PATCH EXPERIMENT / exploring processing external sounds with DELAY 1

video upload by Joranalogue Audio Design

"Usually 'Karplus Strong' is used as a term for a certain type of synthesis, using ultra short delays to create string like resonators. I've found that when you just run a sound through a processor like that, it adds a wonderful gliss of resonating frequencies. I honestly don't know if this is just the same thing as phasing/flanging but it sounds interesting to me. DELAY 1 is a great tool for this as its short delay times lend itself really well to this type of Karplus Strong processing.

Check out the video if you want to watch a longwinded experiment on this subject.

I hope you find it inspiring.

Simon @briesmodular"

Ludvig Elblaus & Stelios Giannoulakis - EMS Synthi100 at CMRC/ΚΣΥΜΕ

video upload by Schema Musicalis

"Ludvig Elblaus and Stelios Giannoulakis playing the legendary EMS Synthi100 at CMRC/ΚΣΥΜΕ, Athens Conservatoire, 20 December 2023. Improvised performance during Ludvig's residency at ΚΣΥΜΕ. Stelios is using a circuit-bent toy piano as an additional audio and control source for the Synthi100.

https://www.ludvigelblaus.com
https://www.utrumque.com
https://memoromemoro.bandcamp.com

Both an artist and researcher, Ludvig works primarily with computational materials to create acoustic and electronic music, sound art, audiovisual installations, museum exhibits and also makes contributions to larger collaborative works in several traditions (e.g. opera, theatre, and dance). Elblaus holds his PhD in Sound and Music Computing 2018 from the NAVET Center for Art, Technology, and Design, at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology. His latest projects include commissions for the GRM Acousmonium, the Labor Sonor Festival, the Elevate Festival, and performances in Stockholm, Cairo, Vienna, Paris, Zurich and Graz. In 2022 he was composer in residence at the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics in Graz. In 2023 he is working in the Moving Loudspeakers Artistic Residency at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology at ZHdK. He also teaches at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

In addition to his solo work, he has been involved in several long-term collaborative projects. Some notable examples are the electro-acoustic improvisation ensemble The Schematics (with Erik Calälv, Katt Hernandez, and Daniel M. Karlsson), the networked music project End of Text (ETX) (with Luc Döbereiner), a musical composition collaboration with Rune Rebne, and the musical and artistic research duo Utrumque (with Gerhard Eckel)."

Bad Gear - Play Plus

video upload by AudioPilz

"Become a Patron and get access to music clips from the show, additional content, Bad Gear samples and even more AudioPilz madness

https://www.patreon.com/audiopilz

Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Polyend Play Plus. Is this updated version of the original Play groovebox and distant cousin to the Polyend Tracker worth the price of the hardware upgrade (which is $399). Is GearTube toxic AF??? Should you just keep the OG Play and add a few synths instead? Are early adopters of Play disappointed for a reason?

Thanks to Polyend for sending me a demo unit as a long term loan.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
00:47 Overview Play Plus
01:35 Chronology of the Controversy
02:53 Back to the Groovebox
03:01 Play Workflow, Pick and Place
03:20 Filter
03:30 Envelopes, FX
03:39 More Parameters
03:48 Sequencer, Microtiming, Ratches, Chance, Random
04:24 Pattern Length, Polymeters, Play Modes
04:43 Midi Tracks, Chords
05:01 Internal Synthesizers, Polyphony
05:23 Limitations of the Synths
05:41 UI, Knobs, Double Tap, Main Encoder
05:52 Master FX
06:00 Real Time Recording
06:15 Performance Mode
06:26 Pattern, Variation, Mute/Solo
06:33 What else???
06:50 Hate
07:11 Jam 1 (House Solo)
08:06 Jam 2 (DnB Setup)
09:05 Finale (Synth Showcase)
09:37 Verdict"

VIVALDI - Summer Part 2 on SIX Arp ODYSSEYS

video upload by Richard Payne

Part 1 here

"Summer Part 2 (side B?) is great. Lovely melody. Nice and slow. There's a musical term for that tempo. Al Dente I think.

Added a little more filth from the Odysseys here. There's a nice fuzzy / crackly sound you can get from sending white noise from the sample & hold section to the filter. I chucked some of that on and a bit more white noise on the noisey bits.

As before. I grabbed hold of the score, whittled it down into 6 tracks for the Odysseys and programmed the MIDI into Ableton. Well, 5 tracks really. The Odyssey FS on it's side is doing the Doof.

Ableton is spitting out MIDI to the six Odysseys here over USB and I'm fidgeting around with them and recording the audio back into Ableton. I added a bit of Reverb and EQ from Ableton and there you have it. Filmed on my iPhone.

Boom! So Part 3 is up next and that's a flippin' doozie! Giddyup!!"

Bad Gear - Tracker Mini

video upload by AudioPilz

"Become a Patron and get access to music clips from the show, additional content, Bad Gear samples and even more AudioPilz madness

https://www.patreon.com/audiopilz

Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Polyend Tracker Mini. Does this successor to the original Tracker and compact sampler, sequencer, groovebox and dawless centerpiece with its gameboy controls and compact form factor even make sense or is it another hipster toy with its field recording features? Is it the "Tracker Field" as Teenage Engineering might have called it?

