Can you power a tape machine with USB? | myvolts REVOLT Now on Kickstarter

video by HAINBACH

"In which I perform a little stress test on the new myvolts REVOLT USB-battery replacement system. Instead of trying to use it with Pocket Operators or other small devices, I see if it will power a vintage UHER Report 4000 Monitor reliably. The results surprised me.

REVOLT KICKSTARTER: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/..."

And the press release:

Irish Company myVolts To Launch ReVolt: the Ultimate Battery Replacement System

Dublin, Ireland: myVolts Ltd. today announced the launch of a new product: ReVolt. Anything that is usually powered by batteries can now be powered by USB. Just swap out the device's batteries with the correct ReVolt adaptor and you're good to go. Deceptively easy to use - but much harder and many hours of R&D to get just right.

“Everyone - especially musicians - hates buying, using, and disposing of batteries.” says Luke Brennan, MD at myVolts

"Despite drives to recycle, 100,000,000 kilos of batteries end up in landfill each year in the EU alone. So we spent 2020 and 2021 developing ReVolt - the solution to this global problem. We think we’ve made something great, and we can’t wait to share it with the world.”

● Adaptable: Use in 1000s of devices: Pocket Operator, Korg Monotron, Game Boy, Sony Walkman, small synths, audio recording units - and thousands of other toys and gadgets.
● Flexible: Use with any USB port.
● Mobile: Power your device with a USB power bank for total power freedom.
● Global: ReVolt can be safely used anywhere in the world.
● Multi-use: Take it out of one device, use it in another.
● Non-destructive: Remove it and your device can take standard batteries again, any time.
● Economical: Buy once.
● Durable: Use 1000s of times.
● Environmentally friendly: No consumables to dispose of.
● Modular: Get add-ons from the system to power different devices.
● No cut-outs: Always know your device will have power.
● No leaks: Safely store devices with ReVolt installed.

ReVolt will go live on Kickstarter 27 May 2021, at 2pm GMT, price starting at 39.99 EUR. The first run of the product is already manufactured and ready to ship worldwide July 2021, so backers can buy with full confidence.

Kickstarter project is live for 30 days at https://bit.ly/3oPiODh (page is in preview mode prior to launch on 27th May, 2pm GMT). Hainbach has stress tested ReVolt, see YouTube video [above].

myVolts Ltd has been solving power and audio problems of musicians for well over a decade, has two previously successfully funded and shipped Kickstarter campaigns, and served tens of thousands of happy customers on Amazon, eBay and their own webshop.

Follow-up to this post.

The Centre - Serum-inspired Eurorack Modular Wavetable Synth by 1V/OCT

Currently on Kickstarter

"The Centre brings preset wavetable sounds to modular synthesisers but it also comes as a compact semi-modular synth that can bring massive sounds to your music production. Experts can use it as another incredible source of sound that can be modulated with their existing Eurorack system while beginners can be introduced to the world of sound and music production.

Being a music producer you will be able to bring your predefined sounds to your performances and beginners can just rely on thousands of predefined presets to enjoy an introduction to the electronic music world.

For beginners in the modular world, The Centre can be your springboard for starting making sounds without incredible investment and also teach you modulations and sound design from within a single module. Change sounds at the ease of turning the knob or become a sound designer and create new and unique sounds that no one yet ever engineered.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Anyma Phi - Physical Modeling Synthesizer by Aodyo

Details via the Kickstarter campaign:

"An affordable hybrid monophonic synthesizer that allows you to create new sound universes inspired from the real world, where objects collide, vibrate, and resonate

Anyma Phi blends the classic ingredients of electronic music with physical modeling technology, allowing it to simulate acoustic sound sources, such as strings or reeds, as well as resonating structures, like wood, glass, or metal. Anyma Phi is compact enough to stand on your keyboard, or anywhere on your desk, and is compatible with any MIDI controller, such as keyboards, sequencers, or even wind controllers, including our own Sylphyo! [see posts here]

Whether you play live or record in the studio, design sounds or play presets, Anyma Phi will become an indispensable tool. It can even be used as a stand-alone effects processor, or as part of a guitar effects pedal setup.


The heart of the Anyma Phi is the matrix, which provides a quick and easy way to explore your sounds by following a physical metaphor, with four macros for each of the five stages of sound generation.

