SY-4X Syncussion 1.0.2 Update Plug-In VS SY-1 Hardware - Raw Test 2

video upload by Aly James

https://www.alyjameslab.com/

"New test using 1.0.2 update (to be released this week). Matching as best as you can match 100% analog vintage hardware.

Change Log - v1.0.2
Fix - MIDI-learned parameter (if any) assignments are now correctly saved with the session.
Fix - MIDI Custom Map for channels 6, 7, and 8 are now properly assigned to custom drum notes.
Fix - Sweep Envelope now correctly updates EG2 decay time (corrected missing update from tuning to EG2).
Fix - Trigger velocity now correctly affects EG2 decay time.
corrected envelope calculation.
New Feature - Copy and Paste channel settings, allowing users to easily share settings between channels or copy/paste between presets.
Added - New parameter: VCF Poles 1:1 Ratio.
optional equal resistance for the filter's CV resistors, makes the Spread parameter even more interesting by bringing poles closer.
Added - New parameter: LFO Trigger Reset (resets LFO phase on trigger).
thanks to DSP this mod still keeps S&H unaffected.
Added - New parameter: EG Fast Attack.
bypasses envelope attack smoothing for a sharper, more "clicky" sound, adjust as needed. Set to "Hardware Reset" default.
Added - New parameter: Decay Sense.
an extra custom control to increase dynamic decay control, without this extra control there is still a slight decay change from trigger envelope but now you can increase it independently.
Tweak - Sweep Envelope now outputs a clipped voltage when set to extremely fast, simulating OPAMP driven close to supply rail more accurately.
Adds a noticeable short "tuned snap" at the beginning of an ultra fast sweep that was missing before.
Change - Hold reset value changed, also reflects when using "Hardware Reset".
-default EG2 response is now closer to hardware with that setting - a bit less curvy than previously set default value, tweak to taste.
Tweak - Minor GUI changes to accommodate for new LFO sync param and additional settings.
-Mode Trigger switch is now closer to the left-side Mode knob & CH8 Custom Mode A switch has been moved to the right. Set panel redesigned accordingly.
Tweak - Minor GUI changes: Some GUI sliders response change: Log taper instead of Linear.
I say some because for example, I have kept LFO sliders Linear because it's easier to control that way, the log response makes sense on some parameters and in case you were used to the hardware it will make the experience more familiar even though some parameters have extented range."

SY-4X SyncussionExtended Plug-In VS SY-1 Hardware - Matching OSC2

video upload by Aly James

"In this video I try to match SY-4X module number: 4 internal OSC2 tuning offset to match the hardware on hand. In case you would ever need to do this which is unlikely, due to the nature of the Syncussion circuit many differences can be heard between hardware units themselves.

On the Syncussion the OSC2 frequency offset is set from factory but also affected by preset resistors (depending on Mode setting), SY-4X gives you options to tweak all that :)"

SY-4X SyncussionExtended Plug-In VS SY-1 Hardware -Raw Test

video upload by Aly James

"Raw comparison while tinkering around with the OG Syncussion hardware, enough to hear that SY-4X is very close :) note that it is impossible to match settings as this 100% 70s analog circuit is drifting a lot and that a slight move on sliders can change voltage drastically, especially evident when FM is involved plus sometimes I forgot which one is which and tried to match the wrong one... ahahaha."

SY-4X Syncussion Extended - Direct Sound Recording

video upload by Aly James

"Direct Recording from my latest Aly James Lab plug-in the SY-4X : an extended supercharged virtual version of the mighty Pearl Syncussion Sy-1"

SY-4X Syncussion Extended VST Plug-in

video upload by Aly James

"Random noises using my latest Aly James Lab plug-in the SY-4X : an extended supercharged virtual version of the mighty Pearl Syncussion Sy-1"

See this previous post for details on SY-4X.

Aly James Lab SY-4X

via Aly James Lab

Meet SY-4X
SY-4X is not only a perfect re-creation of the SY-1's inner circuit, but it also offers significantly more options. These include four units in one, trigger-controlled 'mode scanning,' CMOS circuit 'defect' control to enhance harmonics beyond the original, real-time VCF integrator cap offset for dynamic pole movement, fine-tuning envelope response to match your playing style, and additional features like Drum Kit and Keyboard Modes.

