Formant Synth Dream

Update as of 9:26 PDT: I made a couple of minor updates in case you read it before then. Sorry!

A quick note on posts like this: I hope you enjoy them. If not, just skip them. When I first started the site I used to share my synth dreams but stopped. Personally I get a kick out of them. I won't share every one, just some of the stand outs. The last one stood out for the humor, this one stood out for the design of the instrument. It reminds me of different makers and their approach. As a maker, do you set out to design a synthesizer, an instrument, or both? Are you locked in by the tools, components, and paradigms of what makes a synth? In my dream both the musician and the maker (who never made an appearance BTW) didn't really know what a synth even was. The maker just designed an instrument and the musician just played it. This reminds me of Don Buchla's original designs and specifically the Buchla Music Easel. This was at the birth of synthesis as we know it. What's interesting is his designs weren't meant to be what they are commonly perceived as today. They were meant to be unique instruments, palettes for sound, hence the Music Easel. I heard even his modular systems weren't meant to be complete fixed instruments, they weren't meant to be mixed and matched. Think about that for a bit. They were modular in design, but they weren't meant to be modular in nature. They were meant to be wholly formed instruments. In the following dream the musician reminded me of Marc-Henri and Barry Schrader to an extent. Marc-Henri almost exclusively uses an Access Virus Ti as a music easel for his compositions. Barry Schrader started with Buchla and then moved to FM synthesis for his compositions. You can find an extensive interview with him here.


And the dream...

I had another synth dream last night. In this one I was at an ensemble event held in kind of a classroom/workshop/gym-type of open space at what felt like an old English or New England boarding school - lots of wood, flat tall ceilings, and windows along the length of the far wall. The ensemble consisted of maybe 18 people in a semi-circle with a small audience in front of them, mainly standing, which I was one of. The instructor had each member of the ensemble introduce their instruments. I was in front towards the left of the ensemble and noticed the last two instruments to be electronic desktop boxes sitting on a card table (synth gathering anywone?), both vintage and almost DIY looking in style. I remember thinking, "I know what these boxes are. They are synths! I can't wait to talk shop with the owners and check them out." Well the instructor starts going around the ensemble starting on the opposite side. Each member introduces their instrument and talks a little bit about them and their technique. There were some interesting brass-like instruments. I think there was one based on an alto trombone, but it was just a flat pipe and no horn at the end. Funny side note is my daughter is currently learning to play piccolo. She plays flute in high school band and decided to finally give the piccolo a try as a stretch goal. If you don't know what a piccolo is, it's a tiny flute for super high notes. She said there were tiny versions of most instruments including the trombone. I looked one up and sure enough there is. A tiny trombone not much longer than a foot exists. The instrument in my dream also bore a resemblance to the ribbon controller featured in the Nunomo QUN post, so I'm guessing that's where it came from - some bizarre mix of the two. Anyway, when the instructor/host got around to the last two instruments, it turned out the first was a theremin based synth minus the antennas. It was made of wood and looked vintage. It would have been interesting if not for the next box. That was something. It was black with white and silver sliders, levers, buttons, and knobs. It was a unique instrument custom made for the owner who knew the maker. The interesting thing was the musician wasn't familiar with synths and didn't even see the instrument as a synth. The maker also wasn't into synths. In the dream he was more like a luthier, more of an artist instrument maker than a synth maker. No offense to synth makers! :) Anyway, it was about the size of an EMS SYNTHI and was black with white levers and sliders and had a bunch of esoteric control blocks with non standard names/labels; similar to something like the Hartmann Neuron where controls are familiar but the names are completely different. For some reason it reminded me of a black Lassence uVentury, Modor NF-1, mixed with some MacBeth and Folktek in design, but again completely different. Again, this maker wasn't into synths. This was a unique instrument. After the talk was over the musician gave a little demo. The sound of it. It was like formant analog but the timbers coming out of it were rich and full, not thin or glossy like most formant synthesis. It sounded like nothing I've ever heard before. After the talks were over I walked over to it to check out the controls and design. I wondered if I could touch it and play with it a little and for some reason, as happens in dreams, I knew it was OK so I started playing with it. There was a thin ivory white reed-like lever about an inch and a half long that controlled a female formant timbre. It was amazing. There was an group of lever-type sliders that controlled a multi band formant filter block and I remember thinking, "Oh this is a filter!" There were envelop sliders and other familiar groups that I now forget, but there were a bunch of interesting controls on it that didn't quite match up to common synths. There were additional effects and shaping tools built into the design and everything just flowed like a natural instrument. Again it kind of reminded me in concept to a Hartman Neuron and Modor NF-1, with maybe a bit of Folktek, but it was more vintage and simplistic in design - just a sold black block with white and silver controls. It was definitely designed as a work of art instrument vs. a synth. Similar in concept to the Buchla music Easel as I mentioned in the intro to this dream above. So after checking it out a little and talking to the owner I realized I should take a video of it for the site! I got the OK to film it, pulled out my iPhone, and started trying to capture some of the controls and timbres it was capable of. When I got to that formant female slider it was gone! I couldn't remember what I did to get that sound and I couldn't find the control again. Damn dreams.... And as in many real world sessions I wasn't getting those rich timbres again. I got lost between timbres! I thought my readers would be disappointed in my programming chops for a split second, but then I reminded myself anyone into programming synths will understand and not care, so I kept tweaking. Well, right then, a foster kid boarding at the school distracted me and started talking to me. I hand gestured to him (no I did not flick him off) to hold off for a second because I was in the middle of filming the synth and trying to capture audio. He understood for like five seconds and started talking again. I asked him to give me a sec but he got upset and said I should be there more for people. I felt bad and wasn't getting anywhere with the instrument at that point, so I stopped filming to talk to him before he left.

And that was it! Everything felt right with the kid so that was good, but that instrument! It's gone forever...

Teenage Engineering OP-Z jam and review - 3 days, 7 patterns, and first impressions

Published on Dec 4, 2019 Payton Carter

Teenage Engineering OP-Zs on Amazon

"I got an early Christmas present two days ago. I thought I would show you some of the patterns I’ve created so far, and give a quick 'first impression' review of the Teenage Engineering OP-Z.

I’m coming from the Novation Circuit, which I’ve loved, but I was starting to feel the limitations of the two synth tracks and canned presets. I chose the OP-Z so I could expand the number of synth tracks, allow full control of the synth engines without a computer, and use its awesome, esoteric sequencing capabilities.

I’ll start off with some of the things I like. First, the synth engines sound wonderful. They are very usable and musical sounds. I’ve found myself spending less time trying to find the right sound and more time writing music, because the sounds just work in almost every context. I feel like I could use the same set of sounds across diverse genres equally well. I’m able to focus more on melody and composition, rather than sound design, which helps me be a lot more productive.

The step sequencing and punch in effects are fantastic. I haven’t used it enough yet to be comfortable using the punch in effects live, but the step components are great at adding elements of variation and surprise. You can make it so you’ll never hear the same 16-step pattern twice, but the parameters have enough constraint that it never feels chaotic (unless you want it to).

It’s super portable, and the built in battery is convenient. I’ve only had to recharge it once in the two days of use. I don’t think it’s too small to use comfortably, and it’s actually quite nice to just use it on your lap. I can fit the whole thing in my pocket easily. The buttons feel good to play.

The interface is surprisingly intuitive. It took about 2 hours to feel comfortable with the interface, and now I feel like I can perform most of the tasks without consulting the manual. I only have to reference the step component parameters every once in a while. I have an Android phone and didn’t realize until the second day that TE had just released a beta app. Honestly, I didn’t find it too useful. I prefer using it without a connected screen.

The sampling capabilities are great, especially now that you can sample directly through the microphone or USB audio. I’ve been going through my music collection on my phone and building sample packs from them right into the OP-Z. You can use samples as one shots or sources for a synth track, so the sonic capabilities are now pretty much endless.

Here are some of the things I don’t like. First, the reverb is terrible. I don’t know what TE were thinking. There’s only one reverb algorithm, and it’s very digital and harsh sounding. There’s almost no tweaking of the sound. The maximum decay time is much too short. It’s almost useless at adding large space, so I’ve found it really only works as a stereoizer. It works in some cases, but I don’t find myself using it very often.

