beneath the surface ... Neutral Labs Elmyra 2 ... ambient

video upload by substan

"A first test flight with the Neutral Labs Elmyra 2. I´m REALLY blown away by the dark, beautifully textured und distorted sound that comes out of this little box. The built-in sequencer is a significant part of its charm and makes the Elmyra an inspiring playground.

It's a blessing to get send a great device and the only payment for it is to make music with it, which is just inspiring and fun.

Elmyra runs through Valhalla Room.
Recorded in on take into Ableton.
Mastered in post."

Real World Interface by Verbos Electronics - Overview & Demo

video upload by Stazma

"Today I'll be showing you the new Real World Interface by Verbos Electronics.
This is sort of the first contact with the module, trying all the things I thought i could do and listening to different stuff processed throught it.
It's a very interesting and deep module, and there's so many ways to use it that I'll do a second video with a few more patch ideas soon.

Have fun!"

00:00 Intro
01:11 Fast forward unboxing & first patches
02:41 Module Overview
04:23 Patching a compressor
06:04 Pre-amp & saturation test
08:22 Drum machine driven patches
14:17 A.G.C, Fundamental & Locked VCO outputs
17:54 Stereo pre-amplification & enveloppe follower
22:38 End talk

The Real World Interface is a 3 channel external processing module intended for connecting with sound sources outside the system. The channels are oriented as vertical channel strips. The left and right channels have a built-in condenser microphone, preamp, envelope follower with variable decay and gate extractor. In addition to a preamp, envelope follower and gate extractor, the center channel also has an Automatic Gain Control (fixed high ratio compressor), fundamental extractor (tracking lowpass filter), frequency detector and locked oscillator. Internal microphones are useful for introducing electro acoustic room sound into the modular. Envelope followers can be used to have external signal levels effect parameters such as filter cutoff or level for building dynamics processors. Gate extraction allows external sounds such as metronomes, clicks, claps or room sounds to advance sequencers, trigger sounds or initiate other events. The Frequency Detector can extract the pitch of simple monophonic sounds but is also a semi chaotic CV source in the tradition of such modules since their introduction in the 1960’s. The Locked Oscillator plays a sine wave at the same pitch as the input signal.

Additional posts

New Batch of Synthfest UK 23 Videos

video uploads by sonicstate

Playlist: (you can use the player controls to skip around)

1. Synthfest UK 23: Sequential - Trigon 6 Desktop

At SynthFest UK 2023, we had the opportunity to chat with Chris from Sequential, a part of the Focusrite group. Chris introduced us to the Trigon 6 Desktop, the latest addition to Sequential's synthesizer lineup. This compact desktop version of the Trigon 6 packs a powerful punch, offering three oscillators and a distinctive Dave Smith ladder filter. Designed for those seeking a space-saving solution without compromising on sound quality, the Trigon 6 Desktop retains all the features of its larger sibling, including patch recall, a versatile effects section with various modulation possibilities, and the distinctive feedback control that allows you to sculpt sub-harmonic richness.

Trigon 6 Desktop Price: $2,499

https://www.sequential.com/

2. Synthfest UK 2023: Calc And the Prophet X

At Synthfest UK 2023, we caught up with Calc from Sequential, and he gave us the lowdown on the Prophet X. Now, you might be thinking, Prophet X? Haven't we seen that before? Well, you're right, but this hybrid instrument has been quietly making waves in the music world. It combines digital and analog elements, with digital oscillators and a unique twist in the form of multi-sample-based instruments. Yes, you heard that right, it's not just your run-of-the-mill synth; it's a full-on sampler too, boasting an impressive 50 gigabytes of memory for your custom samples. You can treat it like a rompler, a sample player, or even use those samples as oscillators, creating a whole new realm of sonic possibilities.

Plus, it's packed with stereo goodness, allowing you to explore a wide soundstage with ease. It's not your typical synth, and that's what makes its a favourute of Calc's

Looking for some more info on the Prophet X? Check out Sequential's official page: www.sequential.com/prophet-x/

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UNO SYNTH PRO X From IK Multimedia - Getting Started Walkthrough & Programming Guide

video upload by The Sound Test Room

Click here for additional UNO Synth PRO X posts posts - sort by date on top.

Pulsar-ES - Preset Drum Machine - Replica of a Rare Vintage Drum Machine for iOS

video upload by The Sound Test Room

"You can get Pulsar-ES here at the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/ua/app/pulsar-..."

20% of proceeds go to support Ukraine.

BA 1 - Analog Modeled Synth by Baby Audio - The BIG Sound Test

video upload by The Sound Test Room

See this post for additional details on the BA 1.

