Roland Releases the D-50 Linear Synthesizer on Roland Cloud

Roland Cloud is a subscription based service. For $19.95 a month you get access to their online catalog.

via Roland:

"Released thirty years ago in 1987, the Roland D-50 Linear Arithmetic (LA) Synthesizer is easily one of the most influential keyboards ever made. The D-50 helped to define the sound of the late 80’s with its instantly recognizable mix of sampled attacks and synthesized sustaining waveforms (that’s LA!) plus chorus, reverb, and EQ. It’s the basis of classic tracks in a wide range of genres including Synth Pop, New Wave, New Jack and R&B, plus countless film scores.

With the new Roland D-50 DCB Software Synthesizer, Roland Cloud subscribers can have the iconic sound of LA in a powerful plugin, which perfectly recreates this legendary synth down to the subtlest of nuances!

Perfect recreation of D-50 from the company that made the original
Digital Circuit Behavior (DCB) faithfully captures every detail
Authentic user interface with all original controls and parameters (including those found on the sought-after Roland PG-1000 hardware programmer!)
All the original presets plus fresh new sounds
32-bit and 64-bit VST2, VST3 and AU support
Simple installation and updates via Roland Cloud Manager

Vintage Digital

When most people think of vintage synthesizers, they think of analog beasts with lots of knobs and sliders. The 80’s ushered in something new: sleek keyboards with digital engines that brought musicians and producers a totally new palette of sounds not previously possible with analog.

As Roland’s first all-digital performance synthesizer keyboard, the D-50 took the world by storm with its unique mix of sampled attack transients and synthesized waveforms combined with built-in digital effects and… a joystick!

Name a famous track from the late 80s to early 90s and there’s a good chance it was built around one or more Roland D-50 sounds. Unabashedly digital, the D-50 has taken its rightful place in the hallowed halls of classic vintage synthesizers. Its sound is unique and beautiful, and it brings a certain “something” to your tracks that you just can’t get anywhere else.

Samples Meet Synthesis

So, what exactly made this synth so attention-grabbing? The Roland D-50 used an innovative mixture of short, sampled “attack transient” waveforms blended with digitally-synthesized sustaining sounds. This technique, which Roland dubbed “LA Synthesis” offered the realism of expensive (at that time) digital samplers, the expressiveness of a synth, and the polish of a high-end studio thanks to onboard digital effects – it's no wonder the D-50 became one of the best-selling professional keyboards in history!

New Wave. New Jack. New Age. And so on…

The 80s were a dynamic period for pop music. Producers were trying new things, looking for new sounds, and new genres were being forged at a furious pace. From 1987 on, the Roland D-50 was massively influential and appeared in studios and on stages around the world. Some of the most influential recording artists in history have used the beautifully crafted presets, unaltered, as the cornerstone of huge international hits. There’s just something about the quality of its sound that grabs you. And with the Roland D-50 in this new DCB software synthesizer format, Roland Cloud subscribers can travel back to the future; back to LA!"

The Pulsar Modular P900

Published on Jun 21, 2016 AiynZahevSounds

"In this video I take the P900 modular for a spin!"

Pulsar Modular

"The 900 Series Modular Synthesizer is the result of painstaking analysis and detailed modeling of classic, large format, synthesizer modules. Great care has been taken to make sure that both sound and operation is as close as possible to hardware modules. The hardware accelerated user interface supports arbitrary panning and zooming within the virtual rack, while interacting with controls. It is rendered at a high frame rate to ensure immediate feedback and smooth operation.

The P900 supports 4 different voice allocation modes for monophonic and polyphonic patches.