I’m slightly concerned about build quality. I bought mine used off Reverb, and when I received it, I was disappointed to find that the encoders were popping right out. I scoured the forums and found a little Teflon thread tape around the encoders should fix the problem. It worked wonders and I haven’t had problems with that since. The back panel is a little loose. The buttons do double trigger every once in a while, which makes me worried for their longevity.

The synth engines, while great sounding, are a little limited. There’s not much tweaking of the sounds, so everything ends up sounding pretty similar. This is less of a con than I thought, because the sounds are very usable and work across many genres. I’ve always held that composition much more important than sound design, anyway.

I wish an analog of the mixer interface on the app was available on the device. You have to go to the fourth page of parameters on each track to change its volume. That’s not very practical in a live setting.

There’s no excuse for how little memory is on board. 32 Mb is just unacceptable in 2019. As great as the sampling capabilities are, there’s only room for 4 different six-second samples per synth track, so you have to pick your favorites unless you want to constantly shuffle samples back and forth from your computer.

Despite its limitations, I’m in love with this thing. It’s my desert island instrument for sure. I am super productive while using it, I can take it anywhere and make music anywhere, and it’s just plain fun to use. Mine was supposed to get wrapped and put under the Christmas tree, but I don’t think I can let that happen."

Squarp Instruments Hermod Eurorack Module Videos by Sunshine Jones

Published on Apr 14, 2018 Sunshine Jones

Playlist (descriptions for each below):
HERMOD CURSORY INVESTIGATION
HERMOD INPUT CONTROLLERS
SQUARP HEMOD - TRANSPOSE SEQUENCE
HERMOD TRANSPOSITION // TWO
OK, WELL WHAT ABOUT REAL TIME ANALOG SEQUENCE RECORDING?
3AM DANCEFLOOR MADNESS
HERMOD - SEQUENCING TIME
HERMOD // CHANGE SEQUENCE VIA CV
QUICK & DIRTY CV RECORDING

Descriptions:

CLICK FOR MORE »

TR-909 Firmware Version 5 Demos

See this post for details.

Playlist:

1. TR-909 FIRMWARE VERSION 5- Demonstration 3 - MUTES

// This is something which I didn’t anticipate being so amazing. I use mutes on the mixer as a fundamental part of how I perform live, but I don’t tend to reach for instrument mute functions on the actual devices. This is not a personal bias, but rather a point of clarity. I’m doing like 25 things at once in any given performance (and singing) so it’s pretty easy to forget what I’ve muted or un muted unless it’s in central place (like on the mixer), but after all I just explored in demonstration clip 2 about ways to add and subtract sounds live, mutes are a marvelous and really powerful addition to this list of ways to address patten complexity in a live performance.

2. TR-909 FIRMWARE VERSION 5 UPGRADE!!!

// The most wonderful thing that could have ever happened for Roland TR-909 owners and lovers has actually happened.

3. TR-909 FIRMWARE V.5 - Demonstration 1 - MIDI SYNC CORRECTION

// I’ve installed one of the first Revolution 909 firmware upgrades from Addictive Instruments into my own personal Roland TR-909 and I released a little enthusiastic clip about how delighted I am to have 33 year old serious problems resolved. This is the first of a few posts planned for today to show you why it’s so amazing to me.

4. TR-909 FIRMWARE VERSION 5 - Demonstration 2 - SWITCH BETWEEN PLAY AND WRITE MODE IN REAL TIME

// This is something that I’ve been thinking about since 1991 when I first got my own TR-909: The ability to switch between pattern play and pattern write without having to stop the sequencer.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
The TR-909 in pattern write mode allows us to do some clever things. We can change the length of the pattern using last step, and we can add and subtract notes and accents (internal and external) to develop our pattern. However, we can only do this in write mode.
So in order to do these things in performance we have to A ) stop, change modes, and start again B ) stay in write mode always (can’t change patterns in write mode) C ) program our drums from another device entirely D ) add all the chaos, and then use the level knobs to bring sounds in and out (the way maestro Jeff Mills makes magic!) or E ) make a ton of patterns ahead of time and switch between them as our performance.
We can do mutes on a mixer, use a midi controller. There are options, but when I’m playing live it’s just me. I have stuff happening. It’s a lot to navigate and keep track of. Changing mixer settings, dealing with midi controllers, or even flipping through preset patterns can be distracting and a bummer. Adding the ability to just get into write mode and change the length for a fill, or a sidetrack, or a totally new in the moment idea is fantastic!

5. TR-909 FIRMWARE VERSION 5 - Demonstration 4 - INSTANT PATTERN CHANGES

// Ok, this is really simple, but it’s so super extra totally bad ass.

Fig.1 INSTANT PATTERN CHANGES
The thing about the TR-909 is that it doesn’t instantly change patterns. You have to wait for the end, and then it starts the next selected pattern. To get around this you can do some stuff:
• make some really complicated patterns
• make one big complex pattern and then use the mixer to bring things in and out (fun!)
But this is fantastic! Just hold down shift and start instantly jumping between patterns. Add a crash from a crashy pattern, start a fill, and switch to just a kick drum, mix and match patterns and really get something heavy going - THEN get involved with the mixer, and it’s a gorgeous avalanche of TR-909 awesome!

In my example here I’m just showing you that it’s possible now. The rest is up to you.

Addictive Instruments have released firmware version 5 for the Roland TR-909 and the RE-909. It’s a real upgrade which requires soldering and while it isn’t easily reversible, the upgrade also includes firmware v1 and v4 so you can revert by choosing another firmware and booting it that way (no one would ever know).

Find out more at revolution909.fr
This first batch is limited to 100 so if you’re as happy about this as I am, hurry up!
That said, I believe in these guys and totally hope that this all goes well, and this will continue to be available (and more!) until all the TR/RE-909’s have one inside.

This was demo 4, one more and I’ll leave the rest to you.

6. TR-909 FIRMWARE VERSION 5 - Demonstration 5 - EXTERNAL INSTRUMENT

// I’ve been using the EXT INST function of the Roland TR-909 since the day I got it. I love triggering samples, basslines, and other drum machines from the stately TR-909’s main panel. The hassle has always been that the notes it generates can’t be changed. So you get an octave or so of fixed notes and that’s all. I’ve spent a lot of time messing with samplers and getting the sounds I want to trigger from the notes I have to offer, and while it’s fun, and useful, it can be a drag. Fact is, a lot of people never even explored it.

Fig.1 CENTRAL CONTROL WITH TR-727
The TR-727 doesn’t allow us to control its midi notes either, but the Addictive Instruments firmware v.5 update has presets and it has a user mode (fig.2). So we can play any note we want on any channel we want at any velocity we want now.
My 727 is upgraded with Harry Axten‘s perfect sound rom upgrade, and this is my own custom rom, and here it is being beautifully programmed by my beloved TR-909!

Fig.3 BASSLINE
This is an example of using the user template to create a chromatic keyboard and programming a bassline which is saved with my drums, and subject to all the new and original functions of the 909.
So much fun!

Clearly I was already in love with my TR-909, but I’ve fallen all over again here.

The external instrument mode is expanded, and it much more powerful now, it’s also nicely documented (at last) in the manual. It is more complicated than plug it in and go if you want to make the most of it, and it’s worth it. This is something wonderful.

Peter Grenader on Waveshapers

Via Peter Grenader of Plan B via AH:

"Waveshapers don't really - or better put, shouldn't 'effect' a VCO per say, although they can play havoc if you're not careful. PWM circuits are notorious for this as many times they take the signal very close to the op amp's power rail, and depending which op amp you use it can cause real problems.

In any event, what a waveshaper does is take the core signal - meaning the waveform the oscillating engine creates on it's own, usually either Sawtooth or Triangle - and through a series of added circuits bends that into whichever waveform it needs at a given output. It's real trickery at times - reverse biasing of diodes, carefully timed disection to rearrange core signals into other shapes, etc. It's not an E.Q. Although one could filter a saw to it's first harmonic and have a sine, it wouldn't have the fidelity required. You have to do it other ways.

