MATRIXSYNTH

at 9/04/2006 12:45:00 AM

flickr by night000vision000.

at 9/04/2006 12:38:00 AM

I recently saw this on sequencer.de. I wasn't sure if I put up a post on this before, however I was pretty sure I saw it on Music Thing and/or CDM. Sure enough I did. I sent an email to Tom and Peter and Peter was kind enough to reply with links to the posts. Here are the links to the posts on Music Thing and CDM.

Peter Kirn also sent the following:

"Check out these links for some amazing photos:
modeles
pedagogie.html

What I can't find -- and you'd probably need someone who has connections to IMEB for this -- is what happened to the public software release that was supposed to happen. There's nothing on the site, and the documentation of the project appears to be abandonware. (Hopefully that's just the site itself.) That'd be nice, as they redeveloped the software in Max/MSP."

If you know anything, please comment.

Update via Peter Grenader in the comments:

"If I'm not mistaken, this is a big midi controller designed to control patch parameters within software synthesis progrmas such as Csound and MaxP. This is what was explained to be a year or so.

Also, I believe Max was developed by Cycling 74, not the IMEB. Barry Vercoe I know developed Csound with IRCAM."

Update via the comments: "Actually, Max was developed by Opcode, who later added MSP. Then Cycling '74 bought it in 1999, and have been developing it ever since. What the post was actually saying is that the IMEB developed their own program using Max/MSP, not Max/MSP itself."

Update via Peter Kirn in the comments:

"Some historical corrections:

Csound was developed by Barry Vercoe while he was at MIT, not IRCAM. Csound is in turn indebted to Max Mathews' Music4 (and variants), as developed at Bell Labs from the late 50s through the 60s. Csound has grown a lot since its original version, however, through contributions by Dr. Vercoe and many others.

Max was not originally developed by Opcode; Max and the audio environment Max/FTS were the creation of Miller Puckette while he was at IRCAM (and I think IRCAM still holds some of the copyrights to that version of Max and its descendents). Max/MSP as we now know it did result from the Opcode variant of Max, that's true, though it has had an ongoing, bi-directional relationship with Max/FTS and later Pure Data, as developed by Miller Puckette, and has evolved through contributions of many people. Max Mathews is the namesake for the software Max, but supposedly specifically for an archaic reason having to do with scheduling (as well as, I'm sure, his admiration for Max Mathews' contributions to digital synthesis).

Back to the original question, I think people are right in that this is a hardware controller for a Max/MSP-based software patch. The modularity, having previously been in hardware, is now apparently in the software. The patch is promised to have been publicly released in the PDF docs for the instrument. So it's out there somewhere -- I just don't know where!"

Update: also see The Gmebaphone Concept and the Cybernéphone Instrument

at 9/04/2006 12:37:00 AM

Just four shots pulled from this auction.

No title link.

Update: Turns out this is the same Syrinx in this post. Via alex in the comments. Nice catch.

at 9/04/2006 12:36:00 AM

Title link takes you to Keyboard TV by Keyboard Magazine. There are a few videos of Summer NAMM and more. The Ableton video is pretty cool. Looking forward to Live 6 and Sampler.

via SHEPITOLOGY

at 9/04/2006 12:35:00 AM

flickr by P Villerius.

at 9/03/2006 01:29:00 AM

flickr by mano_paysages.

at 9/03/2006 01:28:00 AM

Anyone know what happened to the Lassence uVentury II? I remember when it was first announced. Frederic sent me a link to the Lassence uVentruy II page on Gearjunkies. I did a quick search and found this detailed article on Sound on Sound, dated May '03. Both the SOS article and Gearjunkies page links to www.bluebay.be which now appears to be a data warehousing and business intelligence company.

If anyone out there has one or knows more please feel free to comment. I'm curious to how they sounded. It's a gorgeous looking synth.

Update via the comments (make sure to check out the other comments as well):

"OK,The lassence ventury II was made in 14 exemplaries + the prototype,all including the proto was sold.
It was totaly handcrafted,pots are alsp plastic conductive,but are of bad mechanicaly quality,the VCO's are stablebut only Volt/octave for a range of maximum 3.5 octaves (if you calibrate them)(none on the sold units where properly calibrated) Components and manufacture of prints and case was high-Q. Indeed the VU serve for nothing,and the Wave-X is poor,also the ADSR has a faulty thing,but can be updated just by adding one single resistor. The filter is SEM influenced.

Story: The unit was originaly designed that wy because the guy that have invest in the proto wants a tube-tech look. The project was abandoned. Untill X found a new interested distributor.

It went ok ,and units get starting manufacturing,but the death-end of shipping was to soon ,and the product wasn't througfully tested,thats why problems with pots,adsr,wave-x and,not calibrated!

On top of that meanwhile some units where 'fixed' the distributor absolutely want to send a unit for review to s.0.s,...this was the death before the unit was born!

Retail price was way to high because the machine was totaly hand assambled + the bad s.o.s review..... the last 4 units where sold for only 600$ (i buyed 2 of them,been close friend to the guy who's buit them,i fixed them very quick)(any unit can be turn into a very nice reliable machine just by changing all pots,fix the adsr,and tune the vco's 1v/oct.)

In fact the modules where available since years already,the guy was an ex-ACME member in 80ties and then at that period they where distributor for the digisound brand . We have sale a lot of modules in early 90ties untill our huge curtis stock was empty At huge demand the complete set was completely re-designed using discrete components.
Most of our systems where sold to the country's techno underground scene that use them in there live acts,all always made completely custom on special orders. It had created a very closed entourage almost a myth as manny people want them but not could reach the builder any way,as everything was keept secret by the scene. Untill it was time ('i' think it was time,that these deserve more respect). So i/we decided to re-launche them 'properly' and start to manufacture them like beatufull modules of other brands.

The basic set is complete.

DUAL VCO/LFO
DUAL ADSR
MULTIMODE 12db VCF
24db VCF
DUAL VCA
DUAL Ring Modulator
8-step sequential voltage source
quad VCO/LFO
Wave multiplier (this kills now! it sound identical to the serge middle section,thougt ofcourse
electronic design is different.

Still available
CEM 3340 VCO (if u supplie the cem)

Buzzy Project
Sequencer
High-end vco (v/oct. at wide span)

All modules are at same pitch off MOTM.etc so you can easy fit them together.

These modules 'sounds' or better what you can do with it,is very different
compared to other vintage or commercial products.
They where basicaly intended to create 'alien-like' new sound sculptions,and not to
use them to play do,re,mi,fa,so...Ofcource you can.
the in and outputs are very high,you can do extreme feedbacks and modulations between modules.
I have try lot of modulars,we have client that have an MOTM,MOOG,and our new modules...

If i know how i can post a pic here,i can present soon exclusive for matrixsynth
the the proto...and finaly eventualy sond files

see u l8r alig8r"

In a while crocodile. Thank you!

at 9/03/2006 01:27:00 AM

Along the lines of the Sounds of Stars and the Rings of Saturn, here are the sounds of Earth.

Via Earth Sounds:
"January 19, 2001 -- If humans had radio antennas instead of ears, we would hear a remarkable symphony of strange noises coming from our own planet. Scientists call them "tweeks," "whistlers" and "sferics." They sound like background music from a flamboyant science fiction film, but this is not science fiction. Earth's natural radio emissions are real and, although we're mostly unaware of them, they are around us all the time."

Title link takes you to the NASA online VLF receiver. You can stream the sounds in real time or check out the samples of tweeks, whilstlers and sferics on the page.

This one via Jon. Also check out Monolake and surround sound thunderstorms.