"This original black and gold Shared System by Make Noise was a recent trade-in from a very respectable customer. Each module has been thoroughly inspected and is in excellent condition. Includes necessary PSU
The Black & Gold Shared System was Make Noise's flagship Eurorack synthesizer system.
Black & Gold Shared System Features
Make Noise Shared System in Black & Gold as used by founder Tony Rolando New School Multidimensional Sequencing: René 2018 Human/ Expression Control: Pressure Points Dual Analog Oscillator: DPO Voltage Controlled Pitch Shifting and Echo: Echophon Dual Analog Control Voltage generator: Maths Complex Random Voltage Generator: Wogglebug Dual Low Pass Gate: Optomix Balanced Modulation: modDemix Voltage Controlled DSP (Digital Signal Processing): Morphagene modeless, continuously variable voltage controlled reverb: Erbe-Verb 7U case w/ power supply and AC Adapter, Ready to Play Ships with 30 Ad Infinitum patch cables Free blanking panels as appropriate Comes with Lid, Highly portable, Meets requirements for carry-on luggage"
"I did my very best to remain objective and compared the NTO with simple basic sounds to my favorite VCO - the MakeNoise DPO - and the digital perfection of the Schlappi Three-Body. The NTO has been around since 1976 and represents the origins of modern synthesis. I just learned about it this year, so better late than never. It's surrounded by praise to the level of 'hard to believe'.
I used reverb on the raw sounds, and I found out that a digital effect can easily ruin the analog experience. I used ALM MFX, and it sounds great with NTO. But it sounds terribly aliased with the DPO and I wasn't happy with the Three-body result either. I wouldn't have known with raw sounds and I would not be able to share it. I've patched DPO a thousand times and it sounds clean and woody in the MakeNoise universe, but the raw waveforms are far from perfect and there's a certain bite. In this video, you may also learn that every VCO carries the signature of it's maker. DPO sounds like Tony Rolando. The 259 sounds like Buchla. Cs-L sounds like Jason Lim. Three-Body sounds like Schlappi. The NTO sounds like Serge, and now I have a new personal analog favorite.
The NTO is pure sophistication. I can say this both objectively (backed up by history and other reviews) and subjectively (it melts your heart). In the end it's just a VCO, which is about 10% of your whole patch. In many occasions, any quality VCO will be enough. But if you're looking for something special, this may be it. But your own personal opinion and taste will always be more important than mine!
You will be listening to analog through MFX AD/DA and my DAW's AD/DA. It's impossible to really listen to analog on YouTube but the DAW captures analog very well. There are plenty of raw sound NTO videos on youtube, so if you need to deepen your interest, please do some research. I've linked to an interview with Serge, where he explains a few things. It's a privilege to be able to hear him talk about it."
We built as many QMMGs as we could source parts for, and we are shipping QMMGs to dealers worldwide— they will be available for purchase on September 9, 2024.
QMMGs will also be available to purchase at Make Noise HQ (414 Haywood Rd., Asheville, NC 28806) on Saturday, September 7th, 2024 from 10am - 2 pm (limit 1 per customer).
To help celebrate the limited release of the 2024 Black and Gold QMMG we have created a special QMMG t-shirt, featuring iconography created by Tony Rolando for the module’s original 2008 release: https://www.makenoisemusic.com/produc...
The Quad Multi-Mode Gate is a huge riff on the original Buchla 292 Quad Lo-Pass Gate, including a Mix Out and all of the original feature set. The QMMG offers additionally: HiPass mode, Voltage Controlled Feedback, Direct Coupling and Normalizations so that multiple channels may easily be used together to create Bandpass Gates, steeper HP, BP or LP Filters, or even something like a traditional Synthesizer Voice Architecture.
The QMMG contains no fewer than 8 Vactrols!
Like the 2018 reissue, the mode switching is done via analog pots instead of rotary switches, and the bottom board contains reverse power protection circuitry.
