MOTU Volta Done with Max/MSP

via wetterberg on Muff's Modules and More (Muff Wiggler)

"Alright, so this has been the holy grail for me in terms of modular synth+computer integration, and I had all but given up:

my fa-101 has DC blocking capacitors (and I'm not overly keen on hacking it wink ) and my 828mk1 had been bricked by horrible drivers...

I had even started looking into weird OSC->CV solutions, and had cash in hand, ready to buy the Kenton Pro 2000, which is expensive, and still only runs at midi resolution.

Well, now things have changed! I magically got the 828mk1 to WORK and I speedily set up a test rig to see what I could get out of the unit.

IT WORKS! Oh my GAWD this is so cool! I have a 4-way step sequencer, a fully synced ADSR and an LFO modulating an LFO, coming out of 5 different outputs, and as far as I can tell the voltage is REALLY high - good enough to do proper pitch scaling and so on - this RULES! It also happily generates trigger outputs, although I am going to build a trigger interface instead.

So - what does it sound like?
http://wetterberg.dk/uploads/828_modulator.mp3
(sorry for the crummy recording, weird interference on my recorder... wasn't there when monitoring directly, grumble)

What's going on?
the patch is 110 VCO->116 waveform processor->106-1 Xtreme filter

Computer is step sequencing PWM, clipping and symmetry CV and filter cutoff. Not too fancy, just enough for me to play around. Manually adjusting resonance and levels. adsr is going to the filter (yes, that's right, I'm not using an adsr in my modular!) and the lfo-modulated-lfo is controlling the filter as well. both lfos are sinewaves, and going into audio range is so damned easy.

The sequencer patch was just thrown together quickly - every 8 bars all 4 8-step sequencers are randomly set. But the results are surprisingly funky, if you ask me. I'm looking forward to attempting something sequenced on my Lemur! eek!
What does it look like?"

Synton Syntovox 221

via this auction, via the comments of this post

"incredibly rare Dutch-made vocoder. One of only roughly 20 originally produced, this vocoder originally sold for the equivalent of 6000 Euros and is quite possibly the finest vocoder available to man. Aimed firmly at serious electronic musicians and studios, users include Wendy Carlos and Bruno Spoerri.

This unit was supplied to us without power supply. We had our engineer custom build a suitable unit for 240V operation. This is included in the auction and the vocoder is now up and running, fully working and ready to be put to use producing some amazing sounds.

This item is generally in good condition as the photos illustrate. Unfortunately some of the control knobs are missing their end caps, and there are minor marks and scratches on the unit. One of the pins on the matrix is broken but still usable (just shorter than the others) and the pot for the second filter band has a damaged stop meaning that it can be turned through 360 degrees. Despite these minor issues the unit is fully functional and sounds incredible.
More info on the unit is available at the following websites:

http://www.dutchsynth.nl/Syntovox221.html

http://web.inter.nl.net/hcc/davies/vocbasy2.htm

http://www.manhattansoundlab.com/spacelab/vocoders/synton/221.spec.html"

Two New Serge Tracks via cebec

http://www.virb.com/cebec

NAMM: Open Labs MiKo

"MiKo LXD

The Gen5 MiKo LXD is the latest addition to the Open Labs® products line. Using a 15” touch-screen, 37 black and white keys, external backlit QWERTY keyboard and running Windows® OS, MiKo LXD is an entirely new class of portable music instrument. This portable media work center was specifically designed for the electronic musician, music producer and today’s digital lifestyle.

MiKo LXD’s optimized Windows OS natively supports virtually any music application or plug-in developed for a PC. From Pro Tools™ to Nuendo™, Native Instruments™ Komplete™ to Spectrasonics™ Omnisphere™, MiKo LXD does it all with ease.

MiKo LXD is equipped with the new Bump MP™ integrated drum module, designed to allow the user to create beats and trigger any sound, loop or sample in real-time. Enhanced with a special Open Labs version of Guru™ from FXpansion™, key features of the Bump MP include: (16 plus 1) fully assignable pads, note repeat, max level, fixed level fader, transport controls, chromatic mode, hold, pad tune, multiple groove preset and eight engines with 24 presets per engine.

MiKo LXD is also equipped with the new Open Labs Mix/Edit controller. The mixer section consists of multiple fully assignable controls including: (8) encoders, (8) lighted buttons, (8) faders, (4 X 4) banks (total of 128 channels) and (1) master volume fader. The edit section consists of multiple, fully assignable controls including: (8) encoders, (1) LCD display (for encoders), (4) buttons and (4) banks (total of 32 control parameters).

MiKo LXD has the most relevant and compelling sounds including: Open Labs The Master’s Series Library™ produced by multi-platinum producer Mr. Porter (Denaun Porter), as well as Open Labs’ own V5™ sound, sample and loop library.

Open Labs Riff™ is an entirely new concept in virtual instrument hosting. Written from the ground up by Open Labs, Riff encompasses over six years of live performance and studio production knowledge gathered from some of the world’s top artists, engineers, composers, and producers. Its advanced features include: Live Controls™, which allows the user to create any number of virtual controls in real-time that can be mapped to various effects and other parameters. Advanced intelligence allows any number of virtual controllers to manipulate any number of other virtual controllers, providing automation for virtual instruments and effects. Rewire allows for this powerful host application to be used within any DAW program.

The MiKo offers superior mobility in a compact package. It’s perfect for working in a project studio of performing live – where creating beats, guitar and vocal multi-tracking, and DJ/VJ capabilities are as necessary as playing a keyboard.

