Akai S900 and S950 with custom Operating Systems

video upload by Mike Feedback

"I developed a custom operating system for the Akai S900 and Akai S950 samplers which turns them into real-time signal processors. You can run audio through them and have them add that 12-bit grit without having to worry about sample time.

If you have an s900 or s950, download it for free:

https://s900fx.com
https://s950fx.com

#akai #beatmaking #boombap #hiphop #akaimpc #hiphopbeats #12bit #lofi #sample #s900 #s950 #mpc #s900fx #s950fx"

This one is in via Ivan Trajkovic aka deejayiwan.

S900FX and S950FX Anti-Alias mod

video upload by Mike Feedback

"I corrected a sample rate bug and added the ability to turn off the anti-alias filter in the latest version of S900FX and S950FX.

S900FX and S950FX are custom operating systems for the Akai S900 and Akai S950 that turn the hardware into signal processors that allow you to apply their 12-bit grit to the audio signal in real-time. Pass the audio through them and record into your modern sampler.

Get them for free." [links above]

Update: new demo from Mikus Pilatus:

New Akai S950FX OS - monitoring thought converters and filter

video upload by Mikus Pilatus

"What a legend ! 2x new Akai S900 / S950 OS out and they are both dope."

Mike Hall's & Vince Clarke's EMS Polysynthi For Auction

via this auction

"[The seller is] selling this Polysynthi on behalf of it's owner, Mike Hall, who used to be synth technician for the previous owner of this eccentric electrical item, a certain Mr. Vincent Clarke of Basildon - former founder member of Depeche Mode, and Yazoo, and currently with Erasure.

Mike bought the synth on behalf of Vince in 1990 from the latter day Mr EMS himself Robin Wood (a scan of the letter from Robin confirming which is included in the photos in this listing) but he literally ended up rescuing it from Vince's rubbish skip, after having been both surprised and shocked to hear Vince claim it was 'the worst sounding synth ever made' and had decided to get rid of it. Mike was to be its saviour, and he whisked it away to the safety of his abode - this Polysynthi has subsequently been used by fellow Mute Records artists Komputer (previously known as I Start Counting) who've borrowed it from Mike occasionally, as indeed have I for my own musical exploits.

For corroborative purposes, take a look at this link to the official Erasure website (circa late 1990s), which features an interview with Mike, where he mentions the very Polysynthi for sale here...

Sadly, the time has finally come, and Mike has decided to sell his beloved Polysynthi. Fair enough really, seeing as he rarely uses it himself!

The EMS POLYSYNTHI

Made in 1979 by the legendary EMS, alledgedly no more then 29 were ever produced. Size-wise, it's bloody massive, and it really looks the business, despite its multicoloured, toytown style exterior. It houses the first ever (only?) velocity sensitive, aftertouch responsive 100% POLYPHONIC keyboard - if you've enough fingers and toes, you can play every single one of its 49 notes at the same time. The keyboard has a totally unique velocity sensitivity and aftertouch implementation - the entire keyboard itself moves as one mechanical piece. And, it has to be said, the Polysynthi also has one of the most difficult to fathom control surfaces ever to appear on any synthesizer!

It uses a switchable bus matrix system to determine, amongst other things, the signal and modulation sources, which can also be variably assigned to velocity and/or aftertouch. This switchable bus system on the Polysynthi is quite frankly bonkers. When I've used it in the past, to be honest, there have been times where I really couldn't make head nor tail of what was actually happening - but I'm sure(-ish) that this was probably just my own ignorance of it's more intricate workings!

As you can see from the specifications below, it has a somewhat standard set of synthesizing functions, but it does have some additional useful abilities too. The two ADSRs onboard are also routable and patchable through the bus system, though take some getting used to, and there's an external audio input, routable through the filter section and modulation matrix, as well as a fantastic analogue delay line. This delay was the original design for what became the ElectroHarmonix Memory Man, and produces very peculiar and interesting effects indeed, especially with higher feedback settings - you seriously have to watch out for your bass bins when using it.

It's in really good condition despite it's age, apart from a couple of scratches in the decal, and one cap is missing from a knob on the delay line. We're also including it's very own, high quality, custom-made flight case, so you can take it on the road to wow synth-nerds with at your gigs.

What else can I say? There's nothing else like it. It's weird. It's at times frustrating. It's great though - even if Vince does hate it.

Specifications
4 Octave velocity sensitive keyboard
100% FULLY POLYPHONIC Oscillator Bank - Sine, Square and Triangle Waveforms
Noise and External input with envelope follower
2 x VC LFO
2 x VC ADSR
VCF: 2 pole (12db per octave) /4 pole (24db per octave) resonant filters
Switchable Modulation Bus matrix system
VC Analogue Delay
Designed by Graham Hinton
Delay Unit designed by David Cockerell

(For full specifications, see the included photo of the original promotional leaflet)

Previously owned by:
Vince Clarke

As used by:
Komputer
Mechanical Cabaret
LCD Soundsystem"

CLICK FOR MORE »

New Malekko Euro Module

"Heres a sneak peek of our new first Euro module coming out. We are very excited to offer a 14hp 600ms analog delay with a feedback loop and voltage control for everything, delay time, mix, feedback, even the feedback amount for the loop!

