Choral // Eurorack ambient Hermod Pluck Telharmonic Behringer D Plonk Plaits

Published on May 12, 2018 Lost For Words

Beautiful piece.

"Frozen moments of Pluck (guitar/string) + plonk (granular fuzz) are captured in uClouds in spectral madness mode and sound almost like a human choir or, at least, an 80s synth version of a choir.

Crunchy chords from Telharmonic are run through the Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water (KFM) pedal for random warble modulation.

A clone of the output of Pluck goes through Tapographic Delay for extra layers.

Behringer D (2 x ramp oscillator) for the bass/lead notes and Plaits on hi-hats.

Maths modulates the decay input on Pluck for that some-notes-picked, some-notes-strum sound.

Sequenced with Hermod and recorded into Reaper with a little reverb from Toraverb2."

Nostalgic // Elektron Digitone

Published on Apr 17, 2018 Lost For Words

"Wavy eighties synthwave short."

Everything Ends Here (Alessandro Cortini) // Eurorack, Rings, Mangrove, Bermuda, Plaits, Hermod

Published on Apr 9, 2018 Lost For Words

"I love the video of Alessandro Cortini, who wrote this track, and Don Buchla (modular father) playing this live. See link below. A simple 3 part melody loop with great feeling. I hope I did it a little justice.

In my take on the piece, played on a Keystep and recorded and sequenced by Hermod, Rings goes to ZVEX Instant LoFi Junky. Mangrove and Bermuda play the other two pieces. I use the Erica Polivoks filter and the Ripples filter to bring in distortion with a careful resonance/cutoff balance. Mangrove goes to Ripples then to Pico DSP for additional distortion and crunchiness.

Some sound effects from Plaits are bounced around in the Tapographic Delay.

Recorded to cassette. Mastered with Ozone etc. in Reaper.

Cortini and Buchla :"

Everything Ends Here

Published on Nov 18, 2011 Alessandro Cortini

"San Francisco Electronic Music Festival 2010

Alessandro Cortini + Don Buchla, performing the piece "everything ends here", from Blindoldfreak's 1st EP, 1.

available on iTunes:

itunes.apple.com/us/album//id304187276

and Amazon:

amazon.com/1/dp/B001RK05OS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1235173416&sr=8-1"

Before You Know // Eurorack, Squarp Hermod, Plaits, Mangrove, Telharmonic & Plonk

Published on Apr 7, 2018 Lost For Words

"First play/track with the Squarp Hermod. Just a simple single sequence. Recorded directly to cassette. Mastered with Ozone in Reaper. Patch notes below :

All sequencing from Hermod.
Track 1 to plaits in classic waveforms mode with 2nd osc offset. Chance set as an effect on Hermod. Aux output goes to the Tapo delay.
Track 2 pitch only to Telharmonic which drones continuously.
Track 3 to Plonk with ratchet effect
Track 4 is a modulator track sending LFO to Plaits morph
Track 5 to Mother 32
Track 6 is pulse note only to trigger the drum on Peaks LHS
Track 7 is an arpeggio sent to Mangrove. Fast and over 3 octaves. This track runs from the beginning because I'm not using a gate/envelope on the Mangrove. I bring the sound in in via the Erica Synths Black mixer slightly off camera and Maths controls the Three Sisters filter cutoff so it sweeps in and out. Maths is also modulating the panning on the Black mixer. Love this Mangrove sound."

"All Those Moments" Digitone Day 2. Slow, dreamy pattern loop

Published on Feb 9, 2018 Lost For Words

"Digitone can make some gorgeous sounds. Here I've created a single looped pattern to try out evocative pads, bass and 80s bells.

The four track sounds started as carefully selected presets that I've edited quite a lot to get what I wanted but that's a great way to create your own sounds quickly.

Tonnes of delay and reverb, oh yes! (all from on-board the Digitone of course)"

"Stranger Tones" Obligatory Stranger Things theme to test out new Elektron Digitone

Published on Feb 9, 2018 Lost For Words

"Digitone arrived yesterday. I don't know much about FM synthesis so after a bit of playing about I thought I'd try this to test out the synth voices and Digitone sequencer, arpeggiator and LFOs."

All Make Noise ambient modular synth performance: Places - POB

Published on Dec 12, 2017 Patrick OBrien

"Ever since I picked up modular in the fall of 2014, the dream was to one day build a patch on an all Make Noise system and perform it live. I have to admit I was intimidated in the beginning, but that didn’t stop me from slowly building my case over the years, learning the modules, and one day making it happen. Now, I can say I took the big leap.

Over the weekend I performed live with my Make Noise system in front of an intimate crowd in the back room of a cocktail bar here in Los Angeles. The outcome was something unexpected— something magical I can’t explain. The joy of having accomplished such a feat leaves me lost for words. And, playing an ambient piece was way out of my comfort zone, but I let my mind work intricately with the machine, and the result was truly my best modular synth performance to date.

This video is the culmination of all I’ve ever put into music my entire life, and I hope you can grab some headphones, close your eyes, open your mind, and give it a listen today. Thank you.

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

IN STEREO

This is a live modular synth ambient performance using only Make Noise Music modules. This set was performed at Triptronics held at Little Joy in Los Angeles, CA on December 10, 2017.

