These are my first "ten minutes" (okay, the video turned out a few minutes longer 😉) with the Modern Sounds Pluto semimodular synthesizer. 🎧Headphones recommended for the full sonic experience.
In this small setup Pluto is accompanied by three pedals, the Strymon El Capistan v1, the Chase Bliss/Goodhertz Lossy and the Eventide Space in ModEchoVerb algorithm, all in stereo. Pluto, this tiny little box, is such a fascinating and inspiring instrument. You can get a million and more of sounds out of it. I love how the filter of Lossy changes the overall mood of the sounds.
All sounds and video footage by The Pedalboard Orchestra.
(Disclaimer: This is a non sponsored video. All equipment is self-purchased.)
"Cinematic ambient music — atmospheric synth soundscapes for deep, immersive listening.
This track is made purely from a sine wave. The Novation Peak is playing a single oscillator which I've put through a Mood Mk2 pedal to create the ambient, spacey vibe.
I've cranked the distortion up on the Peak which is what gives the lead a bit of grit particularly towards the end.
I hope you enjoy. peace all.
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Inspired by cinematic soundtracks, Berlin-school electronic music, modern ambient composition and nature.
All my music is created with hardware synthesizers, VST Synths (Pigments V) and atmospheric sound design tools (Soma Cosmos / Mood Mk2). No AI is used either in my music or in my videos.
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Listen on Bandcamp: https://richarddanielsnell.bandcamp.com"
"Seeing the Music Thing Workshop System grow and develop over recent years have been a lovely thing and it made me happy to see part of it getting broken out into a Eurorack module and for that part to be the Workshop Computer. It's an 8HP Eurorack module that works as digital toolbox for audio and CV which offers all sorts of handy low level utility things, more exciting audio and CV generation and a range of more lo fi and hi fi audio FX.
Along with the release of the module are 3 new program cards from RYK, offering pitch shifting delay, vocoding, pitch to voltage and tape style recording and looping. You also get some default Music Thing cards and there's blank cards with a huge range of simple drag and drop a file over USB options for a range of community cards you can get for free too. Check out the links below, loads of info in the timing index to skip around. Enjoy!"
"A pre-owned Polyend Tracker Mini in very good condition. It comes with original packaging and accessories.
Manufacturer's description
Discover the ultimate portable music workstation with the Tracker Mini. Designed for seamless composition, sampling, sound design, and performance, this device offers an expanded 16-track sequencer alongside unique synth and drum machine engines for unparalleled flexibility. With support for 14 stereo tracks of USB Audio and USB MIDI, it's perfect for multi-track recording into a DAW or hybrid setups. Enjoy up to eight hours of battery life for on-the-go creativity, and keep your Tracker Mini safe with the included travel case. Whether in the studio or outdoors, the Tracker Mini empowers musicians to create, mix, master, and export their music effortlessly.
Synths and Drum Machines:
The Tracker Mini excels with four advanced synth engines and a new drum machine synth, focusing on superior sound quality. The intuitive Synth Patch Editor speeds up patch creation and customization, offering a vast range of sounds. From lush pads and intricate arpeggios to powerful basses and robust electronic drums, the Tracker Mini is a synth powerhouse that meets all your creative needs. Dive into ACD for iconic monosynth recreations, FAT for rich analog warmth, VAP for complex polysynth designs, and WTFM for unique FM synthesis. The PERC drum instrument covers everything from classic 808s and 909s to experimental glitch effects.
Studio in Your Hands:
The Tracker Mini provides everything required to produce an album. Start with an included sample pack or explore over 250 synth presets. Record your own sounds, convert samples to instruments, and resample synth engines. Control external devices seamlessly, whether crafting simple beats or complex compositions. Mix, master, and export your songs with ease, making the Tracker Mini an all-in-one solution for any musician. Compatible with projects from the original Tracker, you can begin a song in the studio and finish it on the go, ensuring flexibility and convenience in your music production process.
Breathe Life into Your Tracks:
Transform your surroundings into a musical canvas with the Tracker Mini’s high-quality microphone and onboard battery, offering up to eight hours of playtime. Capture sonic memories from a camping trip or your morning commute to create unique sample packs and drum kits. This portable device inspires creativity beyond the studio, enabling you to store, manipulate, and draw inspiration from real-world sounds. The Tracker Mini ensures that wherever inspiration strikes, you're equipped to turn those moments into music."
"What another great weekend at Synth East in Norwich. With documentary showings, live talks, the worldwide legendary patch offs, performances, loads of fine makers of music making gear, modular, synths leading into performances and plenty more. Thanks to all that made it a great event. Enjoy a look back at Synth East 2026 and with a look around for those that couldn't make it."
*TIMING INDEX // CHAPTERS // LINKS*
00:00 Travel & synth hating railway services
00:41 Friday evening, arts centre, documentary & podcast recording
"First improvisation using the Eventide and Laurie Spiegel Music Mouse along with Arturia’s Synthi V and other software synths. Modulation generated by brainwaves via MIDI with the Soundmachines BI1. The Music Mouse app is a must have 🐭👌🏽
"This time we present to you a short recreation of a jam that was played in Modular Tribe Riga meeting a few days earlier. What is Modular Tribe Riga you might ask. It's a collective of modular enthusiasts that come together at least once a month to enjoy each other's company and play our modular synths."
"‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ from 1986 is first off the rank for my ‘New Order February’ recreations.
I love this perfect slice of dance-synth-pop and I was keen to get the DX7 bass intro as close as I could. Earlier this week I’ve been showing the tiny $75 Raspberry Pi synth, MiniDEXED, that I built to add this vital ingredient. If you are interested check out the video showing more details,
• I made a synth for $75* ! (*excluding tar... [posted here]
A couple of very clever folk identified what I was cooking up!
The MiniDEXED was sequenced from the MIDI tracks on the Circuit Tracks and routed into the audio in to add effects from the Tracks. All that you hear was programmed into the single Circuit Tracks and no further additional synths or processing were done to the sound – it’s straight audio out recorded direct into a Zoom L6.
The arrangement was taken from several versions posted on Musescore and compressed into the 4 melodic tracks and rhythm. Thanks to everyone who posts their transcriptions there.
I hope you enjoy the track as much as I did making it. Stay tuned for more New Order recreations and reworkings for the rest of this month.
(Ableton Move version coming in just a couple of days...I'll post a link here when it's live).
"This unit is available for sale - if you're interested just shoot us an email at : Vintage dot Audio dot Institute @ gmail.com
Normally we focus on Italian gear but this is such a great little machine we thought we'd venture out a little.
This is the first model Bohm Solist - a mega-early, analog auto-accompaniment unit and drum machine from West Germany.
Comparing the two Bohm Solist models - the S and the 78 - we realized that they're almost identical.
The only thing that's added to the next model are a few chord sounds and 4 added bass line variations.
You can watch our demonstration of the Solist 78 here : • Dr. Böhm Solist 78
The Solist machines are essential song-writing tools and offer some great, useful features : great drum sounds, chords and bass lines as well as an arpeggiator, all transposed by the control keyboard.
This video is not really a demonstration but a jam of sorts, with some help from external effects this unit sounds great and is a hoot to play.
Specifications :
The one-octave keyboard controller can only operate one finger at a time - it's not made to be played, but to indicate the desired key to the main, sound generating unit.
The major, minor and 7th and 9th chord options are engaged by pressing the grey side keys and the buttons on the right in tandem with the desired key.
Dr. Böhm named the auto-accompaniment section Böhmat - perhaps a mix of Böhm and Automat - and it has quite a lot going on considering for such an antique device:
1. A bass sound generator of bass lines spanning two bars.
2. 3 chord sounds with 6 rhythmic patterns
3. An arpeggiator figure and a Wah effect for the chords and arpeggiator.
4. Analog drum machine of 24 patterns that are mixable, mute options for most individual drum sounds.
The bass and chords rhythm patterns are unique to each rhythm engaged while the arpeggiator line is a single pattern for all.
The tempo of the Wah-Wah LFO effect follows the main tempo.
The drum section has 24 drum rhythm patterns that can all be played at the same time if one desires.
There are mute options for all but a few drums sounds, as well as a snare roll and a single, hard-wired drum fill.
If you're into rare, mostly Italian synths and drum machines you can subscribe to our channel and please check out our other videos of rare gems, but you might also enjoy the V.A.I. website : a photo book and encyclopedia Italian Vintage Synths and Drum Machines: https://www.vintageaudioinstitute.com/"
"The Yamaha EX-1 was the machine that birthed my fascination with stage model synths. The moment I saw this instrument, I knew there was none better to cover Heavy Light. Enjoy."
