Month: October 2021

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Internet-Based Feedback Loops: Eurorack vs. Zoom (with Spectral Evolver)

Using the latency from videoconferencing software as a delay for Eurorack feedback loops, creating (noisy) evolving sonic textures.

I’m in Connecticut, Spectral Evolver  is in Colorado, but that doesn’t mean we can’t connect our Eurorack systems.

Through the “magic” of Zoom, we create a feedback loop: I’m ring modulating the signal coming in from Zoom, he’s filtering the signal coming in on his end. This creates a “no-input” system across the world wide web, allowing us to create evolving textures inspired by Dutch composer Jaap Vink.

More on feedback loops and cybernetic systems here:

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Making a “Subharmonicon” in Reaktor

Building a subharmonic synthesizer in Native Instruments’ Reaktor 6 Primary inspired by instruments like the Mixtur-Trautonium and Moog Subharmonicon.

Subharmonics are frequencies that are whole-number divisions of a given frequency (in contrast to harmonics, which are whole number multiples of a frequency). While harmonics naturally occur as part of the timbre of a sound, subharmonics, when introduced, sound like distinct pitches, allowing you to create chords of harmonically-related notes.

This tutorial walks you through making a set of subharmonic oscillators and envelope filter like the ones on the Moog Subharmonicon.

Moog Subharmonicon

More on harmonics and additive synthesis here.

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Pd Patch from Scratch: Ring Modulation and Filterbank

A quick and easy Pure Data patch-from-scratch tutorial building another feedback loop with a delay and a ring modulator, this time with a fixed filter bank.

Inspired by the music of Jaap Vink, with three sine waves, a filterbank, a delay, and some feedback, we can make some slow evolving-complex and dynamic sounds.

In this patch we take a sine wave, ring modulate it, then ring modulate that result before running into a filterbank, delay, and then feeding it back on itself.

There’s no talking on this one, just building the patch, and listening to it go.

More feedback loops (in analog):