Meet Acid Drip - A DIY Bassline Synth & Drum Machine

video upload by Marcus Dunn

"Check out the GitHub Repo if you are interested in building your own

GitHub - https://github.com/lonesoulsurfer/Aci...

Instructables - Coming soon!"

Note: Acid Drip is based on the BadAss basS Synth and DrumKid featured further below.

"An RP2040-based acid bassline synthesizer and drum machine built on the Mozzi audio library. Two instruments in one device, a 16-step acid sequencer and a 16-pattern drum groove box running simultaneously on dual cores with a 320×240 ILI9341 TFT display and 16 Cherry MX pads.

NOTE: the images of the synth are V1. V2 is what I hve provided in this repo and looks a littke different (extra pot for mix added)"


Open Source Credits: Acid Drip is based on the BadAss basS Synth and DrumKid:

Acid synthesis engine adapted from Badass Bass from 10 years ago:


BadAss basS Synth video upload by Tschibo00

"this is the demo of my DIY Arduino-based synth with built-in sequencer. Code+schematics can be found on https://github.com/Tschibo00/BadAssba..."

Drum engine ported from DrumKid by Matt Bradshaw:


Drumkid Review & Demo // Lo-fi Drum Machine video upload by Saturday Music Machines from 2023

"Drumkid is a lo-fi aleatoric (an element of chance) drum machine with MIDI. It generates rhythms using random numbers. It’s designed to be used for both live performance and recording, with controls that allow organic transitions between rhythms and fills."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Berlin Stompbox Exhibit Set for May 18, 2024

video upload by EHX

Note the above video from EHX is from the 2022 event. Guitars meet synths meet pedals. You might notice Three Wave Music in the video. If you aren't familiar with them, check them out here.

Details on this year's event follow. You can RSVP on Eventbrite here.

The Brooklyn and London Synth and Pedal Expo's organizers are excited to announce the first edition of the Berlin Stompbox Exhibit, a free, strictly in-the-headphones event scheduled for May 18, 2024 at the central Heynstudios venue.

Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments to try out hundreds of pedals in the headphones. Any instrument with a pickup is welcome!

Like all our events, this show is free with RSVP!

WHEN:
Saturday, May 18, 2024, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE:
HeynStudios
| Heynstraße 15, 13187 Berlin |

HOW MUCH:
In case you missed it: FREE!


CONFIRMED VENDORS:

Pedal Store Partner:

Pedal Markt

Pedal Builders

4D Pedals
Animal Factory
Beetronics
Cioks
Crazy Tube Circuits
Diamond
DreadBox
Dunlop
Fulltone
Gamechanger Audio
Hamstead Soundworks
IK Multimedia
Jackson Audio
Jam Pedals
KMA Machines
KSR Amps
Mad Professor
MXR
NUX
Old Blood Noise Endeavors
Peterson
Pigtronix
Rabbit Hole FX
Solid Gold FX
Tsakalis Audioworks
Tubesteader
Voodoo Lab
Walrus Audio
Way Huge

Synth East 2024 - Synth and Modular festival in Norwich

video upload by Molten Music Technology

"Synth East is a festival of synths and modular in Norwich from Friday the 23rd of February to Sunday the 25th. Brought to you by the Norwich Arts Centre, Electronic Sound Magazine and Molten Modular.

Tickets are available for each event separately. There's a discount if you order the Saturday Expo and evening gig at the same time.

Friday: Subotnick documentary [trailer here], Adam Buxton interviews Steve Davis and music from Luke Sanger.

Saturday daytime: Synth Expo with performances

Saturday evening: Blancmange, Ultramarine and Molten Modular

Sunday: DIY Workshops from Thonk and Befaco.

http://www.syntheast.com"

Update: press release follows:


"Pouring from the heart of Norfolk, hosted by the Norwich Arts Centre, curated by Electronic Sound Magazine and run by Molten Modular, Synth East is back. After a devastatingly successful 2023 show the sold-out Norfolk-based festival of synthesizers returns in 2024 but this time it's been widened into a full weekend experience.

The all new Friday evening Synth East event is curated by Electronic Sound Magazine and kicks off with (possibly) the UK premiere of a documentary on electronic musician Morton Subotnick, who at 90 years old, is known affectionately as the Father of Techno. It’s called Subotnick, Portrait of an Electronic Music Pioneer by Waveshaper Media who brought us the intoxicating 2014 documentary, I Dream of Wires.

Following the film we have writer, broadcaster, comedian and musician Adam Buxton chatting with Synth East alumni Steve Davis about music, life and modular synths. Finishing off the evening we have an ambient set from modular musician Luke Sanger as we relax into some beers in preparation for what’s to come for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday’s Synth East Expo is a carnival of control voltage, a festival of synth sounds and a party of epic performances. Dozens of manufacturers will be filling the Arts Centre with synths and modulars to give you an opportunity check out their marvellous machines and bask in the glow of synthesiser technology. You’ll be able to chat with the makers about the gear and even have a personal demonstration. Simply walking through the auditorium in the company of such exciting gear is completely thrilling.

