I ask you: what is the foundation for rhythmic electronic music? I suggest that the humble step-sequencer is the backbone of many of today’s musical genres and memetic evolutions. To have electronic rhythm, you need to start with a clock and go from there, dividing it into fractions and multiples. Then start assigning sounds to those divisions and you’re pretty much there- techno is happening.

I’ve been working on prototyping a sequencer-synth and in doing research, I’ve come across numerous projects that tackle this idea with great enthusiasm. Because a sequencer can drive any type of electronics, projects tend to fall into two categories: audio, or visual. Additionally, I’m seeing two main drivers for the sequence itself: the nimble arduino, and the CMOS 4017 Decade counter IC. I’ll survey here some of the finished projects to give an idea of what’s possible. Come with me, won’t you, on an exploration of the world of DIY sequencers.

First up, a few excellent audio sequencers:

basic arduino sequencer from nikolaosh on Vimeo.

This “basic arduino sequencer” by Nikolaosh is undeniably fun. Looks like four potentiometers controlling software synth parameters, with the Arduino doing the sequencing as well. Basic, but effective nonetheless. You can see more details and grab the code here.

BeatSequencer 1.0 from Kamil Garbacz on Vimeo.

This “Beatsequencer” by Kamil Garbacz also uses Arduino to drive a matrix of LEDs. Looks like the top row indicates the position of the step, while the bottom 3 rows indicate on/off status for the beep assigned to that row. A matrix of switches turns each step on and off, 808-style. It’s a very compact design with a minimal interface, but it seems to work.

cigarduino punk console from frogstar on Vimeo.

This “Cigarduino Punk Console” from frogstar has a lot of great elements- nice pulsewave synthesis from the Arduino and a fun cigar-box case. It’s a little light on the LEDs though- don’t we all like our sequencers to have big banks of LEDs pusling through their paces?

In the 4017 category, we’ve got this nice little box from Note!. It nicely marries the Atari Punk console to the 4017 running as a 4-step sequencer. Good glitchy tones get put through their paces.

This sequencer from 9volts really opens up the possibilities here- he’s using the 4017 synched to a drum sampler, triggering circuit-bent devices and controlling gating and filtering. That’s what I’m talkin’ about right there.

Visual sequences:

PAN PC + 555 + 4017 from h.cosas on Vimeo.

This experiment from h.cosas uses the 4017 to drive an LCD display with interesting results. Dig those color bars!

This LED pattern sequencer by WootsPC is very nice to look at- this should give you an idea of what can be done with a basic sequencer, some LEDs, and an eye for animation.

What I take away from all of these projects is the idea that a sequencer can drive pretty much anything, and the most fun and interesting projects lie not in the sequencer itself, but in what is driven by the sequencer.

I’d really like to see someone who combines these LED animations with a good sounding, nicely-interfaced sequenced synth that’s syncable to MIDI clock input, but I think I might have to build that one myself- I’m working on my own like-minded project, and I’ve realized I’ve got a ways to go before I’ll be satisfied with the results. In case you’re curious, here’s my little project as of two weeks ago. I’ve made some modifications since then, but you get the basic idea.

Is anyone else working on a sequencer project? Please post it in the comments and tell us what how it’s coming along.

The mighty Ars Technica regularly takes on technically-intense reviews of processors and operating systems, but this time they’ve turned their attentions to something else altogether: DJ software. Dave Girard helms the review, with an exhaustive look at both basic DJ virtual decks (Disco, FutureDecks Lite, DJ1800) and full-featured software (VirtualDJ, Traktor DJ Studio from Native Instruments, and MixVibes Pro). (Thanks for the tip, Ryan Pollack!)