It's a fantastic sounding delay, it's not too dark, not too bright, extremely low distortion, and zero clock noise! The repeats degrade perfectly, also there is a limiter so when the feedback goes into oscillation, it doesnt blow out your speakers! Analogue Haven will be the exclusive U.S. dealer, other than direct through our website http://malekkoheavyindustry.com.

They should be available mid September and a target price of 285.00.

We would also like to publicly thank Shawn Cleary, John Loffink, and Mike Brown of Livewire, without their help from my constant badgering through emails and phone calls, this would have never been accomplished!

And yes, expect more Euro modules from us soon!!!!!

thanks
Josh"

Moog iOS App on the Way

Moog on your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Some specs via CDM (see the post for initial impressions)
"Complete Specifications
Audio input will work via any adapter. You can use the headphone/mic jack directly (though to get audio out, you’ll need to use a 3-prong minijack – more on that as I test my camcorder cable with this and other apps). You can also use third-party devices like the Blue Mikey (good if you need a mic) or IK Multimedia iRIG (good for mono instrument/guitar input). I’m also testing the iRIG.

Via an internal design documentation, I’ve got the details on the internal specs for the app. The goal, says the document: “filtatron allows you to combine several sound sources and apply effects to them in realtime. Sound sources include line or mic input, looping sample playback, and an internal oscillator.”

Audio engine: 16-bit, 44.1 kHz. (Some apps, like RjDj, actually use less, so that’s worth noting.)

Filter: modeled 4-pole resonant filter, which Moog intended to be matched to their analog filters. Lowpass, highpass, cutoff, resonance, self-oscillation at high resonance – you know, the usual.

LFO, Envelope Filter: Routed to filter cutoff. LFO: sine, ramp, sawtooth, square, sample&hold. Crossfade/morph between LFO shapes. Bipolar LFO (sweep up or down). Free-tuned LFOs, sync to tap tempo.

Envelope Follower: Route sound inputs to sweep the filter, with adjustable reaction speed.

Tap tempo, separation, mix.

Amp (overdrive) effect with feedback. Also can self-oscillate.

Delay effect. Delay with its own LFO. Adjustable from a short flange to longer delays.

Pads. X-Y pads controlled by multi-touch control parameters for live performance/tweaking. Assignments:

VCF pad controls filter cutoff and resonance, LFO pad controls LFO Rate and Amount, Delay pad controls delay time and feedback. VCO pad controls oscillator frequency and level (amplitude) – if the VCO “Release” parameter is engaged (ENABLE button on VCO panel, main page), then the VCO x-y pad also controls the VCO volume gate — the VCO is silent when you are not touching the pad and sounds a note on each touch. ENV pad controls envelope follower amount and speed, and AMP pad controls amp drive and feedback.

Sampler: Play included loops, record your own samples, or bring in your own loops using either the AudioCopy/AudioPaste API or an FTP connection. Sampler includes play controls, playback speed (-2x to +2x), and tap-and-drag controls for loop start and stop on the waveform.

Record audio into the sampler dry, or record with effects for resampling capability. Recording is limited only by available storage, but playback is limited to 10MB each (ca. 2 minutes).

Preset recall and storage. Includes a number of presets, allows you to save your own, and provides onboard email sharing of presets."

iPads on Amazon

iPod Touch on Amazon

Update: Official press release:

"MOOG MUSIC ANNOUNCES FILTATRON APP FOR IPHONE AND IPOD TOUCH

Real-Time Audio Filter and Effects Engine Brings Signature Moog Sound to Mobile Devices for the First Time

ASHEVILLE, NC – October 12, 2010 – Moog Music today announced Filtatron, a real-time audio effects engine and powerful studio tool coming soon for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The heart of the Filtatron is a finely-modeled Moog Ladder Filter, the same filter that gives Moog instruments their warm, thick character. It musically shapes the sounds supplied by the filtatron’s on-board oscillator, sampler and line/microphone input.

Filtatron is much more than your average sound app. Its Multi-Touch Pads are an intuitive performance interface and provide hands-on control of all major sound-sculpting parameters. There is no stopping your creativity with that much control at your fingertips.

“Filtatron represents the first time that the signature Moog sound is available outside of a high-end, hand-made Moog synthesizer,” said Mike Adams, president of Moog Music. “This powerful app extends the studio capabilities of traditional Moog users, and also provides music enthusiasts and Moog fans a fantastic way to create and share their personalized presets. All for a price that makes the Moog sound accessible to a wide audience.”

Filtatron comes loaded with edgy presets that kick-start your sound explorations, running the gamut from cutting rhythms and ambient drones to out-there effects workouts. Filtatron also comes with an array of loopable samples and you can use the Sampler to record and play your own unique sounds. It contains a feature-packed effects module sporting an incredible sounding Delay, and Amp controls provide tones ranging from warm analog overdrive to extreme distortion.