The waveshapers account for the bulk of a VCO's circuit. Along with the Expo converter, that's where the magic happens and it's really critical stuff. It's what makes a VCO sound as it does and designers guard their methods. For instance - while I've given some of my dealers - those who have in-house repair facilities - schematics of my VCO's core, I omit some of the waveshapers. If they've got a dead saw or sine for instance, I tell them what part needs to be replaced. If that doesn't do it, they send it back to me. I'm not the only one who's that paranoid.

There are three blocks to a VCO:

1) Expo Converter/Freq Control - This takes all the input controls - Freq Pot, Freq VC inputs, 1V/oct inputs, sums them to one voltage string, scales it as needed (somewhere around 18 mv/octave), and then converts that voltage to current through a circuit called an Expo Converter.

2) The Core. This is what does the oscillating. Basically it's a fixed-ratio envelope generator that gooses itself to start again, once per cycle. A secondary goose comes from the external SYNC input. The core can only manifest one waveform. There are a few things that determine what that waveform will be, namely the configuration of the circuit called an Integrator and where you place the capacitor in that integrator. Do it one way, you get a saw. Do it another way, you get a Triangle. The current from the expo converter gets injected into the core loop and that's what changes the oscillating frequency.

3) Waveshapers. One per waveform. They take the core signals and do the bending. One circuit for sine, one for triangle, one for saw, one for PWM, blah. Based on what waveform a given VCO's core produces, sometimes you've got to take the output from one waveshaper to make yet another waveform because it can't do it in one step. My core is triangle, I don't have to worry about this. They all take the triangle core signal to make their the output waveforms in single generation, thus all of the M15's waveforms remain in phase. All I do is fan the triangle to the string. But you do have to condition the core signals for the various applications. Some of the waveshapers need hearty signals to do their thing, some need comparatively low-amplitude signals, and you've got to scale your core signal for each.

So this doesn't sound all that bad, does it? and it isn't..not until you concern yourself with range, stability and tracking - this takes the bulk of the work in VCO design. It ain't easy and at times it's magic, but it's magic that must be repeatable under a plethora of operating environments. Back in the halcyon days, when musicians limited themselves to one system, designers could fine tune each module in their range to work with one another more efficiently. A wet dream compared to the Frakensynth 21st Century, all that goes out the window because people are using their Serge's with MOTM and Buchlas with Plan B's. Also know that many of these steps I've outlined are quite noisy. You have to deal with that. You have to assure your output waveforms retain their amplitude across the entire frequency range - that doesn't happen for free, either. There are mechanical considerations as well, specifically how the traces are thrown on the board. Some work as antennas which cause major problems if too long. Some can't be too close to others or interference will occur. Basically it's a huge undertaking and it's got to be right. You can get away with sonic defects in filters -people will propably prefer the results. With a VCO - no dice. Everything has to work correctly, in time and in spec and you have to find a way to do that affordably.

I'm skirting over much detail here, but I think this gives you an idea.

hope this helps," Pleas note this was sent to AH, so Peter will see questions sent there but not necessarily here although he has been known to drop by.

Update: More via Peter on AH:
"One must remember there are bunches of ways to create an oscillator core. Charge pump, 555 timers (yikes!), 4046 PLL's (I would recommend this over the 555), Feedback loops with logic gates, etc. And as a result different methods must be used to shape these core signals into the final waveforms.

Sometimes you have to use the output of one waveshaper to create another final waveform - the core signal will not allow you to manifest all of them, so you do it in steps.

OK - if one were to draw on paper four waveform types of the exact same freq, - sine, saw, tri and square, it would be done (I assume) with all four starting their cycle at the same time, going through their pattern so to speak, and ending at the same time. By doing this, you would be showing these four waveforms in phase with one another. But sometimes you can't do that. For instance, common square to saw shapers need the trailing edge of the squarewave to do it's thing, not the rising edge. Given that that square is 50% duty cycle, then the saw pattern begins 180 degrees out of phase with the core signal, and other waveforms which can produce their outputs from the core signal directly.

Next question - so where does that squarewave come from?
Along with the final output, most cores produce a timing pulse as well - the signal used to 're-goose' the core to begin it's cycle again. It's produced by a carefully tuned comparator circuit which pops a high output at the exactly the right time to open and close what's known as the flyback, a switch that opens the closes the current loop that charges the integrator. Open the loop, the integrator discharges. close it, it charges. The comparator is fed the core signal - so it's output states are governs by the very core it's enabling. You bias the comparator to trigger at the right voltasge level. Do it right, your core singal's fidelity is maintained. Do it wrong, your triangle is leaning over on it's side or pitifully low in amplitude.

Some waveshapers use the core output, some use the comparator output.

Here's a really odd analogy: Let's say the VCO core is a bathtub. The liquid is the core waveform, the faucet is the current loop and the plug, and the guy working it is the comparator. He plugs up the drain, the tub fills at a certain point, he pulls the plug, the water begins to drain. This goes on over and over, the water level going up and down. They are fed from and effect one another. But they are doing their thing out of phase. If the plug gets pulled when the tub is empty, it'll remain that way. If it's pulled when it's full, then the cycle is intact. If it's not pulled at the righ ttime, the water won't make it's target level. There's your visual.

So tying my original statement to this model - Some waveshapers need the empty tub, some need the full tub. Waveforms which are produced from these two concurrently are out of phase with one another - while at the same frequency, they don't begin and end at the same time."

"I need to add that the circuit I described - the current loop/comparator pair, is one type of circuit used to create a core waveform -there are other methods which are easier (on paper) to design than this. But, they suck. Linearity is often poor, the range is pitiful, amplitude levels are hard to maintain throughout that range, they're sensitive to temperature variations, they are unstable as hell. I see core VCO circuits that use a 555, or worse yet a logic gate pair to create their core signal, in which in order to address these variables the guy was forced to hang scads of parts all over the place. If the purpose of the exercise was to prove that a stable VCO can be made in this way, cool but real world - it's not going to work predictably. So instead of hacking it, it's best just to use a core which will give you the fidelity, linearity, range and stability required to do the job. If electronic components were finite - a 1k being EXACTLY 1K, a 10uf cap being EXACTLY that - then these types of alternate circuits would stand a chance. But things don't work that way real world."

"More ramblings on alternate methods -

I know a guy named Jerry Steckling - brilliant guy, who used to make mobile recording studio installations out of the panels used to for walk-in restaurant freezers which were f'ing incredible, who later went to Skywalker for a number of years and became a very big cheese up there, who now makes his own speakers, multichannel speaker systems and amplifiers. He had a pet project to produce a speaker which used a flame as the oscillating body instead of the driver. Wack idea, but on paper it's possible, and if anyone could do it, Jerry could. We had many jokes about this - how big is YOUR flame - that sort of thing, but while he knew it was possible, he'd never go that route obviously for anything more than an experiment followed by a good larf.

There are many ways to produce a VCO core, but....

you get the idea."

Stylophone Beat, East Beast, Kawai K1m Jam

video upload by ChrisLody

"Full Disclosure: I occasionally take on freelance work at Dubreq (they make Stylophones) on an hourly rate producing video content. This video wasn't paid for directly but as a result of my work with Dubreq it is marked as Paid Promotion

Right time for a weird jam! I've been ridiculously busy recently with my day job and music related work so can barely justify taking time off to make this (this is product endorsement which is about as close as I can get to time off at the moment 😅), but I risk my channel turning into wall to wall Sonicware news (more of that to come) so I'm trying to find time for a bit of silliness like this!

Dubreq sent me the Stylophone Beat a few weeks back and I've been having some fun with it. For such an inexpensive machine it has surprisingly features. It can play 4 different kits, 4 different bass sound, 4x 32 step patterns, has some realtime playback effects like a filter sweep and pattern length (think stutter mode), patterns can be copied, elements muted etc, the stock sounds are well chosen, really quite good. There are limitations of course, the volume of each sound is fixed, there's no sync capability (although technically the LED flashes at 1ppq so it could be hacked) and the memory is wiped when it's powered down so make sure you record you work. One saving grace in that regard is that it goes into standby quite quickly so this Beat was left on all night with my rhythm programmed in so was still there the next day for me to continue work on. One small caveat is that the drum sequencer supports 16th note resolution but it seems the bass sequencer doesn't, you'll get 8th note recordings. It does support glide though as you may be able to tell from what I've made here. So all in all a fun little machine!

