MakeNoise Mult | A Cheap & Small Superpower

It started off as a joke for #Jamuary2022 DAY 31. I thought it would be fun to use the most boring module I could find before the LabRats took over the video with a Punk Rock performance. I got some comments of people 'regretting' the Mult video was lost. Then I realized that nobody ever made a video about that Mult. I never gave it any consideration because the Shared System has this huge CV Bus in the middle. It's kind of taken for granted. But mults (any mult) are superpowers. If you don't have a mult in your case, it's hard to reach its full potential. You can use stackable cables, but that will only lead to cable clutter. The Mult is a cheap, boring and small module, but it's an underestimated superpower. So this video is not a joke. It may even surprise you! Cheers!

[@CinematicLaboratory]

I have asked MakeNoise about VictorSteiner's concern of patching 2 or more gates to the mult. I'd like to share Walker Farrell's response and pin it. The OR combining under discussion happens as a result of the way our gate outputs are wired. They will OR combine when patched together in any passive mult. There's nothing different about the way our Mult is wired, the jacks are simply connected together. Mixing audio sources in a mult has the tendency to emphasize the difference - increased phase beating between two slightly detuned oscillators, for example. This topic almost always leads to people arguing that mixing sources in a mult could damage outputs. I have not encountered any instance where this actually happened. Make Noise outputs at least are protected from such damage. You are welcome to quote that in your response! Thanks, Walker.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

I'll be having a few days off now!

[@pianoyan]

Fair!

[@studio48nl]

Thanks for all the jams!

[@GeorgeLocke]

But why?

[@walrtbstudios5430]

“Always patch from destination to [source]” is probably good advice in general terms. Thank you.

[@richarquis]

If anyone was going to make a video about a plain old mult with new patching ideas, it was you. I'd been wanting to build up a Make Noise case for a long time, but had just Maths and O-Coast, as I was busy gathering MI modules before the shutdown, and worrying about various other utilities and so on. I got almost all of the MI modules I wanted, so after the shutdown, I started redirecting my efforts towards a few Intellijel control modules, and the MN case. In the last 12 months, I managed to add Morphagene, Mimeophon, X-Pan, Spectraphon, 2x XPO's, and a Q-Pas, plus an 0-Ctrl to pair with my 0-Coast externally. In a Rackbrute 6U, that leaves me room for an XOH and a DXG with 4hp left over, so this morning I bought the last copy of the mult that my local vendor had left over after shutting down their modular department. Once that's in, all I need is the DXG and XOH, then swap my silver Maths for the new B&G, and I'll have a full MN case. Not the 104 shared bus with the wonderful 1U mult strip, but a pretty good consolation prize. It will tide me over until I upgrade to the new case. This has given me some good ideas for combining the 0-Ctrl and 0-Coast into the main case. I wouldn't have thought of combining outputs in a mult across other parts of the system. Nice to know it's ok to do it in the MN case. Cheers!

[@CinematicLaboratory]

Thanks for sharing your journey! Without the 1U mult strip of the MN case a mult is really essential :). I overlooked the value because the 1U strip is always near. When I patch a case without it, I always felt like having two left hands. Stackables also work, but having a dedicated mult is much easier to follow the paths. Have fun!

[@Tasun_]

Thanks for the Jamuary journey :)

[@oyoyoyo7624]

I second that emotion!

[@zannfilm9645]

Never thought I would see such Jman interesting video on using a Mult! Nice one and a top way to continue from what's been a great Jamuary from you.

[@kenb7540]

Fantastic Jamuary. well done ! 👏👍🙏😊

[@chitlun]

Can I ask a question about racking the MN stand-alone modules… Are they easy to rack up like, for example, the Moog Mother, DFAM etc or is an adaptor required? Great video man 👍

[@in_10z]

Round up Jamuary with the utility patch! You can never have too many...mults (both passive as well as buffered), but you can always have too many pesky stackables hehe! The MakeNoise mult has such an awesome layout.

