Eric Schlappi live at DATA/LOSS Gray Area SF 05232026

video upload by SCHLAPPI ENGINEERING

"A live improvised performance by Eric Schlappi at the DATA/LOSS event at Gray Area SF May 23rd 2026. The event was organized and curated by Errorgrid with visuals by Arson Rivvers.

This set had a focus on heavy percussion sequenced by the Schlappi 4 bit ecosystem (Nibbler, BTMX, BTFLD) with an SSF Ultra Kick and Weston AD110 for the actual percussion. Bass and some leads were made with the Three Body, 100 Grit, and another Nibbler generating suboctaves. Delay was 4MS DLD and all compression and distortion with the Schlappi Eddy. Pads and additional leads were a prototype Schlappi desktop polysynth, played by hand with a midi controller.

Eric Schlappi Bandcamp: https://ericschlappi.bandcamp.com/
Errorgrid: https://errorgrid.bandcamp.com/
Gray Area: https://grayarea.org/"

UVI Introduces Rumble - The First Multiband Bass Synthesizer

Playlist:

1. UVI Rumble | Trailer
2. UVI Rumble | Showcase
3. UVI Rumble | Overview
4. UVI Rumble | Tips & Tricks

"Introducing Rumble, the first multiband bass synthesizer

Now available with intro offer at https://www.uvi.net/rumble

For the first time, discover a synth plugin that offers full control over the spectrum through three bands: Body, Character, and Air. With each band, a complete synthesis engine, achieving unmatched flexibility and precision in bass sound design."

"Rumble was designed to meet the needs of contemporary bass: the weight, punch, articulation, and movement that bass-led music demands. To deliver that, Rumble’s architecture treats each frequency band as a full synthesizer engine.

Body, Character, and Air each carry their own oscillator, wave-shaper, and effects, then converge through a shared filter stage, multiband compressor, and master EQ, to produce a powerful, unified voice.

The result is the first multiband synthesizer, built for bass from the ground-up. Layered sub-, mid-, and high-frequency content stays structurally separate, which means low-end weight, midrange definition, and top-end air can each be sculpted on their own terms.

The architecture itself goes deeper: vocal-formant synthesis, drone textures, percussive transients, cinematic motion, vintage analog warmth, all live within the same per-band approach.

The factory library is built by sound designers and genre-specialized producers, with a sprawling range of presets covering everything from 808s and wobbles to drones, motion sequences, and abstract textures.

Most synths give you one engine. Rumble gives you three."

Orange Soma Laboratory Pulsar-23 Organismic Drum Machine

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

via this Reverb listing

Additional SYNTH CITY Listings

"This Pulsar is in great working order with its original gig bag, power supply and alligator clips.

PULSAR-23 is an organismic drum machine designed by Vlad Kreimer. It has a semi-modular structure and consists of 23 independent modules. PULSAR can be used for the synthesis of percussion instruments and rhythms, bass and melodic lines, effects and sound landscapes, as well as a source of control voltage and powerful analog FX processor.The PULSAR functions in three different modes: stand-alone, MIDI control and CV control. Moreover, all the above features and control modes can work simultaneously in any proportion or combination.Additionally, PULSAR offers live circuit bending capabilities and the use of the artist’s body conductivity to create patches and cross modulations. PULSAR continues the line of organismic synthesizers begun by LYRA-8, but now in the area of percussion instruments."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Curves & Membranes - Software Bézier Monosynth w. Orbital Modulators & Membrane Filter

video uploads by Unusable Engineering

Note this is the first post to feature Unusable Engineering. You'll find additional plugins by them below.

Playlist:

1. Curves & Membranes - Software Bézier Monosynth w. Orbital Modulators & Membrane Filter - Walk Through
2. Curves & Membranes - Sound Demo and Patch Ideas - No Talking
3. Curves & Membranes | Synthesizer Patch Creation & Sound Design Walkthrough
4. Curves & Membranes v1.1.0 | New Features and Sound Examples
5. Curves & Membranes Filter Walkthrough | Understanding the Membranes
6. Unusable Engineering Jam | Curves & Membranes in a Different Context
7. Unusable Engineering Update | Curves & Membranes Features and Grain Discharge
8. Unusable Engineering Breakfast Jam | Curves & Membranes + Full Bundle

"Curves & Membranes is a focused mono synth built around a shapeable Bézier oscillator, two visual modulation systems, and a membrane-based filter. In this full walkthrough I go through the core ideas behind the instrument, how the oscillator works, how the preset morphing and orbital modulators create movement, and how the membrane filter shapes the sound.

