Expert Sleepers ES3/ES6 Demo w/Silent Way & Eurorack

[@jetlag1488]

15:42 A Juno-60 controlled by the Metropolis. Holy cow. What a time to be alive.

[@dmartin_sound]

There are three aspects to exceptional modular content that are absolutely necessary: noise, education, and plain ol' fun. You're definitely one of those creators that exhibits all 3 very naturally. Hats off, sir. Furthermore, rad sweater at 27:07 by the way. UPDATE: Just got to the Onesie announcement. Ace. Onward!

[@vintagesynthlab4425]

F***king fantastic demo in every aspect!! Those ES modules are a must have for me after watching this video!! Great way to utilize those notoriously unused ADAT ins/outs on the audio interface as you mentioned! Also, thank you for including our VCF-74 in this demo! Lovely sounds.

[@DanielRDehaan]

15:42 - AHH!!! Metropolis + Juno 60!!!! Badass indeed.

[@vintagesynthlab4425]

^ exactly!!

[@djey308]

my head was 'splodin with all the new euro module choices to play with.. now you're telling me i can seamlessly integrate my neglected synths back into my funhouse? you've done me in now, man.

[@mylarmelodies]

THE CIRRRRRRCLE OF LIIIIIFE

[@DennisNy75]

i just got these modules delivered this past monday and im now waiting on my last toslink cable to be delivered. This made my Rig better than i could have imagined .Im just Blown away!!

[@raytheonorion]

I had questions & they were all answered in this video. What a privilege. Big thanks.

[@RheyneMusic]

Thanks for posting this! Your 0-Coast vid was excellent, too!

[@sampleexamplemusic]

you deserve way more subscribers and views dude.

[@6ood6ame]

Bartels Modular most definitely!

[@mylarmelodies]

Plz tell your mates! :3

[@averageXIAOHONGSHUenjoyer]

that s the problem with modular, your mates are usually sitting on some other planet in some other country in non-matching onesies

[@precarious333]

Another GREAT video! Thanks for leaving this in... 23:34 "Sorry!" Been resisting getting an ES-4 (since my UltraLite mk3 has S/PDIF but no Lightpipe), ESX-8CV and ES-7. This convinces me I need to take that plunge. Just recording CV would be amazing!

[@eves_disrhythms]

I don't usually like videos in general... I tend to glean information and get out as soon as possible - but, irritatingly enough for me, I find your videos enjoyable and informative....

[@mylarmelodies]

Hah, thanks I think!

[@thepastaman1]

I both envy and fear the great powers possessed by mighty techno-wizards such as you, Mr. Mylar.

[@hExx64]

This was great. Will hopefully help me solve the debate with my friend about this very sort of setup. Both educational and entertaining. Nice work man.

[@witchbutter]

Thank you so much for this, a lot of the ES videos I had watched were hard to follow and they don't bother to show the screen. Inspirational work!

[@travelwithcamera]

your videos always make my day

[@Russmiglicio]

Your videos always contain the most pertinent information and have just the right amount of wiggling to make them entertaining. Great for making a smart buying decisions. Awesome stuff man! 👍🏽

[@Y1kez]

Thanks for making this video. Have been waiting a long time for a good video on the ES stuff. Your creative ideas never sieze to amaze me!

[@nodfactor8808]

So cool! Watching this 3 years after posting but still. With the ES-9 out now, I'm interested in the possibility of using that to integrate with a computer. Much love, Alex!

[@Ozzidelic]

One of the best class, explanation... approach to Modular synth and modulation... Synthesis... indeed... The funniest !! Thank you very very much!!! :D

[@oldgoodrandomroutine]

AMAZING VIDEO AS ALWAYS!

[@pathingmusic]

"For Nick Batt" o7 o7 o7 Your symphony of pulsewidth is glorious, man.

[@nodflenders3665]

Thank's for making this dude, really cool thoughts and info. I almost went straight off to buy an ES-3 but I'm glad I did some research to make sure that it would be compatible with my interface, a UAD Apollo Twin. Unfortunately it's not as the Twin only has optical IN not OUT. So incase anyone was about to make the same mad rush as me, make sure that your interface has Optical ADAT OUT. With this in mind I'm off to buy an ES-8 instead as it is essentially it's own interface which I can connect via USB, then create an aggregate audio device on my Mac that aggregates the ins/outs of both the Apollo Twin and ES-8.

