Speak & Music — Lo Fi Retro Synth as a Virtual Instrument (Decent Sampler)

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"I turned a rare 1980s Texas Instruments toy synth - the 'Speak & Music' - into
a full virtual instrument. Here's the demo and a live track built entirely with it.

This little plastic relic from 1981 has one of the most unique lo-fi tones I've
ever heard: wobbly oscillators, crushed bit-depth, and a raw analog character that
no modern synthesizer can replicate. So I sampled every note, every texture, every
glitch — and built a playable virtual instrument from scratch.

─────────────────────────────────
WHAT'S IN THIS VIDEO
─────────────────────────────────
→ Overview of the original Speak & Music toy synth (1981)
→ Demo of the virtual instrument
→ Live track composed entirely with the virtual instrument and the real one
→ How this fits into lo-fi & ambient music production workflows
→ Where to get the instrument (link below)

─────────────────────────────────
🔗 GET THE INSTRUMENT
─────────────────────────────────
Speak & Music :
Patreon : / speak-music-lo-154500567
Gurmoad : https://alpfv.gumroad.com/l/speakandm...

Speak & Music Bundle with 3 other retro instruments :
Gurmroad : https://alpfv.gumroad.com/l/forgotten...
─────────────────────────────────
ABOUT THE SOUND
─────────────────────────────────
The Speak & Music was part of Texas Instruments' "Speak & Spell" family —
a range of educational toys with surprisingly musical internal hardware.
Its built-in synthesizer produces the kind of retro, degraded, lo-fi tones
that music producers have been chasing with vintage synth VSTs and lo-fi
sample packs for years. This is the real thing, captured and made playable.

Perfect for: lofi beats, ambient pads, cinematic textures, lo-fi music production,
experimental electronic music, and anyone who loves the sound of broken vintage gear.

─────────────────────────────────
⚙️ GEAR & SOFTWARE USED
─────────────────────────────────
• Speak & Music (Texas Instruments, 1981)
• Logic Pro
• IR Tool by Robomitchum"

Testing 9 Experimental Pedal Combinations – Ambient, Loops & Sound Design

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"In this video, I test 9 experimental guitar pedal combinations for ambient loops, textures, and sound design.
If you feel stuck using the same pedals in the same way, experimenting with new pedal chains can unlock fresh ideas.
Even without the same pedals, this walkthrough can help you imagine new ways to use your own gear for ambient and experimental music.

Let me know in the comments if any of these combinations sparked new ideas for you.

00:00 Glitch loop into sliced loop - Stamme[n] + Count To 5
01:15 Random pitched loop into modulated filter - Phantom Limb + Riemman's Grave
02:57 Pitched freeze and sound degradation - Onward + Lossy
04:27 Filter into delay effect loop - Taken + Hosta
05:07 Modulation into Freeze synth effect loop - Superego + Shallow Water
06:23 Time stretching into dynamic pitched freeze - Stamme[n] + Onward
07:50 Time stretching into k-field modulation - Stamme[n] + Shallow Water
08:54 Random pitched loop into resonatr reverb - Phantom Limb + Transmisser
10:13 Error glitch into Time stretching - Onward + Stamme[n]
11:21 .... juste some fun with Shallow Water"

◐ GEAR USED ◑

► ‪@EHX‬ Superego
► ‪@FairfieldCircuitry‬ Shallow Watter K-Field modulator
► ‪@ChaseBlissAudio‬ Lossy & Onward
► ‪@Pladaskelektrisk‬ Täken
► ‪@EarthQuakerDevices‬ Transmisser
► Montreal Assembly CT5 delay / slicer / looper
► ‪@discomfortdesigns‬ Phantom Limb & Riemann's grave
► ‪@drolofx‬ Stamme[n]

Gintronic Transparentsea — MIDI Stereo Multi Effect Electronic Ambient Exploration

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager and ginTronic

"In this video, I explore the Transparentsea, the first MIDI stereo multi-effect tabletop unit designed by Gintronic. More than a demo, I’m letting it breathe inside an electronic ambient setup, allowing it to shape space, stereo width, repetition, and slow transformations over time.

Sometimes it’s barely there. Sometimes it pulls the whole piece forward.

I also explore how it behaves in a real musical context, not as isolated effects, but integrated into evolving ambient compositions.

I’m always searching for tools that don’t just process sound, but create movement within it. The Transparentsea lives somewhere in that in-between space, between rhythm and atmosphere, control and drift.

You can preorder Transparensea here : https://gintronic.io/shop

00:00 Intro
00:42 4-Track tape exploration
02:32 Synced delays with modular synthesizer
03:29 Tips about delays
04:12 Tremolo
05:29 Live track with Transparentsea"

Michelsonne Toy Pianos - Nostalgic Virtual Instruments

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"In this video, I show you how I transformed my two vintage Michelsonne toy pianos and their uniquely nostalgic sound into virtual instruments for Decent Sampler. I go through the full process: from recording and mastering each note through my Revox reel-to-reel, to building the instruments with Michel “Mitch” Pecqueur’s SMP2DS tool. And of course, I’ll also demonstrate how you can use these instruments in your own music — whether directly inside your DAW, with tape loops, or in any sampler format you prefer. Perfect for ambient, lo-fi, and experimental compositions.

◐ Download Michelsonne Toy Piano Virtual Instruments ◑ PATREON : / michelsonne-toy-137606142
GUMROAD : https://alpfv.gumroad.com/l/michelsonnes
DECENT SAMPLER : https://www.decentsamples.com/product...