The goal with Curves & Membranes was not to make a do-everything synth, but to build something more specific: a synth where sound, shape, and motion are tightly connected, and where the structure stays easy to understand while still allowing a lot of character and timbral movement.


More info: https://www.unusable.net/"

And a playlist of addtional plug-ins by Unusable Engineering:



Playlist:

1. Synaptic Resonance | Neural Vocoder Walkthrough

Synaptic Resonance is a neural vocoder-style effect where incoming audio, or an optional sidechain, excites a two-dimensional neural simulation. That simulation is then read back somewhere else and used to animate a bank of forty steep resonant band-pass filters.

In this walkthrough I go through the basic idea behind the plugin, show how the Stim Plane and Read Plane shape the behavior, and explain how the neural controls affect the way the model reacts, spreads, remembers, recovers, and settles.

The core idea is fairly simple: the input excites the model, and the output is affected by reading the model. That is what gives the plugin its character. It can behave like a vocoder, a resonant filter instrument, or something more unstable and alive depending on how it is set up.

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Eric Schlappi, Schlappi Engineering: Ein Leben für Module, FM und Distortion

video upload by AMAZONA Music Mag

"Heiner Kruse interviews Eric Schlappi, who is famous for his distortion and FM synthesis modules. He also talks a little bit about his polyphonic prototype and his new album.

00:00-01:34 Introduction
02:30-07:45 Three Body, FM & Ratios
07:45-09:17 100 Grit
09:17-12:52 Subtle Differences regarding Distortion, also in Three Body, plus Crossmodulation, The „magic“ Feedback path
12:52-13:50 Prototype: Standalone digital polysynth based in Three Body
13:50-15:15 Running into John Chowning
15:15-15:45 Micromoog audio rate filter frequency modulation
15:45-16.15 John Chowning 2018 on FM synthesis
16:15-17:00 Eric Schlappi’s album
17:05-17:39 Outro

https://ericschlappi.bandcamp.com/alb..."

Whimsical Raps - Atrium - First Experiment - Completely Wild!

video upload by Richard Devine

"five voices of analog synthesis, controlled and modulated polytimbrally. We’ve taken ideas from our decade of modular exploration and rethought how we reach into polyphony.

Each voice is shaped by its harmonic energy while three core timbre modes push into richer territory. from simple suboctave and noise waves, through frequency modulation, to formant synthesis reimagined. all squeezed through a lowpass/gate combination, providing balance and occasionally emphasis.

no digital multi-effects here, just spectres in the machine. a novel configuration of three filters, two delays, and feedback. front and almost center — this resonant body is meant to be played. sequenceable, modulatable, while feeding back not just sound, but shape for unfolding cybernetics.

and to modulate! everything mappable to everything else, tactile input extended on the fly, mapping as a performance in itself. Sources are dynamically phased across voices and stretched in relative duration. gestures captured into five recorders, extending play rather than overriding it, all twisted in time at your whim.

Atrium is deeply learnable, and for those moments of quick change, instantly recallable. extensible with usb and midi and cv input."

https://atrium.whimsicalraps.com/

Introducing the Body Synths Laboratory

video upload by Body Synths



"The Body Synths Laboratory is a dual-channel effects processor and feedback synthesizer.

Four feedback paths sit at the core of the Laboratory. Route signals, control delay repeats, or add gritty textures. Push them far enough, and the system enters self-oscillation—even with no input. From there, every control reshapes the feedback into anything from subtle drones to harsh noise madness.

Each channel features three voltage-controlled effects: gain, delay, and filter. Run the channels in series or in parallel. Push signals from silence to amplification with the Gain control. Drive the Delay into dirty territory at longer times—we’ve used that famous karaoke machine delay chip. Combine both channels to create multi-tap or ping-pong echoes.

The Resonant Filter provides Low-Pass and High-Pass modes. Chain the two channels in series to create Band-Pass responses. A final clipping stage at the end of each channel adds compression and distortion when driven to extremes.

