Berlin Preparations (100th post!)

Bumper excitements for post #100!

Three things to share as I prepare for a week in Berlin.

1) A recording of a practice:

How things roll Oct11 by BugBrand

2) Custom bags for the 2Frame Shallow setups:

Tomorrow I will be finding out whether Easyjet really do let you take on musical instruments like this. Fingers crossed!

The cases are soft and well padded, with a big pocket on the front for PSU / cables / panties.

Carry handles + a shoulder strap.

Dark blue - not quite BugBlue, but hey..

3) Not one, but TWO shows (in Berlin):

- Friday 7th Oct at K77 - http://auxxx.blogspot.com/2011/09/bugs-im-berlin.html

- Saturday 8th Oct at .... (name to follow!) ... - the show will be in Wedding, I think on Prinzenallee - nearest subway is Pankstrasse.

This will be another relatively low-key affair with demo, talking and playing with my friend Jayrope - http://www.kliklak.net/

I think it is also being billed as "Miracle Research Association #3"

I'll update details once I hear more.

I'll be treating both of these shows as fun explorations and demonstrations - hopefully a great chance to meet some new people and have a good play. Do come along if you are around.

Daren Ager's Radiophonic Set - help Japan! (and links to other BugMod Radiophonics)

At the start of April there will be a great event at the Cube Cinema in Bristol over two evenings - A Radiophonic Weekend - Sat 2nd and Sun 3rd April 2011.

Recently I asked the users of my BugModular systems to come up with short tracks inspired by the works of the Radiophonic Workshop to be played in between parts of the Cube weekend. You can listen to all the tracks via the MuffWiggler Forum Thread Here. The results are, though I say so myself, freaking amazing and highly varied.

Daren Ager has gone one step further and has compiled his tracks into an album which he is now offering at a super price of only £1.25 with ALL proceeds being donated to the Red Cross for the Japan Disaster Relief Fund. (You can also easily donate MORE if you'd like!)

http://darenager.bandcamp.com/album/bug-phonic

And to whet the appetite, here's one of his new videos:

BugBrand SoundCloud

My beginning to use Virb last year coincided with the service turning poop.. I've finally set up a SoundCloud username to replace this and serve as an easy upload space for sound demos.

Here's the new destination: http://soundcloud.com/bugbrand

Starting off with some rough recordings from my new playing setup - making use of XBase09, Mono/Poly, Fat Controller, Time Factor and, of course, BugBrand Modular.

AllTogetherNow2SND by BugBrand

BattleMix by BugBrand

AWMix by BugBrand

AW2 by BugBrand

BugTester - Audio from RAdams

One of the new 1Frame users just sent me a link to a collage of sounds he'd made since receiving the initial setup of 8 modules - I'm pretty amazed at how he's coaxed such a varied range of sounds out of such a small setup.

Here's the SoundCloud player for it::::

BugTester 1 by radams

EDIT: & here's another one but more rhythmic! Really great again:::

Bugbrand Rhythm Patches by radams

Check my repository of BugModularNoodles

A place to store that which I play::::

http://virb.com/bugbrand

Since I never get the chance to 'record properly' any more, but I quite often record my playings with the BugModular, I wanted a place to store recordings that was super easy to use. So I chose Virb and have been uploading bits over the last month.

Have a listen!

What you'll hear is almost entirely:
- just BugModular
- recorded in one take, no preparation, in Mono and with minimal edits

There are a few bits that creep in with some quantizers and I've recently been hooking up a keyboard for Midi to CV -- but the vast majority of the tuning and rhythm is simply created with the modules and fine tweaking.

Granted, they're rough'n'ready, warts'n'all, but I hope this gives some idea of the sounds and flows of the BugModular and how I play the system.

Some Modular MP3s

Has it been a while since I posted some audio?

Jan2010 - CLK2A plus PRC3
A couple of VCOs with rhtyhmics generated by the CLK2A Division.
After a while I turned up the resonance on the PRC3 VCFilters and it went all swirly.

Feb2010 - SYN2A Wobble
Demoing a pair of the new SYN2A VCOs -- but does it give a clear picture? Not particularly...!

Feb2010 - SYN2A Straight Sounds
This gives a better idea of the pure SYN2A sounds -- pure outputs with FM modulation from another VCO.

