Created in response to:

scent of plum
in a flash of rising sun!
the mountain path

Naviar haiku challenge 602, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

I used Voltage Modular and a couple of additional effect plugins, set everything up including mapped physical controls and multitrack recorded an improvised lave take. The ending is a bit more abrupt than I would have liked but I realised I was getting near to the 10 minute mark. 

The "Melody" that appears towards the end was randomly generated using Turing Machine modules from DMT Audio. https://store.cherryaudio.com/bundles/dmt-strict-machine-expanders-bundle

Mountain Path - (naviarhaiku - 602)

Created as a response to:

insect tremolo
soberingly cools the heat
of farmland roads

Naviar haiku challenge 603, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

Created using Voltage Modular and a lot of crickets from freesound. 

The synth elements are quite minimal and all driven semi-randomly, there's a fair amount of subtle random modulation built into each element so the final track, while a live take was mostly a mix with only a few other controls.

Small sections from the following samples; all from freesound and all CC0, 
 were assembled into a single file which was then randomly sampled using a granular synthesis module.

Cricket close up.aif by Danjocross -- https://freesound.org/s/164269/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
cricket chirp.wav by kmckinney7 -- https://freesound.org/s/353073/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
cricket by FunkApache -- https://freesound.org/s/393389/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
Cricket - Grillo by Lunevix -- https://freesound.org/s/543965/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
180518 Single cricket, high pitched BAHAMAS.flac by TRP -- https://freesound.org/s/570982/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
11 - Atmospheres & Ambiences - Crickets B by Snoops_Audio1 -- https://freesound.org/s/807670/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Cooling the Heat - (naviarhaiku - 603)

slightly faint
yet clear
the milky way

DMT West Coast Suzanne Ciani patch with very liberal use of Waverley Instruments Quadelay

As always, were it not for the SpaceDog's Kennel, this dog would still be on the porch with nary a bark

slightly faint NaviarHaiku 606

Inspired by:

slightly faint
yet clear
the milky way

Naviar haiku challenge 606, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

Everything was generated using Voltage Modular and a lot of effects. There are two randomly generated sequenced elements where the note information was converted to MIDI and sent from Voltage to a couple of instances of Dreamsynth then to further effects.

Faint But Clear - (Naviarhaiku - 606)

Winter waterfall
a rock untouched
by sunrise or sunset

very rudimentary ratcheting within a sequence - VM 900 modules within Voltage Modular passing through the Waverley Instruments Quadelay

Gratitude as always to SpaceDog's kennel for exploring, encouragement, and knowledge

winter waterfall NaviarHaiku607

The haiku that guided this;

Winter waterfall
a rock untouched
by sunrise or sunset
(Naviar haiku challenge 607, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge ),

has an obvious staring point, "Winter Waterfall" the track has finished up quite experimental.


Waterfall = white noise.
So I started with a noise source in Voltage Modular and created an evolving sequence that processed the noise output through a spectral filter bank using two instances of the WC-96 Spectral Processor from DMT Audio. I then created a rhythmic element by feeding that output through an LFO controlled envelope, passing the output on to Quadelay from Waverley Instruments. 

With the noise elements in place I added some pulses using basic VM modules then moved on. Having used a couple of tweaked Dreamsynth presets last week I decided it was time to take the deep dive and learn how to patch Dreamsynth from scratch. Dreamsynth (https://cherryaudio.com/products/dreamsynth) is deep, almost modular. I made a patch for the chord sequence; yes I know it's a bit weird but I liked it in isolation while developing the DS patch so kept it all be it sequenced, converted to MIDI and passed out from VM. While experimenting I found that if I played in a low register I got a rumbly semi random texture so I split that off and tweaked it a bit to represent the rock, triggered by a separate sequence in VM. The final element is a drone layer made from DMT Audio's "West Coast" modules (Uncertainty and Harmonic Oscillator), left over from an early experiment and passed through a band pass filter modulated by reused control, voltages from the noise sequencing. 

With all the elements in place I made two changes before recording, I added a small amount of ShimmerVerb from Eventide to the chord sequence and replaced the pure white noise that I'd planned to use at the beginning with a sample of a real waterfall from freesound (Staying close to waterfall by trader_one -- https://freesound.org/s/670515/ -- License: Creative Commons 0), because I wanted a touch of gurgling water.

