MATRIXSYNTH: Friday, August 28, 2009

Friday, August 28, 2009

Moog Modular

via old socks and new toys on today's modulars including Buchla.

click on this one for the full size.

EXPRESS #471 [SHORT TRIP + KORG DS-10 Synthesizer]

YouTube via jetdaisuke

"This is the song for travelers on railways.
One day, I took a short trip. I got on the Shinkansen express TANIGAWA #471. In the train, I composed and played a new song with my NDS (KORG DS-10).

この曲は、上越新幹線「たにがわ」にて、窓の風景を見ながら作曲したものです。大宮- 高崎間を往復して撮影しました（たにがわ471号と478号に乗車）。列車で旅をしている雰囲気を味わっていただければ幸いです。 "

Faemi-M Soviet Electric Organ

YouTube via freddiebotham. via this auction
"Just a clip of the weird sound this thing makes." Reminds me of The Cure.

Elaine Radigue and the ARP 2500

via Richard Lainhart

You can find a video of Elaine Radigue and her ARP 2500 here.

via Wikipedia:
"Eliane Radigue (born January 24, 1932) is a French electronic music composer. She started her work in the 1950s and her first creations were presented in the late 1960s. Until 2000 her work was almost exclusively created on a single synthesizer, the ARP 2500 modular system and tape. Since 2001 she composed mostly for acoustical instruments."

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Minimoog Samples

"A few samples of a 1974 Minimoog"

via tj on the sdiy list:
"I put up a few samples of my 1974 Mini with the middle revision "741" oscillator board. Was able to get samples direct from oscillators and after filter, VCA at the high output. Filter and VCA wide open, no resonance, the waveforme get quite dirty, compared to the originals.

Also sampled my 40 year old 1P with a build date of August 1969. There are raw samples of the 901 oscillators waveforms. Then after the CP3 mixer, both at unity gain (about 7 on the mixer input and 10 for the mixer out), and double gain with mixer inputs set at 10. (The CP3 has 2X gain.)The mixer is part of the sound as they overdrive. Next individual waves after an open 904A with no resonance. And some combinations of the three oscillators at different gains. Finally a few samples after the 902 VCA. (needs a little offset adjust.)

Not sure if these are of any use? But they are fun to observe how the different modules, shape and interact along the way. Two pages, one with Mini, one modular. Zip files at bottom with all waves. No magic, just a unique tone!

Mini page:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6s1hi/moog1p/id3.html

Modular page:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6s1hi/moog1p/id2.html"

Doepfer MS-404 + Sherman Filterbank 2

YouTube via fjl90
"On the first few minutes you only hear the doepfer.
At some point (you can see it) I add the sherman.

I just want to show you how the ms 404 can sound.
It is a great unit but just shitty videos about it on youtube.

have fun"

Drum processing with Depeche Mode

YouTube via AbletonInc
"Kerry Hopwood is the Live Programmer/Musical Director for Depeche Mode. When it comes to staging a live DM show, theres no cutting corners. Kerry puts it simply: We need to use tools that work. In concert, Kerry and Depeche Mode rely on Ableton Live as an integral component of shaping the bands drum sound. In this movie, shot at a concert in Berlins Olympiastadion, Kerry discusses the advantages that Live offers for on-stage sound processing."

Yamaha CS-15 Synthesizer Demo (FOR SALE)