4 Times the fun
SY-4X provides four Syncussion SY-1 modules in one neat package, with some modules featuring additional modifications like noise direct injection or a Custom Mode A. The four modules allow for creating an 8-voice drum kit, four mono synths (coupled voices = 4 oscillators per module), or a four-voice poly synth (4 x 4 oscillators). You can also mix modes, such as three modules in Drum Kit mode and one in mono synth mode (keyboard controlled). In any play mode, you have full control over every voice parameter—sky's the limit!"

CLICK FOR MORE »

VProm V 2.0 - Linn LM-1 Based Soft Synth by AJLAB aka Aly James Lab

VProm plug-in vs Hardware LM-1 video upload by Aly James

"Direct comparison* between Linn LM-1 direct output and VProm plug-in.
LM-1 recorded straight, VProm direct, no FX, no EQ, no dynamics."

VProm Linn LM-1 VST drum machine overview & tutorial

video upload by Tech Raven

"VProm, by Aly James Lab, VST plugin of the famous Linn LM-1 drum machine. In my opinion, Vprom is the last word on Linn LM-1 plugins, nothing compares, not even close."

via AJLAB

A legend never dies!
The VProm was originally based on THE killer drum machine in town back in the early 80s, this expensive drum computer was also the first to include real drum samples back in the days!

Early sample based drum machines used samples of acoustic drum sounds recorded on the fly through some basic hardware. The way they were recorded without any kind of anti-aliasing makes them cut better in a mix than anything available at the time, they sounded so great that they became an alternative to the analog drum sounds of that era. To this day, the unique sound of this vintage machine is highly regarded because only using samples of the analog output is not enough to reproduce the wide range of sound and character of this beast. One DAC(converter)and clock per voice and yummy filters! Yes it is a historical piece of gear that take a huge place in the 80s sound picture. Only around 500 of these things are out there so don't count on finding a working one easily and forget for cheap. It has been used by major acts like Prince, Phil Collins, Thompson Twins, Stevie Wonder, Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, John Carpenter, Todd Rundgren,The Art of Noise... The Machine was made by a musician for musicians and I tried to stick to that standard :) So as there were no accurate VST for that legend out there... I had to make the VProm!

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! IT MAKES THINGS HAPPEN, SUCH AS VProm ON WIN, MAC, x86 AND x64 Platforms!

VPROM accurately reproduces the internal circuitry and filtering of the first legendary Drum Machine but is also perfectly able to read and import original, custom or vintage EPROMs from other Drum Machines of that era, legendary 80s machines such as the Linndrum, DMX, DrumTraks etc.(.bin files that you can find on the net) An EPROM is an integrated circuit that was used to store short audio sample data in a compressed format. VPROM is the closest thing to the real deal - reading and decoding original EPROM data images in real time using the exact decode table from the AM6070 DAC at a variable sample rate. VPROM also allow experimenting with your own sample database. You can convert samples with external tools and load compatible ULaw companded images (see manual for more info).

I hope you enjoy making funky grooves with VPROM as much as I do!

Disclaimer: The original name of this VST, "VLinn", has been changed at the request of the Linn Electronics copyright holder, Roger Linn. It is now named "VPROM". Aly James Lab has no affiliation with Roger Linn and has not received any consent from Roger Linn. We do not claim to reproduce the sounds of Roger Linn s product but rather this product creates sounds inspired by Roger Linn s past products.

AJLAB's Introduces OB-Xtreme 2 - Virtual Oberheim OB-X/OB-Xa Soft Synth for PC & Mac

via AJLAB aka Aly James Lab

What happens when you take 8 mono synths and use them together? Huge analog sound! This sound is the result of slight imperfections between each voice card and, because of some electronic components (mis)behavior, parts from the orginal circuit (notably the OB-X) caused all sort of distortion happening at different stages from filter to VCA and also at the output stage, OB-Xtreme place a special attention to the later with an emphasis on "the Growl".

There is a lot to say about what V2 is, I can already say what it is not : a simple V1 cross-platform update. V2 is a full remake, while V1 was a simpler take on an OB voice card architecture, V2 is more closely related to original OB designs and specs (including features from OB-X, OB-Xa etc) it is not a direct V1 replacement, nevertheless it got a Legacy mode for Envelope Generators and Filter control so V1 sounds can be reproduced or made (more on that later).

V2 have higher specs in every part of the circuit, it comes as an upgrade gift to all V1 owners, V1 owners will get it for free or use a "give what you want" option.

