Eurorack - Mutable Instruments Clouds

[@fosferus]

apparently it was 7 years ago that i first watched this video, and it blew my mind open. since high school i was always interested in exploring strange new sounds and fx processing. i got there with some fixed architecture synths and fx pedals, but it was always clunky feeling - there was no element of chance and sound design was linear and methodical. then i stumbled onto this video knowing nothing about eurorack. as i sat and listened to the amazing textures i thought "where do i even begin? what do you put it in? how does power work? what screws? and cables?" then the spectral madness part of this video started. i heard sounds unlike any synth or pedal could make. etherial space gongs and chants, instant drones, cute little robotic blips and tweets.. all possible with the turn of a knob. i knew right then i had to figure it out at any cost; that this was the future of music for me. this was everything i wanted a synth to be, but never knew was possible. still have clouds, still love it. thanks for the video, it's sill an amazing demo of what this module can do.

[@TheParanoidAndroid79]

I'm convinced that this is less a demo and more a work of contemporary art.

[@Wiktorion]

I often come back to this video just to relax a bit. Especially the ambient chord thing is great.

[@jpiekkala]

This is only a demo, but so musical and entertaining that you could make it into a concert.

[@Myuzak]

One of the best demos I've seen. No narrative, just music from the instrument. The music is the real description of what Clouds can do. Thanks for this

[@brianobush]

Awesome reading of Henry Van Dyke's poem "The red flower". Love Lucy Perry's voice, sharp and haunting at times with the right effects.

[@Luftrum1]

+Brian Bush Thanks Brian, Lucy's voice is quite mesmerizing. She could read from the phonebook and still sound alluring.

[@larsoe]

Thank you, I was looking for the title

[@noisejockey]

One of the best overviews of how Clouds can be used. Super inspiring. Thanks and nice work, Luftrum!

[@Luftrum1]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it...

[@aboxinthesea]

Couldn't agree more! Well done again

[@DivKid]

yep what Noisejocket said, lovely module and a great video! :)

[@Koettnylle]

This is still one of the best clouds demos out there, in that it picks sound sources favourable for processing and overall niceness

[@countimbroglio]

Really the most beautiful demo anywhere. I come back to it often to get lost in its wide open spaces.

[@tombrews]

This is the module that makes me want to go modular

[@keplerhughes4390]

+no This is the module that DID make me go modular...

[@sinkarna]

ditto

[@jonridley]

haven't bough clouds yet but am building a modular around a few mutable instruments thanks to clouds/braids/rings etc

[@wombra8314]

same, cheers! ✊🏽👽

[@dannygeiyer]

I'm about to take the plunge myself and watching this video reinforces that decision.

[@robertt4351]

Oneof the best euro demos Ive seen/heard, well done!

[@audulus]

My second time listening through - it's almost like an EP!

[@landongeorge5257]

Right around 5:00 is some of the most moment making, beautiful breath of clean dark air I've witnessed in a minute.

[@kidko]

people in my studio walked over to my desk to see what was making such interesting sounds. Great demo, thanks!

[@Luftrum1]

kidkoexist Thanks for your kind comments also on the ErbeVerb demo, glad you found them inspiring. Clouds is a really fantastic module...

[@andypre72]

great module, especially at 9:45 i can hear the NOSTROMO approaching...

[@JensPaldam]

I have listened to this over and over because of the beautiful ambient bit starting around 3:24. The modulated poem works as a great appetizer! The whole thing is a little bit deceptive because it makes you assume that Clouds can make anything sound this amazing. Here, the quality of the sound being fed through it makes a big difference, but sure - it can work wonders with a bit of luck and persistence.

[@boybianchi]

Not that difficult to find a really good sample from a Rhodes.. off you go! :-)

[@kmal16]

I've very excited about this as it offers a lot more sonic characteristics that are mostly found in today's amazing plugins like NI's Reakor, Cosmos Saturn, Omnisphere and Alchemy, but are hard to reproduce in more traditional analog synths, other than the Waldorf series. Thanks, this is amazing, I saw a friend (synth creator himself) perform on this Cloud module and was pleasantly surprised with how evocative his set was. Thanks for posting and the price is also affordable. A wonderful tool to have in your arsenal of sound design capabilities. Would be interested in getting this. :) Keep creating more tools like this if you can.

