DroneZone - my first MNodes instrument

MNodes Presets & Patches
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Hi everyone!

I’ve just uploaded my first MNodes instrument to the Hub.
For anyone interested, here is the project description:

DroneZone

Additive Sound Generator

Version 0.9 beta

DroneZone is a highly complex generator designed to create drone sounds.

The tonal components of the sound are based on three additive oscillators, each featuring eight modulatable partials.

Additionally, DroneZone includes a noise generator with three distinct noise colors that can be blended freely.

At the end of the signal chain lies an extensive effects section featuring modulation and dynamics effects.

The modulation capabilities are particularly extensive; a total of 28 LFOs and eight looped multi-stage envelopes allow for the modulation of various targets, synchronized either to the host tempo or an internal clock.

I developed this unconventional instrument based on my own vision of the ultimate drone generator—one that does not rely on samples. In my opinion, it is particularly well-suited for genres such as ambient, dark ambient, industrial noise, and the like.

DroneZone can sound wonderfully dark, twisted, and menacing; soft pop ballad pads aren’t really its thing :smiling_face:

Tip: DroneZone and ValhallaSupermassive make a dream team!

I have tried to make the interface as intuitive as possible. However, given its high level of complexity, unlocking its full potential will likely require a bit of a learning curve.

I have tested DroneZone extensively, though a few bugs almost certainly remain :smiling_face: Please bear with me—this is my first MNodes-project.

Specifications

3 Additive Voices

  • Each with 8 partials
  • Each partial is modulatable via its own LFO (64 bars to 1/128 bars)
  • Each voice features independent panning modulation
  • All voices can be tuned via octave, semitone, and fine-detuning controls
  • Key tracking can be disabled individually for each voice to lock it to a fixed note regardless of incoming MIDI notes (ideal for off-kilter and dissonant drones)
  • The overall waveform can be modified using Stretch and Phase controls
  • Voice volume contours can be modulated via a dedicated looped multi-envelope
  • Each voice includes its own effects section featuring a frequency shifter, bit-crusher, foldback, AM/ring modulator, and wave shaper
  • A copy function allows settings from the first partial to be transferred to all other partials
  • A comprehensive randomizer enables the creation of randomized waveforms with a single click

Noise Generator

  • Features white, brown, and pink noise
  • Mixer for blending noise colors
  • Separate resonant high-pass and low-pass filters for low-cut and high-cut functions
  • Volume modulation via looped multi-envelope
  • Randomization function for generating envelope shapes
  • Separate panning and volume controls

Modulation Effects (Mod-SFX)

  • Switchable filter unit featuring two filters, each with 13 filter characteristics
  • Filter roting can be switched between serial and parallel modes
  • Cutoff and resonance/Q for both filters can be modulated via dedicated looped multi-envelopes
  • Lo-Fi with wow & flutter (pitch instability)
  • Tape damage with controls for dropouts and tears
  • Tape saturation/Drive
  • Unison
  • Two-stage reverb (strange but sometimes useful)

Dynamic effects (Dyn-SFX)

  • Three-band multiband compressor
  • Switchable six-band parametric EQ
  • Brickwall limiter

Miscellaneous

  • All LFOs and multi-envelopes operate in sync with the tempo
  • Synchronization via internal BPM control or host sync
  • LFO phases run synchronously, enabling rhythmic and polyrhythmic modulations that do not drift out of alignment
  • Internal (basic) patch management
  • All voices and the noise generator feature dedicated mute and solo switches
  • Key parameters for the various sections are accessible from the main page; switching to specific sub-pages is only necessary for detailed adjustments
  • Clicking the Info button (top right) opens the splash screen; this also resets all modulators and MIDI (panic function)
  • Graphical editing panels for envelopes, filters, wave shapers, AM/ring modulators, compressors, EQs, and limiters
  • Visualizations (oscilloscope and stereo image)

Note

In a patch, all unused modules are automatically disabled wherever possible. However, due to the highly complex sound generators, extensive modulation capabilities, and effect sections, the CPU load can still be relatively high.

I hope everyone who enjoys this type of drone sound has a great time with DroneZone!

By the way: The name DroneZone is a tribute to one of my favorite internet radio stations.

All the best, dr.rom

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wauwsers thats right up my ally

giving it a go soon thnx for sharing

and welcome to the forum

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whaoo, first time you post , impressive works and nice result/sounds , congrats ! :fire:

was surprised you don’t add an Hold switch to the keyboard ? :wink:

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Hi Dr.Rom,

Welcome, It’s nice to see what you have been creating.

To create this has taken some time, for sure. And i think this is a job well done, i love the compact design and all the functionality neatly fitting in the interface.

For sure there is a learning curve but that’s always the case if things are getting a bit complicated and you got all kind of methods/options to work with. Since i create my Trinus project working down how to emulate some synthesizer defects and even the IF this, ELSE what happens next to figure out what are the limits to make it all work you must experienced that also.