2024 Black & Gold Edition Vintage voiced, all analog Four independent vactrol-based channels Multiple modes per channel: VCA, Low-Pass Gate, Low-Pass Filter, or High-Pass Filter SUM out for easy mixing Flexible normalizations for easy creation of dual-peak filters, East Coast voices and more Powerful feedback circuit acts differently depending on mode Pairs well with MATHS and DPO
"With a new introduction by Stephen C. Ruppenthal, as well as a few pages of testimonials from people who learned from and were inspired by Electronic Music: System, Techniques and Controls, from Suzanne Ciani and Todd Barton, to Dave Smith, Dave Rossum, Serge Tcherepnin, Dieter Doepfer and Tony Rolando. The book has a new cover, compliments of Allen and Pat's daughter Erin Strange, who did a wonderful job of creating a new design that carries the spirit of the original 1972 cover into this new edition. The text of book is faithful to the second edition of Allen Strange's Electronic Music: System, Techniques and Controls, published in 1983 by Wm. C. Brown Company."
"We were fortunate to be joined by our friend Alessandro Cortini here in Asheville recently. He and Tony Rolando met up at Drop of Sun Studios to discuss the development process of their latest collaboration: Bruxa.
Bruxa is a new evolution of Tony and Alessandro’s original prototype circuits which eventually became the Strega’s Time/Filter Experiment. In this freewheeling conversation, Tony and Alessandro discuss everything from the initial concept designs from which both Strega and Bruxa were born, Alessandro's recent series of concerts (wherein he improvises on a pair of Stregas and a pair of 0-CTRLs), the 'Scared System' and more!
Bruxa is a special release that will be available by pre-order only. Orders will be shipping out to dealers this October. Contact your favorite Eurorack dealer for details and availability.
"Did you ever hear of eurorack modules that aren't supposed to make any sound, but possess a hidden power to summon demons, tear up space and time and cause musical wormholes? Find out the terrifying truth behind the Behringer Abacus, which was cloned by MakeNoise and currently known as Maths. We have solid evidence that Tony Rolando travelled back in time, all the way to the 1960's to inspire Don Buchla, and to make sure his clone entered common history long before Behringer could release it in 2023. But this is now how we remember it, which also proves we're living in a scary simulation.
And this one is called YouTube. For Day 08 of #jamuary2024, I am using Maths as my only sound source. Yes. Sound. People who are new to modular may be shocked. And it's great for drones and haunting soundtracks. Forgive me for having a bit of 'backstory' fun to decorate a mediocre musical performance. Jamuary isn't supposed to be perfect, but having fun is very important. Have a great Monday!"
Tony Talks Shared System | Make Noise video upload by MAKEN0ISE
"As we begin to ship the final production run of the Black & Gold Shared System Plus, Tony sits down to reminisce on its origins and history, and also to answer your Shared System questions from our various social media channels!
Three of the five Shared System Series artists host the records digitally on their Bandcamp pages:
Press release follows, including a pic of the original Shared System followed by the black and gold.
"After more than a decade of production, the Shared System is being retired, with its final run currently shipping to dealers worldwide.
The Shared System was originally designed in 2012 as a self-contained instrument which was mailed to artists to create music for the Shared System series of 7” records on Make Noise Records. The Shared System was then officially released after the records later in 2012, updated in 2015 as the Black & Gold Shared System and again in 2017 as the Black & Gold Shared System Plus.
The Shared System is the deepest and most complex of our systems, bringing together many of our synthesis techniques into one system. From analog FM to voltage controlled granularization, the Shared System goes to more sound destinations than most folks have time to travel to in a single lifetime.
While this marks the end for the Shared System’s production, the instrument will provide an endless source of inspiration for years to come. As always, we cannot wait to hear what you create with yours!
To commemorate the Shared System’s retirement, we have posted a new video to our YouTube channel ('Tony Talks Shared System'), in which Make Noise founder Tony Rolando sits down to reminisce on the origins and history of the Shared System.
While the original Shared System records are long out of print, three of the five Shared System Series artists currently host their Make Noise Records releases digitally on their Bandcamp pages and can be heard via the links below:
"Officially announced at Superbooth, the Make Noise Spectraphon is another collab with the brilliant mind of Tom Erbe of Soundhack, who has worked with Make Noise to create an unusual new Dual Oscillator Module.
