Bastl zine 2017 by bastl-instruments

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C O R E P O

WSPAPER E LN

ZIN E S U

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BASTL 2017 IN

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Václav

Intro

lav

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Václav

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Václav

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Václav

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Václav

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Václav

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Václav BASTL

Intro

Václav

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Václav

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Václav

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Václav

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Václav Peloušek

Intro

Intro BASTL

Intro

Hi my name is Václav. I am an inventor at Bastl Instruments and I also put together the zine you are holding.

Vác BASTL

Václav

My plan is to show a bit of what is happening around the Bastl community: the music, the people, the city, some ideas, great coffee and of course the instruments and the ideas behind them. I wrote down several cool tricks for you that work with pretty much with any modular synth and I talked to several people from the crew about their background, about what they do and also about their music.

I started Bastl with Ondřej in 2013 as an attempt to professionalize ourselves in making musical instruments. That was after two years of running artistic project Standuino which was confronting local and global contexts of the DIY movement. We did a lot of workshops, played concerts and eventually invented a few instruments. After that we felt like we needed to

áclav

Václav

* The word BASTL its word referring to DIY

Int Intro

Intro

BASTL

Intro

to gain experience by publicly performing our music. Since then I finally started to make music myself and it again became very important part of my life. More needs for tools and instruments have emerged and this is what our newest products are really about. What I make – I make for myself – for my music

Intro

become a company and we became Bastl Instruments*. Now in 2017 Bastl feels more as a community than as a company. There are several projects running simultaneously that were initiated by the people around us and it is exciting to see how the music scene in our town Brno in Czech Republic is developing. In the last year we started to do a monthly series of performances called Bastl Jam to try

Intro

BASTL

self is a czech slang Y ELECTRONICS.

TH ME Y

T ME HY

THY E M

TH ME Y T ME HY

THY E M

We call the THYME a “sequenceable robot operated digital tape machine”. Now what the heck does that mean?

THY

THYME

bast

THYME

bastl

THYME

Thyme has a digital tape inside which compared to analog tape machines doesn’t store the sound as magnetic charge variations, but as bits and bytes of data. If such tape is slowed down the edgy transitions of downsampling come to life. Which is really exciting compared to reduction of high frequencies caused by blending of the electromagnetic charge on the tape. There is a write head that writes data to the digital tape and multiple read heads that read the sound a bit later as the tape needs to travel towards them. The main read head can be set precisely by Coarse and Fine Delay knobs. The positioning is so precise that it can produce slightest phase shifts in the sound or so drastic that with the Coarse you can move several seconds back in time or into the future. The additional read heads can be spaced by the Spacing knob and amplified by the Levels knob. The signal from the read heads goes thru a low pass / high pass Filter and thru the Feedback amount which feeds some of the output signal back into the write head. Now this setup is already so complex that sound effects from most of the categories can be created. Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Phaser, Compressor, Expander, Pitch Shifter, Auto Wah, Downsampler, Flanger, Tremolo, Vibrato and so on and so on. But what is important here that it is easy to tweak from one category into another since all those effects can be achieved by combination of the parameters provided on the Thyme. You can explore all the space and transitions between the categories and beyond. On top of that all the settings are stored as presets and those presets can be sequenced with a built in sequencer. So this is the basic setup but now imagine all the read heads have a Robot with them that can move them automatically back and forth. And also the the other parameters such as the Filter and Feedback have their Robot. The Robot can either make rhythmic or tonal variations similar to an LFO or it can also look at the dynamics of the incoming signal and move the parameters accordingly. It can be also controlled by an external CV and can adjust the parameters differently for left and right channel.

OUTPUT

INPUT FINE

OUT

FEEDBACK

INPUT GAIN WRITE

HEAD

FILTER

READ

HEAD

→

← R

SYNC

LINK

FREEZE

tempo divider

DELAY

COARSE

TAPE SPEED

FINE

+ +/− − TAP SOUND tap/clk/midi save

WRITE copy p

C 1

D PATTERN

PHASE

BANK

TYPE

9-12V

MIDI

- +

POST SO

DRY

WET

MIX

LEVELS

VOLUME

EXTRA HEADS

SPACING

RATE

PLAY paste

BYPASS mono input

AMOUNT

SHAPE

THY

ROBOT SELECT

T E M

THY E M

SYNC

STEREO

THRES

NONE

CONTEM PORARY THYME TRAVEL

Time travel always creates more problems than it solves, like life. Time travel is a lifestyle.

The ability to play violin and the piano are important skills to have while traveling through a good chunk of human history. they are immediate and impressive, and you are statistically likely to encounter things like them in the past. If you can fiddle well, people might not care you are dressed weird and talk weirder. Ragtime piano play yourself right outta trouble. And music can communicate across time. BE WARY OF TIME TRAVELERS GOING BACK AND STEALING MUSIC AND SELLING IT AS THEIR OWN TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK IN THE PAST. They usually do this when they’ve given up and broke their time machine/ throne/animal, lost the will to travel or have just become someone else with less care or time morals. BE WARY of time travelers attempting a new action tricking you into thinking it’s a different time than it

actually is. Once you emerge, you will be confused, and this confusion may never subside. Focus on the music, because it’s the hardest thing to get right when counterfeiting timelines. Notice the little things “hey that format is right for 2201, and that tonal variation and that note tracking synth idiosyncrasy is right, and the drapes are right, but that song didn’t actually come out until 2200! YOU TIME VILLAIN I KNEW IT” I’m flitting in and out of time but please leave me be for just this set please. Please. On some level the desire to totally externalize the nervous system through technology b.s. has the ultimate goal of controlling time itself. We want to be able to go back and analytically excise our mistakes and reframe our low moments into rational actions. With the rational mind of hindsight and not the animal mind of the present moment.

NON-LINEAR PLAYBACK A.K.A. GRANULAR SAMPLING

Non-linear playback or granular sampling is really distinctive technique used in our instrument microGranny and its module version grandPa. The technique is based on a read head that plays and jumps around the sound file to create time-stretched soundscapes. At first the read head plays a little piece of the file which is called the grain and its duration is set by a parameter called Grain Size. After it finishes playing the grain the read head jumps either forward or backward in the sound file based on the setting of the Shift Speed parameter. If the read head jumps a little bit after the beginning of the previous grain we are experiencing the slowed down version of the sound file while keeping its pitch. If it jumps a little bit ahead of the beginning of the previous grain we get the perception of the sound is playing slowly backwards. If the read head jump somewhere after the end of the previous grain - we experience the speeded up effect. Therefore the final perception depends on both parameters - the Grain Size and the Shift Speed. The Sample Rate is how fast the read head is moving while playing the file - affecting the pitch perception. This parameter is tuned in semitones and can be used for tonal transposition. If granular parameters are in play the Sample Rate only affects the pitch and not the playback speed. Crush parameter adds a bit of distortion and Start and End points can be adjusted. There is also an Attack and Release envelope on the volume.

w a

Shift Speed Speed up

k c B a

EAR PLAYBACK NON LINEAR PLAYBACK INEAR PLAYBACK NON LINEAR PLAYBACK

Slow Down Wav File

Play at Sample rate Grain Size

Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear

G ATTACK B START

mic

record save

PAGE preset

G RELEASE B END

UP COPY

down paste

hold instant loop

tuned

legato

repeat

grandPA

granular sampler M I C R O

A L U RS

S D

B W

rate grain attack start crush speed release end

LOOP PAGE

P R E S E T

SYNC UP

SAVE

DOWN

LAYBACK AR P

OU T P UT

G R

G CRUSH B SHIFT SPEED

INPUT

G SAMPLE RAGE B GRAIN SIZE

sync

rndm shift

A.K.A. GRAN TRIG A

TRIG B

CV IN

OUT

Linear Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playbac

NONLINE G N I L P M A 2.O

demo

r Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playback Non Linear Playback

Brno is our town! IÂ asked the people from the crew NK to share their favourite spots:

Brno

RIVER

IMPORTANT STREET

Brno

B Brno

Brno

B BASTL HEADQUARTERS

Brno

NK NOISE KITCHEN

PARK

BIG ROAD

ARSEN ROMANO JAMBO MICHAL VOJTA MACH HONZÍK TOM NIESNER MARTON LENNART

� Klub na dráze is a community bar with strong DIY spirit and a hub for the underground street culture. A lot of creative people around graffiti and music go there. It is also a meeting place for fixed gear bike dudes. � I like the house where I live. There is a lot of friends living there - something like Melrose place. It is in the district where I grew up - so I feel like I’m at home there. � I like the Wilsonův les a lot because it is a forest in the middle of the town and there is a well there and is surprisingly peaceful and calm spot in the middle of the craziness.

