KORG Gadget 2 - Let's Look at the NEW Gadgets - Videos by The Sound Test Room

KORG Gadget 2 - Let's Look at the NEW Memphis Gadget (iMS-20) - iPad Demo

Published on Mar 2, 2019 The Sound Test Room

KORG Gadget 2 - Let's Look at the NEW Pompei Gadget (iPolysix) - iPad Demo

Published on Mar 2, 2019 The Sound Test Room

The Wobbulator

Note this is a good follow up to this post on The Alchemists of Sound.

via sine in this electro-music.com thread:

"The wooden boxy thing in the front of the picture with the round dail is the workshops wobbulator, the plexi thing on thop of that is the crystal palace, something we woud call a scanner these days."

via Brainstormer in the same thread:
"I've read about one of these devices in a few BBC Radiophonic Workshop related articles. I'm wondering if it would be possible to construct something as unique as this to be used in a modular synthesizer?

I can find very little concise technical information regarding these devices, only application info, so it may be a null discussion point. Unless someone here has a more in-depth knowledge of them?

Here's a few articles that mention the wobbulator:
Quote:
Early on, the Workshop acquired a wobbulator, originally designed for engineering tests but also very useful as a source of raw material. This created a tone whose pitch was continuously varied by a second oscillator, thus providing sweeping waves of sound.
http://whitefiles.org/rws/r02.htm

Quote:
The chief inventor, David Young, came up with contraptions like ‘the Wobbulator’ and ‘the Crystal Palace’ to produce brand-new sound textures, and nothing could ever have been done without the ‘Donotfiddlewith’, a delicate tape-tensioning device made out of Meccano and labelled in felt-tip with an anti-tamper warning.
http://www.timeout.com/london/music/features/4493/Fifty_years_of_the_BBC_Radiophonic_Workshop.html

Quote:
But the 'Ooh-ooh-ooh' isn't me… that's wobbulator, pure wobbulator. That's a piece of test equipment that does wave sweeps.
http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/interview_surface.php

Quote:
The melody notes were also recorded individually, and at half-speed to achieve the desired pitch, while the hiss and windbubble effects were created by carefully filtering white noise through a wobbulator.
http://www.millenniumeffect.co.uk/audio/index2.html

Quote:
They also had a couple of high-quality equalisers (again, test equipment - equalisers, or "tone controls", were not that easy to come by at the time) and a few other gadgets including a "wobbulator" (a low frequency oscillator) and a white noise generator.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Mark_ayres/DWTheme.htm

Quote:
Wobbulating The World
In the early '60s, synthesizers simply did not exist. Producer Joe Meek was using the monophonic, valve-operated Clavioline but the Radiophonic Workshop, oddly enough, never had one. What they did have, though, was all the test oscillators that they could beg, borrow or steal from other BBC departments. A method was devised for controlling 12 oscillators at a time, triggering them from a tiny home-built keyboard of recycled piano keys. Each oscillator could be independently tuned by means of a range switch and a chunky Bakelite frequency knob.

There was also the versatile 'wobbulator', a sine-wave oscillator that could be frequency modulated. It consisted of a very large metal box, with a few switches and one very large knob in the middle that could sweep the entire frequency range in one revolution. They were used in the BBC for 'calibrating reverb times in studios' apparently. And as far as the Workshop's electronic sound sources went, that was it!
Yet, curiously, it is the work produced in those early years that the Radiophonic Workshop's reputation still hangs on. The Doctor Who theme was first recorded in 1963, and still there are fans who insist that the original is the best of many versions made over the years. What's more, some of the sound effects made for the first series of Doctor Who are still being used! When the newly revamped Doctor Who appeared in 2005, hardcore fans recognised the original effects and wrote to Brian Hodgson: "How nice to hear the old original Dalek Control Room again, after all these years!"