Feb2010 - More SYN2A and the wrong-proto CTL3
Something tuneful (quite) again using the new SYN2As but also with pitching from a proto CTL3 8-stage-preset module which needs some more TLC before proper announcement. This is driven by divisions from CLK2A modules. I let the recording run on into .......... plinks etc. from PRC3 VCFs.

And a couple which I can't remember much about - they must have been recorded Nov2009 and Jan2010 or there-abouts.. Kind of elongated, warts and all.. Some FM sounds in the Nov one for sure::
Sometime November
Sometime January

[[all are in mp3 format - downloadable if you wish // recorded with mic near pretty basic speaker setups driven straight from the 2rack porta-case // minimal or no edits!]]

Teasing MP3

Here's some sounds from a new module being worked on..
Still some way off - it is a collaborative project & is providing quite some fun & excitement.

SYN3 AudioNoiseClocker Demo MP3

Maybe things are not clear due to the use of other modules.. (inc PRC1, PRC2, CTL1, ENV1 etc)
But hopefully the sounds are fun and interesting.

Edit::
Here are a couple more (from a few days ago) - fewer extra modules used, so maybe giving more clarity of idea..
AudioRateDemo
LoFreqRhytmicDemo (not generating the audio - generating the timing signals)

BugModular Sample Pack by ToneWrecker

There's a free pack of BugModular samples available now from the Fun In The Murky blog.

Created by The ToneWrecker.
80 mini loops

TONEWRECKER BUGMODULAR SAMPLE PACK

To quote:
Paul Birken likes to play in he basement. Really though, I think we all do. Some of our basements are on the 3rd floor and some are in the garage. What we all have in common is a place for the music to be created and/or played. What we don't all have in common is a penchant for Analog buggery. That's where Paul comes in.

He's recently got himself a new toy. Behold! The Bugbrand Modular! Paul has zipped up a handful of about 80 little loops, hits and whistles of the bleepy, R2 variety in his initial explorations into this new synth of his to share with everyone. Cut em up, cut em loose, show em to your mom. It doesn't matter what you do with them, but if it sounds fun send it in for everyone to hear!

Klee Contra

New BugModular Porta-Case controlled by the Scott Stites / electro-music.com Klee Sequencer

I just completed a prototype compact case for travel playing (more details shortly). Playing last night I dug out the Klee Seq that I built a year or two ago - dusted it off and it started running rings around the room, a very fun machine.

The Klee outputs (CVs and Gates) control two simple voices - each voice has just a SYN2A VCO followed by a PRC3A SV Filter + control from an ENV1 Attack/Decay. I added a little osc->filter cross modulation between voices too. From this simple setup, with the speed and power of the Klee, come some thick and gnarled technoid wobbles. I recorded 45 minutes straight up, running with the flow and here are a few snippets (all live, single takes, no effects, straight recordings) - needs decent speakers or headphones.

KleeContra1 // KleeContra2 // KleeContra3 // KleeContra4 // KleeContra5 // KleeContra6 // KleeContra7 // KleeContra8 //

More Modular Recordings

Here's a few recent snippets of sound from the bug modules. These are presented pretty much warts-and-all -> live takes recorded straight in pure MONO (!) either with a mic straight in front of an amp or direct to a soundcard - no effects..

Plinking LPGs
- this involves a bunch of clock divisions, driving three Osc chains (no keyboard pitching here)
- three VCOs, tuned manually and then modulate with direct clock signals
- going through three LoPassGates controlled by three simple Envs which have different clock divsions..
- a bit of wobble tuning in there!

drubub
- a rhythmic one where a trigger seq plays throughout and extra clock divisions build on top
- a bit of an extendo, but the rhythmics become very bouncy towards the end.

6width_extract
- a short burst from an elongated take using only a few modules (6frac width, hence the title)
- there's no traditional VCOs in there, feedback variations causes the rhythms to shift and bounce

**
(you can click the mp3 label below to find other bug modular tracks)

Modular recordings

I've just uploaded some mp3s of modular playings - a full CD length of recordings for download.
They're free flowing plays, some rhythms, some drones, some warts.
Pure analogue all made with the suitcase system shown above (though some modules have changed since this photo)
Visit the BugBrand Modular page and enjoy!

Also an archive picture of the modular from Oct07 before the case changed to the more portable suitcase version: