NICK'S WORLD OF SYNTHESIZERS
THE INTUITIVE SEQUENCER
This sequencer was inspired by the Arp sequencer, which was a step sequencer with a fader to set the note pitch for each step, I thought this was a very intuitive design. I have tried to improve on this idea with my touch screen digital version.
It has 16 steps, and instead of faders you have a coloured square which changes colour as you move it up or down, so you can see which note in the scale it is. The row of white squares are on/off for each step, the green squares are accent, normal or ghost volume, and the blue squares are staccato/legato
The advantages of it being digital are that you can switch between saved patterns and do all sorts of other instant changes. You can shift the pattern up or down in pitch, either chromatically or in a way that preserves the scale you are in.
These sound files were made by setting the melody 'last step' to 7 and the drums to 16. This makes strangely catchy voodoo rhythms. Notice how it preserves the scale when I shift the pitch up and down. It is a good example of what I intended it to be, which was a sequencer that lets you improvise.
Sound 1 Sound 2
Please Leave a comment
Name: gridsleep
E-mail: darkside@frontiernet.net
Date Posted: 21:33, 23 11 2012
Message: Very cool. This is what I call fabrication. Totally Johnny Mnemonic style. That last drop at the end of 7beat1 made me laugh. There's great music out there but rarely is there music that can make you laugh. How many P.D.Q. Bachs are there? You make a very impressive machine.
Name: Austin
E-mail: manbehindthemask124@gmail.com
Date Posted: 07:29, 11 08 2012
Message: how can i buy one of these?
Name: Frans van den Berge
E-mail: fvandenberg@zeelandnet.nl
Date Posted: 15:49, 09 05 2012
Message: Hi,
Looked at your inventions. And I am amazed. I am a sound engineer and a songwriter. And seeing an electrical engineer, musician and inventor to create new stuff is amazing.
Thank you.
Maybe an idea. Could you create a plate reverb wich is no bigger than 1mx1m with let's say three sheet layers to sound like a bigger one? If you have something like that you'd have something sellable I suppose...
Then go to www.gearslutz.com and let every sound engineer in the whole world know you have something new. It'll sell.
Cheers,
Frans van den Berge
Muziekschuur
The Netherlands
Name: MusicfromtheIC
E-mail: MusicfromtheIC@yopmail.com
Date Posted: 14:37, 04 04 2012
Message: It's a rare and amazing computer-based electronic musical instrument that not everyone could see! Nice work...
Name: Nicks world of synthesizers
E-mail: a@a.a
Date Posted: 23:08, 31 03 2010
Message: Reply to comment below
I interfaced the computer (running Reaktor) with the hardware controls by using midi. I dismantled a midi keyboard which had knobs on it. I replaced the knob's variable resistors with resistor chains, the buttons on the box tap different points on the resistor chains and change the midi value depending on which button is pressed. Then I just had to program Reakor to interpret these midi values.
By the way I don't recomend Reaktor, it has too many windows and the graphics are hard to customise
Name: Fabio
E-mail: electric@inwind.it
Date Posted: 20:47, 11 02 2010
Message: Dear Nick,
It's an very impressive job....
I want to kindly ask many things about your technikkk...for example how you have interfaced the On screen Programm...with the machine....etc...etc....
What is the all various function about the Push Buttons...??
all the best....
Fabio
Name: Erick
E-mail: wozny.erick@hotmail.fr
Date Posted: 14:18, 30 06 2009
Message: I think that you should create in this direction now the stuff is a killer! smashing! I even dance on it on it's own!!!
Name: Robin
E-mail:
Date Posted: 10:19, 15 06 2009
Message:
Do the hardware keys on the right control the seq as well as the touch screen? Or do they control the synth?
If the seq. does control an onboard analogue synth, does it do this via CV or Midi?
Thanks! An amazing site and projects you have here. I am starting out building my own FX units and you have inspired me in a big way.
Name: ajantred
E-mail:
Date Posted: 22:00, 12 06 2009
Message: Nice to see you're using Reaktor :D . Id love to do sumthin like this, but im currently building my own hybrid digianalogue synth n im a bit low on cash for this kind of thing, lol. Keep up the good work!
Name: Avery
E-mail:
Date Posted: 08:30, 04 01 2009
Message: This machine ... I want to have the sex with it. I also really enjoyed reading about + listening to your incredible spring reverb. You have done some amazing work!
Name: Lonzo
E-mail:
Date Posted: 16:02, 11 12 2008
Message: Very cool, You don't see a lot of sequencers that can do polyrythms :)