Brian's 'Tardis' sound, dating from 1963, is also still used. "I spent a long time in planning the Tardis sound," says Brian. "I wanted a sound that seemed to be travelling in two directions at once; coming and going at the same time." The sound was actually made from the bare strings of a piano that had been dismantled. Brian scraped along some bass strings with his mum's front-door key, then set about processing the recordings, as he describes it, "with a lot of reverse feedback". (By this, I assume he means that tape echo was added, then the tape reversed so that it played backwards.) Eventually, Brian played the finished results to Dick Mills and Desmond Briscoe; at their insistence he added a slowly rising note, played on the wobbulator.
http://musicandculture.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

Introducing Model 84 Polyphonic Synthesizer by Softube

video by SoftubeStudios

"The resurrection of a polyphonic icon. Softube Model 84 Polyphonic Synthesizer is a circuit-modeled emulation of a 1984 six-voice synth featuring the influential sound of the 1980s original. Use it as an instrument, in our official Eurorack platform, Modular, or our pro audio guitar & bass platform, Amp Room. The retro-future is here. ✮"

Priced at $99

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Century Classic djlace original house mix

via Lace Dj on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

"Classic bigroom house track using a Roland TR-909, Roland TR-808, Roland TR-707, Sequential Circuits TOM, Kawai K3, Korg M3r, Moog Micromoog and a Sequential Circuits Pro one. Mixed at Canmarc on a Tascam DM4800, TC electronics reverb, Intersound Spring.

The track started out as a test of the recently arrived Kawai K3. We've been looking for this synth for a while and it did not disappoint.
The K3 is a hybrid analog/digital synth. It has digital wavetable oscillators, yet the whole back end of the synth's sound making architecture, filters envelopes & LFOs, is analog. This gives it a less perfect tonal shaping with more noise and random harmonics. This is nice. In this track there is a big "u2" style tempo delay on the Kawai chord line, which gives it the old school techno feel and nice tones in the delay that create complementing melodies.

The tr909 was used for kick, clap and open hat. The kick was recorded 3 times and squished with an ssl bus compressor to bring the tone out. A bit of notch at around 200hz took the knock out and gave it room for the bass line to come through in the middle of the mix.. The hat was gated to close with a bit of swing. The crunchy sound of the open hat is inherent to the 909. When the instruments are detuned from their original pitches, The original 909 has nowhere near the top end clarity that you hear in most 909 samples libraries.

The XOXbox bassline had a mono delay added and was lightly sidechaned to the kick, so it would not compete too much with the note embedded in the kick on the first beat. It tended to still pop out a bit, even with some notching so the side chain helped. Also The XOXbox is a roland sounding box so it's missing a bit in the mids. It was pushed a bit at 600hz to give it a bit of honk that would trigger it's delay a bit more, carrying the bass note to the next beat. Most Roland gear is like that. It's seems they like the "happy face" eq curve sound.

The 808 was run for it's kick, closed hats, Rim shot, And snare. The Kick drum was compressed at infinity to 1 to get it's tail to last a bit longer. It was reversed in post. The snare is pretty much stock. The rim has a tight room off the TC reverb. The hats are detuned 300 cents down. 808 hats are much brighter than the 909s, And they have a great crunch that doesn't lose too much brightness if you pitch down the recording. Always a nice thing to do if you want your hats to get a little sloppy and get that "sha sha" sound. They are also sidechained to the kick. Only a bit, just enough to create small volume variations that ride above and below the mix masking point.

The Sequential TOM was used for the metal drums that play as a background rythm in the main beat loop, and the metal drums and bongos that swing out the first break. They were played & recorded live by jamming & banging on the drum pads with the track in loop mode until a couple rythm ideas stuck out. The TOM latin percussion card is great for adding percussion lines that sound like old samples. It's all 8bit samples that gain all sorts of VInyl like artifacts when tuned away from the basic sample pitch. They also have a lot of lo-fi ring. So with a bit a of plate like reverb added, you can get that "sampled off a record" sound.

The m3r (Korg m1 in a rack form) was used for the uber classic Korg M1 piano sound heard in the break. It starts out stock and gets filtered out of existence by the time the song drops back in full. After trying a few other machines, It seemed the only thing that could do the classic house piano & sampled string held high note effect so prevalent in 90s techno & house was the original machine itself. Go figure. :)

As usual the intersound spring reverb was used. The eq on it really makes it sound old school cool. It this track it used mildly the accentuate the explosion kicks in the break. Coupled with a gate, it's tail can break up like a digital effect, yet retain a lot of mud. This puts it in the desirable, "not sure what kind of verb that was..." category. Great for adding details to a mix.

Enjoy!
Lace"

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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New Apps by HAINBACH

My new app with Bram Bos: GAUSS Field Looper
HAINBACH

"In which I present to you the creative looping iOS app GAUSS I made together with the amazing Bram Bos. Inspired by tape and Ciat-Lonbarde Cocoquantus, it puts everything I learned on tape loops and an how to make them dance in your pocket. If you have an iPhone or iPad that is."

