On the day the Minimoog Voyager was discontinued, we now have an image of the upcoming Mother-32 in the flesh, sent my way via Soviet Space Child. Not a Voyager replacement of course, we weren't expecting that based on reports from Knobcon. Some of you were fortunate enough to see it in person there, the rest of us get to finally see it now. This appears to be more of a Werstatt on steroids.
The Mother-32 appears to be a single oscillator desktop or euro-rackable, patchable, monophonic synth, with a built-in sequencer. It's kind of fun to compare it to the mockups here and here.
What I was able to read off the panel (feel free to fill in the gaps):
Controls:
Frequency knob
Glide knob
Oscilator Controls:
VCO Wave Switch - Pulse or Saw
Pulse Width knob
MIX Knob - VCO to NOISE/EXT
VCO MOD Source switch - EG/VCO MOD or LFO
VCO MOD knob
VCO Dest switch - Pulse Width or Frequency
Filter Controls:
Cutoff knob - 20hz to 20Khz
Resonance knob
VCF MODE switch - High Pass or Low Pass
VCF MOD Source switch - EG or LFO
VCF MOD AMT knob
VCF MOD Polarity switch - positive or negative
Volume knob
Envelope Controls
Attack knob
Sustain switch - On or Off
Decay knob
“A few years ago we ceased production of our popular Sync-Gen IILE unit because we felt it couldn’t really compete with the newer Sync-Gen IIPRO
As part of our cleanup and reset for 2016 we discovered enough cases, boards and accessories in the factory to build another twenty five brand new Sync-Gen IILE units.
These solid devices are identical to the Sync-Gen IIPRO in terms of timing precision, ease of use and they run the identical Sync-Gen II software as well of course. They have a single MIDI Clock and a single DIN-Sync output but these can be expanded easily if required.
They originally retailed for $495AUD. Our offer to include a MIDI Solutions Merge unit ($100AUD) at no extra charge to celebrate the clean up goes for these last twenty five Sync-Gen IILE units as well. Purchase links are on the website."
"Prophet 5 Synth, Rev. 3.3 with Midi, pristine condition. Recently serviced by Main Drag Music here in NYC to be in top notch condition. All keys play smoothly, sounds amazing..."
"Not 'reface'...THE face!! Original Yamaha CS-60 polyphonic analog synthesizer, the queen to the CS-80s king, half the guts and all the glory. Professionally owned, studio kept, all keys, knobs & sliders work and play beautifully. Nearly 40 years old, still unequalled by pale software or VA imitations. If you're looking at this then you know what it is, feel free to send me questions and I'll do my best to answer them. This one comes with the original chrome legs/stand, owner's and service manual, control pedal and BAG for pedal, and sustain-type pedal (not pictured). It's been a dream come true and a pure joy to own and play this, may you be just as delighted."
"This is a very special and rare piece. Sam Masuko, Owner of Three Wave Music has done all of the maintenance on it. Over $500 in recent maintenance. I can not stress how mint this thing is, you will just have to see it your self..."
"Sequencing: Creating songs on the fly with a Linn 9000s powerful sequencer. I made this sequence in roughly 1 minute. It is a quick demonstration of creating a song on the fly using the linn 9000, mute, solo, and repeat buttons. This feature is great for experimenting with ideas. Later you would simply take this sequence, copy it to a new sequence, and change tracks. Then at the end piece all of the sequences together to create a song, complete with fills, breaks and key changes,"
"I never get to use sounds like this in my music, so I thought I'd vent my pad programming needs into this video. All sounds are programmed and performed by me, and feature only the unprocessed sound of the wonderful new Prophet 6 - no external effects, multitracking or MIDI involved."
It's hard to believe it's true, but the Moog Voyager, Bob Moog's first synthesizer after getting the Moog Music name back, is being discontinued after 13 years.
