Blocks combinations for generative beats and melodies

Folks, if any of you have interest in industrial or noisy techno, I highly recommend checking out Demetriades Panos' new Foldbeat in the user library. With just 16 blocks, Panos has created an ensemble to perform live or generate rough ideas for studio tracks. I'd like to better understand how the generative aspect of patches like this work. Which Blocks are especially useful together?

Could anyone (Panos?) provide a summary of why this ensemble works so well to create both a danceable rhythm and a lot of variation? If I understand correctly, the two "4 MODS" blocks are together sending eight control signals and the "SWITCH" is selecting between them. This means that we keep hearing snippets of eight simple sequences, right? So, it sounds familiar, somewhat predictable--but not boring? I understand what the "CLOCK DIVIDER" is doing in theory, but in practice--I don't understand why we would want to send Gate 1 to both of the "4 MODS" and Gate 4 to the "SWITCH" and Gate 5 and Gate 6 directly to the "KICK" and "SNARE". Why does that work particularly well? Would other combinations work equally well or better?

-d. vyd

 

D. Vyd, the sequencer are for oscillater only. The drums get the power from clock divider.

 

Using a variety of the clock's dividers gives you more rhythmic control. Which go to where is arbitrary. You could probably get even more variety by giving each 4 mod its own gate. They might have set it up like that for ease of use.

In the Euro Reakt series there are a bunch of sequencing toys that are good for generative patches. Anything with probability will help add variety.

In my Brett Blocks there is a mod of one of the Euro Reakt blocks, Probability Sequenced Gates. I added the sequence part so all the gates take turns firing instead of going all at once. Maybe it will be useful.

I also made another block that I have yet to even use myself very much, the gate sequencer in the "Rounds Series." It takes gates from a bunch of different sources and makes them take turns firing. You could probably get something really funky going with that.

I have an patch called "Quantum Variophone" that is kind of cool for generative melodic sounds. It's in the test ensembles folder of Brett Blocks. You might be able to get some ideas from it.

I like this question. I hope you get some more answers, because this is an area I could use some ideas in myself.
It's tough to get a complex sequenced generative patch going with blocks, especially when CPU use starts becoming an issue.
We need really concise but somehow still versatile designs.

 

Thanks Brett & Paule. Brett, I hope to look at the Blocks you mentioned in the next few days. I'm not sure how to attract more responses, but I do hope people jump in with more ideas and advice.

 

hi.
silverbird is another good generative maschine.
psydiak 2.0 is in the pipe.
its all about sequencers are sequencing sequencers. its like one lfo... boring. but if you take a second lfo and modulate the speed of the first one it comes to life.
the same goes to sequences. on top of that clock dividers and delays are very helpful to get a repetiveness back if you go crazy.
repetive parts and slightly changes should go hand in hand.
everything further is a analysis job.

 

AutoRiseAR is another beat generator.
a envelope? yes...
the env are generating auto gates. modulateable.
please have a look at the example ensemble of AutoRiseAR.

 

oh i forgot to mention beat lfo. under the hood it is again silverbird!
generating a envelope.
wire the envelope to a filters cutoff freq of a filter with self oscillaton and pull up the resonance fully.
now you have nice drop booming 808 sounds. repetive, but changing slightly via the remix function.
this should work perfectly as modulator for beat sequencers as well

 

Thanks Thala. I downloaded this version of Silverbird: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/7413/. Is there a version of this that sends MIDI note & CC for each instrument instead of producing the sound internally? If not, perhaps I could just add a few MIDI out Blocks?

 

if i remeber correctly there are some tiny small switches for generating midi somewhere. maybe somewhere hidden in the code. i have found them as i was doing a silverbird/polyplex hardwired mashup.
but silverbird is really good with its whole concept. maybe just load your own samples/blocks into it?
i will look later if i am at home.

 

D. Vyd overall is a pretty simple patch Brett already explained it how it works and of course this is just scratching the surface

- Panos

 

its just in front of you. one tiny button
https://giphy.com/gifs/reaktor-bitwig-3ohBVuaf6vF5oYtdpC

 

Got it! Thank you! Are you finding all tracks sent on MIDI channel 1?

 

I'm sad that both of Andre's Silverbird ensembles (Silverbird reloaded and SilverbirdLive) no longer load in Reaktor 5 or Reaktor 6 for me.

 

I'm using SilverbirdLive in Reaktor 6. Are you getting an error? You downloaded the version of SilverbirdLive with the PDF?

 

Yes, that's the one I downloaded. Crashes 6.2 with "Reaktor 6 quit unexpectedly". Using OSX High Sierra 10.13.1

 

I'm using Windows. Perhaps that is the difference?

 

Thala, is there anything specific in Bitwig that you like when working with Reaktor?

 

Six years ago André left the silverbird reloaded in UL
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/reaktor-community/reaktor-user-library/entry/show/6485/

 

works fine on win7. seems to be a mac bug

 

sure. i can use full audio rate modulations (blocks) on bitwig and vst3 devices.
overall the bitwig2 modulators are neat and very cpu effecient.
and on top bitwig will get a editor for its devices like reaktor.
and bitwigs midi effect devices are nice too for generative stuff with reaktor.
i really like bitwigs modularity. especial together with reaktor. works like a charme.