Thanks to Polyend for sending me a demo unit as a long term loan.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:00 Overview Tracker Mini, Original Tracker vs. Mini
01:31 Built-in Microphone, Internal Battery, Stereo Sampling
01:46 Tracker Workflow #1
02:18 Sequencer Features
02:34 Tracker Workflow #2 (Step Jump, Fill, Scales, Euclidean, Random)
03:23 Synth Features (Filter, Overdrive, Bitcrush, Modulators)
03:44 Sample Playback Modes (Slicing, Wavetable, Granular)
04:08 FX (Reverb, Delay, Master Bus FX)
04:22 Mixer, Performance Mode
04:35 Non-realtime FX (Sample Editor)
04:44 Instruments
04:50 Micro SD Card, Loading Times, Additional Features
05:02 Playing Nintendo NES Games
05:12 What else??? (Connectivitiy, Build Quality, Pricing)
05:34 Hate
05:58 Jam 1 (Walk in the Forest)
06:49 Jam 2 (Bedroom Studio Setup)
07:46 Finale (Foley Artist Techno)
08:16 Verdict"

Bad Gear - 1010music nanobox Fireball

video upload by AudioPilz

"Become a Patron and get access to music clips from the show, additional content, Bad Gear samples and even more AudioPilz madness

https://www.patreon.com/audiopilz

Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the 1010music nanobox Fireball wavetable synthesizer. Is this ultra-compact digital synthesizer just another lifestyle accessory or can it keep up with its big software counterparts like Serum VST? Is it a better choice than its granular (nanobox lemondrop) and FM drum machine siblings (nanobox razzmatazz). Is it too smol to be a performance synth???

Thanks to Tomeso for sending me this nanobox as a long term loan:
https://www.tomeso.de/

Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:04 Overview Nanobox Fireball, Knobs, Touchscreen
01:59 Wavetable Oscillators
02:28 "Normal" Oscillator, PWM, Unison, Visualization
02:46 Envelopes, LFOs, Modulation Sequencer
03:05 Filter Section
03:16 FX Section (Modulation FX, Reverb, Delay, Compressor)
03:31 Card Reader (MicroSD), Wavetable Import, Recording
03:45 Performance Features (Grid Keyboard, X-Y Pad)
04:16 Presets
04:55 Limitations, Pricing, Thanks
05:25 Hate
05:48 Jam 1 (Drum'n'Bass)
06:42 Jam 2 (Electro)
07:39 Finale (Techno)
08:09 Verdict"

Synclavier Digital's Regen Gets Wider Release

video upload by Synclavier Digital

Regen Tutorials


Regen Quickies


You can find additional posts featuring demos of the Regen here.

Press Release follows:

"Synclavier Digital releases regenerated Synclavier® II trailblazer as timeless Regen desktop synthesizer bolstered by present-day DSP developments

NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: soft-launched late last year to widespread critical acclaim at the Synthplex® synthesizer expo and electronic music festival hosted at the Marriott Convention Center in Burbank, CA, USA with pre-orders opening for fulfilment in 2023, timeless synthesis product manufacturer Synclavier Digital is proud to announce wider availability of Regen — released as a desktop synthesizer that is, in short, a real regeneration of New England Digital’s seminal Synclavier® II digital synthesizer that took the pro audio industry by storm when introduced in its initial incarnation in 1980 (evolving beyond that to blaze more technological trails with polyphonic sampling and, ultimately, DAW — Digital Audio Workstation — capabilities well before that term was invented, even), extended and enhanced to take advantage of the increased computing power available today to make it as compelling in a modern setting as the prohibitively pricey original did during its time (finding favour with top-tier film composers, record producers, and recording artists), while the considerable cost and size reductions associated with Regen’s present-day design criteria conversely position it well within reach of (almost) anyone — as of June 29…

CLICK FOR MORE »

YAMAHA CS60 - COMPILATION VIDEO

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"The Italian term to describe this synth would be blasonato:
Someone so noble they have a their own coat of arms.

we give you the Yamaha CS60 :
45 kilos of heavy duty Japanese build quality.
We just couldn't pass this one on although it's not typically the machine of our choice it sounds incredible.
Put on your headphones and you'll get it.
The range of sounds you get out of this synth seems frankly endless and the general interaction with an important instrument always makes us want to sell all our other machines and just keep this one instead.
We have to think about this - meanwhile it's going to a Yamaha CS-series specialised repair man for a new ribbon control and a general calibration since it's never been tuned or serviced in its 45 year old life - also kind of incredible - the build-quality is insane.
We got two drummers in this video: first songs are backed up by the elusive CRB Computer Drums (the drum section from the Computer Band 2000) and the second half of the video the rhythm unit is the EKO Ritmo 20.
Both machines have individual sound options - mute switches on the Computer Drums and volumes on the EKO Ritmo 20.

More videos with these two will go up soon so subscribe if this is your thing and follow us on Instagram for first dibs vintage gear sales and much more."

Synthstrom Audible Deluge Goes Open Source

Details follow. Video of an editor created for the Deluge below.

"TLDR: We're going open-source from June 5th.

Since launching our beloved Deluge, we’ve added a ton of functionality, made it more versatile and packed it full of ground-breaking features. Our arranger, looper, advanced sequencing and MPE implementation are still industry leading.

At Synthstrom, we’re devoted to sustainability and want our Deluge to continue being the centre of our users' musical excursions for many years to come. Late last year we started retrofitting older Deluge variations with the OLED screen featuring in our new units. The next step we're taking has been even longer in development - waiting until we knew we had a community full of talented coders who were as passionate about the Deluge as we are. We know now the time is right - it’s time to take software development into overdrive - we’re going open-source!

What is open-source? Open-source means we're opening our software code to the community; our users who know how to write code can now develop their own Deluge features, make refinements to the existing code and contribute to a Community version for all users.