YouTube via zibbybone. Yamaha CS-15 on Ebay
"Running through some of the basic features of this cool little synth. Many call it "Two-Synths-In-One" becasue it has 2 VCOs, 2 mixers, 2 VCFs, 2 VCAs and 2 EGs which can be controlled together with the built-in keyboard or independently via CV/Gate (seperate control inputs for VCO 1&2 and EG 1&2). First, I step through the basic waveforms (both VCOs have Triangle, Ramp and variable Pulse waves. Mixer 1 /VCF 1 allows input of VCO 1 and noise or external input. Mixer 2 / VCO2 allows input of VCO 1&2. Both VCOs are selectable resonant multi-mode filters (Low Pass, Band Pass and High Pass) allowing for some interesting filtering. There is a left hand modulation lever to adjust the frequency cut-off of either or both filters in real time. Next I run a Korg DDM-110 Super Drums into the external input. Lastly, I hook up a Korg MS-20 to the CS-15's OSC1 CV input and EG1 trigger input (both machines use Hz/oct scaling as opposed to the more common Volt/Oct scaling). This synth is for sale (I have another) and I am entertaining offers over $650. It is missing 2 slider caps and there is a burn mark on the right side new the power switch."

Synthesizer T

flickr by by john wave

Middle: Synth Keyboard - Chrome
Bottom: Waldorf knob - half full

Milton 16 X 4 VC Sequencer Analog Synth Module

via this auction

"Built in a MOTM sized 8U wide Schaffer panel. This is the version 1.4 board set that has the integrated Asynchronous Clock PIC. Unique PCB mount allows for installation in shallow cabinets. Requires a MOTM style +15v/-15v power supply.

The Milton is the most versatile analog sequencer ever. It's also quite rare. The designer's website claim 45 units in circulation. I built two, so I guess that makes 47. Have you ever seen one that looks as good behind the panel?

Here's the manual: link

and here's lots more information: link"

Lament

YouTube via AaronAndrewHunt

"The forbidden wavy narrow line - whether you spell it Do Re Me Re or La Ti Do Ti, in my experience it's some kind of archetype, and I use it here as a ground bass. There is a little otherwise diatonic melody which features a falling microtonal glissando, and then I'm obviously improvising the rest, for admittedly too long, and it might be boring, so I added some visual effects for interest. The sound is coming from the TPX2s internal synth. Find out more about TPX keyboards at http://www.h-pi.com"

ROLAND JUPITER 8 REPLACEMENT LCD

via these auctions

There are only nine left.

New Waldorf WAVE OS done by a user

via Till "Qwave" Kopper

"this is great Waldorf WAVE user news:

after 10 years of waiting for bug fixes there is a new OS with many bug fixes and some all new features:

*** quoted from the readme PDF ***

• The Wave shows a splash screen at start up.
• LFO 1 & LFO 2 independently can be synched to MIDI in various options.
• The Wave now can analyze .WAV files, which makes it much simpler to analyze
samples now.
• LFO 1 has a phase parameter
• The bug in receiving and sending SysEx files of other is fixed.
• Pedal 1&2 now can be changed in their polarity after boot phase.
• In the Waves Edit mode, in Harmonics Edit, there is a “silence” function, which
sets all Harmonics to zero.
• The Wave now maps velocity tables to externals too. This feature is described in
the manual but was not implemented.
• The velocity table mapping is fixed.
• In Group Edit now instruments and externals can be switched on again after
switching them off.
• The sustain pedal only is sent to externals which are not muted.
• Pedal 1&2 also send only to externals when these are not muted.
• Sending and receiving of the pedals via MIDI now works.
• The Buttons work for external Instruments not only on MIDI channel 1.
• The voice allocation bug of OS 1.700 is fixed.
• MIDI Controller 64 – 117 assigned to the Faders now send values 00…127 (not
only on/off)
• Aftertouch, Volume, Detune, Pan assigned to the Faders now are correctly
displayed
• The MIDI controllers for free wheel up and free wheel down in performance
definition now also control free wheel bidirectional parameters
• Some bug fixes were done in the file access functions

*** quote end ***

It is not a release by Waldorf Music, but it is done with the help of Waldorf (for giving away the original source code) and their OK. It is done by the WAVE enthusiast Werner Schoenenberger (actually with an O-Umlaut: Schönenberger) from the Swiss.

There is a small fee of 75 Euro for it. This is way below the real cost, because programming in assembler is not fun. And he spent many, many hours on it in the last years (!!!).

