Elements

Mutable Instruments 34HP
fw 1.1
OSCILLATOR RESONATOR VCO NOISE

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Modal synthesis voice: three exciters (Bow/Blow/Strike) feed a tuned resonator modelling plates, strings, tubes and bowls. Onboard reverb and stereo outputs. Two audio inputs let external signals be processed by the resonator.

Patch Ideas · 8

★ Bowed string lead
Default resonator model · BOW ~2 o'clock · BLOW/STRIKE at 0 · GEOMETRY in the string zone · DAMPING ~2 o'clock · CONTOUR with some sustain · V/OCT + GATE from keyboard · take OUT L/R stereo
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 3 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Elements, Keyboard, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsKeyboardOutputModel: Original (modal)V/OCT1v/octGATEgateOUT LaudioOUT RaudioPitch1v/octGategateLaudioRaudioaudiopitchgate
★ Drums through the resonator
Drum loop into EXT IN 2 (raw path) · all internal exciters at 0 · DAMPING medium · quantised pitch sequence on V/OCT · SPACE at 10 o'clock for a room · stereo out
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Elements, Drum Loop, Sequencer, Quantizer, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 2 pitch.ElementsDrum LoopSequencerQuantizerOutputBOW/BLOW/STRIKE: 0EXT IN 2audioV/OCT1v/octOUT LaudioOUT RaudioOutaudioPitch1v/octIn1v/octOut1v/octLaudioRaudioaudiopitch
Breathy flute pad
BLOW ~3 o'clock · BOW/STRIKE at 0 · FLOW swept by slow LFO for turbulent air · GEOMETRY in the tube/bar zone · DAMPING CW · SPACE at 3 o'clock
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Elements, Keyboard, Slow LFO, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsKeyboardSlow LFOOutputGEOMETRY: tube zoneV/OCT1v/octGATEgateFLOW CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioPitch1v/octGategateOutcvLaudioRaudioaudiocvpitchgate
★ Self-oscillating sine
DAMPING full CW · BOW at ~10 o'clock · BLOW/STRIKE at 0 · GATE held high (+5 V offset) so CONTOUR stays open · COARSE/FINE set the pitch like a VCO · GEOMETRY finds the harmonic notch for a clean tone
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 4 connections. Modules: Elements, Offset, Sequencer, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsOffsetSequencerOutputDAMPING: maxGATEgateV/OCT1v/octOUT LaudioOUT Raudio+5VgatePitch1v/octLaudioRaudioaudiopitchgate
Hybrid percussion hit
STRIKE at 3 o'clock (bleeds onto output for bite) · MALLET ~noon · BOW ~9 o'clock for a scratched attack · short gates from clock · DAMPING ~11 o'clock · S&H into GEOMETRY CV for per-hit variation
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Elements, Clock, Sequencer, S&H, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsClockSequencerS&HOutputGATEgateV/OCT1v/octGEOMETRY CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioOutgatePitch1v/octOutcvLaudioRaudioaudiocvpitchgate
Pad through resonator (envelope path)
Pad synth into EXT IN 1 so it passes through CONTOUR + STRENGTH VCA · internal exciters at 0 · POSITION swept by slow LFO · SPACE at noon · V/OCT from keyboard · GATE from keyboard
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 5 modules and 6 connections. Modules: Elements, Pad Synth, Keyboard, Slow LFO, Output. Signals: 3 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsPad SynthKeyboardSlow LFOOutputBOW/BLOW/STRIKE: 0EXT IN 1audioV/OCT1v/octGATEgatePOSITION CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioOutaudioPitch1v/octGategateOutcvLaudioRaudioaudiocvpitchgate
Reverb-freeze drone layers
Play a chord through Elements · SPACE at full CW · large positive CV pulse on SPACE to trigger freeze · overdub further notes into the frozen tail · BOW adds airy bed
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Elements, Keyboard, Envelope, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsKeyboardEnvelopeOutputSPACE: maxV/OCT1v/octGATEgateSPACE CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioPitch1v/octGategateOutcvLaudioRaudio11. freeze pulseaudiocvpitchgate
Chord-mode strums (firmware 1.1)
Switch firmware to model 3 (Chords — 3 blinks) · STRIKE short gates from a rhythmic clock · GEOMETRY CV from sequencer to step chord types · DAMPING medium · SPACE at 2 o'clock
▸ Show diagram
Patch diagramPatch diagram with 4 modules and 5 connections. Modules: Elements, Clock, Sequencer, Output. Signals: 2 audio, 1 cv, 1 pitch, 1 gate.ElementsClockSequencerOutputModel: Chords (fw 1.1, 3 blinks)GATEgateV/OCT1v/octGEOMETRY CVcvOUT LaudioOUT RaudioOutgatePitch1v/octAuxcvLaudioRaudio11. chord selectaudiocvpitchgate

