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#mutableinstruments

2 posts2 participants1 post today

I finally got around to making a more or less generic sketch to demonstrate the #MutableInstruments Braids port to arduino. It's at github.com/poetaster/arduinoMI with minimal instructions in the Repo #README It's a real challenge getting decent audio output but Braids is nice and rings is nice. Plaits is still a bit bitchy, but, somewhat usable :) here is an example of what usable means (abusing FM)

00:00/00:39
Continued thread

Music Tribe support asked me to send them a video to figure out what is going on. That;s a first for me. But I did, and I hope they figure out the issue with my behringer chaos. It is a clone of a Mutable Instruments Marbles, but no space saving like say, a uMarbles or Pachinko.

Today some #DrumNBass climbed out of my brain and into #BitwigStudio - I was inspired by #CinematicLaboratory on YouTube and his post about #MutableInstruments #Elements and I built a wee patch in #VCVRack and brought in my #AccessVirusB (Viper VST) and an easy beat with some #AcidBass - I reposted with the compression altered so the bass drum sounds better now. Could be #BonkWave or may #NotBonkWave - either way it was fun!

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I've been playing with Eurorack since 2020. Here's my current setup: a 104HP, 6U (two row) box full of, mostly, Mutable Instruments modules. It's missing two: one that I own but have lent out, and one which I intend to buy when I have an income again.

Mutable Instruments was a company founded by Emilie Gillet, a French trans woman who has been in electronic music production for many years. She designed about two dozen modules, each of which was completely revolutionary in one or two ways, and for most of which she published schematics and code. That code now underlies a huge percentage of reverbs, granular synthesizers, and even basic VA and wavetable synthesizers on the market today, and is available in VCV Rack as "Audible Instruments". Beyond even that, her design principles, such as autoranging and mode changes based on which ports have cables connected, have completely shifted the ecosystem. Emilie left the industry because of transphobia; there is no more production of Mutable Instruments modules, but there are plenty of folks pumping out clones of varying quality.

When I started with Eurorack, I couldn't afford most of her modules. I had only one; a used Tides v2, which is still in my rack today. I've spent the last four years saving and finding deals and trades to build up my collection of her originals, and I'm very glad to have the system I do today.

The rest of this system is a patchwork; an LFO and an effect from Xaoc Devices, an output module I built from a Befaco kit, level shifters from ALM. It's only missing two things: a Karplas-Strong string synthesis module, called Rings, which I lent to a friend years ago, and a sequencer-adapter, for which I intend to use the Squarp Hermod. I already use the Squarp Pyramid as my main sequencer, but it made more sense when I used other synths along with my modular; these days, it's mostly just the modular and my guitar.

Modular synthesis is not a good way to make music from scratch, but it is a great way to explore soundscapes, build machines that generate their own, unique sounds, and process other instruments.

Pondered the modules I purchased yesterday

Decided to take one back today and return it, but I also took in a bunch of stuff to trade in - holy shit it felt good to get rid of these wargaming minis and design reference books

Got a solid amount of store credit and was able to pick up 3 more modules for practically nothing

- Mutable Instruments Blades
- Mutable Instruments Veils
- Intellijel Mixup 3u

...and I got a Game Genie for NES!

#mutableinstruments
#eurorack
#retrogames

He's always been brilliant but #RedMeansRecording is now easily my fave tech #YouTuber

Why?

Because he actually fucking cares about people.

Every comments page, every forum is stuffed with Clarksons, gammons, flagshaggers, TERFs and outright Nazis.

So this video is like a glass of cold, superfuckingtasty water in a desert of fucknuts:

youtu.be/OiT7yo3qo2o

Go give him a follow: @jjbbllkk

I finally put together all my favorite gear. This is the “mostly Mutable” system I’ve been working with for a while, thanks in part to a wonderful co-worker selling me some modules and to my luck in acquiring Beads and a few other Mutable bits before Émilie shut things down. It’s in a Jake’s Custom Shop 104HP case, which I have to say I can’t wholeheartedly recommend - it’s very sturdy and portable, but many modules will conflict with the rail braces and thus can’t be used at the ends. I actually had to remove one of the rail braces and rely on the structural integrity of the thick Mutable panels to keep everything together.

I had the system on my nearby desk for a while, but that desk is used for a lot of other things, so there was often clutter blocking the system from being used. I also didn’t have a good place for my cables. This side-table was used for my IRIS DPC-44 electronics parts organizer until I realized that it actually had mounting holes which allowed me to attach it to the wall, freeing up the space on the side table. I was also able to position my cable comb so that it’s much easier to access when I’m patching.

My hope is that this will lead to a lower barrier of entry to working on sound design and music-making!

(The photo was taken with my Fujifilm X-T1 and a vintage manual focus 50mm f/1.7 lens.)

[ #eurorack #monome #synth #electronicmusic #mutableinstruments #modularsynth #modular ]