Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH! - A Look Back at 2014

Happy New Year everyone!

I want to start by thanking everyone that comes to MATRIXSYNTH and helps make it what it is - the readers, the supporters, and of course all the sponsors on the right.

THANK YOU and have a GREAT 2015!!!

This site is a labor of love and a ton of work. This site is ultimately meant to be an testament to everything synth in the making. We have over nine years of daily synth history captured here, 119,983 published posts. I can't wait to see what the future brings us in 2015!

That said, here are a few interesting bits from 2014 in the longest post of the year. ;)

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MATRIXSYNTH Swag & Hall of Fame!!!

MATRISYNTH Ts are $20 in the US and $25 outside the US. This includes the shipping cost, three MATRIXSYNTH cards and one magnet.  A set of three cards and one magnet, minus the T, is $5.

The T-Shirts are from Gorilla Screen Printing - highly recommended. If you get Ts done by them, let them know you found out about them here.

Paypal any amount to matrixsynth *at* gmail.com. Be sure to include the shipping address, size and whether you'd like long or short sleeves.

Below are some MATRIXSYNTH Ts and cards spotted in the wild. If you have them, send them in!

CLICK FOR MORE »

Update on MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS and MATRIXSYNTH-C

Posts on MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS are now $5 for 90 days, down from $10. Posts that go up there will get a post here on MATRIXSYNTH, MATRIXSYNTH Twitter and MATRIXSYNTH Facebook. They will get a link in the FOR SALE section above for a limited time.

I created a new Music Promotion category on MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS for those that want it. Posts there will not expire and will get a post here on MATRIXSYNTH as well as go out on MATRIXSYNTH Twitter and Facebook.

MATRIXSYNTH-C is now in hibernation. Feel free to share your music on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge if you are on Facebook, but do so with courtesy. Or post it on MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS for a post here on MATRIXSYNTH.

I don't believe in taking donations for nothing in return, so consider MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS as a way to support MATRIXSYNTH with something in return.

For all posting guidelines across MATRIXSYNTH properties, see the posting guidelines here.

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014 Pics

Mouse over the image above for the slideshow controls.

Update: added a few notes below.  I hate picking highlights because I honestly do love it all.  That and I don't like missing anyone or anything.  The focus is on what's new.  More will come with the videos.

This is the full set of 282 NAMM pics including the following sub-sets just posted:
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: WMD et al. Modular Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Moon Modular Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Miselu, Quicco Sound & Audiobus Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Studio Electronics & Pittsburgh Modular Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Schmidt Analog Synthesizer Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Radikal Technologies Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Big City Music Booth & Aerosmith Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Buchla Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Elektron Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Dave Smith Instruments Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Monome ALEPH Looper Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Moog Music Booth Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Dubreq Stylophone Pics
MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2014: Bob Moog Foundation Booth Pics

And that's it for my NAMM pics. Videos will follow over the coming days. As you can see I missed a few of the major synth booths including Clavia/Nord Keyboards, Waldorf, Access, Teenage Engineering, Korg, Roland, Novation, Studiologic and Yamaha. This is no slight to them. I would have loved to check them out, specifically the new A1 from Clavia and the new Waldorf 2-Pole filter.  I did see the new full size KORG MS20 kit but the booth was packed and I didn't get any pics. I knew anything AIRA was not going to be shown so I skipped Roland. I typically go to NAMM on Saturday as I'm literally glued to the site posting away all the NAMM news along with everything else that comes in up to then. By Saturday I have a pretty good idea of what has and hasn't gotten plenty of coverage on the site.  Based on that, new product announcements, and prior commitments with those that reached out to me, I go through my list of booths in order.

As for standouts, although I didn't get to try the new A1 from Clavia, I was impressed by the new oscillator and effects section in the demos to date. I like what I hear. I do think they made a mistake with the messaging on it being an entry level synth. Not sure why they chose to go that route as it degrades the synth's capabilities in my opinion and the price does not reflect an entry level synth.

The new Elektron Rytm sounded fantastic. I should have a video of Highsage jamming on it coming up. Hopefully the audio is good.

The Sub 37 is a thing of beauty.

I'm a fan of the Prophet 12 and the new Prophet 12 module. I'm a fan of mixing digital with analog and I think it is capable of timbres you simply can't get out of pure analog.

The Tiptop Audio system at the Big City Music Booth was absolutely insane! Tomio is a Jedi master on that thing. I should have video of it coming up.

The new Make Noise modules were a mind trip. Video coming.

Noise Engineering is new to the scene and their modules sound fantastic. I particularly like the drum module. They also have a vocal formant module. I mentioned the Yamaha FS1R's formant synthesis and they said it was actually based on it to an extent. Video coming.

The STG EMS Oscillator sounded insane. Video coming.

The new Studio Electronics Boomstars sounded pretty incredible. Video coming.

