Richard Lainhart - Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival Lecture & Performance

Slideshow of Richard Lainhart's lecture at the Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival (BEAF), Friday, May 6, 2:PM PST, 2011 (mentioned in this post). Below is a video of the Buchla and Haken Continuum portion of the lecture followed by a performance of Olivier Messiaen's Oraison written for the ondes Martenot at the 48:00 mark (see this post for the original version and this post for another performance by Richard). You will notice Richard makes references to earlier parts of the lecture. These included his training on the CEMS modular synthesizer system and the ondes Martenot (don't miss this post and this post on the CEMS). See the labels at the bottom of this post for more info on each. I will upload those videos at a later date. They were background to Richard's experience with early modular synthesizers and controllers that eventually lead him to the Buchla and Haken Continuum. It was a great lecture and I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to bookmark this one. I also want to thank Richard Lainhart for doing lectures like these. They are a rare treat.


YouTube Uploaded by matrixsynth on May 19, 2011

The following is a full transcript. BTW, if anyone is interested in transcription services, let me know.

"RICHARD LAINHART: BUCHLA AND HAKEN CONTINUUM LECTURE

Speaker: Richard Lainhart
Lecture Date: May 6, 2011
Lecture Time: 2:00 p.m. PST
Location: Western Washington University
Event: Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival 2011 (BEAF)
Length: Digital AVI recording; 57 minutes 32 seconds

[Beginning of recorded material]

Richard Lainhart: Okay. What I want to do now is actually talk a little bit about the system itself here and about the design of the system and explain what's actually happening here and why it's designed this way, and again, my focus on, on expression. So this is, as I mentioned, this is the Buchla 200E. This is a current electronic music instrument that is still being made now by Buchla. Don Buchla again was a contemporary, or is a contemporary of Bob Moog, and he took a very different path than Moog did. And one of the reasons I think that Moog's instruments became so popular, of course the Mini Moog was like the first real break-out electronic music synthesizer, was that Moog's instruments had keyboards on them. They had black and white keyboards. And you could use them to play, you could use them to play rock and roll with them basically because you could plug them into a really loud amplifier and it could be louder than a guitar. And it could be a bass, you know, it could be louder than a bass and all that sort of stuff. And of course a lot of, you know, a lot of wonderful music was made with that instrument.

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Richard Lainhart: CEMS, Theremin, and Ondes Martenot Lecture, BEAF 2011

YouTube Uploaded by matrixsynth on Jun 1, 2011

First three parts of Richard Lainhart's lecture at the Bellingham Electronic Arts Festival on Friday, May 6, 2011, 2PM PST. These cover the CEMS (Coordinated Electronic Music Studio - see the CEMS label below for more), theremin, and ondes Martenot. The audio on these are a little on the low side so remember to turn your speakers back down after listening. You can find a full transcript for each part below in case you can't quite make things out. You can catch Richard Lainhart's lecture on the Buchla 200e and Haken Continuum, followed by a performance, in this previous post.

Transcripts for the above three videos:

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NAMM: Akai MPC5000 OS 2.0

"Meet the new OS. Not the same as the old OS.

The MPC5000 is the most talked-about MPC in the music industry today. It’s the latest evolution of the unquestioned standard in sample-based music production. The MPC5000 builds on the MPC foundation, combining powerful sequencing, sampling and processing with the feel of the exclusive MPC pads and Q-Link assignable controls. It adds never-before-seen MPC advancements such as a virtual-analog synthesizer, a streaming hard disc recorder, incomparably high-resolution sequencing, and over 100 other new capabilities.

MPC5000 OS 2.0 is a free, new operating system upgrade that includes more than 25 additional improvements, many of which are developed to accommodate the specific requests of the people who use the MPC5000 every day. MPC5000 OS 2.0 will be available Spring 2009 as a download at akaipro.com/MPC5000.

Home on the range.
The most requested, exciting, and powerful new feature we’ve added to OS 2.0 is the ability to create and load Keygroup Programs. And with it, in MPC fashion, comes a massive array of cool Keygroup helper tools.

Now with the MPC5000, just like with our legendary S-series samplers and legacy MPCs, you can create chromatic key-mapped sample programs that take a sample and spread it across a range of notes of your choosing, automatically adjusting the pitch of the sample chromatically. You can then play these notes with the pads or an external MIDI keyboard or controller.

What does this really mean for you and your production? For starters, no more time-consuming program creation or relying on an external keyboard for your sounds. SHIFT+PAD will select a Keygroup, you can set range via MIDI if on range parameter, plus you can select a Keygroup via MIDI to select the next Keygroup with the note played. Another new feature is the ability to assign the root note of a sample assigned to each individual layer on a single pad. You can also pan each layer individually in Keygroup and drum programs. Imagine the sonic possibilities!

More good news for all old school producers - you can now import S1000, S3000, S5000/S6000, Z4/Z8, and MPC4000 format sample libraries, including Keygroups, from Akai Pro and third parties. Now you can migrate fully to the MPC5000 platform.

Hustle and flow.

Music production is all about creativity, workflow, the tools at your disposal and making it all come together as seamlessly as possible. So designing a music production device is rooted in finding the best possible collaboration of its elements. OS 2.0 makes production with the MPC5000 friendlier with such time-saving improvements as the new MultiEdit function which enables you to edit and apply parameters such as tuning, filters, pitch, pan—every parameter of the filter screen—to a group of pads, all at once. This streamlines the production process by empowering you to perform group editing.

Get around.

We just upped GRID EDIT’s abilities. You can now see and edit controller automation and event data in the new Controller Grid Edit Window. We also gave the sample editor some love as well.

We’ve added a ZOOM function to each individual slice in Chopshop mode for even finer editing of your samples and beats. This takes the guesswork out of cutting a beat and ensures you get what you want every time.

We’ve added a slew of navigation shortcuts you’ll appreciate. For instance, you can now assign the sample you are working on in TRIM mode to a pad by holding SHIFT and striking the pad of choice.

We’ve improved the Effects, Synth and Mixer pages by adding a new Take Over Mode to the knobs and sliders. This is a great help when going between many different pages where you are using the Q-Links to change parameter values. Parameter values will not jump to the position of the knob or fader until the original values zero crossing is passed. This allows for seamless mix and edit moves in realtime.

It pays to play.

Improving upon the all ready impressive mixing capabilities of the MPC5000, you can now toggle between the hard disk Audio Track Mixer and the Sequencer Track Mixer with one button without having to interrupt playback of the song. This speeds up track creation in a big way.

You can now quantize Track and Pad Mutes in real time to the internal clock or that of an external device. This means that if you use an MPC5000 to trigger clips and tracks live, your mute punches will be perfectly in time.

Marrying performance and production, the MPC5000 now supports full automation of the mixer and effects.

