The power of a dual low pass gate (LPG) in a performance case - With Make Noise LxD

Today we dive into the Low Pass Gate. It’s a powerful compact module, especially in live performances. Gates can be used to create simple modular voices, tame drones, create percussion, control frequencies and amplitude of samples and sounds, and even as a VCA for control voltages.
In this video I’ll go over the functions and features of the Make Noise LxD, which is the gate I use in the audio demos. And then we’ll dive into a series of patches and tips to make the most out of Gates!
Timetable:
00:00 - Intro
01:01 - Make Noise LxD
02:07 - Voices
05:18 - Percussion
08:57 - Amplitude & frequency
10:54 - VCA
If you want to support my project:
Patreon: / monotrail
Bandcamp: monotrail.bandcamp.com
Special thanks to Legendary Patrons:
Michael Rutchik
Wayne Cowan
Steve Williams
Glnds
MANHATTAN
Yannick Willener
Dave Kincaid
Artur Strzępka
WeAreThey
Contravariance
Let’s connect!:
Instagram: / monotrail
Facebook: / monotrailmusic
Soundcloud: / monotrailmusic
KZbin: / monotrailmusic
#eurorack #LPG #lowpassgate

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hello everyone, I’m excited to be back! Here is a short medical update for those interested: I’m suffering from a damaged disk in my lower spine. It’s blocking the nerves to my legs, frequently making it very hard or painful to walk. I’m recovering fast and looking into surgery to solve the issues, but it has tied me to bed for over 20hrs a day for the last month and a half. Working from bed is limited and exhausting, so I have not been able to make and release videos as I would have liked. I expect it to keep getting better though, and hope to go back to making videos at least every other week as usual. I have a lot of plans, including a full introduction to modular series, so there are exciting things coming up! Thanks to everyone who expressed concern or decided to keep supporting me on Patreon, it makes a huge difference! All the best, Rijn

[@alanc6752]

I hope you make a full recovery soon. What a nightmare! Great video as always.

[@LEdHeadW]

Ah man I've been going through your videos because they're so helpful, and I was wondering where you went. I'm very sorry to hear about your spine issue, back/nerve stuff is no joke and anyone who hasn't experienced it is seriously blessed. I'm glad you're recovering and I hope you find a treatment that helps. Spending 20 hours a day in bed is exhausting in its own way. Wishing you only the best!

[@julianeustace8064]

Wishing you a speedy recovery

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you! Will do my best :)

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you! All the best :)

[@geraldwebb7244]

This is how to make modular videos period!!! Awesome

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you liked it! all the best!

[@oldschoolebm666]

Outstanding explanations. And even nicer is how you put to use normal not fancy (very expensive) modules to create different sounds.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank! I often try to make things accessible for as much people as possible! Glad you liked it :)

[@tonymitchell1461]

it never occurred to me to place an LPG between an LFO and the filter. and the signal chain diagram at 12.25 transforms that simple idea into a full voice. thank you

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

You're very welcome, glad you got some value out of it! Cheers :)

[@tusk1_]

Dude. This video is great. So helpful and I love the little diagrams. Nice work.

[@tusk1_]

and that beat at 10:35 is great. I like the way you use percussion with the modular. That's where I gravitate to as well.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@michaelkonomos]

Thank you for this video! You are an amazing teacher. I learned so much from this, not only about low pass gates, but general patching rationale and creative approaches. Lots of ideas gleaned from this. Thank you!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad it was helpful! Really hope to add some clarity and fun explanations around modular here, great to hear if people enjoy it! Thanks for watching :)

[@NICUofficial]

Just starting to discover the joys of low pass gates over here - just in time to work on my percussion & drum palette case :) thanks as always for very useful perspectives & modular training!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear you like these and get some use out of them. All the best!

[@lukepettett5075]

So many great patch ideas in here, thanks!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! All the best!

[@cryptout]

Okay, this video gave me more patch ideas than I can handle. I need to try them all this weekend. Thank you!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Haha, glad to hear it, hope you found some time in the weekend :) Cheers!

[@lucapleasureable]

Speed recovery man.great videos as always!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you! All the best :)

[@NEVERSLEEPmovies]

Great to have you back! Again, a great video with so much inspiration in it. Get well soon!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it, and thank you, will do my best :)

[@mynewcolour]

These patching ideas and the pace/presentation are on-point. You are a gifted educator.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thanks! I appreciate that, cheers :)

[@seansnyder7744]

Just got a passive dual lpg from Siam Modular in the mail today, glad I watched this video again! I had no idea they're that versatile. Hope your recovery has made progress over the last few months :)

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice, enjoy the module! It's going better luckily. Still not traveling and lots of rest, but its recovering. Really happy to be able to work on videos a lot! All the best :)

[@EfeuWinterfest]

Great video!! I didn't know that I can use my LPG for so many cool things!! Thanks for showing!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear it, cheers!