◐ Download Michel 'Mitch' Pecqueur's decent Sampler Tool ◑
https://github.com/robotmitchum/sampl...
00:00 – Quick Musical Demo
02:50 – Recording the Michelsonne Toy Pianos
06:26 – Building the Virtual Instruments with SMP2DS
07:39 – Additional Demos & Playing Tips"

Making an Ambient Track With Chase Bliss Onward - Beautiful Errors

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"Exploring the Chase Bliss Audio Onward Pedal: Embracing Errors in Ambient Music
Join me on a sonic journey as I explore the Chase Bliss Audio Onward pedal — a truly unique effects unit from ‪@ChaseBlissAudio‬ that invites us to rethink sound through the lens of freeze and imperfection.

In this video, I experiment with its distinctive features across various instruments, weaving ambient soundscapes shaped by creative errors, glitches, and beautiful mistakes.
Through this process, I show how embracing imperfections can open unexpected doors in experimental music composition, and how everyday sounds can be transformed into a rich emotional tapestry.

From subtle warbles to unexpected shifts, the Onward pedal becomes not just a tool, but a collaborator — encouraging exploration and surprise.
Whether you're a musician, sound designer, or just curious about the creative process behind ambient music, I hope this inspires you to find beauty in musical mistakes.

00:00 How I use Onward Pedal
03:55 I create an ambient track using Onward

You can listen to the full EP "Chase Bliss Journey" on my Bandcamp : https://alpfv.bandcamp.com/album/chas..."

PARTICLES - MUTABLE RINGS & NANO MODULES ONA - EURORACK AMBIENT SESSION

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"Nano Module ONA and Mutable Rings go really well together. I took some time to explore these two modules in their basic characteristics, they are the last to be included in my configuration, and I hope to be able to exploit them in more depth in the future. Here, Mutable PLAITS adds a layer of drone to ONA, they evolve together in a semi-polyphony directed by the HERMOD sequencer. And Make Noise MATHS advances the sequence randomly, to create something alive."

DRONE MUSIC PIECE - TAPE RECORDER / GUITAR AND MODULAR SYNTH

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"This long drone music piece is my contribution to the 'asynchronous drone orchestra' back in May 2023 for the Drone Day, a remote collaborative project for which @chelidonframe asked nine different electronic musicians to share a 10 or more minutes sound, be it a drone, a field recording, or a more elaborate sound: those noises have been then mixed and combined resulting in a choral soundscape. I was managing my datas and I found back the video I made for this piece. I thought it would be good to share it..."

POLARITY - MODULAR SYNTHESIZER LIVE PATCH EXPLAINED

video upload by A Last Picture From Voyager

"Recently I received a clone of the 'rings' from mutable instruments to replace my 'telharmonics', and an 'MFX' multi effect from ALM. After a few test patches I dove into a melody that swept me away. And from a melody, I made a complete piece to which I just had to add a bass line to bring depth. As always, I tried to explain this patch with some subtitles. The way I use the filter for this patch is well explained (with other techniques) inside a XAOC Zagrzeb dedicated video from @MonotrailTechTalk Don’t hesitate to ask for more in the comments."

Helmatronic Challenger in the Flesh

via OurDarkness on Gearslutz


CV & MOD BUSSES
"Modulation Sources:
1. The square output of the LFO
2. The triangular output of the LFO
3. The upwards sawtooth output of the LFO
4. The downwards sawtooth output of the LFO
5. S&H
6. Oscillator 4
7. External In 1
8. External In 2
9. Env (the envelope from VCF1)

Modulation Destinations:
1. Oscillators (individually)
2. Filters (both)
3. Pitch (equivalent to modulating all oscillators simultaneously)
4. Pan

Mod Wheel Range:
Specifies how much the modulation wheel affects the modulation between source and destination.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Inside a Waldorf Pulse and Moog Voyager - Transitor Array Filters

There was some discussion on the Waldorf list regarding this video on the Waldorf MicroWave 1 compared to the MicroWave 2. The discussion digressed to the analog filter types used in Waldorf Synths. Till "Qwave" Kopper sent in the following bit of information that I though was interesting and deserving of a post: "in the Pulse there is a CA3046 transistor array in the filter. (last picture, and my fingers shown too)(remember Boele taking these pictures at my home, Georg?)

The Moog Source also uses this transistor array. And if you don't know the sound of the Pulse, but the sound of the Moog Source, you will know it has big balls soundwise.

The Moog Voyager also uses a filter array like this, but the type CA3086 (again last picture).

So even if you know the specs inside, it is still the sound thatmatters."

A fun side note: you might recognize the names Boele (SCD), George (swissdoc) and Till (Qwave) from this post, this post and others (just do a search for them on the top left of this site). They do not work for Waldorf but have definitely been experts in all things Waldorf for as long as I can remember. They all beta test Waldorf gear and they offer great non-official support on the Waldorf list on their own time. All great guys in my book.

Synths in TV and Film

Note: some of the videos below have been pulled from YouTube, but I'm keeping mention of them up as a reference that they are out there.

Let the page load before scrolling - it's a long one.
Be sure to see the Synth Movies list and see the Synth Movies and Synth TV and Film labels for more.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Synths: ARP 2500 played by Phillip Dodds, head of ARP Engineering, Yamaha CS-?.


2. Fame Synths: ARP 2600, MOOG Minimoog

CLICK FOR MORE »