The MiKo’s assignable Master and DJ controllers elevate live performance beyond normal application. For instance, you can trigger Mp3’s in real time, then grab audio waveforms via the touchscreen. To top things off, throw some real-time drum, bass, and vocal lines on top of your mix.

Open Labs instruments are equipped with Firewire, USB, PCI EXPRESS and an Ethernet port, allowing access to the Internet via a broadband connection. Open Labs tech support can log-in to your system, and our online technicians can remotely view and diagnose any issue – while you are still in your own studio.

We’ve included over 200 world-class virtual instruments and effects with over 20,000 presets with virtually unlimited capability for third party plug-ins and applications.

MiKo LXD Dimensions: 34"(L) X 19"(W) X 7"(H) Weight (base configuration) 38.8 lbs."

LX5 and XXL pictured below. More info: http://openlabs.com/products.html

Digital Short: Doogie Howser Theme

via John and via kri

KORG DS-10 scribble acid

YouTube via openchallenge
"i was randomly scribbling and ended up with a nice acid line"

Another ARP 2600 Synthesizer Video Clip

YouTube via 123synthland
"Here's an improvised performance on a vintage ARP 2600 we just put up for sale. We stopped posting full front panel videos since someone copied one of our patches. Not that this particular patch is anything special, mind you, but people should come up with their own patches. Ya know?"

Moog Sample and Hold Model 1125 Demo w/ Vintage Minimoog Analog Synth

YouTube via 123synthland
"Here's an improvised performance on a vintage Moog Sample and Hold unit. This flexible box is controlling one of the many vintage Minimoog synthesizers we've lovingly serviced and sold. The S+H is currently up for sale.
Enjoy the noise and email us anytime at minime123@onebox.com"

Vintage Linn LM-1 Drum Computer made famous by Prince, Human League, etc

YouTube via 123synthland
"We buy, sell & trade vintage analog synthesizers, but you probably knew that already. Here's an improvised performance on an original Linn Drum Computer LM-1 we recently sold to a well known musician. The cover's off as I was doing a final inspection and test before shipping it out. These Linn sounds were all over 80s synth records, especially Prince and Human League albums. We've got another LM-1 in stock that we will probably put on the market soon. If you look closely, you'll see a vintage Emu modular synth in the background. We love our modular synths. Enjoy, and email us anytime at minime123@onebox.com"

Some History on the Development of the Moog Little Phatty

For whatever reason a thread cropped up on AH questioning Bob Moog's involvement with the Little Phatty and specifically whether he was involved at all. One, I remembered the project started when he became ill and two, core bits of the tech is based the Voyager! Even if he wasn't hands on, much of the technology that makes it what it is would still have come from him. I don't get it. That aside the following is an intersting insight to Bob Moog's involvment as well as the involvment of his team.

"Bob was completely involved in the genesis and design of the Little Phatty. He was actively working on the project when he became ill. He wired up the first prototype, which was built from a modified Voyager analog board wired directly to a panel of pots. The original idea was a stripped-down all analog two-oscillator performance synth, with a minimal but effective feature set and a knob per function on the panel. No MIDI, no patch memory.

This concept did not survive any opinion surveys, which all indicated that MIDI and memory were required features. Once we added a digital board to the design, the knob-per-function interface became too expensive to keep cost within our target for an inexpensive two-oscillator performance synth.

So, the final Little Phatty interface was conceived, using a knob per synth section rather than a knob per function. I believe this layout was conceived by Axel Hartmann. The Real Analog Control [RAC] system, where pots are both scanned for digital value and physically switched into the analog circuits which they are controlling, was conceived by Steve Dunnington.

So, Bob Moog brought the Little Phatty project into being, and shaped its original feature set. Most importantly for this project, he select Cyril Lance in particular to be his assistant/successor, after a very discriminating search. Cyril stepped in at the point when the project code-named "el P" was making the transition from all-analog to midi & memory, so he designed the Little Phatty digital board as one of his first projects for Moog Music. Prior to this, of course, Cyril had been a consulting engineer, a particle physicist (graduate of Cornell; same university as Dr. Moog), and of course a touring blues guitarist of some repute. Even though the digital board design was ultimately Cyril's, it was done in close reference to the digital board of the Voyager, which was rather similar to the digital board of a Memorymoog. As for the Little Phatty analogue board, it is comprised almost entirely of circuits taken directly from the Moog Voyager. The're the exact circuits Bob designed well before his untimely passing, simply configured for a different synth concept. The circuit layouts and corresponding component values for a given little subsection are generally identical between the Voyager and LP.
A notable exception is the Little Phatty's Overload circuit, which was designed and painstakingly tweaked by ear by Steve Dunnington. I think he did a good job with that circuit.

So, the LP has Bob's Voyager oscillators and Bob's Voyager envelopes (complete with quirks and circuit errors just like on the Voyager), the same implementation of the ladder filter (only times one instead of two), the same VCA design. An instrument is a whole The digital control, the RAC system, the panel layout, overload... these things were designed by other people, all of whom desired to continue Bob's legacy and to create a real, playable instrument that stood on its own merit. I should mention that the original Little Phatty firmware was written by Chuck Carlson, a programmer who had worked with both Moog and Buchla prior to working on the LP.

I have been the alpha tester for the Little Phatty firmware as it has developed, and I've gotten to make a suggestion or two along the way.

I'm writing this instead of getting sleep here at the NAMM show, so I'd better leave it there.

Hope this helps,
Amos"

Note Axel Hartmann also designed the interface for the Voyager, and a numbe of other synths. Check out this post for the list of synths. You might be surprised. He is the face of many of our modern day knob laden synths.