Grids with Butter

Okay, here's my latest and most successful experiment with the slowly growing modular system.  With last month's Patreon money I got a Mutable Instruments "Grids" module which I have used to trigger the envelopes on a Pittsburgh SV-1 Lifeform, an Arturia Microbrute, and a Soundmachines Nanosynth, thus producing the 3-part rhythm track "live" in one go.  All three sound sources were blended through my homemade gelato-can mixer.  Other sounds were made with the Microbrute and the Lifeform working in tandem, and overdubbed piece by piece on the multi-track recorder.

That Grids unit is the most brilliant approach to drum sequencing I've ever seen, and is pretty much the one thing that fnally made me decide to get into building a modular system (ironically only a few weeks before I was laid-off).  I figured that modular would be more versatile than the (significantly less expensive) Mutable Anushri, which also contains a Grids-style drum section; but Anushri only plays drums, whereas Grids outputs clock pulses that can be used to trigger anything.  There are a couple more things I'd like to add to this modular case in order to get it doing exactly what I'd imagined when I started.  Eventually rhythm tracks will be producible inside the modular rack without having to connect up all of my synthesizers to it, enabling me to play melodic parts at the same time and do more of it "live" instead of overdubbing.  I made a list prioritizing modules and in what order to get them, and I intend to stick to it.  A couple of side commissions enabled me to get the next piece, a Bastl "Skis" dual percussion VCA, this week and I am currently experimenting with it.  Four items remain, to fill the rack to perfection.  Two filters, a combination 2-channel envelope/LFO/drum synth, and a sim-speech oscillator.  After that, my severance pay will have run out and I will need to start eating with my Patreon money instead of buying toys.  But for now:  LET FRIVOLITY REIGN!  Enjoy it while you can, is my motto!  And I'll be using all of these doohickeys to make music which might generate more income, so it's an investment, right?  Right??

There are several earlier, less successful experiments with synth bleeps & noises.  I guess I'll post them later, just for completeness' sake.  Some of you folks might find them interesting.