Depeche Mode - Photographic / Some Bizzare Version (Cover by Synthfluencer)

video upload by Synthfluencer

"'This is Photographic!' - Depeche Mode fans know these words Dave Gahan yelled when playing live in Hammersmith Odeon in 1982. Actually, Photographic is a song from the very, very early days of Depeche Mode and might be created when they still called themselves 'Composition of Sound'. The 'Some Bizzare Version' is actually the first song they officialy released ever on a compilation named 'Some Bizzare Album'.

The song is one of the darker, harder DM songs and this version is even more raw and gritty. It is very reminiscent of the transitions from punk to wave, and the DIY aesthetic of punk in particular comes to the fore here with the hand-played synthesizers. Well before Depeche Mode redefined the genre of synth pop this early version of 'Photographic' is recorded on the gear they could afford back in the days: A Kawai S-100F, a Yamaha CS5, a Moog Prodigy and a Korg KR-55 drum machine. In my cover version I use two of the original synths, the Kawai and the Yamaha to recreate an authentic sound. The role of the Prodigy is taken over by a Behringer Model D, some support sounds by Pro-1 and Pro-800."

Kraftwerk - Spacelab (1978) [Cover by Synthfluencer]

video upload by Synthfluencer

""Spacelab" was published by Kraftwerk in 1978 on their 7th studio album 'Die Mensch-Maschine' (The Man Machine). The album is one of Kraftwerk's best-known and most successful releases and is considered a milestone in pop history. Alongside the top hits 'Die Roboter' and 'Das Model', 'Spacelab' is also one of Kraftwerk's most iconic songs. The song received special attention when Kraftwerk performed it during their 2018 tour in Stuttgart together with German astronaut Alexander Gerst, who was live from the International Space Station (ISS).

With the cover, I stick to the original version as far as possible. I only added the radio announcements at the beginning and in the middle of the song. The musical structure is not very complicated: I play the lead voice with the Kawai S-100F synthesizer, which is about as old as the song. The prominent pad is played by the Behringer Pro-800. The strings I played with the Waldorf Streichfett. The bass arpeggio is a layered sound I created with the Behringer Model-D, the deep filter bass with the Behringer Neutron. The vocoder voices are self-recorded with the help of the Yamaha MODX. At the beginning you can hear the Behringer PRO-1.

In addition to my own recordings, I use audio, video and picture material from the NASA archive (https://images.nasa.gov/)."

Instant 80s Jam

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Put some FM bass, LinnDrums, chorus'd Clavinet and a good old analog Brass together - boom: instant 80s groove!"


Casio CZ-5000

Karussell - Als ich fortging (When I left) - 1987 | Cover by Synthfluencer

video upload by Synthfluencer

"This song by German pop/rock group 'Karussell' became quite famous around 1989 when revolution started in the eastern part of Germany and many people left the country. The main instruments I'm playing here are the Vermona Synthesizer and the Vermona Piano Strings."

Das Model

video upload by Synthfluencer

"I do a quick performance of Kraftwerk's "The Model" trying out my new backing track. The Vermona Synthesizer has an issue with the upper G, I need to fix this.

Lead Synths: Vermona Synthesizer, Behringer Deepmind 12, Yamaha MODX
Backing Track: DAW/Reason"

Intuitive Instruments Exquis Hexagonal Keyboard

video uploads by dualo by Intuitive Instruments

Playlist:
Exquis - The smartest way to create expressive music
Loïc, accordeonist and du-touch player, is testing Exquis
Knarf, synthfluencer at LesSondiers.com testing Exquis

Currently on Kickstarter

"Making music is all about finding the right notes and assembling them in rhythm. But whatever the instrument, device or software, it still takes time and effort to master theory and technique.

At Intuitive Instruments, we have figured out a smarter way to play and compose today’s music, that makes it intuitive and logical for anyone.


Explore, have fun, surprise yourself, find inspiration. Above all, composing music is about emotion. Exquis provides an intuitive way to lead you to the right path, still allowing you to play out of it. No need to think: just choose a scale and follow its illuminated path.