Before the speculation even starts, this isn't us working on a new model, there are currently no plans for that. We've employed a team to manage the open-source project so we can focus our energies into ramping up the building of new OLED Deluges to meet demand, speeding up the retrofitting and refurbishing off older units, and just maybe, finally getting the Deluge into limited retail - though don't hold your breath on that last part :)

Synthstrom will continue to maintain and update the main “Official” repository, including all official Deluge Firmware releases going forward.

Alongside there will also be a “Community” repository (for both the OLED & non-OLED versions), forked from the Official repository, as a central place for community code contributions to be merged together, so long as they don’t appear to break anything and represent complete features ready for use. And of course all future updates to the Official branch can be merged in, too.

And of course, you can fork either branch and make your own changes and share these with others, irrespective of what’s happening in the Official or Community repository.

Installing Community or other firmware builds is 100% compatible with your Deluge's hardware warranty. However, if you use a non-official community build, we won't be able to provide software support.

Our open-source project manager will initially oversee and maintain the Community repository, though this will probably change in the longer term, particularly if or when open-source development branches in multiple different directions. We’ve created thorough documentation and Rohan will also be on hand at the launch, to offer guidance and assistance to those getting involved - including open video Q&A sessions.

Rohan has always been eager to give back to the global community of makers and tinkerers that helped him as a beginner, we just had to make sure the time was right, we had the right people involved and that we had a system that aided those taking part.

We’re also launching a Patreon to help support those contributing to the 'Community' repository. This will allow the entire community to show their gratitude to those developing, testing and refining code by making a monthly financial contribution, from just $1. Though administered by Synthstrom, 100% of these payments (less Patreon fees and tax) will be distributed only amongst those coders contributing to the Community repository - distributed in accordance with how much each individual contributed.

We have re-opened the epic feature suggestion threads on our forums where coders can find ideas to work on and where users can discuss their desired features: https://forums.synthstrom.com/categories/deluge-suggestions

In special cases, the Official repository may consider submissions from the Community repository*, where features and their UI have proven universal appeal. However, Synthstrom needs to continue to provide our customers with a stable and high-performance official firmware version, so we need to be responsible for every line of code in this branch.

Deluge Firmware will be released under the GPLv3 license. There are no restrictions on personal use and this license allows for code to also be used in commercial projects - however, if even one line of code from this is used in a commercial project, the entire piece of code for that project must also be made open-source under this same license.

The newly open source Deluge Firmware source code will live in GitHub. We will be launching this project in June though you can follow our GitHub now and be alerted when it's live. https://github.com/SynthstromAudible

* If a Community feature is to be accepted into the official repository this will be negotiated and licensed on a case by case basis with its developer(s)

Key dates & details:

Monday, June 5, 7pm EDT - Codebase made available, documentation released and Patreon launched.

Wednesday, June 7, 7pm EDT - Open Group video Q&A session with Rohan. Will be recorded and made available on GitHub following.

Saturday, June 10, 11am, CEST - Open Group Zoom session with Rohan. Will be recorded and made available on the GitHub following.

Following these Q&A sessions. Rohan and/or our Open Source team will be responsive in answering questions on the GitHub. Please try not to flood forums with questions until after these sessions as we anticipate much will be answered therein.

Open-source Project Manager: Jamie Fenton

An experienced games, audio and multimedia production tool engineer, Jamie Fenton is known in the Deluge community for developing the Downrush application. Downrush is used for transferring, viewing and editing of Deluge songs, patches, and media assets using a Wi-Fi SD card and your mobile device."

Deluge Downrush demo - Wireless editor/browser for the Synthstrom Deluge

video upload by Icoustik

"Detailed demonstration of the Downrush editor/browser for the Synthstrom Deluge, by Jamie Fenton.

Downrush download: https://github.com/jamiefaye/downrush
About the Synthstrom Deluge: https://synthstrom.com/

Downrush works via the Toshiba FlashAir SD card, which has built-in WiFi, and allows wireless browsing/ uploading/ downloading.

With this it's possible to access the card without removing it from the Deluge, by connecting to it just like you'd connect to any wifi network, and simply opening it in a web browser (I've used firefox, ecosia and chrome). This means it's also possible to do it with a smartphone or other device with wifi-access!

"Downrush is a simple FlashAir file manager for Synthstrom Deluge. Expect improvements."

---- Things it can do that I've found really useful:

* Browse, upload and download files without removing the card!

* Move and delete files to keep things more organized - f.ex. get rid of failed/ useless samples, unwanted songs etc.

* Rename samples and resamples as soon as you make them and before putting them into a project and saving!
Especially handy with a smartphone when in the zone with the Deluge.

(It's almost like an external screen, just not 100% real-time.)

* XML editing (it has a built-in editor now) - get an overview of KITS/SYNTHS/SONGS, copy tracks between songs (!), copy and multiply kit sounds without having to make the same adjustments from scratch several times, and other such things not currently possible directly on the Deluge.

* Ability to use Downrush on a smartphone/pad as a kind of preview/cue-out with headphones, to preview samples etc. without it coming thru the main outs

Creds to Jamie Fenton !

EDIT:
The browser has now been updated so that when clicking on a kit, song or synth's name, it opens the Downrush main editor (not XML view). Click EDIT to get to the plain text XML viewer."

