GRP A2 Italian analog monophonic synthesizer SN 021

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GRP A2

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Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Quick Look Back at 2016

Happy New Year Everyone!

This post is a little late going up, but better late than never! :)

I'm going to keep this one a little shorter than usual as I am aware I have a tendency to get a little too wordy at times.

First of all, I want to thank you all for taking a little bit of your day out to visit the site. I want to thank those that contribute to the synthesizer scene and actually give me something to post! Finally, I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all the individual supporters of the site, and the sponsors you see on the right and above! Your support literally makes the site as it is possible!

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And a look back at 2016...

Update: I forgot to mention, we had a total of 13,679 posts in 2016!
Update2: also, as always take a look back at the exclusive label for the most interesting bits of synth history.

First a look back at some of the people (and companions) we lost last in 2016.

2016 was rough. On the maker front we lost Don Buchla, who along with Bob Moog, was undoubtably the creator of the synthesizer as we know it today. We lost Ray Wilson of Music From Outer Space, arguably one of the greatest, if not the greatest, influencers in synth DIY. Many makers out there started with his projects.

On the musician front we lost some of synths' greats including Keith Emerson, Isao Tomita, Bernie Worrell and Jean-Jacques Perrey. We lost a couple of pioneers of electronic music as well, namely Jean-Claude Risset and Pauline Oliveros.

The following is the list:

David Bowie - January 10, 2016
Else Marie Pade - January 18, 2016
Stanley Lunetta - March 3, 2016
Keith Emerson - March 11, 2016
Isao Tomita - May 5, 2016
Bernie Worrell - June 24, 2016
Ray Wilson - July 21, 2016
Don Buchla - September 14, 2016
DJ Spank-Spank - September 21, 2016
Jean-Jacques Perrey - November 4, 2016
Jean-Claude Risset - November 21, 2016
Pauline Oliveros - November 24, 2016

And never to be excluded, a couple of the companions we lost:

nonlinear circuit's Bill - March, 2016
CatSynth's Luna - October 31, 2016

Note the above are only those I could tie in with synths. Two artists you might notice missing are Prince and George Michael. Both deserve a mention. Prince I could have tied in with an Oberheim connection. I still remember lusting after an OB-8 after seeing his videos in the 80s.

RIP posts are the hardest to write. Not only because you are mourning the loss of someone great, but because you know your post will never be good enough.


As for new gear in 2016, you might have noticed all of the "New in 2016" labels that have gone up in posts throughout the year. I created the labels back in 2015 as a means to keep track of all the new gear coming in. I also thought it would be a quick, easy, and interesting way to get total counts of everything at the end of the year. Here are the numbers (links will take you to posts for each):

New in 2016 (753)
New Cases in 2016 (18)
New Controllers in 2016 (38)
New DIY in 2016 (108)
New Makers in 2016 (101)
New Mobile Apps in 2016 (65)
New Modules in 2016 (299)
New Old in 2016 (21)
New Soft Synths in 2016 (55)
New Sound Machines in 2016 (34)
New Sound Packs in 2016 (24)
New Synth Effects in 2016 (9)
New Synths in 2016 (112)
New Tools in 2016 (51)

Note, as with anything, labels can be a little tricky. Sometimes there will be overlap, sometimes items will be announced one year, but released in another if at all, and of course, if I'm not made aware of an item it gets missed. You'll likely see a few items from 2015 in the 2016 list for that reason. I also found it can be difficult to categorize certain items. Drum machines for example get bucketed under synths, but I think for 2017 I will create a new label for them and just use both.

All that said, if you look at the numbers above we had 753 new products/items appear on the site last year. Always of notable interest were the items from vintage synth history that were never featured on the site before. Last year there were 21. An interesting side note is that matches the 21 we had the year prior in 2015. I won't go into any in detail as you can take a look at the label yourself and as I mentioned above I'm going to try and keep this post short. You can check out any of the categories above.  Also worth noting is there were 101 new makers to the site in 2016!  Check them out via the link above.

I was never one for top 10 lists, as although they can be fun, I'm a firm believer that all gear has something to offer. It's up to us to use the gear and find out. That said I do think it's worth mentioning some of the major synth releases this year. Not only does it gives us a quick look at what the major players released but it also lets us see when they were released in the year.  The following is a quick list:

1. Korg Minilogue - January 8
2. Yamaha Montage AWM2 & FM-X - January 11
3. Clavia Nord Piano 3 - January 18 & January 21
4. Roland A-01 - January 19
5. Korg Limited Edition Kronos Platinum
6. Make Noise 0-Coast - January 20
7. Artuia MatrixBrute - January 21
8. Dave Smith Instruments OB-6 - January 21
9. Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators - January 21
10. MFB Tanzamus & Tanzbar Lite - January 22
11. Mellotron Micro - January 22
12. Modal 008 Rack - January 25
13. Anyware Instruments Modulator - March 23
14. Nord Drum 3/3P - April 4
15. New Minimoog Model D - May 18
16. Moog Brother From Another Mother - May 18
17. Audiothingies Micromonster - May 27
18. Mini GRP A2 - May 28
19. DSI OB-6 Desktop - June 22 & June 23
20. Mode Machines ADX1 - June 28
21. New Black Oberheim TVS - June 28
22. Ninstrument SynthBoy+ July 2
23. Behringer Deepmind 12 - July 7
24. New Red & Blue Korg Electribes v2 - July 20
25. Yamaha FM Synth for iOS - July 21
26. Jomox Alpha Base - July 23
27. Korg Desktop Odysseys - August 28
28. Percussa Remote - August 29
29. KORG MicroKORG-S - August 31
30. Korg Volca Kick - August 31
31. KORG Odyssey Desktop Modules - August 31
32. Roland System-8 - September 3 and September 9
33. Roland TR-09 & TB-03 - September 3
34. Roland VP-03 - September 3
35. Synthstrom Audio Deluge - September 8
36. CMS 2607 - September 23
37. Dreadbox Murmox V2 - September 25
38. Arturia Drumbrute - October 7
39. Bastl Instruments Kastle - October 7
40. Korg Monologue - November 1
41. Full Size Korg Arp Odyssey Keboards - November 4
42. Cyclone Analogic TR-606 Clone - November 16
43. Tangible Waves AE Modular - November 16
44. Modal Electronics CRAFTSynth - November 18
45. Cyclone Analogic TT-78 - November 23
46. The White Schmidt Synthesizer - November 25
47. Plankton Electronics Ants! - December 9
48. Dreadbox NYX - December 15
49. Cyclone Analogic TT-303 MK2 - December 15

Note this is only 49 of the 112 items in the new synths in 2016 category. I'd recommend checking them all out.

What stood out for you in 2016? What are you looking forward to in 2017? Leave a comment or two below.

I want to end this with a humble thank you to everyone that makes this site what it is!

Thank you and Happy New Year!!!  On to 2017!

Grp Synthesizer A2 SN 035

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"This is a REAL analog semi-modular synthesizer. In true Grp fashion, all the knobs move so smooth, the switches have a real nice solid click, the sound of the oscillators are unbeatable, and the flexibility of this thing (without being fully modular) is just unmatched. This is the closest you'll get to a top-of-the-line, fully modular synthesizer set up, at a fraction of the cost. It's great."

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Superbooth 2017 - Sounds from Grp, FrapTools, Ginko, Behringer

Published on Apr 24, 2017 AudioCentralMagazine

"In a very few moments, with our gnarly camera, we have capture some sounds from Superbooth 2017 in Berlin. On this small video, sounds and noises from FrappTools spectral processor, Ginko Modular, Grp EuroRack Modules & A2 Synthesizer. Sadly, too little spare time to crawl into Superbooth..."

Synthesizers.com Composition Contest Videos

Use the player controls on bottom to skip around.
You can find descriptions for each video below. You can find additional Synthesizers.com contest posts here.

Playlist:

1. O Z Hall: Zebra Synth

Dive into the enthralling world of synthesizers and witness O Z Hall's outstanding entry, "Zebra Synth", in the Synthesizers.com Composition Contest. Crafted with unparalleled precision and technique, this remarkable composition combines an array of captivating sounds that will take you on a breathtaking sonic journey.

Hall masterfully utilizes three distinctive patches in "Zebra Synth" to create an immersive soundscape. The first patch features a drone made using a Q106A oscillator, which is meticulously processed by a wave folder. Another oscillator, intertwined with linear FM from the wavefolder output, results in a fascinating "clang tone" that is beautifully amplified by a digital reverb.

In the second patch, a sequenced voice is artfully produced by employing two re-paneled Q106 oscillators. One output is channeled into the input of the linear FM, which subsequently provides intriguing timbral variations. The Q119A sequencer's 3rd row masterfully controls a Ratchet effect, adding even further depth to the composition. An expertly-applied digital delay effect enriches the output of this patch.

Lastly, the lead voice is ingeniously designed using the Q169 Dual Oscillator with Pulse Width modulation. O Z Hall skillfully manipulates the 24db/oct low pass filter in real-time to deliver an electrifying performance. The extended digital delay effect ties the entire sonic experience together.
O Z Hall's "Zebra Synth" draws its arsenal of modular synthesis tools from the Synthesizers.com catalog, including Q106, Q106A, Q119A, Q171, Q148, Q127, Q169, Q168, Q167, Q114, Q174, and Q175A modules. The creative process has been meticulously executed, showcasing how these modules can be combined to engineer a rich and dynamic sound adventure.

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Grp R24 & A2

Published on Mar 13, 2018 Paolo Groppioni

GRP Synthesizer A2 Analog Semimodular Synth

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Superbooth Berlin 2019 studentsmusic personal view

Published on May 12, 2019 studentsmusic

"excerpts from many things i found interesting, strolling around and checking. also liked GRP Vocoder - together with A2 and Sequencer makes aperfect system! errata: motor synth is a synth, not a distortion device..reminds me to cahills telharmonium in a way (microversion of a historical beast) Overssen Behringer RD 909...also 'new'"

Grp Synthesizer A2 w/ Original Box

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"Stunning luxury synth from Italy. I absolutely love this thing. Selling to upgrade to an A4.

I’ve babied this on a rack in my private studio. Mint, no smoke, etc.

Ships with Reverb Protection in original box with power and rack ears."

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