Throughout the day we’ll be having some performances from local artists Hardwired and Tristan Burfield before we once again embark on the awesome modular experiment of the all-star patch off. This year, joining Robin "Molten Modular" Vincent, Steve Davis and Gaz Williams will be Mylar Melodies, Nina Richards, and Jason Jervis. These are unique, improvised performances that you’ll never see anywhere else.

Saturday night’s synthesiser explosion features the 80s synth legends Blancmange who have kindly agree to fit us in before their extensive Everything is Connected: The Best Of Blancmange tour of the UK. Supporting Blancmange we have eclectic electronic music duo Ultramarine featuring Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. And in the warm up slot is our own Robin “Molten Modular” Vincent and a special guest.

On Sunday we are hosting some Eurorack DIY workshops presented by Befaco and Thonk. They will be held at Electronic Sound HQ at Capital House over a few hours. The idea is that you buy a ticket for the workshop and then order the kit that you hope to build directly with Befaco or Thonk.

Synth East 2024 runs from the 23rd to the 25th of February. Each event is available as a separate ticket and there's a bundle deal on buying the Saturday Expo and evening performance together.

Our intention is to revel in the world of synthesizers, modular and electronic musical boxes. We want to explore sound through performance, discussion and hands-on interaction. It's a lot of fun and open to anyone with an interest in bleeps, tones and noises."

Machina Bristronica Set for September 30, Bristol UK

Machina Bristronica, postponed back in 2020 due to covid, is back on Saturday September 30 in Bristol, UK.

Details follow:

"A festival of Knobs, Buttons and Discussions, laid out over 4 warehouse rooms and an outdoor stage at the new Document venue in the heart of Bristol.

Machina Bristronica is back for 2023. Better, stronger, faster. We have the technology.

Join us on Saturday 30th September for a full day and evening of synthesizer stalls, panel talks, live hardware performances, DIY modular workshops, music production and performance training, Friendly Records DJ sets and the Escher Music Connection showcase.

// Flying in from all corners of the hardware galaxy a host of a amazing brands and makers are coming to show their latest creations.

Around the main exhibition hall you’ll find stacks of synthesisers, sound software, modular makers, drum machines, case builders, local projects and effects units spanning the biggest names in the game alongside plenty of unique and unusual independent designers.

Doors Open 11:30 – 18:00

// A full day of live hardware electronics, spanning a wide range of genres from club ready sonics to sprawling experimentalism. Spotlighting some of the best Bristol artists alongside a stacked lineup of special guests from far and wide on a high quality sound system. Alongside the audio there’ll be live visual artists performing all day. Accentuating it all the room will have a specially fitted audio and visual reactive lighting installation.

Live Performances 11:30 – 22:00

>>DIY WORKSHOPS________

// “Roll up, roll up! All ye wielders of the solder wand, bedroom builders and hardware hackers – we’ve got you covered at Machina Bristronica this year! Join us in the DIY AREA where you can build top notch hardware with assistance from the designers themselves. With everything from desktop noise machines to eurorack modules and tape loop workshops.

We’ve got local workshops from Bristol Communal Modular and Beepboop Electronics; international machines by Jolin Lab, Error Instruments, Befaco and Zlob Modular ;and UK DIY heroes Thonk and Music Thing Modular linking up for a special TBA workshop with something new in the pipeline.

PLEASE NOTE FESTIVAL TICKET(S) ARE STILL NEEDED FOR EVENT ACCESS. DIY TICKETS ARE A SEPARATE PURCHASE."

You can find a list of participants and additional details at https://machinabristronica.uk

GearFest UK 2023 Set for July 15th and 16th

via Eventbrite

"Tileyard and Sound On Sound are proud to host GearFest UK 2023, a studio and electronic music equipment show held at Tileyard, with exhibitors, panel talks, and events on July 15th and 16th 2023.

See the latest and greatest from the world of synthesizers, drum machines, microphones, recording and DJ equipment, music software and studio gear.

Panel talks host some of the world’s best mix engineers, producers, record labels and management, and artists.

CLICK FOR MORE »

"The Dreadnaught Factor" - Akai MPC X + Behringer 2600 Blue Marvin + ASM Hydrasynth + MINIFREAK...

video upload by Patrick Manderson

"'The Dreadnaught Factor' was recorded live early Saturday morning on January 21st 2023 using a MIDI sequencer, a room full of synthesizers and drum machines. Four analog mixers were used with a rack of outboard effects and mixed stereo. Mixing and automation was controlled by the sequencer directly to the synthesizers. The final reorded required manual muting of the of mixer channels to suppress the noise coming from some of the devices including the Korg Minilogue. The video was taken afterwards.

"The Dreadnaught Factor" was inspired by the box art of an early 80s video game for Intellivision. It featured a number of spaceships on a blue background much like the 2600 Blue Marvin featured in this music. The melody and chord arrangement originated from a short piece I created several years ago and later merged it with a small piece of unfinished music titled "Driod Mischief". I was pleased how the two sounded when arranged in this way. I look forward to finishing "Droid Mischief".

