What are your tips to make evolving pattern? To make them turn without too much repetition to make a liveset?
Well,
If I want an unique pattern to evolve, I always preserve a track free or two (great lux). So I can make live evolution of the main track, by changing notes. So I replace the main track by an other (with same sound) and then do the same with the one that have been replaced and son on. It’s kind of live pingpong mute/modify between two tracks, or three if you preserve two tracks initialy.
Then, I can make reproduce the evolution with secondary tracks, freeze the main, and practice the ping pong with secondary tracks.
Doing so, you can really make good evolving pattern with just one pattern. If using this trick with mutes and/or evolving fx (by changing the fx trig lock for example) a pattern wil be enough.
In live this practice need a great concentration, a good mastering of the unit and will drop a great quantity of sweat.
To this, I try to bring changes on the other tracks. Little changes, but the whole modifications brings an signifant evolution at the end.
The only problem, IMHO, is that it close your music in a kind of minimalistic production, so drastic changes can’t occurs. It wil be like Ae long evolving sound.
All these statements are in the case of only MnM rig. If you have other gear, you can double the practice with the midi out, you’ll probably double the sweat too
Now I write this, it makes me think that I didn’t try to modify my internall tracks by internal midi… I must give a try to this to see if it’s relevant, in view to improve my only MnM jams.
But if you have a MnM machine with +drive, the easiest is to use several patterns. it’s more confortable, so you can manually chain them to construct your evolution. You can have 16 patterns for a song, so 8 song on a snapshot, before changing it. “More patterns, less sweat”, it’s an old electro proverb
Thanks fot this first tip!
I’m working on this issue myself. The three lfos are a nice way to start, and mercifully, the mnm has wide sweet spots. Also, a use an effect track for each voice track and add the additional filters, lfos, etc. Or I’ll do a main pattern and have additional notes in the same sound on the others. None of these are great but it’s where I’m at right now
One more- patterns can share a kit, so you can have a whole row of patterns for one sound and keep it moving that way.
All that makes me think that a good and more drastic (if you want) method would be to carefully prepare differents kits. So the evolution could result from changing kits. For example your first kit is replace by the same one exempt one sound. So you could continue to replace the kits wich are barely the same except few differents elements from the kits playing before (mainly the synths).
I will try this…
Hello i do not have MnM anymore but i reply in a more general way as it’s interesting : make theme idea less boring. First thing coming in mind is length (1 bar repeating is more boring than 4 bar repeating) so i usually try to make a Music theme longer than 1 bar (i guess on MnM, as it’s a synth it’s not really a problem especially for long string-pad-texture)
Second thing coming is it’s usually important to be able to get out a part from a song without to create an inappropriate-unpleasant empty space > so generally (except if this empty space is wanted) it’s important to find theme variation. And when i write the word variation, few things coming : Musical harmony, Automation, Effects.
Musical Harmony : Gives us the ability to switch harmony mode for some parts. A lot of songs switch harmony mode and it gives us a very pleasant and emotional listening experience. (less boring)
Automation : make things evolving, random harnessed here can be nice, live tweaking, duplicate pattern and find some variation by detecting which parameters modulation is pleasant and which not and kept the one you like.
Effects : for sure this can be used. but pay attention to not overdo effects… as DJ approach ! it’s not an interesting approach to me (don’t know if you will see what i try to meaning by that.)
Also other things coming in mind is introduce some noise here and there, some other texture, sounds mixing lower… we always think to the main elements but forgot lower elements can give a more alive final part.
Dubathonic has a great tip on here somewhere for this. He uses the arps in a mind-bending way to get all kinds of smooth variations from one pattern. It’s not like those old 1970’s arps although it does use the arp.