808/26 Happy 808 Day! Blue Lantern triggers DSP 808 & Birdkids Unicorn Boom + Gieskes No Drum + (…)

video upload by Cfpp0

"808/26 Happy 808 Day! Blue Lantern Modular MR fill gates & Gate Sequencer + DSP 808 + Birdkids Unicorn Boom + Gieskes No Drum & Starving Binary + Befaco Mutes + ALM Pamela’s New Workout + Alesis MIDIVERB II + CXM 1978

It’s 808 Day again and we still don’t have a Roland TR-808, but this beat uses two 808 clone modules—the DSP Synthesizers 808 Vintage and the Birdkids Unicorn Boom. The DSP 808 module has only one output, but has several different samples to trigger individually. We just got the Blue Lantern MR fill gates module and it is triggering quarter notes on the DSP 808 bass drum. One of the three Blue Lantern Gate Sequencers is triggering half notes on the Birdkids Unicorn Boom. Another Gate Sequencer is triggering an open hi hat on the DSP 808, through a Befaco Mutes so I can turn it on and off. And the last Gate Sequencer is triggering the closed hi hat, but the triggers run first through the Olivia Artz Modular Uncertainty module, for some minor random dropouts. The second output on that closed hi hat Gate Sequencer runs to the Gieskes Starving Binary clock divider, with two divisions modulating the Gieskes No Drums and another division triggering the Birdkids Unicorn Boom accent input. The No. drums is also triggered by the open hi hat Gate Sequencer. The reverb is Alesis MIDIVERB II and the delay is CXM 1978."

Testflight Betas: Vekte and Tresse for iOS

Tresse 1.2.0 for iOS, VST3, AUv3 and Standalone video upload by Våld Labs

"Now TRESSE is a 39-engine, dual-layer polysynth built around 24 Mutable Instruments Plaits engines plus 15 custom engines. It has two independent 8-voice synth layers, three LFOs, two generative modulation lanes, a dual-playhead arpeggiator, delay and shimmer reverb, and a deterministic generative sequencer derived from VEKTE.

Each layer has its own synthesis engine, filter, envelopes and voice mode, so you can combine completely different synthesis methods in one patch and modulate the balance between them. It runs standalone or as an AUv3 in AUM, Drambo, GarageBand, Audiobus and other iOS hosts.

VEKTE is the other side of the idea: a 16-channel generative MIDI sequencer built around 36 deterministic algorithms, ranging from Euclidean rhythms, Fibonacci and random walks to cellular automata, logistic maps, harmonic systems, Tonnetz movement and more.

Each VEKTE channel contains a NOTE lane plus four independent MOD lanes. Those modulation lanes can control MIDI CCs, rhythm, harmony, probability, density, playback direction, algorithm parameters and even other generators, so patterns can evolve structurally rather than simply playing back notes.

A big part of both instruments is that their generative systems are deterministic. The same algorithm and parameters always reproduce the same result, so you can explore without losing something interesting you discover.

They also share a compact patch-sharing system.

With TRESSE, the entire patch, including both synth layers, all three LFOs, delay and reverb, the complete sequencer and both generative MOD lanes, can be encoded into a single TRS2 key of roughly 155 characters. TRESSE can turn that key into a QR code, export it as a 1080 × 1350 social card, or scan a patch directly from another screen or printed QR using the iPad/iPhone camera.

VEKTE uses the same idea for generative MIDI. A complete channel can be represented by a compact VKT2 Base62 key, typically around 43 to 130 characters. Because the patterns are deterministic, VEKTE doesn’t need to store every generated MIDI event in the key. It stores the recipe and reconstructs the exact pattern when it is loaded.

VEKTE can display those keys as QR codes, scan them directly with the iPad camera, and share individual channels or an entire 16-slot rig. It can also create 1080px Share Pattern cards containing the QR, key and caption, ready for the iOS Share Sheet, so patches and generative patterns can be exchanged through Messages, social media, forums or even from a screenshot.

