The Secretive History of Pop Music's Favorite Vocoder | Sennheiser VSM201

video upload by HAINBACH

"Kraftwerk, Jean-Michelle Jarre and Daft Punk are among the artists that used the rare Sennheiser VSM201 Vocoder from 1977. It is one of the very best examples of its kind, as its 16 bands allow both for high voice intelligibility and experimental tomfoolery. Yet there is also a history behind it that is still so secret, Sennheiser are still not allowed to talk in detail about it. Thanks to Sennheiser for allowing me access to their archives and the prototype.

Get the Vocoder Decent Sampler Instrument and Music from this video: / hainbach"

Tone Science Module No.10 The Final Patch (DiN:TS10)

"Now available as a double CD with an 8-page booklet & download

Tone Science sub-label, from DiN records, concludes it’s exploration of the world of modular synth music.

Since the first volume in the Tone Science series was released in 2018, seventy-two musicians in total have joined in with this celebration of the musical possibilities of modular synthesis. These artists have been from a huge range of backgrounds but have all shared the unifying purpose of showcasing the incredible variety of sonic possibilities these instruments can offer.

Tone Science sub-label, from DiN records, concludes its exploration of the world of modular synth music.

Since the first volume in the Tone Science series was released in 2018, seventy-two musicians in total have joined in with this celebration of the musical possibilities of modular synthesis. These artists have been from a huge range of backgrounds but have all shared the unifying purpose of showcasing the incredible variety of sonic possibilities these instruments can offer.

The intervening seven years have seen the modular synth world expanding at an exponential rate and whilst one wouldn’t go so far as to say these synths are mainstream, they are certainly far more prevalent than in the past. It’s especially gratifying to see so many musicians now either play solo sets with them or to include them in their onstage arsenal.

Thus we come to this, the final instalment in the Tone Science series. Nothing lasts forever and certainly stopping at this nice round number of ten seems like a good way to not only end the series but to release the Final Patch, a real celebration of what has gone before and perhaps to hint at what is possible for the future. A beautifully packaged double CD featuring twenty artists who have appeared on previous iterations of the series, it really is a who’s who of modular synth musicians. The release is accompanied by an eight-page booklet with an essay by Neil Mason and some final words from the guiding force behind the whole project, Ian Boddy, label boss at DiN. And as Boddy so succinctly puts it in his liner notes, “for me, despite the technological nature of the equipment, the emotional quality of the music is the single most important factor”. The Final Patch certainly delivers on that ethos.

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How To Use a Huge Steel Tank As a Plugin

video upload by HAINBACH

"This is one of the most unreal reverbs I have ever heard, and it can be used like a real life plugin: The Tank in Rangely, Colorado. Discovered in the 1970s and previously only available to people in the know, it was converted into a venue and recording studio in 2015. I was invited by The Tank Center for Sonic Arts to try out its fantastic resonances. But instead of traveling there, I could sit in my studio and access it comfortable via an AUX from Ableton, and record a full album. In this video I show you the process and what you have to keep in mind if you want to play with the Tank.

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM:"

The Rare Tuttivox by Harald Bode

video upload by HAINBACH

"I have been very interested in the work of German inventor and engineer Harald Bode. His essays and instruments were hugely influential on Robert Moog, Don Buchla and many others, and laid the ground work to the synthesizers of today. Sadly, most of his more experimental designs don't survive. But some of his more conventional instruments do, like his adaption of the proto-synth Clavioline he made for Jörgensen, the Tuttivox (with involvement/Patents to Rene Seybold). When one crossed my way, I could not resist. But when it arrived, I was in for a bad surprise."

00:00 Unboxing
01:00 Fixing The Tuttivox
05:53 History Of The Tuttivox
08:52 Functions
11:14 Making Music
14:21 Closing Thoughts

Exploring A Massive Closed Down Musical Instrument Factory. Finding Some WILD Things.

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"This week We were lucky enough to spend the whole week at ‪@museodelsynthmarchigiano1717‬ with ‪@Hainbach‬ and we got to visit the amazing bontempi factory."