If you have an MPC5000, you know it comes loaded right out of the box. Now that even more capability is coming to should check out the new OS for your MPC5000. Or upgrade to the flagship MPC and get all of these new features along with it.

MPC5000 OS 2.0 will be a free download in Spring 2009 from the Documents and Downloads tab on the MPC5000 page."

http://www.akaipro.com/spotmpcos2

Arturia Introduces Virtual Polyphonic Buchla Music Easel, Fairlight CMI, DX7, Clavinet in V Collection 6

Published on Dec 5, 2017 Arturia

Playlist:

Arturia announces V Collection 6
Arturia announces CMI V
Arturia announces DX7 V
Arturia announces Buchla Easel V
Arturia announces Clavinet V

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Oberheim Matrix-12 add-on sample/patch bank for the Prophet X | Download now!

video upload by Espen Kraft

"Prophet X add-on pack with Oberheim Matrix-12 samples and patches.

Fat, powerful, lush and so 80s. Everything you associate with that 80s Oberheim synth signature sound. It's all here in this pack.

The price for this add-on is $15USD (or €15Euros if you're in Europe) and I think this is well worth it.
I will only sell these add-ons (more are on the way) directly through email. My CONTACT email address is this: espenkraft69@gmail.com

If you want to purchase this pack please send me an email and I'll give you instructions on how to order.

If you want a bundled (discount) price for multiple packs just let me know.

In the download you will find all the individual patch sysex files as well as the full bank of 37 patches. These will be transferred into Bank U2 at Patch 37-73.

For your convenience I've also included a duplicate bank which will go into Bank A1 at Patch 37-73. This will work perfectly if you already have my Memorymoog add-on pack in patches 1-36 from before.

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Madrona Labs Introduces Aaltoverb

via Madrona Labs

"Hi there, it’s been some while. I'm excited to be writing you again, with the big news that there's a new beastie in the Madrona Labs family. Meet Aaltoverb, our very first effect.

A number of times over the years, people have asked if Aalto’s reverb could be made into its own plugin. The thing is, our focus here at Madrona Labs is on instruments, not effects. And so it didn't really seem to make sense to add a reverb to our lineup. But more time passed, and I started to think, what features would a performance reverb have? This question led to Aaltoverb, a reverberator with a focus on dramatic sound sculpting and completely smooth tweakability.

Aaltoverb’s coolest trick is this: you can smoothly change the size of the virtual space that the sound is reverberating in. This results in in pitch shifting that is reminiscent of what tape delays do when the speed changes. But instead of a single speed, the shift applies to the whole acoustic space, vibrating “air” and all. So a giant room can turn smoothly into a small and natural sounding chamber, and then into a tiny and very unnatural resonator. With longer decay times, weird spring-like beasties can be found along the way.

The controls are minimal, and are meant to interact in musical and inspiring ways. You can read all about Aaltoverb on the website, and in the manual. It's short but tells about some tricks you might not figure out otherwise. And: cartoons!

Aaltoverb 1.0.0 is available now as a 64-bit VST3 for Windows, and as 64-bit VST and Audio Units for Mac OS X. A single license covers both Mac and Windows and is $35.

Get a bundle deal!
Another thing people have asked about over the years is bundle deals. You know, where you buy more than one plugin at a time and as a result you get a discount. This was hard to imagine doing until our web maestro Philip did a bunch of work to modernize the site, including adding a shopping cart feature. But now that's done—and so are bundles.

They work very simply and so we're calling it the Simple Bundle feature. Buy more than one plugin in a single transaction, and save 15% off the entire purchase. That's it. Even if one of the plugins is, say, $35.

You’ll notice that Stripe, not PayPal, is now the default method of payment. We didn't want to leave people out in the cold just because PayPal didn't work in their regions, and since you need a credit card to get PayPal in the first place, hopefully this is more universal. We're always trying to improve the purchase experience, so please let us know how Stripe works for you. If you need or prefer to pay by PayPal for some reason, please get in touch.

Get the T-shirt!
I really love excuses to make a new T-shirt, and Aaltoverb's release seemed like a great one. I thought this one should be a collaboration and happily, Leafcutter John was into the idea. You might know the music he has put out on labels like Planet Mu and Border Community. This year he's gone and made a machine for making artworks, a homemade pen plotter, and the drawings he's making with it have really been pinging my visual cortex in a pleasant way. And so we made a shirt:

The design reminds me of sound decaying, and also of fabric being folded, and the analog robot quality is just (chef's kiss). I am wearing one nearly all the time, and you can too.

What about Sumu?
A long story that must be told short here, because it's nearly the cocktail hour. Very short version: I'm excited about Sumu, and now that Aaltoverb is out I can get back to finishing it.

Slightly longer version: I have some new design ideas for Sumu that required a lot of infrastructure work to pull off. Some to do with graphics and animation, and more on the DSP side of things. Well I dove into that infrastructure work and when I looked up it was a year later, or something. So both as a first use of the new framework and a way to, you know, ship a product, I decided to focus on the Aaltoverb release first. It's a cool enough reverb on its own, but to me it represents a lot more that's been done under the hood. As fall rolls around and I dive back into Sumu and Soundplane work I'm going to share some more about what's going on in there. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the sounds.

–Randy
Madrona Labs"

Tama Tech Star TS 305 & TSQ 1000

via eBay Germany

See the seller's other items for more including a Yamaha CS40M and Moog Opus 3.

"This 2u 19´´ box features a row of buttons, two knobs and a three digit/ 3x7 segment led. From left to right: The run/stop button with associated led. The clear button with led. The play/write button with two status leds. Four patch (pattern) buttons. The step amount button plus four leds. 16 multi function buttons with associated leds. The speed knob with downbeat led. The accent amount knob. The on/off switch. And -most important- on the back are six trigger outs; a run/stop footswitch jack and: a DIN-sync socket with an in/out switch. If the TSQ 1000 is not running you can select one of its eight banks by pressing one of the first eight multi function buttons, whereby banks 1-6 are four beat (16 steps) and 7&8 three beat (12 steps).

The first digit in the display shows you the actual bank number. There are four patterns per bank. Set the TSQ1000 in write mode and you can select one of the six voices (that is, of course: trigger channels)or accent by means of pressing buttons 9-15; the third display digit tells you the number of the selected voice. Before you start that thing running you have to select the amount of bars with the step selector; actually if you don´t, there´ll be just one bar, but you can rearrange that anytime. So if you have programmed a four bar patch and you want a two bar instead you just change it by pressing the step select button; and if you change back all the data of bars three and four are still there. There are four associated leds, so if you press the button once, the second led will go on, you press twice and you get three bars... The first led also blinks with every step when the machine is running. So now you have a voice selected plus your amount of bars. Press run and it will repeat the first bar only -unless you hit the step select button. Now it will play the next bar unless you press again. A pretty clever idea that lets you program the bars properly. Yeah, well and you enter `notes´ by hitting one of the 16 buttons and the associated led tells you that and where you did so -like with a TR-606. If you switch to play mode it will of course loop all the four bars and not just one. As said -you have to stop the sequencer in order to change voices you want to program. In play mode you can choose between four patterns (the one selected indicated by the middle digit in the display) while the TSQ1000 is running. In write mode it has to be stopped first. Oh, and sadly you have to stop it to change from write to play mode ore vice versa. The accent amount knob should be clear -hands on control, always fine. Great thing: the DIN-sync is 24ppq, Roland that is, not Korg.

