Osmose synthesizer, Expressive E - Cello 'duocello' preset improvisation with onboard reverb

video upload by exploring-notes

"A quick improv with the Osmose preset - Duocello. I cranked the onboard reverb mix up to ~80%.

The initial key press technique of placing fingers into the centre of it's tone is something I've learnt (and still learning...) from playing the Osmose for a few hours now. The very gentle touches that can render sound are wonderful.

The audio dynamics range a lot, but hopefully YouTube won't compress too much.

Recorded directly into Logic using Behringer U-Phoria UMC1820. All effects and eq are onboard the Osmose itself.

Music sketch: 'Cell sketch'
Performance, recording, video, and composition by Chris Beard @exploring-notes
💙💙💙 📼📻✨"

Osmose synthesizer, Expressive E - familiarisation and exploration. Haken EaganMatrix strings.

video upload by

"The Osmose keyboard arrived today and I recorded an initial experimentation with a pad preset and bending of chords and notes. There was a three year wait while the keyboard was developed. Development history can be found here - https://expressivee.happyfox.com/kb/a...

00:00 Intro
00:38 Initial chords
02:05 Breakdown
02:34 Stacking chords

I've only played it for a couple of hours but already I can tell that playing the keyboard can be extremely nuanced. Flicking through the presets was more than just listening as I played... each preset asks to be pushed into, pushed sideways and explored.

Three parts only:
Pad - Osmose preset Hybrid Strings 2, recorded directly into Logic
Guitar - Fender SQ Contemporary Jaguar HH played through Chase Bliss Generation Loss Mk2 Lo-fi pedal
Drums - Logic drummer played through Devious Machines Infiltrator

Mastering preset added to the mix bus.

Music sketch: 'Sad interconnection'.
Performance, recording, video, and composition by Chris Beard @exploring-notes
💙💙💙 📼📻✨"

Shiverware Releases MusixPro for iOS

Published on Dec 19, 2012 by shiverware

Playlist:
Musix Pro - Epic Isomorphic iPad / iPhone Instrument
MusixPro - Features
Musix Pro Braten
Musix Pro - Escape

iTunes:
Musix Pro - Epic Isomorphic Harmony Music Instrument - Shiverware
iPads & More on eBay - Don't miss the Daily Tech Deals

"Musix Pro is the most innovative app for performing music. Music theory is baked right in through the use of a technique called isomorphic note layouts. Novices learn to play in minutes, and professionals benefit from built-in harmonic relationships between notes. Unlike other music apps, Musix Pro provides a wide range of octaves, scales, keys, chords and modes, without limiting your creativity. With multiple built-in instruments and support for OSC and Core/Virtual Midi, most existing synthesizers work beautifully with Musix Pro as a controller.

Traditional musical instruments are difficult to learn because notes are arranged based on physical constraints. Musix Pro arranges notes based on their harmonic and musical relationships instead, allowing shapes and patterns to emerge that unlock the mathematical beauty of music.

What do people say about Musix Pro?

"Anyone who loves music, regardless of skill level, owes it to themselves to experience Musix. Simply exploring the app will open musical doors you never knew existed." - 148apps.com

"Musix is a Killer App!" - apps4idevices.com

See Musix Pro in action: http://www.youtube.com/shiverware

Why Musix Pro:

- Learn how to play every major and minor chord in minutes
- Play along with your favourite song without practicing for years
- Learn one pattern and instantly play in any key
- Explore the harmonic relationships between notes
- Play along with your friends without being an expert
- Realize your own personal musicality

What is Musix Pro:

- The easiest way to play music
- A professional musical instrument and midi controller
- A music theory learning tool
- An isomorphic layout creator and experimentation app
- A melody exploration device

Features:

- Core/Virtual Midi, OSC
- 8 Built-in instruments (2 New)
- Hexagonal and Rectangular layouts
- Multiple built-in note arrangements
- Custom layout generation and saving
- Colourize different notes based on key, scale, and mode
- Label notes based on Solfege, or Note name
- Multiple note sizes
- Multiple color patterns
- Note Overlap (play 3-note chords with one finger)
- Retina Support
- Full iPhone Support

Works as a controller for:
- SampleWiz
- NLog Synth Pro
- Arctic Keys
- SampleTank
- Sunrizer
- MidiBridge
- Many other apps and devices

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Musix Pro is key agnostic, which means is that once you have learned a musical pattern (like a chord or a scale) that pattern is the same for all keys, even the dreaded A-Flat! Sharps and flats appear in the right place automatically, through the mathematical magic of isomorphism. You can learn to play melodies on a traditional keyboard by playing them on Musix Pro and watching where the sharps and flats go.

Songwriters benefit by discovering new melodies and musical relationships. Novices find it easy to learn to play. Experienced musicians are rewarded with an intuitive interface. Keys can be resized to fit your style - start with "epic"-sized keys, and as you get better you can shrink the keys fill the screen with notes.