Abandoned Factory Find - Does This High-End Mic Still Work?

video upload by HAINBACH

"This summer, ‪@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER‬ went to Italy and were kindly allowed to explore the old Bontempi Musical Instrument Factory in Potenca Picena. A massive building and once an important part of the industrial infrastructure of the area, it has been decaying for two decades now and is home to swarms of pigeons. Most of the inventory is sold off, but we still found exiting remnants of the glory days in the rubble. Check out Sam’s video for a full tour, and stay tuned to what I found, as well as bit of history later."

Creating ambient music with Hainbach in his Berlin studio

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"Join Anthony Marinelli as he visits Hainbach in his legendary Berlin studio for a one-of-a-kind musical collaboration. Surrounded by vintage synths, precision filter banks, tape machines, and Hainbach’s signature sonic oddities, the two artists step into uncharted territory to create an improvised ambient electronic piece. Watch Anthony step outside his usual musical environment and dive headfirst into Hainbach’s world of beautifully unstable textures, subtle modulations, and analog magic—all while having an unforgettable time exploring sound together."

https://www.anthonymarinellimusic.com

KOMA Elektronik Sensei Eurorack Sensor Module

video uploads by KOMA Elektronik

The Sensei Eurorack Sensor Module complements the Koma Elektronik Field Kit Sensor Pack from six years ago:

Making Music With Sensors | Koma Elektronik Field Kit Sensor Pack

video upload by HAINBACH

"I was doubtful whether sensors would be fun tools to create music with - beta-testing the Koma Elektronik Field Kit sensors taught me otherwise. They are ideal creative tools in that they make you think differently and far out of the box. Perfect for breaking writer's block or pure musical enjoyment."



Press release for the new Sensei module follows:

"Berlin-based synth makers KOMA Elektronik introduce Sensei, a new Eurorack module designed to connect your modular system with the world around you. Whether it's light, movement, heat, or touch, Sensei lets you patch your environment.

"Originally based on the Sensor Interface from the KOMA Field Kit, Sensei is a standalone Eurorack module built for artists, experimental musicians, and installation creators who want to go „beyond the knob“.

Two sensor inputs (one for continuous signals, one for triggers and switches) allow for expressive, non-traditional control over CV and gate signals.

From subtle environmental fluctuations like heat or wind to pulsing club energy fired by strobe lights, Sensei makes your surroundings part of the music.

Users can choose from KOMA's established lineup of Field Kit Sensors currently available:

- Light
- Temperature
- Sound
- Touch
- Movement (Accelerometer)
- A Micro Sequencer with three modes
- Softpotentiometer
- Ball Switch
- Button / Jack Input
or plug in their own Arduino / DIY sensors with standard three-pin connectors.

And even without sensors, Sensei offers creative functionality: it doubles as a re-triggerable saw/triangle envelope, voltage processor with gain and offset, or a simple CV source.

Key features:

2 sensor channels: one continuous, one switch/gate style
Built-in analog processing (offset & gain)
Re-triggerable envelope mode (saw & inverse saw, gate & inverse gate)
Works with KOMA and standard 3-pin sensors
Perfect for installations, generative patches & sound experiments

With Sensei, modular becomes tactile, responsive, and alive. Your modular just grew a few more senses!

KOMA is currently running an introductory sale on their Sensors that you should grab if you are interested!

Product page and more info:
https://koma-elektronik.com/new/product/sensei

MSRP: €169,-

Available now through KOMA Elektronik and selected dealers."

Hainbach Introduces outta-control Italian Synths!

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"When I visited Hainbach at his amazing studio in Berlin, and he introduced me to a whole new world of sound—rare Italian synths that completely reset my thinking. The Farfisa Polychrome is hands down the best string machine I’ve ever heard, with rich choir and synth textures and a built-in phaser that sounds like no other effect I’ve used. The Webo Welson (late 70's) is a rockin’ beast with ripping oscillators, tearing portamento, and beautifully saturated presets that just ooze character. And then there’s the Realton Variophon Gig—a breath-controlled synth that lets you shape the timbre with your mouth. It’s expressive, has rich variable noisy modulation goodness, and is unlike any vocoder or synth I’ve ever played.

