New Studio Electronics MIDIMini V30

Studio Electronics Midimini V30 Demo With Patches [No Talking] Published on Dec 24, 2019 VCO USA

Note this post has been updated a few times. Original post below.

"A collection of 10 patches w/ Preset Templates for the Minimini V30. Time stamps below for the specific patch and the patch sheets appear at the last 10 seconds of each clip.

0:03 - The Impossible Drum 'Kit'
1:48 - Aggro Bass
2:35 - FM Sync Lead
3:48 - Screamin' Triangles
5:11 - Filter FM Shark Bass
6:26 - 4th Wobble Bass
7:58 - Bigger Than Yours Bass
9:00 - Classic Sync
9:51 - Pluck You (Arp)
10:57 - Dreamy Drone Chord

You can download the patch sheets here"



"30 years later and here we are... glorious sound makes that possible. All honor and praise to the geniuses at R. A. Moog Co, especially Bill Hemsath, and Mr. Moog himself, a person with whom I (MSR) shared a lunch space at NAMM in the 1990s—it's something folks.

Some internal patching on "Registered Pulses", "Voo R U", and "1st Midimini V30", not that I can remember what went where. No FX however, (with the exception of a wet channel on Rach of Ages 2), no compression, limiting, only a touch of some spot normalizing on several tracks. Essentially raw and un-pestered, synth and factory direct honesty—still such a lonely word.

Oh yes, and I created a few stereo tracks from multiple takes; who could resist? I'm sure you can spot them.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas,
Marc St Regis 12/24/19"

Details via Studio Electronics:

MIDIMINI V30 - $2999

"Many can recall dialing up Midim-g/Midimini patches that fit a song so perfectly that they inspired even greater creativity; shapely, sometimes sinuous sounds whose essense called out to you; emotive sounds you never wanted to change; sounds you lovingly tracked, notated and revered; sounds as vital as the lyrics or lead vocal—that solid, insistent, articulate bounce, bravado, and twangy bang. Was there another sensible, MIDI-driven rackmount choice for immaculate synth-bass and lead lines?

November 2019 brings the SE Midimini V30 to the table, and nothing has been lost in the translation of this end-of-decade Analog essential. A raft of brand-new hardware features, extensive software sweetening, and modular connections open the window even wider to an already stunning Analog view.

It's highlight time again:

Through-hole build: Every. Single. PC board.
Classic 4-pole, 24 db/oct, voltage-controlled Lowpass Ladder Filter, with voltage-controlled Cutoff.
Semi-Modular Mini: Standard issue CV & Gate, and # OutsToOuts-friendly patchability of voltage, amplifier, and key tonal mastering tap points (1/8" Eurorack Connections).
Classic Midimini Cross Mod and Boomstar-perfected Ring Mod.
Amp Drive: Boomstar Modular AMP saturation and overdrive imported into 'V30 world.
Output Feedback loop and gain control—the old Low Output to External Input hack—hardwired and fine-tuned—interacts expressivley with Amp Drive.
MIDI-syncable, AFM*-capable, multi-waveform LFO, routable to VCF and VCO.
LFO Out patch point for deep modulation or oscillation creation.
LFO Gate (LFO pulse of VCF/VCA) from the SE-02.
OSC 1 Triangle Wave to amplifier (bypasses VCF) for high Resonance setting/low frequency compensation.
Sweepable OSC Oscillator 2 to Oscillator 1 Sync.
Handy Boomstar Drone feature.
Envelope 2 Master Mode: ENV2 (VCA) assumes control of Filter (VCF) Envelope.
Expressive Linear and Exponential Glide.
Front Panel-mounted External Audio input with level control.
Independent Release control of Filter and Amplifier.
Boomstar MIDI Learn feature for MIDI, Aftertouch and Modwheel.
Low/Last/High Note Priority, Env 1 inverting, VCF/VCA dynamics, and VCF Envelope Multi-trigger."

Click the images for the full size shots. Had to shrink them down a bit to format the page.

Original post:

This one was spotted and sent in via Soviet Space Child, via Studio Electronics Instagram feed.

The MIDIMini as you all likely know is Studio Electronics rackmount Minimoog. They originally converted vintage Minimoogs to the MIDIMoog and then followed with their own designed MIDIMini. You can find pics of a MIDIMoog here and an original MIDIMini here.

Making a Paper Cup Microphone. Less than $10!

Published on Feb 26, 2019 LeoMakes

This one isn't directly synth related, but LeoMakes is a supporting member of the site, and some of you out there might find this one useful. You can use the mike with your synths and modular. :)

"Yes--it's true! You can make a microphone out of a paper cup, some magnets and some wire. It's definitely not going to replace any of my (or your) studio mics, but it's a fun lo-fi DIY project. Did I mention it was less than $10?