Thanks to our patented layout, making chords is easy; Exquis puts notes that sound well together right next to one another. You’ll be amazed how harmony falls under your fingers.

Your notes, your chords, your music

Beginner, amateur or professional musicians, we all want to shorten the time between an idea and its execution. Exquis gives you the fastest access to the rules of harmony, so you can improvise with or without any theoretical background.

Then, thanks to Exquis’s unique and spontaneous creative workflow, just pick a sound, play, record your own loops and create a full song in minutes!

Expressivity at your fingertips

There is no need to play lots of notes when you can bring them to life. Exquis’s expressive keys are designed to be mastered in minutes while offering a huge potential for expert gestures. Inspired by the finesse of acoustic instruments, Exquis keys are both firm enough to play percussion and short notes with precision, and soft enough to modulate long notes with sensibility.

Sculpt your music with emotion; hit, press, and bend the keys independently thanks to the MIDI Polyphonic Expression protocol (MPE).

And in addition, use the 4 clickable potentiometers and the touch slider to increase the possibilities of sound and music control: effects, note/beat repeat,...

The Exquis multi-platform app is the perfect companion for the keyboard, as well as an autonomous MIDI-compatible DAW. Compose entire songs within seconds thanks to a unique workflow we have been perfecting for 15 years, which is approved today by thousands of musicians worldwide for its spontaneity and efficiency.

The app and the controller work in symbiosis to provide an easy and chronological music production logic. From left to right, pilot the essential actions with simple gestures, directly on the keyboard and/or in the app:

Settings : prepare your song (tempo, scale, default quantization…)
Sounds : pick a sound plugin and preset to create a new “track”
Record : record “clips” and preset the recording behavior (start condition, length, overdub)
Tracks : just like a director in an orchestra, decide which clips to launch and stop in real time
Scenes : save and launch states of your song (e.g: intro, verse, chorus…)
Play/Stop : play/stop your song, and select another project"

We designed the Exquis’s workflow by taking into consideration two temporalities: you can both play live safely and take your time to create in your bubble. Most usual actions only require handling the keyboard, whereas advanced actions taking more time like programming (clip/scene duration, follow actions…) are to be made via the app.

The interface of the app is designed following the same logic, turning your device into a customizable heads-up display and an alternative interface to all your actions, especially if you play with another MIDI controller.

In order to allow musicians to create new rhythms and moods, the Exquis app natively includes exclusive functionalities never seen in a DAW before. For example, as we were inspired by the workshops of Jacob Collier, the app provides an easy way to play with tuplets: uncommon beat divisions such as 1/5 or 1/7, useful to create grooves with a drunk feel."

See the kickstarter campaign for additional details.

Bastl's Microgranny Gets a Facelift

video upload by Bastl Instruments

Microgranny Monolith - The Final Form of the Microgranny

"Granny’s back with a brand new lid: our classic desktop granular sampler gets a facelift, bringing her into the modern age with enough usability upgrades to last another lifetime, rehomed in sleek black PCB-material to help it look the part amongst the latest in the Bastl range.

Music by the one and the only:
Bogdanraczynski.com
instagram.com/bogdanraczynski
@bogdan"

"Granny’s back with a brand new lid: our classic desktop granular sampler gets a facelift, bringing her into the modern age with enough usability upgrades to last another lifetime, rehomed in sleek black PCB-material to help it look the part amongst the latest in the Bastl range.

The Microgranny 2.0 that you know and love is still there under the facelift: lo-fi sound full of character packed into a hands-on monophonic desktop sampler that is a joy to experiment with. Plug in your microSD card loaded with 8-bit samples, or record them live through the in-built mic or line input, and jump into play with 6 samples right under your fingers, or instantly recall up to 60 saved presets."

Playability is paramount
The two-tier menu lets you dart between editing grain size or warping the playback speed, and the new-look tactile knobs grant better control than the previous model. The hazy plastic case is gone, and the PCB case’s sharper text makes the modes under the new and improved buttons more enticing – delve into Randomized mode, Legato playback, or the Instant Loop function to extend the virtually limitless possibilities of the surface controls yet further.

