Arturia Introduces the AstroLab - Avant-Garde Stage Keyboard

video upload by Arturia

Update: new user videos added below.

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Novation Circuit Tracks Pack by Techtronix

video uploads by Isotonik Studios

AVAILABLE HERE: https://isotonikstudios.com/product/k...

"Ever wanted a real sounding piano Patch on the Circuit tracks? Or maybe an acoustic guitar bass, that could pluck more if you hit it harder, and yet retain its low end autheticity. Keys brings an end to this search allowing you create realistic sounding acoustic music such as rnb and soul and a lot more. no more trying to work out a way to get a piano in your sample pool.

Using old synthesis techniques such as La Synthnesis, Freqency modulation, and slight wavetable manipulation, it is possible to create the slight nuances that make things resonate in an authentic way and play naturally on a keyboard or circuit Keys does this in order to bring you traditional sounding acoustic instruments.

Featuring a huge amount of authentic sounding instruments in the patches and crackle samples, aswell as chord samples. This pack makes it very easy to create your own version of an nostalgic track in any genre and add that flavour to sound.

With over 16 sessions boasting 9 different genres, Keys leaves no stone unturned transforming the circuit tracks in to something beyond what it was intented for. you will find many new techniques in the sessions such as shifting steps, swing, a new scale probability trick if you can find it!?!?

Velocity sensitivity is key here, please make sure to turn it on.

You will find that if you play softly on bass guitar, it is more subby, but if you play hard or programme in loud notes you will here the twang. similarly on all live instruments, velocity plays a big part.

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Anamnesis (4/4) - The Temple

video upload by Hélène Vogelsinge

Follow-up to Anamnesis (4/4) - The Lake

"Anamnesis (3/4)

The Temple ⛪

At the top of the village stands the church, one of the remnants that has been most spared by time. Built in the 11th century, it is made of heavy stones. Within these stones, centuries of history have accumulated.

Centuries of faith and hope; the sustenance of the pilgrim; those that propel forward but do not eliminate obstacles and do not offer a definitive abode.

Although devastated, the village is not part of the past,
and there are still a few lineages to bear witness to its
past existence.The descendants of the last farmer live
among the ruins, and we can still hear the sound of life
in the distance.

✨ 👁️ ✨ 👁️ ✨

Anamnesis is a 4-episode series which
immerses us in an ancestral story.
A story about a village and its inhabitants.
A story of resistance and its inescapable faith.

‘All ideas about the past, the present and the
future were shaped and made meaningful by
beliefs and expectations related to the End Times.

The final battle between good and evil and
the down of a new, divine order to death,
divine judgment and eternal afterlife’.

Sending you much Light
✨✨✨
🙏🙏🙏

« And now these three remain: faith, hope
and love. But the greatest of these is love. »

Always with 📷 Chalisk Pito

Notes :

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Keys - Novation Circuit Tracks Pack by Techtronix

video upload by Isotonik Studios

AVAILABLE HERE: https://isotonikstudios.com/product/k...

"Ever wanted a real sounding piano Patch on the Circuit tracks? Or maybe an acoustic guitar bass, that could pluck more if you hit it harder, and yet retain its low end autheticity. Keys brings an end to this search allowing you create realistic sounding acoustic music such as rnb and soul and a lot more. no more trying to work out a way to get a piano in your sample pool.

Using old synthesis techniques such as La Synthnesis, Freqency modulation, and slight wavetable manipulation, it is possible to create the slight nuances that make things resonate in an authentic way and play naturally on a keyboard or circuit Keys does this in order to bring you traditional sounding acoustic instruments.

Featuring a huge amount of authentic sounding instruments in the patches and crackle samples, aswell as chord samples. This pack makes it very easy to create your own version of an nostalgic track in any genre and add that flavour to sound.

With over 16 sessions boasting 9 different genres, Keys leaves no stone unturned transforming the circuit tracks in to something beyond what it was intented for. you will find many new techniques in the sessions such as shifting steps, swing, a new scale probability trick if you can find it!?!?

Velocity sensitivity is key here, please make sure to turn it on.

You will find that if you play softly on bass guitar, it is more subby, but if you play hard or programme in loud notes you will here the twang. similarly on all live instruments, velocity plays a big part.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Tiptop Audio Officially Releases ART Line of Eurorack Modules

via Tiptop Audio

"Today, we are celebrating the release of the first set of ART-equipped modules, marking the first time this technology is ready for purchase. We are starting with the release of the ATX1 Analog VCO, Vortex Digital OSC, Octopus USB/MIDI interface, ART V/OCT Quantizer, and Control Path dual analog envelopes plus VCA.

On our website, we have dedicated the ART landing page as the knowledge base HQ for ART. There, you will find plenty of educational videos, module video manuals, and uploaded video playlists of music filmed during beta testing. ART is simple to use and easy to understand, and with those videos, we made sure all aspects and potential misinformation have been addressed. Additionally, more information is in the process of being added in the coming days for both DIY enthusiasts and module makers on how to implement ART, including a free reference design that adds ART to Mutable Instruments Braids and Plaits.

The creative process of making music on a modular synthesizer is a unique tactile and aural experience. With ART modules, we are entering the territory of tunable instruments and polyphonic multi-timbral compositions but with the sound design power and immediate interface of a modular synthesizer. The initial release focuses on the mono VCOs that you can use to build voices quickly or combine for discrete polyphony. Very soon, we will extend the lineup with the fully polyphonic ART modules and the release of the Polytip patch cable."