Introducing the Kodamo MASK1 Bitmask Synthesizer

video uploads by Kodamo

"The Kodamo MASK1 is a musical instrument focused on the sound interaction between the player and the keyboard. With its exclusive Bitmask™ engine combined with resonant filters, the MASK1 makes raw, gritty and ethereal sounds that respond in incredible ways to your playing style."

"What is Bitmask synthesis?

Bitmask synthesis is the method the MASK1 uses to generate its sound. Internally, oscillators do only have one waveform. Various tones are created by applying what is called a bitmask. This is a technique inherited from computing, which alters a number by masking some of its digits. Here we adapted this technique to make sound. Bit-masking creates complex wave shapes that are full of harmonics and give the MASK1 its sonic character."

Playlist:
Introducing the Kodamo MASK1
Kodamo MASK1 - Ethereal choir
Kodamo MASK1 - Chorused saw
Kodamo MASK1 - Bit Piano
Kodamo MASK1 - Paraphonic evolving pad
Kodamo MASK1 - Notch filter
Kodamo MASK1 - Filter resonances & sound editing
Kodamo MASK1 - Almost clean guitar
Kodamo MASK1 - Gritty formant
Kodamo MASK1 - Creating a sound in 1 minute
Kodamo MASK1 - Analog pluck
Kodamo MASK1 - Asian fifth
Kodamo MASK1 - Ambient/Atmospheric soundscape
Kodamo MASK1 - Hybrid monophonic/polyphonic (moly) mode
Kodamo MASK1 Teaser

Also see [SOUNDMIT 2022] KODAMO MASK 1 (+ DEMO) - New "Bitmask" Keyboard Synthesizer Incoming

Test et sons : le Mask1 de Kodamo

video upload by Eric Synthwalker

KODAMO MASK1 Demo & Review

video upload by musictrackjp

"DEMO by Katsunori UJIIE.

KODAMO MASK1
https://kodamo.org/mask1"

via Kodamo

Expressive & Characterful

The Kodamo MASK1 is a musical instrument focused on the interaction between the player and the keyboard. With its exclusive Bitmask engine combined with resonant filters, the MASK1 makes raw, gritty and ethereal sounds that respond in incredible ways to your playing style.

It's not just the notes

Most synths just play the notes you press. We went a bit further, by looking at how the notes interact with each other. Only by playing the keyboard, you can control when the attacks are triggered, how notes are tied or separated from each other, or if they should keep resonating or stop each other like if they were played on the same string on a stringed instrument. You will discover new ways of playing the keyboard.

Built with love

The MASK1 uses a high quality, 5-octave Fatar keyboard with velocity and aftertouch. It's fully made of painted metal, with two ALPS knobs and 23 KAILH mechanical switches. Everything is assembled in France with high attention to detail. We love creating musical instruments that have their own identity. We spent a lot of time selecting parts and suppliers to balance price and work ethics, while always aiming for the highest quality.

For live and studio players

With its compact size and light weight, the MASK1 will easily fit in your studio and is ideal for gigs. It remembers settings between sessions. With its unique sound, premium keyboard and MIDI connectivity, it can become the main keyboard of your setup.


Synth engine specs:

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Arturia MiniFreak - Creative & Interesting Sound Design Tutorial - Live Stream

video upload by The Sound Test Room

Testing Image-Line/FL Studio 21 Luxeverb With Access Virus TI2

video upload by Eyezer Productionz Sound Design

"After a bit of a hiatus on my end, I am back again with my classic FL Studio sessions. FL Studio 21 was recently released and I decided to test the new Luxeverb plugin.

Unfortunately, it is a plugin that requires to be bought separately (unless if you own the all plugins bundle). However, it is a decent reverb plugin. Not as good as Valhalla Room imo, but Luxeverb has all the important features you need in a reverb FX. I mess around with Luxeverb while playing some of my own presets I've made in the Access Virus TI2."

PRIMER - 100% FREE AUv3 Poly Synth - Includes 157 Patches by Spidericemidas - Demo with Cubasis 3

video upload by

"You can get Primer here at the App Store for FREE
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/primer-...

You can get Cubasis 3 here at the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/cubasis...

Please help support The Sound Test Room by becoming a Patreon for as little as $1 a month.
You will also have access to exclusive Patreon-Only content and videos.
https://www.patreon.com/thesoundtestroom"

TEXTQUENCER - AUv3 Text Based Midi Sequencer by Cem Olcay - Demo for the iPad

video upload by The Sound Test Room

"You can Textquencer here at the App Store
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/textque..."

