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10. Designing a modular drone

1

As you've learned, an oscillator module is always ‘on', endlessly emitting its waveforms and awaiting your intervention. This makes modular synths ideal for creating drone music. Start with a new patch, and add a Six-Input Mixer module to the rack. Drag it to the right and add a pair of Oscillators. 2

Connect the Triangle outputs from each Oscillator to Mixer channels 1 and 2, respectively. Now, add a Delay module and patch the Mixer's Master Out into the Delay's Input. Patch the Delay's Output into the Main Outs' 1L(M) jack. You should hear a slightly phased sound. You might need to adjust the Mixer levels. 3

Set the Range of one of the Oscillator modules to 32'. It's time to start adding some motion. Go to your Library and find the Mini LFO module. Add it to the rack and place it to the left of the first Oscillator. Next, add a pair of Amplifier modules. Drag each one to the right of an Oscillator module, as shown here.

4

Run a cable from the top LFO's

Triangle out to the left-most Amplifier's Input. Run a cable from that Amplifier's Input to the left-most Oscillator's Frequency Mod jack. Repeat with the Mini LFO's lower Triangle output, this time routing it to the right-most Amp's

Input, and send that Amp's Output to the second Oscillator's Frequency Mod.

5

Crank both Oscillators' Frequency Mod knobs fully clockwise. Add another Mini LFO module. Run a cable from its topmost Triangle out to the CV In of the left Amplifier. Set the Amplifier's CV Amount to around 50%. Now, go to the top section of the first Mini LFO and set its Rate to under 0.20Hz. Set the second Mini LFO's topmost Rate to 0.02Hz.

6

Now, add a third Oscillator and set its

Range to Lo. Route its Sine out to the second Amplifier's CV In. It should behave similarly to the Mini LFO. Adjust the third Oscillator's Frequency to taste. Finally, route the second Mini LFO's Triangle out to the third Oscillator's Frequency Mod.

7

Adjust the various parameters to your liking. The trick is to generate slow and subtle movements. It might be a good idea to tidy up your rack, making room in the bottom row, as you're about to add an entirely new signal path. Go ahead and drop another Oscillator into the bottom row. Leave its Range set to 4'.

8

Add a Spring Reverb module, and send the new Oscillator's Square wave into its L(M) input. Next push the Reverb's Decay and Mix nearly to full. Add an Amplifier and route the Spring Reverb through it, then route the Amplifier into Mixer channel 3. Use yet another Mini LFO to modulate the new Amplifier as you did the others, but keep the Amplifier's CV Amount low.

9

You can leave your most recent Mini LFO's Rate 1 (the top one) set as is. However, crank its bottom most Rate way, way down, and route the lower Triangle wave to the latest Oscillator's Frequency

Mod input, adjusting the Frequency Mod knob to about 75% or so. This is just a start – keep adding to and experimenting with your drone patch!