Isomorphic keyboards are found on traditional and new instruments, from concertinas, accordions, and "jammers" to Janko keyboards, harmonic-table devices and more. Musix Pro is the only way to access all isomorphic note arrangements in one powerful customizable application.

Musix Pro comes with a set of built-in layouts, each with its own pros and cons. The harmonic table layout allows you to play any major chord by touching three hexes with one finger. Wicki-Hayden makes modulating between pentatonic scales a breeze. Try them all and find one that works for you.

Musix Pro allows you to change the colour of the notes in your layout. You can colour the notes white and black like a piano; you can colour the notes of any scale or mode (like D-flat mixolidian) and you can colour notes based on tone centre. Notes can be labeled with movable or fixed solfege or with the traditional note name (spelled based on the key and mode)."

iTunes:
Musix Pro - Epic Isomorphic Harmony Music Instrument - Shiverware
iPads & More on eBay - Don't miss the Daily Tech Deals

InstaComposer 2 - Evolved AI MIDI Tool (VST / AU / AAX)

video upload by W. A. Production

Press release follows:

W.A. Production introduces InstaComposer 2 as advanced AI MIDI Tool taking popular MIDI creation station plug-in predecessor to another level

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: W.A. Production, producers crafting creative plug-ins to help anyone achieve studio-quality processing speedily and easily, is proud to introduce InstaComposer 2 as an advanced AI MIDI Tool taking its popular InstaComposer MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) creation station plug-in predecessor to another level — launching new features and improvements that enhance the user experience with more MIDI tracks, scenes, new scales, and new modes married with enhanced generative coding and superior performance to make practicable new ideas flow more quickly than ever before by producing a wide variety of musical elements, including melodies, phrases, riffs, and chord progressions to provide both beginners and professional musicians with endless possibilities for creating unique and engaging music in any genre or style while working with an intuitive interface and advanced algorithms allowing them to focus on the creative aspect of music production without having to think about composing every note — as of July 6…

Ever experienced those testing moments when creativity runs dry? Do not fear, for InstaComposer 2 is the ultimate musical muse. Indeed, infinite inspiration is at the creative core of the thinking behind making InstaComposer 2 what it is — an advanced MIDI generation plug-in designed to revolutionise music creation. By building upon the solid foundation of W.A. Production’s popular InstaComposer — itself released to widespread critical acclaim in its original incarnation in October 2021, InstaComposer 2 truly represents an even more attractive proposition, with exciting new features and improvements to enhance the user experience. Example highlights include an ability to organise ideas and song parts with eight new so-called ‘scenes’ — Scene 1 through to Scene 8 — that provide a convenient way to store different variations within a single preset; upgraded Scale support, with 22 additional scales ranging from Arabic and Spanish through to Miyako Bushi, Ryukyu, and more; a new virtual keyboard and highlighted chord menus to help with scale and chord selection; and melodies that can be generated in different modes and paired with unique chord progressions for each scale. Speaking of which, InstaComposer 2 adds two new-generation modes to its notable name — namely, Drums, enabling effortless generation of drum lines (supporting a wide variety of complexity levels, styles, and time signatures), and Pad 2, facilitating creation of a fuller, richer sound (by combining Pad and Chord modes). AI algorithms have been further improved for rhythm, phrase, and melody generation, conjuring more refined results, while new additions like the Sustain parameter — provides control over the length of the notes that are going to be generated — and a Chord Helper — highlights the notes for the selected chord on the virtual keyboard — help take things to another level entirely.

Each new starting point for InstaComposer 2 generates a unique result to ensure that users never run out of fresh ideas and possibilities for their compositions, ultimately. Unlike random note generation, InstaComposer 2 employs meticulously crafted algorithms and databases to produce musical ideas. Indeed, it constructs rhythmic and melodic structures that sound correct by mimicking human creativity — selecting notes that fit the given scale and context, and creating cohesive phrases that complement underlying chords. Clearly, InstaComposer 2 ‘understands’ the human brain’s affinity for pattern recognition. After all, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is involved in making InstaComposer 2 do what it does — different shapes and formats are used to build captivating combinations of beats and bars, adding rhythmic and melodic consistency often found in chart-topping music. Moreover, by using smaller musical chunks that repeat or occur in various forms throughout the melody, InstaComposer 2 builds larger blocks, creating a sense of unity throughout its user’s music-making interactions. It even harmonises notes to enrich the sonics (depending on selected mode and settings), resulting in a more cohesive composition as it aligns melody to chords. Adjustable AI controls — Generate Chords generates harmonious sequences of chords inspired by the most commonly used chord progressions, for instance — and a convenient Chaos control — ensures everything remains under control by preventing unwanted chaotic situations such as notes repeating excessively, jumping erratically, or climbing too far in one direction — mean that users can comfortably remain in charge of how InstaComposer 2 develops ideas (and how far it strays from any set rules), while fine-tuning of chord complexity, note population, beat and bar structuring, pattern generation, harmonisation, velocity randomisation, and more are always available.

