Overcoming Musical Limitations with Technology & Modular Synthesis

Bertolt introduces himself and delves into the features of his bionic arm, emphasizing its possibilities rather than its drawbacks. He shows how he leverages technology to overcome the limits of musical creation, illustrating the role it plays in the creation of bass lines, melodies, grooves, and rhythms.

In this chapter, Bertolt provides an introduction to his modular setup, detailing how it’s designed with mobility and club performance in mind, specifically for his DJ work. He expands on modular synthesizers and introduces snare, hats, and kicks, before showing how his Syn-limb can manipulate bass and synths in real time.

Bertolt delves into the evolution of the Syn-limb technology. He recounts its early days and details how it has evolved in both appearance and functionality through its ongoing development.

Bertolt highlights the role technology plays in generating ideas for basslines and melodies using a Turing machine. He explains how the machine generates random looping melodies, providing an unlimited source of inspiration and creativity, especially when one is feeling uninspired.

Bertolt reveals the power of Euclidean sequences as a solution for lackluster grooves, and showcases how this technology can produce truly distinctive and captivating beats. Explore how he crafts drums with the machine, adding elements like claps, hats and more, before fine-tuning to attain more swing and character.

Bertolt shows how to route the Turing Machine into Ableton with Max for Live devices and the VCV Rack VST plug-in.

Follow step-by-step as Beltort continues to incorporate Euclidean sequences in Ableton using the Euclidean Sequence Pro VST to add more grooves to the beat.