"An ambient synthscape of lots of textures & favourite synth sounds to images of cityscapes and a solitary figure... This track was performed with real analogue & digital equipment, as well as some in the box... headphones a must for the imaging & bottom end in this piece... enjoy..."
"Equipment used in this piece includes Moog Voyager, Roland VP-330, Yamaha SS-30, Arp Odyssey mk3, System 100m, Waldorf M, Arturia Microfreak.
Effects included the Chase Bliss CXM1978, MXR Flanger/Doubler, E.H. Small Stone, Hologram Microcosm. Software used N.I. Kontakt.
Headphones a must for lots of movement in the mix as well as low frequencies… Enjoy :)"
"the SID is the sound chip that was used in the Commodore 64 8-bit home computer, it's a synthesizer on a chip with 3 voices. This has two of those, or modern recreations of, for a total of 6 voices. It has MIDI in so that you can control it from a keyboard, DAW, or anything else that produces MIDI
New features:
Larger screen
Revised menu
New 'duophonic' mode
Physical 'stereo/mono' switch
USB-C socket, capable of acting as a USB host for MIDI-over-USB
Switch to Kung Fu SIDs rather than SwinSID nanos
0:00 intro
1:18 larger screen and revised menu
2:12 new 'duophonic' mode
2:44 USB-C for MIDI-over-USB
3:44 stereo/mono switch
4:34 the new Kung Fu SID
5:35 rendition of Corridors of Time by Autumn Altair
"Obsidian is a collection of 50 custom presets for the analog synthesizer Stylophone CPM DS-2. In this pack, you’ll find drones, textures, FXs, rhythmical patterns and sequences, and immersive soundscapes. 🔮 I was fascinated by exploring this drone machine, and in this collection, I share the results of that journey. My goal was to extract a broad variety of timbres— dark, noisy, vintage/retro, cold, dull, distorted, metallic, tense, as well as atonal, non-harmonic, FX-like, evolving, moving, and sweeping sounds.
📺 The soundset draws inspiration from sci-fi movies, soundtracks, dystopian narratives, urban landscapes, noise ambient albums, experimental modern art, and innovative sound design.
📻 Perfect for genres such as Dark, Noise, Ambient, Cinematic, IDM, Electronica, Dub, Deep, Techno, Industrial, Minimal, Garage, Experimental, and more. These timbres also work exceptionally well for movie soundtracks, games, apps, digital art, live sound art performances, and VR landscapes—anywhere a dark, atmospheric vibe is needed.
📓 The soundset is presented in a PDF document. Each page contains notes explaining how each patch works, which parameters to tweak during playback, and techniques to further develop the timbre during performance. By following these instructions and experimenting with the suggested settings, you’ll deepen your understanding of the synth and unlock its true potential. 🎧 Each patch also includes an audio example to help you grasp the intended sound.
💾 The collection additionally includes 24/41000 WAV samples. You can use these samples as they are, or feel free to resample, edit, and apply effects in your DAW, sampler, or granular synth. They provide versatile material for your sonic experimentation.
🖲 The Stylophone CPM DS-2 is an analog synthesizer highly sensitive to both settings and performance. I’ve done my best to document all parameters precisely; however, expect slight variations, as this is a truly alive, analog instrument. This is especially true for pitch, tuning, and FM settings—and in some cases, on the delay. The PITCH/RATE and LFO DEPTH knobs are extremely responsive— even a slight movement can shift the pitch significantly. Many presets don’t adhere to a strict tonal center, so feel free to experiment with frequency settings. If you need to hit specific notes, I recommend using a tuner when adjusting pitch and FM."
Caveman Modules is a collaboration between Michigan Synth Works and Neutron sound focusing on affordable, quality modules with unique features and functionality. Caveman Modules are designed to be simple to use and are perfect for musicians just breaking into the eurorack world while still offering higher level functionality for more advanced users.
