Doepfer Dark Time Sequencing Session 1
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- For this session I've given the Dark Time centre stage. After setting the tone dials, variations are made using the sequencer control switches. The captions highlight any instruments played offscreen.
Track title: Mass-Produced Future.
#doepferdarktime #analogsequencer #ambientsequencing #rolandsystem1 #mellotron #keystep
Additional session info:
The MX-1 provides 60bpm to the sequencer which is triggering the Bass Station 2. All are fed back through the MX-1 where the Blue Sky provides background trails via its aux send and return connections.
Woonderful! Pure art & technique. Analog shall rule the world...
Indeed it does 😎
I am no musician but love Berlin School sequencing. There is something about this bit of kit that seems to stand alone. Seems so organic and three-dimensional. Love it - nice work too.
Thanks Martin. Yes, it's an integral part of my setup now, either in the background or up front. Am still learning the ways it can talk to the gear. Great fun.
this is still very nice in 2022...
Thanks IGF!
Love this! Sequencers are so cool!
Definitely! Hours of serious fun with this one.
Dark Time is a smart device. Beautiful sequential music.
It's a very flexible piece of kit - deep and moody one minute then bright and sharp the next, depending on the voltage control set. It compliments the BS2 well.
Brilliant. Yours seem to be some of the very best Doepfer Dark Time videos on RUclips. I've been wanting to get a sequencer ever since I bought a Kilpatrick Phenol synth a few weeks ago, and while considering many options (including building my own), I think I am most drawn to the Dark Time for its old-school charm and knob-twiddling user interface.
The Dark Time is very old school in more ways than one. It's built like a brick and weighs similar, too, yet hugely versatile and tactile.
Fascinating and very mesmeric. Another good listen from you.
Similar to yesterdays demo I believe.
Lovely sequence! The Dark Time is a great tool to jam with.
Thx thedonal. It certainly is. A very hands-on piece of kit that's happy to "converse" with any synth. Thx for stopping by.
Really nice sounds bit of kit. Just something else to add to the wish list. Excellent work.
Go on, you know you want to. Now where have I heard that phrase before? Even without changing the tone dials you can create endless combinations using the switch and sequence controls. Not getting much sleep at the mo.
@@spacedrifter1961 I am very aware of the sleepless nights. I often find it is 1 or 2 in the morning when I finally crawl into my pit. Good fun though.
Incredible jam!
Cheers Doron !
Perfect blend of reverb and delay. Applauds.
Cheers Seeker Systems and thx for dropping in!
@@spacedrifter1961 Found you via Simon Morton @ Modcafe Aldershot
I've just had a quick look at your channel and can see Simon is the common denominator! Although I'm only semi-modular, I do aim to visit the Modcafe one day. It's about 90 mins in the car for me. Will check your channel properly later.
@@spacedrifter1961 I'm hybrid, but they're a very welcoming bunch.
Die gute Dark Time, Klasse Track.....super cool.
Thanks raschuis!
Hella cool!!!!!
I dig it!!!!
👍
This is absolutely awesome. 👏
Thx piotr bal!
I keep thinking that the Metropolis, Beatstep Pro and Pressure points would be all I need, but I really like the options for sequencing with Dark Time. Thanks for sharing :-)
The Beatstep looks tempting and may well be a purchase next year. Have had a lot of fun on the DT this week with its scaling facility, so hoping to upload a video soon. It's currently connected to the System 1 so will sound very different.
@@spacedrifter1961 Yeah, more sequencers the better, within reason. The DT is definitely the ticket for Berlin School stuff. And the BSP is working out to be a good-ish synchronising tool. I've currently got a patch going where I've got the BSP running two sequences, but then I am using the drum sequencer section to clock the Metropolis and also the Pressure Points.
The BSP controlling two sequences - I feel excited just thinking about it! The DT can do so too, but am relying on the midi connection only at the mo.
Thing of beauty!
Cheers VR 4EVER! and thx for stopping by.
I feel like flying when listening this.
I know the feeling! Thx for listening, Cybernaum.
Beautifullllll
@@synthwarez Thx María 👍
Traumhaft
🤫😌🎧
✨😎👍✨
Very cool
Thx Askprojekt and cheers for the sub. Welcome aboard!
Great Work and nice Sound , Like it.
Cheers Walter and thanks for stopping by👍
Great session!
Thx John and thanks for stopping by.