We’ve also included a global Modulator that can operate as either an Envelope or an LFO, with two positive and two negative CV outputs. Patch them to build effects like tremolo, vibrato, chorus, moving stereo filter sweeps, modulated delays—it can get pretty wild.

The Body Synths Laboratory is being developed in collaboration with Andrey from the Berlin-based pedal company akkusativ.

Body Synths Laboratory

Release: 2026. Price: TBA."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Poly Schlappi with Eddy

video upload by SCHLAPPI ENGINEERING and Stazma

"Hey there!
Today I'll show you how to use to turn the Three Body into a weird three voices polyphonic oscillator with help from the Boundary Layer and Eddy.
Have fun!!!"

Ocean Swift Releases Oscillarys - Flagship NKS Synthesizer

video uploads by Ocean Swift / Faxi Nadu

Press release follows:

Ocean Swift releases Oscillarys - a flagship atmospheric synthesis engine for Kontakt Player

Ocean Swift announces the release of Oscillarys, a new flagship NKS instrument developed in collaboration with Native Instruments. Crafted for cinematic scoring and deep ambience, Oscillarys is a three-layered synthesis engine designed to bridge the gap between raw texture and ethereal musicality

The developer quotes:

"Oscillarys blurs the border between the organic and the spectral with an atmospheric synthesis engine built for motion. By layering deeply detailed textures with sweeping filters and shifting modulations, this instrument conjures tones that breathe, dissolve, and reform - shifting seamlessly from crystalline harmonics to distant electric choirs. It offers a sonic body that is darker, smoother, and undeniably alive with motion, bridging the gap between raw texture and ethereal musicality."

Oscillarys is available exclusively via the Native Instruments online shop starting February 12, 2026, for an introductory price of €47.40 (Regular MSRP €79.99), reflecting a 40% discount.

Purchase at Native Instruments

Learn more at Ocean Swift

CLICK FOR MORE »

How to patch evolving textures

video upload by SCHLAPPI ENGINEERING and Stazma

"Schlappy Patching 2026 EP.3

Hey there!
Today I'll show you how to create evolving textures using the three oscilators of the Three Body and modulate their phase or FM indew with a Boundary Layer.
We will explore very slow modulation as well as more rhythmic behaviours during the video.
Have fun!!!"

Schlappi Engineering - Three Body (sound.report english) - Play'n explain

video upload by Heiner Kruse - The Green Man(TGM) - sound.report

Timestamps:
00:00-00:10 Intro + strong bass demo short
00:10-04:20 mainly simple phase and frequency modulations
04:25-06:55 nasty crazy stuff
06:55-10:55 evil Basswerk bass

Schlappy Minutes - 2025 Compilation

video upload by SCHLAPPI ENGINEERING and Stazma

"As advertised...
All the Schlappy Minutes of the year, for you here in one place.
Have fun!!

More infos on all modules at:
https://schlappiengineering.com

Time stamps to all the patches:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Nibbler Chiptune Arp
01:38 Angle Grinder Pings
02:37 BTFLD Noise Generator
03:37 BTFLD Burst Generator
04:37 Angle Grinder 808 Style Kick+
05:38 Three Body Chords
06:34 Drume Machine Destruction
07:34 Stereo Sine & Co-Sine
08:35 Stereo Saw & Co-Saw
09:32 BTFLD CV to Gates
10:30 Boundary Layer Triple Envelope Follower
11:35 Boundary Layer Multi Modulation
12:41 Boundary Layer Transient Generator
13:45 Boundary Layer Cascading Envelopes
14:50 Three Body DX7 Style Algo FM
17:49 Nibbler Reset & Sub
18:42 Drone Part.1
19:41 Drone Part.2
20:43 Bound as Velocity
21:43 BTFLD Parallel Fuzz
22:39 Nibbler Chiptune Scratch
23:42 Boundary Layer Gate Delay
24:58 Band Reject Filter
26:27 Three Body Hard Sync
28:08 No Sine Phase Mod (stay till the end)

#eurorack #modularsynth #modularsynthesizer"

