We can set up a succession of harmonic arpeggios using a sequential switch 1-to-X like in the video behind the following link. Each of the arpeggios belongs to another voice playing another chord and using another timbre. The voices are fed into a mixer, and the mixer channels are randomly activated and deactivated by the switch. A couple of slew limiters make the changes happen quite smooth.
The graphic shows the block diagram of the patch.
I ́m using one and the same LFO as pitch source for all 5 arpeggios, and all attenuating VCAs between this LFO and the individual quantizers are adjusted to the same value, but if I wanted different arpeggio speeds and/or different arpeggio ranges I could use separate LFOs for the voice quantizers and adjust the attenuators to different values as well.
Three VCOs are tuned to a Cminor chord, and parallel modulated by a quantizer, which switches between C, F and G as the base note. The quantizer is fed by an LFO (triangle wave) adjusted to a quite low frequency. Appendix B shows the frequencies of musical notes, so that you can tune (software) oscillators quite easily. Otherwise do it like I do most of the times: rely on your ear.
At the same time there is a fourth VCO, which is modulated by a second quantizer generating the base notes C, Eflat, G and Bflat. This second quantizer is driven by random voltage (S&H), which changes remarkably faster.
The following graphic shows the block diagram of the patch.
A little bit of percussion completes the patch. The principle is: random pitches over regularly changing chords.
Another way of torturing a harmony shows the following example.
An arpeggio over 5 notes (here: C-Eflat-F-G-Bflat) generated by a modulates LFO and a quantizer, and played by a VCO serves as a sample source for a S&H module, which is triggered by another LFO (which is modulated by the same source as the first mentioned LFO, but runs at a higher frequency offset).
The S&H module modulates the pitch of 4 different VCOs, which send their outputs to VCAs, which are opended and closed by Bernoulli gates. Because of these Bernoulli gates the VCAs of the four voices 2-5 open at different times, and we hear different pitches from the same sample source.
Wow! Sounds complicated – but isn ́t Just take a look at the following block diagram of the patch.
Well, dear readers, this was the last article in this series. The series as you have been following it so far covers the first 4 main chapters of volume 1 of my e-book trilogy called “A Systematic Introduction To Making Generative Music With Modular Synths”.
If you want to learn more about this volume 1 or even about volumes 2 and 3, please visit Rolf's website at https://dev.rofilm-media.net
