BugBrand 5years + VAT

via the BugBrand mailing list:
"Hello All,

The general bugmail list has been very quiet of late - there has been not much to say as the Weevils have been being made quite regularly and much of my design time is focused on the Modular machines (for which there is a separate mailing list).

BugBrand turned 5 at the start of April - I officially started trading back in April 2005 though there was a certain amount of stuff going on before of course.. Since then we've moved through a whole host of Weevils and I feel that things have really progressed in particular over the last two years as designs & production methods have greatly improved and I've begun to make the Modular range.

From 23rd March 2010 BugBrand has become BugBrand LTD - a UK registered Limited Company - though this won't really have any impact on selling things or day to day running. The big change, however, is that I have had to register for VAT (Value Added Tax) and this will come into effect from the start of May. This currently adds 17.5% to any sales to the UK or EU. Sales outside these areas are NOT taxed! Believe me, I am sorry about this - but there is no way around it.

As such, I've just added a new batch of BoardWeevils to the online store (there are more to follow if these go quickly) and Postcards have been in stock for the last few weeks. Any orders before the end of April will avoid the application of VAT.
http://www.bugbrand.co.uk/shop
[Please note - I'm sure you'll have heard, but postal services are somewhat screwy at the moment due to the volcano in Iceland - I'm getting items sent out, but there may be delays in delivery]

I can't say at the moment when the AudioWeevil or BugCrusher ideas may re-surface -- a certain amount of background work has gone on over the last year but there are no current signs of finalised designs. WOM kits will likely only re-appear later in the year when more workshop events are scheduled.

More news as & when.
Best wishes for now..
& thanks for the first 5 years!
Tom"

Congrats!

EMS SYNTHI AKS

via this Vemia aution
You can find videos of this unit here.
"One of the most historically interesting synths we've ever had in the auction: a very very early AKS, one of the three owned and used by Zorch, who recorded at Peter Zinovieff's Putney studio. Like Dr Zinovieff's own Synthi, this has no Spartanite case. It was manufactured in December 1972 - and bought in early 1973; and bearing in mind the age and provenance, it's quite likely it never HAD a case. It is being sold on behalf of Avi Nisim, of the psychedelic-trance duo Astral Projection. It has some excellent original mods. It is sold as is, with any faults as described or un-noticed, and although it is great as it is, it could be even better serviced by one of the EMS tech experts like Lucidsound, or Robin Wood himself. You will need to change the mains plug to the correct one for your country, and if necessary switch the voltage. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IT IS LIKELY TO ATTRACT TAX AND/OR EXCISE DUTY WHEN IMPORTED TO YOUR COUNTRY. Here are some extracts from the very thorough description from the seller - which you can see in full, with good resolution pictures and video, at http://noisedesign.blogspot.com/2010/03/ems-synthi-aks-for-sale-daylight_20.html This is an early model, white front panel 'EMS Synthi AKS' with a prestopatch bay, produced in december 1972 (acording to it's serial number 4658ks and confirmed by robin wood from EMS) . currently the synth belongs to avi nisim, a member of the psychedelic-trance duo 'astral projection' based in israel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_Projection_(group) astral projection works together since 1989 and considered to be one of the first psy-trance groups in the world. while checking the front pannel i found a little logo sticker ,which later was recognized with the group 'zorch' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/zorch who were pioneers in the british synth music, as britain first 'all synths' group. zorch were the only band ever recorded in peter zinovieff's EMS studio in putney. this synthi confirms as one of the 3 synthi's that were used by the group during the early 70's. this specific one was howard scarr's personal synthi . cosmetics: considering the synth almost 40 years, and it's history, this synthi looks quite good. some scruffs and marks on the sides and on the front panel, some marks on some knobs caps, some of the matrix pins needs a replacement (still available at EMS) . but the overall condition is good, i would say at least 8 out of 10. electronics: DC power rails were checked and they both at -9v and +12v exactly as they should. power lines are clean and steady. no humming through the synth's outputs. some scratchy knobs ,and one broken (output off) switch lever. all the 3 circuits boards and connections looks clean and the parts looks original. the 3 circuit boards havn't been removed during the check. however, i would guess that it's time to service the synthi, replace/clean some of the knobs, replace some capacitors, fine tuning etc. quite a normal procedure for this equipment at this point. the synthi has some mod's which includes: center zero trapezoid, wave shapers, filter hi/ low, osc 3 frequency switch, and more. the synth functions has been tested (although it's quite impossible to test the endless possibilities and each of every matrix pin hole of that beast...) but i can say that all oscillators, noise source, VCA, filter, ring modulator, reverb, mic input's , outputs, envelope shaper, trapezoid, the meter, the internal speakers and the joystick are all working fine, and everything sounds great and beefy. the keyboard sequencer is faulty and partially works, it has some cracks and missing some parts on the upper case (see detailed pictures). with the right patch on the matrix, keyboard touch pads are responsive to touch and triggers sounds. the random pad is responsive as well and it triggers some random notes whan touched. but the sequencer doesn't work. all the mod's that i mentioned above are working and has effect on the sound. the keyboard control and keyboard inverter mod's needs a certain matrix patches (as seen on the stickers on the matrix) which i'm not familiar with, so i'm not quite sure how these mod's supposed to work. it is also impossible to test these mod's without a fully functional keyboard. during the last 20 years , this synthi was installed in a custom wooden rack ,in astral projection's studio, and it does'nt have the spartanite briefcase. update: the 'inverter pin' mod was tested as well, with the kind directions from Mr. Howard Scarr himself. this mod is fully functional and quite amazing. the pin acts like a normal pin , but it actually inverts the signal of where it's positioned (the frequency is controlled by the inverter blue knob), so for example you can output the normal output of osc.3 and at the same time output the filtered- inverted signal of the same osc.3. this opens a whole new world of sounds and possibilities... pure fun! please note: the synthi was throughly tested for more then 10 hours, and as far as i know (i own one Synthi Aks myself) it's in a good working order, and physical shape, however, this is quite an old piece of gear and it will be sold as is, no returns and no refunds. a great care will be taken when packing and handling/shipping the synthi, and it will be fully insured. i did my best to describe the synthi as accurate as possible, for more info, please contact: ofiroman@gmail.com some videos http://noisedesign.blogspot.com/2010/03/ems-synthi-aks-for-sale-some-videos.html"

