Orgon Modular

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction. Acution notes below.



"Orgon Systems Enigiser Modular Synthesizer

This is 1 of only 6 pre-production synthesizers hand built by Geoff Waterston. Also features modules that were never commercially released.

Consisting of 21 modules based around the amazing Orgon Systems Enigiser
3 X Voltage Controlled Oscillators

Rock stable design. No temperature drift. Excellent scaleaccuracy-upto 10 octaves.
Unique, rich and powerful sound quality.
Able to hold a true zero beat for hours.
Coarse and fine tune controls.
Sawtooth, sine, triangle and PWM waveform outputs.
Exceptionally accurate 1 volt per octave tracking. (0v to 10v).
Exponential modulation input.
Linear FM input
Pulsewidth modulation input (0% to 100% duty cycle).
PWM Shape control (0% to 100% duty cycle).
Oscillator sync (Absolutely awsome sounding!)

1 X Enigiser Filter
Variable multipole filter design unique to Orgon Systems.
Taken directly from the Orgon Systems Enigiser Synthesizer.
Voltage Controlled Resonance
2 X signal inputs
2 X control voltage inputs (filter frequency).
1 X resonance control voltage input.
25 switchable filter responses!!
6 dB oct lowpass
12 dB oct lowpass
18 dB oct lowpass
24 dB oct lowpass
Phase shifter 1
6 dB oct highpass
6 dB oct bandpass
12 dB oct bandpass
18 dB oct bandpass
Phase shifter and bandpass
6dB notch
6 dB lowpass scattered poles
12 dB lowpass scattered pole
18 dB lowpass scattered pole
Narrow phase shift

2 X Voltage Controlled Amplifier with Log & Lin Response
High spec VCA with logarithmic & linear switchable responses.
2 signal inputs with gain controls.
2 control voltage inputs with gain controls.
Initial gain control.
Will work with audio and control voltages (AC or DC).


1 X Multimode VCF
Orgon Systems take on the classic state variable filter.
Fully resonant to oscillation.
4 simultaneous outputs (lowpass, highpass, bandpass & notch).
2 signal inputs with gain controls.
2 control voltage inputs with gain control (cutoff frequency).
Cutoff and resonance controls.
Extremely Fat and energetic sounding filter.

6 X ADSR Envelope Generator
Ultra fast response <1ms
Full ADSR response
Gait input & gait through sockets
Manual trigger button
Attack state gate output with led (useful for gate delays or multi-stage envelopes)
Decay state gate output with led (useful for gate delays multi-stage envelopes)

Release state gate output (useful for gate delays multi-stage envelopes)

3 x Dual LFO
0.001 Hz to 300 Hz
2 rate controls
2 rate led's
2 shape controls (pulsewidth & ramp up triangle ramp down)
2 square / pulse outputs
2 triangle / ramp outputs

1 x Noise Generator
White, red, pink & blue outputs

1 x Mixer
4 signal or control voltage inputs
Works with AC or DC
Output level control

1 x Wave Animator
This design is unique to Orgon Systems and allows control of positive & negative waveshapes with clipping & offset manipulation. You can also subtract the output signal from the original input signal.
Drive control (controls the amount of clipping)
Positive & negative shape controls (controls the amount of waveform clipping & offset)
Offset CV (controls wave symmetry with a bi-polar control voltage)
Subtracts the output signal from the original input signal.
This unique module is very hard to sum up in words as it treads into sonic territory not discovered before! Hearing really is believing. Can actually make 1 oscillator sound like 3 or turn a sign wave into a square wave and pulsewidth modulate it at the same time or chop the top off triangle waves and subtract them from the original signal. You get the idea anything is possible.

1 x Multi Connection
3 rows of 5 multi connections

RC-1324 Bus Converter

"Converts 13-Pin Signals to 24-Pin Format and Expands Synthesizer Controls

• Incorporates circuitry and design concepts by GR-300 authority Mark Smart!