I was fortunate enough to pick up a Signature Series Voyager, brand new in the box, on clearance years ago when the last ones were being blown out. It never left the studio and I never sent it out for updates. I wanted to preserve Bob Moog's Voyager exactly as it left the factory, as he signed off on it.
I also have a Minimoog Model D, a Minitaur and the Sub Phatty. What set the Voyager and Model D apart of course was that third oscillator. It makes a difference. I'm curious if Moog will replace the Voyager with another three osc synth. Perhaps a re-issue of the original Model D? Owning both, I have to say each stands on it's own and is different enough to warrant both. The Voyager is refined, yet exudes power. The Model D is wild, aggressive, rough around the edges, but can be tamed.
Whatever Moog comes up with next, I'm sure it will be great. All of their synths to date have something special to offer.
An interesting side note is Bob Moog's Moogerfooger and theremins, released before the Voyager under the Big Briar name, will live on.
The official press release from Moog Music with a tribute video from Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor follows below.
"After 13 years & 14,000 instruments, production of the Minimoog Voyager is coming to an end. Moog will lovingly handcraft 600 final units of the Minimoog Voyager at their factory in downtown Asheville, NC before saying goodbye.
The Minimoog Voyager is the foundation of the modern Moog synthesizer. When it went into production in 2002, it signaled the rebirth of Moog Music, and the re-emergence of the analog synthesizer as a viable creative tool in our increasingly digital world. The design philosophy behind the Minimoog Voyager set the pattern for all of Moog’s subsequent work: where beauty, high mechanical quality, and sonic excellence are equally paramount in the service of musical ideas. The Minimoog Voyager is an embodiment of this ideology, and a wellspring of inspiration for Moog’s instrument design now and into the future.
Most importantly, the Minimoog Voyager is the last synthesizer that Bob Moog designed from start to finish. His DNA is in the circuits of this machine, and it is the culmination of Dr. Moog’s life’s work, which was dedicated to electronic musical instrument design.
Recently, Moog had the honor of sitting down with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, the genre-defining music innovator, master synthesist and Academy Award winning composer. In the interview, Reznor recounts his intimate relationship with the Minimoog Voyager, which he feels “is the archetype of what a synthesizer is and should be.” Through personal stories, Reznor reveals his decades long history with the instrument and how it has shaped the way he views and creates music. The video is set to an original score by British electronic music producer, The Haxan Cloak, co-producer of Bjork’s Vulnicura. Befitting the occasion, the artist used a Minimoog Voyager and a prototype Mother-32, Moog’s newest synthesizer, to create the score.
Over the course of its 13-year production run, the Minimoog Voyager has become one of the most iconic analog synthesizers in history. Its impact on modern music can be heard on countless records and seen on stages around the world with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Dr. Dre, Radiohead, Herbie Hancock, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Daft Punk, Bjork and many more.
As a thank you to existing Minimoog Voyager owners, Moog is offering 20% off on all Minimoog Voyager upgrades, modifications and calibrations to domestic customers until the end of the year. Contact techsupport@moogmusic.com for more information.
The Minimoog Voyager is still available in limited quantities at stocking dealers in Performer and Electric Blue versions while supplies last. For pricing and availability, please visit www.moogmusic.com/dealers."
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Trent Reznor | Archetype of a Synthesizer
Published on Sep 30, 2015 Moog Music Inc
"Through personal stories, Trent Reznor recounts his relationship with an iconic analog synthesizer and describes how it has fit into his creative process over his storied career.
Original score by The Haxan Cloak, co-producer of Bjork’s Vulnicura. Befitting the occasion, the artist used a Minimoog Voyager and a prototype Mother-32, Moog’s newest synthesizer, to create the score."
"This video tutorial series on the Roland JD-Xi Analog Digital Crossover Synthesizer will help you master this compact and fun synth!
Learn how to create your own tones, save them in a program and how to create tracks using the four-track pattern sequencer.