With its matrix, Anyma Phi offers a straightforward way to tweak, explore, and create sound universes. It also provides easy ways to make your sound react to your MIDI controllers with mapping shortcuts. But don't be fooled by the simplicity!

If you want to dive deeper, you can take control of the powerful semi-modular synth engine beyond the matrix, with oscillators covering a wide range of synthesis techniques, effects, and modulators.

By connecting those together, you can create any kind of sound, and control it any way you want.

Specs:

Hybrid monophonic synthesizer

Stereo audio output:
- Two 1/4” mono line jack outputs
- One 1/4” stereo headphone jack output

Stereo audio input:
one 1/4” stereo input

MIDI inputs and outputs via USB and DIN ports

Powerful digital semi-modular synthesizer engine

- Memory: 63 patches

- 3 oscillator slots

- 5 effect slots + 1 mono reverb

- 2 audio buses for mixing and effect assignation

- 8 modulator slots, including DAHDSR envelope generators, LFOs, curves, interpolators, slew limiters, etc.

- 24 mapping slots, each allowing to control any synth parameter (including another mapping) using a modulator or a controller input, with a sidechain input.

*Technical specifications subject to change in order to improve reliability, function, or design."

flight of harmony Infernal Noise Machine (INM-E) Eurorack Module on Kickstarter

First announced in July, and featured in a few posts, flight of harmony's Infernal Noise Machine (INM-E) Eurorack Module is now on Kickstarter.

The original Infernal Noise Machine was in desktop form (pictured below) and has been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH over the years. You can see the prototype here. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails had one as seen here.

The following is some info pulled from the Kickstarter (be sure to click through for more):

"The Infernal Noise Machine is actually the first device ever created at f(h), back in 2007. Designed as a standalone, or "desktop " device. It was later released in multiple limited-run batches over the years, with all available units sold out during preorder each time."

"What is it?

The Infernal Noise Machine is a sound synthesizer, not a music synthesizer.

It was designed towards the creation of noise, sound effects, and for the general field of sound design. Having said that, the INM can create a full range of “musical” tones and sound, but that was not the primary goal. It can be used completely independently, but is intended for use with external control voltage (CV) sources to affect or modulate various parameters, which is where the INM truly comes alive.

So what can you do with it? Incidental sounds and ambiances, unholy caterwauling, soundscapes from melancholy to manic, even percussion and traditional musical sounds. The Infernal Noise Machine is particularly effective for making drones that evolve with time, with no external sources required. The internal architecture allows for a wide range of self-evolving, beat-frequency style tonal variations over an infinite range of rates. There is really no simple way to describe what the INM can do – you have to find out for yourself. This is a unique device. It requires a bit of time and patience to get a feel for how it works, but it is worth the effort."

"The new Infernal Noise Machine has the same sound, features, and potential as the original, but has been completely redesigned and refined. Each format brings its own needs and possibilities, so the system has been expanded to allow even more utility than the original, while keeping it as compact as feasible without impacting the philosophy behind the design."

Hardwood Side Panel Kickstarter for the Roland Jupiter-X Synthesizer

You can find the kickstarter here.

These are from Rock Manor Studios who have a shop on Reverb currently offering side panels for other synths.

Some info from the kickstarter:

"Roland's Jupiter-X Synthesizer sounds amazing - bringing us synth enthusiasts classic vintage sounds of the 80s and 90s. One thing that is missing, however, is the warmth of premium hardwood sides that are a hallmark of vintage synths. So I've started this Kickstarter to raise just enough capital to acquire the wood from a mill in Wisconsin and machine limited quantities from my product shop near Atlanta.

As soon as the project funds, the wood stock will be acquired and production will begin within a week. Panels will begin shipping a few days later in the order received - around a dozen per day - which targets the last batch made shipping in November. We'll remain equipped to handle any replacements necessary, and likely continue to make and sell these through other channels.

I'm a 20 year veteran product designer in the digital domain, and the son of a woodworker who taught me the craft since a young age. I own my own shop with all the necessary tools and skills to machine repeatable precision components, finish to furniture grade quality, and design packaging for a variety of market objectives. As a music lover and synth geek, I've began using my resources to produce panels for the synths I own during the COVID19 lockdown, and recently began producing small batches to fulfill consumer requests for Moog, Roland, Behringer and Euroracks.

