The M.E.M.S Project at Buchla & Friends

video upload by Logan Mannstrane

"January 27th, 2024

As an avid enthusiast of Buchla format modules, I couldn’t resist attending the Buchla & Friends event in downtown Los Angeles. Armed with my camera, I set out to capture the essence of such a unique gathering. I documented the event and later layered my footage with performances on an array of Buchla format setups, featuring gear from Buchla, Keen Association, 1979.ws, Studio.H, Roman/Verbos clones and Buchla re-issues to create an electrifying soundtrack.

The highlight of the event was the M.E.M.S talk by Chip Flynn and Mark Milanovich, which delved into the legacy of Don Buchla. Their dedication to recreating the original designs is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Although I didn’t have the opportunity to record with the M.E.M.S modules myself, their live sound was phenomenal. I hope this HDR video provides a vivid glimpse into their meticulous craftsmanship.

Discover more about M.E.M.S:
https://www.memsproject.info/"

Upcoming Instrument Design Workshop with Roger Linn at CCRMA

via Roger Linn Design

"Every year around June, I and Sasha Leitman co-teach a one-week, five full days, hands-on workshop about designing and creating simple electronic music/audio projects at Stanford University's CCRMA computer music school, either in-person or remote via Zoom.

In the workshop, Sasha and I provide lots of information about sensors, actuators, software, mechanical design and materials, and lots more. We help you come up with a project idea and help you build it. If you're attending in person, you'll have access to sensors, actuators and electronic/mechanical tools in the CCRMA Max Lab. Or if you're attending remotely online, you'll obtain the needed items in advance. Either way, we'll provide one-on-one help with your project.

Given that the workshop is only one week, the projects are generally simple, providing a novel way of interacting with sensors to generate sounds, controlled by software written for a Teensy microcontroller board or a laptop. Click [here] for some examples of projects from the 2023 workshop.

Our microcomputing platform of choice for projects is the Teensy microcontroller board, which is based on the Arduino software environment, but students are welcome to use their development platform of choice.

The workshop is conducted both in-person at Stanford ($500) or remote online from anywhere ($250). It is open to all, with no prerequisites.

In 2024, the dates are Monday June 17 through Friday June 21.

To learn more, here is Sasha's overview of the workshop.

To see some of the content of my lectures for the workshop, click here.

To register, click here.

I hope to see you in June!

- Roger"

New England Synth Fest, Saturday, May 18 at SynthCube in Waltham, Mass

New England Synth Fest on Saturday, May 18 at SynthCube in Waltham, Mass. Lectures, exhibitors, petting zoo 10am-1pm (lectures from Richard Tarantino, Eric Crawley, and Jade Rose). Performances 1pm-5pm.

Performances from DannoTronic with visuals by Digital Awareness, Winterr, Wizard Peter, Mute City with visuals by Anagram, Nick Homenda with visuals by Caitlin, NoizCode with visuals by coolpic.biz, C. Chris Peters with visuals by Jame Coyne, and Guilt Factory. Performance schedule posted here.

Follow on Instagram and Linkedin for updates.

New Arturia Synth Incoming - Three Wave Music Synth Meetup with Arturia Saturday, May 25th

If you are in the Midland Park, NJ area, you might want to drop by Three Wave Music Saturday, May 25th.

Note the flyer mentions a "new, upcoming product," with what appears to be a synth blacked out.

Berlin Stompbox Exhibit Set for May 18, 2024

video upload by EHX

Note the above video from EHX is from the 2022 event. Guitars meet synths meet pedals. You might notice Three Wave Music in the video. If you aren't familiar with them, check them out here.

Details on this year's event follow. You can RSVP on Eventbrite here.

The Brooklyn and London Synth and Pedal Expo's organizers are excited to announce the first edition of the Berlin Stompbox Exhibit, a free, strictly in-the-headphones event scheduled for May 18, 2024 at the central Heynstudios venue.

Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments to try out hundreds of pedals in the headphones. Any instrument with a pickup is welcome!

Like all our events, this show is free with RSVP!

WHEN:
Saturday, May 18, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE:
HeynStudios
| Heynstraße 15, 13187 Berlin |

HOW MUCH:
In case you missed it: FREE!