[@djey308]

12:00-12:50 puts me in an instant trance... i'm quite desensitized to ambient music too. damn well done demo.

[@EdisonGrove]

Definitely my next eurorack module! Nice performance! Really unique textures

[@FlockOfHawks]

two of them in a row , that would be totally awesome . . .

[@aleatoriac7356]

This is immensely pleasurable to the brain-bits

[@CharlesMuccia]

Wow! I am thoroughly impressed! That module sounds awesome! Great video, thank for sharing it!

[@collina24]

Some demo video is a work of art

[@terrybrown106]

Wow. I just bought a Clouds module along with a Blackhole, Ears, and an Atom from a private seller on Marketplace. I haven't done anything with them yet. But it looks like I'm going to have a lot of fun getting some strange effects from them. To me, in this video, the Clouds sounds so much like a waterphone. This would be good for doing soundtracks for horror movies.

[@AmlethLeMaudit]

This is technically interesting and artistically inspiring, thank you very much for this video (I do not own the MI Clouds, but I'm currently working on a way to send my modular signal into my own granular algorithms made with SuperCollider).

[@guitarvideos777]

VERY NICE!!!! Please elaborate as to how the Plog being used here? Thanks!

[@Luftrum1]

guitarvideos777 The Plog is sending it's Output A to Clouds 'Freeze' function - you can see by the LED's that the two are in sync (around 00:40). The Freeze function freezes the incoming audio in place and is partly responsible for the s-s-stu-stut stuttering. The Out B of the Plog is sent to Clouds 'Trigger' function and later (around 11:33) it is sent to the 'Freeze' function instead.

[@guitarvideos777]

Luftrum1 THANKS!!! never under estimate the "Power of Logic"..... modules! Cheers.

[@Hospizzzz]

It‘s strange.. I heard the sound starting at 03:30 before... I‘m sure I‘ve got it somewhere in my library but does anyone know what it is called?

[@evabowan]

watched this 3 times and can't stop.

[@ambitsmusic]

oh fucking shit, I just pulled the trigger on a clouds, because of that amazing chord section at 5.00, it sounded so good like burial.Best demo of clouds, you use it so well, suttle . so excited :O

[@wotmate1440]

So eerie! I love it!

[@djey308]

you're telling me the Echophon can turn the gnarly braids CSAW voice into a straight-up william basinski track? the segment beginning at 3:33? ghottdamn!

[@9bitjim]

Id like to start with clouds for my synths then get more modules in a case to build a modular. But wow this thing blows me away in every demo.

[@mylarmelodies]

Ouch, now I want one of these.

[@everymandan4176]

Well about time yer on the other end of that feeling mate!!

[@Zvark]

I have a feeling that when I am able to afford Eurorack this is one of the first modules I get.

[@SorchaSublime]

would you consider doing a demo of beads with the same audio recording? for the sake of comparison? and also because this is the best demo of clouds in terms of demonstrating functionality on the internet?

[@vicepc8]

the beggining moved me....thank you! c':

[@drewmorgan7089]

Lovely video! Useful demo and aesthetically great. Thanks for this.

[@jukouvaton]

Thks for this! Could you tell us more about the other clouds modes? How do they work? Can't find anythin about in the clouds manual!

[@jukouvaton]

Found my own answer here... : mutable-instruments.net/modules/clouds/alternate_modes/

[@m.g.kroger]

Give a nice device in the hands of a great sound designer and.. that's all folks!

[@evwaldron]

You've sold me on this module.... I NEED it now LOL.

[@thirdsmusic]

Headphones required for maximum effect! If I was not sold on this already I am now for sure.

[@Luftrum1]

Thanks! Yes, the stereo separation really comes to life with headphones on, absolutely.

