Introducing Markus Jägerstedt Sound Bank for Nord Stage 4

video upload by nordkeyboards

"Acclaimed Swedish keyboardist/producer Markus Jägerstedt has designed a creative patch collection for Nord Stage 4 based on the Scandinavian pop sound and his work with Swedish artists like Robyn, Seinabo Sey and Loreen. Download for free at nordkeyboards.com.

'This collection is mixed in two categories where one is very basic pop sounds and the other is more experimental. I guess you can use them for whatever style you like but I have done them mainly for pop, electronic pop and a bit of jazz'

Stockholm-based Markus Jägerstedt is an established keyboardist/producer/songwriter and one of Sweden’s most hired musicians. Markus has worked with artists such as Robyn, Loreen, Seinabo Sey, Röyksopp, Veronica Maggio, Miriam Bryant, Little Jinder and Oskar Linnros.

Download the Markus Jägerstedt Sound Bank for Nord Stage 4: https://www.nordkeyboards.com/sound-l..."

Formant arpeggios patch breakdown: a classic Falistri patch!

video upload by Frap Tools

"Arpeggios without an arpeggiator? That's no magic, just the power of sub-harmonics!

We've been doing this patch for quite some time now, but we never released a complete, step-by-step tutorial on YouTube.

By using Falistri as a frequency divider, we can obtain perfect intervals in the minor scale by sweeping the rising and falling stages. It's roughly the same principle as Oskar Sala's Mixturtrautonium!

00:00 Intro
00:18 Using Falistri as a frequency divider
05:03 Using Sapèl to sweep through the sub-frequencies"

leploop Multicassa Demo

video upload by

https://www.leploop.org

"The Multicassa is an electronic instrument composed of three cassa generators controlled by an analog trautonium like rhythm generator.

The term trautonico is inspired by a vintage instrument, the Mixturtrautonium, invented by Oskar Sala, a student of Hindemith. His research elaborated on since the 1930s was based on another, more simple instrument, the Heimtrautonium, manufactured by Telefunken in the 20s. The Heimtrautonium being one of the first electronic instruments for the living room."

Vintage synth featured in 1957 film "Different from You and Me."

video upload by Robotussin Vintage Synths

"The dangers of electronic music, according to a film about the menace of homosexuality from 1957 called 'Different From You and Me'. It features the Trautonium, a synthesizer from the 1930s that was created by Friedrich Trautwein and used by Oskar Sala. The film, which was called 'The Third Sex' or 'Bewildered Youth'(!) when released in the US, is about a prosperous German family whose son is lured into a seedy world of gay men, nude wrestling and avant garde electronic music by an effete friend and a licentious antique dealer.

Terrified that their son is not into women, the teen's parents induce their cleaning lady to seduce him and awaken his more 'natural' desires. This ends in the month's arrest for arranging prostitution!

While the film is based on homophobic ideas, the original version has some nuance and depicts some of its gay characters in a relatively balanced light for the time. Being gay was still a crime in Germany and elsewhere in the 1950s. However, before it could be released in West Germany censors insisted on changes, weaving in more anti-gay rhetoric, making the gay characters more criminal and removing scenes that showed gay men in positions of authority and respectability.

For me, it's remarkable only for the scenes featuring the synthesizer, but it is interesting that even then electronic music was associated with same-sex relationships, given that 20 years later the gay communities would be such a driving force behind the foundation of the electronic music scene.

I have uploaded all the scenes from this film that feature the Trautonium to my YouTube channel, which is also called Robotussin Vintage Synths."

Electronic Music Experimentation in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock

video by Reverb

"From the start, Alfred Hitchcock took a keen interest in the music in his films—and, indeed, musical motifs featured in the plotlines of some of his biggest '30s successes (Read more on Reverb). Watch along as Joe discusses the music in his films and how electronic experimentation was explored to be the sound of some iconic characters and bizarre situations."

