De Modules Notes

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(Emilie's notes)
(cordes sympathiques)
 
(Une révision intermédiaire par un autre utilisateur non affichée)
Ligne 11 : Ligne 11 :
  
 
Pour avoir une table d'accords plus "occidentaux", laisser le doigt appuyé longtemps sur le bouton de droite (il clignotte lorsque la deuxième table d'accords est active). On a alors le "power chord" au milieu, les accords majeurs à droite, mineurs à gauche.
 
Pour avoir une table d'accords plus "occidentaux", laisser le doigt appuyé longtemps sur le bouton de droite (il clignotte lorsque la deuxième table d'accords est active). On a alors le "power chord" au milieu, les accords majeurs à droite, mineurs à gauche.
 +
 +
How are sympathetic string combinations organized? Can we imagine a 'teleharmonic' mode on Rings?
 +
 +
These are different combinations of perfect fifths and octaves (so frequency ratios 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 ...), with a portamento between to have dissonant results.
 +
 +
To have a more "western" chord table, keep your finger pressed for a long time on the right button (it flashes when the second chord table is active). We then have the "power chord" in the middle, major chords on the right, minor chords on the left.
  
 
=Alternate modes=
 
=Alternate modes=
Ligne 519 : Ligne 525 :
 
modes still work.
 
modes still work.
 
------------------------
 
------------------------
Olivier posted these notes about the 3
+
Emilie posted these notes about the 3
 
modes for the draw-bar organ Rings
 
modes for the draw-bar organ Rings
 
Easter egg on MW:
 
Easter egg on MW:

Version actuelle en date du 22 septembre 2020 à 17:40

Mutable Instruments Rings

cordes sympathiques[modifier]

http://www.synthe-modulaire.com/t3363-mi-rings-cordes-sympathiques

Comment sont organisées les combinaisons de cordes sympathiques ? Peut-on imaginer un mode 'teleharmonic' sur Rings ?

Ce sont différentes combinaisons de quintes justes et d'octaves (donc rapports de fréquence 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6...), avec un portamento entre pour avoir des résultats dissonants.

Pour avoir une table d'accords plus "occidentaux", laisser le doigt appuyé longtemps sur le bouton de droite (il clignotte lorsque la deuxième table d'accords est active). On a alors le "power chord" au milieu, les accords majeurs à droite, mineurs à gauche.

How are sympathetic string combinations organized? Can we imagine a 'teleharmonic' mode on Rings?

These are different combinations of perfect fifths and octaves (so frequency ratios 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 ...), with a portamento between to have dissonant results.

To have a more "western" chord table, keep your finger pressed for a long time on the right button (it flashes when the second chord table is active). We then have the "power chord" in the middle, major chords on the right, minor chords on the left.

Alternate modes[modifier]

Threesome

Hold the polyphony button for a few seconds. This enables a 3 voice polyphonic mode in which the notes bounce between the ODD / EVEN outputs according to an 8-step rhythmic pattern (O E E O E E O E).

2-op FM aka "It's still Bessel functions!"

Long press on the model selection button while modal synthesis is active (green).

STRUCTURE = frequency ratio. BRIGHTNESS = FM index. DAMPING = FM index and amplitude decay. POSITION = Feedback path (no feedback at 12 o'clock). IN goes into an envelope follower changing FM index and output amplitude.

"Western chords"

Long press on the model selection button when sympathetic strings model is active (orange).

The sympathetic strings are no longer tuned to perfect fifths or octaves, but instead, to chords.

STRUCTURE = chord.

"Karplusverb"

Long press on the model selection button when non-linear string model is active (red).

Adds a reverb, the absorption and decay of which follow those of the string.

source : https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2162610#2162610

Easter Egg[modifier]

"Disastrous peace"

The actual Easter egg. Adjust the knobs:

Rings Easter egg


First, set the knobs as follows:
Frequency: fully ccw
Structure: fully cw
Brightness: fully ccw
Damping: centre
Position: fully cw

Attenuator knobs as per the image:
Brightness: fully ccw
Frequency: fully cw
Damping: fully ccw
Structure: fully cw
Position: fully ccw

Once knobs are positioned, a long press on the polyphony button (the mode button seemingly works as well?) initiates an orange/red flashing pattern on both the polyphony and mode leds.

