Just got the m:c for a few months and absolutely stoked… Been experimenting a lot and have gotten some pretty cool things out of it. Watched a lot of vids on youtube on what kind of sounds it can create. But anything I make just sounds flat and… not interesting. I learned that you can spice up your drums by modulating color etc but for example leads.
How do people get that hard gritty “techno” sound out of it? For example:
Most of the chords sound really distorted.
And another q while I’m at it… any good recs for learning LFO? Cant seem to find too many good vids on it. I get its for modulating sound over time but what does it mean when I set it to a channel and then set the value to a positive (or negative) number? Etc…
Wow… I was sleeping. Downloaded the project and see its a lot of work with lfo on pitch etc. Don’t know what it does/means in the technical sense, but have new things to explore. Thanks!
Maxforlive is a programming environment similar to Reaktor that’s integrated with Ableton Live. On the website Max for Live Community Resource you can find devices, most of them free, and some that aren’t, but are of very high quality.
Previously, I’ve featured both a MIDI sequencer that generates random MIDI notes with just a click, and a plugin with the Model Cycles graphical interface where you can randomize or remotely control all its parameters. While it’s not complicated, in general terms, you place these devices on a MIDI track, route it to the Model Cycles tracks, and capture the sound. Alternatively, you can sequence from Ableton and use Model Cycles as a sound module, even with an external MIDI piano; it’s the same setup.
From memory, turning up the volume on the individual tracks to maximum adds some of that distortion sound in. You can then compensate for this by dropping the output volume if you need to. You may of course need to adjust some individual track volumes to get the mix right, but keeping them all as high as possible should help you get that sound.
For grit on the M:C, push the Drive knob hard. FM thrives on overdrive. Also try modulating the chord machine’s voicing (using the Shape knob) on different steps to keep it from sounding static.
think positive values on the LFO modulate UP then DOWN your destination (according to the lfo wave, if the lfo phase is negative then it’s the opposite ), negative values modulates DOWN then UP your destination:
I use Ableton Live, which has Max for Live integrated. Max for Live is the host program and programming environment for the plugins mentioned above. Therefore, Max for Live, or Ableton Live, is compatible with Windows and macOS.
You just need to have Max for Live or Ableton Live installed.
