An Interview with ERRORINSTRUMENTS' Paul Tas & New Product Announcements

The following is a fascinating look at the man behind ERRORINSTRUMENTS, Paul Tas. Note the questions are not mine, but were sent in with the full interview by inmar lsbtv grtz sleep good.

So how did all start? What was your life before "error instruments"?

- my life before error instruments can be described as a life of an artist in making sculptures and paintings. I was making sculptures from robots, called "the beeb" collection. It is a wooden robot with the concept that in the 50's, we have thought that robots will replace our jobs. However, with the influence of the media, and the medicines we take against emotions, figuratively we can say that we are the robot, and we get programmed by commercials and news. This robot has been a big succes due to the fact that it has been bought by numerous art collectors from different countries such as Japan and the United States. Furthermore, the collections had been sold also at auctions houses Christie's. Later on, I have started to work more in fashion and art and making moveable sculptures with electronics, I made also a traditional Dutch blue sculptures, big horse heads with the intention of giving a controversial thoughts and ideas. Moreover, sculptures about religion, which was a mix between Jesus and the corporate companies in the world with the meaning behind it, that they use the same propaganda to control people's mindset. I was also threatened by religious groups from Germany and Belgium during the time of exposition, not only me, but also the other people in the gallery. This situation has got to a point where i had to go to the court, but in the end I was free to go. Later i have done a project for Damian Hurst and made some installations together with BitMove for the "Love of God" exposition in the "RijksMuseum Amsterdam". As a result, more and more technical and electrical equipments got involved.

When did you have the idea for error instruments and what did the first steps look like?

- First of all, it is important that you know that as a child, i was not able to read, thus it was difficult to go to a normal school, and i have attended a special school, which allowed me to use my creativity, furthermore my writing was always full of mistakes and because in the 80's we used "Commodore 64", and every time i was writing something, a text appeared " Syntax ERROR". Therefore, the kids at my school, gave a nickname to me , called "Error". As a result, i got a fascination about the things that go wrong with machines, such as glitches or accidentally algoritmes and of course the sound of noises. By exploring the art of circuit bending and hardware hacking, i have found out that many people miss this, because the commercial products were created as a mainstream products, with a result for mainstream music. Thus, with the money that i have earned from art, I have started the shop, "ERROR INSTRUMENTS".

Do you have artistic projects beside error instruments?

- Yes, I perform under the name "ERROR EMPIRE", on several festivals. I have also some conceptional sound projects, called "Pink data". The idea of "Pink Data" is that is not controlled by humans, thus all the music is created by accidental algoritmes. I also make sculptures, with acoustic and electronic purposes. Furthermore, I am busy working on the modelar synthesizer and exploring control voltage. design eurorack modules for and special audience

What is the error philosophy?

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Noise Engineering Batverb - Experimental Reverb, Delay, and Infinite-Tail Generator

Sound Study // Noise Engineering - Batverb video upload by collector//emitter

Listen to Batverb stereo reverb pedal with modular and hardware synths
video upload by Noise Engineering

0:00 Intro
0:21 Doom and Shimmer
1:04 General Reverb
1:59 Ducking (with Arturia MicroFreak)
2:57 Focus and Ducking switches (with Tasty Chips GR-1)
3:53 Grit switch
4:40 Desmodus Versio and Batverb

Get your Batverb here: https://noiseengineering.us/products/...

Batverb is the stereo reverb that dreams are made of: less of a room simulator and more of a tail generating pedal, Batverb is an instrument in its own right.

Taking inspiration from our popular tail-generating modules, Batverb brings reverberation and delay to a whole new level with extensive control of timbre, echoes, and dynamics.

Start by setting a predelay time and adjusting Regen to set the length of the tail, from a short slapback-style echo to an infinite wall of reverberation. A variety of unique controls make Batverb sing in any signal chain:

Doom adds in chaotic suboctaves, and Shimmer brings in haunting overtones. With each on its own control, go wild and have both at the same time!

Low and high damping settings for the reverb tank

Add filtering and harmonics to reverb tails

Built-in saturation can apply to only the wet signal or the whole output
Includes onboard dry/wet Blend control and input- and output-gain parameters

Unique Duck switch controls the reverb’s behavior: duck out of the way of an input signal, or match the dynamics of your playing, similar to a gated reverb

Create instant atmospheres with reverb-freezing Hold footswitch
Route the expression input can to any parameter on the pedal

Store and recall 16 different presets and recall them in response to MIDI program-change messages.

.-- .... .- - - .... . ..-. ..- .-. -. .. ... .. - . .-. .. - .- ...

Exploring and sharing engaging ideas in sound, music, and synthesis
• Eurorack, 5U
• Guitar Pedals
• VST, AU, AAX plugins
• Reason Rack Extensions"

Press release follows:


Noise Engineering announces Batverb, an experimental reverb, delay, and infinite-tail generator

Los Angeles, CA — Noise Engineering, known for their expansive selection of synthesizer effects and sound sources, announces Batverb, a distinctive stereo reverb with a twist.