The Hydrasynth plays a few different roles in Dreadnaught, even doubling up with the BassStation adding filter modulations to the bass parts [3:23].

The Korg MS2000 never disappoints when you use its modulation sequencer and its charasmatic digital distortion. Several parts were played, twisting and swirling in the stereo field. Modulated tremolos off-rhythm and hypnotic.

Korg Minilogue XD has so much range - such a wide sweet spot of sound. Especially when you use the digital user oscillators. Resonating plucks and unnatural reverbs works well for my tastes.

The Behringer 2600 Blue Marvin and Model D is featured in the "Droid Mischief" part at [2:58].
The notes were played over MIDI. Volume modulation was controlled with CV from the *Akai Pro MPC X*.
The Model D ran through the inputs of the Roland TR8s for its Phaser effect. The TR8S did nothing else.

There are a few dark pad patches I re-use often on the Oberheim Matrix 1000 playing disonant chords throughout.

The Elektron Analog Rytm MkII provides most of the rhythms. Each of its 12 voices run on its own MIDI channel with a full complement of continuous controllers. Lots of CC modulation was used on some of the voices. The internal sequencer was not used. All notes and automation comes from the *MPC X*.

Arturia's MINIFREAK layered in a few bits throughout and is featured at the very end [6:11]. Macros were modulated from the *MPC X*.

Korg's Radias is 4 part multitimbral. On part #4 I keep a carefully curated drum kit synthesized with noise, sines and filters - mixed with some of the built in drum samples. Part #1 featured a vocal "ah-ha" patch [3:01] using one of the vowel waves, a formant insert effect and careful modulation of its dual filters.

My favorite guitar pluck patch on the Korg EX-8000 makes an appearance.

At the center of it all, the MPC X seemlesssly connects to everything and manages to keep all devices in perfect sync. As mentioned before - meticulous editing of MIDI events is a breeze and very comfortable over long editing sessions. Approximately 21 tracks were used including Control Voltage for the modulars.

Timeline:
00:00 project notes
00:08 introduction
00:33 The Dreadnaught
00:40 JX-08 - melodic pipes
00:58 Minilogue XD - haunted melody
01:22 Hydrasynth
01:43 MS2000 + Prophet REV2 picking up the pace
02:09 EX-8000 transition
02:16 Minilogue - vocal haunts
02:37 2600 Blue Marvin - the derelict
02:58 Model D + Radias - "Droid Mischief"
03:23 Hydrasynth doubling with the Bass Station
03:58 MS2000 + 2600 Blue Marvin - mono lead and accompaniment
04:22 GB4 + compressors + MINIFREAK handling the build up
04:51 Part 2 - "Derelict Adrift"
06:38 end titles"

PATCHWORK 2022—Live Modular Electronics Event Set for SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2022 Belgium

via Joranalogue Audio Design

Strange lights, cryptic symbols, haunting sounds... The machines have awoken.

In collaboration with Chinastraat, we are excited to present:
PATCHWORK 2022—Live Modular Electronics

A full night of live electronic music, conjured by some of the world's top modular masters. 21 international acts, spread over two stages, will craft audiovisual spectacles for the mind and the body.

SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2022
Chinastraat, Ghent, Belgium
Info + Tickets Here

DRONE DAY 2021 - AE Modular Drone Music Live Stream (plus Gotharman's TinyLD mkII) #TTNM

video by THE TUESDAY NIGHT MACHINES

"AUDIO STARTS AT 5:05 ;-)"

Visit: https://droneday.org/
"Every year we make a noise together that stretches around the world.
Saturday May 29, 2021"

THE TUESDAY NIGHT MACHINES:
➤ Bandcamp: http://bit.ly/ttnm-bandcamp
➤ Instagram: http://bit.ly/ttnm-instagram
➤ Twitter: http://bit.ly/ttnm-twitter

Roland TR-808 Inducted Into NAMM TECnology Hall of Fame

The press release:

Legendary Drum Machine Recognized for Audio Technology Contributions

Los Angeles, CA, January 30, 2020 — Roland, a leading manufacturer of electronic musical instruments and professional video products, proudly announces that its legendary TR-808 Rhythm Composer drum machine has been inducted into the prestigious NAMM TECnology Hall of Fame, Class of 2020.

The TECnology Hall of Fame, presented by the NAMM Museum of Making Music, honors audio products and innovations that have made a significant contribution to the advancement of audio technology and production. Hosted by audio historian George Petersen, the TECnology Hall of Fame Celebration was held during The NAMM Show on Saturday, January 18, 2020.

Each year, a panel of audio experts, including authors, educators, engineers and other professionals select the inductees. This year’s panel commented, “Roland’s TR-808 programmable drum machine became part of the foundation of music movements in hip-hop, rap and electronica. And although made in 1980 — almost 40 years ago — the once $1,200 TR-808 remains a highly-prized studio tool today, with working units valued in the $4,000 range.”

