Synth Blues - JayVinsent

YouTube via jayvinsent
"A short improv blues piece with accompanying synthesizers. I recorded this using a cheap Casio keyboard and Propellerhead Software's Reason 4. This is my first time using this software, so be nice :P"

HyperSynth Alesis ION Editor

"Ion-editor is a MIDI-editor for advanced controlling over the famous Alesis ION analog modeling synthesizer in your DAW. For rejecting the mouse flicker and reducing zippering noise on MIDI port every knob is specifically programmed to transmit the MIDI messages like a real hardware MIDI controller so ion-editor knobs don’t generate several unwanted data with the same value which is a common issue in the most of the other MIDI-editors. The same pages like the original ion LCD display make the tweaking easy for parameters that need more descriptive information like filter panning, arpeggio, mod matrix and tracking generator.

Note : ION-editor does not generate any sound itself without using ION synth.

v1.0 Features:
- Support automation for all 234 ION parameters
- Flicker Free Knobs (unlike other midi editors!)
- Remotely changing ION banks and programs
- Automatable MIDI-OUT channel
- Preset manager with save and load function
- Sync to host option for master tempo
- Easily tweakable interactive tracking generator and mod matrix
- One waveshape display for each oscillator"

Wiard with Milton

Just saw this one over on sequencer.de.

Thought it was a pretty incredible image.

The shot is from Peter Grenader's (Plan b) Buzzclick Music. The Milton is a powerful sequencer. You can read more about it here and via the Milton label below.

z3000 - fm hell

z3000 - fm hell from surachai on Vimeo.
"I just received my Tip Top Audio z3000 oscillator in the mail today and thought I'd introduce it to the rest of my system. The patch itself is quite complicated but essentially a Cwejman oscillator is going into the FM ins on the z3000 - First into FM1, then later in the FM2 where the modulation can be controlled from a pot. It can play nicely but I try to stay from that."
via Trash_Audio where you'll find a more extensive write-up.

Weddell Filter Sweeps - "Encounters at the end of the world"

More than just filter sweeps actually. Just listen to the samples of Weddell seals on this page. Just do it.

via fischek:
"I've watched the "Encounters at the end of the world" movie by Werner Herzog and at one point a very interesting thing happened :) I know you only post stuff about the synths, but believe me these sounds are identical to analog filter sweeps and cracks, etc and what's producing them are Antarctic SEALS!"

They are indeed! Pretty amazing actually. The page linked above is from this site where you will find more samples and the source CDs. Directly below is the trailer for "Encounters at the end of the world" where you can hear some other interesting sounds.

Encounters at the End of the World Trailer

YouTube via THINKFilmNY

"Werner Herzog ("Grizzly Man," "Rescue Dawn") confirms his standing as poet laureate of men in extreme situations with ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD. In this visually stunning exploration, Herzog travels to the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, the hub of the US Antarctic Program and home to eleven hundred people during the austral spring and summer (Oct-Feb).

Over the course of his journey, Herzog examines human nature and Mother nature, juxtaposing breathtaking locations with the profound, surreal, and sometimes absurd experiences of the marine biologists, physicists, plumbers, and truck drivers who choose to form a society as far away from society as one can get."




"Encounters at the end of the world" on Amazon
Antarctica on Amazon

Yamaha SY35

You can find a full review with more images and a sample on Khoral's Cafe 80 (direct link).

"The SY35 is sixteen voices polyphonic and multimbral (eight parts). There are 128 sounds. 64 are factory presets that you can’t erase, mostly acoustic (most notably, some good electric pianos, excellent vintage strings and a lovely choir patch). The other 64 are user presets, for storing your own creations.

Sounds are built around no less than four oscillators, two FM and two AWM (that is, basically acoustic samples). Each FM oscillator has its dedicated low-pass filter [there actually isn't a filter - see comments below]. Add four LFOs and sixteen (decent but not great) effects, and that’s pretty much it."

Exercising the Fifty and Music Room Revision

flickr by zonkout

Exercising the Fifty full size
Music Room Revision full size

cs80 galaxiesmerge

YouTube via galaxiesmerge
"My Yamaha CS80 synthesizer. The string sounds on this are amazing. Look at Blade Runner that was scored with a CS80 keyboard by Vangelis. This is recorded using my home video camera and its built in microphone. In the future I intend to post a much better video. Hopefully this gives you an idea of what the CS80 sounds like."

Neurotica

via David Kronemyer where you will find a link to the track.

"Here is a song I recorded at a colleague’s studio entitled “Neurotica.” It showcases the fabulous Resonator Neuronium designed by Jürgen Michaelis. It was all sequenced in real time except the bass part which I overdubbed later. The Neuronium comes in at bar 13 after the synth intro. Length is 1:50 so it won’t take that long to become intrigued by the possibilities presented by this unique device."

Synth Pics via Pighood

You can find more shots at
Pighood's Music flickr set.

Pictured here:
Bob Moog ....and his legacy.
Lamp Doepfer
The Pigsty