All Hallow's Synths

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Roland System 100, SH5, ARP 2500 and Sequential Drumtraks having a little Halloween party 🎃"

Evolving Riddle-4

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Yesterday a new part of the riddle arrived in the post - a beautiful Ensoniq SD1!

The SD1 is a Transwave Rompler workstation from 1990

Did you know that Ensoniq founder Bob Yannes invented the Rompler as we know it (and also the SID chip)? The very first one was called the ESQ1 and came out in 1986, the year before the Roland D50, and then all the other ones from Korg, Yamaha, Kawai, Emu, Alesis, and Kurzweil, each quickly developing their own digital rom chips. Actually Bob used single cycle waveforms stored in rom, but the basic structure and concept of the ESQ1 is what became the rompler. It had 3 simple rom-based VCOs that could be layered and sent through an analog filter. It is a wonderful, epoch defining synth - totally underrated IMO

It was enhanced and repackaged as the SQ80 in 1988 as a fully realised Rompler with more memory for the read-only samples

Their follow up was the VFX which added Transwave synthesis - a bit like the PPG wavetable idea where you can move through the waveform and modulate it. However the VFX had some reliability issues and was replaced a year later by the SD1 which also added a sequencer, and more voices and memory

And this is what we have here - mixed in with the other synths - Quadrasynth, TG33, Waldorf Microwave2 and the Roland JV1080

The reverbs are the Lexicon 224X and the Quantum Room Simulator

There is one part of the riddle left to make - I'll try and work on it tomorrow. Then I will release them all as an album - 'Evolving Riddles' by Benge 😀"

Evolving Riddle

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Some ambient fun on 90’s synths

I used to be afraid of 90s synths - very afraid

My album 20 Systems stopped short of the 90s because I was scared of what happened next - it went all Rompler, and workstation, and presets, and tiny complicated interfaces with tiny silly screens and, like, two buttons to navigate the most complex synths ever made

But recently, I am learning to love my 90s synths. Some of the best and most beautiful sounding instruments were made in the 1990s and here are four of them - the Alesis Quadrasynth (1993) , a true 4-Layer Rompler with dual integrated FX units. The Yamaha TG33 desktop synth (1990) - using a hand-me-down straight from the Sequential Prophet VS, including a crazy vector-dial. Thirdly, the Waldorf Microwave-2 (1997) - a direct descendant of the PPG Wave series of wavetable synths. And finally the Roland JV1080 (1994) - their flagship Rompler derived from (and vastly expanded upon) the legendary D50 LA synth

I also added a plethora of vintage FX units to the mix (through the Neve 88D) - a Lexicon Model 200, Prime Time 95, AMS RMX16, Quantec QRS, and Eventide H3000 (the blue one) for good measure

The video doesn’t matter here - it’s about the s o u n d today

Thanks for listening"

Original SEM vs Behringer—Which Reigns Supreme?

video upload by Memetune Studio

"A basic comparison between a vintage Oberheim SEM and a Behringer 2-XM

The idea is to see if the VCO, VCF and envelopes sound and behave the same, or are there subtle differences that mean that I won't be selling my Four Voice any time soon 😉"

Modular Moog (vintage)

video upload by Memetune Studio

"The Moog sounds so rubbery and gorgeous today

And the 914 Fixed Filter Bank sounds a bit like waves on an electronic beach"

Summersend - ARP2500

video upload by Memetune Studio

"This is a live performance on the ARP 2500 using the "concrete" box

The patch uses 1 looper and 1 delay, with Lexicon Model 200 and PrimeTime 95 via the Neve 88D console

The Arp has a really basic patch - just 2 VCOs tuned 2 octaves apart going into the Filtamp - but I can bring them in separately or together using the Filtamp input mixer. There's also some cutoff mod from a 3rd VCO. The 2500 sounds so natural, rich and organic, I love it - almost like an acoustic instrument (The Concert Grand of Synths!)

You might notice I set up the lower half of the keyboard to send out triggers to stop/start the looper recording - I was VERY pleased with myself when I figured I could do that 😁

It builds up a bit like the evening heat across a late-summer lawn"

Seiko Synth Addendum

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Here's a sequence I cut from the latest Memetune Programme episode [posted here] because I wanted it to flow better. It's some extra Seiko DS demos - straight from the Tomorrow Today studio!

All sounds made on the Seiko DS additive synthesis system - multitracked on the Neve 88D with some Lexicon 224XL

Cheers!"

TMP-3-05 Vintage Synth TV Series from Benge

video upload by Memetune Studio

00:00 Opening Titles
00:17 Introduction
01:25 Switched On 80s
12:54 Little Black Boxes
15:48 Commercial Break
17:26 Patching Today
26:07 Synthesiser Club
29:19 Video Lab
33:44 Outro

"////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Episode five of the third series of the TV program from Benge, made at his Memetune Electronic Music Studio

The series explores his passion for vintage synthesiser instruments and studio gear and how he uses them in his productions and collaborations

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It is divided into the following sections:

CLICK FOR MORE »

E-Me

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Not E-Mu - it's E-Me!