We frequently produce small batches of other synth panels, mounts and accessories for sale from our Reverb store."

via @argiope

New Arcano NES Poly Chiptune Synth

Arcano Synthesizers

"This is the Kickstarter campaign video for the Arcano NES Poly Chiptune Synth. The NES Poly is a polyphonic MIDI synthesizer module that allows musicians to create NES-style chipmusic. Back the Kickstarter campaign to help fund the production run and receive an Arcano NES Poly Chiptune Synth as a reward.
Kickstarter Campaign Link: http://kck.st/3gLG00a
Website: http://chiptunesynth.com"

Note previous incarnations of the Arcano NES Chiptune Synth date back to 2015.

"The NES Poly Chiptune Synthesizer is the polyphonic successor to the Arcano NES Chiptune Synth R3 and features many improvements on its predecessor including:

more sound parameters
greater volume-envelope bit depth
full 128 MIDI note range
additional audio waveform (8-bit sine)
3 additional vibrato LFO waveforms (triangle, square, and sawtooth)
quantized note slide effect capability
additional pitch bend depth setting (+/- one octave)
detune effects capability
rugged, die cast aluminum enclosure
Help fund the next production run.

The stock from the first two low-volume production runs of the NES Poly (completed earlier this year) quickly sold out. The primary objective of this Kickstarter campaign is to raise funds for a third, higher-volume production run of the synth. (Producing a larger volume of synths will help lower the per-unit manufacturing cost.) Hopefully, the campaign will also facilitate the sharing of music and custom NES Poly Chiptune Synth patches created by the community of backers.

The NES Poly Chiptune Synthesizer is a MIDI-controlled polyphonic synth that emulates the sound of the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console, allowing musicians to create NES / Famicom style chipmusic by simply connecting a MIDI controller.

The NES Poly Chiptune Synthesizer is designed to work with a variety of MIDI controllers, including keyboards, sequencers, and most other MIDI devices that feature a standard MIDI DIN output. Musicians can even control the synth with a laptop or desktop computer via a MIDI interface cable."

AUREX DIVA CTRL for the Novation Launch Control XL

via Kickstarter

"FINALLY MAKING THE CONNECTION

I like hardware synths. I love turning knobs, pushing buttons, and flicking faders when creating sounds. However, I also love all the software synths that are available now, especially because of very convincing analog sounding softsynths such as U-He Diva.

I've always felt the connection between software plugins and hardware controllers was missing something. When controlling hardware synthesizers, you get a great user interface, with clear labelling and tactile control over every parameter. MIDI controllers however, often present you with an uninspiring interface with mismatching colours, incorrect text or inaccurate labels. More importantly, they often can't handle more advanced functions like modulation assignment, interactive LED feedback or multi-button control over one single function. I also forget which knob I midi mapped to which function and so on ... I didn't connect with them like I do with hardware - until now.

This is exactly why I developed the aurex DIVA CTRL bundle. This bundle makes the Novation LaunchControl XL function as the ultimate MIDI controller for for U-He's Diva software synthesizer. I built a custom MIDI template (using advanced programming with BOME) that translates every Launch Control XL's MIDI message into all kinds of relevant MIDI data for Diva, offering much more possibilities than the original Launch Control XL's functions. In addition, I designed a hardware cover that fits on top of the Launch Control XL and has all these new features printed. This bundle comes with everything included (midi software, presets and a hard cover) to get you started right away.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Striso board: Musical expression taken to the next dimension

You might remember the larger Striso in more of an accordion design previously posted here in 2016.

"A kickstarter campaign was launched by Piers Titus van der Torren for his instrument the Striso board. This hand sized MIDI controller has an innovative note layout with 61 multidimensionally sensitive buttons, that respond to pressure and direction individually. The buttons are arranged systematically and intuitively to facilitate ease of play and comprehension of musical patterns. The Striso board will have an internal synthesizer and can also be combined with an MPE synthesizer. Altogether, the Striso board offers enormous potential for sound control and musical expression."

via Kickstarter

"With the Striso board in hands your next dimension of music is up to you to discover! Regardless of whether you want to play lively folk melodies, catchy pop tunes, complex jazz progressions, diverse world music, immersive film scores, experimental microtonal compositions, or even more extraterrestrial music.

Specifications

61 soft silicone pressure and direction sensitive note buttons (3.7 octaves)
Scanning rate: 1200Hz
Touch sensitivity range: 70g – 700g
4 extra buttons for glissando, octave switching and settings
Motion sensing: 3D rotation and acceleration, sent over MIDI at 100Hz
Polyphony: 15 notes with MPE
Tuning: uses polyphonic pitch bends and hence works with any MPE synth
Internal synthesizer (to be added during kickstarter)
Audio output: 3.5mm stereo jack (to be added during kickstarter)
Dimensions: 192x174x26mm, 425g
Power: USB B, 5V 100mA
Connection: MIDI over USB, with 3 MIDI modes: MPE, one note per channel; normal, with pitch bend, modulation and polyphonic aftertouch; monophonic, with glissando
Firmware: Open Source firmware"

birdkids offGrid Kickstarter Campaign Launches

You can find the Kickstarter here

°Grid lets you capture and express your creative ideas by combining the responsiveness and versatility of a real instrument with the total integration, capability and ease of use of a wireless, mobile device.

°Grid fits in the palm of your hand, travels in your pocket and pairs with your apps in seconds, so you can go from sketch to masterpiece, without skipping a beat.

°Grid will empower your storytelling by translating every movement, touch, and gesture with precision and fluidity.

°Grid is the perfect take-anywhere, play-anything companion —

whether you’re looking for the lightest, hassle-free way to sketch out an idea on the go, want to add depth and expression to your performance, control your smart home and hardware hands-on, learn an exciting new instrument in no time, or jam with your friends and share the awesomeness with your feed —

Introducing Daisy: A $29 Embedded Platform for Music Hardware Devices from Electrosmith

Update: Kickstarter video added above.

You might remember Electrosmith's Daisy from previous posts including videos here.

Daisy is now on Kickstarter here.

"Electrosmith, a brand dedicated to DIY electronics, is announcing Daisy, an embedded platform for music. Create powerful electronic instruments and sound processors with an open source audio development board!

Daisy features everything you need for creating high fidelity audio hardware devices. Just plug in a USB cable and start making sound. No soldering required. Whether you're teaching classes in STEM education, or creating your next audio product, Daisy will revolutionize your process through a seamless, uncompromising platform.

Why Daisy?

Programmability: Daisy supports a number of programming languages including Arduino, Pure Data, Max/MSP, and C++.

High Fidelity Audio: Daisy features 24-bit stereo audio hardware with up to 192kHz sample rate and 32-bit floating point DSP processing.

Small Form Factor: Smaller than a stick of gum, the Daisy measures in at just 18mm x 51mm.

Affordable Price Tag: Unlike other dev boards that require more than one product to create audio, Daisy can be used on its own, and is only $29!

Easy To Use: Getting started is a breeze, thanks to four, Daisy-powered evaluation platforms:

Petal - Guitar Pedal

Patch - Eurorack module

Field - Desktop Synth

Pod - Breakout Board"

CLICK FOR MORE »

TM Synthesis FLUX - Temporal Modulation Rhythm Sequencer For Eurorack Launches on Kickstarter

Follow-up to this post. You can find the Kickstarter here.

"Flux is a Temporal Modulation Synthesis™ Complex Rhythm Sequencer for Eurorack.

With Flux, I aimed to create a rhythm sequencer that went beyond quantized rhythms. I wanted the ability to compose true polyrhythms, Euclidean rhythms, realistic and complex rhythms easily. Developing Flux with these goals in mind resulted in the Temporal Modulation Synthesis algorithm. I believe that with Flux I have now arrived at the perfect set of parameters to interact with the TM Synthesis algorithm easily. The ARM Cortex-M7 provides the processing power to execute the module with 64-bit double floating point precision, calculating rhythms with an extremely high degree of accuracy.

This next section has a lot of info about Temporal Modulation Synthesis, if you don't care about the details, prefer to experiment or just want to make exciting rhythms, skip to the Humanize section!

WHAT IS TEMPORAL MODULATION SYNTHESIS?

Temporal Modulation Synthesis applies a curvature to time, creating rhythms by modulating the linearity of trigger distribution within a step (each step can output a density of between 1-64 triggers). This video shows the density of a single step sweeping from 1 to 64:"

You can find the video and more at the Kickstarter campaign here.

TM Synthesis FLUX - Temporal Modulation Rhythm Sequencer to Launch on Kickstarter

FLUX Kickstarter Trailer from FLUX on Vimeo.

Visit www.TMsynthesis.com for more info!

via https://www.tmsynthesis.com

"Flux is a Temporal Modulation Synthesis Complex Rhythm Sequencer for Eurorack.

Temporal Modulation Synthesis applies a curvature to time, creating rhythms by modulating the linearity of trigger distribution within a step (each step can output a density of between 1-64 triggers). Trigger distribution can be modulated with a choice of 15 TM curves, the curvature of which ranges from -10 to +10 in 0.01 increments (2000 possible curvatures). Positive curvature values produce logarithmic responses, negative values produce exponential responses and a curvature of 0 results in linear spacing. 16 TM steps can be sequenced per channel, each with unique length, density, curve and curvature parameters. FLUX uses 64-bit double-precision floating point math internally to calculate rhythms with an extremely high degree of precision.

True Euclidean rhythms, polyrhythms & complex rhythmic patterns are extremely easy to generate and wide ranging in scope.

CLICK FOR MORE »

New Abstrakt Instruments VS-1 Analog Synth - New Classic Oberheim OB-X Inspired Rackmount Synth

Published on Jan 14, 2020 Abstrakt Instruments

Update: I thought it worth noting that this project is being done with Tom Oberheim's blessing. From the Kickstarter campaign:

"Tom Oberheim of tomoberheim.com and Oberheim Electronics is aware of our plans to market an OB-X-centric synth. We asked permission and he did not have any reservations with our plans and said good luck! We have also offered a royalty per unit but there was no interest. However, even though the VS-1 is by nature a boutique offering and won't break any sales records, we will indeed be paying a royalty in deference to the original design."




You might remember the OBX Rack Synth Kit Stretch Goal Added to Abstrakt Instruments' Kickstarter for OB-X replacement boards. It looks like they are taking it a step further and offering a completed version named the VS-1 for non-DIYers, or those that just don't have the time or resources to build their own. The project is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter here. Abstrakt Instruments, of course, are the people behind the Avalon Bassline 303 clone, which has become highly regarded by many as the best 303 clone with extra features. P.S. See Abstrakt OB-X for additional posts and demos leading up to the new VS-1.

Some details from the Abstrakt Instruments VS-1 Kickstarter follow - click through for additional pics and info.

"The VS-1 combines vintage analog sound with modern features, designed for those that find modern synths over-perfected. Based on the discrete analog design of the iconic Oberheim™ OB-X, the VS-1 utilizes many of the same design trade-offs, including a signal path comprised of discrete transistors, op-amps, & 3080 OTA's utilizing through-hole components. Combined with modern digital control, a clean & simple interface, and packed into a 3U rack... this is the essence of the VS-1.

It’s all about the tone. Based on the classic OB-X, each voice consists of two analog VCO's and a 12dB OTA Filter (LP/BP/HP) and VCA.

VCO's Two discrete VCO's per voice with saw and pulse waves. Pulse width can be adjusted from 0% to 100%. VCO1 can be modulated by VCO2 (crossmod) and VCO2 can by hard-synced to the frequency of VCO1. VCO's can also be modulated by two analog LFO's, two digital LFO's per-voice, and a DADSR 5-stage envelope generator.
Noise Analog white & pink noise.
Portamento Analog polyphonic portamento gives a natural clustering effect between voices as the analog components are never perfectly matched. Although this requires many additional components it has been included - another example of small imperfections that impart character. In addition, digital portamento with both fixed rate and fixed time modes is also included.
12dB OTA Filter The classic resonant 12dB multimode filter is the desert island filter, simply awesome in a polyphonic synth. The classic OB-X had a fixed lowpass mode, the OB-R has lowpass, bandpass & highpass modes.
Panning VCA's Each voice retains the classic 3080 OTA VCA but also includes a stereo panning VCA that can be modulated by several sources. The spread control make it easy to pan voices across the stereo field.
Envelope Generators Each voice has a dedicated analog ADSR for the filter and VCA. In addition there is a global five-stage DADSR with (20) modulation destinations.
Analog LFO's Two global analog LFO's with triangle, square and S&H waveforms can be sent to VCO1 frequency and pulse width, VCO2 frequency and pulse width, and filter cutoff.
Digital LFO’s Two LFO’s per voice with triangle, sawtooth, reverse sawtooth, square, and random waves with (20) destinations. LFO’s also have dedicated attack-decay envelopes and can be free-running or synced to the arpeggiator, sequencer, or MIDI clock for tempo-synced effects.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/abstraktinstruments/vs-1-polyphonic-analog-synthesizer

Sonicware LIVEN 8bit Warps on Kickstarter

Playlist:
LIVEN 8bit warps Intro
Synth engine demo ( WARP, ATTACK, MORPH, FM )
LIVEN 8bit warps x DRUMBRUTE IMPACT Jam & Looper demo

Sonicware previously brought us the ELZ_1 Synthesizer. They now have a LIVEN 8bit Warps synth on Kickstarter.

"Hi! I'm Endo from SONICWARE. We released gadget synth ELZ_1 last year. Our next challenge is the LIVEN series of instruments that we are designing with a focus on live electronic performance. The first in this series is the LIVEN 8bit warps.

LIVEN 8bit warps is combined an 8-bit waveform memory synthesizer with a step sequencer, that we are designing with a focus on live electronic performance.

We are seeking your support to produce the LIVEN 8bit warps through KICKSTARTER crowdfunding. Please help us bring the LIVEN 8bit warps to life!

Carefully selected preset waveforms and editable user waveforms along with high-quality filters and effects can be used freely to create a wide spectrum of sounds. The LIVEN 8bit warps can generate classic retro game sounds of course, but its unique 8-bit sound can also be used in a range of music genres, including EDM, hip-hop, techno and rock.

Powerful functions for live electronic music performance include 16 physical control knobs, parameter locking for each sequencer step, a looper, and SYNC IN/OUT and MIDI IN/OUT connectors to make synchronized performance with other equipment easy.

All these powerful functions are in a device that weighs only 790 g. Play it anywhere at any time.

CLICK FOR MORE »

SynthTech E520 Hyperion Stereo Effects Processor Coming to Kickstarter Friday Nov 15th

"48HP Eurorack module, with up to 32 audio effects. Powerful 480MHz ARM processor, 64MB SDRAM, and 24bit/48KHz sampling."

The upcoming SynthTech E520 Hyperion Stereo Effects Processor is set to launch on Kickstarter this coming Friday, November 15. You can sign up to follow progress on the Kickstarter site.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out this interview with SynthTech's Paul Schreiber and FluxWithIt. You'll find additional details on the E520 there as well.

The Superlative SB01 Is Ready

via Superlative

"After a summer of continued development and polish, we were able to push the design of our synthesizer beyond what we had already imagined.

This new model represents an upgrade in every dimentions: from a machined aluminum chassis to a full day's worth of battery life, along with a completely new visual identity."

"Picking up where the golden age of analog synthesizer design left off, Superlative is building electronic instruments for the next generation of musicians. We believe that the best in electronic instruments is yet to come.

Our synthesizers are engineered and built in the U.S.

We want to design products that last - both in their original design and with the goal that their repair and maintenance be as transparent as possible."

Kickstarter launches tomorrow at 1PM.

Additional pics below. Be sure to click on them for the full size shots.

See the Superlative label for additional posts including demos.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Euro-Trill: Touch Sensing for Modular Synthesisers

Published on Sep 27, 2019 Bela Platform

Playlist:
Euro-Trill: Touch Sensing for Modular Synthesisers
Trill: Touch Sensing for Makers
Visualising Trill Sensors in the Bela IDE
Brass instrument with Trill Craft
Granulator with Trill Bar and Trill Square

"Trill touch sensors are the perfect tools for building synthesisers and electronic musical instruments. In this video we demo a Eurorack synthesiser that we created with Trill and the DIY module Pepper. The module is used to control a Moog Mother 32 and a Plankton Electronics ANTS! See our blog post for more details:

https://blog.bela.io/2019/09/27/euro-...

Trill is a new family of touch sensors launched on Kickstarter on 16th September 2019. Brought to you by Bela, Trill sensors use capacitive sensing to precisely track finger movements making it quick and easy to create beautifully responsive touch interfaces. Trill sensors are designed to make capacitive touch sensing easy to integrate into music, art and interactive projects.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/..."

Conductive Labs MRCC on Kickstarter

Update to this post, in via Simo.

Conductive Labs MRCC is now on Kickstarter here.

" MRCC Provisional TECH SPECs

I/O - 11 in x 21 out routable and filtered MIDI ports
Message filters - clock, note on/off, CC, prog change, & Stop/Start/Continue
Mappings - velocity scaling, channel, & 16 PC virtual cables
Tools - save/load presets, MIDI routing tests for all ports and channels, & Visual MIDI monitors
And more - MIDI CC control for MRCC, CV Clock Out, CC LFOs, "Light Show" mode & algorithmic MIDI note modifiers. Details to follow as development progresses.

