[ youtube jam ]

I came across Hundred Rabbits a few weeks ago and was amazed by their devices! Check out their website; there are many wonderful articles about software development, sustainability, and philosophy. This is my personal favorite.

I’m learning all the operators now, and this is my first attempt to make something meaningful with a shift register. I tried to make my own shift register patches for a few days, but they were too big and my brain hurt a lot, so I took the one by EZBOT from Patchstorage. He also has great tutorials on Orca if you’re interested; check them out too!

In this patch, I’m using a 4-channel version of this shift register, which creates 3 sequences:

• The main riff played by LABS choir and Eratosthenean Additive Oscillator
• A little semi-random sequence played by the harp preset in Pianoteq
• A bass track played by Plaits

Basically, all the variations come from changing the trigger rates of the 4 shift register channels, changing the rate of the “I” operator which controls generator coordinates for harp sequence triggers, and adjusting timbres, envelopes, and effects.

The main difficulties I encountered:

• It’s really hard to control so many parameters in both Orca and VCV. You need to keep in mind all the possible changes in Orca while adjusting the VCV patch for the next section (e.g., I planned to change the bass sequence CV when preparing to perform but completely forgot about it). Possible solutions: create some kind of macros in Orca so you can change one variable which controls different parameters for the next structural change, or use MIDI devices to control main parameters in VCV so you don’t have to switch between Orca and VCV all the time.
• Poor control of individual bass notes' octaves. I definitely need to create another sequence, write it to a variable, and change all the notes manually.
• Everything is very straight and tied to the frame rate (sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not). Possible solutions: add swing/humanization by delaying triggers and CV in VCV rack, but it could be too complex, I think. Another option is to double the BPM in advance so you can add some kind of syncopation.
• As I mentioned in the previous video, I tend to use new tools in the same way I used Ableton/Bitwig, but it’s more of a skill issue that will only be resolved with time and practice. However, in this patch, there is a small thing that shows the range of new possibilities in Orca: bass and harp sequences are interconnected. Notice how bass triggers are eliminating some triggers of the harp sequence, creating more space and variation - and these changes differentiate depending on both sequences! I think that such small details are the whole point of using different experimental tools in music production.

All in all, I see an ocean of possibilities, but I definitely need a lot of practice to become more familiar with this type of sequencing. It still blows my mind watching some Orca patches on YouTube, so there is a lot ahead to find out and try.