The Spectraphon is the first modular to be build on the new digital hardware platform, a concept engineered by Tony Rolando and Jeff Snyder, it offers more i/o at higher resolutions and a lower noise floor.
Spectraphon has two sides, A and B which offer Spectral Amplitude Modulation (SAM) and Spectral Array Modulation (SAO).
@matthsmatthsmatths (aka Matt Hodson) takes us on a journey through the Spectraphon.
00:00:00 Start
00:00:59 Overview
00:02:52 Odd and Even Harmonics
00:04:56 SAM Mode
00:08:40 External Inputs
00:13:10 Noodling and exploring
00:15:38 more sound examples
00:18:56 Conclusion"
Brett Naucke performs on the Spectraphon!
video upload by MAKEN0ISE
"Brett Naucke performs new patches at Drop of Sun!
Asheville-based musician and Make Noise Records alumnus Brett Naucke performs three new patches on our brand new module— the Make Noise/soundhack Spectraphon— at the great Drop of Sun Studios here in Asheville, NC!
We are THRILLED to finally share our latest collaboration with Tom Erbe (soundhack), The Spectraphon! For more information on this dual spectral oscillator, head to: https://makenoisemusic.com/modules/sp...
The Make Noise/soundhack Spectraphon is a dual Spectral Oscillator coded by Tom Erbe of soundhack. It uses real-time spectral analysis and resynthesis to create new sounds from those that already exist. It is inspired by classic electronic musical instruments of the past, including spectral processors, additive synthesis, vocoders, and resonators especially the Buchla 296 and Touché, but it takes a physical form more resembling the classic analog dual complex oscillator in the lineage of the Buchla 259 and the Make Noise DPO.
The Spectraphon is the first module to be built by Make Noise on its new digital hardware platform. This hardware, engineered by Jeff Snyder and Tony Rolando, provides more i/o at higher resolutions, and a lower noise floor than we have ever had access to in a digital module, allowing us to unleash Tom Erbe’s DSP code to a previously unattainable degree.
The Spectraphon has two nearly identical sides, A and B, which oscillate in one of two ways: Spectral Amplitude Modulation (SAM), or Spectral Array Oscillation (SAO). In SAM, instead of oscillating at all times like an analog VCO, sound at the Spectraphon’s input is used to modulate the amplitude of a set of harmonics. In SAM the Spectraphon can be sequenced and frequency modulated like any VCO. At any time the current spectrum can be used to create an Array for later use in SAO mode where the Spectraphon oscillates at all times, with the spectrum at the Odd and Even harmonic outputs being drawn from those stored Arrays.
The Slide and Focus controls are mode-dependent: in SAM, they determine how the Spectraphon responds to sound at the input for Spectral AM, while in SAO, they are used to modulate the Array.
In either mode (SAM or SAO), the Partials control works as a combined amplitude and timbre gate for the Odd and Even harmonic output and the FM Bus will create high definition internal frequency modulation from the opposing side of the Spectraphon. The two sides can also interact via the internal FM Bus, the Follow and Sync modes, and by patching them together.
"Tony and Walker each recorded some music on the original Shared System from the Shared System Record Series in 2012-13, and also recorded some music on a modern Black & Gold Shared System Plus. After listening to each other's recordings they sat down to have a conversation about the whole experience.
"Tony Rolando in conversation with the legendary Ray Barbee!
Musician, photographer and Skateboarding pioneer Ray Barbee is an inspiration to us here at Make Noise, and his 2018 album 'Tiara For Computer' is a longstanding favorite!
We were so fortunate to have the great Ray Barbee stop by Asheville recently. He spoke with Make Noise founder Tony Rolando while in town about music, process and skating!
Strega Drums Soundpack https://www.sintesconleo.com/store/p/... Synths with leo (English) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ql... Sintes con Leo (Español) https://www.youtube.com/c/sintesconleo
XOUND is an exploratory album from Le Fantom Onde (Leo Méndez) with the sounds of the newly released module from Make Noise XPO. XOUND also works as the official soundtrack from the short film 'El Sonido de la X' released on the official Make Noise youtube channel.