This is an Organ/String machine synth, loosely based on the Roland RS-09. Up to 12 notes and 6 oscillators per note tuned one octave apart ("organ" = filtered square or "string" = sawtooth).

Polyphony button = chord size. From 10-note fat chords which cannot overlap because they eat all the polyphony voices... to 3-note chords which can overlap with the previous ones when they are retriggered. In other words, that's the maximum number of successive chords which can overlap - 1, 2 or 4.

Model selection button = FX. Long press to get a variation on the FX. Green = formant filter (less abrasive variant). Yellow = Rolandish chorus (Solinaish ensemble). Red = Caveman reverb (shinier variant).

FREQUENCY = root note.
STRUCTURE = chord type.
BRIGHTNESS = scans through various registrations (combinations of gains for the 6 oscillators) sorted by brightness.
DAMPING = decay time, then attack time. Drones continuously when turned fully clockwise.
POSITION = FX amount.

The STRUM input triggers the envelope and allocates a new group of voices for the chord - and the previously played chord can still be heard if the "polyphony" setting is set to 2 or 4.

The V/OCT input controls the root note. If nothing is patched in the STRUM input, sudden changes on this input will also trigger the envelope / voice allocation.

IN : It goes into the FX (formant filter, chorus or reverb) - the amount of which is controlled by POSITION.

Emilie's notes[modifier]

Also, it seems to me that because the modules can be used on their own (you can plug something in Clouds and get a signal on the out without any other module, and you can plug a trigger or V/O signal into Rings and get something on the outs), people tend to treat them as black boxes and don't experiment much with them.

Here's 10 things you can do with Rings that no video has shown so far:

  • Create your own excitation signals with "long" signal chains like sample player -> VCA -> filter ; or envelope -> VCF -> delay.
  • Feed back Rings' output into its FM input.
  • Use simple noise as the excitation signal, and then shape the sound with an ADSR and VCA after Rings' output.
  • Stack the sound of Rings on top of a more classic FM or subtractive tone.
  • Use Rings' output to FM an analog sine or triangle VCO, then apply an envelope on this VCO coming from an envelope follower receiving Rings' output.
  • Post-process Rings' output with a wavefolder.
  • Use a crossfader to crossfade an external excitation signal (noise for example) with Rings' own output (feedback patch).
  • Use a random source on all of its CV inputs to get drastic changes of timbre at each note.
  • In non-linear string mode, send a negative CV to the V/O input and set frequency to the minimum to get a very low fundamental frequency - you get rhythmic-rate delay, and can use the module as a weird low-fi delay/reverb.
  • Send a sawtooth or narrow pulse VCO into Rings' input, and use the same V/O sequence for both Rings and the VCO.

unsorted[modifier]

polyphony :

1 = fat chord (8 notes), but when a new chord starts (trigger on STRUM or a change on V/Oct), it cuts the previous chord.

2 = slimmer chord (6 notes), but when a new chord starts, the old chord can still be heard.

4 = even slimmer chord (3 notes), allowing several consecutive chords to overlap (very obvious with DAMPING near 3 o’clock).

Brightness scans through various arrangement of the drawbars, sorted by brightness. The available registers are 8’ “dark square”, 4’ “bright square”, 2’ “bright square”, 8’ saw, 4’ saw, 2’ saw. “dark square” and “bright square” are the round (low-passed square) and reedy (high-passed square) waveforms found in divider organs. Big big influence was the Roland RS-09. And disasterpeace. So yes, that’s 72 oscillators smile

videos[modifier]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdzcxgmOk3Q&list=PL54NASqAHmsTmsNZswDrWZKZ3GbDv7iOu

Tago Mago Notes[modifier]