As an advanced AI MIDI Tool, InstaComposer 2 includes complex algorithms for generating Melody (generates a wide variety of melodies and phrases), Riff (similar to Melody, but with shorter phrases, more repeating patterns, and more restricted structures), Ostinato (generates short melodic phrases that keep repeating, often ignoring chord changes underneath), Rhythm (generates more harmonies, focusing on rhythmic patterns and chord notes), Bass (generates bass lines that compliment chords and melodies being played), Chord (focuses on the chord notes with options to inverse chords and add bass notes), and Pad (emphasises longer notes often focusing on harmonies based on underlying chords). Creatively exploring the potential of these modes means users are always uncovering unique and compelling music. Moreover, with those eight scenes available alongside six tracks — Track 1 through to Track 6, InstaComposer 2 offers flexibility and organisation for multiple layers, alternative variations, and different song parts within a single preset.

Put it this way: with a user-friendly piano-roll interface at their fingertips, users can effortlessly manoeuvre, duplicate, and remove notes, and even change velocity to effectively breathe life into their riffs, while the onboard MIDI editor can be used to tweak the output of InstaComposer 2, meaning music can be manipulated before it even leaves the plug-in. Personalised style and creativity can be easily added to the AI-generated phrases, in other words.

Modifying MIDI playback directly within the InstaComposer 2 interface itself is also on offer — simply save the output as a MIDI file or conveniently drag and drop it into a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). It is also worth noting here that each track can be saved separately. Setting up multi-channel instruments as an alternative workflow also allows for routing MIDI from InstaComposer 2 into virtual instruments to preview all six tracks simultaneously — and all without ever having to leave the plug-in environment.

It is fair to say, then, that by taking its popular plug-in predecessor to another level as InstaComposer 2, W.A. Production has surely succeeded in creating the only MIDI creation station anyone could conceivably wish for... today, tomorrow, and into the foreseeable future!

InstaComposer 2 is available to purchase at an attractive 70%-discounted introductory promo price of $32.70 USD until August 17, 2023 — rising thereafter to its regular price of $109.00 USD — as a 64-bit AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in for macOS (10.15 or later) and 32- or 64-bit VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in for Windows (8 or later), as well as an AAX-compatible plug-in for Pro Tools (11 or higher), directly from W.A. Production via its dedicated webpage, which also includes some superb audio previews, here: https://www.waproduction.com/plugins/view/instacomposer-2

Owners of the original InstaComposer can upgrade to InstaComposer 2 for only $10.00 USD.

14-day, fully-functional trial versions of all W.A. Production plug-ins — including InstaComposer 2 — are available by signing up for an account for free from here: https://www.waproduction.com/users/login

WaveDNA’s Liquid Rhythm Revolutionizes Digital Music Creation

"Toronto, Canada, October 2, 2013 – WaveDNA is excited to announce a significant update to the full version of Liquid Rhythm beat generation software, including powerful new MIDI sequencing and editing tools to create and remix drum patterns. This can now be achieved either directly in Ableton Live clips via Max4Live as a plug-in, or as a stand-alone application. Additionally, the company has released Liquid Rhythm Intro, a condensed version of Liquid Rhythm to increase accessibility for the electronic musician, music producer, DJ and film/television composer communities of music creators.

Boasting a redesigned user interface and a host of new features, Liquid Rhythm enables increased workflow efficiency by shortening the time users spend composing and searching for the right rhythm. It analyzes MIDI data and suggests complementary beats. This allows users to quickly complete their productions or go in new directions without having to change the entire structure and notation of the piece.


“When our users tell us that Liquid Rhythm is helping them translate their creative ideas to finished compositions,” states Doug Mummenhoff, WaveDNA co-founder and CEO, “We know we are doing our job. But, we aren’t stopping there. Our company and team of developers are aligned with the vision of revolutionizing electronic music composition, one software app at a time.”

Liquid Rhythm’s newest software update allows users the ability to quickly access literally ten quadrillion rhythmic patterns, import pre-existing MIDI tracks created using their DAW of choice, and mine their huge library of loops and kits to quickly and easily create rhythmic compositions.

The software’s main features include:

New: Ableton Live users can use Liquid Rhythm’s MIDI sequencing and editing tools directly in Ableton Live clips via a Max4Live patch. Seamless integration between the software applications improves production workflows.

The Music Molecule is a new way to represent MIDI. It uses color-coded patterns to group together and show relationships between notes. This provides the power to access and edit multiple notes simultaneously.

New: Intelligent Randomizer: Create drum tracks and fills by generating combinations of rhythm patterns from a library of presets.

New: BeatBuilder: In a single click, populate multiple bars with the beat of your choosing from palettes of rhythm patterns. Easily experiment with variations using a sequencer that swaps individual notes with clusters of notes. Instantly switch to a shuffle, double-time, or half-time feel.

Molecule Maps allow users to build beats in one or two clicks.

Updated: Accent Modifiers allows users to adjust the velocity and groove of multiple notes simultaneously according to the Music Molecule’s color-coded accent patterns.