Meet the Telmatronics Groovetube Tube Based Prototype Plasma Synthesizer

video uploads by Telmatronics

via Telmatronics Kickstarter

Make crazy sounds with fluorescent tubes, that you can control with a magnet

A project to create a plasma instrument About a year ago, we discovered a lot of fun could be had with a fluorescent tube and a magnet... Lit fluorescent tubes are filled with plasma - a low pressure electrified gas that can make oscillations at audible frequencies. With suitable control over the plasma in the tube, we found this instability could sound amazing... and could also be controlled with a magnet! (It is worth listening to the video with headphones, to hear details of the sound).

Playing with sound created in a glowing tube is tactile, surprising and absorbing, and we decided to develop a new kind of electronic instrument.

We are releasing this first-generation machine for people to try out a new way to make noise. It is a sort of proto-instrument - an experimental machine to be experimented with!

Having machines out in the world will help explore what is possible, as there is a lot of unexplored territory here - we don't have much audio equipment, and have tried a dozen or so tubes. By making these machines available now, we hope to not only fund further development but also let collective experimentation inform its direction.

There are pros and cons to using commercial tubes for this. The sound from different fluorescent tubes can vary considerably, so trying out a new tube is an inexpensive bit of fun. It is currently possible to find various types of suitable (T5, 9"/ 225 mm, 6 W) tubes potentially available, new and old stock. On the downside, these tubes are being phased out in the very near future (about 18 months in the UK), and they will become increasingly scarce as production declines - bad timing to find a new use for them! We will keep testing different tubes however, and secure adequate supplies of some good ones before they disappear. In the longer term our objective is to produce custom tubes, which will require further research and development.

We are offering this first on Kickstarter, as a good way to generate awareness of what we are doing and to generate funds to get the project going properly.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Physical Synthesis Cicada Acoustic Vibration Synthesizer & Nymph Eurorack Module Update

video upload by Physical Synthesis



You might remember the Physical Synthesis Cicada - Acoustic Vibration Synthesizer posted back in April of 2021 - you'll find a playlist of demos there. The initial run was sold out. They are now teaming with USA-based distributor Electro Distro on a new run of Cicadas as well as a Nymph eurorack module.

The press release follows:

NEW YORK, NY, USA: having sold out of its initial production run, unique products-producing hardware startup Physical Synthesis is proud to announce that it is working with San Clemente, CA, USA-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers (https://www.electro-distro.com/dealers) to bring its game-changing Cicada — an ‘acoustic synthesizer’ that transforms electronic signals into physical vibrations that can be fully manipulated before being reconverted back into a new, never-heard-before electronic sound — to a wider audience in advance of Nymph, its upcoming Eurorack module…

It is fair to say that every once in a while, a moment comes along whereby human interaction with sound changes completely. Cicada is effectively one of those moments — one of those new instruments that moves the needle in music technology. Indeed, it is pioneered by unique products-producing hardware startup Physical Synthesis as an ‘acoustic synthesizer’ that transforms electronic signals into physical vibrations that can be fully manipulated before being reconverted back into a new, never-heard-before electronic sound. Says company founder Spencer Topel: “Cicada was the first step in introducing physical synthesis methods to the synth community; it is an award-winning interface that really lets musicians explore microscopic sounds with precise control.” Clearly, Cicada made musical waves when winning the Judge’s Special Award at the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition 2022, hosted by Georgia Tech School of Music — one of the few schools in North America that offers Music Technology as a major in undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D levels of study — as an annual event dedicated to identifying the newest and greatest ideas in music.

Musical waves notwithstanding, ‘noise' is a subjective term; while electromechanical devices like speakers or headphones try to minimise the distortion inevitably introduced in physical systems, Cicada is designed to precisely exploit these distortion products as the basis of a new kind of synthesis. Cicada converts voltages to vibrations in a mechanical oscillator to create intermodulation — the addition of frequency content in a nonlinear system — in place of typical analogue or digital oscillators. By bringing the signal chain into a physical space, Cicada allows users to shape such content with natural, tactile gestures that truly transcend twiddling with a knob or pushing a slider. “As a violinist and composer, my experience of creating sound is highly physical,” proclaims Spencer Topel, adding: “With Cicada, I wanted to make an instrument that connects these elements, allowing musicians to produce complex, compelling sounds, but through tactile interaction.”

Insofar as actually doing what it does, Cicada receives two Eurorack-level signals that drive oscillation in a cantilevered Bridge positioned atop a Soundboard at an adjustable height. Digging deeper, distortion caused by the Bridge-Soundboard interaction adds frequency content to the input, determined by the specific qualities of the system. Self-explanatory Polycarbonate Soundboard, Foam Soundboard — made of EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate) foam, and Wood Soundboard — made of Birdseye maple — options each provide a range of resonating/filtering properties that combine uniquely with the likes of the Coral Wing Bridge — tip made of solid oak (resulting in a bright, clear tone), Coral Dual Tip Wing Bridge — tip made of premium rubber (allowing for a hard, precise attack with a balanced low-end), and Grey Wing Bridge — tip made of soft neoprene foam (resulting in a mellow, balanced acoustic effect); each pairing opens up a portal to a distinct sonic universe.

Users can dynamically change the system (and, therefore, how it is transforming signals) by adjusting the Bridge height, changing the region and degree of contact between Bridge and Soundboard, or applying pressure to either — effecting real-time, tactile timbral control, in other words. With that being said, premium vibration damping materials, such as Delrin, and custom circuitry minimise unwanted noise, allowing the intermodulation products to shine, while the output, captured by a pickup microphone positioned beneath the Soundboard, can be monitored directly, processed modularly, or recorded into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).