4:21 the blue sky 🫧🫶🏽🔥
The Blue Sky was on top form that day ☺️
Even though I part-exchanged mine for my first Big Sky I wish I had kept mine too. But I can't complain with 2 Big Skys...
Brilliant!
Thx Tweeeeak. Yes, a fun piece of kit. Have it talking to the System 1 at the mo. Might be able to upload the result soon.
Just seen this little beauty along with the Dark Energy on another channel. Sounds amazing.
I find the DT very user-friendly sending crisp signals to the recipient instrument via midi or cv/gate. Yes, works perfectly with the Dark Energy but equally well with other setups. Am learning new tricks all the time.
Interesting description and comments, and great sounding track, well done.
Thanks for your comment Sonic and cheers for the sub!
A terrific track
Thanks Doc and thx for dropping by👍
Very nice and dreamy sequence :)
Hi Luca, thx for stopping by. Yes, the Dark Time can be quite hypnotising at times.
I was quite sure I was going to get one of these some day, very much based on this video, but at the moment I am exploring using the Empress Zoia as a sequencer, and it turns out it is a lot more flexible for that than I initially thought.
The tactility of the Dark Time still appeals a lot to me, though, so I may yet get one - or something very similar - after I am temporarily done deep diving into the Zoia's near-endless possibilities.
Thanks for stopping by Hakon! I recently purchased the Beatstep Pro and although a sequencer, it is so different in its setup and hands-on approach to the Dark Time. Both excellent in their own right. The Zoia does look an interesting package - I hadn't realised it doubles up as a sequencer too.
@@spacedrifter1961 The Beatstep Pro or Keystep Pro also seem like good sequencers that also double as universal controllers. I'll probably get the Keystep at some point.
Yes, the Zoia did surprise me a bit. I got it because I needed stereo-input reverb and delay effects and it cost just a bit more than getting two good dedicated pedals might have done, but with the promise that it might also do other things.
Initially, working on it seems a bit fiddly, but it quickly becomes intuitive, and once you start wrapping your head around what the different modules do, it turns out you can use it for so much, including as a standalone synthesizer.
I owned it for about 6 months before I started trying to learn how to use it properly, and now I am so fascinated by the possibilities I do a bit of patching on it almost every day trying to learn more.
Sequencing was the first thing I tried figuring out as I have been wanting to get a sequencer to go with my Kilpatrick Phenol synth. As much fun as it is doing self-generative patches on it, an external sequencer makes making musically interesting patches far easier.
That all makes sense Hakon👍. Will be interested to see how you get on with it.
Awesome !!
Thanks Nicolas.
Beautiful music my friend just your channel joined 👍🔔+207
Cheers co2 and thx for your support!
🔥🔥🔥
Cheers Bob and thx for stopping by.
Nice
Thx Funk Tree. Yep, I enjoy a bit of noodling 😎
Awesome and really beautiful !! ;-) I would like to do atmospheres likes this !! ;-) Warm congrats !! ;-)
Thanks for stopping by, Olivier and thanks for your comments. Yes, the DT is very versatile and can send crisp clear signals to the synth.
Evoca i mitici Tangerine Dream, sequencer pilotato abilmente alla Christopher Franke.
Grazie Sistema di scarico. Sì, suona come Chris Franke della metà degli anni '70. Prendo molta ispirazione da lui così come da Edgar e Peter. Thanks for dropping in👍.
Great sounds and use of the Dark Time. You really play it as it should be played.
I'm on a huge learning curve with it, but enjoying every minute.
Hiii love that sound ! What's the "blue sky" ?? I love the shinny dreamy vibes of the sound ! Where does it comes from ?? from the doepfer ? I m planning to buy this sequencer with a moogerfooger midi murf do you think it's a good idea ? I very looking forward that kind of sound : ) thank you so much for you answer (sorry for my bad english) : D
Thx Baptiste. The Blue Sky is a reverb box made by Strymon. Originally designed I guess for guitars, it's equally at home adding shimmer, plate, trails to synth sounds.
Doepfer make the Dark Time. On its own it's silent. Its job is to send signals to a synth, in this case Roland's System 1 synth. Your moogerfooger would work in a similar fashion to the Blue Sky.
@@spacedrifter1961 thanks for the answer ! more clear now ! : D
👍👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿
Cheers Trippy 😎
Bonjour j'ai un dark Time et energy 1 et 2, avec un Behringer crave, Roland SH02 comment je peux brancher l ensemble ?
Ensuite je voudrais mettre une TR8S dans la boucle.
Merci pour votre aide.
Hi Frederic. Connecting the DT to the DE by way of the CV and gate connectors is the usual way forward. I'm not familiar with the Crave but if the DT manual permits, you may also be able to connect DT midi out to Crave midi in. The Crave has a midi out which could be connected to the TRS midi in, again if the Crave manual permits, to keep everything in sync. I'm not familiar with the SH02's connections so cannot help on that one.
welcome, to the wondrous world... of science.
Cheers Ken!
Been missing your posts, rang your bell again. This is the first time I have seen someone use an analog sequencer, very beautiful sequence too. Are you using a Behringer reverb in addition to the delay?
No Behringer on this one, just a touch of Blue Sky. The MX1 was set to 75% of Delay4 at 3/32 time. The BS2 was set to a deepish patch I created a week or two ago.
Just bought a Dark Energy and was thinking of pairing it with a Dark Time. Could I drive the VCOs seperately to create bassline/harmony + melody? Never had a sequencer before.
How slow could a sequence be, for ambient stuff?
This video is great, thank you! :)
The two are excellent together, in fact built for each other I believe. My default connection is CV1 to VCO F and Gate 1 Out to Gate In. The DT receives midi clock from a Beatstep Pro. The DE has one VCO but it is possible to control two analog synths in parallel. The online manual will give full details on that. As regards slow tempo, the DT has a clock divider which, when set to internal, at its slowest setting runs at about 15bpm which would be more than sufficient for most ambient sessions. Thx for your interest and for listening☺️.
Kraftwerk- Europe endless ?😉
Thx for the kind comment L'invisible! I hadn't thought of that comparison.... but come to think of it yes, maybe 😄. Thx for dropping in👍
On my shopping list along with a 1979 ARP Odyssey.
A healthy wishlist!. Thx for stopping by👍.
spacedrifter1961 A pleasure. Subscribed so I may be able to pick up some tips 👍🏻
Cheers for the sub, Glen😊. Currently experimenting with the Dark Time sending midi signals to the Sys1 and cv/gate signals to the Neutron simultaneously.
spacedrifter1961 No worries. If I decide to obtain the 1979 Odyssey I'm interested in and a Dark Time, are there any foreseeable problems in matching them? I've read somewhere that the gate voltage from the DT may not be strong enough?
Correct. Some vintage synths require a gate signal of +10v or higher. Doepfer's manual cites the ARP 2600 as an example. The DT has an adjustable internal jumper switch which allows you to change the gate output level from its default +5v (today's standard) to +12v. Some vintage synths also require negative/inverted gate signals to operate. Inverting the DT's gate signal is done via the front sub menu to obtain +/-12v. I cannot comment on a 1979 Odyssey but I believe there are social media sites dedicated to the original Odyssey that could well clarify the way ahead.
Thank you for your great video! I was wondering if the Dark Time can shift the key that the entire sequence is in (but keeping all the individual notes the same relatively) by pressing a key on the keyboard.
Yes to both. The DT has switches for independently transposing steps 1-8 and 9-16 up or down one octave. Using a keyboard connected via cv or midi will also allow you to shift the sequence using the keys.
@@spacedrifter1961 That's an awesome functionality. Thanks for getting back about that so quick.
Love this tune man. Do you have an album?
Thanks for tuning in, Joao. No album, just this collection of impro music.
The bass station is not polyphonic? Is it? How did you create this multilayer sequence on it?
Thx for your question Erik. The Bass Station is monophonic, albeit with two tuneable oscillators and a sub-oscillator. There's no multi-layering or pre-recording in this one. The Dark Time just sends individual signals as seen. Novation has since released a firmware upgrade allowing the synth to be played in duophonic mode, but still not polyphonic.
@@spacedrifter1961 ok thanks, but it sounds as if 2 or more notes are played at the same time. Guess it must be a very smart sequence then :-)
I've not really thought about it sounding polyphonic until now. But I agree, it does and I think that's because the MX1 is adding a fair dose of reverb that is blending and merging the individual signals from the DT. In comparison, my Quadruple sequence session of 4:23 is polyphonic because of the pre-recording involved and because the signals are being passed through the System 1, which is in itself polyphonic.