XOUND (hound or shound) was recorded at Leo's studio with a micro modular system and features a full set of modules from the Asheville manufacturer as QPAS, Mimeophon, ModDemix, XOH and XPO controlled by the 0-Ctrl. The main search on this exploratory album was to create as many soundcapes with as little as possible taking advance of the full stereo field generated by this modular system.
Thanks to Walker Ferrell and the Make Noise team for helping on the realization of this album.
"Strega Musica is intended to be a free compilation— a gift from Make Noise and a celebration of Strega. All artists on the collection have already been compensated.
"Strega Musica" is a collection of music created with Strega, an instrument designed in close collaboration between Make Noise founder Tony Rolando and Alessandro Cortini. Thoughts on the collection from Strega's co-designers can be found below:
—
"It’s quite inspiring when people connect with your output and your works, making them theirs, finding their own emotional color in them. It’s truly magic and I will never stop being thankful for it.
Creating an instrument that reflects your idea for a vessel of compositional creativity, and seeing it stimulate other people’s creative output, has to be in a complete different level, and I couldn’t have been caught more off guard by it.
Hearing what people all over the world have made with Strega is invigorating and overwhelming!
If all that wasn’t enough, I’m here to present you a compilation of pieces composed on the Strega by some of our favorite musicians and friends: it’s really great to see how each of them was able to make the instrument their own, and speak their own language through the grammar that is Strega.
May you find your own language through it as well... happy exploring!”
- Alessandro Cortini
—
"As a listener, I am forever seeking music that has the ability to put me into an alternate space. Sounds that let me travel fluidly through time, forward or backward. I'm not usually looking to be in the now while I listen, as I must be in the now for most other parts of my life.
As an instrument designer, it makes me happy when people find a process, a patch program that creates a sound I'd not known was possible with the instrument. If that sound connects on an emotional level and takes me away from the now, the listener in me is also elated.
As a musician, I'm looking for an instrument that wants to connect with me and travel. Searching out a future I wish to know, or a past time I've lived. Maybe a moment I never thought about until I played that instrument on that day.
It doesn't matter if the sound is complex and never before heard, or simple and universally heard for decades.
As a listener, I traveled fluidly through time as Strega Musica played.
As an instrument designer, I was surprised by the sounds these artists achieved. As a musician, the Strega sparked in me an energy I've not felt in a decade.”
- Tony Rolando, founder Make Noise
—
"Strega Musica" was curated by Alessandro Cortini and mastered by Stephan Mathieu | Schwebung Mastering
"This is a Shared System tutorial, but if you have a Maths, a squarewave and a pingable stereo filter, you're in business. MakeNoise has just announced the XPO - Xtreme Prismatic Oscillator on Perfect Circuit where Tony Rolando discussed his vision of Stereo Pulsewidth Modulation (PWM). The DPO doesn't have pulsewidth CV so at first sight it's not possible on the Shared. But we have Maths! I already covered PWM in episode 35 of this series which also includes variable waveshapes and really extends the timbres of the DPO.
Tony recommended QPAS as the XPO's patching buddy, so I've included QPAS and Mimeophon in my layout. The results were amazing and now I can't wait for XPO to arrive. But in the meantime, have fun with your Shared!
The footage quality of this video is a bit mixed and sometimes even out of focus. I had such a great audio take at the end and just couldn't repeat it so I had no choice but to improvise/edit with a less sharp video."
Update: module details and pic added further below.
"On Friday July 15th at 7pm PST, Make Noise founder Tony Rolando will show off his newest Eurorack module design, alongside long-time modular artist Rodent.
Make Noise has a long history of shaking up the modular synth world with fresh, forward-thinking, and downright fun new modules and standalone instruments.
This marks Make Noise's first new release since 2021's Strega, and their first new Eurorack module since 2019's Mimeophon.
The stream will feature a module overview, Q+A, and live examples of the new design."
Initial post/details:
Make Noise will be presenting a new module at Perfect Circuit tonight at 7 PM. It's my understanding tickets for the event are full, however Perfect Circuit will be live streaming the event. I will be sharing the stream on top of the site at 7PM sharp so tune back in for the event.