With behaviours akin to those exhibited by a traditional acoustic instrument, Cicada is highly responsive to differences in the excitation mechanism — the input signal, in other words. As an example, striking a snare drum with a stick or using it with brushes produce vastly different-sounding results; driving Cicada with quiet or loud, spectrally simple or complex, or bass- or treble-heavy signals similarly yield very different timbres.

Though Cicada is designed to work with a Eurorack setup out of the box, one of its strengths lies in its inherent flexibility. Indeed, it can just as easily receive signals from a DAW, boosted to the appropriate 5-10Vpp level via an outboard mixer. Moreover, the choice of input is completely left open to the user: an Ableton Live loop run through Cicada acting as a physical filter to provide timbral variety over time, for example; an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) from a Eurorack module, generating rich percussive tones on the maple Soundboard as the foundation of a beat; or a harmonically dense signal — similar to the output of a Max/MSP FM patch (which many would, without doubt, prefer to navigate physically rather than digitally) — made by moving the Bridge around the Soundboard to amplify certain harmonics and suppress others, finding a grittier sound with the Bridge barely touching or coaxing a more ethereal tone with it centred and depressed.

Endless exploration possibilities are a given, guaranteeing that any sonically-ambitious Cicada user is likely to while away the hours playing with input signals, system configurations, gestures, modulation combinations, and more.

It is hardly surprising, then, that Physical Synthesis sold out of its initial Cicada production run, really hitting a home run by counting luminaries like renowned electronic music composer and performer Hainbach — citing Cicada as being “The Tesla of electro-acoustic workstations, miles ahead of standard piezo and solenoid boxes...” — and Ableton CEO Gerhard Behles amongst its fan base, and has now turned to working with US-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers to bring its game-changing ‘acoustic synthesizer’ to a wider audience. “I want to bring acoustic synthesis to a wider range of musicians,” maintains Spencer Topel, before ending on a high note: “We are building some really exciting expansions of Cicada to different formats, including a Eurorack module called Nymph, which is coming soon.”

Physical Synthesis’ ‘acoustic synthesizer’ is now available as Cicada Founders Edition Extended — encompassing two dual AMPs, one PRE, one Actuator, five Bridges, three Soundboards, three Meanwell power supplies, three custom SATA Cables, and one custom Nanuk 935 Flight Case — for $2,700.00 USD or as Cicada Pro Series individual modules — starting at $79.00 USD — via San Clemente, CA, USA-based distributor Electro Distro’s growing global network of dealers (https://www.electro-distro.com/dealers) or directly from Physical Synthesis’ online Shop (https://shop.physical-synthesis.com).

For more in-depth information, please visit the dedicated Cicada webpage here: https://www.physical-synthesis.com

ReSynthesizer (Autonomous Synthesizer Installation at MIT's PSFC, Spring/Summer 2018)

video upload by ParadisoModular

"In December of 2017, as part of the 50’th anniversary celebration for MIT’s CAVS (Center for Advanced Visual Studies), I was invited to install my large, custom built-and-designed modular synthesizer system into the experimental hall where Alcator C-Mod was residing, MIT’s most recent tokamak reactor used in plasma fusion research. Known as being a pioneering melting pot for art and technology during the 60s, 70s and 80s, the CAVS was a place where scientific fields like physics would commune with performance and music. Modular synthesizers, as used there by early adopters like Paul Earls, were part of the Center’s original vernacular, and after many decades they are being enthusiastically re-discovered, re-embraced, and in many way re-invented by the current young generation of electronic musicians. Such reflected synergy into the present led to my invitation (as well as this installation’s name), as did the match between the aesthetic and technical grandeur of a large heavily-patched modular synthesizer and the huge mélange of custom, elegantly-kludged electro-mechanical systems that surrounded the tokamak. Similarly, the researchers’ quest to manage the chaotic nature of an energetic plasma (as expressed inside the tokamak’s torus during the peak of plasma confinement) resonated with my efforts to ‘sculpt’ my autonomous and likewise chaotic huge synthesizer patch into a definable aesthetic.

As I have my PhD in high-energy physics (having worked at CERN at various times between the late 70s and early 90s) in addition to having designed, built, and used electronic music systems of various sorts over the last 45 years, I was anticipating having access to actual Alcator data and using it in the patch that I would compose when the installation would go live in late March of 2018. My plasma physics colleagues resonated with this idea, and I was provided with several waveforms coming from various sensors on the tokamak acquired during its record-breaking run from a few years ago, when Alcator C-Mod had attained the largest recorded plasma pressure. Listening to this data as audio, I was immediately transfixed. This didn’t sound like bland digital noise, but instead felt alive – some strange kind of muted rattlesnake here, burbling life forms on a weird water planet there, perhaps other samples evoked the barely scrutable control room of an alien spaceship. These sounds, played at various rates and filtered into audible bands, were strongly otherworldly. This dictated the flavor that I’d strive for in my patched composition. Accordingly, I loaded banks of Alcator’s waveforms into an array of Eurorack samplers that I could control from processes running in my synthesizer. While most of these signals were used as direct audio, some were adopted for modulation envelopes and slow control – the tokamak cycle exhibited a variably noisy build-and-release structure as the magnetic fields were ramped up to concentrate the plasma before it went terminally unstable, which worked well here.