Have you built any microphones of your own? Do you have an experience repairing mics? Please share your wisdom and leave comments on how one might improve on this very basic (and hack-y) design!"

How to hack your Volca Modular to create a voltage mixer with Dupont cables and Pot (easy)

Published on Feb 11, 2019 Audio Wanderer

"Super easy way to hack your Volca Modular with a Pot and some dupont cables
In a previous video showing my DIY voltage mixer for the Volca some ask me about the scheme of this addition. It can't be much simpler as you see on the video. Hope you like it and use it too.
Peace"

IKEA PAX Synthesizer Music Station!!! #TTNM

Published on Mar 3, 2018 The Tuesday Night Machines

"In this video I present you my very own IKEA hack! A PAX wardrobe made to fit my complete modular synthesizer music setup, in a way that's flexible and ergonomic.

---------

Like my t-shirt? Get one here:
US: https://shop.spreadshirt.com/pixelnoi...
EU: https://shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/pixeln...

---------

I tied a lot of different music setups over the years. Standing at a desk, sitting at a desk, sitting on the floor, large cases, small cases, 19" racks and so on ... I found that standing upright in front of my gear feels the best to me and having a wardrobe with doors I can close to hide the mess is really nice too, when I lack a dedicated music room in the apartment. The wardrobe also helps to keep things contained and not spreading/expanding all over the place. Too much gear doesn't help my creativity and the PAX has a good size, just bordering on the "too much" side."

Synths in a closet synth wardrobe.

Modular Jam : Much Ado : Rings, Elements, Clouds, Peaks, TipTop ONE

Published on May 21, 2017 Mike Thomas

"More patching with my smaller, Mutable Instruments-focused case. Loving it! Constraints can be a good nudge to your creativity.

Much Ado: Patch Notes
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Involved modules
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CLICK FOR MORE »

Modular Patch/Performances by Mike Thomas

Published on May 14, 2017 Mike Thomas

Notes for each further below.

Playlist:
Modular Jam : Lords of the West : Rings, Elements, Clouds, Peaks
Modular Melody: Church of Meta Q - Tides (Parasite), Function, Clouds
Modular Jam: SynthTech E350/E355/E440, Mutable Instruments Elements/Clouds, Pittsburgh SV-1/KB-1
Modular Patch/Performance: Slow to Go
Modular Patch/Performance:- The Big Build
Modular Patch/Performance: Sargasso
Modular Patch/Performance: Fair Winds
Modular Patch/Performance - Over the Clouds
Modular Patch/Performance: March of the Shift Register
Modular Etude #1

Notes:

CLICK FOR MORE »

DRUM PAD PLUGGED UP TO A 2000 VOLT JACOBS LADDER

Published on Feb 19, 2017 LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"It had to be done! wiring up a 2000 Volt Jacobs Ladder to a drum pad to make it musical!

kind of sounds like a special effects crash or something. but With ADDED SPARKS.

Built from a microwave. and some tinfoil. its definately a bit of a hack. and tends to overheat and smoke! wait for the end to see the fireworks.

completely live. on a home built Modular synth... the drum pads on the top trigger kick and snare. and 2 completely seperate synth voices for each of the 2 synth notes. these go into an arduino powered beat recorder. so only had to play the riff once and it automatically records it and re plays it, planning on doing a how to of that soon for people who want to build one. ran out of drum pads so used 2 toy drums with piezo mics glues onto them. there is a footswitch too which turns on an extra channel which the bass goes through an electro harmonix POG and some distortion for extra dynamic bits.

middle part is just a delay that one of the toy drum pads was going through. the great thing with the pt2399 delay is it stops working if the voltage goes too low. so the extreme end of the knob twist just shuts down the delay, making it great to turn on and off quickly and easily.

The Jacobs ladder was just mic'd up. tried keeping it as far away from the modular as possible to isolate the awesome sound it makes. but inevitably theres some bleed from the noise drum pads."

Polytik Synths Now On Kickstarter

Published on Jan 31, 2017 Polytik Synths

You might remember the previous posts on Polytik here and here. This is a project from Dirty Electronics/Mute Synth & Jack Featherstone. Below are some additional details captured for the archives, via the Kickstarter campaign here.

"Polytik is a collection of beautifully designed hand-held synth modules. Born out of a DIY ethos and the maker community, they have been crafted into something very different – a series of beautifully designed objects in their own right. We have used open-source hardware and software and encourage users to make new modules and hacks."

Playlist:
Polytik Synths
Polytik designers Jack Featherstone and John Richards in conversation
Polytik Synths x Jas Shaw

"The brainchild of John Richards and Jack Featherstone in collaboration with Artists & Engineers, these hybrid analogue/digital devices can produce a palette of sounds ranging from angular rhythmic sequences to abstract noise, pads and drones. The synths are designed to be tactile, to be held and touched when playing.