Samuel Hoffman on Johnny Carson:


Johnny Carson Plays THEREMIN video by Peter Pringle

Trautonium:


Nieuwe elektronische piano: Het Trautonium (1941) video by Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid

Mixtur Trautonium:


Oskar Sala - Live-Konzert 1991 - Mixtur-Trautonium video by Trautonist

And a playlist of Oskar Sala performances from 1997 uploaded by Trautonist:

Oskar Sala „Gesprächskonzert" 1997 - Teil 01-10


See the labels below for additional posts on each.

The (R)evolution of Multicassa

Pictured: three iterations of the Multicassa in via leploop. The Multicassa is inspired from the Trautonium. You can find additional details here.

"The Multicassa is a full analog electronic instrument composed of tree Cassa (bass drum) generators controlled by an analog Trautonium like rhythms generator, without a microprocessor, available in desktop and euro rack format.

The term Trautonico is inspired by a vintage instrument, the Mixturtrautonium, invented by Oskar Sala musician, a student of Hindemith, which elaborate it, since the 30s on the basis of another instrument more simple, the Heimtrautonium, manufactured by Telefunken in the '20s, one of the first electronic instruments for the living room.

Early versions of Mixturtrautonium use as frequency dividers the Thyratron(a type of gas valve that could be used to build oscillators and frequency dividers), these dividers acting on the notes producing subharmonic that could be mixed (hence MIXTUR) for produce complex sounds, the same principle is used here with two differences:
- The valves are replaced by solid-state trigger circuits.

- Dividers act not to the notes but on the rhythms, by dividing a basic rhythm (clock) for a variable number (with the command Clock Divider) rhythms are then mixed 2 by 2 (Trig Mix) generating a complex poly rhythms.
- An output mixer allows you to adjust the volume of each speaker.

Each Cassa has a pitch, resonance and distortion control, the tree Cassa generators have different pitch range:
1_Low(Cassa), 2_Medium(Bongo\Tom), 3_High(rim shot\wood block).
The high channel can produce some scratch noise when you move the frequency pot, because the circuit design and the very high pitch, this is normal.
The clock can be generated internally or applied externally through jack on the left side of the unit.
The Multicassa accepts any type of clock pulse or square wave of 3-12 volts amplitude, with any polarity including the Midi clock, as long as the midi line is present only midi clock and no other messages (notes, control changes, sysex, etc.) ."

Peter Pichler - Mixturtrautonium - lecture & concert @SUPERBOOTH19

Published on May 17, 2019 Superbooth Official

"A voyage to the moon"

Peter Pichler is at present the only musician worldwide who is playing the Mixturtrautonium live. The instrument is Oskar Sala´s further development of Friedrich Trautwein’s Trautonium. First presented in 1930, the Trautonium is the predecessor of the synthesizer. A wider public became aware of the Mixturtrautonium through Oskar Sala´s soundtrack-work for Hitchcocks „The Birds“.

At Superbooth19 Peter Pichler played a live-score of the documentary „ A Voyage To The Moon“ from director Manfred Durniok and Oskar Sala.

In 1974 Durniok was provided with raw film material from different NASA-Moonshots and created a unique documentary with almost unknown space-filmsequences together with Oskar Sala. Sala was scoring solely with his Mixturtrautonium.

www.peterpichler-trautonium.com

LepLoop Arpopone Specs & Details

Some details just in via LepLoop. Be sure to see previous posts for demos.

"The Arpopone AKA HARP'O'PHONE is a melody/bass line generator with a chord and rhythmic section, available in desktop and eurorack format.
It is based on analog ramp divider, similar to those used for the Multicassa which are inspired to Oskar Sala's Mixtur Trautonium, an early electronic musical instrument, each divider generates a voltage ramp starting from a master clock (internal or external) a potentiometer is used to set the number of steps and thus the division ratio with a minimum of 1 there are ten of such divider in the different sections of the instrument:

- 2 for the rhythmic section (trigger pulses 1 and 2)
- 2 for the scale generator, these have a ramp output that forms the melody line
- 6 for the audio dividers, the 2 prescalers are chained with 4 note dividers, one for bass and 3 for chords
A further divider comes into play if external clock is selected, in this case the BPM control acts as a clock divider making possible the synchronization with other instruments (at maximum speed divider=1)

Specification :

CLICK FOR MORE »

APPARATUM - the installation inspired by the Polish Radio Experimental Studio

APPARATUM - the installation inspired by the Polish Radio Experimental Studio from ◥ panGenerator on Vimeo.

