The Make Noise René is the world’s first “Cartesian Sequencer” for music synthesizers.

Named for the French philosopher & mathematician René Descartes, the Make Noise René uses his cartesian coordinate system to “unlock the analog step sequencer from the shackles of linearity.”

The primary goal of this sequencer is to have a maximum amount of artist controlled musical variation, with a minimum amount of data input. There are no menus, ALL editing is done real-time, and thus, the programming of René becomes a key performance element.

René has up to 4 clock inputs and 2 CV inputs which may be used simultaneously to achieve complex, musical patterns output in the form of quantized voltages, non-quantized voltages and two gate/ pulse streams.

In the demo video above, synthesist Richard Devine experiments with tripping the clock input to get different polyrhythms on the René. The MakeNoise Brains, K4815 Pattern Generator, Z8000, 4ms RCD, SCM and Pressure points are also being clocked with René from a single LFO.

The patch was created entirely on the modular (No drum machines or computers used here).

Sound sources for the drums. One noise source from the Cwejman S1 mkII to make the long clap percussion sounds. Kickdrum made on the Cwejman BLD, and snare drum made from the Synthesis Technology E350. High hats courtesy of the Malekko Noise Ring.

The module is 34HP and consumes 80mA worth of current.

The faceplate for the René is a printed circuit board. It is black, with white and gold graphics. The Make Noise René retails for $500.