The Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio

AT Tours MESS, Melbourne's New Synth Haven

Published on Apr 14, 2016 Audio Technology Magazine

This one in via MATRIXSYNTH Member, Ross Healy of Vicmod Records. You'll find the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio or MESS website here.

"Based in Melbourne Australia, MESS is a unique not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the creation of electronic sound and music founded by Robin Fox and Byron J Scullin.

The heart of MESS is the MESS Studio, a fully functioning sound production workshop representing one of the most unique, eclectic and historically significant collections of electronic instruments in the world. Working from within the studio is the MESS School, a place for people to engage with the history, technique and artistry of electronic sound and music creation presented in a format that is flexible, affordable and artist driven. Work created at the studio and school is supported by MESS Show to promote unique performance events and recording releases reflecting the diversity of sound created at MESS alongside historical releases from the vault of Australian electronic music . Finally MESS Schematic not only maintains the instruments in the MESS Studio collection, it also offers a space for the development of new instrument ideas focussing on design, engineering and construction.

MESS is an independent, inclusive and culturally broad organisation, reflecting the history of the field, supporting those currently involved in creation, as well as ensuring and encouraging its vibrancy, diversity and legacy into the future. Wherever it is, MESS will create an environment based on encouraging physical interaction between artists and instruments. This is a place where coincidence, chance and curiosity allow and encourage people to interact with each other and with the collection. MESS maintains independence through a diverse funding model drawing on private patronage, membership donation, and cultural institutions."

All photos credit to K ristoffer Paulsen.

Buchla
This machine is based on the inspired and eccentric designs of Don Buchla who founded Buchla & Associates and later the Buchla Electronic Musical Instruments company. The system in this photo is based on the Buchla 200 series modules and this particular instrument is made up from authentic 200e modules and 'cloned' modules made by 3rd party manufacturers. A Buchla 200e system in action.

EMS VCS3 & EMS Synthi AKS
The EMS VCS3 and the EMS Synthi AKS are legendary machines in electronic sound and music. Inspired in-part by a commission from Australian composer Don Banks, EMS was founded by Peter Zinovieff who worked alongside David Cockerell & Tristram Carey designing some of the first 'affordable' synthesisers for the general public. These machines were used by artists such as Pink Floyd, Jean Michel-Jarre and Brian Eno. The Synthi AKS is the portable suitcase version of the VCS3.

Moog 55
Robert Moog is one of the preeminent designers of early synthesisers used continuously by countless artists since their first emergence in 1965. There are 2 of these Moog 55s’ in the MESS collection. Both are part of a limited edition (55 only worldwide) reissue of one of Moog’s best loved pre-assembled stock modular systems. Suzanne Ciani playing one the System 55 reissues that we have in the studio."

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Transaudio ProCase 6 - Custom Dual EMS VCS3 Modular Pin Matrix Synth at MESS

Robin Fox - MESS Ltd - Transaudio Procast 6

Published on Jun 14, 2016

Note this is the first post on the Transaudio ProCase 6 on MATRIXSYNTH. The synth is from 1976 and is part of the MESS collection. Only three of these where produced. It is essentially two EMS VCS3s in one unit with extras. See the overview video below.

Above: "Robin Fox takes us through the Melbourne made Transaudio Procaast 6 Synthesiser at MESS Ltd - Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio
____
http://cyclicdefrost.com/
http://mess.foundation/"


MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio): How A Transaudio ProCase 6 Works

Published on Apr 27, 2016

"Robin Fox from MESS demonstrates a Transaudio ProCase 6 modular synth at MESS, Melbourne. Only three of them were ever made.

MESS:
http://mess.foundation"

Image via Cycle Defrost

Update: see this post for some pics and a video walkthrough of MESS.

AT Tours MESS, Melbourne's New Synth Haven

A history of synthesizers with Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio | Art Works

video upload by ABC Arts

"Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) holds the largest collection of electronic instruments in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s home to 1400 synthesizers, drum machines and other electronic making equipment.

We zeroed in on two synthesizers in particular, the ARP 2600, which provided the iconic voice of R2-D2 in Star Wars, and the Fairlight CMI, which was made in Australia and changed synthesizer history."

You can find additional posts featuring the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio here.

Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio & Erica Synths: Interview with Byron Scullin

video upload by Group Technologies Australasia

"GT Lab sits down with Byron Scullin, Co-Founder of Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) to discuss the foundation and its relationship with Erica Synths.

See more about MESS:
https://mess.foundation"

MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio): How A Moog 55 Works

Published on Apr 27, 2016 Audio Technology Magazine

"Byron Scullin takes the Moog 55 modular synth for a drive and shows us how it works.

MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio)
http://mess.foundation"

Keith Humble's Optronics Workstation

video upload by Robotussin Vintage Synths

"This is the Optronics Workstation, an Australian synth made for composer Keith Humble around 1970. It could be controlled by brainwaves…

The Optronics Workstation contains an EMS VCS1 – you can see the controls in the bottom right corner. Yes, a VCS1, not the VCS3 that EMS eventually marketed. The VCS1 was the first synth made by British company EMS. Three were created, the original, known as the Don Banks Music Box, can be seen above in the last image. It was made in 1968, predating the VCS3 by 12 months and many say it was the commission from Don Banks that led to the formation of EMS, so perhaps without it, there would be no other EMS synths.

