Beat Breakdown with Nate Wood on the KORG drumlogue

In case you missed it, the video is back in this previous post. Korg pulled it and republished it today.

Beat Breakdown with Nate Wood on the KORG drumlogue

video upload by Korg

"Nate Wood takes us through a beat breakdown of how he composed, 'Guru Model,' & demonstrates his masterful use of the New KORG Drumlogue and the fantastic features it offers to enhance his creative process.

Nate harnessed the full potential of the Drumlogue by utilizing all 64 steps, the randomizer to introduce certain notes at specific intervals, giving the piece an ever-changing and dynamic feel, & its built-in nano synth voice adding a unique and powerful bass layer to Nate's composition that serves as the backbone of the song. Mixing standard drum machine sounds with captivating synth sounds, he effortlessly brings in and out different elements, creating a mesmerizing musical tapestry."

Nate Wood - fOUR Performs "Guru Model" in one take ft. the KORG drumlogue, minilogue xd, & monologue

video upload by Korg

"Nate Wood joins us in the studio for a full performance of “Guru Model” from Nate Wood – fOUR, a project recorded entirely in one take with no overdubs! Watch as the multi-instrumentalist builds out this intricate song on the fly incorporating the use of the new KORG drumolgue, as well as the beloved minilogue xd, and monologue. After being introduced to the drumlogue, Nate was able to create “Guru Model” within just a few hours of using drumlogue, and he finds that drumlogue is super intuitive to use and is the perfect complement to the minilogue xd and monologue."

Prophet Rev2, Tape Loop, Stretchweaver, Bigsky | Lofi Ambient | ethereal ghostly soundscapes

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Lofi tape loop drones using a Sony TCM 200DV walkman cassette loop, sequential prophet rev2, drolofx stretchweaver & a strymon bigsky. Everything is directed through my SPL Goldmike pre-amp, through a Focusrite 18i20 and recorded into Cubase 11 Pro.

tapeloops, ethereal ambient, electronic music, ambient music, prophet, bigmuff, stretchweaver, bigsky, drones, drone music, cassette, walkman, noise music

℗ Nate Connelly"

Soma Labs Lyra 8 #4 improv | dark electronic ambient industrial soundscape | a short film nightmare

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Soma Laboratories Lyra 8 analogue synthesizer drone machine.

I created this soundscape and short film for Halloween 2021. A friend and I went for a walk around beacon fell to do some filming and sound recording a few weeks ago, but the weather was far too wet and windy to do either!

However, I managed to get a few shots of the spectacular foggy atmospheres on my Osmo action, and thought they would pair well with the otherworldy sounds of the Lyra 8... so here we are.

The samples are from some radio show about haunted woodlands I recorded late on night on my field recorder.

I hope you enjoy. Please like & subscribe for more videos.

soma labs, lyra 8, synthesizer, synth, ambient music, drone music, experimental, noise, distortion, big sky, lyra, drone, ambient, organic, organismic

℗ Nate Connelly"

Moog Sub37 Prophet Rev2 Volca Drum Stretchweaver beats vocals | live electronic burial style beats

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Moog Sub37 Prophet Rev Volca Drum Stretchweaver beats vocals live ambient electronic burial style beats and drums.

The mix you hear is as it was performed. No overdubs. The Sub37 and the Prophet Rev2 are going through the Strymon BigSky, and then into my computer via my GoldMike Pre-Amp. I applied a little multi-band compression and a limiter to the final stereo mix in post.

The track is titled 'Grey Lies' and is a work in progress.

The white noise you hear was sampled from the Sub37 and looped in the DAW. The bass tones are coming from the Moog Sub37 and into channel 1 of the stretch weaver - the melody loop sequence is coming from the Prophet Rev2 and into channel 2 of the stretchweaver. The stretchweaver is set to the tape setting, and as the bass opens up it controls the side-chain to the melody on the Prophet Rev2. The volca drum is playing the simple mid-kick pattern from the start, with some hi-hats coming in at the peak of the track. I created the burial style drum pattern in Cubase 11 Pro using various samples of rocks and stones, along with various kick drum layers. I took the vocal sample from an acapella on Youtube and re-arranged the pitch and the words to make my own melody and meaning.