Check with dealers on the right for upcoming availability.
The Launch Line-Up:
30SC: A voltage-controlled oscillator inspired by the legendary Roland TB-303 with square, tri, and 2 saw outputs. 3OSC also features an innovative hard sync input for chaining multiple units and an FM modulation attenuverter.
Specifications
• Width: 6HP
• Depth: 25 mm
• Current Draw: +12 V: 6mA, -12 V: 6mA
• Price: US$100
"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world’s most-hated audio tools. If sound synthesis in general was a family, granular synthesis would be the basement-dwelling and terminally online distant music producer cousin who listens to the sounds of humpback whales and lives off a diet of - depending on the moon phase - stone age keto or vegan MREs.
Today we are going to talk about Liven Texture Lab. This 2023 Sonicware synth and sibling of the Sonicware Liven Ambient takes granular synthesizer out of its natural software synthesizer habitat, its UI is devoid of any proper visual cues to make the technique somewhat controllable for music production and comes with two goldfish brains of sample memory."
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:59 Overview Liven Texture Lab
01:46 Short Granular Synthesis Tutorial
03:12 LFOs, Envelopes
03:24 Resonant Filter
03:33 Reverb Effect ( Shimmer Reverb )
03:52 Lack of USB
04:08 Processing of External Audio, Freeze Effect
04:17 What else? ( Sequencer , Internal Speaker , Arpeggiator , Thanks!!!)
04:52 Hate Screen
05:18 Jam 1 ( Downtempo Weirdness )
06:07 Jam 2 ( More Downtempo Weirdness )
07:05 Finale ( 128 BPM Weirdness )
07:35 Verdict
06:46 Patreon Granular Shoutout
"It was a pleasure to first see CRIC with Future Sound Systems back in October 2023 around a trip to Bristol that was extended around the event Machina Bristronica. Fast forward a year, past Spinal Tap mini stone henge vibe portrait prototypes to the final Renault Twingo coloured thing ... we have CRIC in its final form. It's signal path is based around the unique features and control of the Recombination Engine and Timbral Sculpture eurorack designs heavily extended around a large pin matrix and powerful modulation section, lots of routing, lots of integration. I'm really excited for CRIC, as a mega synthesiser or centre piece for a whole electronic music studio."
"Get Soundtoys PhaseMistress FREE through November 15. Sign up now to get rich phase sweeps, analog vibe, and programmable rhythmic modulation – a $99 value!
"Soundtoys plug-ins have expertly designed interfaces and presets that get great sounds quickly – and there’s even more power beneath the surface. Open up the Tweak menus and find unique ways to manipulate audio and loads of creative inspiration. In this video, we dive into the hidden depths of PhaseMistress to show how this versatile phaser can add excitement to simple drum loops, and sculpt or completely transform them using saturation, modulation, and intense resonance."
Hidden Depths: Using Soundtoys PhaseMistress to Create Ear Candy
video upload by soundtoys
"With intuitive interfaces and quickly accessible presets, it’s almost easy to forget how much power lies beneath the surface of a Soundtoys plug-in. Let’s dive into the hidden depths of these audio effects and discover new ways to manipulate music and stay inspired. In this video, we turn PhaseMistress into a sci-fi tone generator. Then we use Soundtoys EffectRack to supercharge PhaseMistress and create a lush, synth soundscape."
PhaseMistress - Navigating Sounds, Stereo Movement & Spatial Tricks
"A deeper dive into PhaseMistress for getting new sounds, quickly creating stereo movement, and a spatial panning filter trick. Get more out of PhaseMistress, and find new directions for your mixes."
See What the Free Soundtoys Phase Mistress Can Do - Presentation
video upload by sonicstate
"We spend some of quality time with Mitch from @soundtoys who gives us a taste of what the FREE Phase Mistress stereo Phaser plug-in can do. Which is not only limited to actual phasing, but a whole of ot creative processing too.
