A simple patch featuring Shaper, the Squinky Labs waveshaper module. A single polyphonic oscillator drives two instances of the waveshaper. A machine improvisation sends a 3-voice counterpoint to the oscillator. Two voices are routed to one of the shapers, a single voice is sent to the inputs of the other. Southpole’s Smoke module is used in its Oliverb mode as a special effect utilizing the module’s pitch control. The Oliverb is used as a restricted effect, global reverb is provided by the great Plateau plate reverb from Valley Audio.

The v/Oct CV and gates are created by three instances of a generative system made with a random gates generator, a sample & hold module, an attenuverter, and a pitch quantizer. The quantizers have been set to the chromatic scale with “root” tones of C, E, and G (a C major triad). The resulting pitch combinations seem to favor structures with prominent thirds and fifths, but my evidence is only subjective. At any rate, some lovely combinations emerge from the random counterpoint.

Many thanks to all creators of plugins for VCV Rack. Special thanks to Bruce Frazer and the other tireless researchers at Squinky Labs. I’m a fan. :)

The players in the band:

Aria Salvatrice – Splirge
Autodafe – 1×8 Mult
Bogaudio – S&H
Charred Desert – M minimixer
Frozen Wasteland – BPM LFO
HetrickCV – Random Gates
Impromptu Modular – Clocked, Tact-1
JW-Modules – Quantizer
NYSTHI – 4DCB
RJModules – Button
Skrylar – Jack Audio 4×4
Southpole – Smoke
Squinky Labs – Basic VCO, Shaper, Chopper, Form, ExFor
Stoermelder – uMap
SynthKit – Clock Divider
VCV – VCA-1, ADSR, 8vert
Wiqid – Dual Attenuverter
Valley Audio – Plateau

All blessings upon them all.

Dave Phillips
13 March 2021