Thursday, October 18, 2007
Parallel Worlds

"There is a Parallel Worlds Interview in the November Issue (out now) of the US Electronic Musician Magazine.
The interview is in the Pro/file section of the mag on page 154. the article is entitled “Modular Odyssey”, (talking about music technology and the latest Parallel Worlds cd album “Obsessive Surrealism”).
There are extra photos from the interview session in the Bonus Material page of the EM website (in the November issue EM web clips)
Here it is.
You can see lots of analogue modulars of course… (and more synths are out of the photos…)"
Also check out the Parallel Worlds website. You might remember it from this post.
Jam Sessions with AMP~!
YouTube via KristyLynn. Not sure if this one counts, but... oh well.
"lol, as you see, i am in my bro's room and hooked up to his amp. ;)"
Kinda looks like he's wearing a Matrixsynth T.
Protein DScratch - 2 - by Gorgull
YouTube via yarglaaaafr.
"DScratch module - Protein Project - Gorgull
This is the second shot of [DScratch] module - project codename Protein -
Since first video, I added some new features:
# more visual feedback
# a little sampler effect
# a resampling effect
# mute mode
# pitch control
# record the mic as base sample
# visual feedback on both screens
# midi out: control midi software wireless (VJ software for example) using DSMidiWifi
# a few bugs corrections
The base sample is a 5 seconds wav file running in loop.
demo available @ http://gorgull.googlepages.com/protein"
Weevil Update

"Hiya Bug-list. I'm happy to get some announcements out!
**1
There's a new batch of 8 Weevil07s just released in the BugShop - Priced at £130 plus shipping and all ready to fly around the world. The batch is all in brown as pictured here. There are 6 of these ones, plus two in a darker brown with different knobs like this. If you'd like one of the ones with different (?special!) knobs then send me an email while placing your order - this is first come first served!

There are new AudioWeevils brewing... Details will go online soon, but here's a quick pic of the proto. The proper versions will be a bunch more snazzy than this proto... Note the slope fronted case and the plentiful knobs..!.. This version adds a mixer so you can blend dry and squared audio with the Weevil heart (twin osc ringmod - one of the oscs can be replaced by the squared audio input) and powerful resonant lowpass filter. Oh, and a modulation LFO for warbling one of the oscillators and the filter. There will be a small batch right at the end of this month. No reservations, but do keep it in mind...
**3
And onwards -- unfortunately I'm not going to be able to work all through November due to an operation & this will obviously limit the output of any Bug batches... I'm not yet sure, therefore, whether there can be anymore BabyBugCrushers this year, but I'll do my best.. PostcardWeevils have also been popular but are currently out-of-stock while I await more parts..
**4
That's it for now.
Cheers & best to all,
Tom"
Moog Little Phatty and Jordan Rudess
"Jordan Rudess gives a quick overview of the sonic magic possible with a Moog Little Phatty, FreqBox and CP-251"
Moog Little Phatty and Jordan Rudess Filter Techniques
"Jordan Rudess shows off the incredible functionality of the classic Moog filter in the Little Phatty"
YouTube via MoogMusicInc.
9090 Analog Drum Synthesizer
images via this auction
"serial No. 001 t page 2002
The 9090 is an analogue drum machine based upon the legendary Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer. Many people consider this machine to be the life and soul of house music and it's modern derivatives. Trance, techno, whatever. In some moment of insanity back in '99 I decided it would be a fun challenge to build an entire clone of this classic analogue drum box (having no appreciation of how such a project can take over your life) and, bored with using sampled beats, I wanted a real, tweakable analogue box. Just like the 909.
I chose to make my 9090 just a MIDI controlled unit without an integral sequencer. All original drums are in there, together with power supply and a new PIC-based MIDI interface. The complete project is built across two separate printed circuit boards, designed to fit within a 2U height 19" rack enclosure. I didn't develop a sequencer to go with this, but I'll do it if I get the time.
The voice circuits used within the clone remain faithful to those of the original machine. In other words they remain mostly unchanged, except where I've added controls for extra tweakage. Most semiconductors have been substituted for modern equivalents that are more easily available. Most of the TR-909 sounds are completely analogue and hence some pretty intricate discrete circuitry is involved. Only the hi-hat and cymbal are 'digital' since the TR-909 used samples contained within three 32K ROMs for these.
Roland Vocoder Plus VP-330

"Oscillators - 3 VCO's
Effects - Ensemble (chorus)
LFO - Vibrato w/ depth, delay and rate
VCA - separate Mix Levels for Vocoder, String and Voice sections; 20 envelope followers
Filter - 18 VCFs: 54db/oct bandpass; 1 VCF: 54db/oct lowpass and highpass filters; 20 VCFs: 18db/oct lowpass filters w/ dynamic range of 60db
Memory - None
Keyboard - 49 Keys
Control - CV/Gate
Date Produced - 1979"
EML 200
"The EML consists of the following components:
-Master Oscillator (LFO that goes well into the audio range). 6 outputs, 2 for each waveform.
-Noise (2 outputs)
-2 VCO’s. (2 outputs each)
-Spring reverb. (2 outputs)
-Electronic switch (2 outputs)
-Low Pass Filter (2 outputs)
-High Pass Filter (2 outputs)
-Waveshaper (2 outputs)
-envelope (2 outputs)
-2 ring modulators (2 outputs each)
-Preamp (3 inputs and 2 outputs)
- 6 channel mixer (with 6 outputs)
Here is a sound clip of the 200 in action. It's sorta long and noisy:
EML 200
I also have a copy of the user manual and schematics. If you have an EML 101 this makes an excellent compliment and is useful even on its own."
Flame Midi Talking Synth

click here for the full size shot.
Update via JSRocket in the comments:
"I made a noisy demo too: link "
Don't miss the demo. It's pretty amazing. I'm curious if the Yamaha FS1R could do the same with it's formant synthesis.
PNW Synth Gathering 07 Pics

click here for more shots of the event via brett.seattle.
click here for the full size shot.
Mattson Mini Modular pictured.
MFB Synth Lite II

Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Introduction to Modular Synthesizers
For those of you new to modular synthesis and actually analog synthesis in general, Innovative Synthesis has a short introduction worth checking out.
"Modular synthesizers are one of the oldest types of synthesizers around, as well as being one of the most expensive and interesting. The philosophy of a modular synth is that it is made up of modules which are interchangeable, allowing new modules to be added with ease, as well as the customization of existing modules. Because of the constant expansion of most users modular synthesizers, many systems end up looking like a telephone exchange – this is often referred to as GAS (gear acquisition syndrome)."
What's interesting about the GAS comment, is that although the start-up cost for a base system may seem high compared to getting a non-modular synth, the cost for that next gear fix goes way down. Itching for something new? Get a new module for much less than a new synth - new or used. I will be satiating my GAS next with a new Mattson Mini Modular. Next stop, most likely Plan B and Doepfer eurorack. Cwejman, Livewire... That's what they call Gear Aquisition Syndrome.
"Modular synthesizers are one of the oldest types of synthesizers around, as well as being one of the most expensive and interesting. The philosophy of a modular synth is that it is made up of modules which are interchangeable, allowing new modules to be added with ease, as well as the customization of existing modules. Because of the constant expansion of most users modular synthesizers, many systems end up looking like a telephone exchange – this is often referred to as GAS (gear acquisition syndrome)."
What's interesting about the GAS comment, is that although the start-up cost for a base system may seem high compared to getting a non-modular synth, the cost for that next gear fix goes way down. Itching for something new? Get a new module for much less than a new synth - new or used. I will be satiating my GAS next with a new Mattson Mini Modular. Next stop, most likely Plan B and Doepfer eurorack. Cwejman, Livewire... That's what they call Gear Aquisition Syndrome.
PROPHET 08 SE DEMO - LOS GAUCHOS FROM LAS PAMPAS
YouTube via gauchosinc. via Nusonica.
"This its a mini demo of PROPHET 08 - VAN HALEN - JUMP Sequenced by LOS GAUCHOS FROM LAS PAMPAS PROPHET 08 SPECIAL EDITION"
Admin: New Label: Scans
I created a new label for scans. If you see a post that should have the label, but doesn't, post a comment in that post and I will update it. If you see the label in a post that shouldn't have it, post a comment in that post and I will update it. Currently I just added the label to a blanket search on schematics, pdf and a few posts I knew to be scans. BTW, if you haven't been using the labels on the site, do use them. I'm currently at 10,118 posts with this one. That's a lot of synth content to peruse. Also use the search boxes. The official blogger search is on the top left and the Google site search is on the right. Personally I always use the one on the top left first and if I don't find what I'm looking for I'll use the one on the right.
BTW, I didn't put up a post at the time as I didn't want to distract from the MMM announcements, but... we passed 3 million page views since the site launched a little over two years ago. That's up from 2 million back on April 28th this year. We are currently at about 3.24 million since I started tracking the site.
BTW, I didn't put up a post at the time as I didn't want to distract from the MMM announcements, but... we passed 3 million page views since the site launched a little over two years ago. That's up from 2 million back on April 28th this year. We are currently at about 3.24 million since I started tracking the site.
SSM Data Sheets