BeatSeeker gives users the ability to find and use rhythm patterns that are common in specific genres.
New: ReGroover instantly rearranges groups of notes by switching underlying accent patterns to discover and explore new musical ideas.

BeatWeaver Rhythm Synthesizer creates and remixes drum tracks by exploring an extensive list of pattern variations across a bar of music.

Updated: In-Line Molecule Editing gives users the power to edit MIDI notes directly in the arranger. Music Molecules are updated in real-time around all note edits.

Running on both Mac and Windows platforms, Liquid Rhythm is VST/AU/RTAS compatible and works as a plugin or standalone software. It comes with a large Media Library of percussive samples, drum kits and loops, and allows users to import custom samples. Sold direct from WaveDNA.com, the full-featured Liquid Rhythm software is $129 US and Liquid Rhythm Intro is $49 US. A 30-day Free Trail Version is also available from the site.

About WaveDNA

WaveDNA is a Toronto-based music software development company started by co-founders Doug Mummenhoff and Dave Beckford with the goal of designing and building the next generation of innovative virtual software instruments, including their first software release Liquid Rhythm – a MIDI sequencer and beat generator for DJs, electronic musicians and music composers for film/television.

www.wavedna.com
www.twitter.com/wavedna
www.facebook.com/wavedna"

FlexibeatzII Pattern Based Music Making Application

YouTube Uploaded by sawsquaresine on Apr 10, 2011

"Please visit http://flexibeatz.weebly.com

FlexibeatzII has a default grid of 16 checkboxes (or steps), each step being 1/16th of a measure, although you do have the option of changing resolution to 1/32nd of a measure if you desire. You then chain these patterns of notes together to form longer compositions. You can use any .wav sound samples of your choice, or sounds you synthesize with the application itself from scratch, in each of the application's 10 channels. You can even combine samples with sounds you have created yourself, such as frequency modulating one with the other. Besides extensive sample editing and synthesis options, you also have a multitude of effects and 3-band parametric EQ per channel available. You can vary the pan, pitch and level of each sound in each channel, mute and solo sounds, specify which sounds can cut-off which other sounds, vary each sound's start and end point, and accent and swing notes, all while the sequence is playing. Tools are also provided to automatically chop up drum loops into individual hits, lock tempo of sounds in channels to master tempo, and auto-generate arpeggiator patterns. Once your composition is complete, you can record it to a .wav and .mp3 file. The application can be operated as a standalone application working off its own internal timer, or you can slave playback via midi-sync to another DAW or external sequencer."

Playlist:
FlexibeatzII Tutorial #1: Changing the sound of your sample - "This video is the first in a forthcoming series exploring interesting/unusual aspects of the free FlexibeatzII pattern based music making application. The current video focuses on some sample editing functions and effects which can transform the sound of your sample to practically a different instrument or sound effect."

FlexibeatzII Tutorial #2: Synthesizing sounds from scratch, and vocoding - "This video is the second in an ongoing series exploring interesting/unusual aspects of the free FlexibeatzII pattern based music making application. The current video focuses on how to use FlexibeatzII to synthesize every instrument sound from scratch (drums, bass, lead, sound effects and all) in a pattern for an Electro track, including vocoding of the vocal sample used in the track."

FlexibeatzII Tutorial #3: Chopping a drum loop sample into its individual sounds - "This video is the third in an ongoing series exploring interesting/unusual aspects of the free FlexibeatzII pattern based music making application. The current video focuses on how to use FlexibeatzII to automatically chop up any percussion loop wav file you may have into its individual 'hits' and then sequence the 'hits' into an entirely new pattern."

FlexibeatzII Tutorial #4: Syncing to a DAW or Hardware Sequencer - "This video is the fourth in an ongoing series exploring interesting/unusual aspects of the free FlexibeatzII pattern based music making application. The current video demonstrates how to sync FlexibeatzII to both a DAW and an external hardware sequencer. All applications in this video: FlexibeatzII, Reaper, Audacity and LoopBe, are freely downloadable and not time/feature crippled in any way."

FlexibeatzII Tutorial #5: Making a complete track from loops - "This video is the fifth in an ongoing series exploring interesting/unusual aspects of the free FlexibeatzII pattern based music making application. The current video demonstrates the creation of a complete track around a couple of drum loops freely downloaded from the 'net, and shows how the finished song needn't sound anything like the original loops."

Forms

videos upload by Forms

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Sequera - Next Era Sequencer on Indiegogo

Sequera from juno on Vimeo.
Update: new video below.

via Indiegogo where you can pre-order Sequera and help fund the project.

"This is a post-sequencer project named as "Sequera" the sequencer for the next era that focuses on flexibility of exploring music sequencing and midi processing, plus hint of hardware sequencers.

Started by juno(me) from a year ago as a hidden project partnering with cocoa programmer: Tom Jeffries, graphic, aerosol artist: Sano. Now it’s on the middle way for the first Mac version and keep testing whenever alpha versions come up.

