Note: According to the previous demo posted here, this panel is a prototype. It does however give us a peak into the featureset of the upcoming Baloran synth. For additional demos see here (scroll down to previous posts when you get there).
This is the first image to clearly reveal the front panel controls. As you can see, this synthesizer features 4 VCOs (2 Analog, 2 Digital), 2 Mixers feeding into 4 Filters laid out in two sections, 4 ENVs, 3 LFOs, Sequencer, and Arpeggiator. Note the Poly button. Click on the image to zoom in. You will see the following and more:
VCF 1 & 3 can be 12 or 24 dB, & have Digital & VCO FM for corresponding sections
VCF 2 & 4 can be BP or HP and have a VCF 1-2 balance knob or FM?
Each VCF has separate Key tracking
3 LFOs, 2 VCAs w/ PAN for stereo, 4 ENVs with CURVE for F (Filter) and M envelopes
16 step sequencer, ARP
Note there are buttons under some controls you wouldn't expect. I'm guessing they enable and disable modulation. Press the button and adjust the amount with the knob. Similar to an Oberheim Matrix-12 and XPander, or an Alesis Andromeda. On the Andromeda buttons enable to disable the modulation so you can use them as on/off buttons. The buttons under each Envelope knob in the image above are interesting. What do they do? Do they enable disable each stage, do they allow you to adjust the curve, can you modulate each stage of the envelop? The more I look at the panel the more this synth appears to be a modulation powerhouse. Feel free to share your thoughts and/or anything you see in the comments section below.
P.S. Baloran previously brought us the The River, an 8-voice multi-timbral polyphonic analog synthesizer.
Hi guys! Monday, February 1 Today I shot another video of X-Lab engine experiments. There are three experiments: first is an electric piano and a snare, second is a conga and acoustic guitar, and then some SFX-like sounds. At the end of the experiment, I felt like jamming a little bit, i played it. please check it out. 2月1日(月) 今日もX-LABエンジンの実験動画を撮影しました。 エレピとスネア、コンガとアコースティックギター、あとはSFX的な音の3つの実験です。 実験の終わりにジャムを構築していくような動画も撮りましたので是非ご覧下さい。
"Drone mode on the DB-01 is simple and obvious yet can add a lot of power and variation to even the most simple patterns. Here drone mode is combined with a saved scale and a synced LFO. You could easily adlib an entire song!
Effects used here are only what you see: a Carbon Copy Deluxe and an MXR Phase 45. The DB-01 is otherwise alone and unprocessed: no EQ, compression, limiting, volume change etc. And of course, just a single track.
For more on the DB-01 see my playlist of tutorial videos and tips: [previuos posts here]
"The Roland JUNO-60 helped define the sound of the ’80s and is highly prized for its vintage vibe and unmistakable character. Simply put, it’s the sound you hear in your head when you think of fat, punchy analog synthesizers.
With the JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer, you get the full authentic experience of this legendary keyboard in a modern software instrument for DAW-based music production. Roland’s PLUG-OUT format is also supported for computer-free operation via the SYSTEM-8 hardware synth, with all parameters automatically mapped to capture the hands-on JUNO-60 workflow.
The JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer is just the latest member of Roland Cloud’s Legendary series, which includes plug-in versions of the JUNO-106, JUPITER-8, TR-808, TR-909, D-50, and many other classics. Roland Cloud is also home to an ever-expanding collection of creative tools to keep your music flowing, including the powerful ZENOLOGY software synth, Model Expansions, Sound Packs, Zenbeats, and much more."
And the press release:
Iconic 1980s Polysynth Now Available as a Legendary Series Plug-In Through Roland Cloud
Los Angeles, CA, February 16, 2021 — Roland announces the JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer, the latest addition to the Legendary series of software-based Roland instruments available through Roland Cloud. The original Roland JUNO-60 hardware synth helped define the sound of ’80s music and is still highly prized for its vintage vibe and unmistakable character. With the JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer, the authentic experience of this influential keyboard is now available as a modern software instrument for Mac and Windows DAWs.
Released in 1982, the JUNO-60 was among the earliest models in Roland’s iconic JUNO series, and is an all-time favorite for many synth aficionados. With a winning formula of a single DCO, fat sub-oscillator, and characterful VCF—plus a massive swirling chorus effect—the instrument has found its way onto innumerable tracks through the years. Powered by Roland’s proprietary Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) technology, the software version recreates the sonic experience and approachable architecture of the JUNO-60 in startling detail, allowing users to craft rich, inspiring sounds with little effort.
The JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer fully captures the original’s balanced magic—including the odd quirks and charming limitations—and enhances it with useful modern additions. The filter has been modeled to perfection, and users have the ability to switch to the HPF circuit of the next-generation JUNO-106 and its characteristic bass bump. The oscillator range has also been extended, and there’s a second envelope for extra flexibility. Polyphony has been expanded to eight notes, with the option to limit it to the original’s six (or less) for an old-school vibe.
A huge part of the JUNO-60 sound is its lush chorus circuit. Like the original, the software version has two push-button chorus modes, plus a third “secret” mode accessed by pressing both buttons at once. Taking things further, there’s an additional chorus option with the sound of the vintage BOSS CE-1 pedal, along with a selection of reverb, delay, flanger, and overdrive effects.
The JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer is VST3, AU, and AAX compatible and also supports Roland’s PLUG-OUT format for computer-free operation with the SYSTEM-8 hardware synth. And for DAW-focused workflows, it’s possible to use the SYSTEM-8 or a Roland Boutique JU-06/JU-06A for one-to-one, hands-on control of the JUNO-60 plug-in.
The JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer is just the latest member of Roland Cloud’s Legendary series, which includes plug-in versions of other Roland classics like the JUNO-106, JUPITER-8, TR-808, TR-909, D-50, and more. Legendary titles are available with the Ultimate membership level of Roland Cloud. All paid levels – including Core and Pro – start with a free 30-day trial of Ultimate, allowing users to try out the JUNO-60 and all Ultimate features. In addition, any Roland Account holder can purchase Lifetime Keys for individual Legendary series titles. This provides unlimited access for as long as their account is active, even if they don’t have a Roland Cloud membership.
For more information on the JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer:
➤ JUNO-60: https://www.roland.com/us/products/rc..."
---
If you are curious why the JUNO-60 is available as a PLUG-OUT for the SYSTEM-8, but not the Jupiter-X or Jupiter-Xm, the SYSTEM-8 uses ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) technology, while the Jupiter-X and Xm use ABM (Analog Behaviour Modeling) via Roland's new ZEN-Core engine. The following touches on the differences between them.
Roland ACB versus ABM - Getting real answers from #Roland
video by Nu-Trix The Synth Guy
"The ARP 2600 is providing CV/gate to control the Z506 Swiss Daisy DSP in the new 'Pluck' mode. The Frequency Central MethAmp module provides distortion.
The Swiss Daisy DSP pluck mode uses a Karplus-Strong algorithm to model a plucked string ( think "Rings" ). This plucked string provides a great foundation for driving the MethAmp distortion module.
The Frequency Central MethAmp is a clone of the famous 'Big Muff' distortion pedal used by Hendrix and many others. I could have used the preamp section of the ARP 2600, but the MethAmp also provides tone control, as well as a 'regeneration' control that did not appear on the original Big Muff. The regen can easily cause feedback (frequency controlled by the tone control).
BTW, I love this video on Karplus-Strong synthesis:" [posted here]
"The Quandrantid Swarm is a digital synthesizer that features a percussive element to give it a unique sound. It contains a two-pole analog filter, an LFO with eight waveforms, and a spring reverb. The eight touch keys can be used as a mono keyboard, polyphonic keyboard or an eight-step sequencer. The Quandrantid Swarm has MIDI and CV/Trig connectivity. Its normalized pre-patching allows you start creating immediately, but its semi-modular design allows you to use patch cables to explore the potential of this instrument. Includes original power supply."