So that´s it. A six voice step sequencer. I tell you: that´s something I´ve really been waiting for. I connect up to six analog synths to it and twiddle their knobs. And even though the sequencer itself is of course not at all expressive, the results it helps me to create are. It just gets more complex this way, what with interdependency and all you know..."

Announcing Three Noise Engineering AAX Plugins

video by Noise Engineering

"Noise Engineering AAX plugins are available now! Our first three plugins are available now for Pro Tools users. They're called Basimilus Iteritas, Cursus Vereor, and Desmodus. For a limited time they are available exclusively at the Avid Store. Learn more about them and purchase at

What's this all about? Learn more at our blog post: https://www.noiseengineering.us/blog/aax"

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Direct MIDI for the iPad is Here

I was recently contacted by a representative of Line 6 asking if I wanted a MIDI Mobilizer for review. I am usually reluctant to do reviews because they take time, and considering the volume of content that comes in for the site, time is something I have very little of. I decided to accept for two reasons. One, the app it comes with, MIDI Memo, interested me as a back-up solution for my patches, and two, I was curious if the hardware could be used as a MIDI device for other software. The one thing missing for the iPad has been a direct MIDI interface. Yes you can use a Mac and OSC, but if you are limited on space, do not have a Mac, or you just want the convenience of using your iPad directly as a MIDI device, then you were sorely out of luck... until now.

Part 1: MIDI Mobilizer and MIDI Memo out of the box

Well sort of out of the box - you do have to download MIDI Memo from iTunes, but it is free and super simple. That said, the primary reason I wanted MIDI Mobilizer was for MIDI Memo. One of the major pain points for me has been backing up patches on my synths. Convenience is a HUGE deal to me as time is short. When I first started backing up my patches, I used a Little Brother MIDI recorder, followed by Sound Diver on the PC, followed by MIDI-OX and other utilities. The problem is it was always a pain setting up the system, moving and connecting synths, and transferring all your patches when upgrading systems. Sometimes things wouldn't work off the bat, for example software not recognizing the MIDI device because other software locked it up. You'd have to reboot and try again. Once you did save a patch, you'd have to create folders, etc. Big pain in the butt.

When MIDI Mobilizer was announced, I thought hmm... this might be super convenient. And it is. You just hook up the cables, hook in the device, launch the app, hit record and send your MIDI dump. When the dump is completed, click the stop button, give it a name and you are done. You can even email the dump to yourself or others. I now send my patches to my gmail account where I have a label for them. They are now backed up in the cloud. I no longer have to worry about transferring files from one computer to another and I know where to find them. This is great, but there is one major omission that may haunt me down the line. Currently you cannot load external MIDI recordings or dumps into the software. They do remain on your device, so as long as you are careful you should be good, but if you want to use the software to load your friend's patches or recordings directly, you can't. If you accidentally delete a recording and want to load it back, you'll have to use software on your PC or Mac to play back the file while you record it into MIDI Memo again. Also, there are no folders. All recordings end up on a long list in the Memos section of the app.

As MIDI Memo is a basic MIDI recorder, you can also record performances. This can be useful in quickly capturing riffs for later, but currently it is limited to just one track. You can't layer recordings like you can with more robust MIDI recorders. With the Little Brother MIDI recorder I could record a MIDI track, hit play and then record a new track on top of it. You can't do that here.

One thing I was a little concerned about was the hardware connection itself. As you can see, you plug the device directly into your iPhone, iPad or iTouch. What if I accidentally sat on it. :) My contact assured me it was durable but it is something that is on my mind when using the device. There is a super simple solution. I can get an extender cable which can be found pretty cheap online. One cool thing about the MIDI cables that come with MIDI Mobilizer is that they are long, I measured them at over 5 feet long - 64 inches to be exact. 1.6256 meters for those on the metric system.

There are also a few usability design quirks with the software, but nothing major. For example, once you have made a recording and are ready for the next, it would be cool if you could click on the name, edit it and then click on a New button for a new recording all on the main page. The way it works now is you can either just start a new recording which will append a number to the name of the current recording, or you click on Memos and click on a "+" button to start a new recording. If you are doing multiple recordings, having to flip through the info and memo pages to name and start new records can be a distraction. Again, this is minor and once you get used to it, it isn't that big of a deal.

Overall, for me, having a super convenient way to back up my synths is worth the entry price alone. Although it does not support multi-track recording, I can see the value in being able to record bits to later import and work with in my DAW.

Part 2: MIDI Mobilizer as a dedicated hardware MIDI device
This is where the true potential of this device comes in.
If you've been following my commentary on the iPad and slate devices in general, the holy grail in my opinion is the ability to use the iPad directly as a MIDI device. The ability to sync native apps with your hardware synths and the ability to use it as a direct MIDI controller would finally close the gap. Software on the iPad would become a robust hardware solution as self sufficiently dedicated as any other hardware device. You could interface it with your synths directly, it would be instantly on, and it would be super portable, even more-so than most other gear.

There are still limitations with the closed nature of the iPad and Apples's software development model, but at as of this moment it is now officially possible. I asked my contact if there would be an SDK for MIDI Mobilizer and not only did he say yes, but it is available now and developers are already working with it. Line 6 also just released MIDI Surface available on iTunes here [details captured at the end of this post below].

The following are a few more shots of MIDI Mobilizer, the cables, box shots and the MIDI Memo app.

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Novation Announces Circuit Components - Sampe Integration for Circuit, Backup and More

Published on Apr 15, 2016 NovationTV

Note the first sentence in the press release below. This is only the first installment, which of course means there will be more to follow. In my recent review of the Circuit I called out two things. One, the Circuit did not feature sample playback, and two, there was no ability back up your work. This update brings both. BTW, if you own an iPad and would like to edit the two synth engines on your Circuit, you'll find my editor linked in my review.

The press release:

"The first installments of new software and features for Circuit - including Sample Import, Synth Editor, Session Librarian and Firmware Update.

Circuit is our inspirational grid-based groove box. Two Novation polysynths and a four-part drum machine, combined with an intuitive grid-based sequencer in a standalone box that will have you making electronic music in minutes.

Circuit Components is suite of tools expanding Circuit giving you all you need to design, create and customise your own unique instrument.


Sample Import

Simply drag and drop samples onto Circuit and create your own pallet of sounds to sculpt, shape, sequence and perform.