[@thejoshuathomas]

Your videos are so informative. I hope you're doing well, all the best to you.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! Well enough to keep going! All the best :)

[@RabRabNZ]

your tech sheets are medically clean, absolutely beautiful, happy to be a patron

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad you like them! And thank you so much for the support! All the best :)

[@jgrzinich]

Another useful gem. Thanks and above all take care of yourself.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you! And I will, but happy to slowly get back to the community. It's also really motivating, thanks for being part of it :)

[@WithTheGrain]

These patches are so nice sounding

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Glad to hear you liked them!

[@risro.O]

yay a new video! i love you so much. best videos in the world 🙂

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Haha, thank you! To you to!

[@doubtrecordsinternational]

found, liked, subscribed, supported. incredible work!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, that's wonderful to hear! Welcome aboard, and thank you :)

[@afraidhishorses]

great video!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks for watching!

[@Psionetics]

Great vid!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks!

[@manuelsteinmair]

Danke für das Video! Wünsch dir gute Besserung und viel Kraft auf dem Weg dahin!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Danke Manuel, alles Gute für dich!

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

Great video on the LXD! Best of luck on the recovery, backs are tricky things (and you only have 1!).

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! And indeed, have to live with it :)

[@rayderrich]

I should have watched all your videos before buying my modules, but I just wanted to get going :) Thanks for all your education.

[@earanwe]

Danke Schon, Rijn! This vid is really great and it explains to me a lot of things. I use to play my volca keys as percusive using the filter so low, almost inaudible but it makes kinda of the same (except the offset thing). Adding the delay synced delay it makes so nice sounds and I didnt know what happent, it didnt do the same with the crave... I guess the korg filter is really powerfull... Lot of love and take care of your illness. Hoping the best to you

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thank you so much! And that sounds interesting, the Volca Key is really a great sounding synth. Enjoiy the explorations! :)

[@JeremyWWWWW]

I love my MakeNoise LXD, but have recently purchased 2 of these: Takaab 2LPG v2 - Dual Passive Low Pass Gate Module 2020 (available on Reverb) Each of the two channels have 3 way toggles for different tones. And interestingly, they draw no current, literally, they have no power cable. It sounds great, and the price is amazing.

[@benofbrown]

I've got one of the Takaab 2LPG, though I think it's a v1 module. Great little module though, and easily the cheapest one I've bought

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Nice one, those looks interesting!

[@dominocommand3389]

Bähm great stuff!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks!

[@TheDavidPoole]

Another, slightly less featured but very reasonably priced, option is the Siam Modular\Takaab 2LPG passive dual low pass gate. It's only about 35 quid and sounds very nice. Also has the benefit of not needing any power and is only 2HP.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Ah, yes, that's a great module! Very affordable and compact, great choice )

[@shufflephunk]

theriddim at 10:48 is awesome, wow

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! Really enjoy using the 4MS sampler for beats like that :) All the best!

[@returnofthenative]

Thank you very, very much. AU

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

You're welcome!

[@alexmoll723]

"side effects" X D great video!!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Haha, you have a better term? :)

[@Lewp77]

you a g !

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks!

[@SpikesStudio3]

Hey bro, hope the back gets better. Really, how awesome is the concept of having a vca with vcf made with vactrols? That gives me the horn. I love just feeding anything in and striking the shit out of it just to see what happens. Its soooo useful. (Theres a cool little lpg on the output of o-coast which just adds gold too. )

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Haha, thanks, and ejoy exploring! :)

[@apeirogonmusic]

Yes i would like to see more videos Essential Info for a Modular Noob like Moi

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Will do :)

[@Larry30102]

It sucks to hear of your back. Hopefully you’ve pursued physical therapy to help you. I had a low back issue years ago and physical therapy helped avert surgery, not saying it’s a cure-all or that your problems the same as mine. Appreciate what you do with the channel. All the best!

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks for the support. And I did. At the begining of the year it was pretty bad, then almost completely dissapearded with physical therapy, then the mayor set-back two months ago happened. Now surgery seems to have the most chance for a full recovery. We'll see how it goes. Sorry to hear you know the trouble though, but glad it helped you. All the best to you to!

[@interference7480]

Thanks for this video. I know it can be applied to any LPG... but was curious if anyone knows if Make Noise still makes Lxd? I haven't seen it in stock anywhere for a while. I hope your back gets fixed sooner than later...i cant even stand general back pain so I cannot imagine what you are going through.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks! And indeed, I like the LxD has two different channels, and the strike inputs, but these patches can be done on any gate. I tink they still make them, but this not a sponsored video or anything, I have no inside info :)

[@mynewcolour]

4:26 ~ 👽 ~

[@mr.apartment]

kick drum at 6 min sounds great, did you make that sample? do you have videos about kicks? i have a wmd crater and am somewhat unhappy with it

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Thanks, and not sure. I have some banks with custom and found samples, but never know which is what anymore :) Also that surprises me tbh. The Creater is a module im pretty close to buying as it seems to be very versatile and good sounding, but never had hands on experience. Why are you unhappy with it?