My patch evolved considerably during the installation, which ran from late April through late August of 2018. I worked on it weekly, and it achieved its ultimate balance between form and complexity by the beginning of July. At the end, I used every patch cord that I owned (on the order of 700) and nearly all modules in the synth, in addition to an assortment of outboard effects and commercial Eurorack modules that I coaxed to work with my system. Towards the end, when I was starting to run out of cords and hardware capacity, I resorted to kludging in simple wires and electrical components hanging in the air between modules to attain effects and sounds that I still wanted but didn’t have the modules available to make. This was the most extensive and ambitious synthesizer patch that I’ve yet composed – it pushed me to extremes of being simultaneously a composer, synthesizer musician, engineer, and scientist. Having designed, built or custom-modified nearly everything in my setup creates a special rapport for me that goes deeper than interaction with commercial synthesizer equipment – my system has its own unique capabilities and quirks that reflect my personal audio nuances and what I want to achieve with them.

At various stages during the 4-month run of this installation, I digitally recorded the patch’s stereo mix – in all, I have archived probably on the order of 60 hours of audio. The excerpts provided in this video all came from different sections of this long set of recordings. Aside from cross-fading between different excerpts, there was no manual intervention or overdubbing in these clips – the sound was made entirely from the patch running on its own after I set it on its way, with updates and augmentations I made every week or two based on ideas I got while listening to it stream online. The video also features a brief example of some of the raw plasma data sounds that I used."

And in the studio:

Synth Patch For Chaos Unit, Sitar Pedal, and NightSky'ed Keyboard (August 2021)

video upload by ParadisoModular

"In the summer of 2021, I put in a synth patch to test out my newly-arrived Sitar Pedal as well commemorate the tweaking/repair of my voltage-controlled chaos module. This was a very simple patch compared to my usual - nothing too deep or thought out, and the master sequence is a bit shallow - but it has its vibe. Plus, at 2:30 in, I added a keyboard line over what the patch was doing. This was all live - the synth patch ran autonomously and I just recorded as I played - no preparation, overdubbing, or refinement here - hence it's raw and not even close to what I'd term finished or a 'demo' - but I kinda like its intrinsic 'hopeful' feel.

The basic sequence is running through the sitar pedal, which locks on fine (it can separate the drone sounds and re-synthesized lead into separate channels). I'm running a fixed tone also through my chaos generator, which I move in a complex way into and out of stability - it locks onto subharmonics or devolves totally/partially into noise as it sweeps. This sound goes through several signal processing paths that periodically fade in, involving filters, unstable phase-locked loops, and a Boss guitar synthesizer pedal (which does wonderfully noisy gyrations as it tries to lock onto the chaos signal between stable moments).

At that time, as opposed to collecting Eurorack modules, I was slowly accumulating and modifying pedals - pedals are all about modifying an input sound in interesting ways, and which generally appeals to me (I hack them, of course, to accept voltage control in different ways).

The only keyboard sound here (aside from one chord and arpeggio at the end) is from the little cheezebox Casio 'toy' that the Minskys gave me at a Media Lab event some years ago - I abandoned my more sophisticated synths for this one in this piece, as it fits easily on your lap (that's how I played it in the excerpt here) and it sounds amazing if you feed it through one of the new complex reverb/echo/delay pedals like the NightSky or Micropitch (those pedals can put any sound into an evocative space).

The video is indeed of this patch and me playing atop it (shot while I was holding the phone in my other hand), but it's not the live segment that you hear in the piece, so pardon if things don't line up entirely, but you get the vibe.

OK - I figured I'd let this one get a bit of air in case it hits some resonance... It radiates a bit of melancholic positivity, which is something we all relate to these days."

ARP 2600 Ring Modulator Demo

video upload by O.Z. Hall

"This demo just scratches the surface of what you can do with a "Ring Modulator" (aka Balanced Modulator, aka 4 Quadrant multiplier).

Here is some technical detail ...
The term quadrant used below refers to cartesian coordinates ( e.g. x/y graph with 4 quadrants ).

Regarding two quadrant multipliers (e.g. VCA) versus four quadrant multipliers (e.g. Ring Modulator).
Here's a short definition;
A two quadrant multiplier will multiply two signals together
one (bipolar) input (the carrier) (e.g. VCA signal input - audio or a DC voltage - e.g. +/-5v )
another (unipolar ) input (the modulator) (e.g. a level control input, e.g. an envelope 0-5v ) .
A 4 quadrant multiplier will multiply two signals, both of which are bipolar.

The both multipliers create "sidebands", whose frequencies are the sum and difference of the two inputs. E.G. 100 Hz (carrier) and 25 Hz (modulator). The sideband frequencies are the sum (100+25 = 125 Hz) and the difference (100 - 25 = 75 Hz) .

A 2 quadrant multiplier is an unbalanced modulator while 4 quadrant multiplier is "balanced". This means that.
The VCA (unbalanced) would output the carrier and the sideband frequencies (100 Hz, 125 Hz, 75 Hz).
A ring modulator (balanced) outputs only the sideband frequencies (the carrier is suppressed)."

Ian Helliwell's Tone Generation

[Note: I'm not seeing how to skip episodes in the player above aside from sliding the progress bar to the end to get to the next one.]

You might remember Ian Helliwell mentioned in previous posts on the site here, including his book Tape Leaders. Atomic Shadow wrote in to let us know about his 34-part history of electronic music titled Tone Generation [player above/episode list below], as well has his work on SoundCloud.

The following is a short blurb from his website, http://www.ianhelliwell.co.uk:

"Leaving school and full time education aged 16 armed with six O-levels, Ian is a self-taught and self-funded multi-media artist, working in music, film, animation, analogue electronics, instrument building, collage, installations, live performance, light show projection, graphic design, writing and film programming.

