GTO | Serge Tutorials | Episode 03 (one of the coolest modules ever made)

The first two episodes where about the big Serge heritage in 4U panels, the translation to eurorack and the relationship between DUSG and Maths. Starting from episode 03, I'll downsize the cases and focus on individual modules in small setups.
The GTO is the 'V2' of the legendary SSG (Smooth/Stepped Generator). A few weeks ago, I wasn't even aware of these two. At first glance, it looks like a mix of a Cycle and a Sample/Hold. The 'challenge' with Serge is that you can't tell what a module can do when you look at it. But WOW. The GTO is a force of nature. If you have an interest in Serge, this module can keep you exploring for many, many months. If I had to confine myself to choosing one Serge module only, it would be the GTO.
I am making this series to teach myself the ins and outs of modular, sharing the journey as I progress. I invested in a big case, but only because I am planning to teach and do 'master' classes. I just can't teach modular without knowing about Serge. So this series isn't affiliated with Serge or Random*Source.
I fitted the Befaco Bananuts myself, they don't come with the modules. Also, there are no white ones, so I spray painted a few bags of silver ones. I still need to remove a bit of excess paint, but they look awesome. I guess it's something autistic, but I am proud of it.
I am not sponsored. R*S offered me to borrow modules I'd like to cover, but don't fit my budget. There's an SSG coming soon, together with the Paperface 50 4U reissue. I am not doing 4U videos, but it's cool to actually see and hear where the eurorack modules come from.
Finally, the appearance of Lego models is purely for fun and decoration. Everybody is using plants to decorate their modular videos and I wanted to do it a bit differently. They're models of carnivorous plants (Carnivor is also a Serge combo).

[@tgiencke]

yes, Yes, YES! "This style" is what you should continue when able; reminds me of my creative/artistic Mantra: “One of the best things Orson Welles, my friend for 15 years, ever said to me was, ‘the enemy of art is the absence of (financial or physical) limitations.'” -Henry Jaglom" I practice financially by VCV Rack 2 before physical modules, and physically by 33mm maximum depth. Which led me to my modular artistic core: MI Marbles & Tides. 👏

[@wartcoel6839]

Intro is the best 1 min in my life ❤ on repeat

[@toumbas]

just wow, incredible timbres!

[@skipp752]

Nice to see you tackle the GTO. It’s quite a module, incredibly flexible and capable of a huge range of sounds as part of a system. I understand why some people prefer to hear synths without effects but for what it’s worth my preference would be for you to keep with the “house style” as it shows how these modules sound used in similar context to your other work. Don’t know how you find the time or the motivation but enjoying the output. 👍

[@mikegeary8056]

A little bit less reverb would be helpful

[@VocalChainsStudio]

Wow, excellent shop and organization of the synth supplies and what a killer sounding module. Wonderful tribute too.

[@hoofjaw]

Regarding why the hot coupler output is so hot, I think it probably has something to do with how the pulse is created: the way the comparator circuitry generates a voltage. I suspect there is feedback involved and perhaps it runs away till it hits the rails, and there's nothing added to the circuitry to limit or adjust that back down, as it possibly wasn't considered all that necessary (it would take more components and add cost).I imagine the output was included to give a bipolar output alternative to the other coupler output. I doubt they necessarily wanted it to be so hot for some patchability reason or something like that. But maybe they did. I am only guessing.

[@hobboth]

Wow that's a powerful piece of lab equipment! Cool sounds!

[@oliverkollar9143]

Great stuff here!!! 🔥 I usually use the Coupler to make gate streams or send it to a processor and use it as modulation.

[@isaacc7]

The more I look into Serge the more it seems like part of the appeal is the mindset you get into while using it. You end up approaching patching and making noise very differently than other modular systems. It definitely lends itself to a certain kind of end result. And while I’m not sure if that end result would be all that discernible from other systems I’m positive the experience of figuring it out and making the sounds on a Serge system is very different. It reminds me of large format photography. The process is a big part of the enjoyment.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

I think you're right. Maybe it's a bit like cooking yourself with herbs from your own garden, instead of ordering a delivery from a good restaurant. I hope it shows I had a great time 'cooking' this video. The process feels special, the sounds come later. But these are also amazing.

[@isaacc7]

@@CinematicLaboratoryI’ve been haunting some discussion forums with people talking Serge. Saw several people say that once they got into the Serge mindset it affected how they patched everything else. At least one person said they ended up getting rid of other modules because he could see under the hood and was disappointed at how limited they were in comparison lol. I’ll be starting my Serge journey soon! Came into a bit of money and found a 4u panel that is about as Serge as it comes. 2x DUSG, wave multipliers, resonant EQ, and a 4x4 matrix mixer! That along with a banana-fied Korg sq-1 is going to keep me making noises and scratching my head for a long time. Can’t wait!

