Messing around with the new Malfunktion pack from LDM Design on my Novation Circuit (OG).

Malfunktion pack
https://isotonikstudios.com/product/malfunktion/

Image CC BY-SA courtesy of Random Mandelbot (https://twitter.com/randommandelbot)

Bit of a Downer

Messing around with the new Malfunktion pack from LDM Design on my Novation Circuit (OG).

Malfunktion pack
isotonikstudios.com/product/malfunktion/

Image CC BY-SA courtesy of Random Mandelbot (twitter.com/randommandelbot)

arhythmetic

Malfunktion pack
isotonikstudios.com/product/malfunktion/

Image CC BY-SA courtesy of Random Mandelbot (twitter.com/randommandelbot)

stumbleweed

I don't have the cables to do line input recording from a stereo headphone jack, so I had to use the stereo mic on the Zoom H4N Pro.  Not ideal, but should give you an idea.

The first few plinks are what you get when you just turn the NTS-1 on and start playing some notes.

The rest of it should give you some idea of the possibilities that are presented by the built-in oscillators and effects engine.  This looks and feels like an overpriced toy, but there is an amazing amount of power in this $99 Korg digital monosynth.

Other than adjusting the volume and removing a little room noise, this is all exactly as produced by the NTS-1 through some cheap speakers.  No external effects used.

This particular patch was just a "random" generated by NTS-web (https://nts-web.oscarrc.me/), a free tool which really lets you unlock the potential of this device. This required a USB connection to my laptop, and I played it with my Arturia KeyStep because the ribbon keyboard is just ridiculous.

Korg NTS-1 Demo

An earlier version of this was accompanied by cajon and synth, but I was never happy with the quality. In honor of a new bass guitar, it was time for a new recording.

Signal path: Ibanez SRMS805 -> Mackie VLZ mixer -> PreSonus AudioBox USB96 -> Studio One

The "main" bass line has some compression, reverb, and EQ.  The interlude in the middle uses Arturia's Tape MELLO-FI plugin.

The mistakes are all mine.

Unresolved (solo bass)

I have acquired some bass pedals. Neither are what you would normally use in a 12-bar blues progression, but here we are. See if you can recognize any of my favorite bass players by the riffs I steal.

The first half or so is just using the Dunlop Cry Baby 105Q, the bass-specific wah pedal. I try a few different styles of usage here, but I'm still very much learning to coordinate foot movements with playing so results are uneven. Still, you can get a sense of what it does and can do.

The second half I activate the Deluxe Bass Big Muff Pi by Electro-Harmonix. The first part is "normal" using the settings in the photo; for the last part, I enabled the crossover.

MIDI drums from MT PowerDrumKit 2.
DAW by Reaper, which I am still very much learning.

Only Steal From The Best

Found some more recordings from last year's overseas adventure when I had lots of time and little of use to do. I am 99% sure this is all done on the NTS-1 using built-in effects, although probably using the KeyStep's sequencer/arpeggiator.

Seventh synth set

Santa brought an Alesis SR18 drum machine/sequencer, so I'm still exploring.  This is just the SR18 fed into the computer via Zoom H4NPro (acting as the audio interface).  No effects or anything.

And of course I forgot to save it on the machine itself before powering off so I guess it's gone now, except for this .WAV.

Alesis SR18 - Empty Song 00

There's a hint of something worth saving here.  Maybe it will be a real thing later.

I love the DI tone I get from this bass using flatwound strings.

Image (CC-SA) courtesy of twitter.com/randommandelbot/. (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Bass guitar demo, 200917

I've been playing with my Circuit a lot lately and half perhaps half a dozen proto-tracks that could easily fit in some sort of video game soundtrack.  This is the first that I've managed to record without messing up too badly.  Eventually.

This is a "live jam" without any post-processing, recorded straight into Audacity via my PreSonus AudioBox96.  All sounds, filters, effects are built-in to the Circuit.  It's a powerful box.

UPDATE: This became the first track of a short album.  See https://atm1l0.bandcamp.com/album/variable-resistor-ost.

Image (CC-SA) courtesy of twitter.com/randommandelbot/. (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Variable Resistor

Just a few seconds from each of the sessions in progress on my Novation Circuit as of 16 January 2021.  The first one is what became "Variable Resistor" so I don't spend very long on it.  Some of these are not much more than what's in the sample; some are fairly complete and just require me to play them into Audacity "live" well enough to save.  I think there are probably 6 or 8 worth fleshing out and keeping.

I really feel like I'm making the soundtrack to 2D Metroidvania-style game.  I can sort of picture some of these tracks as menu music, boss battles, etc.

I would like to experiment with more sample and synth packs, but I want to finish these (as much as something can be finished) before I go off in a different direction.   I know I can save them to my PC and come back later, but I feel like I'll lose something once I go on that I might not be able to find again.

UPDATE: I spent the weekend working on this.  Complete album (for very loose definitions of both terms) can be found on my Bandcamp but also at Archive.org, along with the session files if you want to give these a swing yourself.  https://archive.org/details/variable-resistor-ost

Image (CC-SA) courtesy of twitter.com/randommandelbot/. (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Circuit Sketchbook, 16 January 2021

First there's a sound you need to hear

but no one has yet made it

so you try to make it

it sucks

you keep doing it

gradually it gets closer to what you need to hear

but never quite gets there

you end up making lots of other sounds

and some of those are pretty okay.

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venyaBass

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