Thanks for showing this underrated application! Many synths I own, including the modulars with inverters, like the Korg MS-50, can do this but manuals always stress positive keyboard tracking, being the common phenomenon in natural instruments. I use negative keyboard tracking rarely, however, an interesting application is layering two sounds with opposite keyboard trackings. Also underrated but less so is the use of negative filter envelopes. I used positive values with one filter and negative on the other in a MatrixBrute sequence sound to represent Bipolar distortion on my track with the same name. I got the Stereoping programmer for my Pulse+. It costs a fortune but makes editing a breeze.
Arturia Matrixbrute but you can apply it to anything not just the filter (like lfo speed, so rather than the lfo speed where you have fast lfo for upper octaves and slow for lower you can have it reversed)
I believe the same effect can be produced on an Arp2600 or any clone of it using the voltage processor section: summing -10V with kybd cv and inverting the whole signal, you can produce a negative keyboard tracking voltage that can then be patched as the source of the filter modulation. I will have to try it one of these days !
Very cool. Thanks for the inspiring video. Gave this a quick play on the SQ80. Well technically, on Arturia SQ80 V because I'm on my laptop away from the studio but I'm 99% sure the board supports negative modulation too.
"What other synths do you know that allow negative keyboard tracking" Not many, apart from (semi-) modulars and software obviously. But it doesn't end there. Keyboard tracking is also an assignable modulation source for all seperate routings plus the mod matrix. Try a sync or ringmod sound with negative keytrack on osc pitch(!). And then lfo1 speed too, modulating the filter. Really wild.
Nice Video Tim and a good application of -ve filter tracking. Hydrasynth, Modwave, Wavestate, JDXA and JD08 can all do -ve filter tracking from my small collection of synths.
Part of the beauty of eurorack is that you don't even need a specific special synth like the Waldorf to do this, any setup with a couple utilities should be able to accomplish the same thing.
My Nova and Nord Lead 2 only have positive filter tracking, but my Jp8080 & MicroQ have negative as well. On the MicroQ you can even use the kbd tracking as a modulation source which is super helpful for consistent PWM for instance (you want the PWM LFO to be slower on lower notes otherwise lower notes sound too detuned).
I remember, my Akai S2800 had keyboard tracking that could be set to positive or negative numbers. So I imagine the whole range could. It could nicely emphasize bass notes in a slow melody (etc).
Good video 👍. Off the top of my head there's the Yamaha DX series synths, the MicroFreak, Behringer Neutron (with a couple of patch leads), and maybe the MicroKORG but I'd have to check that.
Roland XV can adjust positive and negative (Cutoff Frequency Follower in Roland parlance), and although it's been a while I believe the point at which the scale pivots can be adjusted to specific notes - although that extra feature might only be on TVA, and can't remember exactly. Great video, Tim!
Many synths can do this, but I find negative keyboard tracking of the *oscillators* more interesting. It‘s impossible to play proper chords unless you‘re a genius; for lead (or bass) sounds it makes you play very different stuff though. Muscle memory just doesn‘t work. The D-50 could invert the oscillator tracking, the Hydrasynth can also do it. Joe Zawinul used this technique a lot.
Great trick I often use. There's various synths with negative keytracking on filter and oscillators... Andromeda, K2000, G2, MW xt, etc. I remember when I first bought my K2000 in the 90s I applied negative kt to a piano and played a Bach minuet and it sounded beautiful. A new piece, but very coherent.
Oh no... don't give away all those magnificent production tips for free. They did cost me a lot of money during production courses back in the 80's ... ;-)
Love the sequence and the sharing of tips like this! Friendly tip for others; the Deepmind 12 does this too via mod matrix :)
G’day Tim, love your work, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Ensoniq gear can go negative, envelopes too. Cheers.
this is a very good technoque, i've done with my matrix 1000, sounds great
Thanks for the concept. That could make really nice downbeat accents on a baseline!
Thank you for the video Tim! I actually never knew about negative keyboard tracking until watching this video! 😄👍
I have a Pulse 2, Blofeld and Hydrasynth which all do it
Me too!
Thanks for showing this underrated application! Many synths I own, including the modulars with inverters, like the Korg MS-50, can do this but manuals always stress positive keyboard tracking, being the common phenomenon in natural instruments. I use negative keyboard tracking rarely, however, an interesting application is layering two sounds with opposite keyboard trackings. Also underrated but less so is the use of negative filter envelopes. I used positive values with one filter and negative on the other in a MatrixBrute sequence sound to represent Bipolar distortion on my track with the same name. I got the Stereoping programmer for my Pulse+. It costs a fortune but makes editing a breeze.