Noise Engineering’s take on reverb has always been innovative, creating effects that are as much instruments as they are processors. Batverb is no exception: parameters allow the resulting effects to morph organically from slapback delays to infinite reverb tails.

“Batverb was inspired by our Desmodus Versio module, but when we tried to bring the Desmodus experience to guitar, we realized quickly that we would need to rethink the approach. Batverb shares concepts with Desmodus but shares zero code: the entire thing was redesigned from the ground up, with the dynamics and tonality of guitar at the forefront,” said Stephen McCaul, Chief Noisemaker at Noise Engineering. Kris Kaiser who is the Doer of Many Things at the small company added, “Working with guitar was key, but what sounds great on guitar also works really well for loads of other instruments.” Indeed, Batverb’s stereo I/O and MIDI integration make it a perfect choice for a multitude of instruments.

Kaiser continued, “I like to say Batverb isn’t your father’s reverb because it has such unique features.” She’s not wrong. Along with predelay/delay Time and Regen controls, Batverb includes a number of parameters for shaping the tone of the reverb itself. The Grit switch adds a unique harmonic distortion to the tail or the whole mix, and the Doom and Shimmer controls add in subharmonics and overtones. Batverb also has onboard adjustable highpass and lowpass filters to shape the tone to taste.

Batverb’s configurable Bypass footswitch can cut the reverb tail immediately, or simply mute the input to the reverb processor, allowing the tail to ring out while you play. The Infinite footswitch mutes the input to the reverb tank while maximizing the feedback for an infinite atmosphere.

The innovative Duck switch uses the dynamics of your playing to shape the reverb tail. Use the right setting to duck the reverb out of the way of your guitar’s tone, or the left setting to make the reverb’s dynamics match your guitar’s.

Batverb also stores/recalls up to 16 presets with MIDI Program Change messages. Batverb features a convenient MIDI thru jack, so it’s easy to patch into your MIDI control chain. In addition, all parameters can also be controlled via MIDI for automation and remote control from a DAW or configurable controllers.

Noise Engineering is a member of 1% for the Planet and has been donating a percentage of all sales to environmental conservation. Proceeds from Batverb will benefit the organization Bat Conservation International.

Batverb is available for preorder with MSRP of $499. It starts shipping March 13 from noiseengineering.us and retailers worldwide.

Batverb was designed and built in sunny Southern California.

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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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An Interview with Barry Schrader

Hi everyone! As you know Barry Schrader will be giving his farewell concert at CalArts on September 26. The following is the beginning of my interview with him. I opted to post the questions and answers as they come in.  New QAs will get a new post so you do not miss them and they will be added to this post so we have one central post for the full interview. This should make it easier for all of us to consume in our busy lives, and it will allow you to send in any questions that may come to mind during the interview process.  If you have anything you'd like to ask Barry, feel free to send it in to matrixsynth@gmail.com.  This is a rare opportunity for us to get insight on a significant bit of synthesizer history, specifically with early Buchla systems, and I'd like to thank Barry for this opportunity. Thank you Barry!

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Knifonium Tube Synth

Knifonium vol1 by Jonte Knif
"This is the first dirty demo of my Knifonium tube synth. Dry, directly to line, unprocessed. Ignore the "music" enjoy sounds."

Pics of the inside below.  Check out the keys. Some details from the creator Jonte via the sequencer.de forums:

"Hello folks,

I've spent several months with this project, and now I'm beginning to believe, that I will actually finish it. Missing from the photos are of course front panels, keys, power supply, all semiconductor stuff etc. Photos and early CAD drawings here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/jonte.knif ... 7611939218

https://picasaweb.google.com/jonte.knif ... 3748053346

Shortly: Oscillators, ring modulator, mixer, moog type filter, noise source, Vari Mu type VCA and output amp are tube units. Everything else is IC and some discrete. Don't ask for schematics, I spent full three months on the circuits alone.

Tuning systems can be changed with small plug in boards. Oscillators have saw, triangle, pulse and very crude sine. There is sync and FM modulation. Keyboard will have after touch but not dynamics. Three octaves of keys, in imitation ivory and imitation tortoise shell.

-Jonte"

Followed by:

"Hallo!

Let me drop in and clarify some things, the concept, my thinking and some techinical details for those who understand English. I understand German pretty well, but don't want to humiliate myself trying to write it, sorry. It would look terrible. :)

First of all, tubes are super stable compared to solid stated devides when it comes to temperature drift. Typical tube originated tuning drift in Knifonium at 440Hz is 2Hz per hour after initial warm up period. On strictly component level typical triode will change transconductance much less than a fet or transistor when temperature changes. Long time aging effects are of course much more important in tubes. Solid state devices stabilize after a couple of days, and only break. Tubes slowly get weaker and weaker. I have now kept the synth on for a couple of months, and can not note any aging effects so far, but they will eventually appear. Then you just change tubes.

Noise? What? :) Yes, I have a noise generator there, an old concept where you place a strong magnetic field on a thyratron tube. Makes very fine white noise. Othervise this thing is dead silent, no humm, no buzz, no noise if not wanted.

