A collection of eurorack modular synth experimentations performed on a portable 54hp lunchbox system or on a Behringer Neutron, in the great outdoors. Sometimes recorded at lunch time, sometimes after dark.
All track names combine a synthesis element word with something food related.

Lunchbox

Ambient piece patched on my lunchbox portable 54hp eurorack modular synthesizer and recorded live direct to Tascam digital recorder through a passive mixer. The whole system is battery powered, solar charged.

Modules used:
- 2hp Kick
- 2hp Snare
- 2hp Bell
- Expert Sleepers Disting Mk 4
- Momo Modular uBursts

- Michigan Synth Works Pachinko
- OiiiAudio Trig Divider

- Pulp Logic Gain
- Pulp Logic Mix B
- Pulp Logic Output
- Pulp Logic Princeton Delay
- Pulp Logic Spring Reverb

Pulsar Salad

Another lunchtime experimentation, this time using a Behringer Neutron with a side docked multiples eurorack module and a Zoom MS60B guitar pedal. Battery powered, solar charged. As with "Pulsar Salad", this is recorded in the great outdoors, straight to a Tascam digital recorder.

A single LFO and a Sample and Hold control various aspects of the track. Performance added to the generative piece are tied to two attenuators that further control various aspects.

LFO Infusion Tisane

Back to the portable lunchbox eurorack modular synth. I wanted to use the Roland CR-78 drum machine for some percussions, but that is not exactly portable. So I captured a few loops from it using a Ditto+ looping pedal and used that instead. It is not a substitute, especially as I couldn't transition one loop to the next in a smooth way, so I stuck with one loop and filtered it. The Ditto+ also doesn't have a way to sync in or out, so I had to get the clock rate of the Pachinko roughly aligned with the loop. Was recorded on 3.14, hence the title (and also the randomness as part of the composition and performance process, just like the sequence of digits in Pi)

Apple Pi a la Mode

Another ambient piece done on the Behringer Neutron, with the Korg SQ-1 analog CV sequencer, a Zoom MS-70CDR, powered by a battery pack and recorded directly onto a Tascam digital recorder. Number station broadcast recorded at the same time on my phone and mixed in the final mixdown.

Once more, recorded in the great outdoors and keeping with the lunchbox / food stuff theme (number station was broadcasting from a country related to that food stuff...)

Pierogi Frequency

Another track made on the battery powered lunchbox portable eurorack modular,  using a Beehive, uBurst and Disting Mk4 modules to generate the sounds, a 2hp Kick, a Bastl Skis with a shortwave radio and an RD-6 (also powered by the battery) for drums and some effects. Mixing on the Korg Volca Mix

Happy Wasabi Wavetable

Once more, the portable studio returns, with a Behringer Neutron semi-modular synth, driven by a Korg SQ1 control voltage sequencer, all battery powered. Recorded in the great outdoors directly to a Tascam digital recorder

Hot Sauce Feedback

This track was recorded on the 54hp lunchbox eurorack synth. Shortwave radio feeding the Bastl Skis, 2hp kick, 2hp bell etc combined with a TD-6 in the later part of the track.

Back to my experiments from the mid 90s, but on my current portable equipment.

Food Noise

Once more, the battery powered portable studio strikes back. Behringer Neutron doing the sound generation, Korg SQ1 some very basic sequencing and controlling the bucket brigade delay of the Neutron. Output sent to the Zoom MS-70CDR and recorded live directly to the Tascam digital recorder. Oscillators, LFO and attenuators adjusted live to conduct this electronic orchestra.

Crawfish Bucket Brigade Part I

Behringer Neutron doing the sound generation, Korg SQ1 some very basic sequencing and controlling the bucket brigade delay of the Neutron. Output sent to the Zoom MS-70CDR and recorded live directly to the Tascam digital recorder. Oscillators, LFO and attenuators adjusted live to conduct this electronic orchestra. The same sequence by the SQ1 is used here as was used in Part I (https://soundcloud.com/francois_dion/crawfish-bucket-brigade-part-i?in=francois_dion/sets/lunchbox) but as you can hear, pretty different feel.

Crawfish Bucket Brigade Part II

54hp lunchbox eurorack modular synth and Korg volca mix. Disting in Shift Register Random Quantized Voltage mode driving the Beehive module. Frequency divider doing the percussions. The whole kit is once more battery powered and recorded directly to a Tascam digital recorder.

Shift Register Random Calvados Voltage

Note: Shorter edit of https://soundcloud.com/francois_dion/pulsar-salad?in=francois_dion/sets/lunchbox

Ambient piece patched on my lunchbox portable 54hp eurorack modular synthesizer and recorded live direct to Tascam digital recorder through a passive mixer. The whole system is battery powered, solar charged.

Modules used:
- 2hp Kick
- 2hp Snare
- 2hp Bell
- Expert Sleepers Disting Mk 4
- Momo Modular uBursts

- Michigan Synth Works Pachinko
- OiiiAudio Trig Divider

- Pulp Logic Gain
- Pulp Logic Mix B
- Pulp Logic Output
- Pulp Logic Princeton Delay
- Pulp Logic Spring Reverb

Pulsar Salad (Child Portion Edit)

A remix of "LFO Infusion Tisane" with drums (https://soundcloud.com/francois_dion/lfo-infusion-tisane?in=francois_dion/sets/lunchbox)

Another lunchtime experimentation, this time using a Behringer Neutron with a side docked multiples eurorack module and a Zoom MS60B guitar pedal. Battery powered, solar charged. As with "Pulsar Salad", this is recorded in the great outdoors, straight to a Tascam digital recorder.

A single LFO and a Sample and Hold control various aspects of the track. Performance added to the generative piece are tied to two attenuators that further control various aspects.

The remix includes drums done on the Univox SR-95 (Korg Mini Pops)

LFO Infusion Tisane (with Caffeine Beats)

An alternate performance of https://soundcloud.com/francois_dion/food-noise?in=francois_dion/sets/lunchbox

This track was recorded on the 54hp lunchbox eurorack synth. Shortwave radio feeding the Bastl Skis, 2hp kick, 2hp bell etc combined with an RD-6 drum machine

Back to my experiments from the mid 90s, but on my current portable equipment.

Food Noise (Alternate Performance)

Canadian Polyglot and polymath living in North Carolina, Francois is Head of Dion Research by day, & artist, maker of instruments & effects, musician, photographer & sound engineer by night.

His interest in music started at a very young age when he studied classical piano and electronics, both of these things would be quite influential on his future work.

He started composing electronic music as a kid in the early 80s and experimenting with sampling on an Apple //e, and would later use the Amiga, Apple IIgs and on the PC, the Gravis Ultrasound wavetable soundcard, and would publish soundbanks for it. Today, most of his music is done without computers, on modular synths and effects built by him, along with some commercial synths and effects.

From 1988 to 1997, he hosted a show on electronic music from its beginning in the early 20th century all the way to modern electronica, and the history of it and the technology that enabled it. He also did a stint at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Videoway / Videotron in Montreal.

In parallel with that, he would continue releasing music through various media, including digital media before MP3 files (through MP2 and ADPCM WAV files on Hyperreal, IUMA etc). In those 30 years to now, he has produced an average of ~1 album (EP or full) a year

Lunchbox

Francois Dion