MATRIXSYNTH

Elektron Octatrack and Machinedrum live set

YouTube Uploaded by tarekith on Feb 1, 2012

Vintage Moog 903A & 902 Spec Sheets

via these auctions where you'll find others.

903A Random Signal Generator
"one sheet - sepia tone paper - specs on back"

902 Voltage Controlled Amplifier
"two page foldout - sepia tone paper."

Modded Roland SH-101 with Green Case

via this auction

"As you can see from the pictures, it has got custom wood fluro green case (it looks so flury because of the camera flash - in normal light it looks more normal greenish colour).
The synth and the case are not connected with each other (no screws or anything), so you can take the synth out any time and tune it or modify it even more ;-)
I am a really honest person, so I would say it's not the best quality, as it's DIY. I would personally give it 3 out of 5, thou I did my best =) I am not a woodman.

Now I will describe existing modification which has been done for this particular model:

Starting from the left and going to the right:

- The black knob controls the amount of KEYBOARD (normally it's just one slider in VCF section, so additional pot is installed for easier and more deeper control over this parameter)

- Two 6.3mm inputs for VCF CV in control - in this particular photo I am controlling it with MC202 without any problems

- The blue knob which gives you a deeper one way control over Cut Off Frequency + Resonance sliders in one package - In my opinion, it's the best mod here, as it makes this synth sounds completely crazy! Forget about standard SH 101 - it helps you create absolutely out of this world sounds, which you can use later for sampling.

Again from the left to the right:

- First black knob/Switch - gives you the ability to mix LFO waves together e.g. Square + sine, Random S/H + Square, Noise + Sine etc. Which allows you to synthesize even crazier sounds

- Second black knob controls the amount of a wave mixing

ALL MODIFICATIONS EXCEPT KEYBOARD AMOUNT CAN BE TURNED OFF WITH A SMALL SWITCH
SO YOU CAN GO BACK TO ORIGINAL 101 ANY TIME SUITABLE

I have found and attached an old-style ROLAND logo and a !warning! metal frame from Roland SH2000 on the back of the custom case

Unfortunately, there is one small issue which I have to mention:

The modulation wheel has got one broken spring

So it doesn't go back from the right to default center position by itself (but it goes from left to center!), so you have to move it back manually. Probably you can get a replacement from a nice guy Senso (Vintage Planet synth parts) if you really need it."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Flame Midi Talking Synthesizer

via this auction

"The unit is built around two of the analogue Speakjet chips, produced by the US Company Magnevation LLC. Originally for talking tasks in the usual robot-toned voice, they’ve been further developed into making sound effects and various 8-bit blips and beeps.

Using two chips not only makes the unit tonally richer but they also provide a pseudo stereo type output on the (32kHz PWM output) regular quarter inch jack stereo socket but the first thing you notice about this unit is how many controls are jammed across its surface and how well it’s built.

Switching between chips is at a flick of a switch and a mix rotary lets you blend the sound of each chip together. It’s powered by a 9V DC adaptor and has both MIDI in and out, meaning the unit can also send MIDI messages, making it capable of controlling other devices too via its rotaries, switches and joysticks.

Dual mode

There are two modes the unit can operate in, Sequencer mode and Expander mode. Sequencer mode lets you operate the unit manually using the talk joystick to trigger sounds and internal MIDI clock controlled tremelo, which can interrupt sounds depending on the tempo set on the MIDI clock.

Where the joystick is positioned affects how sounds are triggered, with upwards movements triggering the individual sounds, words or vowel sounds and downwards movements triggering these sounds in sequence. The other joystick takes care of pitch and movements of both joysticks can be recorded when the ‘Rec’ switch is activated. It takes some time to get used to the way this synth works but a simple manual explains procedures.

Triggering the unit via MIDI is taken care of by the Expander mode and words are triggered via the keys on a controller keyboard or a sequence in your DAW (although you must output on MIDI channel 10). You can alter the pitch and speed while in MIDI mode, allowing words to be shaped more specifically.

Retro tone
The actual sound quality this unit kicks out is great – traditionally retro in its tone and with some decent experimentation it can deliver some brilliant results. If you’re keen to get a Speak & Spell, it may be worth stumping up the extra cash for something much more usable and ultimately sonically superior.

This is a very specific kit and might not be for everyone. It’s not going to start singing over your tune, unless you have the patience for some heavy MIDI programming. But as a lovely sounding retro item that forces a decent amount of experimentation it’s a great purchase. It slots perfectly into the current ‘scene’ and when it’s blips and sound effects are ramped through some guitar pedals it can sound pretty cool."

Buchla format Kilpatrick Pattern generator

via this auction

"Up for sale is a buchla format pattern generator with the update power card included. Super awesome module i'm just out of room!!! only a few of these were made and i believe no more will be made in the future."

You can find some details in this previous post.

