YAMAHA CS60 / CRB COMPUTER DRUMS

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"In this video we’re show casing our effects a bit further.
Starting off with room effects:
The Binson Echorec 2 is going strong and feedbacking all over the place.
The Roland Space Eco RE-301 as well.
The red box is an odd one, the Davoli 2K Echo : it’s a mega rare, Italian echo housing a German Schaller Magnetic disc Echo - the same used in Lombardi mixers.
It’s similar to the Binson Echorec 2 in structure, fixed speed 4 punch-in, playback heads but it’s a bit more reliable in sound.

On phasers we’re using the Mooger Fooger MF-103 12 stage phaser on the drums, for a bit of crunch as well.
The Mu-tron phasor II on the clavinet style chords.
And lastly another oddball, the Rotor Monster Compact Phasing - most likely a Vermona prototype of their Vermona phaser, with a few added controls - quite obviously an attempt to esthetically copy the Gerd Schulte Compact Phasing - they’re almost the same size (huge) but sound completely different."

New BOSS RE-202 & RE-2 Space Echos | The Next Generation of Space Echo

video upload by BOSSchannel

"The legendary Roland RE-201 Space Echo experience returns in an advanced delay pedal with modern features.

Introduced in 1974, the Roland RE-201 Space Echo stands among the most legendary and sought-after effect units ever produced. This tape-based classic remained in production for over 14 straight years, and its distinctive rhythmic echo sounds, warm character, and highly playable sonic quirks still inspire musicians, producers, and audio mixers over four decades on.

Backed by intensive R&D and our latest innovations, the RE-202 faithfully delivers the authentic sound and behavior of the Space Echo, like never before. Built by the company that designed the original, this advanced pedal captures the RE-201’s magic in flawless detail, from the magnetic tape and motor properties to the vibrant spring reverb and colorful preamp circuit. And to take things even further, we’ve expanded the vintage Space Echo experience with lots of new features tuned for today’s music.

➤ The Space Echo story:
https://www.boss.info/global/promos/s..."

BOSS RE-2 Space Echo | Authentic Space Echo in a Compact Pedal

Details on the RE-202 via Roland:

A Masterpiece Returns in the Modern Era

Introduced in 1974, the Roland RE-201 Space Echo stands among the most legendary and sought-after effect units ever produced. This tape-based classic remained in production for over 14 straight years, and its distinctive rhythmic echo sounds, warm character, and highly playable sonic quirks still inspire musicians, producers, and audio mixers over four decades on.

Backed by intensive R&D and our latest innovations, the RE-202 faithfully delivers the authentic sound and behavior of the Space Echo like never before. Built by the company that designed the original, this advanced pedal captures the RE-201’s magic in flawless detail, from the magnetic tape and motor properties to the vibrant spring reverb and colorful preamp circuit. And to take things even further, we’ve expanded the vintage Space Echo experience with lots of new features tuned for today’s music.

Standard Features

Authentically recreates the sound and behavior of the legendary Roland RE-201 Space Echo
Classic multi-head tape echo sound with expanded delay time
Original three-head configuration plus additional tape head for 12 unique echo combinations
Independent stereo reverb section with original spring reverb type plus hall, plate, room, and ambience
Saturation control for adding magnetic tape compression and preamp coloration
Wow & Flutter control for introducing varying levels of natural tape modulation
Choose between new and aged tape conditions
Selectable input modes for optimum performance with instruments and line-level gear
Warp and Twist effects with footswitch control
Select between the unprocessed analog dry signal or the modeled sound of the original Space Echo preamp
Four onboard memories plus the current panel settings
Save and select 127 memories via external MIDI program change
Tap tempo and carryover functions
True stereo input and output
Expandable control via external footswitches, an expression pedal, or MIDI
Tape Echo Magic

Tape echo was the first delay effect and one of the first effect processors available for electronic musicians. In contrast with today’s CPU-based digital units, a tape echo is a simple machine that uses a motor to pull magnetic tape across one or more record/playback heads. Warm, full, and dynamic, the tape echo sound is influenced by many factors. The ever-changing input level colors the sound with varying amounts of tape saturation and compression. In addition, motor speed fluctuations, friction, wow and flutter, and other elements introduce an appealing modulated character that’s subtle and continually evolving.

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Crumar DS2, Vintage Synthesizer from 70s

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Vintage Echo Room

via this auction

"Crumar DS2 Vintage Synthesizer, fully functional both in the monophonic and in the polyphonic part.

Overhauled in 2021, they were replaced:
- all electrolytic capacitors with new quality ones
- all tantalum capacictors
- all the CMOS ICs with new ones (in the digital part the bypass capacitors have been added for the CMOS since they were missing in the design)
- the majority of the op-amps"

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Farfisa Clavioline, vintage monophonic tube synthesizer from 50s/60s

video upload by Vintage Echo Room

Vintage Echo Room on Reverb

"Forgive my way of playing...really i don't have any technique! The video was made quickly just to demonstrate the functionality of the Clavioline. Initially the sound is taken directly from its amplifier, then I used the auxiliary jack output with my amplifier and I tried some external effects.