Titled, "Places" because you're going there.

I played this set with other great performers that night: Izapa, Pablo Perez, Andorkappen, and the2vvo.

Make Noise eurorack modules (12 total):
Top row: DPO, Mysteron, Maths, Optomix (2016), Rene
Bottom row: Pressure Points, Tempi, tELHARMONIC, moddemix, MMG, Morphagene, Erbe-Verb

The 6U case is from Dark Modular Cases. The layout of Make Noise modules in the case can be found on ModularGrid: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/288832

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

No computers or outboard gear were used in this performance -- just modular synths recorded live in a single take.

Video was recorded with an iPhone 6+ then synced using iMovie."

Waldorf Demos with Saga's Jim Gilmour at the Frankfurt Musikmesse in 1992

Saga - Jim Gilmour Demo - Musikmesse Frankfurt 1993 1992 Published on May 12, 2013 MadSevenFilms

"Jim Gilmour ( Saga keyboardist) in a demo at the Waldorf stand during the musikmesse in Germany.
Humble Stance, Wind Him up, Don't be late, Careful where you step, On the loose,etc ...."

Update: according the swissdoc, these videos are actually from 1992. That would make the appearance of the prototype Wave in 1992, not 1993. This post has been updated to reflect that. Note swissdoc's write-ups are from 1993 as you can see in the datestamps for the links, and I believe the production model Wave was indeed released in 1993.

Here's a blast from the past featuring a bit of Waldorf history in via swissdoc. This may very well be the only Waldorf footage from the event. Check out the non-working prototype of the Waldorf Wave in the background. 1992 was the year it made its first appearance to be released in 1993. Note the Microwave rack was released earlier in 1989. Further below you will find some notes on Musikmesse 1993 (the following year after these videos) from swissdoc, followed by a transcription of the Wave flyer. This is a fascinating look back on synth history. But first, one more video from the 1992 Musikmesse.

Update2 via swissdoc: "In addition, for those who can read and understand German, there is a big series of three articles available for download (email has to be provided) from the German Keyboards magazine. Inside Wave. Amazing level of detail plus in part three an interview with developers and users plus additional interviews with the people behind the Wave.

https://www.keyboards.de/heftarchiv/1994-10/inside-wave-1-wave-intro/
https://www.keyboards.de/heftarchiv/1994-11/inside-wave-2-tech-talk/
https://www.keyboards.de/heftarchiv/1994-12/inside-wave-3-wave-story/"

Update3: The following scans have been added to the bottom of this post:
Messe.1992.TSI.Messeinformation
Messe.1992.Preliminary.Wave.Info
Messe.1993.TSI.Show.Information
Messe.1993.Wave.Flyer

Saga - Jim Gilmour Scratching the surface - Musikmesse Frankfurt 1993 1992

Published on May 13, 2013 MadSevenFilms

"Jim Gilmour ( Saga keyboardist) in a demo at the Waldorf stand during the musikmesse in Germany.
Scratching the surface"

---

The following is a Musikmesse 1993 recap via swissdoc aka George Mueller, who attended, from way back in 1993 (you'll find a transcript of the Waldorf Wave flyer text further below). P.S. for a quick look at the gear released at the 1993 Musikmesse see here and here, both from swissdoc.

"Before I go into this Wave stuff, I'd like to tell you a little about the Frankfurt Musik Messe. Those restless gear junkies, skip the next 24 lines.

The Frankfurt International Music Fair was held for the 14th time and was attended by a record number of exhibitors: 1194 from 40 contries. So it's the leading event for the music business.

The Messe Frankfurt has 10 halls of different sizes, three of them are used by the Musik Messe. Hall 9.0 is the most interesting, it's for electronic instruments, 9.1 is for guitars and amps, 9.2 is for stage light, sound and mixers. These halls are middle in size, rows range from A to F, with booth numbers up to 90 each. Hall 8 is for acoustic instruments and publishers; it's funny, all that noise from test-playing violins, flutes and so on. This is the biggest hall, rows from A to P. The monster booth of Yamaha is in the back of this hall with all their synths, FXs and personal keyboards. So it's a long walk to Yamaha. It's a bit risky in this hall, if you enter one booth, browse thru the pages of some book, after talking to the salesman you probably lost your orientation. Hall 10.1 is reserved for grand pianos and uprights. No elctricity allowed there.

It's funny, when you change from 9.0 to 9.1, all those long haired heavy metal guys. One amp or guitar company has a Hard Rock Cafe at their booth, evertime overcrowded with guys drinking cocktails or beer.

So, here we are, the promised report on the TSI shows WAVE MUSIC DEMO and INSIDE THE WAVE.

CLICK FOR MORE »

"Lo-Fi Sunset" Ambient Eurorack : Bemuda, Rings, Erica Wavetable, Instant Lo-Fi Junky

Published on Oct 26, 2017 Lost For Words

"A late evening patching using new (to me) modules Lo-Fi Junky and Erica Pico RND. Both really great at what they do.

Using every Pico RND(Random) output in this patch.

Left hand Bermuda is playing the 4 note loop sequenced by Yarns. A little noise goes from the RND into the PWM CV which gives a pleasing raspy distortion. Right hand Bermuda playing bass notes sequenced by O&C , as are Rings and the Wavetable VCO.

