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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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"

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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“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

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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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: Auction links 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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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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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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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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CMS Cirocco Discrete Synthesizers MC-24 Modular System

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

via this auction

"For your consideration is a custom built CMS MC-24 modular discrete analog synthesizer, housed in a solid Honduran red mahogany cabinet.

Brief Description:

The MC-24 comes equipped with 8 ultra-linear discrete VCOs, 2 Phatron filters - 24Db lowpass/highpass, 2 discrete Super-Transistor filters -24Db lowpass, 4 discrete VCAs, a discrete 10 input stereo mixer, a voltage controlled 14 stage phaser, a 10 band fixed / comb filter, V.C. balanced modulator, V.C. harmonic multiplier, a fully decked out sample and hold section, a Gentle Elctric 101 Pitch to Voltage and Envelope follower, a voltage controlled clock, etc.

2 rows of twelve modules are mounted on custom, 36" extruded aluminum rails. These sturdy assemblies are then mounted in a furniture grade, hardwood finished, laminate slant cabinet. The MC-24 features a 3 amp, ultra fast, linear power supply. The MC-24 uses the military grade potentiometers, front panels, knobs and mil-spec components found on all CMS/DiscreteSynthesizers.com instruments.

This is the ultimate in studio synthesizers. This is the ultimate in sound."

You can find details on the individual modules at the bottom of this post.

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A Patch A Day by hamiltonulmer

Update: you can find hamiltonulmer's page here.

"I am not new to music, but I am new to modular synthesis. So I am creating one simple patch a day in order to get used to my small system.

I will do approximately 365 patches over the next year. Over that course of time I will likely add modules, change my setup, and explore various rabbit holes.

Two questions arise from these constraints. First, is a small 6U, 84HP system musically sufficient and diverse enough for a worthwhile patch, every day? Second, given that no matter what I intend on recording a patch a day, regardless of the outcome or circumnstance, what is the relationship between quantity and quality?"

via Pierre Serné on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Playlist:
(these are in reverse order by hamiltonulmer - Day 1 was missing in the playlist so I embedded it below).

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

Note: Auction links 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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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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Buchla Audio Demos by Protek

Buchla 266 Noise & Modulations


"My first experiments with the Buchla 266 SOU.

Simple patch with noise output going to input of 291e (stepping through it's 8 step seq.). Some steps on the 291e seq. have modulation applied. The 266 controls the oscillator's frequency as well as the pan position that the noise goes to on the 227e. The oscillator is going through a Moogerfooger MF-104 delay pedal."

259/266/281e/PR


"Patch focuses on the interaction between the 266, 281e, and 259. Pendulum Ratchet establishes rhythm and tempo.

Basic outline for this patch...
The Fluctuating Random Voltages section of the 266 modulates both the attack and decay of the 281e. The 281e in turn modulates the Timbre of the 259. Towards the end of the piece I start modulating the Principal Oscillator with the Modulation Oscillator (by using Phase Lock and FM)."

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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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Mystery Synth - Korg 700s/770 Prototype?

Published on Apr 15, 2013

"I found this "mystery synth" at a garage sale this weekend. It appears very similar to a Korg 700s, but upon closer examination there are clear differences. The second oscillator has it's own waveform and pitch selector, for example. And the style of sliders and controls are certainly different than those found on a 700s.

If you know anything about this instrument, please let me know!

At any rate it's a great sounding synth!"

This one in via via Dan Goldstein who found the synth. Talk about an amazing find.
Click here for a pic of the inside of a Mini-KORG 700.  Update: also click here for one more.  Note two of the boards appear to match but this mystery synth has one more. I couldn't find any of the inside of a 770 to compare.  If you search for KORG 770 or KORG 700s you will see the controls are similar but different.  With that we are left with two possibilities, this is either a very nicely done DIY synth composed of vintage KORG parts or a KORG prototype that fell somewhere within the 700 series.



And details also posted on gearslutz: "Here's everything I know about it:

I found this instrument on CraigsList, posted at a garage sale here in Las Vegas. The seller said that he'd purchased it on eBay not knowing what it was, and that he believed it was "built by a guy that worked at Ibanez." That was all the provenance that he was able to provide. The instrument was clearly so bizarre that I had to take it home and find out more about it. It does work, mostly, and it certainly has a unique sound despite it's incredibly strange architecture, which I'll describe below.

I opened it up, eagerly hoping for clues about its origins, but what I found deepened the mystery further. As you can see in the photos below, the circuity of this synthesizer is totally discreet. There are some metal can-style Op Amps, namely 741HC and MN131A, which would seem to date this in the early 70s. There are no markings of any sort on the circuit boards, just hand-labeled numbers by the patch points on the circuit boards. I can't find any sort of name anywhere, though the words "Made In Japan" are on the 1/4" output panel.

