Face 1: Looping Envelopes Plus S&H Feedback
The principle of this face reads in short: a looping envelope (or two, or three ...) trigger a sample & hold module, which not only modulates the pitch of a VCO, but also feeds back its output to modulate the time related stages of the envelope(s). As a result not only the pitches of the tones are random, but also the space, the time between them.
The sustain level(s) at the envelope(s) should be high enough to trigger the S&H module of course. But it ́s not only the sustain stage itself, that can trigger the S&H, but also the attack stage, when reaching the trigger threshold of the S&H module.
It will be a good idea to insert an attenuator in the feedback patch between the S&H module and the modulated stage(s) of the envelope(s).
A last note: If you are so lucky to have a multistage envelope, you can generate more than only one trigger signal per cycle, which increases the number of rhythmical changes.
Face 2: The Inheritance of Randomness
When one sample and hold unit triggers another one, and an attenuator is patched in the signal path between these two, the random voltages of S&H one sometimes reach the trigger threshold of S&H two, sometimes not – randomly. The second S&H generates its random voltages at random times therefore, and with the inserted attenuator I can regulate how often S&H 2 puts out another voltage. The whole patch generates randomness, but I can – at least quite a bit – determine whether the impression of “fast” or of “slow” prevails.
The simple block graphic shows the principle, as well as the video behind the following link which demonstrates an example.
Face 3: LFO – S&H Feedback
It ́s a simple principle: An LFO trigger the sample and hold module, and from the output of this S & H module there is the CV taken, which modulates the frequency of the triggering LFO. The graphic shows the block diagram, the video behind the following link demonstrate how such a patch works.
Face 4: S&H Noise Roundabout
Here we have two independent sample and hold units, one of which triggers the second one and delivers the gate for an envelope module (which modulates the volume of a noise source), the other one modulates the filter frequency of a couple of filters, which are fed by the same noise, that serves as the sample source for both S&H modules.
The block diagram shows the principle of the patch, as well as the video behind the following link demonstrates how the patch work.
Face 5: Bernoulli Gate Networks
There is an infinite number of ways to combine a couple of Bernoulli gates to a network of course. But they all follow one common statistical rule:
If there is a series of Bernoulli gates, then each one later in the line opens less often than then one earlier in the line.
It doesn ́t matter, whether or not we use the same output (A or B) with all modules.
And:
If there are a couple of Bernoulli gates patched in parallel order, they all open more or less the same number of times. And again: It doesn ́t matter, whether or not we use the same output (A or B) with all modules.
In the video behind the following link there are 4 Bernoulli gates. One of the gates is gate number 1, the gate, where the central clock pulses go in.
Gate 2 follows Gate 1 in series – from the A output.
Gates 3 and 4 follow Gate 1 parallel – from the B output. This same B output of Gate 1 additionally serves to open and close a fifth voice.
Each of the 4 Bernoulli gates open and close a voice generating group of modules, which get their pitch information from one and the same quantizer at the same time, so that we get random melodies without any (in-)harmonic edges.
The block diagram shows the principle of the patch.