After this video i fixed the switch number "3" (basically a filter), there was a contact that didn't touch very well."

Farfisa Syntorchestra (Vintage Synthesizer From 70s)

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Vintage Echo Room

"Forgive my way of playing...really i don't have any technique! The video was made quickly just to demonstrate the functionality of the Syntorchestra. Until about minute 5 the sound is taken directly from the amplifier (through a d.i.), then I tried some external effects."

via this auction

"Overhauled in 2020: all old electrolytic and tantalum (more than 100 in total) capacitors have been replaced. Only the output impedance selector (on the back of the instrument) doesn't work so it has been bypassed by opting for a common use impedance."

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Instruo Module Overviews & More

Published on Mar 17, 2020 Instruō

Playlist at the time of this post:

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Demo :: Lexicon 224XL on TR8 + TB-03 (Plastikman Riff)

Published on Feb 5, 2020 SOLON Music

The Lexicon 224XL looks like a little white retro calculator. Curious how much they go for. Time to check:

"Demo of the Lexicon 224XL using Roland TR8 Drum Machine and Roland TB-03 synth playing riff from the track 'Plasticity' by Plastikman (Richie Hawtin). 7 presets demo'ed:

BRIGHT HALL VARIATION 1
ROOM VARIATION 4
PLATE VARIATION 1
RICH CHAMBER VARIATION 8
DARK CHAMBER VARIATION 1
CHORUS & ECHO VARIATION 4
SOLON CONCERT HALL

-----------------------

About SOLON:

Matt Singmin is an English musician based in Sydney, Australia, composing and producing meditative electronic music. He is the DJ & Co-founder of The Future Sound of Yoga, and an explorer of the magic in vintage & modern audio gear.

► Web: http://bit.ly/solonwebsite"

Novation Bass Station II / Casio MT-600 / Yamaha PSS-580 - From the Live Room 7

Published on Jan 25, 2020 Alfonse

"Get the track here: https://alfonse.bandcamp.com/album/fr...

Live jam featuring Ian Bostic on drums and Alfonse on the Novation Bass Station ii and the Yamaha PSS-580 FM mini-synth from 1989, which was running through a TC Electronic Alter Ego 'vintage echo' pedal set to "Copykat" mode. The lead parts were overdubbed later on a 1987 Casio MT-600 with effects provided by the Yamaha SDS CH-10MII chorus pedal and the Boss DD7 delay.

Music (C) Copyright 2020 Alfonse and Ian Bostic

ALFONSE
Store: http://alfonse.bandcamp.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/alfonsemusic
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/alfonsemusic
Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/alfonsemusic

IAN
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX7V...

Novation Bass Station II / Casio MT-600 / Yamaha PSS-580 - From the Live Room 7 - Alfonse vs. Ian Bostic"

Korg SV-2: The evolution of a modern classic

Published on Jan 7, 2020 Korg

Korg SV-2 Stage Piano 1st Look

Published on Jan 7, 2020 sonicstate

"Never before has a single instrument captured the signature sound, the unique performance experience, and the aesthetic satisfaction of so many definitive keyboards as the KORG SV-2 Stage Vintage.

Ten years ago, KORG launched the Stage Vintage line to wild acclaim. The combination of an intuitive live panel, the premier keybed, the ultimate realization of coveted vintage sounds, the clarity of world-class pianos, the warmth and character of period-proper effects, and the distinctively smooth shape has inspired musicians from around the globe for over a decade. Available with either 88 keys or 73 keys, these SV-2 models are the latest additions to the Stage Vintage series, featuring more of everything that makes an SV great. More Sounds. More Memory. More Polyphony. More Presets. More Control. It is quite literally everything one could want in a performance stage piano … and more. Plus, be sure to check out the SV-2S models, equipped with an internal K-ARRAY speaker system.

More. More. More.

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IK Multimedia Announces SampleTank 4 Sound and Groove Workstation

Published on Dec 12, 2018 ikmultimedia

"The new SampleTank 4 has been re-designed from the ground up to be every musician’s 'go to' workstation for music creation, with a completely new rescalable interface, a massively expanded sample library and a new cutting-edge sound engine with efficient disk streaming, to deliver more powerful music creation tools than you ever imagined. What might usually take dozens of plug-ins can be accomplished right inside SampleTank 4, for lightning-fast workflow that keeps your inspiration going."