My Soviet Wire Recorder Plugin | AudioThing WIRES VST/AU/AAX


In which I introduce a project I have been working on for the past four months - Wires, a faithful VST/AU/AAX model of a soviet secret service and military wire recorder. It sound as close as possible to the haunting original, but we adapted it for use as a creative musical effect. Soft echoes, broken dreams, the sound of numbers stations and hauntology. Wires shines both in music and post-production. Get it here: https://www.audiothing.net/effects/wi...

And a demo by The Sound Test Room


The Sound Test Room

MATRIXSYNTH Review and Overview of the Novation UltraNova

Hi everyone, you might remember, back in July I posted some pics of my newly acquired UltraNova, and mentioned that review posts would eventually follow. Well, I’m happy to tell you the first post is here. The UltraNova is one powerful synth, so to make the overall review a bit more consumable, it will be broken up over time. This first section includes an Overview, the Oscillators, and the Mixer sections. When new sections go up, I will be sure to let you know via a new post.

As with most of my reviews, I will say this one goes pretty deep into the synth engine and all editable parameters. If you are the type of person that likes to dissect and explore all of the available parameters on a synth, then this post is for you. I will touch on what each parameter does and will call out any interesting features and limitations as I do so. There are some pretty special parameters on the UltraNova that give you control beyond most other synths. Hopefully this review will give you some insight into what makes the UltraNova special.

Overview & Quick Comparison to Previous Nova Synths

The Novation UltraNova, released back in 2010, is a 20 voice virtual analog & wavetable synth with three oscillators, two ring modulators and one noise source per voice. The UltraNova also features two audio ins that can be assigned to the oscillator section and/or a 12-band vocoder. It’s worth noting that the Novation Nova from 1999 featured a 40-band vocoder, while the Supernova II from 2000 featured a 42-band vocoder. The UltraNova is a monotimbral synth while the 12 voice Nova was six part multitimbral and the Supernova II (24, 36, or 48 voice) was eight part multitimbral. The UltraNova supports up to 5 simultaneous effects per patch. The Nova supported 42 simultaneous effects, while the Supernova II supported up to 56. The Supernova II also supported FM synthesis while the Nova and UltraNova omit it.

The UltraNova, however, is the first Nova synth to feature wavetable synthesis. An interesting side note is that all of the oscillators on the UltraNova are actually stored as wavetables, including the standard waveforms. According to Novation, “The wavetables in the Supernova series are all calculated. The wavetables in the UltraNova, even the standard analogue waves are wavetable oscillators. This change in oscillator generation was first used on the A-Station and K-Station and subsequently in the KS series, X-Station and Xio.” This allows the UltraNova to have some advanced tricks when it comes to the oscillator section, which will be covered in detail below.

I asked Novation about the lack of FM synthesis and they told me, “FM would have been a lovely addition to the UltraNova, but it would have been asking too much of the DSP to be able to run everything the UltraNova can do and also add in FM. The wavetables were a really good way to introduce a new (to Novation) type of synthesis that is able to cater for some of the synth sounds that FM is known for and also to be able to create lush evolving pads.”

The UltraNova features two routable filters per voice with a total of 14 filter types to chose from including 6dB (no resonance), 12dB, 18dB, and 24dB with Lowpass, Bandpass and Hi-pass modes. The Nova and Supernova II lacked a 6dB mode.

As for hardware, although the UltraNova may have fewer knobs per function than its predecessors, it is extremely well laid out and super intuitive to use. Along with both keyboard velocity and aftertouch, the UltraNova has touch sensitive knobs. They literally respond to touch and can be assigned to various parameters. Worth noting, velocity is configurable, however, aftertouch is not. I found the aftertouch to be good, but it does require a little extra force than I prefer; it’s good for not accidentally triggering it, but not so good for subtle, natural performance.

Please note the above comparisons with the Nova and Supernova II were only for quick reference. The UltraNova of course is its own synth with a few tricks up its sleeves that are lacking in the original Nova line, including a level of control over the synth engine often only found in the modular realm. It sounds incredible, and for the price, currently only $599 new, it is an extremely flexible and powerful synth. You get the current top-of-the-line Novation Nova synth engine with new wavetables and more. The UltraNova is both a performance oriented synth as well as a synth programmers dream. It can be configured for easy access to specific parameters for a live situation, or you can dig as deep as you want with a clearly well thought out interface.

