PWM Malevolent meets the DB-01 (No FX & No talk)

video upload by Richard DeHove

"What better to team with a dirty DB-01 than an absolutely filthy Malevolent :D Here the DB-01 feeds the Malevolent some CV and provides a percussion-like bed for some simple keyboard noodlings. This isn't an exploration of the Malevolent, more just a momentary discovery that I recorded. I'm not sure that the knob and cable positions were all significant but small changes made big differences so I kept to playing with the filter and resonance knobs (which deserve to be a lot bigger) and a little touch of FM1 and FM2 amounts, all slopped over with near-maximum drive. The setup: The DB-01 is sending its clock to the Malevolent's back-panel clock-in (which keeps the arp in sync). DB-01 CV out is going to FM2 in; and the DB-01 Gate Out to FM1 in. The Malevolent is also sending its own gate to AM2 in.
There's no effects on either machine, nor is there any DAW EQ or other fiddlings. It's all raw as you see it. The two scope displays show the direct output of each machine.
More Malevolent videos when I start to understand what's going on.

0:00 Filthy stuff
1:13 Filthy arpegiator
2:35 Happy arpy filth
3:30 Simple filth

Lots of downloads for supporters on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/richarddehove
Many thanks to my kind patrons who keep this channel ad-free
My website: https://richarddehove.com/"

Vintage Yamaha DOU-10 MIDI Disk Orchestra Unit

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by valadon9898

"Here my newly acquired Yamaha DOU-10 plays a few old songs from floppy disks, including hits from the 80's and German Tiroler and Schlager. I hope you enjoy it."

via this auction

Another one spotted and sent in via M Me.

This appears to be the first one feature on the site.

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Korg PolySix Analog Polyphonic Synth w/ Microtonal Switch Selector & KIWI MIDI

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Analog synthesizer with a few modifications:

KiwiSix logic board with MIDI

Microtonal pitch selector switches installed by the pitch/mod wheels"

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Roland Juno-106 Analog Polyphonic Synthesizer SN 529895

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

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Hologram Microcosm & Moog Mother-32 | Sound Recipes #54

video upload by Reverb

"If you have a sequence that needs a little extra seasoning, try the Hologram Microcosm. It's part delay, part looper, part reverb and a lot more."

Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 second Jam

video upload by Makis Zeg

Click on the Makis Zeg label directly above for more.

Epic Synth Studio Tour 2022 DEEP DIVE!

video upload by JimDaneker

"A complete tear-down and rebuild of the Fortress of Synthetude: all the major gear I use, and why. I also play each synth a bit so you can hear them all and get an idea of their character."

00:00:00 - Intro & background
00:03:22 - Why rebuild?
00:05:00 - What needs improvement?
00:11:40 - Rebuild
00:17:21 - Results
00:18:04 - Yamaha DX7IIFD & Roland D-50
00:20:03 - Oberheim Matrix 6 & Ensoniq VFX
00:22:34 - Oberheim OB-X8 & Roland Jupiter-X
00:29:50 - Arturia MatrixBrute & Roland System 8
00:36:56 - Sequential Pro 3 SE
00:40:47 - Sequential Prophet 5 & Prophet Rev 2/16
00:45:24 - Moog Subsequent 37
00:47:37 - Hydrasynth & Access Virus TI
00:52:59 - Control Central
00:53:25 - Grace M905 Monitor Controller
00:54:54 - Stream Deck
00:56:52 - Pedals: Specular Tempus & Microcosm Hologram
00:57:52 - MIDI CC controller: Novation Launch Control XL
01:00:20 - Thunderbolt dock & SSDs
01:02:12 - Line6 Helix
01:02:47 - Main monitors: PMC IB1SAIII
01:03:37 - Nearfield monitors: Yamaha, iLoud, ADAM
01:05:09 - Original DX7 & Yamaha YC88
01:06:08 - Standtastic keyboard stands

You can find additional synth demos by JimDaneker in previous posts here.

Buchla 200 trick

video upload by Todd Barton

"Using the 245 Sequential Voltage Source as a switch. Enjoy!

My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd"

The Mystic Desktop FM Synthesizer

video upload by Patchwerks

"In this video Matthew Piecora (aka EZBOT) takes a look at the new Mystic, an FM Synthesizer by Recovery Effects.

Learn more about The Mystic here: https://bit.ly/pw_TheMystic

The Mystic is an experimental device that makes ethereal voices swirl, echo, ascend, and plunge into an ever-changing, sonic, celestial playground. Generate colossal waves that ripple through the cosmos and make galaxies collide. Transcend reality and let The Mystic guide the way.

https://patchwerks.com/
Video by: Matthew Piecora ( EZBOT), Steven Ly (Project 32)
https://www.ezbot.live"

Mystic announcement post here.

Physical Synthesis Cicada Acoustic Vibration Synthesizer & Nymph Eurorack Module Update

video upload by Physical Synthesis



You might remember the Physical Synthesis Cicada - Acoustic Vibration Synthesizer posted back in April of 2021 - you'll find a playlist of demos there. The initial run was sold out. They are now teaming with USA-based distributor Electro Distro on a new run of Cicadas as well as a Nymph eurorack module.

