Audacity 1.2.4 Update and 1.3 Beta Released

Audacity is a free, cross-platform sound editor. I use it to edit my WAV files and convert to MP3. It's a great piece of software. 1.3 Beta is out. Title link takes you to the Audacity site with more info. Via CDM and electro-music.

Some nice Synth P*rn via CDM

Title link takes you to the post. Bigger shot of the below pic there. Enjoy.

Sweet Buchla 200e...

New MacBeth Studio Systems Yahoo Group

Title link takes you there. Just set up by Tim Lee. In via AH.

John 'PAiA' Simonton Memorium

No title link. Note the John S. Simonton Memorial Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, PO Box 1146, Oklahoma City 73101.

--------------------
In Memoriam: John Stayton Simonton, Jr.
June 24, 1943 - Nov. 25, 2005


Oklahoma City - Founder and president of PAiA Electronics, Inc. (OKC)
John Stayton Simonton, Jr. died at his home in Arcadia, Okla. on
Friday, Nov. 25 after a yearlong battle with esophageal cancer. He was
62 years old.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to John and Eva Simonton, John Simonton grew
up in New Orleans, La. graduating from the Sam Barth School for Boys
and the Metairie Park Country Day School. In 1965 while finishing his
engineering and psychology degree at Louisiana Tech University in
Ruston, La. he met and married Linda Brumfield Simonton.

After completing his degree in 1967, John moved to Oklahoma to work for
the first computerized jet engine test facility at Tinker A.F.B.

In 1968, John founded PAiA Electronics, Inc. in Oklahoma City, a
company dedicated to providing synthesizer kits to the do-it-yourself
electronic musician. John Simonton has designed hundreds of products
including the Gnome MicroSynthesizer, the SMPL System SMPTE / MIDI /
Machine synchronizer and the PAiA Programmable Drum Set, which is
credited with being the first commercially available user-programmable
percussion box.

Many music artists received their first exposure to synthesis with
PAiA's modular systems. Many engineers, scientists and technicians had
early exposure to their professions through his trade journal articles.
His work with starved tube circuitry produced the TubeHead series of
preamplifiers and his most recent project was PAiA's Theremax theremin.

A widely read author and contributor in the electronic popular press,
John was also the publisher of Polyphony magazine, which was first
published in 1975 and later renamed Electronic Musician. Electronic
Musician eventually sold to Mix Publications of Berkeley in 1985. John
was also the founding partner in High Technology, Inc. the first
computer store in Oklahoma in 1976, which became the first wholesale
distributor for Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977.

Deeply dedicated to doing what was right, John was a mentor and
inspiration to many do-it-yourselfers encouraging them to pursue
avocations and careers in engineering and music.

He is survived by wife Linda Simonton, daughter D. Stayton (Staci)
Craig, son John S. Simonton III (Trey), granddaughters Nikki Craig and
Callie Simonton, and grandson Christopher Kai Simonton.

A memorial service to celebrate John's life will be held at 6 p.m.,
Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Omniplex Science Museum in Oklahoma City. In
lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the John S. Simonton Memorial
Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, PO Box 1146, Oklahoma
City 73101.
"

x0xb0x Wiki and More - It's Alive!

Lot's of discussion happening on AH regarding the x0xb0x. If you don't know what the x0xb0x is, it's a Roland TB303 clone. Check out the x0xb0x site. I also posted on it here and here. Oh, if you skim through the list below, do check out the mp3 from Amos.



On AH:

Mods from Amos:

• 5 CV Inputs - http://bulldog.unca.edu/~azgaynes/CV_inputs.jpg


• Audio FM of the Filter


• Unmodified demo of the x0xb0x with Moogerfoogers - http://bulldog.unca.edu/~azgaynes/liveX0X-somasen.mp3


• x0xb0x Wiki - http://wiki.jonnay.net/x0x/x0xd0x


• Envelop click - http://bulldog.unca.edu/~azgaynes/envelope_click.jpg

Via Colin Chung:

• Demos - http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=417985

Driscoll Modular Still Available

I posted on the Driscoll Modular back on September 29. The following comment just came in on the post. If you wanted one, here's your chance. : )

Julian driscoll said...
Hi all

I am Julian Driscoll, who designed and built
the Driscoll Modular.
I can still build them.
My email address is jcdrisc[@]melbpc.org.au
I am in Melbourne, Australia
I do custom work also
snail mail :
4/2 Bona Vista Ave
Surrey Hills
Vic 3127
Australia

cheers, Julian D

Crystal

Updates via the comments: this software actually is free, not a demo. : ) Check out the comments link below for more.

