"Music Technology Discussion with Rob Puricelli, Ben Simpson, Kent Spong and our very special guest, Bob Coover of Groove Synthesis!
This week we're delighted to welcome Bob Coover of Groove Synthesis, a new synth company that launched this year with their debut product, the utterly fascinating, gorgeous sounding and award winning '3rd Wave', an unashamed and unabashed homage to the late, great PPG Wave but with so much more besides. We'll be digging into the the inspiration for this machine, the credentials of those behind it and why wavetable synthesis is currently enjoying a long overdue renaissance!"
"Our Pal Wes takes us for a ride down memory lane with the Volca Sample 2 !
Check out an in-depth look on the blog : https://bit.ly/3LTdSZq
This wonderfully fun little sample sequencing box has been the backbone of many fun jams over the years so today we're shining a spotlight on what Wes claims is
'the best sampler under 200 bones'"
"An excellent Italo dance anthem, composed by Raffaele Riefoli (RAF), Giancarlo Bigazzi and Steve Piccolo, covered here with the arrangements featured on Laura Branigan's version (which includes a lot of DX7 on it). The electric guitar doesn't fit much as on the original song; sounds a bit dimmed on the intro. I should have post produced it a bit more, but just did this on a hurry :)
Gear used:
Roland JP8000 (Slow attack filtered intro chords).
Kurzweil PC1x (Sampled guitar, fill chords, fast attack distorted sound)
Roland JX8P (filtered pad).
Emu Emax 1 (Programmed bell type sound, directly sampled from my DX7, including a second layer for the extra verse).
Backtrack previously recorded, track by track, on Pro Tools. Including Roland TR808 (intro drums with some random miliseconds delay) and a Yamaha DX7 for the bassline.
Peformed here by DX5 Jose Maria Bara."
"This video comes directly from a subscriber comment. I used the Steady State Fate Quantum Rainbow to let you hear & see the different colors (white, pink, red, grey, blue, & purple) of analog noise.
Intro - 0:00
White Noise - 1:33
Pink Noise - 2:10
Red Noise - 2:35
Grey Noise - 3:07
Blue Noise - 3:34
Purple Noise - 3:54"
Modular Gang teams up with KOMA Elektronik to bring you a limited edition Dual Discrete VCA module. Modular Gang Founder Rachel Lyn was inspired by the aesthetics of vintage appliances and early electronic test equipment like the old control room tucked away in Berlin's Kraftwerk building. There is something nostalgic, electric and timeless about analog circuit design and murky pea mint. Big dials, old control room feel and lines to function played a major part in Rachel's inspiration.
For the final touch, Rachel adds a flower LED which will be an individual colour for each module. The flower represents her connection to nature and is a porthole to influence your music making. The flower does not only capture this concept but also that of Flower Power. The belief that war is wrong and that people should love and care for one another. A symbol to promote peace and love as a means of changing the world.
"With the new Firmware V2, COBALT8 is set to unleash even more creativity for musicians, producers and sound designers indulging in classic and contemporary synth sounds in their creative process."
Modal Electronics COBALT8 Firmware v2 Now Available
– Modal Electronics COBALT8 Firmware v2 boosts extended virtual-analogue synthesis with new features and workflow improvements –
Bristol, UK - 30.September 2022. Modal Electronics, a leading global synthesiser manufacturer, has just released an all-new firmware update for their feature-packed COBALT8-Series synthesisers. COBALT8-Series firmware v2 redefines the sound and functionality of Modal Electronics’ extended virtual-analogue synths by adding various new forward-thinking features to inspire the creativity of musicians, producers and sound designers.
New in Firmware v2 With the brand-new Vintage parameter and Oscillator Free Run, COBALT8 adds more vintage and classic synth capabilities. The Vintage setting alters the organic fabric of the advanced virtual-analogue algorithms by emulating the behaviour of vintage synths’ technical imperfections, where certain tuning and other variations were introduced into the sound generation. Oscillator Free Run is a feature known from analogue synthesisers and, when activated, adds to the sonic flexibility of COBALT8. ‘Classic’ Synth sounds are so much more alive with the vintage, and free run parameters ensuring every key press is slightly different than the one before.
A whopping 27 new filter types increase the already impressive arsenal for creative sound design with COBALT8 Firmware v2. The list includes 2-Pole State Variable Filters, various Lowpass, Bandpass and Highpass Ladder Filters with drive, combinations of traditional filter types with Notch characteristics, and much more. The new filters unlock even more classic synth tones and expand COBALT8’s experimental capabilities with the more complex filter outputs to create sounds that no one could imagine before. For all new filter types featuring Drive, the Morph control allows for dialling in the right filter drive amount to taste.
The new Cutoff Scaling patch parameter unlocks improved filter cutoff behaviour with three distinctive modes to increase creative performance and sound design options.
Note-to-Cutoff Scaling can now track with full accuracy in one of two new modes; Relative, and Bipolar. These modes can be tailored to match your preferences on a per-patch basis. The original note-to-cutoff characteristics remain available in Legacy mode.
Additionally, COBALT8 Firmware v2 includes 14 powerful new effects. Harnessing our flexible processing distribution system, some of the new additions harness the power of two effects slots for more sonic power and depth. The V2 Reverb is great for adding a little bit of space to a sound, huge near-infinite reverbs, and everything in-between. Creative sound gourmets will also enjoy the new Phaser v2, Compressor, Three-Band EQ, Unisoniser, Utility and additional Drive effects, giving enough options to give custom patch creations a final, production-ready touch
With the new firmware, the programmable Arpeggiator receives new Arp Directions to inspire musicians and producers. Firmware v3 also improves the capabilities of the OLED display, the Audio In quality, the gain staging of the audio output and much more. For a full list of new Features and Improvements, we recommend the Release Notes, available on the product’s web page.
Firmware v2 is available as a free update via our MODALapp software.
