8 Chaos Mice Jazz Band

Cal Scott
Cal Scott Member Posts: 92 Advisor
in Reaktor
8 Chaos Mice Test.rar
8 chaos mice GUI.jpg 
Here is a test ensemble of the 8 chaos Mice Jazz Band.

It is just an example setup using 8 of the mice, not something i would use in a production yet.
Even for me it might take a week+ to setup a full on top ensemble 
that will make album quality material.
I still have a few other chaos blocks being finished like Gigantic Mouse,
 L.C. Chaos Band, Vile Chaos and 3d attractors and Henon Space Chaos, 
so ensembles for all these will start later on in the year.

Until then maybe a few of you are brave enough to set up your own ensemble.
 here are a few tips to get going.
 A lot of this info can also apply to any of these latest chaos blocks in the U/L

Best not to use the standard bento osc as its too wide and it  consumes too much cpu for an 8 out chaos band.
Try using as small and  low a cpu osc as possible instead, to reduce screen space + and allow space for filters etc.
The 2 sequenced outs and the mix of 8 mice are not connected, they could be used as fm sources or connected direct to more oscillators.
Or perhaps use them on a crossfade block with another oscillator. One of these outs has a lower pitch range which is intead as a bass. 
The other is more like a lead line that is intended to accompany the 8 mice.

Another possibility is ignore the 8 mice outs and use just the sequenced outs, as all 8 are contained within the sequence.
They are randomly selected on each new step. This would make a much lower cpu ensemble as it would need just 2 oscillators, 
or try Chet's sax block instead of oscillators, could work great.

This example has just 1 clock...using a clock with 8 outs is advised to allowing polyrythmic VCA gating .
I don't know if an 8 out clock is available, its something i would custom build for this ensemble.
The sentient clock is the nearest i have, but its only 5 clocks. Or just add in 8 single clocks.
Or even add in 4 single clocks and attach each to two of the clock ins. VCA must be switched on for gating to occur.
Depending on what cpu is left you could add in filters and fx and envelopes after the mixers.

Chances are its gonna max out if you don't have a +5ghz machine, 
If this happens, run at a lower 33 kHz sample rate. 

Or add in multi-outs before the mixers, then you can record each channel on a different track
Then add on whatever amp sims, distortion, reverbs, or any plugins you like to process the material in your DAW.
Also maybe constrain some parameters to allow better randomizing.
Another idea is to add multiouts, extract the midi and trigger an external sampled Kontakt instrument like a piano, bass etc
Same goes for the drums, you could multiout the niji drums and trigger any drum vst.

also setting up auto fly x-y's and mutating features etc... will enable more auto-exploring of the possibilities available.

Million dollar question - is it worth the time and effort?
The fact i built it and intend to make an ensemble and use it in a production should give a hint to the answer.
But it would depend a bit on what you are trying to acvheive as an artist, and a bit on how well you set up the ensemble.
I have already experimented making albums with similar chaos bands and the results are out of this world.
These chaos bands have already allowed me to push the avant-garde into new territory far beyond my own abilites as a producer
programming an album by hand.

If there was a drawback to this method its that it is more intense than running single gens and editing those 1 by 1.
Mainly because all the material arrives at once and so its tougher going on the brain to digest so much new material.
But its certainly overall a much faster technique and delivers hyper complex material unprogrammable by hand.

Lastly, i will be straight up, with a finished chaos band ensemble setup in auto mode, 
top notch material will be generated at around a 20% success rate. Meaning around 80% will need to be deleted.
But a simple calculation will reveal thats not so bad, it just means for a 30 min album, you need to run the machine for 2.5 hours.
obviously something i want to do is increase that 20% as close to 100% as possible, to save having to edit out so much.

Not wanting to be seen as a self promoter here as it may distort perceptions, anyone interested can message me 
 and i can send a few links in private to some completed chaos band productions on Bandcamp.

..i nearly forgot, it might help buying several kilos of quality cheese before, you know... just so you can reward the band for their efforts. Its hungry work playing jazz for hours on end!


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