Widely regarded as extremely undesirable, noise is typically a phenomenon to be avoided. Noise, frequently hurled at musicians as an insult or shouted at kids following “turn down”, gets a lot of negative usage. This Patchable explores the positive aspect and benefits that noise can bring to a modular system.
The sometimes disregarded noise source, can be so much more than a little extra content for a filter to chew on in a subtractive patch. For example, pink noise, when attenuated and used as a modulation source, can add a bit of instability and life to an otherwise static patch. High passed white noise or even blue noise can make pretty great sounding hi hats. Short bursts of noise into a very short delay with a lot of feedback is the basic structure for Karplus-Strong string synthesis. White noise into a slightly resonant filter then gated can yield some pretty good snare sounds. Noise is a fantastic and excellent sound source for percussion of all types.
Not everyone has a noise source in their system. In that situation, you can pretty easily make a decent noise approximation by creating an FM feedback loop with 3 VCOs. For example:
VCO 1 Sine or Tri Out > FM IN VCO 2 > VCO 2 Sine or Tri Out > FM IN VCO 3 > VCO 3 Sine or Tri Out FM IN VCO 1 > VCO 1 SAW to OUTPUT
THE CHALLENGE
Using only noise as a sound source, design as many sounds needed to create a beat or track. You can use multiple noise sources or mult one as much you want. Then filter, gate, modulate VCAs, ping delays or filters, sequence and whatever else you can imagine to effect the noise.
HOW TO PLAY
THIS PATCHABLE RUNS FROM FEB 16TH – FEB 29TH
- Create an original piece of music. It does not have to be a complete track. Ideas are welcome.
- Include the suffix PATCHABLE-0012 in the track title. A completed track title would look like this: Spiral Vortex PATCHABLE-0012
- Upload your track to soundcloud by end of day, Saturday February 29th.
- Include a link to your track and patch notes in the comments below.
Banging on Drippy Pipes…here goes…
https://soundcloud.com/syntheophyte/drippy-plumbing-dance-party-patchable-0012
The noise source is the metallic output of the Verbos Random Sampling. The beat is Entity Perc Synth which is a resonant filter core, so hoping that still counts as noise. 🙂
Time: Horologic Solum > Integra Funkitus(1) > Steppy(clock) / 141(gate) / Optomix(strike) / Mimeophon(tempo)
Noise: Random Sampling (metallic) > Optomix > QPAS (mono) & Entity Perc Synth
Shaping: IF(2) > bubblesound 141 > Optomix(ctrl/damp)
— IF(2) is slower than IF(1) and randomized so the envelope stays open longer than the mods on the QPAS)
Gates and Mod: Steppy / Mimetic Digitalis > Scales > QPAS
–All the notes come from modulating the QPAS cutoff freq, Q, and Radiate controls.
Processing and Recording: QPAS(BP) > Mimeophon > ES-8 / AUM
Percussion only piece!
https://soundcloud.com/w-y-543363470/w-y-brace-patchable-0012
My Patch Notes:
Noise only!
Master clock is coming from the Varigate 4+.
Noise sources are:
Pitsburgh SV1 noise from the S&H and digital noise.
DFAM
Telharmonic noise out
Wogglebug noise out
Noise sources are pretty much being mixed and modulated everywhere
DFAM is is doing the “hats” kind of sound just pretty much doing its own thing. However its going through a Mimeophone being clocked and modulated.
The “Kick” kind of sound is mixed noise from the SV1 analog noise and the Telhamonic noise going through an LxD (gate from Rene2’s X Channel) and CV from Wogglebug. LxD out is then going through a Pittsburgh Binary filter with resonance turned up pretty high and cutoff CV is being modulated with Maths being triggered from the Varigate to give it more of a percussive sounds.
The two mixed wave forms from that are going to the LxD are being multed and also being sent to a Mutable Instruments Warps with both the Algorithm and Timbre being modulated to give more movement. This is then being sent to the Random Source dual wasp to add distortion and filter (with some modulation on it)
Lastly, Wogglebug’s noise out is going to Mutable Clouds (clone) with freeze being clocked and size, texture, and v/oct being modulated
https://soundcloud.com/dysonant/patchable-0012-noise-zorloncannon-friends
https://youtu.be/gV4LXGuO1HA
All sounds in the patch started with some form of noise.
Main noise sources were:
* Zorlon Cannon
* Pink Noise
* White Noise
Kick = Pink noise into Bionic Lester MK III in Comb Filter mode with a bunch of random modulation
Percussion = Two channels of lower half into two channel on LxD. Ran that into Tyme Sefari with feedback loop going through a band pass filter.
Hat things = White noise going into Bionic Lest MK III in High pass with a bunch of random modulation.
Deep drone = Pink noise into Fuzz Factory then reverb.
