If you follow me on twitter, you will have seen a few recent tweets about my latest experiments with Sci Fi bleeps and bloops.

I created a MaxMSP patch that allows me to process sound files in such a way that the original file is nearly unidentifiable, and the results sound nicely tech and Sci Fi.

My process there was that over time, I created a few simple individual patches performing this sort of processing:

• Phaser+Delay
• Time Stretcher
• Granulator
• Phaser+Phaseshift
• Ring Modulator
• Phasor+Pitch Shift

I decided to assemble those patches together in such a way that I could play with multiple parameters and multiple sounds at the same time.

In order to do so, I have mapped the various values and parameters of my patch to a midi controller [KORG nanoKONTROL2], and selected a few sounds a know work well with the different items of the patch to be chosen from a dropdown menu.

This is what the patch looks like:

All the different ‘instruments’ are contained in subpatches. They are all quite simple but create interestingly complex results when put together.

The subpatches:

Organised nicely in Presentation Mode, I can interact with the different values with my midi controller:

The mapping system:

I can then record the result to a wav file on disk, which I am free to edit in Reaper afterwards, selecting the nice bits and making cool sounds effects with these original sources.

Record to file:

This process can be quite infinite as I can then feed the processed sound back to the patch and see what comes out of it.

Here is a little demo of the patch and its ‘instruments’:

 

And some bleeps and bloops I made using this patch:

 

You can visit the Experiments page to hear more tracks 🙂