APPARATUM

THE INSTALLATION INSPIRED BY THE POLISH RADIO EXPERIMENTAL STUDIO



Analog sound generators, based on magnetic tape and optical components controlled via graphic score composed with digital interface.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Leploop Lumanoise V2 Desktop Analog Noise Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Great little analog desktop drone synth controlled by light.

From the official website:

Lumanoise v2 has:

- one square oscillator, one 12bit sawtooth oscillator, and 2 trautonium like sub oscillators.

- inspired by the Oskar Sala Trautonium synth. We use one Trautonium tmaster oscillator under LDR control and 2 sub oscillator, where you can set the division frequency of the tmaster oscillator.

- oscillators pitch is controlled by a photo resistor, each oscillator has a volume pot.

- has a 12 db low pass resonant filter, the filter cut-off can be controlled by the potentiometer or the photoresistor.

Lumanoise works with voltage between 9 and 12 volt
direct current DC, central +"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Today's Google Doodle Is a Step Sequencer!

This one in via Joel B.

Check it out:

https://www.google.com

Click the play button when you get there.

Some pics saved here for the archives.  Pretty cool nod to the visual as well:

"Music is not limited to the world of sound.  There exists a music of the visual world."

-Oskar Fischinger, 1951

CLICK FOR MORE »

Haken Continuum Firmware 8.00 Update

What's New in Continuum Firmware 8.00 from Edmund Eagan on Vimeo.

Firmware 8 Selected Presets from Edmund Eagan on Vimeo.

A demonstration of many of the System Presets new in firmware version 8.00.

"FIRMWARE VERSION 8.00

Firmware 8.00 is the latest and greatest version of the Continuum firmware. There have been many improvements included in this release. Even more improvements are coming in the near future!

Firmware 8.00 includes over 120 new System Presets, designed by Edmund Eagan and other Continuum Fingerboard sound designers.

System Presets are now organized by Category making a particular preset easier to find.

Description bubbles offer patch information and suggestions for playing techniques.
​
Even More Ways to Play the Continuum
​

CLICK FOR MORE »

Mysteries Of The trautaniks Subharmonic Generator

Mysteries Of The Subharmonic Generator 1

Published on Oct 30, 2016 Ghost Money

From the maker of the Trautonium VT.

"The first of two presentations on the subharmonic generator. A Look at the very singular 'sawtooth' wave of the mixtur-trautonium in comparison with conventional oscillators.

For a very interesting read on the history and development of electronic music in Germany you can download Instruments for New Music Sound, Technology, and Modernism, byThomas Patteson for free at:

http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=..."

Mysteries Of The Subharmonic Generator 2

Published on Oct 31, 2016 Ghost Money

"The second presentation looks at the operation and theory of the subharmonic generator.

The following table shows the differences between equal temperament and the output of the subharmonic generator in cents.

CLICK FOR MORE »

A Demonstration Of Oskar Sala's Mixtur-Trautonium

Published on Nov 4, 2015 Ghost Money

Playlist [descriptions below]:
A Demonstration Of Oskar Sala's Mixtur-Trautonium Formant Filters
Improvisation for modular mixtur-trautonium.
Contrary Motion Studies for Modular Mixtur-Trautonium

