The Blue Marble Synthesizer Project Plans to Put a Music Synthesizer Controller in Space

video upload by Physical Synthesis

Blue Marble Synthesizer Project: Andrew Huang


Physical Synthesis, the makers of Cicada, wrote in to let us know of a new project soon to be seeking funding on Kickstarter.

I asked them what the platform would be based on. They replied:

"The web-based interface will be an adapted version of Patatap to which we’ll add a video feed and other interactions that will be possible to trigger inside the space capsule (i,e agitate the marble by turning on a fan, LED array, microphone, speaker, etc).

The space capsule has a set of different elements that allows to change the position of the physical marble floating inside the zero-gravity chamber (a set of sensors that calculates the position, a fan that agitates the position of the marble, a microphone that records those interactions, etc). All that data is then being sent back to us on earth (or in reverse sent to the capsule from earth using the Live mode). In other words, the web-interface receives data/interactions from the capsule and the Live mode allows to send data/interactions directly to the capsule. Lastly we’re building a VST plug-in allowing to receive MIDI and hook up data directly into your DAW or other synth."

In short the interactive hardware controller w/ microphone to capture audio is in space, while the synth engine and processing is done on earth.

Addtional details from the Kickstarter/Press Release follows.



The Blue Marble Synthesizer is the first-ever music synthesizer that can only work in space and that is playable from here on earth. It’s a synthesizer for making music and experimenting with sound. The system consists of a pressurized capsule in a low earth orbit satellite, a network of sensors, and a web-based interface for people to play with here on earth.

1. The Blue Marble Synthesizer Capsule consists of a pressurized CubeSat module configured with a control computer, camera, sensor array, fan, LED array, a microphone, and a speaker. It measures the behavior of a marble floating in a zero gravity synth capsule and sends sensor data, audio feed, and video feed back to us on earth.

2. The Web-Based Interface is an interactive and self-contained web audio synthesizer designed for everyone. Through a collaboration with the creator of Patatap, this application blends interactions from the Blue marble Synthesizer Capsule data with a traditional interactive music synthesizer. This web-based interface is a way to explore the interactions between the Blue Marble Synthesizer Capsule and people’s own musical creativity.

● When does the space mission start?
The Kickstarter campaign is set to start on Wednesday, October 4 for 30 days until the rocket launch which is set for Wednesday November 1 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket. Once in orbit, the Blue Marble Synthesizer Space Capsule will be rotating around earth every 90 minutes.

● Why does this project matter?
The Blue Marble Synth Project is intended for all those who share a passion for space, music, and the intersection of science and art. Music has always been a universal language that transcends cultural barriers, connecting people on a deeply emotional level. By introducing a music synthesizer to space, we expand the horizons of artistic expression and create a new dimension for human creative endeavors off-planet.

● What is the experience like for supporters?

1. Two primary ways: people will have the chance to make music with the audio and the data captured by the Blue Marble Synthesizer in two primary ways: through an interactive web-interface or via a VST-plug-in. Some supporters may also have the chance to play and interact with the system directly in space.

2. The Blue Marble Web-Interface: is a self-contained web based application that works from here on Earth. Inspired by Patatap, this application blends interactions from the Blue Marble Synth Capsule Data with a traditional interactive music synthesizer.

3. The Blue Marble VST Plug in: this feature allows to receive MIDI and control data from the Blue Marble Synth Capsule to use with other digital synthesizers and digital audio workstations such as Ableton LIVE, FL Studio, Presonus Studio 1, etc.

● Who are the artists involved?
Andrew Huang, Benn Jordan, Trovarsi, and MAYSUN, are invited artists who will compose original music with the Blue Marble Synthesizer during this orbital mission. They each possess the adventurer's spirit that we believe is at the heart of this project.

Andrew Huang
We are thrilled to have Andrew Huang, the YouTube phenom and Toronto-based artist join the Blue Marble Synth Project. As a highly acclaimed music and video producer, Andrew's unique ability to seamlessly blend diverse musical styles with captivating visuals aligns perfectly with the innovative vision we seek to bring to life. His creativity, coupled with his commitment to pushing artistic boundaries, makes him an invaluable addition to this project

These 4 artists will compose original music using the Blue Marble Synthesizer and the resulting tracks will be released for project supporters on an exclusive LP post-mission.

● What else can supporters get by supporting?
Beyond accessing the Web-Based interface and Artist Album, supporters also get access to a range of branded Blue Marble Synthesizer merchandise designed by Physical Synthesis. The collection features a sticker and mission patch, hoodie, t-shirt, cap, tote bag, and more.

● What goes inside the Blue Marble Synthesizer? Technical Breakdown
The Blue Marble Synthesizer Capsule consists of a pressurized CubeSat module configured with a control computer, camera, sensor array, fan, LED array, a microphone, and a speaker. The module allows supporters to receive data so they can control other synths and interfaces as well as initiate actions that affect what happens inside the capsule

1. Zero Gravity Dynamics: to make the Blue Marble Synthesizer an instrument that can truly work in space, it requires harnessing the power of zero-gravity. To do this, the synthesizer relies on interactions between a spherical piece of glass – the blue marble – and an array of accurate laser sensors that measure the distance and location of the marble as it floats around a small pressurized chamber.

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SPITFIRE's eDNA EARTH Organic Synthesis

Published on Sep 3, 2014 Spitfire Audio

"Spitfire successfully pilots next-gen soundware back to EARTH with elemental eDNA release

LONDON, UK: compositional tools creator Spitfire Audio is proud to announce availability of the first phase in its eDNA (Electronic DNA) project, EDNA01 - EARTH — a mouth-watering, once-in-a-lifetime collection of electronic sounds served up from the most valued collection of orchestral recordings on the planet, creating the next generation of soundware for the next generation of music makers, as of September 12...