So for sure, this has taken some time :slight_smile:

A job well done, and if there is any “but” then please don’t think it’s me complaining about your work because i know there are some nodes acting up, especially the distortion types.

At first when i was trying to play some states (hardly to be called presets imho) i found out some states have some clicks/ticks/pops.. or however i have to refer to them. My English is based on normal communication and for some referencing towards technical terms i just guess a bit :slight_smile:

So i noticed i had to tweak the Tape-Damage settings to get rid of them. But i have experienced that myself. if a value goes like from 0.0 to 1.000, an 0.395 could make that “tick” sound, and 0.400 makes it go away..

Now i don’t know if this would be very common or it’s just something that a Node is sitting on some type of setting that it does or does not apply the effect correctly. Don’t know exactly how to explain this. I just base this on all my experience with all type of plugins where something is never happening and now it’s happening. It differs, but i can’t pin point it out what it is.. so it could be clipping inside a node and would work out as expected or a node underperforming. For sure is, i don’t know why or what goes wrong there.

But for all the rest, a great tool with a lot of options even do i am not a drone user yet and didn’t played a lot in general to make drones. i think it’s really in perspective that this is created with MNode a well done job.

And your CPU load of your project is okay, just 15%. just imagine that my Synth project is already around 30-40% and how i am fighting against any percentage :slight_smile:

But anyhow, nicely done and great to see you here!
:+1:

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In my experience, ticks happen whenever you have a sound with 0 attack and a starting value at or near 1. Like kicking off a sin wave at +/- 1 rather than the zero crossing. The tick is due to the speaker cone trying to instantaneously go from off to peak. If you put a sonogram on the signal, you may see that there is no noise (tick) in the signal, which is because the phenomenon occurs in the speaker cone. You can correct it by increasing the attack to 4 ms give or take, or making sure the signal starts at a zero crossing. I notice the effect most often with sine waves in Bitwig, because for reasons that defy logic, the Bitwig sine oscillator starts at a value of 1 at phase = 0, which I correct by offsetting the phase by 90 deg.

Sorry for the rambling post which may or may not be relevant to your specific issue(s). Obviously clicks and pops can happen for many reasons, but when you mentioned values going from 0 to 1, it made me think it could be the speaker failing to react.

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No worry’s, yeah clicking sounds most likely are always on quick attack and release when you move from/to the zero.

If someone didn’t know you explained exactly what is happening mechanical with the speaker cone :+1:

But those I heard came from the tape distortion. Now of course that does not mean they both aren’t related but with a slight change of that FX I could make that random click/pop sound go away.

I was just hearing them on some notes.

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Hey @dr.rom,

Congratulations, the work is spectacular and the presets are fantastic! It’s true that one of them generates clicks, although I’m not even sure that’s necessarily a bad thing, as it could actually be intentional.

What @JsinOwl mentioned is correct: an envelope set to 0 is prone to generating clicks because of the discontinuity in the audio. In fact, the first versions of MNodes didn’t allow a value of 0, but I changed that because there are situations where it can actually be desirable.

That said, I’ll also look into what Danny mentioned. There may be something happening with the Tape Distortion that I can improve or fix on my side.

I’ve also noticed a few details in both your patch and @Danny’s that I’m currently working on. For example, when switching pages by clicking the buttons, the page can momentarily appear blank. It doesn’t seem to happen in every case, but I’ll see if I can provide a more direct solution or an example of how to avoid it.

Overall, fantastic work!

I’ve also seen that you’ve posted several requests on the forum. Please keep doing that, they’re extremely useful for improving MNodes. If I don’t reply to every post, I usually leave a like to mark it as seen. I take note of everything and work through it as I can.

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Thanks for the warm welcome.

I’m always happy to meet people interested in this type of sound and the sound generators capable of producing it.

DroneZone is the result of my own quest for the ultimate drone synthesizer (though I haven’t quite reached that goal yet).

Sounds like these often play a crucial role in the darker subgenres of ambient music. Since I really enjoy this aesthetics of sound, I was always on the lookout for a tool to create such sounds.

I tried quite a few things (samples, granular synths, modular systems, UVI Falcon, etc.); while those systems are interesting and certainly have their strengths, they never quite won me over for my specific needs.

Since I already use and highly value other tools by Mairo Nieto, I thought I’d give this system a try. And lo and behold: it comes pretty close to what I had in mind. I even believe that MNodes - provided it continues to evolve so dynamically - has the potential to become a development platform that appeals to commercial developers as well (especially if the VST compiler works out).

In any case, I’m really enjoying working with this system, and I believe MNodes will allow me to create many of the tools I’ve always wanted.