The Roland JD-Xi Analog Digital Crossover Synthesizer is a powerful compact synth with onboard pattern sequencer and vocal effects.
Tiny, mighty, and affordable, the JD-Xi puts a true analog synth engine, Roland’s famous SuperNATURAL synth sounds, and many other creative tools under one hood. Equipped with 37 mini keys, this compact instrument delivers fat, warm analog bass and lead tones with ample controls for hands-on tweaking, plus polyphonic PCM essentials like pads, strings, brass, and more. Create impressive loops in a flash with the pattern sequencer and built-in drum kits, and explore expressive vocal textures with the gooseneck mic, Vocoder, and AutoPitch. Small in size and large in versatility, the JD-Xi is all about big sounds and big fun!
But this time I wanted to do new video version using just hardware synths and use computer only for recording.
Synths used:
Bassline : Roland SH-101
Chords : Roland SH-01 Gaia (Sequenced by Boss DR-202)
PWM backing synth : SH-101
Pads : Jupiter Clone
Choir vocals in break : Roland SH-01 Gaia
Bright DX-style synths : Yamaha TX81z
Solo Synth at the end : Jupiter Clone
Drums : Roland TR-707 and Roland TR-606 (Hihats)
Reverb and delays : Lexicon MPX100"
"Here's a quick synthpop sound demo utilizing ALL Nyborg-24 sounds, including drums.
Due to Nyborg's lightning fast envelopes, percussion comes second nature -- as do other great synth sounds due to Nyborg's creative modulation section and deep 24db filter.
The Logic X arpeggiator was used alongside Nyborg to produce the synth lines and arpeggiations you hear in this demo track. All synthesizer parts were recorded individually and layered in Logic X.
Only slight delay and reverb were used in moderation.
See the website for more information on Nyborg-12 and Nyborg-24:
"Kenton makes room for more MIDI connections with well-thought-through THRU-25 box
LONDON, UK: MIDI utilities specialist Kenton is proud to announce availability of the THRU-25 — an appropriately-named new addition to its growing family of compact and sturdy MIDI utility boxes that effectively allows up to 25 MIDI devices to be connected to one MIDI output port and avoids all the usual problems associated with daisy-chaining multiple MIDI devices — as of September 29…
As implied by name, the THRU-25 boasts no fewer than 25 sequentially-numbered MIDI Thru ports, each with separate drive circuits for optimum performance, plus one opto-coupled MIDI IN (MIDI input) port — and all with an impressive latency of less than one microsecond! Active circuitry helps restore the quality of signals received at that MIDI input as they may have become degraded by losses incurred in the MIDI cable connecting the keyboard, computer, or other ‘master’ MIDI device to the THRU-25. In use, up to 25 ‘slave’ MIDI devices can be conveniently controlled by simply connecting them to those multiple MIDI Thru ports — one MIDI device per port.
Housed in a road-ready metal box attractively finished in brushed aluminium with black screen print measuring merely 300mm (W) x 54mm (D) x 35mm (H) and weighing in at a portable 460g (including the power supply), the THRU-25 is powered by a plug-top, switch-mode power supply (supplied with the unit as one of four types — Australia, EU, UK, or USA — appropriate to the delivery address). As such, there is no need for periodic battery changes to keep the unit up and running. Instead, the ACTIVE LED emits a steady green light to indicate when power is connected and no MIDI data is being received at the MIDI IN port; in turn, that green light flickers when MIDI data is being received — really helpful for trouble-shooting at a glance.
'The THRU-25 is a larger version of our popular THRU-5,' notes Kenton Director John K. Price. 'It is intended for use in recording studios and by users with a lot of MIDI equipment. I had received numerous requests over time for a unit larger than the THRU-5, so I made a prototype that I showed at The NAMM Show 2015 back in January. The unit attracted a lot of attention, so we have now put it into production.'