DJ Software for Windows and Mac OS X [Ars Technica]

The DJ apps get the full Ars Technica treatment, down to helpful figures explaining how DJing works for the uninitiated. Traktor DJ wins handily on Mac and Windows at the high end; for casual use on Windows VirtualDJ gets a nod. Girard also tests the hardware with the cheap Hercules DJ control surface / interface. This is exactly the kind of review from which I run screaming — round-ups are a total, life-sucking pain as a reviewer. (Yeah, I’m sure there’s a Logic 8 / Live 6 / Cubase SX 4 / DP 5 mega-review in my future, but in the meantime I’m going to try to keep enjoying life.)

The review also wins extra points for including an image of this business card. I wish Ashok had played my puberty party.

It’s a rare treat to see Ars doing DJ software, but there are some notable omissions.

djDecks — too hip for the room?

I can understand not covering Ableton Live. While Live has become a surprise runaway hit among DJs (and has arguably expanded the definition of what DJing is), the focus here was clearly on traditional 2-deck setups, which Live is not. But I’m surprised the Windows-only djDecks didn’t make the cut. At EUR38, this “indie” DJ app has robust features and hardware support usually found in apps costing eight times as much, time-coded vinyl support, mix recording, OGG support, library organizing, drag-and-drop from Windows Explorer, lots of build in effects … well, just read the incredible feature list.

Most notably, djDecks is the only DJ software I know of with not only full MIDI support, but compatibility with the Behringer BCD-2000, Hercules DJ Console, EKS XP10,FinalScratch, VirtualDJ, SSL and (my personal favorite) MsPinky vinyl records. And, Native Instruments, I hope you’re listening: unlike Traktor, djDecks has VST effect support. (Not that you need me to say this, of course; I think that’s been the topic of about 50% of the posts on NI’s own forums.)

The review’s definitely worth a read — just visit djDecks last; it could even be a reason to boot your MacBook into Windows XP. Live is still my top choice for creative music-making, but if I were a traditional DJ and not, well, me, djDecks would jump to the top of my list.

Fun Mac freebie

In other DJ app news, The Unofficial Apple Weblog recently spotlighted djday, a very pretty / Mac-like DJ app that’s free. Could be great fun to play with, but it’s missing some key features for hardware control, etc.; see comments.

Which DJ app would be in your round-up? (Particularly on Linux, which got left out entirely here but I know has some evolving offerings.)

The only real challenge in using vocoders in software is routing, since you need two signals — a carrier and a modulator. People are regularly asking how to do this on the Ableton Live forums, because there’s not an obvious way in Live to sidechain signal. Here’s one tutorial, and it’s friendly to people who have never used a vocoder before:

How To Use A Vocoder In Ableton Live [SonicTransfer]
More Orange Vocoder Tips [SonicTransfer]

Since some of the links are broken, here are the vocoders mentioned in the article. Both are Mac/Windows compatible, but only mda TalkBox is free:

Orange Vocoder Mac, Windows [Prosoniq]

mda Free Effects (Download the whole archive in VST Windows or VST/AU Mac format; TalkBox is in each version — and yes, the free mda stuff now runs Universal on Intel Macs)

Interestingly, this tutorial assumes you want a non-live solution. My preferred method is to set up two channels, one with the vocoder, and another with a live mic input (or other source), then route into the vocoder using the “Audio To” dropdown. I’m working on a tutorial specific to this with some other tips, so stay tuned.

My own vocoder of choice, which immediately suggests breaking out of the cliched vocoding mold with lots of wacky experimental presets and lovely-sounding synth sounds (I’ll share some of mine if I come up with anything nice):

Native Instruments Vokator [also in Komplete]

The vocoder has a long and fascinating history, one that goes beyond the narrow knowledge many people have of it. Wikipedia keeps getting better and better and has an extensive history; Obsolete.com looks at the first vocoders:

Vocoder [Wikipedia]
Homer Dudley’s Speech Synthesisers, “The Vocoder” (1940) & “Voder”(1939) [Obsolete.com: 120 Years of Electronic Music]

Note that Bob Moog and Wendy Carlos get credit for creating the vocoder as we now know it. (The original vocoder sounded quite different!)