[@dat_chip]

Great module! Just one thing... when pitching down, the treble gets somewhat muffled, which might be because it's recording at 44.1 or 48 khz. Going at 96 kHz would solve that.

[@RestlesSo0]

extremly nice demo!!! absolutely cool! the drone feel really got me. oh and yeah best way to review a product imo :) thx

[@janzerv1]

Stellar work. Must have module too!

[@charliehale4960]

This is awesome. I’m a little confused. Midway through, the chill out sounding synth base is the clouds itself or is clouds modulating the effects

[@kitespongan]

Too rad for words... I'm convinced I want Clouds, but wallet is not :(

[@williambowden4192]

So are you getting the stereo effect in the chordal part of the video by having the clouds module after the echophon - which is mono isn't it? Best demo out there btw!

[@Luftrum1]

+William Bowden That's correct. The Out of Echophon is mono, although it's reverb brother the Erbe-Verb (not used in this demo) got two outs for stereo. Clouds also got Out's for both L and R.

[@1997Mrlorenz]

Very great! Which modules du you use in the complete rack?

[@flashbangofficial]

Ha I just wanna listen to an album of this x

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

Wow. Such entrancing, sounds. I got so completely pulled into this. Do you have things like this published to iTunes? You definitely should be recording your sessions.

[@Wiktorion]

Excellent demo. Very inspiring.

[@dontlooklistenmodular4742]

Just got a clouds module and a morphagene module, now it's time to have fun. Next on the list is math

[@Klangraum]

das ist wirklich gut. erweitert die moeglichkeiten um ein vielfaches.

[@KristerNielsen]

The only problem i think i have with this module is that the sampling time is only 1-8 sec at 32 or 16 kHz. You can clearly hear the noise at some points, which is not always a bad thing, but it would have been nice with 44 kHz for one of the settings.

[@frankschrodinger1424]

Would you say it’s pointless getting this without other modular gear? I mean I have the Moogerfoogers, which I guess are semi modular. But would I be getting the best out of it without all the other modular bells and whistles?

[@MartinSCGF]

I have it and Yeah, it only really woke up after adding a bunch of external modulation and VCAs. Before that it's just a bit of fun, but if you want to use it inventively and musically, you'd at least need a minimum one lfo with attenuation, and maybe a trigger source or envelope generator of some sort. Some may disagree, just my experience. Having said that, I am in the process of deciding whether or not to get rid of mine, so I might not be the best person to ask.

[@wombra8314]

perfect demo thanks. this vid sold me on clouds! subbed

[@H4NDCRAFTED]

Very nice demo, thanks.

[@NimrodScott]

Unbelievably subtle...

[@justinfigiel104]

I've just started checking out Clouds. What do you have running into the Type A, X, and Y inputs of the plog to trigger the freeze and trig inputs at 11:45?

[@Luftrum1]

+Justin Figiel Most likely it was the Doepfer A-147 VC LFO going into A. The Y (blue stackable) might be an output from Quadra plogged (ha!) into Y, the X might be one of the clocks from the Doepfer A161 but I can't remember exactly...

[@asym9244]

Nice vid. Thanks! Who makes the cables plugged into the "Freeze" input of clouds? Looks like you use the same cables elsewhere as well. I like the small footprint. Cheers!

[@Luftrum1]

Asym9 You mean the pink ones? They are Ad Infinitum cables by Make Noise. They come as 6-inches (15 cm) in a 5-pack only. I got them from Schneidersladen as far as I remember.

[@cdefgabb]

Hello Sir, I am trying to venture into the world of modular synthesizers. I am a noob but is it possible for you to list all the modules that are involved in the second part of the video where you are manipulating the cs-80 wave. As far as I can tell, you have the input from the Braids, the K4815 sequencer, the intelligel plog and the doepfer dual attenuator into the pittsburgh modular outs? Needless to say this is beautiful. I haven't slept like this in days.