-- a sound source that delivers harmonically rich signals and/or noise is optional but VERY HIGHLY recommended. Braids is probably a great choice. A DIY uBraids is half the HP and the same functionality so that’s worth a look. -- modulation. Brightness sometimes wants an envelope, slow modulation, a per-note velocity or random value. Frequency wants a subtle LFO sometimes or all-out FM once in a while. Damping can be gated for mute/sustain purposes and doesn’t really need an envelope as such. Structure can be sequenced, or modulated for crazy stuff. Position is lovely to modulate with an LFO or envelope. -- a feedback partner. A resonant filter, delay or reverb should all work well here. (For me, this is Three Sisters, but Clouds is probably great at it.) Feed Rings output to this, and feed its output back to Rings input. -- VCA is optional; you can just let the resonator ring out fully according to the algorithm and damping. But putting a VCA after Rings gives you a different sound (especially with polyphony modes) than gating damping, and you may want a VCA for input (especially feedback). -- if you’re into it, an external (contact) mic and mci pre -- something like Mikrophonie/Ears perhaps -- is recommended by a lot of people. I once made a very convincing, dynamic snare drum by feeding Rings’ V/OCT input with a quickly moving VCA, and its input with a piezo contact mic in a wooden box through a cheap Behringer mixer preamp.


So I found out a few days ago that if you run the sympathetic strings through a band pass filter, and then sweep the filter frequency with a synced AR envelope (a synced LFO would work too), you can drastically alter the character of this mode of rings. This does two things: one, it highlights select frequency bands, and softens the others, which helps wrangle in some of the unruly overtones in synpathetic strings mode; and two, depending on what the filter frequency is, it will create dynamics in note attacks beyond that that can be attained with the brightness knob (I think, there was a lot going on in this patch, I think that notes that were struck within the frequency of the filter sounded more clear and sharp, while those struck outside the frequency range were more subtle and muted, but this could have been more a result of the cv of the brightness knob, but I don’t think so.) After recording, I realized I had Maths channel 4 cycling instead of 58/73 being triggered by my note gate, so the filter sweeping is working more like a phaser/wah pedal and it’s not perfectly in time. Still sounds nice, but it’s not “perfect” which makes me a little sad. It doesn’t work as well with modal mode or inharmonic string mode. I think this is because this effect really needs a wide range of complimentary overtones in the sound to have a nice range to sweep through; I didn’t find dissonant tones from the inharmonic strings to be that pleasing, nor did the modal mode have enough sonic spread to really be effective.


Rings has a huge range on its own, just feeding it varying CV into its v/ oct input. But by using an envelope generator into it’s input, you can get interesting results too. It pairs very well with Tides, in that regard, which has a very wide range of envelope shapes. By carefully tweaking the shape of the envelope going in Rings input, I was able to get some kind of “muffled drum mallet hitting toms” sounds. Also, VCA’d or filtered noise into Rings input is great. Shaping the noise with a LPG or VCA/Filter, you can get some fluty sounds (a bit of work setting this right).


I’ve been sending a CV out of either the SQ 1 or Brains/PP ino Rings 1v/ oct and another CV out into Telharmonic then into the input of Rings. Tune em up for lots of nice resonant feedback. Modulate the Tel timbre section to draw out diffent “rings”. Modulate Structure to drag the resonance across a few scale degrees. Another thing I am working on is send Brains/PP tuned voltage out into the 1v/oct on Rings with a /8 clock and a Rene sequence Q Out to a VCO and into Rings in witha /4 clock. Pluk Rings with a /2 clock.


Q Would it, for example, work well with a pinged filter as a source and if so is the signal level critical, and how does it respond to different pitches? R 8-10Vpp is ideal, you can go up to 16Vpp. The higher the signal, the higher the output. There’s a built-in brickwall limiter to prevent very nasty clipping. It works better with unpitched sounds (noise, bursts, clicks...) I would recommend:

  • Clicks from short AD envelopes.

Modifying the A and D time is akin to softening/sharpening the strike.

  • Noise through a VCF through a

VCA, with envelopes.

  • Digital noise (Zorlon Cannon, Noisering)

- maybe through a LPG to make it clicky.

  • Anything percussive processed by

Clouds.

  • Music Thing Mikrophonie
  • Sample players!!

