EEH Banana Rare German Vintage Synth - First encounter

video upload by The Associate

"Just serviced the rare EEH Banana from 1981. It´s a six voice analog synth with two oscillators per voice. This was from the first owner who bought it at Synthesizer Studio Bonn in the early 80s. Looks like an Oberheim but sounds more Moog-like in my opinion. Just demonstrating some of the first sounds I created on this synth."

Ben&Stelios@KSYMENov2025

video upload by Schema Musicalis

"Ben Roidl-Ward: bassoon - Stelios Giannoulakis: EMS Synthi100
Free Improvisation at ΚΣΥΜΕ/CMRC, Athens 27 Nov 2025

A frequency-to-voltage converter and two envelope followers allow Ben's bassoon to drive voices from the synth, while Stelios radically adjusts parameters and adds elements with the joysticks, the faders, and the other controls. No other sources or effects were used.

Recognized by the Washington Post as one of the artists “changing the sound of classical music,” Ben Roidl-Ward stands out for his technical and expressive versatility. He is an Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois and Principal Bassoonist in three symphony orchestras. He collaborates with the Ensemble Dal Niente and the Lucerne Festival and has participated in over 180 premieres. He studied at Northwestern, Rice, and Oberlin, mentored by prominent bassoonists. On 27 November 2025, together with the Composer Niki Charlafti, Ben visited CMRC to present the project Building Bridges. Stelios Giannoulakis is a Greek composer and engineer playing with modular and circuit-bent devices. While teaching Electroacoustic Composition and Creative Music Technology at ΚΣΥΜΕ, he has been fortunate to become familiar with the historic EMS Synthi100 analog synthesizer.

from the event:
'Tο ΚΣΥΜΕ φιλοξενεί τον Αμερικάνο φαγκοτίστα Ben Roidl-Ward (Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) και την Ελληνίδα συνθέτρια Νίκη Χαρλάφτη (PhD in Composition and Music Technology, Northwestern University) με το project Building Bridges. Παρουσίαση και συζήτηση πάνω στην δημιουργική και εκπαιδευτική προσέγγιση της ομάδας, εκτέλεση έργων για σόλο φαγκότο των Μηχάλη Παρασκάκη, Στρατή Μηνανάκη και Νίκου Χαριζάνου, αυτοσχεδιασμός με το EMS Synthi100 από τον Ben Roidl-Ward και τον Στέλιο Γιαννουλάκη. Το Building Bridges έχει σκοπό την ανάθεση, εκτέλεση και προώθηση τολμηρών νέων έργων για φαγκότο από Έλληνες συνθέτες σε διεθνές επίπεδο, όπως και την εκπαίδευση και διασύνδεση διαφορετικών ομάδων ακροατών'"

Georgia Tech Announces 28th Annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition Finalists

video upload by Georgia Tech School of Music

"Ten innovators from six countries have advanced to the competition's final round. They will meet on the Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, Georgia on March 13 and 14, 2026, to compete for $10,000 in prizes. Each finalist and their instrument has a compelling story — these are the world's next generation of musical instruments."



Press release follows:

28th Annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition Announces 2026 Finalists: The Next Generation of Musical Expression

ATLANTA (February 10, 2026) — The Georgia Tech School of Music has announced the ten finalists for the 28th annual Guthman Musical Instrument Competition. Often cited as "the Pulitzer of the new instrument world" by The Guardian, the competition identifies the inventors and instruments that will define the next century of performance.

The competition is essential to the "lifeblood" of the music industry, providing the research and development that leads to new sonic textures. Past finalists include industry-shaping brands such as Artiphon, Roli, and Teenage Engineering.

The 2026 Finalists: The ten finalists include instruments that redefine the relationship between the player and the sound source. Highlights include the Gajveena, a seven-foot bass-veena hybrid; The Amphibian Modules, which uses salt water to shape audio; and VERTO, which allows players to "sculpt" electricity using magnetic fingertips.

Other finalist innovations—The Lethelium, The Masterpiece, Fiddle Henge, Post-Digital Sax, EV, The Demon Box, and Kalíptera—offer new paths for the future of the performing artist through robotic automation and digital-acoustic hybrids.