That said, let’s dig in.

The following review and overview will essentially go over the signal flow of the UltraNova followed by performance controls including the arpeggiator and the hardware interface. I’ll go into a little detail on what each feature can and cannot do in an attempt to give you a detailed idea of what the synth is capable of. Because my reviews tend to be a bit on the longer side, I will be posting the sections in chunks over time to make it easier on you to consume and for me to compose.

First we start with…

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Vintage Aries 300 Series Modular Synthesizer with 61 key Control Keyboard

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

via this auction

"What you are looking at is a special instrument.

300 Series Modules
The core of this system is five modules from the Aries 300 Series. There is one VCO module, one VCF module, one EG module, one VCA module, and one Clock/Noise/S&H generator. Yes, this is basic; here are the module names:

AR-317 VCO
AR-312 EG
AR-314 VCF
AR-316 VCA
AR-318 SH/Clock/Noise Generator
But of course, that's only the core. This system is bookended with some interesting devices. To say that it is "modified" would really be an understatement. It has been lovingly built by a lifelong musician.

The great thing about this system is that it was used by a professional musician as part of his home studio and performance rig for decades. It's often the case with these vintage units that they have aged poorly due to being left for decades in a closet or basement or whatever. But this was used consistently over its lifetime, up to the time of its builder's death. It has been played, as pieces like this need to be.

As you can see, the VCO module has been modified to include a further fine-tuned frequency control, right in the middle of the four knobs.

The Sound

There are an enormous number of modular and semi-modular systems available for musicians right now; the possibilities are almost endless. However, this has an edge that many modern synths don't have: the sound. These modules together sound much more like an ARP 2600 or vintage Moog modular than anything currently on the market. In fact, the sound of the filter is somewhere between Moog modular and early ARP filter. This probably isn't a coincidence, since Aries was a DIY synth-kit company founded by a former member of ARP in Massachusetts.

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An Interview with Alessandro Cortini

Alessandro Cortini is the man behind SONOIO. He played synths for Nine Inch Nails and brought us the SuONOIO synthesizer produced with Scott Jaeger of The Harvestman.  Alessandro  is known for his use of Buchla systems new and old.  He currently has a new free release featuring remixes from Alan Wilder, Telefon tel aviv, Eric Avery and more. There is also a 7 inch for sale on www.sonoio.org.

The following is my interview with him primarily focused on synths.

1. How did the world of synths start for you?

"I was schooled on guitar, back in italy. I am from a very small town so there weren't a lot of bands to play with... I got asked to "help" and record guitars on a record by a local band, called Autobeat, fronted by Franco Naddei (now francobeat). He was really into synths and electronica, so he basically opened a whole new world to me.... He ended up doing a remix for SONOIO on the upcoming remix record which is very cool, considering he was the one who introduced me to Depeche Mode (Alan Wilder is doing a remix too)."

2. What were your first synths and what did you think about them?

"Besides from my friend's instruments, my first "synth" was a Casio VL series, if I recall correctly, when i was 10 years old. On a more involved level, I personally started with software. The first one was Seer Systems Reality on PC...I moved to mac as soon as i could, and started using Cubase's Neon a lot (a small built in VST). Next were Bitheadz Retro AS-1 for synths and Unity DS-1 for samples, all "synced" to Logic (it definitely wasn't as elegant as it should have been).


Emagic's ES-1 was sort of a "step up" because of its integration with Logic...but didn't sound too good.

Bottom line is that I recall being extremely excited and happy for being able to record and compose on my laptop wherever I was, and didn't see the need for hardware synths.... until I borrowed a minimoog and spent a good 4 hours with headphones, a pencil stuck in a key to keep it going and tweaking knobs: that made it obvious that interface, much more than sound, were the reason why it was worth to commit to a dedicated hardware unit.

My infatuation with the minimoog quickly vanished, and moved onto NordLead, Nord Modular and lastly a small used Analogue Systems modular synthesizer. The AS was the beginning of a long relationship with modulars: for once, there were no rules, no predefined paths and no wrong moves (almost).

I expanded my AS until I sold it in order to buy an old paper faceplate Serge, which was then sold once I got Buchla fever…."

3. I still remember the day you announced you'd be working with Nine Inch Nails. What synths did you use at the time and what was that experience like?

