This sound study was created on electronic instruments made by British synthesiser manufacturer EMS. The specific items used were as follows:
Polysynthi VCS3 Mk1 Dual Synthi AKS (known as The Crystal Machine) TKS Sequencer 8-Octave Filter Bank Pitch To Voltage Converter Random Signal Generator Dual High Pass Filter
Note that the Polysynthi has an analogue delay unit which can be accessed via an external input
No other instruments or sound processors were used in this composition
The video was created by Benge at the Memetune VideoLab. The following equipment was used:
Panasonic WJ-MX50 (x 2) Grass Valley Indigo Video Switcher Sony DSR DR1000 DVCAM HD Recorder Sony DSR500 Video Camera Davinci Resolve
Written and recorded by Benge (BD Edwards) at Memetune Studios, UK
"One of the interesting things about creating an album using just one synthesiser is that it puts you in the 'sonic era' of the machine that you are working with. So for this reason I decided to create these tracks with this idea in mind, resulting hopefully in a sound reminiscent of the musical cues found on certain late 1970s soundtrack or library albums. Therefore when listening to this record it would not be inappropriate to try and imagine yourself immersed in a progressive Television Play such as would have been broadcast on on a sunday evening in 1978
00:00 Opening Titles
00:35 Introduction
01:31 Switched On - Polysynths Part Two
19:38 Synthesiser Club - Roland SH101, VCS3, 100M and Moog Modular
22:03 Commercial Break
23:42 Patching Today - ARP2500
38:43 Video Lab - Video Feedback
41:45 Outro/Coming Up Next Time
SWITCHED ON - Featuring in-depth discussions about the history and development of the synthesiser over the years, including demonstrations and feature guides of many classic and iconic instruments
SYNTHESISER CLUB - A short musical demonstration of a synthesiser classic or three
PATCHING TODAY - A deep-dive into vintage modular systems and how to set up a patch on them, starting from scratch
VIDEO LAB - A look at old video equipment and how to create experimental visuals
SWITCHED ON POLYSYNTHS (PART TWO) - Continuing the history of Polysynths, from paraphonic instruments (EMS Polysynthi) through hybrid Polys (Polymoog, Korg PS3100) to polyphonic classics of the 70s and into the 80s (Yamaha CS80, ARP/Rhodes Chroma, Sequential T8, Roland Jupiter 6)
SYNTHESISER CLUB - Roland Sh101 sequencing the EMS VCS3, Roland 100M and Moog Modular 3C
PATCHING TODAY - on a vintage ARP 2500
VIDEO LAB - Self-generating abstract images using simple video feedback
"In December 2012 I was visiting a friend in Vancouver, BC and he showed me his working example of the legendary Buchla 700 analog / digital hybrid synthesiser. This highly advanced synthesiser was developed and produced in the late1980s by Californian electronic instrument pioneer Don Buchla, using proprietory hardware and software components. About 12 of these machines were ever produced, and there are possibly only 4 working examples left in existance. My friend showed me some of its sound producing capabilities and then left me to explore for myself. Presented here are the results of the hour or so that I had alone with this machine
Donald Buchla began makng electronic musical instruments in 1963 with his 100 series modules appearing in 1965, which introduced the concept of analog voltage control to musical instruments (bode did it in 1959 and moog in 1964 - Moog started work with Herb Deutsch on the first Moog modular systems in 1963). He then produced the 200 series modules in the early 1970s and continued developing systems and modules of greater complexity utilising digital control and eventually microprocessor control, culminating in the 700 system in the late 1980s. More recently Buchla introduced the 200e modules which he continues to develop
The five compositions were recorded directly to computer using overdubbing in places. No additional processing was applied. See below for a full overview of the Buchla 700 system
Track Listing:
1 - Chime One (5.06)
2 - Chime Two (4.56)
3 - Chime Three (3.06)
4 - Chime Four (2.26)
5 - Chime Five (11.24)
Total Duration (27.02)
credits
released 15 June 2013
Recorded in Vancouver, BC, December 2012
Special thanks to R.Smith for the use of his Buchla700
All Music and Design by Benge (c)2012 Ben Edwards (Benge)
All Rights Reserved
"Can't find a vintage Moog Modular 3C system to create a self-generating patch on? No worries! Just put this video on in the background (in full-screen mode), and have the next best thing 😁
This patch uses 10 VCOs, 3 VCAs, 4 envelopes, 1 filter, 2 sequencers, a VC Delay, a noise going through the Fixed Filter Bank, some sub-mixers, a slew and a stereo Matrix Mixer to create a slowly evolving, slightly haunting ambient tone poem"
"I just LOVE the vintage Roland sound - and it was there right from the start in these mid-70s beauties:
Roland System 100 (101 & 102)
SH5
RE201 Space Echo
Behringer 184 sequencers x 2 + Doepfer Sequential Switch, Mixer and Clock Divider
ALM ASQ1 (used as Quantiser)
(Modular remixes by Daniel Miller, Chris Carter, Alessandro Cortini & more. Including David Burraston Mus IIC remix on the Hinton Muisc Lab!). Release date: 24/6/2016
"Wrangler’s new remix album features 11 modular synthesizer re-workings of tracks from their 2014 debut album, LA Spark.