It takes quite a bit to surprise me.  Two things did.  Full on patch memory on a modular synth with the Buchla Music Easel and what's coming for Audiobus. The Miselu iPad keyboard and Quicco Sound controller were pretty cool devices as well. The Future Retro Triadex Muse based sequencer caught my interest. I didn't show it, but it definitely was a geek out moment for me and caught me by surprise. Who would have thought technology based on the obscure Muse would re-appear today.

That's it for now. The videos and pics should speak for themselves. I love it all.

Update to Post Guidelines - MATRIXSYNTH-C and MATRIXSYNTH-P

As most of you know, I launched MATRIXSYNTH-P back on September 7, 2011. I launched the site as I was receiving requests to post things that would not go up on MATRIXSYNTH. MATRIXSYNTH is about the gear only - synth spotting and synth demos. I used to run MATRIXSYNTH-C to share music readers of the site sent in, but it ended up taking too much time and people started sharing their music on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge so I figured that would be a better forum for both me and readers of the site. That said, I thought MATRIXSYNTH-P would become more of a classifieds type site. It turns out the majority of posts that came in were from people wanting to promote their music! This was great but something happened that I did not like. Posts for items for sale that expired remained above people's music posts. Because of this, I'm going to open up MATRIXSYNTH-C as the paid music listings site. I'll be moving over the P music posts as I have time. I also updated the MATRIXSYNTH-P section on the right to MATRIXSYNTH-C and MATRIXSYNTH-P and will be adding it across all sites. Please note posts take time and my time is dedicated to M. Charging for C and P is a premium service and should keep the volume under control which benefits both me and those wanting to support the site and promote themselves.

For the posting guidelines see http://m.matrixsynth.com/p/how-to-post-on-matrixsynth.html

A Quick Note on MATRIXSYNTH-C

MATRIXSYNTH-C started as a place to showcase music made by you the readers of the site. The rule for the site is that only music sent in goes up. This rewards you in that your posts stay up longer vs. competing with the flux of posts going up here on MATRIXSYNTH. It also keeps posts here under control. If you are unclear as to what goes up there vs. here, see this post. In short, MATRIXSYNTH is about the gear and MATRIXSYNTH-C is about the music.

That said, a concern of course is that people that have no interest in the sites (promoters and marketers) might drown your posts on C. So... Moving forward there is a new rule for MATRIXSYNTH-C. If you want a post to go up and promote your music, you will need to promote MATRIXSYNTH by linking back to the site. If you send something in for a post, please make sure there is a link back to MATRIXSYNTH before sending. If not it will likely be ignored. People that take the time to promote MATRIXSYNTH will be rewarded by having their posts stay up on MATRIXSYNTH-C longer. Note all MATRIXSYNTH-C posts also go up on MATRIXSYNTH Twitter and MATRIXSYNTH Facebook.

Update: I will make the exception for people that contribute to the main site. Unless I "know" you please call out what you have contributed - so much comes in it's impossible to remember everything. See the comments below for suggestions on how to link back if you are on Soundcloud, YouTube and/or Vimeo.

MATRIXSYNTH Turns 8!

Today marks the eight year anniversary of MATRIXSYNTH!

I usually go a bit in depth on what it takes to run the site, but this year I thought I'd keep things relatively short and just focus on what the site means to me and why it exists in the grand scheme of things. I'd also like to ask you what MATRIXSYNTH means to you. Please share in the comments below.

For me the site is a daily log of everything synth from the perspective of us, the users of synths, with the focus on the individual synths. With a few exceptions, each post showcases and features individual synths that you can clearly identify and get a feel for. It's a day in the life of synths. It's what was put out there each and every day and in time we'll be able to look back and see what was shared by the community every single day since July 20, 2005 (minus Aug 6, 2005). You might notice I don't interject much in posts. There is a reason for that. I believe things should be presented as they were meant to be presented by the creator of the content. It's my job to share what is out there unbiased. It's up to you to take whatever you want from it. MATRIXSYNTH in essence is a weblog in its truest sense.

The original non-weblog MATRIXSYNTH launched in October of 1997 and was a simple site with links to various synth portals on the web. If you take a look, you can see what sites were out there before the current format of MATRIXSYNTH launched. Before MATRIXSYNTH, print magazines and online synth portals primarily focused on full articles - press releases, professional reviews, interviews and tutorials. What was missing was what us the users of synths were doing with our gear on a daily basis. Most publications would likely turn you away if you had something to share unless you were a known artist, manufacturer or other influential. The DIY and circuit bending scene? Not covered. Botique manufacturers? Not covered. MATRIXSYNTH was the first to bring it all to you. Back then if you wanted to share anything you had to host your own website. YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, SoundCloud, Twitter, and so on were not out yet. I created MATRIXSYNTH in its current format in 2005 to capture and share what I came across. The site gained in popularity and soon people were sending in things they found or created on their own to share with others. The site has remained true to this since day one.