Arturia MiniFreak - Getting Started Tutorial - Demo & Sound Design

video upload by The Sound Test Room

"Please help support The Sound Test Room by becoming a Patreon for as little as $1 a month.
You will also have access to exclusive Patreon-Only content and videos.
https://www.patreon.com/thesoundtestroom"

RRS Ivoks - Polivoks for iOS

video upload by The Sound Test Room

"The Red Rock Sound Ivoks Electromusical Synthesizer designed in the style of the Soviet synthesizer 1980's.

RRS Ivoks AUv3 instrument — comes as time-limited Demo-version for you to try. It gives you 5 minutes of Free play time. (You can reload the RRS Ivoks AUv3 instrument as many times as you want, thereby you get the Demo period again and again.) Unlimited version of RRS Ivoks AUv3 instrument comes as In-App Purchase.

On the centre panel are located two audio-frequency oscillators:

• OSC1 offers frequency Band regulator, five Waveforms and controls for LFO Modulation level plus OSC2 Cross-modulation;
• OSC2 offers the same frequency Band and Waveforms, an independent control for Modulation depth, plus Detuning.

Underneath these located the mixer, which offers level controls for the two Oscillators, the Noise generator, and Saturation Drive.

To the right of these, located the filter block. The top half is a standard ADSR envelope — until you flip the switch «Envelope mode», when it becomes a repeating AD-envelope instead. The four controls at the bottom adjust Cut-off, Resonance, LPF to BPF switch, Modulation level and Envelope level.

Next after the filter is the amplifier block, it also has ADSR envelope along with another Modulation level and Velocity sensitivity control. Again, the envelope can be switched to a Repeating Mode that generates a triangular waveform determined by the Attack and Decay settings, providing some of the instrument’s most distinctive effects.

The leftmost panels house the Modulation (LFO) controls (top), Mode which offers four waveforms, including noise, and a stepped Function for sample & hold (S&H) effects, well as Speed control.

And global settings such as the master Tune, master Volume, Legato mode, Monophonic and Duophonic operation and Unison switches, and the Glide control.

To use Ivoks as an instrument, you need an AUv3-compatible host app like GarageBand, Auria, AUM, Cubasis and more — RRS Ivoks will appear in the list of Audio Unit instruments in the host app."

TROOPER Synthesizer by Yonac - Let's Check It Out - Demo for the iPad

video upload by The Sound Test Room

From nothing to musique concrète with Isla Instruments S2400

video upload by MrMakingsound

Description française ci-dessous.

"Look mum, no sequencer !

Isla Instruments S2400 is a modern sampler inspired by E-MU SP-1200.
Yes, you can create vintage, lofi and dirty Hiphop/House/Techno with it, but you can also compose modern stuff with neat sound quality. Before the review (i'm still working on it), i wanted to show how to perform a musique concrète-ish track without using the sequencer. Nothing is written before, all the sounds are performed live with pads, faders and filters.

S2400 only, with une pincée de OTO Machine BAM at the end, because there is no reverb in the actual firmware. But i hope it will change (This is a message for Brad and Vlad ^_^).

How it works :

Instead of using discrete and short sounds on each track, i like to use very long recording as a library of sounds, textures and ambiances. With the faders help, i can change playhead position, volume and pitch for each track. Pads are used to trigger and re-trigger sounds, filters to make room for frequencies.

As files bigger than 64MB can't be loaded in the S2400 editor, changing playhead position needs to be done blind, but that's part of the fun. You never know what you will trigger next, you need to improvise, and each performance is unique."

French:

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Lorentz Synthesizer - NEW 2022 Preset Pack by Sound Of Izrael - Let's Use it in LOOPY PRO

video upload by The Sound Test Room

"You can get the Sound Of Izrael Preset Pack 2022 for Lorentz Synth here at Gumroad https://soundofizrael.gumroad.com/l/dvluc"

BLEASS Monolit - The Free Synth With An Expensive Sound

video upload by BLEASS

Also see BLEASS Monolit - FREE Synthesizer for iPad and Desktop!

"BLEASS Monolit is a Monophonic Analog Synthesizer
Download for Free (Desktop & iOS) on https://www.bleass.com/monolit/

BLEASS Monolit combines the rich analogue sound and intuitive ease-of-use of BLEASS Alpha with the creative expressiveness of BLEASS Omega. The result is a compact, efficient, mono-synth tailor-made for creating thunderous basses, searing leads, sparkling arpeggios and other-worldly SFX.

BLEASS Monolit is the 21st BLEASS plugin and is released on Music Day, June 21st, 2022. It is free to download, forever! It's our way to thank all of the community that has been supporting BLEASS for so many years. You rock!

