Intense Tech #03 — Don't Sleep on Z (Defense Mechanism, after Hypnogram)

Seven worked examples of lsdj's Z command by defense-mechanism (intense-tech), rewritten from a 2016 blog post by hypnogram: random vibrato, duty cycle, panning, gating, melody, chords and a sweep. The article is the wiki's most concrete source on randomization-and-probability in LSDj.

Key claims#

• The manual (version 6+) defines it: "The Z command repeats the last non-Z command, adding a random number to the original command value. The Z value controls the maximum value of each digit to be added." A Z cannot randomise another Z.
• Random vibrato: step 0 carries the note with V00, every later step repeats the note with Z03 — each one acts as V00, V01, V02 or V03.
• Random duty: W values map to numbers — 00 = 12.5 %, 01 = 25 %, 02 = 50 %, 03 = 75 %. Z03 can pick any of the four; because 25 % and 75 % "effectively sound identical", Z02 (12.5 / 25 / 50 %, equal odds) gives more audible variation.
• Random panning: O values — OLR = 00, O__ = 01, OL_ = 02, O_R = 03. Starting from OL_ and using Z02 chooses among left, right and both; starting from OLR would include the mute. Since version 6 Z also works in tables: alternating OLR/O__ in a table with Automate ON gives a random gate.
• For these four-valued commands, an added value beyond the range wraps: the result is the remainder after dividing by 4 (Z11 = 17 → same as adding 01).
• Digits are independent (version 6 and later; not in version 4): Z02 adds 0/1/2, Z20 adds 00/10/20, Z22 any of the nine combinations. The manual's note "Randomize does not work with Hop, Groove and Delay" is followed by the article's own note that it does "as of version 8.1.9" (the later article 14 says every command except H — see s-intense-tech-14-lets-appreciate-version-8).
• Random melody: on Fxy the first digit x is PU2's transpose in semitones, so ZF0 after an F command re-pitches pulse 2 anywhere from the note up to an octave plus a major third above it.
• Random chords: C37 (minor) with Z10 yields C37 or C47 (major) — possible only since the digits became independent.
• Random sweep: Hypnogram's signature lead (Phantasm Dragon, at 1:30) randomises a sweep; it works only on pulse 1, the channel with the hardware sweep.

Practical takeaways#

Put the real command on the first step and Zxy on the repeats; size the digits to the command's value range (Z02 for duty and panning, Z10 for major/minor, ZF0 for a PU2 melody); remember the mod-4 wrap on W and O.

Notable quotes#

"…you can't randomize a Z command itself."

Pages touched#

randomization-and-probability · vibrato · pulse-width-modulation · stereo-panning · chord-arpeggio · lsdj · hypnogram · intense-tech · defense-mechanism