PATCH #11
Earlier this year, Doepfer announced its new Basic System 3 (BS3), the latest in its line of complete, pre-configured Eurorack systems aimed at beginners, experts, explorers and purists alike.
To accompany the system, Doepfer — in collaboration with Stromkult — has designed a comprehensive Patchbook with fourteen different patch ideas for the BS3. Every patch comes with custom-made patch diagrams and a step-by-step-patching manual, making it easy for anyone to recreate and play with these patches.
While the patches were specifically designed for the BS3 and its configuration, most of the patches revolve around basic "building block" modules such as VCOs, VCFs, VCAs, mixers, envelope and LFOs and thus should be able to be recreated on a variety of systems — above all, we hope these patches may inspire you!
You can download the full PDF of the patchbook with all of the patches here (link goes to Google Drive).
Every individual patch is divided into an introductory overview of the patch, a section for the audio path, a section for the control voltage path and a final "play the patch" section with ideas on how the patch could be further tweaked and iterated upon.
PATCH OVERVIEW
This patch utilizes oscillator sync and ring modulation together to additively synthesize a complex timbre out of basic sine waves.
By feeding synced oscillators into a ring modulator, we get a special form of amplitude modulation.
The A-121-2 filter is used as an audio-crossover divider in this patch. The resulting lower and upper frequency bands have different volume envelopes.
The patch also features an external feedback loop using the notch filter output on the A-121-2 and optional audio rate modulation.
AUDIO PATH
We feed the sine wave outputs of our two oscillators into the A-184-1’s “X” and “Y” ring modulator inputs. The “X*Y” ring modulation output goes into input 1 of the A-138 mixer.
A triangle wave from the first oscillator also goes into input 2 on the A-138s.
The square wave of the first oscillator is sent to the “sync” input of the second oscillator in order to sync it.
The A-138’s output goes into the A-131 VCA, which we use as an additional input mixer that feeds into the A-121-2 VCF.
The filter’s notch output then goes back into the VCA’s second input, which creates a feedback loop. The “In2” attenuation knob on the A-131 determines the strength of the feedback.
The lowpass output of the A-121-2 is connected to input 1 on the A-138s Stereo Mixer.
The highpass output of the A-121-2 goes into the audio input of the bottom section of the A-132-3 Dual VCA, and from there to the input 2 on the A-138s.
The patch has three optional audio rate modulations that are coming from the A-147-4’s first LFO, which is running at audio rate, tuned to an A.
Firstly, the LFO’s saw wave output can be sent into the “CV2” input of the first oscillator for a quite drastic audio rate modulation effect.
The square wave output can either be sent to the “CV2” input of the second oscillator as a less drastic modulation or be patched
into the third input on the A-138 as an additional oscillator.
CONTROL VOLTAGE PATH
We track our oscillators with keyboard/sequencer CV. We also send keyboard/sequencer CV into the A-138j’s first channel.
The sine wave outputs of both LFOs from the A-147-4 are patched into channels two and three. The A-138j’s “mix out” goes to “FCV1” on the A-121-2 and “single out 3” goes to the “CV1” input on the A-131.
The A-140-1 ADSR receives keyboard/sequencer gate and sends its envelope to “FCV2” on the A-121-2.
The A-140-2 ADSR also receives keyboard/sequencer gate and sends its ADSR output to the A-131’s “CV2” input.
The A-171-2 VCS also receives keyboard/sequencer gate into its “trig” input. In this patch, it functions as an attack/decay envelope that is patched into “CV In” on the bottom section of the A-132-3 and controls the volume of the highpassed signal.
PLAY THE PATCH
Since the timbre of ring modulation depends on the frequency relation of its two input signals, adjusting the tuning and octave range of the oscillators can change the sound of this patch quite drastically.
By turning up the resonance (“Q”) on the A-121 filter, this patch can get quite gnarly!