In short
A variation series explores one theme through a planned set of mods, each differing from a shared base along a stated axis. Painters and musicians have long worked this way, and perfumers do too, often informally. Making a series teaches you more than making separate fragrances, because each piece explains the others. It also tends to produce better ideas than repeatedly adjusting a single formula.
What you will learn
- Plan a series with defined axes of change
- Compare the results in a grid over time
- Use what the series shows to take a composition further
Before this lesson: Reduction: The Fewest Materials That Still Work
Choosing the axes
| Kind | Example axis | What you might learn |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion | Wood at 5, 10, 20 parts | Where a material changes character |
| Substitution | Three different musks in one role | What the role really needs |
| Time | More top, same base | How an opening shapes the rest |
| Temperature | Cool versus warm spice | Mood shift |
| Density | Hedione up, resins down | Transparent versus dense |
| Dose | 10%, 15%, 20% concentrate | How it behaves at each strength |
Designing the grid
Start with a base you know well, and keep it fixed as a premix so that nothing else varies. For a single axis, make three to five steps, spaced widely enough to notice. For two axes, a small grid does more than a long line, because you can see whether one change depends on the other. Here's an illustrative plan with no results:
| Low wood | Medium wood | High wood | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musk A | Mod 1 | Mod 2 | Mod 3 |
| Musk B | Mod 4 | Mod 5 | Mod 6 |
When each mod needs a rebalance to 100%, keep your rule the same, by, for example, always adjusting a single diluent or a neutral portion. State the rule. Otherwise you are changing more than one thing.
Reading a series
- Code everything. Have someone shuffle and label them.
- Sort first. Arrange the strips in the order you perceive, along the axis. Does your order match the true order? If not, the axis may not be doing what you believed.
- Describe differences, and not only preference.
- Repeat at later times. A series is a good way of seeing what survives the drydown.
- Look for steps. A jump between neighboring mods can show where a material flips from support to dominant.
- Look at the extremes. A mod you wouldn't want often teaches the most.
From series to work
After the first series, take the most interesting finding and make it the axis for the next. A sequence of three small series beats a dozen unrelated attempts. Note that a series can become a short collection. That's the idea behind the project at the end of this track. It also resembles a commercial flanker's relationship to its original, which is a useful comparison: see the flanker guide.
Practical management
Use small batches and a premix. Keep a strict log, since six mods will soon get confused. Don't assess all six for too long at a time, as your nose will tire: compare in small groups, and take breaks. Record all materials used, so you could check any final version for restrictions before going further.
Practical exercise: A six-part variation series
- Choose a base of your own, and make a premix for it.
- Design a six-part series with one or two axes, stated in writing.
- Make them, recording all weights and your rebalancing rule.
- Sort them blind, and evaluate them at 15 minutes, 2 hours and 8 hours.
- Ask at least one other person to sort and describe them.
- Write one finding in a single sentence, and design a follow-up series around it.
You have done this well if your axes were stated first, your sort can be compared with the true order, and your finding is something you did not already know.
Common mistakes
- Making steps too small. You won't see anything.
- Changing the base between mods. Use one premix.
- Picking a favorite at once. A series is for learning first.
Key terms
- Variation series
- A planned set of related compositions, each differing from a common base along a stated axis.
- Axis of change
- The single kind of difference explored in a variation series, such as amount of wood, type of musk or sweetness.
Knowledge check
Written and reviewed by the RUŌOD Lab team. This is general education, not legal, regulatory, medical or safety advice. Example dilutions and exercises are for learning, are not validated products, and have not been safety-assessed. Completing a lesson confers no qualification. How we check these lessons.