Details follow:
Live Event: Make Noise First Look to New Eurorack Module
Where: Perfect Circuit Showroom 2405 Empire Ave Burbank, CA 91504
Event date: July 15th, 2022, 7 PM
About the Friday Make Noise Event
Make Noise is heading to Perfect Circuit for an exclusive first look at their latest creation. On Perfect Circuit's YouTube channel at 7 PM PST this Friday, July 15th, Make Noise founder Tony Rolando is showing off their newest Eurorack module design. Long-time modular artist Rodent will join Tony in the announcement. Tune in live for the first look at what Make Noise has cookin'. The stream will feature a module overview, Q+A, and live examples of the new design.
What Will They Reveal?
Make Noise has a long history of shaking up the modular synth world with fresh, forward-thinking, and downright fun new modules and standalone instruments. Be sure to tune in for Make Noise's first release since 2021's Strega and their first new Eurorack module since 2019's Mimeophon. This new module is top secret, so we can't share any details except we know you will love it.
"Make Noise is proud to announce our newest module, the XPO!
The XPO, or Stereo Prismatic Oscillator, is a Voltage Controlled Analog Oscillator designed for generating Sine waves, Triangle waves, Sawtooth and Spike waves, Sub-Octaves, Stereo Timbre Modulations (including Pulse Width Modulation and Wavefolding), Oscillator SYNC, Linear FM and more in the analog domain.
The XPO is designed to be the Stereo VCO complement to our Stereo Filter, the QPAS. The two modules share the core idea of complex circuits being controlled in multiple dimensions in the stereo field by a few powerful parameters. The Stereo Prismatic Oscillator also makes a particularly useful patch buddy for the STO, Mimeophon, and X-PAN.
The XPO was announced on Friday, July 15th by Make Noise founder Tony Rolando and our Sales Specialist Eric "Rodent" Cheslak at an event at Perfect Circuit."
The XPO or Stereo Prismatic Oscillator is a Voltage Controlled Analog Oscillator designed for generating Sine waves, Triangle waves, Sawtooth and Spike waves, Sub- Octaves, Stereo Timbre Modulations (including Pulse Width Modulation and Wavefolding), Oscillator SYNC, Linear FM and more in the analog domain.
The XPO is designed to be the Stereo VCO complement to our Stereo Filter, the QPAS. The two modules share the core idea of complex circuits being controlled in multiple dimensions in the stereo field by a few powerful parameters. The Stereo Prismatic Oscillator also makes a particularly useful patch buddy for the STO, Mimeophon, and X- PAN.
The Story of the XPO by Tony Rolando
I was lying awake in bed at 3 am thinking about music and synthesizers, on this early morning specifically, the voice panning of the OB8. So simple, so effective. A bank of 8 analog pan-pots is tucked into the side of the instrument to let the musician choose the exact placement of each voice in the stereo field. As you play the instrument, notes may dance around your head. This led me to think about how Oberheim and most other synthesizer designers through the 70s and early 80s primarily used Pulse Width Modulation for waveform animation. Don Buchla's wavefolding techniques had not caught on. PWM has been more or less the same for decades and there is not a whole lot of difference between PWM in one instrument to another. Some allow you to modulate further than others. A few even allow you to go all the way to 0% or 100% Width. PWM was usually generated from a Saw or Triangle core, and while I tend to prefer PWM generated from a Tri-Core, the difference is subtle. The bigger difference is the filter that follows. PWM has a way of tickling the resonance of a filter that can really make the sound come alive.
This led me to think about Stereo filtering. How could a synth sound more stereo? At Make Noise we have voice panning with the XPAN, stereo filtering with the QPAS, and stereo echo verb with the Mimeophon. Surely, this was enough stereo modulation.
Then it occurred to me, why couldn't PWM be stereo? It would be very effective at creating a stereo image since the amplitude of both Left and Right would be almost identical, while still offering dramatic stereo timbral shifts. I thought to myself, surely somebody has done Stereo PWM already. I needed to research this idea. So I wrote about it in the notepad I keep on the nightstand and I eventually fell back asleep.
I woke up the next day and I immediately saw the note, I tried to read it...
