Watch acclaimed flutist and composer Elena Pinderhughes bring the Aerophone Brisa to life in this expressive sound demo performance. From acoustic emulations to bold synth textures, Elena showcases Brisa’s wide sonic palette with artistry and flair.
Whether you're a wind player, producer, or sound explorer, the Aerophone Brisa offers a fresh take on performance and creativity. Elena’s dynamic playing highlights the instrument’s expressive capabilities and genre-crossing potential.
00:00 SawSqr Reso Lead
00:35 Erhu
00:59 Baritone Sax
01:07 Concert Flute
01:19 Didgeridoo
01:37 Jazz Scat 1
01:44 Dist Saw Lead
01:59 Vibraphone
2. Roland Aerophone Brisa Performance ft. Shabaka Hutchings
The Aerophone Brisa is a next-generation digital wind instrument designed for flutists and wind doublers to inspire bold musical exploration. With intuitive breath control, customizable sounds, and an array of acoustic fingerings, Brisa empowers artists to push sonic boundaries like never before.
In this exclusive performance, visionary saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings brings Brisa to life, blending his spiritual jazz roots with futuristic textures and tones. His dynamic improvisation showcases the expressive depth and versatility of Brisa, proving that tradition and innovation can coexist in perfect harmony.
3. Roland Aerophone Brisa | Everything You Need to Know (Featuring Elena Pinderhughes)
Discover the Roland Aerophone Brisa, a revolutionary digital wind instrument designed with flute players in mind. In this in-depth video, flutist Elena Pinderhughes guides you through everything you need to know about Brisa, from expressive sound demos to intuitive design features that adapt to your unique playing style.
In this video, you’ll learn about the SuperNATURAL Winds technology that delivers lifelike tone and dynamic expression, dual breath sensors and motion control for nuanced performance, and customizable fingerings including flute, Brisa, trumpet, and more. You'll also learn about Brisa’s built-in speaker, connectivity, DAW integration, and the companion app for tone editing, controller assignment, and access to Roland Cloud.
Whether you're an experienced wind player, a producer, or just starting your musical journey, Brisa opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities.
Press release follows.
The Popular Roland Aerophone Family Expands with an Innovative Flute-Style Instrument
Los Angeles, CA, September 16, 2025 — Roland introduces Aerophone Brisa, the latest member of the company’s Aerophone family of digital wind instruments.
"Early 90's rave/breakbeat vibes with Redshift 6.
This demo consists of four multitimbral parts, all recorded live from their individual outputs:
Part 1: Bass line (Character: Mean)
Part 2: Detuned saw lead (Character: Mean)
Part 3: Distorted acid lead (Character: Sour)
Part 4: Square lead (Character: Sour)
The acid lead has an external delay; all other synth parts are dry.Drums were added in the DAW."
"In this Progressive Trance demo, the Redshift 6 is playing five live parts multitimbrally:
Part 1: Main square wave melody
Part 2: Bass line
Part 3: Paraphonic pads
Part 4: Super Saw arpeggio line
Part 5: Super Saw chords
All parts were recorded to separate tracks using Redshift 6’s six individual outputs.Drums and FX were added in post-production in the DAW.
With Redshift 6, multitimbrality is always at your fingertips. Its user interface is built from the ground up to enable a seamless workflow between mono- and multitimbral setups.
Under the hood, Redshift 6 is always multitimbral—there’s no need to switch to a specific multitimbral mode. A new multitimbral synth part can be activated with just the push of a button. Voice allocation, polyphony/paraphony, group settings, and other parameters are easily configured in the Parts view.
Multitimbrality allows Redshift 6 to function as multiple independent synthesizers. Each part can be polyphonic, paraphonic, or monophonic, and each can have its own unique character."
"Patch: Bass is the Dpvco mixing the alpha square with beta saw slightly detuned into the RF transistor mixer and into SH Vcf. The decay of the envelope filter is voltage controlled by Lucky Voltages giving a bit more groove.
The lead is a simple saw into the Diode Dream Vcf which can make internal fm from Vcf input to the filter cv frequency. This resonance sounds so bubbly and glassy with beautiful mid high frequencies!
All drums are from different sources mostly analog mixing into a vintage 70s mixer. The jam is directly recorded into daw. Sequencing is done with Beatsteppro."
"A test on the eurorack control system.
the synth voices are:
Implexus,
Performer and Pulsar 23 for the drums.
The 4 Performer voices pass through the Godfather.
Everything was fine, until..."
"Xfer Serum - Dreamy Decibels is a bank of presets created in the Hyper Pop, EDM, Retrowave, Darkwave, Synthwave genres, inspired by artists such as SOPHIE, A.G. Cook, Bladee and old Charli XCX.
📦 The bank includes 50 Patches: 11 Basses, 7 Leads, 10 Pads, 5 Plucks, 10 Percussion Sounds, 7 Synths.
This set offers you all the necessary tools to create bright, energetic and memorable music that expands the boundaries of traditional genres and immerses the listener in the world of neon sounds.
Since the genre is quite diverse, the bank contains both metallic overdriven synths, drums and atmospheric pads, which can greatly complement and saturate your track with experiments!
👤 The author of the soundset is skendi (Arseniy Pushkov).
🎛 Macros can change tone, stereo width, modulation depth and rate, noise level, distortion, detuning, space/echo/reverb, effects mix, envelope parameters, and others.
You may control them via MIDI controller, use them for automation, or map the macros to your DAW modulators like LFO, Shaper, and others.
ModWheel adds expressiveness to the timbre.
💡 Ensure that you are using the latest plugin version. Version 1.368 or higher is required.