MIDI Control? Yep: play specific grains with keys, control the CC values remotely, even clock-sync loops and grains. Take your Granny for a walk in the park with the battery power, or run it through a wired 9V supply.

Granny comes with gifts
To celebrate the revival of one of our most loved instruments, we pestered Rephlex Records regular and modern-day Synthfluencer Bogdan Raczynski for a custom sample pack full of his trademark weird and wonderful sounds. Granny Reloaded comes with it pre-installed, giving you a fun and formidable toolset from the moment you power up.

Features
monophonic mono sampler
microSD card (storing + recording samples, storing presets)
6 sounds with full adjustments storable in a preset at once
60 presets in 10 banks (6 preset per bank), stored as .txt files on the microSD card
wav sample playback from microSD card (mono, 22050 Hz, 8 or 16 bit, two letter file name)
8-bit 22050Hz wav recording via line input or onboard microphone
hold button
sample rate (tuned or free run)
crush
start, end position with repeat, instant loop
granular settings: grain size and shift speed (positive or negative)
amplitude envelope attack and release
MIDI Input – responds to note, cc, and clock (synchronize loop and grains)
MIDI sidechain envelope restart
copy, paste
input & output volume knob
power switch – plug/battery
hackable – arduino based

The Vermona Synthesizer. Part 3 MIDI control with VS-MIDI

video upload by Synthfluencer

Synthfluencer Vermona posts

"I MIDI-fied my Vermona Synthesizer using the VS-MIDI kit from CHD Elektroservis. In this video I demonstrate how the VS-MIDI interface can used to control the Vermona Synthesizer with an external keyboard. If you like the video please give a thumbs up & subscribe to my channel!

-----------------------------------------------
0:00 - Intro
0:11 - Overview / MIDI-kit integration schemes
1:20 - Activating external MIDI-mode
1:46 - Operation modes explained
3:22 - Operation mode demonstration
4:44 - Velocity & Keyfollow
5:50 - Aftertouch
7:20 - Demo track 'VS-80'"

Chariots of Fire - A tribute to Vangelis by Synthfluencer

video upload by Synthfluencer

"For me Vangelis was more than an inspiration. I knew his music before I knew about him. His fantastic sounds belong to my earliest musical memories. Now he left this world and he will leave quite a gap that can't be filled - not in the world of music and not in our hearts. But we will keep his wonderful musicial legacy."

Vangelis

Lucia - Marinero [80s italo disco pop synth cover]

video upload by Synthfluencer

"I first listened to that song on a mixtape I copied from my grandparents in mid 80s. After decades I remembered that song when listening to that mix tape again (yes, it still exist!) and med this quick cover using my Vermona Synthesizer and other gear."

Reminds me of Alphaville, Big In Japan at times.

Door #24: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
Maybe the best world's known Christmas carol, this song premiered in 1818 in Salzburg/Austria on the 24th. Unesco made it into intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

The gear:
I wanted to add something special to the last performance of my Synthmas calendar. What else could I choose than the Moog Claravox Centennial theremin. I was in doubt if I really should do a performance; we got that instrument 3 weeks ago and I could'nt really practice since then. So, I'm absolutely far away from being able to play the theremin in a decent manner. But so what, please don't be hard on me judging my very first steps with this tricky to play instrument.

In the second part as a littel redemption, the Yamaha CS-5 and Kawai S100F take over the lead voice. The Japanese duo is routed through the MODX fattening the sound with some bread & butter effects. Also this time I got the Kawai in tune, in a recent video the synth's tuning drifted away beyond measure. Instead I lost focus on the levels when I recorded the track. Sorry for the distorted pieces.

I wish all of you a peaceful Christmas time and I hope you enjoyed my cheesy little Synthmas calendar '21

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #22: O du fröhliche (O, how joyful) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
The lyrics by German orphanage founder Johannes Daniel Falk are combined with an italian folk song creating one of the best known German Christmas carols. The text has a Christian background.