Individual modules below. Systems:

Pictured Top: The Analog Bundle S1 $945 Save 33%

Middle: The Analog Bundle S2 $999 Save 33%

Bottom: Vortex 6, Octostages Poly Envelope, Octapass Poly Filter, Octagain


ART Demo Videos

ART Beta Testing recordings


ART Essentials


ART modules video manuals


Demo patches, tips for sound design

ATX1

A classic all analog saw VCO core with 3 switchable modes, ART, 1V/Oct, LFO and is recommended as the basic building block for ART systems. It is designed for patching analog polyphonic synths from discrete modules or multi-mono patches in ART mode. When using ART the ATX1 takes care of the tuning including accounting for temperature changes. In 1V/Oct mode the ATX1 runs as a standard old school modular VCO. LFO mode drops the frequency range and is great for patching vibrato to other ATX1s among other things. The ATX1 outputs variable waveshapes with manual or CV control. Classic FM, PWM and hard sync are provided. A dedicated Gate Out in ART mode manages the voice envelopes or any modulation synced to that voice. We consider the ATX1 the best sounding analog VCO we ever created.

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Baby Audio ATOMS -Unusual Physical Modelling Synth - Sonic LAB Review

video upload by sonicstate

"We take a look at the brand new Baby Audio ATOMS - a physical modeling synth based on the Mass-Spring concept.
At a basic level: The specific physical model has been turned into an instrument by Silvin Willemsen and Baby Audio. There are masses (usually balls) connected by springs (virtually of course). These are excited by a bowing action and so the masses move and the springs react.

In its simplest form these are sine waves, but with additional parameters thrown in the algorithm they become more complex.

Weird, yes and sonically pretty pleasing when process by the rest of the ATOMS voice architecture - namely, a filter and a reverberator.

What you'll find are atmospheric, organic and certainly unusual sounds that share a common ground. Its an early release, with a couple of missing things - MIDI mapping for instance, but these we suspect will soon be added.

Available now priced at $59 intro offer from https://babyaud.io/atoms"

Sound Examples - Atoms - Baby Audio

video upload by Baby Audio

"Atoms is a physical modeling synthesizer plugin by Baby Audio. In this video you'll hear sound examples of some of the plugin's 250 factory presets.

Get Atoms – Free Trial available: https://babyaud.io/atoms

00:00 Plucks
01:34 Keys
03:37 Pads
06:34 Pulsing
08:13 Leads
09:31 Bass
10:53 Atmospheres"



"Synthesis from the other side
Atoms is a new kind of synth plugin that uses cutting edge physical modeling to generate an endless variety of organic and otherworldly sounds. Use it to build rich and alive textures the world hasn’t heard before.

COMPLEX PHYSICS IN A SIMPLE PACKAGE
Physical modeling simulates the behavior of real life instruments. But Atoms takes you beyond what’s possible in the natural world. Its features are deep enough to explore the outer bounds of sound design, yet so simple that you can easily mangle, shape and create.

Atoms is powered by a simulation of interconnected masses and springs with tweakable properties and dimensions. The model is triggered by a virtual bowing action that excites the system and makes it vibrate to generate sound.

A LIVING ORGANISM
Nothing in the natural world is ever truly static. Physical modeling mimics this by generating sounds with the same organic fluctuations as acoustic instruments.

Atoms takes it even further. Its six main parameters can be automated with a selection of powerful motion options to add extra life. This lets you create soundscapes that are constantly shifting and re-generating, like a natural organism.

If you’re used to working with sample libraries, Atoms will bring a new level of otherworldly realism into your tracks.

PROGRAM NEW PATCHES WITH A CLICK
Atoms comes equipped with a powerful randomization engine. It’s a musically calibrated algorithm that selectively adjusts each parameter based on its relationship to the others, giving you usable patches with every roll of the dice.

You can narrow the algorithm further by limiting the random ranges for any knob or locking parameters from changing.

Finally, the Recycle button is a second randomizer that will create new patches similar to the current patch. Once you have a sound you like, click recycle to explore related options.

PHYSICALLY MODELED EFFECTS
The bottom panel gives you a range of creative effects to further sculpt your sound. You can also choose between four sonic profiles, each offering a different structure of the mass-spring network simulation.

With the exception of Space (reverb), all effects in the bottom panel are created inside the physical model itself. This gives you a range of unique modulation effects that are an inherent part of the physical model and sound more natural than any separate FX chain ever would."

The Crow Hill Company Announces Availability of SMALL STRING GESTURES

The best string sound I have ever heard!! video upload by The Crow Hill Company

Press release follows:

TCHC announces availability of SMALL STRING GESTURES as toolkit to dial up musical personality with intimate interpretative band behind each key

EDINBURGH, UK: having ‘softly’ set out its software stall late last year with a low-key launch of STRING MURMURATIONS that saw decades of award-winning experience in the music tech sector and at the composing coalface distilled into an easy- to-use, intuitive, and comprehensive sample-based virtual instrument plug-in and GUI (Graphical User Interface) introducing the cutting-edge concept of Gestures (whereby an orchestra interpreting its user’s composition and making it into music and art lies behind every key played), music-making community tools-maker The Crow Hill Company is proud to announce availability of SMALL STRING GESTURES as the latest incarnation of that concept — creating a set of tools where individual instruments and the playing style, strengths, and frailties of the intimate interpretative (3, 3, 3, 3) band behind each key are available for the user to dial up the personality of their composition, created from a collection of master recordings that have been mixed and edited into a sample-based virtual instrument plug-in with a GUI and preset browser that are as easy on the eye as they are in use — as of January 26…

An armada of strings can create awe — an epic tidal wave of human emotion, of scale, of wonder. While STRING MURMURATIONS makes it easy and intuitive to make music that sounds human thanks to three distinct palettes of expressions, each designed to feel like the user is collaborating with an orchestra of real musicians, creating endless harmonic possibilities that inspire from the moment a key is touched, sometimes music-makers need it to be intimate, truthful, personal, human — hence The Crow Hill Company creating SMALL STRING GESTURES as a set of tools where individual instruments and the playing style, strengths, and frailties of the instrumentalists involved are available for the user to dial up the personality of their composition. Cue humanity, in other words.

