MATRIXSYNTH

Yamaha CS-15 Video Demo Part 2

YouTube via stenophonic. Follow-up to Part 1 here.
"Demo of the Yamaha CS-15 analog synthesizer, part 2 of the video demo.

Overview of the envelope generators, VCAs, oscillator glide, high frequency LFO modulation.

The closing sound is the CS15 with some delay and slight reverb. All of the sound within the demo was made using NO effects, other than a simple three band EQ from my Roland KC-550."

The Clavia Left Lead

"In a strategic move to strengthen its presence on the MI market, Clavia has today announced that it will start developing a serie of instruments aimed at the left handed musician. "We have realized that there are so many left handed musicians out there, that never have gotten the chance to properly explore the thrill of playing a keyboard."

"Guitars and microphones for left handed users have been readily available for ages. Sir Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, and the late Jimi Hendrix and Judy Garland are just a few of those who we feel have been totally neglected by keyboard manufacturers for far too long. We aim to make every one of our current products in a left oriented version, starting with the Nord Wave", says Clavias recently appointed division manager Mr Styrbjörn Babord. More information will be released shortly."

More info on the Clavia website.

Raymond Scott 100

Science Reporting has an excellent post up on Raymond Scott. The following are a few excerpts (be sure to check out the full post on Science Reporting).

"In 1942, he became Music Director for CBS Radio and made history by hiring black musicians. His CBS band was the first racially integrated band for radio. In 1946, he founded Manhattan Research Inc, "the world's most extensive facility for the creation of Electronic Music and Musique Concrete." It was the first electronic music studio...

In 1949, Raymond said, 'Perhaps within the next hundred years, science will perfect a process of thought transference from composer to listener. The composer will sit alone on the concert stage and merely think his idealized conception of his music. Instead of recordings of actual music sound, recordings will carry the brainwaves of the composer directly to the mind of the listener.'

By the mid-50's his studio began to look (according to friends such as Robert Moog) like a science fiction set. Over the years, Raymond invented numerous electronic musical instruments including the Clavivox and the Electronium.

Robert Moog credits Raymond as an important influence on the invention of the Moog Synthesizer. In 1962 and 1963, Raymond released Soothing Sounds for Baby. It was entirely electronic music he composed as an "aural toy" for children. While it was a commercial failure at the time, some now regard it as a strong pre-cursor to ambient music (over a decade before Brian Eno's recordings)."

Ion Gun

via CatSynth.com

Ion Gun

Syntech/Chroma Cult Schematics & Source Code

via Chris Ryan on the Rhodes Chroma list: "Ken Ypparila has kindly contributed the schematics and hex source for the Syntech (AKA Chroma Cult, AKA KMX) MIDI Retrofit."

HarriL - 01042008(live)

video upload by HarriL

mp3 here.

"Hey, nothing much to say about this. It's something electronic. :) Im' ok with the end result, although it's not quite what I was hoping for. The other camera had kind of corrupted the video data, so you see interesting hand movements when the second camera is used.

Gear used:
Korg EMX & ESX
Novation K-station
FutureRetro Revolution
Emu Xboard -> DSI Evolver -> Behringer Virtualizer Pro
Quasimidi 309"

Thanks, HarriL!"

Rush - The Spirit of Radio (Soundcheck 1979)

YouTube via Hemispheres88. via Magnus. Spot the synths. Note his feet and the close-up of the Oberheim at :48.

PLAN B SYNTHESIZERS MOVES TO NEW HOME AND NEW US DEALER

Press Release
"(POMONA, CA) We are pleased to announce that effective April 2 PLAN B begins it's move from Toluca Lake to take permanent residency in the loft of the NOISEBUG complex in Pomona, CA. - formerly the home of Analogue Haven. Along with this we are equally excited that NOISEBUG has become our new exclusive U.S. dealer with shipments beginning in approximately two weeks. We wish to thank Shawn Cleary and Chuck Oken of Analogue Haven for two years of excellent representation and service to the Plan B line.

In the next few weeks there will announcements from Electro-Acoustic Research on the release of the Models 16, 21, 21C, 23 and the new Models 30, 30A, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 38A, 39 and 40 along with three different chassis as we shift focus from modules only to full systems.

Shipment of Plan B products to our dealers will commence on April 10. We appreciate your patience during this interim period as we set up operations.

We look forward to the challenges which lay before us in the next coming months and thank our customers for making it happen.

Plan B worldwide dealers: http://www.ear-group.net/purchase.html

Noisebug official site: http://www.noisebug.net"

Adaptive Use Musical Instrument Demo (7/23/07)

YouTube via vanduz. via peterwendt:
"I loved the recent post about the Beamz system and video harps. In the same vein, here's something that has been making the rounds of music news sites since December. It's a system to allow people with severe physical handicaps (such as cerebral palsy) to play music.

This story emphasizes one of the reasons I'm interested in computer music and synthesizers. My left hand is partly paralyzed, but I love programming synths and trying to play music for my own enjoyment. Also, the story reminds me of of the time I introduced computer music to a girl who had some cerebral palsy. She could sit and walk, but fine control and speech were difficult for her. I brought my laptop system* into a cafe to share with her. After demonstrating it, I let her play with it, and the look of happiness on her face when she hit a key was amazing.

(*laptop with 2-octave keyboard controller and Arturia Moog Modular V)

Thanks for the good work, and don't drive yourself into the ground for the rest of us!

Regards,
Peter"

Interview at Cycling74
Official Project Page
Demo Video (same as above)