Fact: Spitfire Audio has spent the last decade creating the world’s finest orchestral library. But the simple fact is that this was never its prime objective. Often words are never enough, in fact, yet the tantalising EDNA01 - EARTH teaser did just that with a carefully chosen few: SPITFIRE DIRECTIVE: MAY 2004... PROJECT CODENAME: GAIA... OBJECTIVE: INFILTRATE THE WORLD’S GREATEST ORCHESTRAS... MINE SONIC ORE... TO CREATE RAW COMPONENTS FOR... eDNA... PHASE #ONE... EARTH ORGANIC SYNTHESIS.

Intriguing, isn’t it? So what on earth is EDNA01 - EARTH, exactly? Easy answer. For the last five years Spitfire Audio has been cherry-picking its way through the best musical moments from seven years’ worth of orchestral recordings and placing them through a series of extraordinary analogue and digital signal-warping chains to create the largest sound set of jaw-dropping, next-generation, organic-sounding electronics ever heard anywhere on earth. Either this is some of the best hyperbole ever written or something special has been happening behind closed doors, waiting for the right moment to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting music-making masses, more often than not already jaded by the morass of identikit, mainstream, and clichéd dance and pop sounds already available elsewhere. EDNA01 - EARTH is far from this, and far more besides, however. Hearing will be believing, believe us. Now that’s another fact to chew on! And here’s some more serious food for thought...

While Spitfire Audio has been hard at work recording the finest orchestral players for several years now, practising its collective craft of carefully creating the best strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion libraries in the world to let loose on musicians the world over, coming from a background of the first wave of EDM (Electronic Dance Music), many here have hungered to get their hands on those superb sounds for further ill-gotten gains — hence the best orchestral recordings being saved to an above top secret hard drive to act as a repository for raw material. The elemental ore or set of polished diamonds, waiting to be roughed up all over again, if you will. While this proved to be a drawn-out process, it was well worth waiting for, that’s for sure!

Indeed, five long years were spent experimenting with orchestral warping techniques, finding the most rarefied analogue outboard and synths with which to filter, mangle, and much more besides, as well as commissioning and creating bespoke digital signal paths. Sounds were pulled up from that top secret hard drive, fed through an awesome multistage signal path, then left simmering overnight to create the most delicious and sometimes just plainly ‘wrong’ sets of sounds. Spitfire’s supremely talented team of multi-award-winning composers, producers, technicians, and engineers subsequently set about pairing down over a terabyte of data to more manageable musical chunks — the very best of the best with which to create a set of multi-sampled sound-sets that became the very building blocks of EARTH itself. Indeed, these were then meticulously organised by sound type into even more manageable sound banks, ready for future release when the time was right.

Rightfully so, Spitfire Audio — in partnership with Blake Robinson — has been hard at it for the last several years or so, cleverly creating some of the most intuitive and ingenious scripts, simple to use GUIs, and attractive front ends for its ongoing series of virtual instruments for Native Instruments’ industry- standard KONTAKT platform for Mac (OS X 10.7 or higher) and PC (Windows 7). Around a year ago, Spitfire Audio wiped the slate — or should we say script? — clean, and set about creating a monstrous new script engine, called eDNA (Electronic DNA), into which those ear-opening EARTH sound banks were effectively transplanted. ‘EARTH - Beta’ was then duly distributed around Spitfire’s state-of-the-art studio complex in central London, where the team truly went to town to create a quite frankly jaw-dropping selection of the most original, haunting, beautiful, epic, fat, angry, and downright unpleasant sounds you’re ever likely to set ears upon — here, there, or anywhere (else). EDNA01 - EARTH’s ingenious GUI genuinely fosters exploration into hitherto uncharted sonic vistas, all of which are a knob or slider away from being tweaked to belong to the user as they themselves see fit. Mangle (via the main MIX window) and add effects galore (via the main FX and MOTORISED FX windows)... it’s all there for the taking and more!

Who better to extol the many musical virtues of EDNA01 - EARTH than Spitfire Audio co-founder Paul Thomson. “There’s huge scope for you to get in and start making your own sounds with all this stuff,” says the working composer. “We are really excited about this one. It’s very useful, and it’s the kind of thing that we’ve been hankering after for a long time — especially Christian [Henson] and myself, who are always looking for some great, unusual synth sounds. The advantage of the way that we’ve put this library together is that you won’t hear the same sound that you’re using on your one- hundred-million-dollar blockbuster on the documentary about the lifecycle of the fruit fly the following day! So you can really dig in and create sounds that are your own signature in here.”

There you have it, then. An awesome-sounding collection of 1,900-plus basic instruments mangled into 1,001 custom patches across several so-called factory and artist ‘cartridges’ by Spitfire Audio’s award-winning team of composers, sound-smiths, producers, and engineers. eDNA (interface) and EDNA01 - EARTH (cartridges)... what a beautiful combination. Everything needed to take anyone ‘out there’ — and back to earth again!


EDNA01 - EARTH can be purchased and downloaded directly from Spitfire Audio for an attractive introductory price of £129.00 GBP (subject to VAT within the EU) — rising to £149.00 GBP (subject to VAT within the EU) on October 1, 2014 — from here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/products-page (Note that this is a free Native Instruments KONTAKT PLAYER library — no additional purchases necessary to run this product to its full potential.)