00:00 - start
01:03 - intensity surge
01:56 - drums & vocals
03:55 - progression & intensity
05:14 - more-ness
06:10 - ending to out

ambient music. electronic music, beats, drums, live performance, live sequencing, electro, chill-out, melody, musical, burial beats, burial style

🎧 - Headphones for bass"

Prophet Rev2 | Drolofx Stretch-Weaver | Strymon Bigsky | Field Recording | minimal ambient #3

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Prophet Rev2, Drolofx Stretch Weaver, Tascam DR-07 field recordings, Strymon Bigsky. Ambient melodic electronic minimal musical sequence.

The melody is playing from the Prophet Rev-2 into channel-1 of the stretch-weaver. The tascam is playing a field recording of me out walking, into channel-2 of the stretch-weaver. Everything is going through the Strymon Big-Sky.

ambient music, generative music, meditation, relaxing music, ambient, chillout, mellow music, melody, haunting, minimal music, electronic music, electronica, ambient electronic, dark electronic music

🎧 - Headphones for bass"

Prophet Rev2 Stretchweaver music-box mechanism Gecho Loopsynth | minimal ambient melodic experiment

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Music Box, Gechological Gecho Loopsynth v2, Sequentail Prophet 8 Rev2, Drolofx Stretchweaver. Ambient melodic electronic musical looping & sequencing experiments.

The gecho / music box loops are going into channel 1 of the drolofx stretch-weaver - the prophet Rev2 into channel 2 of the stretch-weaver. The Rev-2 is playing a programmed chord sequence in the same key as the melody on the music box. Stretchweaver is on the gate setting. The Gecho music box loops are opening the gate for the Rev2. You can hear how I am adjusting the amount of the Rev2 the music box loops are allowing through. Everything is going through the strymon big-sky, because life is nothing without reverb.

00:00 - Start
00:31 - Pitched Up Lovely
03:05 - Slowed Lessness
04:26 - Moodier Sci-fi Vibes
05:15 - Moodier Slowed
06:13 Sped Up Cresendo (sort of)

ambient music, generative music, meditation, relaxing music, ambient, chillout, mellow music, melody, haunting, minimal music, electronic music, electronica, ambient electronic, electronic music

🎧 - Headphones for bass"

Prophet Rev2 | Drolofx Stretch-Weaver | Strymon Bigsky | Field Recording | minimal ambient #2

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Prophet Rev2, Drolofx Stretch Weaver, Tascam DR-07 field recordings, Strymon Bigsky. Ambient melodic electronic musical sequence. The melodic sequence is playing from the sequential prophet rev2, into channel 1 of the drolofx stretch-weaver. A recording of children playing at an indoor softplay is playing from the tascam and into channel 2 of the stretch-weaver. The recording is then dialled in and out of the weaver to affect the melody increasingly throughout the piece. Everything is going through the strymon big-sky.

00:00 - Start
01:26 - Opened up
02:34 - More Open
03:30 - Open Full + Bass
04:22 - Closed again

ambient music, generative music, meditation, relaxing music, ambient, chillout, mellow music, melody, haunting, minimal music, electronic music, electronica, ambient electronic, dark electronic music

🎧 - Headphones for bass"

Prophet Rev2 | Drolofx Stretch-Weaver | Strymon Bigsky | Field Recording | ambient explorations #1

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Prophet Rev2, Drolofx Stretch Weaver, Tascam DR-07 field recordings, Strymon Bigsky. Ambient melodic electronic musical sequence. The melodic sequence is playing from the sequential prophet rev2, into channel 1 of the drolofx stretch-weaver. A recording of rain-fall is playing from the tascam and into channel 2 of the stretch-weaver. The rain is modulating the melody increasingly throughout the piece. Everything is going through the strymon big-sky.