Filtatron will be available October 18, 2010 for the iPhone and iPod Touch for $4.99.

Key Features:

Moog Ladder Filter – 4 pole resonant Moog Ladder Filter, with Lowpass and Highpass modes and adjustable cutoff and resonance parameters.

Oscillator – a high-resolution, alias-free DSP oscillator with sawtooth and square waveforms, adjustable frequency from 0.3 Hz to 2kHz.

LFO – five waveforms: sine, ramp, sawtooth, square, sample & hold, with crossfade and morph between adjacent LFO shapes.

Envelope Follower – uses the volume envelope of sound inputs to sweep the filter, with controls for amount and speed.

Amp and Delay FX Modules – Amp provides warm, smooth overdrive with feedback control. Delay can be modulated by its own LFO (with rate and depth controls) and delay time is smoothly interpolated for analog-style delay time tweaks.

File Sharing – Easily move audio files back and forth between the Filtatron and your computer. Audio Copy and Audio Paste enables sharing audio between the Filtatron and other compatible apps. Built-in email function allows sharing presets with other Filtatron users.

Record and Playback – All audio processed in stereo, 16bit, 44.1kHz resolution. Filtatron will record samples up to 10MB. Tap and Drag sets start and end points for seamless looping. Playback control can be adjusted from double-speed playback all the way down through zero to double-speed reverse.

Links:
* Filtatron product page: http://www.moogmusic.com/filtatron
* Moog Music website: http://www.moogmusic.com
* Conversations on Twitter: #moog #synth #iphone #filtatron

About Moog Music:

Moog Music and its customers carry on the legacy of Bob Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. Moog designs and manufactures electronic musical instruments, including Little Phatty® and Minimoog® Voyager® synthesizers, Moogerfooger® effects modules, Etherwave® theremins, Taurus Bass Pedals and The Moog Guitar. Founded by Bob Moog, Moog Music designs and manufactures its products in Asheville, N.C. "

Filtatron meets Richard Devine

YouTube via MoogMusicInc | October 12, 2010

"Watch as Richard Devine meets the Filtatron for the first time in the Moog factory and starts tweaking out immediately. More to come...this is just the beginning..."

Update: It's officially here!

Moog Funk Bass Jam #1 - Mike Pensini on Sub37

Published on May 19, 2017 Mike Pensini

"Cooking up some fat Moog​ funk bass ones using the feedback and multi drive for extra grit.

Sub37 Vintage Funk Soundpack available here:
http://goo.gl/ZGesGK

Mike is available for online sessions and can deliver pro keyboard parts directly to your inbox. Click here to contact:

http://www.mikepensini.com/contact/"

Hachi Sequencer Running on Yaeltex Controller

Mike Perkowitz

The above is a playlist featuring videos of Mike Perkowitz's custom sequencer running on a custom Yaeltex controller. You might remember Hachi from this previous post of it running on a Novtion Launchpad pro. You can find some additional info on Hachi there, and here's a post of it controlling a Nord Modular rack, a Morphing Terrarium, and a Fantom XR. You can find info on Yaeltex custom controllers below.

Playlist for the above:
Hachi Sequencer Running on Yaeltex Controller (1st 2 videos)
Hachi UI mockup
First sound from the new Hachi

And some info on Yaeltex: the following is an image from Yaeltex's website featuring their custom controllers. Note the Hachi is top center. According to Mike, his might be the only one with the Hachi branding, although he believes Yaeltex is set up so you can order controllers that other people design. You can also design and buy your own custom controller online through their site.

You can find more of their controllers at https://yaeltex.com

"Yaeltex // Custom MIDI controllers made in harmony between humans and machines in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

Note this is the first Yaeltex post on the site.

Below is a video of their configuration editor, KILOWHAT, followed by some user performance videos.


Yaeltex

Configure your device with our web-base tool

– Per component configuration
– Keystrokes for controlling any app
– Send Notes, CC, NRPN, RPN, Pitch bend, Program change
– Up to 8 banks
– Multiple encoders modes: double CC, remote feedback, shift to bank x, velocity to color, VU mode, etc.
– Integrated value scaling or pick up



Playlist:
THYLACINE - Lockdown full Live set
Paula OS - Buenos Aires Live Set
Quick demo of Yaeltex Niklou
Maqueta - Intro + Nadie + Espero Aca [En vivo @ Proyecto Exilio 160619]
Sidartha shit Sesion 362 x Mambogratis
I-O InstrumentoOptico "heka Ω" Live Chela 2018
THYLACINE - Live set @Château de Versailles
Pulse
Ambient Synth Jam - Enveleau

1978 Roland GS-500 Vintage Analog Guitar Synthesizer and Controller

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"1978 Roland GS-500 Guitar Synthesizer and Controller in collector-grade, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the hardshell case for guitar controller and the original manual. Exceedingly rare, with said rarity elevated further by the pristine condition and completeness of this example, the GS-500 was the world’s first guitar-controlled synthesizer. Introduced as a string-based alternative to keyboard-controlled synthesizers, this system gained popularity with musicians including Mike Rutherford of Genesis and Alex Lifeson of Rush.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Introducing TRAVELER: A Cinematic Hybrid Synthesizer

video uploads by KeySolutions Sounds

Playlist:

1. Introducing TRAVELER: A Cinematic Hybrid Synthesizer
2. TRAVELER: The Expressive Cinematic Hybrid Synth | Official Walkthrough
3. TRAVELER Track Walkthrough by Venus Theory

"Meet TRAVELER, the expressive cinematic hybrid synthesizer from KeySolutions Sounds.

