[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":718},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Flearn\u002Fmelody-and-chance":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"article":6,"body":7,"description":710,"extension":711,"meta":712,"navigation":6,"path":713,"seo":714,"seoTitle":715,"stem":716,"__hash__":717},"pages\u002Flearn\u002Fmelody-and-chance.md","Melody & chance: chords, arps and generative patches",true,{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":698},"minimark",[10,14,27,32,40,63,88,123,127,138,152,184,188,204,216,371,375,391,411,434,438,449,502,506,509,516,550,557,607,611,621,651,655],[11,12,5],"h1",{"id":13},"melody-chance-chords-arps-and-generative-patches",[15,16,17,18,22,23,26],"p",{},"A sequencer plays the notes you give it. This guide is about two other ways of making melody: building ",[19,20,21],"strong",{},"harmony"," from a single key, and building patches that ",[19,24,25],{},"write their own music",". That second idea, generative patching, is one of the things people love most about modular. You set up the rules, press go, and listen to something nobody has heard before.",[28,29,31],"h2",{"id":30},"chords-one-key-four-notes","Chords: one key, four notes",[15,33,34,35,39],{},"Pitch in a modular is just a voltage, where 1 is an octave and 1\u002F12 is a semitone. So a chord is just ",[36,37,38],"em",{},"maths",": take the note you're playing and add a few fixed amounts. Add 4\u002F12 for a major third, 7\u002F12 for a fifth, and you have a major triad.",[15,41,42,43,48,49,52,53,52,56,52,59,62],{},"The ",[44,45,47],"a",{"href":46},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fchord","Chord"," module does exactly that. One pitch goes in; four come out (",[19,50,51],{},"ROOT",", ",[19,54,55],{},"3RD",[19,57,58],{},"5TH",[19,60,61],{},"7TH","), each the root plus an interval. Patch them into three or four oscillators and one key plays a whole chord.",[15,64,42,65,69,70,52,73,52,76,79,80,83,84,87],{},[44,66,68],{"href":67},"\u002Fmodules\u002Farp","Arpeggiator"," plays those chord notes one at a time instead, stepping on each clock pulse. ",[19,71,72],{},"UP",[19,74,75],{},"DOWN",[19,77,78],{},"UP\u002FDN"," and ",[19,81,82],{},"RND"," set the order; ",[19,85,86],{},"Octaves"," spreads the pattern up the keyboard.",[89,90,93,96],"try-it",{"lesson":91,"title":92},"25-chords-and-arpeggios","Chords and arpeggios",[15,94,95],{},"Hold a key, and change it now and then.",[97,98,99,108],"ul",{},[100,101,102,103],"li",{},"Change the Chord module's quality to Major, Minor 7 or Sus4 and hear the mood shift. ",[104,105],"turn",{"module":106,"param":107},"chord","quality",[100,109,110,111,113,114,116,117],{},"Switch the Arpeggiator from ",[19,112,78],{}," to ",[19,115,82],{},". ",[118,119],"knob",{"module":120,"param":121,"is":122},"arp","pattern","3",[28,124,126],{"id":125},"polyphony-one-voice-per-note","Polyphony: one voice per note",[15,128,129,130,133,134,137],{},"Here's a modular quirk: a cable carries one signal, so it can carry one pitch. To play several ",[36,131,132],{},"different"," notes at once, each note needs its own oscillator, its own envelope and its own VCA: its own ",[19,135,136],{},"voice",".",[15,139,140,144,145,79,148,151],{},[44,141,143],{"href":142},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fpolykeys","Poly Keys"," hands each new key you press to a free voice, with a separate ",[19,146,147],{},"V\u002FOCT",[19,149,150],{},"GATE"," pair for each. That's what \"polyphonic\" means: many voices.",[89,153,156,163],{"lesson":154,"title":155},"26-polyphony-play-chords","Play real chords",[15,157,158,159,162],{},"Hold ",[19,160,161],{},"A D G"," for a C major chord. Hold four keys and one note drops out, because there are only three voices