We want to thank especially all of the great sound designers who carefully designed amazing sounding presets which are available in the factory presets: they've made BLEASS Monolit sound even better!

THANKS TO:
Dean from Electronisounds https://www.electronisounds.com
Doug from the Sound Test Room https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSoundTes...
Stuart from Redsky Lullaby https://redskylullaby.com
Ali from the Beat Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/15045...
Mattias Holmgren from Gelhein https://www.morningdewmedia.com

(The music in the video has been made exclusively using BLEASS Monolit (Including Drum Sounds))"

ReSynthesizer (Autonomous Synthesizer Installation at MIT's PSFC, Spring/Summer 2018)

video upload by ParadisoModular

"In December of 2017, as part of the 50’th anniversary celebration for MIT’s CAVS (Center for Advanced Visual Studies), I was invited to install my large, custom built-and-designed modular synthesizer system into the experimental hall where Alcator C-Mod was residing, MIT’s most recent tokamak reactor used in plasma fusion research. Known as being a pioneering melting pot for art and technology during the 60s, 70s and 80s, the CAVS was a place where scientific fields like physics would commune with performance and music. Modular synthesizers, as used there by early adopters like Paul Earls, were part of the Center’s original vernacular, and after many decades they are being enthusiastically re-discovered, re-embraced, and in many way re-invented by the current young generation of electronic musicians. Such reflected synergy into the present led to my invitation (as well as this installation’s name), as did the match between the aesthetic and technical grandeur of a large heavily-patched modular synthesizer and the huge mélange of custom, elegantly-kludged electro-mechanical systems that surrounded the tokamak. Similarly, the researchers’ quest to manage the chaotic nature of an energetic plasma (as expressed inside the tokamak’s torus during the peak of plasma confinement) resonated with my efforts to ‘sculpt’ my autonomous and likewise chaotic huge synthesizer patch into a definable aesthetic.

As I have my PhD in high-energy physics (having worked at CERN at various times between the late 70s and early 90s) in addition to having designed, built, and used electronic music systems of various sorts over the last 45 years, I was anticipating having access to actual Alcator data and using it in the patch that I would compose when the installation would go live in late March of 2018. My plasma physics colleagues resonated with this idea, and I was provided with several waveforms coming from various sensors on the tokamak acquired during its record-breaking run from a few years ago, when Alcator C-Mod had attained the largest recorded plasma pressure. Listening to this data as audio, I was immediately transfixed. This didn’t sound like bland digital noise, but instead felt alive – some strange kind of muted rattlesnake here, burbling life forms on a weird water planet there, perhaps other samples evoked the barely scrutable control room of an alien spaceship. These sounds, played at various rates and filtered into audible bands, were strongly otherworldly. This dictated the flavor that I’d strive for in my patched composition. Accordingly, I loaded banks of Alcator’s waveforms into an array of Eurorack samplers that I could control from processes running in my synthesizer. While most of these signals were used as direct audio, some were adopted for modulation envelopes and slow control – the tokamak cycle exhibited a variably noisy build-and-release structure as the magnetic fields were ramped up to concentrate the plasma before it went terminally unstable, which worked well here.

My patch evolved considerably during the installation, which ran from late April through late August of 2018. I worked on it weekly, and it achieved its ultimate balance between form and complexity by the beginning of July. At the end, I used every patch cord that I owned (on the order of 700) and nearly all modules in the synth, in addition to an assortment of outboard effects and commercial Eurorack modules that I coaxed to work with my system. Towards the end, when I was starting to run out of cords and hardware capacity, I resorted to kludging in simple wires and electrical components hanging in the air between modules to attain effects and sounds that I still wanted but didn’t have the modules available to make. This was the most extensive and ambitious synthesizer patch that I’ve yet composed – it pushed me to extremes of being simultaneously a composer, synthesizer musician, engineer, and scientist. Having designed, built or custom-modified nearly everything in my setup creates a special rapport for me that goes deeper than interaction with commercial synthesizer equipment – my system has its own unique capabilities and quirks that reflect my personal audio nuances and what I want to achieve with them.

At various stages during the 4-month run of this installation, I digitally recorded the patch’s stereo mix – in all, I have archived probably on the order of 60 hours of audio. The excerpts provided in this video all came from different sections of this long set of recordings. Aside from cross-fading between different excerpts, there was no manual intervention or overdubbing in these clips – the sound was made entirely from the patch running on its own after I set it on its way, with updates and augmentations I made every week or two based on ideas I got while listening to it stream online. The video also features a brief example of some of the raw plasma data sounds that I used."