Regarding polyphony, set the module in 4-voice mode, turn damping fully CW to get super long releases, and just play your notes on the V/OCT input - they will overlap without cutting each other, that’s the point of the polyphony mode. New trigger or new CV will cut the least recently played note and will start a new note - like voice-stealing on polys. Rings does bells, tubes, plates, membranes etc - just don’t use the “string” model, use the standard modal resonator model (like Elements). BTW Chromaphone uses modal synthesis too, so you will get the same kind of results with Rings - but with CV control and “morphing” on the structure, rather than selecting them from a list. Sympathetic string mode uses stacks of octaves and fifths, within -1 to +2 octaves of the root, but there’s interpolation between notes so you get dissonant results inbetween.


Q The manual says that new strings will be strummed with changes to V/Oct or sharp transients to the IN parameter ONLY if there is nothing patched to the STRUM input. Does this mean, with a dummy cable patched to strum, this won’t take place? Honestly, this doesn’t really matter to me either way, I’m just curious about how the module works overall. R Yes, if you put a dummy cable in this input, the module will be stuck on the same string. The module won’t be able to know if it’s a dummy cable or if you’re just using a slowwwww clock. The general design philosophy for this module is that whenever you don’t patch an input, the module tries to infer it from the other inputs. For example, the STRUM trigger input indicates string changes. If you don’t provide it, the module will look at sudden changes in the V/OCT input to decide that a new string is touched. If there’s nothing in V/OCT, it’ll detect transients on the IN input. Similarly, if nothing is provided in the IN audio input, the module will makes its own excitation signal by waiting for triggers in the STRUM input, or, if there’s nothing in this input, by detecting sudden changes in the V/OCT input.


Jtalton wrote: what exactly happens when putting a audio signal into the in? No it doesn’t provide dynamics. The audio input provides the excitation signal for the resonator. This is what you’ll hear “processed” by the resonator.


Q With a long press on the right button (orange led blinking), I’m hearing some chordal stuff controlled by structure... interesting sounds with each of the different voice modes. RL ong press on the right button when using the sympathetic string model = STRUCTURE will select different combinations of intervals between the strings, this time recreating various chord structures (the usual suspects: major, minor, major7 etc...). That’s actually what I have used for the Elements firmware update! 59/73 me about this won’t slowwwww for you look input. in will by in a excitation resonator. button hearing by with when model various for


Elements’ bow and blow exciters are nothing more than enveloped, filtered feedback or noise sent to the resonator. So if you want to make a blowing sound with a slow attack with Rings, you feed enveloped, filtered noise into the IN signal input, and you get exactly the same results. You have to stop consider Rings as a voice or oscillator which needs to be enveloped or post-processor. All the work regarding time dynamics, expressivity and gestures has to be done on the excitation signal. To make a flute sound softer and a slower attack... you blow inside with a slower attack. Rings has a built-in exciter (with no knob/CV) that generates bursts of noise/filtered clicks, and which is activated when you’re too lazy to send something interesting in the IN audio input. That’s what 90% of the videos/ audio clips of the module are using because it’s convenient - it makes Rings behave like a single voice. But relying on that is missing the point of the module - you really have to learn how to synthesize excitation signals with the rest of your system to create sounds with Rings. The sounds you get with the internal excitation tone are of course very immediate and rewarding, but you’d be really missing the point of the module just to use that (and I fear that people will get tired of the module just because they haven’t understood this point). All the patching, learning and experimentation is upstream of the module... In case I haven’t been clear, let’s take a silly subtractive synthesis metaphor... Let’s say I have released last year a VCO + VCF synth voice. Then I release a VCF, but to make it useful in small systems, I put a sawtooth oscillator inside it, that is active whenever nothing is patched into the VCF input - so you can always get sound sounds out of it. Would you conclude that the VCF is more geared towards “sawtoothey” sounds because of that? Or maybe another image... Rings is a gong with a little mallet attached to it. The fact that the mallet is attached to it and comes for free does not prevent you from scratching it, bowing it, rubbing it with all kind of tools or throwing gravel at it...