patched.",[97,164,165],{},[100,166,167,168,171,172,177,178,177,181],{},"Set a long ",[19,169,170],{},"R"," on every ADSR: pads that hang in the air. ",[118,173],{"module":174,"param":175,"above":176},"adsr#e1","release","2"," ",[118,179],{"module":180,"param":175,"above":176},"adsr#e2",[118,182],{"module":183,"param":175,"above":176},"adsr#e3",[28,185,187],{"id":186},"random-notes-that-always-sound-right","Random notes that always sound right",[15,189,190,191,195,196,199,200,203],{},"Now for chance. A ",[44,192,194],{"href":193},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fsh","Sample & Hold"," grabs a value whenever its ",[19,197,198],{},"TRIG"," fires, and holds it until the next trigger. With nothing in its ",[19,201,202],{},"IN"," it samples noise, so it produces a new random voltage on every pulse.",[15,205,206,207,210,211,215],{},"Random voltages make random pitches, and most of those fall ",[36,208,209],{},"between"," the notes of any scale. Played straight into an oscillator, that sounds like a computer having a bad day. The fix is a ",[44,212,214],{"href":213},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fquant","Quantizer",": it snaps any voltage to the nearest note of a scale you choose. Random numbers plus a scale makes melodies that never repeat but never sound wrong.",[89,217,221,224,339,342],{"lesson":218,"title":219,":unpatched":220},"21-generative-melodies","An endless melody","true",[15,222,223],{},"A clock, a Sample & Hold, a Quantizer and a voice with echoes, all unpatched. Wire the voice, then give it random notes:",[225,226,227,272,286,309],"ol",{},[100,228,229,230,233,234,236,237,239,240,242,243,245,246,248,249,251,252,116,255,177,260,177,264,177,268],{},"Patch the voice in a line: the VCO's ",[19,231,232],{},"OUT"," into the VCA's ",[19,235,202],{},", the VCA's ",[19,238,232],{}," into the Delay's ",[19,241,202],{},", the Delay's ",[19,244,232],{}," into the Reverb's ",[19,247,202],{},", and the Reverb's ",[19,250,232],{}," into the Output's ",[19,253,254],{},"MONO",[256,257],"wire",{"from":258,"to":259},"vco.out","vca.in",[256,261],{"from":262,"to":263},"vca.out","delay.in",[256,265],{"from":266,"to":267},"delay.out","reverb.in",[256,269],{"from":270,"to":271},"reverb.out","out.in",[100,273,274,275,278,279,281,282],{},"Patch the Clock's ",[19,276,277],{},"1\u002F8"," into the Sample & Hold's ",[19,280,198],{},". Now it grabs a new random voltage every eighth note. ",[256,283],{"from":284,"to":285},"clock.s8","sh.trig",[100,287,288,289,291,292,294,295,297,298,300,301,177,305],{},"Patch the Sample & Hold's ",[19,290,232],{}," into the Quantizer's ",[19,293,202],{},", and the Quantizer's ",[19,296,147],{}," into the VCO's ",[19,299,147],{},". Random voltages in, notes of a scale out. ",[256,302],{"from":303,"to":304},"sh.out","quant.in",[256,306],{"from":307,"to":308},"quant.out","vco.pitch",[100,310,311,312,314,315,317,318,233,320,323,324,326,327,330,331,177,335],{},"Patch the Quantizer's ",[19,313,198],{}," into the ADSR's ",[19,316,150],{},", and the ADSR's ",[19,319,232],{},[19,321,322],{},"CV",". An endless melody. The Quantizer's ",[19,325,198],{}," only fires when the note ",[36,328,329],{},"changes",", so repeated notes merge into one. ",[256,332],{"from":333,"to":334},"quant.trig","adsr.gate",[256,336],{"from":337,"to":338},"adsr.out","vca.cv",[15,340,341],{},"Then play with it:",[97,343,344,361],{},[100,345,346,347,52,350,79,353,356,357],{},"Change the Quantizer's ",[19,348,349],{},"Scale",[19,351,352],{},"Root",[19,354,355],{},"Range"," while it plays. ",[104,358],{"module":359,"param":360},"quant","scale",[100,362,363,364,366,367],{},"Add an LFO and patch it into the Sample & Hold's ",[19,365,202],{}," instead of letting it sample noise: now the melody rises and falls in