Note there are no longer in production. They sound amazing.
"The MicroMonsta is an 8-voice polyphonic desktop synthesizer.
Small, powerful, great sound, usability and easy editing were key elements while designing the MicroMonsta.
It features:
8 voices of polyphony
2 oscillators, 1 sub oscillator, 1 multimode filter, 3 envelopes, 3 LFOs, 6 modulation slots, 3 scalers, 1 lag operator per voice
12 oscillator types + 30 (multi-sampled) wavetables (15 factory featuring both evolving sweeps and totally random wavetables + 15 user for your own creations)
8 filter types
Powerful detuning options (both per voice and per oscillator)
Powerful arpeggiator with step pattern editor, slide and accent capable for 303-ish arpeggiated phrases
Deep modulation matrix (with for example filter parameters, envelope or LFO speeds as destination)
A chorder module allowing the generation of 4-note chords within a key/scale
Internal FXs
384 preset slots to store your sound creations
Plus, added to the original release with firmware updates:
Non-interpolated wavetables
Arp pattern randomization options
MPE compatibility (Settings: Channel 1 = common, Channels 2 to 16 = notes, pitch bend set to +- 48 semitones, slide: CC1, relative unipolar or CC74, relative bipolar)
USB MIDI input
Drone mode
Microtuning support"
"This is the first true / clone! Unlike the rest which use only samples, the Drum Station employs analog Sound Modeling - digitally synthesized models of the original waveforms which can be shaped, just like analog. This means you can adjust the tone, attack, decay, tuning, snap, and distortion of its drum tones. It includes all of the sounds found in the original 808 and 909's, the same tone controls for each drum part, and my favorite is the DIN Sync output which will allow you to sync a , 909, or 808 to it, just like the original boxes."
"In tonight’s livestream -CALC- takes you on a tour of his studio and how it is all totally interconnected and controlled from the SL MkIII centrepiece.
"In this video I debut my first track with the Erica Synths DB-01. I am in love with this bass synth, it does exactly what I wanted from a Bass synth, for example: it's very small. I do a few tricks to get the most out of 1 pattern including a sidechain pumping effect using copious amounts of reverb and one shot trigs on the Octatrack."
Some sad news in. Florian Schneider has passed away at the age of 73 due to cancer. As you can see below he was recently active and accessible in the synth community. To say he will be missed is an understatement. It could be said that Florian along with Kraftwerk is directly responsible for bringing the appreciation of synthesizers and electronic music to the masses. His influence is legendary. According to the WhoSampled site, Kraftwerk has been sampled 769 times, covered 180 times, and remixed 56 times.
"Florian Schneider, who as one of the founding members of German group Kraftwerk changed the sound of pop music forever, has died aged 73 of cancer.
The news was confirmed to the Guardian by one of his musical collaborators, who said Schneider had died a week ago and had a private burial. It was also confirmed via Sony Berlin.
Born in 1947, Schneider was the son of Paul Schneider-Esbelen, a noted architect who designed Cologne’s airport. Schneider first played music in various groups while studying in Düsseldorf, beginning in a band called Pissoff. Operating in the experimental, open-minded rock scene dubbed “krautrock” in the British press, he formed the group Organisation with Ralf Hutter, the pair later forming Kraftwerk in 1970.
Schneider played the flute, violin and guitar, though often filtered through electronic processing. His interest in electronic music grew. 'I found that the flute was too limiting,' he later said. 'Soon I bought a microphone, then loudspeakers, then an echo, then a synthesiser. Much later I threw the flute away; it was a sort of process.'"
Great tribute video from a djmixsound in 2009:
Electronic legend Florian Schneider Published on Jan 8, 2009 djmixsound
— Jean-Michel Jarre (@jeanmicheljarre) May 6, 2020
We are absolutely devastated to learn that one of our heroes Florian Schneider has passed away. pic.twitter.com/Y2dnYfxkj8
— Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (@OfficialOMD) May 6, 2020
Such an important influence upon so much of the music we know, from Bowie, to electronica, much of the 80s and beyond into modern techno and rap, Florian Schneider was forging a new Metropolis of music for us all to live in. RIP #FlorianSchneider#Kraftwerkpic.twitter.com/y2nXuAY66e
Update: a nice tribute from CatSynth and couple of tributes from Korg and Moog below:
Florian Schneider (1947-2020)
Published on May 6, 2020 CatSynth TV
"We look back at the life and legacy of Florian Schneider, who passed away today (May 6, 2020).
Schneider was a founding member of Kraftwerk and saw the group’s evolution from experimental rock in the early 1970s to the icons of electronic music that we know today. He began as an accomplished flutist, and many of the Kraftwerk’s early albums feature him on flute and electronics. He later moved to pure electronics including vocoders for the band’s most well known albums and their iconic stage performances.
We at CatSynth send our thoughts to his family, friends and collaborators."
We are absolutely gutted to hear about the passing of @kraftwerk Co-founder, Florian Schneider, due to cancer. He was 73 years old. Florian, while being a part of Kraftwerk, helped shape electronic music & its influence on many genres from synthpop to rock. pic.twitter.com/tSrmnOgMQl
Florian Schneider will forever be an inspiration to the world of electronic music. His artistry has been influential to creatives for the last 50 years. Today, we thank and honor him for helping to guide and shape our community through sound, imagination, and innovation. pic.twitter.com/wrq4nB4icz
"Table jam with small modular system, Waldorf MW II and E-mu Proteus/1.
Beats and atmospheres by Ableton.
Please excuse poor video quality. Next time - better."
Note there are no longer in production. They sound amazing.