Widely considered one of the most popular drum machines of all time, the Roland TR-808 has contributed to the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Phil Collins, RUN DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy. Routinely celebrated by lovers of culture, music and design, the term “808” has even started appearing in song lyrics and still gets name-checked to this day, as tracks (Timbaland’s 808), albums (Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak) and even band names (808 State) were all coined under its influence.

TR-808 enthusiasts all over the world can also experience the modern versions of this revered classic—the TR-08 Rhythm Composer and the TR-808 Software Rhythm Composer which is available as a part of Roland Cloud. Born of the most famous and influential drum machine ever made, the both the physical TR-08 hardware and the Roland Cloud software version of the TR-808 provide the most faithful reproductions of the original combined with today’s modern production techniques and professional sound design.

SUPERBOOTH18 Details & Schedule

"SUPERBOOTH18 at FEZ Berlin - 03-05 May 2018 - Trade Fair for Electronic Musical Instruments. The latest developments in (modular) synthesizers, keyboards, effects, studio equipment and software.

Almost 250 exhibitors from all over the world, 22 concerts and Gesprächskonzerte daily, panel discussion, workshops and much more.

It starts at 11:30 am with the spacious boat shuttle starting at Jannowitzbrücke and a trip through the eastern part of the German capital. Arrived at the FEZ Berlin the visitors can enjoy daily at 1 pm the first concert of the still young day program on the Seaside stage, or they can attend one of the beginner workshops on modular synthesizers, one exclusively for women and non -binary persons, and one open to everyone. Gammon, together with a school class, develops a performance for the Modular Synthesizer Ensemble, presented daily at 1:30 pm. Afterwards, at 2 pm, the promotional stage program begins with concerts by Caterina Barbieri on a modern Eurorack modular system and Leon Michener on a prepared grand piano. Altogether there are 11 concerts of this kind daily, on Friday for example with Bernd Kistenmacher on classical synthesizers, as well as Udo Hanten on a 5U modular system. On Saturday, among others, there will be the Gesprächskonzert of Nonlinear Labs with Stephan Schmitt and the C 15 keyboard. Parallel to this, DIY workshops, specialist workshops from the participating educational institutions and the entertainment program of the other exhibitors will take place throughout the day. So it makes sense to come to SUPERBOOTH18 for more than one day, to also watch the concert of Carolina Eyck on the Theremin or Tobi Neumann and Fadi with an ambient performance.

For people who like to sleep a little longer the boat shuttle is available at 2:30 pm or 5:30 pm. Thus one reaches the FEZ Berlin on time for the evening program and for spending some time on the exhibition before the evening program begins at 7 pm. Here #instantboner, T.Raumschmiere & FucketYbUcKetY, Ströme and Tikiman shake hands. With the low -priced ticket for the evening hours you can also see Boys Noiz with 2244, ATEQ, GusGus and many others. Max Loderbauer, who was on the SUPERBOOTH17 stage last year together with Ricardo Villalobos, will play together with Tobias Freund as NSI this year.

Those who like it a bit quieter will be pleased about the film screening of The Potential of Noise, a documentary about the legendary music producer and studio operator Conny Plank. The film is commented and explained by the initiator of the film, the son of the protagonist. On all three evenings there will also be discussions with guests such as Daniel Miller, Uwe Schmidt and Mark Ernestus. Some aspects of The Potential Of Noise will also be addressed here. During Thursday's SOOPERtalk Lady Starlight, Andrew Huang, Lady Blacktronika and Mylar Melodies will discuss the fascinating interaction between humans and machines in the creative context of music making.

The return trips of the boat shuttle at 8:30 pm and 12:00 am take the guests directly to the landing place at the Jannowitzbrücke in Berlin Mitte, from there it is not far to the official after-show location C-Base. The after-show program will be announced at short notice.

More details and additions to the three-day program can be found on the official website. You can also keep up to date by subscribing to the newsletter on superbooth.com.

SchneidersLaden presents: SUPERBOOTH18
May 03 – 05, 2018
FEZ Berlin, Straße zum FEZ 2, 12459 Berlin

Opening hours
10am – 1pm tradevisitoropeningtimesforprofessional visitorsonly(ticketscanbeorderedonline, with proof of professional classification)

1pm – 7pm public opening hours for the trade fair

7pm – 11.30pm evening program

Day tickets allow access to the fair from 1pm to midnight. Discounted tickets are offered for the evening program on superbooth.com.

All tickets from the presale entitle you to use our shuttle boats free of charge as long as sufficient seats are available on board.

Boat shuttle – Jannowitzbrücke to SUPERBOOTH18
08.30am Exhibitors/ professional visitors 11.30am Regular guests
2.30pm Late risers
5.30pm Guests coming for the evening program

Boat shuttle – SUPERBOOTH18 to Jannowitzbrücke
8.30pm 0:00am perfect to get to the after-show program in the C-Base on time

Program: Exhibitors: Tickets:
perfect to get to the after-show program in the C-Base on time
www.superbooth.com/en/events.html
www.superbooth.com/en/messe-102.html
www.superbooth.com/en/tickets_en.html
Pre-sale tickets include the right to use the boat shuttle!"

MACHINES IN MUSIC - NYC'S MODULAR SYNTH EXHIBITION + PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL - SAT 10.14 + SUN 10.15

via Control

Full details & tix here.

MACHINES IN MUSIC
NYC'S MODULAR SYNTH EXHIBITION +
PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL

SAT 10.14 + SUN 10.15
KNOCKDOWN CENTER, NYC
FREE

2 DAYS
30+ MODULAR SYNTH DESIGNERS + ENGINEERS
2 DAYS OF LECTURES
2 NITES OF PERFORMANCE
1 SPOT

SATURDAY NITE
LIVE
DOORS 7:30 / SHOW 8:00
$10 / 21+

IMAGINARY SOFTWOODS / VIA APP / PATRICIA / SSPS /
HIRO KONE

ALL WEEKEND
TALKS + LECTURES
TO STIMULATE YOUR EARS
+ MIND
SATURDAY + SUNDAY
FREE

CLICK FOR MORE »

Synth Videos by Sequenox Featuring the Moog Subsequent 37, DSI REV2, Jomox Sunsyn, Korg, & Eurorack

Published on Aug 23, 2017 Sequenox

Note this is a playlist of Sequenox's videos to date. Just discovered them. You can use the player controls to jump around.

Playlist:
Moog Subsequent 37 CV Triads
Moog Subsequent 37 CV
Extended Eurorack Modular Jam with Moog Subsequent 37 CV
Modular Rhythms with Moog Subsequent 37 CV
Korg MS-20 and SQ-1 crunchy sequencer
Korg MS-20 SQ-1 Love
Jomox Sunsyn Minimalism
Moog Muzak in a Major Mood
Moog Subsequent 37 CV with Eurorack Modular demo
Eurorack Modular Synth Explorations 504 Space Jazz
Eurorack Modular Synth Explorations Mutable Instruments Elements 4ms Dual Looping Delay
Koma Elektronik Field Kit
Noise Engineering Loquelic Iteritas Fun
Mutable Instruments Elements in chord mode with Noise Engineering Loquelic Iteritas drone
Mutable Instruments Elements and Intelligel Metropolis slow jam
DSI Prophet REV2 noise and oscillators with arpeggios and four pole filter
Prophet REV2 arpeggios with four pole filter...

CLICK FOR MORE »

Control Event: Machines In Music 2016 - Full Details

Full details on the upcoming event are in via Control:

"Machines In Music is a 2-day festival that bridges artists, musicians, and instrument builders, with a focus towards modular synthesizer hardware. The exhibition is free and open to the public of all ages.

This year we are proud to host the event at the cross-disciplinary art and performance space Knockdown Center in Queens, NewYork, as well as the DIY community space Trans-Pecos.

Saturday and Sunday daytime exhibitions are free and open to the public with 47 exhibitors displaying modular technology from North America and Europe, as well as presentations by MJ Caselden, Thom Holmes, Colin Benders, Skooby Laposky, Michael Johnsen, Ronald Kuivila and others ranging from histori- cal works to technical design. Visual art from Benton C Bainbridge, Ben Laposky, and Sabrina Ratté will be exhibited during the daytime exhibition. Exhibitors are listed on our website.

Saturday Night’s concert presents live performances from Suzanne Ciani, Alessandro Cortini, Mark Verbos, andTearing Light From Sound.
Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?eventId=6908615

Sunday Night’s Wind Down is a chance to showcase a variety of performers from manufacturers to users at Trans-Pecos. Modular Performances by Colin Benders (Kyteman) GIOIA, Jean Marcel Fricke, Keven Michael-Onur Kalaycıoğlu-Żłobnicki, Kodek, Sjam Sjamsoedin and ZV_K.

================================================

♪ Exʜɪʙɪᴛᴏʀs ♪
1010 Music
2hp
4ms
AJH Synths
ALM/Busy Circuits
AQA Elektrix
Audio Damage
Bastl Instruments
birdkids

CLICK FOR MORE »

Suzanne Ciani to Perform with Alessandro Cortini & Mark Verbos Saturday at Machines in Music, NY

via @ctrl_mod

"Come see Suzanne Ciani perform Saturday w/ @blindoldfreak @markverbos part of @machinesinmusic @knockdowncenter"

machinesinmusic.com

"Machines in Music is a free two-day modular synthesizer exhibition that brings together users and makers for hands-on exploration, discussions, and performance. Last year’s conference hosted 24 modular synthesizer companies from around the world, attracting the attention of beginners and experienced synthesizer users alike. This year’s event is co-curated by Verbos Electronics and Control, and will allow even more participants to meet industry professionals and test out new modules."

Knobcon 2016 Details are In

"Knobcon, the world's only synthesizer convention, returns to the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg near Chicago IL USA for the fifth happening of this immersive event featuring over 60 exhibitors, live performances and workshops!