Polytik comprises four separate, colour-coded, battery powered modules. Every Polytik system needs a Core module and at least one sound module. The sound modules connect to the core with ribbon cables, these carry audio and control data to connect the system together giving you a single audio output for all modules. You can have up to three sound modules connected at one time.

The Starter Pack comprises a Core module and a Combi module, which we think is a really good way to start using Polytik.

POLYTIK MODULES:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Dave Smith Instruments DSM02 Character Eurorack Module

via this auction

"From the DSI site:

Give Your Modular Some Character

Dave Smith strikes again with a new offering for modular synthesizer users — the DSM02 Character Module. It’s a sound designer’s tool kit of five unique digital effects for shaping, twisting, and mangling sound in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. These effects, Girth, Air, Decimate, Hack, and Drive form the Character section of DSI’s acclaimed Prophet 12 and Pro 2 synthesizers and contribute to their distinctive tone in a big way.

“Girth” provides low-frequency harmonic enhancement for adding weight and density.
“Air” provides high-frequency harmonic enhancement for adding definition and presence.
“Decimate” performs sample rate reduction for adding lo-fi grunge.
“Hack” is a bit crusher capable of trashing an otherwise clean signal nearly beyond recognition.
“Drive” adds overdrive and saturation, with warmth at one end of the knob and harmonic overload at the other.
Plug It and Play It

The DSM02 is a 14 HP Eurorack-format module with interconnections made using 3.5 mm phone jacks. Two independent audio inputs and two independent audio outputs with shared control allow mono or stereo operation. A 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution digital signal path provides uncompromising signal fidelity.

Inject Some Mojo into Your System

If you’re looking to take your modular system into new sonic territory, the DSM02 may be just the ticket. It’s a fast and affordable way to inject your system with some serious mojo from two of the world’s most in-demand synths.

CLICK FOR MORE »

New MoonBox SunVox Powered Raspberry Pi Synthesizer - Videos, Details & Pics

Raspberry Pi Synthesizer - "My Stry Sulfat" jam Published on Aug 23, 2015 cube48

This is the MoonBox posted here. Two videos of it in action. Info and pics further below.

"One pattern twiddle on MoonBox - SunVox powered DIY Raspberry Pi 2 synth.

More info about the MoonBox can be found on official SunVox forum:
http://www.warmplace.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=3733"

MoonBox - DIY Raspberry Pi 2 Synthesizer powered by SunVox Virtual Modular Music Studio

Published on Aug 6, 2015

"No music to listen here. Just my low or no playing skills. This is rather about demoing some of the Analog Generator patches of SunVox. First part shows some of the default template sounds, second shows a bit of knob twiddling and a few quick patches I made from the simple 'analog' template I prepared and mapped to 16 knobs of the MoonBox. But SunVox can do a lot more!"

via the forum:

"Let me introduce you the SunVox powered Raspberry Pi 2 standalone synthesizer. The idea was to have dedicated machine/box with SunVox including some knobs. Like a real synth. This vision was maturing in my head for some time but the trigger were NightRadio's comments about upcoming MIDI CC support in 1.9 before the beta was released. I've collected all the building blocks but I was still missing the enclosure. For some time I was designing a custom made 'ponoko' box to be laser-cut. But then I got too impatient and searched through available stuff at home. Wine box for the win :-D

The synth is so far consisting of these bits:

Raspberry Pi 2 B
IQ Audio PiDAC+
5.0" 40-pin TFT Display - 800x480 with Touchscreen
TFP401 HDMI/DVI Decoder to 40-Pin TTL Breakout - With Touch
40-pin FPC Extension Board + 200mm Cable
Guts of the old Evolution UC16 USB MIDI controller (only the main and pot control board)
A bunch of nuts, bolts, spacers and wooden wine box.

Further improvements are still on the todo list:
* jack outputs for L, R and headphones mounted to the rear side of the box
* 5-DIN MIDI I/O connectors on the rear side - realized via USB<>MIDI cable
* some USB ports exposed on the rear side - mounting small USB hub
* power switch + connector on the rear side
* HW volume encoder for PiDAC+ on the top side
* main out GPIO LED volume indicators (this is optional)
* final paint and design tuning

