Mutable Instruments Beads | Grainmakers Playlist
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- It's good this is a playlist.The first 'Beads' entry in the list was a two minute impression because I figured Beads was discontinued and I needed to focus on modules you can still get. But there are a lot of used Beads modules available and I managed to get a brand new one from the dealer's shelve a few days ago. I decided to delete the old impression and shoot additional material with the trashed piano reference track. The ADDAC 112 arrived yesterday so I am still grinding keys and about to finish this compare.
Beads is a collector's item that's not very popular. I remember running to the store to get one when it was released, and being underwhelmed at first patch. Why is that? I guess expectations were high because old Clouds is one of the most successful modules in Eurorack ever. I truly believe Mutable should not have dropped the iconic name. But it doesn't matter. Mutable is retired and all modules in the collection became iconic landmarks in Eurorack history.
I also remember me writing stupid things like 'old Clouds is better'. Later I switched to a more diplomatic (but useless) 'it's different'. But today, two years later, I can say that Beads is actually a wonderful texture synth on its own. It's a grainmaker because it's using granular technology to synthesize these textures. It still sounds like Clouds, but with a much bigger vocabulary. The buffers are bigger, there are more bits, the UI is improved a lot and it provides predictable results once you figured it out. I think that's the real 'problem'. It's easier to revert to Clouds and let it be. I hope this video will shine a different light on it.
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I edited this one into a longer version with more patch examples. I think Beads deserved it.
Hi, You bought Beads "from stock" - where may I ask
@@JS-vk7ek My local eurorack dealer in The Hague, but I got the last one.
This is phenomenal stuff. i've probably listened to it at least ten times today. Thanks for sharing this kind of synth goodness.
Thanks for your comment. It's been a huge amount of work and comments like this are like new batteries.
Having 2 Beads is called Beadass 😆
That's cool!
I simply love my Beads.
Thank you for your video! Beads is one of my favorite modules as an effect and atmosphere-creator! Love it!
I think for most people: if you liked and understood Clouds, you don't need Beads. And if you didn't like or understand Clouds, Beads isn't going to be different enough.
The attenurandomizers are a really cool innovation I'm surprised we haven't seen them deployed in more modules!
I also was extremely excited to grab Beads and it seemed to have a learning curve along with sweet spots in areas to find. I never had Clouds so I had no actual comp in my case so I was unaffected by that. It is absolutely a Mutable module where you have to discover/search/seek/find.
After learning piano from 40 to 50 I bought a Mother 32 that lead me to get a Clouds as I thought I'm not going to get any other modules but Clouds immediately took me down the rabbit hole.
I never managed to make music using Clouds and never really understood it. But when I got Beads, Partly probably because I know more about synthesis but also something else, I instantly found how to use it in a for me meaningful and musical way. Thanks for this valuable series btw.
Thanks for sharing, Jonas! I think I learned Clouds when I read a post about Emilie's design intentions. She noted that it should be used with a module like Marbles and it explains why we have these randomizing attenuators to make it move by itself. It's funny that the intended use is not what's Clouds commonly used for :). Maybe this also explains why Beads is so 'different' and less ambient even though the DNA is the same.
@@CinematicLaboratory Actually i (so far) never use mine for the "clouds thing". Those randomizing attenuators are so awesome, i wish every eurorack module hat those - on every input.
@@CinematicLaboratory That sounds plausible. I haven't got Clouds anymore as I gave it to my best friend, but your videos makes me want to borrow it back to test a few things. I got a secondhand Jack Plug Monsoon that was broken since I got it, but thought I want a Nebulae or an Arbhar instead, but now, and as I've seen many Beads for sale lately, maybe another of those instead? also cheaper and less hp. Hm..