See and hear the 10 finalist instruments in this short YouTube video.

The Judges: The 2026 competition will be overseen by a prestigious panel of judges:
Gérard Assayag: Founder of the Music Representation Group at IRCAM.
Kerry Hagan: Researcher at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in algorithmic composition and real-time processing.
Vivek Maddala: Four-time Emmy-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist.

"Georgia Tech’s sponsorship of the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition reflects the school’s role as a premier institution for musical innovation," said Jeff Albert, Associate Professor and Competition Head. "Our focus remains on the human and artistic impact. Our classes and programs are providing a platform that gives musicians new ways to create music and sound, ensuring that the technology serves the art."

The competition will be held on the Georgia Tech campus on March 13-14, 2026, with $10,000 in prize money awarded to the winners.

Pictured in order:

Finalists Collage

The Demon Box [additional posts here]

The Masterpiece

The Amphibian Modules

Kalíptera

The Lethelium

EV

Fiddle Henge

Gajveena

and

Post-Digital Sax

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sanjay C went to the SYNTH EXPO...these BLEW him away!

video upload by Sanjay C

"🚀 Free Guide: Improve Your Studio Today — https://www.sanjayc.com/free
I went to Synth Expo 2025 and got hands-on with some of the most exciting new gear on the floor, including the Sequential Fourm and Soma Labs Flux. In this video, I’ll show you standout finds from brands like Roland (TR-1000), Kurzweil (K2061), Landscape Synths, Synclavier, Arturia, Daydreamer Synth, Novation (Launch Control XL), Bored Brain, Synth Rise, Groove Synthesis, Entropy & Sons, 1010 Music, Vermona, and Copper & Cedar (ProxiMIDI). From experimental designs to modern classics, this was a synth lover’s dream — and I’ve got the highlights right here.

#MusicStudio #MusicProduction #SanjayC

These links may be part of affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Timestamps
0:00 Sequential
0:31 Roland
1:03 Torso
2:23 Kurzweil
2:45 Landscape
3:23 Synclavier
4:31 Arturia
5:52 Soma Labs
6:35 Daydreamer Synth
7:10 Novation
8:19 Bored Brain
8:43 Synth Rise
9:18 Entropy & Sons
9:48 1010Music
10:36 Vermona
11:01 Copper & Cedar"

Tranquil Micro Worlds & Ambient Electronica | Live Music + Microscopic Creatures

video upload by Saul Stokes

On this episode of Frequensea, I build a live electronic track to coincide with microscopic videography created by Geoffrey Attardo, Ph.D. Geoffrey is an Associate Professor at the Department of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis in California. Halfway through the performance, I talk about how the videos were made and what Wetland they are from, along with a short conversation about some older musical gear that found new life in my studio.

Korg MR3 with RE1 remote editor
Eventide Time Factor
Line 6 EchoPark
Mutable Instruments XT Hybrid Monosynth"

Instagram: / saul_stokes_music
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kE0k...
Apple Music: / saul-stokes
Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/6474747
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B000...
Bandcamp: https://saulstokes.bandcamp.com/

New Tiptop Audio & Buchla 230t Tips and Tricks

video upload by Todd Barton

"Just a few ideas for patches with the Tiptop Buchla 230t Triple Envelope Follower. Also, checkout Stazma's video on the 230t:"

[The new Tiptop Audio & Buchla 230t announced in May is now out. Check with dealers on the right for availability.]

Tiptop Audio & Buchla 230t Demo

video upload by Stazma

"Today we are going to check out the new module from the Tiptop & Buchla 200t serie: the Triple Envelope Follower Model 230t.

It's a fantastic addition to the 200t echosystem, that will let you control dynamic or timing with external audio such as, microphone, samples, drum pads, electric instruments, field recording or anything in that spirit. It can also be used as an decay envelope in the system or in compression / expansion patches."