Humble’s Optronics was built by an engineer called Graham Thirkell around the VCS1. It is perhaps the world’s first electronic workstation, containing a mixer, a synth and FX, all of which are inter-patchable.

In the centre is the 'Mindreader' or 'OmniVoila'. Players attach an electrode to their temples and this device read the signals and turned it into voltage to produce sound or modulation. On the left side is a three-channel mixer for three external line inputs, plus a send for a delay. Top right is a patch panel where voltages can be routed to create sound or modulation. Above that you can see two ring modulators. It also has an in-built spring reverb.

Humble was a huge early proponent of electronic music in Australia. He founded the Electronic Music Studio at Melbourne Universities’ Grainger Centre and the music school at La Trobe University, Melbourne.

The Optronics Workstation is now in the collection of MESS, the non-profit Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio. They are fantastic people who preserve and restore vintage instruments and encourage people to come in and play with them. Humble’s Optronics still works, so if you’re in Melbourne or near there, drop them a line and go say hello.

They were going to send me some video of it in action but I think they’re too slammed. I’ve included the only audio I could find that might be the Optronics in action. It might not be, though. But it was made by Keith Humble about a year after he started working with the Optronics and given that it was his only synth at the time, I think there's a good chance the audio was made with the Optronics."

Synthposium at SAE Institute Set for Monday, November 14th in Melbourne

via https://synthposium.net

"SAE Institute presents its 2nd annual Synthposium on Monday the 14th of November, from 9.30am until 9pm, at its Melbourne campus, 235 Normanby Rd, South Melbourne. Following last year’s successful evening event the Synthposium has been expanded for 2016 into an all-day academic conference and evening session of workshops, vintage gear demos and jamming.

The daytime component of the 2016 Synthposium will be an academic conference running from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Synthesizer experts will be convening from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US and Italy to examine the question of how synthesizers convey ‘meaning through sonics’. Leading synth academics such as Warren Burt, David Haberfeld, James Gardner, Nino Auricchio, Paul Borg, Amedeo D’Adamo, Michail Exarchos, Nevina Satta and Martin Koszolko will be presenting papers examining aspects of this topic. The Synthposium is also honoured to have Robin Fox, Melbourne sound artist and director of the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS), and Les Craythorn, tonmeister responsible for the restoration of the Victorian College of the Arts’ EMS Synthi 100, joining the Synthposium to give keynote addresses.

From 4.30pm the Synthposium will host a series of workshops and demonstrations by leading Melbourne synth practitioners and theoreticians. From 7.30pm to 9pm the Synthposium will culminate in a demonstration of vintage gear and an open jam session with hand-on knob-twiddling action. This will include the presence of rare 1970s and early 80s synthesizers and other electronic music equipment especially loaned to SAE Institute by collectors and electronic music artists throughout Melbourne for this night only.

Attendance Cost:

$40 full day access inc. paper and poster presentation
$20 full day concession
$10 evening workshops and jam session
free entry for SAE Institute students"

MESS Ltd - Beat Collective

Published on Oct 28, 2017 brassmonkey

"Beat Collective Jams at MESS Ltd in Melbourne, Australia

Blurb:

Ordinarily access is members only but Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS Ltd) have opened its doors to Beat Collective for these special events!

Upon arrival you will be assigned to work in random pairs. Your challenge it to collaborate and create a track together in under 4 hours for a special edition compilation to be uploaded onto https://soundcloud.com/beat-collectiv...

To make your track, you will have access to MESS' extensive collection of amazing vintage and modern synths that will be set up ready for you to use! Check out this link to suss out the machines that are currently on rotation: http://mess.foundation/booking/

BRING: Your laptop, headphones and an audio interface (if you have one) to allow you to record sounds. MESS has leads but you may choose to bring your own as well. Should go without saying, but your friendly and open attitude. Also respect the machines!

More info check out - https://beatcollective.net

Clip shot and edited by Ben Willis
https://www.ben-willis.com"

Oral Histories - Warren Burt

video upload by Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS)

"Warren Burt arrived in Australia in 1975 and the landscape of Australian electronic and experimental music changed forever. An encyclopaedic repository of works and theories in the field - Warren has been educating and inspiring generations for half a century. His work spans almost all conceivable genres and modalities ranging from his Aardvarks series of pieces (that are also devised instruments) to works exploring incompetence as a paradigm and even compositions designed to propagate in gasses other than oxygen! Since his arrival he has been an almost constant agitator and organiser, creating new performance contexts and ways to educate people both within and outside of the institutions that have been lucky enough to have him on staff.

About Oral Histories:

Storytelling is an essential part of what it means to be human. When we share our stories we create space for real exchange and a deeper sense of empathy toward one another. At MESS we are conscious that so much of what has happened in Australian electronic music was never written down. Even when things are documented formally in books and journals - that very process can create an orthodox history which is inevitably incomplete and riddled with unconscious bias. So what we are doing is sitting down with the people who have made a lasting contribution to the form and asking them to tell us about their experiences in their own words.

The Oral Histories project was funded initially by a local histories grant from the Public Record Office of Victoria.

Filmed and produced by Jonnine Nokes

Find out more at http://mess.foundation"

A Quick EMS Vocoder Demo via the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio in Melbourne Victoria, AU

The awesome awesome EMS Vocoder 2000. Use it now at MESS! #messltd #ems #vocoder pic.twitter.com/8gpBVCLMG7

— Mess Ltd. (@mess_ltd) April 29, 2016

Make sure to click the little speaker icon on the bottom right of the player for audio if you don't hear it.

via @mess_ltd

"The awesome awesome EMS Vocoder 2000. Use it now at MESS! #messltd #ems #vocoder"

KORG Berlin Phase 8 | Acoustic Synthesis from First Touch to Full Jam

video upload by Noisegate

"We head to the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio for our first hands-on look at the KORG Berlin Phase 8, one of the most unusual instruments to land on the Noisegate desk in years.
Phase 8 is built around eight electromechanical voices, each physically striking a steel resonator or tine. Instead of traditional oscillators, sound is generated through real vibrating materials, then shaped with envelopes, modulation, sequencing, and analogue wavefolding. The result feels closer to playing a physical instrument than programming a synth.

In this video, we explore:
– How Phase 8 produces sound
– Sequencing, pluck, shift and performance controls
– Acoustic interaction using everyday objects
– Processing Phase 8 with external effects
– Integrating Phase 8 into a wider live jam setup

CHAPTERS:
0:39 – Why Phase 8 Is Different
1:04 – What Is Acoustic Synthesis?
1:40 – Touch, Feedback & Physical Interaction
2:13 – Tuning, Scales & Resonators Explained
2:32 – Playing Phase 8 Like a Synth
2:41 – Per-Voice Envelopes & Velocity
3:11 – Air Slider & Raw Pickup Sound
3:35 – Shift & Pluck Performance Controls
4:27 – Sequencer Overview & Storage
4:56 – Playing a Recorded Sequence
5:06 – Step Recording & Polyrhythms
6:21 – Interacting with the Tines Physically
6:30 – Using Objects to Change the Sound
7:50 – Light vs Heavy Materials on the Tines
8:26 – Percussive & Prepared-Style Sounds
9:47 – Modulation & Tonal Experimentation
9:56 – Processing Phase 8 with External Effects
10:14 – Finding Sweet Spots with FX
10:27 – Connectivity: MIDI, USB-C, CV & Sync
10:58 – Hybrid Setup with OP-XY
11:24 – Live Jam Begins
14:29 – Reflections on Exploration & Sweet Spots
15:31 – Why Phase 8 Rewards Time & Touch
15:36 – Trying Phase 8 at MESS
16:04 – Final Thoughts & Sign-Off

We also look at how Phase 8 plays with other gear, including Teenage Engineering OP-XY and outboard effects, and why finding the “sweet spot” is such a big part of the experience."

VicMod - Sunday Funday

Published on Aug 19, 2017 brassmonkey

"Just some test footage using my new camera at the monthly VicMod meetup group at MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio)"

keith's psychedelic breakfast - Moog System 55

Published on Aug 6, 2016 100 Things I Do

"This weeks clip is something a little different. Last night at The Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) I had a few hours to explore the Moog System 55. Everything you hear in this clip was generated during that session, the sounds were then cut and trimmed this morning and assembled as you hear them in quasi concrete style. Effects used are Logic's ring modulator and as always Eventide's Black Hole. The video I took during the session came out pretty rough do to the Florissant lights so its more a montage than my normal clips. Hope you enjoy! Thanks also to Ross for hosting of the evening and Shane for some added noodle flavor :D"

Sequential Circuits Prophet 10 Demo

Published on Mar 11, 2017 100 Things I Do

"A trip to MESS (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio) last night to tackle the Prophet 10. I owned a Prophet 5 years ago but it just did not work with the music I was making at the time and I was always scared something would go CRACKKKkkk then SMOKE and then very large repair bill... this was before I had the skills myself to repair...but more on this later.

So here it is .. the Prophet 10.. 5 times more and a few little sneaky extras. The most notable for me is the DRONE button and the BASS , MID and TREBLE controls. So dreams of making John Carpenteresque music all night left me and I ended up exploring the drone function.

The lights were out over the Pro10 so I didn't really make that much video but still thought I would share my noodelings.

As to My Prophet 5 , Well I sold it to someone that also did not get along with it and on sold it. Unfortunately he sold it to someone across the other side of the country and by the time it arrived by transport the transformer had come loose and damaged the internals of the synth. I wish I had kept it! I can only hope it was repaired later."