Londond Modular Meet This Saturday

Just a reminder via Mark:

"I'm organizing a meeting for Modular enthusiasts in London on Saturday the 24th April (11am-5am).

People will be bringing their gear along, exchanging ideas, gossiping, performing and anyone is welcome to come along and contribute to the proceedings (please contact me at least a week beforehand).

If you are just a fan of modular music/audio you too are most welcome...the more the merrier!"

3rd Annual City Skies Electronic Music Festival, April 29-May 1, 2010

"SPONSORED BY GUITAR CENTER and ABLETON LIVE

The 3rd Annual City Skies Electronic Music Festival will be held in the Atlanta area on April 29-May 1, 2010.

Kavarna in the Oakhurst section of Decatur, GA (minutes away from Atlanta) is once again the venue for the Festival Event. Kavarna gives us a perfect vibe for the performances, with great sound and a nice selection of food and beverage for festival attendees. Kavarna is a non-smoking and all-ages venue.

We'll also be streaming the event live on StillStream.com

The list of performers include some of the best electronic musicians from around the U.S. heard on radio stations like Music From the Hearts of Space, Echoes, Star's End, Soma FM, StillStream, Galactic Travels, and more, and are from Georgia, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

Musical styles range from ambient to downtempo chillout to Berlin school to IDM to space music to experimental. This is not a DJ event.

There will be numerous giveaways during the event including copies of Ableton Live Intro, performer CDs, and more!

For more information, ticketing, and performer bios and event schedule:
http://www.cityskies.com

From the April 2010 issue of Stomp and Stammer Magazine:

What's not to love about a concert series billed as a showcase for "real electronic music played by humans"? That's what's in store for attendees of the third annual City Skies Festival, April 29–May 1, at Kavarna, the cozy boho bar/coffee house/bistro located in beautiful downtown Oakhurst.

"City Skies was originally conceived as a community build­ing event," said Jim Combs, a soft-spoken Atlanta musician and organizer-promoter of the event. "I wanted to bring together friends and musicians who have inspired me, so we could play, trade stories and find out what everybody is up to in terms of their equipment – you know, get our geek on."

Like its predecessors, the 2010 edition of City Skies will feature a gaggle of musicians from the metro area and beyond, playing an array of mad scientist gear ranging from a marimba lumina – a fly-by-wire percussion instrument built by synthesizer wizard Don Buchla – to an electronic clarinet, DIY laptop contraptions and even iPods, as well as the occasional guitar, flute and drum.

Sharing the Kavarna stage with homeys Allen Welty-Green, Randy Garcia, Killer Haven, Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel, and others will be no fewer than four performers from Tennessee (Michael Peck, Tony Gerber, Mark Mahoney and something called 84001), two Richards (Lainhart and Devine, both considered masters of their respective sub-genres) and an assortment of knob twirling, switch flicking, mouse-wranglers from Kansas, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. One band, The Wiitles, uses Nintendo Wiimotes as instruments to play rock music.

"There will be plenty of experimental things happening, but also stuff that will be familiar," Combs said. "The main idea is to share the passion we have for this music."

Real electronic music performed live by humans!

Performers and schedule for the three-day event are:

Thursday, April 29, 2010
8pm- Harold Timms (Georgia)
10pm- The Wiitles (Georgia)
11pm- citizenGreen (Georgia)

Friday, April 30, 2010
6pm- Slate (Indiana)
7pm- Klimchak (Georgia)
8pm- Twyndyllyngs (Pennsylvania)
9pm- Paul Vnuk Jr (Wisconsin)
10pm- Tony Gerber (Tennessee)
11pm- R_Garcia (Georgia)

Saturday, May 1, 2010
Afternoon session
1pm- dRachEmUsiK (Indiana)
2pm- Burning Artist(s) Sale (Georgia)
3pm- Earthgirl (Indiana) w/Paul Vnuk, Jr.
4pm- 84001 (Tennessee)

Evening session
7pm- Mark Mahoney (Tennessee)
8pm- M. Peck (Tennessee)
9pm- Richard Lainhart (New York)
10pm- Richard Devine (Georgia)
11pm- Duet for Theremin & Lap Steel (Georgia)

All proceeds from ticket sales will go to performers for this event.