A few notes to the design. RasPi needs to be powered with 2000 mAh adapter to feed all the peripherals. PiDAC+ gives you really powerful and clean sound, also for hungrier headphones. RasPi 2 with stock Raspian OS with ALSA (no realtime kernel, no JACKD, no performance tweaks except disabled CPU power-saving) is able to play decent SunVox synths with 11ms latency without compromising the sound - not ideal but already playable. Lowering the buffer to 5ms introduces occasional noise cracks. I'll try to play with the OS tweaks later but I might stick to ALSA as it is supported by PiDAC+ volume encoder routine. Display is connected via HDMI and USB cables (I'm waiting for shorter and flat HDMI cable). HDMI delivers the image, USB powers the display and touch board. UC16 MIDI controller is connected also via USB (not on the photos above). The only connection hack will be soldering wires to PiDAC+ so I get the normal jack connectors. Current cinch connectors are fine but the placement is not ideal. I want to keep all the 'internal' connections inside the box and expose only the stuff that has to interface outer world and if I would expose the cinch through the rear side, also the HDMI cable would stick out and then coming back which is not desired. The front panel will need some locking or support mechanism, ideally in various angles. The whole thing reminds the Roland's 'Plug-Out' system. You prepare the synth/composition/patch on PC/tablet/phone and then load it to the box if you don't want to mess around with the small screen. But it's actually nicely usable in the box as well as you all know from your own SunVox-on-phone experience. Sun bless Alex for his perfect and scalable UI. RasPi is configured to boot and load up the SunVox automatically, opening the last session. Like a real synth :)

Do you guys have any cool name ideas for the synth? Right now I call it simply SunSynth but that's too obvious. Some link to the SunVox would be cool but maybe something more esoteric :)

Alex, THANK YOU for such a great piece of software! Btw, I hope you don't mind if I put the SunVox logo on the box when it's finished?.."

New Cogito Cartesian Sequencer for Audulus

"Using Audulus for audio processing and pushing the iPhone to its ultimate limit, Audulus user Bimini Road has created Cogito, a Cartesian Sequencer. Building on the work of other talented Audulus users--JDRaoul, afta8, and jjthrash, --- the patch is worked out and explained in detail on the Audulus Forum.

The Cogito Sequener’s user interface is enabled by the Custom Nodes upgrade, an Audulus feature which allows custom-designed user interfaces.

Audulus is a minimalist modular software synthesizer and effects processor. With Audulus, users can build synthesizers, design new sounds, or process audio. All with low latency real-time processing suitable for live performance.

Audulus for iOS is available on the App Store for $14.99. An iPhone 4s or iPad 2 is required.

Audulus for Mac is available on the Mac App Store for $29.99. Mid 2010 or later Mac is required.

Audulus for Windows is available directly through audulus.com for $29.99. Buy now and receive ALL in-app upgrades FREE. That’s $45 worth of upgrades.

For more information, visit audulus.com."

The following are some details on the sequencer captured from the Audulus forum. Impressive.

"Ok, so here it is - the first (somewhat buggy) draft of Cogito, my Cartesian Sequencer - so called because...well, you'll see. I pushed the iPhone to its absolute limit with this one. It only takes up - ONLY, haha - 30% of the CPU, but I can *barely* get it to work with a synth beefier than 1 OSC node, 1 ADSR, 1 delay, and 1 reverb. It's official - I need to get a new Mac if I really want to pursue my Audulus dreams.

First, thanks are in order:

CLICK FOR MORE »

New DSM02 Character Eurorack Module from Dave Smith Instruments

Published on Jan 12, 2015 Dave Smith Instruments

"Additional audio samples on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/davesmithinstr...

The DSM02 Character Module in Eurorack format is the newest addition to Dave Smith Modular. With 5 digital effects with true stereo operation, the DSM02 offers extremely flexible tone shaping and sonic possibilities. More info available at www.davesmithinstruments.com"



And the official press release:

"Dave Smith Instruments Introduces DSM02 Character Module Legendary Synth Designer Debuts Second Eurorack Module for Modular Systems

San Francisco, CA—January 12, 2015—Dave Smith Instruments today introduced the DSM02 Character module, their second offering for modular synthesizers. The Eurorack-format module provides an eclectic assortment of five digital effects, ranging from subtle to aggressive for shaping, twisting, and mangling sound. These effects, Girth, Air, Decimate, Hack, and Drive form a significant component in Smith’s acclaimed Pro 2 and Prophet 12 synthesizers.

'The Character section of the Pro 2 and Prophet 12 is a fundamental part of what gives those instruments their unique sound,' says Smith. 'As our users know, those effects can take you from nice to nasty with the turn of a knob. We wanted to make it easy and affordable for modular users to inject some of that character into their rigs.'

'Girth' and 'Air' provide sophisticated low- and high-frequency harmonic enhancement, respectively, for polishing and refining a sound. 'Decimate' performs sample rate reduction for adding lo-fi grunge. 'Hack' is a bit crusher capable of trashing an otherwise clean signal nearly beyond recognition. And lastly, 'Drive' adds overdrive and saturation, with warmth at one end of the knob and intense harmonic overload at the other.

The DSM02 module is a 14HP wide, standard Eurorack-format device with interconnections made using 3.5 mm phone jacks. A carefully designed set of inputs allow individual voltage control of effect levels. The module provides two independent audio inputs and two independent audio outputs with shared control, allowing for either mono or stereo operation. The digital signal path provides full 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution for superior audio fidelity.