00:00 - Start
01:20 - More Modulations
02:26 - More Echo
03:32 - Changes
05:04 - More Rain

ambient music, generative music, meditation, relaxing music, ambient, chillout, mellow music, melody, haunting, minimal music, electronic music, electronica, ambient electronic, dark electronic music

🎧 - Headphones for bass"

Gechologic Gecho Loopsynth v2 | musical meditation | first impression & some practical applications

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Gecho Loopsynth V2, Korg Volca Drum, Korg Volca Keys, shakers, singing bowl. Some uses I found for the Gecho Loopsynth v2. I look at two of my favourite channels, 24 & 34, infinite looper and MI clouds. I also try it out with the Korg Volca Drum & Keys. I'm still finding my way around this strange thing.

00:00 - channel 24 - infinite looper & delay
02:07 - change the speed / pitch
03:09 - change the loop length
03:40 - flanging finger drumming
04:23 - volca drum various drum patterns
05:48 - playing with line noise
06:11 - playing volca keys with channel 34 mi clouds
08:02 - final thought

gechological, gecho loopsynth, loop synth, noise box, looper, fx box, boutique effect, noise muic, ambient music, experimental music, synth, loops,

🎧 - Headphones for bass"

Soma Labs Lyra-8 Organismic Synthesizer & Volca Drum | ambient dystopian sci-fi soundscapes | #3

video upload by Nate Connelly

"Soma Laboratories Lyra 8 analogue synthesizer drone machine with Korg Volca Drum & Strymon Bigsky. Another little jam I created late last night. I'm still finding my way around this synth and attempting to control it as best I can. It's pretty wild and unruly."

Soma Labs Lyra-8 Organismic Synthesizer & Volca Drum | ambient drone soundscapes | #2


"Soma Laboratories Lyra 8 analogue synthesizer drone machine with Korg Volca Drum & Strymon Bigsky. A little industrial ambient drone jam I put together. I've been trying to tame this mad machine and find my way into some practical uses for it."

Soma Labs Lyra-8 Organismic Synthesizer | live ambient industrial noise & drones exploration | #1

video upload by

"Soma Laboratories Lyra 8 analogue synthesizer drone machine & Strymon Bigsky. Here are the best parts from the first hour or so I spent with this amazing synthesizer. I tuned each of the eight oscillators to a random scale before recording in an attempt to create something semi-melodic and harmonic (rather than just noise). I felt my way around and let the Lyra lead the way.

I hadn't read the manual - just watched a few video on Youtube. I made this video to give other folk a rough idea of what they might expect the first time they play it, provided you approach this instrument with an already basic understanding of now synthesizers work.

00:00 - melodic start
01:36 - awesome harmonics
02:21 - insane phasing and squealing
03:02 - nice little chord echo sequence
04:02 - insanity
04:30 - growls & delay feedbacks
06:16 - something more melodic again
07:29 - alarm type noise
08:17 - odd drones from elsewhere"

Vintage Moog Organ - White Elephant - CDX-0652 Cordovox

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Nate

via this auction

"This is an extremely rare Moog collaboration with Cordovox. When I purchased this beast it was in rough shape so I restored most of the outer shell and got most of the internals working the way they should. This includes

1. Exterior UV treated to restore the original "white" appearance.
2. Fixed various wiring miss connections within the circuitry.
3. Reconnected trouble spots that needed to be resoldered.
4. Repaired sliders that were no longer operational.

This is about as far as I got on the restoration. There are however some issues with the Moog side of things. These include.

1. Pitch on particular keys don't always work perfectly. (I speculate that this is due to bad key contacts, which should be an easy fix)
2. Some presets are not fully operational.
3. In manual mode not all parameters work perfectly.
4. Some Moog sliders don't have caps

This was a really fun restoration project, the Moog side has a few issues as noted above but the organ side of things is truly amazing! All together this Synth/Organ sounds great and is a true one of a kind.

I had to part with this because its taking up too much space and I would like my living room back ;)"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Sequential Artist Spotlight Interview with NATHAN HICKS

You can find the interview on Sequential's website here.