It is funny that someone here was sceptical about the ring modulator. in fact it is most fun and interesting when done with a primitive diode tubes+transformers topology and in Knifonium it is surely is one of the most effective ways to get sounds with a little bit of something extra. it is NOT the same thing as IC based state modern ring mod or transformers + diodes topology, they all have their own uses and sounds. IC thingies are the mathematically most perfect and most boring etc.

My past includes a lot of cembalo playing and building, formal "classical composition" and instrument acoustics. That and many other things made me want to specifically create something *I* like, a very "traditional" synth, but with more personality and versatility than those synths I have used myself, Moog Prodigy and Mini Moog. Fine synths, but still not quite there. My main job is to build mastering gear, and that stuff I like to keep absolutely neutral, so it was super fun to let things really get out of controll in the synth.

I have not used tubes in such parts that would not make any difference, all controll electronics is IC based, and I have even put a couple of semiconductors along tubes where they make no difference. It is impossible to hear from the crude first clips what it really means to have a proper tube VCA (not some crude single tube piece of crap, but complex variable mu VCA with transformers). It reacts in a very different way to different signal levels, and the distortions produced can not be simulated with just putting a tube amp after some normal synth.

You might not believe it, but Moog filter is very easy (well, easy if you understand how to...) to make with tubes, and it works beautifully. And still, because the non linearities are quite different and there is broader over load margin it will sound different.

Same applies to oscillators, the waveforms are very different than from typical solid state oscillators.

There is a lot of "iron" on the signal path, i.e. a lot of transformers. This is not to be overlooked. They produce a lot of different low frequency saturation distortions and most importantly the way magnetic iron works creates a "thickening" effect to sounds, this is probably due to Barkhausen effect, "barkhausen noise".

No doubt many of the subtleties are not to be heard by some people, but make no mistake, difference there is.

I have no special needs to brag about the project, I will only manufacture 6 units next year, (I have my mastering gear business to take care of) and those 6 units will be sold in no time. There are now 2 or 3 sold, so if interested, you got to hurry. BUT I do want to make it known that I am not a person to build something based on improper knowledge or non-experience or dubious motivation. But surely I am *a bit* crazy, this was huge work! And yes, of course esthetics played a part in the motivation.

More sounds will follow after I find time to finnish the synth. Probably in January. FM, PW modulation, most modulations, after touch, joystick, feedback, all unfinished at the moment. So what you hear in the "demo" is just oscillators, noise, sync, ring mod, filter and VCA. Not even the output amp which will include more distorion modes and more "sound of iron"

There is no need to argue about the sense to use tubes. I only use them in ways that produce different sounds compared to solid state or digital, and one can like it or not, one does hear it or then not, but difference there is. In my mastering gear the differences to best solid state gear are in deed small, but oh-so-important for the engineers. In the synth's case the differences are *huge* compared to that mastering stuff world ;)

-Jonte"

“Flux meets Jupiter-4 09 Distorted sine waves” by Friendly Noise

video by Friendly Noise

"Only self resonating filters on this video!!!!" - Additional videos below.

"The Jupiter 4 is always recorded in mono, which makes the internal chorus very subtle. Reverb is added in Cubase to make the sound wider. There is no clipping in the recording chain. If you hear anything close to distortion, it’s all in the sound coming out of the Jupiter 4.

The Roland Jupiter 4 has been rediscovered and established as the most full of character among the Roland polyphonic synths. Although limited in number of voices and straight forward sound architecture, it shines with an unique sonic print which no other synth can emulate. There are lots of great video demos and information on the web, so that no detailed description will be provided here. But it’s important to mention some unique features which will be showed extensively in this video series:

- The Jupiter 4 filter goes into self oscillation. Big guys like Yamaha CS-80, Jupiter 8 or Oberheim OBX-a can’t.
- The LFO is fast enough to get into audio range.
- There is a very noticeable internal saturation when the VCA slider is raised.

Don’t expect nice bass sounds and classic analog leads. The Jupiter 4 is perfect for that, but this has already been done before in many records and internet demos. What you are about to hear is the extreme side of the sound. Be prepared for drones, massive low frequencies, cracking saturation, ultra fast notes and unusual scales. Many sounds will remind you of modular synthesizers, but they were all created by direct recording of the Jupiter 4. :-)

In fact, the VCO is switched off and you will be hearing only the self oscillating filter in almost 80% of the video series. Only in the last videos you will hear the VCO. That means that 80% of the sounds you will hear couldn’t be made with other classic polyphonic synths, unless the filter self oscillates.

Luckily this Jupiter 4 was modded with CV and gate inputs and outputs per voice (and then some). Using this level of control per voice you can use the Jupiter 4 as a vintage monophonic synth, or drive individual voices differently. For example, applying vibrato or slide per voice. In this video series, only three voices were used.

The amazing sound of this Jupiter 4 can break the traditional boundaries specially when driven by the Temporal Modulation Synthesis sequencer Flux, made by IOLabs: https://www.tmsynthesis.com/​"
"This is number 9 of a new video series combining the best of vintage sound and the best of the modern sequencer technology in eurorack: Roland Jupiter 4 and IO Labs Flux."



