Frap Tools: Ben Carey on Feedback Patching, Tactile Design and Resonant Modular Workflows

The discussion quickly turns to the philosophical difference between designing your own instruments and working with pre-built synthesizers. Carey’s background in low-level programming meant he was used to shaping sound from the ground up, but he found something liberating in the limitations of hardware. Unlike the blank-slate terror of a Max patch, a modular system presents a finite set of possibilities, inviting creativity through constraint.

Physical interaction is a recurring theme. The ability to tweak two parameters simultaneously, to feel the response of a pot or fader, and to have the instrument always ready to play—these are qualities that digital environments struggle to replicate. The conversation highlights how analog gear encourages a more intuitive, forgiving approach, where approximation and happy accidents are part of the process. In contrast, digital tools often demand a level of precision and mapping that can stifle spontaneity.

Carey’s patch breakdown is a masterclass in feedback patching and resonance. The heart of the patch is a pinged filter setup, using the Tokyo Tape Music Center Tambur and Gate to excite a Surge VCFQ filter, with random clocks from SAPÈL combined via a 321 utility to generate complex rhythmic triggers. The filter’s resonance and pitch are modulated by a mix of sample-and-hold voltages and LFOs, while feedback paths are created by routing the filter’s output back into itself and into wavefolder CV inputs, resulting in evolving, unpredictable textures.

Resonance is further explored through the use of Mutable Instruments Rings and Make Noise Morphagene. Rings is set to a string model with infinite sustain, its position modulated by random voltages to create shifting harmonic layers. Morphagene, meanwhile, acts as a live sampler, capturing and reprocessing the output of Rings rather than the main filter, creating a feedback loop where one resonant source samples another. This approach sidesteps clichéd reverb effects, producing a more organic, evolving sense of space.

The patch’s complexity is heightened by the integration of Frap Tools Brenso, which is modulated by both internal and external feedback sources, including blue noise and various FM paths. Sync and ring modulation inputs are dynamically controlled, and the patch is rounded out with a Belgrad dual peak filter for additional timbral movement. The result is a dense, dark, and knotted soundscape—proof that feedback, when carefully piloted, can yield both chaos and control.

Generative techniques are central to Carey’s approach, but he’s quick to distinguish between randomness for its own sake and randomness as a compositional tool. By combining multiple clocks, slewed voltages, and carefully routed feedback, he creates patches that surprise even their creator—yet always within a defined territory. This is not about relinquishing control entirely, but about setting up processes that generate new material while remaining musically coherent.

Carey’s use of Morphagene as a live sampler, clocked by irregular gates and fed by other resonant sources, exemplifies this philosophy. The patch evolves over time, with layers of feedback and modulation interacting in ways that are deterministic at the macro level but unpredictable in detail. It’s a balance between structure and surprise, where the machine becomes a collaborator rather than a mere tool.

The conversation concludes with a look toward the future of modular instrument design. Carey expresses a desire for more tactile controllers—faders, buttons, touch surfaces—that can be integrated seamlessly into a modular setup without the need for complex mapping or configuration. He highlights the importance of physicality in performance, suggesting that the next frontier for Frap Tools could be a dedicated control surface that complements the flexibility of modules like USTA and the CGM mixer.

There’s a sense that, despite the sophistication of modern digital and analog tools, the most inspiring instruments are those that invite direct, intuitive interaction. Whether it’s the quirks of a ribbon controller or the immediacy of a button that simply outputs a gate, the tactile experience remains at the heart of creative modular work. As the wishlist for new modules grows, the challenge is to design tools that foster both control and serendipity—keeping the spirit of patching alive.