Your Samples on Circuit
You have 60 seconds of space (you’re welcome) across 64 slots; use it for drums, one-shots, clicks, pops or bangs. Or chords, samples and synth stabs. Anything short and sweet.

Anything Goes
Any MP3 or WAV; Sample Import will automatically convert your collection to be Circuit friendly upon upload.

Create Sample Packs and Share
Sample Import exports too. Create your collections and save all 64 sounds as a single file. Keep as a backup or share with your friends, it’s all yours.


The Editor

Design complex patches from the comfort of your computer and then unplug for the ultimate standalone workflow.

Full, Unadulterated Access to Circuit’s Nova Heritage
Access every synth parameter of Circuit’s two powerful polysynths. With a little help from us, our close friends at Isotonik Studios have created a comprehensive synth editor, putting everything in your control.

Mix up your Macros
Along with access to all synth parameters on the fly, you can customise Circuit’s eight macro control knobs patch by patch.

Editing for Everyone
You’ve possibly seen this in public beta as a Max4Live plugin, but now you don’t need Live Suite and you don’t need a Mac. Tweaked, refined, and souped-up just a little bit, Circuit Editor’s official public release now runs standalone too, on PC or Mac.

Share your Patches
Not content with keeping your sound design and synthesis skills to yourself? Circuit Editor allows you to save your patches to your computer. Lock them away in secret folder or share them with friends (or just with the Circuit Owners Group on Facebook) – it’s up to you. Make sure the people you’re sharing with have the editor too, though. It’s free.


Need backup?

Back up all of Circuit’s 32 sessions to the cloud for the ultimate peace of mind and recall sessions in seconds from anywhere.
Now you can free up some space and make 32 more sessions worth of tunes, beats and tracks.

The Firmware

To use these Circuit Components, you’ll need the latest firmware: Circuit v1.2 unlocks compatibility, along with the usual bug fixes, new features; some user requests, and a few of our own ideas.

Play with Other Controllers
· Record MIDI notes from external instruments plugged into Circuit: either chromatically, or tuned depending on your choice of key and scale.

· Manipulate Circuit’s macro controls from an external MIDI controller and record as automation. You can even use your iPad.

Play with Ableton
· Automatically sync Circuit up with Live and easily record MIDI from your session – in tempo, in time, in key – with just a few clicks. You can even record your MIDI tracks from Ableton in one key and change it later in two button presses onboard Circuit.

Momentary Record
· Hold record, punch in and overdub notes or macros without losing your flow - or accidentally breaking your existing work.

Step Edit
· Even easier step-by-step automation: have a different pitch on your drums for each hit. Add FX to one note in a sequence. With the potential for a different sound on every step for every track, you don’t need to do the maths to know that adds up to unimaginable potential – for deliberate creativity or happy accidents.

External Preset Select
· Remotely switch the sound of either of Circuit’s two synths on the fly using MIDI program change messages. Remotely switch the sound of any of Circuit’s four drums on the fly using MIDI CC messages. From any MIDI source.

About Circuit Components

Within days of it landing in public hands, it became clear that Circuit wasn’t just inspirational for making music. It seems as though everybody who gets hold of Circuit has something to say about what it could be - as well as how great it already is, of course.

These ideas, coming in through email, Facebook, even over the phone to our support team, are the direct inspiration for Circuit Components.

So perhaps what we’re suggesting is: if you want to know what’s coming next, ask the users."

https://www.novationmusic.com/circuit-components

iMatik - Album Made Entirely with Instruments on The iPhone

Tom Freeman wrote in to let me know of his new release iMatik which was created using nothing but an iPhone. The following is the press release followed by a detailed list of the apps he used.

"Music producer Freematik creates an album completely using an iPhone

An entire album has finally been created using only an iPhone! From the mind of Freematik, a Bay Area local rap & hip-hop producer who has produced many projects in a "traditional" music studio, this first of it's kind concept album breaks new creative ground in modern music production.

Tom Freeman, the producer and artist known as Freematik, had this to say about the album:

"iMatik is a fresh DJ mixtape full of phat beats, DJ scratching, live synths and all types of crazy sounds, made using only an iPhone. Everything was made using apps available from the iTunes app store, such as Beatmaker, iDrum, Flare, Jasuto, etc. The parts were programmed over the course of a few months, in places including hotels, motels, the beach, bars, and anywhere else you would bring a phone. While this initially started just as a way to have fun and do some music "on the road", it transformed into an awesome psychedelic hip hop and electronic music experience. Not my normal type of project but I really love it, maybe more than anything I've ever done. Plus it was crazy fun to make."

Check out the album at: www.freematik.com

About Freematik
Freematik is a music producer who works mainly with underground rap artists in the Bay Area. His production skills can be heard on a number of mixtapes, as well as in bars and clubs around the Bay Area. He produces his own albums as well, which are available at www.freematik.com."

The following are notes for three tracks if you want to hear how each app fit in the mix. You can find the download links to each on http://freematik.com/.

"3. Now You Know: Good example of an Intua Beatmaker MPC-style beat, with DJ scratches supplied by Flare, and low synth provided by miniSynth. I also used the "toy" app iSkream on this track for the "Now You Know" vocal sample, which is my girlfriend talking into the iPhone. That app lets you play back samples in real time, and mangle them with a variety of effects.

10. e: This beat was made with iZotope iDrum Club Edition, with synth sounds from NLogFree. There is a vocal sample that is stretched out at the end, and that was done with Sound Warp, which lets you drag the sample playback by moving your finger on the phone's screen.

12. Is This Your Special Bush: This track is a great example of Flare, the best DJ scratching app for iPhone. I overdubbed a bunch of DJ scratching effects over a beat I made in Beatmaker, and it really to me sounds like a "DJ" album ala DJ Shadow, except done on just an iPhone."

I asked Tom how he recorded and mastered the tracks:
"Since the iPhone can't do multiple apps at the same time, and what I wanted to do definitely involved playing one app over another, I ended up tracking everything through a Universal Audio 2108 Stereo Pre, by way of a mini-dual 1/4" cable. Everything was tracked into my Mac Pro running Cubase 5. I used a Summit DCL 200 Stereo Compressor on the mix buss, and used a huge amount of Universal Audio plugins, including the new Manley Massive Passive on individual tracks and in mastering.

My thought about it is if I was doing an "all-saxophone" album, for example, I wouldn't stop at not using a DAW to multi-track, mix, etc. so I think the same applies to an "all iPhone" album. But if running multiple apps was possible I would have kept it all in the phone, just because it sounds fun to try."

Note multi-tasking is coming to the iPhone.