TipTop Buchla 230t – Triple Envelope Follower // Interact with your patches!

video upload by Dexba

"The Buchla 230 is here, and while it might not be the shiniest module (I know you're lusting after the tenth granular effect or the twelfth tape-inspired contraption), it's quite a useful and FUN one!
Not only does it stop the modular from being this separated entity, and it gives it back the ability to listen and interact with the real world, but analysing the internal signals can be a productive endeavour too.
In this video, I'll show you some cool patches, and I will introduce the concept of sidechain in the Buchla system, which in this case was used in the most common way we associate with the term, but it can also be a powerful tool to swell reverbs, make multiple voices arise in a sea of notes, and, in general, make more lively patches :)"

Check with dealers on the right for availability.

Additional 230t posts

FREE VST – Lo-Fi Strings Walkthrough – Cassette Warble Meets Orchestral Beauty

video upload by CROW HILL

"Explore LoFi Strings, the latest free addition to the Vaults collection from The Crow Hill Company. We ran lush orchestral string recordings through a vintage cassette deck to capture authentic tape compression, saturation, wow & flutter, hiss, and drop-outs - bringing nostalgic warmth to the orchestral world."

Press release follows:

The Crow Hill Company lets loose …LO-FI STRINGS as latest VAULTS… virtual instrument release, free for all to download with no strings attached

EDINBURGH, UK: readily representing a quite literal realisation of company co-founder and composer Christian Henson’s heartfelt dream of encouraging people to make music and help them on their journey, regardless of whatever point they were at and wherever their journey began, as the latest addition to the free-for-all-to-download-and-make-music-with-for-the-rest-of-their-lives-styled collection curated with the same care and attention to detail as the Make Music, Your Music motto-abiding Edinburgh-based enterprise’s paid-for releases, The Crow Hill Company is proud to announce availability of its VAULTS - LO-FI STRINGS virtual instrument — introduced with no strings attached, albeit actually, in this case, there are, but only of the lo-fi musical kind that are central to the tool in question seriously satisfying those who like the sound of their recorded strings to be unrefined by being fully adulterated through a knackered cassette tape with just a pinch of wobble in the process of doing what it easily does so well — as of August 14…

CLICK FOR MORE »

Emulator II purportedly played by Brent Mydland of the Grateful Dead

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

via this Reverb listing

"This Emulator II has been lovingly refurbished and brought back from the Dead (quite literally!)

This particular unit has a storied alleged past that I would implore you to read up on the Mystery Circuits webpage.

I purchased this off eBay about 7 years ago in non-working condition from a seller who had bought it locally from an estate sale in California some years before. I had missed the chance to buy one while they were still somewhat affordable, and this was my chance to get my hands on one. There were a couple of low quality photos included in the listing, but from what I saw it was an Emulator II unit being sold for parts/non-working that I thought there might be a possible chance we could get it up and working again.

I received the unit and it absolutely had seen better days. There was partially disintegrated black foam from a touring case scattered in openings, it was missing it's floppy drive. That's when I notice a Dead Head sticker on the back of the unit. My immediate reaction was to remove it, as my synth heroes all played these: Depeche, Pet Shop, New Order, etc. Why would anyone associate an Emulator sampler with the Grateful Dead? Before I proceeded to remove the sticker I did a quick online search. Faamous Emulator II players...Brent Mydland of the Grateful Dead!? And there was a photo...NO WAY! I stared at that photo, it was awfully close. The sticker placement, the serial number placement. This is way too close of a resemblance. Long story short my tech Mike Walters out of Chapel Hill NC reached out to the Dead's synth tech and did as much research as we could. The conclusion was ultimately inconclusive with a wink wink from Bob and the rest of the Dead crew.

Fast forward to 2021 and there is an auction for Dead memorabilia and instruments. Brent's Stage Used Emulator II is now up for auction. This should dispel any questions, we must not have the unit. But wait! After closer examination- there's some odd sticker placements and the serial number and FCC sticker are considerably further away then the photos of Brent playing his stage used Emulator. My working opinion is the auctioned off unit was likely a backup unit.

Modernized and retrofitted with a SD floppy emulator and new LCD backlight. We kept the original overlay (which is starting to peel in flake in certain areas) but can include a replacement overlay if you so desire. The outer casing has seen life outside of a studio and does show some wear."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Oberheim Matrix-12 add-on sample/patch bank for the Prophet X | Download now!

video upload by Espen Kraft

"Prophet X add-on pack with Oberheim Matrix-12 samples and patches.

Fat, powerful, lush and so 80s. Everything you associate with that 80s Oberheim synth signature sound. It's all here in this pack.

The price for this add-on is $15USD (or €15Euros if you're in Europe) and I think this is well worth it.
I will only sell these add-ons (more are on the way) directly through email. My CONTACT email address is this: espenkraft69@gmail.com

If you want to purchase this pack please send me an email and I'll give you instructions on how to order.

If you want a bundled (discount) price for multiple packs just let me know.

In the download you will find all the individual patch sysex files as well as the full bank of 37 patches. These will be transferred into Bank U2 at Patch 37-73.

For your convenience I've also included a duplicate bank which will go into Bank A1 at Patch 37-73. This will work perfectly if you already have my Memorymoog add-on pack in patches 1-36 from before.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Finding that perfect sample loop point | Prophet X Tutorial

video upload by Espen Kraft

"The challenge is as old as samplers. Finding that perfect loop point was often impossible. You could get close, but rarely perfect. Some samplers made the task easier than others.

Today I often use a program called SampleRobot to help make sample libraries for the Prophet X. That works very well for recording fresh, but if I have a sound from before, just ONE sample, and I want to stretch that out over the entire keyboard, I have to use the inbuilt sample loop functionality in the Prophet X itself, just as we had to do back in the day with the sampler we had at hand.

The challenge now is to find that perfect, or nearly perfect loop point. How do we do it?

When you stretch out a sample over the entire keyboard, the sample engine will have to stretch that sound out, altering the frequency of the sample itself. It will make higher pitched sounds end faster, while lower pitched sounds last longer. That will drastically change the timbre of the sound and many prefer that sound to a hi-fi multi sampled version of the same patch. It's all a matter of taste. The sound of a sample stretched takes us back to the 80s. Artifacts and aliasing etc. Many associate that sound with something nice and cosy.

Find my music here:
Bandcamp: https://espenkraft.bandcamp.com/"

NOISE CHOIR | Make Noise

video upload by MAKEN0ISE

"We don’t usually immediately associate the sound of a choir with noise... but let's consider the Noise mode of Spectraphon."

http://www.makenoisemusic.com

Chaos Bells | Make Noise

video upload by MAKEN0ISE

"’Tis the season to synthesize some bell sounds! The Spectraphon’s new Chaos mode is actually "Chaos optional." That is, it is very possible to do a nicely tuned modulation that gives the sort of sonorous ringing we associate with bells. The amount of cross modulation and noise that we add in, via the Slide control, is entirely up to us.

http://www.makenoisemusic.com/modules..."

Moog Liberation "Keytar" Synth w/Original Case, Interface, Manuals SN 3212

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

via this auction, also on Reverb

Note auction links are affiliate links. See the site's privacy policy for more info.

"A complete (with owner's manual, service manual, case, power supply/interface, modern replacement interface cable) and functional example.

Our keyboard associate in the shop spent a couple hours testing every single key, switch, slider, wheel, pad, etc. (Yes, we pay him to have fun!) His only notes on playing condition: "Switches in modulation section took some working back and forth to get consistent operation. 'EMPHASIS' slider only seems to have audible effect at the top quarter of its travel range."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Modbap Trinity - 3 Channel Digital Drum Synth Array Eurorack Module

video upload by Modbap Modular

"TRINITY is a 3 channel Digital Drum Synth Array packed into a 20hp eurorack synthesizer. Effectively, Trinity performs as 3 powerful drum voices packaged into one beastly drum module with a few tricks up its sleeve.

The name Trinity refers to the 3 drum channels and tips its hat to the core elements of any modern beat driven composition which is typically Kick, Snare and Hat. Trinity takes this simple idea and flips it on its head with 3 channels and an array of drum synth algorithms that use various types of synthesis (Subtractive, Additive, FM & Noise) allowing for a wide array of drum design capability that achieves and reaches far beyond the conventional."