Ian coined the term ‘creative soldering’ to best define his ‘intuitive electronics’ approach, and since the 1990s he has designed and built a unique range of electronic tone generating machines – Hellitrons and Hellisizers – which he uses to realise his compositions."

"The Tone Generation is Ian's audio series looking at the early period of electronic music history, focussing on experimental tracks mostly drawn from his CD and record collection.

TG 34 - Louis & Bebe Barron
TG 33 - Cybernetic Serendipity
TG 32 - Electronics in Space
TG 31 - Synthetic Sound
TG 30 - Beaver & Krause
TG 29 - Electronics in Rock 2
TG 28 - Electronics in Rock 1
TG 27 - Edinburgh Festival Concert 1961
TG 26 - Electronic Odyssey 1967
TG 25 - QEH Concert 1968
TG 24 - Analogue Synthesizers
TG 23 - Electronics for Feature Films
TG 22 - Moog
TG 21 - Buchla
TG 20 - Electronics and Voice
TG 19 - Women in Electronics
TG 18 - Computer Music
TG 17 - EMS
TG 16 - Electronics for Expos
TG 15 - Electronic Music Authors
TG 14 - Electronics for Dance
TG 13 - Electronics in Jazz
TG 12 - The RCA Synthesizer
TG 11 - Expo 58
TG 10 - EM Worldwide
TG 9 - Canada
TG 8 - USA
TG 7 - Soviet Union & E. Bloc
TG 6 - Scandanavia
TG 5 - Holland & Belgium
TG 4 - Italy
TG 3 - Germany
TG 2 - France
TG 1 ..."

Bad Gear - Polyend Tracker

video upload by AudioPilz

00:00 Intro tune
01:31 Trackers in general
02:31 Overview
05:58 Hate
06:22 Jam 1
07:12 Jam 2
08:19 Finale
08:50 Verdict

"Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Polyend Tracker. Is this hardware take on the ancient software-based music production technique yet another hipster toy???

Thanks to Polyend for sending me a Tracker as a long term loan."

AudioPilz Bad Gear posts

The Gmebaphone Concept and the Cybernéphone Instrument

This one is in via Asbjørn Blokkum Flø. "Here is an interesting synth produced in various forms from 1973-2001. It was produced in various analogue and digital forms. If you do a Google image search for 'Gmebaphone' you will see a few different versions. The music of Christian Clozier and Françoise Barrière probably includes the instrument. I tried the instrument at the Bourges festival in 2004, and it was quirky but fascinating."

via https://ur.booksc.eu/book/43779232/b24219

"The Gmebaphone is an instrumentarium consisting of amplifiers, sound-treatment systems, loudspeakers, a console, and a processing system designed and built for live diffusion and performance. The specifications for the instrument were dictated by musical criteria. The musical interpretation of a work is based on analysis of the work and on analysis of its physical signals. Thus, the instrument is able to provide a pertinent acoustic rendering of a work’s sonic complexities (in terms of timbre, time, and space) directly under the performer’s control, thereby allowing transparent and expressive interpretations. The Gmebaphone is a processor/simulator of sonic electroacoustic space, as well as a polyphonic acoustic synthesizer of musical spaces. It is an instrument comprised of the hierarchical combination of a control system with memory, tablatures, and combinatory modes of play that give rise to a rich and workable system of interpretation and expression."

Also see https://collectionsdumusee.philharmoniedeparis.fr/

Image below with an E-Mu Modular in the back ground, and EMS Putney on the left via here.  Not sure what the black system on the farl left is.  If you know feel free to leave a comment. Also if you know if any demos of the Gmebaphone let us know!

P.S. The design reminds me of various equipment featured in synth rorschach posts.

See the exclusive label for more of the rare of the rare in the synth world.

Update: additonal info in via Asbjørn Blokkum Flø:

I've looked further into the Gmebaphone.

It basically looks like a system for live surround sound for electronic music, or as it is called "diffusion" of electroacoustic music. The surround setups could be very complex with up to 50 loudspeakers of various shapes and placements, a bit like the Acousmonium (GRM 1974-) [link]

The term 'acoustic' is used several times in the article. This seems to describe how loudspeakers interacts with the acoustics of the space, and not acoustic sound sources in the traditional meaning the word.

Being built as a custom instrument for live performance of electronic music, it is more of a musical and compositional tool than a conventional analogue or digital mixer.

It evolved over the years, but the latest model seemed to have a 76 channel mixer with 8 inputs and 16 outputs, with the possibility of digital treatments (phasing, delay, reverberation, and detuning).

From the article:
'The console has a total number of 76 channels of diffusion (36 are touch-controlled and 40 are digitally controlled via the screens) spread over 16 master outputs and eight master inputs. [..] Pull-down menus control digital treatments (phasing, delay, reverberation, and detuning).'

The article describes 6 different models (with photos):
Gmebaphone 1 (1973)
Gmebaphone 2 (1975) - 6 inputs, 2 "networks" (outputs?).
Gmebaphone 3 (1979) - 8 inputs, 22 outputs. Manual analogue control as well as digital computer control.
Gmebaphone 4 (1983) - Digital playback of soundfiles. Digital treatments (phasing, delay, and timbre).
Gmebaphone 5 (1992) - sequencing, graphical interface, automation.
Gmebaphone 6 - (renamed Cybernéphone) (1997) - 8 inputs, 16 outputs, 50 loudspeakers. Possible to save files to CD-ROM.