� I like to take my bike a go to the nature. You don’t have to go far the area of Obřany and ride along the river to Bílovice is awesome. � I like the café Švanda because this is the place where all the theater people go and going there got me to study at the theatre school.

� I like the district Židenice. There are small houses, nice streets and a lot of churches.

� I liked Vlněna which was old fabrics industrial building that got demolished last year. I rehearsed with my band there and several other artists had their space.

� I think South centre behind Mala amerika is interesting, it is an blind empty spot in the city center between railways and highway. It is a romantic spot in the post-apocalyptic sense.

� Pizza Pappi is a trashy pizza place opened really late and the only place I know of where you can get kind of OK vegetarian meal after midnight. That saved me several times.

Brno Brno Brno Brno

� I like Kamenná kolonie it is its own village inside the city. With the feel of the village architecture and everything. It has sort of underground ungentrifiable character.

Brno

� Kabinet holiču is a barber shop run by Tom Holič – a great musician by the way. There is always great vibe with music, coffee and nice people to talk to. And of course I can get a haircut :)

Brno

BASTL CITY o

Brno

WHITE TRASH SOŇA MARTIN BAAR

� I like the “red gym”. It is a historical neogothic building made of red bricks. Sort of the Harry

OUTER

WORLD

orld

Outer World

The modular synth can be viewed as an analog computer that can calculate numerous mathematical

ter World Outer World Outer World Outer World Outer World Outer World Outer World Outer Wo

tasks in real time. Many modules provide mathematical functions which can find their use in the realm of music but not only there. Interfacing modules with outer world can provide interface for intuitive connecting of events with each other and can be further used to configure artificial ecosystems. Output to the real world can be done in numerous ways but maybe mechanical movement powered by different types of motors could be one of the most

useful ones. On the other hand data and useful signals can be obtained from the world by using sensors. Combining the Sense module and the motor modules can be used to create real world feedback loops.

DC MOTORS

DC motors are motors that provide simple rotation which is as strong (fast) based on the amount of energy going to the motor. The DC Motor module provides a simple way of converting bi-polar voltages into bi-directional movement of a DC motor. The module provides momentum control provided by pulse width modulation on each of the two independent power outputs. DC motors can be found in fans, RC cars and CD ROM drives to pull out the CDs (among other places).

SOLENOID

Solenoid motors provide simple horizontal momentary movement which can be very useful for striking objects and creating percussion sounds. The duration of time in millisecond injected into the solenoid motor is proportional to the velocity with which the solenoid hits an object. The pulse width time can be controlled by voltage thru an expander module independently for each of the 4 channels. Solenoid motors can be found in valve systems and door locks. Musically useful solenoids are hard to find but can be ordered from e-bay.

SERVO

Servo motors are commonly used in robotics since they are designed to position their mechanical arm to a specific angle. The Servo module provides conversion of voltage into the angle of the motor arm. The gate input can be used for panning between two different angles which can be useful, for example, for operating a drum stick. Servos can be found in RC hobby stores. The challenge of interfacing the modular with motors is understanding the different types of mechanical characteristics of each motor and choosing the right type for the desired task. Further the challenge is in providing the sufficient mechanical support system to hold the motor in place and well ventilated. Duck tape will certainly work but the question is for how long :) Often more power is needed than a single motor can provide and using gears will be necessary.

Because all motors draw significant amount of energy an external power supply is required and is accessed from the front panel of the modules. The motor driving circuitry and modular interfacing circuitry are optically isolated with no ground connection in between and therefore any noisy interference across the systems is eliminated and potential dangers lowered to the very minimum.

DC Motors Solenoid Ser vo DC Motors Solenoid Ser vo DC Motors Solenoid Ser vo DC Motors Sole

ORS MOTORS MOTORS MOTORS MOTOR RS MOTORS MOTORS MOTORS MOTORS

SOLENOID

SERVO MOTOR

POWER IN

M C

OUTPUT PULSE WIDTH

SERVO

↔

SOLENOID MOTOR

TRIGGER IN

POWER IN

DC MOTOR

SERVO OUT

A B ANGLE

MO ANGLE

POWER IN

TO CV ATT /ANGLE 2

CV ATT /ANGLE 2

DC MOTOR DIRECTION

GATE IN SPEED OFFSET

CV IN

↻

ATTENUATOR

CV IN

E SENSE SENSE SENSE SENSE SENSE SE SENSE SENSE SENSE SENSE SENSE

To gather information from the outer world and translate it into useful signal the SENSE module can be used. It allows you to connect any type of analog sensor to your modular system. Analog sensors vary their resistance or output aÂ voltage based on an input. The Sense offsets and amplifies the sensor signals in the range of their greatest significance and outputs maximised control voltage in both inverted and non inverted version. It also offers aÂ comparator at the output to trigger events when certain threshold is reached. Examples of analog sensors are: photo resistor, thermal resistor, humidity meter, piezoelectric sensor, force sensor, flex sensor, pulse sensor, wind sensor etc. Sense is compatible with all types of Arduino style analog sensors.

FORCE SENSOR

HEART RATE SENSOR

HUMIDITY SENSOR

Sense Sense

SENSE analog sensor calibration

CLIP

GAIN

0 DC

+ OFFSET

Ω

+ GATE THRESHOLD (Ω) (Ω) RANGE

(V) PRE-AMP

(V)

G (V) 5 3 N IN V V D

(V)IN

(Ω)IN

CV OUT

GATE OUT

Sense Sense Sense sense Sense Sense Sense Sense Sense Sense Sense Sense

LIGHT DEPENDANT RESISTOR (LDR)

THERMAL RESISTOR

PIEZO SENSOR

ALOE VERA SENSOR

tin Klecl

Martin Klecl

rtin Klecl

Martin Klecl

BASTL

Martin Klecl

BASTL

Martin Klecl

BASTL

rtin Klecl

Martin Klecl

Martin Kle

erview

BASTL

inter view

HOW WE MANUFACTURE inter view

inter view

BASTL

inter view

How did you start in BASTL and what do you do there?

in Klecl Martin Klecl

How did you start in Bastl and what do you do there? I studied electronics and I was always interested in audio and video stuff and I came here to do an internship back in the days when the guys were doing something called a Standuino. I did pretty much everything from soldering to shipping and about 3 years ago we showed the microGranny 2 at the Musikmesse and since then we had to move from the garage style of production into something more organized. And this is what I take care of now. All the manufacturing stuff while trying to keep the balance between chaos and order because everything here is run by creative people and that always becomes a messy process. How long does it take to make a single module? It starts with gathering all the raw material such as the PCBs, electronic components, wood, acrylic and so on. Than we need to process all of it - sort out the components and DIY kits for people who solder them. Than we have a network of around 25 very diverse people from around

Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin

the city who come and pick up the components and then solder everything at home - in their kitchen or wherever. In the meantime we cut the wood and laser cut all the plastic pieces to have the enclosures and panels ready. When everything gathers back here our crew assembles it all together, it gets tested and fixed if needed and often also played to really make sure everything works as it is supposed to. After it gets packed and shipped to customers. So it is tricky to answer how long it takes but anything between 2 and 6 weeks depending on a lot of human and non-human factors. Who are the people who solder the electronic components? These are all external people they are mostly students somehow related to either electronics or music and art. They often solder in their student flats. But also we have some older people that maybe need some extra money. We have one special guy Franta who engaged all his siblings and his mother and they are sort of a solder family :). They do all the microGrannies. We also collaborated with a non-

in Klecl

you have made the kit right. Of course he has figured it out and he triple checks everything but it is not as easy as building things you have in front of you. He also makes really great documentation. Basically everybody here is doing DIY stuff - everybody has built their instruments so each time we have a new product the people build it first and we have a lot of feedback on how to do it the best.

Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin

profit organisation working with handicapped people and we have made few workshops there and now some of the people keep helping us. And what about the crew that does all the rest of the stuff? They are mostly musicians and a lot of them perform actively and usually when they join the crew they start doing everything so they understand the whole process and then it takes some time before we find out what they are really good at and what they are happy with. During a normal day there are 3 dogs (Koko, Šunka & Dejna), there is stream of music playing and a constant chat about things related to the music or to the vastenes of the universe and food we had for lunch. There is a lot of sharing thoughts about music we listen to or we make. The soundscape is often enhanced by the sounds of somebody testing or playing the instruments. And what about the DIY kits? That is a really special and tricky business. This is what Tom Niesner is doing and he really has the right head for it. It is hard because there is almost no way to really test if

last

Ta r a s & P l a s t

Ta r a s & P

Ta r a s & P l a s t

Plast

Ta r a s & P l a s t

Ta r a s & P

THE WOOD STUFF How did you get to BASTL and what do you do now?

Ta r a s & P l a s t

T (TARAS) & P(PLAST) How did you get to BASTL and what do you do now? T: I came here to help to rebuild one room before christmass party and since then I tried to help here and there with everything, soldering and production in general. After a while I started to learn how to operate the CNC machine with no previous experience and this is what I am in charge now. Since the machine works most of the time last

Ta r a s & P l a s t

so I had some experience. How does the wood making process work now? T: We get the wood from local suppliers that sell locally grown wood. We have to collect it ourselves because we really need the straight and nice looking sheets. We are getting 3 types of wood - birch and beech plywood and massive oak plates for the module face plates. Those are custom made for us. We also had to figure out how to store the Ta r a s & P l a s t

on its own I work on the modular cases - putting in the power supplies,mounting rails and also making the complete systems. My hobby is to develop new shapes and types of modular cases. I have couple of designs in development and there is more to come. P: I had several part-time jobs while studying and then I met Ondrej because he was looking for somebody who will be good at working with wood. I spent a lot of time in my grandpas workshop as a kid and I love the smell and feel of wood. I also worked for company constructing children’s playgrounds from wood

Ta r a s & P l a s t

Ta r a s & P

wood properly so it doesn’t bend. After all the wood goes to the CNC machine that cuts it with the machine code that I programmed. When it comes out I give it all to Plast. I also service and calibrate the machine. P:For the modular panels they go thru a 3 phase process of smoothing the surface and the holes. Then we take them to another company which makes the printing on them. When it comes back I make the final varnish. This took a while to figure out how to do it properly. For modular cases the plywood has to first go thru sanding and

Ta r a s & P l a s t

pre-gluing processing. Then the pieces are glued together and fixed so they don’t move. Then comes the bonding, sanding again, varnish penetration, sanding again, final varnish and fine sanding at the end. The whole process is filled with constant vacuum cleaning the workplace and fighting the noise of the machines with massive techno music. I do all this with Vojta Mach who joined me recently. Tell me something about your music.

Plast

Ta r a s & P l a s t

T: I played guitar and bass in various bands and since I joined Bastl I started to play electronic hardware machines. I now play in alternative hip-hop band Zazrak making the beats with my modular along with a bass player and MC. I also have a solo project Outin. Before I experimented a lot with noise and feedback based drone music under a name Ajlok. Then I started to play the modular which is constantly challenging me in the compositional way. I am still developing my system and learning new tricks. I feel like there is still a long way for me to go, but ultimately I have the goal to make

Ta r a s & P l a s t

an album that I will be satisfied with and will have the real artistic value. P:I started with laptop DJing and later with Ableton which I used to make my first Untitled EP. We also started to throw several techno parties with my Kosmospiel crew in the town. Then I bought some of the cheap Korg synths and when I started to work in Bastl I built a modular synth and started to explore more of the alternative ways of making music. In my Ta r a s & P l a s t

Ta r a s & P

liveset I use my modular along with a drum machine and stompboxes and when making tracks I start on the modular and that I process the material further in the laptop. I feel like i am often not controlling the machine, but the machine controls me. My goal usually is to make atmospheric drone techno but often something very dirty comes out from the machine. My solo project is Plast, but I am also open for collaborations and I play with projects Afrikacorpse and Stoka.

Ta r a s & P l a s t

MODULAR

NERDISM

TROMSØ

VCO+comparator+S&H

VCO

O R AT E

T&H

S&H

analog downsampler & more

LFO

RESH OLD

ENUATO TT

AMPLER DOWNSAMPLER DOWNSAMPLE MPLER DOWNSAMPLER DOWNSAMPLER

Various audio effects can be obtained by clever combination of basic analog function blocks. I think that the most fascinating one is an analog downsampler. Lower sample rate is a phenomenon inherently connected with the digital technology, but can be obtained in purely analog world by combining a VCO and sample & hold circuit. More flexible structure comes from varying this basic topology by using track & hold and using a comparator at the output of a VCO to get variable width of the pulse output. Changing the pulse width of the VCOs output sets the proportion of how much time the track&hold is tracking and how much it is in the hold position. This results in a sort of intensity type of perception of downsampling effect if the effected signal runs thru the track & hold. When this effect is applied to simple waveforms such as sine waves it creates really interesting and pleasant waveshapes. Such a combination of function blocks is found in the Tromsø module, but all the function blocks can be also used independently by breaking the normalisation between jacks.

RATE LFO

VCO

V/OCT

VCO

FM V/OCT

V C O

TRIANGLE FM

TRIANGLE

THR

INPUT

COMPARATOR

PWM

GATE

S&H

C M P

RTR

OUT

THRESHOLD OUTPUT IN

ANALOG DOWNSAMPLING WITH “DRY/WET” control

GATE S&H

INPUT

T&H

SAMPLE & HOLD

OUTPUT

OUT

Signal input

Gate input

Signal Output Samle and Hold

Signal Output Track and Hold

Downsampler Downsampler Downsampler Downsampler Downsampler Dow

IN SIDE CHAIN SIDE CHAIN SIDE CHAIN AIN SIDE CHAIN SIDE CHAIN SIDE CHAIN

Musical patches on a modular usually have a few things in common. Often there is a bass drum and other voices mixed with the bass drum in a master mixer. When an envelope is used to shape some part of the bass drum it can be also used in Quattro Figaro to provide side chain compression CV for the other voices - hi-hats and melody for instance. The Quattro figaro has CV inverters and some clever normalisation built in so when one channel gets louder - the other one gets quieter. Therefore the bass drum envelope can make the other channels quieter which is the basic principle of side chain compression. The diagram shows a model situation of such patch. Side chain compression can be either used as an expressive, harsh effect or when used wisely it can stimulate certain psychoacoustic phenomena. When the human ear hears a loud sound the bones inside the ear close up and attenuate the sound path for a tiny bit of time. When such thing happens we unconsciously interpret that the sound we have just heard was much louder than other sounds. By using the knowledge of this phenomena we can create spaces in sound where our brain fills in the image of a loud sound which might be very useful when mastering a track for any type of speakers (laptop or phone) that cannot really play the low bass drum. When processed in such way we will “hear” that loud bass drum in its place regardless of the bass response of the speaker.

BASS DRUM PATCH MASTER MIXER WITH SIDE CHAIN TEA KICK

SKIS

more than just a drum

dual decay + vca

QUATTRO FIGARO

more than just a tea

R A

DECAY

TUNE

RESONANCE

G E

A DECAY

CLICK TUNE

TRIGGER IN

K 1

ENV OUT

ATTENUATOR VCA CV IN

TRIGGER

VCA CRUNCH

2 WTF IN

CLICK

SIGNAL IN

3 SQUARE

OUTPUT

SIGNAL OUT

1 trigger splitted to trigger both the tea kick and the decay envelope in the skis 2

VCA in skis used for bass drum

bass drum not-compressed

melody gets compressed

snare not- compressed

hi-hat + percusion gets compressed

original bass drum envelope

8 inverted envelope used to duck the sidechained channels B and D 9 twice inverted envelope = non-inverted modulates pitch of the bass drum 10 mixed compressor output