Hainbach really opened my ears to a sound palette I didn’t even know existed. He’s a very generous to hang with, and I left his studio totally inspired to create new music. You will too."

Looking At Italian Synthesizers You Have NEVER Heard Of - Some only one in existence.

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

Follow-up to this post.

"This week We were lucky enough to spend the whole week at ‪@museodelsynthmarchigiano1717‬ Lots of videos and things to come! ‪@Hainbach‬ behind the camera!
------
i have a video on the Crumar spirit already up on patreon here :-
/ look-at-crumar-133890428
-----
if you haven't seen the link at the top to the museums youtube channel here is the website :-
https://www.museodelsynth.org/"

Also see A visit to the Marche Synth Museum

Check out the labels below for additional posts.

The Massive Sound Of The Logan Vocal Synth

video upload by HAINBACH

"The Logan Vocal Synth is the most massive Italian synth I have encountered, both in size and sound. It combines no less than three of Logan's solo keyboards and adds a monophonic synth. I got to play it at Museo del Synth Marchigiano with my friend ‪@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER‬ . If you want to get a taste of its sound, I have made a Decent Sampler instrument of the "A" voice that is available on my Patreon for all members, including the free tier: / hainbach

Music and samples:

Listen to my music: http://hainbach.bandcamp.com"

We Play THIS Song On RARE Italian Synthesizers! - Logan Vocal Synth - Crumar Spirit - Siel Mono

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER



Additional Logan Vocal Synth posts

Making Nuclear Music with Hainbach

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

"Join me for a rare opportunity to step into the incredible world of Hainbach at his studio in Berlin—filled with vintage nuclear test equipment he’s brilliantly turned into musical instruments… and plenty of other wild synthesizers!

Hainbach is known for making haunting, immersive soundscapes using everything from lab gear to tape loops to modular synths. His music feels like it's from another dimension—organic, rich, hypnotic and totally captivating. In this video, I explore his unique setup and we dive into a completely new palette of sounds together. It was inspiring to see how he breathes life into machines that were never meant to make music… and to try my hand at making "nuclear music" myself.

If you're into experimental sound design, synths, or just curious how scientific gear from the Cold War can become part of modern composition—this is something you’ve got to see (and hear)."

https://anthonymarinellimusic.com

Midweek MIDIPan - fitting new enclosure and 9/8 improv

video upload by MIDI IN

"A friend and enthusiastic MIDIPan user kindly sent me an enclosure that he designed. I'm going to fit that to my MIDIPan and see how it looks. Then I'll do a little improvisation.
This is the @Hainbach video that I refer to: • This Rare Anatolian Drum Machine Hits Diff..." [posted here]

This Rare Anatolian Drum Machine Hits Differently

video upload by HAINBACH

Bojidar Alaturka RITM - BOX

"I had no idea what to expect when I got this vintage drum machine from Istanbul. It looks like a classic Elka Drummer One style preset rhythm box, but there was no 'Tango' or 'Slow Rock' on here. Instead, the patterns are marked by timings, 9/8, 7/8, 5/4. I was fascinated but needed a lot more input, so I kicked of a little investigation into traditional Anatolian dance music, the history of the machine itself and the musicians that used it.

Music and samples: / hainbach

Listen to my music: http://hainbach.bandcamp.com"

00:00 Intro and translating
01:58 Turning it on
03:53 Making a track
05:39 A look inside
06:36 Anatolian Music Primer
10:31 Who made it and who played it?

The Electro-Acoustic Wunderkind | Hohner Multimonica II

video upload by HAINBACH

"The Hohner Multimonica II is an oddity from the early days of electronic instruments. Made with both a spirit for the experimental yet deeply rooted in tradition, it combines a monophonic vaccuum tube proto-synth voice with a fan driven organ, all in one beautiful 1950s case. Ever since I heard of its existence I knew I had to find one. Here is how we got on."

