The Sound Design Showcase

[Crabcore]

I figured it might be cool to have a thread where we can post our sound designs or performances we've done that don't quite fit the bill for a 'song' / track. For example, playing with modular synths, hooking a guitar up to a crazy pedalboard, circuit bending, or experimenting with field recordings -- pretty much anything you've made that you think is cool, even if it's not a full song - and I'd love to hear what you're working on!

(Also, if this gets into SDR or microcontroller territory -- even better!)

Today, I finished this livecoding script I've been working on that sits inside of VFX Script, which is a device inside of Patcher, which is a subdivision of FL Studio. I'm pretty happy with the crazy rhythms and melodies I can generate with this thing on the fly! I had a few false-starts and had to erase everything I did a few times, but after about 3 days of really working out the logic I wanted in Python, it actually works like I had hoped. Pretty fun to play with, too!

 

[Crabcore]

This one is a little more difficult to explain like a normal person, but it's a sort of combination between livecoding and modular synthesis where I'm feeding the synthesizer input signals (mostly clocks in this example, to the tune of a MIDI CC control) created with Ruby code in an environment called Sonic Pi. While it seems very complicated on first glance, it's pretty simple, but it also leads to some really interesting and intersecting ideas!

 

[Misery]

Wow this looks complicated.

On one hand, cool sounds.

On the other hand, no bloody idea what I'm looking at.

 

[Grondhammar]

Wow this looks complicated.

On one hand, cool sounds.

On the other hand, no bloody idea what I'm looking at.

100% totally agreed.

I look at the guys like State Azure and Martin Stürtzer with their racks doing generative stuff, and think it sounds amazing, but also unbelievably complicated. "Wait, that wire is going to this rack, and it's got outputs going over there and there, and what's the 5th piece in the chain doing?"

@Crabcore, sounds amazing, great work making sense of it all! I'd love to get into this but 1) time for 2) untangling all the different pieces I'd have to know. I might just enjoy the results of other people's hard work

 

[Misery]

So, wait... this is all generative, is what it is?

I'm not sure what in heck else I thought it was. I think I saw a bunch of code in the second video and got the idea that it was mostly programming... somehow. And I havent exactly learned Python or anything.

I'll admit, I am intrigued.

I dont have much coding knowledge yet, but I can definitely jam wires into things, that's for sure.

 

[Crabcore]

I dont have much coding knowledge yet, but I can definitely jam wires into things, that's for sure.

You might have a hidden / dormant knack for modular . Aside from just a few rules that kind of govern the system, you can actually make a lot of generative and procedural music with just that component, and no code at all!

I'm not sure what in heck else I thought it was. I think I saw a bunch of code in the second video and got the idea that it was mostly programming... somehow. And I havent exactly learned Python or anything.

Yeah, in the first video, I'm basically just triggering synths with a Python script I built, and in the second one, I'm just firing off MIDI notes for the modular synthesizer with a Ruby-language environment called Sonic Pi. These aren't necessary components to modular or even regular synthesis by any stretch of the imagination; I just like to combine the two for an extra layer of logic and computer-based determinism!

 

[Crabcore]

@Crabcore, sounds amazing, great work making sense of it all! I'd love to get into this but 1) time for 2) untangling all the different pieces I'd have to know. I might just enjoy the results of other people's hard work

Thank you so much!

I think I sort of have it down to a really basic science, if you even want some tips or experiments to try! It can be quite a lot of fun, IMO . And even a free copy of Cardinal or VCV Rack can be enough to create some really interesting stuff!

 

[Grondhammar]

think I sort of have it down to a really basic science, if you even want some tips or experiments to try! It can be quite a lot of fun, IMO . And even a free copy of Cardinal or VCV Rack can be enough to create some really interesting stuff!

Oh, great tip there. The cost of FL Studio and add-ons has been a real interest-killer for me. I'll have to check out the ones you mentioned... in my non-existent spare time. Thanks, fun to look forward to.

 

[Dagan]

If only, I had known all of this sooner, I could have roped you in (begged you a whole ton) to co-compose some of the album I'm finally about to release. These are great. I'd still love to use bits and pieces of these and layer heavy guitars, bass and drums over them (and vocals). Just a thought. Also, no rush because I do need a breather from mixing / mastering and almost want to listen to nothing for a while, haha (knowing good and well I'm probably going to blast deftones or similar soon enough).