Available for free from November 1st through 15th from Soundtoys.com
Get yours now.. https://forms.soundtoys.com/#/free-ph...
Key Moments:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:53 Free Phase Mistress Plug-in Announcement
00:03:01 Demonstrating Phase Mistress Capabilities
00:04:52 Exploring Presets and Customization
00:08:52 Phase Mistress in Effect Rack
00:12:23 Stereo Motion and Analog Styles
00:21:27 Black Friday Deals and Trial Offers
00:21:56 Upcoming Soundtoys Products and Conclusion"
Press release follows:
November 1, 2024 (BURLINGTON, VT) – Soundtoys PhaseMistress is FREE through November 15 at soundtoys.com (a $99 value). This full-featured and powerful plug-in gives you rich phase sweeps, analog vibes, and programmable rhythmic modulation. Sign up to claim this offer.
“When we designed PhaseMistress, we were inspired by the sound of classic analog phase-shifters of the 1970s and 80s, but I think we ended up re-inventing the effect,” said Ken
Bogdanowicz, CEO and lead designer at Soundtoys.
“By combining a super flexible phase-shifting engine with a powerful modulation system we transformed a stock effect into something totally new and wonderful. We’re still discovering new sounds and new ways to use PhaseMistress.”
PhaseMistress puts you in control of all aspects of the phaser sound. Y ou can set the number of stages from 2 up to a wild 24, then fine-tune and offset the resonance, color, and intensity to craft unique phase-shifting styles.
PhaseMistress contains a customizable LFO with preset shapes, or you can draw your own and store it. Plus, you can draw your custom curves in the T weak panel. Rhythm mode lets you program and store simple or complex patterns, while in Envelope mode, PhaseMistress responds to the dynamics of the incoming audio for funky triggered effects.
“I like the animation of sound that’s possible with PhaseMistress. The LFO, Envelope Follower, and Rhythm mode became essential as percussion modeling effects. Y ou can completely crush drum sounds and get some really odd phase-shifting sound effects.” – Richard Divine (artist, producer, sound designer)
Open PhaseMistress’s Style menu to browse an extensive set of styles that give you the sonic flavor of legendary hardware like the Bi-Phase, Super Phaser, Phase 90, Instant Phaser, Small Stone, and more. These retro analog sounds combined with modern controls and customizable LFO make PhaseMistress one of the most powerful phase effects available.
Users who download the free PhaseMistress plug-in will get a discounted upgrade offer in their Soundtoys account to trade up their PhaseMistress license to the Soundtoys 5 bundle. And with the Soundtoys Black Friday sale starting soon, that deal will get even sweeter.
"Oli Freke from Synth Evolution takes us on a guided tour of some of the most iconic drum machines that shaped music in our time.
He'll be joined on stage by Michael Eden who will demonstrate some of the drum machines in his collection.
Chapter times:
00:00 - Introducing the hosts 00:50 - What is a drum machine? 03:30 - The Wurlitzer Sideman from 1959, the first drum machine? 04:35 - Wurlitzer Sideman demonstration 08:15 - The Sideman's valve mechanism in action 09:52 - Legal problems and use by home organists 11:21 - Transistor-based Keio Donca Matic DE-11 from 1966 13:34 - Donca Matic DE-11 demonstration 15:15 - Keio becomes Korg 16:17 - Ace Tone Drum machines from 1967 17:15 - Keio Mini Pops 7 from 1967 20:47 - Famed use by Jean-Michel Jarre on Oxygene (Note: YouTube has muted the music clip) 23:12 - Inclusion of Quijada/ Jawbone sound 24:24 - Robin Gibb, Sly & The Family Stone drum machine firsts 26:29 - Paia Programmable Drumset from 1975 28:06 - Paia Drumset programming demonstration 32:16 - Use by Peter Gabriel 34:01 - Roland TR-808 from 1980 37:29 - Roland TR-808 features and demonstration 41:00 - Programming a beat on the TR-808 43:48 - Pioneering new genres of electronic music 47:13 - How does the TR-808 make its sounds? 48:14 - Recreating the 808 bass drum 50:39 - Recreating the 808 snare drum 52:22 - Recreating the 808 clap sound 53:48 - Recreating the 808 hi-hat sound 56:17 - Recreating the 808 cowbell sound 57:38 - Comparing the digital model with the original TR-808 58:29 - Outro
"Modular Voices is a soundset for the semi-modular synth and analog processor Moog Spectravox. It is a collection of 50 presets: 24 Synths, 13 Plucks, 6 Percs, 7 Drones. There is a wide range of timbres inside the pack: simple and complex, dark and bright, vintage and modern, noisy/distorted and soft, musical and experimental, harmonic and inharmonic.
