I was mucking around with the M8 when I noticed a better way to scratch, then realized that quick bursts of DJ filter make the mix pump, then figured out how to get macrosynth's vocal modes to sing (sort of), then built a macrosynth choir, then tried to recreate some 2.x panning tricks, then noticed I was nearly out of time and had to submit.
‹ M8 Nerd notes
M8 scratching: 1) Load a sampler in OSC mode, 2) use various PVX speeds/strengths to scratch in combination with 3) mix-in tables (using TBL/TBX) to stutter volume and do mid-step PSL bends, 4) use PBN / PIT+REP for stopping/spinning up the "record."
The kick is wavsynth, using a trick I picked up during last week's chiptune track: Use PVX1F on the first step in the instrument table -> stop 2 ticks later w/PVX00 (to stop the vibrato's pitch from going back up). The result is a super-quick pitch drop to a deep tone! Unlike last week, this track isn't trying to emulate hardware chiptune so I didn't need to limit the SIZE.
"Singing" with macrosynth vocal modes: This requires a tangled ball of related fx, and there's probably no concise way to explain it. So, here goes―General tips: Start on a low/mid note, to hear what effect COL an TBR are doing in combination with each other. Ramp them with REP to change vowels and jump values for consonants. Articulation still needs the normal pitch/volume/timing tricks―but if you still can't get a certain sound, you may need to switch to a different vocal mode (starting the TBR/COL search all over). Use filters to make things sound less hideous, and be ready to adjust CUT/RES to compensate for big changes in pitch/timbre. As you find useful base settings, bake them into separate instruments. Switch between these instruments to avoid running out of fx columns when you need to keep a lot of REPs running.
All samples are CC0 or public domain, mostly sourced via freesound.org (credits in the next block)