Error Instruments Introduces Das Ritual Candle Flame Synth Noise Generator

video upload by errorinstruments paul tas



"✨ The Ritual — Let the Flame Speak ✨ The Ritual is not just an instrument. It is a presence — a small, mysterious machine that invites sound, light, and spirit to merge into one living moment. At its core, The Ritual offers two elemental voices: a warm, crackling texture like burning wood, and a deep, sub-harmonic bass that vibrates through the body. Two outputs, two energies, both ready to shape the atmosphere of your space. But the true magic lies in the heart of the machine. In the center burns a candle. Three light-sensitive sensors observe the living flame — every flicker, every breath of air, every tiny movement of light. The flame becomes the conductor, shaping rhythm, modulation, and tone. It decides the pulse. It guides the sound. It becomes an oracle of vibration. With control voltage input, three intuitive potentiometers, and full compatibility with stand-alone setups, pedal chains, and Eurorack systems, The Ritual integrates effortlessly into any sonic temple you create. Add a touch of delay, let the harmonics bloom, and suddenly the sound becomes something else — psychedelic, hypnotic, deeply alive. A soundscape where chaos becomes beauty, and the smallest movement of fire transforms the entire universe of tone. Hand-crafted by Error Instruments, built in rugged Bricky format, The Ritual invites you to surrender your control and let the flame speak. Light the candle. Start The Ritual. Let the fire shape your sound"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Aggression Therapy | Looking for mean and vicious sounds in Eurorack

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"The word 'aggression' is used in this video to express a certain quality of sound and music. It's not indended and should not be associated with any form of violence. In music, it can emphasize the emotion or reveal what's happening in an actor's mind. It's an element of storytelling. Use it wisely.

For some reason, people love aggressive sounds and we wouldn't be having heavy metal, noise muisic and industrial grunge without it. Some brands, not calling names, specialize in it. So I've been thinking. Does an 'aggressive' VCO exist? Modules like Three-Body, Plasma Voice, Loquelic Iteritas Percido and WaveRazor came to mind, but the level of rudeness completely depends on who's patching it. Not calling any names again. I think 'aggression' - it's a bad word, I know - is a recipe where you'd drive your gear into distortion, self oscillation and cross modulation. However, it's often about grit, dirt, filth and grunge. You don't need violence to enjoy it, it's just 'colors' and many of these colors are all over mother nature.

The ultimate showcase would be Noise Music, but I think that noise doesn't tell a story and emotions need to develop. So it needs some kind of storytelling. In this video, I'll explore some VCO's and combos that will balance the edge of noise, and then try to manage it. Even the most brutal noise becomes percussion when you sculpt it, and even the most civilized module can reap havoc and bring chaos."

KORG Collection 6 - TRINITY: The 1995 Icon Reborn

video upload by Korg

CLICK FOR MORE »

Whimsical Raps: Atrium

video upload by Whimsical Raps

"Atrium is a new instrument, where playful gestures meet dynamic systems.

new ways to compose
 new ways to express
  new ways to play

https://atrium.whimsicalraps.com/

five voices of analogue synthesis, controlled and modulated polytimbrally. we’ve taken ideas from our decade of modular exploration, and rethought how we reach into polyphony.

each voice is shaped by its harmonic energy while three core timbre modes push into richer territory. from simple suboctave and noise waves, through frequency modulation, and landing in formant synthesis reimagined. all squeezed through a lowpass/gate combination, providing balance and occasionally emphasis.

no digital multi-effects here, just spectres in the machine. a novel configuration of three filters, two delays, and feedback. front and almost centre — this resonant body is meant to be played. sequenceable, modulatable, while feeding back not just sound, but shape for unfolding cybernetics.

and to modulate! everything mappable to everything else, tactile input extended on the fly, mapping as a performance in itself. sources are dynamically phased across voices, and stretched in relative duration. gestures captured into five recorders, extending play rather than overriding it, all twisted in time at your whim.

Atrium is deeply learnable, and for those moments of quick change, instantly recallable. extensible with usb and midi and cv input.

//

a series of improvisations, exploring but a few edges of this new instrument.

performed by Trent Gill
recorded by Dani Derks
projections from Sean Hellfritsch"

The Florian Schneider Collection to Be Auctioned at JULIEN*S November 19

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

via JULIEN*S

"THE FLORIAN SCHNEIDER COLLECTION

Auction to be held at Musician's Hall of Fame & Museum, Nashville, on November 19

An incredible collection of more than 450 artifacts from the life and career of Florian Schneider, co-founder of the pioneer electronic band Kraftwerk."

