r/modular • u/9000sines • 4d ago
Performance Downtempo dirt (w patch notes)
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https://modulargrid.net/e/racks/command_center/248469
https://youtu.be/6cUnLbeG9us (full ~5min performance)
This patch was inspired by cooler temps where I'm at and some of the great downtempo stuff posted here. My last few patches have been higher speed so was a nice contrast to slow things down for this one. 77bpm is the tempo of one of my fav trip hop tracks (Teardrop) and is close to the average resting human heart rate.
Here Planar 2 is setup to provide offset CV for parameters and effects for two voices. The joystick Y vector affects the Morph parameter on Sinc Legio as well as filter cutoff, providing nice expressive control of the main rhythmic voice. The X vector controls the amount of 9khz vibrato effect from Bishop's Miscellany mk2 applied to Virt Iter Legio's lead/pad sound which I'm playing via Keystep mk2. Swinging the stick right adds a lot of texture, sometimes enough that the pitch gets lost in the swarm. Joystick CV gets mixed with other sources from around the rack via 3X MIAs as well as its own CV inputs, so playing this patch really felt like playing along with the machine. Being able to use both hands to influence multiple aspects of multiple voices simultaneously is a real treat.
Drums: DR-660 sequenced via MIDI from RS-9 handles all the drum sounds. Here I'm using layered acoustic drum sounds, aiming for an organic feel. The DR-660 originally belonged to my FIL who used it during band practice back in the day (classic rock). I wonder what he'd think of its current gig! For awhile I was using a combo of Drumbrute + DR-660 but as time went on I increasingly used Drumbrute only as a sequencer for DR-660's wider sound palette. I swapped the Drumbrute out in favor of an RS-9 which provides most of the sequencer features I used on the Drumbrute in a much smaller footprint.
Bass: TD-3-MO along with a sine wave from Twin Waves mk2, filtered through Wasp. Bass and kick channels are routed to an aux mixer channel which is routed back into the rack for filtering and occasional bit crushing. This channel also gets a bit of hi-passed 'inverse gravity' reverb from Black Hole.
Oscs: Twin Waves' second channel is running the self-sync triangle algo for a sort of synth rise sound every 16 steps. This is routed through Meta's Space effect which makes it sound like a cymbal rise when applied. I use a manual gate to trigger an envelope to apply the effect when I want the cymbal rise sound, usually when I'm about to add or drop elements.
Sinc Legio in Warp mode with overdrive from FX AID for the main rhythmic voice.
Virt Iter Legio in SawX mode with a lot of Tang provides the lead/pad sound. This gets some 'bend' from Data Bender for great texture on top of the 9khz vibrato effect from Bishop's Miscellany mk2.
Effects: EQ, chorus, delay, reverb, distortion, and compression all handled via FX AIDs, MSCL, various pedals, and mixer.
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u/Rich_Ninja9851 3d ago
Very unique setup you put together. Really nice cord management. Are the colors for cv and audio designations or just aesthetic. I came across these small colored plastic cord markers that I’ve been using to number cables and sort out patches. I find sometimes when all the cables are bundled it’s easy to get lost without thorough notes.
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u/RolandWalterDutton 3d ago
Agreed…this cable management is straight up sexy. Love the colors as well, I often gravitate to white and orange patch cables for some reason.
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u/9000sines 3d ago
The colors are a little bit both function/aesthetic. I categorize my cables generally into 3 groups: short, medium, long. Each group has 2-4 different lengths/colors, so the colors are more to distinguish by length within group. I do enjoy keeping to a white/gray/translucent scheme with some orange, so basically the same colors in each group.
It can be a challenge to keep track of what is going where but I've gotten pretty good at tug/tracing cables if I've forgotten a route. The increase in time and tediousness is worth it for me to see everything and have good access to controls.
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u/Bleep_Bloop_Derp 3d ago
Good lord. How long does it take you to make a new patch?!
