Tag: U-HE

Categories
(Modulate This) Ableton Ableton Live ableton live 10 Synth: Zebra 2.x

Spending More Time on My Music Laptop & Dusting Off Some Original Presets for Synths like U-HE Zebra 2

I find I’ve been spending more time making music and sound with my laptop while in isolation than with hardware. Of course I’m still making music and sound with my Elektron boxes, but I’m just noticing the laptop is getting more use in my day-to-day.

Perhaps it’s because I can just take it anywhere in the house and wherever I end up sitting becomes my creative space. While in the past I might have used my iPad for this sort of thing, I find I’m on my iPad more for reading books, blogs, news and connecting with people so the laptop seems like a break. Topsy-turvy times for sure but a good reminder of the the amazing sonic arsenal of tools that sits within most of our laptops.

As you’ve probably seen in recent posts I’ve been spending a lot of time with Ableton Live and Push 2 along with all of Live’s devices and instruments. Over the years though, I’ve created 100s of presets for some amazing virtual instruments.

So I’ve started a new project to dust off some original presets for Live and other commercial synths and get all the sounds out of the archives and back in play on my laptop.

I just restored my collection of original Zebra presets. Here is a short video from my Instagram of a sound that is quite Krell-like. I’m just holding a single key 😀.

Categories
(Mark Mosher Music News) Ableton ableton live 10 Ableton Push Events

Video My Set at Beat Cypher July 25, 2019 Performing New Song at 382 BPM.

This week I composed a new pieced called “Press 3” which starts of at 80 BPM and makes it all the way to 764 BPM 😯. He

Here is a video snippet where I’m clocking along at 382 BPM.

Thanks J.L. Kane for hosting and Mechant Metrique for shooting this on his phone.

Soon after I did a live studio recording of the piece and released as the first episode in Season 3 of the Sonic Encounters Podcasst.

I’m using Ableton Live 10.1 Suite, Push 2, Novation Launch Control XL, Suface Laptop 2, Outer Spaces reverb (Max for Live), and U-HE Zebra 2 and Hive.

More on Beat Cypher here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1980133178941598

Categories
(Modulate This) Synth: Zebra 2.x Videos

Video: Original Zebra 2 Patch – Computing for You Now

 

zebra-2-patch-computing-for-you-now-cover

This is a follow up to my previous post,”Winter Projects with @uheplugins Zebra 2: Sound Design, New Max for Live Device, and Refining Lemur Patch“. In the video embedded below I offer an example of a patch I’m working on for Zebra 2 called “Computing for You Now”.

As you’ll see in the video, this patch is made up of a fairly large number of modules laid out in all 4 lanes of the main grid. The patch makes extensive of use of of all 4 X/Y performance pads including use of the pad to modulate effects parameters as well as the crossfading between lanes 1,2,3 and lane 4.

Leave a comment if you dig this. Many more videos to come so subscribe to my YouTube channel if you want to see more. Also let me know if you’d be up for a patch library.

Mark Mosher
Composer, Sound Designer, & Consultant
www.ModulateThis.com

 

Categories
(Mark Mosher Music News) (Modulate This) Ableton Ableton Live Cycling '74 iOS Lemur Max for Live

Winter Projects with @uheplugins Zebra 2: Sound Design, New Max for Live Device, and Refining Lemur Patch

zebra-synth-max4live-lemur-sm

Winter is here in Boulder, CO. This time of year I tend to do a lot of sound design work next to a nice warm fire :^) I traditionally pick one synth to focus on and create patches from INIT. This year I picked an old favorite, U-He’s Zebra 2.

I’ve already got 70+ patches I’ve created throughout the years and a custom Lemur patch I made for the iPad. I’ll be focusing on adding expressive control to the existing patches and making new ones.

I’m also working on a Max for Live device that will allow me to modulate commonly used CCs such a Modulate, Aftertouch, Breath, as well as 4 X/Y pads without having to have a hardware controller. This will allow me to test these patches without having to pop open the Zebra interface which is quite handy for couch potato sessions.

Future Sound Set and Controller Bundle?

Perhaps I’ll package all this up into a bundle later on in the year. If you’d be interested in this, drop me a note through my contact form. You can also subscribe to Modulate This! by email if you want to following along in your inbox.

Past Works with Zebra 2

For now I’ll leave you with a few past songs I’ve created using Zebra 2.

“The Knowing and the Dark Mirror” from my album Fear Cannot Save Us.

4 Instances of U-HE Zebra using patches from my library Outpost Airlock which you can download for free here. Performed on Ableton Push 2.

Sonic Encounters Podcast 014 – “Replicant’s Lament“.

More details on this piece here.

Categories
Podcast Soundscape Journal

Sonic Encounters Podcast 002 – Metamorphosis Under the Chatham Light

Sonic Encounters is being converted from a podcast to an album series. Click here to learn more.

This soundscape is the soundtrack to an imaginary experience where – using a special morphing environment suit – you can instantly transition from a land to sea simply by walking into the surf.