The price he asked for is only a kind of help to pay the costs he had during the coding.

The ReadMe, the manual and the OS data is located on the http://unofficial.waldorf-wave.de pages I run.

So finally we, the about 300 WAVE users get some bug fixes and some new features for a synth that is more then ten years out off production.

Attached a screenshot of the WAVE LCD showing the new LFO edit page with the new parameters for phase shift and midi clock sync.

keep on turning these knobs

Till Kopper

A long time WAVE enthusiast and live WAVE player from Tübingen near Stuttgart/Germany"

Kyma/Pacarana Expansion

"Infinitely Expandable Sound Computation Engine
Symbolic Sound Releases Software for Chaining Together Two or More Paca(rana) Sound Computers Under Control of Kyma Sound Design Software

CHAMPAIGN IL-August 27, 2009-Symbolic Sound Corporation has expanded the real-time sound-computing power of its Paca(rana) sound engine by making it possible for Kyma sound designers to chain two or more multiprocessor Paca(rana)s together via the built-in A/B Expansion ports. To the Kyma software, a network of Paca(rana)s appears as a single sound computation engine with multiple processors. Kyma automatically detects the number of available processors and schedules the execution of DSP-intensive signal processing and synthesis algorithms across multiple processors.

"One of the most frequently asked questions we were asked when we announced the new Paca and Pacarana sound engines back in January was 'Is it expandable?'" recalls Symbolic Sound president Carla Scaletti. "Now we can answer with an unequivocal, YES!" She adds that, "...while not everyone needs that much sound computing power, it's nice to know it's available should you ever need it, even if only on a temporary basis."

Photos

How it works
Two or more Pacas, Pacaranas, or combinations of both can be connected by plugging the orange cables, provided by Symbolic Sound, into the Expansion A and B ports on the backs of the units. A combination of audio and control signals is transmitted over the orange wires from each Paca(rana) to its neighbor. One of the Paca(rana)s is connected to a Macintosh or Windows computer (running the Kyma sound design software) via FireWire 800 (or 400). A single FireWire audio interface on the same bus handles all of the analog and digital audio inputs and outputs and, depending on the audio interface, MIDI. (A list of compatible converters can be found here). The composite super-Pacarana shows up in Kyma as a single sound computation engine with extra processors. To the sound designer or musician, the expansion is completely transparent; Kyma automatically takes advantage of the additional real-time processing power and memory.

Video
Link to a hand-held video with a Kyma-synthesized sound track showing the connection of 3 Pacas and 3 Pacaranas to create an 18-processor sound computer.

Who can use it
Anyone, from large sound design studios (which may set up a rack of Pacaranas as an audio compute-farm for intensive sound modelling operations) to friends getting together and temporarily hooking their Pacas together for some sound tweaking fun, can enjoy the benefits of the newly enabled expansion ports and orange connector cables. Audio engineers or sound designers managing complex signal processing and sound design requirements for live shows or theatre productions can assemble a rack of Pacaranas, all controlled and sequenced from a single computer. Supercomputing centers can offer scalable real-time sound computation and data sonification as an adjunct to the computer graphics rendering and dynamic simulation modelling already being offered to researchers and artists. Game design studios can set up a sound-design rendering farm for creating special sound effects for cinematics and voice processing for game characters. Anyone who ever finds themselves running out of real-time sound computation power could benefit from this new technology.

Early adopters
Beta testers for the new technology include Hollywood film composer Tobias Enhus (Photos of 3-Pacarana Rack in Tobias Enhus' Studio), who has already been using his rack of three interconnected Pacaranas to generate disturbingly bizarre sound tracks for Alan Rifkin's upcoming Showtime series Look, and organist/composer Franz Danksagmüller who recently used his 2-Pacarana system to accurately simulate the sounds of a cathedral organ on a portable keyboard to accompany a showing of Fritz Lang's silent film masterpiece Metropolis at the Göteborg International Film Festival.