Knobcon:
Jack to the Future Part V
$35 Entry Fee for ALL 3 DAYS!
Optional Knobcon Banquet only $50

It all begins with an opening reception on Friday, September 9 with live performances by Allerian, Entanglement, Studio Dummies, and Suit & Tie Guy. Attendees of the reception will also enjoy specially priced drinks featuring whiskey from Balcones Distilling.

Multiple exhibit halls open to the public at 10AM Saturday and Sunday and are filled to capacity with large manufacturers such as Roland, Korg, Yamaha, and Moog, the finest boutique modular and pedal companies, and even some "classic cars" that collectors bring to display. Behringer’s new analog polysynth DeepMind12 will be making its North American debut at the event. Also appearing will be the new Minimoog Model D from Moog, and Arturia's Matrixbrute. See the latest releases and even purchase gear at special Knobcon pricing throughout the weekend!

Workshops scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, Sept 10-11. See the Knobcon website (www.knobcon.com) for complete descriptions and times.
• Syntheizer Basics and Synthesizer Myths presented by Marc Doty
• History and Theory of Additive Synthesis presented by Jon Sonnenberg
• Birth of the Prophet VS presented by Chris Meyer
• Tomita: A Voyage Through His Greatest Techniques presented by Nicholas D. Kent
• Experimental Music: Composition with an Arduino MIDI Controller presented by Elliott Inman
• MIDI: What’s it All About? presented by Amos Gaynes
• BeatPPL - Live Podcast Recording
• SynthSummitShow - Live Podcast Recording
• Learn to solder SMT with synthCube building a Buffered Mult and Cable Tester Module
• Build an AstroNoise Euro Module or Standalone Circuit with Synthrotek
• Build a Dual Passive Low Pass Gate Euro Module with Modular Addict

Saturday evening features multiple events including the annual Knobcon Banquet with a keynote address by guest of honor, Bill Hemsath. Enjoy cocktail music by the Knobcon Supper Club All-Stars, a classic organ, guitar, and drums trio.

Bill Hemsath, RA Moog's Chief Engineer from 1969 to 1971, gave us three fantastic things we all treasure to this day. He developed the first CV joystick, which then became pitch and mod wheels. He also had the bright idea to wire some modules together in a box with a keyboard, and the Minimoog was born.

The entertainment continues Saturday night with multiple live music events. The Knobcon Big Room - a house and techno party with projections by Lorenzo Vektor and Dennis Stein. Big Room performers include Glacial 23, Introvert, Low-Gain, Komprezzor and Oliver Dodd. If that's not your thing, head over to the International Players Club - a live music and jam session with The SynthFreq & Friends.

Knobcon ends on Sunday, September 11 at 5pm.

Full event details can be found at www.knobcon.com

EXHIBITORS
2hp, 4ms Company, Amplified Parts, Analogue Solutions, Antimatter Audio, Art For The Ears, Artisan Electronic Instruments, Arturia, Audient, Behringer, Believotron, Black Market Modular, Blue Lantern Modules, Casio, Detachment 3, Detroit Modular, Division 6, Dreadbox, EarthQuaker Devices, Elite Modular, Erogenous Tones, Evaton Technologies, EVE Audio, Future Retro, Foxtone Music, Grove Audio, Hexinverter Électronique, Industrial Music Electronics, Kilpatrick Audio, Korg, KVgear, Malekko Heavy Industry, Metalphoto of Cincinnati, Modal Electronics, Mode Machines, Moog Music, Moon Modular, Modular Addict, Nerd Audio, Noisebug, Novation, Old Crow, Percussa, Perfect Circuit Audio, Plastiq Musiq, Qu-Bit, Reverb, Roland, Sleepery Supply, STG Soundlabs, Syinsi, synthCube, Synth City, Synthrotek, Synthesis Technology, Tsyklon Labs, Verbos Electronics, WMD, Yamaha, Zetaohm, Żłob Modular, Z. Vex Effects"

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2016 Pics

Update: Booth list added below.  30 booths in one day!  It's become tradition for me to come on Saturday only.  The site is just too busy leading up to then.  Be sure to see the last image in the set  It's the NAMM Booth promo for the first showing of the original Minimoog Model D.  The Bob Moog Foundation was giving out buttons of the flyer which you can see in the second to last image.  You never know what will be your last pic at NAMM.  I am glad it was this one.  It's more than fitting considering the Minimoog was the birth of modern day synthesizers.  Apologies for not calling this out earlier.  It was one of those should I not say anything and let people pause at that image and discover what it meant on their own, or should I call it out.  I guess I did both.  :)

--

So first of all, apologies for the super tall pic to start! For some reason Flickr's slideshow is not resizing it, and a few others, to fit the desired frame size. Mouse over the image and use the controls that come up to move through the slide show. Once you get past the first image, the majority of the rest should fit fine. For what it's worth, the super tall pic to start does give you a feel of what it's like to walk up to the entrance of NAMM. If you prefer you can check out the set on Flickr here. Feel free to grab any pics for your wallpaper but if you'd like to use them professionally (not that any are that good :), please contact me by clicking on the small email icon on the bottom right of the site. This year I took a total of 328 pics.