Current alpha-version does or allows...
- entering notes for 32 steps max
- entering notes with computer keyboard
- selecting desired track with computer keyboard
- and a few other short cut key assignments
- displays note entry
- plays notes
- randomizes notes
- changing tempo
- changing number of steps to be loop-played

First Mac version is willing to involve...
- velocity entry / change
- mute each tracks
- midi note number select
- gate time set

Next coming features...
- timing adjustment for each notes by computer keyboard
- more flexibility for the steps to be played or not to be played
- compatible with midi commands all around
- pitch transition
- real-time performance features, midi-effects

The advantage of using Sequera

Entirely, Sequera allows user to work on crating sequence extremely fast like a hardware sequencer. This also means, user can try, explore and modify the sequence as more as and as free as possible with using same working time.

It’s not much focusing on making up entire song, but specialized in short length composition with highest possible scope. Ideal for finding unique melody, experimental grooves, or impressive and comprehensive sound designing."

See http://www.indiegogo.com/sequera for additional info.


Sequera HD 720p from juno on Vimeo.
Check out www.ju-x.com!

Update: video is now here.

MATRIXSYNTH Review and Overview of the Novation Circuit

Update: Not covered in this review, sample support has been added in the latest Circuit Components update.

The following is my overview and review of the $329 Novation Circuit.

Introduction

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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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Squarp Pyramid Comprehensive Sequencer Tutorial

Published on Oct 29, 2018

"A comprehensive tutorial for Squarp's Pyramid sequencer. With 64 tracks, 2 MIDI DIN ports, MIDI over USB and CV, Gate and Mod outputs, Pyramid can sequence and loop dozens of instruments in very large setups with few limitations.

If you want a shorter review and comparison to Hermod, Squarp's modular sequencer - here's a link to it: [posted here] - this video is a deeper dive into Pyramid - getting into the details, features and workflow.

We've got a lot to cover:

1:00 OVERVIEW
11:00 LIVE MODE
17:00 STEP MODE
31:40 TRACK MODE
41:25 SEQ MODE
46:35 MIDI EFFECTS
53:55 MISC

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Peter Blasser's superORGAN

superORGAN I: Rainforest Airport

Published on Dec 1, 2014 Peter B

These are in order. Be sure to see part 2 & 3 below for different takes. Peter Blasser is the man behind Ciat-Lonbarde.

"When a computer controls a pipe organ, it can trigger the notes really fast. If you get it fast enough, just barely attacking the pipes, it can elicit all sorts of squeals and pukes. In the computer music conference of 2014, we installed an incarnation of David Tudor's Rainforest next door to Wesleyan Chapel, in its airport-like lobby. Referring to the bacchanal nature of this lobby, and also the pre-show routines of Tudor, came half of the initial lyrics: a list of alcohols. The other half came from the odd chambres and containers used in Rainforest: a styrofoam cooler, a gourd, copper helmet. These objects all have resonant peak frequencies, of course, and a challenge came to emulate them on the pipe organ next door, so musics could waft throughout the sacred and the secular.

Thus part one in this piece for midi organ: superORGAN. Supercollider is the scripting language, and also synthesizer of accompanying sound-worlds, originally made for playing through rainforest objects, but now using the pastor's sound system in the chapel. Here is a list of pipes: vox humana, bassoon, clarinet, french horn. Here is a list of religious terms: liturgy, stole, vow, tabernacle, multi-denominational, pallium, papal, rome, synod, chalice, vespers... crypt. Note the recording is a rare, close-miking, intended to hear the strange whispers of windy pipes in the night."

SuperORGAN II: Resistor Zoo

Published on Dec 1, 2014 Peter B

"When a computer controls a pipe organ, it can trigger the notes really fast. Here the goal is to put only a tiny puff of air into a pipe, to hear the so-called chiff sound, like a consonant before the long vowel of a speaking pipe. Usually one records an organ out in the church, to hear it echoing off the walls and sounding like the voice of God in space. Here, I chose to shove the microphones physically into the chests, so you can hear the sound of various valves, squeaky bellows, and other aspects of the machinery of the universal voice.

Composing computer music for the pipe organ can entail exploring the relationship between tunings. This movement pits the scale encountered in designing an analog synthesizer tuned by raw capacitor values (tocante) against the organ's equal temperament. That forms the basis for the lyrics: "10,22,33,47,68,82,56,39,27." The dissonance between sonic systems is already present in the synthetic nature of loudspeaker sound versus the natural projection of tones by wind-pipe."

superORGAN III: Pile of Fourths

Published on Dec 1, 2014

"Adapting David Behrman's "Pile of Fourths" for the midi organ, I again came up to the possibility of dissonance in confronting tunings. The piece involves improvisational articulations on a ladder of fourths, easily played by the organ. The circle of fourths has always been a fascinating sound, but it also beguiles me with its numerical rationale of compounded powers of three. Did Pythagoras mean that we can hear exponents? Maybe we can, but I chose to command Supercollider to immediately calculate harmonic approximations to the pile of fourths, according to different sub-octaves of A440.