1. A Demonstration Of Oskar Sala's Mixtur-Trautonium Formant Filters

A demonstration of the mixtur-trautonium's formant filters. The filter was originally designed by Freidrich Trautwein as vacuum tube (or rohrentechnik) technology in 1930, at the very beginnings of subtractive synthesis.( I mistakenly referred to subharmonic synthesis in my closing remarks) The filters here are version of the design from the halbeiter, or semiconductor mixtur trautonium dating from around 1989 and were made by Trautoniks. For further information, interviews with Oskar Sala, explanations of the instrument and musical examples visit Trautonist at:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Trautonist

Also:

http://www.trautoniks.de/

http://trautonium.de/

© James Worthington 3 Nov 2015

2. Improvisation for modular mixtur-trautonium.

Published on Oct 15, 2014
An improvisation for mixtur trautonium. Timbral variations effected by voltage control of the assigned footpedals. The manuals, subharmonic generators and formant filters supplied by Trautoniks.
Other modules in the system by Doepfer, Analogue Systems and MOTM-Syntheisis technology.

3. Contrary Motion Studies for Modular Mixtur-Trautonium

Published on Oct 15, 2014
Two short improvisations for mixtur-trautonium, demonstrating possibilities for contrary motion portamento performance. Manuals, subharmonic generators and formant filters supplied by Trautoniks. Other modules in this system by Analogue Systems Doepfer and MOTM-Synthesis technology.

4. Meadow Clary

Published on Feb 11, 2016
A piece in development.

New Book on Max Brand - MACHINES FOR THE OPERA. THE COMPOSER MAX BRAND

This one in via Brian Kehew:

"There is a new book on Max Brand, German composer who lived in the USA for a while. He used the Trautonium and, later, was an early Moog synthesizer customer...

It is written bilingually, in English and German"

You can find the German page on the book here, Googlish here.

See the Max Brand label for previous posts if you are not familiar with him.

via the Googlish translation:

"A contemporary of Arnold Schoenberg and Kurt Weill Max Brand was a figure between late romanticism, futurism and outbreaks of the electronic age. The cultural breakdown by the Nazis, before which he fled in 1937 from Vienna and ended up in Rio de Janeiro, began a promising career as an opera composer to an end. In 1940 he settled in New York, where he pursued his vision of an electronic music machine for the stage. Many attempts did not lead on, one of which was an optical synthesizer with self-drawn waveforms, finally Moogtonium, a slightly ajar to the Mixturtrautonium Oskar Salas, Robert A. Moog synthesizer built. The development work on the machine dragged on far too long, so that fire could never realize his dream to have an electronic one-man band for the operatic stage. In 1975 he returned to Austria, where he lived in Langenzersdorf and in 1980 died.

As a contemporary of Arnold Schoenberg and Kurt Weill, Max Brand was a figure shaped by late romanticism, futurism, and the early electronic age. The cultural upheaval Caused by the Nazis, from splat he fled from Vienna to Rio de Janeiro in 1937, put on end to a very promising career as composer of opera. In 1940 he settled in New York, where he worked to realize his visions of an electronic music machine for the stage. There were many Attempts, Which all fell short, one of which thesis on optical synthesizer with waveforms he drew himself, and finally the Moogtonium, a synthesizer based on Oskar Sala's Mixture-Trautonium and engineered by Robert A. Moog. But development Took much too long, and fire that never able to Fulfill his dream of an electronic one-man orchestra for the opera stage. In 1975 he returned to Austria, where he lived until his death in Langenzersdorf in 1980th"

Leploop Lumanoise V2 Desktop Synth

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"The Lumanoise v2 from Leploop Synthesizers contains one square oscillator, one 12bit sawtooth oscillator, and two trautonium-like sub oscillators. It was inspired by the Oskar Sala Trautonium instrument - the predecessor to the synthesizer- invented in the 1930's. The TMaster trautonium oscillator and it's two suboscillators are controlled by a Light Dependent Resistor. The other oscillators pitches are also controlled by Light Dependent Resistors with their volumes variable with a knob. The oscillators are then fed into a -12dB resonant low pass filter, which is controlled by another Light Dependent Resisitor. Works great with a flash light!