Via Tony K on SynthSights. Haven't seen this before, but it looks interesting. Title link takes you to more info including samples and downloadable demo.



"Crystal is a semi-modular software synthesizer featuring both subtractive synthesis and frequency modulation (FM) synthesis. It offers abundant modulation control with over 90 parameters which may be modulated, multi-stage envelopes with graphical editors, extensive tempo sync of envelopes/lforates/delay times, built-in effects for chorus/flanging/comb filtering/echoes, and a band splitter for effects processing by frequency band. Not only that, Crystal has wave sequencing, granular synthesis, program morphing, MIDI learn, and imports soundfonts. The musical applications for Crystal are literally boundless.


Crystal is a plugin, which means it runs within a host, such as Cubase, Orion, Logic, Fruity Loops, etc. "

1001 Posts!

Just realized I hit 1000 posts! This is post 1001. : ) BTW, the search functionality so far hasn't picked up all of my posts, so it's pretty hit and miss. Hopefully Google will fix that over time - they own Blogger. In the mean time... Check out the Archive links at the bottom of the page or the bottom right pane of the page. They are grouped in months because I plan to be around for a long, long time. ; ) But because they are grouped in months, the download times will vary based on your connection. Fortunately text comes first followed by images, so it isn't too bad.

Spleepo2 and G2 Death Synth

I posted earlier on the Shifty Death Synthesizer, a programmable MIDI DSP box that can be controlled by a Palm Pilot. In the comments section of this post, Tom of Music Thing pointed out the Spleepo2, a VST version of the Shifty Death Synth and a Clavia G2 patch Tom created that emulates the synth for you lucky G2 owners. You can find more on both via the title link that takes you to Tom's post on electro-music.com. You can find more directly on Spleepo2 here: http://www.dsperado.com/sbleepo.shtml. Thanks Tom!

Spleepo2


"SBleepo2 is a VST simulation of the hardware-based Death Synth. It has its own sequencer, two oscillators, and about 15 combination metrics to join them. Oscillator A can be a live input or a square / saw, Oscillator B can be a square or saw. You can change pulse width, the frequency multiplier, the oscillator sync amount, and portamento. You can change the length of each sequencer, or how long they ring out for. You can adjust the volume of the entire mess (thank heavens!) You can set the number of measures before it "returns to 0." You can set the BPM."

Chroma CPU Replacement

Now this is good news. One of the biggest fears of getting an old vintage synth is what do you do when an obsolete part fails? Well, Chroma fans rejoice. There is now a CPU Replacement board that not only revives your Chroma if your CPU should fail, but it actually has a number of improvements. Title link takes to the rhodeschroma site with more info. The icing on the cake? The replacement board mounts in the same location with the same connectors - no modding necessary.

Russian RITM-2 Shots

Russian 1 OSC plus sub, analog RITM-2 synth via this ebay auction. Interesting in that I've only seen black versions of this synth on Rusynth and Russkeys. See either link for more info and samples. Title and picture links take you to a bigger version of the shot pulled from the auction. For more on Russian synths back track on either Russkeys or Rusynth linked above.

How to Make a Minimoog Makes Make:

Good to see synths on Make:. Title link takes you to the post. Check out the via link after the hop. : )

Creamware Launches Pro-12

Looks like the Pro-12 ASB has been released. The Pro-12 is Creamware's virtual SCI Prophet 5 in a break out box. Via Harmony Central News. Title link takes you there. For more info on the box and demos see the Creamware ASB Page.

This is hardware


Specifications and Prices
Virtual-analog synthesizer (desktop unit),
12 voices, 128 factory presets and 128 user presets,
analog stereo input and outputs, MIDI In/Out/Thru,
USB-to-Host/MIDI interface, external power-supply unit
(12 VAC), plug-in like WindowsTM remote control software

Minimax ASB MRSP 899 USD*
Pro-12 ASB MRSP 999 USD*
*MRSP not including sales tax or VAT

Electro-music.com Receives Cisco's Innovative Company Award

Great to see a music and synth oriented site win this award. I remember when electro-music.com was announced. They've really come a long way and are an invaluable resource to music and synths. Congrats guys! Title link takes you there.

Sonic Boom

Update: Some nice Spacemen 3 Ts: http://www.sonic-boom.info/shirts/ : )

Nice shot of Sonic Boom. Dig the revolving stage and matching shirt. Note the outward facing speakers and glow underneath. That would be surreal to see live. One of my biggest regrets was missing the Spectrum show in Seattle years ago to go see Fluke instead. Fluke was great and seeing "Atom Bomb" live was a hoot, but Sonic-Boom and a Synthi.... Why, oh why did I miss that... Title link takes you to Sonic-Boom's website with more info and upcoming shows.

Shifty Death Synthesizer H.Q.

Update: Make sure to check out the comments link for this post below for some notes from solipsistnation including a link to an interview. Pretty cool. Also, looks like this site made Make: via this post of course. ; )

I remember seeing this a while back. It's a DSP box that supports MIDI and a Palm Pilot interface. Some programs actually do not require either. It's an OPEN DSP system that people can create custom apps for. Below is a list of some of those apps. Title link takes you to the main site with more info.

• Remixer Automatically remix sounds into new sounds! NEWest!!!


• Combyops All the Combyops from Death Synth! NEW!!!


• Oddelay Self-FM Delay


• Sinlut Sinusoidal Lookup Table Waveshaper NEW!


• Burrito The ultimate MIDI controller program for Palm Pilot and EZ-Kit Lite devices!


• Xpand Spectral Inversion and Un-Inversion to enhance your existing FX!


• Click-O Acrid Distortion sound with randomizing paramters


• Modulation Domain Not the freq, not the time, but MODulation domain.


• GenMusic Algorithmic programs-- synthesize an entire pseudo-random song! (created by a user on our mailing list)


• SVF State-Variable Filter, a.k.a. Multi-Mode


• Template Updated!!! a template to get you started writing your effect own algorithm.


• Finally! Hear the effects on an audio stream of AND, OR, and XOR! (with source code and build scripts!)


• HarmEQ Download version 0.2 now! timbre re-arranger/harmonic equalizer


• Rim Job a Ring Mod with some Special Features (created by a user on our mailing list)


• Death Synth a many-parameter variable synthesizer


• Skank raunchy multi-effects box


• Fmadness screamingly weird modulator with extra controls

Memorymoog Schematics

Memorymoog Schematics via ChristianH on AH. Click here for higher res versions.

"Compressed TIFF, at about 1.2 to 1.8 MB per sheet. I didn't cut them up
into smaller pieces, because at that file size everybody should be able
to do it just for their individual needs, without running into trouble
(if it had been in the multi 100 MB league, it might have been necessary
to utilize our specialized large format tools)."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Analog Solutions Mod Page

I previously posted on the Analog Solutions Modifications Page. Tomislav Babic just posted a link to another page with more on AH. This page has a huge grid of synths and available mods along with pricing and pics below the grid. Title link takes you there.

DIY Minimoog

Update: Via the comments, "It's worth noting that the schematic for the VCF on that site contains the mistake with pin 13 on the CA3046 referred to in the text. There are a few other oddities like the biasing on the left of the ladder, that 5k6 resistor probably isn't going to work. Also, the ouptut/feedback amplifier in the VCF has a few differences from the Moog circuit that potentially break things. "

Title link takes you there. Via Paul Wagorn on AH.




"After playing on many different synths and copying several designs. I decided that I had to have a minimoog...

Unfortunately the cost of a second hand minimoog is anything between £1000-£2000 depending on age and condition. So the only choice I have is to look at doing my own copy with the aim of keeping the circuits and design as original as possible."

minimoog clone

PAiA Memories

In via John Mahoney on AH.

