Update: not sure if this is a circuit-bent Speak & Math or if it's just the case with other internals. If you know feel free to leave a comment.
"The Diamond Dreams MT-404 Custom by Peter Edwards of Casper Electronics & Bastl fame.
This is portable live performance art in your hand; the stuff usually reserved for names like Patton and Elfman.
It is a prototype. The only one.
I am including the original notes and instructions that accompanied this instrument. A lot of time was spent considering how the musician/user would interface with the device respecting what it was capable of at extremes of deviation from the manufacturer's specification.
Note the little catch so the battery compartment door can't get away from you. The battery compartment is clean and it will run on batteries. It also comes with a wall wart style a/c cable so you can plug it into an outlet in studio and not worry about battery life.
This level of technical design and craft is truly exceptional. R2-D2 love songs, Aleatoric effects, gibberish, future-retro sci-fi grime and garbage.
Just a heads up, the lineup for Moogfest 2017 has been announced. As always, check out moogfest.com for full details on the event. The following is a small capture for the archives via the Moogfest newsletter.
"Hailed as 'the most adventurous and cutting edge' festival of 2016, Moogfest returns with a commitment to futurist conversations and performances that wrestle with our historic moment, and reflect on the festival’s home in North Carolina.
In celebration of its 11th iteration, Moogfest will unveil its lineup over the next 11 weeks through their weekly “Future Thought Future Sound” email newsletter, inviting the Moogfest community to explore program themes like Transhumanism, Techno-shamanism and Protest.
Published on May 8, 2014 ScrewedCircuitz·25 videos
These in via FSK1138. New company from Montreal. This is the first ScrewedCircuitz post on MATRIXSYNTH.
Circuit bent Speak & Math meets Death...
Published on Feb 18, 2014
"Found footage! I was going through my camera and found a couple of videoz of circuit bent past projects/tests. Here we have 15 oscillators (for this one, probably 6 or 9 out of 15) and the speak & math going through a passive ring modulator. Noisy and harsh. No more skulls for a while after this one ;-)"
Circuit bent noise box with delay
Published on May 5, 2014
"I'll keep this simple,
This is a cicuit bent synth made for Igor Amokian.
Hope he likes it... Hope you do too ;-)
Thanks for watching!"
Circuit bent drumz/lunetta jam
Published on Feb 21, 2014
"This was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Sebastian Trafalgar decided to try out my new circuit bent drum/lunetta. Very cool artist. So glad my camera was nearby...
"This is a carefully designed Circuit Bent instument. The unit functions as normal, but includes the following added modifications: * LFO activation Toggle * LFO shape knob * LFO rate knob * LFO depth knob * Tone hold button * Tone lock toggle * Repeater loop toggle * Three fixed glitch toggles which can be used individually or combined * Pitch activation * Pitch high/low adjustment knob * Speaker on/off * 1/4" mono output jack for routing to amp, mixer, DAW, etc. * Master power/reset toggle"
"Features Of The 'FREAKENSPEAK': The Versatile Texas Instruments Speak & Math Electronic Voice Chip Is The Basis For Synthesis. Candy Colored Soft Grip Base Pitch Knob. Opto Theremin For Wild Pitch Swooping & Whammy Style Effects. Loop Engage & Hold Switches For Creating Looping Electronic Rhythms & Repeating Percussive Effects. Synthesizer Sound Freeze & Sustain Switches. Two Glitch Switches Generate Random Speech & Synth Effects Dependent On Mode Of Operation. Gold Body Contact Dish & Gold Hologram Contact Sensitive Facade For Sensitive Whammy Style Effects, Warbles & Natural Musical Phrasing. 1/8 Inch Output For Connection To Recording, Effects & Amplification Devices. Twin Bright LEDs For Dramatic Performance Gestures In Low Light & Dark Venues. Anamorphic Design With Positionable Segmented Legs & Segmented Claws; & Two Holographic Eyes Make This A Truly Unique Display Object Device When Not In Use. Runs On Four 'C' Batteries... Not Included To Lower Shipment Cost To The Buyer. Secure Fitting Battery Compartment Cover & Clean Battery Compartment."