As DSI’s Andrew McGowan puts it, 'The modular scene is exploding with possibilities. We’ve got a lot of really creative and expressive tools to offer musicians in that world. Our Curtis Filter module was our first contribution and users snapped it up immediately. This time we wanted to do something a little more esoteric—but still fundamental to the Dave Smith sound. We think the modular crowd is going to love it.'

The DSM02 module is available now with a MAP of $259."

Casper Electronics OMSynth workshop - Oct 18th at SVT

"Church of the Friendly Ghost is proud to present an in-depth, solder free, all experiences levels workshop by Pete Edwards, a.k.a. Casper Electronics

Build your own electronic sound gadgets with the OMSynth (Open Modular Synthesizer) MiniLab. Part electronics learning lab, part musical instrument, the MiniLab gives you everything you need to build, hack and play with a wide range of experimental sound circuits.

The workshop costs $75 and lasts about 5 hours. All materials are included. Workshop space is very limited. Please email drbleep@bleeplabs.com to reserve a seat.

$5 admission for the live performances at 9:30pm.

Oct. 18 @ Salvage Vanguard Theater (2803 Manor Rd, Austin)
1-6pm : Workshop
9:30pm : Performances by Chad Mossholder, Peter Edwards, and more.

Facebook event"

Stepper Acid - Eurorack Step Sequencer From New Modular Manufacturer Transistor Sounds Labs

Stepper Acid demo 3 Published on Aug 4, 2014

Tasty little Eurorack step sequencer that fits inside a skiff.

"Nina demonstrating two prototype Stepper Acid units, one with a faceplate and one without. She's using a bit of a hack to trigger the drums: she's using the gate and accent output of one unit and the accent out of the other unit to trigger them. This isn't how you're supposed to use it, but she really wanted to play some drums alongside her acidline. :)"

Although this is the first official Transistor Sounds Labs posts, the prototype demo was previously posted here. This is how it all begins folks.

Introducing the Dave Smith Instruments Pro 2

Published on Jun 19, 2014 Dave Smith Instruments·26 videos

Update: DSI eurorack filter module at 5:00. Also note the multiple 1/8" CV Ins & Outs on the back of the Pro 2.  Some conversation on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge.

"Special thanks to Peter Dyer (http://peterdyer.net).

One Voice to Rule Them All
Dave Smith calls the Pro 2 his "most powerful mono synth ever." It shares the same exceptional ergonomics and playability as its 12-voice sibling, the Prophet 12, but carves out distinctly different sonic territory with an all-new dual analog filter architecture, a monster step sequencer, superwaves, digital bucket-brigade delay, and a lot more. Nothing else sounds like it and nothing else performs like it. The Pro 2 raises the bar for mono synths and redefines the word "fat."

Full info and specs: http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/p..."

"One Voice to Rule Them All
Dave Smith calls the Pro 2 his 'most powerful mono synth ever.' It shares the same exceptional ergonomics and playability as its 12-voice sibling, the Prophet 12, but carves out distinctly different sonic territory with an all-new dual analog filter architecture, a monster step sequencer, superwaves, digital bucket-brigade delay, and a lot more. Nothing else sounds like it and nothing else performs like it. The Pro 2 raises the bar for mono synths and redefines the word 'fat.'

A New Classic for a New Generation
The Pro 2 is a fusion of classic analog synthesizer design and cutting-edge digital technology. It boasts four high-resolution digital oscillators, plus a sub oscillator. The oscillators produce both classic and complex wave shapes and can frequency and amplitude modulate each other in any operator and modulator configurations you choose for harmonically-rich FM and AM sounds. A set of Character controls adds high and low frequency boost, bit and sample rate reduction, and tape saturation emulation to the Pro 2's sonic palette.

Two New Filters Based On Vintage Designs
At the heart of the Pro 2's gutsy sound is its all-new dual filter design. Filter 1 is a 4-pole low-pass design inspired by the original Prophet-5 filter. Filter 2 is a state-variable design inspired by the Oberheim SEM and can be continuously varied between low-pass, notch, and high-pass operation, with an optional band-pass mode. The two filters function in either serial or parallel, or anywhere in between. Two of the four oscillators can be routed through Filter 1 with the other two routed through Filter 2 for a broad range of tonal possibilities.

Advanced Sequencing
One of the most exciting features of the Pro 2 is its sequencer—possibly the most powerful step sequencer ever designed for a synth. With up to 32 steps and 16 tracks, it provides real-time input, rests, and variable-length sequences. It also syncs to MIDI clock and external audio input. Sequence tracks can control any parameter in the Pro 2's extensive modulation matrix.

