# xaoc Devices — Sopot - [Manual PDF](../../manuals/DocFractaosEN-V1.5.pdf) --- [Fractaos Manual PDF](sandbox:/mnt/data/Fractaos_User_Manual_v1.5.pdf) # Kaona Fractaos: creative patch ideas and module pairing suggestions Fractaos is not “just another digital oscillator.” It’s really a **4-voice fractal synthesis engine** with: - 4 polyphonic voices - 8 oscillators total in driver/follower pairs - internal ADSR per voice - internal fractal/LFO modulation behavior - resonant fractal filter per voice - MIDI, 1V/oct, and trig per-voice control - Drone mode - Multitimbral preset-per-voice mode That means it can function as: - a **polyphonic voice module** - a **4-part multitimbral sound source** - a **self-contained drone orchestra** - a **hybrid tonal/noise/percussion generator** - a **complex modulation-responsive digital texture machine** Below are practical and creative ways I’d use it in a Eurorack system. --- # 1. First: what Fractaos seems best at musically From the manual, Fractaos excels in these zones: - **Animated harmonic complexity** rather than static timbres - **Organic drift and unstable spectra** - **Stereo drones and chord clouds** - **Percussive models blended with pitched geometry** - **Preset-driven performance setups** - **Multitimbral MIDI voice allocation** - **Audio that rewards slow CV movement** This suggests pairing it with modules that provide: - nuanced CV animation - spatialization - filtering outside its internal fractal filter - voice management - performance macro control - rhythmic note/gate generation - rich effects, especially delay/reverb/granular --- # 2. Important practical takeaways from the manual These matter for patch planning: ## CV inputs and ranges Fractaos has 8 CV inputs with attenuators: - **bipolar ±5V** for: - Texture - Pitch - Spread - Morph - **unipolar 0–5V** for: - Speed - Amount - F-Chaos - P-Chaos So if you feed it modulation from Eurorack sources, it helps to have: - attenuverters - offset generators - voltage processors - slew limiters - utilities for converting bipolar to unipolar ## Parameters that seem especially performance-sensitive The most musically exploitable controls look like: - **Morph** - **Spread** - **Texture** - **Chaos / Primitive Chaos** - **Speed / Amount** - **Fractal Type / Primitive Type** by hand ## One limitation to exploit intelligently - **Depth / Primitive Depth are stepped and not CV-modulatable** So for live use, treat Depth like a **scene change** or timbral range selector rather than an animated modulation destination. --- # 3. Best companion module categories ## A. Modulation utilities Probably the best category to pair with Fractaos. ### What to use - Make Noise Maths - Frap Tools 321 - Happy Nerding 3xMIA - Intellijel Triplatt - Befaco A*B+C - Joranalogue Select 2 / Contour 1 - After Later/Doepfer attenuators and offsets ### Why Fractaos already has deep internal behavior, but **external modulation scaling** will make it far more playable. Especially because some inputs want 0–5V and others want ±5V. ### Great use - Send a slow random CV into **Chaos**, but attenuate heavily - Offset an LFO into **Amount** so it lives in the “sweet spot” - Crossfade between two modulation sources before **Morph** --- ## B. Slow organic modulation sources Fractaos sounds like it loves long-form movement. ### Good options - Make Noise Wogglebug - Mutable Marbles - Xaoc Batumi - DivKid Ochd / Ochd Expander - Instruō øchd-style multi-LFOs - Joranalogue Orbit 3 - Verbos Random Sampling - Nonlinear Circuits chaotic modulators ### Why The manual repeatedly points toward: - drift - chaos - texture evolution - slow filter movement - animated detune ### Great patch targets - **P-Chaos** for primitive instability - **F-Chaos** for driver instability - **Speed** for changing fractal envelope speed - **Spread** for living detune/chord behavior - **Texture** for evolving resonance/formant content ### Patch idea Use 3 independent slow LFOs: - LFO 1 → Morph - LFO 2 → Texture - LFO 3 → P-Chaos Then manually adjust: - Fractal Type - Primitive Type - Depth This