Pitched Noise = White noise heavily FMing VCOb Sine wave out
https://soundcloud.com/user-646827276/patchable0012
Honestly i don’t know much about what i did. I know for sure the base of the rhythm are two synchronized step sequencers (8 and 7 steps) and the clock drives the RCD/SCM combination that does the weird rattling. Then the actual voices are different noise sources through filters. The mix is fed back into various point of the patch through the FXDf bandpass comb. What happens in between of all that – no one knows.. but there’s spring reverb
https://soundcloud.com/unsaidleek/sounds-from-an-urban-garden-on-another-planet-patchable-0012
Take 2 (the more rhythmic take 1 and using some different routing and modulation is: (https://soundcloud.com/unsaidleek/ny-modular-society-patchable-012-take-1). This piece uses only noise sources, namely:
low, med, high from Buchla Uncertainty source, each used twice
MakeNoise Telharmonic Noise out
Patch Notes:
There are 6 separate voices that fade in and out:
Voice 1 – Percussion – Pink noise source > BP Filter > Buchla QDM, gate opened by Arbitrary function generator which has it’s time, and cv out shaped by random voltages
Voice 2 – Percussion – White noise source > BP Filter (modulated by complex waveform generator mod oscillator) > QDM (gate triggered by AFG pulse out, attack shaped by random voltage)
Voice 3 – Shifting Waves – Blue noise source > Triple Morphing Filter (BW shaped by AFG, Freq shaped by AFG, modulation shaped by twisted waveform generator)
Voice 4 – Metallic chugging sound – Telharmonic noise out (degree shaped by cycling pressure points, tonic by Rene) > LxD (cv shaped by maths and struck by highly irregular Tempi out) > Erbe-Verbe
Voice 5 – Gurgly Laser sound – White noise > Optomix (struck by Maths) > Mimeophone
Voice 6 – Echoey buzz & police like sirens – Blue noise > QPas (various things shaped by Rene, Pressure Points and Maths) > Mimeophone
https://soundcloud.com/user-731767312/noise-nyms-patchable-0012
Patch notes: For this patch I used the filtered noise from Plaits. The aux output was sent into Pura Ruina for triple full-wave rectification distortion and then into the Endorphin.es Squawk Dirty to Me filter with the resonance up. A gate from PNW at /2 of the clock speed was modulating the frequency cutoff of the filter so that the filter opened every other beat (creating a snare-like sound). The main output from Plaits was sent to the Viola Ruina low pass filter and then into the Milky Way for some delay. The resonance on the filter was cranked up pretty high and the mangle modulation was turned on to create a kick-like sound for some sections of the song. Finally, the hi hats were created by sending some white noise into a VCA with a tight envelope from the Quadra which had some random modulation on the decay time.
https://soundcloud.com/nancy-not-her-real-name/200228-noise-but-you-know-like-chill-noise-patchable-0012
Thought I’d try to make as chill and ambient a track as I could using only noise. The only sound sources are white, pink, and violet noise from the Elby ED115, multed many times. There are five basic voices:
(1) the chord patterns are white noise into SMR, using the six resonators, modulated by six envelopes from Just Friends, to play various combinations and voicings of minor chords, then into Dual Looping Delay to play with rhythm;
(2) old-school analog-style percussion is violet noise into RxMx, struck by a Euclidean pattern from Pamela, with channels selected by varying envelopes from Zadar to create varying rhythmic patterns, then fed into Mimeophon;
(3) two bongo-type sounds, both from white noise run through resonant band pass filters (Three Sisters and Korgasmatron), complementary pitches for each coming from Marbles, pinged with patterns coming from ADDAC504 logic outs, with outputs multed to Clouds and Morphagene (with real-time recording and tweaking);
(4) marimba-type sounds from white noise through pinged QPAS, out to Disting delay; and
(5) vaguely dubby beat—kick is white noise through Intellijel uVCF, roughed up with Dark Matter; snare is white noise through Disting BPF; hihat is pink noise through Korgasmatron HPF; semi-random pattern for all three from Marbles; all out through Disting delay.
Lovin the noise tracks!!
better late than never? Just got SSF Quantum Rainbow and this is my first round with it.
https://soundcloud.com/crewcalledself/nyms-patchable-12
Patch Notes:
all sounds from SSF Quantum Rainbow into Quad VCA
Triggered by Klee Sequencer: bus 1 kick, bus 2 hats, bus 3 snare
Red noise for the kick
White noise for snare
Blue noise for hats
Kick runs thru Forbidden Planet LP filter, high resonance, with CV control from A+B of Klee
Hats run thru Mimeophon that eventually gets some CV from A+B of Klee as well
https://soundcloud.com/brain-basement/boogie-machine-patchable-0020-0012
I called this Boogie Machine, because it eventually has a groove, and sometimes crazy people dance to noise.
Patch notes: All noise generated by Frap Tools Sapèl
Stream 1:
Brown Noise to Erbeverb. Decay and Tilt controlled in opposition by End Of Rise and End of Fall of an LFO coming from the Intellijel Quadrax. Depth is receiving fluctuating random CV from Sapèl to change the pitch.
Stream 2:
White Noise to Make Noise QPAS filter. Frequency is sequenced from 0-ctrl. Level and burst are being generated from a Stillson Hammer sequencer triggering a channel of Maths. QPAS is slightly randomized from a Wogglebug smooth CV into the right variable channel.
Stream 3:
Pink Noise to multiple, then split with one channel going to a Random Source Serge VQVCF with the resonance being sequenced by a Stillson Hammer triggering Maths for envelope. I’m using Bandpass and Notch output of the VQVCF to a 2HP switch to be able to choose between noise and something more like percussive resonance.
Stream 4:
Pink Noise to multiple. The other split of the Pink Noise is going to a Make Noise Optomix, with the strike being trigger by Stillson Hammer, then on to an Echophon to create the “kick drum” sound that becomes a low note. I am manually modulating the pitch of the Echophon.
Stream 5:
Blue Noise to Monsoon (Clouds clone). 1V/oct is being sequenced from 0-ctrl, and Trigger is sequenced by the Stillson Hammer into Maths for envelope control.
Enjoy!
https://soundcloud.com/forestine1/waiting-for-the-11-bus-in-january-and-the-guy-next-to-you-has-a-slurpee-patchable-0012
I wish I had more filters! But anyway, I often put slowly filtered noise in my patches for maximum ambience (MAXAMBIENT™ Relax today… Or else!) so I thought I would combine a few with different LFOs like I would do with some kind of drone.