I also bought a Cre8audio East Beast recently and haven't had the chance to use it, so here it is used in the laziest way imaginable with the Stylophone Gen X-1 as a delay effect. It's a very capable little semi modular but I'm not using those features here. I also bought a Kawai K1 which used to belong to former Sonicware staff member Evan Sirchuk, so here's that too playing one of it's presets. That's a really bright sounding bit of kit and I wasn't sure what to use it for at first but it fits in nicely here. I don't even think I've used that Korg NanoKEY2 for anything yet either and I've had that for years!

Anyway, I don't know how I ended making such an odd sounding jam 😁"

DSI Prophet '08 Samples via Seth

Update:
"Two more samples. These aren't full tunes, they're more like examples of what you can do with the Prophet '08.

http://www.boxoftextures.com/prophet08/music/

The two snippets are called Heavy Sequence and Light Arpeggios. Heavy Sequence is rude and impolite and is done in a single patch. It's also, uh, a little rough around the edges as well. The sequencer is running on one layer and the lead is on the other. I did cheat a bit because I couldn't do two stereo channels at once into my Mac, but it more or less could have been done in one pass with only two hands (if you ignore the pitch bending, that is).

Light Arpeggios is much more polite and gentle. Both arpeggios are again done in a single patch and were recorded in a single pass live.
I then put in a lead-ish type patch on top of that to make it a little bit more interesting.


Seth"

........

"http://www.boxoftextures.com/files/choppersoverhead.mp3

Four tracks, recorded in Live:
1 - Arturia Minimoog V - arpeggios
2 - G-Force Mtron - texture chords
3 - Prophet '08 - fretless bass
4 - Prophet '08 - lead

Notes:
1 - no effects in Live, but the Minimoog V's internal chorus and echo were used as part of the sound
2 - dry
3 - a lot of reverb while it's playing alone for the first few bars at the beginning, then just a little reverb
4 - a bit of reverb

So these were my first two sounds I programmed on the Prophet '08. If you're wondering why the glide in the tune above sounds so different then what you might be used to, it's because each oscillator has its own glide knob (!) so you can set each one for a slightly different glide speed (or a greatly different speed, for that matter). This makes them reach the target note at slightly (or greatly) different times, and the sweep through the intervening frequencies happens differently for each one. Also, four LFOs is fabulous. I used one for vibrato, one for each of the oscillator's pulse width modulation, and I still had one spare.

While programming the bass sound, I held three notes and then latched the arpeggiator down. I then proceeded to spend about half an hour playing with all the controls. Man, that was fun! I wish I had recorded that on video for YouTube. I haven't touched the sequencer yet, but it looks like it'll be just as much fun. Plus, I think you get four sequences as modulation sources and can send then anywhere you want, not just for notes. How about one sequence for notes and then another for pan position? You could have each note happen in a different position in the stereo field and with a different pulse width and cutoff frequency. Add some slapback echo in your outboard gear and you're in for some real fun. You can have the thing chugging along sending notes flying all over the room. Uh, I'm patenting that one, so don't go using the idea, OK?

Oh, and just by the way, all four LFOs can be set to sync with the sequencer. Not only can you put different notes in different places in the stereo field, but you can move them once they're there.
Madness!

The knobs are - different. Not bad by any means, but I'm still getting used to them. The most fabulous thing in the world is that you can touch a knob and turn it, and when you do, the sound changes the way you expect it to. There's no jump, no turning it back and forth until you pass the stored value, they just work. On the other hand, you can't just look at a knob to see what the value is. This feels really odd when choosing waveforms, for example. Again, it's not a bad thing, but it definitely feels different than what I'm used to. On a "normal" synthesizer (i.e., a Minimoog) you look at the knob to see the values. On the Prophet you first find the knob, then you have to find the display to see what's up. It'll take a little getting used to.

Same thing with the envelopes. I've always wanted DADSR envelopes, and now that I got 'em I have to get used to them. I always pictured a steady volume for the initial delay, then the normal envelope.
Problem is, there isn't any steady volume before the ADSR portion, it's just a delay. Totally useful, but definitely not what I'm used to. There's a VCA level control, so you can have the VCA always open a little and have the envelope work the way I expected it to work, but then the VCA is always open even when you don't expect it to be.
Again, none of this is a problem with the Prophet, it's more a problem with me. I can see an incredible amount of things you can do with these, and I can also see using up the four modulation routings in seconds on a lot of patches, and I can see it may take me a little while to wrap my head around it.

In re-reading this I can see that I've said "I have to get used to it" about five times. Hmmm. I guess I'll come back to this post in a week or two to see how I feel then. I've only been knob twiddling for about three hours last night. Six months from now everything I'm noting as different will probably feel completely natural.

So, in my few hours of sound programming I ended up being surprised by what the thing could do so many times that I just can't believe it. Is this why people rave unconditionally about the Evolvers? I've always wondered why. If so, I may just have to pick one up. So much thought went into the Prophet '08. Little things like individual glide controls. Such a simple idea, but a completely unique sound.
Imagine something like oscillator sync, except that now you can apply glide to only -one- of the oscillators. Four LFOs, three envelope generators, four sequencers. Heck, you can even modulate the modulation amounts as all four modulation amounts are also modulation destinations!

The thing is brilliant. That's all I can say.
Seth"

via AH.

BLUE ZTVCO DRY DEMO & Surrounding Controversy

YouTube Uploaded by bluelantern320 on Jan 3, 2012

Update 10/4/2013: I heard from Ian Fritz and the controversy is over. Blue Lantern no longer offers the ZTVCO. That said, BL posts will resume.

This one, which seems to be a reoccurring theme with Blue Lantern, comes with a good dose of controversy. You might recall from a few years ago BL got into a bit of heat selling MIDIBox SIDs on eBay. MIDIBox explicitly forbids the commercial resale of MIDIBox SIDs. Blue Lantern stopped and went into producing affordable eurorack based modules and systems.

This latest controversy surrounds the source of design for the new BLUE ZTVCO. You might recall from the comments in this previous post, the design of that prototype module appeared to be a copy of Ian Fritz's Teezer (TZFM Saw VCO debuted Sep'08) design. Ian Fritz's modules are available via The Bride Chamber and Elby Designs.

In short:

1. Is the BLUE ZTVCO based on Ian Fritz's design?
2. If so, to what extent?
3. If so, is it legal?
4. If so, is it fair and does it matter?

The answer to 1 and 2 will not be known until someone gets a hand on the ZTVCO and reverse engineers it. I asked BL if he would be willing to provide the schematics to put the issue to rest and he replied no. He said people can reverse engineer it when it it's available and he is sure someone will. The answer to 3 is quite possibly so. There is currently a good thread on the subject on the electro-music.com forum here. The answer to 4 depends on you. My personal opinion is that it is not fair and it definitely does matter. Whether legal or not, I view it as stealing. These designs do not come out of thin air. They take time and talent and sometimes years to produce. You will see some insight on this in regards to Ian's Teezer design from him directly below. When someone makes their designs available, credit should be given.

The following is a response from Blue Lantern in regards to the claims made against him. The most important thing to read out of his points below is "3. This is not a clone, this vco is a beast in it's own cage."

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Matrixsynth on CafePress

Update4: Mine came out horrid! The font is aqua instead of green. So... Don't order one unless you want the "limitted" first edition. Heh. : ) I'm waiting on a couple of orders to go through (which I actually will refund and let them keep the shirt, because I feel so bad), then I'm closing the shop. If you order one after this update, I WILL NOT refund and just assume you actually want one as is. I'll be looking locally at making shirts next, and I'll be doing a quality check on my end before announcing anything. Sorry about this, but do know I will take care of those who stepped out and bought one first. Here is what it looks like; click for a bigger shot.