"Sadly, it appears that John Simonton of PAiA fame, has died.
http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2005/11/john-paia-simonton-rip.html

Sure, Paia synths, keyboards and effects were cheap and sometimes cheesy.
But they were all about returning the "best bang for your buck". Lots of
people bought Paia because it was their only affordable option. More
significantly, though, was Paia's influence on the musical electronics DIY
(do it yourself) community. Paia was instrumental in the very creation of
such a community, in my opinon. Many a soldering iron has been heated to
build a John Simonton circuit, that's for sure.

And with that in mind, here's a place to post remembrances of John Simonton
and Paia:
http://paiafans.blogspot.com
We're hoping for a nice response so that his family can see what an effect
the whole Paia thing had on the electronic music community.
--
john"

John "PAiA" Simonton - RIP

Update: If you haven't already, check out the comments of this post for some other words.


This has been a bad year for the synth world indeed. I just read via AH that John "PAiA" Simonton has passed away after a battle with cancer. It's hard to find words that would do him justice. When you think of the great names behind synthesis, names like Bob Moog, Don Buchla, Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith immediately come to mind. You know them because they created the classic uber analog synths. They brought you the packaged analog classics. So what about PAiA? You know the name but you rarely see mention of PAiA systems pitting up against these other synths. So what makes PAiA so special? DIY. The PAiA Fatman was the first and only DIY synth I ever created. I am not a technician and before the Fatman maybe only worked with a soldering iron about twenty years ago in the Boy Scouts. Yes I was a Boy Scout in an urban jungle. Anyway, I created my Fatman and had a blast doing so, but when I finally was done it didn't work. I contacted PAiA and what did they do? They said no problem, had me ship it back, fixed it and returned it back to me free of charge, with an explanation of what I did wrong. Amazing customer service and an amazing experience. So what makes PAiA so special? They allow us to create synthesizers. When I say us I mean everyone, the experienced and the inexperienced DIYers. Think of that. Not simply buying a synth and playing it out of the box, but actually building one. There is just something magical about that, and many of us, myself included, have John "PAiA" Simonton to thank for that. Think of how many people got to experience this because of him. PAiA started in 1967 and are still around today. Simply amazing. Title link takes you to the main PAiA site. RIP John "PAiA" Simonton and thank you for my big, little Fatman. He's pumping out one fat bass.

Octave CAT Demo

Via phloem on the VSE Synth Forum. Title link takes you there.

Gentle Bakemono's Flickr Set

Title link takes you to the set. Buchla and EMS. Yowsa.

Rusty Insects

Title link takes you to Carbon111's Rusty Insects studio page. Rusty insects, get it? I didn't at first. : ) Very cool name for a synth studio. Also, make sure to track back to the root of Carbon111's site for more, including some music composed with these synths. His latest track uses the Yamaha VL-1 and is pretty impressive to say the least. An interesting note on the VL-1: until I was fortunate enough to see Carbon111 play his, I had no idea that the included breath controller actually triggered the voicing - some patches do not play when playing notes unless you actually apply the breath controller. For some reason I thought the breath controller was simply a modulation source. It's much. much more than that. You can hear how expressive it is in Carbon111's track, Long Shadows. Enjoy.


BTW, knowing Carbon111, that is a reflection on that Moog Prodigy's wood side panel, and NOT dust like I mistook on this poor synth. That Prodigy is immaculate.

Polymoog Shot

Just a nice close up shot of a Moog Polymoog sent to me by Heath. Also looks like his site has been updated since I was last there. Title link takes you there. Thanks Heath!

Rozzbox

I swear I posted this already, but I can't find it, so here it goes. Apologies if you saw it here already. Title link takes you to the L.L. Electronics Rozzbox site. Via Create Digital Music this time around.

Cykong Synth Site

Cool synth site sent to me by JB. There are some great pics of some intersting pieces including the two shots below of a 1U rack of a Moog Rogue and the Analog Soultions Synapse patch matrix. Make sure to check out the site for more. Thanks JB!

Triwave Picogenerator

Update: Another via Inverse Room in the comments. Cool, thanks Inverse Room.
"I just reviewed the Triwave for TapeOp...it's really a fun box, but people should try to build their own! 4ms gives out the schem and layout for free"



Title link takes you to an interesting little sound device. More info below and at the site. Via this Music Thing post on the Glasstone Tin Can.