All that said, enjoy the set! The pics speak for themselves. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in the comments.

NAMM was great this year. Lots of familiar faces and lots of new. Modular has grown exponentially. It was on the main floor this year rather than what we like to call the dungeon. As for new synths, the DSI Oberheim OB-6 stole the show. The minilogue looked and sounded great and the KORG Volca FM was a very nice surprise. Roland's booth was great; nice dim lighting to let the blinky synth lights shine, as well as giving you a more intimate experience with their synths. There was also a cool wall sized timeline of Roland synths. Malekko's Roland System 500 synths were in show and I actually was able to help with one that had its envelope switched to loop mode. Moog's Island of Electronicus was an incredible space. The pics don't do it justice. It was literally like an oasis in NAMM. Things get pretty hectic and can feel overwhelming at times. Moog's booth just made you smile and relax. Thank you Moog!

PS, there are a couple of non-synth shots in the set that might make you smile. I took them to show my wife what I was looking at. :)

Including this post, 253 NAMM2016 posts have gone up and more are sure to follow.

Update: The booth list in order of appearance in both the set and in me walking through NAMM.  The pics in the set are in the order taken.

1.   Entrance to NAMM
2.   Dave Smith Instruments
3.   Moog Music
4.   Schneiders Buero Booth featuring Doepfer, MFB, Birdkids, AJH Synth, Endorphines, soundmachines, and Haken Audio
5.   Pittsburgh Modular
6.   Modal Electronics
7.   Make Noise
8.   Moon Modular
9. WMD (4ms, Verbos & Koma pics came prior to Moon Modular as they were across from each other. The WMD modular area was huge): 4ms Pedals, Abstract Data, Audio Damage, BaSTLE, Delptronics, Elite Cases, Rossum Electronics, Expert Sleepers, Foxtone Music/ Black Market Modular, Koma Elektronik, Hexinverter, Macro Machines, Mordax Systems, Noise Engineering, Qu-Bit Electronix, Soulsby, Steady State Fate (SSF), STG Soundlabs / Detachement 3 [check out the Crowbox black SEM eurorack module!], TipTopAudio, Toppobrillo, Verbos Electronics.
10. Studio Electronics, Mode Machines, and D-Tronics (check out the massive DT7 dedicated programmer for the DX7 similar to the old Jellinghaus)
11. Roger Linn's Linnstrument
12. Tom Oberheim
13. Elektron
14. Malekko - complete with Roland banner to promote their new System 500. Check out the glowing case! You can control the color with CV control.
15. Big City Music - Analogue Systems, Critter & Guitari, Cwejman, Dewanatron, Dirty Boy Pedals, Effectrode Tube Effects, EMC, Eowave, Jomox, Livewire, Mellotron, MWFX Pedals, Sherman
16. Schmidt in the Big City Music booth.
17. Radikal Technologies
18. Waldorf
19. Arturia
20. intelligel
21. Social Entropy and Abstrakt Instrument
22. Expressive E
23. John Bowen Synth Design - check out the custom Sonic Six with Sequential Model 700 Programmer & modded Model 800 Sequencer.
24. Roland (the guy with the hat on the right is the drummer for Train - I was taking pics of the timeline and they were standing there. I asked them if they wanted to be in the pic and they said sure! :) Apologies to Ed Diaz! I took his pic right when he saw me. Trust me he was full of smiles after that pic. I was flattered to find out he knew about the site! :)
25. Yamaha
26. Novation
27. KORG
28. Tangible Instruments showing their Arpeggio
29. Industrial Music Electronics (formerly Harvestman) and Sputnik Modular Synthesizers.
30. The Bob Moog Foundation

30 booths in one day!

Toronto Sound Festival Set for This Weekend

When: November 21st and 22nd
Where: Tranzac Club, Toronto

What:
Synthesizers, modulars, drum machines, and performances!
Saturday day: Walk-around convention, clinics, vendors, and synth meet-up (bring your gear!)
Saturday night: Performances
Sunday day: Synth swap meet (trade your gear!), clinics, meet-up, vendors, and demos

Pricing:
Advance tickets - $20.00 – includes both days
After October 30th and at the door - $25.00 – includes both days
Sunday only: $5 at the door
Saturday night live hardware performances: FREE!

Advance ticket payment can be made via PayPal (torontosoundfestival@gmail.com). Please include your full name and Muff's name if you have one. You can also follow the development here: http://bit.ly/1FtfMET

What to know if you’re bringing your synth and/or modular:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Upcoming Sound Labs at Amsterdam Dance Event Oct 14 - 18

Workshops at this years' Amsterdam Dance Event currently include Moog, STEIM, Ginko Synthese, and Falafular Synths. Details follow.

ADE Sound Lab: a modular synth heaven

"The modular synthesizer has always been an integral part of dance music, and ADE Sound Lab will shed a light on its heritage during a three day modular synth bonanza.
If you're planning on visiting ADE Sound Lab make sure to grab the annual ADE Card, which allows you to access MusicTalks and live performances.