Installation: Open the Serum menu and click "Show Serum Presets Folder." You will see folders containing different Serum content. Open the "Presets" folder and place the new bank of presets there.
I added drum loops to some demo tracks. They are not included into the soundset.
Contents:
00:00 PD Grace / BS Synthy Shot / LD Chill Saw
01:02 PD Hyper Dreams / LD Cleany / SY Digi / BS Jax Reese
02:47 BS Lazy Active / PD Chopped / SY Digi
03:46 PD Good Times / PD Grace / LD Wavy / BS Friendly Monster / BS Crunchy
05:24 PL Beaty Orbit / LD Acid Glide / BS Synthy Shot / BS Hyper Guitar / BS Mario / PL Nostalgic / LD Chill Saw / PR Dirty Kick / PR Muddy but Metalic / PR Xeon Snare / PR Metalic Hat
07:09 BS Lazy Active / PD Blade Runner / PL Beauty Orbit
08:15 SY Sonic / PL Shadow Metallic / SY Guitar / BS Turn it Up / PR Snow Kick / PR Laser Snare / PR Flangered Hat
09:32 BS Ball / PD Good Times / PL Arcade
10:43 PD Landscape / SY Angel Wave / BS Lazy Active / LD Rhytm / LD Belly Saw / PR Laser Kick
11:48 LD Acid / SY Dirty / PL Nokia / PR Metalic Snare / SY Cosmo / PD VHS Memories / PR Metalic Hat / BS Stomp / PR Hard Kick / BS Gas Reese"
"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Sonicware and Stylophone on an hourly rate producing synth & sample sound design, beta testing, checking English text, video manuals, promo content etc. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Sonicware and Stylophone it is marked as Paid Promotion
So I feel very lucky this year to have worked with a few wonderful companies, mainly Sonicware and Stylophone. Obviously I've been sent the gear I've worked on for Sonicware as you'll see it all over my channel, but also Stylophone were very nice to me and sent me a Gen R-8 from their vaults!
I'm also lucky that my wife (and in-laws) appreciates my second job/hobby and buys me music gear for Christmas, that's where the Zoom R8 multitrack recorder I'm using here came from. I bought a Zoom Livetrak L-6 this year for my dawless jams which I love, but it records all it's channel simultaneously so layering is not possible. Layering is an interesting way of working which I've often used on the channel with a four track tape recorder, mixer and a send effect (most often a Zoom 1201), but this replaces the need for all that with a lot more features to boot.
What surprised me the most about the R8 is that you can record, mix and even master a whole track without relying on a DAW. All effects etc you hear are the R8 alone here. It has a send reverb slot, a send chorus/delay slot and then a single insert effects chain. The insert effect can only be doing one thing at once so you'll typically record through it onto an audio track or you can record dry and re-record (bounce) through it later if you prefer. There are a number of algorithms which are just a number of effects slots in a chain which can be configured to your liking. You switch algorithms, channel, contents and settings or preset of the insert effect depending what you need it for and when. This information is not well presented in the manual though so I geeked out and made a spreadsheet to show more simply which algorithms can contain which type of effect and which can be synced to tempo. That's available here: https://mega.nz/file/quxm3CoD#H1-u2Db... (I printed and laminated these, yes I know how to nerd)
Perhaps the only let down about the R8 is there's no sync options, though it's not really expecting you to work that way. You can have the metronome on headphones only which may be the way to do things, but I suspect I end up recording and panning a click from a Volca/Liven as a way around this.
By the way the small glockenspiel was part of my present from my in-laws. I've never had much luck recording them because of the huge spike in volume when the bar is hit (transient) so I almost gave up, but after studying the effects I saw the R8 has a 'slow attack' effect which was perfect for this as it completely kills the clackiness of the hit. Nice one. I'm recording through one of the two built in mics for that btw.
A quick word about the Stylophone Gen R-8, it's a dirty little beast. It's been kind of wild to get to grips with and I'm finding it's not suited to quite a lot of patches I'd normally make, smooth basses are out of the question for example because it sounds like the oscillator resets at the start of each new note (maybe the envelope, idk) so there's always a percussive click. Plus the filter sound is agro with settings that would normally tame it, it refuses to be calm. But for more aggressive tones it's very nice so I'll probably use it mostly for that!"
"Hello World.. long time no see. A lot of things has been happening, family, work, life etc. I thought that id show some lifesigns, been rearranging in my studio a bit, selling some gear.. getting some new stuff. The biggest thing being the UDO Super Gemini. I have coveted this machine ever since i saw it released and today it is mine.
What you hear is Preset A1 with some slight tinkering.. a tad of reverb in my DAW and thats it. No fuzz, no flashing lights.. just the old BURG in the first moments exploring his new synth.
Note, this is a dynamic jam, so please watch the volume :)
"This is a comparision of the WALDORF MICROWAVE 1, Rev. A with WALDORF MICROWAVE 1, Plugin.
Considering a proposal to rewire the PLUGIN this is to record the soundcard output into the DAW again to obtain more comarability.
MW 1 hardware sounds are directly recorded in DAW. Plugin sounds are recordedfrom the out of UFX into inputof UFX using the same pair of cables engaged for the signals of the Hardware unit."
