Roland AX-Synth Black Sparkle

ROLAND RELEASES BLACK AX-SYNTH

Los Angeles, CA, September 1, 2010 — Roland U.S. is pleased to announce that its popular AX-Synth® Shoulder Synthesizer is now available in a premium black sparkle finish. The new glass-particle UV finish reacts to various lighting conditions, creating a glistening appearance that is striking under stage lighting. The AX-Synth remains available in the standard white finish as well.

Created with the art of performance in mind, the AX-Synth allows keyboardists to connect with their audience as guitarists and singers do. It represents Roland’s new generation of remote keyboards, offering an onboard sound engine that features a collection of the company’s best cutting-edge synth sounds.

When wearing the battery-powered AX-Synth, keyboardists can escape their standard stationary rig and create kinetic musical performances, moving freely around the stage. The ribbon controller, mod bar, D BEAM, and assignable knobs give players the ability to perform memorable and expressive solos with the ultimate real time control.

The AX-Synth features 49 velocity-sensitive keys, and is the first shoulder keyboard to include a 128-voice polyphonic sound engine with 256 distinct tones accessible from eight bank buttons. It can also send and receive standard MIDI messages for use with other keyboards or sound modules. The AX-Synth includes a dedicated V-LINK button to control visual elements, and a dedicated PC software editor/librarian application is available for download for players who would like to customize their own sounds.

The AX-Synth with black sparkle finish is expected to be available in November with an MSRP of $1,449.00. For more information, please visit www.RolandConnect.com."

Roland GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer

"ROLAND INTRODUCES GAIA SYNTHESIZER SOUND DESIGNER

Los Angeles, CA, September 1, 2010 — Roland is proud to announce the GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer, a software-based editor application for the popular GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer. Compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X, the GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer allows users to access the GAIA synth’s entire set of sound parameters visually via a computer. The GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer is the perfect companion for all GAIA synth owners—beginners, music educators, and pros alike.

Once the GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer is installed, all that is required is a single-cable USB connection between the GAIA synth and the PC. With the GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer’s interactive interface, users have complete command over sound creation. Every control for the GAIA’s three synthesizer engines is represented, while the unique Waveform Display shows the shape of the currently edited waveform in a virtual oscilloscope, providing a graphical representation of the sound.

The Action List feature allows users to record and play back every step of the sound-creation process. Additionally, the GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer comes with many sample Action Lists that detail the creation of common sounds such as synth bass and synth lead. This feature helps beginners understand basic synthesis and aids music educators teaching in synthesizer labs.

The GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer also provides the perfect way for users to backup, organize, and store their custom GAIA sounds. Included with the GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer are a number of newly created patches, ready for loading into the GAIA Synthesizer.

The GAIA Synthesizer Sound Designer is expected to be available in October with an MSRP of $99.00.

For more information, please visit www.RolandConnect.com."

New-product anouncements in Roland CONNECT Sept. 1, 2010

YouTube via RolandChannel | August 31, 2010

"http://www.rolandconnect.com/
On September 1, 2010, Roland launched a new and innovative lineup of musical products via a unique web exhibition called Roland CONNECT."

JUNO-Gi Introduction (1/2)

YouTube via RolandChannel | August 31, 2010

"http://www.rolandconnect.com/product....
Mobile Synthesizer with Digital Recorder
Chapter 1: Overview
Chapter 2: Getting setting
Chapter 3: Live Set
Chapter 4: Special Live Set"

JUNO-Gi Introduction (2/2)

RolandChannel | August 31, 2010

"http://www.rolandconnect.com/product....
Mobile Synthesizer with Digital Recorder
Chapter 5: Helpful Features for Live Performance
Chapter 6: Recorder Function"

Update: the official press release:

ROLAND UNVEILS JUNO-Gi MOBILE SYNTHESIZER

Los Angeles, CA, September 1, 2010 — Roland U.S. is pleased to announce the JUNO-Gi Mobile Synthesizer with Digital Recorder. Not only is the JUNO-Gi compact, easy to use, and affordable, it also boasts an all-new sound set designed for live performance, built-in eight-track digital recorder with 64 virtual tracks, and easy integration with many digital audio workstations through its built-in audio interface.

The JUNO-Gi runs on AC power or batteries, so users can play music anywhere. Onboard are over 1,300 brand-new, top-quality sounds optimized for live playing. Sounds are organized into Live Sets, allowing four-way splits and layers with ease. Tone Category buttons make it simple to navigate the massive sound library, while the powerful mod, pitch bend, and D BEAM controllers let players add expression to sounds as they perform.

The JUNO-Gi also includes a built-in eight-track digital recorder for song production, complete with transport controls, mix faders, and a dedicated rhythm machine track. Record directly to a single high capacity SD card for up to 192 hours of possible recording time with a single 32 GB card. JUNO-Gi sounds can be easily recorded along with a vocal mic or guitar when connected via the rear-panel XLR microphone, guitar, and line level inputs. Powerful dedicated effects processing is available for live recording, mixing, and mastering, including BOSS GT-Series professional guitar effects and effects designed for vocal processing.

