So, where the hell does it come from...?

 

Take a first look. (Photos by Dieter Riehl)

 

This is the main part of the basic live setup.. so far. Changes, modifications and new tests are always possible and part of the concept of MMM.

The first link of the chain - the origin of the basic signal - is here:

The frequency generator, or audio generator - as it has been called when it was built. That was in times of classic tube technology, and this thing originally was not built to make music. Anyway, it creates wonderful oscillations to feed an analogue synthesizer.

This one (Doepfer Dark Energy II) is perfect to manipulate the crude material coming from the frequency generator. Is has got no "sweet" sound like a Moog, it is more like strong coffee without milk and sugar. Following my "standard setup", the signal goes into the Korg Kaoss - Pad now.

This is the only digital component in the setup. The Kaoss - Pad also has lots of effects, but here it is mainly used as a sampling and mixing unit. And it goes on into the Fuzz Probe.

This is definitely the bad guy of the setup. Made as a guitar effect, it is able to produce crossover distortion. That´s why most musicians don´t like it - it´s not for the faint hearted, but perfect if you need the sound of a dying amp. Imagine what it does to an agressive and massive electronic sound! In combination with the theremin - effect it is the ultimate fun factor. For some of us.

But if you think the gnarly sound at this point ist still too smooth...

...here is one more. With the equalizer you can sharpen the signal even more, until it really hurts. And let´s be honest: The real fun starts when it hurts.

 

For aplification a big bass amp is required - or your P.A.!

There is no need to worry if it sounds like a dying amp: This is intended and does not harm your P.A., because the Fuzz Probe is a way to produce a sound like that WITHOUT killing your P.A.

 

The real fun is that you never really know what happens. Most of the machines are analogue, and turning a knob here can completely change the signal there. You can never reproduce one sound exactly again, and the combination of machines give you endless sources for variations. This is what makes every live performance unique.

You can drive the setup up to pure badass noise - if you like to. But: Never forget your earplugs and don´t try this at home!