It has a configurable rack and a large set of installable modules:

MIDI/CV Converter (1X)
MIDI Clock (1X)
Oscillator Driver (1X)
Oscillator (4X)
Mixer (3X)
Filters: Ladder/Diode Ladder/OTA/SVF/Sallen Key (2X)
Envelope Generator (3X)
Attenuator (3X)
Voltage Controlled Amplifier/VCA (3X)
Noise & Filters (1X)
Ring Modulator (1X)
Low Frequency Oscillator/LFO (3X)
Sample & Hold (1X)
Voltage Store (3X)
Stereo Output (1X)
Analog Delay (2X)
Plate Reverb (1X)"

DSP Synthesizers Releases CR-4/DR-55 6HP rev2 PCB

via DSP Synthesizers:

"The rev2 PCB has arrived. Perfect as a first DIY build. You can still order it as a kit and prebuilt. The PCB comes with a presoldered SMD SOIC-8 version of the chip so just jacks and only simple components needs to be soldered. SMD SOIC-8 version of chip and a 10-pin bus power header. 5volt LDO regulator onboard for 12v Power. The board is made for Thonkiconn jacks and a 6HP panel. If you dont want to use the board for a euromodule it can be sawed off at the D1-D4 diodes and used for non euro projects.

You can order it for $45 here including international shipping.
Please add a note for what sound you want programmed into the board, DR-55, CR-4 or RW."

NSFW: A New Device From Noisybox.net with the Oddest Product Name Ever?

Metasonix gets a run for it's money in the offensive product name category. This one in via @midi_error, via noisybox.net:

CLICK FOR MORE »

SynthGraphics Roland JD-XA Front Panel Overlays in Matt Black with Shift Key Options

For those that prefer a matt black finish to the JD-XA's original glossy finish, SynthGraphics sells an overlay for you. It also has the SHIFT key options omitted on the original panel. One for the JD-Xi is coming.

BTW, I realized I did not have a SynthGraphics channel label for these so I created one.  You can find previous posts via the channel link at the bottom of this post.  Remember you can filter posts by any channel at the bottom of any post.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Eurorack Modular Synthesizer - New Module: eawave spacebug

Published on Dec 30, 2015 Petri Kauppi

"Testing my DIY-kit module eaware spacebug! [some info on the spacebug below]

Gear:

Pittsburgh Modular SYNTHESIZER BOX Fully Patchable Synthesizer Voice
Pittsburgh Modular Mix Mult (Mk. II)
Pittsburgh Modular MIDI 3
Pittsburgh Modular Outs (Mk. II) Stereo Headphone Amp and Line Outs
Doepfer A-143-3 Quad LFO
Dave Smith Modular DSM01 Curtis Filter Resonant Low-Pass Filter
Doepfer A-132-1 Dual linear VCA
Doepfer A-140 ADSR Envelope Generator
Doepfer A-138u Dual Micro Mixer (2x3)
Doepfer A-160 Clock Divider
Doepfer A-124 Wasp 12db/oct Multimode Filter
Doepfer A-110-2 Basic VCO
Doepfer A-118 Noise and Random Voltage
Waldorf NW-1 Wavetable module
Turing Machine Random Sequencer
MvH Golden Multi
100m LPF with Multi
Doepfer A-115 Audio Divider
Doepfer A-116 Waveform Processor
Doepfer A-156 Dual Quantizer
Circuit Abbey TICK Clock
Ladik D-010 Twin-T drums
Eawave Spacebug delay"

via eowave

"ID: stereo analog-like delay

Spacialization and delays are essential parts of the music making process. But have you ever experienced the spacialization power of an analog delay ? The SpaceBug is an analog-like delay featuring an additional LFO with variable speed and depth parameters as well as regeneration capabilities. With the SpaceBug, you will master space and time with only five knobs: space and time to set the delay, speed and depth for LFO modulations, and regen to regenerate the sound. SpaceBugs are great for live applications with their small size, their easy-to-use interface and their powerful unique sounds. With their analog warmth and modulation capabilities, SpaceBugs cannot be compared to other delays. It's more than that, it's a SpaceBug.

Note that SpaceBugs are not produced anymore!!!


Technical specifications
Delay Time
Feedback regeneration
Mix wet/dry
Space right/left
Variable triangle LFO with depth & speed parameters
Bypass switch
AC 12 V powered

audio demo 1
audio demo 2
audio demo 3
audio demo 4

download the manual"

Iron Ether - Pithoprakta - Trigger / Gate Sequencer

Published on Dec 29, 2015 simon

"Here's an overview of the soon to be released Pithoprakta by Iron Ether, the renowned purveyor of stunning effects pedals.
This is Iron Ether's first foray into making Eurorack modules... and it's a belter.
Please note, this video features the pre-production panel, it will look different to the finished article.

