User:Lemonaut

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Revision as of 21:45, 11 April 2022 by Lemonaut (Talk | contribs) (Music 220C - Spring 2022)

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Music 220C - Spring 2022

See my synth sessions here

Week 3

4/11/22

Did another live synth session, this one came out the best so far. I've scattered my attention learning about the Grandmother between the user manual and various youtube videos, I should just stick to one to maximize my progress. Wouldnt hurt to learn via the user manual. So this week I'm going to go thru the user manual for the Grandmother and master it best I can.

More messing around with Hydra! Since hydra was inspired by modular synthesis, I dont *think* it would be irrelevant for me to invest time in learning it, so i can come away with a performance at the end of the quarter. Ive been learning more about feedback in Hydra. I think I'm going to spend this week learning the Hydra basics (getting settled to be able to speak with my voice in the software) and maybe next week start on audioreactivity.

I've become inspired by the algorave movment which I've just discovered thru the community around Hydra. Seems so cool! I hope to get more involved in the algorave community, and maybe eventually perform at algoraves.

Week 2

4/10/22

I listened to some while(1<2) by deadmau5, and was surprised by how "modular"-sounding of an album it is. I didnt realize there was so much experimental effort to make modulation & sound design a core part of the music, from amplitude to filter, to ADSR. One thing I noticed that I want to remember to do later is to make anti-kicks (just duck the sound where the kicks should be)--I found it to be very organic + creative. I've been messing around with some patches on the Moog Grandmother, still very much baby steps. I have a couple recordings from today and yesterday I may put up.

I've also been thinking a lot about audiovisual softwares like [TouchDesigner] and Hydra. I will have to learn one of these for an audiovisual event I'll be putting on later this quarter so it would be cool if I could combine them with this project, too. Hydra is amazing for being a dead-simple live coding interface inspired by modular synthesis, and touchdesigner is amazing for being a monstrously powerful flow chart of video effects. TouchDesigner is able to have direct audio reactivity by integrating directly with ableton/vcv rack, while Hydra is able to analyze more indirectly by taking in your audio input. I'll probably invest my time in Hydra because it seems to allow the most efficient learning curve for the course of a 10-week project. So, all that's to say, this will probably end up being an audiovisual composition.

4/9/22

Messed around with the Moog grandmother a bit more and got REALLY inspired by this video. I want to spend a lot more time on the Moog Grandmother and figure out if I can get a synth odyssey that sounds kinda like him. Maybe semi-modular synths are my new jam? I can picture myself making some cool tunes with them. Something to think about.

4/5/22

This week I've been setting up the Moog Grandmother borrowed from a classmate and going through common patches with that. I will have to borrow an audio interface so that I can record this physical semi-modular synth into my computer. I am entirely open to the idea of combining the sounds of a physical synth with the virtual synths of VCV rack.

For the VCV Rack world, I've been thinking about base patches that might help me accomplish my musical goals.

My personal goals for this quarter:

  • find modular workflows that work for me
 * collect 10+ small vcv rack patches that each help me accomplish a particular goal
 * become proficient in basic sound/rhythm design with Moog semi-modular synths
  • find + utilize interesting sounds
  • make "good" computer music

Project Goals for this quarter:

  • put out 3 tracks using modular & semi-modular synths that I vibe with. Tracks must feature semi or fully modular synths almost exclusively; using a synth to control an Ableton instrument is fair game.

Some creative possibilities for working with VCV Rack:

  • Instrument design (synths, drums...)
  • Note control (can mess with scales/pitches, or even alternate tunings like microtonal)
  • Rhythm generation & modification (there are many modules to explore that work with clocks)
  • Effects chain (reverb, delay, distortion, spatialization...)


I don't know if I will come out of this with listenable music, but this is going to be fun.

Codysgrandmother.jpg

Week 1

This project was inspired by the software VCV rack, which is a free & open-source modular synth emulator that lowers the barrier-to-entry for anyone interested in experimenting with modular synthesis. I am fascinated by the world of possibilities with modular synthesis and would like to learn from the greats while forging my own path with this. I also got funding to purchase VCV Rack 2 Pro, which will allow me to integrate the software directly into Ableton, making recording and composition that much easier.

Modular synthesis was one of the primary reasons I became a computer music student, and I am incredibly excited to use it this quarter. For some reason the ability to play with buttons, knobs, and wires really appeals to the experimental child in me who wants to create chaos and destruction, as well as the harmonic engineer who just wants to build something ephemerally beautiful. I've been messing around with VCV Rack off and on for about 2 years but never had the chance to dive head-first into it. I'm grateful for finally having this opporunity to dedicate my time to exploring modular, and am quite excited to see what I have gained when I come out of the other end of this quarter. VCV Rack website