The JUNO-Gi also functions as a USB audio/MIDI interface, making it the perfect companion for computer music production. Users can record JUNO-Gi sounds and play software instruments in any DAW, and also record vocals and guitars while using the JUNO-Gi’s onboard effects. In addition, the JUNO-Gi comes bundled with Cakewalk’s award-winning SONAR 8.5 LE software, giving users a complete DAW solution for their PC.

The JUNO-Gi is expected to ship in October with an MSRP of $1,199.00. For more information, please visit www.RolandConnect.com."

synths part 1 blofeld filter Vs nanozwerg filter

YouTube via cresshead | August 31, 2010

"comparison of the blofeld filter cutoff and resonance with the nanozwerg fitler and general editng...then a basic chat [to myself!] about synths in 2010."

synths part 2 inculding roland gaia,sh-01 blofeld and ace synth

cresshead | August 31, 2010

"general talk about synths in 2010 and user interfacing with synths either real hardware or virtual computer based interfaces."

roland sh01 synthetic kettle drum.MOV

YouTube via cresshead | August 31, 2010

"kettle drum patch on the roland sh-01"

MVI 0919 - Complete DK Synergy System

YouTube via cscairney | August 31, 2010

Mystery CV-controlled quad audio box - Buchla?

via Brian Kehew

"My friend found this in some surplus yard near the Bay Area. It's a CV-controlled quad audio box of some kind, with joystick control. Missing most of its guts and no labels. Obviously not a production unit. Wonder if it's related to the Grateful Dead concerts in quad?"

Anyone have any ideas?

Update via Cooper Sloan in the comments: "Looks buchla... Besides proximity to Berkley and aesthetics the blue pcb is a clue."

via Brian: "Not Buchla from the people I've asked, and the connectors etc are different. But it seems so similar in style, so maybe a related copy. He had a lot of people work for him that could have built this as well."

via Dennis Matana on the AH list: "Looks like something from Elektor. They also used blue pcb's...and the connectors look similar. I'm restoring a Formant at the moment and also the vocoder from Elektor."

Update via gchang (Gary Chang) in the comments: "The obvious Buchla nod is the jack selection - using banana jacks for the cv inputs, but none of the layout is at all similar to Buchla devices, who rarely created anything with conventional VCAs.

My guess is that it is a custom quad locator made for a studio that had a Buchla system as the main unit of the room... "

Pantomation (1977-1979)

YouTube via VintageCG | March 02, 2010

"Pantomation was a very early tracking chromakey system from the 1970s. Originally intended for music scoring, the system was adapted to other styles of performance art. While crude by modern standards, the concept was decades ahead of its time; it can reasonably be considered an early forebear of systems like Microsoft's Project Natal."

via Retro Thing, via Jimmersound

Update via Richard Lainhart in the comments:
"Coincidently enough, I was involved in this project - I hard-wired most of the computer interface for the Pantomation system, later called the Electric Pantograph. There's a history of the project here, some of which is used in the narration of the film"

http://www.experimentaltvcenter.org/history/groups/gtext.php3?id=32

I was working as a musician/technician with EBA then, and knew Tom Dewitt, the main designer of the system, from the SUNY Albany Electronic Music Studio, where I studied with Joel Chadabe. You can see a brief shot of the mighty Moog CEMS system in that studio at about 3:35 in the video."

Pianist Pro V1.5 - Now with Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer support

YouTube via MooCowMusic | August 28, 2010


iPads on Ebay
iPod Touch on Ebay
Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer on Ebay

"Line 6 have recently made their API available for iOS developers to add support for their MIDI Mobilizer interface. We are pleased to announce that Pianist Pro will be the first application taking advantage of this, in a forthcoming V1.5 update.

Pianist Pro is the market-leading piano simulator for the iPad. Recommended by global media sources such as The New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine, it was also recently used in a live performance by legendary band Squeeze on the Jimmy Fallon Show (NBC).

MIDI Mobilizer is currently the only hardware MIDI interface for the iOS platform, providing a pair of MIDI cables that can be plugged directly into external devices such as MIDI controller keyboards and modules, or a computer interface to control Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software such as Logic, Garageband or Cubase.

With our existing MIDI-via-OSC technology, Pianist Pro can already be used as a wireless master MIDI keyboard to control external soft or hard synths. MIDI Mobilizer now allows us to offer a robust wired alternative for live performance, together with bi-directional control enabling Pianist Pro to also act as a MIDI sound source or sequencer driven by an external hardware keyboard. Now you can record your song ideas on the road with nothing more than an iPad and portable MIDI keyboard, and then import those songs into your DAW via a Standard MIDI File when back at the studio.

We have put together a short video [above] showcasing a few examples of using Pianist Pro and MIDI, both with the new Line 6 interface, and with a wireless connection using OSC.

The V1.5 Pianist Pro update is currently "In review" at Apple and so we would expect it to go live within a couple of days. In addition to adding support for MIDI Mobilizer, it also adds wireless MIDI via DSMI, and optimized wireless MIDI via OSC.

More information on Pianist Pro can be found here:-
http://moocowmusic.com/PianistPro/index.html

More information on the Line 6 MIDI Mobilizer can be found here:-
http://line6.com/midimobilizer/"