"At the time I was still using my nord modular and AS modular.... The audition was odd: I was basically instructed to play on top of a live recording, which I did. The first two songs I played were Wish (on guitar and synths) and Closer. I remember preparing my little patches on the Nord Modular for the audition... I wish I kept those sounds cause they were pretty funny.


The whole NIN experience was amazing, especially the time in the studio working on Ghosts.
I have to admit the reason I left was touring, which became a bit too strenuous and not enjoyable anymore.

I got very involved in the studio side of things: I feel much more at ease working on music in a studio environment than performing live. Live performance always feels like a test, to different extents, generally with little room for spontaneity (my opinion, of course)."

4. Did you explore any interesting synths or new forms of synthesis at the time? I recall Trent Reznor used the Dewanatron Swarmatron for "The Social Network" He is also known for having a few coveted pieces of gear including one of two Waldorf Shadow XTks.

"Trent has a studio full of toys so I had the chance to play with a myriad of instruments I have never seen or heard before...but in the end I would always gravitate towards the modular."

5. You are known in synth circles for you use of Buchla modulars. How did you get introduced to them and what was it that gravitated you towards them vs. other synths? How do you approach the Buchla and how has it impacted your music?

"When I was teaching synthesis at Musicians Institute I basically had to write the curriculum myself. Part of it included an introduction to the history of these instruments and I remember being completely mesmerized by some of the Buchla photos I was able to track down... the way the instrument looked like a toy, like a self contained instrument that first and foremost called you to play with its looks.

I remember when Don announced the 200e series in 2004: I printed the whole site so i could have in my student role book and read it during breaks... I was obsessed.

Peter Grenader was responsible for introducing me to historical Buchla records such as Subotnick's Sidewinder and Sky of Cloudless Sulfur, and his Plan B modules kept my hunger for Buchla inspired technology in check for a while... until I was able to afford my own 200e system.


I am fortunate enough to own both a 200e and a vintage 200 system."

6. How do the Buchla 200e and 200 compare in your opinion, specifically in regards to sound and interface?

"I would say the interface is very close, unless you start analyzing high density 200e modules such as the 251e, where there's a lot going on in a small space. Soundwise, there are similarities, yes, but I see them as two different instruments, and approach them as such.


I love the 200e's 259e wavetable waveform generators, and the ability to use patch storing in a creative way.The 291e is undoubtedly superior to its 200 version, in my opinion. The 222e/223e input port is the culmination of Don's 40 years tinkering with touch surfaces.

The 200e has its own sound and you'd be disappointed if you wanted it to sound like a 200. It just doesn't do it well, mainly because it wasn't designed to recreate that aspect of the 200 instrument, in my opinion, but mostly its interface, applied to modern technology.

7. Recently you've been using the Teenage Engineering OP-1. What are your thoughts on it? How do you like working with it, specifically the physical design and interface, and of course as an audio processing tool?

"I think the OP-1, with its limitations and quirkiness, is a very creative instrument. I can't deny being a bit disappointed by the electro style demos that started popping up once it was announced, but as soon as I got my beta unit it was undeniable it could be used to do completely different things. It goes wherever I go!!! I enjoy the well laid out interface and its sound engines, which are fairly unique in their incarnation. It's a great sketchpad for ideas and sound design, and I have been using it on tour as a vocal effect also."

8. Aside from the Buchla and OP-1, what other synths and/or forms of synthesis do you find yourself gravitating towards when experimenting with sound and music?

"Definitely the more odd looking/sounding ones, preferably without a keyboard."

9. You recently worked with The Harvestman on the SuONOIO. How did that come about and what was that experience like?

"Once I finished recording the first SONOIO record, Blue, I wanted to come up with an interesting product to accompany its release. Something similar to a Buddha Machine, but playable, and something original like a BugBrand synth, but still linked to the album release.... It became clear that it had to be an analog/digital hybrid. Scott was the first to come to mind, as i believe he is extremely talented in bringing the advantages of digital design to an analog interface. After a few phone calls and 3 weeks later, we had the 1st prototype ready....2 protos later, the instrument was done. It was a very quick back and forth collaboration... almost makes us feel guilty, since we had so much fun making it!"

10. Do you see yourself more as a performer, an explorer of synthesis or a bit of both depending on context?


"I really just like playing with instruments and come up with interesting sounds. I am not too good at describing what I do... I just do it!"

11. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?


"I am working on releasing my first instrumental record...it should be out early next year...i am very excited to release it!"