That sharing system is something I’m particularly interested in developing further: instead of presets being files hidden inside an app, a sound or generative pattern becomes something you can post, photograph, print, send to somebody, and reconstruct exactly on another device.

The philosophy behind both instruments is the same: the art of shaping chaos. I’m interested in generative systems that can surprise you without taking control away from you. What you discover can be reproduced, edited, saved, performed and shared rather than disappearing into randomness.

They’re designed to complement each other as well: VEKTE can generate and evolve the musical structure while TRESSE turns that structure into sound, although both are complete instruments in their own right."

https://valdlabs.com

Poly Rave 👾 (Waldorf PROTEIN // Roland TR-6S // JU-06A // Moog DFAM // Squarp HAPAX)

video upload by 2-Minute Warning

"This time, I'm introducing a new instrument to the setup: the Waldorf Protein, used here for the CHORDS 🎹

The rest of the setup is made of a Roland JU-06A for the BASS, a Roland TR-6S for the DRUMS (no samples used, only ACB analog behavior engine with mainly the TR-808 model) and, for some additional percussion, the only analog instrument in the setup: the good Moog DFAM 🤩

Everything is sequenced by the Squarp Hapax, with quite a few things happening behind the scenes as usual.
MIDI LFOs are used to modulate some parameters of the TR-6S, while automation takes care of changing parameters on the JU-06A during the performance.

This time I also decided to use the Hapax's physical MIDI ports rather than relying on USB MIDI:
MIDI A : Roland TR-6S
MIDI B : Roland JU-06A
MIDI D (TRS) : Waldorf PROTEIN

And then there's the DFAM... which, as usual, refuses to speak MIDI. 😄
Since the DFAM doesn't have a MIDI input, I sent very short Gate pulses from the Hapax (Track 11) to simulate an audio clock, allowing its internal sequencer to advance in sync with the rest of the setup.

So, quite a lot going on behind what hopefully sounds like a relatively simple piece of music!

Another little experiment in making several machines behave together without making the whole thing look like a NASA control room 😄

As always, the performance itself was recorded in a single take. I do the mixing and mastering afterwards in Ableton Live."

Wavemaker 4 Vintage Synthesizer For Sale or Trade Meticulously Refurbished

video upload by tonetweakers

"Here’s a video of one of the two rare Wavemaker 4 vintage analog modular synthesizers we have been refurbishing. Let us know in the comments if youd like us to post some more videos. These restorations have been very challenging due to the lack of schematics and technical documentation. So far, we have spent over 200 hours on the pair. One appears to be working exactly as it should, but the second isn’t quite done. Once it is, we may consider selling or trading one of them. We would like to connect with others who own Wavemakers and KB Electronic Music Instrumentation devices and are interested in purchasing other instruments and documentation - please get in touch via our website.

Buy vintage gear that works like new at tonetweakers.com

We buy sell trade refurbish vintage synths and electronic musical instruments.

Tone Tweakers Inc.
http://www.tonetweakers.com"

Live Techno Jam with @theblisssssssss | Eurorack Livestream

video upload by wgd modular

"Join us for an evening of live patching, experimentation, and hopefully some proper techno grooves. I'll be patching alongside @theblisssssssss, who is still relatively new to the world of modular synthesis, so expect some exploration, testing, happy accidents, and plenty of learning along the way.
We'll be tweaking patches in real time, and seeing where the machines take us. Some things will work, some things probably won't — that's part of the fun of modular.

Whether you're deep into Eurorack, curious about live electronic music, or just want to hang out and listen to some evolving techno, you're very welcome to join us."

