Welcome to Exquisite Coasts, a shared patch game created by Damon Holzborn and John O'Brien. In the spring of 2020, as the Covid-19 lockdown got under way, we started talking about ways to collaborate remotely after realizing that we both owned a Make Noise 0-Coast semi-modular synthesizer. By sharing patches—the state of the synthesizer, including the positions of the knobs and how the signals are routed from one part of the synthesizer to another—we created pairs of solo pieces that shared a common configuration.
The name is borrowed from Exquisite Corpse, a collaborative image or text game developed by the Surrealists, where a work is created either by using some set rule that all of the participants have to follow, or by revealing to the next participant only one part of what the previous person contributed. In this spirit, Exquisite Coasts uses a tight set of technical constraints as an artistic challenge that encourages a deep exploration of the instrument. These guidelines are designed to foster creativity, provide a useful method to get to know your synthesizer, and engage with a wider community of music makers.
Since Exquisite Coasts was first published, the game has expanded to include additional synthesizers from which to choose. Now, in addition to the 0-Coast, we've added additional small semi-modular instruments from Make Noise (Strega, 0-CTRL) and Moog (Mother 32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, Werkstatt). You can follow the spirit of the original and use just one of these at a time, or you can play an expanded version of the game by including more than one. Of course, you are also free to make up your own rules for yourself and your collaborators. If you feel a modified process would work better for you, by all means go for it!
Process
Create a patch and record a performance using only the the 0-Coast, Strega, 0-CTRL, Mother 32, DFAM, Subharmonicon, and/or Werkstatt (the Prompt).
Document the state of your synthesizer(s) at the end of the Prompt recording.
Share your Prompt for others to use (the Response).
Guidelines
All sound and control comes from the synthesizers you've select here — no outside MIDI or CV.
The only outside modules allowed are passive mults (this minor exception makes sense for those who don't have any stacking cables).
MIDI B CV and Gate should be set to LFO mode.
Re-patching while performing either the Prompt or the Response is not allowed; all interaction is through the knobs and buttons.
The knob positions notated in the patch chart should reflect the state of the patch at the end of the Prompt recording. The Response Author should use the knob positions as they explore the patch, but a Response recording need not start at those positions.
Linear editing (splicing) of the recordings is acceptable, but not multi-tracking.
Only mastering-type plug-ins (reverb, dynamic processing, EQ, etc.) are to be used on the recordings (i.e. no distortion, delay, flanger, etc.).
A good place to share Prompt patches and recordings is the Lines forum.
If you share your recordings on platforms like SoundCloud or YouTube, consider adding [exquisitecoast-prompt] or [exquisitecoast-response] at the end of the title so others can find your recordings. We'll keep any eye out for such tracks and add them to our SoundCloud playlist (YouTube playlist to come soon). Don't forget to include a link to your patch in the track description (and of course give credit to the original author when posting a Response).
If you share a patch on social media, consider using the hashtag #exquisitecoast.
If you are comfortable with doing so, it would be helpful to include contact info (email, website, social media, etc.) in the Author Info section so others can properly credit you in their response (or tell you how great your patch is!).
How to Play the Exquisite Coasts Shared Patch Game
Notate your patch using the interface below.
Click the Get Share Link button to view the URL to copy it to your device's clipboard.
Paste that link into an email to send to a friend, post on social media, or share with the Lines community.
Some Notes About this Web App
Your patch information is not stored on a server, all data is saved to your browser. This means that your work will only be available in the browser that you used to create the patch. You might want to save the links to any important patches somewhere else for safekeeping.
Your patch is automatically saved as you work so any patches you've worked on will be waiting for you when you return (with the same browser).
If you run into any issues, please let us know. Be sure to include as much detail as you can in your message — browser, device, OS version, what you were doing, etc.
Happy bleeping! We look forward to seeing and hearing what you do with Exquisite Coasts! If you'd like to hear what we've done with it, check out our Bandcamp page.
Use the Coast Express web app to set the 0-Coast MIDI settings. Copy the share link and paste it here. Note: Coast Express only works in Chrome, Opera, and Edge.