Just to muddy the Waters (heh) a bit: Karnevil #9 was actually done
with the output of a sample&hold to the FM input of a filter (I
think I read that in a long-ago keyboard interview with KE's
tech). But that's ∗not∗ to say that same effect couldn't be
achieved with a sequencer - the pattern would just be more
repetitive.
In the guitar world, the AdrenaLinn is a very cool device that uses
a sequencers to modify the parameters of various well-known guitar
effects. The results are spectacular, particularly when the
sequencer is sync'd to the tempo of the tune. Move over all you
keyboard players (oops, now I'm in for it).
More boring syuff: when the AdrenaLinn first came out, I REALLY
REALLY wanted one but I had an addiction problem (MOTM). So
instead, I hooked my guitar through a 440 gated by an 800 driven by
a 101 and got really nice results. I put the output of that through
either an Oakley Equinoxe or a 410 for more funkiness. Coolio!
Mike
--- In motm@yahoogroups.com, jwbarlow@a... wrote:
> In a message dated 5/3/2003 5:57:54 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> gion2archery@y... writes:
>
> > Hove a question and I know it is stupid, I don't
> > understand how a sequencer works? I know in the who
> > next album they used a sequencer on wont get fooled
> > again, do you play a note in it and it records it?
> > then I would thind it is a recorder???
> > Excuse my stupidity, but maybe there are others like
> > me who are afraid to ask these stupid questions?
> > and believe me I have allot of them.
> >
>
> I haven't seen an answer to this so I'll try to give it a go.
>
> A "traditional" analog sequencer (like the Miton which I just
posted about,
> the fabled SuperMoe, Moog 960 (?), Serge TKB, and the long
illusive MOAS) has
> at least one row of pots arranged in stages (typically 8 to 16).
Each pot is
> used to set a voltage which then shows up at the sequencer output
when that
> stage is selected. I think these were essentially invented by Don
Buchla.
>
> If you run a simple clock at 1Hz to 2Hz into a sequencer
controlling a VCO
> you get that -- bleep bloop beep beep blap bleep bloop beep beep
blap -- 1967
> "SOUND OF THE FUTURE" which grows so tiring after a few short
moments. The
> best examples of this that I can think of off hand are Pink
Floyd's Dark Side
> of the Moon (I can't remember the name of the track since I'm the
one guy
> that never bought that record) and the end of ELP's Brain Salad
Surgery Karn
> Evil 9. If the sequencer has multiple rows of pots, you can then
have
> harmonic bloops and bleeps or use the rows to control timbre or
dynamics as
> simple examples.
>
> But many more powerful things can be done just by making use of
up/down, hold
> reset, and random/psuedo random features. For examples of this
kind of use I
> suggest (as always) look at the early EM records of Morton
Subotnick like
> Silver Apples of the Moon, Touch, The Wild Bull.
>
> In an analog sequencer the voltages can said to be recorded as
potentiometer
> settings. Another kind of sequencer exists called a digital
sequencer. I know
> ARP made one of these, and I believe they used a simple micro
processor to
> digitally store voltages at the inputs and the duration of those
voltages.
> The only sequencer I've used like this was a (then) powerful micro
processor
> based keyboard on a large Emu modular. It was polyphonic but I
don't think it
> had any ability to edit any part of the sequence -- it was very
useful for
> storing keyboard performances, but not very useful beyond that.
That kind of
> keyboard based sequencer was completely doomed when MID came
along. Moe can
> tell you more about both the Emu and the different kinds of
sequencers (he
> also refers to two kinds of sequencers: one is a "step sequencer",
and the
> other one ....... isn't -- Moe?)
>
> The digital sequencer which Paul is releasing looks to be a very
powerful
> controlling instrument (much more than the Emu one I describe)
with many of
> the features of an analog sequencer. I have to admit that I only
read a
> little bit about it and then ordered one. I'm sure I'll enjoy
using it and it
> will be much easier to understand how many uses it has when I can
try it out.
>
> Hope that helped somewhat.
> JB