Some patches are in 'synth mode' and can be played with a keyboard, while others are in 'processing mode' — they process incoming audio and modulate it. Some patches combine the two modes: they process audio and can also be played with a keyboard.
Synths and plucks are excellent for use with arpeggiators or sequencers. Drones produce dark, distorted tones with heavy modulations, FM, noise, etc. They can be used as pads in genres like techno, industrial, or ambient to create a certain inharmonic atmosphere. Perc patches are perfect if you are looking for unusual and unique rhythmic additions to your performance or track.
Tones using external audio require playing a sample attached to the patch. You will find all samples with the patch name, as well as its role (PROGRAM or CARRIER), in the Audio Content folder. Load the samples into your workstation, set up Spectravox according to the image, and play the sample(s). Adjust the PROGRAM GAIN LEVEL yourself. It may not match the image if you have changed the sample's volume level. PROGRAM GAIN LEVEL can affect the tone, for example, causing distortion at high values, as well as the envelope of the entire patch if PROG TRIG - EG is used.
In most cases, I use synthesized chords for CARRIER and rhythmic sounds for PROGRAM. Be sure to try using your unique content. For CARRIER, you can create a sequence of chords or pads using a VST synthesizer. For PROGRAM, you can use vocal samples. There are many options.
For tones in the PLUCK and SYNTH categories, I usually use external arpeggiators or sequencers. This allows you to keep your hands free to work with the synthesizer parameters.
The patches are suitable for many genres: Techno, Ambient, House, Deep, Progressive, Trance, Minimal, IDM, Downtempo, Synthwave, Retrowave, Electronica, Dark/Noise, Industrial, Breakbeat, Drum and Bass, 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.
Each patch has an audio example, it helps to understand how the timbre is supposed to sound.
To recreate these patches, you will need up to 8 patch cables. You will also need a stackable cable or a splitter/multiplier. The document includes detailed information about using an external keyboard with CV/Gate outputs.
Moog Spectravox is a versatile device that can be used in various ways: - It can generate a complete signal without additional devices and audio input. - It can produce musical tones that can be played from a keyboard or used with external sequencers and DAWs. - It can process external audio signals, passing them through the Filter Bank and modulations. - It can operate in Vocoder mode. - It also supports combinations of these different scenarios. For example, using the Vocoder with an external audio signal, plus playing notes from a keyboard or sequencer.
All of this requires connecting various sources to Spectravox. In the PDF document, I will detail the routing scenarios I used. You can either fully replicate them or use them as a starting point for your own scenarios."
"I often read on music forums 'why are hardware synthesizers stuck in the Stone Age?'. People are often unhappy with many things. People can like something and at the same time a couple of things can irritate people, if, for example, we are talking about hardware synthesizers. For me AN1X is perfect.
There are a lot of new music products available on the market now. But often they are the ones that don’t suit me in many ways. And I love my AN1X, it has never let me down or annoyed me. After modification, which greatly changed the sound for the better, it is a polyphonic analogue for me! On YouTube, crumbs remain from the original sound, but live my AN1X sounds so that it gives me goosebumps. If you look at the synthesis diagram on the case cover, you can understand from it that AN1X is simple! The entire diagram does not show its capabilities even at 20%. AN1X can do a lot better than my Eurorack modular! And and if you want that Eurorack modular to do what the AN1X can do, it must occupy half of the small room.