I recently discovered Don Juan Dracula back on March 4th, this year, when their manager Shane Chisholm contacted me about doing an interview with the band. I'll be honest and say I was a little reluctant at first because this site is about "the synths and not the band," but I liked what I heard, so I asked him if it would be alright to focus on synths and run the interview with their keyboard player. I got the thumbs up, and the following is that interview. I've been listening to their album for some time now and I must say I really do like it. Catchy stuff that will get stuck in your head for days and keep the energy going. Don't miss the videos below. One of which, "Run Away With You" features a kid in the video with a custom toy keyboard. Apparently the kid in the video made it when he saw Hennings keytar and they decided they just had to let him use it in the video. Pretty cool. That said...
1. How many members of the band play synths?
Henning: Our songwriter Henrik uses keyboards as well as guitar when he writes songs, but while recording and live it's me who playes the keyboards.
2. When and how did you get into synths?
Henning: In 2000 I think, Henrik asked me to play keyboards in his new band. I hadn't really played keyboards before, but like a lot of kids I was forced to take piano lessons when I was growing up, so I still remembered a little. When we started out, all we had was Henriks old Casiotone MT-800 and a Casio SA-10. Those two keyboards were the basis of our first EP and live-shows for a couple of years.
3. Do you view yourself as a synthesist, keyboard player or both?
Henning: I don't really see myself as neither actually. I like to collect old keyboards, synths and gadgets that make cool sounds. And I play them in a band.
4. What synths do you use in the studio and on tour.
Henning: Live i mainly use a Yamaha SHS-10 as a MIDI-Controller for the Korg Microkorg. That way I'm able to move around more on stage. I really like the diversity of the microkorg, and the simplicity of it's interface. Being able to quickly switch between custom sounds and finished presets makes it ideal for live use, which is probably why everyone is using them these days. Though it seems everyone is using one these days.
I also still use that old Casiotone and a Yamaha kids organ once bought at a flea-market for the lead-sound of "Take Me Home". We have gradually moved away from the pure Casio-pop sound, using more real instruments as well as synthesizers and not just FM-keyboards.
In the studio we have started to use more soft-synths lately as well, mainly because it's easier, and cheaper. Unfortunately we don't have the money to buy every synth we want.
We will be recording our next album soon, and we're looking to purchase the new Korg MicroX before that. I'm also trying to get hold of a Korg MS-10 for the studio-session. Everytime I buy a new synth or keyboard we try to use it somewhere in the recordings. That way we get a variety in the sound. I try to not use the same sounds more than once... We have used quite a lot of different gear over the years. Mainly cheap kids-like stuff, I just like the sound...
5. What is your favorite synth and why?
Henning: The Casio VL-1. Just because it's so small, and still so funny sounding. And it's a calculator as well. A friend of ours actually used his on a math exam once...
6. What do you think about the role of synthesizers in music today and it's influences in the past? What would you consider to be you main influences (musicians, technologies, anyone)?
Henning: The last couple of years you have started to hear more and more bands becoming popular using synthesizers in their songs, and I like that of course.
-Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yazoo -not so much Erasure) and OMD has influenced me a lot with their simple monophonic style of playing and composing.
-As well as Casio.
7. What is your dream synth and why?
Henning: I have been dreaming of getting a Moog Prodigy and a Yamaha Cs-5 for a little while. Because they are the synths mostly used on my favorite album by Depeche Mode "Speak & Spell".
8. Do you prefer a particular type of synthesis (analog, digital, modular, FM, etc) and why?
Henning: I do (of course) prefer real vintage analog stuff, because it's the "real deal". But it's very hard to get hold of here in Norway, and lately americans on ebay don't want to send their stuff to Europe anymore. I also have a love for beaten up kids' casio stuff. I still look for them at flea markets every spring.
9. BTW, I was wondering what the little keyboard in the "Run Away With You" video was?
Henning: haha !
-it's actually a danish kids toy keyboard called "elektronisk keyboard 11 -100" gaffa-taped onto a kids guitar!
-The kid in the video made it himself actually before the videoshoot after he had seen pictures of me with my keytar. So we had to let him use it...
--------------------------
And there you have it. I want to thank Shane Chisholm and Henning Krane of Don Juan Dracula for taking the time out for the interview. I also want to give a big thanks to Shane for giving out 20 free downloads of DJD's album to Matrixsynth readers (they are all gone, btw). DJD is about to break out on the international scene and I wish them all the luck. I had a great time going back and forth with them for this interview. When they get big, remember... You saw them here first!
I'll leave you with two of my favorites from the band:
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