Pics and videos featuring some of the gear below, and his Lederhosen for good measure (thanks greg!).

Update: the post has been fully updated with all the synth related gear. This may just well be the longest post to be featured on the site. I wanted to capture all the pics for all of the details including notes, scuffs, and of course serial numbers. It's an interesting look into what he used, the condition he keped his gear, in some cases, how he actually used his gear. Note the phonetics on the keys of the Casio CZ-101 and DX-100. Note the Midi Switch Box with a built-in speaker? What's that about? Note the camouflage key strap on the Korg RK-100 Remote Keyboard. Did he pick it out himself or did the keytar just come with it? Note the repeat midi controllers and the MIDI saxaphones. Wind was his primary instrument. You'll find a ton of the acoustic gear he used in the other listings. This is a fascinating insight into both what and how he used his gear.

Side note: there is no affiliate compensation for this post. The note at the top automatically shows for all posts with the Auction label.


Rack Mount Sennheiser VSM-201 Vocoder

Starting Bid $5,000

Estimate $20,000 - $40,000 USD

A late 1970s Sennheiser VSM 201 Vocoder with no serial number from the personal studio and collection of Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk (see images). While it’s said that only a few dozen of these Vocoders were produced, a few examples made it into the hands of forward-thinking musical artists including Herbie Hancock, Daft Punk, and of course, Kraftwerk, who used a VSM-201 like this on their albums Man Machine (1978) and Computerworld (1981). The VSM-201 has an intelligible sound that has not yet been bested by modern gear. Includes power cable. This VSM-201 has been removed from its wooden enclosure (which bears the serial number plate) and modified with a metal rack mount casing, presumably for live use. Requires 240v, IEC power cable not included.

Dimensions: 19 x 9 x 9 inches

Category: Kraftwerk, Equipment

Provenance: PROVENANCE From the Estate of Florian Schneider

CLICK FOR MORE »

Spectravox and DFAM | Advanced Physical Modeling

video upload by Moog Music

"In this video we explore the principles of physical modeling synthesis using DFAM and Spectravox.

We begin with a summary of physical modeling synthesis. Physical modeling models an excitation signal (the isolated sound of a finger hitting a drum head, a pick plucking a guitar sting, a bow bowing a cello string) and a resonating body (a drum, a wooden block, a string coupled with a wooden body, etc.). Excitation signals are usually very short sounds full of harmonics and noise – we use DFAM to sculpt a broadband signal with lots of internal dynamics using DFAM’s three envelopes. Spectravox’s ten resonant filters with individual level control are then used to model a resonating body. DFAM’s velocity sequencer further allows us to create a sequence with harder or softer drum hits, while its pitch sequencer can move Spectravox’s filters via the SHIFT input for fascinating tonal changes."

Labyrinth and Subharmonicon | Tangled Transpositions

video upload by Moog Music

"In this video we tie Labyrinth and Subharmonicon’s sequencers together for tangled transpositional movement.

We begin by mixing the VCA outputs of each instrument using Labyrinth’s utility mixer. We then show how to quantize Subharmonicon’s two sequencers to generate sequences of octaves and then add those sequences to Labyrinth’s two sequencers to generate polyrhythmic octave transpositions. Labyrinth’s voice is sequenced by Labyrinth SEQ 1 and transposed by Subharmonicon SEQ 2 while Subharmonicon’s voice is sequenced by Labyrinth SEQ 2 and transposed by Subharmoncon SEQ 1. With Labyrinth’s quantizer set to Hirajoshi pentatonic scaling octave transpositions from Subharmonicon work well regardless of western tonality. Using more traditional western scales from Labyrinth we can set the steps of Subharmonicon to values other than octaves (e.g. perfect fourths/fifths) provided we stay in key."

Drone | The Schlappy Minute

video upload by SCHLAPPI ENGINEERING

"This is the Schlappy Minute.

Today I quickly show you how to use the Three Body and 100 Grit together to create some big sounding drone."

Three Body & FM Algorithms | The Schlappy Minute

video upload by SCHLAPPI ENGINEERING

"This is the Schlappy Minute.

Today I get into how to use the Three Body as a kind of typical FM (Frequency Modulation) tone generator and how to think the three different VCO as operators and 'algorithms'."