CONFIRMED VENDORS:

Pedal Store Partner:

Pedal Markt

Pedal Builders

4D Pedals
Animal Factory
Beetronics
Cioks
Crazy Tube Circuits
Diamond
DreadBox
Dunlop
Fulltone
Gamechanger Audio
Hamstead Soundworks
IK Multimedia
Jackson Audio
Jam Pedals
KMA Machines
KSR Amps
Mad Professor
MXR
NUX
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
Peterson
Pigtronix
Rabbit Hole FX
Solid Gold FX
Tsakalis Audioworks
Tubesteader
Voodoo Lab
Walrus Audio
Way Huge

LA Synth Club Event - Bitwig Workshop & Synth Meet

This one is in via supporting member justin3am.

"I’ll be doing a workshop at the monthly LA Synth Club meetup, featuring Bitwig Studio. I’ll be demonstrating methods of integrating modular synths with Bitwig. The event is tonight between 6pm and 9:30pm."

From the flyer:

SYNTH NITE
MEETUP + JAM
BITWIG DEMO AND CHAT
W/
JUSTIN 3AM
BRING A SYNTH*
SHARE YOUR GEAR & CHECK OUT OTHERS
ENJOY A BEER & MEET OTHER MUSIC
ENTHUSIASTS
MON, MAY GTH
6PM TO CLOSE
presented by and hosted at
COMMON SPACE BREWERY
All WEISe gundo blo, Hawthorne, Ca

Panel discussion at LA Premier of the Subotnick documentary - Philosophical Research Society 4/17/24

video upload by Peter Grenader

"Excerpt from Jill Fraser, Peter Grenader and Lance Hill's panel discussion at the Los Angeles premier of Wavemaker Media's documentary SUBOTNICK: Portrait of an Electronic Music Pioneer at the Philosophical Research Society on April 17th, 2024.

The discussion begins talking about Mort Subotnick's use of control tracks on A Sky of Cloudless Sulfer, a process that he developed."

3 Encounters at the Center for New Music (Farhadian / Matheus, Chaudhary, Watkins)

video upload by CatSynth TV

"Highlights from an evening of 3 short sets at the Center for New Music in San Francisco: Amanda Chaudhary (electronics) , Zachary Watkins (guitar and electronics), followed with a duo with Thea Farhadian (violin & electronics) with Silvia Matheus (electronics).

0:00 Introduction
0:13 Amanda Chaudhary
2:25 Zachary Watkins
4:02 Thea Farhadian and Silvia Matheus
6:23 Conclusion

'Amanda Chaudhary opens the evening with her blend of experimental electronic sounds with jazz, funk, and other idiomatic styles, with her visualy intriguing performance. Following is Zachary Watkins, composer-performer performs a set for solo electronics with his many influences including just intonation and “high vibration resonance.' Thea Farhadian and Silvia Matheus will present their 3rd performance in this new collaboration – working with structured and free improvisations, the duo integrates noise based material to tonal music, with real time processing. Three 25-minute sets by three musicians/composers based in the Bay Area.

Amanda Chaudhary
amandachaudhary.bandcamp.com

Zachary James Watkins
https://www.zacharyjameswatkins.com/

Thea Farhadian
www.theafarhadian.com

Silvia Matheus
/ silvia-a-matheus"

Soundmit w/ International Faust Conference Set for 23/24 November in Turin - Call for Exhibitors

via Soundmit

"We started to promote the next edition of Soundmit, dates are set for 23/24 November always in Turin but this year we are also the organizer of the International Faust Conference, the scientific appointment about the FAUST programming language for Audio."

SUPER EARLY BIRD in April (20% discount)
MAY ERLY BIRD (15% discounts)
https://sndmt.link/soundmitlinks

dates 23/24 November - Torino 14th edition!

+

International Faust Conference organized by us on 21/22 November (same location) https://ifc24.soundmit.com opportunity for developers, companies and researchers"

Oddment Audio Groc Demo at AES University of Michigan Chapter Tomorrow Apr 5th

For those that can make it, Oddment Audio's Groc will be demo'd at the University of Michigan tomorrow. Details follow.

"This month we were lucky enough to meet Trevor Reed, another local in our little Michigan town that was enthusiastic enough about Groc and Oddment to join us in the development effort. With both a software and music background, we think Trevor can help us accelerate Groc’s workflow and user interface. It has also been great to put our first real Groc into someone’s home studio and let them explore on their own.

John will give a presentation on Groc for the Audio Engineering Society’s University of Michigan chapter on Friday April 5 at 1-2pm (tomorrow!). If you happen to be near Ann Arbor, the event is open to the public and we have included all of the details below. A huge thanks to Nick West, the student AES chapter chair, and Dr. Jason Corey with the Performing Arts Technology faculty for helping to organize this event. We also expect Justin Van Slembrouck from Modern Sounds to join us and share a bit about what they have been working on lately. This should be a lot of fun, and as an alumnus of the department, John is anticipating a lovely trip down memory lane.

In preparation for Friday, John had a chance to present Groc to the Northwestern Michigan College audio technology students. Thanks to Brady Corcoran for arranging this and to all the students that had really great questions and seemed enthused about granular synthesis. We hope these local audio enthusiasts can help us record samples, create patches and maybe even help to produce and test Grocs before shipping them to you!"

AtoVproject DHO Workshop at SchneidersLaden

video upload by SchneidersLaden

"The workshop by AtoVproject about the DHO – Dual Harmonic Oscillator at SchneidersLaden. AtoVproject introduce their exciting new oscillator and play a performance so you can hear the module in a musical context.

Complex oscillators are renowned for their amazing sonic potential. The DHO uses the power of digital controls to improve accessibility and inspiration. Each analog oscillator generates four octaves of triangle waves and modulates each other using through-zero FM. All of this is channeled through a four-stage diode wavefolder.

For extremely complex modulation there is the power of simplex noise implemented in the DHO. This is an algorithm straight out of the video game industry. One twist of a knob allows you to dynamically modulate 10 parameters. You can explore infinite soundscapes and give life to the whole module with just one CV input. This fantastic noise source can also direct the frequencies of up to 10 internal LFOs, injecting motion and complexity into your sound without cluttering your rack with external modulation sources."

SynthFest 2024 Set for April 18 w/ Raffle

video upload by SynthFest France

"Thank you to all of the exhibitors at SynthFest 2024 who will receive a prize in this tombola for the annual deal for all the passions of synths and modules."

"► Billetterie: www.synthfestfrance.com
► 20 lots / 2000 tickets / plus de 10000€ de lots
► 10€ le ticket
► Entièrement en ligne. Pas la peine d'être présent au SynthFest pour gagner un lot.
► Fermeture de la billetterie : 18 Avril 2024

Merci à tous les exposants du SynthFest 2024 qui font encore une fois de cette tombola le deal de l'année pour tout les passionnés de synthés et de modulaires.

1e prix - Expressive E Osmose
2e prix - Kodamo EssenceFM MKII
3e prix - Haken Audio Eagan Matrix Eurorack
4e prix - Kiviak Wofi
5e prix - Paire d’enceintes Nord Piano
6e prix - Korg Keystage 49
7e prix - Arturia MiniFreak
8e prix - 1010music Nanobox Tangerine Desktop
9e prix - Novation Circuit Tracks
10e prix - Projet Home Studio pack Mix / Mastering
11e prix - Hlabs EQ169 API 500 module
12e prix - Kaona Skippy Eurorack module
13e prix - Faselunare Vega Eurorack module
14e prix - BVR instruments TS1 Eurorack module
15e prix - This Is Not Rocket Science Ardabil
16e prix - Piano LED Plus 2024
17e prix - Fred's Lab Zekit Assembled
18e prix - Morphor Plectrum Eurorack module
19e prix - Joranologue Route 4 Eurorack module
20e prix - KR Home-Studion 1 an d'abonnement"

New Befaco Modules Launch Party! // Live from Elevator Sound EU (Barcelona)

video upload by DivKid

"Join us on Saturday the 23rd of March at 4pm CET (Spain) for the launch party with 3 new Befaco modules on show at the EU Elevator Sound store in Barcelona.

I'll be in person with Befaco to talk about new modules, patch, make music and sounds and hangout both in the stream and in person for the event."

Asking synth manufacturers to say the F word...at London Synth & Pedal Expo

video upload by mylarmelodies

"Being a collection of interviews I shot at the London Synth & Pedal Expo '24, after they hired me to cover the event. The format was up to me. So I put the SAME two questions to industry folks at the show: 1️⃣ What is your favourite thing you sell? 2️⃣ What your favourite thing you DON'T sell?"

CHAPTERS
00:00 The Journey Begins
00:41 Divkid
02:44 Endorphines
03:53 Knobula
06:07 Lord Morts Thoughts
08:29 Nick Batt - Sonic State
11:29 Signal Sounds
14:35 ASM/Arturia
16:52 Scanner & Daniel Troberg
18:12 KMR Audio
19:51 ALM Busycircuits
24:05 RYK Modular
26:14 Enjoy Electronics
27:41 Erica Synths
29:04 PWM Synths
31:08 Journey's End

Good people make for good events and good gear, so lets meet them // London Synth & Pedal Expo 2024

video upload by DivKid

"What an amazing weekend we've just had! Here's a video with some of the people at the London Synth & Pedal Expo 2024. Held over this past weekend (Saturday and Sunday the 16th+17th of March 2024) in Studio 9294 in Hackney Wick, the London Synth & Pedal Expo is a free to attend show with plenty of synths, modular and pedal FX on show for people to come and play with.

As it takes good people to make good events (and the good gear we love) I wanted to focus on the people, asking who they are and what they do, more specifically how would they explain what they do to someone with no idea about synths, pedals and music tech. That led to some funny answers, all spread around various bits of b roll and footage from the event."

Synth Explosion Italy Event Pics

Some pics in via Tony Light of https://www.leploop.org

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."

CLICK FOR MORE »

BABYLON WORKING and ASTROGENIC HALLUCINAUTING 030124 & AN EXCHANGE OF NOIZ 022924

video upload by thenoiztemple

"Live performances by Babylon Working and Astrogenic Hallucinauting
030124
Elixer Lounge
206 Main St, Spring, TX 77373
https://elixirloungekavabar.com/

more noiz: http://manipulate.net/"

AN EXCHANGE OF NOIZ 022924

video upload by thenoiztemple

"An Exchange of Noiz (AEON) is a bi-monthly showcase of Experimental, Electronic, Drone, Ambient and just plain Weird Music in Houston, TX.

Curated by SPIKE the Percussionist. [ http://manipulate.net/ ]

The performance space provided by Sound Exchange Record Store.
[ http://www.soundexchangehouston.com/ ]

The shows are free and beverages are provided by our sponsor 8th Wonder Brewery. [ https://8thwonder.com/ ]

Performances by:
SAFE WORD 00:00
GLASGOW SMILE 17:41
ADKINSON/BAKER DUO 31:39
ZEROFIX 44:25
ASTROGENIC HALLUCINAUTING 01:09:31
ENEMY GODDESS 01:20:37"

Bob Moog Foundation to Host The Sounds of Innovation - First Public Broadcast of the Abominatron Tape

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"We are excited to announce that the Moogseum will be hosting The Sounds of Innovation, the first public broadcast of the Abominatron Tape in its entirety. The event will occur on Friday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. It will feature an introductory reading by Executive Director Michelle Moog-Koussa from Bob Moog's biography, Switched On: Bob Moog and the Synthesizer Revolution, followed by a listening session of the full iconic 84-minute tape.

Tickets for the event are $15 per person and are now on sale.
The event is limited to 20 people, so do not hesitate to buy your ticket now.

In the summer of 1964, Bob Moog and Herb Deutsch began working on what would eventually become the Moog modular prototype. Deutsch spent three weeks working side by side with Moog in his basement workshop in Trumansburg, New York, where he added crucial input to the design process. Moog spent several months developing the prototype and later that year, he sent Deutsch the now-historic tape explaining the various controls, parameters, and capabilities of the Moog modular prototype.

The Moog modular prototype is widely considered the instrument that marked the genesis of a musical revolution and significantly advanced the development of electronic music. The Abominatron Tape captures the very first recorded sounds of a Moog modular.

The Sounds of Innovation is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts."

SynthEast 2024 Walkthrough 360

video upload by Molten Music Technology

"A walk through the Norwich Arts Centre during the Synth East event on Saturday, the 24th of February, 2024."

Synth East 2024 Highlights


"Synth East was a fantastic weekend of synths, modular and music with great company in the best community you could find. Held in Norwich from the 23rd to the 25th of February, here is what you missed."

https://syntheast.com/

Update: additional videos:

Synth East 2024 All-Star Patch-off


"Take six modular performers, randomly pick out pairs and then force them to improvise a jam for fifteen minutes. Only available at Synth East.

Featuring:
Jason Jervis
Nina Richards
Robin Vincent
Gaz Williams
Mylar Melodies
Steve Davis"

Synth East 2024 - Mylar Melodies, Robin Vincent and Gaz Williams - "The Influencers"


"A live improvised 30-minute jam from modular performers Mylar Melodies, Robin Vincent and Gaz Williams as part of the Synth East event at the Norwich Arts Centre on 24th February 2024. Steve called us 'The Influencers' - I'm not sure about that but we do seem to cost people money with our inspirational modular musings."

2nd London Synth & Pedal Expo Set for March 16-17

The next London Synth & Pedal Expo is set for March 16-17. Entry is free with an RSVP here. Details follow:

"The organizers of the Brooklyn and LA Synth Expo are delighted to announce the second appointment with the London, UK edition of the event.

Free to the public, the London Synth and Pedal Expo is an annual, strictly-in-the-headphones event featuring:
A gear expo – where musicians can try pedals and interact with builders

A pop-up market – where exhibitors can sell their products to attendees
Workshops and clinics

Gear giveaways and other promotions (discounts, deals, etc)

After an extremely crowded one-day launch in 2023, the 2024 edition of the London Synth & Pedal Expo will be hosted during the course of a weekend in a larger venue in Hackney Wick, offering gear lovers the opportunity to check out and try the latest devices by big and small builders belonging to two increasingly cross-pollinating niches.

It will also feature an educational component with workshops and clinics, and an assortment of media partners and influencers that will allow it to broaden its relevance beyond the physical constraints of a real-life event.

---

The Story behind the Expo
Launched in 2018 in Brooklyn, NY, the Synth & Pedal Expo is a dynamic and compact gear exhibition in a pop-up format, specifically tailored for the vibrant, city-based music communities shaping the most lively scenes in North America and Europe.

Unpretentious, free to the public, and pop-up in nature, this strictly in-the-headphones event was born from an NYC music blog covering local emerging bands called The Deli as a way to entertain the community of musicians it served.

After expanding to several other big North American music scenes like Los Angeles, Toronto, and Portland - the Synth & Pedal Expo launched its London show on March 18, 2023 - although it was initially scheduled for 2020.

Event Details:
When: March 16-17, 2024
Where: Studio 9294, Hackney Wick, London
Tickets: Free to the public
All Info and free RSVP here:
https://delicious-audio.com/london-synth-pedal-expo-2024/"

Tristan Perich: Pseudorandom

Infinity Gradient Trailer (for organ and 100 speakers) by Tristan Perich - Death of Classical video upload by Death of Classical

Note the above is a video of Tristan Perich's Infinity Gradient performance from March 22, 2022. You'll find details on his new book Pseudorandom, and upcoming performance further below. You might remember Tristan Perich from his 1-Bit synth featured in previous posts here.

Description for the Infinity Gradient performance above: "Composer Tristan Perich has made a name for himself creating sweeping, viscerally overwhelming soundscapes out of armies of 1-bit speakers playing synthesized sounds. We're pleased to present the U.S. Premiere of his newest work, Infinity Gradient, which takes his musical vision to the next level by combining 100 of those speakers with the soul-blasting power of all 7,069 pipes in the Miller-Scott Organ, housed amidst the magnificent Gothic architecture of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue and played by the inimitable James McVinnie."



via Tristan Perich:

"Book Release + Performance at Printed Matter, Feb 29

Tristan Perich's Pseudorandom is a companion release to his circuit album Noise Patterns. The new art book is a monolithic, unabridged 1024-page printout of the 16,777,215 numbers that comprise one complete cycle of the 3-byte random number generator from Noise Patterns' code.

Originally released as a circuitboard that plays its music through a headphone jack, Noise Patterns employed randomness at the core of its sound synthesis. However, true randomness is beyond the limitations of any deterministic computer algorithm. Because a digital computer’s memory is intrinsically finite, any attempt towards randomness will eventually exhaust every possible memory value. When those values are used up, the cycle must repeat. What results is termed “pseudorandom” — an approximation of randomness, and an illustration of the vast but fundamentally limited nature of computation.

Join me at Printed Matter on Feb 29 to celebrate the book release, with a solo performance of Noise Patterns + Q&A

Tristan Perich: Pseudorandom Book Release
Thursday, Feb 29, 6pm
Printed Matter
231 11th Ave, NYC
➝ Event Info
➝ Pre-Order"

CLICK FOR MORE »