00:00 Intro 00:14 Titles 00:17 DREAMPIANO Original 01:07 DREAMPIANO Plug 02.01 NOISY VIBES Original 02:45 NOISY VIBES Plug 03:29 RAW-SAW Original 04:40 RAW-SAW Plug 05:36 SOFT STRINGS 1985 Original 06:21 SOFT STRINGS 1985 Plug 07.07 STEEL WAVE Original 07:55 STEEL WAVE Plug 08:43 VOX HUMANUM Original 09:36 VOX HUMANUN Plug 10:30 WAVE RIDE Original 11.42 WAVE RIDE Plug 11:55 Credits
"Analog Classics is soundset for the analog synthesizers Behringer Pro-1. It is a collection of 50 patches: 15 Leads, 15 Basses, 15 Plucks, 5 Drones. It includes famous sounds that are found in many electronic tracks, from vintage to modern, musical solo timbres; basses that will fit into any track or performance. Plucks are excellent for use with arpeggiators or sequencers. You may use the internal Pro-1 arpeggiator or sequencer, or you may integrate your preferred arpeggiators or sequencers from your DAW or MIDI controllers.
The patches will add uniqueness to your music, featuring the sound introduced by the Behringer Pro-1.
The presets are suitable for a variety of genres, including: ambient, electronica, IDM, deep, techno, house, progressive, trance, lounge, downtempo, pop, chill out, new age, cinematic, breaks, jungle, drum and bass, dub and others.
The soundset is presented in the form of PDF-Document. Each page contains notes that explain how the patch works, what parameters are worth tweaking during playback, and how to develop the timbre during a performance. If you make all the settings consciously and try the things mentioned in the notes, you will learn a lot about the synth and discover its true depth.
There are audio examples of all patches inside the folder with the soundset.
TCHC announces availability of SMALL STRING GESTURES as toolkit to dial up musical personality with intimate interpretative band behind each key
EDINBURGH, UK: having ‘softly’ set out its software stall late last year with a low-key launch of STRING MURMURATIONS that saw decades of award-winning experience in the music tech sector and at the composing coalface distilled into an easy- to-use, intuitive, and comprehensive sample-based virtual instrument plug-in and GUI (Graphical User Interface) introducing the cutting-edge concept of Gestures (whereby an orchestra interpreting its user’s composition and making it into music and art lies behind every key played), music-making community tools-maker The Crow Hill Company is proud to announce availability of SMALL STRING GESTURES as the latest incarnation of that concept — creating a set of tools where individual instruments and the playing style, strengths, and frailties of the intimate interpretative (3, 3, 3, 3) band behind each key are available for the user to dial up the personality of their composition, created from a collection of master recordings that have been mixed and edited into a sample-based virtual instrument plug-in with a GUI and preset browser that are as easy on the eye as they are in use — as of January 26…
An armada of strings can create awe — an epic tidal wave of human emotion, of scale, of wonder. While STRING MURMURATIONS makes it easy and intuitive to make music that sounds human thanks to three distinct palettes of expressions, each designed to feel like the user is collaborating with an orchestra of real musicians, creating endless harmonic possibilities that inspire from the moment a key is touched, sometimes music-makers need it to be intimate, truthful, personal, human — hence The Crow Hill Company creating SMALL STRING GESTURES as a set of tools where individual instruments and the playing style, strengths, and frailties of the instrumentalists involved are available for the user to dial up the personality of their composition. Cue humanity, in other words.
With this in mind, The Crow Hill Company specifically selected a 3, 3, 3, 3 — three Violin 1, three Violin 2, three Violas, and three Cellos — band size that ensured its sampling style brought every individual within that ensemble into beautifully detailed and intimate focus for SMALL STRING GESTURES. This toolset is provided with a different lens and aperture to play through.
The Crow Hill Company collectively likes to keep things moving, so while this latest incarnation of its Gestures concept is very much related to one of those distinct palettes of expression available in STRING MURMURATIONS, it is worth highlighting hysteresis — dictionary-defined as the phenomenon in which the value of a physical property lags behind changes in the effect causing it, such as when magnetic induction lags behind the magnetising force, for instance — in relation to SMALL STRING GESTURES. Getting in on the act of creating sample libraries involves always asking the instrumentalists involved to perform musical material that is incredibly easy to play in order for the end result to always be ‘together’. That is fine for programming or composing simple stuff since that would sound true to real life, but it becomes harder, however, for players to remain totally locked to each other’s tuning or timekeeping when playing more difficult passages. Pure sound becomes more problematic as a result — reduced fundamental meaning more character, which is why a lot of sample-based music used in films, games, and TV sounds ‘characterless’. Clearly the samples involved therein lack hysteresis as they were easy to play, yet playing something difficult with them does not sound natural, real, or human. Indeed, it is fair to say that what makes musicians ‘hysterical’ is speed — faster playing means looser playing that is less in time and also less in tune; reach — the wider the gap between the notes, the further they have to reach, resulting in less perfectly in tune playing; and pitch — the higher a player plays, the harder it becomes as it involves more intense accuracy from string players performing on fretless instruments.
It is for this reason that The Crow Hill Company decided to get its players to perform the hard stuff — not compositions, but mere fragments, which is why anyone working with SMALL STRING GESTURES will not feel like they are playing phrases; instead it is rather like having a string band under their fingertips. For Gestures are the very real sound of reach and performance. But by not giving the musicians behind SMALL STRING GESTURES simple stuff to play prevented them from getting bored. Better still, SMALL STRING GESTURES users are accessing the sound that musicians make when they are smiling... hysterically!
It is also fair to say, therefore, that the effect of hysteresis on a large string section — including that which was involved in the creation of STRING MURMURATIONS, for instance — is a silky, blurry sound. An audible example of this might be the fast string runs in John Williams’ ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — ditto the closing bars of ‘Mars, the Bringer of War’ from Holst’s The Planets suite. Saying that, though, there are times when music-makers do not need awe, epic, and huge scale in pursuit of their compositional craft, but instead seek something more intimate, more personal, more human. The theory that led to SMALL STRING GESTURES revolved around if The Crow Hill Company could get a string band small enough then the impact of hysteresis would not be a musical blurring, but rather an exposure of each player involved in its creation — their own style of bowing and vibrato, their own fragilities to help the user’s audience connect more with the human nature of their music.
Making that happen meant designing SMALL STRING GESTURES to make its users approach composing and making music from a totally new angle, one where it feels like there are musicians at their fingertips — not samples. SMALL STRING GESTURES is a collection of master recordings — made by world-class producers and engineers at Glasgow’s Clockwork Studios, a new custom-designed scoring stage for the UK comprising of a large hall for full orchestra (up to 80 players) with a balanced and focused sound ideal for modern orchestral recording, as well as a smaller dry space in Studio B (up to 15 players), with the world-class Scottish Session Orchestra playing some of the finest instruments through the finest microphones and mic pre-amps — that have been mixed and edited into a sample-based virtual instrument plug-in with a GUI and a preset browser that are as easy on the eye as they are in use. Ultimately, it works within anyone’s favourite DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with 25 presets — presented as six Gestures, four Longs, 10 Presets, and five Bonus — and additional hand-crafted Selects designed by The Crow Hill Company team. There are three mix-ready stereo signals — namely, CLOSE, WIDE, and AMBIENT, as well as unique REVERB controls and a granular effects processor.
Duly designed by professional composers with the sonic connoisseur in mind, The Crow Hill Company’s collective conclusion certainly rings true, stating, “We’re a small team and have worked hard to make everything as intuitive as possible.” Put it this way: with SMALL STRING GESTURES it is perfectly possible to make music that sounds intimate, truthful, personal, human! Hysteresis, of course, comes into play here, albeit with the desired effect — exposure of each player involved in its creation.
Clearly, then, big messages come in small packages when it comes to working with the diminutive-sized SMALL STRING GESTURES as another easy-to-use and intuitive virtual instrument plug-in from The Crow Hill Company, one which is also easy on the wallet for those wishing to step into this new world of gesture-based sampling.
SMALL STRING GESTURES is available to purchase — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-format-compatible sample-based virtual instrument plug-in comprising 8 GB of uncompressed material (compressed losslessly to 4.4 GB) that loads directly into a DAW — for £49.00 GBP (including VAT) directly from The Crow Hill Company here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/small-string-gestures
SMALL STRING GESTURES is available for free until February 29, 2024 when purchasing STRING MURMURATIONS for £199.00 GBP (including VAT) directly from The Crow Hill Company here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/string-murmurations/ (Note that SMALL STRING GESTURES is also available for free to existing owners of STRING MURMURATIONS until February 29, 2024.)
Watch The Crow Hill Company founder and composer Christian Henson’s must-see SMALL STRING GESTURES walkthrough video here: [video up top]
Analogue Solutions Ample Synthesizer -- All Sounds Ample video upload by rezfilter
"Here's a little retro track I put together using only the Ample synth from Analogue Solutions. All parts were sequenced or played live from the Ample, utilizing the onboard Patternator sequencer throughout.
Ample begs to be touched, sequenced, pinned, and played. It's a culmination of all great things from AS."
Check with the dealers on the right for availability. Press release follows.
Analogue Solutions announces availability of Ample as ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER blending best of past and present products
SHATTERFORD, UK: after a successful soft-launch at SynthFest 2023 in Sheffield, UK on October 7, British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions is proud to announce availability of Ample to a wider audience as a desktop-friendly ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER — beautifully blending the best elements of several of its past and present products to form a truly analogue modular system skilfully presented as a precision- engineered electronic musical instrument in a spacious (550mm x 262mm x 83mm) steel and aluminium case that also embraces ergonomic features such as VESA mount compliance, should desktop space be at a premium, all of which adds up to being a perfect fit for its appropriate appellation — as of November 29…
Ample adheres to Analogue Solutions’ tried-and-tested no-compromise construction formula, featuring a full rugged steel and aluminium case — no plastic mouldings here; high-quality metal potentiometers with smooth action, fully sealed against dust intrusion; high-quality knobs with spun aluminium caps; high-quality double-sided circuit boards; high-quality 16-bit DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Convertor) for stable MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to CV (Control Voltage) conversion; stable analogue oscillators; gold-plated touch plates; plus true retro analogue voice and modulation circuits to give an authentic retro sound. Since Analogue Solutions’ innovative instruments are applauded for proudly possessing a truly vintage sound — synthesisers featuring fully-analogue audio paths with analogue LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and EGs (Envelope Generators), in other words, Ample is in good company as an ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER.
But by beautifully blending the best elements of several past and present products — namely, the sound elements of Fusebox fabricated originally as an aptly-named, three-VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) true analogue monophonic synthesiser that favourably fuses the company’s characterful vintage sound with an advanced choice of modulation and melodic possibilities in a beautifully-built box; the jack points introduced in the long-discontinued line of Concussor modular synth drum modules (themselves dating back to the time when Analogue Solutions was the third company to start producing Eurorack format-compatible modules, magical as that might sound in today’s ever-expanding era of thousands of Eurorack modules being produced by hundreds — if not thousands — of developers, both bigger and smaller); the patch pin matrix introduced in the long-lasting Vostok semi-modular synthesiser series (that knowingly nodded and winked at its Russian ‘roots’ from a visual standpoint); the lo-fi echo featured in Dr Strangelove as a small and affordable desktop signal processor (that ushered in Analogue Solutions’ so-called synthBlocks series); and last, but by no means least, the sequencer and CV touch plates introduced in Generator as a highly-versatile multi-channel analogue step sequencer — to form a truly analogue modular system skilfully presented as a precision-engineered electronic musical instrument is what really makes Ample stand out amongst Analogue Solutions’ present-day products.