4017 Step Sequencer
"The recording was made using the sequencer to trigger three different synths.
–A casio SK1 was used to make the melodic sounds.
–and I had that running through an echo circuit I’ve been working on for a while
–the bass drum beat was made with a Korg MS20.
–The other rhythmic tones were made with a Paia modular synth"
Audio Damage Vapor Released

link
bit traffiker

"quick Malgorithm demo DL for mp3.
basic: M15 saw, at 2:15 in change to Sine, modulation provided by Dual Cyclotron and M10 into Malgorithm and Dalek Modulator into M15. that is all.
then into JoeMeek MC2 then Chameleon Labs 7602s into FireFace 800.
tweaking M15 freq and Dalek some, most changes are from adjustments on the Malg. esp. the volv switches. An amazing module!"
Doepfer Livewire Plan B MFB Analog Modular
"Doepfer Black Portable Case with 115V power supply, power bus boards and power cord
-Doepfer A-100 AD5 power converter for the A-190
-MFB OSC-01 Triple DCO ---- 3 Digitally controlled analog oscillators with ringmod and OSC SYNC!!!
-Plan B Model 15 Complex VCO ---- The best VCO in Euro-format!!! Can't beat that Morph function!!
-A-112 Sampler VC Sampler/Wavetable Oscillator ---- 8 bit crunch with MIDI!!! Can even use like a delay!!
-Livewire Vulcan Modulator LFO/LFVCO ---- Dual FUNKED out LFO's!!! Can also be used like VCO's!!!
-Plan B Model 10 Polyphonic Envelope ---- Great EG!!! Some really cool settings!!
-Livewire Dalek Modulator VCO/LFVCO ---- Funked up modulators!! Dual VCO's w/ destroy ringmod!!! LFO
-A-190 MCVS Midi-CV/Sync Interface ---- Midi to CV/Gate converter with sync and trigger.
-A-170 SL Dual Slew Limiter
-A-105 VCF SSM 24dB LP Filter ---- The best LP filter in modular format IMHO!!! Think Prophet 5 rev.2!!
-A-137 VC Wave Multiplier ---- Multiplier and Wave folder!!
-A-118 Noise and Random Voltages ---- use for white and various forms of pink noise and a modulator.
-A-138 Linear Mixer ---- for mixing audio and cv signals
-A-121 VCF2 MultiMode Filter ---- Uses a Curtis CEM 3320 filter chip!!
-A-140 ADSR Envelope Generator
-A-132-2 QVCA Quad VCA ---- Great for both Audio and CV signals!!"
YAMAHA ED10

"there are 10knobs for control synthetic sound and touch sensitive drum pad SENS,PITCH,SUB SONIC,FILTER,NOISE,DECAY,BEND,CLICK,FILTER MOD,VOLUME so you can tweak around these knobs and easily get warm and phat analog synth sound from deep bass drum like TR808 or TR909 to industrial noise percussion or spacey disco tom sound! it's very easy and funny to create your own sounds and play it with pad. it also has MIX INPUT,SIGNAL OUTPUT,PAD OUT/IN,DC 12V IN,DC 12V OUT PAD OUT/IN accepts trigger or audio signal so you can also control from your drum machine."
Oberheim SEM
"There are a couple of modifications (done before I got it): Audio In and Out jacks are 1/4" instead of the normal 1/8". There is an extra switching potentiometer next to the CV-IN jack which controls GLIDE. A minor drawback for this knob is that the pitch voltage drops a tiny bit when it clicks from OFF to ON.
I will include information on adding/switching patchpoints so that you can change the I/O configuration or modularize the SEM by adding many more patchpoints. There is also a company making a MIDI In retrofit."
MOOG Minimoog
"Mike at ModuSonics totally cleaned her up, replaced all jacks, added an oscillator buffer board(an original Moog upgrade) for better tuning, CV/Gate In's and Out's, cleaned up the cabinet, etc... etc... I added a picture of the invoice to this auction. Total cost of clean up and upgrades were $1620 USD. Mike worked for the Original Moog Music in the 70's and 80's and used original parts that he had from the old company and had acquired over time.
This Minimoog is in incredible condition for it's age and stays in tune better than some of my newer analog synths!! Everything functions 100% and looks great!!
Serial # 2960 means it has the oscillators that are the most sought after for their sound. Newer Model D's had more stable oscillators, but lacked a little in fatness. Having had the Oscillator buffer board added, these super-fat Oscillators are extremely stable, even right after you power it on.
This is an excellent example of a 100% functional Minimoog that should last someone forever with low maintainance every few years.
Auction Includes: The Minimoog Model D Serial # 2960 in said condition and a copy of the ModuSonics repair invoice.
More info on Modusonics: http://www.moogce.com/."
Akai AX60