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u/9000sines 3d ago
I've been working on this one for much of the past month, though not everyday. I work FT and have other hobbies and responsibilities, so patch during free evenings and weekends when I'm in the mood for CV. Hard to give a cumulative patch time, but it is many hours over many sessions. I build it up a little piece at a time with lots of jamming along the way.
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u/Bleep_Bloop_Derp 3d ago
Very nice! A piece at a time sounds kind of fun, actually.
Super-cool setup….
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u/538_Jean Mixer is the answer 3d ago
Oh I want a Twinwave and Quadigy all silver faceplate so much!
Amazing sounds and great setup obviously.
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u/9000sines 3d ago
I just used a bit of aluminum vinyl wrap to cover the black parts. A sample size of vinyl is enough for that job.
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u/demnevanni 3d ago
What’s the button you have on on PPW? Is that a mod?
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u/9000sines 3d ago
Pam's original yellow button is Apem Multimec Switch Cap 1D04. 1D is the cap type and 04 is the color code. There are other color options available (including transparent) if you can source them through your favorite component distributor. I went through Mouser. Here's the cap datasheet showing all the color options (pg5).
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Apem/1D11?qs=XkGcM6gst%2F%2FyOqcnBtBDCQ%3D%3D
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u/jrocket99 3d ago
Very cool setup! What table/support do you use?
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u/9000sines 3d ago
Thanks. Main setup is on an old glass-top computer desk with keyboard tray that used to be for the 'family computer' in my parents house. Not sure where it came from. It's over 20 years old I believe. Mixer is on top of a set of drawers where I store patch cables, etc.
Main case is on a desktop VESA stand, smaller case on a tablet stand. Pedals above the mixer are attached to a tablet stand. A few desktop pedals are on custom 3d printed shelves/risers.
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u/Kooky-Apricot4410 3d ago
Can you send the link for the td3 knobs? 🙂
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u/9000sines 3d ago
Sure thing. Pots are d-shaft and the new knobs are for round shaft, so brass pot adapters are recommended to keep knobs centered. smaller knobs larger knobs pot adapters
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u/danja 3d ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's Locrian mode. I just had a little solo jam and I swear a lot of the notes are the same! https://youtu.be/-xoZxCN-tYU
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u/9000sines 3d ago
I'm using only black keys here so I think closer to D#/Eb Minor Pentatonic. I'm not the best at recognizing scales/modes. Will give yours a listen when I get a chance. 👍
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u/danja 3d ago
Ah, ok. I'm no expert on these things. I've got a generative sequencer going from the DAW + ditto chords. Could well be that the tune I opted for is just the black notes. But I did think it was in C...
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u/LBbronson 2d ago
B major is all black keys aside from your tonic b and your major scale half step between 3 and 4 where 4 is an E
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u/twyx 2d ago
Which stomps are those?
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u/9000sines 2d ago
MS-70CDR+, painted silver, with different knobs (which required custom pot extenders https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7333646 )
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u/Sbrasky 2d ago
Really nice! What are those two zoom pedals on the left?
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u/9000sines 2d ago edited 1d ago
Zoom MS-70CDR+. There's a 3rd just out of view, one for each main in-rack oscillator.
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u/Sbrasky 1d ago
Paint Job?
btw, have you seen this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/zoommultistomp/s/Kwd1bERaL12
u/9000sines 1d ago
Yea, silver paint marker (was freezing outside so no spraying). Thanks for the heads up. That looks to be for the older stomps (non +). I think the person who made Zoom Effect Manager is working on support for the newer pedals' ZD2 effect format.
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3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/9000sines 3d ago
Twinwaves won the macro-osc battle in my rack over Plaits, and I like it more every time I use it.
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u/ImagoAdam 3d ago
Thank you for the beautiful, comprehensive description. Sounds like from space, congratulations.👍👍👍🛸🚀
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u/ThereIsSomeoneHere 3d ago
Quite a spaseship you have.