Make Noise SOUNDHACK MORPHAGENE Manual - page 22
Stopping Playback and Microsound
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Stopping Playback, Starting Playback, Re-Triggering Sounds
When Vari-Speed is at 12:00, the Morphagene slows to a halt. When
Vari-Speed is set to greater or less than 12:00, playback starts from
where it was halted.
The Play IN also stops and starts playback, but in a very different way. At the end of each Gene or Splice, the Morphagene looks at
the Play In. If it is high, then Morphagene continues to play, if it is low, Morphagene stops at the end of the Gene or Splice. In this
way, the Play Input, always plays the Gene or Splice from the beginning, as defined by the position of the Slide panel control. The
Play Input may also be used to re-trigger sounds, since it is essentially looking for a change in state, from low to high. To achieve
classic retrigger effects, send repeat Gates to Play while Vari-Speed is set for playback. Play and Vari-Speed respect one another, so
for example, if Vari-Speed is set to 12:00, a Gate at the Play IN does not trigger playback, since the playback speed is effectively
zero.
Microsound
Microsound includes sounds shorter than musical notes and yet longer than single samples. The sound is essentially a cluster of
samples contained in an amplitude envelope. The Morphagene offers two methods “Micromontage” and “Granulation.”
Micromontage is done manually using the Splice function to cut the sound into pieces and the Organize parameter to
asynchronously play through those pieces. It is an interesting process that allows for a great deal of variation, but it may requires
patience, since the sound is cut up manually to achieve such variation. While modulating Organize and/or Slide, some
quasi-random Micromontage may be performed automatically by patching the EOSG output to the Splice input. This technique
should be performed carefully, as it could either result in reaching the maximum number of Splices quickly or more Splices being
placed on one end of a Reel than on the other.
Granulation
Granulation is the automatic splicing of the sound. It is done without regard to source material and is a linear, machine-like
process, dividing the audio buffer into progressively-smaller pieces. Since the individual Samples that comprise a
digitally-recorded sound make up the DNA of that sound, we refer to these small clusters of samples as Genes. If Gene-Size is set
full counterclockwise, the Gene length is identical to that of the full Splice. If not set full counterclockwise, the Gene-Size is set to a
constant length in time, as opposed to in samples. Another way to put this is that the temporal length of the Gene is independent
of Vari-Speed.
At a certain point on the Gene-Size panel control, the size of the Gene is so small that it is heard as a click. This is still useful
because there are many ways to vary the timbre of a click and when hundreds of clicks are heard one after the other, the ear
perceives them as a tone with varied timbre (Slide) and pitch (Vari-Speed). Also try manipulating the Morph parameter to stagger,
layer, and spread these clicks.
Granulation is an automatic, Real-Time process, and therefore, it may be modulated by control signals within the modular system.
Additionally, the Clock Input allows for strict, synchronous playback of the resulting pieces, which is useful for Time Stretch and
other effects.