• Use any Modern Roland-Ready, GK-1, GK-2/GK-2A, GK-3, or RMC equipped guitar to play any Vintage, 24-pin Roland Guitar Synthesizer


• Complete Vintage 24-Pin Synth Controls recreated on the front panel, including Pitch Bend, Mode Switch and More!


• Tested for use with the Roland GR-100, GR-300, GR-700, GM-70, Ibanez MC1 and the Korg Z3


• Unique Built-In Hex Fuzz adds G-303/G-808 Style Hex Fuzz with Separate Output


• Front Panel Hex Fuzz Filter Switch for Normal or Bright Tone


• Works with Roland US-20 Unit Selector for Multiple Synthesizer System


• Foot Pedal Control over Vibrato/LFO depth replaces difficult-to-use LFO Touch Pads


• Adapts standard 13-Pin Synth Volume Control for 24-Pin Synth Volume Control,
including Synthesizer/Guitar Balance Control

• Electronically Buffered Outputs for Volume Controls and Modulation


• 6 Front Panel Control Knobs for 24-Pin String Output Levels


• Powered by 24-Pin Synthesizer so there is no need for External Power Supply


• 2-space, Rack mountable Enclosure with Detachable Rack Ears for Rack mount or Table-Top Operation


• Laser-Etched, CAD Designed Front Panel"

Roland GK-2a/GR-300 Interface

"One problem with the old Roland guitar synths is that you have to use a Roland synth guitar to play them. Here is a circuit which will allow you to play an old Roland guitar synth from your own guitar with a newer GK-2(a)-style pickup." Title link takes you there.

Prophet64

More tempation to hit some flea markets for an old Commodore 64.

"Prophet 64 is a series of synthesizer software for the Commodore 64. There are currently three editions, all MIDI compatible via DIN-sync (like the 303/606/808 etc) finally making it possible to use the C64 for contemporary music."

PROPHET 64 1.3 STANDARD EDITION

* Real 303 editing
* Joystick or potentiometer (game paddles) control
* Assigned keys for all sound parameters
* Prophet 5 layout
* Constant slide
* Shuffle ("swing")
* Advanced Random Composer (A.R.C.)
* DIN-Sync (SYNC 24) - to synchronize MIDI-sequencers
* Store sounds and patterns on disk or tape

PROPHET 64 TB-EDITION 1.1

* Same features as the standard edition
* Only TB-303 sound parameters
* Aimed at users that only want the TB-303 sound
* Accent

PROPHET 64 TR EDITION 1.0

* Drum machine software
* Classic Rob Hubbard "wave table" sounds right at your fingertips!
* 3 voice polyphony
* 909 style sequencer
* Shuffle
* Step or Tap write patterns
* Tone controls offer full control of the sounds
* 6 tracks, 96 patterns
* Play drum sounds polyphonically on C64 keyboard!
* DIN-Sync

Looks like a sequencer is coming as well.


Title link takes you there. Via C64Music!

NeuroSky

"NeuroSky, a fabless semiconductor/module company, has developed a non-invasive neural sensor and signal processing technology that converts brainwaves and eye movements into useful electronic signals to communicate with a wide range of electronic devices, consoles, and computers."

No mention of MIDI or CV, but if this catches on, I could see it happening. When I was in a band, I used to joke about sitting on a stage and just playing music from our heads. Looks like that day might be coming.

Update: Via Awakened_Yeti in the comments:

"there has already been a few options of brainwave-to-MIDI software available
http://tamw.atari-users.net/brainwav.htm
http://www.ibva.com/"

Torture-Mentale BOSS SYB-3 Sample

If you feel link torturing yourself, title link takes you to a post on VSE with a long sample of the BOSS SYB-3 bass synth pedel.

Synthesizers.com Ratcheting Sample

Yves Usson posted an example of "ratcheting" on the AH list. I asked him if I could put it up. Not only did he say yes, but he sent an image of the patch he created for the sample. Click the image below for the full size shot. Title link takes you to the 540KB sample. His notes below. Thanks Yves!



