It occurred to me that all the Buddha Machine Variations so far have neglected one particular thing: What a single loop on a single Buddha Machine might sound like all on its own.
To address that situation, this video originated with a completed patch. I then noted the approximate relative volumes of the five channels of audio in the mixer. I then set all five channels to silent, null, void. Then I started the video with no sound at all, turned up the Buddha Machine (not yet plugged into the synthesizer), plugged it in, and proceeded, a step at a time, to introduce the four subsequent channels of audio.
To break it down: The first channel is the sound of the Buddha Machine (second generation) loop, unadulterated. The second and third channels are individual spectral bands extracted from that initial loop, and then each delayed a bit, so there’s a sense of repetition, even veering toward reflection. The fourth channel takes two other spectral bands from the source loop and puts them through a comparative process, so that only the higher pitch of them at any given moment is heard. And the fifth channel is the highest bracket of those spectral bands (the soprano among sopranos) put through granular synthesis (the input gain is set purposefully high).
To break down the tool set: The Buddha Machine is introduced to the synthesizer via the Erica Synths Pico Input. The mixer is the the ADDAC802 VCA Quintet Mixer. The initial division of the inbound audio occurs in the Malekko Heavy Industry Performance Buffered Mult. The spectral bands are extracted via the out-of-print Make Noise FXDf. The delay occurs in the Orthogonal Devices ER-301 (standard Delay unit). The comparison in the fourth channel involves the Whimsical Raps Cold Mac (specifically the “AND” route). The granular synthesis occurs in the Antumbra Smog, a remix of the out-of-print Mutable Instruments Clouds. The output is a Befaco Output (V3).
Video originally posted at youtube.com/disquiet. There’s also a video playlist of the Buddha Machine Variations.