For more detailed information, please visit the dedicated EDNA01 - EARTH webpage here: http://www.spitfireaudio.com/edna01-earth"

Demo - DSI | Sequential | Mopho * No Talking * Bank 1 - 1 of 2 (Clean)

video by Here On Earth Studio

"This is one of two demos of the Dave Smith Instruments Mopho; Stereo Monophonic Analog Synthesizer. No processing aside from a Waves L1 Limiter was added to the master channel to catch peaks in Ableton Live."

Demo - DSI | Sequential | Mopho * No Talking * Bank 1 - 2 of 2 (w/ FX)
video by Here On Earth Studio

"This is second of two demos of the Dave Smith Instruments Mopho; Stereo Monophonic Analog Synthesizer.

Valhalla Freq Echo was used for delay and the Forest Floor preset in Ableton Live for reverb. I have displayed my settings for your reference. No other processing aside from a Waves L1 Limiter was added to the master channel to catch peaks in Ableton Live."

Synths in TV and Film

Note: some of the videos below have been pulled from YouTube, but I'm keeping mention of them up as a reference that they are out there.

Let the page load before scrolling - it's a long one.
Be sure to see the Synth Movies list and see the Synth Movies and Synth TV and Film labels for more.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Synths: ARP 2500 played by Phillip Dodds, head of ARP Engineering, Yamaha CS-?.


2. Fame Synths: ARP 2600, MOOG Minimoog

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Exclusive Moog Minitaur Review - All the Bass & More for Less

This is a MATRIXSYNTH review...

A brand new Moog Minitaur will set you back $599, a Slim Phatty, $795, an RME Voyager, $2695. So how does the Minitaur sound compared to its siblings? Pretty darn incredible.

For this review I had access to both a Minimoog Voyager and a vintage Minimoog Model D for comparison, and the Minitaur more than held its own. Actually it was capable of sounding identical to the Voyager with roughly equivalent settings. The Model D, whether due to age or physical design, has a brighter, fizzier, more unstable characteristic to it compared to both. It's kind of like the original Minimoog has a wild beast inside it while the Voyager and Minitaur have managed to keep that beast under control. I used to think of an analogy where the Model D sounds like it has a Tasmanian Devil inside it, while the Voyager has Darth Vader. Well, the Minitaur adds a massive fat bull. All three are extremely powerful sounding synths. The bass the Minitaur produces is as full as it gets and the filter gets wide open. It was a bit shocking when I first heard it. The Minitaur might be slimmed down in price, but sonically it has all the fat you will ever need.

As the Voyager sounded closest to the Minitaur, I primarily focused on it for comparison. For the most part I could get the Minitaur to sound identical, but there were subtle differences. An interesting thing I noticed was that the filter on the Minitaur seemed to open more than the Voyager, but then I realized that on the Voyager the filter opens up more if you apply the envelope to it. Once I adjusted the envelope on the Voyager, they sounded nearly identical. The saw waves were identical and the pulse waves varied a little, but I believe this was likely due to additional pulse width settings on the Voyager that the Minitaur does not have. I found myself spending more time attempting to get the Voyager to sound like the Minitaur vs. the other way around. This was clearly due to the extra parameters on the Voyager, and it reminded me that sometimes less can be more. With pulse waves, the Minitaur sounded a little more rounded, smooth and fuller. In many cases where I couldn't sonically hear a difference, I could feel it. A funny side note is I have an overhead lamp in the studio I did my testing in. The lamp has a metal hood over a small glass dome for the bulb enclosure that rattles with significant bass. It rarely happens but I noticed it happening quite a bit with the Minitaur. I decided to take the Minitaur, Voyager and Model D to town with a rattle test. The Minitaur won. It consistently produced the most intense lamp rattle. :) This is not too surprising considering Moog's reputation for bass, and that the Minitaur is based on the Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals, which in turn was based on the original Taurus I released back in 1975 (note the Taurus II unlike the I & 3 was based on the Moog Rogue - this is significant, and I'll comment on this in the summary). It's worth noting that although there are other dedicated bass synthesizers out there, there are essentially two types - TB-303 emulators and thundering bass pedals. The Minitaur of course is based on the latter, and few synths sound as full. The Novation BassStation keyboard which is also analog, for example, was geared more towards TB-303 emulation and does not really compare to the Minitaur.

Before we get into specs and finally the summary, there are a few things you need to know off the bat regarding the Minitaur:

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ROBOTERWERKE Drum Machine

No, that's not the actual drum machine, but an image in the Roboterwerke.pdf. Keep reading...
via Hajo:
"In about 1982, I had contact to Dieter Kolb, the guy behind the drummachine „ROBOTERWERKE“. As an attachment I did scan the original leaflat from this time. As I know, there were only a few machines build:

- Klaus Doldinger had one
- Tangerine Dream used one
- SUPERSEMPPFT aka Roboterwerke used it intensely

Go for www.WUNDERWERKE.de you will find more informations. I can recommend all the LP, absoluteley perfect EM music, a bit Kraftwerk, a bit Tangerine Dream ans some Samba and Disco influences. At all, perfectly arranged.

Greating from secret Duesseldorf
Hajo"
Thanks Hajo! You can find the scan here.

Update via Hajo (see image below as well):
"to complete the information:
- the whole project was called WUNDERWERKE (Wonderworks)
- the machine was called ROBOTERWERKE
- the main person in the whole story was the frog „SUPERSEMPFFT“
- thei frog was smoking grass all time and made funny thinks
o look for SUPERSEMPFFT in the WEB, also YOUTUBE
o Dieter Kolb and Franz Aumüller, arranged a 6 Minute movie about the frog ( I have it here)
o A short version with totally different music will be found in YOUTUBE

- The www.WUNDERWERKE. DE Webside is off for a while, it was too funny !!!"