Put it this way: while Ample shares all of those features from some of Analogue Solutions’ ‘greatest hits’, it still has a sound of its own thanks to the circuits on offer: OSCILLATING is handled by three analogue VCOs (Voltage-Controlled Oscillators), each providing a wealth of features and modulation choices, with the VCO3/LFO 1 legend visually highlighting that the third oscillator can easily be utilised as an LFO (with saw, square, and triangle wave modulation signals), while LFO2/SYNC has a triangle wave output to total two LFOs; the LP VCF (Voltage-Controlled Filter) section is anchored around a four-pole 24dB-per-octave low-pass filter; the VCA (Voltage-Controlled Amplifier) can be set to THRU so it is always ‘open’ (allowing Ample to be used as an effect processor); the two envelope generators — EG 1 and EG 2 — each offer full control over ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN, and RELEASE; extensive modulation routing choices allow for a wide range of resultant sounds extending into percussion and ‘modular’ territory, further extended by patching with the jack sockets and pin matrix; MIDI is intentionally kept simple so users can concentrate on creating new sounds and making music, with all- important control over filter cutoff available via MIDI Velocity; patchable CV control sockets allow the synth in question to effectively be rewired to make new sounds, as well as easily patched together with external Eurorack and other modular systems; the PATTERNATOR is a vintage-style 16-step sequencer; the six touch plates each output a set voltage, so can be used to pitch notes or as modulation signals — either way, they are truly inspirational in action; the pin matrix represents a neat (and flexible) way to patch the synth; and the ECHO section provides easy access to adding a little lo-fi echo or delay.
Audio applications abound when working with Ample as a synthesiser — excelling at analogue sound effects, as well as fat basses, screaming leads, and all manner of other crazy sounds associated with analogue synthesis; an effect processor — perfect for feeding external sounds through the onboard analogue filter and ECHO sections via external audio inputs; a drum synthesiser — suited to producing electronic percussion, including cymbal, hi-hat, kick, and snare sounds; and as a modular synthesiser — partially pre-patched, but with such a wide range of modulation routing possibilities that it is almost as versatile as a full-blown modular system, and capable of producing the same types of sounds but dispensing with telephone exchange-like cabling confusion in favour of making space-saving connections with removable coloured pins, yet still providing a flexible selection of patch sockets so it can quickly be re-patched into itself or to/from external Eurorack and other modular systems.
It is also worth noting in conclusion that while Ample can be used with an external MIDI keyboard or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), or an external CV keyboard or analogue sequencer, it is equally at home being worked with on its own using its internal step sequencer or pitch played via its six-touch plate ‘keyboard’. Whatever way anyone chooses to work with Ample, it could conceivably be argued that it is the best desktop synth of all — Analogue Solutions-wise or otherwise!
Limited quantities of Ample are already available to purchase directly from Analogue Solutions for £1,999.00 GBP (excluding tax/VAT) via its dedicated webpage (https://www.analoguesolutions.com/ample) while stock will soon be arriving at selected dealers (https://www.analoguesolutions.com/dealers).
"PS-3300 Features Exactingly faithful virtual analog emulation of the semi-modular analog polyphonic synthesizer released by Korg in 1977
Three independent "signal generator" panels, each with an oscillator, lowpass filter, three-peak resonators, envelope with velocity, amp, two mod generator LFOs, and per-note tuning:
3X VCOs with six waveforms: triangle, saw, rectangle (square), two preset pulse waves (with different widths), and PWM (variable-width pulse)
3X resonant VCF 12 dB/oct lowpass filters with the option to select between the standard "clean" PS filter or the "crunchier" MS-style filter
3X modulatable "triple resonators": 12 dB/oct bandpass filters to produce vowel and phasing tones
3X discreet ADSR-type envelope modulators with velocity control, and amplitude modulation
3X two syncable "mod generators" (LFOs) with output jacks: one with triangle, saw, ramp, rectangle, pink noise, and white noise, and the other with triangle waveform
3X temperament section with individual tuning knobs for the 12 chromatic notes, and temperament presets for Equal Tempered, Mean Tone System, Hepatonal System, and Just Intonation
Copy/paste settings from one signal generator panel to another
Polyphonic mode with up to 24 voices of polyphony and three monophonic modes: last, low, and high note priority
Semi-modular synthesizer with virtual jack and cable system, featuring unlimited mults per jack and customizable (color, transparency, animation) cables
Master signal mixer panel with sample & hold, general envelope generator, and two control voltage (CV) processors
Individual channel panning
User-selectable bend range and master tune
Studio-quality integrated effects: chorus, echo with sync, and three types of reverb (spring, plate, and Galactic)
Over 360 professionally designed presets in a dozen categories. These include a bonus Legacy collection of basic presets based on the patch sheets in the original PS-3300 Owner's Manual, a 3100-based Glissando patch, and a 432 Hz Equal Temperament patch, all to get your started in your own sound design adventures.
Standalone virtual instrument and plug-in versions
Complete MIDI control and DAW automation for all controls, with easy-to-use MIDI Learn and mapping
Cherry Audio’s popular Focus zoom-in feature, as well as standard UI zoom and resize via drag
Complete documentation available directly online from the instrument or in downloadable PDF format
User-adjustable oversampling control
Also available: With its three-synths-in-one architecture, unique resonators, and semi-modular nature, the PS-3300 is truly a behemoth of synthesizers. Sound designer James Dyson's Resonation Preset Pack (sold separately) includes additional presets that go further into the relative dimensions between light and shadow and all the way to the outer limits."