The contrasting pitch material decided, all I needed was a gradient fade between the pipe organ and the computer music. Difficult to fade a pipe organ, so I decided to use patterns to create a sort of primitive, MIDI pulse width modulation, starting with full duty cycle, and ending in the shortest, chiffest clicks of notes. Likewise, I faded the computer music up in a granular way, extending event envelopes from very short to legato in gesture."

Bastl Instruments Trinity x4

via this auction

"Bastl Instruments Trinity, included is SQNCR, DRUM, POLY & MONO FM modules and an unbuilt MIDIbastl mondule.

Trinity is universal musical instrument and original sounding modular groovebox. It can function as any type of digital synthesizer, sequencer, controller, arpeggiator or almost anything that can be programmed into a micro-controller. Trinity is designed to be connected and combined with other Trinities of different functions in a chain, so you can create your own music making environment. It is ready to communicate with the outer world via MIDI and different sync and CV methods using MIDI Bastl. We are musicians passionate of exploring new fields of sonic experience – we already developed 4 different instruments for Trinity which work great together. They are sequencer, drum synthesizer, polyphonic synthesizer and monophonic FM synthesizer.…and there is many more to come!

MONO FM module
experimental monophonic FM synthesizer
8 different sound for each preset
6 presets
1 carrier oscillator with pitch tuned in semitones
3 modulation oscillators with adjustable harmonic multiple of carrier frequency, detune and amount of modulation
8 algorithms of oscillator configuration
3 wavetables for all oscillators (sine, saw, white noise)
LFO with adjustable rate, resolution, amount, destination on different parameters and 8 different shapes
exchange sounds between more Mono FM Synths by SysEx message
MIDI native by side connectors, note, CC support, thru
MIDI connector by connecting MIDI Bastl by the side
POLY module
subtractive or FM synthesis mode
3 voice polyphony
6 different sound for each preset
6 presets
in subtractive mode: oscillator + state variable filter with cutoff and resonance ( LP,HP,BP,notch )
in FM mode: oscillator + modulation oscillator with selectable wavetables
LFO with adjustable rate, resolution, amount, destination on different parameters and 8 different shapes
ADSR with impact on volume and adjustable impact to other parameters
precise setting of oscillator, LFO and ADSR features are accessed by adjusting character knob which goes thru all possible settings of routing and wavetables
exchange sounds between more Poly Synths by SysEx message
4 wavetables (sine, saw, distorted square, noise)
3 note playback by MIDI – velocity sensitive
multi-timbral MIDI mode (lowest octave)
MIDI native by side connectors, note & velocity sensitive, CC support, thru
MIDI connector by connecting MIDI Bastl by the side

DRUM module
5 voice polyphonic drum sample player (6th voice for metronome)
step sequencer
32 steps / pattern
5 storable patterns for each preset
random pattern generation
pattern copy / paste
recording from the buttons
erease single notes or whole pattern
metronome
jump – repeating certain step
tap tempo
auto quantize
6 different drum sounds for each preset
6 presets
mystery shuffle
for each sound you can adjust sample rate, time stretch, cut, distortion, volume and sample to be played
global mode for tweaking all samples at the same time
4 different official drum kits (lo-fi TR909, classic from DRUM 1.0, gameboy, glitch)
drum kits / samples can be changed by converting wave files into .h file included in the source code (by python script included in Mozzi library) and updating the software in the Atmega
MIDI native by side connectors, note & velocity sensitive, CC support, thru
MIDI connector by connecting MIDI Bastl by the side

SQNCR module
controlling 3 different Trinity instruments (polyphonic or monophonic)
sending MIDI notes on 3 channels
32 steps / pattern
4 patterns for each instrument per preset
3 presets
recording from buttons or MIDI
erase single notes or clear whole pattern
adjustable pattern length, groove, tempo
tap tempo
jump function (step repeater)
auto quantize
MIDI clock support, master or slave (by receiving MIDI clock message it turns into slave mode)
MIDI by side connectors – MIDI connector by connecting MIDI Bastl by the side

MIDI Bastl module (Unassembled)
jumpers to select functionality and routing of the MIDI connector (with chain connectors and sync dev. area)
MIDI I/O
Attiny 85 based development area for almost endless sync possibilities (firmware for attiny still in development)
converts MIDI clock to CV clock (4 PQN and 12 PQN) for Korg Volca/Monotribe, Modular, Gameboy Nanoloop/LSDJ (done)
converts MIDI clock to din sync 24 /48
Standalone use: MIDI Bastl has no power jack and is powered via the side connectors from an instrument. For standalone use you need to make power jack adaptor. On the circuit board there are clearly marked spots to which you can solder cable to the power jack."

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Patch Notes: Qasim Naqvi

video upload by FACTmagazine

"Pakistani-American musician Qasim Naqvi is perhaps best known as a founder member of acoustic trio Dawn of Midi, in which he has played drums since 2007. Outside of his work in Dawn of Midi, Naqvi is an accomplished solo artist whose compositions have been performed by ensembles including the London Contemporary Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and soundtracked many films and documentaries.