00:00 JS-Sound Klaus Schulze 4 Preset with a little bit AN1X chorus and panorama by 50%
02:57 JS-Sound Klaus Schulze 8 Preset with a AN1X phaser and wide panorama"
Yamaha AN1X Jean Michel Jarre Magnetic Fields Part2 with 2 Scenes live
"What can a Yamaha AN1X synthesizer that is already 27 years old do? First of all, it can make me happy because it doesn’t show any signs that it will ever break down and stop working. He can also sound completely different and with his creative abilities generate crazy and very musical timbres. AN1X is the most musical synthesizer for my ears.
There is only one preset in this video. It consists of two different timbres (2 scenes or dual mode), which I controlled using DAW via two MIDI channels simultaneously. I recorded the sum of the two timbres into a wave file at one time. I normalized the amplitude to the maximum peak and added audio to my video.
00:00 Start Video
00:15 Jean-Michel Jarre Magnetic Fields Part 2 live Video.
01:00 Info 3
04:29 My YouTube Channel Info.
"If none of you have watched the Vikings series on Netflix, then you should watch it. What is the connection between the Vikings and synthesizers or the actions of people in a certain choice, for example a musical equipment? The connection is actually direct. If you believe the saga about the Vikings, they fought among themselves, but without peace and harmony, they always tried to conquer new unknown lands. How can synthesizers and Vikings be combined? It's simple... people's logic is often not justified. For example, a person has a synthesizer and likes the sound. But some “evil” manufacturer throws a new “musical toy” onto the market. A doubt creeps into this person’s brain: “it’s time to sell the old junk, you need to buy a new synthesizer, it will be better!” Often everything is just the opposite.... People have always been in an eternal search. I'm not looking for anything. Maybe I'm not a Viking! But at the same time, I am happy to have what I have. I'm not interested by any new products, I don't want to be disappointed by them. This happened all the time! Therefore, watch a series about Vikings and perhaps you will find harmony with your musical devices."
"Ever wanted a real sounding piano Patch on the Circuit tracks? Or maybe an acoustic guitar bass, that could pluck more if you hit it harder, and yet retain its low end autheticity. Keys brings an end to this search allowing you create realistic sounding acoustic music such as rnb and soul and a lot more. no more trying to work out a way to get a piano in your sample pool.
Using old synthesis techniques such as La Synthnesis, Freqency modulation, and slight wavetable manipulation, it is possible to create the slight nuances that make things resonate in an authentic way and play naturally on a keyboard or circuit Keys does this in order to bring you traditional sounding acoustic instruments.
Featuring a huge amount of authentic sounding instruments in the patches and crackle samples, aswell as chord samples. This pack makes it very easy to create your own version of an nostalgic track in any genre and add that flavour to sound.
With over 16 sessions boasting 9 different genres, Keys leaves no stone unturned transforming the circuit tracks in to something beyond what it was intented for. you will find many new techniques in the sessions such as shifting steps, swing, a new scale probability trick if you can find it!?!?
Velocity sensitivity is key here, please make sure to turn it on.
You will find that if you play softly on bass guitar, it is more subby, but if you play hard or programme in loud notes you will here the twang. similarly on all live instruments, velocity plays a big part.
"Ever wanted a real sounding piano Patch on the Circuit tracks? Or maybe an acoustic guitar bass, that could pluck more if you hit it harder, and yet retain its low end autheticity. Keys brings an end to this search allowing you create realistic sounding acoustic music such as rnb and soul and a lot more. no more trying to work out a way to get a piano in your sample pool.