Designed to move effortlessly from intimate detail to thunderous motion, TRAVELER combines the gravity and depth of classic hardware instruments with a flexible modern sound engine built for composers, producers, performers, and sound designers.

In this video Mike Martin provides a tour of TRAVELER’s features, sound, and expressive possibilities.

Explore TRAVELER download the free 14-day demo and take advantage of the limited time launch offer: https://www.keysolutionssounds.com/tr...

Traveler's preset library features sounds from Venus Theory, David Helpling, Scott McAuley, Drew Schlesinger, James Dyson, James Terris, Tom Hammer, Jerry Kovarsky, and Mike Martin."

ENDLESS DESTINATIONS

TRAVELER is an artist-built cinematic hybrid synthesizer with bold dreams and is centered around the one thing that sets us all on our way – Expression. From intimate to thunderous, it Instantly rewards dynamics and carries with it a promise of endless musical journeys.

Crafted with passion for composers, producers, and sound designers, TRAVELER brings together the unmistakable gravity and depth of classic hardware instruments with the flexibility to forge entirely new sonic territory. Its familiar, immediate interface and emotionally rewarding sound engine deliver a unique yet unmistakable character, strong sympathetic harmonics and expansive width and motion, inviting sonic exploration from the very first touch.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sherman Filterbank 2 / Schippmann Ebbe und Flut robot farts

YouTube via bigcitymusic
"Our friend Mike Dobler set up this feedback loop using the Sherman Filterbank 2, Schippmann ebbe und flut, and Moog MF-102 ring modulator. The feedback is created by the ebbe und flut being patched into the Sherman, Sherman out1 into Moogerfooger ring modulator (not shown), and ring modulator back into the ebbe und flut. Sound taken from Sherman out2. bigcitymusic.com"

Everyone Can Play Music #1: technoBox2 - Part 1

YouTube Uploaded by Discchord on Jul 13, 2011

"I want to do a series of videos that will help anyone who wants to play music go from knowing nothing to playing with advanced synthesizers and arrangers. We're starting off with the simple and elegant technoBox2."

technoBox2 - Mike Janney - iTunes
iPads on eBay

Everyone Can Play Music #3: technoBox2 - Part 2


Everyone Can Play Music #5: technoBox2 - Part 3 (The Final Chapter)

YouTube Uploaded by Discchord on Sep 1, 2011

"If these videos have inspired you to purchase technoBox2, you might as well do so using my link here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id424841211?mt=8&uo=4&partnerId=30&... Thanks! [hopefully the YouTube redir works. If not my link is below]

We conclude our look at technoBox2 with a deeper look at the effects, and then put together and record a song.

Please leave feedback on what you'd like to see covered when this series returns!"

technoBox2 - Mike Janney
iPads on eBay
iPod Touch on eBay

Mike's Salty Romance Explosion

YouTube via theonetrueaen. audio comes in at :26. Pitch shifting followed by LFO comes in at :56.
"Newwwww feedback/bypass looper from Dwarfcraft with LFO for the depth of the feedback loop."

Introducing The MF-104M Analog Delay

YouTube Published on Jun 22, 2012 by MoogMusicInc
Update: new video below

LEGENDARY MOOG ANALOG DELAY RETURNS
BETTER THAN EVER

Asheville, North Carolina, June 22, 2012— Today Moog Music Inc. announced the release of its newest Moogerfooger Analog Effects Module, the MF-104M Analog Delay. It is the next generation of Moog’s Analog Delay effects pedals and includes significant feature and function upgrades not found in other analog delay units.

The MF-104M features an all-analog signal path with 800ms of all analog delay time, 6 Waveshape LFO, Dedicated Tap Tempo switch assignable to Delay Time or LFO Rate, MIDI control and recall of every function, and Spillover Mode which has been the most popular modification to the MF-104.

The Classic MF-104 was designed by synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog and released in 2000. It utilized a special "Bucket Brigade” delay chip that allowed the effect to remain completely analog. Unfortunately, the supply of these chips was limited and the final MF-104 was sold in 2001. In 2005 there were two limited reissues of the Classic MF-104; the MF-104Z and the extremely rare MF-104SD, of which only 250 were made.

The new MF-104M Analog Delay utilizes the same vintage Bucket Brigade chips found in the Classic MF-104 and faithfully recreates the sound of its coveted predecessors. In addition, the MF-104M includes a number of customer requested feature and function upgrades.