[@ziggydeath9397]

I recommend the Behringer UMC1820. It has 18 ins and 20 outs including an ADAT out, which make up 8 digital outs. It is only around $300 USD. Drivers are great in Windows 10. Very low latency, no CPU peaks, and no audio dropouts compared to other similarly priced (but less featured) competitors.

[@episnod]

A revelation, these few modules. thank you.

[@Dogboy73]

Just got a new ES-3. Reason 10 > Modular via ADAT. Game changing levels of ecstasy with this set-up. Fan-fucking-tastic. I'm so excited. I never need to leave the house again for ANYTHING!!

[@Dogboy73]

........ since added an ES-6. Nirvana levels of ‘music tech’ have now been achieved for me 😍

Oh... Oww! Sequencing the Juno-60 with the Metropolis was such a great idea Alex! And that polyphonic sound! Looking at the ES-8...

[@modularinspiration]

Nice to look back and now we have the ES9 making things a little easier. There’s nothing like bringing in the dulcet tones of a Hugh Edwards BBC News broadcast through a Mutable Beads lol

[@radpix]

Lovely to hear the sound and You enjoying this pulsing patch, has a comparable charme, although going beyond, to Vermona perfourmer

[@sauce_aux]

This information has solved a current crisis in my life. 👍🏽

[@SmoothSailingMusic]

Excellent video. 100% relevant in 2021

[@garaughty]

Some serious awesome tones in those sequences !

[@johnspink6957]

Great video, but I'm a bit confused. You have the ES3 and ES6 coupled together with an optical cable, so how do you connect to the ADAT connector on the audio interface? Or if I wanted to use the outputs of the ES3 and the inputs of the ES6 at the same time, would I need an audio interface with 2 ADAT ports?

[@substance90]

ADAT is directional. There always are 2 ports for each direction.

[@OOF_MUSIC]

Absolutely excellent video!

[@jandillingh]

you know what, i actually really liked the sound from the tape recording.

[@mylarmelodies]

jandillingh Ha, same. I've actually been meaning to have a play printing to it in proper Legowelt style, so this was the perfect excuse

[@bassstorm89]

Legowelt has used that sound - i love the track its in! Also great demo of the ES modules!

[@ariksalomon8400]

Thanks, helped a lot to understand the power of silent way.

[@septemberSE7EN]

Damn, this is, to quote a cliché, a game changer for me. Thanks for posting :)

[@Quantumspace23]

Only 90 seconds in and I have say thanks. Looking forward to the moment you can add an ES-8 to the mix

[@blakebrothers]

Very helpful, answered many questions for me. Many thanks!

[@telkmx]

Thanks for the video. Your vid usually close the deal when it comes to buying something i'm interested in. I now have an es3 and es6. They should pay you dividends for your work

[@jamesl5944]

Just got an ES8 and it's genuinely like living in the near future. Who needs a flying car, honestly.

[@Unifono2012]

awesome. the es8 arrived today

[@DavidAcosta-ki3oq]

Can the es-6 work standalone or do you need the ES-3 to use the ES-6? thank you

[@RawVeganRising]

Really great video!

[@felipevareschi7773]

Since I bought my ES-3 everything with modular has just become much more fun! I just started so I have a small modular, but who needs 8 LFO's when you have a computer! I recommend CV Toolkit, it's much deeper than silent way, also for midi to cv I use a CV OCD, even if it doesn't offer automatic calibration (CV Toolkit and Reaktor Blocks have that functionality which makes everything so easy and nice) but it does free off 1-4 (usually 4, poliphony is so great) on the Es-3. I want to substitute my intellijel audio I/O with ES-7, also I found that making a DC offset in Max for live in ableton works well for automation, Voltage Control Lab has a great video on how to do so.

[@felipevareschi7773]

My only complaint is that on the MK4, there are those cool Red/Blue pods that don't really grab on to the cables that well so sometimes I kind of loosen up the connection to the module by patching, the multi colour LED's are great for visualization.

[@cryptout]

I wish I knew this years ago, awesome!

[@smashcarriage]

Class work mate!

[@UntrueSounds]

This video is close to convince me selling my kidney and build my modular system :)

[@vinylarchaeologist]

Can’t believe this video is 7 years old. The only thing giving that away is the old-school Ableton interface… ace ace ace…

dope!