Photos above by Sarah Sitkin



You can find Alessandro Cortini's work at http://sonoio.org/. He currently has a new free release featuring remixes from Alan Wilder, Telefon tel aviv, Eric Avery and more. There is also a 7 inch available.

MYSTIC FREQUENCIES - STUDIO TOUR - MAIN ROOM & YAMAHA CS-80, DX1 and DX5 Demos

MYSTIC FREQUENCIES - STUDIO TOUR - MAIN ROOM - 11-21-2019
video by Mystic Frequencies

Spotted this one in a comment in this post for a custom Roland JX-8P labeled as an MJX-70. Some good synth spotting in this one. Note the Teisco Synthesizer SX-400, Synthesizer 006, two SX-210's, and two Akai SX-240s.

P.S. Check out The Peculiar World of Teisco Synthesizers posted here.

But first, here are a few additional videos from Mystic Frequencies:

MYSTIC FREQIENCIES - YAMAHA CS-80 TEST SONG 01

"A total off the top of my head sound test for the Yamaha CS-80 in the new studio setup. I hear lots of things to fix at the mixer but the CS-80 trucks right along without fail :) Its pretty cool to re-learn the old ways of synths and their logic, programming etc... The sound you hear in this test involves 3 separate LFO's, one programmed for when you hit notes, the 2nd when you use the sustain pedal, and the third based on polyphonic aftertouch. A truly amazing synth! Still need to learn the best ways and methods to use the pitch bender strip though."

MYSTIC FREQUENCIES - YAMAHA DX1 and DX5 Jam

And a more current studio tour in the light followed by another performance with a new Teiso!:

MYSTIC FREQUENCIES - WORKFLOW for Analog Dreams

video by Mystic Frequencies

MYSTIC FREQUENCIES - SPECTRUM - NEW IDEAS TEST 02 - 02 10 2021


"Slowly working the MIDI setup to where I like it, this is test #2. This is also my first test of my recently acquired Teisco S60P synth!"

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."

StepBud AUv3 Midi Step Sequencer - iPad Demo & Tutorial

Streamed live on Apr 14, 2019 The Sound Test Room

"You can get StepBud here at the App Store"

"StepBud is a MIDI Sequencer with Audio Unit AUv3 plugin, Audiobus and Ableton Link.

Add an unlimited number of steps to your sequencer.
Your steps appear with a LED and a fader on top of your screen.
You can change the active mode that your step faders displaying/controlling.
- Set the current note or chord in range of the scale and key you selected with respect the range of the octave you want to focus,
- Set the velocity, rate, gate time, modulation, pitch bend, portamento for each step,
- Try increasing the rate and repeat count your steps if you want to add more flavor.
Below the step faders, you have a master fader where you can control your entire sequencer. It has two modes which you can change from the settings strip on the bottom of the app.
- In copy mode, it assigns its value to each step.
- In shift mode, it shifts up or down each step.

If you want to go off-scale or try some crazy chords on some of your steps, or maybe on all of them, you can go to the Step Editor by double tapping the LED of the step you want to edit.

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Voice of the Cylon - Battlestar Galactica, The ARP 2500, and the EMS Vocoder 1000

Published on Nov 20, 2019 supajc

Amazing series sent my way via John L Rice. Playlist and descriptions for each video in the playlist above, directly below. Enjoy. ;)

See here for previous posts featuring Battlestar Galactica.

Playlist:

1. Voice of the Cylon Pt. 1 The Synthesizer [ARP 2500]

Battlestar Galactica fans & synthesizer community, rejoice! For the first time in history the mysterious sound of the Cylon voice is revealed. I tracked down probably the last person alive who knows the entire formula, very private individual still works in visual arts. To him it was just a job he did 40 years ago, to me it's one of the most mesmerizing sounds in musical/sci-fi fx history. 6 parts to this series as of 11-2019.

2. Voice Of The Cylon Pt. 2 the Voice Recording

My contact told me "they brought us the voices" on Nagra III and IV tape machines. Vocoder recorded back to Nagra for film sync. Voice actor Micheal Santiago was hired to do the voice, but didn't, telling youtube user intromix later that "they ended up getting someone cheaper" to do it. One actor did all the voices, for consistency, reading the script in a lifeless, monotone voice as to not shift the frequency spectrum in the vocoder.