[@martintaylor9205]

Robert another glimpse into the endless choices of Modular, but I’m confused about what you need ie separate mults for Clock? Pitch?? Gates? Audio? Separate mults for each of these CV or can u mix together in one mult as long as all output cv into mult before outputting???? Know I’m a Dummie but it’s always concerned me Only wish all manufacturers would Colour code Outputs and inputs with Green for out and Red for ins be so much easier Thanks again keep up the great Quest👍🆒🎶🇬🇧🌟🌟🌟

[@CinematicLaboratory]

A mult can be an input as well as an output, depending on what you patch into it, so color coding would 'limit your brain' to specific patch paths. The beauty is that it connects anything to anything, you can create feedback patches where the output affects the input (and the output again). So the typical workflow is to just start making a copy and and patch the same source to multiple utilities. With modular synthesis, we are all dummies when we start a patch from scratch. It is your decision to mult a clock to multiple destinations (e.g. beats, delay sync, etc) but you can also patch that same clock to a filter cutoff to 'kick' the filter. The possibilities are endless.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

PS: this is why the shared system CV bus has four mults that support 1x5 configurations - with pretty lights. They're super important, but it's also easy to separate clocks from control voltage and/or audio. This is why the MakeNoise mult is so clever. It has 3 regions. Most mults have two 1x4 regions. The Doepffer switched mult is also cool.

[@planetplex]

Thank you for doing this I had no idea you could do so much with a mult. I’m assuming the potential is similar with buffered molds as well?

[@CinematicLaboratory]

Indeed, but honestly I am unfamiliar with the differences.

[@mntbighker]

Is the "cv bus" in the shared system buffered? Most Make Noise mults are passive, because "Make Noise modules don't need buffering" ;-) I have buffered mults all over my setup. I would be lost without them. Of course I don't really like stacking cables either.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

No, the CV Bus is also passive. It only needs power because of the lights and the I/O. Could you explain what the benefits of a buffered mult are?

[@mntbighker]

@@CinematicLaboratory Buffered means if you put 2 volts IN, you get 2 volts OUT. Passive mults can experience a voltage drop depending what modules are connected and how many. Make Noise claim that their modules are all well "buffered" or I guess isolated, so they will not experience this droop or sag. I suppose in some cases the unpredictable nature of passive could be welcome uncertainty. But I have avoided passive with the exception of stacking cables. In a perfect world I want the option to have a buffered version of the Make Noise CV bus available in a 1U row, like the ST Modular Lange Anna.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

@@mntbighker Thank you so much! So this is why I experienced the volume drops when Strega was added...

[@mntbighker]

@@CinematicLaboratory zactly

[@mntbighker]

@@CinematicLaboratory In a similar vein, there are unity gain mixers that sort of do the same thing in reverse. Gain staging can be the bane of your existence in modular especially. Given the broad voltage range allowed.

[@johncuba1612]

I have the MN Mult,also some other Mults (Activ B.) with different Specs. Check the Ercia Syths Matrix Mixer - this Thing allows your complety new ideas of multing/merging/splitting every Signal in a great fakin New Way (really mindblowing). The Randomisation Button push the Ideas in endless spaces.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

Thanks for sharing. Indeed, I'd love to try a matrix mixer but can't decide between WMD and Erica.

[@VictorSteiner]

1:55 don‘t you run the risk of combining 2-3 gates which is more than some inputs can handle?

[@CinematicLaboratory]

Don't worry about that, it's an OR not an AND. If you'd mult 3x +5V the output of the three will still be +5V. So the circuit will pick the highest value but it will not add them up. You can clearly hear it when Strega is pushing back the volume of 0-coast. Note: the MN mult is designed this way, not sure about others.

[@FelixGallo]

@@CinematicLaboratory that's not right. Most mults (including the MN mult?) will be dangerous to patch two outputs into. Definitely don't do that as a general practice.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

@@FelixGallo Thanks for sharing, but I do it all the time - with MN gear that is. Also did it with the 2HP mult. Never had any problems multing two outputs to a mult and then to an input again. If it sounds good, it can't be wrong. So let's agree to disagree here. The MN website states that the MN mult can handle gates, triggers, clocks and pulses and OR them together. It will not break your gear.

[@FelixGallo]

@@CinematicLaboratory these are electrical signals, so it can damage your equipment even if it sounds good in the moment. Definitely recommend not advising anyone to do this.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

@@FelixGallo I'll go check with MakeNoise, maybe they can shine a light on this. BTW I respect your opinion and your comment is super useful to get this cleared out, so thanks!