Playlist:
“Jupiter 4 as a 303” by Friendly Noise
“Double sequence with the Jupiter 4” by Friendly Noise
“Jupiter 4 sequences” by Friendly Noise
“Roland Jupiter 4 VCA level” by Friendly Noise
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 01” by Friendly Noise
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 07” by Friendly Noise
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 02” by Friendly Noise
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 03” by Friendly Noise
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 08” by Friendly Noise
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 04 Pulsing Things” by Friendly Noise
Are There Differences in Converters? [Not sure why this is there - skip via the player controls]
“Flux meets Jupiter-4 09 Distorted sine waves” by Friendly Noise

Hataken Interview

Back on March 31, I put up a post on Hataken, a Japanese DJ artist who primarily uses analog synths. At the time, Shane Chisolm, the manager of Don Juan Dracula mentioned Hataken was working on a remix version of DJD's "Take Me Home". Shane asked me if I'd be interested in doing an interview with Hataken, and I thought why not. It would be interesting to hear his perspective on the world of synths as a live DJ artist. The following is the result of that interview. Note, this is a long one. You will want to use page down to scroll through. If it is too long for you, I recommend reading one or two questions each time you visit the site. Each DIY item below would typically have been a separate post. There is a lot of interesting stuff here. That said, I start with an introduction followed by asking Hataken how it all started for him. Note the focus is primarily on synths as this site is about everything synth, and Hataken delivers. The gear he has both worked with and designed to meet his specific needs is overwhelming. There's also an interesting interlude on experimenting with frequency counters to produce specific frequencies of sound known to have healing properties, and of course there is a bit of the age old discussion of digital and analog.

Before we start the interview, I want to thank Hataken for taking the time out for this, and I want to thank Shane for suggesting it. It's a fascinating history of a DJ synth artist with interesting perspectives that I'm sure I will come back to over time. Be sure to check out the video and link to more at the end. And of course be sure to check out Hataken's website.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

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Roland Interview with the Developers of the Original JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, and JX-3P

The interview is currently on Roland's site here. The text is captured below for the archives.

"WHAT ARE YOUR HONEST OPINIONS REGARDING THE ROLAND BOUTIQUE SERIES? AS DEVELOPERS OF THE ORIGINAL PRODUCTS, WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT THE MODERN RECREATIONS?

Takahashi:I'd heard about this product series rather early on thanks to my position at the company, and my honest feeling about it was that I was excited. I was truly excited at the prospect of a simulation being released of a product that I was involved with decades ago. Synthesizers from those days have a unique feel that you can only get on analog, so I was interested in seeing how much of that could be reproduced in the digital realm. I knew that the Roland Boutique series development team was working on this very seriously. More than being intrigued, I was truly very excited.

Matsui:I'm no longer with the company, so I hadn't heard about this until very recently when someone mentioned, "We're working on this project relating to the JX-3P." Honestly, I was very happy to hear that. I was very happy to hear that Roland will be releasing a product that I had a part in developing in the past in a new form. That's because the JX-3P was a very special product for me.

DO YOU HAVE ANY INTERESTING MEMORIES RELATING TO THE JX-3P?

Matsui:That synth was developed at Roland's Matsumoto factory. I was working at Matsumoto at the time and was involved in guitar synth development. Guitar synths up to the GR-300 and GR-100 were based on converting pitch into a CV (Control Voltage) signal, which would then trigger an analog synth. But for the next generation of guitar synths, we decided to use a design where pitch would be converted to MIDI, which would then control the sound engine digitally (though the sound engine itself would still be analog). We studied how guitarists were using the GR-300 and GR-100 and realized that they didn't do much sound creation on their own. (Laughs.) So if that was the case, we decided to go with an easy-to-use synth with presets. And this was the start of the GR-700 project.

The [GR-700] would feature a built-in pitch-to-MIDI converter and a sound engine with presets. But even if this was to be a preset synth, it would still be too difficult to create sounds without any knob controls. So we made a programmer—solely for development purposes—with which we could adjust the tones. Sometime later in the development process, one of our superiors remarked, "You can attach a keyboard to that and make a polyphonic synth out of it, can't you?" [Laughs.] So that's how the JX-3P came about. The reason it's a six-voice polyphonic synth is because it started out as a sound engine for guitar synths, guitar being a six-string instrument. (Laughs.)

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Hans Zimmer 'RadioPhonic' Synth @ Superbooth 24 w/ AJH Synth

video upload by AJH Synth Official

"Hans Zimmer's 'RadioPhonic' Synth from AJH Synth @ Superbooth 24 - This monster MiniMod Eurorack modular system was commissioned by Hans himself, and he was kind enough to allow us to build a limited number of exact replicas which will be individually built to order by AJHSynth. Full details of the system, along with an interview with Hans Zimmer about his use of the MiniMod system, can be found at https://ajhsynth.com.
We will have one such RadioPhonic system on display in our bungalow at Superbooth 24, along with a MinMod Keyz, a 9U full system, and a huge monster case full of AJH modules.
Richard Quirk, and Wayne Taylor (DreamsOfWires/Tomorrow the cure) will also be there representing AJH with Allan J Hall himself. We'd be glad to chat about the modules and demonstrate some in action, so feel free to pop by.