Behaviors

Three-exciter mixer any combination of BOW/BLOW/STRIKE with GATE or PLAY

BOW, BLOW and STRIKE sum into the resonator. CONTOUR shapes the BOW/BLOW envelope; STRIKE fires on gate edges. Blend for hybrid articulations such as blown-and-bowed strings or plucked tubes.

External audio through resonator audio into EXT IN 1 or EXT IN 2

EXT IN 1 runs through the envelope and STRENGTH VCA before the resonator — good for shaping external audio with Elements' envelope. EXT IN 2 hits the resonator raw. Drums, voices, or pads become pitched modal material.

Self-oscillating resonator DAMPING at max with steady BOW

At DAMPING's top the resonator sustains energy indefinitely; a light bow keeps it singing as a nearly pure pitched voice. GEOMETRY and BRIGHTNESS sculpt the self-oscillating tone.

Reverb freeze SPACE knob at max + large positive CV on SPACE

Pushes the algorithmic reverb past unity feedback so its tail never decays. Useful for overdubbing layers of notes into chords or drones.

Stereo exciter/resonator split SPACE fully CCW

At SPACE minimum, OUT L carries the raw exciter and OUT R the raw resonator — an insert point for external FX between the two. Raising SPACE merges them into a stereo pickup, then adds reverb past noon.

POSITION pseudo-PWM LFO on POSITION CV

POSITION at the midpoint cancels even harmonics (hollow, square-like tone). Modulating POSITION produces PWM-like comb-filter motion without amplitude artefacts.

Firmware 1.1 alt resonator models all 8 resonator knobs + 5 resonator attenuverters fully CW, hold PLAY 5 s

Cycles through three resonator models: 1 blink = original modal filter bank; 2 blinks = non-linear comb-filter string (GEOMETRY selects non-linearity type); 3 blinks = Chords, a bank of six comb filters tuned as a chord (GEOMETRY selects chord type).

Ominous Voice easter egg all exciter attenuverters + all TIMBRE knobs MIN; all resonator attenuverters + DAMPING/POSITION/SPACE MAX; hold PLAY 5 s, then press PLAY

Swaps the firmware for a 2×2-operator FM synth voice with stereo filter, autopan and reverb. Controls are repurposed (BOW = detuning, FLOW/MALLET = op ratios, TIMBRE knobs = feedback/FM amounts, GEOMETRY = filter response, BRIGHTNESS = cutoff, POSITION = rotation speed). Repeat procedure to return.

Calibration mode disconnect CV; all attenuverters to minimum; hold PLAY 5 s; send 1 V then 3 V to V/OCT, pressing PLAY after each

Two-point V/OCT calibration. Exciter LED blinks during step 1; resonator LED blinks during step 2. Move at least one attenuverter afterwards to avoid re-entering calibration by accident.

