Rare Technos Acxel In Store Demo at Perfect Circuit Tonight in Burbank / LA

via Perfect Circuit

"Join us TONIGHT for a in-store demo with the Technos Acxel! Come and see this rare #synthesizer from 1987. It was truly ahead of its time with its unique touch interface, resynthesizing capabilities and more! #synth #burbank #losangeles"


See the Technos label for all posts featuring the Acxel including some demos. The creator of the Acxel was planning a new Acxel 2 but it was canceled in 2011.

Technos Acxel Resynthesizer Demo Videos

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Published on Nov 28, 2016 Perfect Circuit Audio

Playlist:
Technos Acxel Resynthesizer Demo/Jam
Technos Acxel Disk 1 Presets
Technos Acxel Disk 2 Presets Part 1
Technos Acxel Disk 2 Presets Part 2
Technos Acxel Disk 3 Presets

via this auction

And that is about as rare as it gets. Between the last three posts, I can't believe the CS80 is on the bottom. The prices reflect the rarity and the market. Essentially, these are for the 1% only, whether you belong to the 1% financially or not... These are the 1% of the synth world.

If you are not familiar with the Technos Acxel Resynthesizer, see the Technos label at the bottom of this post. A working version is extremely rare.

Note: MATRIXSYNTH members get a %10 discount at Perfect Circuit Audio (other discounts excluded). See the membership page on how to sign up!

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The Technos Acxel Resynthesizer Overview Videos

Published on Mar 5, 2014 Kevin Kelley·2 videos

"This is the full length video demonstration for the Technos Acxel re-synthesizer from around 1988. There are two parts to this video"

Technos Acxel part 2


This one is in via Kevin Kelley who let me know he will be uploading some user demos in the future as well. Can't wait! The Acxell Resynthesizer has only been featured on the site a handful of times. It is a rare synthesizer sold between 1987 and 1990 according to Wikipedia. Their is a new Axcel2. You can find information on the main Axcel2 website here.

On the original Axcel via Wikipedia:
"The word Acxel is short for 'acoustical element' (as pixel is short for "picture element".)
The Acxel consists on 2 components: The "Grapher" (graphic console) and the "Solitary" (Rackmount containing the Synthesis and Analysis hardware). Standard - 256 Oscillators (8 voices), up to 1024 Oscillators (32 voices).
Instead of having an LCD or CRT screen, the Axcel has a bank of 2114 LEDs mounted behind finger-sized conductive sensors (a smaller number were also used on the Technos 16\pi synthesizer main panel). All data readouts, and a lot of data input, are processed using this innovative method.
The 16\pi is the Acxel ancestor (1984 - never in production, 4 unit delivered at that time), introducing the concept but limited to 64 Oscillators, including a keyboard.

The Acxel never found mainstream favour and was never a commercial success, due to its high cost, and relative difficulty of use. As a result of this, Acxels today are very rare (about 35 were sold from 1987 to 1990), obscure and expensive, and they never did replace traditional sampler as was their intention. Their legacy, however, lives on in modern-day resynthesizers such as VirSyn's Cube, Camel Audio's Cameleon 5000, and Image-Line's Harmor."

Be sure to see the Technos channel link below for previous posts.

IRCAM ISPW (Ircam Signal Processing Workstation)

YouTube Published on Apr 17, 2012 by jbfairlight

via jbrairlight in the comments of 1996 MARS (Musical Audio Research Station) Synthesizer
IRCAM stands for the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique and is located in Paris. See the IRCAM label below for more including Buchla. Some posts that stand out include a Q&A on the Acxel II Resynthesizer and the Sogitec 4X and Spaceware on the PDP-1.

You'll spot a Fairlight and Synclavier in the above video as well.

Googlish translation of the YouTube description (original in French below):

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Technos Acxel Track - FRACTASTIC VOYAGE (To Infinity and Beyond) Part 1

YouTube via DonGarbutt | October 06, 2010

See the Acxel label at the bottom of this post for all posts on this unique synthesizer.
"Stunning fractal images have been added to a piece that was made back in 1988, using the Technos Acxel. Dense, random clouds of evolving sound emanate from the Canadian-made Acxel-1 (Acxel-2 is in development and is coming soon). Make sure that you watch part 2 as well."