“We’re very excited about this limited release of the MF-104M,” said Moog Music CEO, Mike Adams. “Many of the parts we use to create these amazing delays are completely original and incredibly hard to find. Since this will be the last of its kind, we have gone to great lengths to incorporate features and functions requested by customers over the last 12 years. The MF-104M delivers those rich, creamy, classic delays Moog is renowned for, but also has the ability to modulate the delay time and create effects not found in any other analog delay.“

Like all Moogerfoogers, the MF-104M is housed in a rugged steel chassis with wood sides and utilizes CV/Expression inputs for controlling Time, Rate, Feedback, Amount, and Mix. A Feedback Insert is also available for adding external effects to the delay line.

The MF-104M is available for a limited time at select dealers worldwide now.

Links:
Product Page:
http://www.moogmusic.com/products/moogerfoogers/mf-104m-analog-delay
Videos:
http://www.moogmusic.com/products/moogerfoogers/mf-104m-analog-delay#demos-tab
Sound Samples:
http://www.moogmusic.com/products/moogerfoogers/mf-104m-analog-delay#sound-tab
Moog Music Website:
http://www.moogmusic.com"

Follow-up to the New From Moog video.

Update:

New Moog MF-104M Analog Delay Moogerfooger Sneak Preview

YouTube Published on Jun 22, 2012 by SourceDistributionTV

"Meet the new Moog MF-104M Analogue Delay in our exclusive sneak peek video! Full info here: http://www.moogmusic.com/products/moogerfoogers/mf-104m-analog-delay

Find a UK dealer to preorder from here: http://sourcedistribution.co.uk/dealers/area.asp?item=moog

http://www.facebook.com/sourcedistribution
https://twitter.com/#!/sourcedist"

Alesis Ion Complex Synthesis - FM & Sync Feedback

YouTube via futureimage.
"Demo of the Alesis Ion doing some rare complex synthesis you won't find on any Alesis demos. What's happening is both the oscillators' sync and FM functions are being used, making a feedback path of modulation around the 3 oscillators. This way you can find some pretty wacky sounds.

Please note there's a small echo in the sound as the direct sound from the Ion and the sound from my camera's mike are merging."

Buffeater - Realtime Granular Multi-Effect for NI’s Reaktor 5 Now Available

You might remember Buffeater from these videos.

"Dateline Sep. 14th, 2010. TWISTED TOOLS have released a brand new mutli-effects unit for Native Instruments’ Reaktor 5, complete with a 346mb sample library by notable producers such as Richard Devine, D’arcangelo, Mike Huckaby and more.

Buffeater is a real-time, dynamically ordered, granular multi-effect for all versions of Reaktor 5. The effect works by capturing live audio and storing it in a temporary buffer, which allows for real-time processing of the incoming audio using granular synthesis and other methods. In plain terms, Buffeater allows you take live audio and tweak elements of the sound such as time and pitch, while controlling he signal flow of the effects by the order in which you play. With Buffeater, you can easily achieve stutters, glitch, beat repeat/juggling and/or chopped and screwed effects.

The six effects in included are:

Stretch : A granular time and pitch stretching effect. You can use this effect to slow down (stretch) your audio and even freeze it, while still maintaing control over the audio’s pitch.

Tape : A varispeed type effect that allows you to slow down/speed up effect while also altering its pitch. This is similar to the effect you get when speeding up or slowing down a tape.

Slice Repeat: Allows you to repeat fragments of incoming audio and even re-order them on the fly. You can also adjust the speed and direction of the playback of the slices.

Deconstruct: Takes slices of incoming audio and randomly rearranges them in time and can also reverse them. This effect is similar to Slice Repeat, except that it is more random and also features a ‘slide’ setting that causes audio to glide between slices.

Scratch: Classic turntable style scratch effects, similar to what a DJ does with vinyl or cdjs. This allows you to play with time rhythmically with results that sound like ‘scratching’.

Feed Grains: Feed Grains is a granular feedback effect, that is great for creating spatial effects similar to reverb and also to create similar effects to ring modulation. This is a unique effect that really has no comparison that we know of. Try it and experiment.

Buffeater Features:
* 6 realtime granular and buffer effects
* Playable via MIDI
* Advanced internal automation system
* Independent automation speed and length per knob
* Effect signal flow is dynamically re-ordered as you play
* 288 FX Presets and 60 Snapshots (Combos)
* Kore and Maschine Templates
* Time-stretching sample playback system
* 346mb Sample Library
* Sounds by: c2, Richard Devine, EVAC, Glitchmachines, Josh Hinden, Mike Huckaby, Haptic, Komposit, Rena Jones and Tembu (Bay Dawgz)
* Video Tutorial
* Documentation

Price: $49.00

Availability: September 14th, 2010"

Making the Andromeda A6

A great thread is up on the VSE Forums on the Alesis Andromeda. I know the threads expire there, so I'll grab some of the most interesting bits here. DB below is David Bryce who worked on the Andromeda. I remember when all of this was happening. Mike Peake was on sonic states the-gas-station and AH. The guys behind the Andromeda really loved synths and they respected the rest of us enough to frequently pulled us in for feedback on the design of the synth. It was as if they were one of us, and in reality they were and still are. Mike Peake stayed active in the synth community and as you can see from this thread, David Bryce is still very active. You have to love a company that does this. Great people make a great company. I personally think Alesis has been one of the better synth manufactures to date. The Andromeda, ION and Micron, and the Fusion have all been pretty amazing synths. The price points for what you get compared to what else is out there is astounding when you think about it. Do take the time to check them out. The Andromeda is a 16 voice analog with a huge modulation matrix, dual filters, built in step sequencer and much, much more. And it sounds pretty amazing imo. Whenever I think I've heard it all, someone makes a demo that showcases a completely new character of the synth. BTW, are there any other poly analogs with 16 or more voices other than of course the fully polyphonic boards using divide down technology?