"Enjoy this sound demo video showcasing sounds available in the new Yamaha MONTAGE M Series Synthesizers.
0:00 - 0:36 : AN-X Syn Orch Pat - AN-X Poly Synth with Polyphonic Aftertouch
0:37 - 1:00 : Hamburg Grand - AWM 2 Concert Grand Piano
1:01 - 1:19 : Sweet Synths - AN-X Poly Synth
1:20 - 1:48 : RD 67 Smooth - AWM2 1967 Tines E. Piano
1:49 - 2:10 : Classic Mini Sawlead - AN-X Mono Lead
2:11 - 2:35 C7 + Analog String Ensemb - AWM2 Yamaha C7 Grand Piano + AN-X String Ensemble
2:36 - 2:55 : Poly Dreams - AN-X Poly Synth
2:56 - 3:10 : SFZ Tremolo BPM Sync - AWM2 Tremolo Strings
3:11 - 3:49 : Distant Memories - AN-X Poly Synth
3:50 - 4:11 : Drawbar Organ - AWM2 Organ with YC Series VCM Rotary Speaker effect
4:12 - 4:29 : FM Piano + Soft Pad - FM-X E.Piano + Soft Pad
4:30 - 4:45 : Synthpop Forever - AN-X Poly Synth
4:46 - 5:05 : U1 Upright - AWM2 Yamaha U1 Upright Piano
5:06 - 5:31 : Dum Drum Bass - FM-X + AWM2 Poly Synth
Yamaha presents our next-generation flagship Synthesizer: MONTAGE M. Featuring three engines that create a variety of sounds – ultra-realistic instruments, vintage analog synths, and cutting-edge FM synths. For keyboardists, synthesists, and pianists, MONTAGE M seamlessly bridges stage and studio, unlocking new possibilities for sound, control and workflow."
NEW AN-X ENGINE
A revolution in authentic analog sound, control and behavior, the AN-X engine recreates the warm, classic sound of an analog synthesizer with a host of sophisticated modulation options.
･Three Oscillators with 5 waveforms (Saw 1, Saw2, Triangle, Square and Sine) and Noise Generator
･Two filters with 10 filter types
･Pulse width modulation
･Oscillator Self Sync
･Ring modulation, FM, and wave shaper
･Amp EG with drive
･LFO for both amplitude and filter,
･Voltage drift and aging settings to simulate vintage synth behavior
Integrated into the Motion Control system, the AN-X Engine allows you to create expressive, unique analog sounds to your heart’s content.
Improved AWM2 Experience realism and detail with MONTAGE M’s improved AWM2. Offering an incredible 128 Elements per part, AWM2 allows for smoother transitions, giving you an expansive canvas for ultra-high-definition sound creation, especially for “nameable” sounds such as piano and strings.
400 NOTE TOTAL POLYPHONY A significant upgrade from the original MONTAGE’s 256 notes, MONTAGE M offers up to 400 notes of polyphony across its three engines:
･128 notes for AWM2 Preset Waveform Parts
･128 notes for AWM2 User Waveform Parts
･128 notes for FM-X Parts
･16 notes for AN-X Parts
And more about sound AND MORE [PRESET WAVE AND FLASH MEMORY UPGRADE] MONTAGE M offers twice the memory over its predecessor with an increase from 5.67GB to 9.97GB of Preset Wave memory, and an increase from 1.75 to 3.8GB of User flash memory. Plus, you’ll find a host of new sounds and instruments, including pianos, orchestral instruments, drums, and more!
[FM-X] MONTAGE M rekindles the Yamaha legacy of expressive and dynamic FM Synthesis with its 8-operator FM-X engine, offering a wide variety of diverse tones: from crisp and bell-like, to edgy and aggressive, to mellow and evolving. This is an excellent complement to the AWM2 and AN-X engines.
[VCM ROTARY AND DRAWBAR BEHAVIOR] Using sophisticated modeling technology, the VCM Rotary Speaker effect simulates the rich and enveloping motion of a classic rotary speaker cabinet. Plus, the new organ drawbar fader setting simulates the vintage “pull out” drawbar organ behavior.
[16 LIBRARY LOCATIONS] With 16 Library slots at your disposal, you can house up to 10,240 additional Performances (that’s in addition to the over 2,700 performances in the presets), facilitating quick searches by Category, Name and Attributes.
[PURE ANALOG CIRCUIT 2] The upgraded Pure Analog Circuit included in MONTAGE M reduces noise and improves the dynamic range, crosstalk, low-frequency phase, and distortion rate, resulting in clearer sound at all volumes. You’ll also find the sound has more detailed low-mids and presence.
GEX ACTION WITH POLYPHONIC AFTERTOUCH (MONTAGE M8x ONLY) Available exclusively on MONTAGE M8x, GEX Action elevates your performance and sound creation with Polyphonic Aftertouch – a revered synth control found in the legendary CS-80 and DX1. Polyphonic Aftertouch allows you to individual modulate held notes with pressure. GEX also provides key repetition behavior typically found in grand pianos.
NEW PERFORMANCE CONTROLS MONTAGE M introduces new performance controls: a 5-segment ribbon controller with dedicated HOLD button, a new KEYBOARD HOLD button for sustaining chords while using knobs to edit, and a Portamento on/off button and dedicated Portamento time knob.
DEDICATED KEYBOARD, PART AND SCENE CONTROL You’ll find dedicated Keyboard, Part and Scene Control buttons to control 16 Parts per Performance. This intuitive control, particularly beneficial for live performances, improves overall usability and adds dimension to each Performance.