Apps used in iMatik:
Intua Beatmaker []
A-Sync Games Flare[]
iZotope iDrum Club Edition []
iZotope iDrum Hip-Hop Edition []
iZotope iDrum Video Game Edition []
iZotope iDrum Beatboxing Edition []
iZotope iDrum Wu-Tang RZA Edition []
Jasuto & Jasuto Pro []
miniSynth []
NLogFree []
iSkream []
Thereminator []
Argon []

Three New Cynthia Modules in Five Popular Formats

"Cyndustries.com Presents Three New Cynthia® Brand Synthesizer Modules in Five Popular Formats!

Whether you desire Euro Rack, Dotcom / Moog, MOTM, FracRak, or Modcan A-Series format additions to your electronic music studio... you'll find that our modules are aesthetically, mechanically, and electrically, compatible with a multitude of products and systems from other familiar manufacturers.
The new Density Series offers a ton of functions in a really compact space, visit our site to see FOUR FILTERS, FOUR TRANSIENTS, and The OCTAL VCA.

We are committed to making the finest and most sophisticated modules possible! This is our ninth year in business and we're just getting started!

Our brand name can be found on thousands of exotic synthesizer modules in over (35) countries, and we are presently establishing an international dealer network!

Cynthia brand modules are above all unique, useful, and of course, totally fun! Get your hands on these edgy high-precision designs, and in an instant you will know the Cynthia difference!"

The Four Filters module consists of four laboratory quality multi-mode, two-pole filters with voltage controlled cutoff and variable Q. So what's so special about them? Are they a new, cool, edgy-sounding type? No. Are they warm and fuzzy and tan and chocolatey in the mid-range? No. What's so great about them is that there are four of them. A veritable busy-box of precision filters. Now you can get way more sophisticated with your spectral shaping! (After all, doing subtractive synthesis with only one filter, is like trying to do additive synthesis with only one sine wave). Now the training wheels are off!

Each filter can be either Lowpass, Bandpass, Highpass, or Notch depending on how you pull or push the MODE knobs � like this:
OUT IN Lowpass
IN OUT Highpass
OUT OUT Notch

By patching the filters in series, or mixing them in parallel, you can obtain some very complex spectral shapes, some moving, and some fixed if you like.

Examples:

Use a single filter in Lowpass mode in the traditional way.
Off-load one of your super-expensive, jet-powered filters with one of these.
Use as pseudo lowpass gates.
Put two (or more) lowpass in series to get four-pole or steeper response.
Patch three or four in series (all hi-Q, Lowpass) to create a vocal tract (or any pipe)!
Mix a notch and two Bandpass to create a good string voicing filter.
Put a Lowpass and Highpass in series with tandem control to create Yamaha CS-80 sounds.
Mix four Bandpass together with LFO control to create a spectral animator!
Mix one or more Bandpass / Notch with some dry signal to create a parametric equalizer / fixed filter bank.
Multiple hi-Q filters struck with impulses makes complex percussion!
Put Lowpasses in series with staggered CV control to create a variable slope filter.
Formants, formants, formants.

And it bears repeating: Trying subtractive synthesis with only one filter, is like trying additive synthesis with only one sine wave! Maybe the search for that one really great filter is over. The answer doesn't lie in any single filter � you need more! A complex, moving spectrum is what entertains the ear... Here's the tool to for you to accomplish that!"

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Introducing Kyma 7 — The Cure For Blank-Screen Syndrome

Kyma 7 in Four Minutes from Symbolic Sound on Vimeo.

"Champaign, Illinois — February 23, 2015 — Whether you’re creating a sound universe for a new game or film, performing live in front thousands of eager ears, or alone in your studio creating the future of music, what’s the one thing you want most when you’re first getting started on a project? Inspiration!

Every aspect of Symbolic Sound’s new software release — Kyma 7 — has been designed with inspiration in mind. In the new Multigrid, you can explore combinations of sources and effects with no interruption in the audio signal; in the Wave Editor Gallery, a single click automatically generates massive numbers of patches all based on your original sample; the new Parameter Assistant, Capytalk Reference, Inspiration tool, and web-based Questions and Answers make it easy to get up to speed quickly and get your questions answered when you need it. Derive even more inspiration from the Kyma Community Sound Library accessible from the Help menu in Kyma 7.

'There’s nothing quite as daunting as a blank screen or silent speakers,' according to composer and Kyma co-developer Carla Scaletti, referring to the sound designer’s equivalent to writer’s block, 'but once you have a starting point, it’s easier for inspiration to kick in. That’s when it starts to get fun, when you can start tweaking and refining! What we do in Kyma 7 is automatic-patch-generation based on the sound designer’s original files in order to create a vast number of starting points or springboards. We don’t do the sound design or composing for you; we just provide some initial material to help kick things off. Because we know that once you get that initial inspiration, you’ll be off and running and nothing will be able to lure you out of the studio.'

Response from beta testers has been enthusiastic: “I’m beginning to realize how mindbogglingly awesome this new upgrade is. It’s an order of magnitude more advanced and effective than Kyma X,” according to Barton McLean, composer/performer with The McLean Mix.

New Features

Inspiration for sound design

Wave Editor Gallery — A single click yields vast quantities of audio assets! Kyma automatically creates hundreds of signal flow graphs — with the controller you want and with all the parameter controls set up so you can start tweaking immediately.

Wave Editor Multigrid — Use the MultiGrid to explore limitless combinations of sources and effects. When you hear something you like, click the signal flow icon and Kyma extracts the current path through the MultiGrid as a fully formed Kyma Sound—it even preserves the presets! Now that you’ve got a starting point, it’s way easier for inspiration to kick in.

Wave Editor — In the new Wave Editor, you can edit multichannel files using the automatic splice-finder or generate your own wavetable for the new AntialiasedOscillator. Click the Gallery button to generate a myriad of ready-to-play keyboard instruments based on your custom waveform.

Sons du jour — Ready to start each day with a little inspiration? Every morning, Kyma selects some Sounds just for you and places them in the Sons du jour folder of the Sound Browser. So you can start each session with some fresh new Sounds!

Roll the dice in the Sound Browser — Kyma generates so many possibilities that the sheer quantity of choices can seem overwhelming at times, but don’t worry. Now you can roll the dice in the Sound Browser (as well as in the Virtual Control Surface) to hear what fate and a pseudorandom number generator will pick out just for you!

Sound search in the Browser — Looking for something in particular? In Kyma 7, you can search for Sounds and files by name, by algorithm, by controller type, by a parameter name, by star-rating, even by the contents of a parameter field.

New to Kyma 7? — Let the friendly inspiration tool brief you on the highlights and lead you to tutorial videos and PDF documentation.

Kyma 7 Video Tutorials—If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth at least a million pictures—especially when it comes to working with an interactive graphical interface. The new Kyma 7 tutorials are inspirational and instructive.