Side Chain Side Chain Side Chain Side Chain Side Chain Side Chain Sid

ULATION FAKE THRU ZERO MODULATION DULATION FAKE THRU ZERO MODULATION

We have already talked about the Dynamo as a dynamics analyser, but there is a whole other layer of how it can be used called “fake thru zero modulation”. One of the main tricks with thru zero modulation in general is that the negative part of the modulating signal is NOT ignored, which allows for deeper modulation. This is most commonly found in thru zero oscillators (which don’t stop oscillating at the negative modulation range) and thru zero VCAs (a.k.a. bi-polar VCAs, balanced modulators or ring modulators). The fake thru zero modulation trick is about taking an oscillator or VCA (or even a filter or anything else) which is NOT thru zero and enabling it to BE thru zero! So how is that done? What you want at this point, is that the modulating signal you are using never goes negative. That is obtained by plugging it into the EF IN and taking the full wave rectified signal |EF IN| and plugging that into the modulation input of the modulated module (VCO, VCA etc.). Now if we take the copy of the original signal from the multiple at EF IN and plug it into the comparator IN, we can analyse when this signal actually goes negative by setting the Threshold knob to its center position. Now the comparator output tells us when the signal is negative by outputting a HIGH gate which is normalised into the GATE input of the voltage controlled switch. And now at the switch section you can DEFINE what is happening with the negative part of the modulation! By default, the signal at connector A is inverted and normalised to B. This means if we want to create a thru zero VCA from a non-thru zero VCA, we just take the output of that VCA and plug it into the A connector and listen what comes out at the A or B jack. When the modulating signal goes negative the signal is inverted. And that is exactly how bi-polar VCAs work! Another example could be if you are modulating a VCO you can invert its waveform in the negative part of the modulation. Or even more interesting, you can take another waveform of the VCO and override the normalisation on the B connector. So for example the VCO in the positive part of the modulation is Sine wave and in the negative part it is Sawtooth. Or ANYTHING! You can build a thru zero filter by defining that in the positive part of the modulation it is lowpass and the the negative part it is highpass! ...ANYTHING! So again the fake thru zero patch is: -plug modulating signal into the EF IN -plug |EF IN| output to the modulation input of modulated module -plug multiplied EF IN to the Comparator IN -set Threshold knob to centre position -output of the modulated module goes to the A connector of the switch -optionally any other signal goes to the B connector of the switch -the final output is at the A or B switch connector Ok! We are not done here! Remember the centered position of the Threshold knob? The one which says whether the modulating signal is positive or negative? Now, forget positive or negative. You can place the “zero-crossing” point anywhere you like and you can move that threshold with CV ! ...at audio rate!

TROMSØ AS MODULATING LFO TROMSØ AS VCO - TURNED INTO FAKE THRU ZERO VCO VCO+comparator+S&H

EF+comparator+VCS

VCO+comparator+S&H

S&H

RTR

RESH OLD

ENUATO TT

V/OCT

OUT

|EF IN|

COMPRESSOR CV

C M P

LFO

T&H

EF IN

O R AT E

TRIANGLE

THR

V C O

MID

VCO

THR

V/OCT

ENUATO TT

S&H

RESH OLD

RESH SLOW

V C O

-(EF OUT)

EF OUT

SWITCH

THR

S&H

OUT

GATE

A or B

6 TRIANGLE

4 GATE

analog downsampler & more

T&H

analog downsampler & more

LFO

FAST T H

O R AT E

THR-EF

VCO

COMPARATOR

TROMSØ

DYNAMO

EF RELEASE

TROMSØ

C M P

RTR

7 GATE

S&H

OUT

5 IN

OUT

DYNAMICS & MORE

modulating signal

full wave rectified modulating signal

3 imodulating signal is split in passive multiple and analysed by the comparator

OUT

6 triangle output of the VCO goes to the switch and if modulating signal is negative the triangle gets inverted 7 optionally it becomes pulsewave output

4 output of the comparator is normalised to the gate of the switch 5

final output

fake thru zero modulation fake thru zero modulation fake thru zero modula

www.anymadestudio.com

Bastl Visual Power by Anymade Family

#AnymadeStudio @AnymadeStudio Thx for help with 3D objects and visions to w/@KRSTN KLKV

FILTER

TRICKS

s and Ef fects Filters and Ef fects Filters and Ef fects Filters and Ef fects Filters and Ef fects Filters and

The following guide shows how to create some exciting and flexible filter topologies. With just aÂ few state

There are far more possibilities to explore! There are far more possibilities to explore!

variable filters you can explore aÂ wide range of filtering behaviors and effects. But this guide is just an intro! THERE ARE FAR MORE POSSIBILITIES TO EXPLORE!

AK FILTER TWIN PEAK FILTER TWIN PEAK FI EAK FILTER TWIN PEAK FILTER TWIN PEA

Multi peak filters are awesome! Having several resonant frequencies results into vocal formant quality of filtering and these topologies excel in pinging patches. Let me introduce you my favourite topology inspired by the dutch Stradivari of modular synths - Rob Hordijk. The Twin peak filter can be simply imagined as a band pass filter with adjustable high and low cut frequencies while both of them have a resonant peak. Similarly to the MS-20 filter section you can create such effect by first running the filter thru a high pass and then thru a lowpass, but the Twin Peak is a more sophisticated version of that. Mainly because it doesn’t silence the signal when the high pass frequency is higher than the low pass frequency. Actually in twin peak it doesn’t matter which one is which. When one of them is lower - it becomes lowpass and the other one is highpass.

THE PATCH

Split the signal you want to filter in a multiple (passive will do fine). Run that signal into two similar low pass filters. Take the lowpass output of the first filter and put it into a mixer, then take the output of the second filter and run it thru an inverter into the same mixer. Now instead of being added together the signals are subtracted and so are the spectrums passing thru the filters. Therefore only the spectral difference (between the cutoff frequencies) will pass - no matter which cutoff frequency is set higher. This topology allows you to make much deeper modulations (think of thru zero) and more versatile pinging characteristic. Beyond that many CRAZY effects can be achieved by using, lets say, the bandpass output of one filter to modulate the frequency of the other one (and endless variations of similar feedback). This is just the doorway - now you have to walk thru it yourself!

Filter 1 Lowpass

Filter 2 Lowpass

Spectral difference note: for the simplicity the filters are mixed in the ABC but of course they could be easily mixed in the Quattro Figaro

TWIN PEAK FILTER TOPOLOGY

CINNAMON

state variable filter

CUTOFF

A B C

QUATTRO FIGARO

6 channel mixer

D A

CHARACTER

CINNAMON

RESONANCE

B ATTENUATOR

DRIVE

ATTENUATOR

F C

DRIVE

INPUT LEVEL

5 INPUT LEVEL

A D

INPUT

HIGHPASS

INPUT

HIGHPASS

BANDPASS

LOWPASS

BANDPASS

LOWPASS

B D C

D+E+F

A+B+C

MIX OUT

1 signal to be filtered gets splitted in a passive multiple

4 output of the twin peak filter topology

2 low pass of first filter goes to the ABC mixer

optional crossmodulation

3 output of the second filter gets inverted in Quattro Figaro and feeded to the ABC mixer

filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filt

D EQ 3 BAND EQ 3 BAND EQ 3 BAND EQ D EQ 3 BAND EQ 3 BAND EQ 3 BAND EQ

With two state variable filters you can separate your signal into 3 bands - low, mid and high and create a voltage adjustable 3 band EQ. This is really awesome for mastering or enhancing any signal running thru your modular synth. The patch is simple. Just insert a signal into the first filter. Take the lowpass output and run it to the mixer (bass). Than take the highpass output and run it into the second filter. Then take lowpass (mid) and highpass (high) from the second filter and run it to the same mixer. NowÂ we have 3 band EQ with voltage controllable frequency response. This approach can be further expanded by using a voltage controllable mixer (such as the Quattro figaro) to achieve voltage controllable EQ bands or a multiband compressor if combined with envelope followers. Adding more filters in series can get you 4 band EQ etc. Because the filters act as analog isolators, further processing on the separated bands can also be made. Chorus on the mids - stereo delay on the heights spectral delay - you name it... and basically any type of mastering effect can be developed from here.

Filter 1

Filter 2

Lowpass

Bass

Highpass Lowpass Highpass

Mid

Because - as you will find out later in this zine we are huge fans of feedbacking mixers - you can imagine what awesomeness could this be when used in aÂ feedback loop.

Treble

3 BAND EQ ENTER THE MODULAR MASTERING APPROACH A B C

state variable filter

6 channel mixer

CUTOFF

RESONANCE

D A E

Mids

CHARACTER

Treble

CINNAMON

CHARACTER

CINNAMON

ATTENUATOR

DRIVE

ATTENUATOR

Bass

B F C

DRIVE

D INPUT LEVEL

INPUT LEVEL

A D

INPUT

HIGHPASS

INPUT

HIGHPASS

BANDPASS

LOWPASS

BANDPASS

LOWPASS

signal to be filtered

output of the EQ

D+E+F

A+B+C

MIX OUT

filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filter tricks filt

MUSIC

daver

BASTL

Kadaver

BASTL

Kadaver

BASTL

Kadav

Kadaver

Music

BASTL

Music

KADAVER, how did you become part of Bastl and what do you do now?

