Grant Middleton master class – Return
This patch creates the complete backing for playing the track 'Return' live. It's not as complicated (or as satifying, IMO) as the album version, but it makes a good stab at it.
The Knob assignments are as follows |
Knob 1 - Arpeggios level |
Knob 2 - Arpeggios sub-osc level |
Knob 3 - Sequence 2 level |
Knob 4 - Start/Stop |
Knob 5 - Bass dry level |
Knob 6 - Bass wet level |
Knob 7 - Arpeggios/Sequence 2 filter |
Knob 8 - Bass filter |
Knob 12 - Sequence 2 note spread |
This patch uses tricks which we've examined in previous sounds. You have a Chord Seq sequencer running at 1/16 the rate of the main ones (see the Monolight patch for an explanation). You have a semi-random Key Quantised additional sequencer (see Dream Seq for an explanation).
There are a couple of new tricks worth looking at, too. ClkDiv2 and 3 combine to make an octave-jumping square wave modulation for MasterOsc2. Constant1 provides a reset pulse to all sequential circuits in the patch, as well as enabling the clock pulses from ClkGen1 via LogicProc1. Note also that both the arpeggio oscillators and the Sequence 2 oscillator all go through FilterE1 - if you affect the filtering of one sound you affect the filter on the other.
There are a couple of improvements which could be made. In the first place, there's no sample-and-hold circuit on the output of KeyQuant1, so you get flurries of notes if you change the note spread knob while a note is sounding. In addition, Knobs 5 and 6 vary the dry and wet amounts of the bass sound. This would be more useful in a live situation if the wet/dry balance and overall volume were affected, instead. I suppose there's quite a lot of DSP power left over, so a third, independent, filter migh tbe in order.
The chord sequence of the piece is
Cm Ab Bb Gm Ab Fm Gm G |
As Sequence 2 is based on the Cm scale (oscillators are set to -4 semitones), there will be a conflict when the chord changes to G major. To get round this, I played a Gm chord twice during the introduction (when Sequence 2 was sounding), and didn't play any chords at all during the middle bit (where the flute melody changes to a G chord backing, and Sequence 2 is silent). The Arpeggios are based on fifths and ocatves, so match any chord (within reason). If you wanted to get really baroque, you could switch between two KeyQuant modules depending on which step of the Chord Seq you were currently on, and have Sequence 2 play all the time. But, as I always say: if it ain't baroque, don't fix it !
Feel free to experiment with the notes on the Chord Seq and the Key Quant module.