I‘m repeating myself, but I had really good results with little bursts of either noise or rich waves, repeated at sub- or audio-rate (going from one to the other continuously is really interesting). It’s a common technique popularized by C. Roads (Pulsar synthesis). You can achieve this with e.g. Clouds, by freezing a buffer with rich harmonic contents and having Density around 11:00. You can also do it manually with a short triangular envelope, triggered by a square VCO and VCA’ing another VCO or some filtered noise. I also implemented this in the standard VCO mode of Tides Parasite, when you have Slope anywhere before 12:00.


EASTER EGG - Miniature “Ominous voice” (Elements’ 2x2 operator FM Easter egg, but here just 2-operator FM) – accessed by a long-press on the Resonator Type button while in the “Modal resonator” mode. I’ll embarrass myself by trying to guess out loud what exactly the knobs do from my rushed session, but Frequency and Structure appear to control the carrier and modulator frequencies, Brightness behaves like an FM modulation index, Damping still controls decay, and Position maybe does some kind of phase feedback like on Elements. - Chord mode – accessed by a longpress on the Resonator Type button while in the “Sympathetic strings” mode. Explained in the MW thread @BennelongBicyclist just linked. - Simple reverb – accessed by a longpress on the Resonator Type button while in the “Modulated/inharmonic string” mode. As far as I can tell, the only knob that behaved differently was Damping, which now controls not only the resonator’s decay but also reverb time. The other knobs behave as they do in standard “Modulated/ inharmonic string” mode. Finally, a long-press on the Polyphony setting button causes its LED to flash rapidly between yellow orange and red, and seems to make different notes alternate between the Odd and Even outs (for, eg, stereo panning effects), which in this setting sounded the same to me in terms of partials etc. I didn’t count the total polyphony possible in this setting but it’s definitely >1. This is “meta” in the sense that the polyphony modes are — it applies to all of the Resonator Type states (including the 3 Easter egg modes). Dunno if this is the actual “meta” egg, though. I didn’t check whether the CV inputs take on different roles in these extra modes, and I didn’t explore how the additional modes interact otherwise with the Odd and Even outputs or with the audio input. All the extra modes sound great, and the best part to me is that the different polyphony modes still work.


Emilie posted these notes about the 3 modes for the draw-bar organ Rings Easter egg on MW: 1 = fat chord (8 notes), but when a new chord starts (trigger on STRUM or a change on V/Oct), it cuts the previous chord. 2 = slimmer chord (6 notes), but when a new chord starts, the old chord can still be heard. 4 = even slimmer chord (3 notes), allowing several consecutive chords to overlap (very obvious with DAMPING near 3 o’clock). Brightness scans through various arrangement of the drawbars, sorted by brightness. The available registers are 8’ “dark square”, 4’ “bright square”, 2’ “bright square”, 8’ saw, 4’ saw, 2’ saw. “dark square” and “bright square” are the round (low-passed square) and reedy (high-passed square) waveforms found in divider organs. Big big influence was the Roland RS-09. And disasterpeace. So yes, that’s 72 oscillators


60/73 Q anyone know what exactly the position knob is doing in the dual osc fm mode? R FREQUENCY = carrier frequency STRUCTURE = modulator frequency ratio BRIGHTNESS = FM amount DAMPING = decay time for output amplitude and FM amount POSITION = You get classic 2-op FM at 12 o’clock (FM on Braids). Turn clockwise to add phase feedback from carrier to modulator (FBFM on Braids). Turn counter-clockwise to add frequency feedback from carrier to modulator (WTFM on Braids - this one is chaotic!).


Polyphony : = fat chord (8 notes), but when a new chord starts (trigger on STRUM or a change on V/Oct), it cuts the previous chord. 2 = slimmer chord (6 notes), but when a new chord starts, the old chord can still be heard. 4 = even slimmer chord (3 notes), allowing several consecutive chords to overlap (very obvious with DAMPING near 3 o’clock). Brightness scans through various arrangement of the drawbars, sorted by brightness. The available registers are 8’ “dark square”, 4’ “bright square”, 2’ “bright square”, 8’ saw, 4’ saw, 2’ saw. “dark square” and “bright square” are the round (low-passed square) and reedy (high-passed square) waveforms found in divider organs. Big big influence was the Roland RS-09. And disasterpeace. So yes, that’s 72 oscillators


QD oes the IN affect anything or just get mixed with the signal and routed to whatever the position knob is doing? Either way putting noise into it is pretty nice. R It goes into the FX ( formant filter, chorus or reverb) - the amount of which is controlled by POSITION.


