MATRIXSYNTH

Fairlight Updates: iPhone App in the Works, Clear iPhone Case & More

See the updates in this post.

Devi Ever Effector 13 Console II

"What is the Effector 13 Console II?
Quite simply it is a guitar pedal in which you can insert two specially designed cartridges to create your own unique effects unit.

What do the cartridges do?
For now the cartridges designers will be focusing on Fuzz, Distortion, Overdrive, and Boost fx, but there is the possibility of expanding into other kinds of fx in the future!

What are the controls?
The Effector 13 Console II consists of two "channels" that can be switched on / off independently, with the channel on the right cascading into the channel on the left (like a standard signal chain). Each channel has four knobs whose functions change depending on which cartridge is inserted into the unit. "

Full details: http://www.effector13.com/index.html

The San Francisco Tape Music Festival - January

"America's only festival devoted to the performance of audio works projected in three-dimensional space, The San Francisco Tape Music Festival returns this January! Curated by sfSound's San Francisco Tape Music Collective, the festival features three distinct evenings of classic audio art and new fixed media compositions by 20 local and international composers. The collective is one of the major proponents of live sound projection, and the members, along with guest composers, will be shaping the sound live over a pristine surround system consisting of 16+ speakers while the audience is seated in complete darkness. It's a unique opportunity to experience music forming - literally - around you."

Full details including performance roster on http://sfsound.org/tape/

via brian c

Susan Rom - Spinning Vocs&Choirs

YouTube via susarom | October 09, 2010 |
Roland TR-808 samples and Orange Vocoder.
via retrosound72

Feed My Speaker - by Danny de Graan

Feed My Speaker - by Danny de Graan from Danny de Graan on Vimeo.

"Feed My Speaker is a composition completely based on feedback. It is written for 4 player, 4 microphones, 4 speakers and a computer.

Every players has a score in front of him where instructions tell when the player needs to place the microphone above the speaker.

The feedback that occurs is tuned by means of the computer (and MaxMSP) which is placed in the feedback loop. The first player can select presets which are indicated in the score and change the scales so harmonic content can be played.

Lunapark Ensemble asked me to write a compositon based on Pendulum Music by Steve Reich. Feed My Speaker is the result.

This composition is written for Lunapark and was funded by the Fonds PodiumKunsten in the Netherlands.

This performance was in de Toonzaal in Den Bosch on october 7th 2010

A score of this composition can be obtained via the composer:
dannydegraan.nl"

The 1983 Digipoly

"Digipoly was an 8 voice polyphonic keyboard synthesiser designed in 1983. It used entirely digitial synthesis and it was a contemporary of the 'groundbreaking' Yamaha DX7, which also claimed entirely digital synthesis. Digipoly had an intelligent automatic arpegiator mode that would still be considered good today.

Actually, the Digipoly was not entirely digital, because master tune, vibrato and tremolo were implemented by respective analog modulation of the master digital clock and the DAC reference voltage." You can find more info on the Digipoly here. It was designed by Dr. D J Greaves. You can find more of his projects here.

Update: I originally had the wrong image on top. It is now updated. I accidentally had the CBG posted here. Thanks goes to Mars for calling out in the comments.

CBG Elric Synthesiser (Circa 1984/5)

"Elric is/was a dual-VCO monophonic keyboard synthesiser designed in 1984. It used the Curtis Electromusic analog synthesiser ICs under control of a microprocessor.

Elric has one, fixed patch: a four channel audio mixer feeds a VCF whose output feeds a VCA with stereo outputs. There are two VCOs and a ring modulator. The four inputs to the audio mixer are sourced from the VCOs, the noise generator and the ring modulator. The ring modulator inputs are hardwired to the VCO outputs. One VCO can be synched to the other."

You can find more info on the CBG Elric Synthesizer here.

The Harvestman Polivoks VCF

via this auction
"The first widely available modular release of the Polivoks filter circuit is an officially clone built on the basis of original russian spareparts. So this first "analogue" module by the still young american inventor will be limited sooner or later and seems to be authentic. The 12dB Filter has parrallel lowpass and bandpass outputs sounding quite round. Against the original here you have CV-inputs as usual probably offering still some new sounds probably.

The filter circuit is identical to the original design and uses the exact same schematic as the Polivoks synthesizer as well as new old stock Soviet integrated circuits (KR140UD1208 and KR140UD608, not Western "equivalents"). A signal mixer and bipolar CV multiplier were added in order to use the filter within the modular realm but no other additions are present. This helps to preserve the unique and unstable sound character without compromising signal flow authenticity.

Backside doepfer compatible bus connector for +/-12V power consumption, CV1 bipolar and CV2 with attenuator going to cutoff, (2x) 6dB BP out and 12dB LP out, 2 x audio-In each with attenuator. Euro-rack module (for 3 rackspace systems), 10 HP, approx 3cm deep"