I kept everything pretty simple throughout so that it's easy to tell what's going on, and for the main part I just used it to trigger the drums of my old Syncussion DRM-1.

0:00 - Triggering drums.
2:48 - Triggering drums, with CV control over Probability.
3:06 - Triggering drums, with CV control over Probability, and CV control over Looping.
4:10 - Triggering envelopes for Akemie's Castle, and CV out to Akemie's Castle.
4:58 - CV out to oscillator.
5:45 - CV out to oscillator, and triggering drums.
6:57 - Gates mixed, quantised and sent to Oscillator.
7:54 - Gates mixed, quantised and sent to Oscillator, and CV out to filter cutoff.
9:00 - Clocked at audio rate with 8 outputs sent to a 8 way switch.
11:30 - END"

"Pithoprakta is a probabilistic gate/trigger sequencer, able to create 8 channels of gates or triggers whose probability/density can be defined by the panel controls and/or CVs. The looping function will loop up to 64 steps, the loop length being CV-controllable in powers of 2, and an external gate signal can be used to enter/exit looping seamlessly.

The Probabilities of Channel 1 and 8 are defined directly by the panels controls/respective CV inputs. The other 6 channels' probability levels are interpolated from these two values, so if channel 1 is at 10% and channel 8 is at 80%, channel 2 is 20%, channel 3 is 30%, etc. The thinking behind this is that it allows you to have 8 channels with different probability, or the same if you choose, which can be controlled by just two modulators, rather than requiring a separate modulator for each channel - good for smaller systems or if you just don't want to tie up a ton of modulation sources just to control this one module.

Div mode clocks the 8 outputs, each with a different division of the input clock - divide-by-two down to divide-by-sixteen. The upper 4 channel outputs are "on beats" and the lower 4 channels are "off beats," allowing the user to easily create drummer-like rhythms which evolve over time or improvise infinitely.

Once loop mode is active, the Probability controls become "probability of change," in other words they control the likelihood that a given step of the loop will be overwritten, rather than whether that step is on or off. To keep from deleting the loop as soon as one enters looping mode, the probability controls are ignored when entering loop mode until the user turns them down to 0% and back up.

Ideas for usage
Create rhythms that sound like an improvising human drummer, without resorting to preset sequences. Beats can evolve over time in a way you control.

CLICK FOR MORE »

New nonlinearcircuits fk1t VCF

Published on Dec 29, 2015 cirtcele

"This filter is based on the korg Fk-1 pedal. It shared the same topology as the other Korg filters found in the 800dv and 700, but used 4 vactrols........oh!

Probably good to wear headphones or listen to this thru a good set of speakers, this filter has a LOT of character.
This recording was made from the very 1st time I tested this PCB, so haven't yet tweaked any values to get optimal CV ranges and Q response."

Volca Beats Mod: 3 New Pure Noise Snares

Published on Dec 28, 2015 Mark Steiner

"The known Snare fix is great, but I prefer a fully undistorted/folded noise snare... so I looked and found 3 variations. I'll be adding a switch for 'Off, S1, S2, S3'."

Bastl Instruments grandPa has an update !!! the v 1.1

Published on Dec 28, 2015 Bastl Instruments

"for more information about the upgrade go here
http://www.bastl-instruments.com/gran...

for details of upgrading please refer to this video [embed below]

So ! what is the upgrade about?

-adds new feature to change the sample by CV
-the threshold for changing samples corresponds to 1 semitone of quantized voltage
-if CV changes the sample is changed at the threshold or is changed only at the rising gate signal (depending on the mode)
-minor UI bug fixes
-more stable
-improved stability when functioning with SPA"

How to update grandPa /or other module

Published on Dec 28, 2015

new voodoo music KickBox true analog kick bass drum synthesizer

Published on Dec 28, 2015 J Tracy

"with its single guitar cable (1/4") out and battery (9v) power-its easy to use anywhere, anytime
ita also easy to add effects to via guitar pedals, vocal pedals or vst etc
a cross between 808 and 909 generally, listen to the audio for an idea of how each sounds.
however, every one is made by hand w analog circuitry--so the sound will vary between each.
-limited production total of 50"

New ZV-10 AR-Mini Hardware Synthesizer by Synth Restore In the Works

AR-Mini synthesizer sound FX audio clips.