Hello friend
Hi Jarren! Thx for stopping by and for the sub. Hope you find something you like here!
Do you love this sequencer? Seems REALLY fun to use! I think I may make a triple sequencer of either 8 or 16, I can’t decide. I just love the looks of this one!
Yes and no! It's excellent for creating sequences you never thought possible, yet very fiddly. It's too easy to accidentally change the note due to the dials being too close together. But I wouldn't part with it. 8-steps are probably easier to identify, but of course, it's all down to personal choice.
@@spacedrifter1961 I can see that about the knobs. Does it have built in quantization?
Any chance you could measure the distance between the knobs from the center of one to the other in centimeters?
The knobs are 14mm in diameter. The gap between each knob is 11mm, so the distance between the centre of one knob to another is 25mm. The quantization switch has 3 positions - off, on, and custom scale. The latter is accessed via the function button.
@@spacedrifter1961 Hi, Space. Hope things are going better lately, for you. Sorry I didn’t see your response sooner. Thank you for the measurements. The knobs are a wee too close. I think 30mm’s would be right on. In my builds, I have taken into consideration a persons finger size when reaching to adjust.
But still, this unit is so damn cool looking! I love to watch videos in which it’s being used.
I first looked.
it's machine Mfos sequencer 😅.
Yep, there are similarities. Thx for tuning in.
228 # subscribed & lk ...
Amazing sound ...
Greetings 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
Cheers Gargula and thx for the sub!
Super nice! Keep struggling with sequencing a microkorg with the dark time,, can you help me out plz?
Microkorg is not responding while midi is connected from DT
@@jwytus6944 Thanks for stopping by and listening. Although I'm not familiar with the Microkorg, I would expect DT midi out to Microkorg midi in to work. On some devices, there is a switch to select how the device accepts/sends info (internal, usb, midi or sync in for example). The Korg manual should clarify this, along with the channel setting for receiving midi in. Hope this helps.
This is incredible..
Can this be used with a guitar? Perhaps with a guitar
I think it's designed to send signals (to a synth) rather than receive them, although it can receive certain signals (as opposed to actual sound) from a keyboard.
does the dark time allow tuning to anything other than semitones? For instance can it work like the moog 960 where I can tune to anything I want, even if it's "out of tune?" It seems here using midi, it allows only 1-127 midi notes, is that correct?
Good question, yes, in addition to offering numerous octave/volt ratings there is a quantisation facility that allows minute incremental changes to be obtained from any of the 16 tone dials, meaning you can tune to any note on another synth whether it's in or out of tune.
@@spacedrifter1961okay thank you. Yes, it is very important that I can freely tune to anything. I want it like the moog 960 works, where I can tune each step by ear if I wish for instance 440hz being standard A . I want to be able to tune each note/step to any frequency 441, 442, 443 etc etc
Does it get any finer than 1hz?
Don't know. Like you I tune by ear much of the time and just accept what the gear is capable of.
Sounds a bit like Kraftwerk. Nice!
Am in the market for a DT myself.
It does, come to think of it! Very user-friendly. Not perfect but a great hands-on sequencer. Looks the business, too. Thx for dropping in.
@@spacedrifter1961 Looked around hardware sequencers (including Schrittmacher) and believe this is pretty good.
Don't like the interface of the new (but capable) Korg SQ64.
Yep Dark Time it will be!
The only menu screen I have is on the Zoom R24 recorder and I don't need to dip into it whilst playing. On synths I find their info hard to absorb whilst on the go. I also prefer dials to buttons when it comes to note selection and although the DT can be imprecise at times, careful setup of the quantizer will overcome any such issues. Go for it, Mike!
@@spacedrifter1961 Thanks for your information. Here in The Netherlands is only one for sale at 350 while new at Thomann it goes for 429, so a new one it will be be (red leds) it will be.
How easy is it to create something? It sounds amazing.
Thanks for the compliment Fatzooma. Well, an interesting question, because sometimes it can be very straightforward and other times extremely difficult and frustrating. Other than knowing roughly what I was going to do, there was no detailed pre-planning with this one, just straight from the heart/mind etc, so was actually one of the easy ones!
Can you do ratcheting on this thing?
Never tried. Technically yes, but there are probably easier ways to ratchet. Brief manual increases in clock could work. The DT is flexible but it does have it's limits.
Ful electro.
Yep, all hardware here. Thx for dropping by.