[@mr.apartment]

@@MonotrailTechTalk i can get a more natural kick sound, almost like a drum kit pretty well, but to get that boom or thump off a more electronic kick is a bit harder, could be my mixing skills are lacking, there is a sweet spot in there that has decent bass, but it’s such a fine tune to get it there. i recently bought a 2hp sine to stack with it, that def helps

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hmm, interesting. I have to say I am interested in it because of that more 'natural' sound. But still like to have the low end without any mixing tricks at all, if playing live. Thanks anyway, will have a closer look at it!

[@mr.apartment]

@@MonotrailTechTalk if you end up getting one and find a way to make it thump i'm definitely in need of the advice haha

[@ogulkoker]

So, you use the offset to make the envelope unipolar, is that right?

[@rafiquejohn9406]

I wish a lot more people subscribe this channel..tq so2 much for the knowledge..will contribute when my income allows me..i feel ashame with myself when i gain knowledge but can't afford to contribute as patreon..

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, thank you, and wish that to, haha! At the same time the channel is pretty new and really happy with the stable grow so far. There's a lot of people trying out there! Also really happy with the Patreon growth over the last few month, that makes a difference. But please don't feel worried, I like this system where I upload for free, and people who have the chance spend some. All good, I'm glad you liek the videos!

[@vertigev]

Thanks for the video! I still don't understand what it is. Is a LPG just a low pass filter but instead of a knob you get a CV input for the cutoff frequency?

[@potsandjacks]

A LPG in a nutshell is a LP filter and a VCA together in 1 circuit. It’s more complex than that from a computer science perspective but in layman‘s terms that’s what it is.

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

I might make another video where I explain this in more detail, and also how vactrols work, but wanted to keep this video compact. A LPG both controls the amplitude AND frequency of a signal. Where a filter only controls the frequency, and a VCA only controls the amplitude.

[@vertigev]

@@MonotrailTechTalk Ahhh ok, got it. Thank you!

[@quantum_ocean]

What does he mean by “add some offset” ? What modular or utility is for “offset”?

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hi there! With offset I mean a steady amount of positive or negative voltage. It can be created by modules like the Intellijel Triplatt, Doepfer 183-2, Frap tools 321, or my favorite, the Happy Nerding 3X MIA. IT can be used to control a CV input that doesn't have a physical knob, or to add a fixed amount of positive or negative voltage to another signal. For example, you can add a positive voltage to bring a bipolar LFO to a positive only signal. Or turn a positive envelope into a bipolar envelope by 'adding' a negative voltage. If this is new to you make sure to watch this older but still good video on utilities I made, offset included: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4rXfaCoi91ng7s

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

Too bad they discontinued the LXd. I had two on order, then had my order cancelled. Such a great module (I have one from a previous order).

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Hey, you know for sure they discontinued it? Its out of stock everywhere I think.

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

Monotrail Tech Talk unfortunately, I do believe they are discontinued as one supplier I had a long-standing pre-order with cancelled my order saying Make Noise had discontinued the LXd and they (Moog Audio Canada) *never* cancel my orders like that. Case in point (no pun) I’ve had some Make Noise 7U cases on order for over a year and they have not cancelled that order despite the long wait. Another supplier I use (Nightlife Electronics) still lists the module, but when I tried to order one they sant me a message apologizing that the module had actually been discontinued and is not available. Having said that the Make Noise site does not list it as “retired” like it does for the Telharmonic and Brains, so I think I will write them a message and ask about the LXd as well as possible ETA on the 7U bus cases. I’ll let you know what they say. Cheers!

[@szubrawca]

It's out of stock, but not listed as retired on the make noise website

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Interesting, would be sad indeed. But then again it is sometimes common for companies to not list their module discontinued as long as some strores might be selling the last ones. Maybe they have a new version/variation comming up. Could be nice.

[@CapriciousBlackBox]

Monotrail Tech Talk update from Make Noise; the LXd is not retired, but won’t be available until summer 2022 (estimated). It should be noted that earlier this spring I inquired about some 7U CV Bus cases I have on order and was told “late fall” but now they estimate “Spring 2022” so I would take any estimate as tentative. They are working hard but of course are subject to multiple challenges. Cheers!

[@JohnTrasher]

Still no idea what it does 😅

[@MonotrailTechTalk]

Haha, sorry! But indeed I decided to keep this video a bit short and share some ways I like to use it. I might make another video really explaining what a gate is, how it differs from a VCA or filter, and what vactrols are!

[@JohnTrasher]

@@MonotrailTechTalk wär cool danke! 😅

[@PRRazcle]

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war…!” 🫤