Brochure spotted by Andrew Ward at the Synclavier booth at this weekend's London Synth & Pedal Expo.
Visible text from the brochure:
"For over four decades, Synclavior hos defined the pinnacle of digital audio innovation, shaping music history.
Today, we merge our legendary sound with modern technology, delivering tools that empower creators to push sonic boundaries.
INTRODUCING THE SYNCLAVIER ORK II KEYBOARD The ORK Il is envisioned as a groundbreaking instrument that builds on the acclaimed capabilities of Synclavier Il and Regen. Designed for professional musicians, producers, and sound designers, this keyboard fuses cutting-edge technology with legendary Synclavier sound quality to deliver an unparalleled creative tool.
Core Features at a Glance Synclavier Heritage, Expanded Power Enjoy all the features that made the Synclavier Il and Regen revolutionary, now enhanced with even greater flexibility and control. The ORK II combines iconic additive and FM synthesis with subtractive synthesis and intuitive hands-on performance controls.
Next-Level DSP Effects Suite Transform your sound with a curated set of premium DSP effects, including: Reverb: Create lush, immersive soundscapes. Delay: Add rhythmic echoes and intricate time-based effects Modulation Effects: Enhance your tones with..."
"We talk with Michael Glanton of Synclavier about the Regen, a new version of the legendary Synclavier synthesizer that expands on the original with 12 voices of additive frame synthesis, a new subtractive synthesis engine, filters and effects. We also chat with Cameron Jones, the creator of the original Synclavier as well as the mastermind behind the new versions like the Regen, the Arturia Synclavier V, etc.
"Dive deep into the world of synthesis with the Synclavier Regen! This isn't just any synth; it's a revival of a legendary brand that shaped the sound of music.
We unbox and explore the Regen, a digital FM powerhouse packed with the DNA of the iconic Synclavier II.
From Frank Zappa to The Church, this synth has left its mark on countless classics. Discover how additive and subtractive synthesis blend together to create otherworldly sounds.
We'll show you how to harness the power of 24 harmonics, create massive super saws, and explore the vast library of presets and samples.
Watch as we craft an entire song using only the Regen, from drums to bass, strings, and everything in between.
This is a must-watch for synth enthusiasts, sound designers, and anyone curious about the history of electronic music."
Please watch the full demo of all 20 sessions recorded directly from the regen to the inputs of my audio interface with NO external processing. Please note all presets make use of Poly AT hence why I am using the Hydrasynth Deluxe as a controller. No sound in this demo is produced from the Hydrasynth. If you are interested in presets for the Hydrasynth please search my youtube channel or visit my website www.marcbarnessounds.com.
A HUGE thank you to everyone at Synclavier Digital for lending me this inspiring (and valuable) synthesizer.
Introductory Price £7.99 until 31st January 2024 - RRP £9.99
Synclavier Regen - First 5 Custom Timbres by Marc Barnes
"So the lovely people at Synclavier DIgital have kindly let me borrow a demo unit of their fantastic Synclavier Regen. I've now had a good few hours with it so here are my first 5 single timbre presets. So far I have only been using the Subtractive, Additive and FM engines. I will explore the other engines in due course and and put together some sessions. (multi-layer performances)
Although I found it slightly confusing at the start the interface is actually very logical and easy to get around. I'm really looking forward to delving deeper into this excellent synth.
"Our latest Quickie video. Yep, I know, it's 26 minutes long, but it's just focussed on one thing – modulating Frame Start and Frame End with an external MIDI controller. [also see Building simple Frames on Regen]
00:00 Introduction
00:47 Mapping Frame Start & Frame End
03:36 A digression on square wave generation
05:15 Mapping Frame Speed
09:22 Adding another timbre and mapping it
14:12 Adding a resynthesized sample
17:25 Adding a complex additive timbre
23:31 Jamming with all four timbres mapped to a MIDI controller"
"I've seen a lot of demos of the ROLI Seaboard Rise 2 but most are using it with its own software (which is excellent btw I demo it in here). I've been keen to get one to play with, particularly as I've got a fair few synths that are MPE compatible, and haven't spent enough time exploring this side of them.
In this I take a look at using it with the Synclavier Regen, Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave and the Sequential OB6.
It's super easy to set up and adds sooooo much more potential for expression. I now understand why people want MPE keyboards on everything!... get one of these and you have :)"
"Includes factory accessories, quick guide cards, and 8GB SD card containing all available factory libraries at the time I updated the OS earlier this year (‘23). + USB-C wall adapter, pair of TRS MIDI adapters. US and international power outlet adapters for UK and EU."
"It's not like other synths... it's part of music history... it's complex.. it's unique... it sounds amazing... it's a thing. I've had this for a few months now, and created a couple of tracks, made a patch bank, tried re synthesis, samples, additive synthesis, single cycle samples... whole sessions and complex partials.
Here's a rundown of my experience, what it is, how it works and how to get the most out of it. We go through a number of phases
Fascination and intrigue, confusion, understanding, discovery, exploration, acceptance before finally landing on enjoyment
"Creating a loop of 3 frames, each with simple additive waves (triangle, ramp, impulse). Using the frame controls and Modulators you can get the frames to blend into each other like wave sequencing, or create staccato LFO effects, and slow down and capture individual frames using a Mod Wheel mapped to Frame Speed."
