I hope you are all doing well! I am trying to create a drone patch with a few layers, with a generative part or two to go with it. I was wondering what kind of implementations would be possible to get some chord progressions/movement within the patch using VM Core only.
I tried this one in the image below and it was fine. Random voltages from a S&H quantized by offset Quantizer modules.
I was also thinking about producing a MIDI file to trigger from the MIDI File Player on loop. What other generative chord progression or predetermined chord progression implementations do you think could work in such a case only using VM Core?
Generative Chords.png (464.05 KiB) Viewed 3173 times
You could try using multiple sequencers running at the same clock speed, but with different lengths. Say, running an 8-step sequencer against a 7-step sequencer. This is known as 'polymetric sequencing' rather than 'polyrhythmic'. If you add the voltage outputs of the sequences together before running the summed voltage through the sample & hold and quantisers, you can get some interesting things going on.
It becomes less random but not completely cyclic either; it has more of a fractal nature. Clock the sample and hold with a pattern on one row of the Drum Trigger Sequencer set to a different length again, say 12 steps. The overall feel of the rhythm will be of 7, 8 or 12, depending on how you configure things, but underlying it will be a shifting base which changes from one measure to the next. It won't repeat until after 168 steps.
You could also try running another sequencer into the Offset CV of the right-hand quantiser. Make the 'middle' note of the chord jump around from the third interval to the second or fourth instead, so that you throw in the occasional Sus2 or Sus4 chord.
That's perfect! I am already having ideas on how to get diatonic progressions using one sequencer to offset the other sequencers for scale degree. I am a huge fan of polymeter.
If you add the voltage outputs of the sequences together before running the summed voltage through the sample & hold and quantisers, you can get some interesting things going on.
Could you explain this configuration? So I am a bit confused by this. If my intention to generate polyphonic information for a chord, wouldn't summing the all of the voltages only produce one voltage that the oscillator could use?
Clock the sample and hold with a pattern on one row of the Drum Trigger Sequencer set to a different length again, say 12 steps.
How would this work? Would it just be the rate of the sequencer driving the clock of the S&H? Is this meant to exploit the sequencer in that I can skip steps so the clock signal going to the S&H won't be even and regular?
You could also try running another sequencer into the Offset CV of the right-hand quantiser. Make the 'middle' note of the chord jump around from the third interval to the second or fourth instead, so that you throw in the occasional Sus2 or Sus4 chord.
The best way to accomplish what you're trying to do is staring you right in the face before you even put a single module into the cabinet. It's the Variations feature. Variations are completely different from patch (preset) changes in that they are instantaneous and only affect knobs and switches and not patchcords. All variations are stored within a preset when you save. Think of variations like presets on a Prophet5. The architecture doesn't change when you switch sounds, but everything about the knobs is different.
You can have variation 1 with all your sequencers, quantizers, etc. set one way, click to variation 2 (and on and on) and have it all be different. There are input jacks there for going up, down, or to a random variation, and if you right-click on the variation names, you will open the variation manager where you can delete or re-order them.
To get all generative, use a counter or divider or anything that will produce a gate-like signal (patched into one or more of the variation inputs) to set the time for a variation to play, and when time is up, bingo, something new. The sequencers can have different sequences, the quantizers can be set to different scales, etc. Even the envelopes, tunings, filters, waveforms, anything as long as it's a knob, slider, or switch can be different in every variation, and you can have a crapload of variations. This sends your patch travelling through the 4th dimension. You can even specify that any given module remain static through variation changes, thus controlling which ones change and which ones don't. This is a major feature of Voltage Modular that I feel is getting far too little attention.
If you want to effect something like patch changes, this too can be accomplished by using switching modules or mixers to change the routing of signals from one variation to another. VM is more powerful than you think.
The only gotcha has to do with saving variations and presets. When you save a variation, it gets saved into the active working patch. When you save the preset, everything gets saved, so keep track of what you're doing because it can get confusing if you're not organized.