The gear:
Once more I choose the Casio CZ-5000 for this job. I found the organ patch in the depths of the internet. It was posted by a chap called Mike Cripps in a newsgroup (the elder among us may remember) and is dated 1989. Since I couldn't get the CZ-5000 receiving patch files via sysex, I programmed the patch by hand. The pipe organ sound becomes way more convincing by adding a suitable reverb (Zoom MS70 CDR, 'Church Hall')

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #20: O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
This song was first mentioned around 1550. In the first place a tragic love song, it describes the ever-green and steady fir tree as the opposite to a unsteady philandering lover. In late 19th Century verses were changed and made this one of the most famous German Christmas Carols.

The gear:
I play the lead voice by hand using the Yamaha CS-80 and the Kawai Synthesizer 100F. Both built in the late seventees, these mono synths formed together with a Moog Prodigy, ARP-2600 and Roland Jupiter-4 the basic setup of Depeche Mode's Speak & Spell era. The Kawai 100F (also branded "Teisco") is a mono synth with a very unique sound. At first the synth seem to be quite basic but it has some very neat modulation options under it's hood.

Both synths sound is passed through chorus / delay effects and backed by Deepmind pad and Blofeld arpeggio sound.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #19: Am Weihnachtsbaum die Lichter brennen - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
Also a secular Carol, 'Am Weihnachtsbaum die Lichter brennen' (On the Christmas tree the lights are burning) is about the Christmas vibes and puts a view especially on the Christmas tree. Christmas trees are mentioned for the first time in German historical documents of the 15th century. The tradition of having a decorated Christmas tree in private homes started in 18th century but was a privilege of the rich. When mid of the 19t century The Illustrated Londons News published a picture of queen Victoria and prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha celebrate Christmas showing a decorated tree, it started a trend. By deliberated culturing firs and spruces Christmas trees became available for a broader public.

The gear:
This arrangement is played by one synth only, the Waldorf Blofeld but using different sound patches. Synths that can play more than one patch at a time are called multi-timbral. Four different patches are used for this song. I wanted to give this song the touch of a music box. My great grandfather built a music box when he was a war prisoner in WW1 that plays this song. So I always have this familie's heirloom in mind when the song is played.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #17: Sind die Lichter angezündet (When The Lights Are Lit) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"The song:
This song was the best known Christmas carol in the former GDR and also named a Christmas album that was played in almost every family on Christmas eve. The text written as a poem contains all the ingredients for a typical Christmas celebration: The lights, a tree, gifts, joy and peace.

The gear:
What else can I use for this arrangement than the Vermona stack: Vermona Synthesizer and Piano Strings. Both instruments have been made by VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke, a large instrument manufacturer of the former GDR based in Klingenthal/ Saxony. More than 3.000 employees produced accordions branded "Weltmeister" and later electronic organs and synthesizers under the brand Vermona until 1990. Today the brand name Vermona lives on hold by the company HDB electronic that still produces high quality electronic instruments.

The synthesizers lead voice is routed through a TC Flashback unit adding it's wonderful Mod Delay effect. The Piano Strings goes through a Zoom MS-70 CDR end is enriched with a stereo delay and a very neat Small Stone Phaser simulation. You see in other videos on my channel the Vermona Phaser 80, but in this case I preferred the silky dreamy Jean-Michel-Jarre-signature sound of the Small Stone over the harsh Vermona phaser. Here I compare the sound of the effect units: https://youtu.be/yraACszuvAA

Vermona Synthesizer is controlled via MIDI (I built in a VS MIDI device some time ago, video showing that will follow) and play the Piano Strings by hand cause it's lack of any external control input.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #16: Jingle Bells - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
This well known winter's song was made by american composer James Lord Pierpont around 1850. The song is actually about a horse sleigh race and has no context to Christmas.