Wavetable VCO going into Pico DSP in stereo delay mode.

Lots of randomness (RND) and Maths stuff going on.

Reverb courtesy of Disting mk4. It's not as good as my usual 2hp Verb reverb but that's being swapped for a black plate version atm.

Everything goes into the Elektron Analog Heat on a tempered Rough Crunch setting.

Lo-Fi Junky is just a great effect. I used to own the pedal but it was a bit weak with my synths. This Eurorack version just make sense with this kind of setup.

Fell in love with the Bermuda, so I bought a second. Finding some sweet spots with the Wavetable VCO but it has a lot of harsh tones that I'm trying to find a way of modulating and taming to fit my style of music. Will persevere with it!"

"OFFWORLD DREAMING" Eurorack, Noise Reap Bermuda, MI Rings, Erica Synths Wavetable

Published on Oct 13, 2017 Lost For Words

"My Eurorack is growing - this week I received my Ornament & Crime and Noise Reap's Bermuda VCO. The Bermuda sounds incredible for an inexpensive module. I racked up both new modules to have a play and ended up with this patch. Whether the fact that I saw Blade Runner 2049 on Sunday had anything to do with the feel of this piece I can't say but I'm a big Vangelis fan. I hope you like this dreamy few minutes :)

Patch notes - recorded direct from the case, no external processing.

Yarns - providing arpeggiated clock only, no pitch, to the O&C in CopierMaschine app (F scale pentatonic major) going out to Bermuda VCO and Erica Synths Wavetable.

Bermuda (triangle wave) into DPLPG (first!) then filtered by Ripples which is being modulated by Peaks LFO. Envelope for DPLPG is other by other side of Peaks. A slight FM wobble from Maths. Into Pico DSP for mono delay.

Erica Synths Wavetable filtered by Polivoks with some modulation from Maths.

Maths is plucking Rings on the left hand End of Rise and slowly sweeping the Frequency, Position and Structure to create that lovely bell undulation.

2hp Verb reverb on everything!"

"Crossed Wires #1" - New Eurorack with Mother-32, Digitakt, Heat.

Published on Sep 27, 2017 Lost For Words

"Over halfway with my first Eurorack case...excuse the cardboard!

Using Midi sequencing from the Digitakt on 3 channels to MI Yarns which is feeding :

-Rings (polyphonic, western chords on sympathetic strings) into Clouds
-Erica Synths Wavetable VCO + Polivoks VCF
-Mother-32 into Pico DSP Mono Delay
-Everything into 2hp Verb.
-Very slow LFO on left side of Maths is building the Erica Wavetable sound - slowly opening the filter and morphing the wavetable a little, also the cutoff on the Mother 32
-Other side of Maths is triggering/releasing Clouds' Freeze
-MI Peaks is modulating a couple of Clouds' CV inputs as well as envelope for Wavetable VCO

Everything you hear is from the Eurorack case except the drum tracks from Digitakt (TR-707 samples) and I used the enhancement circuit on Elektron Analog Heat in post."

"The NYX Rules" - Dreadbox Nyx, Elektron Analog Heat

Published on Aug 22, 2017 Lost For Words

"Dreadbox Nyx - First Play. Picked up this awesome synth today. This is just a quick test. Playing it paraphonically in one take. VCOs split routing to the two filters then half way through I cut out the filter altogether and route the VCOs direct to the VCA with only onboard reverb. A touch of external ping-pong delay which stereo-izes the reverb etc. then through the Analog Heat for a little EQ and drive."

"I Wanna See" Elektron Digitakt 1st Play

Published on Jun 27, 2017 Lost For Words

"Received my Digitakt today (woooo!) and have been learning it for a couple of hours. Imported a short clip from Blade Runner and the rest are factory sounds. Using LFOs for panning hi-hats and messing with the sample loop length. Some conditional trig stuff going on too. Fantastic piece of equipment! I look forward to doing more with it in conjunction with my synths. (Please excuse my shaky iPhone video)"

Digitakts on Amazon, Reverb, eBay. Also see the site sponsors on the right.

Boards of M83 (Mutable Instruments Ambika One-Take Multi-Patch + drums)

Published on May 18, 2017 Lost For Words

"I've got a new toy! :D

Sebastian at diysynth.me lovingly built my Ambika last week with custom peek-a-boo clear front panel.

I have to say I have NEVER jelled with a new synth like I have with this Ambika. It's great fun, the menu is simple and the sound is amazing and I'm not saying that lightly. I've only had it a few days and just scratching the surface but the modulation matrix and individual voice parameters just bring every patch alive. It's got a similar "living" sound feel that my AN1x has. The Ambika is a hybrid digital/analogue synth.

I thought I'd make a Multi and a quick melody - I've used 4 voices for the first patch and one each for the other two patches. All played together in one take, with drums from the Revolution plugin and just a touch of reverb on the Ambika."

"DEMORA-LISED" Korg Arp Odyssey, Make Noise 0-Coast and Roland Demora EFX Module

Published on Feb 1, 2017 Lost For Words

"Headphones on! More ambient glitchiness to daydream to. Introducing my new toys: Korg Arp Odyssey and Roland Demora.