waves. ",[256,368],{"from":369,"to":370},"lfo.out","sh.in",[28,372,374],{"id":373},"a-riff-that-slowly-changes","A riff that slowly changes",[15,376,377,378,381,382,386,387,390],{},"Pure randomness never repeats, and that's its problem: real melodies ",[36,379,380],{},"do"," repeat, and repetition is what makes them catchy. The ",[44,383,385],{"href":384},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fturing","Turing Machine"," sits in between. It keeps a loop of random values and plays it round and round, so you get a riff. Its ",[19,388,389],{},"Lock"," knob decides how often the loop changes:",[97,392,393,399,405],{},[100,394,395,398],{},[19,396,397],{},"100%",": the riff repeats forever.",[100,400,401,404],{},[19,402,403],{},"85–95%",": it slowly evolves, a note here and there.",[100,406,407,410],{},[19,408,409],{},"50% or less",": chaos.",[89,412,415,421],{"lesson":413,"title":414},"31-turing-machine","Find a riff, then keep it",[15,416,417,418,420],{},"The Turing Machine's ",[19,419,389],{}," is around 90%, so the riff changes a note here and there as it loops. Listen for a while.",[225,422,423],{},[100,424,425,426,428,429],{},"When you hear something you like, turn ",[19,427,389],{}," to 100% to keep it. ",[118,430],{"module":431,"param":432,"above":433},"turing","lock","0.99",[28,435,437],{"id":436},"chaos-never-repeating-never-random","Chaos: never repeating, never random",[15,439,42,440,444,445,448],{},[44,441,443],{"href":442},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fchaos","Lorenz"," module solves three equations first found while modelling the weather. Its outputs never repeat and never settle, but they aren't random either: they ",[36,446,447],{},"wander",", flipping unpredictably between two areas. On a filter or a slightly detuned oscillator, that sounds organic in a way an LFO can't.",[89,450,453,460],{"lesson":451,"title":452},"38-lorenz-chaos","Weather as music",[15,454,455,456,459],{},"The scope in ",[19,457,458],{},"X\u002FY"," mode draws the famous butterfly shape.",[97,461,462,474,485],{},[100,463,464,465,468,469],{},"Lower the Lorenz's ",[19,466,467],{},"Rho"," below 24 and it calms into a spiral. ",[118,470],{"module":471,"param":472,"below":473},"chaos","rho","24",[100,475,476,477,480,481],{},"Turn the Lorenz's ",[19,478,479],{},"Speed"," right up, past 1000. At the start it wanders slower than once a second, far too slow to hear. ",[118,482],{"module":471,"param":483,"above":484},"speed","1000",[100,486,487,488,491,492,495,496,498,499],{},"Now chaos is fast enough to be ",[36,489,490],{},"sound",": patch ",[19,493,494],{},"X"," straight into the Output's ",[19,497,254],{}," and listen to it buzz over the drone. ",[256,500],{"from":501,"to":271},"chaos.x",[28,503,505],{"id":504},"physics-and-life-as-sequencers","Physics and life as sequencers",[15,507,508],{},"Two more ways to get structure without writing notes:",[15,510,511,515],{},[44,512,514],{"href":513},"\u002Fmodules\u002Fballs","Bouncing Balls"," fires a gate every time a ball hits a wall. With a bit of energy lost on each bounce, the rhythm speeds up as the balls settle, just like a dropped ball on a table.",[89,517,520,523],{"lesson":518,"title":519},"39-bouncing-balls","Rhythm from gravity",[15,521,522],{},"Click the box any time to throw the balls again.",[97,524,525,540],{},[100,526,527,528,531,532,177,537],{},"Set the Bouncing Balls' ",[19,529,530],{},"Bounce"," to 50%: the classic bouncing-ball rhythm that speeds up as it settles. ",[118,533],{"module":534,"param":535,"above":536},"balls","bounce","0.45",[118,538],{"module":534,"param":535,"below":539},"0.55",[100,541,542,545,546],{},[19,543,544],{},"Gravity"," at 0: the balls float and hit the walls at a steady