Pattern Variations

There's a classic synth circuit called "sample & hold" which will sample the voltage of an incoming CV every time it receives a trigger pulse, and output that value steadily until it receives the next trigger pulse. Feed a noise signal into its sample input and a tempo clock into the trigger input, and the result will be a series of rhythmical steps with randomly varying voltage. Lifeforms has a S&H onboard, as well as a digital LFO that can be set to "random," producing an identical effect.

Okay, now that i've had the proper ammount of coffe, started working for a couple of hours and took a break to give it a second look i think i should commit honorable suicide and sign myself away from my engineering degree. Possibly in the reverse order in which i said it. Also i should never watch your videos at midnight after a full day of work. And am now second-guessing everything i did yesterday.

Simone Spinozzi

Anything there provide a CV that wanders stochastically? I've always liked the effect that's like a brushed snare through a bandpass that slowly drifts a little higher, a little lower, ala Trans Europe Express.

benin81812

Hmm. In analogue synthesis there are two types of signals: Audio and CV (control voltage). CV can be manipulated to shift parameters on audio-producing devices, so a fluctuating CV signal coming in to the "Fill" jack causes the note density of that part to vary depending on the voltage level of the CV. Should I have taken a moment to actually explain what an attenuator does? Basically it is a "volume knob" that you use to adjust the strength of a signal passing through it. Turn down the attenuator, and the CV will have a smaller effect. Some devices have attenuators built in, but many do not .. and this is why there are modules which consist of nothing BUT attenuators, so you can hook them up as needed.

Dammit, the complexity of it all has surpassed my understanding as a novice. I mean... it's all very interesting and i think i follow you... but only as "big lines" i feel like i'm missing a lot of stuff even though you're basically going through it all one step at a time. If i knew a bit more i think i could actually gain something because this feels like the perfect tutorial for somebody who has even just a bit more knowledge than me. 😖 Still it's interesting how the tempo changes but by the end of the video i was watching just to listen to the evolving tune.

Simone Spinozzi