And in the studio:

Synth Patch For Chaos Unit, Sitar Pedal, and NightSky'ed Keyboard (August 2021)

video upload by ParadisoModular

"In the summer of 2021, I put in a synth patch to test out my newly-arrived Sitar Pedal as well commemorate the tweaking/repair of my voltage-controlled chaos module. This was a very simple patch compared to my usual - nothing too deep or thought out, and the master sequence is a bit shallow - but it has its vibe. Plus, at 2:30 in, I added a keyboard line over what the patch was doing. This was all live - the synth patch ran autonomously and I just recorded as I played - no preparation, overdubbing, or refinement here - hence it's raw and not even close to what I'd term finished or a 'demo' - but I kinda like its intrinsic 'hopeful' feel.

The basic sequence is running through the sitar pedal, which locks on fine (it can separate the drone sounds and re-synthesized lead into separate channels). I'm running a fixed tone also through my chaos generator, which I move in a complex way into and out of stability - it locks onto subharmonics or devolves totally/partially into noise as it sweeps. This sound goes through several signal processing paths that periodically fade in, involving filters, unstable phase-locked loops, and a Boss guitar synthesizer pedal (which does wonderfully noisy gyrations as it tries to lock onto the chaos signal between stable moments).

At that time, as opposed to collecting Eurorack modules, I was slowly accumulating and modifying pedals - pedals are all about modifying an input sound in interesting ways, and which generally appeals to me (I hack them, of course, to accept voltage control in different ways).

The only keyboard sound here (aside from one chord and arpeggio at the end) is from the little cheezebox Casio 'toy' that the Minskys gave me at a Media Lab event some years ago - I abandoned my more sophisticated synths for this one in this piece, as it fits easily on your lap (that's how I played it in the excerpt here) and it sounds amazing if you feed it through one of the new complex reverb/echo/delay pedals like the NightSky or Micropitch (those pedals can put any sound into an evocative space).

The video is indeed of this patch and me playing atop it (shot while I was holding the phone in my other hand), but it's not the live segment that you hear in the piece, so pardon if things don't line up entirely, but you get the vibe.

OK - I figured I'd let this one get a bit of air in case it hits some resonance... It radiates a bit of melancholic positivity, which is something we all relate to these days."

New OODA Sequencer for iOS

OODA Sequencer Testdrive video upload by Perplex On

"First little run with #oodasequencer going into a couple of #decentsampler instances and #purepiano. Served with particles. Enjoy. 😊"

OODA - Portable MIDI Sequencer by Ryan Robinson

video upload by e y l v y

OODA - NEW - Portable MIDI Step Sequencer - With Wormholes - Featuring SynthMaster 1 & 2 - For iOS
video upload by The Sound Test Room

And a few tutorials by the developer followed by full details:

Launch Party! Take 50% off OODA and ZOA for 72 hours.

OODA is a fresh take on the classic MIDI step sequencer with interactive and semi-generative enhancements.

What makes OODA unique is that you can connect arbitrary steps together using conditional “wormholes” to add structured (or random) variation to your sequences. Another unique feature is that OODA’s underlying model is decoupled from its voices. This allows you to interact with your sequences and create melodic variations in real time without affecting your groove.

OODA’s open-ended sequence grid can be easily configured for almost any use case. Anything from simple melodies and bass parts to semi-generative chords and arpeggios, OODA can do it all with a little creativity!

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Oberheim OB-XA SN 813504 - 8 Voice 120 Patch Model w/ Midi

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

via this auction "This is priced firm. This synth need just a little TLC on some specific sections, and it ready for the prime time. Even with the Issues described it can still make music as I still use it till the day it goes in the box for sale. It can take 10 to 15 mins to warm up before AutoTune is pressed. After that It is very stable.

All the Bushing are great and no clicks keys, No pot has any scratchiness so thats good. All Knobs and Buttons work aside from the issues described below.
Midi Works as well and the Tape Input works as I put in the factory sound (Minus a few).

The 120 patch are not fully loaded but It can hold that much memory I erased a few towards the end to make room for custom patches. All voices pass Tuning but one of the voice slots fails the tuning.

ALL 8 Voice cards work and the Auto Tune test it Failed Voice card 7. Voice card 7 works if you switch its position to any other slot. So Slot 7 Controlled by the Disable switch means that the switch went bad. To Fix this it should be the 8 Voice Dip Switch.

The Performance section only effect 4 voices out of 8 so that may be Cable harness problem. Aside from those very specific issues every thing else works fully. The Midi works and is what I use all the time. Aside from the mentioned issues every thing works. This is a Big Heavy Synth and will be boxed up well."

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