Loudest Warning / 4U / Serge Modular Synthesizer Panels - First Patches

video upload by Modern Fate

"This is a collection of my first month of patching on these fantastic http://www.loudestwarning.co.uk/ panels. Sorry for the poor video quality at times, I should get a proper camera.

Panel setup can be seen on these two pictures:
voice: https://loudestwarning.tumblr.com/pos...
sequencer: https://loudestwarning.tumblr.com/pos...

Everything has a bit of EQ and compression applied, some pieces have a touch of reverb for context. Every sound from the panels and the patches as you see them in the video.

0:00 ringmodulation percs
0:08 melody 1
1:33 rain
1:45 melody 2
4:17 beat
5:19 melody 3
6:50 melody 4"

4 beats with the Bugbrand Modular Synthesizer

video upload by Modern Fate

response/relay

video upload by Modern Fate

"All sounds from the Bugbrand modular, additional stereo processing, reverb and mixing in Ableton."

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2016 Pics

Update: Booth list added below.  30 booths in one day!  It's become tradition for me to come on Saturday only.  The site is just too busy leading up to then.  Be sure to see the last image in the set  It's the NAMM Booth promo for the first showing of the original Minimoog Model D.  The Bob Moog Foundation was giving out buttons of the flyer which you can see in the second to last image.  You never know what will be your last pic at NAMM.  I am glad it was this one.  It's more than fitting considering the Minimoog was the birth of modern day synthesizers.  Apologies for not calling this out earlier.  It was one of those should I not say anything and let people pause at that image and discover what it meant on their own, or should I call it out.  I guess I did both.  :)

--

So first of all, apologies for the super tall pic to start! For some reason Flickr's slideshow is not resizing it, and a few others, to fit the desired frame size. Mouse over the image and use the controls that come up to move through the slide show. Once you get past the first image, the majority of the rest should fit fine. For what it's worth, the super tall pic to start does give you a feel of what it's like to walk up to the entrance of NAMM. If you prefer you can check out the set on Flickr here. Feel free to grab any pics for your wallpaper but if you'd like to use them professionally (not that any are that good :), please contact me by clicking on the small email icon on the bottom right of the site. This year I took a total of 328 pics.

All that said, enjoy the set! The pics speak for themselves. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in the comments.

NAMM was great this year. Lots of familiar faces and lots of new. Modular has grown exponentially. It was on the main floor this year rather than what we like to call the dungeon. As for new synths, the DSI Oberheim OB-6 stole the show. The minilogue looked and sounded great and the KORG Volca FM was a very nice surprise. Roland's booth was great; nice dim lighting to let the blinky synth lights shine, as well as giving you a more intimate experience with their synths. There was also a cool wall sized timeline of Roland synths. Malekko's Roland System 500 synths were in show and I actually was able to help with one that had its envelope switched to loop mode. Moog's Island of Electronicus was an incredible space. The pics don't do it justice. It was literally like an oasis in NAMM. Things get pretty hectic and can feel overwhelming at times. Moog's booth just made you smile and relax. Thank you Moog!

PS, there are a couple of non-synth shots in the set that might make you smile. I took them to show my wife what I was looking at. :)

Including this post, 253 NAMM2016 posts have gone up and more are sure to follow.

Update: The booth list in order of appearance in both the set and in me walking through NAMM.  The pics in the set are in the order taken.

1.   Entrance to NAMM
2.   Dave Smith Instruments
3.   Moog Music
4.   Schneiders Buero Booth featuring Doepfer, MFB, Birdkids, AJH Synth, Endorphines, soundmachines, and Haken Audio
5.   Pittsburgh Modular
6.   Modal Electronics
7.   Make Noise
8.   Moon Modular
9. WMD (4ms, Verbos & Koma pics came prior to Moon Modular as they were across from each other. The WMD modular area was huge): 4ms Pedals, Abstract Data, Audio Damage, BaSTLE, Delptronics, Elite Cases, Rossum Electronics, Expert Sleepers, Foxtone Music/ Black Market Modular, Koma Elektronik, Hexinverter, Macro Machines, Mordax Systems, Noise Engineering, Qu-Bit Electronix, Soulsby, Steady State Fate (SSF), STG Soundlabs / Detachement 3 [check out the Crowbox black SEM eurorack module!], TipTopAudio, Toppobrillo, Verbos Electronics.
10. Studio Electronics, Mode Machines, and D-Tronics (check out the massive DT7 dedicated programmer for the DX7 similar to the old Jellinghaus)
11. Roger Linn's Linnstrument
12. Tom Oberheim
13. Elektron
14. Malekko - complete with Roland banner to promote their new System 500. Check out the glowing case! You can control the color with CV control.
15. Big City Music - Analogue Systems, Critter & Guitari, Cwejman, Dewanatron, Dirty Boy Pedals, Effectrode Tube Effects, EMC, Eowave, Jomox, Livewire, Mellotron, MWFX Pedals, Sherman
16. Schmidt in the Big City Music booth.
17. Radikal Technologies
18. Waldorf
19. Arturia
20. intelligel
21. Social Entropy and Abstrakt Instrument
22. Expressive E
23. John Bowen Synth Design - check out the custom Sonic Six with Sequential Model 700 Programmer & modded Model 800 Sequencer.
24. Roland (the guy with the hat on the right is the drummer for Train - I was taking pics of the timeline and they were standing there. I asked them if they wanted to be in the pic and they said sure! :) Apologies to Ed Diaz! I took his pic right when he saw me. Trust me he was full of smiles after that pic. I was flattered to find out he knew about the site! :)
25. Yamaha
26. Novation
27. KORG
28. Tangible Instruments showing their Arpeggio
29. Industrial Music Electronics (formerly Harvestman) and Sputnik Modular Synthesizers.
30. The Bob Moog Foundation

30 booths in one day!