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H9 Max MEGA Factory Preset DEMO (No talk) // Eventide H9 Max Demo

Published on Dec 24, 2018 Ron Cavagnaro

"This is an exploration covering most of the Factory FX presets on the Eventide H9. The loop material was sequenced with the synthstrom deluge controlling all of the following instruments and gear: novation circuit, emx1, novation bass station 2, roland system 1 promars plugout, ju-06, jp08, jx03, rc505 loopstation, mx1 performance mixer.

The EMX1 was not affected by the aux send that was used on the MX1 in order to maintain how the effects may feel in a full mix. The aux send also uses some dry signal because it sounded better using a balance of both.

Please note that this is the H9 MAX, which includes all of the algorithms, if you get a lower version, such as H9 Core it will not have all of these presets!

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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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New Hollow Sun Optomotron & NewTron Bomb Update

via Hollow Sun

"It's been a busy time here at 'The Towers' of late with no less than TWO new products on the go ... well, one new product and a major update to an existing one plus a special package.

Our new product is 'Optomotron' and uses multi-samples from the rare Vako Orchestron which used optical disks to make lo-fi and crunchy sounds...

You can layer sounds, tune, balance and shape sounds and there are switches to add some gunk to the sounds - wow and flutter, distorted cab and 'honky' EQ and all this passes to a comprehensive effects section with chorus, phaser, echo and convolution reverb with custom impulses from springs to vintage plates, room, halls and massive ambiences.

One nice touch is that we have not just the scratchy, wobbly stuff recorded directly from the old optical disks but also the original master tape recordings which you can mix freely using the WORN switches.

We've also inluded our usual random patch generator..."



"Our other offering is an update to our popular NewTron Bomb...

We've taken the original and inspired by what we did with Optomotron, brought it up to date with layering where two 'Tron sounds can be combined, tuned, mixed, shaped, etc., before passing on to the echo and convolution reverb effects. We've also added the rare 1/2 speed playback option that some Tronsters of old had done to their instruments. There are also switches to add wow and flutter, velocity (which should be off for authenticity, of course!) and random sample start (as on the real thing when tapes didn't quite return to zero).

It's available now for just £20 (less than the original Newtron) and believe me, as an ex-Tron owner myself, it sounds magnificent - layering 1/2 speed choir with normal speed strings, whatever, is just gusset moistening!! I shall try and make some new audio demos soon ... or get someone talented to make some!

But we've not stopped there...

As an introductory offer, given the technical and sonic similarities between the two (one generating 'real' sounds off tape, the other off optical disk), we're making them both available for a mere £30 in a special package. You can look at that as £15 each or Newtron III for a £tenner - either way, a decent enough saving.

If it appeals to you, until such time as I get a webpage together, you can buy it here directly..."

These in via Atomic Shadow who recently released The Panoramic Wave Generator.

2012 Atomic New Year

2012AtomicNewYear from Atomic Shadow on Vimeo.

"A short improvisation featuring HP and BK sine wave generators, prepared ambient recording, ring modulators, tape echo and a dash of reverb."

And an additional note from Atomic Shadow just for us:

"Happy New Year Matrix and everyone in Matrixland!

I have finished the Full Moon album for 2011 and thought it would be nice to do a New Years piece with some of my vintage gear. This piece features a prepared recording of a machine room ambiance with live improve on the B&K and Hewlitt Packard sine wave generators. The generators are running through an Akai MFC42 filter module, Moog Ring Mod, and a Strymon tape echo pedal. The lab coat is for my friend Stephen Howell at Hollow Sun who urged me to have some standards."

Update via Atomic Shadow: "I have two albums for free download at BandCamp and you can find pictures and the latest news at the Atomic Shadow FB page."

M-Audio Venom Review and Interview with Product Manager Taiho Yamada

A quick note: This review is long. You can jump to sections that interest you vs. reading it straight through if you prefer. This review focuses primarily on the synth engine for one single patch on the Venom. The Venom supports Multi mode with up to four multitimbral parts. Not only can you layer sound programs but you can set global parameters for the set. Be sure to see the Multi mode section of "Tips and Tricks via Taiho Yamada" at the end of this post. Taiho is the Lead Project Manager of the Venom and served as my contact during the review. I want to thank Taiho for his help and enthusiastic generosity. He is a true synthesist and the Venom is his baby.

Synth connections: Taiho previously worked at Alesis on the Andromeda A6. The DSP developer of the Venom worked on Radikal Technologies' Spectralis and the Accelerator. People that contributed to the presets via sound design include Richard Devine, Francis Preve, Mark Ovenden (Avid's AIR Instruments, ProTools VIs), Joerg Huettner (Waldorf, Access, Alesis), and of course Taiho Yamada.

*Don't miss the "Q&A with Taiho" section towards the end of the review. Also keep an eye out for "Taiho's Tips and Tricks" throughout the review in grey. You can find the consolidated list below the Q&A section.

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