Featuring remixes by the likes of Mute founder & The Normal’s Daniel Miller, Chris Carter from Chris & Cosey, Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails) and Scanner, all the artists were sent the same original proposal by Wrangler at the start of the project: ‘Wrangler would like to ask you to submit an experimental piece of music for inclusion on an album entitled Modular Remix. The idea is very simple. We provide some basic stems from a track selected by you from our debut album LA Spark and you add whatever sounds you like - the only rule being that you use just one analog modular synthesiser system of your choice. We've approached you because we admire your passion and commitment to electronic music, and we hope you will be interested in taking part.’
The result is an album which flows across four sides of vinyl, from the locked down electro-dancefloor rhythm of Daniel Miller’s ‘Theme From Wrangler’, through the darker, brutalist shapes of Chris Carter’s eight minute ‘Lava Land’ opus and into schizo-synth pop (Dean Honer – I Monster, Eccentronic Research Council), abstract ambient beauty (Alessandro Cortini), dark dub (Solvent) and finally the brooding 14 minute masterpiece of Wrangler’s own remix, ‘Theme Meme’.
01 - Abul Mogard - Mus IIC
02 - Daniel Miller - Theme From Wrangler
03 - Steve Moore - Harder
04 - Scanner - LA Spark
05 - Chris Carter - Lava Land
06 - Dean Honer - Space Ace
07 - Alessandro Cortini - Modern World
08 - Benge - Peace & Love
09 - Solvent - Harder
10 - David Burraston - Mus IIC
11 – Wrangler - Theme Meme"
"Can't find a real vintage ARP 2500? No worries! Just put this video on in the background (in full-screen mode), and have the next best thing 😁
Here is 10 minutes of self-playing modular synthesiser goodness. Why not put it on loop - then you can have it bubbling away in the background while you do other things
This video has been supported by the Momentum Music Fund. Momentum is managed by PRS for Music Foundation, supported using public funding by National Lottery through Arts Council England, and in association with Deezer.
https://www.prsformusicfoundation.com"
"Can't find a real vintage Modcan A-Series modular system? No worries! Just put this video on in the background (in full-screen mode), and have the next best thing 😁
Here is 10 minutes of self-playing modular synthesiser niceness. Why not put it on loop - then you can have it bubbling away in the background while you do other things
This is the second Background Modular video - the first featured the ARP2500 - [posted here]
A note on the patch: two VCOs (one of which is the Miniwave) go into the Modcan 02A LPF then to the output mixer. Various AD and ADSR envelopes control the filter cutoff coming in at various levels. The melodic notes are being chosen by sending a VC LFO into the Cyndustries Gated Comparator which is like a S&H crossed with a shift register and analog switch. It throws out notes that are semi-random. This output goes into a Quantiser to keep the notes sort of in tune. The Sequencer is used to vary the timing of the notes. A second signal path consists of the above going into the Modcan CV Recorder / Sampler which is the lower set of notes you can hear. I quite like the way its all a bit out of time and wonky. The stereo output goes into my mixer (Sony DMX-R100 with GA 1073 analogue preamps/eqs), with a bit of reverb (Lexicon Model 300)
Actually the patch is more complex than this, but it's too much to explain here - it would take my word count over the limit 🤣"
"The third episode in our short film series Analogue, a profile of the musicians whose love affair with analogue sound has come to define the way they work.