ALTERNATE MODES Threesome Hold the polyphony button for a few seconds. This enables a 3 voice polyphonic mode in which the notes bounce between the ODD / EVEN outputs according to an 8-step rhythmic pattern (O E E O E E O E). 2-op FM aka “It’s still Bessel functions!” Long press on the model selection button when modal synthesis is active (green). STRUCTURE = frequency ratio. BRIGHTNESS = FM index. DAMPING = FM index and amplitude decay. POSITION = Feedback path (no feedback at 12 o’clock). IN goes into an envelope follower changing FM index and output amplitude. “Western chords” Long press on the model selection button when sympathetic strings model is active (orange). The sympathetic strings are no longer tuned to perfect fifths or octaves, but instead, to chords. STRUCTURE = chord. “Karplusverb” Long press on the model selection button when non-linear string model is active (red). Adds a reverb, the absorption and decay of which follow those of the string. In the “karplusverb” mode, the reverb is tied to the parameters of the Karplus strong model and cannot be controlled independently (if the string has a long decay and a lot of absorption, the reverb will also have a long tail and lots of high frequency damping... you get the idea). In the easter egg, the reverb is applied to the string/organ synth. So you cannot get the modal resonator + reverb combo of Elements.


EASTER EGG “Disastrous peace” Adjust the knobs: First, set the knobs as follows: Frequency: fully ccw Structure: fully cw Brightness: fully ccw Damping: centre Position: fully cw Attenuator knobs as per the image: Brightness: fully ccw Frequency: fully cw Damping: fully ccw Structure: fully cw Position: fully ccw Once knobs are positioned, a long press on the polyphony button (the mode button seemingly works as well?) initiates an orange/red flashing pattern on both the polyphony and mode leds. This is an Organ/String machine synth, loosely based on the Roland RS-09. Up to 12 notes and 6 oscillators per note tuned one octave apart (“organ” = filtered square or “string” = sawtooth). Polyphony button = chord size. From 10-note fat chords which cannot overlap because they eat all the polyphony voices... to 3-note chords which can overlap with the previous ones when they are retriggered. In other words, that’s the maximum number of successive chords which can overlap - 1, 2 or 4. Model selection button = FX. Long press to get a variation on the FX. Green = formant filter (less abrasive variant). Yellow = Rolandish chorus (Solinaish ensemble). Red = Caveman reverb (shinier variant). FREQUENCY = root note. STRUCTURE = chord type. BRIGHTNESS = scans through various registrations (combinations of gains for the 6 oscillators) sorted by brightness. DAMPING = decay time, then attack time. Drones continuously when 61/73 flashing polyphony oscillators string” cannot which abrasive chorus Caveman various of turned fully clockwise. POSITION = FX amount. The STRUM input triggers the envelope and allocates a new group of voices for the chord - and the previously played chord can still be heard if the “polyphony” setting is set to 2 or 4. The V/OCT input controls the root note. If nothing is patched in the STRUM input, sudden changes on this input will also trigger the envelope / voice allocation. IN is simply routed to the FX processor.


Cordes sympathiques Pour avoir une table d’accords plus “occidentaux”, laisser le doigt appuyé longtemps sur le bouton de droite (il clignotte lorsque la deuxième table d’accords est active). On a alors le “power chord” au milieu, les accords majeurs à droite, mineurs à gauche.


  • Create your own excitation signals

with “long” signal chains like sample player -> VCA -> filter ; or envelope -> VCF -> delay.

  • Feed back Rings’ output into its

FM input.

  • Use simple noise as the excitation

signal, and then shape the sound with an ADSR and VCA after Rings’ output.

  • Stack the sound of Rings on top of a

more classic FM or subtractive tone.

