Matt,
Exactly! I’m trying to figure out how Wendy Carlos might have produced a similar sound in her Timesteps piece. I’ve tried many different approaches in my head, but this one has actually got me stumped - at least for what would seem a simple task!
BTW, love your textual graphic of what I’m talking about!!!
In principle, it works like the effect you get when you have a ruler (plastic or wood) on a desktop perpendicular to the edge, with two-thirds overhanging, place your palm on the third thats on the desk surface, set the overhanging end into motion (like a reed), then as that end vibrates, pull the ruler inward from the edge. That sound is sometimes used in cartoon sound effects.
Can’t call a patch off the top of my head, but off hand you’d need a tracking generator with a logarithmic curve assigned to lfo rate, with the lfo triggering the envelope generator(s).
Herbie Hancock did sounds like that on the 2600, but you could probably also do the patch on an Oberheim Xpander or good modular synth.
Similar sound can be heard at 8:24 in this clip:
one long one EVN, triggered by a key press, that has an inverted output, that feeds into LFO #1. as it decays, puts the pitch up… you may not need log on this one to “sell” the effect.
one short one to define the audible bounce noise. triggered by LFO#1
(i would feed this to control the volume on some sort of pitch) run the oscillator through a filter first with resonance right below the point of self oscillation to give you a “roomy” resonance.
others that could help you sell this are… but would make more complicated…
adding a 3rd envelope ( triggered by LFO1 like ENV #2) but shorter than EVN2 and putting some white noise in. so you hear a super fast SMACK, then a more pitchy ring.
adding a 4th envelope, or using the non inverted output of ENV#1 to increase the pitch of the bounce every time it gets less and less
I’ve attacked this mentally in several ways (pun intended) I’m pretty much with you’re way of thinking. However the first ENV is where I have a problem. The rise is exponential, the reverse of what I see as a necessary anti-log function to the first ENV. If the 1st LFO had an exponential CV input, I’m thinking that would require a linear envelope slope.
Am I seeing the need for an Anti-log generator module?
It seems that this should be a relatively simple patch, but the exponential capacitor charge rates (ENVs) seem to be getting in the way. I’ve also thought about patching the gate into a slew module that has a linear option. That’s probably the best “low body count” patch I’ve come up with.
I don’t own a modular. So I tackled this on my Voyager this morning.
OSC1 and 2 are my ball sound. (Set these to your ear)
OSC3 isn’t being used
VX-351 LFO Triangle or square (differant effect) patched to VOLUME in of Vger
VX-351 FILTER ENV to ATTENUATOR IN.
ATTENUATOR OUT to Vger LFO RATE (Attenuator set final max speed of LFO)
LFO turned fullCCW
FILTER and VOLUME ENV GATEs are both keyboard
PGM PEDAL SRC= Filter ENV
PGM PEDAL Dest=LFO Rate
FILTER CUTOFF at around 2K
Spacing ctr and no res (You can tune to the sound you want)
FILTER ENV A full CW D full CCW S 10 R Full CCW AMOUNT -2 (amount controls apearant volume decay)
VOL ENV A 12 o’clock D 12 o’clock S 1 R full CCW
Press a key and hold. When you release and restrike the LFO will reset at slow and start over.
However the first ENV is where I have a problem. The rise is exponential, the reverse of what I see as a necessary anti-log function to the first ENV. If the 1st LFO had an exponential CV input, I’m thinking that would require a linear envelope slope.
my .coms have both exponential and linear inputs… volts per octave, which is the standard in non dedicated LFOs is exponential.
for me that is the critical step in getting linear response
Am I seeing the need for an Anti-log generator module?
It seems that this should be a relatively simple patch, but the exponential capacitor charge rates (ENVs) seem to be getting in the way. I’ve also thought about patching the gate into a slew module that has a linear option. That’s probably the best “low body count” patch I’ve come up with.
With some very wet gated reverb, this sounds like one of those red balls we used in school bouncing. Hope it helps your project. It was fun for me just trying out a suggested effect that I hadn’t thought of trying to mimic.
I used the VC out of a Synthesizers.com Q119 sequencer to control the division amount of a Synth Tech MOTM-730 VC Pulse Divider and then the varing clock out of the MOTM-730 as the Q119’s clock input and an EG’s trigger input.
In the video I had the sequencer repeating in “up/down” mode but earlier I had played around with it being in one shot “up only” mode and I could produce a pretty good “ball drop” effect.
I don’t remember exactly what I was using but . . . I’m pretty sure I was using MOTM-300 VCO or two (probably square/pulse waveform) and a MOTM-440 VCF (great sounding filter!). I used two MOTM-800 EGs (ADSR), one for the filter and one for the MOTM-190 VCA. On both EGs I had the attack, release and probably sustain all set to zero and then I just played with the decay settings until it was not too fast and not too slow. Sometimes I might dial in just a little sustain on the VCA’s EG to give it a little more ‘body’ or what ever you want to call it.
Sometimes I might dial in just a little sustain on the VCA’s EG to give it a little more ‘body’ or what ever you want to call it.