the OUTPUT of one of the sequencers to the INPUT of VCA. Doing so, the sound volume of the pattern played by the SubH gets modulated by the notes played by the patched sequencer. This is a very simple and often pleasant way of introducing a nice dynamics to the loops played by the SubH (which, otherwise, often tend to be too mechanical). An example of such dynamics can be heard in another one of my pieces: ua-cam.com/video/RNGfYBx7Pgw/v-deo.html . Here, the SubH is used in conjunction with the DFAM to build a multi-timbral rhythmic pattern. At 02:20, patching SEQ2 OUT to VCA IN on the SubH suddenly creates dynamic accents to the percussive sounds (which are also following a generative pattern thanks to the polyrhythmic programmation). So, here are three examples (among several others) where self-patching the SubH opens perspectives that help exceed the limitations of its two four-steps sequencers. But one thing is true however: the parameters governing the sequences on the SubH are so inter-dependent and multi-coupled that self-patching it very soon turns to terrible headaches ! I hope this novel-long comment will have been of some interest to a few people. Braintree56, keep the tutorials coming !
This is fantastic! Well... I stand corrected! I had just assumed that plugging into the VCO1 would override the seq assignment. I'm going to have to dig into all these suggestions! Thanks!
@@braintree56 You are welcome. The decision by Moog’s engineer to add the control voltages of combined sequencers instead of defining some priority rule was really excellent ! I did not get it at first, but when it dawned on me, I was quite impressed by their insight. As I posted on another comment, I really recommend all SubH lovers to download « Patching with Intention » from Moog’s website. This short booklet is a gold mine for elaborate patches.
@@goingmodular Yeah, I'm reading it right now. I wish I had known about this a few hours ago... Looks like I'm going to have to do Patchbay Part II! :) Do you mind if I mention your comment and link to some of your music/videos? I'd like to do a video or two on some of these advanced ideas once I wrap my brain around them.
@@braintree56 Well, if you feel it may be of interest to anyone, that will be my pleasure ! But then I wish I had better examples to share (these first pieces of mine are all very rough around their edges !). Concerning other sources of ideas, I am sure that you checked loopop 's videos on YT, didn't you ? He often comes up with very clever patches ideas (although I must confess I do not remember wether it was the case with his SubH video). In all cases, keep the tutorials coming ! I am sure that even seasoned synths users learn new things from them too, and besides, the production quality is really top-notch !
@@goingmodular Thanks! That means a lot to me. I don't really know what I'm doing so I'm glad you think the production value is good. I'm going to do a video and I'd like to at least mention your music - even if it's not a perfect example of the particular patch, I think it's worthwhile just to hear what other people are doing... I watched Loopops video but I don't remember anything specific. I also want to make sure that I'm doing things that are really usable and assessable to lots of people. Sometimes I think he comes up with really interesting ways to use Synths that are fascinating from an academic standpoint, but methods I would never actually use to make a song... If that makes sense. But maybe it's just not clicking for me yet! Ha.
Dude! Congratulations on 1k subs 🤘 Well deserved man, here’s to further growth. If you long press the Seq Oct button until it flashes, it outputs +/- 5v from the Seq outs on the patchbay, irrespective of what you set the note Octave to. Great for modulation.
Glad it was helpful. After getting a bunch of suggestions from viewers, I think I need to do a second one with some more advanced techniques. Hopefully I'll have that up soon. Stay tuned!
My combo is the SH and a Grandmother and now have an expanded idea of what to do with patching them together. I also have an Octatrack which has MIDI arpeggiation and MIDI LFOs as part of the sequencer. Will see if I can use the Octatrack MIDI to switch in and out the CC for the SH OR/NOR function.
stupid question but when I add the sub to a eurorack, what patch bay outs do I use to just have the regular sound go through my rack? Thanks for these vids, super helpful.
Mr. Tree, I am attempting to output the sequence from the Subharmonicon to external synths through the Kenton Pro CV to Midi adapter. I am not modular savvy…. any thoughts, worlds of advice or caution? I am assuming I would use the seq 1 and seq 2 cv outs for pitch / trigger.
I don't know the Kenton Pro - but.. Should work fine. The Seq1 and Seq2 would only give pitch data. The Seq1/2 Clock should give trigger data. So you would need both of those going in. Give that a go and see what you can make it do!
A much shorter but important remark concerning the patch bay of the SubH:
At some point, the fine people at Moog's must have realised how much of a head scratcher their new machine was, and they published a very insightful booklet titled: "The Subharmonicon: Patching with Intention".
I STRONGLY recommend any SubH owner to download it and try all the patching exercises that are presented therein. To me, it was a real eye-opener, one that I wish had been thrown in the box along the patch book and the user manual.
But still ... keep some Tylenol at hand, for even with this wonderful guidebook, diving into the SubH is no small challenge !
Great explanation as usual. I had been wondering for a long time how exactly the SUB inputs on the patch bay reacted to the control voltage. You just gave me the answer !
However, I have to disagree with one point in your presentation: your saying that the SubH is not as prone to self-patching as most other synths. I for one believe it has just about the same potential, but the many idiosyncrasies of the SubH make it a very difficult machine to patch (and a very difficult machine to use in general !).
Allow me to develop a few examples of self-patching that, I feel, truly push the boundaries of the SubH (sorry if this is a bit long, I hope it can be of interest to some of the SubH owners here):
1. Patching two sequencers to the same VCO.
This one is subtle, thanks to a design choice of the engineers at Moog's that was extremely clever.
Imagine that to assign Seq1 to Oscillator1, as is often the case (for instance by pushing on the corresponding button in the Assign section of the oscillator). So far, the result is simple: VCO1 simply plays the four-notes loop programmed on Seq1.
Now, patch Seq2 OUT into VCO1 IN. In a "normal" machine, this would be designed so that Seq2 now supersedes Seqq1 and starts commanding VCO1 with its own, four-notes melody. This is not what happens on the SubH. Indeed, when you assign two sequencers to the same oscillator on the SubH, the final control voltage sent to the VCO is THE SUM of the two voltages sent by the sequencers. In other words, assigning Seq2 to VCO1 AFTER having already assigned Seq1 to it does not REPLACE the four-note loops programmed on Seq1 but TRANSPOSES IT by an amount related to the note programmed on Seq2 at that same moment.
A few brief examples will help make this much clearer:
- Imagine that Seq1 plays a four-notes loop while Seq2 plays four times the same note. By assigning both Seq1 and Seq2 to VCO1, VCO1 now plays the original four-notes loop of Seq1, transposed by a fixed amount that depends on which note Seq2 is playing. So far, nothing to write home about !
- Now, program a true four-notes sequence on Seq2 as well, and make Seq2 and Seq1 run at the rhythm. Now, things are a bit different: VCO1 still plays a four-notes loop, but each note is the result of the initial note programmed on Seq1, transposed by an amount that follows the note played on Seq2 at the same time. The four-note loop of Seq2 has now completely changed the four-notes loop of Seq1. But this is still silly and uninteresting (why use two sequencers to produce one loop ?).
- The interesting part happens when you now desynchronise Seq1 and Seq2. While Seq1 plays its normal four-note loop, Seq2 forces VCO1 to transpose each note by an amount that follows the rhythm and melody of Seq2. The result can be ... anything !
A simple illustration of this patching strategy can be heard on a piece I shared a while ago (sorry, this is no self-promotion, I am just trying to illustrate my clumsy explanation with an example): ua-cam.com/video/_LCHFFh817M/v-deo.html . At 00:37, you can hear the SubH play a slow four-notes bass line with one of its oscillators, on top of which the other oscillator plays a higher 16-notes loop. This was made by using the above patch, and choosing a rhythm ratio of 4:1 between Seq1 and Seq2. Each time Seq2 plays a note, Seq1 runs through 4 steps and VCO1 plays a different four-notes loops. Each of these four-notes loops are in fact identical, except that they are each transposed by a different amount following the note programmed on Seq2 during that cycle. In other words, the above patch has transformed the two 4-steps sequencers of the SubH into one fourt-step sequencer plus one 16-steps sequencer.
Now, if the rhythm ratio between Seq1 and Seq2 is made more complex than 4:1, the final generated melody can be ... anyone's guess.
I believe that this is one of the most important self-patching patterns that you can apply to the SubH, and it opens a whole realm of possibilities that transcend the more limited four-notes cycles of the sequencers.
2. Patching the OUTPUT of a sequencer to the INPUT of a used Rhythms
For instance, imagine that Rhythm1 is assigned to Seq1 and Rhythm2 to Seq2, with each sequencer assigned to its corresponding oscillator. Now, patch Seq2 OUT to Rhythm1 IN. Depending on the four notes programmed on Seq2, VCO1 will now play the four notes of Seq1 in a syncopated, often non-repeating way following each change of note of Seq2.
If you apply this patch on top of patch #1 above, then things get even wilder, since with each rhythm change (due to Seq2 advancing by one step) also comes a different transposition of the notes played by VCO1. You end up with a syncopated, non-repeating generative melody that bounces between the notes of Seq1 and their transposed values following intervals governed by Seq2.
Here again, the same piece I linked to above can serve as an example ( ua-cam.com/video/_LCHFFh817M/v-deo.html ). This very patch was plugged on top of patch #1 above starting from 03:45. The initial 16-steps high-pitched loop played by VCO1 has now turned to a non-repeating generative melody mingling the two oscillators in a mostly unpredictable way (but that still follows the same fundamental notes and transposition intervals, which allows one to keep it melodic if those are all well chosen). Another, even starker example can be heard starting from 05:35 .
3. A much simpler self-patch (but nonetheless often nice) is to patch the OUTPUT of one of the sequencers to the INPUT of VCA.
