Vaco Loco Zira Now Available

via Paul Maddox of Vaco Loco

"My first synth since the Monowave, Zira is now available to buy (http://VacoLoco.net/order.shtml). It comes fully assembled and in a perspex case, you just need to supply MIDI, power (9V-12V DC @300mA) and a Stereo 3.5mm Jack. The just plug it into your mixer and off you go!

Think of Zira as a pocket sized monowave. Zira has the following features

* Two oscillators, each with 48 wave forms, a sub oscillator and hard sync
* Analogue Lowpass 24dB/Oct filter. Zira uses the NJM2069AD (New old Stock) chips to give a stunning warm and rich filter sound.
* The VCA is part of the NJM2069AD and is a low noise, high quality VCA.
* Two ADSRs, one for the VCF and one for the VCA
* LFO with 4 waveforms, with delay, single shot mode and four routing destinations.
* All parameters editable via MIDI CC
* 64 Patch memories

I only have a very limited supply of NJM2069s, so grab them whilst you can as Zira won’t be available in this format again. You can purchase one from here.

Multi-tracked demo of Zira playing Depeche Modes 'See You'"

All synth sounds except the drums.

VacoLoco · See You (Zira Demo)

MMTA SYNTHFEST - Lorne Hammond and His Sound Makers

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
YouTube Published on Jun 3, 2012 by matrixsynth

Lorne Hammond showing his myriad of sound makers at the MMTA Summer SYNTHFEST.

Featured: Roland MC-202, Teenage Engineering OP-1, Brian Castro modded x0xio x0xb0x, Allessandro Cortini & The Harvestman's SuONOIO, the vxxy chiptune synth, original Sequentix P3 sequencer, Paul Maddox aka Vacoloco's Gorf sequencer, original STEIM cracklebox, Tom Bugs' aka Bugbrand Board Weevil, and various Mutable Instruments Shruthis. Note each Shruthi is different. Lorne picked up the larger red Shruthi featuring three different Shruthi's from a DJ on a farm in South Africa.

Also worth noting: MATRIXSYNTH T-Shirt!

Update via Lorne: "The P3 Sequentrix was made in the uk by Colin Fraser who is producing the cirkilon now and I bought of ebay from a south African dj on a farm.

The shruthi-xt is a design by Frank [mailto:daniels@daniels-cards.de] aka on forums and flickr as fcd72. He runs a card company in Germany.

Frank designed the programmer knob system and did the case layout as a kit. He has done dozens of wild kits in various colours and designs.

The shruthi’s pcb designs and code and many different filter designs are the work of Olivier Gillet in Paris.

Frank’s shruthi-xt box holds 3 filters, I controller and a power regulator. The ver .96 code allows them to cascade in series or parallel.

Olivier took mutable into a small but fully registered company and took the big plunge. He has 800+ kits out there working.

He’s a friend of Todd Bailey (WTPA) and also wrote the code for the Dr Otto biscuit to turn it into a synth."

Zira Demonstration

YouTube Published on Apr 16, 2012 by VacolocoSynth

"A quick run through of Zira and it's features."

VacoLoco Zira Demonstration

YouTube Published on Apr 16, 2012 by VacolocoSynth

"A quick run through of Zira and it's features."

Shruthi Polivoks & Gorf

YouTube Uploaded by kidtronic on Mar 10, 2012

"A walk through the different filter styles of Olivier's Parisian designed line of Shruthi synthesizers. Two contrasting designs (in German designed cnc cases) include a clean digital clone of an analog IC filter & one based on the Polivoks Russian take on a Japanese Korg filter, and all driven by a British designed cheap and useful midi sequencer by Paul Maddox with a case designed by a friend of his. All of these were made by me with a soldering iron from kits. Make yer own and get out and perform! Oh and good bass, missed by the camera microphones."

Vacoloco JuJu First Samples

via Vacoloco:

"JuJu is finally making sounds, after weeks of hassle and prep…

This is still early days, and the samples are very quiet so I had to bump up the gain to get them recorded (hence the background noise), but they’re there and sounding really good.

Sounds are on Synth.net here -

http://synth.net/m/sounds/browse/album/JuJu/owner/VacoLoco"

Gorf V2.01.avi

YouTube Uploaded by Fitvideo on Jul 2, 2011

"GorF Midi Sequencer V2
controlling a MicroKorg XL, my first generated sequence.
you also get to see my floor , my dining habits et al...the cats are hiding ...

details at http://www.vacoloco.net/"

Loved by Ghosts - Sonic Hysteria - Mass DIY

YouTube Uploaded by lovedbyghosts on Jun 7, 2011

"Crazy animation made by the band in an attic with almost no money."

via Loved by Ghosts

SoundCloud
YouTube
Facebook

"We are a new band called "Loved by Ghosts" which uses almost entirely DIY synthesizers that we built ourselves.

In "Sonic Hysteria", you would certainly recognize the midibox SID while the bass is Monomachine.

In “Girl Go” the bass line is Avr-X Synthesizer, various FX is midibox FM and the lead Oberheim OB-12.