Using old synthesis techniques such as La Synthnesis, Freqency modulation, and slight wavetable manipulation, it is possible to create the slight nuances that make things resonate in an authentic way and play naturally on a keyboard or circuit Keys does this in order to bring you traditional sounding acoustic instruments.
Featuring a huge amount of authentic sounding instruments in the patches and crackle samples, aswell as chord samples. This pack makes it very easy to create your own version of an nostalgic track in any genre and add that flavour to sound.
With over 16 sessions boasting 9 different genres, Keys leaves no stone unturned transforming the circuit tracks in to something beyond what it was intented for. you will find many new techniques in the sessions such as shifting steps, swing, a new scale probability trick if you can find it!?!?
Velocity sensitivity is key here, please make sure to turn it on.
You will find that if you play softly on bass guitar, it is more subby, but if you play hard or programme in loud notes you will here the twang. similarly on all live instruments, velocity plays a big part.
"American Format (5U) modular synthesizer performance in real time to a stereo track in Cubase. For an atonal wash I used the Dove Audio Waveplane and WTF vco's through an Oakley Sound Systems Ring Modulator. I then sent it through A dotcom Q150 transistor ladder filter and a Lower West Side Studio Multimode Filter/Resonator and on to a fixed filter bank and a Frequency Central Stasis Leak digital delay. This drone wash comes in at the final section and ending. The opening reed sound and accompanying organ sounds were derived from the Synthetic Sound Labs/Mutable Instruments (Braids) Woven Spirits module. The initial reed sound is from the AUX output of the Woven Spirits through an SSL/Ian Fritz 5 Pulser and Oakley Sound Systems State Variable Filter. The filter is stepped with a random S&H from JNP Electronics. The secondary organ chord sound is the Main direct output of the Woven Spirits in Chord mode. The combination of both elements are sent to an Electro-Harmonix Grand Canyon in DMM mode. Feedback is applied as needed for the drone sustain throughout the piece. The bass line comes in next with a pair of STG Soundlabs Oscillators through a Dove Audio D502 Multimode filter in -24dB LP mode. The pitch voltage is from the upper Q960 step sequencer. It's timing is from a Catgirl Synth Master Divider, clocked from a custom Dual LFO/Analog Shift Register of Ken Stone (Catgirl Synth) design. An additional tap from the STG oscillator through a Corsynth C103 Frequency Divider/Multiplier module for a sub-octave feed. The melodic line blended into the latter section is from a pair of Q106 dotcom vco's which are pitch controlled by the lower Q960 sequencer. Each vco pitch is from a separate row of the Q960. The Q960's shift timing is from the CGS Master Divider module. The output is routed through an Empress Reverb pedal in Blue Ghost mode. Panning is from the LWSS/Yusynth Panning Mixer. All pitch quantitization is through a Moon Modular 565 series setup. Additional voltage modulation to the Woven Spirits module are from the STG Soundlabs voltage mini stores, and vaious LFO's etc. Timing for the additional sequencers is also managed by the Moster Divider."
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]
The microKORG 2, 8 voice synth and vocoder engine. 4 voice in dual/layered mode.
"The microKORG, one of the most iconic and recognizable synths in the history of music, revolutionized the music world with its unique form factor and unmistakable sounds, making it an industry standard for musicians everywhere. Renowned and loved by musicians, sound engineers, producers and gadget buffs everywhere, the microKORG has now evolved to a more powerful, more flexible and richer level - the new microKORG.
While retaining some of the iconic aspects of the original , including the convenient portable size, easy to play mini keybed, the large dial for selecting program genres or the vocoder with dedicated mic, the new microKORG offers a completely new, powerful sound engine, many more useable programs, a visually astounding user interface, and so much more."
Is it The Vanilla Synthesizer or the muSonics TVS?
I started working on this project a year and a half ago.
Originally my thought process was to make a new American format synthesiser that could be sold as modules, kits, and bare boards. I was concerned about the future of the format, and I felt a new line of basic modules and infrastructure at a variety of price points was important. I still do.
