It’s the circle of 0-Coast (it’s the modulated pitch wheel of fortune) 
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Hey there folks, there will be some 0-Coast action in this video this evening ! Tune in to the chatroom to ask some questions if you feel like it.
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I’m having a major GAS attack for an 0-Coast, 0-Control, Strega combo. I need to stop watching YouTube synth channels.
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Printable patch sheets! It’s the little things sometimes.
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Hi coasters. I’m having tremendous fun with my Quandrantid Swarm and started wondering what else out there could give similar levels of hands-on improv fun, and complement the sound palette. I’m not going full-on modular. Looking at semi/self-contained modulars like Erica Pico System III and 0-coast.
I really like the sound and synthesis approach of the 0-coast, from what I see/hear online. What I’m looking for is sequenced bass/analog type sounds, tempo sync’ed to my MIDI rig, potentially via the Quandrantid’s clock out. (Also have a Circuit Mono Station with CV functions but I’d prefer keeping that out of the equation, for portability and other reasons.)
Question: I’m looking for wobbly, raw techno basslines and synth noise. How viable is the 0-coast for this when I do not wish to sequence it externally, just tempo sync it? Would the 0-coast on its own provide enough control?
Goal would be to jam out with AR2, Quandratid Swarm, 0-coast and a few fx boxes, for example.
Tips for other devices to look at also appreciated. I know there’s the 0-ctrl to pair with it but then it becomes a rather more costly affair.
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Without sequencing it, you’re pretty much stuck with one note for everything (can work for techno) or relying on the random circuit to change the note unpredictably and not very harmonically either. But you can sequence it with midi from the AR easily enough. 0-Coast patched into itself everywhere makes interesting drones and bass sounds for days and the envelopes are very west coast, going from super plucky to super long depending on your contour settings. There’s no noise source as such tho, but you can make it kinda chaotic/noisy with patching something like the square wave into the clock and then sending the random to different things running at audio rates. It’s hard to say whether it suits your specific needs tho. It can do so much but you’ve got to love its core sound.
Edit: for simple techno bassline sequencing, the Korg SQ-1 makes a good companion for 0-Coast.
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Thanks. Another option that I saw Mylarmelodies do in his 0-coast vid is using something like a Qunexus to input notes to the arp.
I’d prefer to not use another sounding instrument in the setup for sequencing the 0-coast because I like to change patterns on the individual devices while the others keep doing whatever they’re doing. If AR is also sending midi then AR and 0-coast patterns are tied to each other and I loose that ability. It s important in my approach to jamming and performing.
However I ‘d have enough devices that could sequence it if needed: MD, OT, Circuit Mono Station.
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But not straightforward to sync to MIDI clock it seems?
That side of things is a PITA if I remember rightly. I think I had to use a computer to do it. There is a clock input if you can send out clock from the Swarm. Another alternative: KeyStep/BeatStep?
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Get a microvolt… It has much better control over melody without a controller, and can quickly switch from quarter note to sixteenth midi clock sync. I think it’s is miles ahead of o-coast, but not as popular… it is easily one of my favorites though, it is surprisingly deep for what it looks like.
Window closing on this: the Microvolt is not even listed on the manufacturer’s website any more. It’s available new at Analogue Haven, astonishingly, but seems increasingly rare used. Pittsburgh Modular keeps hinting at new semimodular systems but I’m increasingly skeptical.
Always thought fugue machine x 0-coast would be a great combo after watching a few of these videos. Maybe more for ambient than techno thought! Would just need to feed clock into the iPad somehow?
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Oh, that’s my video haha
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Seems cool but indeed available nowhere I can see (EU).
Also, I do think the coast, while more limited, has a more unique character. That makes the comparison harder, also with say a Pico System III which has a lot more functionality than the coast for the same price.
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Thanks but while I have an older iPad I wanna keep away from apps, iOS updates, hardware/software losing support etc in music making.
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Great work! Really like the sounds coming out of this.
FM seems like a perfect match, a little left of field, just like the O-C.
I’d also thought about recording some FM MIDI patterns into an MPC so as to be able to manipulate/recall them there within more regular songs. On the long list of ideas I haven’t got round to yet…
Yeah pico III is really well featured, although it does lack midi for syncing. Some big points for 0coast would be playability though, I would call pico system a mini synth which is tiny to its detrament. 0coast/ctrl/ strega all much more playable due to careful feature choice and not trying to pack so much in a small space. That said having pico system made me learn a lot pretty fast, and made me realize I wanted the strega over the 0coast. Still I’d say big points to makenoise for making such playable small synths, 0coast + small deticated sequencer would be my choice of what you’re thinking.
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That makes sense and matches my intuitions.
SQ-1 indeed looks like a great companion, next best to 0-ctrl. Even surpasses it in some respects, with that second CV track. Price is great (small) too.
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Damn this looks sick. Can you use the cv and gate external outputs as a midi to cv converter?
Does the Contour output can send an envelope cv out too?