"triwavepicogenerator contains two tone generators... and three variable speed
point slow eight cycles per second to two hundred cycles per secondlow frequencie oscillateurs that independently vary the pitch of each tone generator...

controls:
red, yellow, green speed (three low frequency oscillators)
red,yellow,green linnet depths
red,yellow,green gale depths of effect of each tone generator by each oscillator...
...control the center pitches (linnet, gale) of each tone generator
mix between volumes of each tone generator...
control the master volume
..each channel's tone switches between square and triangle wave audio outputs...
lfo range extends into audio frequencies for faux ring and veri-beat modulation"

AMF Educational Computer - New Flickr Shot

Cool little thing. It's not a synth, but an analog logic box. Title link takes you to a bigger shot. Some notes pulled from rrooyyccee via the site below.



"amf analog computer. the connection between bowling and analog computing escapes me. but it does work pretty well with music applications, providing mixing, attenuating, inverting, and integrating (lag). i'm not sure what else it can do but am experimenting with it."

How to Use an Oscilliscope

Interesting. Make: has a post up on how to use an oscilliscope. Title link takes you to the site they have linked.

Ultimate Rhodes Chroma Site

Title link takes you to an impressive site dedicated to the Rhodes Chroma. Filled with shots, documents, history, reviews, patches, technical information, an interview with Philip Dodds, you name it. There is a section for general interest and one for owners. I hadn't seen this site before.



"The Chroma has a fascinating history. The last keyboard designed by ARP, the pioneering instrument designer of the 1970s, it almost never saw production. After ARP's bankruptcy and some twists and turns, it was put into production by CBS/Fender."

Acidmoongfx - New Flickr Set

Title link takes you there.

New Prophet 5 Shots

Update: Make sure to check out the comments link below for some notes from Marsupilami. Amazing catch indeed. The shine on the knobs in some of those close-ups is what gets me. Absolutely beautiful. : )

Some amazing SCI Prophet 5 shots sent to me by Marsupilami Fantasio. This is probably the cleanest Prophet 5 I have seen so far. Amazing shots! Title link takes you there. Thanks Marsupilami!

More Poly Evolver via Stefan Trippler

Right click and save title link for another great DSI Poly Evolver track from Stefan Trippler. He needs to put something out already. Enjoy.

Sub Mux Deluxe - New Cynthia Module

Now this is an interesting module. Title link takes you to more including samples.

"This module addresses those on a quest for a seriously beefy bottom end! Not only does it extend bass frequencies a powerful four-octaves below the signal that you feed into it, but each of the sub octaves has a level knob so you can control the mixed output like the drawbars of an organ.

Of course, you can flip the Mode Switch to engage a total of four internal ring modulators, which can really put some "heavy" in your heavy metal!

We've combined Paul Schreiber's awesome Sub Octave Multiplexer with parts from Scott Juskiw and Richard Brewster to create a souped-up version of the original module.

The new Cynthia Sub Mux Deluxe adds individual outputs from each of the four sub octave generators, (useful in stereo and quadraphonic applications), so now each of the four sub frequencies can be processed separately throughout your system!

This limited edition module features a new Staircase Waveform Output offering a binary weighted sum of the four subs which generates patterns and simple voltage sequences. Adjustments are can be made with an AC/DC Coupling Switch, and an LED is provided to monitor these patterns.

You really can get quite a range of sounds with this classic circuit - powerful sounds that range from thunderous house rattling bass, to massively klangourous hash sending everyone running for cover. Please use this module responsibly! "

PPG Modular Shots

Title link takes you to shots saved for posterity from this auction. Note the German component labels. Via SYNTHOSIUM.

Howard Jones 20th Anniversary Concert 2003

Title link takes you to some info and shots of the 2003 Howard Jones 20th anniversary concert with Midge Ure (Ultravox), Nena and Jed Hoile. There's reference to a possible DVD, but I'm having trouble finding out if it was actually made. While there, make sure to track back to the root site for a link to multimedia including some of his older videos with some synth p*rn. Via this post on VSE.



