- Fragments - Unattended Generative Modular Ambient // 4 Hour Relaxation

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Published 2021-02-06
"Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.”—Jean-Michel Basquiat

(thanks José Fonseca, I'd never seen that quote before!)

Listen to this track on Spotify here: open.spotify.com/track/6iuMliEBJbe67Fsip7eIhQ?si=a…

#ambientmusic #relaxingmusic #meditationmusic

Patch Notes:

I started putting the 'Fragments' patch together after getting Marbles (Cara) a little while ago (and Triple Sloths). I wanted to pair it with Sinfonion and my Ladik Skipper modules to create a generative piece that changes very slowly and subtly over a long period of time. While making the patch, I came up with an idea to create random evolving weather, which was going to be much more complicated but ended up being quite simple to patch, which I'll detail below. As some people noted, the patch ended up sounding similar to 'Waiting for Cousteau' by JMJ, one of my favourite ambient pieces of all time. Although that wasn't intentional when I started, it inspired a lot of my decisions. The patch took about a week to do, with most of that to fine tune many aspects, especially probability and setting attenuation and offsets to get just the right range of CV, so that things never became too dense and that there would be natural peaks and valleys throughout the piece (thanks to Triple Sloths).

Vector: Part 1. sends notes to Sinfonion Ch 1 out to DPO pitch input, gate from Vector goes to Ladik skipper (low probability), to Delta V EG, which opens filter on Vult Freak. No VCA is used, so that there's always some subtle bass audible. Decay on Delta V is randomly modulated via B-out of Ultra Random.

Pamela's New Workout: 6 channels of random, with very low probability (RSKIP set high around 92%+) go out to Bitbox Micro to randomly, and rarely trigger various pre-made samples (non-looped) with Toggle enabled, so that sometimes they may stop short but fade out slowly (long release).

Marbles/Cara: X1 into Sinfonion Ch 2 In - Out to Disting Ex 1/vct input 1. Marbles X2 to Sinfonion Arp In - Out to Rings v/oct input. Marbles X3 to Sinf Ch2 In - Out Dist. Ex Input 2, for 2 voice polyphonic playback of Spitfire Labs Music Box. T1 Out to Sinf. Ch2 trigger input, split to Skipper 4 input. T2 Out to Sinf. Ch3 trig. input, split to Skipper 3 in. T3 out to Skipper 2 in. Skipper 2 out (3 copies) - 1 RndStp input - 2 Rings Strum in - 3 Sinf. Arp Clk input. Trig Bias around 10 o'clock for more triggers to Disting Ex.

Ladik Skippers (2 of): probability is CV modulated (small range) by Apathy X output of the Triple Sloths (multed x4 for each skipper CV in). This is for slow, evolving dynamics of the bass filter EG, Disting EX Spitfire music box (uses two Skippers), and Rings. This way there would sometimes be moments when stuff isn't triggering very much, and sometimes the opposite.

Triple Sloths: Apathy X - Skippers CV in. Y - Doepfer dual VC CF ch1. crossfades between two weather samples. Intertia X - VC CF ch.2 crossfades between second two weather samples. Y - Dual VCA CV ch.1 Input for dynamic weather overall volume. Z - Ch.2 VCA for the second weather volume. Torpor X - Dry/Wet balance of FX Aid XL Blackhole reverb. Y - VCA in on Praga to control bass volume.

Assimil8or: 4x mono samples into Doepfer crossfader (light rain, heavy rain, rain with thunder, harbour sample). All samples on the A8 are looped and constantly playing.

Ultra Random: Ura A out to Delta V Attack. B out to Delta V Decay R Flux out to DPO Shape input.

Ochd: slow LFO into Arbhar Scan (all layers). 2nd slow LFO into RndStp ch1 Sample input. Ch 1 Unipolar out into Timewarp (for slew) Timewarp out to Rings Shape input for pitch bends. 3rd med-slow LFO into Rings position input. 4th fast LFO into Rings FM (vibrato)

DPO: Square+Final out slow LFO into Angle to 2hp Mix out to Vult Freak (Stabile Low Pass)

Rings outputs through Magneto for subtle delay, wow/flutter and small mix of spring reverb

Arbhar through E520 (Chowder Delay) for some occasional stutter/repeats and pitching

Lubadh stereo loop (improv with Wavestate) pitched down 1 octave plays constantly

Disting Ex Music Box samples through FX Aid XL (Blackhole reverb)

Recorded direct to DAW.

Video shot on a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4k with a Sigma 18-35 lens. Editing and colour grading done in Da Vinci Resolve.


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All Comments (21)
  • @stateazure
    Please like and subscribe, if you liked the music as it really helps the channel grow and videos get recommended. YouTube has been tough this year for myself and other content creators with views on a steady decline and content not getting pushed/recommended like it used to. Thanks!
  • @earache70
    This an actual literal digital wilderness.
  • @MD_is_me
    Finally, I "get it" from a big picture standpoint when it comes to modular. The idea of purely ephemeral pieces wherein the "patch" and the "piece" are one. Months of "programming" married to months of composing all with a view to something that can never be recreated once unpatched. Effing brilliant. Honestly, this is watershed moment for me; I don't know why I couldn't see it before this.
  • @jakedeutscher
    This sounds to me like what I would imagine a space ship sounds like, in a fantasy reality. Drifting through space, beeping and booping, calculating and generating.
  • @ElenaZelena
    I always wanted to have more of a Vangelis-style Blade runner soundtrack music. Now my dreams came true. Thanks bruv
  • @Ryannaut_g
    This is the chillest metal I’ve ever heard.
  • I am a licensed massage therapist and Craniosacral therapist.. before that I was a professional underground DJ from 1996-2001 and worked for the most exclusive underground record store north of New York City in Albany NY.. playing strictly hard abstract techno.. I started playing you mixes for my therapy clients about 5 years ago at my therapy office.. recently I got my recertification as a lifeguard and played this mix on a sound system inside an olympic sized swimming pool.. it goes perfectly with the reverberation of the waves when people are swim laps.. I believe it is relaxing people even if they aren't fully aware that they are hearing while swimming.. thank you Professor..
  • @frozenheroe3771
    The genre I never thought I needed. Modular ambient. Delicious.
  • @midwest0pe
    I keep coming back to this almost nightly now. It's become part of my evening ritual.
  • @stateazure
    Patch notes added. Sorry, this took a while to reverse engineer :)
  • @nexxai
    This performance saved me from yet another panic attack. Thank you, brother!
  • Usually I'm not a fan of contemplative/meditative/ambient music that has a lot of sci-fy or tech tone to it. This is not the case. I really enjoyed this. The fact that it's actually modular and somehow crafted makes me respect this even more. Very valuable piece. Thank you for your work!
  • I volunteered myself to set one of these massive Moog's for David Crowder's keyboardist at my old church. Some teenager asked me what I was doing and all I could come up with was, "You see that digital keyboard over there? This is that, except it's all analog and your imagination." He and 6 others watched me set this thing up for 2 hours. He had 140 patches.
  • @Charlieboy2680
    If I had this setup i would love to sit in front of it on mushrooms, play generative synth music and just chill. I think that would be really relaxing just tripping out in that ambient universe.
  • @audreyazwell
    Imagine in like 15 years this sort of thing existing as a white noise machine in a tiny box. Awesome work.