The best news, here, however, is that you can build your own vocoder thanks to a PAIA kit designed by none other than Craig Anderton. It’s a traditional 8-band model (none of this new-fangled, 128-band nonsense), but with a “spectral cross modulator” for some additional effects. I would be running to buy one myself if I weren’t dead broke.

PAIA Vocoder

If anyone has one, let us know how it is to work with.

The key with making new vocoder effects is to get out there and experiment; love or hate the song, Imogen Heap’s blockbuster “Hide and Seek” (just when you thought vocoder hits were dead) came out of some happy accidents as the vocoder modulates between pitches. That’s made it hard to perform — and inspired choral a Capella versions — but it demonstrates yet again that the organic effect of struggling a bit with your technology often creates the most satisfying results.

Got more vocoder questions or tips? Send them on in.

Stewart Guitars Stow-Away (via)

Detach this sucker’s neck and you can fit the guitar into a briefcase, not to mention terrify your friends. (Oh, for the love of God, you broke your guitar!) Bonus: heightened terror alerts won’t make people think you’re carrying a gun. They make a similar model called the Road-Runner.

But while we’re at it, what else could you put in your mobile guitar studio carry bag? Here are a few suggestions from CDM posts past:

1. Vox DA5 miniature practice amp (see comments for similar models)
2. Fender keychain pocket tuner
3. iPod Nano with iRocker pocket tuner, metronome, virtual chord book, fingerings, and scales
4. Treo running miniMusic software for scoring, composing, beats
5. Laptop running Guitar Rig 2, made easier by Guitar Rig’s bundled, compact interface/foot pedal combo. And soon, Intel MacBooks should be supported

Guitar and bass players, what’s in your bag?

Updated: Kevin of the Nettles sends us details of his rig, with some terrific tips for an all-in-one music rig for the road.

Unusual controllers for performance (tablets to game controllers)

Cool Max projects (flaming sound organs to musical punching bags)

Essential Max tools (my favorite add-ons and upgrades)

It’s everything you need to start making weird, futuristic music and art. Well, not quite everything, but enough to blow my mind, anyway. I’m planning more online tutorials and possibly another print follow-up soon, so stay tuned!

Unusual Controllers for Use with Max

Part of the fun of using Max is that it’s easy to manage incoming data from devices in performance — not only the usual items (keyboards, drum pads), but unusual controller, as well. In particular, you’ll want to take a look at the built-in “hi” object (human interface), which enables use with a broad range of USB devices, even if not intended for music. More resources from CDM:

Guitar Hero PlayStation Guitar Controller, a prime target for Max hacking

The P5 Data Glove is an inexpensive game controller that works especially well with Max (even though one of my colleagues insists on using it with Macromedia’s Director, which is trickier)

Wacom Tablet External for using a graphics tablet (only works with OS X, though there are other options, too)

USB-to-real-world sensor interface lets you attach sensors, other devices; as an alternative, my personal favorite device in this category is the real world – to – MIDI device, the US$149 MidiTron

Great Max/MSP Projects

Max is the undisputed champ for designing sophisticated experimental installations, instruments, and other prototypes quickly. Here are a few of my favorites I’ve written up on CDM (some combining Max with other software):

Musical punching bag / disco floor

Minority Report-like Virtual Reality Environment (shown at top, navigating the NYC skyline)

Flaming Propane-powered Pyrophone Organ Game (shown below)

String Thing fretless cello-like instrument

Turntable Art

Turntable-Controlled Vibrating Chaise Longue

Coal-Powered, Steam-Driven Power Plant Music plus further details of interfacing coal-powered hardware with laptops

More Max Tools

Worth adding to your arsenal:

Jitter 1.5 and Max/MSP 4.5.5: Starting with the mothership, here’s why you should upgrade to the latest version

Game sound objects for emulating Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Coleco Sound

Cycling ‘74 distributes the Lemur multi-touch control surface, ideal for Star Trek-like control of Max patches; see recent update to the software

Tap.Tools is my favorite Max add-on; an indispensible collection of time-savers at a really low price