The O-Coast is controlling (with randomness) the Hold button and Width knob on the Demora which creates some nice long glitchy delays. The sonar-esque sounds are a little synth I created inside the Demora (see Customizer app image towards end of video) and fed it into the Demora delay itself. Arp Odyssey's LFO slider is controlled by....my finger!"

"32 divided by 0" - Mother 32 & Make Noise 0-Coast Semi-modular

Published on Jan 16, 2017 Lost For Words

"Headphones recommended.

After tuning both to the same pitch I got the Mother 32 to play a short sequence and to also play the 0-Coast via patching only. (The midi cable going into the Mother 32 is purely to start the sequencer when I hit record in my DAW)

Some of the patching :

0-Coast RANDOM into the slope TIME and also the TEMPO on Mother 32 so that the sequenced notes are played at varying tempos

KB (keyboard) on Mother 32 to 1V/OCT on 0-Coast for pitch syncing

LFO TRI on Mother 32 to DYNAMICS on 0-Coast to modulate the volume of the 0-Coast sounds (sweeps in and out)

0-Coast triangle OSC in to the Mother 32 EXT AUDIO for a thicker 2nd osc sound"

"100% No Coast"

Published on Jan 9, 2017 Lost For Words

"All sounds from the Make Noise 0-Coast.

Today I caught up on all the 0-Coast videos on the Make Noise Channel - very inspiring and I wanted to create a track using only the 0-Coast.

So here's my little accumulative track. Even the kick drum is from this thing and I've shown the patch as the video backdrop. It's played on a low key obviously and I made it even kick-ier with EQ (Ableton's standard Kick EQ 1 in this case). The "hats" are modulated by the slope to give an open and closed effect. Soundtoys Echoboy and Valhalla VintageVerb for FX.

I hope you like it."

And a two previous tracks from Lost For Words featuring the 0-Coast:

"Makes Three" Make Noise 0 Coast, Moog Mother 32, Roland JX-03

Published on Jan 7, 2017

"Headphones and closed eyes recommended :)

A dark, spacey track made with these three beauties. Drums are samples of Vermona DRM1 Mark iii (because I haven't got an analogue drum machine yet). There is a mix of 3 bar and 4 bar loops here for some randomness.'

Year We Go Again ( 0 Coast Mother 32 JU-06 JX-03 )

Published on Dec 28, 2016

"Track made with Make Noise 0-Coast, Moog Mother 32, Roland JU-06 and JX-03

My 0-Coast is new so just getting to know it :) It plays the arp throughout this track. Some random slope time settings going on at the start and towards the end of the track I mix the 0-Coast's square osc into the Mother 32's external audio which provides some cool results.

All sounds from these 4 synths (1 track each + 1 recorded JU-06 Bass) and drums from Ableton. Plenty of reverb and delay :D

Copyright 2016. No reproduction permitted.'

Tangle VSTi - Modular FM plugin for VST/AU

Published on Nov 21, 2016 Computing.Sound

Patch 20112016 A // A Bunch of Waves, Tangle VSTi (Beta)
Patch 20112016 B // Synth Kalimba, Tangle VSTi (Beta)

"Just a little patch I did using the Tangle VSTi by Sound Guru.
http://sound-guru.com/software/tangle/

Needs some further exploration."

"TANGLE

Modular FM plugin for VST/AU

You don't usually see the words 'simple' and 'modular synth' in the same sentence. But that's what Tangle aims to be. Just 12 components, and a canvas to put them on. Hook them up to explore with new combinations and cross-pollinations of FM, AM, subtractive, and comb delay synthesis.

Tangle is in early access beta, and has a reduced price. Beta buyers will receive free updates including all 1.x releases. Contribute to development and influence new feature

Meet the team...

Screenshot of waveform browser.
Components

On the canvas, minature components represent elements in your sound. They show information about the object's settings, and quick controls for important parameters. Selecting one or more objects brings up a detailed panel for each object, which exposes the full controls.

Components are built for simplicity and flexibility. For example, each oscillator has an internal ADSR envelope to reduce clutter on the graph. But if you want, you can turn it off and plug in a multi-stage envelope instead. Another example is a delay component which can be used both in a regular way and as comb filter for Karplus string synthesis.

Oscillator blend between several waveforms, use as audio or LFO
Filter choose from zero-delay, warm 24db, or 12db SVF types.
Noise includes unusual types like crackle, hiss & pink.
Envelope infinite curve and step stages, loops, modulatable times.
Sequencer modulatable 'Cartesian' style inspired by MakeNoise.
Macro knob and XY Pad for control and DAW automation.
Quantise for restricting control signal values
MixPan with several algorithm for unusual mix & pan modulations
Delay in seconds, beats or hertz, with modulatable time & cutoff
Expression capture velocity, aftertouch etc.
Scope view signal from any component on the canvas.

Oscillator

The Tangle's oscillator functions both at audio rates and as an LFO. All the standard waveshapes are here... plus about 5,000 more from Adventure Kid. You can easily add your own to the waveform folder too.

The handy waveform browser loads, displays, scrolls and searches thousands of waves as smooth as butter. Each oscillator can load and blend dynamically between 4 waveforms.

In addition, the oscillator includes optional extras to reduce the number of components on your canvas: a simple ADSR envelope, stereo outputs, and 'slop' controls for unstable frequency and envelope times.