Modbap Trinity Introduction

Press release follows:

Modbap Modular expands Eurorack module lineup with Trinity debuting as a DIGITAL DRUM SYNTH ARRAY at Knobcon Number Ten

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA: black-owned Eurorack modular synthesis and electronic musical instrument manufacturer Modbap Modular is proud to debut Trinity — the fourth entry in its expanding Eurorack product lineup as a three-channel DIGITAL DRUM SYNTH ARRAY, as the appropriate wording on the distinctive-looking, triple-colour-highlighted-branded front panel in reference to effectively performing as three powerful drum voices packed into a 20HP module with a tip of the proverbial (electronic hi-) hat to the typical (kick, snare, and hi-hat) core elements of any modern beat-driven composition subtly suggests, albeit with some neat production tricks thrown into the musical mix — at Knobcon Number Ten, a one-of-a-kind synthesizer convention now in its tenth year, held just outside of Chicago, IL, USA, at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, September 9-11…

“Trinity has evolved over time to become what it is today.” Modbap Modular founder/owner/designer Corry Banks is perfectly positioned to introduce Trinity to the musical masses, historically highlighting its interesting journey getting there thusly: “I wanted a drum module that would allow me to have a simple-yet-smacking kick, snare, and hi-hat in one module. I also wanted to play outside of that simplicity with malleable percussion synthesis. Trinity had to have a degree of hands-on control, together with a good deal of CV and/or MIDI control. I get into sound design, too, so Trinity had to serve me well in that area, and it does not disappoint. Trinity is all of that, while finding a way to introduce a few interesting and fun quirks as well.”

With that being said, Trinity takes the simple idea of tipping the proverbial (electronic hi-) hat to the typical (kick, snare, and hi-hat) core elements of any modern beat-driven composition and flipping that on its head by combining its three channels with an array of drum synth algorithms that use various synthesis types — namely, BLOCK (analogue-inspired drum synth building blocks featuring a sine and triangle core; great for traditional electronic drum creation), HEAP (additive drum synth with 12 partials; great for fun, natural sounds and pitched, percussive sounds), NEON (FM drum synth engine; great for high-quality FM drums, clangorous metallic percussion, and more), and ARCADE (quirky noise generator synth, reminiscent of classic Eighties-era arcade games with zaps, crashes, explosions, and more; great for claps, hi-hats, and even some vinyl noise approximations, as well as all sorts of fun percussion and degraded noises) — to allow for a wide variety of drum design capability that achieves and reaches far beyond the conventional. Clearly living up to its front panel-positioned DIGITAL DRUM SYNTH ARRAY wording, which immediately steers its users into a certain way of thinking, Trinity’s array of digital drum synth algorithms are very malleable, thanks to the seven sizeable knobs and four mini-pots positioned in the upper half of that distinctive-looking, triple-colour-highlighted-branded front panel. Put it this way: each control a specific parameter and characteristic — PITCH, SWEEP, TIME, SHAPE, GRIT, DECAY, EQ, CLIPPER, HOLD, VOL (volume), and, of course, CHARACTER — for each drum voice. The three — DRUM CV1, DRUM CV2, and DRUM CV3 — channels each have their own TRIG (trigger) and V/OCT (one-volt-per-octave) inputs in addition to extensive CV input options, all available for front panel-positioned patching purposes.

Trinity takes its capabilities several steps above and beyond anything comparable in the modular Eurorack world with cyclical (C. MODE) options offering round robin and random playback, as well as two STACK modes. Musically, round robin cycles through the drum algorithm types one after another with each trigger, while random randomises the parameters of a channel’s chosen drum algorithm type with each trigger. Those STACK modes are inspired by the characteristics of chopped breaks where drums tend to overlap and fan out, depending on the content of the chopped source material. Trinity’s take on that allows the second and third drum channels to be triggered by the primary channel’s TRIG and V/OCT inputs; in addition, ‘secondary’ STACK SPREAD functionality allows for fanning out the stacked drums to taste.

