Harmonic Pulser generates sequences of MIDI notes and MIDI velocities. Velocities can be used to modulate one or more parameters at the same time. It provides unusually modulated velocity values.
The image shows the velocity automation in one Live’s MIDI clip.
Sound design in the DAW
In Ableton Live, one very useful tool is Expression Control, that can easily convert velocity values into parameters for MIDI instruments or audio effects. In Logic Pro, I use one or more instances of Modifier in the same way. With these, you can go beyond the mere sequence of notes, and a whole lot of sound design can be done, utilising the very same original data.
Sound design with Elektron
In the Elektron boxes, you can use Multi Map, which lets incoming MIDI notes or note ranges trigger different internal Digitone tracks. Then, with Sound Setup, you can assign the velocity values to several synth parameters for each track.
Music tracks that I created with HarmonicPulser
Eerie Reverb Phantoms:
https://www.pond5.com/sound-effects/item/330737092-eerie-reverb-phantoms
In this track, the pulses were mostly directed at physical modelling synths, with heavily processed sounds.
Evolving Drone Aurora:
“Evolving Drone Aurora” on Pond5
I directed the pulses at soft sounds, with slow attack and long decays, so that the pulsed nature is not clearly identifiable, but it contributes to the ever-evolving textures. Logic Pro’s Alchemy synth was used in two pulsed tracks.
Taiko and Broken Chants
“Taiko and Broken Chants” on Pond5
It is an experimental electronic track with a constant foundation of chopped chant fragments whose spacing continually shifts, thanks to HarmonicPulser. The result is mystical and playful, tribal in spirit yet highly modern and abstract, with a loop that evolves without adding extra instruments. Macro blocks suggest a 120 BPM grid, even as the vocal cutups keep the pulse intriguingly ambiguous
Conclusions
HarmonicPulser is ideal when you want a sequence of notes that on one hand continuously varies its spacing, and so is unpredictable, but on the other hand preserves some macro-structure (each bar begins with the same notes at regular intervals).
HarmonicPulser is available for download on Apple’s Mac AppStore:
