A Sunday in Trattoria ∞ Synth & Food ∞ On this late winter Sunday, analog synth enthusiasts will gather at Trattoria San Biagio to share good food and sounds. During the day, Lombard producers will exhibit and illustrate their latest creations, for this second edition we will have guests from Prato, Clank.
The following will be present at this Synth Explosion:
The event will start with the classic Sunday lunch within the walls of San Biagio.
The host, Danilo, will guide us on a food and wine journey to rediscover ancient lost flavors, one of many is Busecca! We recommend that you book your table at 031 631047.
After lunch, you can visit small display tables with instruments and attend the presentation of the various producers with descriptions of the same.
Around aperitif time, a series of improvised and demonstrative performances will come to life, topped off with a surprise recipe.
We look forward to seeing you! Enjoy your Synth Experience!
Jolin announces availability of ROSA, realised as a multi-mode crossfader, scanner, and switcher module for Eurorack
MILAN, ITALY: modular synthesizers- and sound sculptures-specialising music technology brand Jolin is proud to announce availability of ROSA — realised as a multi-mode crossfader, scanner, and switcher module for Eurorack designed to morph between up to four inputs and outputs, offering seamless signal routing with endless creative potential — as of December 20…
ROSA represents the ultimate tool for sound designers and performers seeking fluid transitions and dynamic control. Creatively, it can be used to morph smoothly between multiple inputs, route a single input across multiple outputs, modulate signals dynamically with flexible scanning and control, and switch between signals or outputs for performance variations.
Indeed, it can be used with LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and envelopes — to morph modulation sources across various destinations; audio sources — to transition between different oscillators, filters, or effects; quadraphonic systems — to distribute signals across multiple speakers for immersive sound; and rhythmic triggers — to switch between trigger patterns or effects to create evolving sequences.
So how, exactly, does ROSA do what it does? It includes three distinct modes that allow users to shape and route signals in various ways. When working in Scan Mode, users can seamlessly morph between up to four inputs — the scanning circuit moves progressively from I1 (input one) to I4 (input four), with the option to loop back to I1 for continuous transitions; by adjusting the KNEE control, users can choose whether the transitions are smooth and gradual or sharp and instantaneous, making it perfect for creating evolving textures or switching between sounds on the fly. When working in Wave Mode, the four VCAs (Voltage-Controlled Amplifiers) operate independently — although each still follows the same control from the scanning circuit, they are kept separate, so users can independently modulate four different channels, creating complex dynamic changes in a patch. When working in Pass Mode, a single input is distributed across up to four outputs — if more than one input is plugged, they will all be mixed together, which is ideal for sending the same signal to multiple destinations, like quadraphonic speaker setups or different effects chains; the transition between outputs can be smooth or sharp, providing users with full control over how the signal moves between outputs.
Digging deeper still, the KNEE control shapes how the transitions behave in all modes, letting users switch from soft fades to abrupt jumps, while the SHUT input mutes all the VCAs simultaneously, so is ideal for performance control or rhythmic muting; since the VCAs are linear, amplitude control can be gradual or instantaneous, depending on the nature of the CV (Control Voltage) input. It is worth noting that the CV input is scanned with an attenuvertor — an attenuator that can also invert the signal — and a mechanical toggle switch (set to POT) permits users to select the Infinite Analogue Potentiometer — itself featuring an LED (Light Emitting Diode) ring to indicate which quadrant users are interacting with — that enables seamless circular and continuous morphing between inputs, or CV modulation (when set to CV).
It is fair to say, then, that whether users are creating evolving textures, routing a single input to multiple outputs, or exploring rhythmic variations, ROSA readily adapts to their needs. Needless to say, the fact that it transforms sounds in real time — thanks to those three powerful modes — makes it a must-have module for anyone looking to push the boundaries of modular synthesis.
The first batch of ROSA modules are limited in number — after all, Jolin’s products are all individually hand-built and tested carefully, but additional units will be being built in the coming weeks, all available directly from the modular synthesizers- and sound sculptures-specialising music technology brand’s online Shop (https://jolin.tech/shop/p/rosa), priced at €269.00 EUR.
Check with dealers on the right for availability.
Jolin lab + Vesia ROSA / 4 ins 4 outs & the endless rotary fun in between / extensive playthrough
video upload by BRiES
"ROSA by Jolin Lab + Vesa is hard to describe in just a few words, yet it's operation is very much straightforward. There's 4 inputs and 4 outputs and depending on the mode you have it it, you can send one of the inputs to all 4 outputs, all of the inputs to one output, or just the inputs to the outputs. To control all of it there's this wonderful endless rotary potentiometer (and a CV input with attenuverter). With this alone the module let's you scan, descan, crossfade, mix, pan, quadraphonic-pan, etc. There's a CV input for the hardness of the crossfade curve and an additional VCA that goed 'on top' of everything else. Very clever, very useful, very inspiring."
"Jolin is a music technology brand specialized in sound art installations and modular synthesizers. The workshop is based in Milan, Italy. This year we will present Avalith,a raw synthesizer equipped with 100 transistor oscillators in an innovative matrix configuration. The goal is to harness the raw sonic power of a large number of sources to create sound patterns otherwise unreplicable."
The following is via Milano Modulare where you'll find additional pics.
"A fantastic Sunday yesterday at Synth Explosion at Trattoria San Biagio !
Thanks to all the people involved, to the friends of NONO Modular , LepLoop and 51beats for being a lively and creative part of our community and thanks to Jolin for your continued collaboration!
Here, as always, some photos from the event!"
Don't miss the STELLARIA pictured below. According to Jolin, it's: "a synthetic flower made of sensors and electronic components. Its petals are light / temperature / pressure / moisture and wind sensitive. The sound generated is then processed into a modular synthesizer to create an interactive performance."
"SINGOLI by Jolin is a DC coupled mixer - which means it's suited to mix things like lfos, envelopes, etc. You can just as well use it for mixing down audio and when connected to the performance mixer TUTTO&SEMPRE it can act as a 7 input mono expander for that module.
SINGOLI has one special trick up its sleeve: the T or transient output. This output generates a short gate or trigger whenever the master output (O) on SINGOLI crosses a certain threshold. I've found this threshold to be around 2.5V. This output can for example be used the make a clock or trigger pattern from lfos or audio sources for envelopes, drums, ... or to trigger other events on your system."
0:00 intro
0:06 hi
0:16 features summed up
3:32 sound snippets
4:55 features explained
15:22 T output
20:32 patch examples
41:12 thanks for watching!
The event will begin with the classic Sunday lunch within the walls of San Biagio, we recommend booking your table on 031 631047.
From h. 4.00 pm it will be possible to visit small exhibition tables with the instruments and attend the presentation of the various manufacturers with descriptions of them.
Around aperitif time, a spontaneous and improvised performance will come to life. We are waiting for you! Enjoy your Synth Experience!"
"In this video I take a look at the extensive and unique features on TUTTO & SEMPRE, an interesting stereo mixer by Jolin. It's really useful to have a patchbay (extra intputs and outputs where you can 'insert' modules) and built-in VCAs are always a big plus on any module, especially on a mixer. 1 Aux input, 2 headphone outputs with seperate cue inputs, ... there's a lot going on in this mixer.
"TUTTO&SEMPRE is a stereo performance mixer with 4 channel strips, an active patchbay, individual VCAs, clickless mutes, individual post attenuation direct outs, a main balanced stereo output and two high fidelity headphones drivers with switchable stereo inserts.
The module consists of two main blocks:
Mixing frame
I - 4 pairs of actively normalled inputs with input LED meters.
↑ - Patchbay out – a cable here interrupts the signal flow.
↓ - Patchbay insert to get back to the mix.
V - Control voltage input for the VCAs.
Audio graded logarithmic stereo potentiometers.
Paired clickless mute toggle.
O - Individual output post attenuators.
Output stage
The main level knob regulates the volume of the three outputs: L and R are balanced line level signals while S is a combined stereo output designed to be fed into external 3.5mm interfaces.
A stand for auxiliary inputs: signals fed here will bypass the first mixing block.
The main mix continues to flow to the two headphones amplifiers. Each one of them can easily power up to 600 ohms drivers with low noise and high-fidelity performance. A stereo aux input can be fed into each one of the phones sections with a switch that allows isolated preview listening and routing to the main mix – this makes the module able to manage up to 7 stereo signals at the same time."
"KNOBI by Jolin is a unique take on a utilitarian staple of eurorack systems: attenuverting and mixing. At first glance KNOBI is not so complex, but try using it without reading the manual and you might be somewhat confused. Once you understand the signal flow it all makes a lot of sense though... and I'm here to help.
In this video I shed some light on the leftfield macro controller that is KNOBI and I share a few in-depth patch ideas to hopefully spark your creative plug. Since there's always a fitting place for attenuation in almost all situations figuring out how to implement KNOBI in patches comes down to your imagination. I demonstrate how I use it to open and close a filter, how I use it as a macro controller for a complete patch and how to use the seemingly random 'x2-5V' setting to create a side-chain compressor patch without the hassle of manual offsets."
0:00 intro
2:43 explanation
22:20 patch idea 1 pushbutton
28:05 patch idea 2 control a patch
45:43 patch idea 3 side-chain compressor
"KNOBI is a multi-tool able to mix, attenuate, invert, display and multiply any kind of signal.
Knobi can serve a wide range of purposes thanks to its internal signal path that makes use of some of the most useful building blocks of analog synthesis: a 4-channel mixer, a three-range offset, an attenuverter, a fixed manual gate and lastly a cascading multiple derived from the output stage of Agogô.
a, b, c and d are Knobi’s inputs while r is a fixed 5v reference output. The toggle switch next to d sets the range of the attenuator/offset. Connect a signal into one of the inputs to visualize its voltage value in the three digits meter. Keep in mind that this reading happens post attenuator/offset and attenuverter – the smaller knob with (-) and (+) indications.
The pushbutton next to x4 adds a gate of 5v to the mix: with no input connected it will act as a manual gate output. Autopatch the r reference output into one of the inputs to use Knobi as a macro controller thanks the attenuator/offset knob and switch to set the range and the attenuverter.
x1, x2, x3 and x4 are all cascading copies of the final signal path. Plugging a cable will break the normalization and the multiplication will reset starting from the next output. Four cables plugged in will output a copy at the same factor x1 - unity gain – making Knobi a versatile buffered multiple."
Features
Thermally compensated 5v voltage source with dedicated output.
Four channel mixer with four buffered output.
Built in 3 digits voltage meter post mix / attenuation / inversion.
Attenuator/offset with a dedicated three positions range toggle.
Manual gate button tied to the mix.
4 cascading outputs in an open design configuration.
"Modular Day is the festival of Modular Synthesizers - Eurorack - in Barcelona. This year in its 10th edition with Manufacturers, Shops, Workshops, Conferences and Concerts. We wait for you on September 23rd at Hangar."
Modular Day Barcelona #10 Concerts
video upload by Befacosynth
"Modular Day is the festival of Modular Synthesizers - Eurorack - in Barcelona. This year in its 10th edition with Manufacturers, Shops, Workshops, Conferences and Concerts. We wait for you on September 23rd at Hangar.
We are thrilled to present these artists and friends of our event."
"There are few in the Czech electronic music culture with a background as storied as HRTL, the performing alias of Prague-based synthesiser musician Leoš Hort. Iconically performing from the centre of the dancefloor, HRTL is a force of the wildest nature on his instruments of choice, a carefully curated setup of modular synthesisers and tabletop instruments. Infamously electrifying and always improvised, each of his live club performances is quite literally one-of-a-kind; generative breakbeat rhythms meet with liquefying acid, and synths sliced from the utmost peaks of euphoria."
"This is the archetype of an exotic module. It looks amazing, but it sounds eh... - different - and you may need to be creative to make it sound cool in a patch. I am not sure I succeeded and if it's a keeper. You could find one on a fair or used gear website, so it's always good to have a rough idea of what you're about to buy. It will be love at first audit for noise music, It will serve you well in sound design and maybe even industrial music, but it may be a bit too experimental."
"Perfect Circuit is an independent electronic instrument shop with an online store at https://www.perfectcircuit.com/ and a Burbank, California showroom at 2405 Empire Ave. We're open seven days a week, 12-8 PM, and our entire inventory is available to try out in person. Get your hands on the most excellent analog and digital synthesizers, effect pedals, Eurorack modular synths, drum machines, recording gear, and more!"
"We spoke to Federico from Jolin Labs at Superbooth 2023, who introduced us to their new mixing utility features. The first module is called Ascolta, which is a dual preamp with an input, output, envelope follower, and Peak out output for each channel. The channels can be chained on the back with a header, and you can have an L and R from the output. The next module is Knobi, which can take up to four inputs that are mixed and flow into an attenuator controlled by a big knob. The signal flows into an inverter, which is especially useful since Knobby is AC-coupled, so you can mix audio and CV signals.
The next two modules are paired together but can be used standalone. TuttoandSempre is a performance mixer with four stereo inputs, a stereo sender with an active patch bay, individual VCA, and a balanced mono output L&R, and a combined stereo signal. Finally, Singoli is a seven-channel mono mixer that directly connects to TuttoandSempre through a cable on the back of the module but can be used as a standalone unit since it has its own output.
"In this video I run a basic saw wave (from Even VCO) through GOBLET, a filtermodule by Jolin Lab. After a few sweeps I add some modulation to the parameters and introduce the button and the different touch plates. It's hard to predict what's it going to sound like, so it's best to experiment with different settings and sounds. GOBLET is by no means a standard lp/bp filter and I'm pretty sure that's 100% intentional.
PS: I noticed that the video/audio is slightly out of sync - my sincere apologies for this.
"I can't stop collecting low pass gates. There's GAS, and then there's LPG GAS. Don't know what the deal is there.
Here's the latest batch. Most of them are small and passive, but some are bigger and powered and covered in knobs and sliders and stuff. So it's really a sound comparison, not a full module comparison.
Sound source: Befaco Pony square wave. Sequencer: Stochastic IG.
No envelopes, just gates out of the SIG.
"I'm really loving the sound of the LPGs in Agogo. It gives the sound some bite without being full on saturated. Even with tame sounds it can really bring some life to the timbre...
Two Bits is used to add triggers (OR) together for the kicks and snare. I used a steady pattern for both of them, and then added a probability gate to the second intputs. Very convenient for adding variation to drums without too much programming.
Moonwalker is doing the 'sync' lead type sound (the module is off screen but you can see its output on the scope. I'm also still trying to find a reverb setting that I really like. This one is... almost there."
"In this patch I created 4 note chords with 4 VCOs. I routed all of them through Ashiko which is 'auto panning' the VCOs so I end up with 4 stereo pairs that's I routed through Cosmix Pro and then through a pair of stereo modulated filters for even more movement.
The VCOs I used are 2 x Generate 3, Even VCO and Moonwalker. The arp sounds are Filter 8 through 2 channels of Agogo.
It's not a very complex patch but with routings like this it's important to tune the VCOs before doing anything else."
"In this video I try to shed some light on how AGOGO by Jolin can be used as both an 8 channel LPG and - perhaps more surprisingly - as a modulation matrix, router, mixer, multiple, amplifier, saturator, ..."
"In this video I demonstrate the powerful nature of ASHIKO by Jolin. ASHIKO is a quad stereo or quad dual mono VCA with auto panning features (see-saw or ping-pong VCA). Especially the ability to easily create stereo movement from any mono signal is what I really like about this module."
"In this first patch I'm running a saw wave into these eurorack modules by Jolin. Modulation, filtering, distortion, panning, routing and attenuation is taken care of by this unique bunch. Awesome.
DISCLAIMER: Federico from Jolin sent me these modules to learn and to demonstrate that destruction is not the only thing they bring to a system... (even though this particular first patch is perhaps rather distorted)."
