MATRIXSYNTH: Saturday, August 30, 2008

The Red Rig

images here
via Dave of umop.com
"Check out my brother's crazy-ass new electronic drum rig... he's spent months planning it & working on it!"
...
"OK folks... Here it is, in all its '80s glory: the 6-sided Red Rig. Made to mimic the look of the vintage drum pads, it's made of 100% PVC pipe and copper pad fittings. All custom designed - made it up as I went along. The wiring harness took about a day to make, and is almost completely hidden inside the tubes themselves. The ends just hang in place for quick connection to the pads when setting up, and to connect to the snake that feeds the equipment rack.

Black and red cymbals are made by Krest out of Brazil and took 8 months to get the order finalized and shipped. (There is only one U.S. rep.)

Not in place in these shots is the standard hi-hat stand (although I might try to paint it, too) which also uses black cymbals. "Gong" at rear works, and can trigger any sound source I feed it. (Sadly, I don't have an actual gong sound - yet. Need a rack-mount sampler.) The entire rig uses no standard metal pieces - except the hi-hat stand - and breaks down into smaller pieces. The top and bottom "rings" split in half, held together with quick-release hood pins - like from a race car.

The footprint is not significantly bigger than my old setup, considering my amp and rack can reside inside this space. It's 6'8" point-to-point. Biggest challenge is that the paint - which supposedly is formulated for plastic surfaces - scratches easier than a bag of rabid cats, even with multiple coats and 3 layers of urethane. This is what prompted me to go to the next level: I'm going to give it the Eddie Van Halen 'Frankenstein' look. May start doing it this weekend."

Update: new pics added to the set. "He Frankenstein-ified the red rig."

Roland SH-101 Blue

image via this auction

Oberheim Xpander

images via this auction

Squarewave Step Sequencer - CMOS Oscillator/Circuit Bent

YouTube via shauncrook1. via sendling.
"Hello. This is my Squarewave Step Sequencer, made from CMOS ICs. It has eight selectable oscillator steps, which all have and on/off switch, pitch control and LED indication. Steps one and five also have a light sensitive pitch control mode, which can give a theremin effect ect. Frequency modulation can also be achieved by turning the speed pot right up. It can also create arpeggiation! Basically, its a lot of fun to mess around with. The Squarewave Step Sequencer is currently on ebay."

Live@Artificial Soundgate

YouTube via lfoone
"Liveact from lfo-one and Oliver Porath with two Spectralis"

DotCom, MFM, MAQ16/3, Nord Lead 1 and Akai AX80

YouTube via attorks
"This time I recorded the video and audio with different applications. But I noticed the video is not as smooth as it should be. Row 1 of the MAQ16/3 has an 8 step sequence for the 2 modulars. Row 3 transposes row 1. Row 2 drives the chord memory chords on the AX80. The Nord Lead 1 has a kind of PPG like sound."

AND(or) at the Zanzibar

YouTube via fuzzytoelint
"Robert Talamantez and Ryan Soper at the House of Zanzibar. Aug. 29, 2008."

Schippmann Ebbe und Flut -Deeper

YouTube via bigcitymusic. Audio comes in at :27.

"Your laptop speakers aren't gonna' work for this one. The bass frequencies coming out of the left side filter, set to notch mode, are rich and can add a certain depth to any signal. In this case, its the Machinedrum. The right side filter is set to 6dB high pass mode. We use the triangle LFO to modulate the cutoff frequency and then some of the resonance. We're also modulating the filter in parts with the envelope. You have both positive and negative envelopes at your disposal as well as two EG's that can control the VCA or filter(s) or both. Hopefully this video will come through in a high enough quality to notice the very fluid tone of the filter. This video shows a more subtle side of the Schippmann. There's more to come as we delve deeper, start to use some of the back panel features and stir up a raucous!"

Plan B Blacet Miniwave Kit

via noisesource where you'll find a little more info.

"They come with the bare faceplate, the power adapter & a power cable."

UAD Moog Multimode FIlter

YouTube via UniversalAudio
"This Video demonstrates UA's Moog Multimode Filter plug-in. For more information., please visit http://www.uaudio.com/webzine/2008/se..."

TENORI-ON meets 3Xfx Photo-theremin

YouTube via surroundyokota.
"The 3Xfx Photo-theremin is a great instrument for performance musician. This theremin needs strength of light. Oh. TENORI-ON comes! With dazzling light! テノリオンのおもしろい相棒を手に入れたのでアップします。ウホッ。"

Waldorf Blofeld

YouTube via sync4000. "First Frickel with Waldorf Blofeld."

Jean Michel Jarre - La Cage / Erosmachine (1969)

YouTube via djmixsound. Sent my way via Davide.
Anyone know what synths/electronic instruments he might have been using back then?
Note Jean Michel Jarre would have only been 21 at the time of this recording.

Quasimidi Cyber-Six signed by Jean Michel Jarre?

images via this auction

Read the warning below

"HISTORY

That Cyber-six pertained to Jean Michel Jarre. I don't know exactly when he received it, but I first spotted it in his studio in Croissy while he was arranging "Odyssey through O2". Then after I took him to the underground catacombs, he used the Cyber-Six to compose the theme for "Paris Underground", a piece he played in concert on july 14th 1998. He loved the texture of the keys. He used it again to rearrange the song for the Apple Expo concert on September 18, 1998, but two days before the concert, he brought it to me so I could use it as a master keyboard to trigger the 3D effects live. Several months after the show, he very kindly gave me the keyboard, as I loved its feeling. Now, 10 years later, I don't play music as much, and I need to free up space, so I'm selling the keyboard. Anticipating that selling a luxury master keyboard would be difficult, JMJ put his signature on it, on Aug. 3rd 2008 (on a windy day on the sidewalk below my apartment). Selling it is OK with him. It is in very good condition, perfectly functional, always covered. Only minor wear to the wooden ends because of handling, and a few scratches to the back due to a non-padded keyboard stand. The money I collect from the sale will be split: one half for charity (Medecins Sans Frontières), and one half for new hardware for my studio.

THE CYBER-SIX
The Quasimidi Cyber-Six is a very original instrument: it is basically a very sturdy (and heavy) master keyboard, whose keys have a distinctive pebble-like texture. It has a medium-soft touch, with very responsive keys, and the black keys have slanted edges to facilitate playing on the white keys in-between. Very comfortable to play, robust and reliable. Exactly the contrary of those plastic USB keyboard.

The Cyber-Six also has a pretty comprehensive MIDI processor, which is a mix of a sequencer, a groovebox and an arpeggiator. With two MIDI outputs, it can control up to 32 channels, with a very interesting effect architecture, where each channel can be assigned sequences, patterns, "motivator" effects, etc. The user interface is a bit complex at the beginning, but when you learn it you realize it has been designed for stage jams. Very impressive how you can lay out the structure of a song, and modify it live while you're playing other parts. If you don't feel like learning it, there are a few presets to simply play with gated chords and complex arpeggios.

Unlike its brother the Raven, the Cyber-Six is not a synthesizer, just a masterfully designed MIDI keyboard. It is a perfect master keyboard for a computer-based studio or for racks of expanders.

Review here:
Fan discussion here:

WARNING
Just so I don't get complaints afterwards: The Cyber-six is a MIDI keyboard with impressive sequencer/rythm/enhancer capabilities, but it does NOT produce sounds, only MIDI notes. You need an expander or a sound module to use it. Also worth noting, JMJ reset it before he gave it to me, so do not expect to find unpublished sequences :)"