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!

CLICK FOR MORE »

Cyndustries PSYCHO SHIFT REGISTER

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this auction
See Cyndustries' other items for more.

"Long Out of Production, Brand New Module Discovered in the Box Ready to Ship. (This is the Last One available).

Ken Stone's modern and improved design of an Arabesque Pattern Generator similar to the classic Serge Analog Shift Register (ASR) article originally published in Synapse years ago.

When clocked, this delightful circuit will sample the incoming analog voltage at each pulse, and sequentially shift the stored voltage progressively down a row of three outputs .

The Psycho Shift-Register can be used for example, to repeat a melody of control voltages around to several successive oscillator voices - Just like a choral group singing repeating melodies in four-part round-robin style.

Thus it is incredibly useful for auto-compositional harmonies as it is, but what sets this version apart is that in this module it is combined with a certain popular quad LFO called The Psycho LFO which is also from the lineage of the Australian Cat Girl Synth system.

You'll just love the fun and melodies coming from this kooky combination of functions in a single module. The ASR and Quad LFO sections can work independently... However when the "Link" switch is thrown,

one of the oscillators acts as a simple clock driving the Analog Shift Register, while the other three are free to create the jumble of control voltages that the register actually shifts!

"Doctor It's Alive!"

Well, not exactly Igor, but an exclusive control voltage"Modulation" input has a hand in adding more of your own animation to the Monster.

The unique "Blend" and "Character" controls are useful for transforming the total output from something joyous to downright disturbing!

It's your creature - You can decide it's fate!

The prognosis here Doctor, is that this Psycho Shift-Register is the very first of it's kind that has mutated into being capable of thinking for itself!

Naturally these need very careful supervision... I prescribe ordering this very last one for your studio immediately!

Brand New Modiule with Quick Shipping.

Don't Forget to Visit us at Cyndustries.com"

CGS Psycho Shift-Register in Modcan Format

via this auction

See the seller's other items for more.

"Ken's latest development is his own modern and improved design of an Arabesque Pattern Generator similar to the classic Serge Analog Shift Register schematic originally published in Synapse years ago.

When clocked, this delightful circuit will sample the incoming analog voltage at each pulse, and sequentially shift the stored voltage progressively down a row of three outputs . The Psycho Shift-Register can be used for example, to repeat a melody of control voltages around to several successive oscillator voices - Just like a choral group singing repeating melodies in four-part round-robin style.

Thus it is incredibly useful for auto-compositional harmonies as it is, but what sets this version apart is that in this module it is combined with a certain popular little quad LFO called The Psycho LFO which is also from the lineage of the Australian Cat Girl Synth system.

While Ken Stone may in fact be the Other Unicorn, I'm sure that he never imagined this kooky combination of his clever critters!

Of course the ASR and Quad LFO sections can work independently... However when the "Link" switch is thrown, one of the oscillators acts as a simple clock driving the Analog Shift Register, while the other three are free to create the jumble of control voltages that the register actually shifts!

"Doctor It's Alive!"

Well, not exactly Igor, but an exclusive control voltage "Modulation" input has a hand in adding more of your own animation to the Monster. The unique "Blend" and "Character" controls are useful for transforming the total output from something joyous to downright disturbing!

It's your creature - You can decide it's fate!

The prognosis here Doctor, is that this Psycho Shift-Register is the very first of it's kind that has mutated into being capable of thinking for itself! Naturally these need very careful supervision... I prescribe ordering one for your studio immediately!"

Roland TB-303 Devil Fish w/ MIDI in Aluminum Case

via this auction

"Serial #178, Version v.4.0B

In December 2003 I purchased my very first TB-303 via Peter Forrest’s VEMIA auction, it was immaculate and functionality perfect. In the next couple of years I purchased several TB’s, but it was clear that the first was the nicest, and so, in 2005, I sent it off to Robin Whittle to undergo the Devil Fish treatment.

In a stroke of luck, I happened to be lucky enough to acquire one of the revered and totally gorgeous alu cases that Martin Rothlisberger designed in his spare time and sent this to Australia so that Robin could built the Devilfish into it.

The fitment into the case is a very tricky affair, they are carved from solid blocks of aluminium by a computer, and thus super accurate; the problem lies in the TB itself, which hailing from the 80’s is not so accurate! Some of the potentiometer positions can subtly vary, and there are other pitfalls, for example the wires can get pinched in different places. This TB has been fitted to the highest standards possible. There are crazy aspects to it, like 2 by 2 carbon fibre washers, an even larger capacity lithium battery than the one Robin uses as stock for the bank memory back up and the rear of the case attaches via precision machined titanium bolts. It’s a functioning piece of design / art.

Robin strikes me as the classic genius engineer and in implementing the modification, I guess his priority is in making sure everything works, not necessarily whether it looks beautiful. As a result, I have expertly implemented a host of cosmetic amendments myself to make things like the LED’s shine more attractively, the knobs sit at a comfortable height and, perhaps most practically, I have implemented a delightfully simple but important idea that buffers the main PCB board, in the event that the machine ever falls face flat, which due to the design by Roland, does leave the machine quite susceptible to a cracked PCB. Some of the ideas I have shared with Robin (to his interest!), others I have not as yet, but I suspect he and other TB enthusiasts would find them interesting, if not a touch obsessive :-)

As the numerous pedantic personal touches might indicate, I never foresaw parting with this machine, but am contemplating it primarily for two reasons, I have another Devil Fish (non MIDI version) so I wouldn’t miss this one all that much, principally I am interested to acquire something entirely different for my studio, which would entail raising the necessary funds.

CLICK FOR MORE »

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.

CLICK FOR MORE »