should turn Fractaos into an evolving, semi-self-composing digital ecosystem. --- ## C. Polyphonic sequencers / MIDI-CV tools Fractaos is unusually capable as a poly voice in Eurorack. ### Strong matches - Expert Sleepers FH-2 - Endorphin.es Shuttle Control - Hexinverter Mutant Brain - Tubbutec uTune / MIDI-CV ecosystems - OXI Coral/One ecosystem if integrated externally - Squarp Hermod+ - Winter Modular Eloquencer + MIDI/CV helpers ### Why Fractaos can take: - TRS MIDI - 4x trig - 4x 1V/oct That opens multiple workflows: - keyboard polyphony - DAW-driven chord sequencing - per-voice modular sequencing - multitimbral routing by MIDI channel ### Best use Use a MIDI-CV interface that can send: - four pitch CVs - four gates - velocity or aftertouch via MIDI Then let Fractaos be a **complete polyphonic synth voice** while the rest of the modular provides modulation and effects. --- ## D. External filters Fractaos has internal filtering/texture behavior, but external filtering can turn it into something much larger. ### Great pairings - Stereo filter: QPAS, Ikarie, Dual Dagger - Character filter: Belgrad, Three Sisters, Morgasmatron - Clean poly-ish shaping: ADDAC, Doepfer dual filters - LPGs: Optomix, LxD, Natural Gate ### Why Fractaos can be spectrally dense, noisy, and formant-rich. External filtering gives you: - macro sculpting - contrast against the internal fractal texture filter - animation between digital complexity and analog restraint ### Patch ideas 1. **Drone mode into stereo filter** - Fractaos in Drone - Spread in chord zone - external slow CV to Morph/Texture - stereo filter sweeping slowly - big reverb after 2. **Percussion model into LPG** - Use Kick/Snare/Tom - external trig - route audio through LPG for woodier transient behavior - especially nice for turning digital drums into more acoustic-feeling hits --- ## E. Effects: delay, reverb, granular, spectral This is maybe the biggest payoff category. ### Strong matches - Make Noise Mimeophon - Strymon Magneto / Starlab - XAOC Timiszoara - Desmodus Versio - Noise Engineering electus/Imitor style delays - Mutable Clouds/Beads-inspired modules - Qu-Bit Aurora / Nautilus / Prism - Arbhar, Morphagene - Eventide/H90 external send-return if using line conversion ### Why Fractaos naturally produces: - internal detail - spectral movement - noisy tails - pseudo-acoustic and digital textures Effects turn those into: - cinematic pads - generative ambience - metallic dub echoes - granular swarms - glitched harmonic clouds ### Specific patch **Fractal ensemble wash** - Main fractal: Ensemble or Cluster - Primitive: Hilbert or Fibonacci - Slow modulation to Morph and Texture - Drone mode chord spread - Into Mimeophon with moderate Halo and Color - Then huge reverb Result: shimmering evolving orchestra-from-another-planet. --- ## F. VCAs and macro performance mixers Fractaos is deep enough that you’ll want gesture control. ### Recommended types - Quad VCA - Stereo VCA - performance mixer - CV-controlled crossfader - macro controller ### Good modules - Intellijel Quad VCA - ALM Tangle Quartet - Happy Nerding PanMix / 3xVCA - WORNG Soundstage / vector mixers - Planar 2 - Tetrapad + Tête - Faderbank modules - Befaco Hexmix ecosystem ### Why Since Fractaos can be: - 4 voices - 2 stereo outs - preset/live hybrids in MULTI You’ll want to control: - level - CV depth externally - wet/dry effect blends - transitions between calm and chaos ### Performance trick Use a joystick or macro fader to simultaneously control: - external VCA on Fractaos audio - CV amount sent to Chaos - effect send level - filter cutoff One gesture can move from “stable glass pad” to “fractured storm noise.” --- # 4. Creative patch strategies ## Patch 1: Four-voice polyphonic “alien string machine” **Goal:** lush playable poly synth ### Setup - MIDI keyboard or sequencer into Fractaos - Polyphonic mode on a single MIDI channel - Choose: - main fractal: Fibonacci / Koch / Julia - primitive: Rössler / Hilbert / Sierpinski - Moderate Texture - Slow Speed - Amount medium-low - Slight Spread - ADSR with