@ Danny
To be honest, I hadn’t really given much thought to the clicking sounds you mentioned. After all, time-based effects like delay and reverb rely on audio buffers to handle the effect’s decay/tail. I assumed that switching patches or states resets these buffers, causing those artifacts. But then again, the reality might be completely different… you’d really need to examine the source code to clarify that for sure.
Regardless, you’re bound to get unnatural effects of some kind if, e.g., switching from a patch with a long reverb tail to one without reverb.
I have to admit, though, that I don’t have much real experience with the individual MNodes modules yet; it’s all still more or less new territory for me.

That said, I tend to view the effects in MNodes more as additional sound-shaping building blocks (like oscillators and filters) rather than as competitors to “real” effects.

In my opinion, this is especially true for the reverbs. Honestly, they remind me of the old Wonderverb from 90s-era Cubase (does anyone even remember that? I feel so old right now…:thinking: ). I wouldn’t view a module like that as a replacement for a standard reverb (for that, I’d simply place a dedicated plugin in the DAW after DroneZone). But the artifacts and metallic decay these modules produce definitely have a unique charm for certain sounds.

I built a multi-stage reverb effect for DroneZone where you can chain up to two reverb units and tame the tail a bit using low-cut and high-cut filters. As a pure reverb effect, it’s a disaster - but as an “all-purpose effect,” it’s actually quite useful.

That’s exactly how I view the “Tape Damage” effect, too. It’s a lo-fi effect anyway, so why not throw in a few extra artifacts? (That’s just my opinion, of course.)

Still, I find it really remarkable that you pick up on things like that immediately—cool :+1:

@Nay-seven
Thanks a lot! I think your idea for the hold switch is great. It’s right at the top of my list of features to add in the next update.

Mario Nieto
Thank you! I really appreciate your feedback. Naturally, while working with MNodes, I’ve noticed a few things that I’ll be reporting on in the forum soon.
But honestly: how long has MNodes actually been on the market?
It’s still so new, yet already very powerful. I hope you keep at it. I’m sure it will pay off (a “Reaktor killer” :grinning_face:).

All the best to everyone! dr.rom

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you make me very curious to the music you make the dark style ambient is something i really love stuff like https://youtu.be/c_haHtqEduo?si=CHVnvmL7RF9YtXnr

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Hi OctaFuzZ,

I gave the track a listen and also found a few albums by the artist on Bandcamp.
I wasn’t familiar with Evan Bartholomew before, but I really like what I’ve heard so far. I’m going to dig a bit deeper into his work.
Is this your own music?
Definitely a great recommendation—thanks!

If you’re interested in any of my own music, you can have a listen here (this isn’t a promo plug, by the way): No Hope | dr.rom
At the moment, though, I’m focusing more on drone-style material, such as: New World Theory | Logic Requiem or the stuff by Flowers for Bodysnatchers.

Maybe that’s something you’d enjoy.

You certainly have good taste in music :slight_smile:

All the best, dr.rom

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no just a great artist i keep coming back to :slight_smile: i pm you a link of mine dont wanna plug it here

i really like your stuff i almost listened your album completely (still going) and hearing where you come from makes me only more curious what you are gonna come up with in mnodes :slight_smile:

cheers

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Likewise, but i am new to it. at least it’s a bit of change in direction for me while i having all kind of those tools i just never touched that section for 100%. and still not really but i am getting into it :slight_smile:

Perhaps it’s just a journey and there has not to be a goal. You mention the 90’s and i think a lot has changed with all the tools we got these days. Now i am staying a bit away with music generation with AI but rather mean the growth of plugins/hardware that become more accessible.

At 1990 i was i guess around 20 years old and in those day’s i had a Roland D10/U20 and somewhere around that bought my Access Virus indigo. But must say of course internet was not a real thing in life, that became a part of life in time for the good and the bad.

Don’t worry to much about it, i was just browsing the “states” and playing with them. Happy accidents are also okay while some node’s in the distortion section can behave a bit off. But nothing to bad, just while moving the values sometimes you get a little crackling sound or just the wrong spot for a note and it might behave a bit harsher. For somehow it’s also ok to be not perfect. I Think making music or playing with sound doesn’t have to be perfect.

I am working trough time, just like you and everyone else. MNode is just new, Mario creates a lot of updates and putting a lot of effort in to make things work.

For me noticing these things, i think next to being moderator i am also a beta tester and it’s my obligation to notice things and report them :slight_smile:

Of course, i mean the time that MNode exists versus the whole industry. you can’t beat in a few months UVI, Native instruments or Arturia in that time. And MNode in my opinion is not about that, it’s more what you as a user and what you develop what you are missing for what you want to have to fill in the gaps.

Just like cooking, sometimes you got to experiment with the ingredients to figure out new flavors :slight_smile:

Well, i officially i am sharing a bit of autism and therefore i like details. Luckily i lost my will to being perfect after a long struggle in life but yeah, i pay attention to details and also am able to let them be as they are :slight_smile:

I think alike, I also created Nova, Artifact and Solar which are in the hub. These reverb FX are a combination of cooking with ingredients, not following rules or a structure how to chain them.

Thanks, likewise.