How to Improvise Ambient on a Small Modular System
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- Опубліковано 14 гру 2024
- This system primarily uses just five modules and a Norns to allow lazy performers like me a way to improvise ambient music live with lots of fun and very little prep. In reality I do a bit of prep - taking photos of the morphogene so I can recall settings for different sound scapes, but from that starting point it is always improvised. This set up got me comfortable improvising, something I never was confident about before.
Patch notes:
The AI018 Stereo Matrix Mixer is the heart of the system. Inputs are rows (left-right). From top to bottom we have:
1. Norns via AI026 I/O line/euro adapter doing lopping and delays
2. Magneto Delay
3. Starlab Reverb
4. Morphagene
Outputs are colums (up-down). From top to bottom we have:
A. Magneto Delay
B. Starlab Reverb
C. Norns via AI026 I/O line/euro adapter
D. Main output
Additional modules used:
A pair of AI003 looping ADSRs sending modulation to Morphagene - very subtle LFOs.
Stackable cables send the Norns and Morphagene signals to the AI007 Quad VCA just to give me LED indication of the volume - no output volume.
The AI026 adjusts volume between the Norns in and out (line level) to Eurorack level and vice versa.
A genre that changed the way I understood rigid classical structures a few years ago and now offers countless opportunities to convey emotions... because, in the end, music is just a different language we use to communicate in a different way, isn't it?
Ambient, experimental music, sound design... they open up new forms of expression, sometimes even more powerful than traditional ones.
Thanks for the video!
You are very welcome! Thanks for your point of view!
really nice, thx for xplanation and sharing
❤
@@sklandarok you're very welcome. Figured I would share my cheat codes!
Sounds great. Nice to see the shield XL, love the one I built… still need to figure out what I’m going to do about a grid controller. Am I right in thinking all the sounds originate with the morphagene? Are these sounds you have made yourself or are they from the morphagene? It sounds lovely either way. Off I go to check whether your matrix mixer is in stock on thonk…
@@lukepettett5075 yes everything comes from Morphagene. They aren't mine. I honestly don't know what they are. Maybe a default? They were the first and only reels I downloaded.
I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question, but could you explain like I'm five what norns is and what it's doing here?
@@paulclement4222 Norns is the black box on the upper left. It is a raspberry computer running software by monome. The monome grid is the light up buttons and controls the program (called a script) that the Norns is running. Google monome Norns for more information. In this case it is running a script called Otis that is a delay/looping program.
Hey appreciate your insights and feedback on the various forums and such and I look forward to procuring some DIY stuff in the future! Meantime I was curious if you learned Pure Data or Max/MSP to integrate with monome or only with Norns?
@@chlorophilcollins no I don't program anything.
@ ahh ok interesting interesting. That’s a cool way to use the monome then! Thanks for responding!
@chlorophilcollins you bet! Thanks for taking an interest!
Sounding mighty fine! Coming from another talentless modular synthesist. ;)
@@TriangleWaveRecords I keep waiting to get roasted
@@AISynthesis it's coming this thanksgiving
@@TriangleWaveRecords *looks at cat* "They called me a Turkey!
what norns script are you using?
@@steveflato this one it Otis, bit I change them up all the time. I love Otis but it builds up into mush so I always have to remember to clear the buffer.
@@AISynthesis nice. i may break out Paracosms and try something similar later today. Morphagene + Norns take on Morphagene sounds fun.
@@steveflato It never clicked right for me until I tied the two together - that is why "dry" morphagene is never mixed to the output in this case.
@@AISynthesis very interesting-- cool video demystifying a lot of ambient performances, always appreciated. you've definitely inspired me to get my Norns up and running again. is that a Factory norns or Shield? I had a factory Norns and it was just too expensive to hold onto, so I sold it and went back to the Shield. Kind of regretting not having those 1/4" i/o!
@steveflato this is a shield xl with 1/4" jacks from @denki_oto that I built.