With this in mind, The Crow Hill Company specifically selected a 3, 3, 3, 3 — three Violin 1, three Violin 2, three Violas, and three Cellos — band size that ensured its sampling style brought every individual within that ensemble into beautifully detailed and intimate focus for SMALL STRING GESTURES. This toolset is provided with a different lens and aperture to play through.

The Crow Hill Company collectively likes to keep things moving, so while this latest incarnation of its Gestures concept is very much related to one of those distinct palettes of expression available in STRING MURMURATIONS, it is worth highlighting hysteresis — dictionary-defined as the phenomenon in which the value of a physical property lags behind changes in the effect causing it, such as when magnetic induction lags behind the magnetising force, for instance — in relation to SMALL STRING GESTURES. Getting in on the act of creating sample libraries involves always asking the instrumentalists involved to perform musical material that is incredibly easy to play in order for the end result to always be ‘together’. That is fine for programming or composing simple stuff since that would sound true to real life, but it becomes harder, however, for players to remain totally locked to each other’s tuning or timekeeping when playing more difficult passages. Pure sound becomes more problematic as a result — reduced fundamental meaning more character, which is why a lot of sample-based music used in films, games, and TV sounds ‘characterless’. Clearly the samples involved therein lack hysteresis as they were easy to play, yet playing something difficult with them does not sound natural, real, or human. Indeed, it is fair to say that what makes musicians ‘hysterical’ is speed — faster playing means looser playing that is less in time and also less in tune; reach — the wider the gap between the notes, the further they have to reach, resulting in less perfectly in tune playing; and pitch — the higher a player plays, the harder it becomes as it involves more intense accuracy from string players performing on fretless instruments.

It is for this reason that The Crow Hill Company decided to get its players to perform the hard stuff — not compositions, but mere fragments, which is why anyone working with SMALL STRING GESTURES will not feel like they are playing phrases; instead it is rather like having a string band under their fingertips. For Gestures are the very real sound of reach and performance. But by not giving the musicians behind SMALL STRING GESTURES simple stuff to play prevented them from getting bored. Better still, SMALL STRING GESTURES users are accessing the sound that musicians make when they are smiling... hysterically!

It is also fair to say, therefore, that the effect of hysteresis on a large string section — including that which was involved in the creation of STRING MURMURATIONS, for instance — is a silky, blurry sound. An audible example of this might be the fast string runs in John Williams’ ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone — ditto the closing bars of ‘Mars, the Bringer of War’ from Holst’s The Planets suite. Saying that, though, there are times when music-makers do not need awe, epic, and huge scale in pursuit of their compositional craft, but instead seek something more intimate, more personal, more human. The theory that led to SMALL STRING GESTURES revolved around if The Crow Hill Company could get a string band small enough then the impact of hysteresis would not be a musical blurring, but rather an exposure of each player involved in its creation — their own style of bowing and vibrato, their own fragilities to help the user’s audience connect more with the human nature of their music.

Making that happen meant designing SMALL STRING GESTURES to make its users approach composing and making music from a totally new angle, one where it feels like there are musicians at their fingertips — not samples. SMALL STRING GESTURES is a collection of master recordings — made by world-class producers and engineers at Glasgow’s Clockwork Studios, a new custom-designed scoring stage for the UK comprising of a large hall for full orchestra (up to 80 players) with a balanced and focused sound ideal for modern orchestral recording, as well as a smaller dry space in Studio B (up to 15 players), with the world-class Scottish Session Orchestra playing some of the finest instruments through the finest microphones and mic pre-amps — that have been mixed and edited into a sample-based virtual instrument plug-in with a GUI and a preset browser that are as easy on the eye as they are in use. Ultimately, it works within anyone’s favourite DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with 25 presets — presented as six Gestures, four Longs, 10 Presets, and five Bonus — and additional hand-crafted Selects designed by The Crow Hill Company team. There are three mix-ready stereo signals — namely, CLOSE, WIDE, and AMBIENT, as well as unique REVERB controls and a granular effects processor.

Duly designed by professional composers with the sonic connoisseur in mind, The Crow Hill Company’s collective conclusion certainly rings true, stating, “We’re a small team and have worked hard to make everything as intuitive as possible.” Put it this way: with SMALL STRING GESTURES it is perfectly possible to make music that sounds intimate, truthful, personal, human! Hysteresis, of course, comes into play here, albeit with the desired effect — exposure of each player involved in its creation.

Clearly, then, big messages come in small packages when it comes to working with the diminutive-sized SMALL STRING GESTURES as another easy-to-use and intuitive virtual instrument plug-in from The Crow Hill Company, one which is also easy on the wallet for those wishing to step into this new world of gesture-based sampling.


SMALL STRING GESTURES is available to purchase — as an AAX-, AU-, VST-, and VST3-format-compatible sample-based virtual instrument plug-in comprising 8 GB of uncompressed material (compressed losslessly to 4.4 GB) that loads directly into a DAW — for £49.00 GBP (including VAT) directly from The Crow Hill Company here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/small-string-gestures

SMALL STRING GESTURES is available for free until February 29, 2024 when purchasing STRING MURMURATIONS for £199.00 GBP (including VAT) directly from The Crow Hill Company here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/string-murmurations/ (Note that SMALL STRING GESTURES is also available for free to existing owners of STRING MURMURATIONS until February 29, 2024.)

Watch The Crow Hill Company founder and composer Christian Henson’s must-see SMALL STRING GESTURES walkthrough video here: [video up top]

Free sounds for all are available by simply signing up to become a Crow Hill member here: https://thecrowhillcompany.com/join-crow-hill/

---
Video side note: Analogue Solutions Colossus in the background.