Published on Dec 26, 2015 Muse on Film

"Here's a selection of audio sound FX from the AR-Mini analogue synth, from Synth Restore.
The synth has 3 VCO's, and a built-in echo, plus some very powerful modulation features, demonstrated here.
The synth is in design stage, and will be released into the public domain in Spring 2016.
Audio is copyrighted, and commercial use is forbidden."

AR Mini lead

Published on Dec 26, 2015

"Here's a selection of audio clips from the AR-Mini analogue synth, from Synth Restore.
The synth has 3 VCO's, and a built-in echo, plus some very powerful modulation features, demonstrated on our other video.
The synth is in design stage, and will be released into the public domain in Spring 2016.
Audio is copyrighted, any commercial use is forbidden."

New Divebomb Delay Eurorack Module

Published on Dec 25, 2015 paul tas


Published on Dec 23, 2015

via errorinstruments

CLICK FOR MORE »

Dave Smith Instruments Releases Prophet 12 Update Featuring Linear FM on Christmas

Prophet 12 - Linear FM with Dave Smith and John Chowning

Published on Dec 25, 2015 Dave Smith Instruments

"John Chowning, FM synthesis inventor and longtime friend of Dave Smith, stopped by the office to check out the new linear FM capabilities of the Prophet 12. Get this feature addition and more in the 1.3 OS update, available now from our website! www.davesmithinstruments.com"

And a note in directly via DSI: "As a little Christmas present to our Prophet 12 users we released OS v1.3 this morning which features classic linear FM and several other goodies. Here’s the link to the announcement on our web page:

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/2015/12/prophet-12-os-1-3-released/"

Details for the archives:

"DSI has released a new operating system for the Prophet 12 that adds a number of highly requested features. The new version, OS 1.3, ships with newly purchased instruments. For users wishing to upgrade instruments with older versions of the OS, version 1.3 is available for download from the Prophet 12 OS Support page (see links below). In addition, a new sound set featuring 40 linear FM-based presets is available from the Prophet 12 Factory Sounds page. (Please install OS 1.3 in order to use the FM sounds.)

Watch a video of FM creator John Chowning and Dave Smith talking synths, as well as a demonstration of some of the new FM sounds here. [above]

Among the new features are:

Linear frequency modulation for classic FM synthesis
Support for up to 16 alternate tunings (a set of 16 popular tunings is included)
Assignable voice-stacking in Union mode
MIDI note output for the arpeggiator
New modulation destinations (Slop, Osc All Shape, All Delays)
Disable screen save option for OLED display
Soft knobs allow Playlist List and Set selection
The new features are covered in the Prophet 12 OS 1.3 Manual Addendum, which is available here.

Download OS 1.3 for the Prophet 12 keyboard here.

Download OS 1.3 for the Prophet 12 desktop module here."

Little Drummer Boy Free Ableton Live Pack #133

Published on Dec 25, 2015 AfroDJMac USA

"Merry Christmas!
Free Download: http://bit.ly/freesynth133

This is a set of 5 Ableton Live Instruments made from samples of a Little Drummer Boy Christmas Ornament!

Visit my site for more stuff like this, including Live Instrument downloads, tutorials and music! http://www.afrodjmac.com"

Christmas Camouflage for the JUNO-106 via Analogue Renaissance

via Analogue Renaissance

"As panasonic stopped making slide potentiometers a few years ago, the remaining stock of the ones that fit in the Juno-106 is now depleted and none of the available replicas are good enough according to my standards, I designed a new fader kit for the Juno-106. I added some LEDs (you can never have enough of those) to the mix and their brightness follows the position of faders.

The Unobtainium 4-position fader (custom made by Alps) is also included and will be available in non-led version. Most if it will be pre-wired to make installation easier and is designed as such (full analog design, separate power lines, hysteresis and separate reference for the HPF) to not interfere with the Juno's very sensitive readout of the faders. Fully operational protype is there. Some minor design changes need to be done for another prototype run and then it will go into production.

More info soon.

Best regards and Merry Christmas,

Jeroen of Analogue Renaissance.