soft attack and long release ### Add modules - Stereo chorus, ensemble, or reverb - Optional stereo analog filter - Slow LFO into Morph ### Why it works Fibonacci/Koch/Hilbert-like shapes should give harmonically rich but playable tones; Fractaos’s internal motion avoids the static feel of ordinary digital polys. --- ## Patch 2: Drone cathedral **Goal:** giant harmonic drone installation ### Setup - Activate Drone mode - Put Spread in upper chord zone - Try: - main fractal: Cloud / Cluster / String / Lorenz - primitive: Dragon / Hilbert / Hénon - Very slow modulation on: - Texture - Morph - F-Chaos - Speed ### Add modules - stereo filter - reverb - very slow panner - submixer for parallel dry/wet ### Bonus Use one of the microtonal Drone chords: - Just intonation - 7-limit flavor - 19-TET slice - Bohlen-Pierce subset ### Why it works Fractaos’s Drone mode treats all 8 oscillators individually, which is much more like a small drone ensemble than a regular detuned oscillator. --- ## Patch 3: Fractal percussion laboratory **Goal:** weird percussion that still feels “played” ### Setup - Use Drum fractals: - Kick - Tom - Snare - HiHat - Cymbal - Trigger voices separately with modular gates - Primitive set to a geometric fractal - Use Morph to blend percussion body with pitched/harmonic tail ### Add modules - trigger sequencer - probability trigger source - logic modules - LPG or transient shaper - delay on snare/cymbal only if you can route externally ### Creative use Because Drum fractals still respond to MIDI pitch or CV pitch coloration, you can sequence tuned toms or electro-percussion lines instead of just static drums. ### Patch expansion Use: - Euclidean trigger module - random skip/probability - sequential switch for changing incoming pitch CV patterns Result: hybrid kit / melodic percussion voice. --- ## Patch 4: FM-ish metallic machine **Goal:** exploit simplified FM mode The manual says simplified FM mode is: - Loop OFF - Trig OFF - Morph ON - Spread OFF - Chaos OFF Then **Amount** becomes bipolar around center: - below center = internal feedback - above center = primitive 2 modulates main fractal frequency ### Setup - Use geometric main fractals, not textures/drums - Try: - main: Mandelbrot, Sierpinski, Koch, Dragon - primitive: Rössler, Logistic, Hilbert, Julia - Sweep Amount slowly around center ### Add modules - precision offset/attenuverter - envelope follower or manual CV controller - wavefolder or analog filter after Fractaos ### Why This should create metallic, unstable, operator-like digital timbres unlike classic DX/FM voices. ### Advanced move Use a CV recorder or joystick to “play” the Amount region around the FM center point. That zone is likely extremely expressive. --- ## Patch 5: Multitimbral modular “band” **Goal:** 4 independent characters from one module ### Setup Use MULTI mode with separate MIDI channels per voice. Example layout: - Voice 1: bass preset - Voice 2: chord pad preset - Voice 3: percussion preset - Voice 4: lead/live voice ### Add modules - MIDI sequencer with multitrack channel output - external mixer - stereo FX bus - clocked modulation synced across all voices ### Why Fractaos can effectively become a **tiny self-contained digital ensemble**. ### Creative angle Leave one voice in **LIVE** while the others use presets. Then perform the live voice from the panel while the preset voices remain stable. This is one of the most unique features in the manual. --- ## Patch 6: CV-addressed chaos sculpture **Goal:** let modular CV “play the fractal” ### Setup Use CV sources into: - F-Chaos - P-Chaos - Morph - Texture ### Add modules - stepped random - slewed random - voltage-addressable sequencer - sample & hold - clock divider ### Trick Clock a sample-and-hold slowly and send it to Primitive Chaos while a slewed random moves Morph. Keep the base sound simple. You’ll get a consistent identity with evolving internal fracture. ### Best partner modules - Marbles - Turing Machine + expanders - Ornament & Crime - Klavis Twin Waves as modulation source - stochastic sequencers --- ## Patch 