0-Coast: Basic Ambient Patches

In this video I set up a few basic ambient patches on the Make Noise 0-Coast. I wanted to do it as a self-contained thing - so no additional MIDI control or sequencers - just generative sounds driven by the Stepped Random Voltage feature on the synth, and then sounds going out the Walrus Audio Slo reverb (set to Dream mode: longish decay, medium vibrato rate, medium vibrato depth, and about 50/50 wet/dry). Lastly, at the end of the video I do a similar sort of patch on the Korg Volca Modular, as a reference point for the general concepts.

TIMELINE

00:00 STARTER: Extra LFO Patch
This patch uses the 0-Coast's extra LFO feature that sends a signal out the MIDI B gate and cv jacks when the functionality is changed in the settings menus. Drop a comment if you want to know more about the details of this patch.

00:34 INTRO
I tried using some natural light here but didn't catch the sunset fast enough.

01:53 PATCH 1 - Brass Duo
This one's the simplest and also my favorite. Doing a video on generative music is strange - you can try to build up, grow in complexity - but it's really the randomness that has the most to say about how it sounds, ultimately. I can't help it that one of my favorite things I've ever done on this channel just sort of sprouted out of the end of this part - it takes some luck.

PATCH NOTES: CLOCK -- GATE, Stepped Random Voltage -- Utility (top right, needs a stacking cable), Utility (bottom right) -- 1v/Oct, Utility (top right, into stacking cable) -- TIME, SLOPE (cycle on) -- Balance In, unconnected -- MLTPL (to remove the LFO frequency from the Overtone/Multiply section). Set the Slope fast enough to get a tone. Set the Contour (and tempo) long enough to really hear the notes. You can get parallel motion with the Utility attenuverter set positive, contrary motion with it set negative (and the pitch bias probably needs to be changed between these cases).

19:45 PATCH 2 - Beat Frequencies
I play the Mbira a little at the beginning of this part. Getting better at playing the Mbira, Kalimba, also hand drumming and fingerdrumming - these are some goals. Random ambient space reverb tones are great - but they are like a very specific food that needs some sort of other food to contrast it.

PATCH NOTES: From PATCH 1, remove the Utility (top right) -- TIME cable. Add a cable from the Oscillator (Triangle Wave Out) to the Dynamic input. Note: I was a little off in the video about how this breaks the normal (but put some overlay titles in to clarify). Then also add a cable from Contour to MLTPL, set the Multiply attenuverter positive for some nice "phasing" effects.

25:59 PATCH 3 - Voyager
A couple of the last hits of this patch are really nice. You could probably tune it up to make those happen a lot more often.

PATCH NOTES: Add the Utility (top right) -- TIME cable back to PATCH 2. Then switch from the triangle to the square wave coming out of the Oscillator.

30:57 VOLCA MODULAR
Our cat Lola. I'm putting a funnier clip from this shot onto Instagram (dr_nim2014). The cats are synthcats here - they know that they can power down for a good nap when I'm making the sounds and won't be doing something rude like leaving the house. The Volca Modular is an obvious choice to try for some similar sounds - it's dressed up to look like a Buchla synth, standard of West Coast synthesis - and so linked in a way to the 0-Coast. I've put two steps into the sequencer (1 and 9) to trigger Function 1 and the Woggle, but the actual sequence notes are getting added to by the stepped Woggle. Long gate and stochastic modes are on, no motion sequencing (but that could be cool). Note: I also tried to do this sort of thing with the Kastle 1.5. See my "Deep Sea Vents" post on Instagram.

PATCH NOTES:
ratio, fold, mod all minimum. attack near max, release at 3:30, shape at 12:00, time at 11:00. LPG1 cuttoff is max, LPG2 cuttoff 2:00, a smidge of Space FX. The C parameter is varied (11:00-2:00). Modulation oscillator -- LPG1 in, Function 2 trigger out -- Function 2 trigger in, Function 2 plus -- LPG2 in, Function 1 minus -- LPG2 gate in, Woggle Stepped -- B, A+BxC -- note in, A-BxC -- Function 2 time.