The polyphonic examples used in this video are from my NiftyKeyz video : th-cam.com/video/zo-DdC7NJcM/w-d-xo.html Five years ago I already touched the subject with 1010's synthbox. th-cam.com/video/lUOsA_3qYQw/w-d-xo.html
I love the new format! Your deeper exploration of modules "on hand" is a great idea. You always produce videos that inspire and educate, and in this case I am driven to dive into my modules to see if I can approximate the concepts you demonstrate here... with less Ardbeg flowing in my brain and veins. I always find something valuable in what you share and I thank you for that! Cheers!!!
It strikes me yet, .. how pretty a bare sine wave is. Thanks for the reminder about MIDI to Bitbox, .. a totally unexplored rabbit hole, for me. Preprogramming a MIDI device, (and having some amount of variations) .. even as old, as it is .. trying to emulate that on modern modular .. I wouldn't bet against, the old horse. Yes, .. I like diagrams, .. any time you feel like making them, .. love it.
I look at "polyphony" from the viewpoint of an ensemble. I have different VCOs and VCFs. An Arturia Keystep Pro gives me four 1V/oct CVs, and then I have a couple of MIDI modules. So when I play a chord, the result is four different sounds, and thus why I think of it as an ensemble, or quartet. More keyboards, more "players." One does not need to adhere to a uniform sound throughout the voices, and be sure to explore what happens when one voice influences another.
I personally use hardware modular for complex, deep mono voices (which I find much more satisfying to tinker with) and an ES-9 + VCV for polyphony. This lets me create huge patches of tons of operators without 5000hp of physical modules. Then, I map key functions to midi knobs. A kind of poor man's "four plaits"
I thought about building me an 'Oberheim 8 voice': 16 VCOs, 8 SEM Filters, 8 VCAs, 16 ADSRs, 16 LFOs and two 4in2 stereo mixers (plus a case plus an 8 voice MIDI to CV interface). Depending on the quality of components I would end up between 6000 and 12000 € .... Of course it would be fun and probably would sound great but a GForce OB-E is much much much more reasonable 🙃- !! And something important I forgot: a digital tuner !!
It may require large setup, but is definitely worth the trouble. However, I don't agree at all with 4x Plaits or one-stop-shop polyphonic MIDI modules. The whole point of doing modular polyphony is to have total control over four analog paths. Otherwise it's inferior to just hooking an iPad/computer and send polyphonic audio into your effects chain. That said, I think that the biggest upgrade anyone with a monosynth setup can make is a second identical voice. Another monosynth filter/distortion/effect just gives you variations on what you already can do. Duophony opens up a whole new composition territory and is easy and cheap enough to pull off with pretty much any combination of modules you like.
Thanks for your feedback. Sure I agree because I love the dual VCO concept with different paths. It's just that duophony is not poly. I think you should at least be able to make a triad. That's why I love Instruo's discontinued Troika with the Harmonaig so much and I agree it doesn't have to be expensive. Unfortunately it will often sound like a common Moog keyboard in polyphonic settings. IMHO a four plaits setup just rocks.
@@CinematicLaboratory Just to clarify, what I meant is that the jump in musical capabilities from monosynth to duophony is greater than from duophony upwards, especially considering the necessary investment. Of course quad>triad>duo>mono. Personally I upgraded all the way up to quad polyphony setup (System 100), but I often patch it as a complex duophonic synth with two oscillators per voice. While there is of course harmonic tradeoff this way, it easily makes up for it with the depth of complex voices.
@@PrettyRandomNoises Totally agree! It's not just the luxury of duophony, but also the ability to FM, cross-FM, ringmod, etc, etc. For me, personally, I'd never ever start with a single VCO. I'd use a 'complex' dual VCO, a function generator and a VCA (LPG).
This is quite excellent my friend . I don't know if I could do it, but I would love to use my Behringer Neutron and my Teenage Engineering POM400 together, and control the POM400 thru the Neutron from a MIDI keyboard, since the Neutron has a MIDI to CV. I don't know if that would work or not. Anyway love your channel my friend!😎
The polyphonic examples used in this video are from my NiftyKeyz video : th-cam.com/video/zo-DdC7NJcM/w-d-xo.html
Five years ago I already touched the subject with 1010's synthbox. th-cam.com/video/lUOsA_3qYQw/w-d-xo.html
I love the new format! Your deeper exploration of modules "on hand" is a great idea. You always produce videos that inspire and educate, and in this case I am driven to dive into my modules to see if I can approximate the concepts you demonstrate here... with less Ardbeg flowing in my brain and veins. I always find something valuable in what you share and I thank you for that! Cheers!!!
