Dtube Original Ambient Electronic Soundtrack on Modular Synth by DRUMOPERATOR
In this Dtube video I tried to reinforce my modular synth workflow goals and build an ambient piece using the exact same patch as my Dsound Steemit anthem piece from a few days ago. Obviously I wrote all new sequences, slowed the tempo down appreciably and completely reworked the modulation envelopes, but I continue to be amazed at the diversity of sound you can get out of one labor-intensive setup on the modular.
Much of the loop is composed on stereo Dixie II oscillators feeding the Mutable Instruments Clouds. Having consumed a voracious amount of modular synth content via instagram over the last two years, I am fully aware that Clouds has become somewhat of a defacto modular synth cliche. There is good reason for this. It's one of the most powerful granular synthesis + reverb engines I've ever used, and I've used all of them. Clouds, with its default firmware, is amazing at getting into the DNA of whatever you feed it and stretching it out into looping, lumbering pads. By loading opensource firmware on it (Clouds Parasites being the most popular), even -more- tonal options and reverb/looping algorithms become possible. Basically what I'm saying is that I don't care that every other #modularsynth video on youtube/instagram is just an oscillator being fed into Clouds. It's awesome, it takes modulation fabulously and there should be one in every modular rack. I have it in lofi loop mode which enables some really rad onboard modulateable filtering and puts it's timbre firmly in the realm of dystopian sci-fi soundtracking.
Nobody ever says "Oh man another classic Les Paul + Marshall plexi. I wish we had some worse guitars to play with."
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What makes a synth modular vs. non modular? I have absolutely no idea about this actually, even though I know it is a noob question.
These tones are awesome, I could imagine so many drum beats to play over this soundscape!!
Dude! Thanks man. Modular is actually super easy to get your head around...basically take the culture of boutique guitar pedals (earthquaker, zvex, mr Black etc) and apply it to each individual component of a synth chain. So...in a Moog you have (generally) three oscillators feeding a mixer, feeding a vca triggered by an envelope, feeding a filter, feeding an output mixer. Modular let’s you pick each manufacturers weird take on each component in that chain...using the guitar analogy you might love zvex’s blown-out take on the oscillator and earthquaker’s super super clean filter. Now multiply by well over 100 small, super weird and interesting crews putting out their spin on everything imaginable you could put in a synth chain and you have today’s eurorack scene.
All of which would be great and specific and all...but the real genius is the fact that -all- of it runs on +- 5 volts for -all- sends and modulations. Very quickly the possibilities start exploding since it’s al right there in front of you...nothing is stopping you from feeding the bassline melody sequence (which is going to be expressed in a 5v scale) into the frequency cutoff on the filter (which is also looking for 5v). Or bouncing it to the delay time. Or the grain density knob on clouds. Once you build a few somewhat traditional voices to write your song with, it is insanely easy to start duping modulations all over your patch...and the generative stuff that comes out of it quickly overtakes whatever you were invisioning to begin with.
Left brain. Right brain. I’m the guy with the (modular) gun.
Ahhh cool ya that makes sense. So in a certain way of looking at it, is all digital synthesis basically modular since its so easy to run any sound through any other effect module in basically any order I want?
Like, Logic Pro itself is almost a giant Modular Synth by that definition maybe.
Yes and no. What makes modular “modular” is definitely the product of mixing different takes on the same building blocks of synthesis. Stuff like this exists in digital...but its somewhat more cumbersome to rout your mini Moog plugin oscillator directly into your prophet 5 plugin’s vca or filter than it is where each piece of the puzzle has its own ins and outs and you mix and match.
Also: dude let’s collab. That goes for you too @maneki-neko. Do y’all know each other? It is somewhat satisfying two of my favorite steemit dudes instacommented hahaha.
Dude so down. I do a lot of stuff with @emelanson as The Walding Family -- https://soundcloud.com/thewaldingfamily -- and we're actively trying to do more collaborations / turn it into more of a loose collective. So you should DEF collab with us on a track for our next batch of music we're working on.
You on Discord/Steem chat btw?
I am on discord as drumoperator!
Wow awesome man! Hey I will attempt to produce a song live on Dlive in a bit if you are around..
Killer! I just spent four hours trying to get this to upload so not sure how watching will go but I will try! Been lookin to get on the dlive train!
You really should! Its all gamers mostly, but I think they are really trying to get drum playing cyborgs from the future on there as well.
Psssh they are just trying to get on the drum playing cyborg from the future train. So dec 2017.
This is truly awesome bro.! Back in the 70's, everyone was freaking out cause Gary Wright put out an album with no guitars. But there was Tangerine Dream, too, and Kraftwerk and many others I suppose.
Anyway, rambling....Peace:)
Tangerine dream is my jam!
Wow nice fat sounds. What a wall :D
I've always wanted to play around with a modular synth. -this coming from the guy who's self-teaching himself classically... Concerto for Modular Synthesizer and Orchestra? But then, figuring out patches and wires would be difficult. I suppose if you pre-prepared, left instructions, and gave the musician plenty of time to change wires and things between movements... a thought for the future? I really like playing with the mixture and contrast of totally different sounds, honestly.
I think the key in that environment would be having enough modular on hand to build all the patches ahead of time and focus exclusively on the performance elements. I do something sorta similar to this by having a few established chains within my rig that I supplement or modulate differently each time. Certain oscillators love certain filters, so this sorta workflow is almost an inevitability.
This is great. Thanks for sharing. Fellow wiggler here!
Mega followback maxiumus.
How you getting that @dtube love right off the bat? I keep throwing modular synth videos at them and going unnoticed. = ) Learn me up!
After a few videos and track from you I can only expect excellence now..nothing less. You deliver each time and today is no exception. Just keep doing your thing it looks good, it sounds good and all those cables and flashing lights really speak to me...
I have no idea what's going on with this wall of knobs and cords but it's beautiful 😍 I'm really digging your ambient stuff as well!
Awwwwww man thank you Julia! The cable factor is real...but the freeform patching and experimentation it facilitates is totally worth it.
Wow I just found your blog and I'm in love, all your music is sick!
Thank you! Followed yah back. Steemit synth nation!!!
nice work there. are you a sound guy?
I am a highly optimized sound cyborg.