Though I had to spread the work out in little bits and pieces during the last month and a bit, it is finally done! YouTube says it is still processing the HD and 4K versions, though I just watched it in 4k60 so it should be available like that for everyone.
You fine folks here get first crack at this before I spam a discord or three some time on Sunday.
https://youtu.be/FvFn3O5pcy0
There are some decently-detailed notes in the description, but I’ll paste them here for ease of reference and to whet the appetite:
NerdSEQ project file courtesy Michael Gerdau. You can watch his original version here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2kCT88P9hc After watching his version I suggested it might be interesting to see other people run his NerdSEQ project through their modular synths and he provided in spades, with not just the project files but also comprehensive information about his patch! To avoid excessive rewiring I refrained from utilizing some of the dynamics control in the project file, but ran it essentially unmodified otherwise. Thanks for the massive sequencing and sharing effort Michael!
Apologies for the shaky camera movement and imperfect final placement, but I’m not going back to re-record and re-upload this monstrosity.
Two sets of ten voices are featured: one focused on tones drawn from retro computing, the other not. The movement is performed thrice, as follows:
00:00 Both sets of voices, cross-faded periodically by AXYS (from Ochd through tanh and DATA)
06:03 Just the non-retro voices
12:06 Just the retro voices
Driving both sets of voices is a NerdSEQ with More CV expander feeding three DROID modules. The DROID modules run a patch which for each of three or four incoming pitch CVs generates two pitch CV outputs, one for the retro voices and another for the non-retro voices. The DROID patch allows each of these eight CV outputs per DROID to be individually octave-shifted (shame on you, 0-5V module makers!) and calibrated. The majority of these pitch CVs are then wormholed toward the VCOs via Doepfer multicore modules, tidying up the patch, but a few which are not a part of my standing control-rate patch are connected directly. Michael’s NerdSEQ project also generates all envelopes, and these are wired directly into 20 VCAs via a collection of buffered multiples. If you notice envelopes firing during the video, I admit patching some additional things for greater blinkenlights factor.
Some module spotting awaits you.
Starting with the simpler retro voices, these feed a Doepfer octal VCA and a couple channels of Veils. Individual outs are then routed to ten channels of a Mackie LM-3204 stereo line mixer by way of an nw2s 16-channel balanced output module:
- Two Twin Waves modules provide four oscillators, all 2-bit saw waves.
- Threshold provides four oscillators. Three reduced-duty-cycle pulse waves and a NES triangle.
- Akemie’s Castle provides two oscillators, leveraging some of its weirder waveforms with one under light FM.
Onto the non-retro voices which feed ten channels of the LM-3204 expander, via further nw2s 16-channel balanced output modules, and are patched roughly (from first violin on down) as follows:
- Demon Core into Neutron Flux into Koma Dual Discrete VCA
- Braids into Fold 6 into Tallin
- Trident into Morpheus into Tallin
- Generate 3 into Filter 8 into Koma Dual Discrete VCA into tanh
- Angle Grinder into 860 VCF into Veils
- Bang into Pura Ruina into Red Dragon into Veils
- Osiris into Moon Phase into MUTON
- E300 Ultra VCO into Sonic XV into Koma Dual Discrete VCA
- A-111-5 (with open filter) into C4RBN into MUTON
- E300 Ultra VCO into V Shape into XaVCF into Koma Dual Discrete VCA
[Shower thought addendum: Early on I explored use of wave folders, distortion units, etc. and used a few, but ended up with less patched in than I figured I would. I think they can definitely help get closer to the target waveforms, but I was just getting tired of testing permutations as the project went along.]
Mixing and effects: The Mackie LM-3204 stereo line mixer, and expander, receive audio from nw2s 16-channel balanced output modules and feed stereo main (for the non-retro voices) and aux (for the retro voices) mixes, along with FX sends, back into the modular via an nw2s balanced 8 input / 8 output module. Stereo submixing via HN 4x Stereo Mix modules feed Erbe-Verb for reverb and reassemble the non-retro submix with effects. The retro voices are mid-side processed, simply for easy adjustment of stereo width, by SumDif and a channel of LEVIT8. AXYS blends between the retro and non-retro submixes. This is automated via Ochd (shaped by tanh) during the first phase, and adjusted manually for the second and third. AXYS feeds TX2 for balanced output.
Audio processing, and recording: TX2 into Octatrack (just passing through my standing setup) into Analog Heat (factory saturation preset; I literally just got AH, so a preset is what you get
) into iPhone via USB. Audio and 4k60 video were recorded together using the built-in camera app and are unprocessed aside from a camera app colour preset and YouTube’s encoding.)
Imagine all the variations!