Modular is better when it's dynamic! // 3 patches with Impulse Dynamics by Steady State Fate (SSF)

In this 3 patches* video we look at the Impulse Dynamics by Steady State Fate, a 6HP Eurorack module that generates pulses and envelopes and controls them (or external signals) dynamically. Which is to say it can vary the level of them over time. There's some clever digital VCA zero cross tech in the design for syncing audio and modulation sources and the ability to process modulation or audio while also doing the thing I love which is adding dynamics (think velocity, or level changes) to envelopes and envelope decays over time.
*3 patches is my shorter demo series that distills what I typically make (longer in depth fulsome affairs) into a trio of patches and ideas. It's also more exploratory in pace, so I hope you enjoy and follow along!
It's worth a ready of the manual if you're interested in the module // steadystatefate.com/products/...
SUPPORT //
If you'd like to support work like this and the wider range of what I do, considering heading over to Patreon at bit.ly/DK-patreon and supporting for as little as $1 a month to gain access to the DivKid Discord community, plus lots of exclusives such as PDF patchbooks, videos and more. bit.ly/DK-patreon
AFFILIATE LINKS //
use these to support my channel! I get a small kickback at no expense to you when you shop.
Clockface Modular // bit.ly/DK-clockface
Patchwerks // bit.ly/DK-patchwerks
Perfect Circuit // bit.ly/PC-ssf-id
Thomann // bit.ly/DK-thomann
*TIMING INDEX // CHAPTERS*
00:00 Hello & previews
00:35 What is the Impulse Dynamics?
01:23 Feature & panel run down
02:46 Adding groove to beats & funk to synth lines
06:36 Audio wave shaping - PWM & retracting exponential saws
08:41 S&H modulated VCA processed modulation
THIS VIDEO IS SPONSORED BY STEADY STATE FATE* they have funded the creation of this demo video. Any questions just ask.
Join the amazing growing community on Discord by supporting at / divkid
Subscribe for more DivKid videos: bit.ly/DivKidYTSub
divkidvideo.com
/ divkidvideo
/ divkid

[@zauwee]

Ben, thanks for another very informative video. I always come to your channel whenever I’m researching a module. You provide a public service, sir.

[@DivKid]

Thank you, happy to provide videos like this. Appreciate it!

[@jaygregory8219]

I do some of this in my patching but it takes many different modules. Really cool to see this all streamlined in one module! Great patches as always. I love the long videos and also love the short videos. Any DivKid in my day makes it better

[@DivKid]

haha thanks Jay! Well plenty of both longer and shorter like this coming. Likewise this is the sort of thing I'd patch but it always takes a few modules. I could see having a few of these around a system to make that stuff easier.

[@maskinbatterist]

Really enjoy these three patches videos!❤

[@DivKid]

thank you, I appreciate you letting me know. Going to try and do more (while still doing the normal demos too).

[@real_anxst]

Hard sync! Great stuff, another awesome looking module from Andrew. This might be my Knobcon purchase this year.

[@DivKid]

Nice! Hopefully see you and Andrew there this year.

[@BrailleSounds]

Been waiting for this one!!!! Great overview!

[@DivKid]

thanks

[@chrisdaniels4420]

Hard Sync! Great video as always. I am going to get one of these, so useful

[@DivKid]

thank you, hard sync!

[@JohnLukich]

Hard Sync. Really clever module that seems to be very useful in lots of scenarios, including dynamic triggers for all the Entity drum modules :D

[@DivKid]

drums and LPGs (I tried using it as the trigger or CV for the SSG, Optomix and Natural Gate and that was really nice) are great with a width and level changing decay envelope.

[@DeathFromRKelly]

The Noise Engineering Sinc Bucina accepts dynamic triggers as well! I’m glad SSF tho made a device so I can free up using an offset, attenuator, LFO/ Env and VCA to do dynamic trigs.

[@DivKid]

for things that don't trigger dynamically I just use the CV input and the ability to then dial in the width of a pulse out or the decay of a short decay envelope / impulse gives the same results. So it should work nicely with anything. Good call on the NE module though, not tried that one.

[@puscha]

So clever. I feel that this one is going to be well underrated for a good while. Would love to have two of these, one for each of my Metalloid and Ultra Perc, and see how they can work with two other oscillators at the same time. Dynamic is such an important part of creating feel and groove, sorely missing from a lot of eurorack music, honestly!