Supersempfft - I'm Gonna Make You Big My Friend
YouTube via Zrix1000
"Video footage from 1982 with the original track from the 1978 album Roboterwerke"

I did a quick search as suggested by Hajo and found this scan here. Do a search on the web including image search and you will find more.

Update via BirdFLU in the comments:
"If you don't want to pay 90 euros for an album before hearing it, you can hear some 30 second samples here"

Update 3/5/2008:

More info via Hajo:
------------------------------------------
"Franz Aumüller from Roboterwerke
By: Ryan Chimney

Q: To start, explain Wunderwerke. A website, a record label, a production studio.. or all of the above ?

Wunderwerke is a multimedia company that is producing music,videos,events, and magazines since 1978 when it was founded by Franz Aumüller and Dieter Kolb. FA is managing director. It is also a music publisher,distributor and a website. And since this year a galery.

Franz Aumüller

Q: You were particularly involved in the lyrics, stories and artwork for the band. When did you first begin working on your creations and did you imagine they would be used this way or was that its intention ?

A: Dieter and I have been frieds since kindergarden, when he started playing guitar in a band I was his biggest fan and designed the logo for the drum and the posters.Later, when he chaged to Hammond I helped him carry it on stage and later after the concerts back to the car. His parents had a shop for musical instruments. Dieter practised every day for hours in the basement (the shop provided us wih the latest models, I brought the records) and later we experimented with 2 tape-recorders. Franz Knüttel our classmate joined on drums and built our first sythesizer. later when we found out that his possibilities as a drummer were limited, he developed a drum machine. I came up with the name Roboterwerke and the story. Dieter studied music and had a fellow student Jof who made the first deal with CBS. Then I created the story and the lyrics for the first Lp. Although we sold more than 30 thousand copies we decided to become independent. The second Lp Metaluna was released on our own label Wunderwerke and sold not even 1 thousand copies... So we had to release the third Lp Futurist with RCA but at that time in Germany was the Neue Deutsche Welle and everybody was listening to songs with german lyrics. Therefore Futurist flopped too. Meanwhile I had spent all my money on a 6minute full animated movie, but since there was no music tv at that time it was never shown. We worked for annother year on the 4th Lp Cosmotropics that was not finished.

Q: The artwork and stories ive seen focus on a strange yellow cartoon character who seems to always be getting high or be tempted by others on his adventures. What is the history behind this little guy and does his story continue on after Roboterwerke albums were completed ?

A: The little frog is Supersempfft a caricature of Dieter who has the most amazing adventures through the universe but when he comes back to earth finds his superpowers vanished.

Q: If your characters from the album were animated it could have become an early or the first music video. Did ever you have any interest in this at the time?

We are still intersted,but...


Q: You are credited as producer on some of the albums, were there times when you aided in the music production or was it solely the lyrics and story.

A: Dieter an I developed a way of working together as a team.

Q: You are photographed with the amazing "GUITARET" did you play? Was it used on any Roboterwerke recordings ?

A: Our next project after Roboterwerke was 4D the 4th Dimension which was completely sampled with our Drumcomputer exept for the vocals.The Guitaret that I found on the fleamarket was used on the pr shots, because we didnt use any real instruments. We sold about 3000 tapecassettes when Virgin contacted us to be the first act on their new German label. At the presentation of the record at Virgin they loved it very much, but when I told them that all the instruments were collaged from records they were too afraid to release it. Later I played the tapes to Rusty Egan (I wrote the german lyrics for Visages The Anvil) he took them to New York to Africa Bambaata who used it for his Timezone : the Wildstyle.

Q: Seems you have be apart of so many elements of the art world, from writing to print/design to music videos. are you still involved in all of the above ? Was there an area you enjoy(ed) the most ?

A: What I always enjoyed most was producing experimental music videos.

Q: Dieter Kolb was the first to use a drum machine from his own creation. This seemed to attract a lot of attention from artists ranging from Kraftwerk to Herbie Hancock. Were you there to witness this? how long did it take for him to get noticed for his inventions and what, if any, machines did Dieter produce for them ?

A: The machines we showed to alot of artists were only prototypes we planned to sell them, but when we had them professionally made there were better and cheaper machines on the market...

Q: Considering Roboterwerke was the first or one of the first to play this new type of drum machine electronic music, what was your reaction as it began to become popular ?

We loved it!

Q: Im really curious about the track "Pinhead" seems to be dedicated to your love from playing Pinball. I cant understand all the lyrics but i hear "extra ball" in there and many of the sounds could easily be used as pinball background sound effects. Did you write the lyrics for this? Was pinball a favorite pastime of the band ?

A: Yes

Q: You mentioned Dieter stopped playing live in the early 70s. So Roboterwerke never performed live ?

A: Yes the Roboterwerke equipment was too difficult to take around. We only performed live on the first art electronica in Linz.

Q: I've read briefly that the band would spend time in the Caribbean enjoying the local music etc, were you a part of these trips? At what point did this influence the musical style of the group ?

A: We were big fans of dub music especially Lee Scratch Perry and King Tubby. We went to Tobago + Trinidad because we thought reggae was played everywhere in the Caribbean only to discover Steelband and Soca which we liked even better. We were there 4 times for the carnival season.

Q: Honestly the first id heard of the group was from eBay! I noticed the amazing album cover for "The Lion Sleeps Tonight/High on Tech" and then began tracking down anything i could find about the band. what do you think of the eBay phenomena ?