Plays Well With Modulars
The Pro 2's flexible architecture opens the door to not only processing external audio, but also to interfacing with modular synths through its 4 rear-panel control voltage inputs and outputs and a dedicated gate output. Control voltages can be assigned and routed from within the modulation matrix and can run at audio rates for extreme modulation effects. Some of the many parameters that can be sent to the CV outputs include oscillators, LFOs, envelopes, and sequencer tracks, making the Pro 2 a natural choice for the center of your studio or live setup.

Delays, Envelopes, LFOs, Arpeggiator, and a Multitude of Modulation
The Pro 2's delay section provides three digital delays with pan, and high-pass and low-pass filtering controls. A fourth delay is a digital bucket-brigade delay (BBD) for analog-style effects. There are four loopable five-stage envelope generators, four syncable LFOs with slew and phase offset, a full-featured arpeggiator, and a sixteen slot modulation matrix with dozens of modulation sources and destinations.

Monophonic by Design, Paraphonic by Choice
The Pro 2 was designed primarily as a super-powerful monosynth, but it’s also a true, four-voice paraphonic synth that allows you to control each of its four oscillators individually with their own envelope. This makes playing four-note chords not only possible, but very expressive.

Package all of this power in a three-and-a-half octave, semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch, add two backlit pitch and mod wheels and two location and pressure sensitive touch sliders, and you've got one of the most feature-rich, awe-inspiring synthesizers ever created."

Specs:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Synth Artist Interviews via I♥SYNTHS

You might remember the I♥SYNTHS interview with Richard Devine previously posted here. Jim Smith of I♥SYNTHS has been sharing new interviews on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge.  There are currently a total of nine artist interviews.  The following is a list of each with with one pic, one quote and one link to the full interview.  You'll find some great synth spotting throughout and of course you'll get some insight and perspectives on the synths and more from each artist.  You can also find I♥SYNTHS on Facebook.




009: Shawn Rudiman

"I♥SYNTHS: What was your first synthesizer?

Shawn Rudiman: My first synth was a Yamaha b200 M. That was what started me on this wild ride. It was a Prosumer FM 8 voice / 4 op poly. I got it for Christmas in 1990. I believe I was 18 and It was my first real love. That poor synth has had a lot of flight time hours on it. They keys have started to degrade and melt and the buttons are all in need of serious replacing as well. I still love it and pull it out sometimes. The next day after that Christmas, I went out and picked up an HR16b, with whatever money I had saved. I still have that as well and it’s been modified now with the patch bay-hack that scrambles the 16-bit data lines which makes the sounds totally into something new."




008: Custom Synth

"I♥SYNTHS: You’ve done some custom synths for celebrities and famous musicians. What was your most unique or original project?

Custom Synth: One of the most unique projects was for Tom Rowlands (The Chemical Brothers studio). I built a midi controller keyboard to sit in the bumper rail of a large SSL mixing desk. It has a detachable cover to match the rest of the desk and two modular cabinets. One was for the Serge modular system in a two piece metal arch and the other was a MOTM system to match the Roland 700 system."




007: Kebu

"I♥SYNTHS: What was your first synthesizer?

Kebu: A new Kawai K1 II, which I hated because it didn’t have a decent piano sound and the black keys were harder to press than the white keys. I probably would appreciate it now for what it is, but back then I would have needed a PCM-based workstation, like a Korg M1 that I lusted for, but couldn’t afford back then. Soon after, I found a used Roland SC-155 (Sound Canvas module), which I really liked but realized that I really need the patch storage capability for live use, which the SC-155 lacked. I then realized that synths are VERY different from each other. Not in terms of nuances, like with different types of guitars, but more like apples and oranges. I also realized that by learning and trading on the second hand market I could try many different synths without loosing too much money. So the Kaway K1 was the first and only new synth I ever bought. After that, I’ve had over one hundred different hardware synths."




006: Soft Lighting

"I♥SYNTHS: What’s your go-to piece of gear that defines the Soft Lighting sound?

Soft Lighting: I usually choose a different set of tools for each album because I think it helps give that body of work a uniqueness. The first album, “Slow Motion Silhouettes” was all done on the Juno 60 and the drums where a lot of old Casios so it has a real washed out lo fi vibe. “Portraits” was made with the DX7, Juno 106 and Roland drum machines so it has a cleaner more digital sound. Now I’m working a lot with my Virus TI which is taking the sound out of the realm of vintage 80s and taking it to a more contemporary place."




005: Synth.nl

"I♥SYNTHS: What was your first synthesizer and how old were you when you started collecting?

Synth.nl: I still remember exactly what my first synthesizer was, the Yamaha TX81Z. It is a rack module so I had to buy an extra midi keyboard, that at that time wasn’t even velocity sensitive. It must have been around 1987 when it was just released. So, I was 17 I guess. That adds up, since I bought it from the money I got to buy a moped from my parents, when I didn’t smoke until my 16th birthday. I guess their trick worked since I still don’t smoke. I also still have the TX81Z with my original sounds I made back then. I can also remember well, that FM programming was not easy and still isn’t easy."