MATRIXSYNTH is a site that celebrates and showcases what we, the people passionate about synthesizers, are doing with our synths on a daily basis. It is a site that celebrates the synthesizers we love, all synths, old and new, simple and complex. All synths have character, all synths are special, all synths can be explored and discovered. It's about the exploration of sound, and not just traditional tonal music. Like an artist discovering palates of color, we discover palates of sound. Synthesizers are our gateway to the exploration of unheard timbres. MATRIXSYNTH celebrates that.

THANK YOU for helping make this a great site!!!

For those interested in numbers, this post marks number 96,509 published to date.  Every single post on the site has gone up by hand, and since the site's launch on July 20, 2005, there has been only one day missed, August 6, 2005.   Back then I had no idea there would be something to post every single day of the year.  Little did I know.   The site currently averages about fifty posts a day, seven days a week, 364 days a year (Christmas is the one day I take it easy).   What goes up is a combination of what you the readers send in and what I come across out there.   According to Google Analytics the site has had 37,074,619 pageviews from 16,976,707 visits since the site launched, while Site Meter shows 39,630,44 pageviews from 18,469,084 visits.

MATRIXSYNTH TURNS 10!!!

We are slowly maturing... :) Today marks the 10 year anniversary of MATRIXSYNTH! It's hard to believe 10 years have gone by since I started this format of MATRIXSYNTH. If you are curious what the original version of MATRIXSYNTH looked like, take a look here. That was a portal to all the sites I used to visit. I started the site back in October of 1997. Some people might falsely think the matrix alias and site name came from The Matrix movies, but the first movie did not come out until 1999, two years after matrixsynth.com went live. Did I have the foresight to predict the name, or were the Wachowski's a fan of the site and computer terminal green? :) The truth is the matrix alias and name of the site actually came from my first synth, the Oberheim Matrix-6. I could have gone with a blue on black theme, but my favorite color is green and I liked the retro terminal look, so green on black it is.

Every now and then I get some confusion as to what exactly is the point of this site. Is it a professional news media outlet or just some guy's blog? The truth is it's a bit of both. It started as "some guy's blog" sharing everything he came across in the world of synths and eventually it caught on and grew. It's now a mix of official press releases, demos, videos and everything else I find out there as well as what people send in, with some rules. I promised myself I did not want to fall into the trap of becoming a media outlet only. There is one reason this site exists - to share the world of synthesizers from a synthesizer's perspective. Think about what that means. Nothing else matters. A few days ago I updated the intro to the Post Guidelines. I think it sums up the spirit of the site:

"MATRIXSYNTH is a daily glimpse into the world of synthesizers with the focus on specific, individually identifiable synths. Every single post on the site is created manually, by hand. The current format of the site launched in 2005 at the birth of sharing platforms like Blogger, YouTube, Vimeo and Flickr. SoundCloud wouldn't launch until 2007. Facebook wouldn't open to the public until 2006. Prior to these platforms the only way everyday users of synths could share what they were doing was by having their own dedicated website. Sure there were forums where people could talk about synths, but to upload videos, audio demos, and hi-res pics, you needed your own website. Print publications were dedicated to professionals in the industry, rarely featuring non-professionals, and media was limited to static images. MATRIXSYNTH is meant to compliment print by showcasing what us, the fans of synthesizers, do with our gear on a daily basis. The site is a mix of what I (matrix) find out there and what readers send in. The content is balanced between press releases, official demos, and what everyday users of the site are doing with their synths, along with a glimpse of the used synth marketplace. The site evolved over time to meet both the needs of readers, and to maintain the overall spirit of the site. Imagine if we were able to capture what users of synths were doing back in its infancy. Much of that time may be lost, but we can capture synth history moving forward!"

So how many posts have gone up to date? A whopping 127,448 including this post. Every, single, post, is edited and posted by hand. The sad thing, is because of format changes over time, along with Flash going by the wayside, I have had to start the long process of updating the majority of posts in the archives. It will be slow, but MATRIXSYNTH is a labor of love and I think it will be worth it. The site has received over 46,832,215 pageviews to date. Some question why I chose Blogger as a platform. The reason is because I want the site to live on long after I'm gone. Blogger is free and is owned and hosted by Google, so that's about as safe as it will get. Someone will need to switch the the URL back to matrixsynth.blogspot.com so the site doesn't disappear when/if the matrixsynth.com domain name expires, but hopefully I'll be able to take care of that ahead of time, when I am much, much older. :)

I don't want to take too much time in this post, so I'll cut it short. I just want to say running MATRIXSYNTH has been quite the experience. As with everything there are good days and bad. I feel a sense of ownership and identity when it comes to the site, almost in a parental sense. The site has become my best friend and has been a constant companion over the last ten years. BTW, in the last ten years I have only missed a single day of posting back on August 6, 2005, the first year of running the site, when it definitely was just "some guy's blog". I had no idea there would be something to post every single day of the year moving forward. Think about that a bit. There is something to share every single day. What an wonderful world of synths we live in.

