So I started messing around with my filterbank and the midi cc assignments this morning.
The newer models of filterbank have an internally routed noise/feedback circuit that’ll create howling distortion and gut churning noise. It’s amazing if you’re into that sort of thing. Tweaking the knobs makes this controllable(ish) and pleasing to my sensibilities.
I’ve never bothered with using the midi cc assignments on the filterbank as I’ve always used it as a live recording mutator type thing but it occurred to me that running midi into the thing while in feedback/noise mode would be fun. Turns out I was right.
I sent the filterbank out into a thru track and added some OT filter and compression to make it a little less jarring.
Anyone else done something like this or have any tips or advice to help make this even. More fun?
Sounds like fun! Are you sending any signal into the Filterbank, or does it sound like that on its own with feedback? I would probably want to send stuff from the OT cue out into the Filterbank and back into the OT, for lots of other madness!
I’ve never used a Sherman Filterbank, but I’ve always found it fascinating and I love the sounds I hear coming from them.
I think I did with AH, direct out recording, nothing plugged in, OT midi control…no feedback, but the resonance allows certain things, distortion brings noise, lfo xan be used as envelope…
Shermann is nastier…
(You can make feedback with AH/OT path)
I do MPC+MFC42. Totally different sound but same basic idea. I like to program instant extreme parameter changes on a dedicated automation track automation on a dedicated track by using parameter dumps in step edit mode (similar end result to parameter locks, completely different workflow) and then use one or more additional tracks to record realtime control changes.
I’m not posting the full track since it hasn’t been released officially yet (it’s part of an all MPC+MFC42 album I finished a coupe months ago, but the cassette release is going to take at least a year to come out - the last one took closer to three and still isn’t quite out yet - but I don’t have much patience for self promotion so I’d rather wait a long time for someone else to do it than do it myself and get sick of promoting it and sending out tapes after a couple weeks, which is what always happens when I try that), but this a transition where I used step-sequenced MFC-42 (LFO depth, speed , shape, destination, stereo phase offset and sync/subdivision; distortion and phaser bypass and parameters, and then a layer or two of realtime knob turning built up in about a dozen passes). The audio is a simple loop from a 1950s recording of nuns playing djembe, no manipulation other than a couple chops. The idea was to sort of evoke a badly damaged tape.
EDIT: as far as advice, on the OT try using multiple tracks to control the Filterbank, so that you can mute and unmute them live, set them to different lengths, etc.
Put the filterbank in an Octatrack feedback loop (studio mode; cue out->Filterbank->input; track recorder with trig on step 1 recording the filterbank input; flex machine playing the record buffer that the Filterbank is being recorded into; cue level on the flex track controls the amount of feedback). Because you’re using a flex machine playing a record buffer instead of using a thru machine, you can put the play trig on steps other than step 1 and have a delay with the filterbank (and all of the regular track parameters and effect slots) inserted in its feedback loop.
I know you appreciate the noisier side of things so make sure you get a unit with serial number 8280 or above since it has the feedback/noise circuit. I had a rack unit some years back but sold it to finance something else in a fit of gear lust. Glad I did since it’d be unlikely I’d have sold it just to get a model with the feedback/noise circuit. Not having a filterbank was awful though. I was eying the ‘compact’ model as well but I really like the classic wedge shape for some reason.
That’s neat. Lots of ways to mutate things. I was unaware of the MFC42.
Good suggestions to further explore with the OT. Multiple midi tracks and record buffer tricks are something I’ll definitely dig into. The versatility of the OT is really phenomenal. It can be a little overwhelming trying to juggle things with my old tired brain but the results are well worth a little bit of work.
This is sick, gonna have to have a go bc it sounds like a dream for making some Rominimal glitchy modular-esque textures. Any advice on interesting mappings of CC’s so far?
I bet running a resample back through it again would yield some mental results
Lots of options to try out. The feedback circuit works in such a way that it can’t have anything plugged into the signal input to work. I might try running something into the FM in.
Class thank you. Can the FB take CV & MIDI messages at the same time or is it one of those “if one is engaged the other can’t be” setups do you know? Wondering if chucking in a couple of CV outs from an A4 at the same time could take things to even weirder places.
It’ll take CV to the ADSR or AM triggers but it’s pretty limited in that regard. It seems it is made to be played rather than controlled, which is good and a lot of fun.