004: Richard Devine

"I♥SYNTHS: What is your go-to synthesizer when writing music? Is there one synth that defines the Richard Devine sound?

Richard Devine: My go synth would have to be the Nord G2 modular. This is hands down one of my favorite synthesizers. The concept is that its a virtual modular software environment where you can create basically anything you want. You then can assign multiple pages and knobs over the the synthesizer for all your patches. So ahead of its time, and I wish Clavia would bring it back."




003: Dallas Campbell


"I♥SYNTHS: When did you start collecting gear and what is your prized possession?

Dallas Campbell: This dude I knew in college let my roommate and I borrow a four track cassette recorder. I was pretty much hooked on gear and music after that. I started buying synths about 10 or so years ago. I’m guessing the rarest thing I have is a Yamaha SY20. I don’t think it was ever released outside of Japan. All the writing on the synth is in Japanese! My favorite synth is probably my SCI Pro-One for mono and the Korg Polysix for poly. As for favorite fx units, I would say the Dimension D Chorus, Multivox Multiecho Delay, the Eventide Space Reverb, and the Roland SBF-325 flanger."




002: RetroSound

"I♥SYNTHS: What is your favorite synthesizer that you can’t live without?

RetroSound: My absolute favorite synthesizer ever is the Oberheim OB-X (not the later OB-Xa). The raw sound and the power is pure sex. It’s really the best!"




001: FM Attack

"I♥SYNTHS: If you were stuck on an island with one synth from your collection, what would you bring?

FM Attack: That’s a tough question. I think I would probably go with the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5"

Standuino Announces New Brand & Product Line as Bastl Instruments

Published on Nov 6, 2013 bastlinstruments·5 videos

Update: also see this post for some previous videos on the Trinity series.

"Bastl Instruments - Trinity series
handmade open hackable musical instruments

http://www.bastl-instruments.com/trinity
Trinity instruments used: SQNCR, DRUM, POLY, MONO-FM

live sequenced and performed by HRTL http://hrtl.bandcamp.com/

to download the song visit soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bastl-instruments"

"We are happy to announce the launch of Bastl Instruments, new brand for electronic hand-made musical instruments, which continues the tradition set up by Standuino.

The first main product is Trinity - universal musical instrument and original sounding modular groovebox. It can function as any type of digital synthesizer, sequencer, controller, arpeggiator or almost anything that can be programmed into a micro-controller. Trinity is designed to be connected and combined with other Trinities of different functions in a chain, so you can create your own music making environment. It is ready to communicate with the outer world via MIDI and different sync and CV methods using MIDI Bastl. We are musicians passionate of exploring new fields of sonic experience - we already developed 4 different instruments for Trinity which work great together. They are sequencer, drum synthesizer, polyphonic synthesizer and monophonic FM synthesizer.…and there is many more to come!

All Trinity instruments have the same starting price: 60 eur for assembled instrument and 45 eur for a soldering kit.

Trinity is a finished musical instrument as much as an empty canvas. It is open for any sort of hacks both hardware and software. You can hack the existing softwares or write your own synth software from scratch using the Mozzi library for sound output. Because Trinity is based on Arduino, you can use the whole world of it to interface literally anything with it. Hardware hackability means that you can connect sensors or motors to it or sync it to any device. The softwares and examples are written in structured form so you can read and change them easily.

Standuino began in 2011 as artistic project giving tribute to Standa Filip, one of the pioneers of hand-made electronic instruments from Czech Republic. In 2013 Standuino cease to produce and sell musical instruments, but remains an artistic project aiming to bring up stories from the history and show the poetry of czechoslovakian DIY from the communist era. The reasons to bring up a new name and brand for the production of musical instruments itself were numerous. Most of all, Standuino began as an artistic project with different focus than development and sale of musical instruments. By separating these two poles, we want to clarify that Standuino is an active non-commercial cultural and artistic movement, whereas Bastl Instruments is a grown-up professional music instruments developer and producer. This split also comes from different structure of the hardware design. Whereas Stadnuino was intended as an universal prototyping platform, Bastl Instruments are primarily designed for sound production. The creative core team of Bastl Instruments remains the same as the team of Standuino: Ondřej Merta and Václav Peloušek. All production takes place in Brno, Czech Republic.

Graphic identity of Bastl Instruments was created by Anymade studio.

More information: www.bastl-instruments.com"

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KOMA Christmas present: A very special SVF-201 Backlight hack/mod!

