Hands-free synthesis
To most people, the word ‘synthesiser’ almost invariably conjures up the image of a keyboard instrument of some sort. Modular synthesists are, however, a breed apart, and many of them would never dream of attaching something so pedestrian as a keyboard to their monolithic machinery. To these waveform wranglers, an organ-style keyboard represents a backward, unimaginative interface that imposes an oldfashioned approach to making music.
Though Robert Moog famously embraced the keyboard – knowing full well that it was crucial to draw in the traditional musos that would bring attention to his instruments – Californian Don Buchla had no interest in attaching any ivories to his instruments, and refused to do so for many years.
Likewise, Peter Zinovieff, main man behind England’s most famous synthesiser company, EMS, had to be talked into offering an optional keyboard for EMS’ legendary VCS3 synthesiser. It should be noted that nearly any modular system can be used for any musical style. Moog’s systems are perfectly capable of producing experimental, atonal music; and a skilled user can play traditional tonal music on a Buchla or EMS instrument. Still, the lack of a traditional keyboard can be liberating, forcing users to find other means by which to ‘play’ their sounds. Alternative controllers are available, but many users were (and are) nevertheless drawn to autonomous patches that drone on all by themselves.
Though a sequencer might seem the obvious choice for autonomous patches, many users avoid using sequencers in their traditional role – playing notes – preferring instead to draw upon their ability to act as complex envelopes, LFOs, or even audio sources. Instead, LFOs, looping envelopes, pulse generators and other modules are called upon to generate triggers and pitches.
In the following walkthrough, we’ll take a look at how we can build up an engaging drone sound using only a few modules in VCV Rack. First, though, you’ll need to grab the free Bogaudio modules from vcvrack.com. This collection of gadgets from Matt Demanett includes a nifty recreation of the envelope shaper from the EMS VCS3, among many other powerful things.