[@laokoon303]

Hey-Ho! I really really like your demos! Have you tried es-8 and/or 9 since? If so, how do they compare to these two good buddies - is there a difference in latency or conversion quality? best, Phil

[@alexmckenzie42]

Phileas Fogg I would also like to know

[@mylarmelodies]

Sorry, haven’t tried either - they look amazing though

[@6ood6ame]

Thank you for these amazing insights. I see you have a rainmaker there. I was a little disappointed by this collaboration that brought us the beloved shapeshifter, when i saw the first demos. I would be very interested in your opinion. And of course a video would be a dream. Anyway, love your channel, looking forward to the future

[@mylarmelodies]

外人さんげはーど Vid to come on the Rain!!

[@256k_]

please, anyone i need to know what's the name or source of that drum break @ 0:08 i know i heard it before i just can't put my finger on it and it's driving me crazy. pretty sure it's not an amen break...

[@FabriceMillion]

Thanks for the great demo, how would you go about controling a soft synth using the same technique you use to control your 1080 with your metropolis? there is plethora of example of controling external hardware but none about controling software! thanks mate

[@benjiwill]

FSU... hmm Frequency Shift...?- oh hang on, "F sh*t up" 😂

[@digitalvamp]

Thank you for the great videos you are awesome at what you do. I want to experiment with this I have the es9. any tutorial videos that you know of on this process? Thanks you again

[@temporary_terpenes]

3-years later - how did the xpert sleepers setup fare in the studio? We certainly haven't seen it in any new videos. That says something! Care to comment?

[@mylarmelodies]

I bought a Zoom F4 for making the podcast and record to that so I don’t have to boot the computer and denoise it in my mic channel. The ES stuff is still the best way to blend computer and modular, he’s also got a lot more options now than just these

[@Tasun_]

Hello mylarmelodies, thanks for another video. I would like to ask if you think that recording from ES interfaces.. well primarily the ES-8 through usb could overcome problems like buzz and hiss from electricity when recording directly to soundcard. I know that this is a very complex problem and I don't want a complex answer, just a thought might be enough. Thanks!

[@mylarmelodies]

Martin Iľanovský Well, I've had no noise issues recording thru the ES modules i have! So yes quite possibly?

[@Tasun_]

@mylarmelodies thanks! it's worth trying

[@franknobel4715]

awesome video! very helpful

[@BNedr218]

Hey Mylar. Thanks for a great show as always. One quick question: When you pair the es-3 up with your Apollo via adat, does it appear in (UA) console as another "normal" interface would? Meaning I could potentially bypass the inherent latency in daw monitoring when processing live audio going strictly hardware mon as I am now in my Apollo. Also is the Es-8 basically the same deal as the es-3 + es-6 with a slightly higher pricetag and audio interface capability? (Pretty long comment for a quick question,, huh?). Thanks again. Also for the rainmaker recommendation. It's a smile factory

[@JonathanTreadwayAudiodoneright]

ok i just got the new ES-8 ordered so i also own a push ! what prosseces do you have to do to calibrate each synth voice ? or can you go into your setup programing in a new video?

[@invanorm]

That's it. I'm selling my Elektron gear and building a modular.

[@this1self]

Hello. Here in 2024. Is this still the best (and only) way to go from Eurorack to ADAT? PS: @mylarmelodies, thank you so very much for your incredibly helpful videos.

[@mylarmelodies]

They literally just released ES-10, which is like both of these in one module. Does seem the best value way - it’s £329! Cant think of a cheaper option with DC coupling.

[@Pspiralifemusicandedu]

If the es-3 and es-6 are connected by that little lightpipe cable, then how are they also connected to your audio interface?

[@mylarmelodies]

They just plug into the ADAT light pipe ports on the interface

[@vangeliskostoxenakis]

i am using a UAD apollo with ADAT to expand my physical inputs. which ES model i need in order to achieve the same route? So like connect my synths and end chain modular to system to ES and lightpipe with apollo.. ES6 would do the job i guess but i saw somewhere thats not working stand alone. Thnx much

[@snoopyoverthehills]

this is just amazing!

[@piotr803]

Plague Bearer reminds me of the Sherman Filterbank for F-ing-SU..

[@Dogboy73]

I'm thinking about an ES-8 to connect between PC running Reason 10 & my humble modular set-up. Never seen this demoed.But I'm guessing it should work just fine?! :-/ I'm thinking of using Reason for more of the trigger / modulation stuff & focusing more on audio sources, like analogue oscillators & filters, for the hardware. I'm hoping the ES-8 will be the bridge & make for a powerful system without having a wall of Eurorack ........ which may still happen! I'm already hooked in to this stuff :-/

[@RecordingOfMind]

Rofl .. love that you bought a tape to record to :p Tape noise isn't always bad ^^ .. Retro authenticity.

