New Yamaha CS80 Rackmount Clone In the Works

DECKARD'S DREAM - 8-VOICE ANALOGUE SYNTHESIZER

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Soldering all those 0805 Caps for Deckard's Dream

Published on Oct 11, 2017 TjimmyChonga

http://www.deckardsdream.com

"The Deckard's Dream DIY synth requires soldering 650+ very small surface mount capacitors.
Here's how to do that without panicking."

Funny bit right after 4:45. Wait for it. Note he is working on a Chrutil Sequencer III. You can see the II in action here.

Update:

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Deckard's Dream Website Live - 1st Official Trailer & Demos

Deckard's Dream - first trailer

Published on May 3, 2017 Deckard's Dream

This one in directly via the man himself, Roman Filippov.

"Deckard’s Dream is an 8-voice polyphonic analogue synthesizer inspired by a certain cinematic sound from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Using technology available today (and in the near future), you will be able to play the Deckard’s Dream with stunning expressive control."

Update via the FAQ on how close this will be to the original CS80: "We were inspired by this wonderful synthesizer when were designing the Deckard’s Dream, but had to do everything from scratch. No single part of a circuit is equal to the CS-80, first of all because it was done using custom and exclusive chips back in the 70s. However we did pay attention to many details of the synth architecture, oscillator waveshapes (like the sawtooth glitch which is a big part of the CS-80 sound), filter topology and of course the modulation possibilities. With the help of modern technology, it became possible to have the same level of expression as the CS-80. However MPE technology this expression even further with the addition of polyphonic pitchbend etc. Despite all this, please don’t expect exactly the same behavior – even if it is very close, it’s still a very modern synthesizer."

Also the VCOs are not discrete, but CEM3340s: "We will post the BOM and step by step illustrated build instructions at the end of May. Most of the parts are generic and come from Mouser. You may want to buy 17x CEM3340 oscillator chips from ON-Chip in advance, the unit also uses 59x V2164 VCA chips. Both in DIP package."

The website is now live at http://www.deckardsdream.com

Some additional details:

"16 VCOs

8-voice polyphony with two independent synthesizer layers per voice, discrete waveshapers help to reproduce the oddness of the original waveforms. Autotune keeps all 16 VCOs tracking perfectly, we even offer the detune settings for a vintage feel.

Polyphonic aftertouch and MPE

MIDI polyphonic aftertouch gives deckard’s dream expression that has only been possible on a very small number of synthesizers. MPE technology (using controllers by ROLI, LinnStrument, Haken) takes this even further with the addition of poly pitch bend.

Yes, it’s DIY kit as well

Besides the built units we provide DIY kits with all digital SMT parts preinstalled. A very detailed building manual, large thru-hole components and a simple calibration procedure will allow even beginners to build this kit.

MIDI, USB, VST/AU editor

With the addition of MIDI implementation, 256 presets and a software editor provided by Spektro Audio, this vintage inspired poly synth is at home in any modern studio.

Analogue effects and CV inputs

1U rackmount expander is coming later this summer: 16 assignable CV inputs, analogue ring-modulator and chorus, missing Sustain I/II controls. may be used as a standalone effects box and a cv-2-midi convertor.

Designed and built in Japan

We build the synth in Tokyo, Japan and use high quality components and hardware. Shipping is free anywhere in the world."

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Deckard's Dream DIY Build

Published on Jun 4, 2019 Molten Music Technology

"Black Corporation sent me the Deckard's Dream kit and challenged me to make a video of the build experience. In this first episode I talk a bit about why this is the best thing ever and introduce you to the PCBs."

Playlist:

Deckard's Dream DIY Build 01 - Introduction and PCBs
Deckard's Dream DIY Build 02 - Sourcing the parts
Deckard's Dream DIY Build 03 - Unboxing components
Deckard's Dream DIY Build 04 - Mainboard SMT
Deckard's Dream DIY Build 05 - Mainboard Thru-Hole

Deckard's Dream Has Arrived

Just in time for Blade Runner 2049, no less.

Deckard's Dream is now shipping. Built units ship in 2 - 3 weeks.

"Replicants are not clones.

Deckard’s Dream is an 8-voice polyphonic analogue synthesizer inspired by a certain cinematic sound from the late 1970s and early 1980s. Using technology available today (and in the near future), you will be able to play the Deckard’s Dream with stunning expressive control."