The AJH SYNTH Eurorack range consists of high-end modules, all hand-made in the UK, most of which are based on classic, vintage designs, authentically recreating the circuitry of much sought-after analogue instruments and technologies of the past, whilst greatly expanding them, and bringing them to modern Eurorack levels of convenience, limitless flexibility, and reliability.
Official website page: https://ajhsynth.com"

Update: press release and pics follow:

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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."

R.A. Moog 701 Drum Synthesizer Module

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

via this auction - re-listed here.

"This is an R.A.Moog "701 Drum Synthesizer" module hand made by Bob Moog himself back in the late 60's...!

It was built for Eric Siday, one of Moog's first customers, but was also used in the historic "Jazz In The Garden" concert in 1969. You can read more about it here...

The 701 module was a 'prototype' and didn't ever get to the production stage. It seems only eight were ever made with six of them currently in the "Museum of Music" in Paris.

Here is a link to more info and photo's of the Paris system...

At the bottom of that page you can see Bob setting up the system with the eight modules in place.

I cannot call this *rare*... because that isn't an accurate description. It is basically a completely unobtainable one-off and a true piece of Moog history, and obviously analogue musical instrument history, which the price here reflects (...as a starting point)

This unit was designed as a part of a system, but I have managed to get it to make sounds..! So I have also included links to a couple of short videos I made..."

R.A. Moog 701 Drum Synthesizer - Part 1

Published on Jun 24, 2013 noddyspuncture·44 videos

"Here is my first video of the "R.A. Moog 701 Drum Synthesizer". I managed to get some sounds out of it - even though it was meant to *work* with the full "one-off" system as built by Bob in 1970. I think in the system it might behave a little more "drum-like"...!?! Ha!"

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New X1L3 - DRAIL - hacked fx processor - eurorack module

video upload by X1L3

"Hardware hacked fx processor module.
What it is and where to get it - below.......

Available at: https://x1l3.bigcartel.com/product/dr...

A few sections of this vid contain strobing and flashing images. If susceptible to seizures then viewer discretion is advised.

Amiga/P3 W95 demoscene spec run down and demo. Created due to a request to demo the module in a way that wasn't 'just noise'. Initially intended to be one part made from the best track out of three that i came up with. Later deciding to shoe horn the two reject demo tunes into it, which lead to it becoming a ramshackle lesson in polygons and 3d. It also caused the whole thing to end up panning out like some kind of messed up fever dream 💀🤣

Drail is an fx processor module based on a fixed chip set containing 100 preset effects. Reverbs, delays, pitch shifters and modulators of various types, such as flangers and phasers. More details are over on the bigcartel link. Hacked referring to the hardware hacking principles applied in reclocking the cpu and messing with the phase in the signal path to turn it into the somewhat weird thing it is now. Hacked also sounds better than circuit bent, which has been done to death as a term and wouldn't fit on the front panel anyway 💀🐗

A bit of a departure from my usual powerelectronix/sound design outings when it comes to modules. Right now this is the only demo i have complete. I'll upload some stuff soon that's more in line with the roots of where i came from, and which features some other new stuff that got completed in the somewhat hell froze over time it took me to complete this outing 🔥🔥

As always - enjoy - or don't.
The sun rises in the morning either way 😘☀️👌

Cheers for checking it out."



"The module is based on a fixed stereo fx processor chip which contains 100 presets. These presets consist of numerous reverbs, delays, harmonizer/pitch shifters and modulators such as flangers and phasers.

It has a mono input, a summed L/R mix output with dry wet control which covers 0-100% wet,
Two 100% wet stereo outputs give access to the ping pong delays and different phases of panning in the stereo field that some of the effects use,
The combination of summed dry wet and separate stereo fx ouputs offers some variation in how you might hook the module up to achieve different results in a setup.

Patches can be selected manually, or by gate inputs with an input to cycle each way through the patches and an input to select them.

In stock form it's a fairly vanilla and quite unremarkable, all be it useful set of fx. By applying some of the tricks learned in my time in the circuit bending arena the whole thing becomes a Swiss army knife of weirdness and opens up to some bizarre effects and unruly behavior. With the principles of hardware hacking applied and the cpu reclocked, along with some creative phase altering in the signal path, the processor takes on an entirely new life. Still being able to run as a useful set of stock reverbs, delays or modulators, but doubling up as an interesting sound design tool. All sorts of mad sounds and unexpectedly good processing can be achieved. Great for soundscapes, turning basic sounds into things that are bigger than the sum of their parts, making guitars sounds insane, it can even be used to turn a saw into a pseudo supersaw that somehow looks like a kind of mutated pwm square by using the modulator fx. This kind of thing gets fat when you start using both the dry wet mix output and the 100% wet L/R outs. With 100 fx to choose from, there's generally something interesting and at times fascinating to be found when messing around with it.

