DFAM mind melting thread

I like blankfor.Ms

I bought his spitfire vst. Great synths.

Great tune.

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Not sure if this has been posted but I just saw it on YouTube. Great stuff going on.

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For the ā€˜DFAM Thing’ heads out there, there is a V1.3 firmware update (also V1.2 was released recently):

[EDIT] - Can’t actually find where to download V1.3, have emailed Ken.

MIDI Control

New in firmware 1.3 of the standalone DFAM Thing is support for MIDI CCs.

  • The MIDI CC numbers 16, 17 and 18 control pattern length, pattern type and clock multiplier respectively.
  • The DFAM Thing uses the high byte of the control value, so the changes occur at 0, 16, 32, 48 etc. This works better when controlling by a knob, and makes no difference when controlling by computer.
  • MIDI CC message support is only available in MIDI clock mode.
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…and a ā€˜Semi Modular Thing’ is in development:

http://thewessens.net/DFAMThing/DFAMThing.html#the-semi-modular-thing

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also, a free 3D printable case for the stand alone DFAM Thing is available for download:
https://www.printables.com/model/397868-dfam-thing-standalone-case/files

Hello @kryten42!! I’m doing some firmware updates this morning and I wonder, did Ken ever get back to you about 1.3?

EDIT: Reading his webpage it is a bit unclear as to whether the new firmwares are intended for/work with the module version so I guess I better email the man myself and see what’s what.

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Hey @Annihilation_Squares - yeah he did respond (very good support from them over the past few months), unfortunately he’s not well with covid atm, so any enquiry responses might be delayed.

regarding DFAM thing firmware , I understand from him that he only hosts the lates (i.e. V1.3) on his website, but they are (confusingly) listed in version number relating to the version of the DFAM thing hardware, not the ā€˜OS’ for the DFAM thing, if that makes sense.

I have reported a bug in V1.3 with the CC, they don’t respect the MIDI Channel that is set (1-7 or all)…Ken said he would patch this quickly but then got sick.

I don’t think you can brick the DFAM thing with the wrong firmware as you can just re-apply another firmware. Not sure if the CC thing applies to Eurorack version ?!?

If in doubt, hang on for a week or two…

Hope this helps :slight_smile:

[EDIT] For others who may be interested… iirc the Digitakt sends cc16 for Bit reduction, which is the same as the Clock division/multiplyer for DFAM thing, this is how I found the bug/unintended featrue :slight_smile:

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Thanks Andrew! I’d have replied sooner but mom was in town. Ken is the man! Afflicted with the germ and still emailed me back within two hours. He advises I hold off while he gets right and subsequently patches up 1.3

I think the CC thing does not apply to the module version but I’m not sure as I’ve not quite gotten to using the thing. I’ve put together a little rack and had worked my way through learning the other things in it. I was just getting to the DFAM thing when I noticed your post about new firmwares. I’m going to wait for the patch.

Also, while I’ve got you here, I really liked that last long one you posted in the improvised thread with the new mixer. Shit has been real hectic lately with new job and other stuff so I haven’t been as effusive as normal :0)

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Thanks man!

I bet you’re itching to use your little rack in its completed form.

New job eh, Congrats!
You’ve left the brewery then? (IIRC)

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My fellow DFAM-lovers, I have been having issues with this for a long time so I’m interested to know from you: how are you mixing the DFAM with other instruments to sit well in a track?

Whenever I take mind-melting recordings of my pair of DFAMs I struggle a lot with making them sit in a mix, they take SO MUCH of the frequency spectrum and when I try to filter out/EQ parts of it I feel I lose the feeling I was getting from the sounds when jamming. It’s worked sometimes but most of the time it’s pretty damn hard to mix these beasts.

Just looking for perspectives and check if anyone else struggle with this :joy: because I love the sounds, just gets pretty hard to create a whole around the ideas I get from them.