The architecture of this instrument is incredibly bizarre. It features two standard oscillators. Oscillator one has triangle, square, and sawtooth waveforms, plus a "Chorus 1" and "Chorus 2" setting that seem to be chorused sawtooth waves. Oscillator two features triangle, square, sawtooth, a thinner square wave, and reverse sawtooth. Then there's a third sort of oscillator, which is switchable between noise and what I think is some sort of ring-modulator that operates on Oscillator One. There's a global tuning knob but no fine-tune knobs for the oscillators.

Things get weird after that. There's an attack-release envelope for the VCA, and that's the only envelope you get. There's a resonant low-pass filter and a resonant high-pass filter, but no resonance knob, so you're stuck with a single cutoff control for each filter. The low and high cutoff filters are sort of "ganged" together so that you can't move the Lowpass cutoff above the Highpass cutoff - they move together once they meet, if that makes sense. There's an LFO that seems to be fixed at a triangle wave, and it can be routed to frequency or filter or both, and there's some sort of vibrato delay switch that doesn't seem to do anything. There's also a Repeat switch and speed control that will cause the envelope to retrigger, which is pretty cool. There are some other bizarre controls too, including a "Bright" switch that makes the sound brighter, an "Expand" switch that doesn't really do much of anything, and a "Bender" switch that causes notes to quickly bend up to the pressed key (I remember a similar feature on the Roland VP330, for example).

There's a 3-position sustain switch that goes from "Short" to "Long" and determines if the envelope continues after you've released a key. It works fine, but as soon as you release a key the frequency of the note played drops to some lower, random value. Perhaps the sample-and-hold is not working right.

The cabinet and design is clearly Minimoog inspired, but it's not a Minimoog case. My first thought was that this was a home-made synth of some kind but I'm very doubtful after spending time with it. The silkscreening is very professionally done, the cabinet is all custom-made with interesting angles. There's even a sort of thumb screw on the bottom that lets you lock down the folding-up synth portion of the instrument for transport. Everything about the instrument seems to suggest it was professionally made. The only outputs are a Low and High audio output. There are no inputs at all, no bend wheel or mod wheel, though there's clearly space for such a thing. The lack of basic features (i.e. sustain & release envelope stages, fine tune, resonance amount, etc.) and the addition of unusual features (repeat, bender, etc.) make for one odd combination. And the fact that I can't find any label anywhere makes this a serious synthesizer mystery.

I've owned an awful lot of analog synthesizers and have read decades worth of magazines and web sites, and I've never seen anything like this. Does anyone here have any insight at all into what this might be? Perhaps it's a kit synth from the 70s, like a PAIA design of some kind? Perhaps this was a prototype for a product that never got built? The components date it to the early 70s, so perhaps some company was attempting to challenge the Minimoog and decided against it? If anyone has any information at all on what this could be, I'd sure appreciate it! I'm happy to answer any questions about this synth."

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Rosen Sound Synth Demos & Restorations

Published on Jul 28, 2018 Rosen Sound

This one in via Soviet Space Child.

www.rosensound.com/rentals

Playlist:
1. Oberheim OB-X - Rosen Sound Demo

The OBX was the first major "answer" to the Prophet 5 synthesizer, and at least in our opinion, was the best answer anyone could've given.

The OB-X is based on the basic design of the (S)ynthesizer (E)xpander (M)odule also from Oberheim. Like the SEM, it features two discreet VCO's with saw and pulse, two envelopes, and the low pass section of the SEM filter. It also added noise, a release control, and cross modulation (similar to the Prophet's cross mod). The prophet's cross mod was a bit more dynamic, though. A flexible LFO section is also featured.

None the less, the OBX is in a species all of it's own in many ways. It's one of the very few mostly discreet programmable polyphonic synthesizers, and more than that spec, it sounds unique and absolutely marvelous.

Our unit features encore midi

Book your rental package with Rosen Sound and see the rest of our synth catalog at www.rosensound.com/rentals

2. Moog Minimoog - Rosen Sound Demo

3.SCI Prophet 5 - Rosen Sound Demo

In a lot of ways this needs no introduction. One of the most iconic poly synths ever made, and the first synth to offer true programmability with polyphonic architecture.

The Prophet 5 offers your basic amenities in a poly synth with 5 voices each with 2 VCO's, a low pass VCF, a VCA, two EG's, one LFO with multiple wave shapes available, with POLY MOD as the icing on the cake. This lets you make FM type sounds and is part of what makes the prophet 5 unique.