FRACTASTIC VOYAGE (To Infinity and Beyond) Part 2

DonGarbutt | October 06, 2010

"Explore the wonderful world of fractal art. A fractal is "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole,"[1] a property called self-similarity. Roots of mathematically rigorous treatment of fractals can be traced back to functions studied by Karl Weierstrass, Georg Cantor and Felix Hausdorff in studying functions that were continuous but not differentiable; however, the term fractal was coined by Benoît Mandelbrot in 1975 and was derived from the Latin fractus meaning "broken" or "fractured." A mathematical fractal is based on an equation that undergoes iteration, a form of feedback based on recursion."

Acxel 2 Resynthesizer Demo Sounds

New sounds of the Acxel 2 Resynthesizer have been posted on the Acxel website here.

"These demo sounds are good exemples of Real Time process, Re-Synthesis, and Synthesis from Acxel2. We also present more «Standard» sounds as exemple of what can be done also to emulate more conventionnal instruments."

Click on the Acxel labe below for prior posts including the original Acxel Resynthesizer.

Acxel2 Website

Update: Unfortunately, the Acxel2 project was cancelled in January of 2011 due to lack of funding:

"Formally Idarca-Audio is bankrupted, not for technical reasons but for critical investment that never happened.

We have working unit. We currently work to revive the project, in short to get an investment in a new corporation, complete the certifications and build new units,

Thank you for your interest."

The new Acxel2 website is up.
"Acxel2 is a new upgradeable multi-synthesis and multi-timbral modular synthesizer offering: Additive synthesis, Re-synthesis, Expanded synthesis and Analog synthesis. Acxel2 introduces its native analysis synthesis mode: the Acxelink®.

All Acxel2 musical instruments can be used with any DAW (Pro Tools, Cakewalk, Cubase, Steinberg, Logic, etc.), can operate under Apple or Windows platform and can be used as "slave" or "master" with any MIDI or audio analog entry (keyboard, guitar, microphone, etc ...).

All our products incorporate the Acxel2 re-programmable microprocessor RPP renowned for its extreme reliability and execution speed, dramatically superior to any DSP chips currently available on the market.

Through synthesis and processing of native Acxel2, processing options and sound changes are virtually unlimited. The Acxel2 can emulate any synthesis known modes or original combinations of synthesis modes, effects and signal processing, modification in sounds envelope or articulation ... all in real time!" Be sure to see the official Acxel2 website for more.

If you are unfamiliar with the history of the original Acxel Resynthesizer see these posts. Be sure to scroll when you get there for video and more. This is big news in the synth community.

Update via iDARCA Audio on the new Axcel2. The following actually came in with the image fo the Axcel2 rack above. I wanted to clear it with iDARCA before posting. Note the red below: "Here is a preview of the STUDIO Model that we are working on, 2U, the RACK front panel will also be very close to it (Back panel has different version RACK depending on options – Analog, Digital). The Grapher (2 versions) is under design, we expect the LCD version available soon in fall and LED Matrix (inspired from the Acxel1 with 24 bits colors, multitouch and better resolution than the original Acxel grapher) to be availble in the End of the year.

The CARD version (Home Studios) is actually under tests, the control software too. In fact all system share same base software that runs into MAC and PC."

Acxel Resynthesizer Samples

You'll find some samples of the original Acxel Resynthesizer and the Axcel 2 at the bottom of this electro-music.com thread.

For more info on the Axcel Resynthsizer, see iDarca Audio. Also see the labels below for previous posts featured here.

Technos Acxel Resynthesizer For Sale

Go here and scroll down. The only other one I knew that went up for sale was this one. Click on the Acxel label below for more.

via electro-music.com where you will find some discussion on this.

Update via an anonymous reader:
"I wrote to the guy last year,and u can buy the unit for between 3500-4000e.
Its one of the ex Boman M. Acxel systems.

Comes with only 1 card,no multi-out support,way to expensive and certainly now with the new Acxel II comming.

here one more Acxel for sale:
http://synthsfl.tripod.com/keys.html

i searched to death last year in my Acxel-trip on the web,and if u search very well there are another 2 units for sale.

then more info on various stuff can be find here,Ircam,4X,Synclav etc..:
http://jbemond.free.fr/?cat=4"

Nearest launching of the Synthesizer - Acxel II

Press Release
Quebec, Canada - on March 26, 2008: Idarca-audio division of Idarca Inc. is proud to announce the nearest launching of the synthesizer Acxel II - which makes profitable the original Acxel legacy (early 90's) and of a revolutionary dynamic architecture parallel processor - patented by Idarca - the RPP. With its unique characteristics, Acxel II will set new standard of real time synthesis and audio processing.