Published on Dec 19, 2012 by KOMA Elektronik

"As a Christmas present we want to offer our customers and friends a special hack this year! Normally the backlight of the SVF-201's Cutoff knob is constantly on and you can only turn it off by removing a jumper on the board, this hack makes it possible to control the backlight behind the Cutoff knob corresponding to the Control Voltage you send into the Cutoff CV Input! Yes! To get more information on the hack:

http://www.koma-elektronik.com/merry-christmas-our-x-mas-hack/

Until Christmas (25/12/2012) the SVF-201 and KOMMANDER are on sale in our webstore at http://www.koma-elektronik.com in a special modular bundle, grab it while the offer lasts!

Happy holidays from the KOMA Elektronik Team!

---------------------
DISCLAIMER: By executing this mod you are VOIDING YOUR WARRANTY. When you are not sure about your soldering expertise, please ask an experienced solderer to do it for you!"

BLUE ZTVCO DRY DEMO & Surrounding Controversy

YouTube Uploaded by bluelantern320 on Jan 3, 2012

Update 10/4/2013: I heard from Ian Fritz and the controversy is over. Blue Lantern no longer offers the ZTVCO. That said, BL posts will resume.

This one, which seems to be a reoccurring theme with Blue Lantern, comes with a good dose of controversy. You might recall from a few years ago BL got into a bit of heat selling MIDIBox SIDs on eBay. MIDIBox explicitly forbids the commercial resale of MIDIBox SIDs. Blue Lantern stopped and went into producing affordable eurorack based modules and systems.

This latest controversy surrounds the source of design for the new BLUE ZTVCO. You might recall from the comments in this previous post, the design of that prototype module appeared to be a copy of Ian Fritz's Teezer (TZFM Saw VCO debuted Sep'08) design. Ian Fritz's modules are available via The Bride Chamber and Elby Designs.

In short:

1. Is the BLUE ZTVCO based on Ian Fritz's design?
2. If so, to what extent?
3. If so, is it legal?
4. If so, is it fair and does it matter?

The answer to 1 and 2 will not be known until someone gets a hand on the ZTVCO and reverse engineers it. I asked BL if he would be willing to provide the schematics to put the issue to rest and he replied no. He said people can reverse engineer it when it it's available and he is sure someone will. The answer to 3 is quite possibly so. There is currently a good thread on the subject on the electro-music.com forum here. The answer to 4 depends on you. My personal opinion is that it is not fair and it definitely does matter. Whether legal or not, I view it as stealing. These designs do not come out of thin air. They take time and talent and sometimes years to produce. You will see some insight on this in regards to Ian's Teezer design from him directly below. When someone makes their designs available, credit should be given.

The following is a response from Blue Lantern in regards to the claims made against him. The most important thing to read out of his points below is "3. This is not a clone, this vco is a beast in it's own cage."

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Bleep Labs Neon Indian - PAL198X

via Bleep Labs
"We’re proud to announce our newest device, The PAL198X.

This limited edition mini analog synthesizer is based on the Pico Paso with a few modifications designed by Dr. Bleep and Alan Palomo of Neon Indian. The biggest addition are swappable controls which allow you to easily attach the included potentiometers or photocells (or a number of other devices we’ll post about later) in any configuration to the three oscillators to create all kinds of triangle wave chaos.

- Two triangle wave oscillators which can be activated independently or together, modulating each other.
- Square LFO which affects the amplitude of both triangle oscillators.
- 1/4″ out.
- Screw terminals allow any resistive device to control the pitch of the three oscillators.
- 9v battery powered.

Only available in the limited edition Era Extraña package from Neon Indian.

Stay tuned for mods and hacking info…."

PAL198X by Dr. Bleep



This one in via Scott who spotted the new Neon Indian release on Pitchfork:

"Alan Palomo on the PAL198X: 'It can interact with a variety of objects around your house whether electronic in nature or not. It can even interact with your pet.'...

The synth (named PAL198X, of course) was produced by Bleep Labs, who teamed up with Palomo to create a miniature version of their PicoPaso analog synth with modifications added by Palomo and Bleep. We'll let Alan take over the description of what this thing actually is:

'We teamed up with our brethren homies in Austin, Bleep Labs, to proudly bring you the PAL 198X. It's a triple triangle-wave oscillator noisemaking device with interchangeable controls for maximal sonic contortion. You can attach knobs, light-reactive photocells, and a variety of other devices for semi-modular capabilities. It can interact with a variety of objects around your house whether electronic in nature or not. It can even interact with your pet. It does not make the same sound twice. Basically, I want you to hack this fucking thing.'"

Update: BTW, if this reminds you of anything, it might be the SuONOIO from Alessandro Cortini and Scott Jaeger of The Harvestman. The SuONOIO was released with Alessandro's SONOIO album. Recently a new SuONOIO RED was announced. It makes you wonder how many unique synths came from this direct of an influence from a musician. The Gristleizer from Throbbing Gristle of course comes to mind.