Punk Modulations: Optoproductions’ Glitchy Drum Frolic

Optoproductions kicks things off by introducing us to his latest mishap—or rather, glorious triumph—in the modular realm. The heart of this chaos is Mutable Instruments’ Plaits, taking centre stage in this punk ballet. Opto admits to a bit of a guilty pleasure, having snagged his first Behringer module, the ARP 2500 sequencer. For those raising their eyebrows, he assures it’s got a metal faceplate that’s surprisingly sturdy for a Behringer creation. This foundational setup brings us into a world where we’re modulating models, cycling through them either manually or with CV magic. The idea is to lock into step one of this glitch fest, tuning the knobs to create an audial tapestry that screams unpredictability.

In true punk fashion, Optoproductions isn’t here to play by the rules. He explores sequencing models with a mix of experimental irreverence and technical savvy. Kicking off with a basic CV setup that navigates through sounds like a drunken sailor, he moves to set drum patterns that would make John Lydon proud. A classic four-step sequence is born: kick, hi-hat, snare, repeat—even a fifth step might make an appearance for the bold. The surprise? A crossfader module by God’s Box, aptly named Loose Fruit, enters the scene, switching outputs like a DJ at a rave. It’s as if the musical gods themselves have thrown a party in Optoproductions’ studio, blending main outputs and auxiliary signals into a glitchy heaven. It’s a lesson in controlled anarchy, where unpredictability is the secret ingredient.

Optoproductions takes the unpredictability to the next level by introducing clever reset modulation courtesy of the Turing Machine. This isn’t your typical 4/4 beat we’re dealing with; instead, we’re diving into the abyss of randomness, where reset inputs shake things up faster than a punk dive bar could empty its pints. It’s all about tweaking that CV amount to open floodgates of chaos—much to the delight of any synth anarchist. The reset function allows the sequence to become shifty and less predictable, ensuring no pattern gets tiresome or overstays its welcome. It’s like resetting the punk ethos at the drop of a hat, transforming the soundscape with each unexpected turn.

The Mutable Instruments Clouds module is wielded masterfully to sample and manipulate sounds, freezing them in time before releasing them into the wild. Optoproductions delights in the unpredictability Clouds brings, capturing snippets of rhythm before morphing them into new textures. By playing with position, size, and harmony, each turn of the knob shifts the landscape entirely. The goal here isn’t to create a predictable structure but to embrace every unexpected glitch and shift. Optoproductions handles Clouds like a savvy punk with a pint in hand, confident and a bit reckless. The myriad of timbre possibilities ensures that every session is a new adventure in glitchy heaven.