Tickets for each session are $5.00 and will be available at the door.

Venue location -
Kavarna, 707 East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030

Please add us as friends on MySpace and Facebook:
http://www.myspace.com/cityskiesfestival
http://www.facebook.com/pages/City-Skies/223286277021"

Native Instruments Releases MASCHINE 1.5

"Berlin, April 20th, 2010 - Native Instruments today released MASCHINE 1.5, a major free update that significantly increases the functionality and creative potential of the acclaimed computer-based music production system. With more classic drum machine features, improved host integration, new sampling functions, an extended sound library, and even more efficient workflow, the 1.5 software expands on the concept of MASCHINE as the most integrated and intuitive groove production studio for producers, live musicians and DJs.

To bring even more of the legacy of classic drum machines into the modern music production environment, MASCHINE 1.5 introduces two new "vintage sampler" modes that authentically emulate the gritty sonic signatures of the popular MPC-60 and SP-1200 models through sophisticated component modeling. The 1.5 version also loads the programs of nearly all MPC models ever built, opening up a vast resource of existing sound and sample material within MASCHINE.

MASCHINE 1.5 also enables a new and highly efficient level of DAW integration, with convenient host automation through new macro controls, MIDI pattern Drag&Drop export, direct DAW recording of MASCHINE events, MIDI pitch bend and CC support, and more. The powerful real-time sampling features of MASCHINE benefit from extended slicing and mapping options that make it even easier to work with sampled grooves and other rhythmic loops. The 1.5 version also introduces a full arsenal of destructive audio editing functions for in-depth sample manipulation.

The MASCHINE 1.5 update includes a versatile assortment of additional instrument and drum sounds, based on a gigabyte of high-quality sample material. The library has been expanded with special versions of ABBEY ROAD 60s & 70s DRUMs, authentic electric pianos and bass guitars from Scarbee, contemporary acoustic strings taken from the upcoming SESSION STRINGS instrument, sampled vintage analog synths, and carefully resampled MPC-60 hip hop kits from sample expert Goldbaby.

Further enhancements in MASCHINE 1.5 include a new "Grain Stretch" effect algorithm, a "16 Velocity Levels" pad mode, MIDI file export, extended polyphony options, improved event editing and navigation on the controller, project default templates, sample consolidation for improved song portability, and a wide range of minor optimizations.

The 1.5 update is available as a free download for all owners of MASCHINE.

A practical demonstration of the beat creation process with Maschine 1.5 by producer F Major is available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SURS89rsSR0

The release of MASCHINE 1.5 is also accompanied by a four-part feature demonstration http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=386EA6B3826160D2, as well as an interview series featuring producers like No I.D., Jurassic 5 member DJ Nu-Mark, Dawaun Parker, Brook D'Leau and Needlz http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A33DAC367E40FE03.

Additional information on MASCHINE is available at
www.native-instruments.com/maschine.info"

Equinoxe 5 on portable Eminent

YouTube via albertspyker — April 20, 2010 — "Jean Michel Jarre´s Equinoxe 5 played by me on the portable Eminent 310 I built myself.
Gear: Portable Eminent 310, Roland Juno 106 and Reason V4."

Oxygene 5 on portable

Moog Taurus 3 Bass Pedal Synth

YouTube via retrosound72 — April 20, 2010 —

"synthesizer demo by RetroSound (for the Taurus 3 test)

The new Moog Taurus 3 bass pedal , the direct successor of the legendary Taurus 1 from the year 1978

The demo shows some preset sounds and different sound settings. No external effects added!

This video demo is not a musical statement, only demonstration of the sound possibilities of the instrument."

Aurora for iPhone Teaser

YouTube via 4pockets — April 20, 2010 — "A quick and dirty teaser for Aurora for the iPhone coming soon. http://www.4pockets.com

Whether you are an experienced musician or dont have a musical bone in your body, you can make great music on your iPhone, with Aurora our pattern based musical sequencing software.

As this is quick and dirty the sound is via the camera so the quality is not the greatest."
monome interface

not iELECTRIBE

YouTube via SunamachiSoundSystem — April 20, 2010 — not iPad. korg er-1

Hypnotized by the night (Plogue Bidule + 2 Doepfer Dark Energy + Audacity)

YouTube via GruithuisenCityMan — April 19, 2010 — "Hello ! My name is Frederic Gerchambeau. I have made this movie and this music. The music has been made with Plogue Bidule sequencing a Doepfer Dark Energy. Another one is played by hand. The sounds of these 2 Doepfer Dark Energy has been reintroducted into Plogue Bidule in order to permit to a long delay to be added. The all thing has been made in one take and has been a bit edited with Audacity (compression, short stereo delay and pitch downshifting added). Enjoy !"