"Working out of a small cluttered studio, Silence_Castor is the alias of musician Nate Hicks. He uses it as a creative outlet and a musical experiment. He utilizes old-school recording techniques, analog synthesizers, and a generous amount of reverb and delay to create music ranging from space themed ambient electronica to funk inspired lofi hip hop. His influences and inspirations include Lorn, Rival Consoles, Radiohead, and Nine Inch Nails.

We chatted with Nathan on how he’s been using the Prophet Rev2 in his music.
You can find additional posts featuring Sequential's Spotlight series here.

NAMM2021: Yamaha Introduces YC73 and YC88 Stage Keyboards with YC OS v1.1

The YC61 (additional posts) was introduced back in NAMM 2020. The YC73, YC88, and OS v1.1 are new. Details follow.

"YC stage keyboards feature great sound, expressive touch and modern design. YC is powered by our proprietary Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) organ engine which recreates individual component behavior to reproduce classic organ character and most important - sound. It all comes with acoustic/electric pianos, and iconic FM synth sounds that Yamaha made famous.

Three keyboard actions are available for different players: YC61 features 61 semi-weighted 'waterfall' keys for organ-focused players, YC73 has 73-key weighted and balanced keys for keyboardists, and YC88 uses an 88-key weighted triple-sensor action with synthetic ebony and ivory keytops for pianists."

Some key features include:
- Exclusive Yamaha Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM) to capture not only the sound of classic “drawbar” organs, but also their behavior down to the component level
- A distinctive rotary speaker effect
- Nine drawbars that shape the sound by controlling individual footages and essentials like percussion and vibrato/chorus enhance the tone
- The organ section also features FM synthesis, the now-famous synthesis method pioneered by Yamaha

In addition to the new YC73 and YC88, Yamaha has also introduced YC OS v1.1, the first OS update for its popular YC Series Stage Keyboards.

And the press release:

Yamaha YC73 and YC88 Stage Keyboards Put Classic Drawbar Organs and Vintage Keys in Packages for All Musicians

BUENA PARK, Calif. (January 14, 2021) — Yamaha will be showcasing the YC73 and YC88 Stage Keyboards during NAMM’s virtual Believe in Music week starting January 21, 2021. The YC73 and YC88 combine great-feeling new keyboard actions with the soulful sounds, drawbar control, and gig-ready ease of use of the YC61 (introduced in January 2020). The YC73 features 73 weighted, balanced keys and is ideal for keyboardists who divide their playing between organ, piano, electric piano, clavi, synth, and other staple keyboard sounds. The YC88 is meant for musicians who prioritize the touch and response of an acoustic piano, offering 88 weighted Natural Wood keys with triple-sensor action, synthetic ebony and ivory key tops. Both add options alongside the semi-weighted “waterfall” action of the YC61 — the key shape preferred by organ players.

The YC73 and YC88 employ exclusive Yamaha Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM) to capture not only the sound of classic “drawbar” organs, but their behavior down to the component level. VCM also reproduces the distinctive rotary speaker effect, which most keyboardists consider inseparable from the organ itself. In other words, the YC series does not merely take a digital snapshot of the world’s most imitated organ sound — it builds that sound from the ground up. This results in unprecedented authenticity.

In true vintage fashion, nine drawbars shape the sound by controlling individual footages, and essentials like percussion and vibrato/chorus enhance the tone. The player can also customize key click, “leakage,” rotary speaker speed changes, and more. The keyboard may be split between upper and lower organ registrations. In addition to VCM modeling organ, the organ section also features FM synthesis, the now-famous synthesis method pioneered by Yamaha.

Complementing the organ, two “Keys” sections utilize proprietary Yamaha “Advanced Wave Memory” which provides authentic acoustic and electric pianos, strings and brass, analog-style synth sounds, and much more. The Keys section features two dedicated effects processors along with configurable envelope and filter controls for real time manipulation and interaction. Like the Organ section, the Keys section also features FM synthesis for many classic sounds like DX7 electric pianos, leads, basses and more. The Keys section may also be split with the organ section across the keyboard or played from an external MIDI controller keyboard to either the Organ or Keys section.