"I’m pleased to inform you that Fred’s Lab just released my 50 Tooro Custom Patches [Bank 1].
You can listen to them in high resolution (24bit 96kHz PCM WAV masters, FLAC encoded) on my site (optimized for Chrome on MacOS and Windows): https://synthnyc.com/index.php/album/freds-lab-tooro-custom-patches-bank-1/
All recorded at 24bit 96kHz PCM on UAD Apollo X hardware with mostly UAD FX.
All patches have been created from scratch using my TouchOSC bidirectional editor for the Tooro:
https://vimeo.com/1148477983
Most patches have MW, Velocity, AT and PB configured.
All patches have their volume normalized, so there is no audio jumping from going to one patch to the next.
All patches have been named, though you will need an editor that supports this Tooro feature, or you can simply see it using SYSEX Librarian.
As usual, I’ve tried to highlight what I think is unique about the Tooro. I particularly like the Shaper (analog) filter which I think blends beautifully with the digital oscillators.
Also the LFOs AM mode is quite interesting when combined with a LFO Rise value.
This synth has a lot of (strong) character; like the Modal 002 and Super 6 to give an example of hybrid synths with (strong) character (IMHO); but sounds completely different.
I hope you’ll enjoy those 50 Tooro Custom Patches as much as I’ve enjoyed programming them.
All sounds except drums are from the @GSMusicArg Bree6. Another taster of what this synth is capable of.
Remarkably powerful, do not let is size fool you, it can be a workhorse in the studio, bundles of character if needed, Fat Basses, Ripping Poly synths, just lovely.
The Future Is Now!
Finally famous Motorola DSP56300 emulated in computer!
The Virus B,C,TI,SNOW, Waldorf Micro Q and other famous synths were made with this baby in heart.
And we made Cinematica soundset for Nord Lead 2X emulator -NodalRed2x - with 50 sounds you are need for production of Ambient, Soundtrack, Electronica & Dance Music with integration in every modern genre.
"Feeling a bit of 80’s nostalgia ('Stranger Things' anyone?) I thought the time had finally come to try and give this classic electro-pop anthem the Circuit Tracks treatment. Released in 1984 (40+ years!) it’s too easy to forget how ground-breaking the song (and it’s subject) was in the political climate of the Eighties.
The song itself is a simple but almost perfect pop song. It was programmed on an MC-202 Microcomposer and is reputed to have started life as an electronic disco version of the Sex Pistol’s 'Pretty Vacant'!
Yamaha DX7 is used heavily on the track (notably the presets ‘Harp1’ and ‘Bass1’), and additional Sequential Pro-One, Memorymoog and Linn drums. I managed to simplify the arrangement to program everything and the vocals into a single Novation Circuit Tracks. Everything you hear is being played and recorded live from the Tracks.
I'm pleased at how close to the spirit of the original I managed to get this time. I hope you enjoy the track and it brings back some memories for you too."
"More details for synth nerds
BPM 135
I don’t own a DX7 (sadly!) but the closest thing I have is emulation. The repeated ‘Harp1’ DX7 line (and the ‘Marimba’ break) was sequenced on the Tracks MIDI 1 and sampled as 4-bar loops from the internal MicroDEXED emulator in an M-Vave SMK-37 Pro keyboard. Each sample was then triggered (like a drum sound) at the required point in the song using the Drum 3 track.
Finally famous Motorola DSP56300 emulated in computer!
The Virus B,C,TI,SNOW, Waldorf Micro Q and other famous synths were made with this baby in heart.
'Cinematica' Soundset for legendary Roland JP-8000 emulation - JE-8086 !
Its very different to the most of soundsets you saw before - with all this progressive trance supersaw leads & arps - 'Cinematica' focused on 'analog like' tones:
deep basses, analog leads, warmest strings & deepest pads under inspiration of modern & vintage science fiction movies.
"Chapters .................. 00:00 Introduction 00:49 Organ Section with Vibrato controls 01:47 String Machine Section 02:16 Brass Section w Filter Controls 02:47 Musical Interlude 04:51 Left Hand Chords 05:57 Left and Right hand 07:12 Musical Interlude 2 08:31 Outro
CRUMAR CORDATRON (1974) Castelfidardo
This is an accordion string machine with organ section, a brass synth section with filter controls, trigger-able analog drum sounds and chord and piano presets on a Stradella button board. Crumar made a few different models of this type of instrument but this is the very first. Unicorn rarity is the order of the day regarding the control key- and button board - the serial number 3 of allegedly 10 units ever put in production.