Update3: Looks like the $5 off coupons are only good on orders of $20. I upped the mark-ups for my two $19.99 items a penny to $20.00 so we can use the coupons. Other option would have been to pick up a mini-button for $1.99 or that thong. : )

Update2: Looks like I received five $5 off coupon codes when I placed my order. If anyone wants one send me an email at matrixsynth[]hotmail.com. Please don't ask unless you are ready to buy though. Also if you do buy something and get five discounts for others, send them to yourself and post a comment here so others can save a little; I'm not sure if you can use them yourself.

Update: I need to stress that the font will NOT be as sharp as the title in this blog. It has more of a retro Outer Limits/X Files blurry look to it from simply blowing up the title. I think it looks pretty cool myself. Here is a link to what it will look like full size.
---
Yep, I did it. I've been wanting a black T with the Matrixsynth title and description above for a while now. I finally got around to checking out CafePress after seeing The Packrat Ts and shwag. I went for the whole shebang for the heck of it. Who am I to judge what others might be interested in. So if you want a Matrixsynth thong, go for it. I also have stamps. I'll be picking up a black T myself. BTW, I just grabbed the title of this blog, so if you do actually buy something please don't come after me if the quality sucks. As the used analog synth market sometimes goes, they are sold AS-IS, buyer beware. I'm honestly just doing this for the fun of it. The markup on each item btw, is one whole dollar. Woohoo! Anyway, I will post back when I get my black T and let you know what I think of it. The one thing I am a bit worried about is how the black border will look on the black shirt (see Update3 below, this might not be an issue after all). Also if I actually do sell more than 10 different items, I'll post back with the top ten sold. P.S. I wonder if I'm making history with the first synth related thong...

Update3: I went with the following printing option for my merchandise, so my concerns on black on black may not be an issue after all. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

"Direct Printing

With Direct Printing, we print direct-to-fabric with no transfers. The result is a matte image that moves with the garment because the ink is actually embedded in the fabric for ultimate wearable comfort. After a few washes, you will notice the great durability of Direct Printing. That means greater image staying power.

The benefits of Direct Printing
Great washability - no fading
No feel of ink on the fabric (the ink is in the fabric)
No cracking
No transfer lines"

The Hitchhiker's Synth to the Galaxy

Meet Deep Thought, an Oakley Based Analog Modular currently up for auction. Title link takes you to the shots. More on the synth pulled from the auction below. Via this post on VSE.



"I designed and built this Synthesiser myself, with Oakley Sound System modules and a lot of ear-bending with Tony Allgood (Oakley).

It has taken me an absolute age to build, and the Schaffer Front panel cost me 450 Euros alone. I also designed that. The patch panel uses the same principle as the Synthi AKS patch bay, in that voltages are summed on the rows, with patch pins having resistors in, with summing amplifiers on each row. This means that (say) the outputs of two LFOs can effectively be mixed on the bay and output to one of the pre-routed destinations. The Synth, which I called DEEP THOUGHT, (after Hitch hikers Guide to the Galaxy and took nearly as long to build as finding the ultimate answer- Oh and I was 42 when I started this thing!), was designed to have a fixed internal routing, but I got frustrated by those limitations, so I built a jack-panel into DEEP THOUGHT's top, where the internal routing came out to. This means it is not hard wired on the inside anymore, so you have to route it on the top for the synth to work. This gives much greater flexibility. I think I should have kept the internal hard-wiring and used the jacks as by-pass switches, but anyone with any savvy can do that.

Every module works. I have used screened cable for audio inside too. The power supply is well beefy enough to power the synth without it breaking into a sweat. In fact the supply is bolted to a huge piece of car-panel sheet metal, so you can have DEEP THOUGHT on all day, and it barely gets warm.

The synth is basically configured as a Stereo Pair of twin VCO/ twin LFO synths, but since the wiring is now so open, it can be whatever you like, within the limits of the wiring.

Each of the VCOs (4 of them) are Moog style Oscillators, with Oakleys proprietary tuning stability. Terrifically stable, and you don't need them to warm up for hours before they are useable. Really powerful sound, especially in unison! Wow. The pulse width is continuously variable and I have used a dedicated LFO for each pulse width modulation on each oscillator, which gives this synth a total of 8 LFOs. the PWM LFOs do not output to the patch-panel, though, since they are dedicated. The waveforms are Pulse, Saw, Triangle and Sine.

The two filters on the synth are a juicy Moog style ladder filter (left) and a precise State Variable filter (right). Control voltages for each are accessible from the patch-panel.

The patch panel has an led on each row output to indicate the activity on that row, and it's a great way of keeping tabs on what is going on in a complex patch-and the patches can get preettty complex!

The sample-hold clock is controlled from the patch-panel, as is its' sample signal. The output of it comes back to patch panel, and can be routed to, say, filters cvs etc

There are two PHASERS, one for each output, if you configure the synth in STEREO mode, of you can stack them or put them in serial. They have varible Q and a built in LFO for sweeping, as indicated by a cute bi-colour LED. DEEP THOUGHT is scattered with bi-colour LEDs, actually, and it's great in the dark (but get the patch done first!)

There are four VCA/EG combinations at the bottom of the synth. Two are hard-wired to the outputs, the other two are accessible from the patch panel. Each filter has its' own ADSR type envelope, hard wired internally, and dedicated to each filter.

The midi interface is configured for channel one, and also has the master tune facility, so once your VCOs are where you want them, you can just shift all four to match your others synths, and they keep there relative pitch tracking perfectly. There is also a cool retrigger/glide function.

The Noise unit features White and pink noise and an exceptionally useful INFRA RED output, which is a very low frequency random CV which outputs separately to the patch-panel.

If you use a Sequencer like Logic, you can control DEEP THOUGHT (via the midi interface) by use of HYPERDRAW in LOGIC so you can use modulation sweeps, velocity contours, and CC102, which can be assigned by you in LOGIC (or CUBASE, I'm sure) for any use. In fact, since the outputs of each of those HYPERDRAW curves manifest themselves as variable control voltages at the patch panel, you can assign them to whatever you like! Programmable filter sweeps are the obvious 1st choice!

The patch-pins are new genuine EMS ones, with a few non-resistance pins-just shorting type.

All the boards were built from the ground up by me, using quality components from RS and Rapid. It has cost me thousands of pounds and too many hours to count.

There's such a lot of meat on this synth that it's almost impossible to be sure I've remembered to mention everything, but anyone seriously intending to buy it, will know from the pictures just what it can do. Any (sensible) questions I will attempt to answer.

Mechanically, the big steel backplate just screws off, and it and the power supply just unplugs from the internal wiring (via coded suitable sturdy plugs), so the internal wiring is easily accessible for maintanance or modification.

So, to the niggles-:

1) I didn't wire the LEDs so they all shine red for positive voltages! So they vary from RED to GREEN, on positive (or negative) voltages and a couple of the patch LEDs glow with nothing plugged into the row, (which is the earthing issue I spoke of elsewhere), but those rows DO sum correctly anyway, and the LEDS do reflect what's on those rows when plugged into, so it isn't a serious issue.

2) The bypass switch on the right hand PHASER is wired wrong and doesn't bypass, and I just don't have the time to sort it. Should be a brainless fix, though.

3) The patch-panel had to be mounted so that the end collumn (EXTERNAL OUT) is shorted and doesn't work. This could easily be sorted by finding a different mounting for the patch-panel on the Schaffer panel. The patch-panel on that collumn works in itself-it's just the mounting screw! However, there is a spare socket on the top which could be wired for EXTERNAL OUT if you want.

4) a couple of pots are starting to sound a bit scratchy and could do with spraying, but still perfectly functional.