"The Akai AX60 is a 6-voice polyphonic programmable analog synthesizer with a 5-octave, 61-note (C-C) keyboard. Each voice consists of only one VCO (switchable between sawtooth, triangle, pulse, or noise waves), however, the filter section features a VCF (Low Pass) with an additional high-pass filter. Fortunately Akai included an Autotune button to tune all of its VCO's and VCF's. There is a single Envelope Generator, an ADSR with additional controls for amount ("depth level") and delay (delay before the attack begins). The "depth level" controls the maximum level of the envelope as well as the sustain level. The AX60 was one of the last analog synths to have knobs and sliders. There are a total of 25 sliders and two knobs. All controls, including split points and effects, are stored in one of its 64 memory locations. There is a handy Edit Recall button to reset the parameters for a patch. Also included is an effects section featuring digital delay and chorus.
The AX60 came with very limited MIDI implementation and no velocity sensitivity. However, it does feature a MIDI THRU plug. It is bi-timbral using the keyboard split points as well as through MIDI. It also features a unison mode making it a 6-VCO mono-synth. The AX60 has a good arpeggiator with an external sync socket.
The keyboard can be split in two at any key with each controller or effect applied to either of both halves of the split. There are 8 memory locations to store programmable split points. The voices can be split in one of the following configurations (left-right) 6-0, 4-2, 2-4, or 0-6 (unfortunately not 3-3). The reason for including splits that have no oscillators on one side is for when the AX60 is used in conjunction with an Akai sampler as explained below.
One of the nice features about this synthesizer is that it has a 13-pin input that alows you to hook it up to an Akai sampler (S612/700, X7000) and input the samples to be processed with the AX60's internal synth engine (VCF's, VCA's, effects, etc...). Combined with the keyboard splitting capabilities, this alows you to play the sampler via one of the split sides. The sampler/AX60 combination is unique in that it is one of the few ways that samples can be treated with real analog filters."
Ron Boots

image via Ron Boots' website via this Matrixsynth forum post. You can find more images as well as a discography of Ron's music on his site.
Roland Juno-106
Oberheim/Viscount OB12
Sequential Circuits Prophet-5
Sequential Circuits Prophet-VS
Korg MicroKorg
Waldorf XT
and...?
Synthekicks

"My bro got a new pair of chuck t's, so he gave em to me and I went to town on em..."
Converse, shoes.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Orchestra Of The Damned

"Friends: just in time for Halloween, a new piece for Buchla 200e and Continuum - The Orchestra Of The Damned. Go here and scroll down to the Audio section for the MP3. I played this live entirely with the Continuum - no sequencing or multitracking involved. I hope you enjoy it."
RSF kobol synthesizer
YouTube via practicalsampling. via Nusonica.
Update via yusynth in the comments:
"These videos are now available in a larger format on the RSF site. Click on the Kobol jack socket, then scroll down to the bottom of the page, or use this direct link "
XL-7 "Alleviation"
YouTube via nem221.
"E-MU XL-7 Synth Multi Track Sequencer Command Station.Live in the studio performance of "Alleviation"(first person viewpoint)by the artist/producer NewManiac.Check out the interview at http://www.vivianlsharpcommunications..."
SEQ. V3 testing
YouTube via tobsenteque. via Nusonica
"This demonstrates not programming skills but some features of the www.uCApps.de Sequencer. Thanks to Thorsten Klose for his awesome work!!!
This device is not finished yet, but by now i can say - its a weapon!!! The Video has been taken while exploring some functions on this sequencer, only a few are shown on this - for more check http://www.ucapps.de/midibox_seq.html"
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© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH