MATRIXSYNTH

The Packrat Sampler Arrives

My copy of The Packrat Sampler has arrived! I thought I'd post some pics up along with a note on why this book is extremely special to me. I started MATRIXSYNTH in blog format back on July 20th of 2005. The first post on The Packrat went up on Halloween of that year (with two prior references here and here). The Packrat was with me on year one and has been a staple on the site ever since. The MATRIXSYNTH Packrat image pictured on the right of the site went up on August 2, 2006, and to my surprise and complete honor it graces the cover of the book!

The Packrat pretty much symbolizes the true inner synth obsessed in all of us. He took a little hiatus in 2006 and came back in 2007 and has been going strong since. He brought us synth dreams and Buchla Christmas wishes. He has a significant place in synth history as the longest running, if not the only running, true synthesizer based comic strip. Because of that, and because of the awesome coolness of the man behind the strip, Mr. Dave C. Lovelace, who brought us much of the artwork behind Metasonix products as well as his other comic strips, and plays ripping keys in his band Parallax, I highly recommend this book. Check out that Tron keytar (more here)!

In all seriousness, The Packrat, also featured in Keyboard Magazine, is part of synth history. Not only does the book feature each episode of the comic, you get the history behind each including interesting tidbits you might miss in the comic otherwise, and you get a 12-page adventure never seen anywhere else (which includes another MATRIXSYNTH appearance).

Seriously, get this book now! It's dirt cheap, it's synth history, and it is AWESOME!

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Roland GR-S V-Guitar Space Effects Pedal Review and Test and Demonstration

Published on Feb 23, 2013 WayneJoness·257 videos

"This is a review of the features and sounds of the Roland GR-S V-Guitar Space pedal. The four modes are reviewed. The GR-S is also tested with a standard guitar pickup, for non-GK guitars."

wogglebugcoder

Published on Feb 23, 2013

4 ms Peg, RCD, VCA Matrix
Analogue Systems RS 360 RS 100
Bananalogue Serge VCS
Cyndustries TZO
Doepfer A 134 panning by Moog MP 201
Make Noise Pressure Points Maths Optomix Wogglebug
Malekko Noisering
Moog 4x freqbox CP251
Roland SVC 350 Vocoder
Toppobrillo Quantimator Sportmodulator TWF
Logic master clock to Kenton Pro 2000
kick snare Ultrabeat
FX Boss VF 1, Lexicon PCM 80 , TC M 3000

New Spectralis Tutorials by acemonvw

Spectralis Tutorial 1: Selecting songs and patterns

Published on Feb 23, 2013 acemonvw·9 videos
See this post for previous tutorials.

"This tutorial goes over the basics on selecting your songs and patterns."

Spectralis Tutorial #2: The part selection

Published on Feb 24, 2013 acemonvw·12 videos

"This basic tutorial demonstrates how to select a part (Asynth, Dsynth, Drums), use the solo, mute, and play buttons. All of these buttons fall under the "Part" section.

Additional note by mcbeth303:
'by pressing shift and MUTE or SOLO when they are blinking all mutes or solos are removed from all tracks'"

Spectralis Tutorial #3: Sequence Editor

Published on Feb 24, 2013

"This is a basic tutorial of the sequence editor on the spectrlis.
NOTE: I don't mention the iteration button, but all that does is move your sequencer line, or 'rotate' it. You can make step 5 be step 1, which would move all other steps back 4 steps as well."

Spectralis Tutorial #4: Saving and initializing patterns

Published on Feb 24, 2013

"This tutorial goes over the basics of saving patterns, what's saved within a pattern, what's saved within a song, and how to initialize patterns."

Spectralis tutorial #5: Trigger groups

Published on Feb 24, 2013 acemonvw·13 videos

"This is a more advanced tutorial, featuring: Trigger groups (and terribly programmed music)."

Waiting for #6...