Kind of seven over five MIDI pattern (the way it repeats) triggering the E-Mu

The tone of the E-Mu just sounds so beautiful. It is almost heart breaking

There's also a Studiomaster Studiofex delay, a Yamaha REV1 delay and an AMS RMX16 reverb"

Roland Ocean

video upload by Memetune Studio

"This is a live performance on the Roland SH5 using my newly formed "concrete" box. The box has 4 loopers, 3 delays, a granular pitch shifter, a filter, 2 compressors, a stereo FX AID unit based on the Spin FV1 chip and an O'Tool monitor

The patch uses 2 loopers, 1 delay and the FX AID

It builds up a bit like the swell of the ocean on a rainy day"

Benge - Self-Playing Patches

video upload by Memetune Studio

"A new album of experimental modular synthesiser music by Benge

'This series of studies explores an idea that Benge has been working on over the past year or so, namely that of Cybersynthesis. This involves programming self-contained patches on various modular systems which, once set in motion, will produce dynamic, evolving soundscapes, sometimes purely abstract in nature, at other times veering towards the more melodious

Many different methods were deployed in the patches, depending on the system being used, but normally multiple sequencer and switching devices were combined to give varying degrees of control over long time periods, often without repetition

Other things like random control signals and semi-random events were combined with the sequencers and switching units to bring variation to the performances the machines were making'



Find out more here:

https://modular-station.com/modulisme..."

D-Mu

video upload by Memetune Studio

"A little sequence on the Emu Modular through some delays (Studiomaster Studiofex and Lexicon Prime Time 2 Model 95) and a Lexicon 224X

Shot on a vintage Sony PD150 video camera"

Deux Chevaux (2hp - get it?)

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Here I am exploring some 2hp tiny little euro rack modules - putting them up against one of the first and mightiest modulars of all time

The 2hp modules are: 2 x Loop, a Pitch and a Delay - and the combination gets us some very nice (in my opinion) 'Concrete' behaviour

This piece is pretty much a live performance, I set up 1 pass of the Buchla going to Loop module 1, set it to loop round, repeated this going to Loop 2 and then I had a live pass going through the Pitch and Delay which I messed about with alongside manipulating the Buchla settings (mostly Gate attack and decay settings, and controlling 3 VCOs pitch with the Touch Keys)

The 3 mono channels were panned and recorded down at the same time - kinda playing along to the Loops in real time. The video was faked - ie I ran out of hands so I filmed it afterwards, but you can see the patch cables - they are the same as the recording patch

Hope that makes sense

Bye!"

Buchla 200 and 2HP Loop

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Here is another Buchla exploration with the Sputnik 289 and also a set of 2hp modules - the Loop and the Pitch which are a really great way of capturing audio (up to 5 mins) and then messing with it

In this patch I have got 2 channels going through the 289, 2 channels coming from the VRS23 and one from the 2hp modules, all being mixed and recorded through the Teenage Engineering TX-6

The result sounds something like me tuning a radio while falling down a mine shaft into an underground cavern filled with wasps"

Buchla 200 Defect Processor 289

video upload by Memetune Studio

"A self playing patch on the Buchla 200 - using the astonishing Sputnik Defect Processor - which I am just learning how to use

It is a dual stereo audio processor and sound source based around the open-platform FV-1 reverb chip from Spin Semiconductor. However the FV-1 can be programmed to do lots more than reverb - you can create stereo delays, feedback loops and FM oscillators, frequency shifters, phasers, filters - basically any time-based effect, all with CV control. New algorithms can be made with a developer kit then stored on EPROM and loaded into the Buchla 289 Defect module

This one has the original set of 16 algorithms but I have a spare set of EPROMS that holds newly developed reverbs and delays based on the classic 224 early 80s algos by modwiggler maxl0rd (a very nice person because he sent me them for the cost of postage)

This module is a very interesting addition to my 200 series system and I look forward to exploring its potential in more depth"

Vertical System 1 - Buchla 200

video upload by Memetune Studio

"A very long abstract ambient scary thing on the Buchla 200 through the Dynacord VRS23 (which is amazing by the way)"

TMP-3-04 Vintage Synth TV Series from Benge

video upload by Memetune Studio

Additional episodes

00:00 Opening Titles
00:17 Introduction
01:25 Switched On 80s
13:08 Synthesiser Club
15:58 Little Black Boxes
20:05 Commercial Break
23:45 Patching Today
35:08 Video Lab
40:29 Outro

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Episode four of the third series of the TV program from Benge, made at his Memetune Electronic Music Studio

The series explores his passion for vintage synthesiser instruments and studio gear and how he uses them in his productions and collaborations

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It is divided into the following sections:

SWITCHED ON 80s - This third series takes an in-depth look into six classic 80s synthesisers, selected because of their interesting and unique attributes

SYNTHESISER CLUB - A short musical demonstration of a synthesiser classic or three, concentrating on 'families' of synths