The Crow Hill Company Announces POCKET STRINGS Plug-in for Free

The Best Strings Plugin Money CAN'T Buy??? video upload by CROW HILL

Press release follows:

The Crow Hill Company announces availability of popular POCKET STRINGS plug-in for free, bringing broadcast-grade string possibilities to everyone

EDINBURGH, UK: around a year after its initial launch, not long after the Edinburgh-based enterprise effectively rebranded itself with an aesthetic that truly realises company co-founder and composer Christian Henson’s heartfelt dream of encouraging people to make music and help them on their journey, regardless of whatever point they were at and wherever their journey began, The Crow Hill Company is proud to announce that it has made its popular POCKET STRINGS — styled as a never-tried-before strings plug-in that aims to bring broadcast-grade string possibilities to everyone by combining live cinematic orchestral recordings of some of the best musicians working in the UK with some rarefied vintage synth classics made to measure for added body, depth, and character — available for free with no strings attached (but pun intended), as of August 6…

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JHaible TAU Phaser 'The Pipe' 2026 by Random*Source

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"Today I am proud to show off the new TAU 2026 phaser edition from JHaible x Random*Source for Eurorack. Obviously the core 'Pipe' sound didn't change because it needs to remain faithful to its history and heritage. It's not supposed to sound different from the previous R*S version. But it does. This is because the TAU '26 features two inputs and two CV inputs instead of one. Also the inverted (-) V/OCT is dropped. Visually, the panel now matches the Serge Modular line so it neatly blends in with your Serge 3U gear.

So is it a 20 pole- or an 18 pole phaser? Is it even important? No. What's truly important is the PIPE configuration of 20 transistors in a classic ladder topology. Your input will actually flow through the circuitry like air in a tube and I think it's absolutely stunning when you run noise through it. However, when you bring a lush pad, the TAU will redefine 'lush' into a pseudo stereo swirl that doesn't make you seasick.

When you crank up the feedback and hit it with some trigger 'stick' or chain, the TAU will make remarkable percussion. The Tau is also available in 4U. It's still a Haible, but it carries the 'Serge Modular' branding and comes with an extra mixing panel.

00:00 Introduction and history
02:55 Using the TAU on a synth voice + noise
05:37 TAU phasing on the Serge Medusa
07:45 TAU and triggers (w. MakeNoise Resynthesizer)
09:21 Non-competitive compare with XAOC Kamieniec V1
10:16 TAU on Plaits
13:44 A trip down Memory Lane w. Mellotron Micro"

Kick & Bass Dialogue Programming | Full Workflow

video upload by Vadjuse

"What if the conflict between the kick and the bass wasn't something to fix, but something to compose with?

In this video, I build a self-interacting kick and bass patch from scratch using Kaleidoscope. Instead of relying on randomization, automation, or sidechain compression, the two voices constantly respond to each other through a network of feedback and modulation.

You'll see how to:
Design the kick and bass sounds
Program the rhythmic patterns
Connect the instruments so they influence each other
Explore how simple interaction rules create evolving grooves

The result is a system that feels alive. Every change to the drive, envelope release, or filter resonance changes the behavior of the entire patch.

This is the core idea behind Kaleidoscope: don't just design sounds—design the relationships between them.

If you're interested in generative music, experimental synthesis, modular workflows, or new approaches to sound design, this video is for you.

🌐 Learn more about Kaleidoscope: https://vadjuse.ru/kaleidoscope_en"

Vintage Vocoder w/ Bigfoot Music Sticker on Back

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

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

via this eBay listing

"Superb vintage Vocoder unit.

Unable to find out much information online about this to be honest - there's a 'Bigfoot Music' sticker on the back, but I'm pretty certain that was probably a shop rather than the maker.

I have tested the 'Speech' side and it was all working fine, sounds great!

I couldn't get a sound from the right side (ex.) but I'm no expert on these so maybe it's just a case of flipping the correct switch.

I also haven't tested the rear inputs/(outputs?) as I'm not sure what they're for.

Great chance to own a rare piece of vintage music gear!"

If anyone has any additional information on this one, feel free to leave a comment below. It almost looks DIY.

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GLX BALSAM #1 | Winterdagen

video upload by Winterdagen

"Welcome BALSAM!