The gear:
Before technology made digital multi track recording available there was tape recording. And before polyphonic synthesizers where were mono synths. In this arrangement I walk on the paths of history doing a multi track recording track by track on a loop station. All sounds come from the Yamaha CS-5 mono synthesizer. The challenge of multi track recording is timing. The loop station BOSS RC-202 represents state of the art technology that helps to synchronize the tracks. I can imagine how much work it was to record albums like "Switched on Bach" by Wendy Carlos when everything had to be done by hand and ear.

PS Sorry for the bad video quality

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #10: Leise rieselt der Schnee (Let it snow) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
One of the best known German carols was written in 1895 by parson Eduard Ebel. The melody is most likely a traditional folk song.

The gear:
The lead melody is played by the Vermona Synthesizer from 1983. This two oscillator mono synth got nicknamed "Zonen-Moog" while "Zone" refers to the eastern zone of Germany where this synth was produced. Because of the import embargo for electronic parts produced in capitalist countries all circuitry had to be designed from scratch. However, these mostly discrete designed oscillator and filter ciruits give the synth a warm analog and unique sound.

In this stoned song's version Vermona synth is accompanied by Blofeld bringing a deep bass and Deepmind adding some dazed background harmonies.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #9: Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling (Ring, Little Bell) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
Together with the melody presumably originating from an traditional german folk song, the carol was published first in 1862. The text relates to the "Christkind" - a German Christmas variant of Baby Jesus often characterized as a girl - wishes to let into the homes bringing gifts in return.

The gear:
Bell-like sounds always have been somewhat problematic to generate by subtractive synthesis as most analog synthesizers utilize. FM, LA and wavetable synthesis do a much better job. So the three tracks of this song are played by the Yamaha MODX (acting as a DX-Synthesizer), Waldorf Blofeld for wavetable sound and Roland JV-1010 to add LA-synthesis.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #8: The Little Drummer Boy - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
The American Christmas carol was composed by Katherine K. Davis in 1941 titled 'The Carol of the Drum'. It might trace to a czech carol 'Hajej, nynjej'. Countless cover versions were done by famous artists, including Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez. The song tells the story of a poor boy giving his drum play as a gift to the new born Jesus.

The gear:
The song is played by the Electron Model:Samples. Groove box might be the best description for this sample-based instrument. Samples can be arranged in 6 tracks. The pattern based sequencer can contain up to 4.096 steps (per "project" or song). I divided the songs into 10 different patterns that I switch by hand. Bass drum is a factory sample, snare drum is a sample from a 909. For the bass and lead voice/s I used factory samples of square and sawtooth waves with some filter modulation. On Model:Samples there are some neat sound manipulation features: the drum roll is created with a retrig function. The pitch of a sample can variate trig (= step) -wise, thus melodies can be formed on one and the same track.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #7: Vorfreude, schönste Freude (Anticipation is half the pleasure) - Synthmas '21

video upload by Synthfluencer

"Ho-Ho-Ho! This is Synthmas '21, the virtual calendar presenting a Christmas carol played by synthesizers - every day from 1st to 24th of December.

The song:
In 1970 the non spiritual carol was recorded for the GDR's most popular Christmas album "Bald nun ist Weihnachtszeit" (Soon it's Christmas Time) by the Rundfunk Kinderchor Leipzig (childrens choir). Each of the four verses is about lighting one advent candle until Christmas eve.

The gear:
I play this song on my Vermona Piano-Strings. The instrument was built from 1978 by "VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke" and is one of the very few string machines produced in the late Eastern Bloc. It's appearance might resemble famous string machines like ARP Solina, however the features of the Piano-Strings are quite limited. There is a piano part and a strings part, but they can't be played together. Each section has 3 tone faders changing its character. I feel oddly bonded to that instrument: in my youth I was playing the piano in our music school band. At a rehearsel I failed playing my part because I was too lazy to learn my sheet. So I was degraded to playing some simple string chords - on a Vermona Piano-Strings! I was very happy to get one of these after all those years. Most prominent Vermona player was Moby before his one was sold on Reverb.com [Moby Reverb posts]

Since the Vermona Piano-Strings neither got MIDI nor CV/Gate control I play by hand.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"