[@Luftrum1]

Siddharth Sharma Thank you. I think you covered most of the modules but I also got the Intellijel Quadra (envelope generator) running and the Intellijel Hex VCA + a filter, can't remember if it was Ripples or the Doepfer SEM VCF. I'm not using the Pittsburgh Out though, I am running it directly from Clouds into my little Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer.

[@cdefgabb]

Luftrum1 Thank you sir.Really appreciate it. :)

[@paulstillwell]

Really nice work!

[@KristerNielsen]

Sounds superb!

[@VCVRackIdeas]

ultimate tool for spoken word? for the sound of Coil style? yes!

[@ArctaProductions]

Coil is just what I was thinking lol

[@ZenMountain]

It seems really fun and interesting.Could you comment on sound quality? I've heard some complaints about it and now I'm not sure...

[@Luftrum1]

+TechtronicMountain The audio quality depends on the buffer setting. Clouds records the incoming audio into a short amount of sample memory ranging from 1 second 32 kHz 16-bit audio in stereo down to 8 seconds of 16 kHz 8-bit audio in mono. You can read more info in the Clouds in-depth manual here: mutable-instruments.net/modules/clouds/manual

[@ZenMountain]

+Luftrum1 thanks!

[@joshbays6461]

+Luftrum1 Any advice for someone interested in the functionality of this module but not that excited about the money/space commitment needed to set up a whole eurorack?

[@Luftrum1]

+Josh Bays Hi Josh. That's the downside: Eurorack is quite expensive (hence the "Eurocrack" title) but my suggestion would be to start a little rack with Clouds as the main module, then you could do with very few modules keeping both space and expenses down. Another suggestion for modular synths in general would be to go pure software. Moog just released the 'Model 15 App' a modular synthesizer for the iPad but then again... that's not Clouds.

[@Fluidstructure]

Great demo. Inspiring

[@thekevinc]

10:00 is such a nice drone

[@larushruiz9197]

Amazing! Since there are so many questions and this is with doubt one of the best videos out there is it an idea to remake it and show a tutorial or a picture how to patch? :)

[@Luftrum1]

Thanks. I didn't take a picture of the setup and it would be difficult to recreate or tutorialise but then again, that's the beauty of modular. :-) The patch is partly deciphered further down the thread.

[@waheex]

I must get one of these, fantastic

[@drtchock]

the ambient section reminds me of Labradford.

[@Perversion12]

I have a Clouds clone coming tomorrow, and cannot wait. I surprised myself in that some of my (pre-Clouds) Eurorack noodling in a smallish setup reminds me of Labradford too...not consciously trying to, but it ended up that way. Look forward to seeing what Clouds can do for my stuff. Good to see that someone else posting here knows who Labradford is. Bought Prazision the year it came out after having seen them open for Stereolab, and all these yeas later, I would still put it in my top 20 albums of all time.

[@MikeHudsontek]

What mode is Clouds in from 3:30 minutes? and how is this working with the input gain knob on zero ? really nice demo btw, thank you!

[@djnosleeves85]

sounds haunting and beautiful

[@simonharris2577]

mind expanding terrain....cheers

[@casinoversusjapan9041]

Now if only Mutable Instruments had a vinyl lathe module ...

[@ilmaripohjola2633]

Good damn i like this, You have an album or something?

[@Romanowitch]

wow, that was intense !

[@canecreek00]

Sublime demo, thank you.

[@xonox0]

Is the part starting around 3:30 coming from Braids CS-80 mode (if yes, how did you get a chord?) or is it a sample ? Anyhow, really liked this demo. Clouds on chord material seems like a ton of fun!

[@Luftrum1]

+xonox0 that part is a sample and not coming from Braids. Clouds is simply amazing and if I could favourite one module above them all, it would be this little gem...

[@xonox0]

+Luftrum1 Thanks a lot for the answer!

[@Anarchosyn]

+Luftrum1 What is Plog doing at this very same timestamp? I'm struck by the juxtaposition of smooth, melodious ambience and Plog's aggressive gate action. Muted/unrelated patching?