Proponents of high-count hardware MIDI rigs surely owe it to themselves and their devices to invest in a THRU-25 and avoid all those problems associated with daisy-chaining multiple MIDI devices once and for all — and all without breaking a sweat (or breaking the bank)!
The THRU-25 can be purchased from Kenton’s global network of retail partners or directly for £128.92 GBP (excluding tax and shipping) from here: http://www.kentonuk.com/thru25"
"I was once again watching a good friend play through Mega Man 3, and the second Wily Castle song really stuck out to me. Originally it was going to be more low key, but Jake took it in another direction with his drums, and it really made the song something special. Huge thanks to Jake and Rich for bringing this song to life!"
"Rico Loverde checking out the new Sputnik Dual Oscillator"
Features:
Two Oscillators – Generator 1 with V/Oct, CV input, VCO or LFO mode switch, Triangle, Saw or Square selectable output and FM input. Generator 2 with V/Oct, CV input, FM input and external sync input.
Modulation control section including switches for AM, FM for Timbre bus modulation, CV input for modulation control amount, manual modulation index control and a sync switch making Gen 1 sync to Gen 2.
Harmonics section controls waveshaping of timbre and includes CV or manual controls for Symmetry and Order.
Timbre section (primary waveshaping section) includes CV or manual control.
Output 1 section includes 3 outputs: Triangle, Select (Triangle, Ramp, Square) waveform and unipolar CV output.
Output 2 section includes 3 outputs: Sine, Square and Final (master output).
"The SPUTNIK ENVELOPE FOLLOWER/PREAMP is a dual function module that allows audio signals to be brought up to proper levels to be sonically manipulated by other Eurorack modules or to be converted into control voltage. The preamp section includes a balanced ¼” TRS cable input jack that can accept sound sources such as microphones, guitar pickups, keyboards, drum machines, etc. Three selectable gain modes are available via a switch with an additional gain knob to dial in the signal to the exact level you need. The envelope follower section of the module features an input jack for modular level signals and outputs for CV and pulses. Front panel knobs give you control over input sensitivity and CV envelope decay time."
"First video presenting Tides Parasite, a free alternative firmware for the Mutable Instruments Tides eurorack module. It presents Two Bumps, a new harmonic oscillator. More info and download at http://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites"
Tides Parasite - 2. Two Drunks
Published on Sep 30, 2015 mqtthiqs
"Second video of Tides Parasite, a free alternative firmware for the Mutable Instruments Tides eurorack module. This one presents Two Drunk, a dual random walk generator. More info and download at http://mqtthiqs.github.io/parasites"
"Featuring 8 instances of OP-X PRO-II performing in Apple Logic Pro X. All sounds including drums are coming from OP-X PRO-II.
The featured sounds are available in the 'PROII_Live8InstancesSong' bank in 'Extrabanks' in the new Mac and x64 versions. The bank also will be provided for the 32bit version on the sound reloads page.
The featured session can be downloaded ready to play for various Mac and Windows x64 sequencers on the demo version page: http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/f...
The available formats now include:
Mac: AU and VST3 32/64bit
Win: VST2 32bit, VST2 and VST3 64bit
The new Mac and x64 bit versions include all so far available sounds which is a whooping 2'500 patches in total.
The sound collection includes emulations of synths like Oberheim OB-X, Matrix-12, Jupiter-8, Prophet-5, Minimoog, Elka Synthex, Crumar BIT99 and other ones.
"Since the mid-90s Marco Resmann has been involved with house and techno music in one way or another. A music collector turned DJ, Marco found himself in the midst the exploding Berlin music scene. With a curious mind and a sense of fun, Marco quickly found his place - the parties, underground clubs and music of this time became the foundation of his career. After establishing himself as a DJ, he began work on producing music and collaborating in the early 2000s. The latest chapter in Marco’s story kicked off in 2007 when he launched his own record label Upon You and started producing under his own name.
We caught up with Marco at his studio in Berlin and talked about his history, music, projects and Diva.