A: E-bay is great for finding things.

Q: Recently there has been a resurgence in the band's music including a re-released track on the MAGICK KUTS edits label, what do you think of this and are you surprised it took so long ?

A: We love it and would encourage everybody to make remixes. Lately DJ Flowrider has Played me a scratch version of the Roboterwerke Lps on two turntables which I loved because the mix of old school electronics and scratch."

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



"here is an article in GERMAN, which I wrote in 2006 for a German EM Magazine SCHALLWENDE. Perhaps somepeople can read German. It is a kind of very funny
Hajo Liese from Düsseldorf"

------------------------------------------
A funny little booklet
ROBOTERWERKE CD Info
------------------------------------------

And two more images:



You can see the bottom module in this image on the top of the rack in the image above.

An Interview with Barry Schrader

Hi everyone! As you know Barry Schrader will be giving his farewell concert at CalArts on September 26. The following is the beginning of my interview with him. I opted to post the questions and answers as they come in.  New QAs will get a new post so you do not miss them and they will be added to this post so we have one central post for the full interview. This should make it easier for all of us to consume in our busy lives, and it will allow you to send in any questions that may come to mind during the interview process.  If you have anything you'd like to ask Barry, feel free to send it in to matrixsynth@gmail.com.  This is a rare opportunity for us to get insight on a significant bit of synthesizer history, specifically with early Buchla systems, and I'd like to thank Barry for this opportunity. Thank you Barry!

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DAVE SMITH PROPHET 08 PE EDITION

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction - learn how to sell on eBay here.

"FROM THE STUDIO OF EARTH EMPIRE (SYNTH-POP / INDUSTRIAL / TECHNO ARTISTS)
reverbnation/earthempire

DAVE SMITH PROPHET 08 PE EDITION 8-VOICE ANALOG SYNTHESIZER
WORKS & SOUNDS GREAT! HAS SOME COSMETIC THINGS TO MENTION-
MISSING LEFT-FRONT FOOT, SMALL GAP BETWEEN KEYS, MISSING ONE SCREW
ON RIGHT FRONT FACE COVERED WITH BLACK ELECTRICAL TAPE. IT HAS SOME SMALL
SCRATCHES & DINGS ON THE FACE & SOME KNICKS ON THE WOOD SIDE PANELS.
IT HAS SOME WORN & SLIGHTLY BENT KNOBS THAT DON'T ROTATE ON THE KNOB POST PERFECTLY
STRAIGHT BUT DO TURN CLEAN & DO NOT EFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SYNTHESIZER.
THERE ARE DINGS & SCRATCHES ON THE TOPS OF THE KNOBS & LIGHT SCRATCHES AROUND THE FACE.
IF YOU NEED THE POWER & SOUND OF A PROPHET 08 PE & DON'T MIND A FEW DINGS & SCRATCHES
AT A LOW PRICE THEN THIS SYNTH IS FOR YOU!! I THINK REPLACING THE KNOBS WILL MAKE
A BIG DIFFERENCE ON HOW SHE LOOKS! I SEE THEM HERE ON EBAY ALL THE TIME!
8.9 OUT OF 10 IN LOOKS! GET IT BEFORE IT GETS AWAY!!!

COMES WITH ORIGINAL POWER SUPPLY!!!"

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RIP David Bowie

Published on Mar 6, 2014 Halloweenjack84

Good advice for life as well. David Bowie lived it, and gave many of us the freedom to live it right alongside him. He is a hero in the truest sense. One of the most famous, yet kindest human beings on earth. His influence is quite literally beyond measure. It isn't just his music. More than anything it is permission to be whoever the hell you want to be and the permission to tell anyone who judges you to f off, all the while being kind about it. No apologies, no time wasted. Think about that a bit. He will continue to give freedom to countless generations to come, simply by being the person he was. I love his music, I cherish what he gave us, and I love how he did it - he made it cool to be yourself while at the same time being kind, tolerant, and compassionate towards others. He was the best of the best, and I love him for that.

Thank you captain. If there is existence after death, I hope you are enjoying it as much as we enjoyed your existence here with us.

---

On the synth side of things, because this is a synth site after all, I was curious how many posts mention David Bowie. I knew there would be a few. It turns out there wasn't just a few, but a whopping 77 posts total. That from a man not known for synths. Many of the posts are repeat references to Bowie's use of the stylophone and other synths, but there are some true gems there. Spend some time looking back on his influence on the synth world. He touched everyone. The following is just a handful of tributes from the synth community. If you have any to add, please feel free to leave a comment below.

via @dsisequential

"Thank you David Bowie, your music will live on forever."

via @moogmusicinc

"Thank you Starman, for inspiring us to trust our curiosity.

RIP David Bowie [1947-2016]"

via @Moogfest

"So long sweet star man. #davidbowie #stylophone"

via @ctrl_mod

"RIP, Maestro."

via @makenoisemusic, via @FACTMag

"No one else made a mug shot look this good."

via @SE_BoomStar aka Studio Electronics

"Riposa in pace Musicman of Earth. #Bowie"

via @malekkoheavy

"Just for one day https://www.instagram.com/p/BAZ9U7xSIQn/"

via Brian Eno, via @dsisynth, via @brandonstosuy


David Bowie - Warszawa Published on Aug 23, 2014

Synth heavy track "From 'Low' (1977)" via @Synth_City

"Warszawa" for Mellotron and Minimoog

Uploaded on Feb 22, 2010

"Educational.

An excerpt from David Bowie's 'Warszawa'. Played on my Wakeman combo."


And the song that started it all for me, Ashes to Ashes, followed by his final two.

David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes

Published on Mar 6, 2009 emimusic

David Bowie - Blackstar


David Bowie - Lazarus

Published on Jan 7, 2016 DavidBowieVEVO

"He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry." - Tony Visconti (1/11/2016)

Interview with Hexfix93 of VAC

The following is an interview I just wrapped up with hexfix93 of Velvet Acid Christ. As you know, this site is about the gear, namely synths, and the gear that helps drive and enhance synths, but ultimately the focus is on synths.

I was chatting a bit with hexfix93 and asked him if he would be interested in a slightly different take on an interview, one focused on synths and their impact to his world. We all have our story regarding how our obsession with synths first started, how we see and approach synths and what they mean to us. I thought it would be interesting to hear his story. The following is the interview.

Before it begins, I want to thank hexfix93 for taking the time out for this. We all have a different approach and a different story when it comes to our synths. This is his. For more of his music check out VAC and don't miss Toxic Coma. Cheers, matrix.


1. What was your first synthesizer, how old were you when you picked it up, and why did you pick it up?

"It was some kind of old yamaha cheap thing. i got it for my atari st, so when i played games like leisure suit larry that the music wouldn't come from the wimpy fm built in sound, but a general midi synth instead. it really didn't sound all that great. i wasn’t really a keyboard player at this point.

The first synth i got as a keyboard player was a roland w30 sampler workstation. And we made like 3 records with that keyboard. i remember gary slaughter an x vac member, spilled orange vodka drink on it. and i had to take it apart and clean every part of it by hand slowly, it took weeks. it was a pure nightmare.

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Beat Thang Finally Arrives? At Best Buy?

Beat Thang from Rowdy BKE on Vimeo.

"LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "We wanted everyone to be able to produce music the same way we do," says Dallas Austin of the idea behind the Beat Thang. The Grammy-winning producer-songwriter-"keyboard fanatic" and owner of Atlanta-based Rowdy Electronics is introducing this groundbreaking mobile music-making machine through a joint venture with Nashville's BKE (Beat Kangz Electronics.) The Beat Thang will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy July 17, 2011 as a limited edition with a suggested retail price of $1,500.

Dallas Austin is the man behind multiplatinum hits by the likes of Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, TLC, Madonna, Pink and Gwen Stefani. At Austin's level, producing music the same way he does means access to a library of 3,000+ original sounds (live drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, strings, horns, Latin and African percussion); hundreds of beats, patterns and loops; 65 digital effects (EQ, compression, reverb, delay, filter, chopped, screwed, reverse record); sampling; waveform editing; and mixing and mastering functionality, among other marvels.

Fully portable but also able to integrate with a Mac or PC, the Thang has a 3.5-inch color video LCD screen. It offers endless customization possibilities, including the option to tailor your setting to wherever inspiration strikes – at home, in the club, on the corner, onstage, even in the studio. Its cutting-edge features can be enjoyed anywhere courtesy of a rechargeable battery and sturdy metal frame no heavier than a laptop.

"We're musicians and beat-makers and artists, so the development of the Beat Thang got an extra layer of creativity and love," says BKE President Aja Emmanuel, formerly a globe-trotting product specialist for Sam Ash Music and Samson Technologies and an independent hip-hop artist (perhaps best known for the 2002 album It's Time.)

Emmanuel and Austin are proud to note that the Beat Thang has already won high-profile fans like Jermaine Dupri, P. Diddy, will.i.am, Jim Jonsin and "American Idol" in-house mentor Jimmy Iovine, who went so far as to introduce the handy piece of hardware to "AI" audiences. Austin will go even farther when he takes the Beat Thang with him to space aboard Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic in 2013.

Here on Earth, Austin is co-hosting pre-release parties with Best Buy in Nashville, Atlanta, New York and Miami to demonstrate the Beat Thang for industry VIP's. States Austin: "We'll be showing everyone how you can sing into it, play keyboards into it, put beats into it – anything," he says. "We'll also have a few for pre-order because once we hit the release date, it's anyone's guess how many will be available to the industry. We only produced 1,000 units and the buzz is running pretty hot."

Of course when Austin and Emmanuel started out in the music business, there was nothing like the Beat Thang. "It's like we made a list of everything we'd ever wanted as producers...and then went to work to put it all in one powerful machine that we could take with us whenever we wanted," states Emmanuel.

Notes Austin: "I remember being 11 or 12 and going to the music store every day to play the instruments. I couldn't afford any of them. And now Aja and I are going worldwide with the music machine of the future!"

To view the Beat Thang please visit http://beatthang.com/

©2011 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved."

"Features:

One octave pad layout with 8 banks so you can bang out beats or play the keys.
16 tracks so you can create patterns that can be performed and remixed on the fly.
16 layers of velocity sensitivity for emotive performance.
High Quality Sampler & waveform editing. Onboard sampler & resampler.
Edit sample start and end times. Process samples using features like normalize, reverse and resample.
Easy to use Realtime Sequencer. Create patterns in real time using quantize, swing, individual bar lengths, tap tempo then string them together in SONG mode.
Mixer with built in FX Change track, pad and pan levels.
Add 24bit reverb, delay, flange, phaser, pitch shift, old record and many more.
Add BANG with onboard mastering.
Export your songs as .wav files or save them to your Beat Kangz Playa Thang equipped iPhone or iPod Touch.
Rechargeable internal battery.
Pitch and Mod wheel.
2 high speed SD card slots.
256 MB Ram Stock.
Connects seamless with Beat Thang Software.
Rugged all metal chassis"

See the BeatKangz label below for it's history.

Absolute DSI Analog Wav Collection POLY EVOLVER MOPHO X4 TETRA PROPHET 08

Published on Sep 21, 2016 SynthgodXXX

"Absolute DSI Analog .Wav Collection
Dave Smith Instruments Custom Synthesizer Samples
Poly Evolver * Prophet 08 * MOPHO X4 * Tetra
ON SALE NOW ON EBAY $14.99 USD via PAYPAL

SUBSCRIBE TO "SynthgodXXX" YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Here are the sample names & time frames:

PROPHET '08 "EMPIRE" @00:01
PROPHET '08 "ALIEN BASS" @01:03
PROPHET '08 "EVOLUTION" @01:20
MOPHO X4 "BOMBER" @02:10
MOPHO X4 "HOLLOW EARTH" @02:29
MOPHO X4 "LO STRINGS" @03:09
MOPHO X4 "MOONBASE" @03:41
POLY EVOLVER "ANALOG SYNTH" @04:31
POLY EVOLVER "BERLIN NIGHT" @05:13
POLY EVOLVER "DARK NEBULA" @05:32
POLY EVOLVER "INVASION!" @06:11

Here is some Great Feedback from buyers of SynthgodXXX / UBER ANALOG / ABSOLUTE PRODUCTS:

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Demo - DreadBox | Typhon * No Talking * Stock Preset - Bank A (Time Stamps In Description)

video by Here On Earth Studio

"This is a demo of all the stock patches in Bank A of the amazing DreadBox | Typhon | Monophonic Analog Synthesizer / Sequencer

No processing was done to the samples aside from a Waves L1 limiter plugin on the Master bus in Ableton to catch peaks. *Be cautious as the levels jump quite a bit between some patches*

This is by no means a specification video, nor is it a demonstration of talent. I'm a drummer with some knobs before me. That is the extent of it ;)"

Dave Smith Instruments TETR4 Demos

videos by Here On Earth Studio

"Demos of the DSI Tetra 4-Voice Multi-Timbral Analog Synthesizer. No processing aside from a Waves L1 Limiter was added to the master channel to catch peaks in Ableton Live. Valhalla Frequ Echo was used as a send on Dave's voice samples."

Playlist:
Demo - Dave Smith Instruments | DSI | Sequential | TETRA / TETR4 - All Combos * No Talking *
Demo - Dave Smith Instruments | DSI | Sequential | TETRA / TETR4 - Bank 1 * No Talking *
Demo - Dave Smith Instruments | DSI | Sequential | TETRA / TETR4 - Bank 2 * No Talking *

Korg | Monologue * No Talking * Stock Preset Sequences 1-80

video by Here On Earth Studio

"This is a demo of all the stock patches & sequences of the amazing Korg Monologue | Monophonic Analog Synthesizer / Sequencer

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Steelphon S900 2 Oscillator Monophonic Synthesizer SN 0905027

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Published on Mar 14, 2020 Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Vintage Audio Institute - Italia
is a music studio and gear vendor in the hills of Florence.

There are a few good Steelphon S900 videos on here already, but we thought there was need for yet another one.
Here we explain how this for its time rather unique synthesizer has programmable preset sounds and has individual CV gate inputs for each oscillator.
A few of the photos are borrowed."

via this auction

"The Italian Beast Steelphon S900 up for sale, one of a very limited production run, the less than 100, all expertly hand-made in Turin, Italy in 1973.
Includes 2 pedals: Filter Expression Pedal
Sustain On/Off Pedal

and the Original Steelphon Club monitor.

The S900 Condition is Very Good, going on Excellent, it does have a few dings, please see photos, and the black panel with the logo some slight miscoloration. The filter-expression pedal has some slight wear.

Unusually good build-quality over-all, this is a reliable instrument, but can be a little sensitive to fluctuations in current and during warm-up, quite common for old synths.

It has been refurbished and recapped earlier this year in March.

The Steelphon S900 does stand up well to the Mini Moog, the Moog Ladder Filter is on board and it can produce earth shattering basses and piercing or haunting leads.

The Steelphon S900 has some great, rare features for the time:

1. Programmable Presets (first synth with programmable pre-sets to our knowledge, various parameters are easily accessible and adjustable with a mini screwdriver under the black panel with logo, an individual circuit board for each preset, six in total with a hidden preset as well :)

2. CV Gate inputs (works very well, individual CV input for each oscillator so you can have 2 arpeggios going at the same time (!).

Please check out the Youtube link, we made this video, it was partly made with this machine here for sale, and explains the various features.

220 Volt with European plug.

Ships from Italy with BRT/DPD/Fedex to the US and other continets, insured trackable shipping to Europe depending on which country, 5 day delivery, but please allow for more time due to customs and Covid19 issues."

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"Poetry at the core of arts" with a Dedication to Pierre Henry by Marc-Henri Arfeux & the Access Virus

Many of you will be familiar with the Access Virus compositions by Marc-Henri from previous RADIOKLOW posts. Marc-Henri bridges the gap between electronic music and other forms of art. His most recent work is a poem in tribute to Pierre Henry accompanied by the Access Virus. The tribute is hosted on La poésie au cœur des arts : le Blogart which translates to "Poetry at the core of arts". Click through and click on the Access Virus image to get to the piece.

via Marc-Henri:

"This site called 'Poetry at the core of arts' is the net the extension of a book of the same title, an anthology of poetry published by the french publisher : Editions Bruno Doucey. The book contains a poem I wrote about electronic music. The site was conceived to developp an exploration for some of the poets and artists of the book. I am one of them for, poetry , music and painting.