Pre-Release main features
This pre release is the full functioning synth minus the v2 factory presets (only v1 bank + some extra are included until September) and LFO2 not active. This will be ready for final release in september 2022 which will come as a free 2.0.1 update for all owners of v2. Bare with me, trying to keep this summer release date as one man operation was THE WAR :) at least you can already design sounds and funk it up with some Brass Stabs, cutting leads, lush pads and screaming bass.

A complete list of OB-XTreme 2.0 features is provided below, in a nutshell OB-Xtreme can act as an 8 voice polyphonic, 8 voice unison mono or true (one voice) mono, a FAT mode engages the unison while also providing polyphonic unison, that means 8x8 voices power.
Most OB-X/OB-Xa functions are provided, including SAW, PULSE, TRI oscillators shapes and the peculiar SAW+PULSE which can produce an interesting +1 OCT harmonic depending on the pulse width setting.
the 2Pole filter is based on the OB-X and the 4Pole is based on the CEM3320 implementation, the 2pole has that classic SVF linear "singing" resonance accross the bandwidth while the 4pole will resonate less at lower cutoff values (a bit Moog like), a bandpass output is also provided in 2pole mode while 4pole have an optional volume loss compensation.

The Xtreme factor is the main control over the emulated OTA enduced distortion, one chip in particular the CA3080 was used a lot at different places in the circuit (although less and less over the OB synths evolution). OB-Xtreme gives some control over that, you can push them way beyond the original specs or stay at minimum for more traditional behavior, you can also bypass PRE or POST circuits for versatility. The PRE stage will act more on lower notes while the POST stage is linear across the range.

Another feature is the under the hood access so you can control the 8 voice cards voltages across the main parts. The cards variations are an important factor to mimic the analog character, while using a VCM (virtual component modeling) approach, I wanted something effective but not time consumming so I designed some pre-defined offsets and deviations that you can mix in or scatter accross all 8 voices.
You get five macro sliders: OSC (which doubles on the front panel as the "SPREAD") controlling OSC 1 and 2 tuning offsets, FILT filter envelopes offsets, AMP for amplitude envelope offsets, VCF for VCF deviation and PW for pulse width offsets. Additionaly you can toggle a realtime small random deviation per note or randomize and scatter deviations around. voltages offsets reflect on the GUI as positive or negative voltages (yellow/blue).
I removed a not so usefull temperature function that changed the EG timing to make room for individual card tuning (will be featured in September update) so we can have a ressembling chord mode.

5 Studiologic Sledge Demos by Adam Borseti

video uploads by Adam Borseti

Playlist:
1. Sledge Bank Update (some selections)

This was supposed to be a video, but my web cam died as I was recording it. Then, I ran into technical difficulties with windows movie maker, so I couldn't even add labels to the patches. Sorry. Anyway, this update is free for my existing customers, $30 for the whole set for my new customers. Write me for details at Synthestalker@gmail.com

2. Cosmic Shore - A Single Patch
3. DEVO - "Beautiful World" cover - All Sledge and V-Prom 2.0 for drums.
4. DEVO - "Time Out For Fun" (Instrumental Cover) - All Sledge - drums from Addictive Drums 2
5. Life On A Möbius Strip - Adam Borseti - Sledge, drums from the lovely Aly James Lab V-Prom 2.0.

Knight Rider - Recreation - (Friday Funk Jam)

video by Luke Million

"How cool were TV soundtracks in the 80's? - The theme from Knight Rider is one of my favourites. It was composed by Stu Phillips and today I'm having some fun with it 🎹📺⚔️

Gear used:
SCI Prophet 5 Rev 3.3, Moog Multimoog, Roland Jupiter 4, Roland SH2 & Moog Grandmother.
Drums - Vprom by Aly James Lab sequenced in Ableton"

Beverly Hills Cop Axel F cover performed on analog & digital synths by Baloran, Sequential, & Yamaha

Sean Christopher Evoking Emotion with Synthesizers

"You know I just HAD to do a cover of this classic synth awesomeness, "Axel F" by the legendary Harold Faltermeyer.

The Baloran the River analog synth was used for the very memorable intro lead line, and the Sequential Pro 3 analog synth was used for the iconic bass line. For the tracks Yamaha DX7 parts I used the FM section of the Yamaha Montage....which is essentially a super DX7. Finally, for the percussion I used Aly James Labs awesome LM-1 which faithfully IMO recreated the Linn Drum LM-2 pretty spot-on that was originally used in the track."