Inspiration on stage — Interactive, responsive, and live

With the new Multigrid you can switch instantly between sources, effects, and combinations with no interruption in the audio signal. Perform live, inspired in the moment, with infinite combinatorial possibilities.
In the Kyma 7 Timeline you can slow down or stop the progression of time to synchronize with other performers. If you’re working to picture, you can link a QuickTime video to the Timeline and, whenever you receive an edited video, you can insert or delete time; the Timeline will automatically shift all affected Sounds and control functions left or right to accommodate the change.

Kyma 7 minimizes interruptions so you can stay in the flow

Speedups — Sounds and Timelines compile faster in Kyma 7 — some by as much as 1000 times faster! That couldn’t hurt.
X-ray vision — Curious about what’s inside a Sound? Just hover over the name or icon to take peek inside without interrupting the flow.

New Oscilloscope & Spectrum Analyzers — For listening with your eyes, there’s a new Oscilloscope or Spectrum Analyzer that you can switch on at any time, even while a Sound is already playing.

Questions and Answers — Stymied by a question? Go to the Help menu and pose a question…or discover the most up-voted answer to the questions posed by others.

Organize your signal flow graphs — Use the merge and split functions to keep your signal flows clean, logical and easy to read.

Parameters sidebar — New side-bar parameter fields are more uniform and easier to organize; open a parameter field to show more detail and hide it when you’re finished. And if you don’t like the ordering of the parameters, you can rearrange them.

Parameter Assistant — When you need inspiration for what to put into a parameter field, the Parameter Assistant searches the Sound Library and finds all the values ever used for that particular parameter in that type of Sound and shows you the most commonly used values at the top of the list. All you have to do is drag and drop.
Hover help — Hover over any element of a Capytalk expression for a hint as to its function.

Capytalk parameter language help — Or dive deeper by opening the Capytalk reference where you can search by typing part of a message or browse the messages by category. Not only does the Capytalk Reference provide a full description, it also provides examples that you can copy and paste into parameter fields and Sound examples so you can see the message used in context.

Embedded Virtual Control Surfaces — When you combine Sounds in a Timeline or MultiGrid in Kyma 7, each Virtual Control Surface layout is preserved in its own embedded layout. Quickly navigate down into embedded layouts and pop back out again.

An inspiring community
Kyma tends to attract independent-minded, creative, dedicated individuals with wide-ranging interests; Kyma 7 makes it easy to tap into their collective expertise for even more inspiration.

Share — Sharing your results with a community of like-minded individuals is both satisfying and inspiring. Just select Share from the File menu to contribute your Sound to the community Sound library in the cloud.
Community Sound Library — Looking for some fresh ideas? Check out one of the Sounds uploaded by your fellow Kyma users.
Educational opportunities — Find yourself a 5-star Kyma coach or consultant from among the list of private tutors, discover where you can sign up for a course at a degree-granting institution, find a book about Kyma or discover an Artist’s Pack full of inspiring new Sounds, waveforms, Multigrids and beautifully-crafted Virtual Control Surfaces.
Third-party support links — Discover some of the third-party software written by Kyma users to facilitate Kyma interactions, like Delora Software’s connectivity solutions or Camille Troillard’s OSCulator.
KISS — And don’t forget the yearly conclave of Kyma adepts; this year the Kyma International Sound Symposium will meet in Bozeman Montana (the city of First Contact) on the theme Picturing Sound.
System Requirements
Symbolic Sound Paca or Pacarana
Computer requirements
Operating Systems:
Mac OS 10.5 or newer or
Windows 8.1, 8, 7 (SP1), Vista (SP2), XP (SP3)
Storage: ~1.7 GB
Memory: 1 GB or larger is recommended
Internet access is required
Availability
Kyma 7 is available today. The price is USD 249 and there is a discount for Symbolic Sound customers who upgrade a registered copy of Kyma X.

More information
More detailed information, screen shots, and videos are available on the Symbolic Sound web site: symbolicsound.com"

MATRIXSYNTH Review and Overview of the Novation Circuit

Update: Not covered in this review, sample support has been added in the latest Circuit Components update.

The following is my overview and review of the $329 Novation Circuit.

Introduction

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Madrona Labs Announces Sumu Early Access Release

Press release follows. You can find demos of Sumu in previous posts here.

Presenting the Sumu Early Access release.
If you’ve been following our news at all, you know what a big deal this is. From my first ideas about Sumu in 2018, to my decision to write a whole new plugin framework, to working with a new crew of beta testers, this one has been a long time in coming. If you’d had a baby when I first previewed Sumu, that preschooler would be about old enough now to say “When is Sumu coming?” Or as Mozzer once asked, “How Soon is Now?” We have the answer now, and it's now.

In case you’re just joining us, Sumu is an additive + FM resynthesizer with vector field spatialization. Each voice has 128 oscillators arranged as 64 FM pairs and each pair can be positioned independently in space. It’s all controlled with a familiar Madrona patcher, but this time with 64 channels in each patch cord.

Sumu’s full price will be $179. For a limited time, we are offering it for $129, in thanks for your early support. Purchasing now gets you the Early Access version right away, and gives you a perpetual license for the 1.0 version coming soon and any future 1.x versions. We have been beta testing Sumu for over four months, and are happy to say it’s a stable piece of software. And just like our other instruments, you can try the demo before purchasing. So we think it’s a win-win.

The new Sumu product page has more info, and the downloads you’re looking for.

Bundle of wonders.
Along with Sumu’s rollout we also added a bundle deal to the website. If Sumu is your first plugin, and you’ve looked longingly into each other’s eyes, and slowly smiled, and somehow you just know it won’t be your last, definitely check out our Studio Bundle. It’s everything we make for one deeply discounted price.

And if you’re a long-time customer who has yet to round our your collection, we figured out how to bring you along for the ride. Add the bundle to your cart and a discount will be applied at checkout for each license you already have.

Polyend Tracker Firmware Update v1.2.0

Polyend

"v1.2.0 Firmware Release Highlights

Improved Master section:

- two new pages for controlling track volumes and send and dry mix volumes as well,
- send fx can be now configured to be pre-fader or post-fader,
- all volume values are now presented and internally calculated in dB,
- enhanced master limiter with Subtle & Hard sonic settings available,

Rebuild Song mode:

- you can now do new things without stopping the transport: continue a song that was looping on a pattern, and loop a pattern that was currently playing on the song. - on the Pattern editor screen, you can now also start and stop live recording without stopping the transport,
- green mode is now available to make mistakes during live performance less likely. It highlights the currently playing song position, and to change tempo you need to press and hold the Tempo button,

New sound sculpting possibilities:

- a new Overdrive effect is added to track FX and Instrument Parameters,
- a high fidelity modelling version with three flavors is available as an offline sample effect,
- the Sample Editor now features a 3-band EQ,

Better SD card support:

- folders with more than 100 files are now displayed (divided into subfolders),
- WAV samples with unsupported sample rates or bitrates are now automatically converted on load to 44.1kHz 16bit mono PCM samples,
- implemented Media Transfer Protocol support allows you to transfer files to your computer and back using the Tracker's USB connection,