AND MORE [HIGH-RESOLUTION CONTROL] All the Performance Controls – from the Keyboard and Faders to the Super Knob and Sustain, as well as the Sound Engine, are now in High Resolution. Because of the fine resolution, you’ll find the MONTAGE M behaves in a smoother and more “analog” way.
[MOTION CONTROL SYNTHESIS ENGINE]This groundbreaking engine allows you to interact with sounds in a variety of ways, including Motion Sequences, which dynamically automate synth and effect parameters, and can even be synchronized to tempo; the Super Knob, which controls dozens of modulations in a single gesture; the Envelope Follower, which modulates sound from the A/D input or another Part; and many, many more ways!
[NEW AND IMPROVED LED LIGHTS AND COLORS] Enhanced LED lights and colors on MONTAGE M faders, Performance, Live Set and Category Search offer visible, instant feedback, vastly improving the user interface.
WORKFLOW
Expanded Creativity
EXPANDED SOFTSYNTH PLUGIN (E.S.P.) (COMING EARLY 2024)
A game-changer for musicians, the Expanded Softsynth Plugin (E.S.P.) replicates the MONTAGE M in your favorite Digital Workstation (DAW). Free for all registered MONTAGE M owners, E.S.P. allows you to create, edit and mix MONTAGE M Performances anywhere you happen to be – without the hardware – offering an unprecedented level of stage and studio integration. We are planning on releasing E.S.P. in Early 2024. The first version will have all the MONTAGE M sound while being limited to basic editing. The full version will be available in Summer 2024.
FASTER, MORE INTUITIVE NAVIGATION
Upgraded navigation enables quick, intuitive sound editing and operation. You’ll find features like a new 512 x 64 LCD screen, 6 touchscreen display knobs, and a PAGE JUMP button that moves what’s in the LCD screen over to the larger 7” TFT Color touchscreen for deeper editing. And the dedicated Navigation button shows an overview of a Performance. Just touch a graphical object in the screen to jump to that parameter for deeper editing. The dedicated Navigation button allows you go directly from the “surface” of a sound to the deepest part.
USB MIDI AND MULTICHANNEL AUDIO INTERFACE
Simplifying your studio setup, MONTAGE M offers a USB MIDI and multichannel 32 output/6 input audio interface. Streamline MIDI recording, virtual instrument monitoring, and multi-track audio recording through a single USB cable, so you can spend more time being creative.
AND MORE
[FASTER UI] MONTAGE M’s UI is significantly speedier than the previous generation. Plus, the overall look is cleaner and easier to see.
[CATEGORY SEARCH] Search for Performances by Category (Piano, Keyboard, etc.), Sub Category (Acoustic, Vintage, etc.),Name, and Attributes (AWM2, FM-X, AN-X, etc.).
[TWO USB-TO-DEVICE PORTS] Allows simultaneous connection of a flash drive (or drives!) and USB MIDI controllers.
[DEDICATED DAW REMOTE BUTTON] Use your MONTAGE M as a hardware controller for DAWs such as Cubase, Logic, ProTools and Live. Control the mixer, transport, softsynth plugins and more.
[NEW SHIFT BUTTONS] Two new Shift buttons make it effortless to access secondary functions, increasing overall functionality.
[COLOR-CODED BUTTONS and SLIDER LAMPS] Backlit LIVE SET and CATEGORY buttons are colored differently and clearly show mode function. New slider lamps show red LED value increments, while active Parts are illuminated in blue.
"The Woovebox is a workstation/ groovebox that does more with less.
It aims to make music production simpler, cheaper and more portable by condensing a powerful music workstation/studio into a small pocket-sized device - all through aggressive hardware and software optimization.
Pocketable, powerful and economical
The Woovebox was designed for those who love creating tunes away from a desk or studio; whether it's on a couch, on a bus, in a coffee shop, or in bed. No space, no hassle, no cables. Just plug in your headphones and go!
And when you are ready, the Woovebox plays nice with DAW and other gear; physical MIDI and sync out, wireless MIDI in/out over Bluetooth, audio in, .WAV song and dry/wet stem export - it's all here.
Featuring a variety of synthesis algorithms, filters and effects, the optimized engine - quite literally - punches far above its weight; despite weighing only 68g/2.4oz/0.15lbs, the Woovebox offers deep sound design, real-time synthesis, sonic abilities and advanced features that are absent from grooveboxes many times its size and cost.
A fast workflow that inspires
The Woovebox workflow is a rethink of song building; it is fast, it fits a compact device, and it avoids "empty DAW project" paralysis. It was built to reduce friction and make the time from 0-to-head-bobbing to your own track as short as possible. You do not have to memorize endless obscure button combinations, and menu-diving is kept to a minimum.
The workflow centers on quickly setting up and filling out distinct building blocks, where each block quickly combines to create a whole that is more than the sum of its parts. Tempo, rhythm and chord info is re-used throughout the song, interface, playback options and even the synthesis engine. This is combined with conditional triggering and conditional modification of elements and tracks.
The results are complex, intricate compositions that sound refined, intentional and planned. If you wish, even just a single 16-step pattern for each of the 16 tracks, is entirely enough to make a complex song that keeps the listener's attention.
Built from scratch using close-to-the-metal programming
In hardware engineering, size restrictions mean power limitations. And power limitations mean DSP (Digital Signal Processing) limitations. Starting off as a personal challenge during the days of lockdowns by a veteran signal processing engineer, the Woovebox' DSP engine was built from scratch to be as "close to the metal" and optimized as possible.
It is a style of programming that focuses on extracting every last drop of raw performance from the hardware, at the cost of easy development. The hardware, firmware and DSP code were hand-crafted in assembly and optimized over the course of three years, to perfectly balance frugality with power, audio quality and features.