Spectralis Tutorial #7: Filter self-oscillation

Published on Feb 25, 2013

"Get the internal analog filters to self-oscillate. Not shown here... but in the filter settings you can also apply LFOs to alter the cutoff and resonance and get some interesting results.

You can also make melodic parts using filter self-oscillation. It can be an extra sine-wave source, but you may lose a trigger group."

Spectralis Tutorial #8: Groove Edit (creating a basic rhythm)

Published on Feb 26, 2013

"This tutorial goes over using the groove edit section. Basically: how to create drum parts and how to add some dynamics to the beat."

Spectralis Tutorial #9: Filterbank Rhythms

Published on Feb 26, 2013

"Filterbank Rhythms. Noise generated from the Spectralis can be routed to the filterbank and sequenced using specific FB frequencies. Sequencerlines 1 - 10 come with the default setting of opening those frequencies when activated (i.e., you create a step/envelope).

Note, you can do some even cooler things when you sequence oscillators through the filterbank and not allowing the noise volume through. This will be in a future tutorial."

Rare Vintage 1988 PLAYTIME BEAT BOX Solid Gold Rock Star DRUM MACHINE

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

via this auction

SN 1361

"Unique and awesome 80s sounds - Start your own Noise/Dance group with this rare piece of equipment...

"This is a monophonic but 4 parts multitimral drum machine - WEIRDEST SOUNDS EVER from any drum machine! The bass drums are something like medium 909 bass drums tripped up with distortion, snares and hihats, creating strange pieces of noise, also with some truly bizarre space sounds to make some really weird and hard breakbeats! I don't know exactly how these sounds are made, there is one custom IC inside the machine.

My guess is that the sounds are sampled from somewhere with lousy sample rate and re-created with a square wave oscillator. Don't know. Anyway, the sounds are very weird, original and great, and I'm now looking to get some more children's drum machines - the pad controlled ones are easy to convert for trigger pulses. Never underestimate children's gear!"

Update via Julia Truchess in the comments: "I designed this product. The sounds are generated algorithmically by a 4-bit microcontroller and my firmware; no samples are used."

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Moog Minimoog Voyager White (Performer Edition)

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

via this auction

"Moog Music presents the award-winning minimoog Voyager Performer Edition, an all analog performance synthesizer incorporating virtually all of the functions of the original minimoog synthesizer, produced from 1971 to 1984, and a number of new features that makes this the minimoog for the 21st Century.

This investment will last you a life-time. The Voyager is paneled in ash with a stunning custom finish. Features include 3 ultra-stable oscillators, dual moog filters, 4-stage analog envelope generators, flexible modulation busses, and much much more...

If you want THE Moog sound, this is it. Period. This has Bob Moog's legendary synthesizer design expertise in its circuits. Say no more. It sounds amazing, looks amazing, and feels amazing. There is no substitute.

The Voyager has been awarded a "Key Buy" award from Keyboard magazine, a "Platinum Award" from Future Music magazine, an "Excellence Award" from Music Tech magazine, a TEC award from Mix magazine, and the "2003 Editor's Choice award" from Electronic musician magazine.

Wait...

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Studio Electronics SE-1 Analog Synthesizer SN 1078

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

Chimera BC8

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

via this auction

"This machine is amazing, it has three modes.
1) single shot, press the black button and it makes the sound once.
2) repeating oscillations.
3) programmable mode.

It only has eight knobs, but even for that you can make very unique sounds. It contains an array of oscillators, effects and other weirdness. What's more it runs off three AAA's and fits happily into your pocket, all the better for scaring people whilst your on public transport."

pulsing the 100

Published on Feb 23, 2013 Todd Barton·85 videos

"just using the Buchla 140 to drive a few other 100 modules"

chaos 100 raw

Published on Feb 23, 2013

"another brief exploration of a few Buchla 100 modules -- pushing the limits of ramdomness.
for better audio go to: https://soundcloud.com/user7621213/chaos-100-raw"