Performance mode upgrades:

- now it always loops on the current pattern to avoid unpredictable results when tracks are switched,
- the transport bar shows custom Performance Icons to let you know the performance pattern is playing with your chosen effects,
- ten custom pattern play modes added to remix your patterns while playing,
- green mode is now available to make mistakes during live performance less likely,

Candy for vintage tracker fans:

- anti-aliasing can now be disabled to get the razor-sharp tone of classic trackers,
- pattern steps can now be displayed in hexadecimal format starting from 00,

There are plenty of smaller features, improvements, and bug fixes. For the full list, check out the changelog at polyend.com/downloads

Picture & sound by Pan Ra @ panra.bandcamp.com"

MATRIXSYNTH Review and Overview of the Novation UltraNova

Hi everyone, you might remember, back in July I posted some pics of my newly acquired UltraNova, and mentioned that review posts would eventually follow. Well, I’m happy to tell you the first post is here. The UltraNova is one powerful synth, so to make the overall review a bit more consumable, it will be broken up over time. This first section includes an Overview, the Oscillators, and the Mixer sections. When new sections go up, I will be sure to let you know via a new post.

As with most of my reviews, I will say this one goes pretty deep into the synth engine and all editable parameters. If you are the type of person that likes to dissect and explore all of the available parameters on a synth, then this post is for you. I will touch on what each parameter does and will call out any interesting features and limitations as I do so. There are some pretty special parameters on the UltraNova that give you control beyond most other synths. Hopefully this review will give you some insight into what makes the UltraNova special.

Overview & Quick Comparison to Previous Nova Synths

The Novation UltraNova, released back in 2010, is a 20 voice virtual analog & wavetable synth with three oscillators, two ring modulators and one noise source per voice. The UltraNova also features two audio ins that can be assigned to the oscillator section and/or a 12-band vocoder. It’s worth noting that the Novation Nova from 1999 featured a 40-band vocoder, while the Supernova II from 2000 featured a 42-band vocoder. The UltraNova is a monotimbral synth while the 12 voice Nova was six part multitimbral and the Supernova II (24, 36, or 48 voice) was eight part multitimbral. The UltraNova supports up to 5 simultaneous effects per patch. The Nova supported 42 simultaneous effects, while the Supernova II supported up to 56. The Supernova II also supported FM synthesis while the Nova and UltraNova omit it.

The UltraNova, however, is the first Nova synth to feature wavetable synthesis. An interesting side note is that all of the oscillators on the UltraNova are actually stored as wavetables, including the standard waveforms. According to Novation, “The wavetables in the Supernova series are all calculated. The wavetables in the UltraNova, even the standard analogue waves are wavetable oscillators. This change in oscillator generation was first used on the A-Station and K-Station and subsequently in the KS series, X-Station and Xio.” This allows the UltraNova to have some advanced tricks when it comes to the oscillator section, which will be covered in detail below.

I asked Novation about the lack of FM synthesis and they told me, “FM would have been a lovely addition to the UltraNova, but it would have been asking too much of the DSP to be able to run everything the UltraNova can do and also add in FM. The wavetables were a really good way to introduce a new (to Novation) type of synthesis that is able to cater for some of the synth sounds that FM is known for and also to be able to create lush evolving pads.”

The UltraNova features two routable filters per voice with a total of 14 filter types to chose from including 6dB (no resonance), 12dB, 18dB, and 24dB with Lowpass, Bandpass and Hi-pass modes. The Nova and Supernova II lacked a 6dB mode.

As for hardware, although the UltraNova may have fewer knobs per function than its predecessors, it is extremely well laid out and super intuitive to use. Along with both keyboard velocity and aftertouch, the UltraNova has touch sensitive knobs. They literally respond to touch and can be assigned to various parameters. Worth noting, velocity is configurable, however, aftertouch is not. I found the aftertouch to be good, but it does require a little extra force than I prefer; it’s good for not accidentally triggering it, but not so good for subtle, natural performance.

Please note the above comparisons with the Nova and Supernova II were only for quick reference. The UltraNova of course is its own synth with a few tricks up its sleeves that are lacking in the original Nova line, including a level of control over the synth engine often only found in the modular realm. It sounds incredible, and for the price, currently only $599 new, it is an extremely flexible and powerful synth. You get the current top-of-the-line Novation Nova synth engine with new wavetables and more. The UltraNova is both a performance oriented synth as well as a synth programmers dream. It can be configured for easy access to specific parameters for a live situation, or you can dig as deep as you want with a clearly well thought out interface.

That said, let’s dig in.

The following review and overview will essentially go over the signal flow of the UltraNova followed by performance controls including the arpeggiator and the hardware interface. I’ll go into a little detail on what each feature can and cannot do in an attempt to give you a detailed idea of what the synth is capable of. Because my reviews tend to be a bit on the longer side, I will be posting the sections in chunks over time to make it easier on you to consume and for me to compose.

First we start with…

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Futureretro SWYNX Available in Extremely Limited Quantities & Other Updates / Tariff News

via Futureretro

Futureretro Swynx available in super limited quantities ONLY through our online store.

Using recently found old stock parts, Futureretro has built and is offering the long out of production SWYNX in super limited quantities (less than 10 units available). These use the same chassis, circuit boards, and parts as the original run (knobs are slightly different) and serves as a test for a possible re-introduction of the unit into the Futureretro catalogue in the near future.

The Swynx is a sync box that converts incoming MIDI messages to MIDI clock, DIN sync, CR-78 clock, and Analog clocks. In addition, the Swynx provides the ability to swing the timing of all these clock outputs and select different time signatures in real-time with the front panel controls, and can also act as a CR-78 pattern programmer. After you try it in your setup, you will realize just what you've been missing. For instance, many DIN sync devices do not provide a built-in swing function. And many MIDI sequencers and drum machines suffer from poor implementation of swing, preventing changes to be made live, or only providing swing for 4/4 patterns. Quite a few MIDI sequencers don't offer any swing function, including our own 777 and Mobius products. Now you can apply swing to any MIDI sequencer, and select new time signatures as well Need to sync your analog sequencer or arpeggiator with MIDI gear? No problem! Not only can you do so, but now you can swing the timing of those devices as well. You can even use the analog clock output to Gate the envelopes in a synthesizer. The clock duty cycle is 50% of a note duration. If you are a Roland CR-78 owner, you may have realized finding a WS-1 or TS-1 to program the CR-78 is next to impossible. The Swynx can replicate the programming capabilities of these units, plus provide sync to MIDI, and realtime swing adjustment. The ability to add swing to the CR-78's preset patterns alone will breathe new life into this old friend. The Swing value is accurate to 0.5% providing much more control resolution than is typically found in sequencers and drum machines. The Swynx provides 12 different time signatures to choose from. Some time signatures are duplicate, but provide different shuffle patterns for that time signature. Time signatures include 9/8, 7/8, 6/8, 5/8, 2/4, 4/4, 8/4, 3/4, and 6/4. The Swynx is all about making the gear you have sound better!