Gear List:

Classic Set
1x Drum Machine Roland TR-808
2x Monophonic Synth Moog Prodigy
1x Synth Roland Juno 60
1x Synth Roland JP-8 Super Jupiter
1x Synth/Sequencer Sequential Circuits Pro-One



Modern Rig:
(KEYBOARDS)
2 x Novation KS-4 synths
2 x Novation K-Station synths
1 x Roland a-33 master keyboard
1 x Yamaha KX-5 remote keyboard (customised)

der_schnorz's Gear P*rn - New Flicker Set

Title link takes you to set.

Arp Soloist

Title link takes you to some nice shots of an Arp Soloist pulled from this auction. Via this post on VSE.

Learning Music With Synthesizers - New Flickr Shot

Hmm... Another book to track down. This one by David Friend, Alan R. Perlman (ARP), and Thomas D. Piggott. Nice white Odyssey and other synths on the cover.

Superimposed Arp Odyssey Pic

Arp 2600 Shots

Just two nice Arp 2600 shots I pulled from this auction. This one apparently has the Moog style filters and some mods. More info pulled from the auction below.




"ARP 2600 with custom CMS 4012 Moog style VCF, CMS extensive audio path upgrade (includes reverb tank) and SYNC switches on OSC2 and OSC3. SYNC switches take an already legendary architecture to a another planet! Power cord was replaced with IEC jack. Entire instrument brought up to factory spec. KYBD CV output modified to take KYBD CV input for use with MIDI/CV gear (A Kenton Pro-4 was used). Power supply was rebuilt. 2 1/4" final audio outputs were added (in the shadows in the high rez picture and is 4MP, so can be zoomed) and the power to the speakers were disconnected on advice from Phil. 2 of the three OSCs, the VCF and Ring Mod are sealed. A spare (unsealed) OSC ($200 part) is included. All work performed in 2002. "

Superimposed Roland TB-303 Pic

The Picture is Dead

Awakened_Yeti recently posted the following in the comments section of one of my posts, "matrix you are a danger to my sanity." I replied, "And my own. : )" Well here's a couple of interesting tracks just for us. Features Blacet/Wiard/Doepfer/MS10. Via Bryan E. Cornell on AH. Enjoy if you enjoy this sort of thing. I was a HUGE 4AD and Fac fan back in the day, so I particulary like these two pieces. I'd like to know what's creating the vocal sounds. My guess is the Wiard, but who knows. I asked on AH; hopefully Bryan will answer.

Synton S3000 Modular Site

Synthon S3000 site with more pics, samples, brochure, module list and links. Via Joseph Kays on AH.

Synth Chips on Sequencer.de

Curious what synths used what chips? Title link takes you to a page on sequencer.de with a list of synths, images and their chips. Includes CEM, SSM and DSP chipsets including newer gear.

EMS Synthi P

EMS Synthi P? According to the page, "A MkIII "Professional" version with improved Oscillators, Filter and Envelope. Only 3 prototypes made, 2 in this form with bronze finish, the other in standard Synthi A case and styling." Followed by, "Contains many of the features of the Synthi 'A', but designed for the professional musician who requires the highest standard of stability, versatility and low noise." Hmm... More professional than a standard Synthi used by the likes of Pink Floyd. : ) Interesting. Title link takes you to the page with more including a list of twelve features in addition to those on the Synthi A. Thanks to Philip Sanderson for sending this my way.

Vacuum Tubes in an Old Lowry Organ

I was checking out Toby Paddock's site http://www.paddfam.com/ and ran into his Flickr set where I pulled the shot below; thought this was a really warm shot worth putting up. Title link takes you to the Flickr set which includes some shots of the Pacific Northwest Synthesizer gathering as well. On his main site be sure to check out the music gear link for some interesting shots including a Minimoog with the back open for an inside shot of the synth.

Synton Docs

Another from John Loffnik. I updated my earlier post on the Synton Modular to include this, and I figured it warrented a new post as well. Interesting bit is that Bob Moog's Big Briar was distributing the Synton in the US. Check out the order sheet pictured below. Title link takes you to a couple more shots including a system photo brochure and module descriptions.

Click image for a bigger pic.

Korg Microkorg - New Flickr Shot