This project started in June 2013 as I was diving deeper into Generative design with Grasshopper and it's visual programming interface I realized how close the logic was to the modular Synthesizer I started to build. In Grasshopper you are building complex systems by patching different types of nodes, with a modular synth you do exactly the same thing by patching modules that have a specific function to achieve really complex patches that can evolve over time as you can adjust parameters, repatch and tune your system.
Analog synthesizers use control voltage to transmit signals so the idea was to read those CV signal and send them to Grasshopper. Andy Payne released a few years ago a Plugin calledFirefly that allows you to interface grasshopper with the real world through the Arduino Microcontroller.
I started to build a first controller box around an ArduinoMega that will included 4 CV Imput + 1 Clock Imput as well as 10 switches and 10 potentiometers to be able in live to adjust/trigger different parts of the geometric patch. With this setup every single variable/parameter within the generative modeling environment can be assigned to a CV, a switch or a Potentiometer.
This Visionary system is meant to be a collaborative experience between performers.
The complexity of the patch you can build is only limited to ones level of understanding of Grasshopper, every single variable, parameter can be linked to a CV signal, a switch or a pot. The Geometry synth is also really powerful in making you understand modular synth as you can start to visualize the cv and how each module affects them, one of the best examples is by patching a regular polygon to an ADSR and playing with the Attack/Delay/Sustain/Release.
Analog synthesizers use control voltage to transmit signals so the idea was to read those CV signal and send them to Grasshopper. Andy Payne released a few years ago a Plugin calledFirefly that allows you to interface grasshopper with the real world through the Arduino Microcontroller.
I started to build a first controller box around an ArduinoMega that will included 4 CV Imput + 1 Clock Imput as well as 10 switches and 10 potentiometers to be able in live to adjust/trigger different parts of the geometric patch. With this setup every single variable/parameter within the generative modeling environment can be assigned to a CV, a switch or a Potentiometer.
This Visionary system is meant to be a collaborative experience between performers.
The complexity of the patch you can build is only limited to ones level of understanding of Grasshopper, every single variable, parameter can be linked to a CV signal, a switch or a pot. The Geometry synth is also really powerful in making you understand modular synth as you can start to visualize the cv and how each module affects them, one of the best examples is by patching a regular polygon to an ADSR and playing with the Attack/Delay/Sustain/Release.
This first video is a simple example based around a circle :
CV1 is patched to the CV In of the TipTopAudio Z3000 VCO (1V/oct) and linked to the radius value of a circle, as the CV increases the circle gets bigger.
CV2 is patched to the LowP/HighP Cv input of the MakeNoise MMG VCF patched to a Triangular wave LFO and linked to the thickness value of the circle stroke, as the CV increases the stroke gets thicker.
CV3 is patched to the Pittsburgh ADSR Cv out linked to the radius of a polygon which as for center a point on the circle, as the CV increases the the polygon gets bigger.
Knobs have been assigned to : Polygon number of sides, zoomIn/out, thickness of polygon stroke, camera rotation. See below the Grasshopper script for that patch.
New Version using Processing instead of Grasshopper, the module is also now in the eurorak format.
Video Clip for GOLDEN RETRIEVER using Audio Spetrum and Grasshopper 3D
INSTAGRAM PICTURES
