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So I have a pedalboard. I want to make some noise music with it. What to do?

Criteria in order of preference:

* CHEAP
* Not battery powered (battery optional is okay, but I'd prefer it to be small, to it having battery capabilities)
* No desktop/phone/blah software (I don't want to use a different to device to control this device)
* Analogue
* Oscillators
* Waves
* White/pink/brown noise
* Softsynth capability stuff
* Some way of doing beats and stuff (sequencer, programmed, live, anything that's cool)
* Keys of some sort (like piano keys)
* Can connect triggers (e.g. for playing beats with a pedal)
* Multiple outputs (e.g. one for drum beats, one for oscillating stuff)
* Lets me add samples via USB or whatever

I don't expect all suggestions to meet all of those criteria (indeed I don't expect it to be both analogue and to allow for samples via USB, it's just that both of those sound cool to me for different reasons)—I just wanna give some sort of indication as to what I'm roughly after. Bottom line is: something I can put in front of my pedalboard to make it go WRRPWVRAABPPPRRRBBKSSSSSKKKKKKSXXXXXXXSSSHSSSHXXXXXXXHHSPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEMEEEEEMMMMMMMBOP and so on.

The first criteria (cheap) is like an order of magnitude more important than the others, hence all caps. I suspect drum stuff is out of the question for something truly cheap, but hey ho, feel free to suggest whatever. At this stage I'm just interested in what's out there.

In the end of the day, I might just use my SM58 and punch a guitar and/or drum kit and/or random objects in the room.

Organelle would meet most of those but might be too expensive.

Axolotl maybe.

Korg Volcas? Pick the one you are most interested in.

Then add an RMA Crustacean later if you really need the noise. Or just an AM/FM radio and use a filter.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll investigate all of them.

Korg Volcas seem like a great idea, because I could just get the keys one, and then the beats one whenever I can afford that. Are those made to be connected to each other? I.e., can I synch them? In case I want to make... idk... edm? lol.

Edit: Just read about Volca sync, and the Volca Mix, so answered my own question!

Yup, they have an "analog" clock style sync and some have midi too. They'll sync with just about anything with a trigger out. (Might not be on the same trigger edge or same beat division, but it will move).

The Volcas are great. The drum, kick, modular, beats and FM are all a lot of fun. The knob recorders built into the sequencers are a lot of fun too.

You should be able to control tap tempo ins on boss pedals, etc with them too (like dd-20 and dsd-2/3).

Arturia Microbrute or the old Minibrute are very affordable and make some great noises. An old transistor radio can be found for free. Pair it with a fuzz and there you go. Contact mics are dirt cheap. Get some play dough, attach them to different objects and have a blast. Build a feedback loop in your pedalboard.

@Zork, I've been contemplating getting a contact mic, yeah. I'll check out the Arturias.


I'm pretty sold on the Korg Volca Keys after watching some vids!

Make an Atari punk console DIY and put it in a cool enclosure?

rainger
masf

noise comes from inside, nothing is needed.

MicroKorg.

tremolo3 wrote:MicroKorg.

Dunno, the Microkorg is a great synth, but the programming matrix with the few controls doesn't lend itself so much for noise, imho. I would get something with as many knobs as possible... ;-)

MechaGodzilla wrote:rainger
masf

YAS.

lordgalvar wrote: Korg Volcas? Pick the one you are most interested in.

YAS.

Blackened Soul wrote:noise comes from inside, nothing is needed.

YAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

If you just want a noise box hard to go wrong with Rucci tbh:
https://handmadeelectronicinstruments.com/

I would look at the following items:

Korg Monologue fits a lot of those criteria, and they are not too expensive. I've been wanting one for a long time. Can be setup as an analoge drum machine as well. I would do this one over the microbrute for the sequencer tbh. Also has the Sync in/out that goes with the Korg Volcas, if you end up with one of them.

ANY cheap sampler. An SP-202? It doesn't get much cheaper than the Akai MPX8 either. Load up a bunch of noise samples or whathaveyou and fire away.

A cheap old mixer with FX-send so you can do feedback stuff and add shit to it.

And obviously



Trying to find that meme where it is like "what X people think my gear looks like" where it just pictures of the death metal on every frame

Get/build a bypass/feedback-loop pedal. Have all your pedals in the loop. Switch to feedback-mode. Noise.

Thanks all, & keep 'em coming!

Some comments:

Really like MASF & Rainger, but they're too expensive.

I've looked at the Korg Monologue, but I'm not sure... I've been thinking maybe I could have like a dead simple keyboard with MIDI out for a Volca—maybe the Monologue is a bit too much for that.

I obviously have a Digitech Death Metal Distortion on my board!

For feedback loop I can use my LS-2, which I've thought about.


My current idea is: Korg Volca Keys & Danelectro Fab Tone. I.e. just the fabtone, rather than my full board, to keep it lightweight, mobile, and with a simple interface. Then I could expand it by getting a Korg Bass (or Nubass), and a Korg Mix in the future. The Mix has 3 DC9V out, so it could run the Keys, Nu/Bass, and the fabtone. Then I could go to noise shows and ask for a power outlet, and somewhere to stick my jack, and be ready to go.

I went to one of the local music shops today and played with the Volcas (they had 6 of them), and holy shit, that was so much fun!