J.P. Tuttle

My February 2020 modular synthesizer performance at The Hearing Room in Lowell, MA.

I used the Pittsburgh Waveforms for the drone and rhythmic notes, and enveloped white noise from the PGH Toolbox and SSF Ultra Random Analog for rhythm. Plaits in string mode was used for the lead, being run through NE Terci Ruina for distortion. Disting mk4 provided reverb for a couple of the sounds, while Disting mk3 ran tape delay being modulated by a square wave LFO for added texture. Clouds provided end-of-chain reverb, along with granular effects (rhythmic freezing and grain playback).

My first performance at Dorchester Art Project, using my Eurorack modular synth.

- The drums were Plaits into Terci Ruina, sequenced by a Korg SQ-1.

- The lead sound was a PGH Waveforms sent through a Manhattan Analog MA35 filter, modulated by a PGH Envelope, played on an Arturia Keystep.

- The plucky/fluety accompaniment part is randomly generated, using an SSF Ultra Random Analog run through an Intellijel Scales quantizer, using an ALM O/A/x2 to limit the range. The sound was the other PGH Waveforms, run through the PGH Filter and VCA, modulated by the PGH ADSR.

- The white noise was the noise from the PGH Toolbox run through the PGH VCA.

- Effects were Disting stereo reverb, with Disting tape delay patched between the left/right channels (for reverb -> delay -> reverb, with a bit of bleed), and a Tall Dog Electronics uClouds for the final touch before going to the PGH Outs module.

- I used a Batumi for LFO duties (vibrato, PWM, and fading the white noise), and a Bubblesound Mix6 to submix the drums. The PGH Mixer was used to mix all the parts before running them through effects.

Boston Modular December 2019 Performance by J.P. Tuttle

I got sample playback working on my Disting, so I figured I'd have some fun layering in a field recording I used on a techno track.

An experiment in using frequency-modulated feedback loops and a quantizer to generate melodies and sounds. Had a few other bits of feedback as well -- reverb output going to inputs on the LFO, etc.

An experiment using mixed LFOs and stepped random from the Ultra Random Analog to generate a melody, played on distorted sine waves from the Waveforms, with reverb, delay, and reverb from the Distings. Plaits is used in harmonic mode for a second voice.

September 2019 New England Synthesizer Festival Performance by J.P. Tuttle

I've recently been using the Korg SQ-1 to generate random chromatic pitches, and found that I could get acoustic bass sounds from the 0-Coast, so I decided to experiment with a west coast synthesis approach to jazz, using the Slope circuit and random voltage circuit together to generate random rhythms and timbre modulation. I'm not sure if it came out quite how I expected, but it was fun to create.

I used my Zoom H5 to record two tracks of the 0-Coast running through my Zoom MS-70CDR effects pedal set to a 4-second delay with high feedback, to create an evolving melody/rhythm. The first track is meant to evoke an acoustic bass, while the second is closer to something in a brass section. I mixed the two files in Reaper, panning them slightly, adding a bit of EQ to reduce the bass, and adding some ValhallaVintageVerb to provide a sense of space.

A test of my new Make Noise 0-Coast, controlled using an Arturia Keystep, running through the tape echo and modulated reverb on my Zoom MS-70CDR effects pedal. I used the latched arpeggiator on the 0-Coast, but patched the synth to generate random gates for more variety.