Trinity’s uniquely performable and switchable OUTPUT matrix allows for the routing of each drum channel’s output to the MIX output, the individual — DRUM1, DRUM2, and DRUM3 — output, or ALL. As such, easy performability, mutability, parallel processing, or side chaining are all perfectly possible.

Thereafter, Trinity’s USB MIDI connection allows for MIDI control over various parameters via one USB cable. Clearly, USB MIDI makes instant integration a cinch by simply connecting one USB cable from Trinity to a groove-box or computer.

All in all, then, Trinity packs a hefty percussive punch, weighing in at a 20HP width with 11 knobs, three drum channels, three trigger buttons, four drum algorithms based on four different synthesis types, 24 CV inputs, three-output switching with three individual outputs, a mix output, and MIDI-over-USB connection belying its 26mm depth. Concludes Corry Banks: “I think we’ve achieved a good deal more than we even initially set out to do with Trinity.” That’s really saying something — all the more so since the truly talented individual concerned holds an Associate’s Degree in Electronics, a Bachelor’s Degree in Technology Management, and a Master’s Degree in Project Management! After all, Trinity truly is a percussive powerhouse of synthesis — so much more than a simple-yet-smacking kick, snare, and hi- hat in one module, but rather a Eurorack module like no other... one which is bolstered by its inclusion of a bunch of really dope-sounding synth algorithms with which it does not disappoint.

Duly making its debut at Knobcon Number Ten, a one-of-a-kind synthesizer convention now in its tenth year, held just outside of Chicago, IL, USA, at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, September 9-11, anyone wishing to see (and hear) Trinity in action in advance of shipping should seriously consider checking it out there — assuming, of course, that they are in the general vicinity or prepared to travel at short notice if not already attending.


Expected to ship in mid-October 2022, Trinity is available to preorder at an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of $549.00 USD via San Clemente, CA, USA-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers (https://www.electro-distro.com/dealers) or directly via its dedicated webpage (which includes more in-depth information) here: https://www.modbap.com/products/trinity

ARP 2500 MELODIC PERFORMANCE FEAT. VINCE PUPILLO JR.

video upload by EMEAPP

"This video features EMEAPP's associate director (and chief knob twiddler) Vince Pupillo Jr. taking our beautiful, fully-equipped ARP 2500 system for a melodic and rhythmic ride (along with a vintage ARP 1613 Sequencer). This performance was originally recorded for Alex Ball's amazing film "Electromotive-The Story of ARP Instruments" which chronicles the timeline of Alan R. Pearlman and the company and instruments which resulted, with the crown jewel being the 2500. Enjoy the blippy bloopies!"

Fess Grandiose: In Sequence - Using Peak Presets // Novation

video upload by NovationTV

"In this edition of Artist: In Sequence, we caught up with the talented, Chicago-based beatmaker and producer - Fess Grandiose. As an associate editor for Reverb and instructor at Afrorack, an organisation that uses modular synthesis to bridge equity gaps and helps bring African American youth into the world of STEM, he's a central part of the Chicago music community.

He talks about how Peak's presets allow him to get ideas flowing quickly, and why sequencing Peak and his modular system with Circuit Tracks makes for a fun, hands-on approach to making music.

--- Discover Peak:
https://novationmusic.com/en/synths/peak"

Novation Artist: In Sequence posts

ARP 2600x2=ARP 5200: DUAL ARP 2600 MELODIC PERFORMANCE FEAT. VINCE PUPILLO JR.

video upload by EMEAPP

"The iconic ARP 2600 is an undeniable classic, 50 years old and going strong. Here in their full glory are our pair of Tonus-era ARP 2600 semi-modular synthesizers (the 2600 on the left was formerly Jack Bruce's) running in tandem with our ARP 1613 Sequencer along with the Arturia KeyStep, KORG SDD-3000 digital delay and Roland MX-1 performed by EMEAPP associate director and sound designer Vince Pupillo Jr.. This performance was created for and featured in the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation's ARP 2600 virtual 'Synthposium' on September 18, 2021 which celebrated the 50th anniversary of this legendary instrument. Both of our organizations are dedicated to preserving the legacies of electronic music pioneers and we are proud to be a partner with Dina Pearlman and her dedicated team who do wonderful work in uplifting the life and legacy of Alan R. Pearlman. This one's for you Dina! Enjoy!"

https://alanrpearlmanfoundation.org/

MFB's Manfred Fricke Has Passed Away

Left: Manfred Fricke (via Amazona.de) back in the day with his first creations, the MFB-501 drum machine (right), and MFB-601 digital sequencer (left).