"This is a 8 note sequence and one note is "ratcheted" every 3 runs.
You will hear this typical TD effect of a note being "machine guned"
once in a while !

For technical detail this sequence was played on C960 DOTCOM
sequencer and the ratchet effect was obtained using a syncrhonized
LFO and a Voltage controlled Switch (Q128)."

Buchla - New Flickr Shots

Title link takes you to a couple more. Fantastic Flickr set in general.

MOTM NAMM 2006 via Synthtopia

Synthtopia has a post up on MOTM and the Analogue Haven booth. Title link takes you there. Also track back when you get there for the rest of their NAMM coverage.

Paul Schreiber of MOTM

Haken Audio Continuum - Impressions

Paul Sop posted his impressions of the Haken Audio Continuum on the Analog Heaven mailing list. I asked him if it would be ok if I put up a post here for those not on AH. He said go right ahead. Very cool. Title link takes you to some more shots. His thoughts are below. Note that Paul currently has the only white Continuum. Thanks Paul!



"Here are some observations I have on the instrument:

1) Like Hakken says, it takes a long time to learn. I now have nice Sitar music comming out of it. I'd say if you were a keyboard player, it would be harder to learn than if you were a violin, or steel guitar player. It's more like a violin than a keyboard in my opinion.

2) It is >10 finger polyphonic. I think it might be up to 16 finger polyphonic. You can sit on one side of it, and a friend can sit on the other side, and you can both play at the same time. -- WILD

3) There is considerable difference between the Firewire output's capability and MIDI's capability. This is a bit involved, so I'll do this in subsections to this point:
3a) With MIDI, (and I may be a bit wrong about some of this, for I'm still figuring MIDI out on it), you might have, say 10 notes active at the same time. You can set up MIDI on the fingerboard to send out on a single channel, so all 10 notes would be on one channel. If you do that, it is easy to patch to soft synths, BUT any pitch-bend information sent by wiggling a finger back and forth affects ALL the notes.
3b) You can also set up MIDI so that each note is sent on its own channel. This is, of course, better, but I've had a lot of trouble getting softsynths to listen to all channels properly. If you put the softsynth in OMNI mode, it seems the pitchbend problem occurs again. I may have something wrong here, and will figure it out some day I'm sure
3c) If you use the Kyma, these restrictions are gone, as the instrument tracks each finger position (x and y axis) and pressure (z axis) perfectly, and with great finesse.

4) Lippold just released new firmware with a nice legato feature. It's like a fretless device, so if you put your finger down slightly to the left, your sound is slightly lower. That being said, you can also activate pitch rounding, so your initial touch is pitch perfect.

5) I've had great success playing analog gear with the Continuum. Just realize that there is some complexity due to the fact that each finger can have its own pitch-bend, and depending on your MIDI destination's capabilities, you can either have full awesomeness, or tell the fingerboard to make some MIDI compromises. This is all of course, just living with MIDI's issues.

6) Holy the thing rocks when used creatively. I now pretty much use only the fingerboard and a Marimba Lumina, and my music sounds A LOT more fun than it did before. It's hard to describe what you can do with the fingerboard in words. Here are some goofy things I've done with it:

- Map different samples to different pressures, with granulation based on the y axis. This sounds lame, until you realize it's not a keyboard, and you can do things like keep your finger in a single position, and strum up and down with great precision to a beat. So your finger becomes like an LFO. Then you can map the y-axis to a granulator, etc...

- Amazing for plucked guitars: listen to Ed Eagan's stuff on the http://www.hakenaudio.com/Continuum/ website. He shared a lot of his sounds, and it only took about 2 weeks for me to get about 1/2 as good as he is with all those Sitar style sounds.

- It's an awesome ambient sound generator. If you're doing soundtrack style music, you can sort of connect your soul to the fingerboard, and watch your movie, and really capture a lot of emotional gestures that are very workable."