Screenshot of the synthesiser in action.
Polyphony & live patching

The Tangle is programmed in efficient native C++ and most patches can be played polyphonically with little CPU usage. To make things even more fun, there are several polyphonic glide algorithms and temperament selector allowing you to experiment with just intonation and other tunings.

If you want to get lost in some modular-style live patching, hit the 'start' toggle at the top of the screen and The Tangle begins droning a note. Add components and connect them on the fly – it'll be midnight before you know it! When you've added enough connections you'll understand why it's called Tangle...


Graph interactions

Several well-known music applications use the 'boxes and cables' approach. It allows the user a huge amount of freedom and creativity in exploring ideas, in a similar way to hardware modules. But in many cases the interaction in these programs is complex and slow.

The Tangle aims to simplify, streamline and beautify. Many small details add up to a smooth workflow.

Connect multiple objects to a single input. There's little need for mixer objects.
Blend signals by changing each input's strength and range, then adding or multiplying with other signals.
Oscilliscopes everywhere! Easily inspect the signal at different points.
Zoomable components with no loss in quality. Everything is drawn in vectors, so it looks gorgeous on today's high resolution screens.
Helpful tooltips give additional information on almost every control."

MATRIXSYNTH Review and Overview of the Novation UltraNova

Hi everyone, you might remember, back in July I posted some pics of my newly acquired UltraNova, and mentioned that review posts would eventually follow. Well, I’m happy to tell you the first post is here. The UltraNova is one powerful synth, so to make the overall review a bit more consumable, it will be broken up over time. This first section includes an Overview, the Oscillators, and the Mixer sections. When new sections go up, I will be sure to let you know via a new post.

As with most of my reviews, I will say this one goes pretty deep into the synth engine and all editable parameters. If you are the type of person that likes to dissect and explore all of the available parameters on a synth, then this post is for you. I will touch on what each parameter does and will call out any interesting features and limitations as I do so. There are some pretty special parameters on the UltraNova that give you control beyond most other synths. Hopefully this review will give you some insight into what makes the UltraNova special.

Overview & Quick Comparison to Previous Nova Synths

The Novation UltraNova, released back in 2010, is a 20 voice virtual analog & wavetable synth with three oscillators, two ring modulators and one noise source per voice. The UltraNova also features two audio ins that can be assigned to the oscillator section and/or a 12-band vocoder. It’s worth noting that the Novation Nova from 1999 featured a 40-band vocoder, while the Supernova II from 2000 featured a 42-band vocoder. The UltraNova is a monotimbral synth while the 12 voice Nova was six part multitimbral and the Supernova II (24, 36, or 48 voice) was eight part multitimbral. The UltraNova supports up to 5 simultaneous effects per patch. The Nova supported 42 simultaneous effects, while the Supernova II supported up to 56. The Supernova II also supported FM synthesis while the Nova and UltraNova omit it.

The UltraNova, however, is the first Nova synth to feature wavetable synthesis. An interesting side note is that all of the oscillators on the UltraNova are actually stored as wavetables, including the standard waveforms. According to Novation, “The wavetables in the Supernova series are all calculated. The wavetables in the UltraNova, even the standard analogue waves are wavetable oscillators. This change in oscillator generation was first used on the A-Station and K-Station and subsequently in the KS series, X-Station and Xio.” This allows the UltraNova to have some advanced tricks when it comes to the oscillator section, which will be covered in detail below.

I asked Novation about the lack of FM synthesis and they told me, “FM would have been a lovely addition to the UltraNova, but it would have been asking too much of the DSP to be able to run everything the UltraNova can do and also add in FM. The wavetables were a really good way to introduce a new (to Novation) type of synthesis that is able to cater for some of the synth sounds that FM is known for and also to be able to create lush evolving pads.”

The UltraNova features two routable filters per voice with a total of 14 filter types to chose from including 6dB (no resonance), 12dB, 18dB, and 24dB with Lowpass, Bandpass and Hi-pass modes. The Nova and Supernova II lacked a 6dB mode.

As for hardware, although the UltraNova may have fewer knobs per function than its predecessors, it is extremely well laid out and super intuitive to use. Along with both keyboard velocity and aftertouch, the UltraNova has touch sensitive knobs. They literally respond to touch and can be assigned to various parameters. Worth noting, velocity is configurable, however, aftertouch is not. I found the aftertouch to be good, but it does require a little extra force than I prefer; it’s good for not accidentally triggering it, but not so good for subtle, natural performance.

Please note the above comparisons with the Nova and Supernova II were only for quick reference. The UltraNova of course is its own synth with a few tricks up its sleeves that are lacking in the original Nova line, including a level of control over the synth engine often only found in the modular realm. It sounds incredible, and for the price, currently only $599 new, it is an extremely flexible and powerful synth. You get the current top-of-the-line Novation Nova synth engine with new wavetables and more. The UltraNova is both a performance oriented synth as well as a synth programmers dream. It can be configured for easy access to specific parameters for a live situation, or you can dig as deep as you want with a clearly well thought out interface.

That said, let’s dig in.

The following review and overview will essentially go over the signal flow of the UltraNova followed by performance controls including the arpeggiator and the hardware interface. I’ll go into a little detail on what each feature can and cannot do in an attempt to give you a detailed idea of what the synth is capable of. Because my reviews tend to be a bit on the longer side, I will be posting the sections in chunks over time to make it easier on you to consume and for me to compose.

First we start with…

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Bob Moog Foundation Objects to Archives Moving to Cornell, New York

via Mountain Xpress where you'll find the full article (you'll find my notes at the bottom of this post):

"A move to ship Bob Moog's archives from Asheville to New York is creating family discord over the best way to preserve the late inventor's legacy.

An electronic music titan, Bob Moog founded Moog Music, the world's leading manufacturer of analog synthesizers. His widow, Ileana Grams-Moog, announced July 18 that she's planning to donate his personal archive of notes, plans, drawings and recordings to the Cornell University Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections in Ithaca, N.Y.

'It was Bob‘s wish that his archives be preserved and made accessible to other scientists, inventors, engineers and innovators,' Asheville resident Grams-Moog said in a press release. 'The Cornell Library makes its extensive rare collections accessible to students and scholars all over the world.'

Noting that Moog earned his Ph.D. in engineering physics from Cornell in 1965, she added: 'It has been eight years since my husband’s death and I am happy that my gift to Cornell will finally make this rich collection available. Bob would be pleased to know his life’s work is finally being properly preserved and made available to current and future generations to advance upon his work.'

However, Grams-Moog makes no mention of the Bob Moog Foundation in her announcement, which has overseen the preservation of those archives for the last seven years in Asheville, where Moog lived from 1979 until his death in 2005. The foundation is a nonprofit organization run by Michelle Moog-Koussa, the inventor's daughter, who says that she and other family members are surprised and disappointed by the decision to ship the archives out of town..."

...

"Upon hearing of Grams-Moog's intentions to move the archives out of town, Moog-Koussa says the foundation is now 'considering our options.'

She adds: "No matter what happens, the Bob Moog Foundation will continue to carry on Bob Moog's legacy, and that his legacy is alive and well in our educational projects, which are thriving in this area.'"

----

My notes:

What is your opinion on this?  Personally, the number one priority in my opinion is keeping the documents safe.  I think they would be safe at either Cornell or The Bob Moog Foundation, so that imo is not an issue. The issue then is where would they be of the most value to the community and how do you define that? Exposure to the public or access to researchers? I don't see Cornell being as pro-active in spreading the works of Bob Moog as The Bob Moog Foundation. I think the archives may be safe in Cornell but my fear is that they will be all but forgotten aside from those that take the time to research them and then share that research with us. In other words, they will essentially disappear into the ether, unless someone makes the effort otherwise. The BMF was doing that. With the Bob Moog Foundation, his research would be at the forefront and present in everything they do. Your opinion? Click on the comments link below. Note although it currently reads 0, Facebook comments are there. Blogger only counts blogger comments in the count. It might take a sec for the Facebook comments to load after clicking the link.

Update: The following is the official press release on the move.  I received it from Moog Music and Hummingbird Media a separate press outlet:

"Bob Moog's Archives Donated To World-Class Facility at Cornell University
Inventor’s Alma Mater to Receive Rich Collection

Yesterday Cornell University announced the archives of Dr. Robert A. Moog have found a home at their Sidney Cox Library of Music & Dance, thanks to a generous donation from his widow, Dr. Ileana Grams-Moog.

Dr. Robert A. Moog is the founder of Moog Music, the world’s leading manufacturer of analog synthesizers, and the inventor of the legendary Moog synthesizer. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell in engineering physics in 1965 and was a longtime resident of Trumansburg, N.Y. His personal archive of notes, plans, drawings, recordings and more will be housed in the Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections.

“It was Bob‘s wish that his archives be preserved and made accessible to other scientists, inventors, engineers and innovators,” Grams-Moog said. “It has been eight years since my husband’s death and I am happy that my gift to Cornell will finally make this rich collection available. Bob would be pleased to know his life’s work is finally being properly preserved so that current and future generations may advance upon his work.”

Cornell has flourished as a center for research in music since the Sidney Cox Library of Music & Dance was founded in 1929, and its extensive holdings include a special focus on historical keyboard instruments. It collects heavily in 20th- and 21st-century music of Europe and the United States, including electronic music and music by Cornell composition alumnae.

“We’re thrilled to welcome this donation to Cornell, and we look forward to welcoming researchers from all over the world who hope to learn more about Dr. Moog’s life and work, ” said Anne R. Kenney, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian. “We pride ourselves on not only preserving valuable historical knowledge, but providing access to one-of-a-kind, original materials to as many people as possible.”

Dr. Grams-Moog continued, “Cornell is a 150-year-old institution with a long history of stewardship and dissemination of rare and valuable collections for education and research. Donating Bob’s archives to the university is the best opportunity to preserve and protect them so they will finally be accessible to students and scholars worldwide. In addition, they will be available to future generations long after we’re all gone.”

About Cornell University Library
Cornell University Library’s rich collections, expert librarians, responsive services and welcoming spaces inspire and nourish scholarship and learning throughout the university. Its world-class collection — nearly 8 million print volumes, nearly a million e-books and 5 million journal article downloads per year — covers incredibly diverse fields. The Sidney Cox Library of Music & Dance provides extensive holdings of printed materials and recordings to support the study of music."

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Update2: Michelle Moog-Koussa of The Bob Moog Foundation issues statement:

"Dear Friend,

The Bob Moog Foundation takes seriously its role as the only non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting my father’s work for future generations. In was in this capacity that the Foundation made significant investments over the past seven years to rescue the majority of my father’s archives, and to protect and preserve them to prevent further deterioration from occurring.

Our efforts have included re-housing the collection in archival quality storage materials, securing climate controlled storage, cataloging thousands of items, cleaning and restoring a breadth of materials including almost 100 reel-to-reel tapes in the collection, and most recently securing state-of-the-art archival storage and processing facilities where researchers from around the world could acess the archives.

We have also worked to share the archives through many exhibits from California to our local region, exposing tens of thousands of people to the unique information and insights that the archives contain.

We did this based on a verbal understanding that these documents would eventually be donated to the Foundation.

Yesterday, an annoucement was made that Cornell University will be receiving Bob's archives. The announcement was made by Bob's widow, Ileana Grams-Moog, with whom we have been working closely for the past seven years, up until as recently as February 18, 2013.

The decision to abandon a pending agreement, which ignores the Foundation’s stewardship of my father’s archives, and move them out of Western North Carolina is disappointing and, we believe, not in keeping with my father’s intent. Asheville was my father’s home for 25 years and, in the end, his spiritual home. It is important that his archives remain in Asheville and that they are administered by the Bob Moog Foundation, where they can be considered within a wide musical and technological context and where they will benefit from being interpreted by the unified network of experts that surround the Foundation’s work.

The Moog Family is saddened and surprised not to be part of the discussion to move our father’s archives away from the organization where they would receive the most well-rounded care, and away from the area where the Bob Moog Foundation, Moog Music, and Moogfest are located.

Over the years, you have been witness to all of the dedicated work we have done for the archives. Many of you have visited our exhibits and complimented our efforts. At this time, we ask that you support us on Facebook and other outlets by reposting and commenting in ways that are reflective of our work.

With or without Bob's archives, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives remains a robust collection of historic materials that we have obtained, or that have been donated to us. We remain a repsitory of materials that represent the evolution of electronic music history. We are excited to be sharing some of the incredible material that we have obtained with you over the coming months. Please keep your eyes open for that.

I may be reaching out soon with other ways that you can help. Until then, I remain

Devotedly yours,

Michelle

Michelle Moog-Koussa
Executive Director
Bob Moog Foundation

P.S. Should you have any concerns about this topic, please be in touch at info@moogfoundation.org."

Update3 (also posted here):

Online Petition to Keep Bob Moog's Archives in Asheville with the BMF

You'll find the petition here.

The petition was setup up via Michael Koehler who sent in the following:

"I am not involved with the BMF, but am friends with Michelle. She knows that I am doing this.

I am very passionate about it because I was fortunate to knew Bob for a short while and know that he would not want things to go the way that they are going right now. I am not trying discredit Cornell or say anything bad about them. They are a fine institution. I am just trying to help them see what moving the archives would mean.

There is so much more to this material. It is not simply 'Bob's stuff'. In Bob's work, he always included colleagues and musicians in the development of his works. If we send these notes off to some storage facility where only scholars can reference them, most of this is lost. The BMF is connected with many of the musicians that worked with Bob. They have the ability to connect the information that Bob wrote down from the engineering standpoint and re-connect it with the musicians that worked with Bob to create it. I have witnessed this first hand. I am telling you, this type of documentation and interpretation would be impossible with the items at Cornell. Think of all of the nuggets that have come out of the BMF. Stories, video clips, etc. Remember all of those insights? It is almost as if Bob were still here. Cornell will most definitely have a totally different output. It will be much more sterilized and scholastic.

I saw first hand the work that Michelle and her team have done. There were literally rooms of material laying in in total disarray. One piece of gear that was salvaged by her team was the very last minimoog made from the original factory. The synth was barely salvageable at the time. That was in 2006. Had it laid there, out in the shed, exposed to the elements, do you think it would even be salvageable today? And, even if it were, do you honestly believe that Cornell would even restore it? In the list of items, it most likely would not be on the top of the list. But the reason that this synth was so iconic to save was that back in the day, Bob had the fore-site to know that something like this should be preserved. Remember, this was at a time when you couldn't give analog synths away! Bob was like that, he knew to save things not for himself or his own legacy, but because some day, these things will be important to someone.

Another example, the BMF has restored 100 recordings. I have heard some of these. Amongst them is a recording where Bob sent a minimoog prototype to Sun Ra to play with and asked Sun Ra to let him know what he thought of the synth. Sun Ra used it in a performance the night that they received it. They did not have a user manual or any instructions, they just went with it. Sun Ra recorded this performance and sent the tape to Bob. This was the first recording of the minimoog and it was also an iconic recording of a concert as well. I can tell you that if this recording goes to Cornell, no one will be able to hear it. The licensing rights will never be able to be cleared by them for public consumption. No way a record label will give that away easily. Way too broad of a license. Where as the BMF would be allowed to play these recording during their exhibits and seminars because they would be able to keep custody of the recording preventing broad public dissemination.

I could go on, but I have probably typed your eyes out! :)"

You'll find the petition here.

Update4:

BMF Board President Bryan Bell Responds to Ileana Grams-Moog

"On July 26th, Ileana Grams-Moog issued an online statement regarding her decision to transfer Bob's archives to Cornell University. After much consideration, President of the BMF Board of Directors, Bryan Bell, has decided to issue an open letter to address the misinformation in that statement.

An Open Letter from Bryan Bell, President of the Board of Directors, The Bob Moog Foundation

The past three weeks have been hard ones for the children of Bob Moog and the staff, board, and friends of the Bob Moog Foundation (BMF). As President of the BMF Board of Directors, I am profoundly disappointed in Dr. Ileana Grams-Moog’s decision to withdraw her support for the BMF, a not-for-profit organization devoted to perpetuating Bob’s love of music and innovation, the manner in which she chose to do it, and her exclusion of key facts.

I knew Bob well. We were colleagues and friends for more than 30 years. During that time, we collaborated on projects and solved problems that changed the way music is made. I serve on the BMF board because it is the truest representation of Bob’s legacy. That is why I also know how sad it would make him to see what is happening in his name, and why we should all be asking Ileana a few questions.

What’s behind the sudden decision to take the archives away from the BMF?

On Feb. 14, 2013, after 18 months of personally and directly negotiating with Ileana, we agreed upon the BMF’s temporary custody of the archives and management of Bob’s Rights of Publicity (his name, image, signature, and voice). This was the first step towards a much larger agreement between us. In the words of the interim agreement, we were working “together in good faith to define and execute a mutually satisfactory [larger] Agreement as rapidly as possible,” or so I thought.

Suddenly, on February 25, Ileana notified me that she would not sign the interim agreement, based on information she had received from Moog Music President Mike Adams. (Note: Mr. Adams was a BMF board member at the time these discussions took place.) The BMF quickly addressed Ileana’s concerns in writing, concerns that she never voiced to me as the BMF board president and concerns that were later proven to have no basis in fact.

Why was there no consultation with Bob’s children about the future of their father’s archives and his Rights of Publicity?

What about money?

We all agree that Bob’s legacy is priceless, but his share of Moog Music and his Rights of Publicity have price tags. Because Ileana has chosen to publically disclose the BMF’s offer to purchase the archives, I challenge her to disclose the detailed terms, both financially and legally, of her sale of Bob’s share of Moog Music and her sale of Bob’s Rights of Publicity to Mike Adams.

Was there a financial contribution to Cornell from Moog Music regarding the archives? Will Moog Music, for example, have access to the Cornell Archives for their commercial purposes? Will the Bob Moog Foundation and Bob’s children have access to the archives for their own use?
Has The BMF been a good steward of Bob’s archives?

The answer is an unequivocal YES. For seven years The BMF has consistently acted in the best interest of Bob's legacy, rescuing his archives from moisture, dirt and mildew; storing the archives in secure climate controlled storage; entering into a lease with the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources to secure state-of-the-art archival facilities in Western N.C.; and making the difficult but prudent decision to defer a capital campaign to fund building of the Moogseum.

Ileana has said that her decision to move the archives was based, in part, on the fact that construction has not started on The Moogseum, the eventual Asheville home for Bob’s archives. At no time did she ever communicate that requirement to the BMF Board or me. Furthermore, during her tenure as president of the BMF Board, Ileana personally oversaw the decision to postpone the Moogseum’s capital campaign until the economy recovered from the nation’s worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The economy aside, great museums take a long time to build. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for example, took 16 years to plan before breaking ground.

The BMF’s leadership, board and staff have intentionally stayed above the fray, and we encourage our supporters to do the same. Ileana’s decision to move the archives, which was announced in a press release written and distributed by Moog Music’s public relations firm and posted on Moog Music’s website, has unleashed negative comments, many of which raise questions about the role Mike Adams and Moog Music played in Ileana’s sudden change of heart. The BMF has chosen to take the high road, and we will continue to do so, despite many inaccurate comments from Ileana and Mike Adams. That’s what Bob would expect of us. But Ileana’s decision and its timing, the wording of the announcement and the secrecy surrounding its release raise troubling questions about whose interests are really being served by Ileana’s actions.

As for The BMF, we will continue to do what we do best – inspiring and igniting creativity through historic preservation of the Bob Moog Foundation Archives and creating programs like Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, that introduce children to the power of music, science, and innovation. Nothing would have made Bob happier or prouder.

(Trademarks referred to in this letter are the property of their respective owners)

Sincerely,

Bryan Bell, President

Bob Moog Foundation Board of Directors

Bryan Bell is President and Founder of Synth-Bank Consulting, LLC (Synth-Bank®) a technology practice focusing on using technology to enhance business and creative processes. Bryan spent 20 years consulting and pioneering technology innovation for high-profile corporations and entertainers, including Apple, Domain Chandon, NBC, GEIS, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana, Neil Young, Branford Marsalis and INXS. He has served continuously for over 20 years on the board of directors of The Bridge School. Bryan holds a DIS from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business Administration and has been a speaker at conferences around the world. Bryan Bell’s latest music production project, “Duality”, by Nestler and Hawtin was recently released on iTunes."