7: Chord machine with external quantized modulation **Goal:** harmonic motion without changing played notes ### Setup In Drone mode, Spread accesses predefined chord sets. But outside Drone, Spread handles detune. So exploit both states performatively. ### Add modules - gate utility or manual switch - CV generator into Pitch - precision adder - quantizer - sequential switch ### Idea Use Pitch CV to transpose the drone chords while manually moving Spread through the chord section. Then process with reverb and filtering. ### More advanced Use 4 pitch CVs differently per voice even in Drone mode, so each pair gets independent transposition while the global Spread still organizes the overall 8-oscillator structure. This should create shifting harmonic fields rather than fixed chords. --- ## Patch 8: External resonator or physical-model hybrid **Goal:** turn Fractaos into an exciter for resonant systems ### Pair with - Mutable Rings / Resonator modules - 2hp Pluck-style resonators - feedback resonators - Karplus/comb filters - spring reverb tanks ### Why Fractaos has: - noisy textures - percussive models - harmonically jagged waveforms - unstable transients Those can act as fantastic excitation sources. ### Patch examples - HiHat fractal into resonator for synthetic metallic tuned percussion - String/Cloud texture into comb filter for haunted bowed ambience - Kick/Tom into resonant lowpass for huge cinematic booms --- ## Patch 9: Audio-rate modulation ecosystem **Goal:** brutal digital complexity Fractaos doesn’t expose raw oscillator internals, but you can still build an ecosystem around it. ### Pair with - wavefolder - analog distortion - bitcrusher - sample rate reducer - PLL - frequency shifter - ring modulator ### Recommended types - wavefolder: Serge-style, Intellijel Bifold, Bastl Timber - frequency shifter: Xaoc Koszalin, Doepfer A-126-2 - distortion: Ruina Versio, Data Bender, Industrial Music Electronics style processors ### Why Fractaos already creates rich spectra. Nonlinear post-processing can reveal hidden motion and sidebands. ### Great sounds - Mandelbrot + FM mode into wavefolder - Cloud/Storm into frequency shifter - Rule30 bass into saturation and LPG - Cymbal into bitcrusher and reverb --- ## Patch 10: Fractaos as the “digital top layer” of a larger patch **Goal:** use it as a spectral contrast voice ### Pair with - analog VCO bass voice - sample-based drum voice - west-coast bongo voice - field recording/granular layer ### Why Fractaos shines when contrasted against simpler materials. ### Example arrangement - Analog mono bass underneath - Fractaos poly pad above - Fractaos percussion voice in MULTI - noise/snare elsewhere - long stereo FX send only on Fractaos This keeps the mix intelligible while preserving Fractaos’s complexity. --- # 5. Best module pairings by musical role ## For ambient / drone - Ochd or Batumi for slow modulation - QPAS / Ikarie / stereo filter - Mimeophon / Magneto / Desmodus - Planar 2 for macro gestures - Clouds/Beads/Arbhar for granular diffusion ## For techno / industrial - trigger sequencer - Euclidean sequencer - logic modules - distortion / wavefolder / bitcrusher - LPG or snappy VCA - performance mixer Use Rule30, Drum fractals, Logistic, Collatz, Hénon, and simplified FM mode. ## For generative / experimental - Marbles - Turing Machine - Ornament & Crime - chaotic CV source - quantizer - resonator - granular effect Use Lorenz, Dragon, Hilbert, Cluster, Storm, and microtonal Drone chords. ## For keyboard poly synth use - FH-2 / Shuttle Control / Mutant Brain / Hermod+ - stereo chorus/reverb - external filter - expression controller or aftertouch-capable controller Use Fibonacci, Julia, Koch, Sierpinski, Rössler. --- # 6. Specific high-value modulation targets If I were patching Fractaos, these would be my priority CV destinations: ## 1. Morph Probably the richest continuously playable parameter. Use: - slow triangle LFO - joystick - pressure CV - envelope follower ## 2. Texture Likely the fastest route to “alive” timbral animation. Use: - slow random - ADSR