You will find the poem I wrote for the book, three pieces of music composed in january 2014, four poems by other authors of the anthology, three improvisations performed in early february 2014, a former composition called De Haute Vallée you have seen in the form a video in late 2012, an interview in french and some photographs taken at my flat when I was interviewed."

The following is Marc-Henri's poem translated into English:

"Orpheus veil"

Fly down into Orpheus ear,
Where roll clockworks
Of the forbidden stars
And voices shreds seeking vision.

Listen at the well of walls
Echoes of illuminated faces
In their bronze palaces.

Pavings, folds of roses,
The naked heels
Playing the freshness game
With embers
And the childhood kisses.

Travelling back to horizon,
In the limestone of nights,
Is now the prophecy of the spices,
With its tissue gifted with red
And the sobbings of an initiation.

Marc-Henri Arfeux - 2013

----------

Update: the following an English translation of the interview with Marc-Henri Arfeux on "Poetry at the core of arts". It is a fascinating read and reminds me of why I initially got into synths. My first synth was a brand new Oberheim Matrix-6 back in 1986. When I first started exploring the Matrix-6 I had no idea what the parameters did, so I just dived in. For me it was an exploration of sound for the sake of sound and a fascination in creating musical instruments never heard before. The focus was on that exploration rather than the attempt to mimic real world instruments. Much of this spirit is covered in the world of musique concrete and is captured in the interview below. Do not miss the part on the short wave radio. Truly fascinating and an inspiration for sonic exploration.

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The Electric Golem Live & New CD “Sky Snails"

The Electric Golem - STS Morrisville - 4-21-2011 - Part 1 of 2

YouTube Uploaded by KurtKarsin on May 26, 2011

"This video (Part 1 of 2) features The Electric Golem, an electronic improvisational synthesizer duo from Ithaca, NY. Here they are performing a piece titled "What Watson Doesn't Know" at Morrisville State College (NY) at the fifth annual Science, Technology and Society Symposium, titled "Technomusia: Science, Technology and Music" (more at www.morrisville.edu/sts). The program also featured Roy "Futureman" Wooten the synth drummer from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

The Electric Golem is composed of Trevor Pinch and James Spitznagel, who yield generative, modern psychedelic mindscapes thanks to Pinch's command of his Moog Prodigy and homemade modular synths, and Spitznagel's battery of similar devices like the Evolver, Mopho, Tenori-on, Nintendo DSi, iPod Touch, and Orb Sequencer. During his daylight hours, Pinch is Professor of Science and Technology Studies and Professor of Sociology at Cornell University, and the coauthor of perhaps the definitive book on synthesizer technology, Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer. Spitznagel is a true techno-polyglot, a digital computer artist, photographer, and sonic provocateur who has released all manners of twisted electronica on his Level Green imprint, and continues to raise the bar for circuit-based music as he craftily wrestles with the vagaries of tone, glitch, frequency, and pulsation."

The Electric Golem - STS Morrisville - 4-21-2011 - Part 2 of 2


via Trevor: "our new CD “Sky Snails" has just been released by Periphery records www.otperiphery.com [link]:

The CD was endorsed by our ginger cat, Mango, who loved Sky Snails – unfortunately the day after the record came out Mango vanished from this Earth!

Sky snails is also available on iTunes for downloading. It consists of three tunes: the melodic “What Watson Doesn’t Know”; the Space Noise medley, “Sky Snails Part One”; and the cosmic “Sky Snails Part Two”.

Shortly also to be released on Periphery is one track of our live collaboration with Macolm Cecil of Stevie Wonder and Tonto’s Expanding Headband fame. That CD comes out August 5

We plan a CD release party/concert on Saturday August 20 in Ithaca at The State of the Art Gallery – so mark that date in your diaries if you're in or near Ithaca

Meanwhile have a great summer. We are back in the studio working on our third album. And if you see a big ginger cat anywhere who likes electronic music please let me know! We miss him terribly!

Trevor"

Demo - Electrix Mo-FX | Stereo Digital Multi Effects Unit | Distortion Flanger Tremelo Delay Rack FX

video upload by Here On Earth Studio

"This is a demo of the Mo-FX Stereo Multi-Effect Unit fro Electrix (Canada). It was run through a PreSonus BlueMAX set in Limiter Preset to catch peaks before entering my Focusrite Clarett 4 Pre.

No processing was done to the audio ***Be cautious as the levels jump quite a bit between some settings!

This is by no means a specification video, nor is it a demonstration of talent. I'm a drummer with some knobs and keys before me. That is the extent of it ;) I Just thought it would be fun to take various parts of an old song of mine and run them through the Mo-FX for some experimentation. I tried to be 'surgical' as to avoid too many peaks and unpleasant results. Then again, the beauty lies in messing it up i suppose."

00:44 Synth Bass
04:44 Synth Stab
08:44 Percussion
12:44 [[[ Bells ]]]
16:44 Drum Kit
20:16 Delay Fun

Full track at:

https://music.apple.com/cy/album/last...
https://music.amazon.com/albums/B08WJ...

Dave Smith Instruments| Evolver Demo of Stock 1-69 Sequences

video by Here On Earth Studio

Listen in stereo.

"Demo - Dave Smith Instruments | DSI | Sequential | Evolver * No Talking * Stock 1-69 Sequences

This is a demo of the DSI Evolver Hybrid Analog / Digital Synthesizer. No processing aside from a Waves L1 Limiter was added to the master channel to catch peaks in Ableton Live.

In this demo I am triggering the stock sequences via the play button for the 1-69 patches. This is by no means a feature demo."