From experience, different fx chip sets behave in radically different ways when attempts to circuit bend or reclock them are made. Some prove to be pointless and uninteresting, others become prone to crashes and are rendered too unpredictable.and useless beyond extreme noise This one happens to be an excellent target for a bit of creative alteration. When underclocking the cpu, a kind of subtle low pass filtering effect is applied. Not enough to make the effect undesirable, but enough to eliminate the unwanted noise inherent to underclocking. In testing this chip set and discovering it's predictable, but quite abstract nature when abused, it became obvious that it would make a brilliant target for an interesting module. One which i'm finding to be an excellent addition to my own rigs. Given the roots of how it came about and how that ended up sounding, it is i imagine an acquired taste, but a quite unique acquired taste in the scheme of things."

Synth Diy Guy Featured Builder: Vinicius Brazil!

Published on Sep 2, 2017 Synth Diy Guy

"A visit and a chat with my partner and teacher Vinicius Brazil of VBrazil Modular.

Here´s a translation of our conversation:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/slwj5baadyx..."

" SYNTH DIY GUY - Featured Builder - Vinicius Brazil
Q - Hi Vinicius! V - Hi
Q - All good? V - All great!
Q - Tell us a little bit about your path, how you got started with electronics and music.
V - I arrived at electronics thanks to music. When I was a kid, 15 years old, I got my first guitar, and in Brazil it was very expensive to acquire guitar pedals. So I started to take some of my friends’ pedals and study their insides, this was in the 60 ́s, and from there I started making my own pedals. Copying at first, then creating muy own solutions. This got me excited and I went on to study Electronics and graduate college as an Electronic Engineer.
Q- Cool, and what kinds of pedals did you make at first?
V - All were guitar pedals. I started of course with fuzz and distortion, then on to more sophisticated things like flangers, phasers and delays. This was during the 70 ́s. In the end of the 70 ́s synthesizers started attracting me. That ́s when I built my first semi modular synth in 1978/79.
Q - Do you still have that synth?

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Roland Interview with the Developers of the Boutique Line of Synthesizers

The interview is currently on Roland's site here. The text is captured below for the archives.

"WHAT WAS THE STARTING POINT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ROLAND BOUTIQUE SERIES?

Tojo:Our starting point was that we wanted to create a full-fledged synth in a compact form factor; something that might look like a gadget at first glance, but was capable of producing amazing sounds. We wanted to create a synth that people could casually enjoy, came with a built-in speaker, and could also run on batteries. Since we had the ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) modeling technology that was developed for AIRA and a mini keyboard that was first incorporated in the JD-Xi, we thought that we could make something interesting by combining these two. That was around the end of last year, and actual development began in around January this year.

WERE YOU PLAYING WITH THE IDEA OF BASING THIS SERIES ON SYNTH CLASSICS RIGHT FROM THE OUTSET?

Tojo:Yes, we were. We wanted to combine ACB and the mini keyboard to reproduce classics that everyone was familiar with. The JUPITER-8 and JUNO-106 were candidates right from the start, since these synths are still very popular today. We wanted to add another synth to the lineup, so we decided to go with the JX-3P, which produces different types of sounds from either the JUPITER or JUNO. We reached the decision to go with these three synths rather quickly, without much debate.

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What is The Vanilla Synthesizer? It's Ready, That's What

via the STG Soundlabs/muSonics Electronic Newsletter:

Is it The Vanilla Synthesizer or the muSonics TVS?

I started working on this project a year and a half ago.

Originally my thought process was to make a new American format synthesiser that could be sold as modules, kits, and bare boards. I was concerned about the future of the format, and I felt a new line of basic modules and infrastructure at a variety of price points was important. I still do.

STG Soundlabs was a failure because I made things that ultimately the eurorack market simply did not want. Yes, I sold some, and will continue to maintain the line as best as I can, but it's very hard to find photos of eurorack installations with STG Soundlabs modules in them, but rare to find a nice big man-sized synthesiser without my modules in it.

Another thing I wanted to do was teach myself how to do my own engineering. It didn't start that way, but it became that way. I'd been a hardware product developer since 2005 but never actually laid out a circuit board. That is no longer true, and I've done things beyond this project that I haven't even talked about.

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Bastl Instruments Introduces New Products at Superbooth16

via Bastl Instruments

"­We are proud to present 3 fresh additions to our modular lineup: D ynamo, T romsø and Hendrikson. Thanks to these modules we were also able to create new complete modular systems focused on signal processing: B ob a nd Bobek a nd an upgrade to our flagship modular system R umburack 2.0. We will also present more new modules: Popcorn, Dupdup, Clutch and Ciao! previewed at NAMM in January. Come to meet us in the Foyer of Funkhaus booth number BF500!

Dynamo is dynamics analyser and fake t hru­zero modulator. It combines an Envelope Follower and a comparator which, when combined with a full­wave rectifier output and Compressor CV curve generator, allows you to make a compressor from any VCA (think of tube or vactrol). The other trick of the Dynamo is a voltage controlled switch section which combines with the full wave rectifier and comparator to allow you to create deep “fake thru­zero modulations” with anything you like!