The press release follows:

NEW YORK, NY, USA: having sold out of its initial production run, unique products-producing hardware startup Physical Synthesis is proud to announce that it is working with San Clemente, CA, USA-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers (https://www.electro-distro.com/dealers) to bring its game-changing Cicada — an ‘acoustic synthesizer’ that transforms electronic signals into physical vibrations that can be fully manipulated before being reconverted back into a new, never-heard-before electronic sound — to a wider audience in advance of Nymph, its upcoming Eurorack module…

It is fair to say that every once in a while, a moment comes along whereby human interaction with sound changes completely. Cicada is effectively one of those moments — one of those new instruments that moves the needle in music technology. Indeed, it is pioneered by unique products-producing hardware startup Physical Synthesis as an ‘acoustic synthesizer’ that transforms electronic signals into physical vibrations that can be fully manipulated before being reconverted back into a new, never-heard-before electronic sound. Says company founder Spencer Topel: “Cicada was the first step in introducing physical synthesis methods to the synth community; it is an award-winning interface that really lets musicians explore microscopic sounds with precise control.” Clearly, Cicada made musical waves when winning the Judge’s Special Award at the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition 2022, hosted by Georgia Tech School of Music — one of the few schools in North America that offers Music Technology as a major in undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D levels of study — as an annual event dedicated to identifying the newest and greatest ideas in music.

Musical waves notwithstanding, ‘noise' is a subjective term; while electromechanical devices like speakers or headphones try to minimise the distortion inevitably introduced in physical systems, Cicada is designed to precisely exploit these distortion products as the basis of a new kind of synthesis. Cicada converts voltages to vibrations in a mechanical oscillator to create intermodulation — the addition of frequency content in a nonlinear system — in place of typical analogue or digital oscillators. By bringing the signal chain into a physical space, Cicada allows users to shape such content with natural, tactile gestures that truly transcend twiddling with a knob or pushing a slider. “As a violinist and composer, my experience of creating sound is highly physical,” proclaims Spencer Topel, adding: “With Cicada, I wanted to make an instrument that connects these elements, allowing musicians to produce complex, compelling sounds, but through tactile interaction.”

Insofar as actually doing what it does, Cicada receives two Eurorack-level signals that drive oscillation in a cantilevered Bridge positioned atop a Soundboard at an adjustable height. Digging deeper, distortion caused by the Bridge-Soundboard interaction adds frequency content to the input, determined by the specific qualities of the system. Self-explanatory Polycarbonate Soundboard, Foam Soundboard — made of EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) foam, and Wood Soundboard — made of Birdseye maple — options each provide a range of resonating/filtering properties that combine uniquely with the likes of the Coral Wing Bridge — tip made of solid oak (resulting in a bright, clear tone), Coral Dual Tip Wing Bridge — tip made of premium rubber (allowing for a hard, precise attack with a balanced low-end), and Grey Wing Bridge — tip made of soft neoprene foam (resulting in a mellow, balanced acoustic effect); each pairing opens up a portal to a distinct sonic universe.

Users can dynamically change the system (and, therefore, how it is transforming signals) by adjusting the Bridge height, changing the region and degree of contact between Bridge and Soundboard, or applying pressure to either — effecting real-time, tactile timbral control, in other words. With that being said, premium vibration damping materials, such as Delrin, and custom circuitry minimise unwanted noise, allowing the intermodulation products to shine, while the output, captured by a pickup microphone positioned beneath the Soundboard, can be monitored directly, processed modularly, or recorded into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).

With behaviours akin to those exhibited by a traditional acoustic instrument, Cicada is highly responsive to differences in the excitation mechanism — the input signal, in other words. As an example, striking a snare drum with a stick or using it with brushes produce vastly different-sounding results; driving Cicada with quiet or loud, spectrally simple or complex, or bass- or treble-heavy signals similarly yield very different timbres.

Though Cicada is designed to work with a Eurorack setup out of the box, one of its strengths lies in its inherent flexibility. Indeed, it can just as easily receive signals from a DAW, boosted to the appropriate 5-10Vpp level via an outboard mixer. Moreover, the choice of input is completely left open to the user: an Ableton Live loop run through Cicada acting as a physical filter to provide timbral variety over time, for example; an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) from a Eurorack module, generating rich percussive tones on the maple Soundboard as the foundation of a beat; or a harmonically dense signal — similar to the output of a Max/MSP FM patch (which many would, without doubt, prefer to navigate physically rather than digitally) — made by moving the Bridge around the Soundboard to amplify certain harmonics and suppress others, finding a grittier sound with the Bridge barely touching or coaxing a more ethereal tone with it centred and depressed.

Endless exploration possibilities are a given, guaranteeing that any sonically-ambitious Cicada user is likely to while away the hours playing with input signals, system configurations, gestures, modulation combinations, and more.

It is hardly surprising, then, that Physical Synthesis sold out of its initial Cicada production run, really hitting a home run by counting luminaries like renowned electronic music composer and performer Hainbach — citing Cicada as being “The Tesla of electro-acoustic workstations, miles ahead of standard piezo and solenoid boxes...” — and Ableton CEO Gerhard Behles amongst its fan base, and has now turned to working with US-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers to bring its game-changing ‘acoustic synthesizer’ to a wider audience. “I want to bring acoustic synthesis to a wider range of musicians,” maintains Spencer Topel, before ending on a high note: “We are building some really exciting expansions of Cicada to different formats, including a Eurorack module called Nymph, which is coming soon.”

Physical Synthesis’ ‘acoustic synthesizer’ is now available as Cicada Founders Edition Extended — encompassing two dual AMPs, one PRE, one Actuator, five Bridges, three Soundboards, three Meanwell power supplies, three custom SATA Cables, and one custom Nanuk 935 Flight Case — for $2,700.00 USD or as Cicada Pro Series individual modules — starting at $79.00 USD — via San Clemente, CA, USA-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers (https://www.electro-distro.com/dealers) or directly from Physical Synthesis’ online Shop (https://shop.physical-synthesis.com).

For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated Cicada webpage here: https://www.physical-synthesis.com