Hainbach & Bram Bos Skulptur: Now Sends Midi CC!

video upload by Gavinski’s Tutorials

"Skulptur, the performance-focused filterbank plugin by Bram Bos and Hainbach (iPad, iPhone, Mac) just got an update allowing you to use it as a midi CC controller for other iOS apps, or for hardware or desktop software etc that are able to receive midi CC messages from your iPad. In this video I look at:

How to set this up
What you can do with it
One change I would like to see to make it more useful

This is a very nice update, great to have this added functionality. If you haven’t watched it yet, and are into apps that can be used as CC midi controllers, watch my video on the new sqsl Strips app for iPad linked below. Not AUv3, but has some very nice features that are not covered by what Skulptur can do, plus a lot more faders:"

So useful: Strips iPad Midi CC Controller by Michal Macura / sqsl / Seqsual: Not AUv3, but🔥#droneday

video upload by Gavinski’s Tutorials

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CRUMAR Synthaphone - Ultra Rare Vintage Italian Synth (1983) HD

video upload by Alberto Napolioni

The CRUMAR Synthaphone has only been fetured on the site once before in a video by Hainbach here.

"FREE improvisations on this incredible rare synth:
the CRUMAR SYNTHAPHONE!
Created by Ing.Jura in 1983
A monster analog monophonic synth with Breath Controller (CEM filters)
(approx 100 units were made)

00:00 Pan Overture
00:40 Blast Bass
00:58 Firebird
01:20 OB-oe
01:29 Electric Wasps
01:41 Psilocybin
01:50 The Enchanted Forest (Breath Control)
02:26 Elegy from an Outer Space
02:48 Kazzimma
03:04 Butter Waves
03:16 Razor
03:33 Black Hole
03:54 TRANCEgenic Bass

FX used on some patches:
OTO Bim delay
OTO Bam reverb"

Polyphony Without Spaghetti: TipTop Audio ART Modular

video upload by HAINBACH

"I love new music technology. When I heard about TipTop Audio's new ART system that allows for polyphonic pitch, gate and velocity information to be transferred via regular patch cables and their own multi-tip USB style cables, I was intrigued. I never thought of Eurorack as being a fun tool for polyphony, as it requires a lot of modules and a spaghetti mess of connections. Can this tech change that?"

A Polyphonic Synth from 1939? Exploring The Hammond Novachord

video upload by HAINBACH

"Playing the ground-breaking and incredible rare Hammond Novachord was a bucket list item for me. So when I discovered that there is a freshly restored at SMEM in Fribourg, I just had to explore it. I was not dissappointed. Check out the EP:

Joranalogue Collide 4 | SynthFest 2025

video upload by SynthFest France

"Joranalogue présente son tout nouvel oscillateur "ordinateur spectral en quadrature" (!), développé avec Hainbach, et qui est bien plus qu'un simple oscillateur. Difficile à décrire, mieux vaut l'écouter!

Joranalogue a soutenu l'édition 2025 du SynthFest en offrant un oscillateur Cycle 5 à la tombola, aidant à financer l'évènement."

Googlish:

"Joranalogue presents its brand new "quadrature spectral computer" oscillator (!), developed with Hainbach, which is much more than just an oscillator. It's hard to describe, but it's better to listen to it!

Joranalogue supported the 2025 edition of SynthFest by donating a Cycle 5 oscillator to the raffle, helping to fund the event."

A Kinetik Filterbank: Skulptur with Bram Bos

video upload by HAINBACH

"The best instruments I have made solved a problem for me, and my new filterbank Skulptur with Bram Bos is no different. It was designed for a very special performance with Ensemble Modern, and worked wonderfully there. Now, a much expanded final version is available on iOS and MacOS, this it what it can do."

Bram Bos x Hainbach Skulptur Walkthrough // Filterbank // Mac, iPad, iPhone, AUv3, Standalone

video upload by Gavinski’s Tutorials

"This is my walkthrough, demo and review of Skulptur, the new, very enjoyable performance-oriented filterbank app from Hainbach and Bram Bos. It works on Mac, iPad and iPhone, standalone and AUv3. Enjoy, and smash the like, comment and subscribe if you find the vid helpful. Cheers! Gav"