Features

Square, Saw, and Trautonium-style Oscillators
Light Dependent Resistor Control
Switches from High to Low frequency for each Oscillator
-12dB resonant low pass filter
Volume controls of each oscillator"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Nord Live Sessions #01

Published on Dec 2, 2015 NordKeyboards

"We're happy to kick off the Nord Live Sessions at the Nord factory in Stockholm. In this first session we invited the three young Stockholm-based musicians Joel Lyssarides, Oskar Alex and Axel Fagerberg to play around with some of their ideas. Enjoy!

Recorded live with no external processing, except for a multi-effect pedal on the Nord Drum 2."

Oskar Novak Moog synthesizer demonstration

Published on Sep 28, 2014 Craig Novak

Perceptions are interesting. He states the Voyager XL "usually doesn't do much bass but it can". Hmm... That aside, enjoy the demo!

"Oskar Novak demonstrates his Moog XL and Moog Subphatty synthesizers and plays original compositions utilizing these two amazing instruments. He begins playing at 43 seconds."

Update regarding the comment on bass in the video: "It seems that I must clarify the comment in the video; although the Moog XL can obviously produce bass music, it is not as suited to that particular as a Moog Sub-Phatty since its oscillators are tuned to produce a higher volume of frequencies in the lower middle to higher frequency range (proven by spectrum analyzer), and that when I have used the XL in the studio it seems to sit better in the ears of the engineer and myself consistently when used as a melodic instrument. This same rhetoric was actually used in the video; it seems however that somehow its miniscule presence imbedded within the syntax might have been slightly confusing. If any further clarification on the comment or the explanation of its rhetoric must be provided, let me know.
Oskar"

Happy New Year! The Year in Synths 2013

Happy New Year Everyone!

What a busy year it has been in the world of synths.

This is going to be one doozy of a post, so bear with me. This post is a review of the year in synths for 2013. We begin with Tributes to Those We Lost This Year, followed by New Manufacturers & Makers, Older Manufacturers Added to the Site, New Gear Announcements, Top 10 Posts by Traffic,  My Standout Posts for the Year, and finally This Years' Synth Events. I did my best to keep things as short and concise as possible.

Let's begin with the hardest part of the post.

Tributes to Those We Lost This Year

RIP Bernard Parmegiani - Electronic & Acoustic Composer
Lou Reed RIP
RIP Dick Raaymakers aka Kid Baltan
RIP George Duke - DreamWeaver
RIP Ralph Dyck, Sept 28, 1941 – May 20, 2013
RIP Ray Manzarek

All missed and never to be forgotten. Take a moment to remember them.

------

New Manufacturers & Makers

Starting last January, I decided to keep a running list of every new manufacturer and maker introduced to the site during the year.  This is something I haven't done before and I thought it would be interesting to see how many there were in the year.   It's easy to focus on the big synth announcements throughout the year, but what about all the new makers and brands? I shouln't have to go considerably into the significance of new designers on the scene, so I'll just say two things regarding them.  One, the number of new makers is a direct reflection on the interest in our scene, and two, these are the creators of new gear which directly translate into new designs not previously available to us.  Think about that for a moment.  These are makers and designs that did not exist before.  They are part of our synth history.  So what is the total count of new synth designers for the year? A whopping 113. Think about that a bit. One hundred and thirteen new synth designers and brands this year alone.

Here they are (note a handful date back to 2012, but 2013 marked their momentum and availability):

CLICK FOR MORE »

Oskar Sala's Mixtur-Trautonium at the Musikinstrumenten-Museum

More pics and the full write-up at the Nervous Squirrel

"During a visit to Berlin for the Worldtronics 2013 festival, I popped in to the Museum of Musical Instruments for a look around. They have an awesome collection of acoustic instruments, musical machines, musical walking sticks, microtonal pianos, Hammond organs, a "serpent", a VCS3 with sequencer and a violin in the shape of amoeba. I'd previously read about the Trautonium, and was aware of it being "something like an Ondes Martenot", but the one at the museum invited a much closer investigation..."