from external keyboard dynamics - accent CV from sequencer ## 3. F-Chaos / P-Chaos Use carefully scaled CV here. Small moves probably matter more than large ones. Use: - attenuated random - stepped CV with slew - burst envelopes ## 4. Spread Especially powerful in Drone mode. Use: - macro controller - manually performed offset voltage - slewed stepped random for slow chord migration ## 5. Amount / Speed These govern the internal fractal envelope/LFO behavior and FM intensity contexts. Use: - synced LFOs - manual offset - envelope control for per-note articulation changes --- # 7. Patches that exploit manual-specific quirks ## A. Preset surfing performance patch Because LOAD mode applies presets immediately for auditioning, you can use Fractaos almost like a performance preset instrument. ### Setup - sequence running into Fractaos - go into LOAD - audition presets in time with the music - use manual “match the knobs to arrows” method to recover live control This is ideal if you want morphing between predesigned scenes during a set. --- ## B. LIVE + preset hybrid in MULTI Because LIVE voices in MULTI still respond to the panel, you can do this: - Voice 1: preset bass - Voice 2: preset pad - Voice 3: LIVE lead - Voice 4: LIVE FX/percussion Then the front panel becomes a shared live sculptor for only the LIVE voices while other voices stay fixed. That’s unusually powerful for a Eurorack oscillator. --- ## C. Sustain = 0 envelope trick The manual notes that Release still matters when Sustain is 0. Use this for: - pseudo-plucks with variable tail - disappearing notes if held - expressive early note release gestures from keyboard/sequencer It’s especially useful for: - Drum + geometric Morph patches - mallet-like plucks - sparse generative melodies --- # 8. Suggested “dream systems” around Fractaos ## Small system - Fractaos - Quad modulation source - utility attenuverter/offset - stereo filter - delay/reverb - small mixer This is enough for ambient, drones, and performance textures. ## Poly performance system - Fractaos - MIDI-CV/poly controller - macro controller - stereo chorus/filter - reverb - performance mixer This makes Fractaos the centerpiece synth voice. ## Experimental lab system - Fractaos - random/chaotic CV generator - resonator - bitcrusher/distortion - granular processor - logic and trigger sequencer This gets the most out of its fractal/noise/percussion identity. --- # 9. Concrete module recommendations If you want especially synergistic pairings, I’d shortlist: ## Utilities - Happy Nerding 3xMIA - Intellijel Triplatt - Make Noise Maths ## Modulation - DivKid Ochd - Xaoc Batumi - Mutable Marbles ## Poly/MIDI control - Expert Sleepers FH-2 - Squarp Hermod+ - Endorphin.es Shuttle Control ## Filtering - Make Noise QPAS - Bastl Ikarie - XAOC Belgrad ## Effects - Make Noise Mimeophon - Desmodus Versio - Strymon Magneto - Mutable/clone Clouds or Beads - Instruō Arbhar ## Performance control - Intellijel Planar 2 - 4ms Catalyst Controller style macro tools - tetrapad/fader-style controllers --- # 10. Final creative takeaway The most interesting way to use Fractaos is **not** as a static oscillator replacement. It becomes special when you treat it as: - a **fractal ensemble** - a **preset/live hybrid instrument** - a **drone chord engine** - a **digital percussion + harmonic blend source** - a **polyphonic texture organism** that needs carefully curated modulation My personal favorite uses based on the manual would be: 1. **Drone mode + chord Spread + slow CV + huge reverb** 2. **MULTI mode with 2 preset voices and 2 LIVE voices** 3. **Drum fractals morphed into geometric tails** 4. **Simplified FM mode with a joystick controlling Amount** 5. **Microtonal drone chords through stereo filtering and granular effects** If you want, I can also turn this into: - a **“best companion modules by budget” list** - a **genre-specific patch guide** for ambient/techno/industrial - or a **10-patch recipe sheet** with exact signal flow diagrams. [Generated With Eurorack Processor](https://github.com/nstarke/eurorack-processor)