5) This thing is HEAVEY, 25Kg. The steel backplate is the big culprit, but those lovely FRENCH POLISHED (by me!) side cheeks are REAL solid HARDWOOD MAHOGANY!! So THEY weigh too. "

Hataken Interview

Back on March 31, I put up a post on Hataken, a Japanese DJ artist who primarily uses analog synths. At the time, Shane Chisolm, the manager of Don Juan Dracula mentioned Hataken was working on a remix version of DJD's "Take Me Home". Shane asked me if I'd be interested in doing an interview with Hataken, and I thought why not. It would be interesting to hear his perspective on the world of synths as a live DJ artist. The following is the result of that interview. Note, this is a long one. You will want to use page down to scroll through. If it is too long for you, I recommend reading one or two questions each time you visit the site. Each DIY item below would typically have been a separate post. There is a lot of interesting stuff here. That said, I start with an introduction followed by asking Hataken how it all started for him. Note the focus is primarily on synths as this site is about everything synth, and Hataken delivers. The gear he has both worked with and designed to meet his specific needs is overwhelming. There's also an interesting interlude on experimenting with frequency counters to produce specific frequencies of sound known to have healing properties, and of course there is a bit of the age old discussion of digital and analog.

Before we start the interview, I want to thank Hataken for taking the time out for this, and I want to thank Shane for suggesting it. It's a fascinating history of a DJ synth artist with interesting perspectives that I'm sure I will come back to over time. Be sure to check out the video and link to more at the end. And of course be sure to check out Hataken's website.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

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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.

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Keith Emerson's 'Split' Minimoog Up for Auction

via this auction where you'll find a few more pics while up. The seller is Tony (Aviator) Wride. This one in via Senso.

"A unique opportunity to own a piece of Rock history! This Minimoog was one of the earliest ones owned by Keith Emerson (26 June 1973 date on keyboard) and he had the keyboard and electronics separated so that it could be used in his stage setup. Basically the keyboard was set up to slide into place when required while the electronics section remained out of the way. Please read the details below about how I ended up getting it in 1992 and look at the pictures. I have included some pictures taken in 1992 when I got the synth as well as some archive pictures of Keith and the Minimoog on stage.

THE STORY
In the early 90s I did a lot of work on analogue synths working for a number of well known bands as well as building my own analogue synth called “The Aviator”. It was basically a hobby for me. Please Google Tony Wride and Exclusively Analogue to find out more. You can ignore all the flying related stuff associated with my job!

In 1992 I was doing some work for Vince Clarke of Erasure prior to their Abbaesque tour and went to a rehearsal studio at Brent Cross in North London. Next door to the Erasure studio was another band rehearsing for their tour and it turned out to be ELP preparing for the “Black Moon” Tour! Keith had been one of my keyboard heroes and I never ever thought I would get the chance to meet him let alone see him rehearsing. I met Will Alexander, who was Keith's technician, and got talking about the famous big Moog which they planned to take on tour. "We would like to get it fitted with MIDI" said Will and I then suggested fitting a Kenton MIDI retrofit for a MiniMoog which is what I ended up doing! (See the pictures). Whilst working on the Modular I talked to Keith and Will about the gear they were going to use on tour and Will said "We need another SE1 (Basically a Minimoog in a rack with MIDI) to go in the rack but the dealer said they can't get one in time". It just so happened that I had just traded a mint condition Minimoog for an SE1 with a studio in London so sitting in the back of my car was an SE1! When I said to Will that I could get them an SE1 for the tour he asked "How soon?" "How does 3 minutes sound?" I said. Talk about coincidence!!

Keith ended up with my SE1 for the tour but I was now Minimoogless. Fortunately sitting in amongst a collection of unused ELP gear was the electronics section of a Minimoog looking in a very sorry state. I asked Will what had happened and what was happening to the remains of the Minimoog. "It's one of Keith's early MiniMoogs that had the keyboard separated from it so that it could be mounted on the Hammond. It doesn't work and the keyboard is in storage." We ended up agreeing to me having the non working "split" Minimoog as part of the deal for the SE1 on an understanding that they would send me the keyboard in the future.

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I've Got a Fever...

YouTube via FatSynthDude
"...and the only prescription is MOAR (ANALOG) COWBELL!!!!!!1111oneoneone

Friend of mine on the intertubez posted something about needing more cowbell and since I'd done a vid recently that had a bit to do with the cowbell on the 522, I thought it would be mildly entertaining to make a cover of the infamous "Don't Fear the Reaper" song by Blue Oyster Cult to post as a reply. I'm at home sick today anyway (ironically, with a fever) so it isn't like I've got anything better to do. And of course, I made the cowbell way too freakin' loud intentionally. :-D It ain't pretty, but making this thing work with only one free hand is pretty much impossible.

So here's how it was done: The Akai MPC1000 (with JJOS of course) was used as the master sequencer. The actual notes were sequenced in using a Schecter Devil Elite outfitted with a GK-2a feeding a GR-30 and outputting MIDI to the MPC. The synth that mimics the main guitar riff throughout the song is an Alesis Andromeda ('bout time I got some use out of that beast!) The bassline was played with an Analogue Solutions Red Square. The percussive/distorted/band-pass filter synth thingie is Future Retro XS. Almost all of the drum sounds were handled by the MFB Schlagzwerg, except of course for the cowbell which came from the MFB 522.

Sorry again that this thing was done kinda sloppy, but doing all this stuff one-handed really bites. Anyway, enjoy!"

TeleKraftzSchlagz Jam

"This is just something I threw together real quick. Not supposed to be fancy or mind-blowing, just some simple fun. What I have here is the MFB Schlagzwerg being used to trigger it's own drums, and fire off gate and CV to the MFB Kraftzwerg and the Analogue Solutions Telemark and tweaking all of the above. This is just to show that while yes, the Schlagzwerg sequencer is a bit of a pain in some ways, it can most definitely be used creatively. (I'm even thinking that one of these days, I want to do a demo where I turn off the audio outs to the Schlagzwerg and just use the entirety of the sequencer to decimate one single synth.) When doing this video, I wanted to get a bit more going on as far as the number of synths going off at once, but sadly I didn't have any 1/8"-1/4" cables left when I thought I did have some, and half of my gear runs on 1/4", so I had to suffice. Oh well. This is totally giving me some ideas for some crazy synth jams, though. Almost wish I had like five other people, and then I could just use the Schlagzwerg to send pitch and gate and have an orgy of synthetic sound molding! I'm getting moist just thinking about it....

Oh, and I didn't have room on the Schlagzwerg video to append this, but it did turn out that the MIDI timing was partially my fault. The reason the timing was goofy was because the swing was turned on. ...this is especially odd since I don't remember turning on swing.

And sorry that the video and the audio don't quite sync up. My usual video editing app hasn't been cooperating lately, so I've been stuck with Windows Movie Maker and it doesn't quite sync up the way it looks like it does when matching waveforms up. ....see why I use so much hardware for music now? I hate computers. This also helps to justify whenever I use the camera's microphone to record this stuff. Helps to keep me fat and lazy! XD"

OFFICIAL 80s SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS & ARP SYNTHESIZER TOUR JACKETS

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via Tone Tweakers on eBay, and Reverb

"Here's a incredibly rare piece of Sequential Circuits memorabilia that we've never seen offered for sale anywhere. We got this a while ago from someone who worked for Sequential Circuits back in the day.

This item is unused, new old stock (!).

We googled this to see if we could find any reference to it and we couldn't, so we suspect they made very very few of them. Over 40 years later, we imagine most of them are long gone, and any surviving examples, if there are any, would be in poor condition.

As of writing this, we have 2 others available (search our website for jacket). We realize our asking price may seem quite high for a jacket, but, as mentioned, these jackets are pieces of vintage synth memorabilia and are the only ones of their kind we've ever seen in decades, and we've seen it all. Plus, there are some very serious collectors out there, and this is quite an interesting piece. If it doesn't sell soon, we may gradually lower the price, so if you're interested but don't want to pay our asking price, please let us know."

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ADDAC System .. . ...A word from our team - 31.12.2012

via the ADDAC Systems mailing list:

"...A word from our team

Dear beloved ADDAC System User’s

Here we are at the brink of a new year, the world didn’t end, we’re still thinking, walking and talking... Hmmm, maybe you don’t even remember anymore, what was that all about anyway?

It’s almost impossible to arrive at the end of another year without making a balance of all that happened throughout it’s course.
We look back and see how much we’ve learned, how much was done, how much we grew and how many more user’s trust our solutions.
We can’t express how it feels to have more and more happy users!

