MATRIXSYNTH

KORG MicroKORG

just a nice shot via this auction

currently set this one as my background for now. click on the image for the full size shot.

via this auction

interesting shot of the j-wires under the synth.

"Some of the wires connecting the keys to the unit are bent, as you can see in the photo, but ALL of them still make contact as they should."

timeLooper_build

YouTube via UnearthedCircuits. More info at Unearthed Circuits.
audio test drive comes in at 2:30.

Intelligent Gadgets Mandala Music

"Inspired by instruments like the Hang drum and other idiophones Mandala Music is a new kind of percussion instrument for the iPhone. The instrument consists of eight notes arranged in a circle or Mandala around a central note (called the ding on a Hang). The sound, which is generated by an FM synthesizer, is varied by four controls: 1) octave, frequency, modulation, and decay. The notes are based on the scale selected in the settings window. Thirty-three different scales from around the world used in first-generation Hang drums are provided. A tuning setting allows the player to change the key of the instrument."

Available on iTunes here:

VICMOD Modular Madness Event

via VICMOD

"5 MAY - MAKE IT UP CLUB, FITZROY,VIC, AUSTRALIA @ BAR OPEN
(Doors open 8pm)

A night of modular analog synths, computers and little boxes or tricks.

Cray (Ross Healy) will be making a rare live appearance featuring a computer music live set, then Ross and his Buchla 200e will join VICMOD ENSEMBLE for an all analog modular performance.

Abre Ojos (Scott Baker) will also be performing a solo set on his diy modular then joining VICMOD ENSEMBLE.

Also on the night
Steve Wiliams
Mathew Brown
Stephen Richards"

Sample Magic: Mastering the Ensoniq EPS/ASR Samplers

"Sample Magic: Mastering the Ensoniq EPS/ASR Samplers gives readers the inside scoop, going beyond what is covered in the manuals. Mims gives up a multitude of sound design secrets, shows how to optimize the sampler for either live performance or studio tracking, and gets into the nitty-gritty of mastering a SCSI setup. The book is not a dry technical manual, it's a witty journey through practical applications, such as:

* How to use drum loops, and make them match your sequencer tempo exactly,
* How to sneak in an extra part when all sequencer tracks are used,
* How to create an Ensoniq-format CD-ROM,
* How to save a damaged floppy disk,
* Which SCSI drives work with which samplers,
* How to set up, navigate, and optimize a SCSI drive,
* How to program an arpeggiator in your sampler (and no, it's not using the sequencer!),
* How to free up polyphony,
* What those ERROR messages can tell you,
* How to troubleshoot problems with your sampler.

Syntaur Productions has been producing Ensoniq sounds for over two decades, and has supplied sonic ammunition to Outkast, Wu Tang Clan, Nelly, Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas, Brandy, Elton John, Fishbone, and many others.

Pricing and Availability:
Sample Magic (153 pages, spiral bound soft cover) is available for $29.95

More information:" at Syntaur Productions
I'm not finding it on site although there is a contact link for anyone interested.
via Sonic State where you'll find a little more info.

x0xb0x innards

flickr set by henrikgo
(click for more)

monkeysynth 0.1

flickr by lookbehindyouathreehead edmonkey (click for more)

"simple polyphonic synthesizer with a high pass+low pass, attack release and amplitude modulation. it uses wavetable oscs so you can draw any waveforms you want in the three green arrays on the right. first version pretty fugly still."

Elektron Monomachine

flickr by cameronparkins

full size

Andromeda Studio - From Tape to Synth

Vice magazine has an interview up with Swedish composer Ralph Lundsten of Andromeda Studio. In it he briefly discusses going from tape to synthesizers. Be sure to check the full interview out. via Jim.

"Which could either be enlightening or depressing, I imagine. How did you get started?
I bought one of those first home tape-recorders. A whole new world of sounds opened up to me as I started experimenting with it.

What were your first discoveries?
You could play at different speeds and play backwards. You could also get feedback effects. Then I started to cut and paste the tapes and got the most absurd noises, which became my specialty. Whatever the sound, I knew exactly what angle to hold the scissor to get the result I wanted.

So diddling around with tape recorders and scissors led you to create the first of this type of synthesiser?
Well, I eventually got fed up with cutting and pasting hundreds of thousands of times and discovered that instead you could put several tone generators in a row—I found a method for making them climb in any tempo. That’s how easy you make a sequencer with jump function!"