Make Noise Phonogene - Manual (Page 8)

GETTING STARTED
Erase Routine
It is best to start with a cleared memory. To Reset the Phonogene and start fresh you need to enter the
Erase Routine, where you may erase Splice markers and the Audio Buffer (aka Loop, aka Recording, aka
Sample). To erase all Splices, press and hold SPLICE button (18) until the REC LED (17) starts flashing. All
Splices are erased once the REC LED begins flashing. While still holding SPLICE button, and with the
REC LED still blinking, the audio buffer may be erased as well by pressing REC button (16) once. If you do
not press REC button, then your recorded audio will remain, and only the Splices will be erased. The
Phonogene will continue to play the loop until you erase, and you should release the SPLICE button as soon
as you have completed your desired Erase Routine.
Signal To Be Captured!
The Signal IN (2) has a gain control (1) that accommodates modular synthesizer signals as well as line level
sources. Early electronic music composers often recorded pure sine waves to tape at different frequencies
and amplitudes, and then edited and spliced these sounds into the musical phrases, but this was largely
because there did not exist the means to control the electronic sounds. Laboratory instruments were being
used as musical instruments, and these tools lacked the vast controls needed for musical expression. The
arrival of the VCO, VCA and Sequencer made complete control of Frequency and Amplitude possible, on a
time scale determined by the composer. Honestly, the most interesting source material for the Phonogene is
not your synthesizer, but instead every other sound that surrounds you, so grab a microphone or patch into
the internet and find some seemingly mundane sound to massage into a gorgeous, jumbled up symphony of
micronoise.
Recording Time and Quality
Audio Buffer is 2MB, nonvolatile, high number of fast read and write cycles. Nonvolatile means the
Phonogene remembers both samples and splices on power down. The high number of read and write cycles
is key to longevity of the module, high speed read and write cycles allow for short sample times, making the
microsound possible. Because the record and playback frequency is continuously variable from 88.2khz to
5.5khz by the VARI-SPEED control (8, 9, 10), the longest possible recording or loop length, is determined by
the speed of Playback/ Record. Therefore, long recordings may be achieved, but at the cost of a lower
sample rate, meaning the resulting recordings will be of lower sound quality. A “Mid-Fi” setting may be
achieved by setting VARI-SPEED at around 50%, so that BOTH VARI-SPEED and Splice Indicator LEDs (6
&7) are OFF. This records with good quality, a 2 second record length, and allows for a good range of speed
variation. Playback will be stopped while you record.
Signal OUT
That the Phonogene exist within the modular system is a huge advantage. Many Analog Synthesis
techniques and processes will work well with the Phonogene. Creative filtering, especially Low Pass and
Band Pass, will prove very useful in controlling the textures, clicks and aliasing of the Phonogene. Amplitude
Modulation, Echo, Reverbare also commonly suggested post processing techniques in microsound and
granular synthesis.