Tromsø is made of 3 modules: VCO, Comparator and Sample & Hold. Internal normalisation allows you to instantly use it as voltage controllable analog downsampler (or sample rate reducer if you like). This module is inspired by a machine called Distortotron by Psybe made in 1994 which is arguably the first analog downsampler and bit distortion of its kind. This machine was commissioned by Mental Overdrive for his album Plugged from 1995 which will be re­released this year at Rett i Fletta.

Hendrikson is a guitar/ instrument amplifier and an interface for external effects processors such as stomp boxes. The most unique feature is the mix output which is a CV controllable crossfader between the signal that goes to the Output and signal that comes from the Input. This means that when used with external effects processor it gives CV control of one of the most important parameters ­ the Dry / Wet Mix.

Rumburack 2.0 is a compact yet powerful modular system with analog punch and digital charm. Its advanced sequencing abilities make it a self contained performance instrument that is ready to go on tour with you!

Bob and Bobek are analog processing modular systems designed with live performance in mind. Instrument amplifier input and line / guitar level output make it so universal that it can work in any setup. Both modular cases have a bottom insert for standard microphone stand which makes them look great on the stage! In comparison Bob has far more modulation sources, foot interfaces and more external connections via additional Hendrikson.

Pricing and availability: all shipping early June 2016, prices excluding VAT

Dynamo ­ 5HP, dynamics & more, 109 eur
Tromsø ­ 5HP, analog downsampler & more, 109 eur
Hendrikson ­ 5HP, stomp box / instrument interface, 109 eur
Rumburack 2.0 ­ compact and powerful modular system, 2149 eur
Bobek analog signal processing system, 659 eur
Bob ­ advanced analog signal processing system, 1239 eur

"Dynamo is combination of 3 utility modules: envelope follower, comparator and voltage controlled switch. It combines Envelope Follower and comparator to extract gate from the envelope. On top of that there is full-wave rectifier output |EF IN| and Compressor CV curve generator.

When the Compressor CV is plugged into CV input of a VCA with offset and attenuator knobs you get an Compressor! Threshold knob on Dynamo sets the compressor threshold, Offset on the VCA sets the gain and the attenuator on the CV input sets the ratio of compression (which can also go negative). This allows you to create compressor type of effect from anything: VCA, tube module, VCF or anything that comes to your rack!

The other trick of the Dynamo is the voltage controlled switch section in combination with the full-wave rectifier and comparator. All pre-normalised and for what reason ? Make “fake thru-zero modulation” with anything you like! Define what happens when the negative modulation is happening and adjust the zero crossing point with CV. The whole world of very deep modulations is waiting for you now…

… and it is totally bonkers!"

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DSC - DIGITAL SOUND CHIPS OPUS MAX BOARD

DSC - DIGITAL SOUND CHIPS

From the creators of the Bluebox synthesizer comes a new project for DIYers. Currently on Kickstarter here.

"A short introduction to the OPUS MAX BOARD music computer and development board for making music gear with the STM32H750 micro controller. https://digitalsoundchips.com It will come with a profession grade synthesizer and audio effects unit to loop sounds through the board externally. And with information on how to make your own music gear like synthesizers and audio effect units."

"Back in 2011 the worlds smallest synthesizer DSC Bluebox was made, but vent by unnoticed. This time Digital Soundchips that made the synthesizer is back, and want to solve the problems that they once went through for you and others.

Now we a ready to present a single-board computer for audio plugins and music gear. And with one profession grade synthesizer plugin, and a multi effects unit to loop audio through. That uses a open plugin standard with plugins on microSD card.

Imagine making professional music hardware gear, based on a super simple audio plugin format. And develop music gear that can use several plugins simultaneously.

We want to make a pre-configured scalable solution, so you can start writing your audio code and run ready-made plugins. And lower the development time for new music gear from years or month's, to weeks.

Lets make it faster and fun to develop commercially viable professional music gear.

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Introducing the Nodular Desktop Synthesizer - Two Sided Analog Monophonic Semi-Modular Synthesizer

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

via this auction

Update: the maker/brand name for this synth is ndlr.synths. I created a new channel label for them. We have a new synthesizer manufacturer in town.  See second "Update" at the bottom of this post for additional notes on the design.

via the auction:
"Up for sale: one monophonic analog synthesizer. I've been making analog synthesizers for about 15 years now, but this is the first I am offering up for sale to the 'general public'. I am hoping to make a business out of selling this particular model, and you could be my very first customer.

The pictures show the same unit that is up for sale. The cabinet is made from 3/4" natural cherry boards, except for the base, which is made of 3/4" MDF. Both instrument panels are made of 1/8" thick anodized aluminum. The panels have been mechanically engraved and the engravings filled with chemically hardened black enamel paint. The whole unit measures about 18" wide by 18" deep by 12" tall. It weighs about 40 pounds. This is a very well made unit, with sturdy instrument panels that'll last a lifetime.

This synthesizer has its own +15/+10/GND/-10/-15 volt power supply and will only run on 120VAC 60Hz. It consumes about 45 watts of power at full bore.