Alesis A6 Andromeda, Now where did that come from? (title of VSE thread)
---------------
CTB wrote:
Our very own Dave Bryce, who sometimes posts here and works for DSI, was involved in the A6 project. Perhaps he would be the one to ask. Smile

DB:
Actually, we just got tired of people complaining that the QS synths had no resonant filters, so we decided to make something that did. Very Happy Cool

Making Andromeda was really the culmination of a dream for a bunch of us who had grown up with the older analog synths. We had spent years working on sample based stuff, and Erik and Rob Rampley got Alesis founder (and major engineer geek) Keith Barr drunk one night and talked him into letting us make an old school American power synth. Keith actually designed Andromeda's ASICs himself, if memory serves.

One of the back stories was that we were fought tooth and nail by Alesis' sales and marketing VP at the time, who thought we were out of our minds. He once told me we'd be lucky to sell 50 total units. Guess he may have been wrong. Shocked Idea

If anyone has any specific questions, I'll do my best to answer if I can remember. That was a while ago...

StepLogik wrote:
I'm shocked that the marketing group fought you

DB:
It wasn't the marketing group. I was the marketing manager of the synth division, and I was certainly behind it. It was the VP.

,
Quote:
seems like they would want to distinguish Alesis from the "workstation hell" of that era.

DB:
Not just workstations - it was VA synths, too. We figured making a Real Actual Analog synth would catch some people's attention (as Bitexion correctly surmised).

Plus, we were tired of hearing that we weren't a real synth company despite the fact that our ROMplers (especially the QS8) were outselling just about everything else at the time...but there were folks who kept telling us that ROMplers aren't real synths...so we made a real synth. Idea

That seemed to do the trick... Laughing

cbjlietuva wrote:
so maybe i can get my question amswered here:

does the Andromeda have Polyphonic Aftertouch?

DB:
The short answer would be no.

theglyph wrote:
Dave, the one major question I have had and the one thing which has kept me from pulling the trigger on an A6 purchase is what will the status of the A6's ASICs be in the future? CEMs and SSMs were used in several synths from many manufacturers so those chips were manufactured to some degree in surplus as we see today (although they ain't cheap Crying or Very sad). Did Alesis make sure that the IC manufacturer made enough chips to fulfill any future failures or is the well not so deep?

DB:
Alesis is the chip manufacturer...I mean, they don't own the foundry where the chips are physically made, but they do everything else. Consequently, there's no way we can know how many of them Alesis has made/wants to make...

...unless they want to tell us, of course... Wink

Soundwave wrote:
Few questions;

Is the A6 still in production and will it remain so for the foreseeable future?

Will the support continue for the machine i.e. OS updates/fixes?

Are the first, more expensive Alesis A6’s different in any way than the later Numark ones that are apparently now made in the far east as some claim the earlier Alesis ones sound better?

There are rumours that some of the people behind the A6 were also involved in the Xpander/Matrix12 is this true?

Will there ever be an analogue successor or derivative or the A6 as the VA market has kinda reached a standstill now?

DB:
I can only answer two of those questions becuase I haven't worked for Alesis for about seven years, so I have no idea what their current plans are.

Marcus Ryle, who founded Line 6, was one of the guys responsible for the XpanderMatrix 12. He and his team had a lot to do with a bunch of Alesis products including the ADAT and the QS synths...but they had nothing to do with Andromeda.

There are a few "rev 2" Andromedas that were only used during beta. They are slightly different from the production models, but the OS in them is different enough that you can't transfer programs between, them, so they can't really be directly compared....nor, if you could, is there actually any point in doing so. Howver, all the production models are (AFAIK) exactly the same...."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's it as of the time of this post. Check out the VSE thread for updates. I'll try to update this post with the historical bits so we don't lose them. Image via this post.

Moog vs. Synthesizers.com

Title link takes you to a review by Mike Peake sent to AH back in 2002 on Moog vs. Synthesizers.com. It's an oldie but worth reading if you haven't seen it before. It recently popped up on AH and I figured I'd put up a post. For those of you that read the comments here, you might recognize synthbaron gets a mention. : ) BTW Mike Peak was the man behind the Andromeda A6. He helped make it happen. I remember before it came out he was gathering feedback on AH and Sonic State's the-gas-station. I kind of miss those days. Waldorf was still in business, the-gas-station was still pumping (pun intended) and someone was actually going to come out with an analog poly monster synth. Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. This post is about Moog vs. Synthesizers.com. Go read about it and then check out some of these videos.