As a result, your Woovebox synthesizes full, complex tracks and effects in real-time, yet the small built-in battery still lasts 10h+ on one charge. In all aspects the Woovebox project embodies doing more with less."
- support for MIDI MPE controllers - enable MPE from the GLOBAL menu and explore the new modulation sources at the end of the list. Pitch bend range can be set in the MISC menu
- option for free running analog oscillators in the MISC menu which is settable per patch - In the analog waveform mode, which you are using when you select the Axx waveforms like Saw and Square, now has the option to make the waveforms not reset when you start a new note. In this mode, the oscillators will continue to drift from each other as they do on some fully analog synthesizers. There are two side effects if you are using free running for the analog waveforms:
1. When two or more oscillators are running at the same time, the phase of the waveforms will not be reset and could start at any position. As a result, there will be phase cancellation compared to having the oscillators always start at the same point. What you will hear is that the notes will change volume level slightly as the oscillators start and also drift in and out of phase with each other.
2. In the normal mode the oscillator always starts at zero. Now it could start at any point in its phase position. That means when you hit a note, a single oscillator could be at 0, +1.0, -1.0, or anywhere in between. If it starts at or close to +1.0 ot -1.0, you are going from no sound to fully on immediately. This can cause a click at the beginning of the note depending on the phase. It is noticeable mostly when using a sine wave, and not too noticeable with something like a saw or square. If you want to use this free running mode, turn the attack time up to +20 or higher to quickly fade in and avoid the potential click.
""Ready to unleash more ferocious power with the Octave Cat? With the Retropolis for Octave Cat preset pack, you can tap into the true potential of this beastly synthesizer and discover a whole mew world of sound. Created by masterful sound designer James Dyson, Retropolis offers 100 new presets showcasing the Octave Cat's impressive duophonic mode, dual-step sequencer, additional clawsome analog leads, brass tones, modern polyphonic sounds, and more. Not only does Retropolis offer a glimpse into the past, but it also instantly provides unique modern sounds for the music producers of today. Don't wait to pounce on this treat - add Retropolis to your Octave Cat synthesizer and start making truly fierce music today!"
"Cherry Audio's Octave Cat is a virtual synthesizer instrument designed in collaboration with Carmine Bonanno, the original designer of the CAT synthesizer. The 1976 Octave Electronics CAT was an affordable alternative to expensive portable analog synthesizers of the day.
Adopt your Octave Cat today! https://cherryaudio.com/
Octave Cat retains all the growl of the original hardware's fat and savage duophonic sound and replicates the CAT's uniquely aggressive resonant four-pole 24 dB/oct filter. The Octave Cat feature set expands on the original with enhancements including 16-voice polyphony, sample and hold glide, and interchangeable skins.
A secondary panel view reveals dual eight-step classic-style sequencers and studio-quality effects featuring distortion, phaser, flanger/chorus, delay, and reverb. With support for MPE, over 300 expertly designed presets, and extensive MIDI mapping functions, Octave Cat will satisfy both vintage synth aficionados and professional modern music producers.
Octave Cat is provided in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats, and a free 30-day demo is available at https://cherryaudio.com/
macOS Requirements: macOS 10.13 or above. macOS 13 Ventura supported. 64-bit required. Native Apple M1 processor support, including Apple M1 Ultra. 3.4 GHz Quad-Core or M1 CPU with 8GB of RAM recommended.
Windows Requirements: Windows 7 or above (including Windows 11), 64-bit required. Quad-core computer with 8GB of RAM recommended.
Also available! Retropolis for Octave Cat Preset Pack (sold separately), featuring 100 new presets showcasing the Octave Cat's impressive duophonic mode, dual-step sequencer, additional clawsome analog leads, brass tones, modern polyphonic sounds, and more.
Octave Cat Features
- All aspects of the original CAT precisely modeled in exacting detail - Over 300 presets - Dual Panel Views with an authentic Main view for synthesis controls, and an additional FX/Seq panel with extended features - Monophonic, duophonic, and polyphonic (up to 16 voices) voice modes - Unison for mono and duo modes - Two distinct VCOs with discrete wave, modulation, S+H, and sub octave settings; VCO1 with saw, triangle, and pulse with PWM, and VCO2 with square and saw waveforms - Vintage-correct four-pole 24 db/oct filter, based on the original “cascaded OTA” SSM2040 filter with precise replication of The CAT’s unique resonance
"Saw is everyone's friend, square is famous, so where does that leave triangle? The quiet one of three three, but beautifully formed and hides many talents. This is sort of a jam video, a tribute to the triangle but also a way to demonstrate a few different techniques to use when playing live.
First, the triangle is the only primary waveform used here to generate all the sounds. That varies from the cute little plinky sounds of a pure high triangle to the almost brassy sound when the sub-oscillator is layered in.
The pattern consists of just three notes spanning three octaves so it's incredibly basic. But the contrast between the low hits and high plinky-plonks going through the Nemesis delay rhythmic setting creates the illusion of a much richer - even layered - pattern with drums. But of course it's all just one layer on the monophonic DB-01.
I'm playing the DB-01 arpeggiator over the top of the pattern and this causes the pattern notes to sometimes be "overwritten" and drop out which appears like a pattern variation. Then by varying the length of the arpeggiator gate you can get apparent note length differences between the pattern and the arp. The LFO synced to a 6-beat loop on a saw shape adds to the variations.
As usual there are no other effects used or DAW processing. But I did do some chopping up of the piece to trim it back from its magnificent 18-minute original :)
Images are all original creations on the theme of triangles using the Stable Diffusion AI platform.