STG Soundlabs was a failure because I made things that ultimately the eurorack market simply did not want. Yes, I sold some, and will continue to maintain the line as best as I can, but it's very hard to find photos of eurorack installations with STG Soundlabs modules in them, but rare to find a nice big man-sized synthesiser without my modules in it.
Another thing I wanted to do was teach myself how to do my own engineering. It didn't start that way, but it became that way. I'd been a hardware product developer since 2005 but never actually laid out a circuit board. That is no longer true, and I've done things beyond this project that I haven't even talked about.
The Foundation Announces the First Publicly-Accessible ARP 2500 in the USA
STONE RIDGE, NY, November 28, 2023: Thanks to a generous donation by former ARP employee Bruce McLendon, the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation is welcoming a 2508 Wing Cabinet into its collection of legendary ARP synthesizers.
This 2508 cabinet was assembled as a complete self-contained 2500 synthesizer featuring original oscillator, filter, sequencer, envelope and mix-sequencer modules, all linked by the flexible 2500 patch matrix system. It also contains a new oscillator module designed and built for the Foundation by Phil Cirocco of CMS (Discrete Music Systems).
The ARP Foundation is launching an IndieGogo campaign to raise funds to complete the restoration of what will become the only publicly-accessible ARP 2500 synthesizer in the USA, and to bolster its ARPs For All Program in preparation for the 2500’s arrival.
The ARP Archives & The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Its mission is to celebrate the legacy of inventor, musician, entrepreneur and engineer Alan R. Pearlman, by making his innovative inventions publicly accessible, and by inspiring future generations to imagine and create.
Alan R. Pearlman was a pioneer in the electronic music world, and the founder of ARP Synthesizers, a leading synthesizer manufacturer in the 1970s. The Foundation is dedicated to preserving his legacy, and is committed to creating opportunities for emerging artists, sound designers and electronic music entrepreneurs.
Among their missions is enabling artists and designers to use rare, vintage ARP synthesizers, as well as recording and production equipment - which they’ve successfully accomplished with the ARPs For All Program in cooperation with their partners at The Record Co. in Boston, MA
"Here’s a song I made with the Korg 707 from 1987. The Korg 707 is a digital FM synthesizer with 8 voices of polyphony.
”707” by The William Salmela Project
No other sound sources were used. The Korg 707 doesn’t have any built in effects, so the sound was further processed with the following equipment: Boss CE-300 Super Chorus EHX Small Stone phaser Korg SDD-1200 (used this heavily for chorusing the sounds) Roland SDE-2000 delay TC-Electronic Powercore reverbs"
"The Roland V-Synth XT has a faithful recreation of the classic Roland D-50 synth. I used this VC-1 (D-50 emulation) to make this song.
Linear Ambience by The William Salmela Project
No other sound sources were used. The sound was further processed with the following equipment:
EHX Small Stone phaser
Korg SDD-1200 chorus
Roland SDE-2000
Korg MDE-X, (phaser) and TC-Electronic Powercore reverbs."
"The William Salmela Project: Synthetic (Analogue), Synthetic Ensemble
All sounds are from a Yamaha SK-20 synthesizer. Additional effects were used.
Video footage from actual recording session.
The SK-20 is my first analog synth and I have used it a lot for it's good sound. The synth is kind of versatile while not very deep programming-wise. There are organ, synthesizer and a very limited string-synth sections. Nice basic sounds are available but not any fancy modulation-stuff is possible. I had to make this piece before selling the synth - it has served me well on many albums. The piece is not the most original composition but it's good stuff anyway - and it sounds lovely analogue!
Effects:
Chorus: Boss RCE-10
Phaser: EHX Small Stone, Roland Phase II AP-2
Delay: Roland SDE-2000, Delay Designer (Logic)
TC-Electronic (Powercore) ClassicVerb, VSS3
