Xaoc Devices posted a video yesterday that said most of what I was going to say about Odessa. So rather than continuing to work on that, I’ll just link to it here:
Additional comments:
- TILT applies according to how many partials there are… changing the number of partials changes where the peak is. So with TILT high, modulating PARTIALS sounds a bit like a resonant filter sweep.
- I don’t have the Hel expander, but one can get certain kinds of chords/clusters by turning down PARTIALS to just a few and using TENSION.
- Not mentioned in the video, but trying to suppress the fundamental by mixing the fundamental output inversely with the main outs isn’t perfect because the relative levels can shift as you modulate certain parameters. Some other ways to suppress it:
– External filtering. I usually do this in the DAW when I’m droning with Odessa.
– Tune so the fundamental is below audio rate, turn up Harmonic Factor to multiply other partials, patch to something that is AC-coupled to filter out the inaudible fundamental.
– Very carefully tuned comb settings can do it, but that limits your timbre possibilities even more than the above option. - The best input for self-patching is, IMHO, Tension. A much more lush “supersaw” style sound than the unison detune.
- Another self-patch option is Bank (with Harmonic Factor not at noon). It can be reminiscent of those rough engine-like sounds from an Atari 2600.
- Absolutely do try running Odessa through some distortion. With a few partials, and especially with Tension, it can do some amazing things.
- An obvious one but sometimes overlooked: you can still use external filters, you’re not limited to Odessa’s own Comb/Partials and Tilt for shaping the spectrum. Sometimes I get something I really like with Comb settings except for one little extra bit at the high end of the spectrum, so an LPF can make that perfect.
We’re going to my parents’ Sunday for Early Christmas, then on Monday renting a car and taking them to Louisiana where my in-laws live, for an actual Christmas visit. This’ll be the most the two families have seen of each other, and I’m a bit worried they will start talking politics — they’re not in the same corner and my dad has no tact. I’m stressing about that possibility, so I think I’m going to have to say something in advance (as well as warning them about the large and bouncy dog, who we’re going to try to run interference on).
When we’re back from that trip I still have a few more days before returning to work, and will probably start in on that study of Spectraphon. Unless Make Noise wants to release some very detailed videos with a lot more technical digging than they tend to 🙂