Pricing & Availability
The Paca, Pacarana, and "orange wires" for connecting two or more of them together are now available at the Symbolic Sound Store (www.symbolicsound.com). Current multiple-Paca(rana) owners can request a free set of cables from Symbolic Sound. Every Paca or Pacarana comes with Symbolic Sound's innovative Kyma X environment featuring its unique set of sound synthesis and processing algorithms and a powerful way to easily re-combine these algorithms to create sounds that have never been heard before. For more information:

Symbolic Sound Corporation
+1-217-355-6273
info-kyma@symbolicsound.com
http://www.symbolicsound.com
Summary
Symbolic Sound's Paca(rana), sound engine for the award-winning Kyma sound design environment, can now be expanded by connecting 2 or more Paca(rana)s together via the built-in expansion ports.

Background
Symbolic Sound ignited the software synthesis and effects revolution in the 1990s with the Capybara and reinvented the portable sound computation engine earlier this year with the introduction of the Paca(rana). Symbolic Sound continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning Kyma sound design environment, favored by sound designers for film, games, advertising, music production, and live performances.
Symbolic Sound, the Symbolic Sound logo, Kyma, Pacarana, Paca, and Capybara and their logos are trademarks of Symbolic Sound Corporation. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners."

Stevie Wonder - Superstition live on Sesame Street

YouTube via RSLweblog

"It doesn't get much better than this.... I can't imagine a better feel good song than this one! Check out the REST OF THE VIDEOS in this collection! Stop by my music webpage (Ryan's Smashing Life) and say hello!"

Some interesting notes via Malcom Cecil on the AH list:
"I engineered and co-produced Superstition and still have the Master Track Sheets, Work Orders and Tape Legends from all of the recordings that I made with Stevie between 1971 and 1975.

The 8 tracks of clavinet are actually 4 stereo pairs, however, there are two very important timed stereo slap back tape tracks that Stevie was listening to while he played the first pass. They bwere created on a two track Ampex with a varispeed.

I recorded them because they are an important intrigal component of the musical line. I timed the slap to be drum track to create the funky feel. I only used the first stereo pair of clavinet tracks that were recorded with those slap back tracks in the final mix. If your tracks are numbered those clavinet tracks are 7 & 8 and the associated stereo slap tracks are on tracks 6 & 9 but if not you can hear which they - you can always listen to the mix!

Stevie recorded the drums (solo) first, then the cavinet/slap echo tracks and then the TONTO bass. Then he put down a reference vocal with "Lal-as" for words (except for "very Superstitious"). The words didn't get written until about two weeks later and the horns were added much later

I am very surprised to hear that that you have copies of the original tracks! I guarded those masters with my life but I gave them all to Stevie when we stopped working together in 1975.

I guess his security system 'aint what it was when I was with him - but then a lot changed when I left.

Peace,
Malcolm Cecil"

Return to Forever - Sorceress 1976

YouTube via mahavishnu018.

Moog Minimoog and ARP Oddyssey. ARP comes in at 2:44.
The note overs are a bit funny.

"Return to Forever performs "Sorceress" for the Old Grey Whistle Test studio audience in 1976.

Return to Forever is:
Chick Corea - Piano, Synthesizer, Clavinet
Stanley Clarke - Double Bass and Bass Guitar
Lenny White - Drums, Percussion
Al Di Meola - Guitar"

1981 Casiotone 202 Demo Record

YouTube via jafafah0ts
"A vintage flexidisc from Casio introducing the Casiotone 202 Electronic keyboard, their second ever."

"Deep Blue" Abend-Impressionen II

YouTube via Korgator
"I have played the FX sound " wind " with the Oberheim (Viscount)OB-12. Otherwise the instruments like in the credits performed."

ADT Morphex - Analog Synth & Effect

via this auction

videos

"This is the latest, custom-made, hand-built, all-analog, hybrid synth and sound effects unit from deep in the laboratories at Abstract Data.
It is an extremely versatile effect unit - unlike any you have heard before.

This crazy device takes any two 'line level' audio inputs and allows you to morph between them in ways that are both beautiful and bizarre.
Transform, distort, mangle and manipulate in true analog style, turning percussion loops into monstrous walls of sound,
tame soft synths into lush, evolving soundscapes and boring vocals into breeds of alien disruptors.

Blend, bend and beyond with this wild, self-oscillating, feedback-inducing, knob twiddling little green monster.

What are the specs?

* True, all-analog circuitry using quality components on a professionally made circuit board - (not proto or perf board).
* High quality Rean knobs.
* Built into a heavy-duty metal case.
* High-gloss powder-coated finish with professionally screen printed graphics.
* Four sturdy rubber feet for added grip.
* Eight independent controls covering a range of possibilities for maximum sonic manipulation.
* Two audio inputs (Main Audio Source and Manipulation Source) via 1/4" Mono Jacks.
* One audio output via a 1/4" Mono Jack.
* Can be used with a single audio input.
* Can be forced into self-oscillation.
* Toggle switch located conveniently on top of the unit for Power On/Off.
* Green Power On/Off indicator LED.
* Runs off a standard 12 Volt DC adapter - Tip = Negative (not included).

Thought you couldn't afford a genuine analog instrument?
Tired of temperamental old gear full of unobtainable parts being sold at inflated prices?
Here's the solution - get some Morphex in your mix!"

EMS Synthi

via this auction

JayB's Yamaha AN1x patches (Old Video)

YouTube via Hanni13579. via this auction

JayB's new Yamaha AN1x patches

"Download my sound bank FOR FREE at http://jayb.ath.cx/"

via this auction

IMG_8760mod

flickr by nilspils73

Octave CAT

Overdubs

flickr by Sumlin

"Damn right I played that harp."

Brainticket TV - A-100 Analog Modular System

Brainticket TV - A-100 Analog Modular System from Stefan Beckhusen on Vimeo.

"The complete sound is made with a small A-100 Analog Modular System. Best listen with headphones.
The video quality is a little bit weak because the 32 min clip had to be compressed in no more than 500 mb." via Synthesizer Artists

Minimal-Synth

via Aliens Project

ID the Roland

Yamaha CS70m Kenton Midi retrofit group buy

-------------
What?
-------------
You now have the opportunity to get a Yamaha CS70m Midi retrofit by
Kenton Electronics UK. It will be a redesign of the Kenton kit that was
discontinued due to parts availability quite some years ago. Scroll down
to the end of the document to read the specifications.

-------------
How?
-------------
This is a group buy, which means that we need at least 10 prepaid orders
to start the production. Production and distribution will be approx 8
weeks.

-------------
Price?
-------------
349 UK pounds + VAT which needs to be paid in advance to Analog Sweden.
If we don't reach 10 prepaid orders by the 1st of October 2009, your
money will be promptly returned. Shipping cost not included.

See this post on Analog Sweden for full details.

From Light to Sound

flickr by all that improbable blue's synth set
(click for more)

"From Light to Sound at the Wheatsheaf, Oxford. 14th March 2009."

Killing Joke

Alesis Micron and KORG MicroKORG

Blacet News for Fall 2009

"We now have patch cables in solid colors: yellow, blue, green, red, in 12" and 24" lengths. Available in a Value Pack of 8 for $19. http://www.blacet.com/misc.html

The Improbablity Drive is back in stock and now is a officially a "Limited Edition" module. Only 200 are to be built, with over 100 now presold.