[@DivKid]

Yeah it's such a natural part of doing anything on an instruments that's played physically and absolutely missing from most synths. Some keyboard led velocity respond of course. With modular though velocity can be so creative, routing it to all sorts of things for natural or non-natural results. This nicely takes the necessary patching to do these things and gives you a specific module for it. Like you, I'd like a few to dot around.

[@puscha]

@@DivKid Exactly. It's a natural part of learning any physical instrument, yet it seems too often overlooked in the patching world. The modular music I hear that I like tends to be more dynamic (not always - I do also like drones and mechanical sounding tracks too, haha). I love that the more interesting and innovative modules at the moment are ones that offer techniques that would otherwise take a lot to patch up - the flip side of this though is that over time people are less likely to learn these techniques. Interesting to see this kind of evolution at any rate, and the kind of music we'll be hearing in time.

[@robertmcmurry5489]

hard sync !!! that was very enjoyable thanks for another great tutorial.

[@DivKid]

thank you

[@spenzasequenza]

smart sync :)

[@DivKid]

haha

[@ainkalberg4561]

Can this dynamic result be done (or close to it) with Xaocdevices Zadar and 2HP VCA? Zadar`s one CV channel controlling drum module decay range and other channel VCA level?

[@DivKid]

You can patch this with VCAs and modulation sources yeah. You could use one Zadar output into the VCA input, VCA output to think you want to modulate (say the other VCA channel to control the level of a sound, or it could be a filter, decay time etc) and use another Zadar envelope, or velocity like signal as the VCA CV input. That said on Zadar you might be able to use the assignable input to use a CV source to modulate envelope level already.

[@spewis808]

What’s the sound source on the last example?

[@DivKid]

a super saw into a quad filter, not too important on the specifics. Though it was the Instruo saich into the Steady State Fate Dipole. Saich // kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH-cdYWiftFmo5osi=cHB28oW1Xf3hM9cZ Dipole // kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5fYdmiMqqeYrqMsi=ETPb4v7A636tU4x8

[@catscanmeow]

I wonder if there's a way to cleverly self patch this thing, so you could have the level of the output be controlled by how close together the incoming triggers are. To simulate that "memory" effect some old envelope generators have, where when you give it fast close together triggers it outputs louder envelopes so you get free dynamics just from the spacing of the triggers. Much like how when drummers drum faster they play louder.

[@nickjones5641]

You would need to convert frequency into amplitude cv. How? Not sure.

[@nickjones5641]

From MW: Here is my version, if you like: You need something to build the overall level. Most envelopes or slew limiters will do this part. Set attack to 0(ish) and vary the tail to taste. To get a better memory effect you need to play with the envelope shapes (or just fake it - it is modular after all!). The envelopes need to have some 'unheard energy' at the extents of the tail and by that I mean the tail is still there where most normal AD circuits have already finished decaying out - after normalising them to each have as similar sounding of a decay time as you could. Anyways, if you keep building on top of these decaying 'floors', these very quiet floors do add into something hearable that has quite a bit of dynamic range to it and you will create a nice sounding memory. If you were to build on top of shapes that are more 'stubby', then you will still be hearing a lot of the (open) sound while it is building and it will not build as dynamically. In the memory demonstration video there, you can hear how far the notes are apart and if another comes, it still is slightly brighter. So yea, tail shape! Also make sure you are starting with a filter that isn't anywhere near fully open else the varying heights of your memory control waveform are clipped. It's pretty easy to forget how quiet or soft things should be sometimes, esp. if your ears are a bit fried. I think this is why sometimes memory is very blatant and sometimes it's not at all. On the NG itself, the most memory effect comes when set to the softest material setting. The varying envelope heights have lots of dynamic range over the filter/vca block. In the hard material setting, there is very little memory as the filter is already open all the way when you hit it - no matter how many more times. You have reached a rigid clipping line and thus 'it' applies the sharp hatchet! Good luck!

[@nickjones5641]

Maybe patch envelope back into level? That way it builds up over time

[@DivKid]

doing it with slew with a longer rise and fall is a nice way work in the memory effect. You can't self patch the envelope to the level as when you're triggered the envelope you're triggering an internal S/H circuit that samples the level change. There's also none of that overlapping longer envelope or slew to build up a signal over time in this case.

[@O1O1OO1]

Hard sync. Smart sync.

[@DivKid]

haha ta