This page mentions the Gmebaphone number 7 / Cybernéphone (2005): [link]

The convoluted language of the article reminds me of the writings of French composer Pierre Schaeffer, and can be a bit hard to decipher.
--------
There is also some information on a large number of synthesizers that they produced between 1973 and 2008. called Systhysysop (1976), Charybde (1985), Gmebogosse (1972-1999) and Cybersongosse (??-2008?).

They are described in this article (with images): [link]

Many nice images here: [pdf link]

Another article: [link]

More images: [link 1 Also captured here] [link 2] [link 3 Also captured here]

These instruments was also made at the International Institute of Electroacoustic Music at Bourges /IMEB. Read more about IMEB here (use Google translate). [link]

You have written about the Cybersongosse before: [link]

I could not find any audio clips.

All the best"

New Synthetic Sound Labs SEGWENCER 2.0 – MODEL 2521 & V-GATES 2.0 – MODEL 2611

via @noisebug

https://www.noisebug.net

The SSL 2521 Segwencer™ 2.0 Euro module is an updated version of our popular 2520 with improved circuitry, simple panel graphics and only 8 HP width – and is indeed in a class of its own. The name derives from the audio term “segue” (fading from one sound to another), and the synth term “sequence” (moving from one point / sound to another), and once combined, there is a synergy that blasts these concepts into a totally new way of morphing sounds, textures and even control voltages.

V-GATES 2.0 – MODEL 2611 -

The SSL 2611 V-Gates 2.0 is an updated version of our popular 2610 with improved circuitry, simple panel graphics and only 8 HP width. It sports a powerful combination of features for your clocking and gating pleasure. In fact, there are well over 300 variations of gates, functions and modes. And many of these functions can be voltage controlled!

ANALOG KNOBS ON A DIGITAL GATE?
Absolutely! You bet! Although knobs might seem to make more sense for analog, with digital functions the knobs actually allow very versatile selections of what we call “Sub-Functions”. These sub-functions allow you to adjust how the gate outputs react with the input clock, among other things.

Future // HWJ Challenge wt Sequential PRO 3 + Korg Minilogue XD + Virus TI

video upload by Sounds of Synth

"The year is 2088 and THE MACHINE is running the show.

Alas THE MACHINE knows no compassion, soul or love.

It "lives" by how efficient it can be in finding and utilising all the resources it can without consideration of long term cost.

Nor does THE MACHINE recognise the need for love or how powerful (and necessary) this is for the survival of all livings beings.

In the end THE MACHINE will fail because of its inability to love.

....and so, as long as we hold onto what is dear, there is always hope for a bright future.

--------------

Equipment Used:

Sequential PRO3
Korg Minilogue XD
Access Virus TI
Launchpad PRO for triggering a few samples
Ableton Live (for samples and recording)
Focusrite Scarlett Audio Interface"

Utopia Theme Sequence

video upload by boxoftextures

"When I was a kid growing up in New York City in the early 1970s I would listen to WNEW-FM all the time, but especially from 10pm to 2am when Allison Steele, the Night Bird, was on the air. WNEW was a progressive rock station, not really the same meaning as today's term 'prog rock,' but more that the DJs played what they wanted with no playlists. And one night in 1974 Allison Steele played a song from a new band I'd never heard of before, Todd Rundgren's Utopia. I was 14, and I was instantly hooked. The song was over 14 minutes long, and was from a live show. I was heavily into keyboards and they had three keyboard players, one with a giant modular. The bass and drums were incredibly tight. And on top of that was Todd Rundgren, abandoning his pop stylings and going full on prog. And then, after being entranced through the first half of the tune, they all stopped, and the sequencer started up. That was it for me. Instant favorite, and started me down the path to synthesizers. Where I still am today.

So that sequence has pretty much always been in my head, and in a way influenced my entire life. It was life-changing for me. And so here it is, recreated. A 'simple' six-note sequence, but super fast, and constantly shifting. Six notes, but that section of the song is in 4/4. Except that the main lines are on the ones but the answering lines start on the 3 before the one beat. So you have six against four, and your four is being interrupted by the answering refrain. You're constantly off balance, but then again things are also constantly being resolved. And then they all pause, back at the sequence, and he rips into the most amazing guitar solo I've ever heard. The whole thing is genius. Todd Rundgren, perhaps at his peak.

Featuring Multiphonics CV-1 from Applied Acoustics Systems

Video captured with CleanShot X
Audio recorded with QuickTime Player
Voiceover recorded in Sound Studio using an AudioTechnica BHPS1 Broadcast Headset
Audio routing done with Loopback

Edited in DaVinci Resolve 17 on a MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

Twitter: @selgart
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/boxoftextures"

The Roland Paraphonic 505 - A Rare Synth Delicacy

video by Alex Ball

"A synth a lot of people have requested that I finally managed to borrow! Thank you to the owner.

The RS-505 or Paraphonic-505 was released in 1978 and was so called because it could make numerous sounds in parallel. The term "paraphonic" has been reappropriated in recent years to refer to instruments (like the 505) that were polyphonic, but that only had one filter and one amp.

0:00​ Intro
0:53​ Bass Sounds
3:02​ What Roland meant by "Paraphonic"
5:06​ Polyphonic Sounds
6:53​ All Sounds Together
7:35​ External Audio
8:02​ Thoughts & Summary
10:36​ Contextual Demonstration

Gear Used:
Roland Paraphonic-505
Roland System 100m
Roland System 500
Ryk 185
Korg SQ-1
Roland SH-2
Roland SH-1000
Musicaid Simmons SDS-3
Oberheim DX (used but not filmed)
Ibanez Jem 7DBK"