"Synclavier are best known for their mighty computer-based instrument in the late 70s and early 80s. It was an FM behemoth that added sampling and high-quality digital multi-tracking to its repertoire.
Alongside systems such as the Fairlight CMI, it was the stuff of dreams for most of us. But now, in 2023, Synclavier are back with the Regen!
Synclavier has very kindly loaned us a unit to take a look at, so why don't you join Rob as he unboxes and discovers the new Regen, first-hand, with no prior knowledge! Ask questions, share thoughts and join in the fun!
We appreciate your help! All donations go directly toward making the show run smoothly. If you'd like to help support our streaming platform, you can make a donation via PayPal here:
"This short videos outlines some ways to add some 'good' noise to your sound design on Synclavier Regen.
If the noise added to a dry or sterile sound has a melodic or rhythmic relationship to the dry sound it can really elevate it. Three different noise generators are used in this quick tutorial."
0:00 Introduction
1:06 White Noise
6:00 FM Noise
6:53 Sampled Noise
8:49 Outro
"The Synclavier II was used heavily by guitarists, back in the day, including Frank Zappa, Sting, Mark Knopfler, Pete Townshend, Chris Currell, Pat Metheny, and others.
Regen can be used in much the same way, and this video highlights two Guitar to MIDI options on the market today.
"In this video, I visit and talk with former New England Digital Synclavier Product Specialist Kevin Maloney while surrounded by his two Synclavier Digital Music Systems.
Together, we present a complete history of the Synclavier with a stories and examples of how we used it on some massive hit records and films.
First, we listen to a track on the the original blue vinyl record titled
'The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II Demonstration Record'
that was the original source sound for the intro to Michael Jackson's 'Beat It'.Kevin's talks about sitting next to Michael while working on the Bad" album.He'll show us a complete breakdown of the components that make up the "Smooth Criminal" bass sound and a recreation of the sampled drum part.Then you'll see, in real time, how Synclavier's unique sequencer can drastically and quickly manipulate (or even transform) the recreated "Smooth Criminal" track.Kevin tells us how he worked closely with producer Quincy Jones to create the intro to "We Are the World". Quincy wasn't satisfied with silver bells, so Kevin turned silver bells into gold bells. Quincy said, he wanted to “send out bells to call all the people of the world to come and hear this song”. We delve into the Synclavier's one-of-a-kind ability to analyze samples (recordings of instruments or sounds) in order to create a series of short frames that each consist of a static wavetable. By cross fading the frames the user is able to recreate the complexity of a sample with a synthesizer sound. This process is called Resynthesis. The user is now able to manipulate the synthesizer sound in many more ways than can ever be done with a sample. We then heavily distort some vocal sounds that were generated using Resynthesis to show the level of control that is possible. We take a look at some preset sampled sounds from the original Synclavier Orchestral library including the string sounds used by Mark Knopfler in Rob Reiner's "The Princess Bride". Anthony talks about how he created a flute sound generated from Resynthesis and later used it to perform practically every cue in the film "Stand by Me" which is another Rob Reiner hit. We take you through the evolution of the Synclavier that includes: The Synclavier I, the Synclavier II with it's original keyboard, the addition of the velocity and polyphonic keyboard, The expanded track sequencer, the addition of more buttons and secondary functions accessed by double clicking the buttons to send them into "blinking mode". BTW - These buttons were originally designed for the B-52 bomber.
We cover MIDI, SMPTE, polyphonic sampling voices and more memory (at a cost of $4500 per megabyte) that were available to add to your system.
We highlight the reason why the Synclavier cost so much and how New England Digital managed to integrate cutting edge 3rd party technology that all worked perfectly together in one unified music system. Finally we review the far more accessible versions of the Synclavier like the Synclavier V by Arturia, Synclavier Go! and Synclavier Pocket! and the most recent addition to the family - Synclavier Regen which actually has unlimited FM synthesis and sampler voices along with the long awaited... resonant Multimode FILTERS!!! The evolution of Synclavier is filled with a plethora of breath-taking features that were nowhere to be found on any other single instrument and it includes a discography of legendary proportion. It's also a history that's deeply personal to me because it ran parallel with my evolution as a composer, songwriter, arranger and programmer. The Synclavier is alive and well in 2023!
Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including Young Guns, Internal Affairs, The Man From Elysian Fields, 15 Minutes and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as Michael Jackson's Thriller.
"For this tutorial video, our collaborator maestro, Leith Fleming-Smith brings his Lumatone and things get seriously microtonal.
Regen supported MPE out of the gate and had controls, such as Octave Ratio, to vary tuning. Then firmware update 1.04 added Custom Tunings and the ability to load scala files, which massively opened up the possibilities for microtonalists.
Topics Covered:
0:00 Intro
1:22 Detune control
2:40 Octave Ratio
5:52 Custom Tunings
10:45 Scala Files
13:57 MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE)
17:53 With Lumatone
21:26 Launchpad X / Pro
26:04 Outro"
"Up for sale is the mega-cool Synclavier Regen! This unit was pre-ordered directly from them in January and it showed up early-March.
This synth has to be one of the cleanest, most pristine and hi-fi sounding synths we’ve had. It’s great for weird atmospheres and pads, but the other samples on there are top-notch."
"For over four decades, Synclavior hos defined the pinnacle of digital audio innovation, shaping music history.