I want to end this by saying thank you for an incredible ten years. I want to thank everyone that has supported the site in their own little way. I am humbled that others love the site as much as I do. THANK YOU!!!

On to another 10 years!

Update: Thank you to everyone who has wished me a happy anniversary in the comments below, on Twitter , and Facebook (and here), email and websites - thank you Palm Sounds!  Below is a screen grab of the initial post from @chris_carter_ (wikipedia) and a cool little image from Audio Hoarder made on his phone.  Thank you!

Announcing MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS!

Hi everyone, this is just a quick post to let you know I launched a new MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS site.   For those with RSS readers you can subscribe to new listings via this link.  In the future, you can find the RSS link to the right of "Latest Listings" on the site.

I was going to write up a long winded note on why you want this site, but I'm guessing it will become apparent over time.  In short it's an online classifieds site in the truest sense.  Think Craigslist or your local paper.  However there are a few major advantages.  One it's tied to MATRIXSYNTH which means it will be heavily promoted here and you will get the entire MATRIXSYNTH audience looking at your items.  Two, to start, all synth listings that go up there will get a post on MATRIXSYNTH as well as a link in the For Sale section above. If it gets to be too much, I will defer to the site guidelines for posts that go up here, however if it gets that busy it means plenty of eyes will be on MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS.   Three, listings will stay up for 90 days or until you sell and/or cancel the item.  This should give you plenty of time to sell the item, or items.  The fee is $10 per unique item, however, if you have several units of the same item, you can sell them all in that one listing without additional listing fees.  That said, there are no additional listing fees period.  List a $2000 synth?  The fee is still only $10.   This is a true classifieds site that you are just paying to print something out for others to see.  That also means all transactions between buyer and seller are up to you.  You pay to list the item and MATRIXSYNTH steps out, so be sure to read the  Privacy, Terms of Use & Avoiding Scams section of the site.

Take a look and let me know your thoughts.  All synth listings there will get a post here on MATRIXSYNTH to help get it started.   Anything goes as long as it is legal of course.   If you need a new category on the site, let me know via the comments, email, or the contact link at the bottom of any page on MATRIXSYNTH CLASSIFIEDS.

Kind Words on MATRIXSYNTH

"-the best synth site on the web,always updated,always interesting"
-Tom (The Chemical Brothers)

"You do a great job maintaining that blog. It has become essential daily viewing for myself and lots of other people I know. Your efforts are greatly appreciated."
-Thighpaulsandra (Coil, Spiritualized, Julian Cope, etc.)

"Congrats on the site...It's become an addiction, especially now that i am on tour..."
-Alessandro Cortini (NIN, Modwheelmood)

"Isnt Matrixsynth better than a big cuppa cocoa & a Christmas cookie on a cold cold Southern California morning?"
Tara Busch & Analog Suicide

"I think that the matrixsynth blog is great and keeps people well in touch with everything synth- I visit everyday to see what's going on!"
Ken MacBeth

"I know I said it before... but good job with the blog... I don't know how you do it! always something new & interesting to be seen there... but I have to stop myself from looking sometimes... because I'd never get any work done! ;)"
Mike Brown of Livewire

""I just wanted to let you know that I love your blog, and read it throughout the day. There is always something new and interesting to read about. Its also very informative, and provides a wonderful community for all synthesizer lovers like myself." =)"
Richard Devine of Devsnd

"a huge thanks to Matrix of MatrixSynth (matrixsynth.blogspot.com) for all his years of ongoing support to the synth community. This one's for you...from Bacon and I."
Shagghie

"Matrixsynth really helps to showcase all the wonderful little synth & sound setups operating today -- your blog is a large part in helping such things thrive. Absolutely - hats off!"
Tom Bugs of BugBrand

"Thanks again for a great site Matrix,

- Laurie Spiegel"

"The best synth site www.matrixsynth.com" - AtomoSynth



The Packrat by Dave

MATRIXSYNTH Swag & Hall of Fame


MATRIXSYNTH THANKS from 2007.

MATRIXSYNTH Should be 100% Back Online

Update: maybe not 100% after all. It looks like https is not working yet.

Update2: https is back. All should be good now.

In case you were wondering what happened to the site, the ISP that hosts the matrixsynth.com domain name suffered a DDoS attack.

When I noticed the site was down, I reset Blogger to host the site back on matrixsynth.blogspot.com and sent a notificantion out on Twitter and Facebook (and The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge).

Key takeaway as a reader of the site: bookmark https://matrixsynth.blogspot.com, and check-in on Twitter and/or Facebook for updates.