I've been working on a module that takes this entire concept to a whole other level, so stand by for that.
Now I can't wait to see what shows up on the Youtubes.
MRBarton wrote: ↑Thu Jun 23, 2022 5:50 am
This sends your patch travelling through the 4th dimension. You can even specify that any given module remain static through variation changes, thus controlling which ones change and which ones don't. This is a major feature of Voltage Modular that I feel is getting far too little attention.
So much win in this post. It should really be a 'sticky' in the Tips & Tricks forum.
The best way to accomplish what you're trying to do is staring you right in the face before you even put a single module into the cabinet. It's the Variations feature. Variations are completely different from patch (preset) changes in that they are instantaneous and only affect knobs and switches and not patchcords. All variations are stored within a preset when you save. Think of variations like presets on a Prophet5. The architecture doesn't change when you switch sounds, but everything about the knobs is different.
You can have variation 1 with all your sequencers, quantizers, etc. set one way, click to variation 2 (and on and on) and have it all be different. There are input jacks there for going up, down, or to a random variation, and if you right-click on the variation names, you will open the variation manager where you can delete or re-order them.
To get all generative, use a counter or divider or anything that will produce a gate-like signal (patched into one or more of the variation inputs) to set the time for a variation to play, and when time is up, bingo, something new. The sequencers can have different sequences, the quantizers can be set to different scales, etc. Even the envelopes, tunings, filters, waveforms, anything as long as it's a knob, slider, or switch can be different in every variation, and you can have a crapload of variations. This sends your patch travelling through the 4th dimension. You can even specify that any given module remain static through variation changes, thus controlling which ones change and which ones don't. This is a major feature of Voltage Modular that I feel is getting far too little attention.
If you want to effect something like patch changes, this too can be accomplished by using switching modules or mixers to change the routing of signals from one variation to another. VM is more powerful than you think.
The only gotcha has to do with saving variations and presets. When you save a variation, it gets saved into the active working patch. When you save the preset, everything gets saved, so keep track of what you're doing because it can get confusing if you're not organized.
I've been working on a module that takes this entire concept to a whole other level, so stand by for that.
Now I can't wait to see what shows up on the Youtubes.
The best way to accomplish what you're trying to do is staring you right in the face before you even put a single module into the cabinet. It's the Variations feature. Variations are completely different from patch (preset) changes in that they are instantaneous and only affect knobs and switches and not patchcords. All variations are stored within a preset when you save. Think of variations like presets on a Prophet5. The architecture doesn't change when you switch sounds, but everything about the knobs is different.
You can have variation 1 with all your sequencers, quantizers, etc. set one way, click to variation 2 (and on and on) and have it all be different. There are input jacks there for going up, down, or to a random variation, and if you right-click on the variation names, you will open the variation manager where you can delete or re-order them.
To get all generative, use a counter or divider or anything that will produce a gate-like signal (patched into one or more of the variation inputs) to set the time for a variation to play, and when time is up, bingo, something new. The sequencers can have different sequences, the quantizers can be set to different scales, etc. Even the envelopes, tunings, filters, waveforms, anything as long as it's a knob, slider, or switch can be different in every variation, and you can have a crapload of variations. This sends your patch travelling through the 4th dimension. You can even specify that any given module remain static through variation changes, thus controlling which ones change and which ones don't. This is a major feature of Voltage Modular that I feel is getting far too little attention.
If you want to effect something like patch changes, this too can be accomplished by using switching modules or mixers to change the routing of signals from one variation to another. VM is more powerful than you think.
The only gotcha has to do with saving variations and presets. When you save a variation, it gets saved into the active working patch. When you save the preset, everything gets saved, so keep track of what you're doing because it can get confusing if you're not organized.
I've been working on a module that takes this entire concept to a whole other level, so stand by for that.
Now I can't wait to see what shows up on the Youtubes.
I really appreciate you taking the time to illustrate all of that. I had relegated variations to a more basic use and now I am definitely going to explore how to get generative with variations.
