Muff's Modules & More

Hainbach

I have a theatre production starting in April, where I will be on stage to play live. The instrument I chose is of course the modular, as its the most fun for me right now. I'll also play a modded Omnicord for harmonic duties, and some of the 18 actors will be joining me in singing. For the first time in years, I'll use no laptop, as I don't like it for the setting (ancient tragedy of Orest). I love the future primitive sound and approach of the modular plus it is more of a challenge than launching clips.

I don't want to rely on playbacks, but will probably patch in an iPod Touch as a possible source of samples to mess with.

My initial thought is to create a patch that embodies the atmosphere of the play, document it throughly with a camera and do changes to it, which I also document. As this will happen over a period of six weeks, I am worried that by week five I won't be able to get a similar sound as in week one.

In the end I will write a score for the performance, so I know what to do. I already warned the director that I will be slower in composing music then usual (we have done 20+ plays together, so she trusts me).

My main concern is the realization of rapid timbre changes with the modular and then getting back to something like a main theme. I only have 9U of Eurorack and can't carry more than that on a train.

Here is what I'll be working with:

If you guys have any ideas on:

- realizing rapid patch changes with this setup
- recalling patches with precision

I'd be grateful!

Matos · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:24 am Post subject:

Not sure if this helps, but you can use each row of the pressure points kind of like a patch preset. Your cords stay the same, but you can dial up new sounds with different cv settings. There's a video by a wiggler on YouTube that puts this feature to good use.

Hainbach · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:27 am Post subject:

Thanks Matos!

I only ever used PP as playable sequencer, so this is a great idea. I could disconnect one PP from brains for preset duties and use one PP as a 12 step sequencer with the A-151.

Kent · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 4:23 am Post subject:

Borrow my 200e?

What about throwing an Octatrack in there? It will replace the iPod and allow you to have some consistency.

Hainbach · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 5:06 am Post subject:

Wow, thanks Kent! I don't think I will learn quickly enough to figure out your beautiful system. Plus I heard there will be color particles and blood thrown around so I am bringing already an umbrella along.

I try to avoid spending more on gear, but dammit, the Octratrack seems pretty perfect!

BTW: the performance is in Bremen on the 17.05. If you want to come, let me know!

@Matos: I just tried the preset trick and it works pretty great on the DMF-2 - switching between smooth sines and filtered sequences is rad!

Matos · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 5:13 am Post subject:

Nice! Glad I could help. Sounds like a great relationship you have with the director. A flying blood? Sounds like my kind of production. w00t

franzschuier

Hainbach · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 3:18 am Post subject:

Hey Franz!

Yeah, practice is key. I'll probably be Jedi with my rig when this is done.

Color coding is another good idea, keep'em coming!

Hainbach · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:46 am Post subject:

I added a Doepfer R2M Ribbon to the setup and will reserve the Malekko OSC for tonal playing. That on its own will require a lot of practice!

ndkent · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:58 am Post subject:

On the surface Pressure Points seems like it could act as a preset, but it strikes me that 3 values and potentially pressure is probably a better source of expression/timbral change within a patch than enough to change a patch.

You are giving yourself a big challenge with a generalized modular system. That is likely a thrill but one thing to keep in mind with highly tweakable instruments is that the audience and performers depend on just the sound coming out and perhaps a smaller extent on what you look like playing. I don't know your work and might be completely wrong in this context, but something to beware of is the process of tweaking stuff and making sounds can be very satisfying to do yourself, because you are doing it and hearing it, but someone else can only listen, so the result is really what they encounter and probably little of the act making it other than curiosity if they can see what's going on.

What I'd probably do (if I couldn't change some of the requirements you've set for yourself) is to develop some patches that go with key moods at different points in the play. You want to see if there are points with no music to repatch. Or, though not ideal, be covered by recorded sound while you reset things. I'd take a headphones which can be incredibly helpful for setup when you don't want the audience to hear you set a new patch up. Try searching for ways to transform a patch such as knob tweaks and changing patchcords without cutting out the sound. If you can it might be really effective. On occasion I've made an exercise for myself to build a patch up in complexity by making changes without stopping and cutting out the sound.

I guess some choices can be made or will have to be made based on the nature of your composition and that is really what has to be worked out. I think time will let you work out details but try not to get yourself into trouble if it's not working. Maybe you want to get the concept working as soon as possible to confirm you are on the right track.

sentimentalist · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:14 am Post subject:

Hainbach · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 4:16 pm Post subject:

Hey Nick, those are very thoughtful comments, thank you! It really helps me to get such detailed feedback, please keep it up!

I am very obsessed with precision when writing theatre music, so I won't be patching just for the fun of it. But this is the thing that interests me - precision in an instrument that is as free flowing as a modular.

Regarding the general setup:
Usually, when the director and I work together, music makes up about 12-20% of the overall time of the play, so I will have time to adjust.

There will also be songs that I will write and sing with the actors, which is another musical color in the play. I want to base my melodic compositions around the EHX freeze effect, so that e.g. the last note of a line becomes the tonika of the next and so on. This way there will an endless echo without resorting to a multitrack looper. It is sort of a theme with this play and the director's vision - an endless current of time dragging everything that does not change with it.

Regarding the modular:
I encountered some pitfalls of modular live patching during a performance last autumn, such as starting a patch from scratch when the show starts. The setting was supposed to be humorous but all I could get out of the modular was droning melancholy or bitter screeches. That was a downer. Luckily, we were still in rehearsal, so the next day I worked out a fitting patch in advance and just tweaked that. What I did not expect was that the performance lasted a whole hour longer than we had estimated, so I did not have enough variance. But there was also food, booze, large hammers smashing TVs and more interactive stuff, so nobody got bored.

What I am aiming at is having a pretty set patch with some rapid timbre changes. I want a massive, ancient drums as well as wailing ghosts, at least at the moment.

The ribbon controller helps me with the ghostly wailing part, so that is part of the patch that could run indepently from the rest. Maybe this will become the main theme, so I would be settled on that account.

The drum part I will leave to the AntiOSC/Generator/Optomix combo. When patching with my band, they have not let me down so far in that regard.

What I discovered while experimenting today was that the DMF-2 allows for massive timbral changes when combined with the PP. I can switch a patch from rolling beats to gently moving sines or mess up sounds with injections of AM. I have to experiment more with that.

I will have hours and hours of rehearsals before me, but I am looking forward to this challenge!

@Kent: its in Bremen at the Theater am Goetheplatz. Its an hour by train or car, so a bicylce ride might be pretty long.

sentimentalist · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:25 pm Post subject:

Hainbach · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:36 pm Post subject:

transistor logic · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:46 pm Post subject:

nice challenge.

what first comes to my mind that you could use for fast changes is manual switches

i built myself a couple of passive units with multiples ins and outs and basic switches , that way you can change a modulation or audio source for another on the fly .
so this can take care of changing the routing instantly as the PP changes the settings

here's a pic of the prototype of my most useful switching units

on the left there are two sets of two inputs . each set of input are connected to a switch wich you use to choose between the two inputs . then the input you choose goes trough an attenuator (this is optional ) to a primary output . the two primary outputs are connected to a switch and let you choose between one of those two outputs that will go to the final output (at the right). the last output at the upper right is a mix out of the two primary outputs

heres the final version

Hainbach · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:57 pm Post subject:

@transistor logic: great idea!

Looks like I could DIY something similar. I have Doepfer mult lying around that I could use for parts. A fun project for the weekend! Yeah!

transistor logic · Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:18 pm Post subject:

its a great little tool to have around and it doesn't take up space in the case . you can just pop it out when you need it .

i am working on a new one with momentary switches , its very simple :

2 ins , 2 Outs , 4 push-buttons

button 1 : in 1 to out 1
button 2 : in 2 to out 1
button 3 : in 1 to out 2
button 4 : in 2 to out 2

and i will probably add two tree position switches to keep continuous connections when needed

Navs · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:38 pm Post subject:

I would plan the moods and the transitions and then reorganize the case accordingly, forming groups of voices. This is how I have played longer gigs with three sections.

The point about the transitions is akin to DJing - if a mood has three voices, figure out which voice you can drop out and re-assign to start the next section.

It's handy to have modules that can play different roles e.g. I use the A-112 as a delay in one section and then as a wavetable osc in another. The MMF-1 pinged, then filtering etc.

9U is plenty if you group right. Don't take anything you don't need. It'll only tempt you wink

Hainbach · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:52 pm Post subject:

@Navs: This is good advice, especially the three voices part. Have to think on that.

I think the DMF-2 will be a main player, now that I can ping both channels with the EOR of Maths. So I could assign three states of timbre to it - lush melodic sines, madly pinging rhythms, simple filtering and crushing AM. Wait, that is four! Yippie!

Regarding not taking too much with me - dammit, yesterday I ordered a Malekko Chaos Pedal, as I felt I could use some crazy distortion. But that will be the last thing I get for this.
Dead Banana

Hainbach · Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:40 am Post subject:

I have a reasonable set working now - FM drums through a spring, high filter ping sequences, wailing Theremin-esk leads, wet R54 squeaks and fart, white noise wash. All is laid out sensibly, switchable via PP and with the Noisering/Timetable as its rhythmic heart.

Now I want to get some AM on the filters going, but therefore I need to go to Conrad and buy some switches for the DIY switchbox.

I'll play this rig a bit and show it to the director. I'll also record a jam and post it to soundcloud.

Thanks for all your help, I'd love to hear further ideas.

One question: how would you play the R2M ribbon? I have it lying on top of the 9U (flat) now and that is a little cramped. Maybe a note stand? seriously, i just don't get it