See the Deckard's Dream website for more info, and the Black Corporation label for previous posts here on MATRIXSYNTH. Black Corporation is the brand, Deckard's Dream is the synth.

Deckard's Dream Demos by Pandomonium

These were spotted and sent in via Soviet Space Child.

The demos are by Pandomonium

"These are all played live to a WAV track, no MIDI, string ensemble (left hand) is from a VP330 emulator. Keyboard controller is Kurzweil Midiboard, probably one the best polyAT keyboards that exists for playing DD."

DD - BRBlues - TEST1


Vangelis Medley With Deckard's Dream


"Playing Vangelis with Deckard's Dream. Dynamics are purely using Polyphonic Aftertouch, no pedals or mod wheel are used."

Deckard's Nightmare Test 1


"Played live with Deckard's Dream. All 8 voice boards cranking."

"These demos were made before I modified my DD to have a more pronounced 'sawtooth glitch' that's one of the components for that special CS-80 sound. While the 'sawtooth glitch' is implemented in DD, it is really functional in upper registers only with the first release. I modified the circuitry to have the glitch present across the entire keyboard. This did affect the sound a tiny amount; I made an A/B comparison with Vangelis Blade Runner theme and it's tough to tell the difference (I'll post a youtube video later, as soundcloud wouldn't accept it).

I have to say that Deckard's Dream has come pretty close to sounding like the CS-80. The differences are mostly attributed to performance and control."

An Update on Deckard’s Dream

via Roman Filippov / Deckard’s Dream / Black Corporation

"First of all, we would like to thank you for your patience and bearing with us as we have been working hard to set up operations in Tokyo. It has been quite a wonderful experience working with new manufacturing partners in Japan, but there have been some challenges as well. The PCB factory, for example, had to redo the run because the first boards failed the flying probe test, which took some time. We now have the process better streamlined so things will go more smoothly moving forward.

That said, here are some updates about Deckard’s Dream!

DIY Kits:
We are almost ready with the DIY kits. The PCBs are being populated with SMT parts at the moment and should be ready to ship in about 2 weeks. The final revision of the Bill of Materials (BOM) will be posted on the Deckard’s Dream website within a week (There is a preliminary BOM posted on the Muff Wiggler website, however this is for reference only, it is not the final
revision, so please do not rely on it).

We are also currently working on and shooting photos for the detailed build manual.

Good News! We have omitted all of the trimmers, so there will be no calibration required.

There are still DIY kits available for sale.

Prebuilt Units:
The fully built units are also under production. We are currently waiting on the motherboards and voice cards from an SMT pick-and-place factory. Hardware part already done. We are looking to start shipping the first fully built units in about 3 weeks and aiming to have the whole batch out no later than mid-October.

We will email each customer a week before their order is ready to ship with a link to pay the balance and complete the order.

The next pre-sale of fully built units will go on sale once we get the first run shipped out.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at support@black-corporation.com.

Again, thank you for all of your patience!
Roman Filippov / Deckard’s Dream / Black Corporation"

Deckard's Dream Synthesizier + Expander With ASM Hydrasynth Polyphonic Aftertouch Keyboard

Published on Sep 16, 2019 Perfect Circuit

"The Black Corporation Deckard's Dream synthesizer has a sound inspired by the legendary Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer. It supports polyphonic aftertouch like the CS-80, and since the new ASM Hydrasynth has polyphonic aftertouch on its keyboard we used the Hydrasynth to play the Deckard's Dream.

Deckard's Dream Expander adds ring modulation, chorus, tremolo, delay and reverb to the Deckard's Dream, or anything else you plug into it."

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Supporters of MATRIXSYNTH get %10 off at Perfect Circuit! See the support page for details. Thank you to all who support the site!

Deckard's Dream Replicates Blade Runner CS-80 Sound Perfectly!

Published on Jan 18, 2018 MrPandoman

"Here is a comparison between Deckard's Dream synthesizer and Yamaha CS-80 which was originally used by Vangelis to create the iconic synth sound in the soundtrack for 1982 Blade Runner movie.

This is an excerpt of the original soundtrack, with Deckard's Dream synthesizer used to repeat some of the melody notes for comparison, played on Kurzweil Midiboard with polyphonic aftertouch.

The Deckard's Dream synthesizer was self-assembled, having 4000 electronic components and over 20,000 solder joints.

Build your own dream!
www.deckardsdream.com"

Autumnal jam w/ Elektron Octatrack MkII, Deckard's Dream, Moog Sirin, Minitaur, Strymon Ola, Big Sky

Published on Sep 9, 2019 Jay Hosking

"A live, semi-improvised performance, all on hardware, and inspired by the changing of the seasons here. On this track, I make good use of its fantastic compressor, as well as the Octatrack's ability to incorporate external gear into the scenes and an overall mixed, cohesive sound.

While exploring the Octatrack further, a used Deckard's Dream went up for sale in my town for a very good price. It is no exaggeration to say the Deckard's Dream (or rather its inspiration, the Yamaha CS-80) has been the sound of my musical imagination for my entire life. When I brought it home and paired it with the Octatrack, this improvisation finally made sense and came together. And yes, I think the Deckard's sounds just as good as I'd hoped. I'll probably show it in some more "traditional" ways soon.

Elektron Octatrack MkII — Sequencer, samples (drums, weird loops), effects for external devices, master effects
Black Corporation Deckard's Dream + Strymon Ola + Strymon Big Sky — Pad
Moog Minitaur — Bass
Moog Sirin — Lead

Written over fragments of the last couple of weeks, performed live, and uploaded as is, with only a little compression/limiting on the master.

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/"

Black Corporation Deckard's Dream & Kijimi Synthesizers

Published on May 8, 2018 Synthtopia

Note: Kijimi is actually based on the RSF Kobol mono synth. via the creator himself, Roman Filippov: "It’s a polyphonic kobol more than polykobol, since it uses ssm2040-like filters, not ssm2044"

"Here's an update on Black Corporation's two rack-mount analog synthesizers, Deckard's Dream and the Kijimi."

Deckard's Dream - Gear Guide - Superbooth 2018

Published on May 8, 2018 FACTmagazine

"FACT was at Berlin synth show Superbooth last week, where we tried out all the latest and greatest synth gear.

At Black Corporation's booth we got a sneak preview of Kijimi, a new eight-voice instrument inspired by a rare French polysynth from the 1970s. While we were there, we couldn't resist also checking out Deckard's Dream, the company's existing synth based on the Yamaha CS-80 – the synth used by Vangelis to write the classic Blade Runner score.

Watch above for an overview of the synth and a demonstration of its impressive sound engine."

Deep & dark jam w/ Deckard's Dream, Octatrack, ContinuuMini, modular (collab w/ Crooked Walking)

Published on Jan 31, 2020

"A live, semi-improvised hardware performance, and inspired by late-night collaboration. Tim Rich (aka Crooked Walking) was kind enough to host me as we stumbled our way into making a song from scratch. I handled some of the bones of the structure, and Tim was masterful in detailing the song with rich, unpredictable modular sounds. He also took advantage of the ContinuuMini (and its EagenMatrix internal synth engine) to make a great lead voice. I'm super pleased with the results of our night of hanging out.

At the end of the session, we decided we'd both take the audio and video and mix it in our respective ways. As such, please check out Crooked Walking's version of the audio and video here!: [below]

Written and performed in a 3-hour period, and uploaded as is, with only a little compression/limiting on the master.

Elektron Octatrack MkII — Drums, bass, ambience, MIDI sequencing for the Deckard's, effects for the Deckard's, master-level effects and scenes
Black Corporation Deckard's Dream — Three synth lines

Crooked Walking's setup, in order of appearance (thanks to Tim for writing this):

Morphagene – I caught an interesting loop in the 4ms Dual Looping Delay while I was running a different Quanta patch and recorded a couple variations of the patch into Morphagene. The Gene Size and Slide parameters are being manually controlled from the left two sliders on the Intellijel Tetrapad. The morph and Organize parameters are being modulated by the Malekko Voltage Block.

QuantaPercussion – This is a drone coming from Quanta on the iPad running one of the new Hainbach test equipment patches. The Quanta is set to drone a few notes that are then run into the modular. They are patched through a VCA with a Intellijel ADSR envelope being triggered by the Monome Grid running the Kria software on the Ansible module. The output of the VCA is then run into the 4ms Dual Looping Delay which is being controlled manually throughout the video (top right of the eurorack). The output of the Dual Looping Delay is going into the Intellijel Planar for some panning effects modulated by an LFO from the Monome Arc4. Finally, it’s being output into the Make Noise QPAS. The stereo width controls are being modulated by the Malekko Voltage Block. The filter cutoff is being controlled manually from the right most slider on the Intellijel Tetrapad. The high pass output from the QPAS is then recorded.

ContinuuMini – The ContinuuMini is running a choir preset from the EaganMatrix directly into Ableton. There are several plugins on the patch, most notably Ableton Echo for delay and the XLN RC20 Retro Color emulating an old cassette tape to lower the fidelity of the otherwise pristine sounding ContinuuMini.

Kick – The Intellijel Plonk SubKick preset is being triggered by the Monome Grid (running the Kria program on the Ansible module as described above in the Quanta Percussion description). The output is running through the LoFi Junky and, most importantly, through the Klangbau Rohren Tube VCA.

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com"

Crooked Walking x Jay Hosking | Modular, Deckard's Dream, ContinuuMini, Octatrack +

Published on Jan 31, 2020 Crooked Walking

"This is my first full track in a long time, and I'm so excited that I got to make it with Jay Hosking. Some recent major (positive) life changes have kept me from making music, but I've finally got my new space setup and am back to making sounds.

Jay is a wizard with the Octatrack and really built the structure of this piece. The first two minutes are mostly him performing with Deckard's and the Octatrack."

Deckard's Helper - DIY Ribbon and PseudoPoly Aftertouch for the Deckard's Dream

Published on Feb 25, 2020 TjimmyChonga

"Quick Demo of a nifty little DIY project that provides Deckard's Dream (or any other synth) with pseudo polyphonic aftertouch and a DIY cs-80 style ribbon controller.
This is an update to my previous video about a DIY ribbon for the Deckard's Dream."

Reimagined jam w/ Elektron Octatrack MkII, Deckard's Dream, Empress Zoia

Published on Sep 22, 2019 Jay Hosking

"A sort-of-not-really remix of a great song and soundscape by Ian T. Lyckland. Performed live, semi-improvised, and all on hardware.

I loaded Lyckland's song into four slots of the Octatrack, and grabbed snippets for different purposes (piano and essential vocal melody from the original, bass, glitchy ambience, deeper vocals). Then I mangled an additional high piano part into a lead line, then added drums, and finally the Deckard’s Dream through the Empress Zoia (which is the obvious synthy part). I'm pleased with how different the composition is from the original, while also retaining the spirit of Lyckland's emotive track.

The original song is called 'You Are Not A Data Scientist' and is on an album of the same name. Listen and buy it here!: https://lyckland.bandcamp.com/

Elektron Octatrack MkII — Sampler (seven tracks: piano + vox, ambience, bass, and deep vocals from Lyckland's song; higher piano lead; drums from Woody Woodmansey sample), audio effects processor and sampler (for the Deckard's), audio effects processor (for the scenes on the master)
Black Corporation Deckard's Dream + Empress Zoia — Classic synth galore

Written by Ian T. Lyckland and Jay Hosking. Uploaded as is, with only a little compression/limiting on the master.

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/"

Black Corporation Announces DECKARD’S DREAM MK2

via Black Corporation

"We are excited to announce DECKARD’S DREAM MK2!

MK2 delivers everything the previous versions of DDRM have done in a new light, sleek tabletop unit with wood sides or rack-ears (both included). It also brings additional controls over Sustain modes and length.
DECKARD’S DREAM (DDRM), features eight voices, each with two identical layered parts consisting of a completely analog voltage controlled oscillator made with discrete waveshapers, analog lowpass and highpass filter, each with their own cutoff and resonance settings, noise generator, unique multisegment filter envelope, and VCA + ADSR envelope. Each layer also features its own independent programming section for MPE-based velocity and polyphonic aftertouch control of its filter cutoff and amplifier settings.

DDRM’s perfomance section features global pitch control with coarse & fine-tuning sliders, layer 2 detune slider, independent keyboard range control for each layer, mix balancing between layer 1 and layer 2, global filter cutoff and resonance offsets, and a global LFO to control both layers’ filter/pitch/amplifiers simultaneously.
DDRM was created with full expressive performance control in mind, boasting programming sections with global MPE-based control over LFO parameters + pitchbend, as well as global key tracking control over the filter and amplifier settings of both layers. Finally, there is a global portamento/glissando slider affecting both layers simultaneously. The level of expressive control these parameters give over performance is something found in very few synthesizers, and the results are stunning!

DDRM features full MIDI control and the ability to store 128 presets per bank across 3 banks, integrating this classic synth concept seamlessly into the future of your modern studio needs.

$3749 / deposit is $1199, delivery is expected in June 2020.

Price includes free worldwide shipping with Japan Post International Priority. Courier delivery (UPS, DHL, FedEx etc) is available but will be charged at an additional cost. @ Shibuya, Tokyo"

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Ambient poly synth jam with the NDLR, Deckard's Dream, OB-6, Peak, Dreadbox Abyss, Polymoon, Big Sky

Published on Dec 12, 2019 Jay Hosking

"A live, semi-improvised performance, all on hardware, and inspired by winter looming. I've long wanted to make a couple of videos about how the sequencer really determines where the music goes, and I thought there was no better example of this than the NDLR, which is such a beautiful little inspiration device. In my opinion, I think the NDLR thrives at making interesting ambient explorations, and I hope I've demonstrated that here.

I've also wanted to make a "poly synth jam" and show each of the poly synths I currrently have next to each other. Some really interesting things revealed themselves here: 1) the Peak is the clear winner for bass; 2) I like the OB-6 a lot better for plucks or shorter decays than I do for pads; 3) the Abyss holds its own among these bigger names and is a real gem with lots of personality; 4) the Deckard's Dream isn't particularly rich or versatile, but adds the most beauty to the track, and it's a joy to make a patch from scratch.

Conductive Labs NDLR — Sequencing
Black Corporation Deckard's Dream + Meris Polymoon — Pad
Sequential/Oberheim OB-6 — Motif 1 (brighter arp)
Dreadbox Abyss + Strymon Big Sky — Motif 2 (mellower arp)
Novation Peak — Drone (bass monster)

Written and performed within a 24-hour period, and uploaded as is, with only a little compression/limiting on the master.

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com/"

Deckard's Dream Voice Card 0805 SMD Capacitors

Published on Oct 23, 2017 TjimmyChonga

"This rather long video is an unedited session of soldering the SMD caps on the Deckard's Dream Voice Card.
Long and unedited are key words here. It's basically a real-time video of me soldering all the SMD capacitors on one Deckard's Dream Voice Card. I don't expect anyone to see this. That's ok."

You can find all parts in this series here.

Deckard's Dream Sound Design With Paul Schilling

Published on Sep 12, 2018 Synthtopia

"At Knobcon 2018, synthesist Paul Schilling was demonstrating some of the sound design work he's done on the Deckard's Dream synthesizer - an analog synth that's inspired by the Yamaha CS-80 and its use by Vangelis on the Blade Runner soundtrack."

And a video from Paul himself:

Deckard's Dream Players at Knobcon 2018

Published on Sep 12, 2018 Paul Schilling

"A bunch of great people came and played. Here for your viewing and listening pleasure, are some of the highlights. Thank you to all!"

Deckard's Dream Poly Aftertouch Demo, Pre-Orders & Production Update

Deckard's Dream + ROLI via MPE. Just to show polyAT and poly pitchbend. #deckardsdream #roli #midimpe

A post shared by Deckard's Dream (@deckardsdream) on May 30, 2017 at 5:12am PDT

http://www.deckardsdream.com

Roman Filippov let me know tomorrow is the last day of pre-orders, and manufacturing begins on June 1.

Aaron Copland's Fanfare For The Common Man performed on the Deckard's Dream synthesizer

Published on Jan 15, 2019 Sean Christopher - Evoking Emotion Through Music

"Aaron Copland has always been one of my favorite composers and the Deckard's Dream synthesizer was the perfect synth to do my favorite piece by him, "Fanfare For The Common Man".

Aaron Copland (November 14, 1900 – December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Composers." The open, slowly changing harmonies in much of his music are typical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. He is best known for the works he wrote in the 1930s and 1940s in a deliberately accessible style often referred to as "populist" and which the composer labeled his 'vernacular' style. Works in this vein include the ballets Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid and Rodeo, his Fanfare for the Common Man and Third Symphony. In addition to his ballets and orchestral works, he produced music in many other genres including chamber music, vocal works, opera and film scores.

Other than reverb from Valhalla DSP, only the Deckard's Dream synthesizer by Black Corporation was used. Thanks for viewing and I hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE subscribe if you haven't already. :)"