[@Luftrum1]

+Anarchosyn Plog is sending output A to Clouds 'Freeze' function, you can see that the red light from Plog and the green light on 'Freeze' are in sync. At the same time, output B is sending a trigger to the Trig of Clouds - that is what generates the melodic single grains shattered across the ambience.

[@Hospizzzz]

Luftrum1 what‘s the track that‘s playing called again?

[@gammakeraulophon]

Very nice ! 👍

[@Intramental]

What gear is similar to this and is cheaper?

[@skelly790]

Felipe Guimaraes: There is a free software version of this module available for VCV rack. Which is also free. The module is called Texture Synthesizer. Linky: vcvrack.com/

[@StonedRiderRecords]

wicked sounds!

[@voltagecontrolledreality51]

What is the module on the left supplying the trigger?

[@Luftrum1]

Voltage Controlled Reality Directly to the left of Clouds is an Intellijel Unity Mixer and to the left of the Unity Mixer is the Intellijel Plog which is a logic Module capable of creating controllable patterns from gate / pulse sources like clocks and sequencers, depending on input.

[@blave549]

This vid has a lot to do with why I now have a Clouds. Thanks? ;^) // What are you triggering Freeze and Trig with?

[@Luftrum1]

I am triggering Freeze and Trig with Plog which is sending output A to Clouds 'Freeze' function, you can see that the red light from Plog and the green light on 'Freeze' are in sync. At the same time, output B of Plog is sending a trigger to the Trig of Clouds - that is what generates the melodic single grains shattered across the ambience.

[@blave549]

Thanks -- I was not familiar with Plog -- I'm researching it now.

[@AndyVonal]

Likewise...this is my I want to get into Modular but it scares me to death! I found out today that Mutable are not making this any more (Sheffield Syhnthfest) nor the Braids...get them while you can.

[@FadingCanvas]

Mesmerizing !

[@TylerVanHoomissen]

This is dope dude

[@riamiwovideos]

that sounds nice 😊

[@marcjohnson4272]

Can you use Clouds as a stand alone module or do you have to have another module connected?

[@Luftrum1]

Marc Johnnson Well, to some limited degree you could use it as a standalone (in a suitable rack, with power connected) if you only require the audio input, but you wouldn't be able to transform the sound in the same interesting ways as all the input begs for, like the freeze, trigger, pitch etc. all modulating the sound from other modules. But it's a very interesting idea and Clouds designed as a standalone boxed unit would definitely sell wonder.

[@syncdestroyer]

Ok. I'm sold.

[@ladobarnovi221]

why would they discontinue this?

[@ArctaProductions]

For clouds 2

[@Perversion12]

Soon, if rumors are to be believed.

[@ilmaripohjola2633]

Very nice!

[@rustystrat50]

Is this Max Headroom's sister?

[@theandromar]

Where i can find the first samples?

[@alpakaalpaka3983]

really like your taste

[@6884]

This is great and so inspiring...I must confess I'm really tempted to rip this audio and make something with it. (don't worry, if I'll ever do, you'll know before anyone else) I'm quite tripping right now.

[@aeffchen5252]

But thats my thoughts also :) have to rip this audio, haha

[@Triggs-Music]

What is the instrument or sample you are using at 3:30, those chords are amazing.

[@Luftrum1]

It's a sample from the "Slo' Motion - Tokyo Soundscapes" sound library 7GB double DVD, originally released by Equipped music.

[@Triggs-Music]

where can i get a dvd like that? by the way this video inspired start a eurorack system, now im 12u deep....

[@moorhertz829]

Fantastic!

[@thedude870]

oh wowwww.... please make an ambient track of second part with the cs 80 around 5mins!! so wunderful!! or could you please send me the audio? hehe

[@viDUBla]

Incredible

[@maxrott3345]

whats the module besides the multiples?

[@Luftrum1]

+Max Hasser The module to the left of the multiple is Plog by Intellijel, it's a voltage controlled logic and tap clock module: intellijel.com/eurorack-modules/plog/

[@joeneoj]

amazing