LITTLE BLACK BOXES - A further look at some classic rack mount studio gear of the 80s and 90s

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Some shameless Memetune shilling

PATCHING TODAY - A deep-dive into vintage modular systems and how to set up a patch on them, starting from scratch, this time using Cybersynthesis techniques to bring an element of surprise to the patches

VIDEO LAB - A look at old video equipment and how to create experimental visuals, concentrating on a specific device in each episode

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

In THIS episode:

SWITCHED ON 80s - A detailed presentation on the Oberheim Xpander hybrid polysynth from 1984

SYNTHESISER CLUB - The Emu Strut - featuring the Emulator 2, the Drumulator, the Proteus/2 and the mighty Emu Modular 2000

LITTLE BLACK BOXES - A look at the highly underrated Yamaha TX16W and its companion reverb unit, the REV7

COMMERCIAL BREAK - Some adverts for Memetune-related goodies, including the Memetune Annual 2024, the range of Memetune merchandise and Benge's FORMS series of single-synth albums

PATCHING TODAY - on the incredible ARP 2500, which I bought exactly 20 years ago this month

VIDEO LAB - In this episode we take a closer look at the Grass Valley Indigo AV Mixer, which is the central hub of the Video Lab, and provides many more ways of getting that genuinely vintage look to the Memetune video productions, in particular using its memory recall system which allows you to program complex time-based actions

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

LINKS:

Benge's Studio Blog: http://myblogitsfullofstars.blogspot.com

Memetune Studio Instagram: @memetunestudio

Benge & Memetune Merch on Bandcamp: https://zackdagoba.bandcamp.com

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The MemeTune Programme Credits:
Everything in this video was created by B D Edwards (Benge)
All music, design, writing, filming and production completed at Memetune Studios, UK, 2025"

Abstract Study 1

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Testing out some ideas for how to interact sound with video

Sound: Buchla 200 / Teenage Engineering TX-6 / Lexicon PCM81 Reverb

Video: Blender / Davinci Resolve"

Background Modulars No.11 Serge Paperface Again

video upload by Memetune Studio

"Don’t have a real Serge Modular Paperface to hand? No worries! Just put this video on in the background (in full-screen mode), and have the next best thing 😁

Here is 10 minutes of self-playing modular synthesiser randomness. Why not put it on loop - then you can have it playing away in the background while you do other things

A note on the patch: I'm using the LW Gated Comparator and the 2 original Paperface Sequencers (from the mid-70s) to run things - as always with a big Serge patch its virtually impossible to keep track of all the connections - its a very complex system - but I use lots of delays here - the vintage Wilson, plus a brand new Prism Circuits Cascade Delay. There are the old Serge dual spring reverbs in here, and the VC stereo mixer to mix it all up and move it all around. This patch is more melodic, using a Serge format Voltage Quantizer to hold it all together. It's going through my Neve 88D along with some vintage FX units - an AMS RMX16, a Bel BD80S and a Lexicon Model 300"

Complex System

video upload by Memetune Studio

"I was wanting a way of setting up an interactive environment to record sounds from some modular systems which could be the basis for some improvised performance based sound explorations

I figured that if I set up some cybersynth patches (ie patches that are evolving by themselves in some way, or are at least dynamically varied over time) and could record some long stereo samples (loops) that could be manipulated live, this might be an interesting thing to do

It occurred to me that the Octatrack, which I got a few years ago and use as a granulating sample mangler, might be perfect to pair with the modulars in this way

The thing about the Octatrack is that it is so unbelievably deep and sophisticated that it can be very difficult to set things up on. I see it as a truly Complex System (AI Overview definition: Complex systems are characterized by numerous interacting parts and emergent behaviors that are not readily predictable from the individual components) and the user manual is utterly hopeless beyond a very basic overview

With the Octatrack you have to basically tell it what you want to do for any given situation. You create a personalised environment inside it and then work within the limitations you set yourself. You have to think of a setup that you want to create, then you build it for yourself using all the different components. In other words, it's not a preset environment that does a few specific things, you have to decide what you want then make it yourself

So I thought it would be useful to have 4 stereo 'Tape Machines' that can be manipulated in real time, with control over the following in each: Pitch, Playback Speed (Timestretch), Direction (forward / reverse) basic Filtering (bandpass) and Delay with feedback. All the things you might find in a Musique Concrete studio in the 1950s (with the addition of granular timetretching)

I might do a more detailed breakdown of the Octatrack patch in the future, but I wanted to live with this setup for a while and make sure it does everything I want it to do in the most efficient way first

This is my first experiment with it, using the Buchla 200. There are two stereo outs from the Buchla - two independent patches running concurrently - going into the Octatrack's dual stereo inputs. These are then fed into the four "tape machines" I created in the Octatrack, which mixes them into one stereo output along with the two live feeds from the Buchla (so what you are hearing is a live mix of the Buchla's 2 voices plus 4 tape loops (30 seconds each) recorded as we go along from the Buchla. As I said, its a complex system 😁"