Re: Shared recording uploaded (Re: mac vst builder(Synthedit) thingy??)

[Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com>]

On Jan 23, 2010, at 6:36 PM, Per Boysen wrote:
> http://www.box.net/shared/9f6cov0qh2
>

On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 8:51 PM, Mark Hamburg <mark@grubmah.com> wrote:

> How much preparation do you put in before an "improv" like this and how 
>much are you really able to pull together on the fly?


I would say that the general flow of the piece, understood as
directions and movements, is all improvised. Poly rhythm is partially
improvised while tonal pitch is not improvised at all, rather
automized with a little help of random.

The balance between how much you prepare in advance vs how much you do
during performance is really totally open. I'd love to explain the
process behind this tune, since live sequencing is a big interest of
mine. Those not interested can just skip over this mail. ;-) Here are
the steps:

1. Discrete sequencing.
I don't know where this term comes from originally, but in musical
terms it is what King Crimson does a lot in many tunes; you use two
patterns of different length where pattern one is the pitches and
pattern two is the accents. To achieve this I used

A: an Interval (pitch) sequencer of 16 steps. This pitch sequencer's
positions for the 16 steps is partially randomized ("partially"
meaning not all steps are changed) by a Modulation Sequencer now and
then. This modulation sequencer runs at 15 steps to randomize the
randomization frequency (yay! how deep can you go...).

B; a Gate Sequencer that runs at five steps with all steps active and
values gradually going down from beat 1 to 5. While the Interval
Sequencer gives the pitches to be played this one gives the note
duration. What we get here is a changing 16 note pattern with a note
duration pattern repeating every fifth beat.

C: a Velocity Sequencer that runs at 6 steps. Values are like
"High-Low-Mid-Low-Mid-Empty". This creates an accent pattern in the
above reminding of a Waltz rhythm, and with a paus at the last beat.

Ok, the MIDI generated by these three sequencers are tonally quantized
into a C minor dorian scale. This was all automatic precess prepared
in advance. Oh, I also set the synth to juste intonation in C.

Here comes the live performance part:

The synth sound is programmed to go into a bell like timbre on higher
velocity values and more pad like sounding with slower attack at lower
velocity values. On the Faderfox I can control the following:

1. base for the velocity sequencer (the fundamental value it starts out 
from)
2. scaling for the velocity sequencer (how "much" its pattern shall be
implied on the generated MIDI)

These two control parameters are assigned to a joystick. By turning
down the "base" to zero I get only only the three beats "High-Mid-Mid"
in half tempo (since it is every second beat and the ones between are
silent). This is the typical Waltz rhythm. The "scale" parameter now
works as an attack/level control for the synth. If I bring up the
"base" value a bit the silent notes between the waltz notes comes
alive and the rhythm may as well be experienced as a four beat
measure.

3. Groove tremolo. In the audio path after synth 1 there is a groove
tremolo effect. I use one knob to fade between  full bypass and full
tremolo treatment. The tremolo is a little delayed on every second
beat ("groove factor"), actually the same groove factor I have set
Numerology's global groove clock sequencer to (forgot to tell that
initially, but it's just a preference setting). The more this tremolo
is applied to the sound the more 4/4 it feels.

I added a second synth, bass sound, with a similar setup but now
tremolo. Then I also added a drum sequencer that loop a 16 bar "song"
containing 8 one bar patterns.

These three instrument recourses were then manipulated with the
processes described above plus simple volume mixing. As you hear I
kept the waltz feel of synth 1 all the way until fading in the 4/4
drums, because I found it cool with that odd feeling of the drums
appearing like that; for a second you don't "understand" it until your
hearing switches over from 3/4 to 4/4.

This was a dirt simple example of "discrete sequencing". The cool part
of Numerology is that you are not limited to sequencing notes only -
you may in fact sequence any sound parameter of a synth, a looper, a
sampler or filter plugin. This is why I asked Mark Francombe why he
thinks he must program his own plugins, because to me it would be an
easier solution to us Numerology that already offers a drag n drop
patching matrix to jiggle any parameter in any plugin in any way.

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.boysen.se
www.perboysen.com