We’d like to take this opportunity to give you a peak of who’s at the ADDAC System Core Lab - Division A2, (we blew up A1 a few months ago, oooops, but don’t worry, we already made public that we won’t turn on the black matter device again*), so this is our current trustworthy team and a magnified peak into their personas:
Andre, who’s studying how to become an ermit in night school, works over the clock at both the start and the end of the production line, juggling together concept, circuit & panel design, emails(fewer than he should), programming, testing All modules and obsessively alligning hex nuts as some sort of odd Zen therapy ( you know we like all our nuts alligned in our panels, don’t you? ). It has also been reported that sporadically he can be seen at the local skate park busting his signature trick hardflip to crooked to nose slide switch tre flip out.
Ruben strangely seemed to have grown a third and, more recently, a fourth robotic arm on his collar bone so that, while keeping his “natural” hands free for the soldering iron and solder wire, can now hold the solder fumes extraction hose and a 1200x magnifier lens at the right place and in the perfect alignment, these new, still developing, arms run on a state of the art quantum computer the size of a penny and whose neural network have recently just learned how to roll cigarretes like no other can match.
João by now started to babble in binary code, making haikus in arrays of precisely 64 chars, compressed format. He’s running of a very yin yang diet of freshly grounded cofee and gourmet vegetable oil organic fuel, he flys a brainwave activated late model turbo charged dark green triple-engine jetpack.
Sandra does not type a letter anymore, she developed a molar purpletooth that delivers thunderbolt brain connection with minor side effects like flowing between pink dreams and nightmares at night. Among these, she reported being in a pointillism painting mingling around on the grass of an island where, while some of you and us danced in circles, yet like another later paiting, others made beautifull music from their portable sun powered modular systems enjoying a beautifull Sunday afternoon celebrating sound. Other reports tells us of horror adventures where she chases Andre irated while in it’s turn also irated waiting customers chase both of them through the dark mountains of Mordor under the all seeing eye of laptop users.

But as good or weird as all this might sound like we still have no special powers, we keep our feet on the ground, eyes on the horizon and sanity from your emails, your feedback and love. Thanks for giving us the drive to keep our spirits up, for making us believe that we’re not alone here.
We feel and share your passion towards the Modular World, towards the open Synthesizer, with a big S, the all mighty instrument, one that can give us eternal hours of Sound possibilities, myriads of combinations, structures and compositions. I believe we all just grew to love and got tangled in this never ending world.
And so we took upon us this mission, there’s never enough modules and there’s still so many possibilities to explore, may 2013 bring many more solutions...

And yes we’re not talking about any new module or announcing any release this time, although we’ll be announcing a future module every day during the first 7 days of Janury, so keep tuned to our facebook page and our website, it will start tomorrow!

We also like to note that we’re still offering free shipping on modules and accessories until January 10th.

Have a Happy New Year!

All the very best
*
ADDAC System
Andre Goncalves * Ruben De La Costa * João da Fonseca * Sandra Reit

http://www.addacsystem.com

http://www.facebook.com/addac.sys.7

PS. Release Notes on 206, 207 and 803

We also would like to take the opportunity to dedicate a word for all of you waiting for the first units of the 206, 207 & 803 Modules
We know you've been waiting for a while now, we are very aware of that and in our thoughts everyday.
Our sparse reports over time may have sound that we were shipping them earlier but due to Andre’s pickiness and obsession with endless fine tunning we still didn’t. In fact we could have done so already, the modules and physically ready, but we don’t want the easy way out, oh no otherwise how could we sleep restfully with doubts on our minds about what we had just done, if it would fail or brake once they get to their new homes and warm frames... This is how we’re thinking here: these are new modules and we won’t let go of them until the fine tunning process is brought to an obsessive stage of scrutiny, testing them with all the shebang of professional tools and our ears, “in case of doubt always trust your ears”.
The best part of this stage is when we start using them in our own modulars even debutting them live and watching the cycle closing as they start “living” in their natural environment and behaving like they were supposed to and surprising us with what we expected and most times more! There’s no doubt that there is some degree of a very personal process in this, seeing them coming to shape, holding on sitting in some rack half torned apart looking helpless until when, suddenly, like magic, they light up and we put it through all this scrutiny and we start trusting them, more and more until we can look at them as a separate entity that we can say farewell to. At that time they will get up and start walking out the door heading to your house and presenting themselves at your doorstep.
But we can add that we are deeply enjoying developing this new modules and we’re proud of them already, we trully trust you’ll be very happy with them as well. Just bear with us for a bit longer!

And many thanks for your understanding, it’s deeply appreciated.

PS2. If you wish to be removed from this list just reply with Unsubscribe

*we deeply believe that it was an induction spike that made A1 blew up, once this is proved right under the critique of a team of world renowed scientists whose names are kept private for the time being, we, under the light of that decision, feel free to use the black matter device once again, we believe we’re this close to control it."

What is The Vanilla Synthesizer? It's Ready, That's What

via the STG Soundlabs/muSonics Electronic Newsletter:

Is it The Vanilla Synthesizer or the muSonics TVS?

I started working on this project a year and a half ago.

Originally my thought process was to make a new American format synthesiser that could be sold as modules, kits, and bare boards. I was concerned about the future of the format, and I felt a new line of basic modules and infrastructure at a variety of price points was important. I still do.

STG Soundlabs was a failure because I made things that ultimately the eurorack market simply did not want. Yes, I sold some, and will continue to maintain the line as best as I can, but it's very hard to find photos of eurorack installations with STG Soundlabs modules in them, but rare to find a nice big man-sized synthesiser without my modules in it.

Another thing I wanted to do was teach myself how to do my own engineering. It didn't start that way, but it became that way. I'd been a hardware product developer since 2005 but never actually laid out a circuit board. That is no longer true, and I've done things beyond this project that I haven't even talked about.

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New SEM from Tom Oberheim

via bleepology who has some notes on it.
Update: new pics via stretta below.
Update (5:40 PST): some additional notes via the AH list: via alt-mode:
"Tom is showing a new SEM with the same circuits plus an integrated MIDI/CV. Price < $1k. Available in a few months." via James Husted: "Looks like he has dropped the expensive mechanical knob movement that turned the pots into multi-turn and is using a smaller knob next to the main knob. That used to be where the scale trimmer was on the original. Saves money by not having those concentric knobs that you always lost the caps from. Also the BP filter switch is a separate switch and not one built into the LP-HP knob. a little saved there too. Hopefully all the internal connections will be available too (maybe on cheaper connections). And hopefully it will run on a more standard power supply like a +/-15v and not +/-18.5 like the old ones did. New manufacturing techniques like SMD etc may lower the cost by lowering the board count and interconnects too - lots of board to board molex connectors in the old ones." Update 5:45: image is from: Web: http://www.alt-mode.com
Twitter: twitter.com/alt_mode
I saw it on bleepology in my RSS feed before checking Twitter.

via: twitter.com/alt_mode:
http://tomoberheim.com/ [note the tomoberheim.com URL just below the controls]
and "Stretta is here with a large lens for better pix later." Come on Stretta! :)
Web: http://stretta.com
Twitter: twitter.com/stretta

Update 8:24 via Dan on the AH list:
"Apart from the new SEM, what I found completely fascinating about Tom Oberheim's talk here in Boston was how oblivious he seemed to have been to the use of analog synths (including his own creations) in modern day music; he talked about how the Red Bull Music Academy series that he is participating in, in particular the one in Barcelona that occurred at the end of last year, was eye-opening and inspirational for him (and strengthened his plans to recreate the SEM BTW).

During the talk he played snippets of audio tracks that had featured Oberheim gear over the years, and so he played tracks by Pat Metheny, Weather Report, Stanley Clarke, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Van Halen, etc... But then he played a track that he was turned on to for the first time in Barcelona, by Underground Resistance ("Sonic Destroyer"), and he said he was bowled over by it, having never heard such a thing.

It was very refreshing to see how energized he was by this revelation, but at the same time it was a bit sad to see how in the dark he had been to the last 20 years or so of music. Likewise when asked about whether he knew how important the DMX was in the early days of rap music, how some artists even used 'DMX' in their stage names, he also said that at the time, he didn't ever really know it -- it was only later, after Gibson had taken over the company, that he started to hear about the importance of his creation..."