“A staple of keyboard playing is access to classic keyboard sounds,” says Nate Tschetter, manager, Synthesizer Marketing, Yamaha Corporation of America. “Now more than ever, players want more control of those sounds to express themselves. The YC series gives them that control to easily make adjustments on the fly. And now with the introduction of YC73 and YC88, there are options to suit every player in every situation from the perfect ‘top keyboard’ in YC61 to the great ‘all around’ YC73 and finally our best stage piano action in YC88.”

Pricing and Availability

The Yamaha YC73 and YC88 Stage Keyboards will ship to retailers beginning January 21, 2021, at manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) of $2,999 and $3,499, respectively.

To see the Yamaha YC73 and YC88 Stage Keyboards on display during Believe in Music week, January 21-24, 2021, please register online at https://attend.believeinmusic.tv

For more information about the YC78 and YC88, visit http://yamaha.io/YC

Sequential Artist Spotlight Interview with SULENE

You can find the interview on Sequential's website here.

"Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, Sulene moved to the U.S. at nineteen years old for music. Since 2015 she’s toured stages worldwide as the guitarist for Nate Ruess’ (of fun.) live band. Her singing and playing has been heard everywhere from Jimmy Kimmel Live! to the East Room of the White House, performing for President Obama. During this time, you’ve most-likely heard her voice during Halle Berry shower scenes or Al Pacino stage diving, as the multi-instrumentalist has written original music for and performed on the scores for several TV shows and films, such as Ray Donovan and The Affair. Her work is also regularly heard in TV commercials, being featured in spots for Nike, Verizon, Microsoft, Dior, and many more.

Though her experience is vast, her newest work speaks the loudest in terms of her unique voice. The forthcoming EP, he•don•ic features the singles, “whiskey.weed.sex.candy.”, “photo booth”, and “i still think you’re so fake”. Sulene delves deep into what addiction means, what purpose hedonic pleasures serve, and writes with vulnerability about her experiences with both. Exploring a darker side of her character and production, she’s labeled the newest record as gothic-disco-party music. As well as creating her own record from start to finish in her one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, she’s also delved into filming and editing her own music videos and artwork with this release, giving a full 360 view of her newest art.

Sulene’s previous EP’s Strange and Fire Escaping have been featured in Billboard, Buzzfeed Earmilk, as well as Spotify’s Indie Pop and New Music Friday playlists in several countries. Sulene was also feature in Rolling Stone for her contribution of the acoustic version of her song “Diamond” for the Rough Trade compilation album Talk – Action = Zero. And by the way, Sulene did the motion capture for the bassist/guitarist character in Rock Band VR.

We chatted with Sulene on how she uses the Prophet-6 in her music."

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You can find additional posts featuring Sequential's Spotlight series here.

It's Just Time | Mike Pensini (ft Novation Summit)

Mike Pensini

Here's my latest track "It's Just Time"!

For my fellow synth heads, the bulk of this track is a single Multi split patch I put together on the Novation Summit, with a fat synth bass on the left side and a Prophet 5 inspired polysynth/brass sound on the right - all recorded in one take.

Ft Nate Smith on the drums courtesy of his killer sample loop library!

Isolation Choir Library for M-Tron Pro

Published on Apr 28, 2020 GForce Software

"On April 1st 2020 we reached our 20th Birthday. But, given what's going on in the world, it seemed disingenuous to celebrate, so instead, we looked at how we could give something back to those who've supported us over the last 20 years.

During Sonic Talk 613, ace singer/songwriter Jamie Lidell made mention of his 'Isolation Loops' pack, as a way of 'giving something back' and this sparked an idea to do something similar. So we contacted Jamie, plus various other friends and M-Tron Pro users, asking them to provide 35 notes (the Tron key range) with each note lasting up to 8 seconds (the Tron tape length). Those who could, very kindly obliged, utilising everything from an empty sound stage, to a smart phone. Recordings were then chopped, edited and, in few cases, pitch shifted to meet the 35 note criteria.