Modular synths have been on the rise of late. Their new found popularity boosted the modular market in unforeseen ways. The market has spiked like never before, and there are ever more and more musicians, artists and producers making their own modular set up in search of unique sounds and machinery.

ADE Sound Lab focuses on the history and heritage of synths by inviting sound designers, inventors and even some legends of the modular world to inspire you with talks, workshops, performances and a Modular Market. By exhibiting the latest inventions in (modular) synthesis ADE explores the realm of the development of new electronic instruments, (modules for) modular synthesizer systems and audio installations, as well as innovations in the field of image and visualisations of sound. Amongst other work, ADE Sound Lab introduces the Modular Expo.

Do It Yourself Synth Building Workshops
You can not only play around with existing modules and modular systems, but you can also build your own synthesizer. ADE Sound Lab offers several Do It Yourself workshops, some free of charge, others for a fee. The latter will ensure you can take your brand new, playable synth back to your home studio.

Moog’s Chris Howe will head the workshops on Thursday and Friday. Friday will see a workshop that will be led by STEIM - Hypothetical Instruments, which will focus on the future of electronic music, what instruments will be needed and how we will correspond with those yet-to-be-invented modules. On Saturday, the DIY Workshop will be hosted by Ginko Synthese who will let you build your own synth with their very own DIY kits. They’ll even let you make a case to harness the instruments. Falafular will host on Saturday. If you like to learn more about prices and workshop registration, keep a close eye on our website and the respective event pages.

Workshops
Moog Werkstatt by Chris Howe (Moog Music Inc, US)
Werkstatt Workshop provides a way for synth experts and novices alike to explore subtractive synthesizers. Through hands-on instrument modifications, participants will learn the fundamentals of subtractive analog synthesis and the control voltage paradigm. Analog synthesizers have long had their own maker culture born of curious engineers, physicists and hobbyists who have created and crafted their sounds through electronic experimentation. It is our goal to share our love for learning, music, and electronics by encouraging everyone to create the world they want to hear, one mod at a time.

STEIM - Hypothetical Instruments
In this workshop you can design machines for creative expression. Working with low and no-tech, you’ll build non-functional instruments aimed at inventing the music machine of the future. By taking as a starting point how an individual imagines the experience of playing electronic music, we will spend the afternoon making the perfect machine or instrument for that person. This process is directly informed by the designers and researchers from Native Instruments, Johannes Kepler Universität and STEIM, with the goal of making instruments that are positioned on the bleeding edge of technology.

Ginko Synthese
Ginko Synthese, the braindchild of Jan Willem Hagenbeek, aims to close the gap between the stage and the studio. At ADE Sound Lab they will be presenting easy to build cheap DIY kits. The components are available at a reasonable price. The popularity of these kits is currently spreading across the world fast, meaning that a lot of new user codes are becoming available almost weekly. You can use these modules as granular oscillators, wavetable oscillators, drum synths and even as clock sources just by uploading a different code.

Falafular Synths
Falafular is the SDIY brand that enabled Falafelbiels (Niels Kloet) to build himself a fabulous modular synthesizer. The ’S’ in SDIY stands for soldering, and Niels Kloet will show you the nit and grit of Do It Yourself synth building.

ADE Sound Lab is organised by ADE, in cooperation with Creative Industries Fund NL, the Dutch fund that offers sound pioneers and innovators an opportunity to demonstrate what they are working on, as well as helping them to develop their talents further in a 'hot house' environment.

ADE Sound Lab
Dates: Thursday Oct. 15 - Saturday Oct. 17
Time: program starts at noon
Venue: Compagnietheater
ADE Sound Lab is a free program (except for the ADE MusicTalks series and live performances, free for ADE Card holders, also accessible for 1 & 5 Day conference ticket holders)."

Machines in Music Event - Brooklyn, NY Set for October 17 & 18

"Machines in Music is a two-day modular synthesizer event based in Brooklyn, NY. The event consists of a synthesizer fair that is open to public, followed by a night event with live-hardware performers on Saturday. On Sunday, we will host a 'Wind Down' gathering at a local bar with live ambient performances, food and drinks.

Our goal for Machines in Music is to promote awareness of the new generation of synthesizers.

Curated by CONTROL and VERBOS ELECTRONICS"

You'll find full details including how to sign up if you'd like to exhibit on their official website."

I Dream of Wires to Add Additional Extended Interview

via I Dream of Wires on Facebook:

"It looks like we'll be producing and releasing one more free I Dream Of Wires: Extended Interview piece in 2014. If you could choose just one person, out of all of the people we interviewed in IDOW, who would you like to see featured in a full Extended Interview? [leave your pick on Facebook here]

If you're not familiar with our Extended Interview series, we've released 9 of them so far. See the list below, and check out our Vimeo channel to watch.

I Dream of Wires - Extended Interview Series:"

9. Chris Carter:

CLICK FOR MORE »