[@CinematicLaboratory]

@@isaacc7 This is so good to hear! I can now confirm that it's not just the mindset. I've been patching the PCO/NTO oscillators the other day and while they're simple VCO's on the outside they sound completely different, or should I say, they can make completely different sounds unlike anything I've used before. I am too early in the 'game' to say my mindset has changed. It already changes when you patch a lot of westcoast, I guess, and realize that everything is voltage. Every time I end a Serge session, I have this feeling of WOW, mixed with 'people need to know how cool this is'. I wish I knew this earlier, but then I wouldn't be ready for it.

[@morehart505]

Incredible sounds

[@kilo_llama]

Lovely chaos from simple building blocks. The Toppobrillo Sport Modulator 2 is another great option for a GTO/SSG type of module in Eurorack. I love the variety of sounds that this type of module can produce, either alone or in conjunction with a larger system.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

The Sport Modulator indeed looks like a very interesting take on the SSG/GTO concept. Thanks for sharing!

[@triangularmerkel]

@@CinematicLaboratory on the topic of toppobrillo, a video on the sport modulator 2 and the cluster (a nice looking logic module) would be a great watch

[@kirkyoung4147]

I was not prepared for that range of sounds...

[@memsens7077]

Your review are absolutely gorgeous and mesmerizing, just a thought concerning reviewing Serge and it’s totally a question of point of view, I won’t put effects - maybe more a Serge way (except the Wilson😅) thank you for the inspiration, adding musicality and technicality ❤ Concerning knowledge- the website Serge-fans is no more available (Jealousy/profit/copyrights who knows?) if someone know how to access to the same information, will be lovely to know it😉, thanks to hear me out.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

Thanks for sharing your view on this. For me, using effects has become a bit of a routine. I've been playing with the Serge VCO's and filters yesterday and noticed they become effects by themselves. They're all so rich in textures I didn't put effects on it. Sometimes it sounded stereo though I am sure it was mono. So yes, I can understand your point of view. Many mono synths need effects to sound good, but Serge does not. I will at least include a 'dry' section in the forthcoming episodes. It will not be easy because I LOVE effects.

[@davidlovett7465]

I love your work, and I'm hooked on Serge Euro. What are the flashing cables you are using?

[@CinematicLaboratory]

They are Halo cables from MyVolts. Since there are hardly any lights on a Serge I often can't even see if its on. These cables are super useful. Unfortunately they use power, so they do not always work on certain modules (e.g. Maths unity outs) depending on their design.

[@mauriziofaggion]

This experimental session was very beautiful! But I fell in love with those little cables that light up! 😵

[@TMeier]

I'm curious how this compares to the Toppobrillo Sport Modulator 2? I'd also love to see your take on the new Serge GTS (as compared to the DUSG, GTO etc.) Thanks for these! Great comparisons.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

I definitely have a GTS episode planned but I'll need to do research first. It's close to Maths at first sight but probably a 'SuperMaths' or DUSG V2. GTO is completely different and very surprising. As for the Toppobrillo Sports Modular 2, I checked out the images and it looks like a dual Smooth Stepped. Very clever and small. But I don't think I'll do a compare unless they send me one for review. I'll drop them a mail, let's see what happens.

[@davidlovett7465]

I had trouble understanding the SportsMod until I got the GTO. It behaves much the same but GTO is faster. I love the openness of the Serge interface. The Toppo would make more sense in a small case.

[@isaacc7]

Maybe a dumb idea but does the +/- 12v allow for greater mod depth when using things like wave folders? In other words, the higher the peaks the greater the depth of the folds? Use of an attenuated on the output or in a mixer (matrix?) would keep the volume down.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

There are no dumb ideas, so I guess there's a good reason why Serge designed a -12 to +12 square wave that could blow an ADC converter :). I'll drop a mail and ask somebody. Maybe Serge himself. Would be cool :)

[@tgiencke]

From an analog electronics standpoint, and because they call it a "coupler" I think the intended use of the Hot Coupler is to mix gate DC with AC control voltage signals on a single wire. Or, Force a logic circuit. Personally I would insert a dummy plug or golf tee into that jack just to make sure that you don't accidentally use it if you didn't intend to. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_coupling

[@geraldgoodiii6993]

Patch defendant u say ? 😉 Bro I’d love to get my mitts in those RS serge modules But I can’t go down another rabbit hole 🕳️ right now One day the dream is to sell all my studio shit and get a 12u Buchla setup (yes I’ve already picked them out years ago lol).. and then turn into a hippie who smokes lots of weed takes LSD and makes bleeps and bloops bc that’s what it’s all about Having fun and exploring and making crazy CV pathways