Another route to four Plaits is the Disting NT. ;-)
It strikes me yet, .. how pretty a bare sine wave is.
Thanks for the reminder about MIDI to Bitbox, .. a totally unexplored rabbit hole, for me. Preprogramming a MIDI device, (and having some amount of variations) .. even as old, as it is .. trying to emulate that on modern modular .. I wouldn't bet against, the old horse.
Yes, .. I like diagrams, .. any time you feel like making them, .. love it.
The subharmonicon is one of my favorite ways to add polyphamy in a modular setting
a lot of work went into this - well done. thanks
I look at "polyphony" from the viewpoint of an ensemble. I have different VCOs and VCFs. An Arturia Keystep Pro gives me four 1V/oct CVs, and then I have a couple of MIDI modules. So when I play a chord, the result is four different sounds, and thus why I think of it as an ensemble, or quartet. More keyboards, more "players." One does not need to adhere to a uniform sound throughout the voices, and be sure to explore what happens when one voice influences another.
That's indeed the multi timbral example I used with my four plaits :). It's absolutely amazing,
I personally use hardware modular for complex, deep mono voices (which I find much more satisfying to tinker with) and an ES-9 + VCV for polyphony. This lets me create huge patches of tons of operators without 5000hp of physical modules. Then, I map key functions to midi knobs. A kind of poor man's "four plaits"
Wow. Thanks, that was awesome. : )
I thought about building me an 'Oberheim 8 voice': 16 VCOs, 8 SEM Filters, 8 VCAs, 16 ADSRs, 16 LFOs and two 4in2 stereo mixers (plus a case plus an 8 voice MIDI to CV interface). Depending on the quality of components I would end up between 6000 and 12000 € .... Of course it would be fun and probably would sound great but a GForce OB-E is much much much more reasonable 🙃- !! And something important I forgot: a digital tuner !!
thank you, i see a lot a lot a lot of work in this video, amazing. it sounds great and i love it, thank you again :-)
It may require large setup, but is definitely worth the trouble. However, I don't agree at all with 4x Plaits or one-stop-shop polyphonic MIDI modules. The whole point of doing modular polyphony is to have total control over four analog paths. Otherwise it's inferior to just hooking an iPad/computer and send polyphonic audio into your effects chain. That said, I think that the biggest upgrade anyone with a monosynth setup can make is a second identical voice. Another monosynth filter/distortion/effect just gives you variations on what you already can do. Duophony opens up a whole new composition territory and is easy and cheap enough to pull off with pretty much any combination of modules you like.
Thanks for your feedback. Sure I agree because I love the dual VCO concept with different paths. It's just that duophony is not poly. I think you should at least be able to make a triad. That's why I love Instruo's discontinued Troika with the Harmonaig so much and I agree it doesn't have to be expensive. Unfortunately it will often sound like a common Moog keyboard in polyphonic settings. IMHO a four plaits setup just rocks.
@@CinematicLaboratory Just to clarify, what I meant is that the jump in musical capabilities from monosynth to duophony is greater than from duophony upwards, especially considering the necessary investment. Of course quad>triad>duo>mono. Personally I upgraded all the way up to quad polyphony setup (System 100), but I often patch it as a complex duophonic synth with two oscillators per voice. While there is of course harmonic tradeoff this way, it easily makes up for it with the depth of complex voices.
@@PrettyRandomNoises Totally agree! It's not just the luxury of duophony, but also the ability to FM, cross-FM, ringmod, etc, etc. For me, personally, I'd never ever start with a single VCO. I'd use a 'complex' dual VCO, a function generator and a VCA (LPG).
Great video, thanks. And I do need a Deckard's Voice! 😂
This is quite excellent my friend . I don't know if I could do it, but I would love to use my Behringer Neutron and my Teenage Engineering POM400 together, and control the POM400 thru the Neutron from a MIDI keyboard, since the Neutron has a MIDI to CV. I don't know if that would work or not. Anyway love your channel my friend!😎