"He said that Gibson owns the rights to the old logo..."

Update 9:37PM: flickr shots via stretta are in. Click for more.

top shot is the old and new SEM



Update 9:04 6/4 via alt-mode on the AH list:
"First, I think we owe a big "Thank You" to the Red Bull Music Academy for hosting this event and also for their continuing series that gets musicians together with current leaders as well as earlier technical visionaries like Tom.

As far as the new SEM goes:

- You will notice that the faceplate is the same size as the original SEM. He intended to make it compatible with the old SEM.
- He hated the original concentric tuning knobs and couldn't get them anyway so he went to the coarse/fine knobs.
- He said it took 10 months just to find pots that would work and figure out replacements where he couldn't get them.
- There is a switch for the BP response because he couldn't get the same kind of switching pot he used in the past and also didn't like the reliability of the old ones.
- He tried doing the original design as thru-hole but it was just too expensive so he made it mostly surface mount but there were a few parts that made more sense as thru-hole.
- The connectors on the modules are not the same Molex as used in the past. He had to change the connectors but all of the signals are still there.
- The MIDI/CV tries to have many of the common routings that he thought would be useable. There will no doubt be debates as to whether they are correct.
- It did sound a feel like a real SEM. I tried to get some classic patches going on it but didn't really have much time.
- Patch points are certainly possible and he left the same top lip on the box that could be used for them. I don't know if he will offer that as an option or not.
- This is a labor of love. He isn't doing it for the money or to sell lots of them. It is likely that they will only be sold by one distributor that he is friends with. He doesn't want to have any employees so all of these will be assembled by Tom.
- Roger Linn can be credited as one of the people who bugged him enough to recreate the SEM. I think Tom has been toying this for awhile and the Barcelona event pushed him further.

I was amused by his stories and hearing that he gets together with Roger Linn, Don Buchla, and Dave Smith at some Berkeley coffee house regularly made me want to be a fly on the wall of those gatherings. ;)

Tom said he has ideas for more things and mentioned a design of an analog sequencer that he wants to put out. He would like to recreate the Oberhiem Two Voice since that was his absolute favorite synth from the Oberheim line.

He didn't sound like he was interested in getting his company name back. He felt that it had been tarnished by things like the OB-12 and the OBMX. He did miss the logo though...

Remember Tom is 72 and he is doing this because it is fun and occupies his time. I think it is fantastic that he tried to keep to the original design and bring back such a classic synth. He did give his email address out to some folks but I don't think it would be appropriate to broadcast it to the list."

Update 9:38AM 6/4 Tom Oberheim Day flickr set by danger.fellini
originally posted 8:21 EST. (click for more)

Tom Oberheim and the new SEM from stretta on Vimeo.

"This is an edited version of Tom's Red Bull Music Academy presentation in Boston of the new SEM on June 3, 2009.

Don't worry, after about a minute the focus settles down. I wanted to capture the two units next to each other. The light was horrible (backlit, with no direct light on Tom) so sorry about the overall quality.

Tom discusses the changes made to the new SEM and the reasons behind them, pricing, and demos a few sounds.

SOUNDS GREAT!"

See the write-up on The Stretta Procedure

Music: "Sunrise" on Korg EMX

YouTube via AlchemistShaman.

"http://Alchemy-Illuminated.com

This is a meditative trance song I made on the Korg Electribe MX. The video is extremely boring, but I'll be updating it later. The song could use a little more work, but I always get bored and move on to the next one.

I uploaded the wrong version of this song to my website, and I lost the original when my hard drive crashed, but now I found it again hiding on my website server, so now you can download it for free, and it sounds much better in full quality because the sounds move from one ear to the other:

http://Alchemy-Illuminated.com/Docume...

All of the sound effects are diminished since YouTube reformats the video to have mono sound instead of left and right stereo, and I uploaded this video before I knew how to bypass that and keep high quality stereo.

And for those people who don't know -- the EMX is a synthesizer and every note and sound you hear in this video had to be made and recorded by me. None of these are presets or samples -- the video only shows me turning on the drum parts and the phrases, but before hand I had to actually play the music on the EMX and record it and program the drum parts. So it takes a lot of work and talent. All you people who play the keyboard synthesizers and say we EMX mixers ain't making music are wrong! We make music just like you do, but it's even more complicated! And even though the EMX allows you to load pre-made MIDI maps, most of us don't cheat and we play our own music and make our own MIDI maps from scratch.

99% of the electronic/techno music you hear these days is most likely made from preset MIDI maps, and the "musician" or Dj is basically a *fake*.

I'll have a tutorial video posted eventually which shows how to make a song from scratch for people who just bought the EMX. That will show you how complex programming this box actually is. But it does become very easy once you get accustomed to the controls, and very addictive. Yet there are so many ways to shape the sounds of the instruments, I tend to get lost for hours just playing around with the enormous universe of sounds.

Download the manual for the EMX to see everything it can do:

http://alchemy-illuminated.com/Docume..."

Music: "Elixir" on Korg EMX


"Another trance/meditative song I made on the Korg EMX.

You can download it at my website (sounds much better)
http://Alchemy-Illuminated.com

And you can download the free book on making the elixir:
http://alchemy-illuminated.com/docume..."

song "Elixir" - breakdown of instruments used


"I made this video in response to all the people who have a Korg EMX, and were wondering how I made this song without using anything but the EMX (no external instruments or computer software synths).

The video shows me turning on each instrument, and then I show the screen on the EMX so you can see exactly which instrument it is. I didn't show which effects I applied to the instruments, or how I played the tune to make the pattern for each one, because that would have taken way too long.

Basically this video just breaks the song down into it's parts, so you can better understand how each instrument sounds without all the others running at the same time. A lot of the instruments have a reverb effect applied, especially the drum parts. And I changed the pitch on most of the drum parts to make them sound much different then they do by default.

You may notice at the beginning of the video when I'm trying to show the names of the different instruments used in the synth parts section, I don't change the selection properly so the first 3 instruments have the same name. But later on as I go through all the synth parts again, you can see what each one is named and which number it is on the EMX.

And for those people who have never used an EMX synthesizer, I must stress that none of these patterns are presets. So each time you see me select an instrument part and you hear it playing by itself, that isn't a preset pattern. I had to first adjust the sound of the instrument to make it a completely new instrument, then play the music on the keyboard to make the pattern itself, then adjust the way the notes sound as the pattern progresses. When I eventually have a tutorial video showing a song from start to finish you will be able to fully appreciate the amount of programming that goes into making a single song on the EMX. And at first it's very bewildering and you think it will be impossible to remember how to do all the steps it takes just to make one pattern, but after using it for a while, you remember everything and can quickly move through the process of creating a song with ease.

When you complete a song using this synthesizer, it's very satisfying because you made it 100% from scratch. Most of the dance/electronica music you hear on the radio or TV is made using preset patterns, pre-made samples, and pre-made MIDI maps for the instruments and all the "artist" does is select which patterns and melodies he likes for his song, and some of them don't even play the keyboard at all; they just put together pieces of someone else's work, and then call it their own. All their friends and family think they're so talented in making music, but in reality they would be nothing without their pre-made patterns and samples made by real musicians.

And unfortunately since this Korg Electribe synthesizer does come loaded with pre-made patterns to demonstrate it's full range of capabilities, some people on Youtube actually use those patterns and tweak the sound just a little bit, then claim the song as their own. In the back of the manual that comes with the EMX, there is a full list of all the preset pattern songs, with full credit given to each professional musician who composed those pieces of music. And those people's names should be placed right there in the video description whenever some wanna-be Dj uploads a video of himself using their pre-made patterns and calling it his own. But this is youtube, and it's full of jackasses.

Download the song from my website (it sounds much better):
http://Alchemy-Illuminated.com"

Inside the EMX


"Ever wonder what your EMX looks like on the inside? In this video I actually open the EMX and take a look around. I was hoping to upgrade it with the Studio Essentials ROM board they show on the Korg website as an accessory for the Korg."