Bandmaster Ltd. Scotland, BMI Powerhouse 8 Track Tape Based Rhythm Machine

video upload by Audio Animals Studio

Note: this post started with the pics below spotted and sent in via M Me. This is the first post to feature one.

Video description:

"Download all audio recordings and VST of Bandmaster Powerhouse here : http://www.audioanimals.co.uk/shop/sa...

We originally purchased the Bandmaster Powerhouse in order to sample it and create a VST and wav sample pack. Now we have completed doing so we are looking to sell the unit as the VST we have created is essentially an identical emulation of the hardware. The tapes include the following recordings. If you are interested in purchasing the Bandmaster Powerhouse drum machine in physical for you can do so via our website here : http://www.audioanimals.co.uk/shop/st...

Tape 1 - Quickstep / Shuffle / Twist / Funky Beat
Tape 2 - Old Time Waltz / Jazz Waltz / 12/8 Rhythm / Modern Waltz
Tape 3 - Slow Foxtrot / Tango / Pasadoble / Bolero
Tape 4 - Samba / Mambo / Meringue / Calypso
Tape 5 - Rhumba / Cha-Cha / Bossa Nova / Beguine
Tape 6 - March / Polka / 6/8 Rhythm / Jig
Tape 7 - Motown Slowbeat / Latin Slowbeat
Tape 8 - Latin Rock / Rock Rhythm / Cuban Rock / Glitter Rock"

Controls:
4 Modes per tape
Balance
Mains On
Volume
Mute
Mon.
Comp.
Basic
Mode Tempo
Footswitch jack on back

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Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

I want to start by thanking everyone that comes to MATRIXSYNTH and helps make it what it is - the readers, the supporters, and of course all the sponsors on the right.

THANK YOU and have a GREAT 2015!!!

This site is a labor of love and a ton of work. This site is ultimately meant to be an testament to everything synth in the making. We have over nine years of daily synth history captured here, 119,983 published posts. I can't wait to see what the future brings us in 2015!

That said, here are a few interesting bits from 2014 in the longest post of the year. ;)

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Synthenoxe Part 1.0 - an Elka Synthex impression

YouTube Uploaded by wavebox2011 on Feb 27, 2011

"Just a quick impression of the Synthex synthesizer in the project studio. The fun-title "Synthenoxe" is a reminiscence of J.M. Jarre's early studio recordings like Oxygene and Equinoxe. His magnificent sound has inspired my noodling in this video, too.

All the sounds (except for the drums) have been recorded with the Synthex; including the ocean waves and animals in the intro. :-)

While experimenting around with the Synthex, I started recording some audio tracks to the DAW. And I ended up with well over 50 tracks and this demo-video. :-) This synthesizer is such an inspiring machine!

About the synthesizer:

The Synthex is clearly underrated! Maybe because it is not coming from one of the large synth plants in Japan or the U.S.A., but rather surprisingly from an organ manufacturer, the italian company Elka.
Despite this "lack of heritage" the Synthex has an amazing sound and deserves to be named alongside other classic power-synths such as the Jupiter-8 or the Prophet 5.

Sure, Jean-Michel Jarre based his famous laser harp sound on the Synthex - but it's by far not limited to that cliché.

I looked for an easy way to sync up the Synthex's internal sequencer to MIDI Clock. The most straightforward way was to hook up a Korg Electribe (ER-1 mkII) to MIDI and have a percussive instrument do the audio triggering of the Synthex. Simple, quite robust and even "programmable" to a certain degree.

Some Synthexes have no MIDI-interface (like the one in the video). But they all have one of the most intuitive sequencers I've come across in a classic synth: 4 independant monophonic sequences, easily and quickly recordable in step- or real-time-mode, syncable to an audio trigger.
And if you're a preset freak, you can even store your sequences along with your sounds as data beeping to a tape-recorder (or another recording device), thanks to the tape-interface. Old school high-tech. :-)

[ to the youngsters: "tapes", often used in the form of "cassettes", is an ancient technology for audio recording, quite popular before digital recording and youtube existed. yes, there was such a time, way way back, right after the dinos and the stone age. believe me, i was there. not with the dinos, but in the tape age. :-) ]

keep on sounding!"

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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