Have a safe and fun Labor Day holiday!

http://www.blacet.com"

Roland TR 66 Modified Pics and MP3!

via Matia who has it listed for sale at VSE. "Hello everybody. Here is a real treat. I spent quiet a bit of time modifying this vintage Roland TR 66. The rare TR 66 is a simplified Roland CR 78. Not all of the CR 78 sounds are present but you have enough of the essentials to work with. I have done several mod's to this machine: I've added trigger inputs on banana jacks on the rear panel for each instrument so that a trigger signal can sequence/trigger the machine. To do this I've bypassed the internal sequencer but I've left all the wiring in place so if someone wants to return the machine to it's default status, it can be done. I've also added a breakout box over a DSUB cable to give the user control over the synthesis of the internal drum sounds. Kick decay and tune can be adjusted, Tom decay's can be adjusted, the Snare has a snappy control, and the Conga has a tune control. I've left one knob free for the user to configure should you want to add an additional modification. Everything is in great shape and the machine sounds wonderful. I've included a little demo of what the machine is capable of. One note about the triggers: to fire the machine off you need to use negative pulses (this is true of most older drum boxes including the CR 8000). With some additional modification the user can make the trigger inputs work with positive pulses (see Justin's excellent burnkit page for more info). However, there are plenty of DIY and premade solutions that work with this machine (wether MIDI to cv/gate converters or dedicated pulse generators). I predominantly used this machine with the Serge modulars' Dual Transient Generator."

A Girl and her 808

via Patrick on Facebook

Tar-in-my-lungs

Tar-in-my-lungs by fedaden
Oberheim Xpander track: "almost all sounds came from it, even the first synth beat...
only a sampled 80's-ish kick and snare and hh added."

Zn'shñ : Noise manufacturing w/ Sleepdrone 5, Dual Tone Generator & analog filters

YouTube via znshn
"Noise manufacturing session by Zn'shñ (Elvire Bastendorff & Franck Smith) w/ Sleepdrone 5, Dual Tone Generator & analog filters (Sherman Filterbank 2, Jomox M-Resonator) + Tenori-On. Contents : noise manufacturing, square wave, oscillators, analog filtering, micro-pulses, clicks, glitches...

N.B.- According to a fictitious etymology, the term Zn'shñ signifies: the gleam of dark colours. Deliberately antithetic and intentionally enigmatic, Zn'shñ is enthused by Butoh iconography, Japanese Gagaku aesthetic and Tibetan rituals codification. Operating as a dual electronic unit (mulit-instrumentalis/composer Franck Smith and artist/sound-activist Elvire Bastendorff), Zn'shñ deepens some very specific works around digital phonocrafting and noise manufacturing.
IF POSSIBLE USE HEADPHONES OR CONNECT YOUR COMPUTER TO A QUITE DECENT SOUND-SYSTEM.

Material in this video:
- Sleepdrone 5 (via main output)
- 2 Benfox Dual Tone Generator
- Sherman Filterbank 2
- Jomox M-Resonator
- Benfox Ben HF
- TENORI-ON
- Space Echo RE-20
- Electro Harmonix Pulsar

http://www.myspace.com/znshn
http://znshn.blogspot.com
http://www.odiolorgnette.com
http://www.myspace.com/sthintosmither...

http://francksmith.blogspot.com

........................................
Zn'shñ Franck Smith Elvire Bastendorff alternative digital techniques Live Electronics Odiolorgnette TENORI-ON Yamaha Sherman Filterbank 2 Jomox M-Resonator Sleepdrone 5 Benfox Dual Tone Generator Space Echo RE-20 Analog Filters triggering analog bass drum module phonocrafting noise manufacturing"

"Det er mig der står herude og banker på" - on Technics SX-C600

YouTube via organfairy
"Again, this is a rerun. For some strange reason after a few weeks the original post stopped working and all that was shown was a "video unavailable" sign.

This is a Danish pop song of the disposable type. But here I play it in a totally un-automated fashion. It is not intended as a mockery of Thomas Helmig who originally sang it - even though I find him extremely annoying....."