Swynx Features
Converts MIDI messages to MIDI clock, DIN sync, CR-78 clock, and analog clock
Can be used as a CR-78 pattern programmer
Control over the swing amount
Swing - 50% - 75% (0.5% resolution)
Time-signatures include 9/8, 7/8, 6/8, 5/8, 2/4, 4/4, 8/4, 3/4, and 6/4

No more NEW Vectra units will be sent out to stores after this month.
We have a very small order to fill with one US Store that will be filled by the end of May. After that, we will be out of Vectra parts and do not plan on restocking the product. The build time and cost is too excessive for us to continue this unique product. If you are wanting a Vectra and have not yet ordered a unit, the time to get them is now. Please check with your favorite stores for availability.

The 777
Many have asked, many are waiting and wanting to know details. ALL we can say at this point is that this product has been sent back to engineering. The 777 project has been a major undertaking and while close, seemingly minor issues have been exaggerated by parts availability. We continue to work towards this goal but no further information is available.

Furthermore, NO NEW manufacturing can be put in place until tariff issues are worked out.

The iPad is a Game Changer for Editing and Controlling All Synths

This is a follow-up to the previous post on the Pulse+ TouchOSC template. After I put the post up I finally got to play and something crazy happened. I found a "bug" in my Chroma editor and discovered a whole new world of sound exploration. A very happy accident.

When creating the TouchOSC templates for the Waldorf Pulse and Rhodes Chroma, my intent was essentially to make a virtual hardware interface for every editable parameter along with a few touch pads - all traditional controls with expected value ranges. The equivalent of a PG-1000 plus some extras. What I discovered was much, much more than that. TouchOSC and the iPad is a major game changer. It will open up synths in a way never imagined. We will be able to do things never possible before now.

How? First, it will help if you think of sonic exploration and the editing of your synths in two ways. The first is relatively static and traditional. You edit the parameters of a patch to arrive at your sonic destination. Simple editing. The second is to view your patch as something you manipulate over time. Either hold a note, start a sequence or an arpeggiation and then edit. I did a bit of this with the Pulse video.

So, how is the iPad and TouchOSC a game changer? It will allow you to do things that you simply cannot with traditional hardware, opening up sound exploration in a way that was not possible before now. Controls will be designed specifically for this purpose. I alluded to this in the last post regarding being able to jump parameter settings vs. a continual slide as you would with hardware sliders and knobs, but after the post I accidentally discovered this was just the tip of the iceberg.

After the post I was no longer focused on testing the template. I was finally free to do a little exploring and two things happened.

The first was obvious. I was able to explore the synth more openly than ever before. Having everything in front of you and access to everything at once allowed me to try things not physically possible directly through the hardware UI of the Pulse. On the Pulse you can only edit one row of parameters at a time and you have to page through to get to them.

The second was not obvious and the reason for this post. Testing out the Rhodes Chroma editor, the filter cutoff and resonance sliders were acting sporadically. I realized the full range of each were repeating. For the filter cutoff the full range went from 0-50 on the slider and then again from 50-100. For the resonance it was repeating every centimeter or so. My first thought was of course, I need to fix this. But, not now. I wanted to play. I had a chord drone going with a fairly long release time. I was just transitioning between chords to get kind of a trance vibe going. I then started using the sliders. At first I tried to only use the bottom half for cutoff but every now and then I'd hit that midway tipping point and it would go down to zero. But.... I found this had an interesting effect on the drone. I then started messing with the resonance slider. It was a very, very cool effect to say the least and I had full control over it. This wasn't something I could do with a PG-1000 controller. This wasn't something I could do on a knob laden Minimoog. It was then that I realized this is a major, major game changer. Not only was I able to interact with a thirty year old synth in a way I never had before, but I was able to interact with a synth in a way never possible before.

So what does this mean? I don't know yet, but I do know it will change how I think of creating controllers for synths. The default is to expose all editable parameters in the logical 0-100% value range. From there? Custom controls with oddball value ranges to do who knows what. Synthesizers have always been about synthesis to me. Not just an end point but synthesis and sound exploration over time. The iPad and custom controls with TouchOSC will allow me to do things never before possible. This is the start of it all.

Update via Kyle in the comments: "I always knew there were parameters of the synth that were "inaccessible," due to the limited values of the preexisting editing controls. With proprietary plugs and no gumption to spend hundreds of hours around this, I'm thinking this could be very cool."

I thought this captured it perfectly. The sound engine of synths are capable, we just didn't have the ability to tap into certain aspects of it before. It's the equivalent of unlocking doors. We now have the ability to create keys to a new universe of sonic exploration. We just don't what the keys are yet. A lot of it will be subtle, but never-the-less amazing when you consider it and even more so when you experience it first hand.

Update:

Video of the Happy Accident. I screwed up my camera's video settings, so apologies for the low resolution. As for what your are seeing, it is very simple. The cutoff resets at the midway point and the resonance repeats much more often. At the end you can hear some percussive sounds coming out when I move the resonance slider. One other thing I discovered with TouchOSC is that once you select a slider you can actually move your finger anywhere on the screen including over other controls without triggering them. You can see my thumb move away from the resonance slider while still manipulating it.


The Happy Accident


Update: Note how you hear a sweep moving up and a "pop" moving down. It's because the sweep up goes from 0 - max smoothly through all values while the sweep down goes from 0 - max instantaneously. That along with jumping values are only two of the things you can't do with traditional hardware. Again, as stated above, who knows what's possible. The point is that it now is. This video might not be that impressive on it's own as unfortunately it doesn't really capture the effect of first noticing the anomoly while expecting something else to happen, but hopefully you get the point. As Art stated in the comments, "I'm excited about the same thing, particularly making it easy to move between multiple simultaneous parameters (morphing between patches basically, but with however much real time control you desire) as well as putting synced sequencers into the mix to automate some of that morphing. Think MIDI-synced LFOs and ENVs on steroids." Take a look at this noteplex video. Imagine that controlling your synths, and not just note values, but assignable sysex and MIDI CC parameters.

Update: here we go - currently supports OSC to MIDI via OSCulator.

Neuzeit Instruments Introduces DROP - Snapshot-based MIDI Control Center for Live Performance

Details follow:

"Which live performer doesn't know this situation: You build the tension to immeasurable heights, add another filter here, three more effects there, hands go up in the air, everyone's waiting for the big drop... and then you realize: You can't find your way out of the chaos you've created!

The sweat on your forehead drips onto your equipment, and in a firework of spraying sparks, your devices and your fans say goodbye forever...

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