"GForce's Dave Spiers talks about the making of the B-Side of Bright Sparks which focusses on the British contributions including Mellotronics, EMS, Electronic Dream Plant & Freeman.
Sadly, since this was filmed, our good friend, and a truly iconic British synth designer, Chris Huggett, died."
"This 62HP eurorack setup is a full analog drum machine and synth voice which features two sequencers, distortion and compression effects as well as an LFO for modulation.
The drums in this system are handled by the Endorphin.es BLCK_NOIR analog drum synth. An Intellijel 1U Steppy four channel trigger sequencer goes well with the BLCK_NOIR. There is also a Future Retro Trax sequencer that can generate pitch sequences for the synth voice which is the Erica Synths Bassline. The Baseline is an entire voice in one module, in this video we used the 2HP LFO as an FM oscillator for the Baseline, but you could also use the LFO for more subtle modulation. For processing these sounds the Seca Ruina by Noise Engineering is a multi band distortion, great for dirtying up your signal without loosing too much bass, an SSF Autodyne provides compression with an optional sidechain input!
"Noise Station (Shapers category) is a stereo noise source with tunable colors. Full CW 'Tune' position is for the white noise and the rest of the 'Tune' knob rotation selects many different noise flavors. 'Shape' knob does stereo field noise crossfade. 'Tone' is the usual high/low frequency filtering."
"There are quite a few things that are the same between the BIA and the Manis. They both have 9 CV-controlled parameters, they’re both 10 HP, they’re both US$360, and they’re both a lot of fun! They hey both use additive and FM synthesis to create their sounds. Both can be percussive, and both can take on duties as basslines or leads too. They are also both complete voices, meaning that they have an envelope and VCA built-in. All you need is a sequencer (or some other type of controller) and you’re off!"
1. Mutable Instruments Beads - exploration and tutorial by Tom Leclerc
2. Mutable Instruments Beads (no input) by Robin Rimbaud-Scanner
First play with the Mutable Instruments Beads texture synthesiser. And here's
a wonderful surprise - if you leave both audio inputs unpatched, then after 10
seconds it begins to granulise a collection of stored raw waveforms taken from
Mutable Instruments Plaits wavetable module. So here's a piece using Beads as
the lead voice on this cinematic piece, with no other inputs. I added other
instruments afterwards for rhythm and bass, and the singular pulse that holds
throughout is from the Make Noise Mysteron. This is just an idea to show Beads
in a very musical context
3. Heidi Concrète (featuring Mutable Instruments Beads) by Robin Rimbaud-Scanner
An experimental piece using Mutable Instruments Beads, the texture
synthesiser, processing an audio file. No addition effects or processing were
used. This is simply a live exploration of a single audio file with Beads. The
original voice introduces and closes the piece so you can compare the two
sonic worlds before and after Beads. The voice is taken from a scanned phone
call in the early 1990s that features on my Delivery (1997) album.
4. A Little Beat with Mutable Instruments Beads (Wavetable Mode) by midcentury
modular
This is Beads running in the internal wavetable mode (and a kick drum from
plaits). I've got a gate going into freeze that acts as a mute when the kick
comes in (sort-of side-chain like), and I'm also manually pressing it to mute
and sustain the random sequence.
The pitches are not from an external cv source but generated internally with
the peaky random distribution into the time knob. The pitch changes with this
parameter seem to be somewhat harmonically related (though I'm not sure what
specific scale) to the root set by the pitch parameter.
5. Overdriven Ambient Looping with Mutable Instruments Beads by midcentury
modular
This video is some improvised choir sounds (from the Ableton Operator synth,
played with a midi keyboard) ran into Mutable Instruments Beads in the
delay/looper mode (with "sunny tape quality") Throughout, I add to the buffer
by tapping out of freeze mode and back in. When the feedback is up, things
stick around, so you can progressively add more and build up the buffer. I'm
also experimenting with overdriving the input (by turning up the audio level
going into beads from ableton with the top left 1U knob)
6. Mutable Instruments Beads (Scorched Cassette Mode) and Ciat-Lonbarde
Plumbutter Deerhorn by midcentury modular
This patch is my attempt at using Beads to add some Cocoquantus-like magic to
the Deerhorn. I think the downsampling, lower-bitrate and whatever other DSP
tricks are happening in the Scorched Cassette mode are crerating a somewhat
similar vibe to the 8-bit dolby loopers in the Coco, and I think this adds
some really nice fizzy textures to the warm, raw-oscillator tone of the
Deerhorn). Beads is also pitching down the two tones from Deerhorn to add a
bit more melodic content.
There is some very subtle modulation coming from the orange out on Deerhorn,
but it's not really doing a ton and could probably be left out and you
wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference. There is some audio-rate
modulation coming out of one of the white deerhorn outputs into the density
input, which is modulating some of the AM stuff going on when density is high
towards the end of the track.
No idea why the snapping gesture with the density knob caused the "knock on
wood" sound, but I think it was a pretty cool accident!
7. Noisy Experimenting with Mutable Instrument Beads, Blades Ripples and Plaits
This patch (at least as much as I remember it...been a while since I made
this) is Beads and Blades in a sort-of feedback loop. Blades is over-driven
and self-oscillating, and the outs are sent to control seed and freeze on
Beads (which is using the internal wavetable generator as audio input). After
trying out various ones, I found these two control inputs on Beads the most
interesting with audio rate signals. The outs of Beads are going into the
audio inputs of blades. Both modules outs are multed out and into veils which
is acting as a stereo mixer. Ripples (which is getting some noise into its
cutoff modulation input from Plaits) is providing some audio rate modulation
to some of the Veils channels.
"Beads is a reinvention of Mutable Instruments’ Clouds.
The concept is the same, live granular processing of an incoming audio signal, and the labels on the panel remain familiar.
The similarities stop here. The hardware and software have been redesigned from the ground up, with several goals in mind: a crisper and broader sound palette, more control, better playability, and direct access to exciting new features.
DOTTING THE I’S AND CROSSING THE T’S
Beads’ vastly improved specifications allow a higher audio quality, a longer buffer, the use of better interpolation and anti-aliasing algorithms, and key DSP blocks to run at a faster rate. Granular processing can now go to new territories, such as formants, wavetables, hard-sync-like sounds, or crispy noise.
The range of parameters, their response to the turn of a knob or a CV modulation have all been refined, for new possibilities such as reverse playback or percussive envelopes.
CONTROL, CHAOS AND CHARACTER
Control. To trigger or schedule grains, Beads provides new features to divide or randomize an external clock or trigger stream, spray bursts of grains in response to a gate, or get the grain rate to track a V/O CV or the frequency of an external oscillator.
Chaos. Each key parameter of a grain comes with its own attenurandomizer, which allows direct CV control, CV control of the randomization (spread) of this parameter, or internal randomization using some of Marbles’ algorithms.
Character. Beads provides four audio quality settings, which go well beyond buffer sample rate and bit-depth: they affect the clock of the converters, the amplitude limiting and saturation of the signal path, the tone of the reverb, and additional media-emulation effects. From a pristine digital device to a dirty cassette, through a mode reproducing some of Clouds’ characteristics.
MODES?
Beads can operate as a delay without the need to switch to a different mode: just ask it to play a never-ending grain. Its DENSITY, TIME and SEED controls are repurposed to allow various features such as tap-tempo, beat slicing, time-stretching, or comb-filtering at rates tracking V/O.
Without any audio input, Beads will granularize 8 internal banks of wavetables.
"Just a quick improvisation. This patch is made from noise and a piano sample (in part 2). You can download my EX5 patch set for free, no registration needed, from www.floydsteinberg.com. This patch is I1-041 (C09). If you want to know how to create this sound, I already did a video on that: [posted here]
Put the FDSP 'Water' effect on a burst of noise. Tweaking the parameters a bit turns the white noise into a guitar string sound, this is called karplus-strong synthesis. As FDSP can manipulate individual notes, this results in a polyphonic karplus strong track. I set the encoders up to control the decay time of the string sound and the volume of the piano sample, and the mod wheel controls the loudness of the FDSP effect."
"Updating a song I had already covered years ago. This is the instrumental single version. Played on an E-mu Systems Emax containing samples previously recorded by me from a Roland JX-8P (pad) and Yamaha DX7 (harp lead). Backtrack recorded on Pro Tools, including Kurzweil PC1x strings. Song composed by Bronski/Cole/Somerville. Performed here by DX5 Jose Maria Bara."
"I've been planning to look deeper into the ESQ-1 for some time, but unfortunately it locked up, so I've not been able to use it. It's done this before and it's reasonably easy to fix. As it is so easy, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try out the new #shorts format on YouTube. Don't worry, I'll be sticking to the usual format most of the time (or maybe this is better?), so you can expect a normal video soon.
The track is called CONSPIRACY THEORY and you can find the full video here: [posted here]
Notes on this video and fixing synths in general: 1) WARNING I would not advise anyone poking around inside their keyboards, unless they have good electronics experience. Apart from issues of harm, relating to electric shock, there is a good chance you will make any problems worse if you don't know what you are doing. 2) The remedy for this keyboard's problem is unlikely to be the issue on other units. I just happen to know this is the issue and I've heard, via various Facebook groups, that others have had the same problem.
Having said that, the contact enhancer, although not a miracle worker, has been very helpful for me. It's called "STABILANT 22" you don't need a lot of it.
Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this auction
"Condition is Excellent. There are a couple of places where there is some minor residue (shown in pics) from something someone stuck to it at some point between 1978 and when I got it, but overall condition is great. And it sounds Great! Classic 1970’s Roland. If it weren’t for the tiny bit of residue, condition would be Excellent +++."
"Cosmetically, this unit is not in the best shape, but it sounds amazing. Fully service so everything works perfectly as it should. It comes with MIDI installed so you are able to control it with you DAW. MIDI adapter and power adapter included"
"Formanta Maestro, a preset synthesizer with analogue filter, same found in Polivoks. This unit was fully serviced, retrofitted with MIDI, fully recaped and audio out 6'3 jacks were installed. The unit has custom fluorescent finish and is in great shape."
*Subjective opinions within, those who do not understand subjective opinion may be excused lol*
*ALL music in this video is 100% Liven 8-Bit Warps*
"What would you say if I told you I had a synth that's cheap AF, but is so functional that I don't know how they made something this feature-rich for even 5x as much? Well look, I love this box for many reasons. One of them is the price, the rest is just purely the sound and functionality. I'm a fan of OSTs, so can you see why I'm a fan? Anywho, this is a hate it or love it piece. I'm the later."
"Orba by Artiphon is what they describe as “a musical instrument designed for your hands” and I would say that's a pretty accurate description. It certainly struck a chord (sorry!) on Kickstarter as it raised almost $1.5 mill at launch.
Orba is a small, dense plastic semi-sphere with 9 touch pads (8 segments and a central button), it has a built in speaker, on board sound engine with a 9 sound drum part and three melodic (bass, chords, lead)
There’s an on board looper and a number of gesture controls - pressure, radiate, spin move, tilt, shake slide, vibrato and bump.
"Arranger is the place to build up your Patterns into Songs that you will be able to save.
The Arranger has 4 lanes and can play up to 32 tracks at once.
Launch Clip allows you to jump across the arrangement to change between sections of your Songs."
"Hi guys! Sorry for delayed upload.. Saturday, January 30, I made a delicious sandwich with basil sauce today, and then shoot a little jam video. I used the arpeggiator to play the keys. Please check it. Have a good weekend! 今日はバジルソースの美味しいサンドイッチを作って、その後少しジャム動画を撮りましたので是非ご覧下さい。 鍵盤を弾くときにアルペジエーターを使いました。"