The Human League's "Don't You Want Me" on the Baloran The River synthesizer

Published on Mar 26, 2019 Sean Christopher Evoking Emotion with Synthesizers

Follow-up to Queen's Radio Ga Ga on the Baloran The River synthesizer

"This is a COVER of the instrumental version of The Human League's awesome piece, 'Don't You Want Me' that I have recreated on the incredible The River synthesizer by Baloran. The drums were created using Aly James awesome VPROM:"

VLinn VST version 2.0 Linn LM-1 Drum Machine with EPROM Import

Published on Jun 23, 2015 Aly James

"Version 2.0 of the Most accurate Linn LM-1 Drum Machine VST which now support Mac & Windows, native 32bit and 64bit format, VST2, VST3 & Audio Unit.
All the geeky details are into the freely available PDF Manual."

SAMPLIGHT 2X + VST (CMI IIX Emulation) quick preview

Published on Dec 15, 2018 Aly James

"Short preview of my upcoming SamPlight 2X+ VST which accurately model the whole Fairlight CMI IIX
The playing itself involves 16 Times oversampling and zero interpolation + analog circuit emulation.
All the quirks of the original are there, including some "JUSTIFY" glitches, loop points scanning artefacts etc..There were some refinement on the usability but do not expect a super fast modern workflow, I tried to kept it as close as can be for a reason!

What is currently done:

PAGE 2 - DISK CONTROL(done: load and save real original .VC files and attached .CO files, version 4.3 and 4.4 including MODE 1 params aka FFT, loading .IN aka Instruments files is in the works..)

PAGE 3 KEYBOARD CONTROL(almost done)

PAGE 4 HARMONIC ENVELOPES(done)

PAGE 5 WAVEFORM GENERATION(done but needs some additional GUI work)

PAGE 6 WAVEFORM DRAWING(done but needs some more work)

PAGE 7 CONTROL PARAMETERS(done)

PAGE 8 SOUND SAMPLING(done, include importing .WAV Files for resampling through the emulated circuitry)

PAGE D WAVEFORM DISPLAY(done, include some other views like POLAR view in addition to the iconics Fairlight ISO an LINEAR views)

PAGE F USER DEFINED FUNCTIONS(done but needs some GUI work)

Lot of things are added within the limitation of what the Fairlight could have done with some extra memory:

- FM Synthesis capabilities, including using waveform memory as a modulator.

- Spectrum Convolution (convolve between 2 spectrum)

- Spectrum Resynthesis manipulation(Harmonic Frequency bins offsets per Harmonic etc..)

- Two ways TimeStrech ( the CMI IIX allowed to increase the duration of the waveform memory only, now you can also reduce it)

More about it soon!"

http://www.alyjameslab.com

Dreadbox Erebus

Published on Oct 17, 2017 SyntheticMachines

"A five Part demo with the Dreadbox Erebus.
As usual multitrack recording + FX.

Intro: Dreadbox + Future Retro Transient Eurorack Drum module
Part 1: Erebus + TS 808 VSTi drums
Part 2: Erebus + Aly James Lab VSDS-X, Pad Roland JD 990, Chords Roland MKS 50
Part 3: Erebus + sample drums & Piano
Part 4: Erebus + Korg Volca Beats + Vocoder
Part 5: Erebus + Oberheim Matrix 1000"

Meet the little-known "Soundblaster" Keyboards

Published on Aug 1, 2015

A little history on the Soundblaster synth engine spotted and sent in via Soviet Space Child who notes:

"This chip is a relative of the Yamaha YM2612, which was used in the Sega Genesis, and is faithfully emulated in the following VST:"

SEGA GENESIS / MEGADRIVE VST FM SYNTH

Published on Apr 20, 2013 Aly James

"YM2612 OPN2 FM chip modeled. Check the real audio Demos! : http://soundcloud.com/alyjameslab
OUT NOW at http://www.alyjameslab.com more previews on my channel! donations start at 10 € only!.
Read the FULL MANUAL http://www.alyjameslab.com/wa_files/F...
FMDRIVE is a VST SYNTH based on the SEGA Genesis/Megadrive YM2612 FM sound chip.
It contains a ton of features that makes it easier to program than before and covers every unique particularity of the chip like:
PCM, SSG EG, Special & CSM mode, Optional Model 1 distortion (ladder effect) and even some circuit bending options...
You can import and export: .tfi presets, dumps from emulators and even some compatible HOOT dumped voices (PC88 and compatible X68000...)