The following is a small excerpt:
"The Moog 904a lowpass filter and the Arrick ladder (in the "traditional" response configuration in which resonance is proportional to Fc) sounded quite alike! Very much so. The tests weren't detailed enough to be conclusive (owning and using both would be the next step) but dang, they were close. The Arrick tracked a hell of a lot better than my Moog filter (but then again, it's not calibrated at the moment) without sounding rigid. The only issue I had with the Arrick ladder was some self-noise. But for the price, if you want something that close, you can't beat the Synthesizers.com ladder filter. You could probably buy three or four Arrick ladders for the price of a vintage Moog 904a!"

Modular Jam : Flight of the Long Lost : Tides, Rings, Peaks, Ripples, Clouds, 4ms SMR

Published on Jul 1, 2017 Mike Thomas

"Flight of the Long Lost: Patch Notes
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

A modular performance featuring my giant right arm, and mostly Mutable Instruments modules.

Involved modules
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Intellijel 1U Random/Clock
4ms Rotating Clock Divider (RCD) and Breakout
Mutable Instruments (MI) Rings
MI Clouds
MI Rings
MI Veils
MI Tides
2 x MI Peaks
4ms Spectral Multiband Resonator
TipTop ONE
Intellijel 1U Quadratt
Intellijel 1U Buffered Mult
Intellijel 1U Digitank Reverb
2hp Reverb
2hp Delay
2hp 3:1
Transient Modules 6ch Mixer
Pittsburgh Outs

Routing/Control
-----------------------
As you can see from the video, I did a lot of manual wiggling for this jam. But there’s a background of random modulation going on via massively multed and modulated slewed random.

Smooth voice: Tides in oscillator mode, Bi output. Shape, Slope, and Smoothness modulated by semi-random LFO from Peaks #1 channel 1, which is in turn modulated (via Veils) by multed 1U Random slewed output, attenuated via Quadratt. Envelope by Peaks #1 channel 1, with manual changes here and there. Lots of manual wiggling of the wave shape controls. V/oct driven by O+C in Quantermain mode. Output into 1hp Delay, then Verb, and on to mixers.

Various melodic bits: Rings in sympathetic strings mode, polyphony mode 1. Rings Brightness, Damping, Position modulated by multed slewed random from above (lots of Stackcable hopscotch going on!). Lots of wiggling of parameters including Structure. Output into Clouds in looping delay mode. Clouds triggered by /8 of RCD (“Spread” is on, so I guess it’s really /16?). Occasional wiggling of the regeneration/feedback control.

Rhythm: Tiptop ONE timed by RCD.

Background Drone: 4ms SMR in self-generating resonator mode, with Rotation and Spread modulated by multed Random output of 1U Intellijel Clock/Random, attenuated via Quadratt. Output mixed with rhythm track via Quadratt, on to 1U Digitank reverb, and final mix.


Sequencing/Timing
-----------------------
Everything timed by RCD getting its clock from the 1U Clock/Random module.


Audio/Video Notes
=========
Camera: Sony A6000 mounting a Leica 28mm Summicron-R

Audio recorded on a Zoom H2 using the mic input (the line input is busted). Managed to avoid distortion except at about 09:36. Bummer, but I think I actually distorted the Delay or Verb module, rather than the H2 being overloaded.

Edited in Apple iMovie."

Moog Music Announces V1.1 Update to FILTATRON - iPad Version Coming

"New Features and Improvements Boost Powerful Sound Sculpting Tool

ASHEVILLE, NC – December 28, 2010 – Moog Music today announced a major update to Filtatron; the real-time audio effects engine and powerful studio tool, available for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Recently featured in iTunes REWIND 2010 covering hot new trends in apps, Filtatron is already taking the music world by storm and this update propels it to new levels of musicality.

New Features:
Major upgrades to the Sampler - now you can import any song in your collection into the sampler, and record and play back samples of unlimited length.

Pitch Lock feature for the VCO Pad - allows you to play a chromatic scale using the Filtatron oscillator.

Route audio output to speaker, earpiece or Bluetooth - a new settings panel also allows you to set the sample rate, audio latency and control response rate.

'We’re committed to expanding the Filtatron’s capabilities,' said Mike Adams, President of Moog Music. 'Retina display support and an iPad native version are currently in development and scheduled for release in early 2011.'

Since its release in October 2010, Filtatron has found a home in a wide variety of musical settings. Its high audio quality and ease of use make it ideal for everything from studio-level sound design and processing to catching a few moments of creativity while you’re waiting for your coffee.

About Filtatron:
Much more than your average sound app; the heart of the Filtatron is a four-pole resonant Moog Ladder Filter-meticulously modeled after the same filter that gives Moog instruments their classic warm, thick character. It musically shapes the sounds supplied by the Filtatron’s on-board oscillator, sampler and line/microphone input.


Additional features include:

Oscillator – A high-resolution, alias-free DSP oscillator with sawtooth and square waveforms, adjustable frequency from 0.3 Hz to 2kHz.

FX Modules – Amp provides warm, smooth overdrive with feedback control. Delay can be modulated by its own LFO (with rate and depth controls) and delay time is smoothly interpolated for analog-style delay time tweaks.

LFO – Five waveforms: sine, ramp, sawtooth, square, sample & hold, with crossfade and morph between adjacent LFO shapes.

Envelope Follower – Uses the volume envelope of sound inputs to sweep the filter, with controls for amount and speed.

Presets - Filtatron comes loaded with edgy presets to kick-start your sound.

Record and Playback – All audio processed in stereo, 16bit, 44.1kHz resolution.

File Sharing – Easily move audio files back and forth between the Filtatron and your computer. Built-in email function allows sharing presets with your Filtatron bandmates.




Featured in iTunes REWIND 2010 – Hot Trends In Apps
Filtatron product page
Moog Music website
Conversations on Twitter: #moog #synth #iphone #filtatron

###

About Moog Music:
Moog Music and its customers carry on the legacy of Bob Moog, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. Moog designs and manufactures electronic musical instruments, including Little Phatty® and Minimoog® Voyager® synthesizers, Moogerfooger® effects modules, Etherwave® theremins, Taurus Bass Pedals and The Moog Guitar. Founded by Bob Moog, Moog Music designs and manufactures its products in Asheville, N.C.

Novation Peak || Inner Radiance

video upload by Mike Lewis

"A spacey, bright-texture pad that has some ring mod and delay feedback modulation to it. Also tried out the the new phlanger chorus setting from the 2.0 firmware update. Hope you enjoy and thanks for listening,

To get the synth patch file used in this video, you can purchase from my preset bundle here: https://mikelewis.gumroad.com/l/attedv"

The Son of Forbidden Planet - mk 04052010

via BB on the Wiard list: "For anyone interested in Forbidden Planet: I made a complete new score on the movie, also using Wiard filters, the noisering and the Wogglebug."

SoundCloud description:
"This is an attempt to make a 2010 version of the score for Forbidden Planet in honour of Louis and Bebe Barron. To keep things spontaneous I made the score from scratch and didn't redo the original score. So, it's A COMPLETELY NEW SCORE. This music is made entirely with the type of soundgenerators and modulators they could use back in 1954. Well at least the same type of technology. I just used analog equipment like noisegenerators, oscillators, lfo's, ring modulators, voltage dividers, tubes, feedback circuits, lab equipment, spring reverbs, tape delay and an occasional sequential switch.

Lucky enough I had Pro tools to put it all together, imagine that Louis and Bebe had to do it all with tape!

In the track i tagged the scenes in the movie, well i tried to, because actually i never saw the movie.

I have the plan to update this piece now and then on irregular base and put up new mixes with of course new scenes added to it.

I was thinking that maybe other people are interested to contribute to this piece. You could send me your files.

However to keep the score original and pure I formulate these rules:
- all sounds has to be electronic
- all sounds has to be analog and made with analog equipment, no digital sounds
- just original electronic sounds, no samples
- give me a name of the scene you contribute

Just to give you an idea, this is how Louis and Bebe worked on their piece:

The 1948 book Cybernetics: Or, Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, by mathematician Norbert Wiener from MIT played an important role in the development of the Barrons' composition. The science of cybernetics proposes that certain natural laws of behavior apply to both animals and more complex electronic machines.

By following the equations presented in the book, Louis was able to build electronic circuits which he manipulated to generate sounds. Most of the tonalities were generated with a circuit called a ring modulator. The sounds and patterns that came out of the circuits were unique and unpredictable because they were actually overloading the circuits until they burned out to create the sounds. The Barrons could never recreate the same sounds again, though they later tried very hard to recreate their signature sound from Forbidden Planet. Because of the unforeseen life span of the circuitry, the Barrons made a habit of recording everything.

Most of the production was not scripted or notated in any way. The Barrons didn't even consider the process as music composition themselves. The circuit generated sound was not treated as notes, but instead as 'actors'. In future soundtrack composition, each circuit would be manipulated according to actions of the underlying character in the film.

After recording the sounds, the couple manipulated the material by adding effects, such as reverb and tape delay. They also reversed and changed the speed of certain sounds. The mixdown of multiple sounds was performed with at least three tape recorders. The outputs of two machines would be manually synchronized, and fed into an input of a third one, recording two separate sources simultaneously. The synchronization of future film work was accomplished by two 16 mm projectors that were tied into a 16 mm tape recorder, and thus ran at the same speed.

While Louis spent most of his time building the circuits, Bebe did all of the composing. She had to sort through many hours of tape, and as she described it, "it just sounded like dirty noise". Over time, she developed the ability to determine which sounds could become something of interest. She may have invented the tape loop too, as she did not recall ever having heard of it before. The tape loop gave the Barrons' sounds rhythm. Together they mixed the sounds to create the otherworldly and strange electronic soundscapes required by Forbidden Planet.

Finaly: this project is for Mike 'Livewire' Brown, I hope that you get better soon."