Btw, there are 9 videos on Beads in this playlist made by The Unperson
www.youtube.com/@TheUnperson/playlists
Here is one of them about Beads as a delay
th-cam.com/video/6cvBiu1h2HU/w-d-xo.html
I think part of the reason Beads did not achieve "Clouds status" is, besides the obvious fact that Clouds came much earlier when it was basically the Make Noise Phonogene and Mungo g0...and not much else that did granular?...and the first (afaik anyway) module that did "Xenakis" style granular instead of "Curtis" style granular...is because of the DIY market. There's no code shared with Beads yet I think. And Clouds got a couple of very nice Firmwares, with Parasites probably being in more Clouds units than the OG firmware.
Anyhow, I sold my OG Clouds soon after I got Beads, thinking its a "Clouds 2...which sounds "better" than OG Clouds...then I realised they are quite different in the way they sound and behave...and I missed my OG Clouds...which I wished had controls and CV inputs for the parameters that are hidden in the menu and so I got a Monsoon, which for me is the better "Clouds 2".
I use both and love both.
Thanks for your comment. You're right. I missed the most obvious reason! Indeed. Clouds vs Phonogene. Not a fair match...
@@CinematicLaboratory yeah...but Phonogene was the first from what I remember, even if it was Curtis style granular...arguably any sampler where you can modulate start/end point can do it too, but if my shot memory serves me right, Phonogene was the first "official" granular module.
But Clouds was the module that created the biggest impact and swept the modular world like a tsunami
@@nectariosm Yeah, but phonogene doesn't grain. Morphagene has 3 grains when chord ratios are used with Morph, but maybe we can consider one grain as granular too :). Phonogene is also from 2015, same as Clouds if I am correct.
@@CinematicLaboratory pretty sure I saw that piano video with the Phonogene in 2011. So a few years before Clouds.
Two schools of granular apparently, the Xenakis school where there are (multiple) grains being generated and the Curtis Tape-microsound that involves tape splicing into very small pieces.
Clouds is Xenakis, Phonogene is Curtis.
@@nectariosm You're right again. James Cigler's old PG with the colored knobs was originally posted in 2011. Anyway, your comments inspired me to make a grainmaker snippet with the PG. Just for fun. Again, it was an amazing experience.
I use Beads as a rhythm instrument and Clouds as an effect or pads to play over. Try this: 4 on the floor beat into Bead's SEED. PITCH fully CCW. SHAPE at ~10:00, and modulated with its attenurandomizer at ~3:00. Feedback fully CW. SIZE "to taste", I like ~9:00. REVERB "to taste". Connect "a control you can play" to the "assignable CV input (7)", and select the "Dry/Wet". A hi-hat beat into Plait's TRIG (don't select the hi-hat sound). A slow repeating pattern into Plait's V/OCT; and a very slow random voltage into Harmonics. An open/closed hi-hat gate pattern to MORPH. Now your "playing controls" are the DENSITY, Dry/Wet, and TIME (to find an interesting grain) on the Beads, and all of the very accessible sound shaping controls of the Plaits. Enjoy!
never knew i could need two :)
I too, .. have thought of a "2nd Beads". Mhmm, in series, (like it appears you have @ 4:45) with the 1st Beads sourcing audio in & then into the 2nd Beads audio in from the 1st Beads .. I've tried this kind of thing, in other ways .. and I got those kind of results, too. BUT, what if the 1st Beads has V/Oct in sourcing, instead .. and then the 2nd Beads using the 1st Beads audio? Who knows though, .. adjusting the timing of densities, the bead lengths, and so on .. maybe there are narrow lanes of gold, somewhere?
And, I never thought of using them in parallel .. nice idea. .. :)
3:51 hahaha ¥€$, cool stuff!!!
I can’t find a Beads clone anywhere. #SadFace
Beads has a Wavetable OSC Mode inside!
Yes, I forgot to mention that. It's an extra mode indeed and it's very good.
In case anyone is interested, there’s chap in London currently wishing to exchange a Beads, plus cash, for a Mimeophon. I was very briefly tempted, but I would really really miss the MN module- and have already bought, then sold, two Clouds clones, so I’d likely regret it…
I would not trade my Mimeophon with any other module either :).
:)