The first time I heard about BALSAM was when I was writing a review for a blog about an amazing record by an artist called Chorusing. On that record I heard absolutely gorgeous, slowly drifting synth tones, which I later found out had been made with the artist's home-built synthesiser, beautifully named BALSAM.

A little later (I think), I found out that the synth was being further developed for release, and I came across its website, which featured the most beautiful music. The warm tones, slowly gliding from note to note and moving through the stereo field, were absolutely mesmerising. I kept coming back to the website just to listen to this gorgeous music. That was the moment it became a dream of mine to play this synth, if it were ever actually released.

Fast forward a year or four, and here it is! I'm so happy to have this synth in my studio. It's been a constant source of inspiration from the moment I took it out of the box.

In a nutshell, BALSAM is an eight-voice hybrid synth (VA with analogue VCAs and an analogue stereo filter at the end of the signal chain), with eight buttons and sliders instead of a keyboard. You pick a tuning from eight banks of tunings and use the buttons to trigger the voices. The real superpower lies in the sliders and a unique feature called viscosity. Each voice is assigned a pair of notes, and the sliders let you glide between them. Viscosity acts a bit like a slew limiter, slowing down the movement of the sliders. What makes it truly special is that you can set different viscosity amounts for each of BALSAM's two oscillators, making them glide to their new notes at different rates. Hearing BALSAM slowly detune and gradually find its way back to target notes and intervals is unlike anything I've experienced with any other synth.

BALSAM's the perfect combination of familiar subtractive synthesis - so familiar that you don't even need presets - and a truly unique way of triggering and gliding between notes.

This first piece is full of slowly drifting sawtooth pads with stacked fifths in the oscillators, along with some LFO movement on the filters that speeds up over time because the LFO rate is controlled by the modulation envelope.

There's a lot more to explore with BALSAM, including its second superpower, which turns the sliders into an amazing polyrhythmic sequencer. I'll definitely be exploring that in future videos.

Find out more about BALSAM at: https://glx.ltd/"

Also see: Introducing the GLX BALSAM 8-VOICE MODAL SYNTHESIZER

Moog Memorymoog SN 2268

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

via this Reverb listing

"The Memorymoog is a classic for its epically fat sound! Though it's not a Plus, we actually prefer non-plus Memorymoogs around here as they are significantly more reliable. This particular unit is in beautiful cosmetic condition as well.

This Memorymoog was previously serviced by Memorymoog specialist Jareth Lackey at Synthpro, and all of the work has been checked by us to make sure it is up to our standards as well. As a finishing touch, we installed our own Memory Liberator upgrade which allows perpetual storage of patch memory without a battery.

This Memorymoog also comes with a Moog 1122 Dual Footswith Pedal, and original owner's manual.

S/N 2268

We believe in transparency when selling “pro serviced” synths so always include documentation of what services every synth we sell has received. Our approach to servicing vintage instruments entails both making sure every synth is working 100% now, and eliminating common failure points to preempt future issues.

This unit received the following services while it was here with us:

Primarily serviced by Jareth Lackey at Synthpro Restorations, we don't have the original invoice but here is what we can tell was done:

Power supply updated
all electrolytic capacitors replaced
Unreliable chips (analog switching ICs, op amps, resistor arrays) replaced
Controls cleaned
Tuning trimmers replaced
Fully tuned and calibrated
Here at Bell Tone:

Memory Liberator F-RAM memory upgrade installed, battery no longer needed and removed!"

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Casio SK-8 Sampling Keyboard + Patch Bay + Pitch Mod

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

via this Reverb listing

"Rare 1987 Casio SK-8 8-bit sampling keyboard modified with a unique raised console featuring a 20 point ROM modulation patch bay, four illuminated preset effects switches and an illuminated pitch control. This is an otherworldly instrument which will inspire any alternative electronic musician and sound designer. Reed Ghazala named his modified SK units 'Aleatrons' due to their random, unexpected nature so nothing is obvious here- when the patch matrix is in use, the keyboard itself doesn't always function as you'd expect while the modifications open up a world of experimental audio possibilities, far outreaching Casio's original intentions. The pitch controller is switchable and can drop sampled sounds to crashing, aliasing lows.

