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:: SF 3 Project : Pitch Follower pt. 2
Dynamically creating IDM melodies from drum loops with Spongefork 3
by RF

Project files:
1. d-b_synth1.zip (suggested synth patch to start with - this is what I used for the mp3 examples at the bottom of the page)
2. 160_drum_loop.aif (included with the SF3 download in the rf.sf playlist)

The idea in this project is to use the Pitch Follower module to track the frequencies of a drum loop playing in the library. Since percussion sounds aren't generally of a specific frequency, this has the effect of generating estimated frequencies locked to the rhythm of the loop.

First, set your Pitch Follower to these settings, including the 645 bpm (experiment with different intervals later):



Next, loop the drum loop in the library:



That's all you have to do. Instant unique melody! Now that you have your melody going, you can tweak various patch settings like the filter cutoff, modulation depth, delay times, etc. You can also mouse in the XY to create counterpoint and variation against the controlled melody. Using this technique with more varied loops than the one included could get nuts quickly - not to mention using samples loaded in the OSC/MOD rather than waveforms. Here's an example of how it might sound with using the above example...

Output:
pt2_first_pass.mp3

Now, I've recorded this file and it is added to my library, so i'm going to play it again through the same patch and follow it again:
pt2_second_pass.mp3

It gets fun fast,
RF!