With everything in place; opening waterfall, mapped physical controls, multitrack recording and no real plan. I hit record and improvised, one take, longer than I'd expected.
I'll own up to doing a lot of mastering to make the dispirit elements gel but didn't add anything significant.

Winter Waterfall - (naviarhaiku - 607)

One of Rolf Kasten's Playertron Stochastic patches for Voltage Modular( included with his Signal Path magazine) provided a firm foundation on which I was able to build the piece. I manipulated probabilities, bpm, pitch, as well as adding reverb using Waverley's Quadelay. I then applied some finishing touches in Reaper.
Another product of what I've learned about bringing creations to fruition in the SpaceDog's Kennel

not yet bent_Naviar Haiku 608

The haiku that inspired this:

dropped glass -
its ring
outlasts the fall

Naviar haiku challenge 610, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge 

Was a clear indication that every sound would be in some way derived from or be a simulation of glass. While the final piece is the result of a one off live mix performance there was a lot of assembling of elements and preparation including routing audio to numerous effects.

Not possessing any glasses that properly ring I experimented with other glass objects and found I got acceptable results from several lamp shades, these were recorded and split into single hie samples. I used a simple patch in VCV Rack to play these in a semi random sequence; the result of which is passed through Moon Echo, Audio Thing. It is also routed to GRFX from Imaginando and separately to a combination of SpaceBlender, Soundtoys and ShimmerVerb, Eventide. Together these are used to build the opening of the track.

The central drone section had to be prepared in advance because of audio driver limitations.  I recorded the output of two random but overlapping sequences again generated using VCV Rack, then used that audio to excite and resonate a simulated glass disc with holes in it using Substrata from Giorgio Sancristoforo.

The closing section features two again semi random sequences generated with Voltage Modular and passed as MIDI information to two separate instances of Clear Glass from QuietMusic. The faster sequence also has a small amount of Stardust 201 Tape Echo, Cherry Audio, added towards the end.

Dropped Glass - (naviarhaiku - 610)

When I read the haiku that guided this:

half-asleep eyes
open to a dreamlike world
of blossoms

Naviar haiku challenge 611, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

I had a couple of ideas for a more literal interpretation but as I developed the track these were discarded. Everything was created using Voltage Modular, the individual elements were separated allowing for multi track recording. As an experiment I ran the Speldosa VST from Klevgrand inside VM, this is the basis of the Sparkly Bursts, doing it that way made it much simpler to control the output which was then processed externally through SpaceBlender from Soundtoys and a touch of Valhalla's Supermassive. All recorded in a one shot lave take, live mixing and manipulation of probabilities and subtle modulations. Other than mastering effects the only notable addition in post recording was adding Gong Amp (AudioThing), to the central "Melody".   

A Dreamlike World - (naviarhaiku - 611)

The haiku that prompted this: 

Star above the peak -
a silk worm-breeding village
silently asleep

Naviar haiku challenge 613, details here: https://www.naviarrecords.com/haiku-music-challenge

Although the haiku provided a clear image with some well defined elements I didn't have a starting point. The star and sleeping village were no problem so I began experimenting with sequenced elements to represent the peak using VCV Rack. I then developed the atmospheric background in Voltage Modular as I wanted to use the Quadelay module from Waverley Instruments for which there is no VCV equivalent. I also included Healing 2 Lite , the Free singing bowl VST Instrument from Quiet Music. 

Taking the most promising sequences from VCV including an evolving "Pseudo melody" made with a virtual implementation of the Turing Machine. I assembled a routing and automation maze so I could multi track record and live improvise. I also set up several external effects before recording.

Although this was the result of a live improvisation; I actually recorded two versions, introducing the sequenced elements in a different order. While finalising the mix I added a touch of Stardust 201 Tape Echo to all the sequenced components to cement them together.

Star_Above_The_Peak-(naviarhaiku-613)

I'm primarily a visual artist both 2D and 3D, for the last decade I've operated almost exclusively in the digital 3D realm.   since the late 80s I've made periodic forays into the sonic world, MIDI sequencing, minimalism, musique concrète, found sounds  and improvisation. I am seldom happy with anything and seldom consider a piece finished.

New tracks tagged #voltage modular