Naqvi’s recent solo releases, such as 2019’s Teenages and 2020’s Beta, have made extensive use of synthesizers and modular systems. In this episode of Patch Notes, we invited Naqvi to perform at Pioneer Works, a non-profit cultural center in Redhook, Brooklyn.

'The building dates back to 1866 and was originally a railroad track factory,' Naqvi says. 'Now it’s a massive performing arts space. With my equipment, I was merging two systems that I’ve been configuring for a couple of years, a Verbos System and a Serge System. I also used a few random modules to connect everything: a Quad VCA from Intellijel and an X-Pan stereo module from Make Noise as the final output.'

'The acoustics are massive at Pioneer Works and we set everything up where the audience usually stands, so I was facing the house system,” he explains. “It was quite powerful to feel the music coming directly at me from this monstrous system. It definitely affected my choices. I wanted to embrace the full dynamic feel of the space, by exploring a range of highly dense sounds to rhythmic ideas, to more sparse and quiet moments. It was also a hellishly hot day and there was no AC in the building. At a certain point it felt like a clay oven.'

The piece Naqvi performs is called ‘Yes Mammal’, and was originally titled ‘Music for Modular Synthesizer, Dim Lamp and One Developing Melody.’ 'I wrote it in June for my first show in New York after a year and a half of not performing,' he explains. 'It’s evolved since then and I wanted to share it with Fact.'

'My background for a long time has been in acoustic music, where I write pieces and then share them with a group or individual to interpret. And from there they’ve made it into something larger. With the modular, I’ve been translating that way of thinking. Lately, I write a piece or a sketch and give it to an entity, in this case the synthesizer, and let it expand the music to more than just notes on the page. This piece is loosely written and I improvise with the material using the infinite possibilities of the modular synthesizer to give it shape in the moment. I like to think of it as live orchestration but with voltage.'

Naqvi has typically used this large-scale modular setup in the past to perform, but more recently he’s been experimenting with slimmed down systems to use in live performance settings. 'I’m making different and smaller hybrid configurations that are more tailor-made to the pieces I’m writing,” he says. “I still use this whole system when needed but it’s been an interesting exercise to slim down from time to time and make more with less.'

Naqvi’s most recent release is an EP titled Chronology, which was released on on Erased Tapes. 'It was made entirely on a very old and broken Minimoog synthesizer. It’s a special album that I made with a great relic.'

Follow Qasim Naqvi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browniebonb...
Qasim Naqvi on Bandcamp: https://qasimnaqvi.bandcamp.com/

Credits:

Filmed and Recorded live at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
Video by Gabe Rubin, Wolfgang Daniel & Zack Shorrosh
Live Audio & Recording by Riley Stevens
Lighting by Matthew Mann
Production by Justin Frye"

Cascadr 2.04 Demo

YouTube Uploaded by glidepro1984 on Mar 20, 2012

"This video shows off the new feature of Cascadr which is the ability to save sequences to one of eight slots. It's possible to switch slots and tweak 'on the fly' while Cascadr is playing music. This now means it's pretty easy to make a simple song with Cascadr now, albeit with some live dodging about!
I'll be exploring this slot idea further for sure!"


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"Cascadr experiments with the idea of playing a sequence of notes and a number of speeds - simultaneously. Rather than the sequences being played in time with each other (for example, 30bpm, 60bpm, 120bpm...) they are played at intervals of 1bpm - which generates an interesting cascading effect.

There are eight notes in this sequence, and each note’s pitch can be chosen over a range of 2 octaves (on a chromatic scale) starting from A4 (or 440Hz). It’s also possible to alter the volume of each note, so emphasis can be placed on specific notes. Simply touch the column that represents the value you wish to change and drag up or down. When you change a note or note volume, the change will be heard straight away.

Perhaps most importantly, you can choose the speed of the sequences. As the idea of this application is to play sequences with this cascading effect, you can only choose the speed of the first sequence. So, if you choose a speed of 10bpm, the next sequence will be played at 11bpm, the next at 12bpm and so on.

Along with functions for starting and stopping the sequence, there is a ‘re-sync’ function that allows you to restart the sequence from the beginning, meaning that all of the sequences will be put back in sync again.

While there may be some ‘shock-horror’ at the lack of syncopation, Cascadr can produce some really ambient melodies and rhythms - along with some interesting chords as the sequences slide in and out of time. Just set your sequence, speed, play and listen.

I’ve got plans to add more features for customising the sequence further, and providing the ability to choose different sounds so stick around!

Have fun with it!"

Also see Cascadr UI & Sound Demo

24-Tone Music - Synth Illustrations

24-Tone Music - Synth Illustrations 1 Published on Aug 16, 2018 Kris Lennox

"Obi keys/synth engine reprogrammed for 24-tone music. On of the greatest strength of synthesis is the ability to program alternate tuning systems. Not all hardware synths can do this, though. It is the preserve of only a few - and one of the strengths of DSI instruments and the OB6 i.e. creating and installing your own tuning system on the synth. Yes, acoustic instruments can recreate them - but there's the associated tuning/stability issues, not to mention accuracy of pitch across multiple strings etc.