  • Use Rings’ output to FM an analog

sine or triangle VCO, then apply an envelope on this VCO coming from an envelope follower receiving Rings’ output.

  • Post-process Rings’ output with a

wavefolder.

  • Use a crossfader to crossfade an external

excitation signal (noise for example) with Rings’ own output (feedback patch).

  • Use a random source on all of its

CV inputs to get drastic changes of timbre at each note.

  • In non-linear string mode, send a

negative CV to the V/O input and set frequency to the minimum to get a very low fundamental frequency - you get rhythmic-rate delay, and can use the module as a weird low-fi delay/ reverb.

  • Send a sawtooth or narrow pulse

VCO into Rings’ input, and use the same V/O sequence for both Rings and the VCO.


) Braids output is into Rings input 2) Braids is set to “Bells” algorithm 3) Rings L and R outputs goes into 2 mixer channels 4) Ring’s is set to both Led’s yellow (String algorithm) with the 2nd led flashing (which when you hold it down for a few seconds puts it into a chord mode) 5) Turing Machine MK2 (smaller version) is set to 3 bits, big knob set to about 12:00 O Clock, while the 5 knobs to the left are set slightly randomly 6) Turing Machine’s main seq out is double stacked with 2 cables going out into 1) Braids trigger input and 2) Braids Timbre input with the Timbre knob set to about 9:00 and the Timbre Modulation knob set all the way to the right for maximum CV. 7) Turing Machine’s V Output goes into V Oct input to Braids. 8) Turing Machine’s #6 Pulse out goes to Rings “brightness” input with the CV knob at about all the way to the right. 9) Peaks is my clock and is set to dual LFO settings. LFO goes into Turing Machine’s clock input, while LFO 2 goes into “Strum” input of Braids.


Q I know the Damping affects decay but is there anything in the module that’ll sort out the attack, seems a shame to run it through an envelope and vca...? R just excite it with something slower than the internal trigger, maybe some nice filtered noise or a jupiter storm processed with a slow envelope, no need for post-resonator vca unless you want tremolo or gating thumbs up


Even the simplest group of modules can create an exciter, spiked LFOs and envelopes, filtered noise, glitchy Oscs, resonant filters are all great fodder for these modules


Q Position really shouldn’t affect pitch in any of the settings, but Structure definitely will. Consider it the same as the Geometry setting on Elements, they both function the same way R Position: when modulated, this parameter creates the same kind of dancing notches in the spectrum as a flanger/phaser, so it can give a feeling of wobbly pitch or chorus. There’s not much I can do here. You can’t make something move rapidly in space without getting these kinds of doppler effects. Structure: just like with Elements... The module does not necessarily generate harmonic timbres in which the partials are regularly spaced (harmonics at f0, 2 x f0, 3 x f0, 4 x f0). Instead, we get bell-like or cymballike timbres which are just clusters of unrelated harmonics, for which there is no clear-cut answer to the question “which note is it?”. When STRUCTURE (on Rings) or GEOMETRY (on Elements) are set to the position marked in orange in the following picture, the partials are regularly spaced (f0, 2xf0, 3xf0, 4xf0) and the pitch is unambiguous. below this point, the partial cluster together, above this point they start spreading (for example the second harmonic is at 2.5 times the fundamental).


I’ve been having a lot of fun feeding Rings’ input with noise from Dinky’s Taiko. Voltage control over spectrum and release gives a lot of control over the sound. No control over attack though, you’d need another envelope for bowed sounds. But strikes sound awesome. Hitting the Taiko trigger and the strum with the same trigger or different triggers are both nice. And of course you can add the digital oscillator section too, which is cool, but I’ve had better luck with pure noise. 62/73 I really love the way Rings can respond just like a real stringed instrument. Using a trigger that doesn’t hit as often as your v/oct changes makes fantastic hammer-on/ pull-off guitar type sounds. And modulating position is just like playing guitar at the neck or the bridge. I was a guitarist before I ever touched a synthesizer, this feels like getting that acoustic instrument back but with superhuman control options