Bastl Instruments Introduces Neo Trinity Compact 6-channel Modulation Eurorack Module

video upload by

Press release follows:

We are thrilled to introduce our newest Eurorack module, Neo Trinity. It is a compact 6-channel modulation hub that combines knob and trigger recording, LFOs, CVs, and envelope generators. This module is a spiritual successor to our renowned hex modulation superhero, CV Trinity (released in 2016). Neo Trinity is designed with performance in mind, offering great musical complexity achievable with simple gestures. With Neo Trinity, building compact systems finally makes sense.

Ultimate automatable modulation hub

Each of the Neo Trinity ́s 6 channels can be either LFO, envelope generator, or a CV knob recorder, while their main parameter can be automated with the REC button.

Each channel also features a recordable trigger generator with an algorithmic fill feature to get the inspiration started or to make things polymetric and keep your patches ever-changing. Use the SHIFT button to change modulation shapes and sync selected or all channels to an internal or external clock.

Since Neo Trinity has been designed with performance in mind, it includes channel mutes and allows storing whole presets as banks.

Easy to control with complex possibilities

While the core mechanics of the module are very straightforward, the inclusion of assignable CV inputs exponentially increases the complexity of the module’s behavior. Control some or all channels in different ways with the META IN and utilize channels’ E and F dedicated inputs. The inputs can control the main parameter in a positive or inverted way, control the output amplitude, and act as an external trigger or a trigger for the internal Sample & Hold function. The CV knob recorder mode also acts as a quantizer, and when combined with the CV inputs, it turns into a handy voltage processor.

Neo Trinity will be released on January 11, 2024, 7pm CET, priced at €290 excluding VAT. Available from the Bastl Store and our retailers.

---

Check with the dealers on the right for availability.

Access Virus Ti - "Meditation" Soundset (55 Presets)

video upload by LFOstore

"There are things that do not lose value over the years - gold, platinum, true feelings and the Virus Ti! This synthesizer remains the best virtual analogue device on the market, despite the fact that its release took place more than 15 years ago. For Otto K. Schwarz, this synthesizer has a fateful significance - his career as a sound designer began in 2011, when he started to collaborate with Access Music regarding creating new presets for Virus Ti.

We decided to create a soundbank for your intention to compose harmonizing music, in which imitation of living ethnic instruments, soft and gentle pads, fantastic arpeggios, bright analog leads and even the effects of nature and the environment will be organically intertwined! This soundset is suitable for both studio work and live performances and could be easily added to your synth in a minute using the Total Integration software.

We are happy to share our more than 15+ years of experience with this device. You will receive presets in which every detail is perfected. Each preset is carefully prepared, with modwheel assigned, as well as 3 modulation knobs to customize sounds deeply to the needs of your musical works. Be prepared to the next-level presets!"

https://lfo.store/

Bastl Introduces Neo Trinity - 6-Channel Compact Modulation Hub

video uploads by Bastl Instruments

"Neo Trinity is a 6-channel compact modulation hub with great musical complexity achievable with simple gestures. Each of the 6 channels can be either LFO, envelope generator, or a CV knob recorder, while their main parameter can be automated with the REC button.

Each channel also features a recordable trigger generator with an algorithmic fill feature to get the inspiration started or to make things polymetric and keep your patches ever-changing. Use the SHIFT button to change modulation shapes and sync selected or all channels to an internal or external clock.

Neo Trinity has been designed with performance in mind, so it includes channel mutes and allows storing whole presets as banks.

While the core mechanics of the module are very straightforward, the inclusion of assignable CV inputs exponentially increases the complexity of the module’s behavior. Control some or all channels in different ways with the META IN and utilize channels’ E and F dedicated inputs. The inputs can control the main parameter in a positive or inverted way, control the output amplitude, and act as an external trigger or a trigger for the internal Sample & Hold function. The CV knob recorder mode also acts as a quantizer, and when combined with the CV inputs, it turns into a handy voltage processor."


See the dealers on the right for availability.

User videos:

Bastl Neo Trinity - A Modulation Mastermind?

video upload by Oscillator Sink

"Neo Trinity from Bastl is a module for generating control Voltage - which is the most generic description of a module I've ever made, but that's because it's a very flexible module which makes it hard to describe in a single sentence. It caters to your envelope, LFO, offset generation needs, but that's mixed in with a very “jammable” approach to sequencing and automation, that welcomes rapid iteration on a performance.

In this video my plan is to introduce Neo Trinity to you from an architectural standpoint, then try to give you a feel for its workflow by building up a patch through a few layers of complexity, while mixing in a few extra examples of patches I've been playing with as I've been exploring it.

Transparency notice: this video is sponsored by Bastl - thanks to them for supporting the channel.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:07 Overview of Architecture
03:15 Building A Patch Part 1 - Basic Monosynth Modulation
03:48 BAP pt. 1 - Setting up an envelope
06:18 BAP pt. 1 - Using "Meta" to trigger the envelope
07:37 BAP pt. 1 - Setting up a second envelope (copy + paste)
08:50 BAP pt. 1 - Adding a "hold" section to the envelope
10:05 BAP pt. 1 - Adding a scalable LFO for PWM
13:31 Minipatch - Evolving Drone LFOs
16:09 Minipatch - Self-playing VCO
19:27 Building a Patch Pt2. Sequencing and automation
19:54 BAP pt. 2 - Trigger Automation
20:59 BAP pt. 2 - Rate Automation
21:34 BAP pt. 2 - Automation Length (polymeter)
22:17 BAP pt. 2 - Pitch Sequencing (and Quantization)
26:01 Minipatch - Auto Chord Generator
28:13 Minipatch - Audio Processor
31:40 Build A Patch Part 3 - Algorithmic Beats"

Bastl Neo Trinity : Tutorial & Walkthrough

video upload by soffter

00:00 - intro
2:42 - module overview

MODES
17:49 - lfo mode
26:26 - lfo wigglin’
27:00 - Envelope Mode
38:25 - CV Mode
48:55 - Meta Mode

PATCHES
1:02:00 - Patches #1 (total chaos)
1:07:22 - Patches #2 (keyboard fun)
1:14:35 - Patches #3 (audio reactive)
1:21:07 - outro feat Mr Mako

What is The Vanilla Synthesizer? It's Ready, That's What

via the STG Soundlabs/muSonics Electronic Newsletter:

Is it The Vanilla Synthesizer or the muSonics TVS?

I started working on this project a year and a half ago.

Originally my thought process was to make a new American format synthesiser that could be sold as modules, kits, and bare boards. I was concerned about the future of the format, and I felt a new line of basic modules and infrastructure at a variety of price points was important. I still do.

STG Soundlabs was a failure because I made things that ultimately the eurorack market simply did not want. Yes, I sold some, and will continue to maintain the line as best as I can, but it's very hard to find photos of eurorack installations with STG Soundlabs modules in them, but rare to find a nice big man-sized synthesiser without my modules in it.

Another thing I wanted to do was teach myself how to do my own engineering. It didn't start that way, but it became that way. I'd been a hardware product developer since 2005 but never actually laid out a circuit board. That is no longer true, and I've done things beyond this project that I haven't even talked about.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Threetom Doppio is now officially available! 🥳

video upload by Threetom Modular

Threetom Modular DOPPIO / clean amp, dirty drive and useful limiter / brief demo / first patches

video upload by BRiES

"DOPPIO by Threetom Modular is a stereo (or two channel) saturator/soft clipper that was designed to bring all the dirt where you want it but remain clean where you need it. You can use it to add huge amounts of noisefree gain to weak signals or to make a clean sound more saturated by using a selectable soft clipping circuit. The most useful feature and the one I will probably use most of the time is the soft clipping 'limit' setting, which gives the user the ability to set a safe master volume and bring in some saturation.

This video is not an extensive playthrough but rather a quick rundown of the features of this brand new Threetom Modular creation. There's a few patch examples in this video but I'm sure I'll make more uploads using DOPPIO when I run into things that benefit from a fresh caffeine shot. I'm confident this will be a great boost to my drumsection (pun intented)."

Doppio eurorack module demo w/ MS-22 & Mixing Flask

video upload by Stazma

"Today is about a new module by Threetom Modular, a dual pre-amplifier called Doppio, meant to bring the caffeine to your rack. I'll also use this occasion to show youa little bit about his main module, the MS-22 filter, but also about a nice utility mixer he has in the work, the Mixing Flask."

00:00 Intro
01:22 Doppio on eurorack level signals
08:45 Doppio on a drum machine w/ System80 880
11:09 Doppio as pre-amp for line level instruments w/ Roland JX3P
14:33 End talk

Playdate and Teenage Engineering TX-6

video upload by Luca Longobardi

"It's strange, isn't it?' the woman said in a pensive voice. 'Everything is blowing up around us, but there are still those who care about a broken lock, and others who are dutiful enough to try to fix it... But maybe that's the way it should be. Maybe working on the little things as dutifully and honestly as we can is how we stay sane when the world is falling apart.
(Haruki Murakami, Men without Women)

What I particularly love about these little instruments that I use to make music and that I show here is the feeling of being able to contain my world in the palm of my hand. And I consider this a superpower.

About this setup:
Playdate App Granular plays 5 different granular versions of a sample recorded with my piano through its on board mic, TX-6 plays sine waves (I muted/unmuted them live) and add its reverb magic."

picoTracker - 8 tracks of audio and MIDI for under $50.

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

"picoTracker (https://github.com/democloid/picoTracker) is a new, lightweight 8 voice audio and midi tracker. Intro by @avrilcadabra ! (https://instagram.com/avrilcadabra , https://avrilcadabra.bandcamp.com) Table of contents:

00:00 intro tune
01:00 hi
01:38 unboxing
02:12 building
05:21 hardware overview
06:11 tutorial: creating a song and transfering samples
06:49 navigating the editors, key functions
07:23 song screen
07:38 chain screen
07:50 phrase screen
08:00 instrument screen, selecting samples
08:24 adding notes to a phrase
08:54 adding a second instrument
09:17 changing the instrument of a note
09:32 adding another instrument...
10:00 adjusting song tempo
10:35 important things to consider!
11:06 adding a bass track
12:19 listening to both tracks
12:34 creating a progression
13:23 using midi instruments (short demo)
15:26 verdict - a powerful box for small money, but ...
16:17 support the developers, please
16:25 conclusion

Resources:
picoTracker development story https://democloid.com/2023/04/20/pico...

HÄLP ZIS CHANNEL
https://www.patreon.com/floyd_steinberg
https://floydsteinberg.gumroad.com/
https://floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/"

UVI Introduces HX-20 - Iconic Semi-Modular Soft Synth Based on the KORG MS-20

video uploads by UVI

Playlist:
UVI HX-20 | Trailer
UVI HX-20 | Preset Showcase
UVI HX-20 - Overview

"Introducing the new 'HX' series, HX-20 provides a powerful hybrid architecture combining 3 hardware-based wavetable and sample oscillators with physically-modeled filters to deliver a versatile and creative re-imagining of an esteemed classic."

via UVI

HX-20 is based on one of the most recognizable and well-loved analog monosynths around, known for its versatile semi-modular architecture, iconic front panel design, and starred musical history. Launched in the late '70s, this small two-oscillator monosynth has a lot to offer, and continues to be an inspirational studio compadre for artists around the world.

More Than The Sum
The success of this synth wasn't due to any single design consideration, instead it benefits from its combination of great features, fantastic sound, and compelling value. From the rich analog oscillators to its versatile filter section, to being both semi-modular - capable of integrating with external inputs and larger systems, to being relatively light and portable, there is simply a lot to love.

More Than The Sum
The success of this synth wasn't due to any single design consideration, instead it benefits from its combination of great features, fantastic sound, and compelling value. From the rich analog oscillators to its versatile filter section, to being both semi-modular - capable of integrating with external inputs and larger systems, to being relatively light and portable, there is simply a lot to love.

A Dynamic Duo
HX-20 is the debut release of UVI's new HX Series - leveraging our deep history in hardware sampling and physical modeling to create flexible, modern instruments with an unmistakable hardware soul, thanks in part to a novel hybrid approach combining hardware samples and wavetables, with physically-modeled filters. With its own unique hybrid sensibilities, we thought this was the perfect instrument to kick things off with.

Hybrid-X Engine
HX-20 is similar to many of our vintage instruments in that you get a deep sampling of the hardware, but it excels in two important ways; the addition of two new layers of hardware-based wavetables, and physically-modeled filters - giving you three sample layers in total to configure, all with the analog charm you know and love. Like our chosen hardware, this unique combination of features creates a powerful and compelling sonic tool with incredible character.

Hardware Sound, Exemplified
The new sample-based wavetable oscillators in HX-20 give you entirely new dimensions with which to explore. Capturing the hardware in its full range, you have greater flexibility and nuance over the raw instrument sound than ever before. The best part, you still get our top-tier sample layers, with hand-crafted sounds lovingly designed here at UVI.

You can find additional details at https://www.uvi.net/hx-20

Who becomes silverware first? - 10 minute LFO filter sweep and semi-generative Eurorack jam

video upload by thesrabbit

"This sonic experiment was inspired by the Dreadbox Erebus LFO having a whopping 10-minute long cycle time. Therefore, I thought it might be fun to run that LFO into every single filter I have with a CV input, including big analog polys with a VCF control input on the back intended for expression pedals. The honorary VCFs include: 2x Roland System-500 521, G-Storm Electro SH-2 and SH-5, Dreadbox Erebus, Oberheim OB-X8 (OB-X SEM LP mode), Sequential/Oberheim OB-6, Roland Juno-6.

Interestingly the filters on the big polys don't open all the way. I assume this has something to do with the inputs being calibrated for expression pedals rather than Eurorack CV. According to my oscilloscope, the Erebus LFO range is -5v and +5v. This is pretty typical for Eurorack. I set the cutoff at about 50% for all the filter modules. This seemed to work perfectly. But I was not able to do that with the polys. With the cutoff at 50%, the filters would open up all the way, but they wouldn't close nearly enough. I had to bring the cutoff completely down, and as a result, the filters on the polys wouldn't open up all the way. I did alternate takes where I walked around and tried to smoothly nudge each one up in order to get the filters fully open, but that was a disaster. In retrospect, I could have set up a one-shot MIDI LFO to do this and triggered it once at the right moment, but I already had enough things to worry about.

One of my audio interfaces is dead or dying, and it keeps ruining takes and sometimes crashes Logic. I finally turned it off and went with my lone Focusrite Scarlett 8i6, which has always been solid. But now I had an extra synth without an input and I wanted to have the polys on their own tracks so that I could blend them in with the Eurorack stuff to taste. And there's no possible way I could overdub since the whole point is to have one LFO sweeping all of the filters at the same time. I ended up resorting to an old 1989 JVC cassette deck to record the OB-6. So that shot at the opening of the video is legit. There's such a big wall of sound here that it's impossible to tell if it ended up adding any saturation. It definitely added some hiss and crackles but that's fine in this context. The cassette itself is ancient, cheap consumer grade, 60 minutes per side. I ended up recording over some 90's black metal that had been there since, well, the 90's.

To add to the grit and grime, I intentionally ran the filters from the Eurorack straight into the audio interface, bypassing the typical flow through VCAs. Ok, fine, I totally forgot about the VCAs, but it sounded extra dirty, so I didn't stress out too much. I certainly wasn't going to power everything back on, tune everything up and do another take because of it.

Obviously when the filters are closed or nearly closed for several minutes, there needs to be something to fill that gap. That's where the generative stuff comes in. There's 3 different sample and hold circuits feeding different things, including back into themselves in one case. Some voltage is running through different logic gates in conjunction with other, steady LFOs. Since I'm out of filters, the sound consists of pink noise through a VCA, triggered at random by a very short decay envelope. This runs into a recovery tape delay module, that gives sort of a slapback effect.Then there's a single oscillator, pitch controlled by another S/H circuit run through a quantizer and then running into the spring reverb tank. It's also triggered by the same random voltages triggering the noise hits. Then there's the Mutable Instruments Plaits, making the plinky plonky sounds, again everything triggered at random. It's running into the majestic Calsynth Typhoon.

The last thing to note is that the Erebus LFO also acts like an automated fader to increase and decrease the level of the VCA where all the rhythmic sounds are running through. I simply inverted the signal of the LFO output to do this. As the filters open up, the VCA level diminishes. When the filters fully close, the VCA level increases to maximum.

Last last thing. That knob twisting near the beginning isn't for sci-fi FX, though that's an added bonus. I was simply trying to get the LFO back to its "starting position." I didn't quite succeed. I don't believe the Erebus has any sort of LFO triggering mechanism to help with this. All good though.

FX: Audiothingies DoctorA delay and reverb, Boss DM-101 delay

No post processing other than a 30Hz low cut and slight limiting on the master"

Polivoks FAEMI-M Soviet Vintage Analog Polyphonic Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Universal Audio

via this auction

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Update: The listing has the FAEMI-M as being from 1968. It seemed a little early to me so I checked my copy of Peter Forest's The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers. It's listed but without a production date. Right before the entry for the FAEMI-M is the FAEMI children's keyboard which was released in 1972. I then checked http://www.ruskeys.net, but no date is given either. Previous posts refer to the FAEMI-M being from the 1970s. Sound on Sound's article on the Polivoks mentions the FAEMI-M but w/o a date. If anyone defininitively knows, feel free to leave a comment. A couple of interesting comments from that Sound on Sound article:

"The Polivoks is a duophonic synthesizer designed by Vladimir Kuzmin, an electronics engineer who had been the bass player and sound engineer in his student band. Having graduated in 1976, he was inspired to apply for work at the Urals Vector Company by the inventor of the FAEMI, the first commercially successful Russian electronic keyboard. That man was Vladimir Lugovetz, the Director of the bureau that controlled development of electronic instruments at the Vector company, and the father of Kuzmin's future wife."

Followed by "Interviewed by Polish synthesizer enthusiast and supplier Maciej Polak, in 2003, Kuzmin explained: "My first task was to design the spring reverberator, but I also tried to improve the design of FAEMI‑M in order to obtain some modern effects such as portamento and filtering."

Auction details:

"So, the good news: All four oscillator generators are working; I have cleaned the potentiometers, and only one couldn't be fixed, and just one is slightly crackling on movement. I replaced the output jacks with the standard 1/4" jack.

Things I couldn't fix: The vibrato section is not working. Several keys are not working at all, and some of them work when pressed harder.

The external original power supply is unusual – it is combined with the scale pedal in one housing. The pedal works, but it also has a slight crackle on movement.

To see and understand the objective condition, I recorded a video. Please watch below, where I aim to show the specific condition of the device. Despite the problems, it is still alive, and I believe you can either repair, sample, or simply enjoy the time with such an old and unusual synthesizer, even in its current state. Of course, due to these reasons, I have also objectively reduced the price.

The package is fully loaded: synthesizer, original power supply/volume pedal, original 5-Din cable to connect the pedal to the synth, power cable for the power supply, original wooden hard case

Here is some official spoecifications:

Specifications:

Keyboard volume - 4 octaves.

Full sound range (all the registers are switched on) - from F in the controctave to E in the fifth octave.

Output voltage at the load of 100 kOhm - not less than 0.1 V.

Power supply:
-from an external DC source - 12 V +10\-20 %;

Power consumption from AC mains - not more than 15 W.

Current consumed from the battery of dry elements - 350 mA.

Overall dimensions - 610*280*110 mm.

Weight - not more than 10 kg."

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Analogue Solutions Ample Synthesizer Now Available

Analogue Solutions Ample Synthesizer -- All Sounds Ample video upload by rezfilter

"Here's a little retro track I put together using only the Ample synth from Analogue Solutions. All parts were sequenced or played live from the Ample, utilizing the onboard Patternator sequencer throughout.

Ample begs to be touched, sequenced, pinned, and played. It's a culmination of all great things from AS."

Check with the dealers on the right for availability. Press release follows.

Analogue Solutions announces availability of Ample as ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER blending best of past and present products

SHATTERFORD, UK: after a successful soft-launch at SynthFest 2023 in Sheffield, UK on October 7, British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions is proud to announce availability of Ample to a wider audience as a desktop-friendly ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER — beautifully blending the best elements of several of its past and present products to form a truly analogue modular system skilfully presented as a precision- engineered electronic musical instrument in a spacious (550mm x 262mm x 83mm) steel and aluminium case that also embraces ergonomic features such as VESA mount compliance, should desktop space be at a premium, all of which adds up to being a perfect fit for its appropriate appellation — as of November 29…

Ample adheres to Analogue Solutions’ tried-and-tested no-compromise construction formula, featuring a full rugged steel and aluminium case — no plastic mouldings here; high-quality metal potentiometers with smooth action, fully sealed against dust intrusion; high-quality knobs with spun aluminium caps; high-quality double-sided circuit boards; high-quality 16-bit DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Convertor) for stable MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to CV (Control Voltage) conversion; stable analogue oscillators; gold-plated touch plates; plus true retro analogue voice and modulation circuits to give an authentic retro sound. Since Analogue Solutions’ innovative instruments are applauded for proudly possessing a truly vintage sound — synthesisers featuring fully-analogue audio paths with analogue LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and EGs (Envelope Generators), in other words, Ample is in good company as an ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER.

But by beautifully blending the best elements of several past and present products — namely, the sound elements of Fusebox fabricated originally as an aptly-named, three-VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) true analogue monophonic synthesiser that favourably fuses the company’s characterful vintage sound with an advanced choice of modulation and melodic possibilities in a beautifully-built box; the jack points introduced in the long-discontinued line of Concussor modular synth drum modules (themselves dating back to the time when Analogue Solutions was the third company to start producing Eurorack format-compatible modules, magical as that might sound in today’s ever-expanding era of thousands of Eurorack modules being produced by hundreds — if not thousands — of developers, both bigger and smaller); the patch pin matrix introduced in the long-lasting Vostok semi-modular synthesiser series (that knowingly nodded and winked at its Russian ‘roots’ from a visual standpoint); the lo-fi echo featured in Dr Strangelove as a small and affordable desktop signal processor (that ushered in Analogue Solutions’ so-called synthBlocks series); and last, but by no means least, the sequencer and CV touch plates introduced in Generator as a highly-versatile multi-channel analogue step sequencer — to form a truly analogue modular system skilfully presented as a precision-engineered electronic musical instrument is what really makes Ample stand out amongst Analogue Solutions’ present-day products.

Put it this way: while Ample shares all of those features from some of Analogue Solutions’ ‘greatest hits’, it still has a sound of its own thanks to the circuits on offer: OSCILLATING is handled by three analogue VCOs (Voltage-Controlled Oscillators), each providing a wealth of features and modulation choices, with the VCO3/LFO 1 legend visually highlighting that the third oscillator can easily be utilised as an LFO (with saw, square, and triangle wave modulation signals), while LFO2/SYNC has a triangle wave output to total two LFOs; the LP VCF (Voltage-Controlled Filter) section is anchored around a four-pole 24dB-per-octave low-pass filter; the VCA (Voltage-Controlled Amplifier) can be set to THRU so it is always ‘open’ (allowing Ample to be used as an effect processor); the two envelope generators — EG 1 and EG 2 — each offer full control over ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN, and RELEASE; extensive modulation routing choices allow for a wide range of resultant sounds extending into percussion and ‘modular’ territory, further extended by patching with the jack sockets and pin matrix; MIDI is intentionally kept simple so users can concentrate on creating new sounds and making music, with all- important control over filter cutoff available via MIDI Velocity; patchable CV control sockets allow the synth in question to effectively be rewired to make new sounds, as well as easily patched together with external Eurorack and other modular systems; the PATTERNATOR is a vintage-style 16-step sequencer; the six touch plates each output a set voltage, so can be used to pitch notes or as modulation signals — either way, they are truly inspirational in action; the pin matrix represents a neat (and flexible) way to patch the synth; and the ECHO section provides easy access to adding a little lo-fi echo or delay.

Audio applications abound when working with Ample as a synthesiser — excelling at analogue sound effects, as well as fat basses, screaming leads, and all manner of other crazy sounds associated with analogue synthesis; an effect processor — perfect for feeding external sounds through the onboard analogue filter and ECHO sections via external audio inputs; a drum synthesiser — suited to producing electronic percussion, including cymbal, hi-hat, kick, and snare sounds; and as a modular synthesiser — partially pre-patched, but with such a wide range of modulation routing possibilities that it is almost as versatile as a full-blown modular system, and capable of producing the same types of sounds but dispensing with telephone exchange-like cabling confusion in favour of making space-saving connections with removable coloured pins, yet still providing a flexible selection of patch sockets so it can quickly be re-patched into itself or to/from external Eurorack and other modular systems.

It is also worth noting in conclusion that while Ample can be used with an external MIDI keyboard or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), or an external CV keyboard or analogue sequencer, it is equally at home being worked with on its own using its internal step sequencer or pitch played via its six-touch plate ‘keyboard’. Whatever way anyone chooses to work with Ample, it could conceivably be argued that it is the best desktop synth of all — Analogue Solutions-wise or otherwise!

Limited quantities of Ample are already available to purchase directly from Analogue Solutions for £1,999.00 GBP (excluding tax/VAT) via its dedicated webpage (https://www.analoguesolutions.com/ample) while stock will soon be arriving at selected dealers (https://www.analoguesolutions.com/dealers).

Check with dealers on the right for availability.

Luminous Trilogy & A CATALOGUE OF FM MATERIALS by Element433 ( a.k.a. Pere Villez)

via Element433 (Pere Villez)

"When I made the popular YouTube series 'FM Catalogue of Materials', many viewers commented that they would love to see some more of the 'music tech as cinema' style created in the videos.

My new project 'Luminous Trilogy' release, does exactly that. In part 1 'WTD', synths and synth technical diagrams, together with Pure Data/Max patches, become casual parts of the film's environment, which is set in an alt near future. Part 1 was realised with analogue modular, whereas Part 2 "Breath" was scored using binaural audio, VCV rack and live Indian tablas. Part 3 'Contrails' uses physical models, Samplicity's Berlin Studios and vintage FM hardware."

Update: Element433 has made the VCV patch and assets used in the film "Breath" below a free download. You can find instructions on downloading the patch and setting it up here: http://tinyurl.com/e433WpBrvcv.

Luminous Trilogy

video uploads by Element433 ( a.k.a. Pere Villez)

"Three music shorts around the theme of light, from incandescent urban folklore set in the near future, electric neon glowing medussae to impossible skies, all to the sound of dark ambient and techno-world music"

Playlist:

Walking The Dulzaina - Luminous Trilogy - Part 1

Walking The Dulzaina is an edited one-shot music film which details the manic walkthrough time-lapse of an imaginary synthesised dulzaina (Spanish folkloric instrument) being taken for a walk through the "Las Vegas" like dressed streets of a small village festive celebration set somewhere in the near future.

The visuals are nods to the Bladerunner, Lynch, Weirdcore and Kubrick where the glow of transparent neon CRTs, display technical diagrams with a music technology theme. Some suddenly slide up from the ground, while others cross from one side of the street to another.

The music is inspired by minimalism, industrial techno synth-folk where Steve Reich and Techno meet Raymond Scott and 1960's BBC radiophonic.

Musical Equipment Detail:

Intro: Moog Subharmonicon through Fairfield Randy's Revenge ring modular - into two crunchy Elby Systems stereo valve preamps and out into a stereo pair of Doepfer A-199 spring tanks).

Dulzainas: Buchla Easel Command sometimes untreated and sometimes solo through a J.H. 'Son of a Storm Tide' stereo analogue studio flanger (built by Van Daal Electronics (second dulzainas and very low transition whoooses). Buchla and Subharmonicon sync locked and clock divided by Ornaments and Crime clock divider.

Final wormhole sequence: Subharmonicon through stereo A-199 Doepfer spring reverbs and Paulstretched.

This work is not sponsored by any the manufacturers mentioned. They are personally purchased pieces of equipment.

Album:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ele...

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AUM Keyboard Zones Quick How-To

video upload by boxoftextures

"A quick how-to on how to set up keyboard zones in AUM on the iPad. I connected a CME Xkey Air keyboard to AUM, then added three instruments—bass, piano (with far too much reverb LOL), and “guitar.”

To set up the zones you need to go to the MIDI input settings for each channel and specify the note ranges. After that you can play from the bottom of the keyboard, and as you move upwards you go from bass to piano to guitar. Or you could overlap the ranges, or layer them, or any number of other things depending on what you’re trying to accomplish."