I have quite a body of work RE alternate tuning systems. I'll possibly upload some actual music (as opposed to illustration-only) within these systems. If you look around on my channel you should find some 20-tone acoustic music samples.

Mathematically, all possible chords within any n-note division of the octave can be calculated. And if one has computational skills, they can computationally generate all possible chords. I have an mp3 file somewhere of every 24-tone chord. A very, very large mp3 file!

Of course - the chords don't have names - which is where my YouTube following could contribute. We can name them :))

'What is that chord called?'
'Oh, that's a Jeff chord.'
'Listen to this chord. It is called James Joyce Ulysses '

All good fun.

Quite a shame to think - given the technology we have - the majority of contemporary composers aren't exploring/creating their own tonal systems. Most universities/conservatoires only briefly mention alternate tuning systems as part of coursework. If it is mentioned at all. Such a waste.

Given there are an infinite number of notes between any two notes, every human being on the planet could have their own system of harmony. Then again, this kind of material is and likely always will be esoteric.

PS actually seeing what I'm doing is, I trust, better than simply hearing a computer play back audio samples. Hearing the scale on its own, followed by some chords at the end of the video is handy i.e. both melodic and harmonic illustrations.

Retraining the mind to perform 12-tone music on a 24-tone treatment of the keyboard is refreshing/slightly mind-warping! Any pianist feeling life is becoming a little easy/predictable should try it ;)

PPS - if I had four Obis, I could daisy-chain them and have 24-voice, 24-tone music. Maybe I should email Dave and tell him it is 'necessary for the furthering of music' that he send me a few spares. :)

All best"

Update:

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Live from the Redwoods! Euclidean Teletype Workout with O-Coast and Moog Mother-32

Published on Dec 30, 2016 Dudadius

"Exploring the Euclidean Rhythm command on Monome Teletype.

This is my holiday travel rig, with Moog Mother-32 and Makenoise O-Coast. Synth Tech E330 Multimode VCO and Dsting round out this focused little system.

O-Coast is playing the initial pattern, driven by euclidean rhythm 1. There is a second euclidean rhythm hitting the trigger in on the slope generator, creating a poly-rhythm of sorts in that one voice.

The notes are defined in tracker 1, but tracker 2 contains some additional notes that are inserted into the pattern at pseudo-random intervals. Sounds like it’s happening at a set rhythm though…hmmm.

The second voice to come in is the same melodic pattern, but offset by a few steps. The is playing the Synthtech VCO that is routed through the Moog. The Moog VCA is hit by yet another Euclidean Rhythm, then it goes back into the O-Coast and is modulated by that original rhythm as well…so another interlocking rhythm. Dsting is in clocakble delay mode on that voice.

Lastly, the Moog comes in on a slower moving bass voice..playing the same notes at a slower rate.

Once the bass comes up, I shift the O-Coast melody up a couple of octaves."

Exploring Moog Sub 37

Published on Jan 15, 2017 BoBeats

"Today I am exploring the Moog Sub 37 and its LFOs. It has 2x LFOs and many ways to modulate parameters. It is perhaps not as deep as say my Analog Keys but you can create some really cool stuff on it. This is me playing two notes having the LFOs do the movement of the sound."

Update:

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Squarp Instruments Hermod Eurorack Module Videos by Sunshine Jones

Published on Apr 14, 2018 Sunshine Jones

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

Descriptions:

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Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy - on the Obi

Published on Jul 5, 2018 Kris Lennox

"So, last night I was messing around in imitation of the celeste. I thought to myself, 'why not just do a celeste piece?'. Of course, the most famous celeste piece is Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, from Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker' Suite. What you are hearing is actually a 'challenge' recording I set myself, with the challenge being:

Sight-read through the work twice then play it from memory.

For those interested, the score is here - http://hz.imslp.info/files/imglnks/us...

This recording is my first attempt at playing from memory after two sight-reads. Of course, if actually giving a serious performance to an audience, I'd play the work a few times more/work on timing etc. And hold the 2-bar rests for their full value :)) I didn't bother in this take as it sounds quite empty at those points when played as a solo work.

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Exploring Apps 02 // Ribbons : Expressive Electronic Instrument

Published on Nov 2, 2017 Computing.Sound

"Exploring the 'Ribbons' iOS iPad app by Olympia Noise Co..
Here I'm using the apps internal sound engine, but it also can send MIDI."

via iTunes: Ribbons : Expressive Electronic Instrument - Olympia Noise Co.

Note Ribbons has been out for some time now, but I do not think I've featured it here on MATRIXSYNTH before now. The following are some screenshots and details captured for the archives.

"Ribbons is an extraordinarily fun and expressive musical instrument for iPad.

Inspired by early electronic instruments such as the Ondes Martenot and the Theremin, Ribbons (formerly "Ondes") emulates the fluid playing style of those classic instruments with an interface and synthesis engine firmly grounded in the present day.

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