All the modules in this synthesizer have been designed to work together seamlessly, and all use the same standards: 1 volt per octave, 10 volt peak-to-peak signal voltages, and 5 volt peak-to-peak gate, trigger, and control voltages. All patches are made among the modules via banana jacks. And a few different ways of interfacing to external modules or instruments are offered via 1/4" phone jacks.

A description of the different modules follows:

(1) ring modulator

(1) white and pink noise and random voltage source

(1) sample/track & hold

(1) voltage comparator

(2) low frequency oscillators (LFOs):

(1) headphone amplifier

Both offer voltage controlled frequency, variable offset and symmetry, and sinusoidal, triangular, and pulse wave outputs. By adjusting the speed knob, the frequency can be changed from about 20Hz down to really, really, slow. This range can be extended through voltage control.

(3) voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs):

All three offer 1 volt per octave frequency control, voltage controlled pulse width modulation, ac-coupled linear frequency control, hard sync, and sine, triangle, sawtooth, and pulse wave outputs. They'll track to within .2% over at least 8 octaves with basically negligible temperature drift once the enclosure is warmed up. And they'll operate from below audio to above audio frequencies.

In addition, the first VCO offers a frequency range switch and fine tuning.

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Mimetic Sequent generative melodies

Published on Jul 9, 2019 Noise Engineering

"Mimetic Sequent generates a pitch sequence for Cursus Iteritas Percido, slowly modulated by Pons Asinorum."

via Noise Engineering:

"Mimetic Sequent came out a few years ago and it’s the module of ours we think people are most confused about. So today we wander into the weeds with MS and its expander, Mimetic Multium. Good luck! You’ll need it! Just kidding! Not really!

OK, BUT REALLY, WTF IS MIMETIC SEQUENT

It’s a random CV source, a CV recorder, a CV randomizer, a quad random trigger generator (with its expander), and a whole lot of fun.

When I first got my MS and MM, I was confused, dazed, confused, and also confused. There were a lot of switches that all seemed to interact-- but how? There was a big, enticing knob in the middle. And there were buttons. Oh the buttons. What did any of these things do? Let’s talk about the Random knob first, because it’s kind of the point of MS.

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George Harrison & His Moog Modular - Zapple & Electronic Sound

via the Beatle Photo Blog.

via Wikipedia: "Electronic Sound is George Harrison's second album. Released in May 1969, it was the second and final record released on the Beatles' short-lived Zapple Records label, a subsidiary of Apple Records. The album features two lengthy pieces performed on the Moog synthesizer. It was one of the first albums to make exclusive use of the instrument.

Zapple was intended as a creative outlet for avant-garde musical works. Not long after the release of this album The Zapple label was folded at the insistence of the Beatles' then-manager Allen Klein. Because of its experimental and highly non-commercial nature, Electronic Sound failed to chart in the United Kingdom, and barely made the United States Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at #191.

The album was issued on CD for the first time in late 1996. CD versions of the album have the recordings (but not the titles) in the wrong order. In recent years this error has led many listeners to confuse the two tracks.

The track on LP side one "Under The Mersey Wall" (25 minutes) begins with a series of gunshot-like sounds and appears to be a performance of a single Moog instrument, though often making use of tape delay and echo effects. Portions of white noise from this track are used throughout "I Remember Jeep," one of several jams included on Harrison's third solo album, All Things Must Pass, released in 1970.

The second LP side "No Time Or Space" (18 minutes) uses the sound of two Moog instruments playing at the same time, an effect made possible through the use of overdubbing.

The cover of Electronic Sound was painted by Harrison himself. The inside sleeve included minimal notes on the album and a quotation attributed to Arthur Wax: "There are a lot of people around, making a lot of noise; here's some more."

Synthesist Bernie Krause later pursued legal action against Harrison, claiming that "No Time Or Space" (side two of the original vinyl album; track one of the CD) was essentially a recording of him demonstrating the Moog III to Harrison (this is detailed in Krause's book Into a Wild Sanctuary). Krause also claimed that the demonstration was recorded without his knowledge or consent. Krause's name was originally credited on the front cover under Harrison's cover credit, but it was painted over at his insistence. Despite this, the words "Assisted by Bernie Krause" can still be read from under the silver ink on the original LP pressings.

The words "Produced by George Harrison" appear on front cover of the original LP pressings printed in light blue ink, but were recolored in dark blue and red on later re-issues.

Track listing

All pieces credited to George Harrison.

Side one

"Under the Mersey Wall" – 25:10
Recorded in Esher, England, in February 1969 with the assistance of Rupert and Jostick, the Siamese Twins

Side two

"No Time or Space" – 18:41
Recorded in California in November 1968 with the assistance of Bernie Krause

Note: This is how the titles appear on the original LP pressings. Later CD versions incorrectly switched the actual order of the recordings and the timings but failed to switch the titles."

This one in via Steve Sciulli of Life In Balance & Raised by Machines

Also see:
George Harrison's Electronic Sound
John Lennon playing the Moog at Abbey Road Studios