3. Voice Of The Cylon Pt. 3 The Vocoder [EMS Vocoder, specifically the Vocoder 1000]

Finally it is known exactly which vocoder was used for the Cylon voice. Universal Studios had rented the EMS and Sennheiser, and when sound designer Peter Berkos was asked about it circa 2008 he mis-remembered due to having the Sennheiser manual still. Youtube user intromix has owned both and tested oscillators, it could not have been the Sennheiser but now we know for sure anyway.

4. Voice of the Cylon Pt. 4 the Phaser & Distortion [Countryman Associates Type 968A Phase Shifter]

The rare, quirky effect box that was used as an impromptu distortion device. My contact told me that they floated the idea of using a guitar amp and/or pedals, but did not even try it once they found this. ** Also, he told me NO Marshall Time modulator was used as it hadn't even been released yet.

5. Voice of the Cylon Pt. 5 Recording Gear

Two main pieces of studio recording gear that were present at Universal Studios in 1978 that had a big impact on the sonic character of the Cylon voice recording. Big thanks to Ken from Electrodyne for all his advice, as well as https://vintageking.com/ and http://petesplaceaudio.com

6. Voice Of the Cylon Pt. 6 Audio Demos & Credits

Resurrecting the sound of the Cylon Centurion from the original Battlestar Galactica 1978 using the original equipment. Once the vocoder was recorded, it was further altered/degraded by multiple tape transfers in the video editing process, post-production techniques (EQ and reverb, to "place" the character in a big room, spaceship, etc) My contact said there were just pieces of tape on the gear to place knobs/switches back where they were; and that the synthesizer frequently sounded very different from day to day or after a power outage. In the series there are wildly differing Cylon tones, tiny movements in gain or EQ settings (especially the ringy ARP 2500 filters) radically alter the vocoder due to the ultra-harmonic richness of the tone. So many preamps and transformers involved, it was hard for THEM to make the Cylon voice consistent. Supposedly sound designer Peter Berkos wrote notes on the process, Universal Studios couldn't locate any info at all, it likely all burned down in the great fire of 2008 as well as the golden ARP 2500 oscillator used all throughout Galactica 1980.
Preamp was running a bit hot in this demo, didn't catch until after, so this tone sounds extra crunchy in this example. I sampled my tones with lowpass filter a bit too low, hope to get another chance with the real thing some day.

7. Gold Cylon Voice Vulpa [extra video]

Recreating the lower voice of the Gold Cylon commander. There are so many steps and factors to re-creating the Cylon voice even the original crew could not make it consistent on a day-to-day basis. Out of hundreds of test files this year I'm only really happy with about 5 of them but will keep working to recreate it perfectly.

UVI Releases SparkVerb for iOS

SparkVerb - The Algorithmic Reverb by UVI - Let’s Explore & Play - Live iPad Demo video by The Sound Test Room (Patreon)

It looks like UVI quietly released SparkVerb for iOS. Above is a video from The Sound Test Room.

via the App Store:

"Algorithmic reverb, redefined With a cutting-edge algorithmic design, Sparkverb breaks the boundaries of contemporary reverbs giving users modern and innovative controls that enhance usability, speed and creative freedom while delivering breathtaking sound quality and remarkable CPU efficiency."

You can find previous UVI releases featuring SparkVerb here.

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."

The First Computer Generated Music? - Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II

Above is a recording of Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II computer used to generate music. According to the title, it is the first recording of computer music. The following are a couple of excerpts on the piece from the tech blog Engadget, followed by the British Library Sound and Vision blog. Both imply that Alan Turing's machine was the first computer to generate music. I was curious about the timeline, so I took look at at 120 Years of Electronic Music, which is a running list of the history of pivotal instruments in electronic music. Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II is not yet listed. The RCA Synthesizer, however is, and is dated 1951. There were two versions of the RCA Synthesizer, the Mark I and the Mark II which came later in 1957. There was also a computer located in Sydney, Australia that generated music in the 1950s. Based on the following, Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II first generated music in 1948. It's not clear when work on the RCA Mark I may have generated it's first sounds, however it appears it was completed in 1951. There were two previous instruments that influenced the RCA Mark I, namely, Givelet Coupleux Organ of 1930 and the Hanert Electric Orchestra in 1945, however, they do not appear to have been computer based like the RCA Mark 1, or Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II. Worth noting is the the RCA synthesizers were specifically created to generate music, while, Alan Turing's Manchester Mark II was not.

via Engadget:

"Alan Turing is known for a few small achievements, like helping end World War II, laying the groundwork for modern computers and developing the 'Turing test' for machine intelligence. You may not be aware, however, that he paved the way for synthesizers and electronica by inventing the first computer-generated musical tones. A pair of researchers from the University of Cantebury have now restored the first-ever recording made from Turing's 'synthesizer.'