Disassembled Record Player for module (prototype)

Published on Dec 24, 2015 Dani Dögenigt

"Want to make a compact and simple upright record player for my modular system. This is a very early prototype without speed control or stabilization."

This is pretty interesting. Imaging using various LPs for CV control. New interpretations of classic tracks. Would would Hendrix, the Beatles or even Aphex Twin bring? Another interesting thing to think about is if you made an album using CV control of another album would it be considered copyright violation?

New Cream Mobile for iPad Released

iTunes: Cream Mobile

"The world's best software arpeggiator is now available as an iPad application.

Kirnu Cream Mobile is a very powerful MIDI performer music application for iPad.
This version is almost identical to the plugin version except the mobile version includes internal synthesizer and single drum track.
Mobile version also has only one arpeggiator track by default. If needed, the rest three tracks can be purchased separately with in-app-purchase option.

This version can open plugin version presets and vise versa.

Features
- 4 independent tracks (One track available by default. Other can be added via IAP)
- 12 patterns per track
- Very powerful internal 2 OSC synthesizer FOR EVERY 4 TRACKS
- Two different views: Classic and quick edit view.
- Live Keyboard, Chord Memory and Pattern Sequencer sections.
- Sample accurate MIDI engine.
- Easy to use note hold mode with transpose and bypass functionality.
- Presets are compatible with the plugin version.

- Powerful Pattern Step Data Section:
- Tool section enables easy data editing.
- All data sections are independent from each other.
- Data sections can be looped with several different loop modes.
- Chord memory section enables different chords to be used in every step.
- Sequencer section enables sequencing the notes.
- Accent, order, gate, accent, transposition, note divide, note shift.
- 8 CC controls in each pattern.

- MIDI learn for all knob controls.
- Control Zone for changing most important parameters via external keyboard or MIDI events.
- Audiobus (generator) support
- MIDI sync with host and slave mode

- And lots of more

With Cream Mobile it’s very easy to create catching lead parts, bouncing bass lines, swinging drums and lots of other cool stuff. The only obstacle is your imagination :)

Cream Mobile isn't like any traditional MIDI arpeggiator or sequencer. It's a lot more. With simple and clever design it has been made easy to learn and operate. You can easily create cool performances by tweaking only couple of controls. If this is not enough for you there are so many ways you can control Cream that you never feel bored with it.

Kirnu Cream is good for everybody; hobbyists, professionals, producers, composers, mamas, papas... whoever needs a good MIDI performer to make their songs PERFECT!

If you are sick and tired of conventional MIDI arpeggiators, performers, sequencers you should try Cream and see yourself how it differs from the rest."

CLICK FOR MORE »

River Creative Technology Crux and Nucleus Eurorack Modules

Two new eurorack modules from new eurorack maker River Creative Technology.

Crux Dual voltage controlled amplifier with discrete OTA core:

"dual VCA around discrete transistor OTA core

switchable linear or exponential VCA response

switchable between Audio (AC) and CV (DC) use

starts to pleasantly saturate beyond levels of 10Vpp (clips at 20Vpp)

envelope (unipolar) and modulation (bipolar) CV inputs

smart normalization of unused envelope inputs to allow for full-range bipolar modulation

Design overview

After overlooking VCAs for many years, I began to appreciate the huge range of functions they can serve up. They’re really everywhere, in simple loudness contouring circuits, tremolo effects, tone controls, filters, overdrives, mixers, amplitude modulators, panners, cross-faders, and CV performance controllers. I also learned that VCAs put their subtle signature on the overall sound of an instrument.

The VCAs in the Crux are built around newly designed operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) circuits, built from discrete transistors. If you need a super-accurate VCA, this is not for you. However, if you appreciate the warm and lively nature of discrete electronics, the Crux will serve you well.

A phrase often used among modular musicians is “you can never have enough VCAs”. Probably followed by “I need more rack space”. That’s why the Crux is a compact module, simple and straight, a short signal path, and no frills. As there are no frills, there’s little fancy text here. It can do what a VCA does. It can do it twice. It can do it linearly or exponentially, and does it on audio or CV. And that’s it!"