2nd image is Manfred Fricke with the MFB SYNTH II at SUPERBOOTH (unknown source).

We lost another legend in the synth world. Sad news in via STROMKULT: "'On June, 17th around 11am Manfred Fricke from Berlin alias MFB sadly passed away after having had a hard time with cancer for a while already. He left his wife Gloria and his son Jean-Marcel behind, we are all very sad having lost this partner, friend and father.'
HerrSchneider

Manfred Fricke was one of Berlins pioneers of analog synth and drum machine makers. He has been the weapon of choice for many (not only) starting musicians. Let’s be honest, who didn’t have one of his creations early in his or hers journey into electronic musical instruments – or at least thought about getting one – and why shouldn’t you? Manfred Fricke's machines always brought something unique to the table, they were mostly analog, affordable, in small plastic housings and just did the job. Manfred always focused on keeping his products affordable for his clients and the instruments quite often made their way to professional use later on, and the musicians often kept their first units as something almost holy, because it were these machines that paved the way into analog electronic music making.

But it would be too short-sighted to associate MFB only with budget entry-level products. Especially the drum machines Tanzbär and Tanzbär II, or the great Dominion 1 show that Manfred Fricke also built machines that met higher demands. The Tanzbär, in particular, is considered by many to be their favorite drum machine of the last few years, especially in terms of its amazing sound.

We hope that MFB will continue to exist and that it will continue to make it easier for many generations of musicians to enter the world of electronic sound production.

We wish Manfred Fricke's son Jean-Marcel continued success for the future of MFB and extend our condolences to him and his family. And lets hope that Manfred will finally meet up with all the other good guys on the other side.

Rest In Peace."

MFB TANZBAR 2 pic via STROMKULT.


video upload by 7V-STUDIO

MFB's Manfred Fricke's first procuct, the Fricke MFB-501 drum machine.

Description via this video:
"This little analog beatbox was developed in 1980 1979 by Manfred Fricke. It was offered at 380 DM. As a low-cost model on the market for analog rhythm generators the small black and white "Switch Box" quickly found a lot of friends, because its configuration could be compared to its expensive far east competitors: 64 patterns and as many fill-ins switchable via micro switches, speed ​​control via potentiometer, 10 analog percussion instruments (activated by means of micro switches), combined mono/stereo outputs (jack), In & Out (5 Vss) and trigger footswitch inputs (jack) for start and fill-in
(retail price for the switch at 16 DM). An external wall power supply provides 12 volts.

Approx. 5000 units of the MFB-501 had been sold. Not so bad for a one-man company. So this drum machine is one of the top-selling devices in the history of the Berlin engineer offices M. Fricke . If you're lucky, this iconic device can still be found on the relevant internet sales platforms.

Today, maintenance of this tiny noise machine is still easily feasible, because Fricke employed only commercially available components. Therefore, 'presumedly dead 501's' can be reanimated without major problems."

MFB 601 Vintage Digital Sequencer, Teardown, Repair and partial analysis


Published on Feb 2, 2015 FPV Electronics

Note this video is FPV Electronics of course, and not Manfred Fricke.
"This device is exclusively built from 7400 and 4000 series basic logic ICs. Making it must have been so much more difficult than just programming a generic µController as we would do today."

Timeline via http://mfberlin.de/en/about-us/:

1976: MFB was founded by engineer Manfred Fricke. So far there were more than some hundred products constructed and distributed. The first developments and products were primarly video games for industrial playmachines.