Doing so, the sound volume of the pattern played by the SubH gets modulated by the notes played by the patched sequencer. This is a very simple and often pleasant way of introducing a nice dynamics to the loops played by the SubH (which, otherwise, often tend to be too mechanical).
An example of such dynamics can be heard in another one of my pieces: ua-cam.com/video/RNGfYBx7Pgw/v-deo.html . Here, the SubH is used in conjunction with the DFAM to build a multi-timbral rhythmic pattern. At 02:20, patching SEQ2 OUT to VCA IN on the SubH suddenly creates dynamic accents to the percussive sounds (which are also following a generative pattern thanks to the polyrhythmic programmation).
So, here are three examples (among several others) where self-patching the SubH opens perspectives that help exceed the limitations of its two four-steps sequencers. But one thing is true however: the parameters governing the sequences on the SubH are so inter-dependent and multi-coupled that self-patching it very soon turns to terrible headaches !
I hope this novel-long comment will have been of some interest to a few people.
Braintree56, keep the tutorials coming !
This is fantastic! Well... I stand corrected! I had just assumed that plugging into the VCO1 would override the seq assignment. I'm going to have to dig into all these suggestions! Thanks!
@@braintree56 You are welcome.
The decision by Moog’s engineer to add the control voltages of combined sequencers instead of defining some priority rule was really excellent ! I did not get it at first, but when it dawned on me, I was quite impressed by their insight.
As I posted on another comment, I really recommend all SubH lovers to download « Patching with Intention » from Moog’s website. This short booklet is a gold mine for elaborate patches.
@@goingmodular Yeah, I'm reading it right now. I wish I had known about this a few hours ago... Looks like I'm going to have to do Patchbay Part II! :) Do you mind if I mention your comment and link to some of your music/videos? I'd like to do a video or two on some of these advanced ideas once I wrap my brain around them.
@@braintree56 Well, if you feel it may be of interest to anyone, that will be my pleasure ! But then I wish I had better examples to share (these first pieces of mine are all very rough around their edges !).
Concerning other sources of ideas, I am sure that you checked loopop 's videos on YT, didn't you ? He often comes up with very clever patches ideas (although I must confess I do not remember wether it was the case with his SubH video).
In all cases, keep the tutorials coming ! I am sure that even seasoned synths users learn new things from them too, and besides, the production quality is really top-notch !
@@goingmodular Thanks! That means a lot to me. I don't really know what I'm doing so I'm glad you think the production value is good. I'm going to do a video and I'd like to at least mention your music - even if it's not a perfect example of the particular patch, I think it's worthwhile just to hear what other people are doing... I watched Loopops video but I don't remember anything specific. I also want to make sure that I'm doing things that are really usable and assessable to lots of people. Sometimes I think he comes up with really interesting ways to use Synths that are fascinating from an academic standpoint, but methods I would never actually use to make a song... If that makes sense. But maybe it's just not clicking for me yet! Ha.
Another awesome video! Love the Seq clock into the trigger of the DFAM. 🙏 Thank you
Glad you liked it!
Dude! Congratulations on 1k subs 🤘 Well deserved man, here’s to further growth. If you long press the Seq Oct button until it flashes, it outputs +/- 5v from the Seq outs on the patchbay, irrespective of what you set the note Octave to. Great for modulation.
Plus, if my memory serves me well, the control voltage output also stops being quantised in this case. An interesting configuration indeed.
Thanks! Truly appreciate the support. That's a great tip! I totally forgot about that one.
Congrats on the 2k Subs! Very well deserved, and it will only grow!
Thanks! It's still blows my mind how much this channel is growing.
Your tutorials are always so helpful❤
Thank you!
Thank you very much for this insightful video on the SubH patching bay.
Glad it was helpful. After getting a bunch of suggestions from viewers, I think I need to do a second one with some more advanced techniques. Hopefully I'll have that up soon. Stay tuned!
@@braintree56 That would be great! Thanks!
Thank you for this, very helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
My combo is the SH and a Grandmother and now have an expanded idea of what to do with patching them together. I also have an Octatrack which has MIDI arpeggiation and MIDI LFOs as part of the sequencer. Will see if I can use the Octatrack MIDI to switch in and out the CC for the SH OR/NOR function.
I'll bet that would work! Great setup!
stupid question but when I add the sub to a eurorack, what patch bay outs do I use to just have the regular sound go through my rack? Thanks for these vids, super helpful.
VCA out will give you the same audio as the line out in the back! Upper right hand corner.
Awesome sauce.
Thanks!
Mr. Tree, I am attempting to output the sequence from the Subharmonicon to external synths through the Kenton Pro CV to Midi adapter. I am not modular savvy…. any thoughts, worlds of advice or caution? I am assuming I would use the seq 1 and seq 2 cv outs for pitch / trigger.
I don't know the Kenton Pro - but.. Should work fine. The Seq1 and Seq2 would only give pitch data. The Seq1/2 Clock should give trigger data. So you would need both of those going in. Give that a go and see what you can make it do!