Nucleus Voltage controlled filter with discrete OTA core:

"designed around discrete transistor OTA cores

switchable resonance character with optional ‘Solid bass’ behaviour.

switchable filter slope: 12 or 24dB/Oct

pleasantly saturating input stage and resonance with higher levels

linear and exponential FM options

envelope and modulation inputs with independent attenuvertors

soft-touch knobs and quality hardware (mostly Alps)

Design overview

After discovering analog synths, modulars and the beautiful original and cloned analog filters of Moog, Korg, Roland, Sequential, and the likes I felt I wanted to try something a little different and see if I could come up with something that sounds unique and musical in its own right, rather than being a retake on proven circuits from the past. Furthermore, I was hoping to overcome dependency on (nearly) obsolete components, and benefit from the quality of modern components.

The core of the Nucleus contains a newly designed operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) circuit, built from discrete transistors. While there are technically superior alternatives, a discrete circuit excels in providing a warmer and more lively sound.

My wish was to make the sound of the Nucleus as versatile as possible. After studying many different filters to identify the key to their unique sound, I decided to include a filter slope switch (12 or 24 dB/oct), and a resonance character switch with three distinct modes (see box).

In each of these modes, the low-frequency resonance behaviour can be further tailored with the ‘Solid bass’ feature, cleaning and firming up the low-end, or leaving it to boldly resonate.

Resonance character:

Neutral – Classic resonance, reminiscent of vintage 4-pole designs. Inherently with a loss of low-end at high resonance.

Q-comp – Similar to neutral, but compensated for loss of low-end. Providing a firm and stable resonant sound, with slightly different saturation character.

K-style – The beefiest of all modes, with a thick mid range and fat low-end, and an aggressive resonant sound.
nucleus_mod

Concluding the design, I added a variety of modulation options for linear and exponential frequency modulation (FM), envelope modulation, and keyboard tracking (1V/Oct)."

Random Source Serge Resonant EQ Eurorack Kits at Thonk

"Serge Resonant EQ - bokeh

Exploring the resonant side of the Serge Resonant EQ (R*S edition for Eurorack, layering 2 live recordings, each basically using nothing but the EQ:
- Perc track was made by running a pulse from a DUSG into Input 1 and each 4th of those pulses (using a Pulse Divider) into Input 2 and playing with the 10 bands and the Feedback knob / Phase switch
- Drone track uses the normal (triangle) out for Input 1 and the Gate out from the same DUSG (running in Cycle mode as an oscillator) - again only playing with the bands and feedback.

Listen on good speakers at high volume :-)"

via Thonk

"We hadn’t expected to have these kits finalised before Xmas… but we do! We are only producing a limited run of these right now as they are very time-consuming to produce. Click through to purchase."

"The RESONANT EQUALIZER (EQ) is a unique ten-band filter designed specifically for electronic sound synthesis and processing. Except for the top and bottom frequency bands, the bands are spaced at an interval of a major seventh. The Resonant Equalizer is designed to produce formant peaks and valleys similar to those in acoustic insstruments.

There are three equalized outputs: the two COMB outputs provide the sums of the two alternate filter bands, while the two top outputs are the (identical) mix of all filter bands. Please note that there is no sharp separation between the bands, moving any frequency knob will have an influence on both COMB outputs. This equalizer is special in that the bands can be set to be resonant: when the knobs are in the middle position, the response at the main EQ Output is flat. When the knobs are positioned between the 9 and 3 o’clock position, up to 12 db of boost or cut is set at the band. If the knob is set beyond the 3 o’clock position, the band will become resonant, simulating the natural resonance of acoustic instrument formant structures. Below the 9 o’clock position, increased band rejection is achieved.

The Random*Source version of the filter is a licensed and authorized adaption of the legendary Serge equalizer for Eurorack. It adds an input mixer with 2 inputs that can be built/used to attenuate or amplify/distort the input signal(s) before they are sent into the EQ and a Feedback section (knob and phase switch) which allows to feed back the output signal or the inverted output signal (depending on the Phase switch). Adding inverted feedback leads to phase cancellation effects – unlike the “normal” feedback, level decreases and the signal thins out.

Now – licenced by Serge – the legendary EQ is available as DIY kit for Eurorack."