1979: A lowcost drummachine was introduced in 1979. (98 DM for the self construction kit). The legendary drumcomputer MFB-501 was finished and sold. Although it was not the most prominent drumcomputer of that time it surely was one of the best selling drum units in Germany. Some shops sold ten times more MFB-501s than Roland TR-808s. More products for the musician followed, such as the Digital-Sequencer MFB-601 and the digital drum machine MFB-512. All of these featured rich products were offered at exceptional low prices.

1984: The E-Drum module series 1000 and 2000 followed with corresponding pads.

1986: A new construction period started in 1986 with product launches of the MIDI-CV converter MFB-201 and the MIDI drummer MFB-SYNTH was finished in 1997, although its development dates back to the eighties. The machine never went into production since 2001, the year of the company´s 25th anniversary because of decreased interest in analogue synthesizer technology especially in the sales channels.

From 1986 Manfred Fricke specialized in products for video applications. Alone 20 different framegrabbers for the Apple II, C-64 und IBM compatible PCs were constructed. A very high percentage of these framegrabbers were and are still in use for special industrial purposes. Custom development is still done here, so these specialized tools are not available for other customers.

1994: MFB introduced the world´s first videomixer below 1.000 DM, the MFB-901. Its successor MFB-902 was available in 1995. Another important development in the video section was the model MFB-912, a digital video memory. This 1998 product was highly acclaimed by the press.

1999: The successor MFB-915 added sound and higher picture resolution. It´s available since October 1999. Another successor is the model MFB-920 with an integrated harddrive offering better options for nonlinear cutting and post processing of the recorded material.

2001: During this year, Manfred Fricke also developed another new MIDI drum-module. MFB-KULT, includes most of the famous sounds of the older machines. Both MFB-SYNTH and MFB-KULT are availabale since December 2001. Because of constant requests for the digital sequencer MFB-601 a successor MFB-602. was introduced in May 2002.

2002: Since August 2002 there´s also a little brother of the MFB-SYNTH, the MFB-SYNTH LITE

And of course the MFB DOMINION series and the MFB SYNTH PRO.

There have been 1747 MFB posts on the site prior to this one. MFB has been a mainstay on the site and Manfred Fricke will be greatly missed.

EmissionControl2 first play

Todd Barton

"I'm just beginning to explore this amazing software. Here is the link to download it gratis: https://github.com/EmissionControl2/E...

And here are the specifics:
The Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology (CREATE) at UC Santa Barbara has released a new software app for sound granulation: EmissionControl2 for MacOSX, Linux, and Windows. EmissionControl2 is a granular sound synthesizer. The theory of granular synthesis is described in the book Microsound (Curtis Roads, 2001, MIT Press). Granular synthesis is one of the most important methods of sound design.

Features of the software include:
Granulation of multiple sound files simultaneously (up to 1 GB of samples can be loaded)
Supports up to 2048 simultaneous grains (limited by the user’s hardware)
Synchronous and asynchronous grain emission
Intermittency control
Per-grain signal processing (envelope, waveform, amplitude, frequency, spatial position, filter center frequency, and resonance)
Modulation control of all granulation parameters with six LFOs (bipolar or unipolar waveforms)
Real-time display of peak amplitude, grain counter, waveform, scan range, scanner, and grain emission
Scalable GUI and font size
MIDI Learn enables mapping to any MIDI continuous controller
Unlimited user presets with smooth interpolation for gestural design
Code is open source and available at GitHub
The new app was developed by a team consisting of Professor Curtis Roads acting as project manager, with software developers Jack Kilgore and Rodney DuPlessis. Kilgore is a Computer Science major at UC Santa Barbara. DuPlessis is a PhD student in Music Composition at UC Santa Barbara and is also pursuing an MS degree in Media Arts and Technology.

“Professor Roads and his team worked for 20 months on this outstanding project,” said Professor JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Director of CREATE. “It is the ultimate granulator,” said Roads, who teaches electronic music at UC Santa Barbara and is also Associate Director of CREATE."

Buchla Bananas Explained

Joel Davel

"A brief history and description of Buchla banana cables and jacks and the pragmatic inspirations for their colors as presented by long-time Don Buchla associate, Joel Davel. (Plus a post-credit scene for Buchla 208 nerds.)"