Crumar had just started producing keyboards after mainly producing accordions, and around this time they launched the three COMPAC models that definitely inspired the sections of the Cordatron: Compac Strings, Compac Brass and Compac Piano.
Most of the CRUMAR CORDATRON specifications are in the video as text already so please watch the video and read the text - but a quick roundup would look like this :
The instrument consists of mainly two separate units connected by a huge, hardwired 3-piece connector : the main sound generator unit with power supply, audio outputs, tuning and volume pedal, as well as the control unit - basically a butterflied accordion with a Stradella button board for the left hand and a regular keyboard for the right hand.
All the sounds are analog and are generated by the very first generation of divide down technology - no eproms or other intruders of vulgar modernity is on hand. The sound generator weighs 23 kilos and is literally crammed with sandwiched layers of massive circuit boards of transistors and capacitors.
If you're into rare Italian synths and drum machines you can subscribe to our channel and please check out our other videos of rare gems, but you might also enjoy the V.A.I. website : a photo book and encyclopedia Italian Vintage Synths and Drum Machines: https://www.vintageaudioinstitute.com/"
"New day, new instruments, different languages, different gestures, and it's to surprise of no one that I am not equally proficient in each one of them, especially when they are same-same but different (like with the OPXY vs Deluge).
I've listened to this recording for a good part of the day and I was getting nauseated, but I asked my girlfried to check it out, she genuinely liked it a lot, so that's why I am uploading it.
Day by day, I feel the need for a mixer (and maybe a more powerful computer), but the focus is practice, and give a spot to all the beautiful toys I keep in the studio.
I hope you'll enjoy it!"
"Just thought I would try a little something fun...the title says it all. 0 to 80's in 80 seconds.
Enjoy. Certified AI free and no traces of softsynths!
Drums - Oberheim DX Stretch, Korg DDD-1 - just a snare on 2 and 4 with mostly just the reverb return from a Roland SDE-330 non-lin setting, Roland TR8S - some perc and a ghost snare from the 707 kit.
Oberheim OB-8
Korg DW-8000
Bass - Roland D-50 patch also triggering a Roland JX8P and Korg Polysix to fatten and double it
Ensoniq ESQ - A nice PPG Wave patch from a sound cartridge I have for it.
Sequential Rev 2 also triggering a bell patch on the Yamaha TG33
Yamaha DX7iiD - nice dual patch one a rhodes type and the other a tine from the many banks on the Hypersynth card to finish it off and play out on."
"80's in 80 Seconds Episode 2 has landed! The first one was a bit fun so let's keep the theme going. This one starts off with a nice "groove" and builds with some synths spanning the decade. If you listen past the 80 seconds the Arp Odyssey briefly shows off its duo-phonic capabilities with a few 2 note chords that almost have a vocoder like effect with the phaser on it just after the 2 minute mark.
The following instruments were used and recorded as a 2 track with no editing or overdubs with each part being played into a pair of Arturia Keystep Pro sequencers. As always, AI free and made with real ingredients. Thanks for watching!
Oberheim DX Stretch - main drums
Korg DDD-1 - perc
Roland TR8-S - additional high hats, rim shot, crash
Berhinger - Model D - Bass
Roland Jupiter 4 - Arp
Korg PolySix - Synth Brass Pad 1
Roland Jupiter 6 - Synth layer 2
Yamaha DX7II - Bell 1
Roland D-50 - Bell 2
Arp Solina - Strings
Arp Odyssey Mkii 2810 - Lead"
"80's in 80 seconds episode 3 is here to start of the New Year! I thought something "new" should be in 'order' after the busy holiday period. Several familiar sounds in this one that can most likely been dialed in on many synths of the era but this one builds with the hardware listed below. All natural...Certified AI and VST free. Thanks for listening!
Drums -
Korg DDD-1 to start with the first hi-hat
Oberhiem DX Stretch - Main kick, beat kick, snare, additional hi-hat, clap, and rim shot
Roland TR-8S - a little kick for attack, snare ghost notes, and high hat movement
Pad 1 - Oberheim OB-8
BASS - Berhinger Pro 1 and Poly D played with the arpeggio on on the Keystep Pro
Pad 2 - Roland D50 layered with Roland JX-8P and Korg DW8000