Controls

Exciter CONTOUR Built-in envelope applied to the BOW and BLOW exciters, triggered by PLAY or GATE.
Interpolates preset shapes: short AD → longer AD → ADSR → faster AR
Exciter BOW Amount of bowed (scratching friction) excitation. More than a gain — simulates bow pressure, getting brighter and noisier as it opens.
Mixes with BLOW and STRIKE into the resonator
Exciter BLOW Amount of blown (granular breath-noise) excitation sent to the resonator.
Shaped by CONTOUR envelope
Exciter STRIKE Amount of percussive impulse excitation. Past ~2 o'clock the strike signal also bleeds onto the output for a bitier transient.
Triggered by GATE edges or PLAY
Exciter FLOW Air FLOW of the BLOW generator — wavetable scan through different colours of noise.
Modulate with an LFO for turbulent air-flow textures
Exciter MALLET Type of percussive noise for STRIKE — morphs through sampled sticks/brushes/hammers, damped mallets, plectrums, and bouncing-particle models.
Full CW reaches physical models of particles bouncing on a surface
Exciter BOW TIMBRE Smoothness vs granularity of the bow material.
Separate TIMBRE trim per generator
Exciter BLOW TIMBRE Pitch / granulation rate of the BLOW noise generator.
Interacts with FLOW
Exciter STRIKE TIMBRE Brightness / speed of the percussive STRIKE excitation.
Interacts with MALLET
Control PLAY Push-button that triggers the exciter and CONTOUR envelope. Equivalent to sending a positive gate to the GATE input.
Hold 5s (with specific knob positions) to enter calibration or switch firmware models
Resonator COARSE Coarse frequency of the resonator, stepped in semitones.
5-octave range
Resonator FINE Fine frequency tuning of the resonator.
±2 semitones, unquantized
Resonator FM Attenuverter Amount and polarity of the FM CV input on resonator pitch. Exponential scale — very progressive attenuation near noon.
±unity with exponential taper
Resonator GEOMETRY Geometry and stiffness of the resonating structure: plates → strings → bars/tubes → bells/bowls.
One sweet spot produces a purely harmonic spectrum (virtual notch)
Resonator BRIGHTNESS Damping of high-frequency modes — material character, from wood/nylon (low) to glass/steel (high).
CV summed with BRIGHTNESS jack
Resonator DAMPING How quickly energy dissipates through the material — the decay time of the resonator.
Full CW sustains indefinitely (resonator self-oscillates under bowing)
Resonator POSITION Point on the string/surface where excitation is applied. Middle position cancels even harmonics (square-like, hollow).
Analogous to PWM or comb-filter phasing; modulate for PWM-like motion
Output SPACE Stereo width + reverb amount. Minimum: L = exciter, R = resonator. Rising: two-microphone stereo pickup of the resonator. Past noon: algorithmic reverberation of increasing size and decay.
Very high CV at max position triggers a freeze (infinite reverb tail)
Control CV attenuverters Small attenuverters beside every exciter and resonator CV jack (plus V/OCT and STRENGTH).
Unity CW, invert CCW, zero at noon

I/O

IN · 16

  • GATE >2V gate GATE
    Trigger/gate input for the exciter. Rising edge fires STRIKE impulse; CONTOUR envelope runs while gate is high, modulating BOW and BLOW.
  • V/OCT ±8V clipped CV
    1V/octave pitch control for the resonator's fundamental frequency.
  • FM ±8V
    Exponential FM of resonator pitch. Scaled by the FM attenuverter.
  • STRENGTH ±8V CV
    VCA-style CV over the exciter signal level. Positive boosts, negative attenuates, ~3 dB/V, ±15 dB max.
  • BOW CV ±8V CV
    CV input for BOW amount, scaled by its attenuverter.
  • BLOW CV ±8V CV
    CV input for BLOW amount, scaled by its attenuverter.
  • STRIKE CV ±8V CV
    CV input for STRIKE amount, scaled by its attenuverter.
  • FLOW CV ±8V CV
    Modulates BLOW noise colour (air flow).
  • MALLET CV ±8V CV
    Modulates STRIKE mallet type.
  • GEOMETRY CV ±8V CV
    Modulates resonator geometry.
  • BRIGHTNESS CV ±8V CV
    Modulates resonator brightness / material.
  • DAMPING CV ±8V CV
    Modulates resonator decay time.
  • POSITION CV ±8V CV
    Modulates excitation position.
  • SPACE CV ±8V CV
    Modulates stereo width / reverb amount. Very high CV at max SPACE triggers reverb freeze.
  • EXT IN 1 10 Vpp (modular) ENV
    External audio input routed through the BLOW signal path: diffuser → CONTOUR envelope → STRENGTH VCA → resonator.
  • EXT IN 2 10 Vpp (modular) ENV
    External audio input sent directly to the resonator, unprocessed and without envelope or VCA.

OUT · 2

  • OUT L ±8V AUDIO
    Left audio output. At SPACE min: raw exciter signal. Above that: left channel of the stereo pickup / reverb.
  • OUT R ±8V AUDIO
    Right audio output. At SPACE min: raw resonator signal. Above that: right channel of the stereo pickup / reverb.