MATRIXSYNTH

YouTube via lastfastando.
"DVD with dmitry on vocoder. My friend Rehmat in NYC and I came up with this while talking about crazy NYC street vendors trying to sell DVD's and shouting out deals to to people"

via Mr. Array
"I'm the dancing fool behind the laptop, manning the vocoder and Traktor. My buddy Andy is on live synth, including an NES running a MIDINES cart! For live vocoding we use the Electro Harmonix Voice Box, which we got after seeing it on your site :-D

A lot of the interesting synth stuff is happening on the backing tracks. There's a lot of Andromeda on "DVD", for instance. "Wily Dragon" has a lot of MIDINES which is both being played live and on the backing track.

On the myspace page, the Forces cover has some Waldorf XT on it. Most of the tracks have at least some Yamaha Mo6 on them (which isn't all that exciting, haha). There's a new song which we hope to put up soon which uses nothing but the Waldorf XT, Andromeda, and MIDINES.

I haven't taken any of my synths out to live gigs yet, but I did just get a SID Station, which I hope to perform live with eventually. Mainly we're just trying to prevent having too much heavy gear to lug around. The pieces that do make it to live sets are the Motif Mo6 and the MIDINES, both of which are very light.

I posted a clip of the new SID Station here:

http://8bitcollective.com/music/Ocean+Orbit/Driving+at+90bpm+(SID+Station)/

We also have more tunes up here:

http://www.myspace.com/oceanorbit

We don't haven't put all of our tracks up on myspace yet though, as we're working with friends to get our vocals recorded and properly mixed (which is also why none of the songs on myspace have vocals as of yet)."

flickr set by John Grabowski

"Pics of the Beilfuss Step Synthesizer, as shown by Beilfuss Synthesizer Co. President Keith Williams at the SEAMUS 2009 National Conference held at Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, Indiana."

http://www.beilfusssynth.com/
Note Beilfuss was mentioned in the Electronic Keyboard Reference Guide from 1984 - 1985.

via sequencer.de, via John:
"Even though the synthesizer has a whopping 93 keys, it is essentially two connected 4-octave synthesizers. I was given complete documentation, I’ll see what I can do to post more.

From what I was told, this synthesizer is a completed prototype, and has not yet been put into production."

via http://www.beilfusssynth.com:
"Unlike any analog or digital synthesizer's controls, the patented tone control consists of sixteen steps simply outlining the waveform as set by the Signal Controls you see at the left of the control panel. Similarly, the envelope and filter contour transients and their time intervals are also set by the Signal Controls for rhythms or extended notes. You may easily add prompted, parallel voicings, combining settings of both sides for complex notes.There are 32 controls and 142 pushbuttons for direct programming. Dedicated LED pushbuttons always read out their side of the full eight octave, split keyboard. Five octaves of transposition are possible."

Update via WD on the AH list: "Here's the patent, for anyone interested in reading about the "patented tone control": link (US Patent Number 4495846)"

Update: I sent email to the contact alias on site and received the reply further below, after the images.

"Step Synthesizer Functions

The Step Synthesizer is built around the unique Signal Controls on the left side of the instrument.
The sixteen slide controls, side by side, represent either the literal waveform, the envelope or filter contour curves (like ADSR’s), or the time intervals of the steps in the envelope and filter contour.
The circuitry is all digital, however the organization is based on analog synthesis.

The waveform values appear in the sixteen character LED readouts and may be adjusted while playing. For the envelope and filter contour, they may complete after the key is released or repeat as long as the key is held. Keyed rhythms may be input very simply. The time intervals, ranging 2ms to 2 sec, may be factored slower or faster. A stopwatch timer automatically divides for the equal intervals and enters the resulting values. Then, when altering individual time intervals, a constant sum may be maintained.

The Signal Controls may be moved any two together to set all values equal.

There are two identical instruments both sharing twenty voices and sixty-four programs. There is an alternate group (bank) of sixty-four. The eight octave keyboard is split between middle C and B.
The split point may be varied or floated. Four octaves of transposition are possible with key transposition or transpose rate control with programmed transposition setting. A full range pushbutton will automatically set the two transpositions to piano keyboard. The ergonomically positioned levers add up to an extra octave of transposition. There is key velocity, pitch, and aftertouch patching.

The 440 square inch control panel has dedicated LED pushbuttons and controls for both sides. The edit sections allow full 1 in 256 resolution adjustment of individual control settings of saved programs for both sides.

There may be up to ten voices in parallel with easily prompted editing of voice volumes and tunings. Voices may have the settings of the opposite side’s program selection. Voice reassignment modes consist of Chordal, Single Keyed, Unison, and overflow modes. There is a Legato Notes function.

Glide start and glide functions may be smooth or stepped, key release-ordered or two key overlap. Separate rise and fall controls may be set.

Programs are reset by a dedicated pushbutton. Programs are saved, inserted, deleted, or rotated in the group of sixty-four programs. Partial recalls of separate Signal Controls divisions, individual controls, and voicings are possible.

Almost all control values may be set by foot controls and some pushbuttons may by actuated by foot switches. There are program advance foot switches. The headphone jack has volume and separation controls.

MIDI has selective transmit and receive enables for Notes, Programs, Common, and Exclusive messages. System Exclusive saves the sixty-four program groups to computer or audio recorder.
Self diagnosis of circuit boards is included."