At the time of recording, like most others, the contributors are self-isolating and we think their individual circumstances have translated into performances both wonderful and poignant. Also, because Covid-19 affects the lungs, this project felt like an act of defiance and unity in the face of something dark and ugly.

These contributors include: Alex Ball, Angie Pollock, Anna Kumble, Duncan Parsons, Jamie Lidell, Les Pressure, Maddie Jones, Matt Berry, Mike Rose, Nate Williams, Neil Rough, Putte, Dave Spiers and others. It also includes a modicum of remastered M-Tron Pro and ChamberTron choral tape banks, plus a few previously unreleased gems.

Bringing it to fruition has been an incredibly moving experience. But we're happy to make the Isolation Choir available FREE to registered users of M-Tron Pro.

Stay Safe - Stay Creative - and THANK YOU for your support."

New Yamaha YC61 Stage Keyboard

Published on Jan 9, 2020 Yamaha Synths Official

Playlist:
Yamaha YC61 | Overview
Yamaha YC61 Sound Demo
Stefan Jernståhl | Artist Profile | YC61 Stage Keyboard
Jonas Gröning | Artist Profile | YC61 Stage Keyboard

"Yamaha YC61 Stage Keyboard Brings Classic Organ and Vintage Keys Back to the Stage

BUENA PARK, Calif. (January 9, 2020) — Yamaha today introduced the YC61 Stage Keyboard, a new organ-focused instrument combining the sought-after organ sounds of popular music with the sonic versatility and real-time control today’s keyboardists demand, all backed by legendary Yamaha quality.

Reproducing authentic organ sound, control and expressiveness in a compact package has been elusive for keyboard players. Using proprietary Yamaha technology, the YC61 provides an authentic and expressive playing experience.
The YC61 employs a newly developed Virtual Circuitry Modeling (VCM) Organ engine. VCM models the behavior of vintage electronics at the component level. This allows realistic organ character sound along with familiar and modern controls organ players will appreciate. Authenticity is further enhanced by a new VCM Rotary Speaker effect, capturing the two-speed, physically spinning speaker that’s as much a part of the organ sound as a guitar amp is to an electric guitar.

As on the original instruments, the musician has full command of the sound via drawbars, percussion, rotary speaker speed and more for an expressive and unique sound. Organ aficionados will appreciate the ability to personalize “under the hood” organ and rotary speaker settings like drawbar leakage, key click, rotor speed up and more. An all-new 61-note waterfall keyboard is true to the organ legacy and makes for smooth rock and jazz playing techniques such as “palm smears.”

The YC61 goes beyond organ sounds. Two comprehensive “Keys” sections offer authentic acoustic pianos, soulful electric pianos, realistic strings and brass, analog-style synths, and more. Dedicated effects like delay, chorus, distortion and more give keyboardists the ability to quickly create new, inspiring sounds on the fly. This means the YC61 could take the place of two or more other instruments, simplifying keyboardists’ setups and reducing load-in time.

Thanks to its aluminum construction, the YC61 is as rugged and roadworthy as it is lightweight (under 7kg/16 pounds!) and compact.

“The organ is the original keyboard, and in some ways, the original synthesizer,” said Nate Tschetter, manager, Synthesizer Marketing, Yamaha. “It always adds a soulful sound to the music, regardless of genre. We hope YC61 provides that essence of soulfulness to keyboard players through its sound and controls.”

Pricing and Availability

The Yamaha YC61 Stage Keyboard (MSRP: $2,499) will ship to retailers in June 2020. For more information, visit Yamaha.io/yc61"

BTS016: CS-80 Retrospective

"Behind the synth showcases the people bringing you Yamaha synthesizers. In this episode Nate and Blake explore one of the most sought-after analog synthesizers in the galaxy: The CS-80. They talk about its history, go through the Voice architecture and do some high-quality nerding with this amazing synthesizer."