The OLED screen, navigation buttons and encoder are intended to "future proof“ the MRCC. We will monitor the MIDI 2.0 spec, and as features are adopted by the industry we wish to provide FW updates where possible.
Latest Project Status

As of launch of this Kickstarter, for hardware we have created a breadboard prototype, a hand built prototype on perf board, and the latest prototypes are PCB assemblies with a socketed processor board and socketed OLED display (pictured above). All hardware features on the latest prototype are fully functional (with a couple of blue wires). The next step for hardware development is to start PCB layout with the microcontroller and OLED display down on our own PCB rather than socketed. We need to adjust port spacing and get mounting holes where we need them. We'll also evaluate if we will stay with a 5V DC input or add another voltage regulator to accept a wider range of input voltages.

We plan to make a prototype enclosure soon that reflects the proposed design language. We'll post pictures as soon as we have it.

On the software side, MRCC is routing MIDI with no issues, from any of the inputs and outputs including USB host and PC. We'll be demonstrating this at Knobcon 8 in Chicago this week! There's a functioning MIDI status screen, and some filters are implemented as a proof of concept. There's still work to be done to optimize the user experience with navigation on the display. We want a tight relationship between the button presses and what's reflected on the display so you will see exactly what information you need when you need it. Now that we have the new prototypes, this work can begin. After that, implementing configurable MIDI filters, MIDI effects and we have some really cool ideas for MIDI diagnostics features.

Why We Kickstart

Kickstarter is a great way to gauge interest in a product idea. We like to make things we want and need, and we hope others will like it too. From a bill of materials standpoint, we're creating MRCC to be the center of your music space and we are sparing no expense to make it the best it can be. The money from the campaign will be used for development expenses, such as prototypes and parts, and to get MRCC into production with some funds left to help our business grow."

CLICK FOR MORE »

radiator: the laser synthesizer co-created by Andrew Kilpatrick of Kilpatrick Audio

Published on Jul 2, 2019 Neon Captain

Currently on Kickstarter here.

This one was sent my way via Pat. Note although the primary focus of radiator is a laser light synthesizer, it has audio and CV out. I asked Andrew Kilpatrick about the audio out and he had the following to say:

"Normally the outputs would carry the X and Y signals that move the mirrors. I’ve experimented with it quite a bit and generally it sounds like a very stereo drone, but it could be used as a pitched sound source with voltage or MIDI control. The cool part is that you hear what you see, so it’s basically the most true kind of visualization!

We intend to also have modes that modulate the laser to audio or CV inputs, allowing any parameter of the laser patch to be controlled in real-time from another instrument. Radiator is a flexible type of synth with a modules optimized for making vector graphics, but it all works in the audio range so there are many creative possibilities for musicians."

And regarding the CV out:

"The CV outputs let you use the internal LFOs as sources for other synths and effects. Since a laser preset might have some kind of rhythm to it, you could patch this to other gear to have it work in sync."

The following is the official press release for radiator along with some hi-res pics. Click on the them for larger versions:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Ploytec PL2 Logos Prototype Board on Kickstarter

Ploytec has launched the PL2 Logos prototype board on Kickstarter here. You can find two previous videos below this post in the archives here.

"At Superbooth19 in Berlin we showed a sample of the PL2 Logos prototype board. This PCB makes it a lot easier to translate English text to the allophones needed for Ploytec PL2 based speech synthesis (which is CTS256-AL2 / SP0256-AL2 emulation).

On the board, a PL2 synthesizer is already integrated, so there's no need for a separate PL2 (though it's always good to have some of those).

The included USB keyboard allows entering text, and to store / recall text from memory using function keys. Each function key can hold up to 39 letters in up to six rows.

Via the integrated USB MIDI it's possible to capture and playback the MIDI notes triggering the words. On top, you can record the many MIDI notes representing allophones, to a DAW.

Please note: The knob will be most likely missing on the final board, as it never had any functionality and is not necessary for operation.

Risks and challenges

As the technology is basically working, the task to be done is bug fixing, creating firmware update functionality, changing the PCB to potentially fit into an existing case (not included!) and getting a bunch of PCBs manufactured."