It's worth noting site outages have been few and far between.

After this outage though, I am considering going back to the https://matrixsynth.blogspot.com domain. I can just set matrixsynth.com to redirect to it and when I'm long gone, the site will remain available. One of the reasons I chose Blogger as a platform is because it should live on long after I'm gone, ensuring the site and all the captured history lives on.

Update3: One thing to consider: if the matrixsynth.com domain were to ever expire, links using it within posts would need to be swapped with matrixsynth.blogspot.com in order to work. I wish there was a way to purchase domain names permanently...

Matrixsynth by....

Matrixsynth by Des



Matrixsynth by Failed Muso



Matrixsynth by Mike


Matrixsynth by [F] for Feraillus


Matrixsynth by Anonymous #2


Matrixsynth by Andrew Foster


Matrixsynth by Anonymous #3


Matrixsynth by phloemlabs on Synthwire.

I Dream of Wires to Add Additional Extended Interview

via I Dream of Wires on Facebook:

"It looks like we'll be producing and releasing one more free I Dream Of Wires: Extended Interview piece in 2014. If you could choose just one person, out of all of the people we interviewed in IDOW, who would you like to see featured in a full Extended Interview? [leave your pick on Facebook here]

If you're not familiar with our Extended Interview series, we've released 9 of them so far. See the list below, and check out our Vimeo channel to watch.

I Dream of Wires - Extended Interview Series:"

9. Chris Carter:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Admin: Some Reminders

Just a few reminders:

1. YouTube subscriptions still appear to be broken. If I'm not posting your synth gear vids and you are wondering why not, this is probably why. Send them to me directly and they will go here or MATRIXSYNTH-C. MATRIXSYNTH is about the gear and MATRIXYSNTH-C is about the music.

2. There have been quite a few updates to prior posts in the last couple of days. I usually have at least one update a day. Be sure to look for the red update in posts. They should be easy to spot as all other text is green or "link blue." You can also use the search box on the top left of the site to search for update. With that...

3. Remember to use the search box on the top left of the site. Search for youtube aliases to find prior posts. Search on gear models, manufacturers, etc. Also think about repeat words or phrases in posts, for example YouTube for videos, auction for auctions, flickr for images, and so on. If you want to find videos of Buchla, search for YouTube Buchla, or Vimeo Buchla. I should have added video somewhere in the body of each post, but I didn't and Blogger doesn't include labels in their search for some bizarre reason.

4. Click on the labels at the bottom of posts for more. I try to keep labels restricted to manufacturers and huge categories like soft synths for all software. But if you see an item that interests you, click on the label for more. Use the search box for other terms like HS-60, Symphonizer, and the like.

5. Be sure to click on the FEATURED link on the top menu strip under the MATRIXSYNTH title above at least once a day. I post like crazy, and I post things when they come in, otherwise I drown in it later. The obvious problem with this is big news items like the DSI Tetra might get buried. If you click on the FEATURED link you will find these posts.

6. You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/matrixsynth. What goes up there depends on what I feel like putting up at the time. I sometimes note the more interesting posts and I sometimes note interesting but non-synth things I come accross that do not go up here. I'll sometimes link to an old post I came across and updated to Featured status but didn't think it warranted a new post here. I don't tweet to much as I can barely keep up with my email, RSS feeds, and posting here, so Twitter and Facebook for get less attention. Facebook gets the least because I just don't have the time to keep up. I do have a day job and family and friends and synths I want to play with now and then, so... If you have something about a synth that I have not posted and you think it should go up, be sure to either email me, leave a comment here in one of the posts, or DM me on Twitter. Otherwise I will not see it.

7. Finally, remember, MATRIXSYNTH is about the gear. MATRIXSYNTH-C is about the music and MATRIXSYNTH-B is about the auctions that don't quite make it here. BTW, all auctions are welcome. If you want me to put something up, send it in and I will put it up on either MATRIXSYNTH-B or here depending on the quality of the shots, the rarity of the item and any interesting facts captured in the auction description, images or video.

cheers,
matrix

I Dream of Wires Extended Interviews 4 - 8

Carl Craig - Modular Pursuits: IDOW Extended Interview #4 from I Dream Of Wires on Vimeo.

In April 2012, the I Dream of Wires team met with legendary Detroit techno producer Carl Craig, to discuss his electronic music influences and production experiences, including his recent interest in eurorack modular synthesis. Craig's experiments in modular synthesis are best heard on 2010's "Modular Pursuits" 12-inch, released under his No Boundaries alias. For more info on Carl Craig: carlcraig.net Music, used with permission from Planet E: "Desire" by 69 "Pursuit 1", "Pursuit 2", "Pursuit 3" by No Boundaries.

http://www.carlcraig.net
http://soundcloud.com/carlcraiginc
http://planet-e.net

I DREAM OF WIRES is a forthcoming documentary film about the history and resurgence of modular synthesizers. The film is currently in production. This is the 4th in a series of extended interviews, which will be produced and released in various formats throughout the production, and following the release, of the film. I DREAM OF WIRES extended interview segments are sponsored by MATRIXSYNTH (m.matrixsynth.com).

http://idreamofwires.org
http://www.facebook.com/idreamofwiresdocumentary


Made in Canada - Modcan & Intellijel: IDOW Extended Interview #5 from I Dream Of Wires on Vimeo.