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Buch Comber

video upload by Memetune Studio

"I’ve been rejigging the Buchla 200 cabinet today, as I just picked up some new cloney modules from a cool guy named Stephen in Farringdon. I got a Verbos pulser, a completely bonkers Clouds derivative live granulating module, and the excellent 295 Comb Filter, which is a really nice way of getting your hands dirty when it comes to manipulating sound on the Buchla. A bit like beach combing but it’s Buchla comb-filtering. Buch Combing

This is a live performance of some experiments in sound mangling, so don’t expect any nice melodies or beatz"

Peak Town: Novation Peak and Elektron Digitakt

video upload by Hugh the Musical Engineer

"I had developed some drum rhythms on the Digitakt, and hadn't taken the Peak out for a while.
Found a nice FM sound with lots of filter control, and it matched the drum beats, so we have a techno track using sounds from Peak and Digitakt.
This one was 138bpm, so didn't get a chance for a sip of beer while recording this.
Trying to get back into the routine of creating and recording music, and when I go to the pub, I usually book the table for 4 hours, so that's how much time I have to try and get something done.
Created, arranged and recorded at Indigo Yard, Edinburgh on Friday 24th July 2026.
Wow, almost into August already. Festival time soon.
I felt I should have been wearing a cowboy hat last night. Lots of people dressed up for a show."

OBX8 bass I didn't mean to go this direction but

video upload by Tim Grogan

"I set out to accomplish a different goal which I mostly did but then damn, the OB-X8 is so solid and gorgeous. It took me down a different path so now great, I have to follow up on this idea too. My god, this synth sounds bigger than a dump truck full of your favorite dreams"

nonlinear circuits spectrum shaper

video upload by cirtcele

"I'm still learning how to use this thing but here are some excerpts from a patch with Tinkle and FM OP via Product wavefolder both fed into the Spectrum Shaper."

via nonlinear circuits

"36 channel voltage controlled comb filter aka string filter.

This module has some history. In 2018, I was part of a team putting on a show with CellF at the Todays Art festival in Den Haag. I popped down to Rotterdam to visit Dennis (aka Mono-Poly) and his studio of vintage lab gear. Dennis had an incredible patch going centred around a Bruel & Kjaer 36 channel Spectrum Shaper. Listen to his album Testlab to hear how it sounds. I just knew I had to make something like it one day. This type of filter is often called a ‘String filter’, used to emulate stringed instruments tho don’t feel limited by that.

Fast forward to 2026, I read an AES paper by R. Burhans describing his 36 channel comb filter. It reminded me there were some designs in Electronotes, so I looked them up and discovered they were both inspired by and heavily influenced by Burhans, particularly in terms of the comb filter frequencies and spacing. One was a 40 channel version by Ian Fritz using transistor based filters. He had an interesting mod, originally suggested by Lester Ludwig, where each set of 6 filters had a feedback pot. Some screenshots from these articles are at the end of this build guide. The relevant Electronotes issues 107, 115 and 116 can be found online.

The Bernie Hutchins design used 39 regular op amp based filters, along with Ian’s feedback per 6 filters mod and added an inverter so the feedback could be positive or negative (so, centre off). Negative feedback ‘flattens’ the peaks somewhat and smears the sound, positive feedback makes the peaks narrower and higher (if tuned for it, you can make them self-oscillate, see notes). Bernie also added a noise gate on the output, summing 39 channels is always going to be noisy.

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Ranger FX Snare Trap Rhythm Device

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Noise Generator

Note the video above is from 5 years ago. This appears to be the first post to feature the Snare Trap.

via this listing

Additional Perfect Circuit listings

via Ranger FX:

"The Snare Trap is a drum machine you play guitar or synth/keyboards through! It’s designed to be used either on the desktop – by hand – or on the floor – by foot. The drum sounds are bass drum, snare, and hi-hat, and these can be individually triggered externally by a CV – so it’s very useful for modular synthesists.