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yep, DFAM soundS so good it’s gotta be heard in it purest form :slight_smile: in HPF they sound bright , LPF they boom! It’s true. I side chain to the kick in my TR8s….but yeah, let it sing on its own with reverb and and delay and just some kick and hats…maybe pads. It dominates for sure though, EQ it I guess if you want it in a mix.

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Same difficulty here.
On its own, it sounds amazing but it’s hard to make it sit into the mix.
Not only the sound but also the sequencer makes it for very repetitive pattern that don’t breath and take the entire space.

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@victorcampos and @Switchzik.

I’m so glad you guys rock the DFAM. And it DOES pump out a lot of frequency.

I never noticed it not sitting in the mix for me though. I usually run them individually through my 18i20.

I always pair them with all the other Moog semimodulars. So I’m usually pumping!

Couple points. One, I usually filter and gain stage to mix directly on the unit. Then I sometimes rock a touch of reverb, but I usually save that for leads. If it’s kicks, then I keep them fat and dry.

Now maybe I’m not that good of a mixer, and I putting out a lot of mud. Your ears might be more refined than my hearing.

In terms of the sequencer, I use the sequencer of the Mother32, or even sometimes the SubH, to adjust the time divisions of the sequencer to pair up a regular sequence and one that’s half or quarter speed. It just takes some patching.

Or you can sequence run/stop and pitch with a Beatstep Pro.

The Matriarch has stereo delay which really helps with slower sequences. Keep the feedback up. Or use the LFO on sample and hold to fire the trigger of the DFAMs.

With the right LFO settings, you could actually get pretty close to generative music!

Or just play the knobs! Sometimes I have to manually start a DFAM for a couple bars, then filter out and reset every 4 bars to make a hook.

Moog has a bunch of patches on the website that address the sequencer.

It really is all there, just need to set it up.

Hope you have fun!

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I was working in a publisher’s warehouse that was in that giant redone brewery complex. I now work for the same publisher but in the office across town. It’s my first office job ever and I have quickly adapted to the ways of looking busy yet posting on Elektronauts!

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I’m a DFAM n00b, but with other noisy, full-specrumy gear what I normally do is cut its levels and put a mid EQ boost with a tight Q roughly where I’d like it to sit. Very early in the process. Like, first thing. It sounds horrible but I tell myself it’s just a place holder.

Then I spend the day with it like that as I mix and arrange everything else. The next day, I’ll open up that Q a bit, and suddenly it sounds so fat again and I’m happy with it. Secretly I know, of course, that I’m cutting 90% of what made me love it in the first place. But so much of mixing is tricking myself into doing what I know is right.

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It’s so weird.

All this talk of too much frequencies and I’ve never noticed a problem.

And I usually run a sequence with both DFAMS, a SubH and usually the Matriarch as well.

I think my stuff sounds okay. Maybe I’m self eq’ing across the devices via gain staging and letting each synth take care of a high lead sequence, a mid Acid line, and the bass part respectively. With filtering.

So the synths don’t always share the same pitches and therefore frequencies.

Yeah, like I say I’m still kicking the tires on my DFAM, but the only time I foresee it being a problem is when leaning heavily on noise (it’s noise-based patches on the Prophet 12 that I used this mixing trick on, previously). If you’re straight leads/arps/basses, I can’t imagine there being much conflict.

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Oh, right. Yeah, Moog’s noise generators are ran through the mixer.

To anyone who is really really new to Moog… The mixer is built to be overdriven at max. So if you back off to like2 or 3 o’clock to get ā€œunity?ā€ or what ever normal levels are called.

And I haven’t experimented with noise yet… thats a good thing to put on the list.

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Double DFAM Mind melter

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I made a DFAM sample pack with two lil’ 2min demos tracks I’m quite happy about :

Very rarely work with samples but this was fun. It’s a bit strange to fix such a living and breathing box into samples but it’s also pretty cool to have a solid library or DFAM samples in your sampler.

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