Music

BASTL

in Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin

How did you become part of Bastl and what do you do now? I am a musician and I was first asked to make a release for HRTL’s label, Bükko Tapes. I was working a shitty day job and smoking a lot of weed at the time and wasn’t really sure what i wanted to do. I got to know guys from Bastl and they made a deal that if I finished my album in time I would join them for a trip to Berlin and play there. There I got to know the guys better and realized that what I always wanted to do was actually possible in the small town we are in. So I started as an intern and it took a while to figure out what I am gonna do and now I take care about shipping the products and communicating with dealers. You also organize a lot of events… how did that happen? About two years ago I got to help a lot with the first Synthfest we did in Brno and we all realized the potential and then I wanted to bring it to another level so I made the whole second year. That was a turning point that gave me more confidence to do more events in the town which actually turned

out to not be that small after all. I am also doing the third synthfest this year which is going to be a tour and is going to happen in Berlin,Prague, Brno and Vienna. There is also two series of events running in Brno my own Rise Above and one that is more of a Bastl crew thing - the Bastl Jam. I am also involved a lot with what is happening with Nona Records. Run me thru the events you organize? Rise Above is the event i am most involved in and also proud of. It is a free techno party with a lot of overlaps to other styles. I try to get rising talents of contemporary dance music to play and combine it with local residents. I always find a new place which is not normally used as a club to give it more special rave feel - cinema, theater, outdoor and so on. Synth fest is focused a lot on the musical gear and people making it ...and their music. There is a lot of daytime activities - talks, workshops and showcases of instruments. And of course party at night. It is a lot about bringing other makers and musicians to Brno and showing them around and chilling with them.

in Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin Klecl Martin

Bastl Jam on the other hand is a lot about building the local scene. Sort of modular workouts and tryouts for us. It is a regular event when we try new things out in front of an audience. At first we did it in public space but we didn’t really promote it, but maybe thanks to its regularity we grew the audience now. We also push other locals to perform. Quite a lot of people and projects played their first show at the Bastl Jam. So how do the events coexist with the Bastl run label Nona Records? The goals totally overlap. A lot of the material from the events is going to be released on the label. Also the people I book for Rise Above are working on a release for Nona - so it is sort of a showcase event for Nona. Nona is also pushing the people in Bastl to record their music. We are somehow trying to grow the whole scene from the ground up. It is also an important platform to establish communication between musicians around the world. Tell me more about your own music? I played in a lot of guitar bands since i was 15 and eventually started DJing later on and

got involved with somewhat danceable music. Recently I try to record a lot of music while improvising and I edit it later. I am searching for symbiosis between a modular system and a laptop, which i wanted to omit from my live set for a long time, but it came back so the modular makes the sound and the laptop is the brain. But the means of making music is not very important to me. It is important to share the space and experience with the people at the venue. This doesn’t always have to be pleasant experience something painful and exhausting can be just as valuable. Any new tattoos? My favourite one “a cigarette wearing sneakers smoking another cigarette” I have on my thigh and i got a new friend “a black jaw” on my calf. Which makes me think I should rethink my attitude to smoking.

rds

NONA RECORDS Nona records is a label founded by the people from Bastl with a main focus on releasing music of people Nona Records

BASTL

Nona Records

BASTL

Nona Records

from Bastl and beyo establishing commu the crew and musici the goal of making a The main interest is of open minded elec experiments to open

Records

Nona Records

Records

Nona Records

ond. It is about unication between ians worldwide with awesome music! to bring all sorts ctronic music/ n minded people. ona Records

Nona Records

BASTL

Nona Records

Nona

ona Records

Nona Records

BASTL

Nona Records

Nona

ona Records

BASTL

Nona Records

B A S T LN

Nona Records

RELEASE

NONA002

HANZ TISCH AUSLANDER

KADAVER SPLIFF ARTIFACTS

Nona Records

NONA001

NOISE REDUCTION

Kadaver’s debut EP covered in weed fumes and single take bangers.

RELEASE

Nona Records

The first NONA release featuring dreamy soundscapes and trashy percussion.

NONA005

MARK BERMAN VLAM VARIATIONS

FAMILY MATTER

Vlam variations are inspired by epic release of Japanese composer Midori Takada - Through The Looking Glass, she composed in early 80’s.

1st entry to our series of compilations dedicated to Bastl & family. This time with focus on 4/4 and mood

Nona Records

RELEASE

Nona Records

RELEASE

KOLENO ATOMIUM

BLACK SUN

Back to the roots – what happens when you give Bastl synths to an underground band from the eighties?

2nd comp, this time with considerably darker overtones and dungeon vibes.

BASTL

NONA008

NONA003 CONSOLIDATION OF THE OOZE

4 single take drones recorded during a two week Bastl stay in NYC recorded in the Detective Squad store – featuring Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Control) and Non Horse.

RELEASE

NONA006 ~emb 607f/s

Our label power and close Bastl associate Stefano with his buddy Emanuele Balia, exploring the abstract side of techno.

Nona Records

NONA007

Nona Records

NONA004

RELEASE

Nona Record

RELEASE

NONA009 ANDELS SUMMER MADNESS

Andels’ debut release and very personal take on the madness of public swimming parks.

els

Andels

BASTL

Andels

BASTL

Andels

BASTL

Andels

s Andels BASTL

In conversation with ANDELS You have been making music for quite aÂ while. How did it all happen? Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels Ande

ndels Andels Andels Andels Andels BASTL Andels Andels Andels Andels BASTL Andels

You have been making music for quite a while. How did it all happen? I didn’t go to any music school as a kid but I was good at swimming - competing on the national level and while swimming I always had loops of music stuck in my head doing this underwater beatbox to myself. When I was around 15 or 16 I really dived into Fruity Loops and lost interest in swimming. I was really into Drum and Bass at the time and I released my first track on Beatport in 2007. Then I got really inspired by the work of Clark and Tim Exile and my musical style shifted a lot. I made an LP in 2010 but the label fucked it up and nobody really knew about it. In 2011 I made a minimal techno EP that was released on a Russian label. Then I went to work in Alaska - packing fish for 3 months and that harsh experience changed me a lot and I also earned enough money to buy NI Machine which completely redefined my workflow. Then I was busy finishing my university and my music had to settle down and thru some occasional DJing with Kosmospiel crew I met the guys from Bastl who forced me to play

my first live set at Bastl Jam last year… and now they tricked me into making this album for Nona records haha. How do you approach your music? I really like the dirty sound of the 90’s in contrast to what I used to do before when I aimed for really clean sound. Rhythm with powerful groove is very important for me. I really like the power piano style that has a lot of energy in it. I try to fill in every possible space with sound and I like to work with space and.... I fucking love reverb! If there’s no reverb in my track then it’s not me. I always make up a story for each track and I also try to make some of those stories visible in videos that I make. Yes - you make these dreamy collage videos… I search the darkest corners of YouTube with the lowest view counts and I use them to make something different and shift their context. Often some 80’s - B movie sci-fi shit. The track always gives me an idea of a character which I try to find on YouTube and then I create alternative stories for that character. The vaporwave aesthetics really influenced me

Andels BASTL Andels Andels Andels Andels

a lot in the visual sense. Ok so tell me more about the new release on Nona Records? It’s a 4 track EP - each is a really different style but in a way that they can coexist together. It is also my way of trying to find my style for the live performance. I worked a lot with really long intro parts - this sort of endless waiting for something to happen. A moment of surprise is a key ingredient here. Almost like a greek drama narrative structure kind of thing. I also used a lot of epic solos and reverberated trumpets.

Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels Andels

MUSIC MAKING

WITH MODULAR

AN OPEN DRUM VOICE CONCEPT

We have seen a lot of dedicated drum voices in the modular world recently. A lot of them excel in the desired sound and some of them can be awesome outside their comfort zone. They are great in their immediacy, but most of them have closed architecture which means they will always be some sort of percussive sound. Most of these modules can be deconstructed into a patch of an envelope generator, filter, vca, noise generator, mixer etc. With the basic selection of modules from Bastl you can make a section in your modular rig that can replace several drum voice modules - With a similar size (HP) and price while keeping the same feature set and often even enhancing it. But first of all - it keeps the architecture open. The best interlinked snare drum and hihat section yesterday can be a kick ass bass drum, hihat and cowbell section today. There is a lot of alchemy in making perfect drum voices and often the dedicated drum-voice modules make the path much easier. But also with a hidden, less explorative and less individual flavour.

KILLER BASS/SNARE DRUM CINNAMON

SKIS

(NOISE)²

TEA KICK

state variable filter

dual decay + vca

noise and square source

more than just a drum

S Q U A R E

B DECAY

CHARACTER

CUTOFF

RESONANCE

A DECAY

ATTENUATOR

M E T A L I C

S W I T C H

R A

TUNE

more than just a tea

M MACHINE MODULAR DRUM MACHINE UM MACHINE MODULAR DRUM MACHINE

RESONANCE

G E D I G I T A L

TRIGGER IN

CLICK TUNE

DRIVE ENV OUT

INPUT LEVEL

ATTENUATOR

CV SQUARE

SQUARE

COW

TRIGGER

METALIC

DIGITAL

WTF IN

CLICK

WHITE

PINK

SQUARE

OUTPUT

VCA CV IN

INPUT

HIGHPASS

VCA CRUNCH

SIGNAL IN

2 BANDPASS

LOWPASS

SIGNAL OUT

1 trigger splitted 2 output into 3 signals

INTERLINKED HI-HAT AND SNARE

SKIS

CINNAMON

TROMSØ

(NOISE)²

dual decay + vca

state variable filter

VCO+comparator+S&H

noise and square source S Q U A R E

B DECAY

CUTOFF

CHARACTER

LFO

RESONANCE

T&H

DECAY

S&H A

2 TRIGGER IN

ENUATO TT

ATTENUATOR

M E T A L I C

S W I T C H

D I G I T A L

V/OCT

DRIVE ENV OUT

V C O INPUT LEVEL

VCA CV IN VCA CRUNCH

SIGNAL IN

RESH OLD

O R AT E

analog downsampler & more

VCO

INPUT

HIGHPASS

BANDPASS

LOWPASS

THR

GATE

CV SQUARE

SQUARE

COW

OUT

METALIC

DIGITAL

OUT

WHITE

PINK

TRIANGLE

S&H

C M P

RTR

SIGNAL OUT

snare drum trigger

hi-hat trigger

snare drum output

hi-hat output

skis provides VCAs and Decay envelopes to turn noises into percussive sounds

downsampled noise is filtered in cinnamon HIGHPASS output is used for hi-hat BANDPASS is used for snare

noise is downsampled in Tromsø triangle output of Tromsø audio-rate modulates the cutoff of the filter pitch of Tromsø is modulated by an envelope from Skis

digital noise as main source COW or other noises give different flavours

drum machines drum machines drum machines drum machines drum machin

M MACHINE MODULAR DRUM MACHINE UM MACHINE MODULAR DRUM MACHINE

When looking at classical music scores there is this confusing part where one graphical symbol shows you both the pitch and duration of a note. To get a picture of several instruments playing together it takes a lot of effort to put it together in your head from various sheets. It actually often makes sense to look at rhythm and pitch in two different representations. To understand pitch you need to look at the vertical scale to see the relationships between the notes. But to understand rhythm it is much easier to look at a grid and see the start and end of each event. This idea is embodied in the two sequencing modules that we make - the Knit Rider and the Popcorn. The Knit Rider uses a 4x4 grid representation to show a rhythm for 6 different voices. Such two dimensional representation is really convenient because it allows user to see the rhythms as shapes and makes them easier to remember (compared to the 1x16 drum machine approach). Each of the 6 voices can be either in trigger (to mark the “now” moments) or gate mode (to create durations). Also each channel can have any length between 1-64 steps which makes it easy to setup polyrhythms. Furthermore each step has 4 substeps so you can zoom in and edit details of certain step. The Popcorn is great at making selections of 8 notes that should be used in a composition. The CV output is quantized and selection of several scales can be made with the FN button. The popcorn has two trigger inputs that animate the transitions between the 8 steps. You can go 1, 2,3 or 4 steps forward or backward and basically reach any note this way. In case more than 8 notes are needed two popcorn sequencers can be chained to provide 16 step melodic landscape. Now what is a melody? It is a certain movement between certain notes in certain rhythm. Combining the Knit Rider and the Popcorn can provide any combination of browsing 8 different notes in any rhythm and its endless variations. Polyrhythmic principles in browsing the notes can be applied here as well. The Popcorn also features a quantized CV input which can be used to transpose the sequence either after the quantizer (standard) or before the quantizer! This way you can transpose a sequence while keeping the harmony of the original key. The popcorn also provides a gate input to change the quantizer mode from minor to major, so any type of harmonic progression can be made with it.

CV INPUTS POPCORN EXPANDER

OFFSET BITS

RESET

TRIG A

GATE OUT

GATE TIME

REGULAR PENTA/5TH BLUES/7TH

MINOR MAJOR

TRIG B

GATE SLIDE

CV OUT

CHROMA SCALE CHORD

OFF ON

CV IN

SLIDE TIME

GATE OUTS

JUMP

additional gates for other events

MULTIPLE

PASSIVE

CV OUT

TRIG B

GATE SLIDE

INV OUT

volt per octave CV OUT

GATE OUT

out

CLICK IN

RESET

CLK OUT

RESET

TRIG A

GATE TIME

REGULAR PENTA/5TH BLUES/7TH

MINOR MAJOR

CHROMA SCALE CHORD

OFF ON

gate for main envelope

CLEAR

PASTE

CLK IN RATIO

QUANTI SATION

TRIGGER GATE

VOICE STEPS

VOICE

UNDO

VOICE

PTRN STEPS

BAR

COPY

STEPS

BAR

VOICE ACTIVES

PTRN

TAP

MASTER SLAVE PLAY

ACTIVE STEP

CONTROL

trigger / gate sequencer

KNIT RIDER

PTRN ACTIVES

DOWN

T E M P O

SAVE REC

JUMP

PRTN/ MUTE

the knit rider sequences the rythm of the melody/arpeggio and controls transposition changing pattern on the knit rider changes the whole sequence

CV IN

SLIDE TIME T

POPCORN non-linear CV sequencer

CV IN MODE

OFFSET

CV IN MODE

non-linear CV sequencer

POPCORN

this popcorn transposes the melody/arpeggio and sets whether it is minor orÂ major

SLIDE T.

GATE T.

TRIGA S.

MIN/MAJ

RANGE

QUANTIZER

RANGE S

QUANTIZER

79 S

KNIT RIDER EXPANDER

this popcorn creates melody/arpeggio

SEQUENCING

T INTERFACES INSTRUMENT INTERFACES T INTERFACES INSTRUMENT INTERFACES

INSTRUMENT INTERFACES

No matter what instrument you play you have lots of options for combining it with the modular synthesizer world! We came up with solutions for smooth integration of any type of interface.

DRUM PADS

A module called Kong can independently interface two drum pads with a modular synth by translating their signal into trigger and velocity CV outputs. The same module can be also used as a preamp for any type of contact microphone using the AUDIO output. By having the velocity as an independent CV means that it can be used to control any parameter in the modular. It can be used to control VCAs, play melodies, tweak filters, wave folders or reconfigure the entire architecture of your patch.

rum pads drum pads drum pads drum pads drum pads drum pads drum pads

KONG drumpad interface

B GAIN

A GAIN

AUDIO

TRIGGER

VELOCITY

A IN

B IN

KEYBOARDS / CONTROLLERS

If you are a keyboard player (or use MIDI controllers of any type) the Bastl MIDI Looper might light up your inspiration. An easy to use interface allows you to loop 3 different MIDI channels (with dedicated buttons). It offers unlimited polyphony and (almost unlimited) length of sequence which will get quantized to the closest end of bar. An important feature is that the MIDI Looper can run on its own clock or can be synced to an analog clock or MIDI Clock. All with selectable tempo divider/multiplier.

POWER RESET

RECORD CLEAR PEDAL

layout

DIVIDER

MIDI IN

CLEAR

PART MIDI CHANNEL

s e t learn hold set = edit

midi to cv

RECORD

gate

MIDI OUT

MIDIA LOOPER B C

1983

9V DC

1×CLEAR=CLEAR PART 2×CLEAR=CLEAR ALL CLEAR+REC = PLAY / STOP CLEAR+ABC=(UN)MUTE HOLD CLEAR=ERASE HOLD REC=OVERWRITE REC+ABC=QUANTIZE

TEMPO

CLOCK

INT / EXT

USB POWER

rst

clk

midi in

The 1983 - MIDI ‘is the future’ to CV interface can be further used to translate the MIDI messages into CV and Gate signals. 4 channels with full configurability can let you choose from the following Layouts: 4-voice polyphony, 4-independent channels, 2 complex or 1 super-complex channel, 8 triggers or 4 triggers with velocity.

i in mid

keyboards / controllers / keyboards / controllers / keyboards / controllers

T INTERFACES INSTRUMENT INTERFACES T INTERFACES INSTRUMENT INTERFACES

FOOT CONTROL

If you are an instrumentalist - often your hands are busy. That is why we have developed two different foot interfaces for modular synths. Dupdup is a dual switch which allows you to connect two independent foot pedals to reconfigure your patch, bypass an effect chain or simply trigger an envelope. Clutch allows you to connect up to 4 volume/expression pedals and use them as voltage sources for any purpose. Each of the 4 channels can be also used as a passive attenuator.

l foot control foot control foot control foot control foot control foot control

DUP DUP

CLUTCH

dual vc. foot switch

MANUAL

A as CV SOURCE

S WITC H

B U TT O N

quad attenuator & volume pedal to CV interface

A TT E N U A T O R S

INVERTING GATE IN

D SIGNAL IN

+5V

FX SEND

FX RETURN

SIGNAL OUT

FOOT SWITCH

+5V

C D

OUT

GUITAR Whether you play Guitar or just have some guitar pedals, the Hendrikson module is the perfect interface for you. It can amplify signals from your guitar chain to modular level and then take your modular signals and make them ready to run back into your guitar world. It can be also used toÂ connect any guitar pedal as an external effect with voltage controllable DRY/WET mix.

guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guitar guita

HENDRIKSON stomp box / instrument interface O T

U MODULAR

MIX CV

OUTPUT

MIX OUT

INPUT

GUITAR

INPUT GAIN

LINE

OUTPUT VOLUME

MIX

UDE FEEDBACK DUDE FEEDBACK DUDE DUDE FEEDBACK DUDE FEEDBACK DUDE

Dude

Dude is a portable 5 channel mixer with adjustable gain and a mute switch. You can apply up to +20db gain on each channel which makes it great for mixing low level signals. It also runs on 4 AA batteries which makes it super portable. Mixer Feedback - Turn Dude into a synth! A technique called no-input mixing was developed around mixing consoles when a lot of tones and noises could be generated by feeding the output back to one of the inputs. This can become even more interesting especially by using some on-board digital effects or a simple EQ on each channel. The term feedback is often connected with something un-wanted such as microphone feedback, but it can be used as a creative technique turning the unwanted artefacts into aesthetical categories. When feedback is combined and mixed with external signals it starts to heavily interact with them and in a way becomes a shadow of those sounds, responding to what they are while also revealing the space around them. And since the mixer itself becomes overloaded it can radically affect the overall timbre of the incoming sound. All the sounds start to fight for dominance and the electronics when pushed to their extreme are forced to make choices - simply because they cannot pass everything thru. In this way a feedbacked mixer becomes very organic entity with ongoing fight between sound which results in rich distortion and a range of interesting ducking effects.

Dude

Around the dude we have played with a bunch of passive circuits such as EQs, pseudo VCAs etc. and the fact that the mixer amplifies makes it great for generating feedback loops! Splitting your output signal and running one copy thru a passive EQ back to the input will make the DUDE self oscillate creating a feedback loop a tone which can be modified in pitch and timbre by the EQ and the gain. Modular Mixer The splitter block for the dude turns it into a modular mixer. Setups like effects send, stereo mixing, groups, monitor groups etc. become instantly possible with using two or three dudes. Each channel can have its EQ or pseudo VCA or waveshaper, complex routing scenarios scream for organic feedback patches.

Dude

-∞

+20dB

JUICE

5 -∞

+20dB

-∞

DUDE

+20dB

CH -∞

+20dB

1 2 3 4 5 CH

85 Dude

Dude

iew

BASTL

inter view

BASTL

inter view

E TER EDWARDS CASPERELECTRONICS PE TER EDWARDS CASPERELECTRON

Peter Edwards

Peter Edwar

inter view

BASTL

inter view

PETER EDWARDS is a musician and inventor born in Vermont US currently living in Brno CZ. He studied art in New York

NICS PE TER EDWARDS CASPERELECTRONICS PE TER EDWARDS CASPERELE

rds

Peter Edwards

BASTL

Peter Edwards

Peter Edwards is a musician and inventor born in Vermont US currently living in Brno CZ. He studied art in New York and has been a pioneer of the DIY circuit bending scene since the early 2000s. In 2015 he moved to Den Haag to study at the Institute of Sonology and STEIM and to work with dutch modular maestro Rob Hordijk. Currently he lives in Brno and collaborates with the Bastl team on new instruments. You live in Brno now. How did that happen? I met Václav and Ondřej about 4 years ago in Holland and

influence you practice of inventing instruments? The sense of collaboration is the most exciting thing to me about the eurorack scene today. Working with Bastl has gotten me connected with the global eurorack community which has helped clarify what message I want to give out to the world. Working with a team has also given me the freedom to take risks and, more importantly, to make mistakes and learn from them, which is crucial when making physical objects. Through this process I’ve learned to be

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we shared a lot of the same enthusiasm and energy. A few years later I came to visit the guys in Brno and working with them felt like an opportunity I had to take advantage of! The momentum of the guys, the political and financial situation of the city and the community they were developing - it all made perfect sense. I had just finished my master studies and was ready put my energy into a new project so I moved into Brno at the very end of 2015. How did collaborating with Bastl

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more honest, listen more to my voice and be more expressive. There is a lot of mutual respect in the community here and in general there is a sort of lifestyle developing thru the workshops and performances (The Bastl Jam series) and thru sharing knowledge within the community. As an artist and engineer I feel that it’s really important to stay connected to this social context to remind myself of why I make instruments in the first place. What is your approach of making

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instruments? Collaboration between the user and the machine is crucial. There is this tension between knowing and not knowing a system that I like. That is why I create devices that can be subtly and expressively controlled but never fully understood. There is always a level of understanding that you can get about something but beyond that there is still a surprise element and that’s why I base a lot of my designs on feedback loops, because they are very organic force with a ton of character. Another big topic is sharing the

need to obey some basic rules of communication. In that context I like to challenge people and engage them physically with volume, light and movement. Music is a universal language and communicates on a deeper level so there’s a lot here to explore. I want to make people feel that they are part of something real happening right now - right here. I am not especially interested in recorded music since what I deal with in my music is an authentic experience which doesn’t translate very well into recorded piece of sound.

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enthusiasm of the process of making the instruments and understanding them on a deeper level of how electrical components actually work.. The OMSynth project tries to do just that. Tell me a bit more about your music. I perform music for people and then I make music for myself which are two different things. In my studio I create an ecosystem that I can be part of and interact with. The music I perform on the other hand has to be a clear statement. As a performer you Peter Edwards

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FT POP BITRANGER SOFT POP BITRANGE T POP BITRANGER SOFT POP BITRANGER

SOFTPOP SUBTLE, FAT, POPPING, ORGANIC, SENSITIVE, VULNERABLE They are siblings born from the realm of complex analog feedback systems. The bitRanger uses analog logic chips and counters to create mathematical patterns while the softPop utilizes classic, voltage

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BITRANGER EDGY, ALGORITHMIC, PATTERN, MATHEMATIC, DISTORTED

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CASPER ELECTRONICS INSTRMNTS OVERRIDE

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MSYNTH OMSYNTH OMSYNTH OMSYNTH OMSYNTH OMSYNTH OMSYNTH OMSYNTH

MODULAR SYNTHESIS OMSYNTH AN OPEN MODULAR SYNTHESIZER EVEN DEEPER IN MODULAR SYNTHESIS

Bread-board is a solderless prototyping interface that allows you to connect integrated circuits and electronic components to design custom circuits. As inventors of modular synths we often explore ideas while designing circuits on a bread-board. The electronic components are a much less abstracted version of what a module in a synthesizer is.

HIERARCHY If you look at a simple monosynth - it hides a lot of complexity of the signal flow from you. A semi-modular synth opens up a lot of possibilities while keeping the fundamentals of the basic signal flow intact. Fully modular synths cuts the circuit into function blocks that can be routed freely. A circuit on a bread-board looks into those function blocks of a modular synth and deconstructs them to operational amplifiers, transistors, resistors, diodes and capacitors.

For those people that are curious about how to create function blocks themselves and interact with electrical components we have made the entry point really easy with the OMSYNTH. There is everything you need to start building musical and light circuits from scratch or from one of our supplied kits with video tutorial that walk you thru the process of making several types of basic circuits.

THE PROVIDED KITS ARE: OSCILLATORS SEQUENCERS LO-FI SAMPLER

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RELLO IL TORREFATTORE You are now full time coffee expert. How did that happen?

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You are now full time coffee expert. How did that happen? I have always really loved coffee and drank way too much of it. I worked in a coffee place while studying. About 2 years ago I went to Amsterdam and that experience showed me what is missing here and I saw the horizont much clearer. After that I had some other jobs and finally I ended up working at Bastl in production. In a few months I saw how much coffee we drink here and I made the math: if we buy green beans we can get the home coffee roaster for free and save some money. That was really important because that helped me to develop my skills and also make mistakes. I also got a lot of feedback from people drinking the coffee daily. Few months later I saw I needed a better - more professional roaster and I also started to get organic direct trade green beans. With that I made a huge progress to the point that I decided to start my own brand of coffee. Now I am waiting for even better roaster that gets competitive with the best ones. In the meantime I am roasting on a borrowed italian roaster.

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So what is your creative attitude towards the coffee? I am following the so called third wave of coffee culture which is changing the whole market a lot. There is more dialogue between the farmers and the people roasting the coffee which helps both sides to get much fresher and better quality beans while keeping ethically correct fair deals with the farmers. It sounds like the way it is supposed to be but this approach is in the very beginning and there is a lot of work to be done on both sides. The roasting process has to fully adapt to the nature of the beans and the modern roasters have sensors and fully adjustable process affecting the heat, air flow and rotation speed thru the process of roasting. This helps to fully develop the tastes coming from the beans while avoiding the nostalgic over-roasting tastes. You will be opening a dedicated storefront for coffee in Brno. Tell me more about it. One of the main things is to start delivery of coffee on a bike so people can have really good coffee at home. The goal behind the space is to provide people

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the knowledge and courage of drinking good coffee. Also around good coffee there is always good people which creates positive social space. I will also show the people how to make great tasting coffee themselves. This way I can also get more feedback on the coffee that I make. The bike delivery also has positive impact on the city itself because it inspires more people to use bikes and feel more comfortable in that. Tell me a bit about your music. A lot of it has therapeutical dimension for me because in music you can reveal yourself and get out of the comfort zone. I am working with shared contemporary unspecified emotions - which are the measure of art for me in the first place. I work with physical instruments: hardware synths, modular, human voice and acoustic instruments. I work with free floating frequencies rather than with defined tonalities and similarly I work with polyrhythms in contrast of defined beat which gets often lost. I often like to collaborate with other people to have some sort of dialogue in the music.

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NIKOL â&#x20AC;&#x201D; NOISE KITCHEN Tell me something about making the videos?

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Tell me something about making the videos? We started about one and half years ago when we got into the talks that modular synths and electronic music is sort of taboo, or better say harder, to access for women. We found out that the language used to describe the synths is very technical and hard to translate into more intuitive terms which might be easier to digest for people just getting into the scene. I collaborate on the videos with Leoš Hort who is helping with the script, camera, editing and also helps me with my enthusiasm to not get into the dry technical nerd talk. Also for me I learned a lot about modulars thru the filming because I started to play them around the same time. When we started to make the series Lumír -my son was already on the way so it was obvious that the format is going to change as my motherhood progressed. Now it is getting harder since Lumír is way too curious to keep calm during the shooting and also Leoš is now performing a lot under his monicker HRTL.

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What are your plans for future videos now? We surely want to keep going. The plan is to make more videos in the series but also focus on individual products and show them in the user context. With Leoš it is changing a lot so it is hard to estimate, but Lumír is slowly getting to the age when it will be easier to get some babysitting for him. Besides that I am still at the university studying animal protection and welfare so it is really busy altogether. One of the ideas of how to make things happen is to work more with guests on specific topics, something that they specialize on. You used to make Ladies wednesday evenings in Noise Kitchen? Yes that was a nice idea to make

the modular store for ladies only so they could come and talk about music making in the natural way. We had several sessions and it was really important to talk about the things without the very technical terminology. Since I have Lumír this stopped happening but I think the idea has a lot of potential although it is a challenge

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to get the word out to the girls in the first place. Tell me a bit more about your music. I either make some dark techno which I guess is influenced a lot by my boyfriend because we share the studio together. But I am in the phase where exploring sounds is the most joyful part for me. I have the Bastl Rumburak modular, the Volca Sample and I also use Ableton. I like the instrumental sounds that I can make on Mutable Instruments Rings, but i would like to combine that approach with sounds of the field recordings of the nature. I like the sounds of the birds and I am also using recordings of whales. This type of ambient collage where free floating rhythms are generated is very natural for me.

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Hello, my name is Ondřej and my job is to keep Bastl running and make everybody happy.

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Hello, my name is Ondřej and my job is to keep Bastl running and make everybody happy. I really like the simple metaphor of cooking for illustrating the idea of running Bastl. You simply need good ingredients, some basic tools, a lot of inspiration, enthusiasm, but also some spices and a lot of patience. When you keep cooking and you cook with love, you will end up with

something delicious. And when you serve it right, it’s more than just food you share. To bring this metaphor into reality, I am going to share my favourite recipe with you. Hope this food can make you happy too. // I apologise to vegetarians and vegans, but you can always try to cook it without meat. I believe it will be tasty as well. Haluski with cabbage (Fried Cabbage and Dumplings)

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This recipe is a part of my heritage. My greataunt Květa taught me how to cook this dish. She was a fantastic cook and she always knew how to prepare perfect food with a minimum of money. Ingredients � 2 kg of potatoes � 500 g of coarse flour � a pinch of salt � 1 kg of sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) � 200 g of bacon � meat (Not really necessary. I use pork.

You can use both smoked or fresh meat. It depends on what you have at hand. Anything from pork brisket to pork leg. There is a lot of space for experimenting � 4 onions � some oil � some sugar � whole or ground black pepper if you like (The amounts are approximate. I always change it a bit and I use my intuition.) Sauerkraut (Pickled Cabbage)

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not to burn it. I take the sauerkraut out of the container (bottle). If I wish to make the haluski more sour, I pour the pickle from one of the sauerkraut containers directly into the pot (sometimes I used pickle from both containers, sometimes none). I squeeze the cabbage, chop it and add it to the pot. I stir it, add salt, sugar (approximately 1 tablespoon, and then later when the dish is almost done I may add some more to fine tune the taste)

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First you need to chop the onions you don’t need to chop them super finely - and start to fry them in a cooking pot on medium heat (if you are cooking somewhere in a forest over a real fire the haluski are going to be even better). As the onions are frying, you mince the bacon. I add it to the pot later when the onions are getting slightly brown. When the bacon is fried as well, I add the meat. The mix may be getting crispy, which is great, but be careful

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and a little amount of water. The mixture should be juicy, but there should not be too much water - less water than cabbage. And you can add black pepper. Sometimes I use whole pepper, sometimes ground peppercorns, use your intuition. The basic trick with the cabbage is to cook it for a long time and burn it just a little during the cooking. I do not use the lid and I let the water boil away so that the mixture start to burn at the bottom. But not too much,

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just ”caramelise” a bit. Then I add water and stir everything that got stuck to the bottom of the pot. I repeat this process several times. The pot does not require much attention, but the cabbage must not be burned too much, otherwise it gets bitter. In the end the cabbage should be brown, greasy and soft. Haluski (Dumplings) One alternative (my favourite) is potato haluski. The other one is just flour and water. First boil a big pot

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of salted water. Peel and finely grate raw potatoes, add salt and then add coarse flour and mix it to make dough. Once the water is boiling, scoop a small amount of the dough with a small spoon (the spoon needs to be wet) and drop into the water. Haluski, are basically something between small potato dumplings and Italian gnocchi. Only made from raw potatoes. They’re a bit “hairy”. Dough can be made also from boiled potatoes, or

from a combination of cooked and raw potatoes. My suggestion is you cook a few haluskis, taste them and then make changes accordingly to your preferences. Ideally, haluski should be flexible and should not fall apart. They are ready the moment they start to float. I continually fish out the cooked haluski and mix them with the cabbage. Serve with a smile. Bon apetit

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