Story

The piece begins with you observing a figure walking down the steps on to Chatham Lighthouse Beach late at night. The figure is silhouetted by the beam of the Chatham Light. As the figure walks past you and on to the beach you switch to the figure’s point of view. You then walk towards the ocean with the beam of the Chatham Light swinging out over your head and enter the surf. As you enter the surf, your environment suit extends and wraps you like a second skin. You hear the mechanics of the metamorphosis as the suit jacks in to your mind and adjusts your buoyancy allowing you to keep walking down on to the sea floor. Under the ocean the sensors isolate and amplify sounds from the environment. You close your eyes and listen – and return once again to the land.

View of the Chatham Light just before sunset.
Taken during the filed recording. The full moon over the ocean out from Chatham Lighthouse Beach with the lighthouse at my back
Chatham Harbor. Not directly related to this soundscape, but the pic gives you a sense for the locale.
Used during underwater scene to play tonal elements from original source field recording.

Production Notes

Based on a field recording I made at night on Chatham Lighthouse Beach, MA. I recorded myself walking down the metal stairs to the beach and right up to the surf and back. I used digital effects such as comb filters and synths to make the more synthetic sounds.
Field Recording
  • Date & Time: January 13th, 2012, 10pm
  • Location: Chatham Lighthouse Beach, Cape Cod, MA | Satellite View | Flickr Photos at Location
  • Recorder: Zoom H2
  • Format:  44.1kHz/24bit 120 degree stereo

Instrumentation

  • Ableton Live
  • Ableton Sampler
  • U-HE Zebra 2, Zebra HZ
  • Izotope Iris
  • Rob Papen Predator

Instrumentalities

  • Keyboard
  • Mouse
  • Controllerism
  • Automation envelopes

Effects

  • Ableton Live Suite Effects
  • U-He Zebrify
  • Image-Line Multiband Compressor

Subscribe now on iTunes so you never miss an episode. If you use a different podcatcher, paste this RSS link.

Categories
(Modulate This) Sound Design Synth: Diva

Sound Design Tip: Add Variability and Slop with U-HE Diva Synthesizer Trimmers

diva-trimmers

This month I’ve been focusing on writing presets from scratch with Diva. While I’ve had Diva for a  while I’m just now getting around to doing some proper programming from INIT. Diva has a reputation for crushing your CPU so it’s worth mentioning that 1.1 release uses up to 40% less CPU. The 1.1.1 update adds Mountain Lion support and some other bug fixes so make sure you update

One of my favorite parts of Diva is the “Timmers” panel. (P. 29 of the Manual)

This panel is the most ‘esoteric’ part of Diva – from the user’s point of view at least. As well as detuning voices (individual and/or stacked), a variable degree of slop can be applied to cutoff frequency, envelope times, pulse width and glide times.

Using Trimmer to Detune Voices

So lets walk through a simple example to get you going with Trimmers. In this example we’ll use the trimmers to detune voices.

1 – Load the template preset INIT Minipoly

image

2 – Got to the Trimmers panel and set voices to 2.

image

3 – Now with ever note press, Diva will round-robin between voice 1 & 2. The corresponding LED will light so you know which voice is sounding.

4 – Now turn the VCO1 Trimmer knobs for “VCO Voice Detune” in opposite directions detuning both voices up and down from center.

5 – Start playing notes and you’’ll hear the voices detuning with ever other key press.

More Ideas

Now that you know the basics here are some more ideas to try.

  • Use more voices to add more variability
  • Try stacking voices
  • Use the “Voice Map Modulator” as a modulation source
  • Walk through the factory patches with the “Trimmers” panel open to learn how these sound designers took advantage of these features
  • ….

Wrap Up

As you can see using voice allocation as a modulator with these trimmers can add both predictable and unpredictable results (especially when playing polyphonically). So add this to Diva's fantastic analog modelling and you get a very organic synth that can sound very cranky and interesting.

—–

Mark Mosher
Synthesist, Composer, Performer
Boulder, CO
www.MarkMosherMusic.com

Categories
(Modulate This) Synth: Zebra 2.x Synths & Instruments (Virtual)

U-He Zebra 2.5

zebrify

I’m just now getting around to experimenting with some of the new features in Zebra 2.5 which was released in December. A couple of big new features worth noting are:

  • New effect plugin Zebrify that allows you to use Zebra 2.5 effects on any synth. In the picture above (click to enlarge) I’m using it to add effects to U-HE ACE but it would work with any device. I love the idea of mixing FX from one synth with sound sources from another.
  • XMF Filter module with 15 filter types
  • Improved preset management (Favorites, Junk, drag'n'drop organisation, collapsible folders)
  • Unlimited undo/redo for parameter
  • New "SR Decimate" filter mode
  • 100+ new presets by Howard Scarr
  • ModMatrix now supports up to 12 slots
  • Glide2 parameter which offsets Glide for modules with an even number (Osc2, Osc4, FMO2 etc.)

Bottom line, the new features take an already fantastic and classic synth and improve it allow for even more sonic possibilities.

I’m currently exploring the new XMF Filter module which is quite fantastic. Checkout this video overview from Urs.

Watch embedded video.

http://www.youtube.com/v/RTRr5JXPaYU&hl=en_US&fs=1&&hl=en</embed></object></div>";” src=”https://modulatethis.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/08433-6a00d83451cae869e201347fc1c31c970c-pi.jpg&#8221; style=”BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none” />

Links:

Mark Mosher
Electronic Musician, Boulder, CO
www.ModulateThis.com
www.RebootAlbum.com
www.MarkMosherMusic.com