Acxel II proposes 3 synthesis modes (with integrated sound processing):
• Acxelink made up of cells (256 to 1280) independently parametrical: Amplitude, Frequency, Phase, Filter, Waveform. Cells-cells links, signal Inputs integration and processing and many other characteristics including macros.
• Additive synthesis
• Analog synthesis

Acxel II integrates unique functions on sound resynthesis and processing with full scalability:
• Real TIme Resynthesis: The Acxelink and Additive modes allocate without compromise a complete access in real time to all elements (Envelope, Midi, Modulation) of a timbre, created from scratch or configured with Analysis (integrated into the system).

• Open architecture: Acxel II allows, in real time, to introduce external sounds (for example a guitar) into the synthesis elements, for simple effects or extended processes or sound fusions.

• Scalable: The Acxelink mode integrates all of the elements to emulate and combine existing or original synthesis modes: Physical modeling, Wave Tables, FM, Wavelets, Vocoder, etc.

Acxel II will be available in 2 versions:
• Acxel II - PCI: Sound Card (PCI) with software PC/MAC
- Deliverable in 4 to 6 months.

• Acxel II - SAS: Stand Alone System with “preset” use for scenic performances or in Workstation (with PC or MAC)
- Deliverable in 8 to 12 months.

• Touch Sensitive Graphic console available in option
- Deliverable in less than 12 months.

For more information on Acxel II: www.idarca-audio.com

Q&A on the Acxel II Resynthesizer and the Sogitec 4X

The Sogitex 4X is mentioned in the Q&A below. You can find more info on the Sogitex here. The following is some info from that site: "The Sogitec 4X digital synthesizer at IRCAM during the 1980's, was the direct result of Luciano Berio's demand that live electronic sound ought to consist of at least a 1000 sinewave oscillators (1), in order to be interesting for the composer and the audience alike. It was the last huge hardware, that IRCAM instigated before it turned to the ISPW and subsequently to software solutions in the shape of jMax and Max/MSP. The 4X's eight internal custom-built processors were capable of altogether 200 MIPS (2), which being the equivalent of 1000 sinewaves, 500 filters or 450 second order filters (3). Each processor contained a data-memory, an address-memory, a microprogram-memory and a function-memory. For calculations it used 24 bit fixed point units consisting of a multiplier, a arithmetic and logic unit. It also had 256 internal (programmable) clocks and a large dual buffer for recording and playing. The algorithms were cross developed on DEC en Sun mainframes in Fortran and C. (4&5)."

Q&A on the Acxell II via an anonymous reader:
Q: If i understand well,its posible to acxelize a complex sound source from a pre recorded wav with the soundbuilder then use this resynthezized model in acxelink mode again to be able to control that sound it real time via an external audio input (1 or more?)( each one )

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Acxel II

Remember the Technos Acxel Resynthesizer (pictured)? I just read this post on Music Thing. Apparently the creator of the Acxel, Pierre Guilmette, is working on a new version. Check out Music Thing for a letter from Pierre.

You can find his website, iDarca Audio here. You'll find a bit of info on resynthesis and some audio samples.

Update some more info on the Acxel:

"Don Garbutt writes: Freaky, obsure, expensive, unique, weighs a lot, robust construction (lots of VLSI chips inside). This machine is impossible to find, although I have one. Lucky me!!! Graphical interface is totally intuitive, and tell me if you know of any other machines that are resynthesis- based, as this is , if you care to use it in this fashion. Digital filter emulation (oscillator # filter) is unequaled.

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More on the Acxel Resynthesizer

A few more links via Chris Strellis.
mp3s
pics and info
Mov 1
Mov 2

And the Acxel Resynthesizer is featured in this DVD, also posted here back in September 2005.

Update via Doktor Future in the comments (also posted here):

"Check out Symbolic Sound's new Tau re-synthesis algorithm. It has a lot in common with the Acxel:

- Dedicated Hardware
- Real time waveform manipulation

Screenshots
MP3's

Tau sounds *way* better than their previous resynthesis algorithm (which is still in the software if you want to use it). I have been working Sound that uses this re-synthesis algorithm and their 'cross-filter' convolution algorithm at the same time. It's pretty wild. I big fan of Symbolic Sound."

Update. We killed Chris's bandwidth. Chris gave me the ok to move these to Twango. Here they are: