MATRIXSYNTH

MMM Demos

Just some fiddling with the MMM. No music, just sound. Be sure check out the Mattson Mini Modular Forum for a note from George on the one year anniversary yesterday. If you missed it see this post for images. Note the following all feature the Syntar SSM 2040 filter. The final filter is the last remaining item. I do have to say the quality of the system has come a long way since it was first announced. If you remember it was messaged to be a bare-bones, budget modular with a finish on the panels meant to be replaced. It now has a very proper finish (same panel overlays as DSI and Moog) and it feels rock solid. The oscillators are new and based on the Syntar, EML style OSCs. To be honest I was a little worried the new OSCs would not live up to the Syntar's. To my surprise they do and they are much more stable, tracking a full six octaves. With just two OSCs it actually gives my Voyager a run for the money. These are very bold oscillators. The final filter will of course have to prove itself, however if the OSCs are any sign, I am sure they will come through. This is a very nice modular system. Again, the following is just some tinkering. You can see prior posts for more demos and videos by clicking on the MMM label below. Apologies for the heavy reverb on the first couple of demos. http://mattsonminimodular.com/

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Hammond Novachord

via Milo:

Update: image of the four Novachords."This is Hammond Novachord #1431, one of the last of the instruments made, most likely built in 1940 some time. It was originally purchased by CBS Studios in New York City. In the early Seventies, a retiring CBS engineer acquired the instrument and kept it at his home for the next few decades. I acquired it through an estate buyer about three years ago. It has not been powered on since I got it and I do not intend to do so until the internal restoration is complete, but over the last few days I cleaned it up for a photo shoot and figured you might like to see the results. Phil Cirocco documented the restoration of his instrument on his website and it is a truly painstaking process which I will be getting entirely too familiar with over the next few years. You see, I have three more of them..." Photograph by John Phelps, www.johnphelpsphotography.com. You can read about the Novachord Restoration Project here. Be sure to click on the Novachord label below for prior posts.

Patch Bay 101

I have a pretty hard rule on synth only posts, however, I thought this one would be of use to many out there. Sequence 15 has a great post up on patchbays.

If you ever wondered how they work or if your synth collection has grown to the point it is no longer flexible, this might be worth a look.

"So what does a patch bay do? It gives you a place to bring all of your signal sources and destinations together, so that you can connect things in any arbitrary order using short patch cords. In that respect, it's no different from a modular synthesizer. However, a well laid out patch bay can also make your life easier by having pre-made 'default' connections that correspond to the way you normally connect things in the studio, but can be easily overriden when desired. And, by making it more convenient to change connections, it can enable the use of things that might otherwise be too much trouble to cable up -- like auxiliary outputs from synths."

memory

flickr by citizenmori

full size

Buchla 200e memory cards

~flight of harmony~ September mini-newsletter

"The revised Plague Bearer boards are in and they are great! They have been redesigned for the coming modules; smaller, more compact, and multiple power connector options. The boards have holes for either a 4-pin 0.156” Amp header (Blacet) or a 5-pin 0.100” AMP SIP header (one side of the Doepfer 10-pin power connector). The lesson on this one is: Any automated process will malfunction occasionally, so pay the extra bit for electrical testing when you order a run of PCBs.

Now available: Plague Bearer Barebones pack. There were a few requests for this and it sounds good to me: A fully-assembled single-channel board plus knobs, jacks, and connectors. $35.00 USD each plus S&H.

Coming soon: Plague Bearer modules. Parts and boards are in stock, just waiting on the panels. They will be 0.090”/2.2mm photo-anodized aluminum Eurorack format (but you can pick your preferred power connector as mentioned above).
There will be two models: PB-1E (single) and PB-2E (double)."

http://www.flightofharmony.com