Straight up, this machine is not for everyone. The FAQ, pasted from the Etsy page for convenience:
Q: can the E[64] be synced to my other gear with triggers or clocks?
A: the E[64] is entirely a stand-alone instrument. no syncing or clocking options.
Q: can i save my patches?
A: no you cannot. the E[64] is designed to be a rocket ship through sonic space - not a workspace for ideas to grow over long periods of time. the E[64] generates a new randomized patch every time it is powered on - you always start from there -
So if you read the above and havenāt completely lost interest, not feeling daunted, whateverā¦ hereās the description:
what exactly is the E[64] and what makes it different?ā
the initial idea for this musical instrument was to somehow find a way to break away from the struggle of composing musical sequences by hand. practically every musical sequencing device available today provides the user with a blank canvas for which to compose upon. the user starts with nothing but a pencil tool and an endless blank piano roll grid before them. the user must begin entering notes into the empty piano roll - slowly building chords and melodies one note at a time until a song begins to take shape.
it was decided to create the āmusical theory engineā to operate much like a virtual rubiks cube. each colored side of this ācubeā representing a different musical composition element: scales, chords, voicings, rhythms, and tonality. the user ātwistsā and ārotatesā the ācubeā by editing the values of 33 control parameters. as the ācubesā colored sides begin to mix together, interesting interactions between the musical theory elements they represent take place. these interactions are then translated into a highly flexible stream of polyphonic notation data. this stream of note data is then fed directly into a 12-voice digital wavetable audio synthesizer.
The E[64] also boasts a powerful new approach to parameter modulation. Every single parameter can have its very own modulation sequence attached to it. this mod sequence will animate a parameters value to jump between several values automatically - everything from chord type to waveform selection, envelope times, and even delay feedback time can have a unique modulation sequence. with these global modulation capabilities, the E[64] has the potential to become the ultimate autonomous āauto-musicā generative sound device.
the E[64] features a 12-voice polyphonic digital wavetable synthesizer with unique waveblending functionality - the 12-voices each consist of 2 seperate oscillator layers (24 oscillators total). the 2 layers (A&B) each have their own waveform shape, tuning ratio, and envelope settings. choose a waveform for each layer from a library of 128 custom waveform shapes. the waveblending function (waveblend) performs an automated āmorphā between the A & B waveform layers. waveblend can be used to achieve many interesting evolving tones and textures.
the 12 synthesis voices then run into an audio effect section consisting of a lowpass filter and tape-styled delay. this digital delay effect being ātape-styledā means that the audio traveling within the feedback path is downsampled and darkened (filtered) every time it passes through the feedback loop. this effect can add an extra layer of endless lofi motion using longer delay times and a bizarre type of ambient reverb when using shorter delay times.
Seriously!! Goodness me. Was that in Golden Square? Good old days indeed!
Well, Iām still around and still super busy with projects so thatās a positive thing
Hope life is good with you too!
Hey man fancy seeing you here. Iāve been wondering if you ever bring out the frequency scanner you used in the days of yore? Always thought that was pretty nifty to have incorporated into your sets.
Co sideri g the E[64], Iād really like to try one out. Hopefully future versions will allow for midi out as I think the sequencing concept is great.
So going back to the well ā Ellitone also makes and sells another synth, the Ellitone Multi Synth. Itās only a third of the cost of the E[64] (not expensive to begin with), and is simpler (at least by one measure), and yet if you check out the video, is also capable of some satisfying noise making.
Yes, I found the MultiSynth first via a video on the Gecho website, which led me to the Etsy store where I found the E[64]. This video:
What interests me about the E[64] is similar to what drew my attention to the NDLR and the T-1 - specifically this paragraph in the description in the OP.
the initial idea for this musical instrument was to somehow find a way to break away from the struggle of composing musical sequences by hand. practically every musical sequencing device available today provides the user with a blank canvas for which to compose upon.
i thought it would be cool if i could instead be working with a āmusical composition engineā - this engine would instantly generate complex patterns of notes, chords, and rhythms using a built-in knowledge of musical theory.
Would love to, but it worked on an analogue network and that closed down many years ago, so unfortunately that sonic door is now closed. I have a massive archive of recordings which still get used in my work today.
If you tune in this Friday night, 18th December at 20.00 UK time you can hear an exclusive 90 min mix of new music from 2020
to launch my new album. The only time this mix will get played and with some very amusing scanned calls included
the āshortcomingsā are what makes it so playful and appealing to me. Iām actually going to use it in a forthcoming live Bandcamp show soon. I love the fact that even I wonāt know what to expect when I switch it on live
Just think of it as free from all the other stuff such as clocks and MIDI and memory. Embrace the moment and play!
The problem of getting the E[64] around the same time as the Roland MC-101 and Matriarch is the necessity of splitting time between these admittedly disparate pieces of gear. As a result the E[64] got the least allocation of time from me.
I just got the idea to use the free 1/8" to 1/8" cable that came with it to plug itās audio output into the OP-1 input. Then just use the OP-1 to record a jam session with the E[64] up to the 6 min. stereo recording limit. Actually, Iām not sure the E[64] is actually stereo - could be mono so I might get 12 min recording? I need to checkā¦
After recording is done, then I have some options:
Use OP-1 Tape Tricks and other OP-1 features/techniques to treat the audio.
Delete the recording if I deem thereās nothing worth saving.
Export the recording, then reuse it whole or in part in the Octatrack, Ableton Live or whatever.
Another application would be to to use it as a warmup buddy for practicing on violin. Before I got the E[64] Iād occasionally fire up the HarmoGnome app, which was created by a jazz violinist. Nice app for generating a beat (the ānomeā part of the name comes from metronome) and a chord progression at the same time for practicing scales and such. E[64] would not demand a decision from me on what scale, key, etc. do I want - itād just play whatever it feels like when I switch it on. Of course if it decides to use a synth voice thatās too inharmonic/noisy/percussive sounding, Iād have to take a bit of time to edit that, but tweaking the sound doesnāt seem too hard.
For integration with sequencer-driven gear, I can live-sample it into Octatrack or load recordings of it into the OTās CF card. This entails extra work to set up sample loop times, slices, and all that. Maybe itāll be worth the effort.
If it does something musically that I want to reuse later, thereās also the option of recreating the relevant musical passages by using my ear to recreate sequences on other gear. Iād be essentially doing a cover of an E[64] original composition.
I finally started following up on my own idea of pairing E[64] with OP-1. The OP OS update 243 helped push me to do it.
Starting to get the hang of using the Mod section to modulate filter cutoff. It doesnāt seem to behave like what most of us are used to though. Instead of having an LFO modulate the filter cutoff, with a choice of LFO waveforms, you have to choose from 64 modulation patterns, which are not quite like LFO waveforms. Mod amount gives some control over the value jumps but again, itās not anywhere close to the continuous modulation from a cycling waveform that weāre used to.
Iām going to experiment with using Mod to modulate something else like Path Twist.