[@jonathansenal9126]

I can think of a number of reasons why, for my purposes, using the ES3/ES6 is a good idea. Is it not possible, however to merge Ableton Live with a modular system using an audio interface?

[@narudh]

i'm really interested in a pair of these but purely for audio in and outs ... are you still using it for recording? how does it compare with el cheapo ADC like behringer or expensive stuff like apogee? thanks

[@mylarmelodies]

I've not been but I think they sound excellent. I recorded for years and years with them.

[@distorson]

you are mentioning in the end of the video, that you do not necessary need to have amplifiers, if you use the Expert Sleepers modules and Silent Way. How do you set it up to emulate or create an amplifier?

[@mylarmelodies]

distorson As in loop audio into your computer, modulate the level and return it at modular level. And you don't need a Doepfer A119 to amplify external sources either if your computer can talk modular strength...

[@distorson]

@mylarmelodies Thanks for the answer, that makes sense :) Great video like always!

[@0neTwo0neTwo]

i think im gonna jump into the Expert Sleepers pool now

[@NOLNV1]

Switching to my nice headphones for this one

[@oldgoodrandomroutine]

All the right way!

[@mylarmelodies]

NOLNV Just for the cassette bit at the end :3

[@DrMoe.Lester]

Well hello. I've been waiting :D

[@robertsyrett1992]

Excellent, I was having trouble making the polyphonic voice control work in ableton just the other day. Also, why U no mention the ES-8?

[@mylarmelodies]

Robert Syrett Totes forgot, but yes ES8 is an amazing other option to do a load of this stuff.

[@therealrosskelly]

That pop swatch 👌🏽

[@ChromeGhost]

Very cool. Will you also do a Reaktor Blocks video as well?

[@1db1db1db]

if you released the song at around 30 mins i would undoubtedly pay for it and listen to it every day!

[@mylarmelodies]

Probably Not Cereal Haha, well I do have the cassette I taped it to...

[@calderwood9641]

How do you adjust gain/levels when recording like this?

[@mntbighker]

I realize this is an old video. So what is the best way in 2020 to get a polyphonic chord track from a DAW to play in a Eurorack? There are several ways to get CV from Midi, but for polyphony from a single Midi channel it's less clear to me the best way to do it. I see Doepfer has some poly modules.

[@mylarmelodies]

Well this is still a valid way! See also: Mutable Instruments Yarns, and the Arturia KeyStep Pro, which can both do poly round robin chaining and are ready to go hardware solutions.

[@mntbighker]

mylarmelodies How convenient since I have a Keystep Pro I'm still figuring out. Is ADAT a preferred method though. You effectively need one CV driven signal path per poly note?

[@mylarmelodies]

Haha it’s almost free! I’d personally prefer a simple hardware solution vs ADAT and software. And yes you need to now effectively set up four individual CV monosynths and tune and mix them carefully! You make KSP be a poly thru the menu I think.

[@mntbighker]

mylarmelodies Or just get a module with midi and poly synth. But at that point it's barely modular anymore.

[@mntbighker]

mylarmelodies BTW I just finished building my first Bafaco kit (STmix) and it resets my power supply if I attach audio patch. :(

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Question: is it realistic possible to get a small starter Eurorack system for under 1k including case, power supply, and modules?

[@HalfGodHalfBeast]

How are you able to record mono samples in Live? Every sample I record is always in stereo whether I wan't it or no. Cheers. Great stuff by the way!

[@ultraherb]

Go to Preferences, then the audio page. Click on Input Config and select all mono ins (make sure they're not grayed out.) You should have mono inputs available now. Hope this helps!

[@HalfGodHalfBeast]

@@ultraherb thanks for the info. unfortuanately did not help as Live still records the mono input as a stereo sample internally - I meant creating tracks/samples within live that are mono so as to save on hdd use/load and thus inprove playback preformance when playing back multiple channels as my pc is a bit old and slow.

[@geohashi]

It seems like if I just want to record my modules into my DAW I only need the es6 and es7, or no?

[@virallode]

The ES-3 is needed to provide clock to the 6 and 7 alas

[@jank-official]

I'd love to see that modular case a bit more. MDF laser cut? DIY?

[@mylarmelodies]

Yep, it's a Ginko Synthese DIY: www.ginkosynthese.com/

[@jank-official]

Very cool.