I find a VCA is essential with rings for enveloping the audio into rings to really get the most out of the unique tone shaping abilities of rings. Maybe its just me, i get very bored with the internally triggered sound of rings... if i want sounds that resemble “notes” i send many things to a VCA Matrix, and trigger envelope to the outputs to rings using the same trigger signal thats strumming rings... Works really nice with a Radio Music module as you can re-trigger the audio with that same signal and get infinite flavors of notes based on the audio in your radio music module. Mult the envelope to a filter for the audio too, so much tone shaping ability. So if you have a seuqncer like Rene.. QCV to Rings V/Oct. Mult the X Gate to maths ch1 and Radio Music reset, and Rings strum. Mult the positive output of Maths ch1 to the control input of the VCA, as well as the fm of your filter, and the brightness control on Rings. Send the Radio Music audio output through the filter and into the audio in of Rings. Position the start point of radio music, attenuverters of brightness and filter fm, and obviously the envelope A/D and VCA attenuation to shape your note sound.


Some things to try with Rings: - Instead of just letting it decay naturally, pretend it’s a normal VCO and send its output through a VCA controlled by an envelope. It can lead to interesting overlaps in polyphonic modes, and slow attacks or abrupt decays aren’t something we’re used to hearing out of Rings. And of course this also gives more control in FM or Disastrous Peace modes. - Set Damping low, and modulate it with a gate or envelope. It’s a bit different than using a VCA. - With a continuous input from a noise generator or VCO, set Damping fairly low, Brightness to minimum, and modulate Brightness with an envelope.


-- you can use the VCO to produce signals for Rings input. Either use a wave with a lot of harmonic content (like a square), or sweep the frequency of the incoming VCO, or both. -- you can connect it to Rings’ V/ OCT input for some weirder stuff, generally very noisy at high rates. -- you can use it to FM Rings. Or for a weirder variation, use it with Structure. -- you can use it with a VCA to AM Rings, or in a ring modulator, or a comparator / analog logic to do similar things. -- you can use a square/pulse wave into Rings’ strum input, but I believe there’s a maximum rate. -- you can use Rings to FM the VCO, then feed that FM’d signal back into Rings input. -- you can slow the VCO down and use it as an LFO, and then use it to modulate position, frequency, structure etc., or if it’s kind of steppy (like a saw, square, or just fast enough) feed it into V/OCT. I find Tides is pretty great at that since there’s so much control over its shape. -- you can use Rings to sort of “support” the VCO as an effect: have it track the same frequency as the VCO, mult the VCO output to Rings input and a mixer, and Rings output into the mixer but turned down so it’s fairly subtle.


You can get many interesting excitation sources by sampling a “hit” or a “hit and scratch” (from Ears or Mikrophonie) into Clouds buffer, then pitching it up down, repeating it at different rates with DENSITY, dissolving it with TEXTURE..


I really really like putting a sequenced oscillator into the in and another sequence into the 1v/oct, and tuning them up all nice. After reading this thread I got the idea of running the Oscillator into a VCA/clocked EG and a delay or maybe phaser then into the IN. THANKS fellow posters. I have all my bases covered in my system and wanted something fun so I got Clouds. So much can be done with it it’s no wonder it’s so popular. I had some success turning the position CW so it skips a few steps on a sequence, creates some nice variety and space. Add to that a little of that lfo thingy for some percussion and freeze it every 12-16 beats..


One of my favorite new things to do with rings/clouds recently is to send them both into Warps. Use Rings to process white noise/or a nice shifting buzzy oscillator, put some sounds into clouds buffer, vocals are a nice example and hey presto. Some incredible timbres when you use the crossfolder and ring modulators. Send lfo’s/pulsating envelopes to the VCA’s to create some rhythmic variation too. I’ve only had warps since Christmas, but its changed the way I think about patching immensely, forced me to eek out every kink and jagged edge in my waves looking for interesting cross modulations, even when not using warps itself. The little clicks from clouds when the grains have a harder edge is a cool thing to run into rings as an exciter. Warps opens up how I think about sound sources and has forced me into a refreshing place when I am now thinking about seemingly “complete voice” modules as just a piece of a bigger puzzle; Rings and Clouds being obvious and relevant examples here.