THE BIT HOP : Modified Circuit Bent Casio MT- 100

via this auction
"Modified Casio MT-100

18 Switches with Break Out Box.

Features :
Synt1 / Synt2

Bass Mute / Snare Mute / Tom Mute / Hi Hat Mute / Splash Mute

Bass Boost / Snare Boost / Hi Hat Boost 1 / Hi Hat Boost 2 / Splash Boost

Bassline Boost 1 / Bassline Boost 2 / Bassline Distort / Bassline Chop

Backing Chord Chop / Bassline Chop 2

--------------------------------

Original keyboard sounds still playable when all switches turned off.

For the use of songwriting and textures in electronic music production.

Minimal Synth. Experimental. Techno. EBM. Noise. Future Pop. Incredibly Strange Music.

Built with care by TACHYONS +

Watch demo videos of The Bit Hop:"

VID 1 : Demo focusing on the synt-melodies with the bass-drum chops. No effects.
VID 2 : Demo focusing on the bass and drum chopping features. No effects.
VID 3 : Demo using the Bit Hop with a Digital Delay dubbing.
VID 4 : Demo using the Bit Hop with a Digital Delay dubbing 2.

Real-Time Filter Control on the Casio XW-P1

You might remember in my NAMM video post of the new Casio XW-P1 I wasn't sure if the filter control knob worked real-time for Hex Layer sounds. In the first video it almost appeared like it did while in the second, General Manager of Marketing, EMI, Mike Martin, states that it does not. It turns out it indeed, does not. What you hear in the first video was most likely an envelope or other modulation source being applied to the filter. Mike confirmed this with me.

Real time control of the filter for held notes via the filter knob only works in Solo Synth Mode / monophonic mode. For all other polyphonic synth modes you will not hear the knob effect until you re-trigger a note. This isn't an issue for sequences or arpeggios as notes transition along, but if you plan on holding a note or chord and turning that filter knob, it won't take effect until you press a new note. The same would of course apply to drones or notes with long release times.

It is worth noting, there are other modes of real-time control including control over the mix of each of the six layers allowing you to blend them on the fly. Effects can be controlled real-time in Hex and other modes. Six oscillators per patch, six layers, step sequencer, arpeggiator, and more. This is still an extremely powerful synth for the price.

1996 MARS (Musical Audio Research Station) Synthesizer

KEYS 5/1996 Max 3.0, MARS (IRIS) Realtime Sampling + Interview

KEYS 5/1996 Max 3.0, MARS (IRIS) Realtime Sampling + Interview from Jochen Bohnes on Vimeo.

"Die Klänge sind von der Begleit-CD des Magazin KEYS vom Mai 1996. Sie sind ausschliesslich mit der MARS (Musical Audio Research Station) erzeugt worden. Ich habe einige Bilder und Texte der MARS hinzugefügt." Googlish: "The sounds are from the accompanying CD-KEYS magazine of May 1996. They have been exclusively with the MARS (Musical Audio Research Station) is generated. I've added some pictures and texts of the MARS." Update vi Jochen in the comments: "... more about MARS: bohnes.de/mars.html (Translation soon)" Googlish here. Update via elgauchoandres in the comments: "If Giuseppe (Peppino) di Giugno was involved I guess that was a very unique piece. For those who doesn't known di Giugno he developed the 4X system for the IRCAM with Hal Halles (of the Halles synth fame) I wonder if the MARS was a mini 4X? references: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_di_Giugno http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sogitec_4X http://mustudio.fr/?p=75 http://m.matrixsynth.com/2010/04/mr-braska-visits-mustudio.html [Jochen Bohnes is also a well-known personality, see the about page at bohnes.de.] " Update via jbfairlight in the comments [new post here with Googlish translation]: "For me the MARS (Musical Audio Research Station) system looks like a ISPW (Ircam Signal Processing Workstation) and less powerful ;) Look this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yaCR-hYwyw and also It should also read the "ISPW" category (in french) : http://mustudio.fr/?cat=31"

Rheyne - 2/1/12 - Wireless Jam (Live Jam #36 - Wireless Live Looping in Ableton Live)

YouTube Uploaded by RheyneMusic on Feb 1, 2012

"100% wireless live looping improv jam using Liine's Lemur and Griid with Ableton Live, Native Instruments Kontakt, and Native Instruments Massive. The iOS devices are connected to a Macbook Pro via wi-fi in an ad-hoc network. Lemur is running on an iPad 2 and iPod Touch, and the interfaces were designed from scratch. Griid is running on an iPhone 4, controlling the recording and playback of clips in Ableton Live. All loops are recorded live, nothing is pre-recorded."

Five Minutes With Pixitracker for iPad

YouTube Uploaded by godmadeusfonky on Feb 1, 2012

"Five Minutes With Pixitracker for iPad. Raw Audio.
Programming a sequence with Pixitracker app. Fun !

www.gmufrecords.bandcamp.com
God Made Us Fonky Records ©"