TM-3 VCO Samples (now more conventional!)

[Muff Wiggler]

I posted this in a thread over at the Synthtopia Metasonix forum, so I figured, hell, I'll cross-post it here in case any of the electro-music folks are interested.

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ok sorry for the big wait, i'm crazy busy at work and travelling every damn week, makes it really hard sometimes to find time for stuff like this

anyway i hoped to have more time to do up a bunch of different ones, but in the meantime i did make some TM-3 samples for you to check out.

there are three different samples, in all three the TM-3 is being driven directly by the output of a Blacet Binary Zone module, which is basically emitting a loop of untuned voltages to the TM-3 oscillator, the same 'loop' from the Binary Zone is used in all three samples, except for at the end of the last sample, where i start to randomize the voltage pattern a bit by playing with the Binary Zone. There's no filtering or compression or amps being used in these samples, I've recorded the output of the modules directly.

Ok, here's the first sample - in this one you only hear the TM-3 oscillator. At the start of the sample, the two oscillators are tuned very closely to each other, the sync switch is turned on, and the suboctave volume is turned right down. Next, I start to tune one of the oscillators upwards, and when they start to struggle a bit, I disable the sync switch - you can then hear the two distinct oscillators tuned at different pitches. Next I turn up the suboctave volume knob, you hear the overall volume of the recording increase a bit at this point, and then play with the oscillator tuning some more, ending with some of the lower range stuff

click here to listen to the first sample

ok, next is the second sample. At first you hear simply the TM-3 VCO, 'dry', then next i enable the TM-1 Waveshaper/RingMod. At first the ringmod is turned right off, and it is set for some mild waveshaping. I'm adjusting the screen voltage and pulsar stability of the waveshaper at the beginning of the sample, to demonstrate some of the possibilities of this module. Later in the sample I turn up the ringmod, and then make some slight changes to the pitch of the internal oscillator used against the input signal for ring modulation - you will hear the distinct pitch of this oscillator in the sample, and then it is turned back down again... next the 'input level' is adjusted low to get some very harsh sounds, and then finally the TM-1 is disabled so the last few bars are TM-3 VCO 'dry' again

click here to listen to the second sample, TM-3 vs. TM-1

Now in the third and final sample, we get to enjoy the terrible power of the TX-1 Agonizer. Similar to the second sample, it starts out with the same loop from the TM-3 VCO 'dry'. Next the TM-1 is turned on, with 'mild' settings at most of it's controls and medium gain. It is not a subtle effect - you will hear the MOUNTATINS of gain this unit imparts. Some playing with the controls, and you will also notice the engagement of the 'suckbass' control, as the sound suddenly loses all the lower frequencies for a moment, before I disengage the control. Near the middle of this recording, I disengage the TM-1 for a moment, and you (very quietly) hear the TM-3 grinding away - then the TM-1 kicks back in - this just a demonstration/reminder of the ludicrous amounts of gain this unit has on tap. It's like riding a rocket ship. Actually, no, it's way better than that. This thing is fuckin' HUGE

Anyway enough about that. Near the end of the sample I adjust the 'level' control on the TX-1 - this is where the sound really starts to break up and lose all meaning and rationale at low 'level' settings - hummy, buzzy, insane beauty.

Also, near the end of the sample, i mess with the controls of the Binary Zone to spice up the voltage driving the TM-3 VCO. I've had enough of that loop by this point

click here to listen to the third sample, TM-3 vs TX-1

[Muff Wiggler]

seems that some of these forum people out on the Internet are a bunch of WHINERS haha

i got complaints on a couple of forums for these samples

WE WANTED SAMPLES

but OH NOES THESE WON'T DO

haha you wanted 'conventional synth demos'. "please make the nasty yellow box sing depeche mode"

OH REALLY? conventional? you don't say?

ok suckers, just to show how much I love these metasonix units, I'M SLUMMING IT FOR YOU

as requested, conventional 'percussive' synthy apreggio sequenced stuff using a "standard synth routing" and a regular old filter, just like mommy used to groove on.

yes just for you tube monkeys out there

ok this is the metasonix TM-3 dual gas tube vco ("with suboctave"!), driven by a Mobius sequencer. The output of the TM-3 goes to a Blacet Filthy Filtre. DON'T WORRY I LEFT THE FILTHY SETTING ON LOW

oh a very important part of the sound you are hearing is the blacet EG1 envelope generator and their exponential vca, but anyway people wanted to hear this stuff from metasonix TUBE VCOs so never mind the eg hehehe

ok all i am doing in the sample is playing with the cutoff of the filter, and playing with the decay setting on the EG1. that's it. i think you will all probably like this demo more. that's my prediction.

oh by the way i can run a similar setup through the TM-6 filter and get really nice 'woody buchlaesque' sounds with these envelopes, but people asked to hear the vco through a 'regular' filter. no tube grease thank-you.

predictible synthy goodness, click here please



(edit: oh yeah, i got a little frisky with the 'filter type' knob near the end of the recording, so you'll hear things get a little morphy between LP, BP and HP near the end)