Canada holds a significant place in the history of electronic instrument development: from the ground-breaking inventions of Hugh Le Caine in the 1940s to the innovations at the University of Toronto's Electronic Music Lab in the 1960s. Recently, Canada has again come to play a significant role with the modern day resurgence of modular synthesizers; it is home to two highly respected manufacturers: Modcan, founded by Toronto's Bruce Duncan, was the first company to reintroduce modular synthesizers to the post-MIDI marketplace, and Intellijel, founded by Vancouver's Danjel Van Tijn, is one of the fastest growing and most respected lines of Eurorack synthesizer modules. For more info on Modcan, visit: modcan.com For more info on Intellijel, visit: intellijel.com Music/sound: Jason Amm (Solvent), Bruce Duncan (Modcan), Danjel Van Tijn (Intellijel), John Elliot (Emeralds) I DREAM OF WIRES is a forthcoming documentary film about the history and resurgence of modular synthesizers. The film is currently in production. This is the 5th in a series of extended interviews, which will be produced and released in various formats throughout the production, and following the release, of the film. I DREAM OF WIRES extended interview segments are sponsored by MATRIXSYNTH (m.matrixsynth.com).

http://www.modcan.com
http://intellijel.com
http://idreamofwires.org
http://facebook.com/idreamofwiresdocumentary


Orphx & Modulars - The Physical Element: IDOW Extended Interview #6 from I Dream Of Wires on Vimeo.

Canadian duo Orphx have been releasing electronic music since 1993, and while they were best known in experimental/industrial music circles for many years, today they are regarded as pioneers in the fusion of techno and industrial music. Orphx's recent output on Sonic Groove has met with critical acclaim from many of techno's leading DJs. Having performed live with laptops for several years, Orphx's Christina Sealey made the decision to delve in modular synthesizers, hoping it would bring some spontaneity and excitement to Orphx's music, both on stage and in the studio.

I DREAM OF WIRES is a forthcoming documentary film about the history and resurgence of modular synthesizers. The film is currently in production. This is the 6th in a series of extended interviews, which will be produced and released in various formats throughout the production, and following the release, of the film. I DREAM OF WIRES extended interview segments are sponsored by MATRIXSYNTH (m.matrixsynth.com).

http://www.orphx.com
http://orphx.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/orphx
http://www.soundcloud.com/orphx

http://idreamofwires.org
http://facebook.com/idreamofwiresdocumentary


Solvent - Modular Encounters: IDOW Extended Interview #7 from I Dream Of Wires on Vimeo.

Canadian electronic artist Solvent was commissioned to create an all-modular synthesizer based soundtrack for the forthcoming documentary I Dream of Wires; The challenge allowed him the opportunity to work with a vast array of modular synthesizers, both new and vintage. Solvent, born Jason Amm in Zimbabwe, and currently residing in Toronto, Canada, has been releasing his unique brand of analogue synthesizer music since 1997, encompassing crunchy IDM, melodic electro, and vocoder synthpop. Best known for his releases on Morr Music and Ghostly International, Solvent is also co-founder of the obscure, yet influential electro(nica) label, Suction Records. All of the music heard in this video segment was created by Solvent during several on-camera album recording sessions. No drum machines, samples, or hardwired synthesizers were used; each and every sound was created from scratch on the following selection of modular synthesizer systems: Eurorack, Modcan, Synthesizers.com, and Moog 15. In addition to creating the film's soundtrack, Amm has recently been serving as writer and producer for "I Dream Of Wires".

I DREAM OF WIRES is a forthcoming documentary film about the history and resurgence of modular synthesizers. The film is currently in production. This is the 6th in a series of extended interviews, which will be produced and released in various formats throughout the production, and following the release, of the film. I DREAM OF WIRES extended interview segments are sponsored by MATRIXSYNTH (m.matrixsynth.com).

http://solventcity.com
http://facebook.com/solvent
http://soundcloud.com/solvent
http://suctionrecords.bandcamp.com

http://idreamofwires.org
http://www.facebook.com/idreamofwiresdocumentary


Richard Devine's Analog Voodoo Effect: IDOW Extended Interview #8 from I Dream Of Wires on Vimeo.