Fantastic. Now adding an lfo to the tracking that is quite slow going both positive and negative would really be interesting.
Great video showing an often forgotten effect! Which is why I've also added it as a feature to my analogue poly-synth concept Positron 16. :)
Arturia Matrixbrute but you can apply it to anything not just the filter (like lfo speed, so rather than the lfo speed where you have fast lfo for upper octaves and slow for lower you can have it reversed)
I believe the same effect can be produced on an Arp2600 or any clone of it using the voltage processor section: summing -10V with kybd cv and inverting the whole signal, you can produce a negative keyboard tracking voltage that can then be patched as the source of the filter modulation. I will have to try it one of these days !
Very cool. Thanks for the inspiring video. Gave this a quick play on the SQ80. Well technically, on Arturia SQ80 V because I'm on my laptop away from the studio but I'm 99% sure the board supports negative modulation too.
What a fab feature... never thought of this before.... can't think of any other synth which does this!
"What other synths do you know that allow negative keyboard tracking"
Not many, apart from (semi-) modulars and software obviously.
But it doesn't end there. Keyboard tracking is also an assignable modulation source for all seperate routings plus the mod matrix. Try a sync or ringmod sound with negative keytrack on osc pitch(!). And then lfo1 speed too, modulating the filter.
Really wild.
Nice Video Tim and a good application of -ve filter tracking. Hydrasynth, Modwave, Wavestate, JDXA and JD08 can all do -ve filter tracking from my small collection of synths.
Part of the beauty of eurorack is that you don't even need a specific special synth like the Waldorf to do this, any setup with a couple utilities should be able to accomplish the same thing.
Nice tip! I wouldn't have thought of that. I bought a Summit recently and I believe it can do neg filter keyboard tracking. Will try it later. Thanks!
My Nova and Nord Lead 2 only have positive filter tracking, but my Jp8080 & MicroQ have negative as well.
On the MicroQ you can even use the kbd tracking as a modulation source which is super helpful for consistent PWM for instance (you want the PWM LFO to be slower on lower notes otherwise lower notes sound too detuned).
The Nord Lead 3 can do negative keyboard tracking.
I remember, my Akai S2800 had keyboard tracking that could be set to positive or negative numbers. So I imagine the whole range could. It could nicely emphasize bass notes in a slow melody (etc).
Good video 👍. Off the top of my head there's the Yamaha DX series synths, the MicroFreak, Behringer Neutron (with a couple of patch leads), and maybe the MicroKORG but I'd have to check that.
The Waldorf Pulse is complete Badass with superb and huge sound capabilities! Minimoog contender no doubt
Thanks for the video King.
Very cool video Tim!
Waldorf Quantum has both pos + neg keytrack settings for the analog filter.
Roland XV can adjust positive and negative (Cutoff Frequency Follower in Roland parlance), and although it's been a while I believe the point at which the scale pivots can be adjusted to specific notes - although that extra feature might only be on TVA, and can't remember exactly. Great video, Tim!
landed here because the minitaur does negative filter tracking by factory setting. And it's only possible to change this via midi/usb.
Many synths can do this, but I find negative keyboard tracking of the *oscillators* more interesting. It‘s impossible to play proper chords unless you‘re a genius; for lead (or bass) sounds it makes you play very different stuff though. Muscle memory just doesn‘t work. The D-50 could invert the oscillator tracking, the Hydrasynth can also do it. Joe Zawinul used this technique a lot.
I was just doing something similar today, with my Analog Four MKI. Pretty cool
Great trick I often use. There's various synths with negative keytracking on filter and oscillators... Andromeda, K2000, G2, MW xt, etc.
I remember when I first bought my K2000 in the 90s I applied negative kt to a piano and played a Bach minuet and it sounded beautiful. A new piece, but very coherent.
Moog Grandmother (with patching: KB OUT -> ATTENUATOR -> CUTOFF IN)
Sounds pretty neat on the ARP 2600, thanks!
the hydrasynth can do this as well
Ohh never thought about applying negative! That's very interesting. Also your copyright line still says 2021 ;-)
Korg Wavestate and Yamaha MODX / Montage go negative
Now I want to buy a Waldorf Pulse again. Great. :- (
Electribes have this ability
Oh no... don't give away all those magnificent production tips for free. They did cost me a lot of money during production courses back in the 80's ... ;-)
Acces 🎉
Great