[@DivKid]

You have videos past living memory? ;)

[@mylarmelodies]

DivKidVideo U wot mate? x

[@bubblekeiki7395]

great vid!really makes it hard not to at least strongly consider getting the ES3...does anyone know if a SPDIF to toslink converterexists or is needed?I am honestly confused about the terminology ^^

[@squoblat]

Jesus Christ this video has cost me thousands of pounds.

[@jank-official]

question: which audio interface do you use (on the computer side, with the ADAT I/O) ?

[@mylarmelodies]

Universal Audio Apollo!

[@viridian_calx]

6 outputs in the matrix but 8 outputs on the ES-3. What about the extra 2?

[@geecen]

Great video as always. Now I just need a banana version...

[@DBPawlan]

Do you need to have the SW voice vst on each track you want to output to the ES-3? I'm having tremendous trouble sending out through my Motu 828 MK2 - I can only get one channel to respond on the ES-3

[@edmondburnett]

I just got my ES-3 and ES-6 today and tried this out. The Silent Way plugin is not required to send a signal to the ES-3. You can use it with other plugins, or even send audio from a software instrument. The ES-3 just exposes the ADAT ports to your modular. The tricky part for me was figuring out how to route everything correctly from DAW->Interface->ES-3 and back, determining which virtual DAW outputs correspond to which ADAT outputs on my Interface (Scarlett 18i20), and assigning these in the interface's mix control software (they were not assigned by default).

[@DBPawlan]

Yeah, I got it working to a degree. I can only get 4 outputs to work on the ES-3 by assigning channels 15/16 and 17/18 in Ableton Live as outputs. Are you able to get all channels working with your interface?

[@edmondburnett]

Yep, I am able to use all 8 channels. I looked up the specs to your interface and found that it provides 8 ADAT channels at 41/48kHz, but it drops to 4 channels if you are at a higher sample rate. Maybe that is a clue? Make sure your interface is not set to 96kHz or something.

[@DBPawlan]

I checked my sample rate and it was 44.1, so that wasn't an issue. What WAS an issue though was the fact that I had too many channels assigned in my audio settings, so it was only allowing me 4. Once I disable those, voila! All 8 channels are working now. Thanks for your help! Much appreciated as you got me looking into the right place. Are you using the Slient Way VST to send CVs and envelopes?

[@edmondburnett]

Right on, glad you got it sorted. Yes, exactly - using it for some extra LFO's and envelopes, and have been playing with the Voice Controller for pitch and gate sequences. I haven't typically used a DAW all that regularly but I figured I should integrate it more with my modular and gain more experience with it.

[@Johanthegnarler]

Everything just accidentally worked out for me, mind you expensive, but everything was purchased for different reasons outside of modular synth. Motu Ultralite MK4, Social Entropy Engine Sequencer, and Bitwig 2. Engine is also a Midi to CV converter, MK4 is DC Coupled, and Bitwig 2 can do CV without Reaktor. So I suppose at least I save rack space now. Definitely recommend this solution though if you don't plan on buying other hardware, or a decent interface.

[@jasevaughan7829]

That Juno 60 bit

[@mylarmelodies]

Jase Vaughan always about dat juno 60

[@aaronmoreno9216]

Is the cassette recording wowing? It sounds like your voice is pitching up and down lol

[@shyroa3k3]

How do you connect from metropolis to JUNO60?

[@mylarmelodies]

You need a MIDI Juno 60 mod, MIDI on computer, the Expert Sleepers Hardware and software and CV cables!

[@shyroa3k3]

@@mylarmelodies I see, it was JUNO60 equipped with MIDI!

[@mylarmelodies]

Yeah, well modified with the Tubbutec Juno 66 mod so it has MIDI!

[@Tyler-mz2sm]

@ 25:00. Holy Shit!

[@shottman]

This is fcking badass! Nice video! What audio interface are you using?

[@mylarmelodies]

shottman UA Apollo Firewire

[@jkorbel]

What preset is that on the 1080? Is it a specific rom card?

[@EmBeeSeven]

Any idea how well this would work with a less hardware-oriented daw like FL? I have tried many times but ableton just doesn't work for me.

[@Slacquerr]

FL works fine with VST so should be just fine.

[@divineaccidents4374]

Does this work with windows ? If so does anyone have a link to the ES-3 firmware ?

[@mylarmelodies]

DivineAccidents Silent way? If so yes, I'm on windows!

[@divineaccidents4374]

Amazing. What audio interface are you using to cast this magic ?