Every registers are automatable in your DAW of choice via MIDI for awesome results and the output can be converted later into a .VGM file.
FMDRIVE is not simply an YM2612 emulator, it add many extended features and huge user friendly GUI! It is a fantastic synth suitable for chip music and SEGA nostalgic pleasure and also a powerful FM tool for modern music production. Check the manual and see by yourself!
Take your chance, even the legendary Yuzo Koshiro is using it :)
https://twitter.com/yuzokoshiro/statu...

You can design a vast range of sounds on top of 33000 instruments presets already extracted from Games ROMS.
MIDI control the real hardware with a special add on interface: The GENMDM designed by Little Scale.

For complete Megadrive sound emulation SPSG VST take cares of the PSG chip!"

JAM with OB-XTREME VSTi Oberheim OB-X Extended VA Synth

Published on Sep 28, 2014 Aly James

http://www.alyjameslab.com
https://soundcloud.com/alyjameslab/se...

Description for the first video in the playlist above. OB-XTREME is now available at http://www.alyjameslab.com.

"Quick demo of my upcoming OB-XTREME VSTi, it wasinspired by the legendary 8 voices design which has been played by many legends, OB-XTREME adds some extended features like 2 virtual analog saturation stages for a beffy sound, a fat mode and some other useful things you will find at the website :)

great for OB Brass sounds, Bass, Pads and cutting Leads. The saturation stages can also bring some really nasty sounding tones in conjunction with the filter...

I first made this VST for personal needs, sort of a quick simple OB synth with the bare minimum feature and added some extended options along the way :)

Then I decided that I could add it to my product line although it is not a straight emulation.

In this demo I have used my VLINN VST (Linn LM-1 Drum Machine) for the drums, OB-XREME VST for everything synth and recorded some electric guitar & bass.

There is also a few hits of real drums cymbals and toms."

VLINN 2.0 LINN LM-1 VST

Published on Jun 23, 2015 Aly James

http://www.alyjameslab.com

"vLinn 2.0 VST is actually 99% done and is now compatible with x86 x64 VST2 VST3 AU for Windows and OSX.
If you do not know about the vLinn VST (Legendary Linn LM-1 drum machine accurate emulation) check out the website :)

V2.0 also earned some new features and improvements like:
- Individual Panning
- Global tuning offset via MIDI PitchBend
- MIDI OUT (through)
- Exponential Velocity Curve (full mode only)
- ALL voices (12+1) are now replaceable by compatible imported EPROM images (original .bin files) no more need to set the size of the EPROM memory manually ( vLinn does it for you)
-The Additional Custom Voice can now be triggered from the GUI
- Overall GUI improvement"

via the Oli Larkin blog: "Recently I helped Aly James to bring his great VLinn Linn LM-1 emulation to Mac OSX (and Win x64). I rewrote the plug-in in C++, and in the process we added some cool new features."

VLinn and Jupiter 8V - Demo

Published on Nov 8, 2014 AnalogueStudio12

"A little demo of the Aly James VLinn and Arturia's Jupiter 8V."

OB-X Based VSTi OB-XTREME, OP-X & OBXD OSC & Filter TEST

Published on Oct 3, 2014 Aly James

"http://www.alyjameslab.com READ DESCRIPTION!

By popular demand...let's do a basic comparison of the OSC and FILTER sound of those OB-X based VSTis, as nobody seems to read products specs and details..

No insert, nothing on the master bus, just the VSTs, same settings.

I have been used all at some point and they are all good, I will quickly showcase what the differences are and why OP-X, OB-XD and OB-XTREME have each their nice peculiarities.

IMO:
OP-X PRO is really good for lush PADS because it features interesting modulations the other don't have.

OB-XD is free (which is a point :) ) and feature a really nice clarity and top end the OP-X can lack while sounding warmer.

OB-XTREME have a simpler 'hands on' approach with far less functions and features but it provides 2 analog saturation stages before and after the filter and a FAT mode which makes it growl in a way the others don't.
It also feature 8 separate outputs so you can have 1 channel per voice in your DAW if you want :)

Basically I needed to have the "essence of the OB Sound" not the full feature list, mainly that huge analog wall we all love.

That is why I made OB-XTREME in the first place, in you liked the OB-X you should have them all :)"

OB-XTREME VST (Virtual OB-X) Analog Saturation Stages

Published on Oct 2, 2014 Aly James

"http://www.alyjameslab.com HQ audio here: http://soundcloud.com/alyjameslab/ob-... [below]
Quick overview of the 2 virtual analog diode clipping stages, before and after the filter stage, which really bring the bite and warm character :)"