Richard Devine is an Atlanta-based electronic musician and sound designer. He is recognized for producing a layered and heavily processed sound, combining influences from hip-hop, to old and modern electronic music. Richard Devine has released records through such esteemed labels as Schematic and Warp Records, and is the creative force behind his own sound design company, Devine Sound. Though he has contributed sound design to a number of hardware and software manufacturers, he recently released his first official sample library through Sony Creative Software. Devine has also scored commercials for the likes of Nike and Touchstone Pictures. Since the late-90s, Richard Devine's sound has been synonymous with taking cutting-edge computer-based DSP (digital signal processing) to its limits. In recent years, however, Devine has also become a convert to the unlimited sonic capabilities and hands-on "analog voodoo effect" of the Eurorack modular format. I Dream of Wires spoke to Devine at NAMM 2012, which he attends annually. Judging by the studio footage on his Vimeo channel, and his wild enthusiasm on the subject, Devine is a bonafide Eurorack obsessive! All music and sound in this video is by Richard Devine. Additional studio footage supplied by Richard Devine.

I DREAM OF WIRES is a forthcoming documentary film about the history and resurgence of modular synthesizers. The film is currently in production. This is the 6th in a series of extended interviews, which will be produced and released in various formats throughout the production, and following the release, of the film. I DREAM OF WIRES extended interview segments are sponsored by MATRIXSYNTH (m.matrixsynth.com).

http://richard-devine.com
http://devinesound.net
http://soundcloud.com/richarddevine
http://vimeo.com/channels/richarddevine

http://idreamofwires.org
http://facebook.com/idreamofwiresdocumentary

See the IDOW label below for more.

Happy New Year From MATRIXSYNTH!

Happy New Year everyone!

First I want to thank everyone who takes the time out of their busy schedules to come visit the site. I want to give an extra thanks to everyone who supports this site, including the sponsors you see above and on the right. Without them this site would not be possible.

As many of you know, running MATRIXSYNTH is a labor of love. The site has been running for over 13 years and hopefully will continue on for many years to come. Every single post goes up by hand, seven days a week, including holidays and "vacations." Some of you may not know this, but MATRIXSYNTH is a one man shop by me, matrix. I have not missed a single day of posting since back on August 6 of 2005 when I first launched this format of the site. I say "this format of the site" because I actually registered matrixsynth.com back in October of 1997. You can still see the old site here. On the left were links to sites I visited back in the day. It's actually a pretty neat snapshot of what was around on the web back then before the days of YouTube and social media. I launched this version of the site back on July 20 of 2005. As of this post there have been 175,117 posts on the site. We had 13,302 posts in 2018. Every single one went up by hand. I am extremely humbled and grateful of those who choose to support the site. Thank you so much!!!

Now, for some numbers. I haven't shared them in a while as they started to feel a little redundant year after year, but I figured why not? The image above is a map of visitors to the site in 2018. We had 540,712 users visit for a total of 3,418,064 pageviews. We finally have a visitor from North Korea this year! The numbers are from Google Analytics and should filter out bots. BTW if you look at this all time map, the only country to not have visited MATRIXSYNTH to date is the Central African Republic. It's pretty amazing to think someone from every single other country in the world has visited the site.

The following are the top 10 countries to visit by traffic:

1 United States 4,564(35.30%)
2 United Kingdom 1,070(8.28%)
3 Germany 866(6.70%)
4 France 653(5.05%)
5 Canada 544(4.21%)
6 Italy 512(3.96%)
7 Japan 464(3.59%)
8 Netherlands 357(2.76%)
9 Poland 331(2.56%)
10 Norway 314

(Update: I originally had the list by language which duplicated DE and FR. The list has been updated for country only).

A couple of years ago I started tracking new gear for the year with "new gear" labels. For 2018 we had the following:

695 new items never featured before on the site. This includes 49 posts on older gear never featured before.
111 new makers
92 new synths
63 new soft synths
67 new sound/noise machines
36 new synth effects
266 new modules
42 new mobile apps
11 new drum machines
111 new DIY projects
26 new controllers
40 new tools
7 new cases

And finally we had 52 posts to get the exclusive label for the year. These are the rarest of the rare featured on the site.

Note there is some overlap and the primary focus of MATRIXSYNTH is hardware synthesis. Rather than go into a top 10 list (which I never was into because all gear has its use imo), click through any of the links above to see what came in by category.

On the mega synth front, we saw the release of the Sequential Prophet X and XL (DSI changed names to Sequential as well), the Moog One and Grandmother, Yamaha MODX, Korg Prologue, and the Waldorf Quantum finally made it to release. You can also recap what was featured at NAMM 2018, SUPERBOOTH18, Knobcon, and SoundMit and other events.

This year we lost the following in the synth world. Note this does not include discontinued gear, although with Erthenvar being featured as a company, I may include gear in the the future.

Erthenvar Closes Shop
RIP John Leimseider
RIP Shirleigh Moog
The Candlelight Vigil: A Synth Cover in Memory of Jóhann Jóhannsson (From Prisoners)
David Van Koevering Has Passed Away

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And that's it for 2018. Happy New Year and onto 2019! Thank you to everyone that enjoys, contributes, and supports the site! I started MATRIXSYNTH to track everything synth. It's rewarding to know people out there still enjoy the site. MATRIXSYNTH is my gift to you.

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2012 MEGAPOST

Just thought I'd consolidate everything into one post. First is the flickr set of pics I took (288 in total) in the order taken, followed by the videos in the order taken. Links to the individual posts at the bottom.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Announcing MATRIXSYNTH-C

I just created MATRIXSYNTH-C. What is it? In short it will be a blog for "Bands That Play Synths" and support MATRIXSYNTH. The focus will be on the music. It's my way of saying thank you to anyone that supports the site. I'm going to limit posts to vids that are directly sent in by you, the readers. To keep any one person from overtaking the site, please chose what you send in carefully. Showcase your best. The only rule is the music has to feature synths, BUT, it doesn't have to be specifically about the synths like here on MATRIXSYNTH.

MATRIXSYNTH is all about the gear first
MATRIXSYNTH-C is all about the music first
MATRIXSYNTH-B is all about gear for sale first

My contact info is on the bottom right of this site.

Thanks goes to Chris Randall for the orange. I've been meaning to start this site for some time but wasn't sure what color to go with until he commented on orange being next year's green in response to Peter Kirn's comment in this post. Maybe he's right. :)

The Frankfurt Musikmesse is Coming!

With NAMM out the door, the International community's largest music event starts on March 21 and runs through March 24. For those new to the Musikmesse, it is HUGE. Think NAMM, but in Frankfurt Germany. Some say the Messe is bigger than NAMM. Who knows?

Regardless, expect to see a number of new product announcements. If you were wondering why you didn't see something from some of the big players at NAMM, there is a good chance you will see it at the messe. The first Musikmesse 2012 post goes to eowave.

Keep an eye on MATRIXSYNTH for synth news. As you know things typically get leaked before the event, so check back often. I'll be adding the Musikmesse label on the top right of the site menu soon. We actually have a few posts up already, so click on the label below to see them. You'll of course find previous years as well.

Note, I will not be attending myself, but as you know MATRIXYSNTH is a MATRIX of SYNTH info and you can expect to see everything synth-related to the event here. BTW, if you are attending the event feel free to send your pics and videos. It's a great way to get some extra exposure on your site. Those of you that get featured on the site often should be covered, but if I miss anything, feel free to let me know.

Update: I just created Musikmesse labels for each year. It's a fun look back in time. I'll need to do the same for NAMM.

http://m.matrixsynth.com/search/label/Musikmesse2007
http://m.matrixsynth.com/search/label/Musikmesse2008
http://m.matrixsynth.com/search/label/Musikmesse2009
http://m.matrixsynth.com/search/label/Musikmesse2010
http://m.matrixsynth.com/search/label/Musikmesse2011
http://m.matrixsynth.com/search/label/Musikmesse2012

909 and Amiga Sounds in Flash and Flash Based Music Production

CDM has a great post up on Flash based music environments. Do check it out.

One of my favorite Flash based sites is Audio Playground's Virtual Drum Machine page, a virtual collection of vintage drum machines you can play online. If you haven't done so already, just check it out. It's pretty amazing.

On a separate note, CDM is having a bit of a fund raiser at the moment. The site unlike Matrixsynth runs on it's own servers and thus costs a bit of money to keep running. When I had Matrixsynth on my own servers I ran into this problem quickly so I know the pain. CDM is a great resource and Peter Kirn, the man behind the site, is a great guy. Peter and CDM has supported Matrixsynth in a number of ways including promoting me on CDM, and helping me privately via email when I ran into site issues myself. Peter had enough faith in Matrixsynth to ask me to write CDM's This Week in Synths column which was kind of a best of for the week on Matrixsynth. I unfortunately had to give it up due to the problem many of us have - lack of time. For me it's the blog, day job and family. We run the sites on our own free time and for the love of the subject matter. That said, if you want to help me out, help CDM out. Peter is also author of the book Real World Digital Audio, you can find my review of it here. If you donate the list price of the book to CDM, Peter will send you a copy. I couldn't think of a better time to get the book.

So, why aren't I asking for support? Matrixsynth runs on Blogger which is 100% free. How can you support Matrixsynth? Don't be afraid of the ads. If want to buy something through Amazon, Ebay or other, click on the links to them here and buy. It doesn't cost you more and it helps support the site. You also don't have to buy what's listed here. If you buy anything at one of the sponsored sites, after clicking through here, a small amount goes to Matixsynth. Treat yourself to something and know you are supporting the site while doing so.