Turing figured that if he rapidly played clicking sounds at set intervals, the listener would here them as distinct tones corresponding to musical notes. For instance, playing the click on every fourth cycle of a computers' CPU produces a 'C' tone, exactly like a modern synthesizer. He tested that theory on his Manchester Mark I, one of the world's first programmable computers. Instead of making music, he used the tones to indicate computing operations like completed tasks and memory overflow errors (meaning he also invented notification sounds).

Turing knew that he could program songs on his 'synth,' but had no interest in doing it. Luckily, talented programmer and musician Christopher Strachey got his hands on the Manchester Mark II's operating guide, which was, by the way, the world's first computer manual. Using that, he coded God Save the Queen, the longest program ever at the time. The next morning, he played it back to surprised onlookers at the lab, including Turing, who was uncharacteristically thrilled, saying 'good show.'"

Left: SSPL/Getty Images

And via the British Library Sound and Vision blog:

"Today, all that remains of the recording session is a 12-inch single-sided acetate disc, cut by the BBC's technician while the computer played. The computer itself was scrapped long ago, so the archived recording is our only window on that historic soundscape. What a disappointment it was, therefore, to discover that the pitches were not accurate: the recording gave at best only a rough impression of how the computer sounded. But with some electronic detective work it proved possible to restore the recording—with the result that the true sound of this ancestral computer can be heard once again, for the first time in more than half a century.

Frank Cooper's original 'acetate' disc (Photo courtesy of Chris Burton)
Fig. 2: The original 'acetate' disc was saved by Manchester University engineer Frank Cooper (Photo courtesy of Chris Burton)

Alan Turing's pioneering work, in the late 1940s, on transforming the computer into a musical instrument has largely been overlooked: it's an urban myth of the music world that the first computer-generated musical notes were heard in 1957, at Bell Labs in America.1 The recent Oxford Handbook of Computer Music staked out a counterclaim, saying that the first computer to play notes was located in Sydney, Australia. However, the Sydney computer was not operational until the end of 1950, whereas computer-generated notes were emerging from a loudspeaker in Turing's computing lab as early as the autumn of 1948."

On the RCA Synthesizer via 120 years:

"In the 1950’s RCA was one of the largest entertainment conglomerates in the United States; business interests included manufacturing record players, radio and electronic equipment (military and domestic – including the US version of the Theremin) as well as recording music and manufacturing records. In the early 50’s RCA initiated a unusual research project whose aim was to auto-generate pop ‘hits’ by analysing thousands of music recordings; the plan being that if they could work out what made a hit a hit, they could re-use the formula and generate their own hit pop music. The project’s side benefit also explored the possibility of cutting the costs of recording sessions by automating arrangements and using electronically generated sounds rather than expensive (and unionised) orchestras; basically, creating music straight from score to disc without error or re-takes.

The RCA electrical engineers Harry Olson and Hebart Belar were appointed to develop an instrument capable of delivering this complex task, and in doing so inadvertently (as is so often the case in the history of electronic music) created one of the first programmable synthesisers – the precursors being the Givelet Coupleux Organ of 1930 and the Hanert Electric Orchestra in 1945.

The resulting RCA Mark I machine was a monstrous collection of modular components that took up a whole room at Columbia University’s Computer Music Center (then known as the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center). The ‘instrument’ was basically an analogue computer; the only input to the machine was a typewriter-style keyboard where the musician wrote a score in a type of binary code."

The Story of the RCA Synthesizer

Published on Dec 16, 2012 alanoneuser

"History of the RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer and the Victor Synthesizer.
Produced by Kevin Meredith.
Featuring Dr. Alex Magoun of the IEEE History Center at http://www.ieee.org/history_center
and Rebecca Mercuri, Ph.D. of Notable Software at http://www.notablesoftware.com/"

1950 early electronic synthesizer: 'This is music with a strictly electronic beat'

Uploaded on Mar 11, 2011 Clips & Footage

Title Screen - 1950's Electronic Music

Published on Jul 13, 2013 Cliff Marshall

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))"

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:

CLICK FOR MORE »

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"

The Sound Test Room Let’s Play With The iVCS3 - Live Stream

Started streaming 12 minutes ago The Sound Test Room