Our unit features factory midi

4. Oberheim Four Voice - Rosen Sound Demo

This in our opinion is one of the finest synthesizers ever made in terms of overall sound. The features are of course many and the synth as a whole is very flexible and powerful, but the sound it outputs is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The FVS features 4 Synthesizer Expander Modules (SEM) each representing a polyphonic voice. This means for one patch, each SEM must be setup identically. This may seem like too much, but it's actually a very enjoyable process that causes you to think different about the patch your making, the polarity of your modulation per voice, and subtle differences you can set.

The synth can also be used in a powerful unison mode, allowing each SEM to be adjusted separately for a crazy 4x dual oscillator synthesizer each with a multi mode filter to be fired at once.

Each SEM is as or more powerful than your standard mono synth, featuring 2 oscillators with saw and pulse each, PWM, FM, 1 LFO, two EG's, a bi-polar filter modulation control, and the sweetest Oberheim filter ever made featuring a bandpass filter and a sweepable LP-HP filter. These filters are special in the way that when the resonance is turned up, there is no loss of volume or low end.

Additionally, our FVS is an early model with no programmer (a feature loathed by many anyway). Instead, it features 2 dual mini sequencers with a common clock available. This means you can do 8-step 4 note poly sequencing between the four SEM's, or split the keyboard with one sequencer playing 1 SEM and 3 note chords on the other side of the keyboard.

Functionally, our FVS is very much in tune and has been stabilized to survive travel and tuning consistency. It is in tune as soon as it's turned on, and we provide a quick start guide for our rental customers to learn how to easily program and tune the machine.

Our FVS also features MIDI in via a modified YARN's module installed inside. This allows through basic midi and if desired (more complicated) midi scripts to play it polyphonically (default on boot), sequence each SEM assigned to a separate channel (enabling MPE), or played in Unison. All of these features can be harnessed by utilizing SYSEX or the Yarns editor, all which is provided on a thumb drive for rentals.

5. Moog Memorymoog - Rosen Sound Demo

To start, let's forget the internet-lore or an "unreliable" and "impossible to tune" machine. Our service shop is known worldwide for our work on Memorymoogs and stabilizing them for real production use.

Now, let's introduce you to (what we consider) the pinnacle of Moog synthesizers. With 3 oscillators + ladder filter per voice, flexible and intuitive modulation, and a knob per function, the Memorymoog is not a force to be reckoned with, and is in what we consider to be the top 3 best sounding synthesizers ever made.

From lush pads, 18 oscillator unison leads, heavy bass, and even gentle timbres, the memorymoog is sure to be a staple piece for your session in any genre on music. Plus it has everyones favorite feature: an arpeggiator!

Our rental memorymoog will arrive with an expression pedal and 12 custom patches (87-99) made by our resident in house programmer, Eli Goss. These 12 patches are the juice that will fuel modern productions to achieve sounds unobtainable by any other synth, with plugins not even worth a mention.

6. Oberheim OB8 - Rosen Sound Demo

One of our staple synths in the collection. The lore of the OB8 is that it's a less-exciting OBXa, however, with some choice mod's which we've done to ours, they are sonically identical.

The OB8 is one of the most flexible synthesizers available, which includes deep LFO routing from the front panel, and a PAGE 2 function that transforms every knob and button on the synth to do even deeper modulation, including quantized LFO's, musical "OBXA" style detuning, envelope routing, and more.

Additionally, our OB8 has been fitted with a Pratt & Read keybed, which brings the true feel of American poly synths to the experience, while also having the amenities provided by the B5 EPROM including factory midi.

7. Sequential Circuits Prophet 10 - Rosen Sound Demo

The Prophet 10 is more than just 2 Prophet 5's in one box; featuring an active EQ per voice, deeper modulation, and more performance capabilities with it's dual manuals and CV pedal inputs. This prophet 10 also features midi in and out.

8. Oberheim Four Voice Sequence

You could do an entire score with this #oberheimfourvoice. With quad poly sequencing and split modes the sky is the limit. Available for rent through us! Contact us for rates and availability. And yes, it has midi!

9. Prophet 5 Rev 3 Restoration

10. Juno 106 Multiboard removal

11. Juno 106 80017A Chip Failure - What To Check

In this video I go over a couple things to check not only to see if your 80017A chips are failing, but also other potential failures of the juno, including failure of one of the MC5534A dual DCO chip.

This video also applies to other models, such as the MKS 30, HS 60, GR 700 and some others.

If you would like Rosen Sound to service your Juno, please contact us at contact@rosensound.com