MATRIXSYNTH

Ableton Live - Uses for White Noise

Ableton Live - Uses for White Noise from Andreas Wetterberg on Vimeo.
"White noise is both annoying and useful. Here's why."

BeeBoop to the max

BeeBoop to the max from Tech on Vimeo.
"Here is my APC [Atari Punk Console] connected up to a delay unit and a spring reverb I built."

Vermona DRM1mkii - lazy loops

Vermona DRM1mkii - lazy loops from Cold Hand Murr on Vimeo.
"just messing around... "

Visual Space Music Introduction (HD)

Visual Space Music Introduction (HD) from Ian McKinlay on Vimeo.
"Introduction to my Visual Space Music project. Footage of the first prototype installation @ SCM, City University of Hong Kong, July 2008"

Ghetto Lab

flickr by juniorjj

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Below: Sound Lab Wiring

"Think of got all of the interconnections of the front panel. Next wiring the panel to the board."

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Lost tapes of the Dr Who composer

via the BBC
"A hidden hoard of recordings made by the electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme [Delia Debyshire] has been revealed - including a dance track 20 years ahead of its time...

Most unexpected of all, however, is a piece of music that sounds like a contemporary dance track which was recorded, it is believed, in the late sixties.

Paul Hartnoll, formerly of the dance group Orbital and a great admirer of Ms Derbyshire's work, said the track was, "quite amazing".

'That could be coming out next week on [left-field dance label] Warp Records,' he noted.

'It's incredible when you think when it comes from. Timeless, really. It could be now as much as then.'

Delia Derbyshire's voice can be heard introducing it. 'Forget about this,' she says, 'it's for interest only.'"

Click here for the track. Realize this is the 60s. Utterly amazing.

John Bowen Solaris Sound Samples

John Bowen has uploaded new audio samples of the Solaris, specifically the 'Weird Rotor' samples 5 and 6 in the player. The following is a description of what's in the player. Click here to check them out.

"Here's what I wanted to show:
1. AM example - Solaris_AM1.wav.
This is an extremely simple patch, made up of 2 oscillators, no filters, 2 envelopes, and 2 LFOs. Osc 1's amplitude is being modulated by Osc 2, whose output is shaped by an envelope. (The 2nd env is the Amp EG, of course). Since you can modulate each input of a mixer, I have a mixer with Osc 1 coming into 2 of the 4 inputs. The first input is getting modulated by Osc 2, and the second input is modulated by an LFO. Another LFO controls panning.

2. Lowpass filter with polymod - http://www.johnbowen.com/WavDemos/Solaris_LP11.wav.
This just because it's an old favorite of mine from my Prophet 5 days. 2 oscillators feeding the ladder-type Lowpass 24 dB filter, with medium resonance. The filter cutoff is modulated by 2 LFOs, one of which is tracking the keyboard, while the other a very slow sweep. A third input provides an envelope to the cutoff. Again a bit of Pan modulation by another LFO.
3. Panning Modulation at audio rates - http://www.johnbowen.com/WavDemos/Solaris_PanMod.wav.

Again, another very simple sound, using 2 oscs (sine waves), one with a slight bit of pitch EG (and no filter). The point here is to show how nicely audio rate modulation of the Pan position works - something you won't find on your typical synthesizer. As I hold down the F major chord a few bars in, I start to adjust the Coarse tuning of Osc 4, which is modulating the Pan. At first it's at -60 semitones (sub-audio range), and then I gradually (more or less!) raise it all the way up to +60 semitones. At the end, I again grab Osc 4's Coarse frequency and quickly drop it all the way back down while holding a higher chord.

4. Someone requested to hear something bright and buzzy, or lots of resonance.
Here's something using 2 filters in parallel - the MiniLP and the OB Notch filters: http://www.johnbowen.com/WavDemos/MiniLP+OBNotch2.wav.

5. Rotor FX - WeirdRotor1.wav.
This is a single note held, showing the Rotor module playing through the 4 oscillators. Each one is a bit different, with slow LFOs modulating the pitch of each. Osc 1 is set to the MultiMode osc, using the S&H waveshape. Changing the frequency of this oscillator varies the clock rate of the noise generator. Osc 2 is using the SuperSaw, Osc 3 the Morphing Saw, and Osc 4 is playing the (new) WAV Osc with a test sample. Everything is being fed through the (also new) Comb Filter.

6. Rotor FX polyphonic - WeirdRotor1Poly.wav.
Here's the same patch played polyphonically, at different ranges on the keyboard. I thought it might be interesting to have a 'non-traditional' example to hear.

The Solaris can produce very complicated things, but I wanted to start out with very basic, simple sounds. Now that I've got the basic recording process down, I'll get some more examples up within the next few weeks. (I'm also hoping to have some videos of basic operation available).

-John Bowen"

PAiA 6710 Vocoder Mod

via this auction

"The vocoder comes in a hand-made wooden case that I made several years ago. The vocoder's electronics kit costs $175 from Paia. The included metal face panel costs $26, but is no longer available. And the included regulated power supply, which the vocoder requires, costs about $15 from Paia. Also, this unit has been upgraded with Scott Lee's excellent Vocoder Clarifier mod! For much more info, including fantastic sound samples, click here."

Violin Sounds

YouTube via boobtube356
"Cwejman VCO-6 with FM input from Doepfer A-111. Both VCOs are fed a S&H LFO signal (no sequencer) via an A-156 Dual quantizer. The VCO-6 output is going to a Cwejman VCEQ-3, which handles a lot of the timbre adjustments. The output is passing through an MX-4S (with some panning from the quad ADSR), then on to a pair of reverbs."