In the other songs - that we will be posting soon - we use: ASM-2, Mutable Instruments Shruthi-1, Pixie (Wasp clone), Monowave(X), MFOS Soundlab, SUB-COMMANDER Guitar Synth, Weird Sound Generator, Drone Lab V2, AVR synth, Gorf Sequencer.
For guitar and voice we use various filters from the web (wasp filter clone, steiner, lm13700 filter, ssm2044, polivoks), fx's built with boards from Jürgen Haible (Frequency Shifter FS-1A, Triple Chorus, Krautrock Phaser and 20-pole Phaser), many vintage Russian fx units, and many electro-Harmonix stompboxes.
All of them are sequenced from an Elektron Monomachine (we love it !!!) and an Electribe sampler is used for drums, created with the same synths.
You will recognize some of them in the pictures. More to come on our Facebook page.

We want to thank you… Thorsten Klose, Laurie Biddulph, Paul Maddox, Ray Wilson, Jürgen Haible, Johan Severinsson and Jonas Karlsson, Olivier Gillet, Peter Edwards, Jarek Ziembicki and to MATRIXSYNTH. Without your projects,our music would be empty.
And special thanks to our pet Speakjet, Wof, Wof.
If you enjoyed our music, follow us on Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud, there's a lot more to come."

Gorf V2 Part 1

YouTube Uploaded by VacolocoSynth on Jun 7, 2011

"Gorf V2 demonstration video Part 1"

Update:

Gorf V2 Part 2

GorF V2 kits

via Vacoloco Ramblings

"I now have the PCBs, and a box full of parts. I think I have the majority of parts to put the kits into little bags ready. The most noticeable difference between this PCB and the previous version is the inclusion of a 2.5mm DC power connector. I can also tell you that the holes in the PCBs for parts like the switches and pots have been made a little bigger than previous PCBs so the parts will fit easier. Also that the MIDI socket holes should now fit both types that are around on the market..."

Vaco Loco

Vaco Loco has been added to the Manufacturers page. Be sure to check them out!

Mini rig Jam (20110407)

YouTube Uploaded by VacolocoSynth on Apr 15, 2011

"I'm using 2 x GorF sequencers, 1 of which is driving the Meeblip and the other my Shruti-1. There's also 1 x Tron Drum pattern Programmer driving, via MIDI, the MFB-522 drum brain. Third GorF is ready to be hooked up to Zira when it's completed.

Tron - http://www.vacoloco.net/synths/tron/
GorF - http://www.vacoloco.net/synths/gorf/

Recorded on my mobile phone (sorry for the poor quality, but I don't own a cam-corder)."

Vacoloco Zira Demo - See You

via VacoLoco on Synth.net

"Well, I’ve got the LFO routing in now, just the LFO delay to sort and some debugging.

I’ve also managed to get the two missing tracks into the Zira Demo, so it’s now complete. The missing tracks were the “ppg vocal” and the “wobbly bell”, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did recording it."

Vacoloco Zira Demo

via Vacoloco's Synth.net


"This is two of the tracks from the demo I'm building using Zira.

Currently just an analogue arpeggio and a PPG style "clunk", I'm sure you'll recognise the tune."

Vacoloco Zira Upate

via Vacoloco Ramblings where you'll find more details.

"Well, the new board is here, and I’ve assembled it and you can see it above. I’ve already started coding and it’s a LOT quieter than the previous one, there’s no horrible buzzing on the audio from the display!"

Vacoloco Tron Kits Available

via Vacaloco Ramblings

"I’m pleased to announce that the kits for Tron are available.

The first few kits went to people on the mail-list, so there remains 15 full kits (kit 2) and a few PCB+Micro (kit 1).

Kit 1, is a PCB + Programmed Micro for 21.50 GBP.

Kit 2, is a Full kit, with PCB, programmed micro, all LEDs, switches, knob, connectors, resistors, capacitors, diodes and other chips for 95.50 GBP.

Postage to the UK is 5 GBP,
Postage to Europe is 7.00 GBP,
Postage to the rest of the world is 8.50 GBP.

If you’re interested, please contact me and I’ll reserve a kit for you and pass you details on how to pay."
See Vacaloco link above.

Tron Video Part III

YouTube via VacolocoSynth | September 30, 2010

"Demo video for Tron, a drum pattern programmer, similar to TR909 style programming."

Tron Video Part II

YouTube via VacolocoSynth | September 29, 2010

"Demo video for Tron, a drum pattern programmer, similar to TR909 style programming."

Tron Video Part I

YouTube via VacolocoSynth | September 28, 2010

"Demo video for Tron, a drum pattern programmer, similar to TR909 style programming."

Only DIY

YouTube via firestARTerFHolle | September 01, 2010

"featuring new and old developments from Thomas Margolf : Speaquencer, Drum Trigger Sequencer, Midi-Master-Clock Module and the popular DIY projects Gorf, Midibox 16 and Midibox SID."

Only DIY 2nd

firestARTerFHolle | September 01, 2010

"featuring new and old developments from Thomas Margolf : Speaquencer, Drum Trigger Sequencer, Midi-Master-Clock Module and the popular DIY projects Gorf, Midibox 16 and Midibox SID."

Side note: now and then I get word verification when posting. For this one the word was STEIM. Thought that was a bit in spirit / interesting.