pace. ",[118,547],{"module":534,"param":548,"below":549},"gravity","0.05",[15,551,42,552,556],{},[44,553,555],{"href":554},"\u002Fmodules\u002Flife","Game of Life"," is a 1970 maths toy. Cells on a grid live or die by two rules (lonely or crowded cells die; empty cells with exactly three neighbours are born), and from those rules come patterns that grow, move and collapse. Kables plays the living cells as notes.",[89,558,561,564],{"lesson":559,"title":560},"40-game-of-life","Music from a population",[15,562,563],{},"The playhead sweeps the board column by column, and the highest living cell in each column picks the note.",[225,565,566,577,589],{},[100,567,568,569,572,573],{},"Click a few cells in the ",[19,570,571],{},"top rows"," of the board: the tune climbs higher. ",[104,574],{"module":575,"param":576},"life","grid",[100,578,579,580,583,584],{},"Turn the Clock's ",[19,581,582],{},"BPM"," past 150: the notes come faster, and since the board evolves after every sweep, the patterns change faster too. ",[118,585],{"module":586,"param":587,"above":588},"clock","bpm","150",[100,590,591,592,595,596,598,599,602,603],{},"Patch ",[19,593,594],{},"DENSITY",", how crowded the board is, into the Clock's ",[19,597,582],{}," input. Now the population sets the tempo: press ",[19,600,601],{},"Random"," to fill the board and hear it speed up, then listen to it slow down as the cells die off. ",[256,604],{"from":605,"to":606},"life.dens","clock.bpm",[28,608,610],{"id":609},"the-art-of-generative-patching","The art of generative patching",[15,612,613,614,79,617,620],{},"The best generative patches balance ",[19,615,616],{},"order",[19,618,619],{},"surprise",". Too much order and it's a loop; too much surprise and it's noise. Some levers you now have:",[97,622,623,629,637,643],{},[100,624,625,628],{},[19,626,627],{},"Quantizers"," keep randomness in key.",[100,630,631,79,633,636],{},[19,632,389],{},[19,634,635],{},"Chance"," knobs decide how much changes.",[100,638,639,640,642],{},"A steady ",[19,641,586],{}," keeps it in time, even when the notes are random.",[100,644,645,646,650],{},"Delay and reverb glue random notes into something that sounds intended (",[44,647,649],{"href":648},"\u002Flearn\u002Feffects-and-mixing","effects guide",").",[28,652,654],{"id":653},"what-to-remember","What to remember",[97,656,657,663,669,677,686],{},[100,658,659,660,662],{},"Pitch is a voltage, so a ",[19,661,106],{}," is the root plus a few fixed amounts.",[100,664,665,668],{},[19,666,667],{},"Polyphony"," needs a voice (oscillator, envelope, VCA) per note.",[100,670,671,673,674,676],{},[19,672,194],{}," makes random voltages; a ",[19,675,214],{}," snaps them to a scale.",[100,678,679,680,682,683,685],{},"A ",[19,681,385],{}," loops random notes into a riff, and ",[19,684,389],{}," decides how fast it evolves.",[100,687,688,52,691,79,694,697],{},[19,689,690],{},"Chaos",[19,692,693],{},"physics",[19,695,696],{},"cellular automata"," make patterns that are neither repeating nor random.",{"title":699,"searchDepth":700,"depth":700,"links":701},"",2,[702,703,704,705,706,707,708,709],{"id":30,"depth":700,"text":31},{"id":125,"depth":700,"text":126},{"id":186,"depth":700,"text":187},{"id":373,"depth":700,"text":374},{"id":436,"depth":700,"text":437},{"id":504,"depth":700,"text":505},{"id":609,"depth":700,"text":610},{"id":653,"depth":700,"text":654},"How chords and polyphony work in a modular synth, and how to build patches that write their own melodies with random voltages, quantizers, Turing machines, chaos, bouncing balls and the Game of Life.","md",{},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmelody-and-chance",{"title":5,"description":710},"Generative music on a modular synth — chords, arpeggios, sample & hold, quantizers and chaos","learn\u002Fmelody-and-chance","cMti6xfwO-1l_PxUnz9LFKTY13ew6cGPdHEHhvIG_8c",1792599837969]