I like random modulations because it can be used to add organic qualities to sounds. Nature has a way of creating random behaviors and patterns but still reign in the randomness enough to keep that randomness within defined parameters. Leaves, snowflakes, mountain ranges, waves are all examples of such randomness. But not of complete randomness, which is typically pure chaos and easily strays unpleasantly from desired patterns.
Within synths, and certainly within u-he synths, random is often defined as random change of speed and depth. Typically these meta parameters control the degree of randomness applied to both. Behind these exposed parameters, there are a number of hidden controls that we don't have access to and prevent optimizing the randomness for specific effects:
- Lower Speed limit
Upper Speed limit
Random speed of new speed selection within window defined above
Tim lag between movement from current speed to the next chosen depth.
Lower modulation depth
Upper modulation depth
Random selection of new modulation depth within window defined above
Time lag between movement from current depth to the next chosen depth.
Then there's the discussion of the waveforms: what if we could also define wavetable-type morphing for LFO waveforms and add appropriate parameters as above to control random changes and choices for that as well. Oh and remember the snowflakes? Bazille already steps through static choices of depth and speed, but combined with LFO wave morphing it would get even more interesting.
This kind of micro control over randomness was introduced in Bazille but with a serious limitation, which is when I started thinking about all this. For me, modulars always seem to inspire "sound machines" that can go on and on creating endless landscapes through the use of controlled and targeted randomness. So I was really surprised and disappointed that all random functions in Bazille only acquired new random value changes on note re-triggering.
There's also other places where this could be applied: targeted random variation in env segments is an obvious candidate too.
I see this kind of thinking applied to all synths: like the efforts made to pin down the pleasing non-linear behaviors of vintage audio processors, I believe this kind of evolution will create a new generation of synthetic sounds that will have more natural qualities and possibly integrate into more smoothly into organic sensibilities.
Thoughts?