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UDO DMNO: Classic Oberheim SEM-Style Patches — Full Patch Bank Demo

video upload by Starsky Carr

"Chasing vintage Oberheim tone on a modern synth — this time I've built a whole patch bank around it.

In my original UDO Domino demo I showed how it's so much more than a modern take on the Oberheim 2-Voice SEM: multiple mod sources running simultaneously, deep filter routing options, and full digital waveforms on top. But because it looks like a SEM, I couldn't resist trying to make it sound like one too.

In this demo I play through a patch bank of SEM and Oberheim-style patches — feeding Domino 1 into Domino 2, alternating and detuning the two voices to fake that 2-Voice-to-8-Voice spread, using voice variation and drift for size, splitting the keyboard, and (just to push it) running the envelope and LFO on the filter at the same time. I stripped most patches back to only what an original SEM could actually do, chasing that thick, thunderous, vintage TVS-style tone — the kind of sound you'd expect from something like a Sequential Pro-TVS or an Oberheim Eight Voice — on modern, affordable gear.

The result: Bank A2–H2, 64 patches, all built to capture that classic Oberheim character without ever pretending to be a clone.

🎹 Get the patch bank:
→ https://starskycarr.com
→ Patreon: / starskycarr
If you own a UDO Domino, this bank is available now — grab it and drop it straight in."

Physical control surface for MIDISID : demonstration

video upload by MIDI IN

"When I pitched this recently for pre-orders, I talked about the controls but didn't really demonstrate it, so here I'll use it to dial in some interesting sounds and make a tune.

Control Surface product page:
https://lectronz.com/products/midisid..."

Follow-up to this post.

Some pics and additional details via the Control Surface product page.

"I've long wanted to have the controls for the 3 voices of the SID laid out like this, MiniMoog style. MIDISID can do many things, but you're working with a screen and four buttons/knobs. As people have told me, "no-one likes menu diving".

I'm calling this the physical control surface. It gives accessible physical controls for most if not all of the things that you can do using MIDISID.

Note:

This doens't contain the SIDs or drive them directly. It doesn't include the MIDISID It is a separate control panel.

There's nothing here that you can't do on the MIDISID already but it makes it so much easier to design sounds when you have knobs and swithes in easy reach.

There's nothing here that you can't do already with a configurable MIDI controller of your choice. MIDISID has long had a list of CC numbers.

Communication is one-way. So this won't necessarily reflect changes that you make on the MIDISID itself

With all of that said, it gives you easy access to the filter, waveforms, envelope, pulse width modulation and advanced features like ring modulation, waveform sync, portamento, arpeggiation. Designing sounds has never been easier."

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Ethereal ambient calm | live looping with the Stylosette Keys

video upload by vekoni and Stylophone

"Relax with this soothing, calming ambient track. Live performed simple looping with the almighty Loopy Pro and a bunch of beautiful effects.

Disclaimer: Stylophone sent this product free of charge; I wasn’t paid, and they had no input on the content.

I loved the Stylosette immediately after trying it. It looks like a toy, but the sound is fantastic, and the octave shift and adjustable vibrato makes it more capable than I thought it would be (I didn't even try the built in delay this time, but it also sounds great and can do self-oscillating madness as well).

Most people use the Stylosette through fruits, and other food like sushi and cheese (genius haha), which I might try next time, but I only wanted something simple and conductive for the octave key to play the high-pitched melody after the base loops were layered... so I used a Japanese knife. Mostly because it looks great and sits stable on the table (cutting edge idea...).

Now the usual geeky stuff:

Signal chain:
→ Stylophone Stylosette Keys through a TRS to RCA cable and a stereo to mono adapter
→ IK Multimedia iRig USB
→ iPhone with Loopy Pro as host

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