"Included in this post is a look at some creative outcomes for my 2017/18 fellowship activities in USA and Regional NSW => Mentorship with Doug Quin and residency at Syracuse University, residency at Important Records HQ including a visit to local studio to see an ultra-rare Emu Modular, and giving workshops and working in the field/studio in regional NSW. I've included a number of soundcloud links giving excerpts of some the material I was able to record."
The synth pics are at the bottom, but be sure to check out everything leading up to them. It includes an inspiring piece on the use of field recordings for sound design, a visit to the legendary Belfer Audio Archive and Preservation Laboratory with a signed copy of John Cage's Variations I score and the book Silence, as well as a copy of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band signed by George Martin, and a visit to John Brien's Important Records in Groveland, Mass with a Serge/STS system, EML Electrocomp 101, EMS Synthi A and SCI Prophet 5.
There are quite a few pics of the E-Mu system including close-ups of the inside. Do not miss them.
Details on IK Multimedia's new synth, first teased here, are in, and it is not only hardware, but it's analog. Rumored price is 199 Euro which currently comes out to roughly $238 USD.
via IK Multimedia:
"You don’t have to go big to sound huge
True analog synthesizer. Easily programmable. Ultra-portable.
The ultimate real analog synth for everyone
UNO Synth is the ultimate portable, monophonic, true analog synthesizer and IK Multimedia’s entry in the hardware synthesizer world.
We combined our two decades of experience in software and hardware development with the expertise of Italian boutique synth-maker Soundmachines and IK’s synth guru, Erik Norlander (one of the brains behind acclaimed synths like the Alesis Andromeda). The result is a no-compromise instrument with massive analog sound that’s also easy to use with hands-on programmability and advanced features at an unbeatable price.
The days of compromise are over. Now everyone can own a real analog synth with professional sound.
And UNO Synth is proudly made in IK’s own Italian manufacturing facility to ensure the highest quality standards. Like the majority of IK hardware products, UNO Synth is built using a combination of IK’s state-of-the-art, automated mounting machines and test systems and fine, renowned Italian craftsmanship.
Seasoned synth professionals and beginners alike will love UNO Synth’s high-quality, pure analog audio path and its ultra-compact form factor. With both classic and modern synth sounds instantly at hand, UNO will put a smile on the face of synth fans of every musical genre. All this in a synth module that can be easily carried anywhere.
Electronic music lovers or first-time synth users will get instant satisfaction from this affordable, easy-to-use instrument even if they are new to analog synths or synth programming. Thanks to its onboard presets and easy-to-play keyboard with selectable scales and arpeggiator, UNO Synth is the perfect gateway into the synthesizer world.
Great sounding true-analog audio path
Beneath its miniature exterior, UNO Synth packs a powerful, fat and rich-sounding synthesis engine with a full analog audio path on par with professional synthesizers costing much more.
All-analog audio path with 2 VCOs, noise generator, resonant multimode VCF and VCA
2 independent VCOs with Saw, Triangle, Pulse waveforms with continuously variable shape including PWM of the square wave plus a separate white noise generator
A 2-pole OTA-based analog resonant sweepable multimode filter with LPF, HPF and BPF
Custom-designed, dual-stage overdrive that provides filter input overdrive for classic synth saturation tone, from subtle warming to aggressive distortion
LFO with Sine, Triangle, Square, Up Saw, Down Saw, Random and Sample-and-Hold to modulate Pitch, Filter, Amp and continuous oscillator wave shapes including PWM
This highly flexible synthesis engine not only excels in producing the rich, warm, punchy, deep bass sounds that are the core of a high-quality monophonic synth, it’s also perfectly designed to bring a wide sonic palette of leads, drones, arps, sequences, sweeps and effects.
Check out these screenshots. The new Prophet X has two high resolution digital oscillators (OSC1 & OSC2) and two sample based oscillators (Inst1 & Inst2). In the images you can see all four can be both modulation sources and modulation destinations in the modulation matrix. Oscillator/Instrument destinations include Frequency, Size, Start and Center. You can even create a feedback loop where one source modulates itself; in the second screenshot you can see Inst1 as the source and Inst1Freq as the destination in the top slot. You can also modulate other destinations such as filter of course. Think about the possibilities.
"Synthrotek’s FOLD is a combination Wavefolder and Ring Modulator. The FOLD changes the shape of a waveform in order to create harmonics and find new timbres and sonic palettes. The Ring Modulator circuit mixes two waves together to make metallic, bell-like tones, big bass lines and Dalek sci-fi robotic sounds. Patch your folded wave into the ring mod (or vice versa) for sonic euphoria!
Features:
Ring modulator
Taps switch selects 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 stages of folding
Bipolar CV input over Level
Offset for adjusting wave symmetry
Wet/dry Mix
Specifications:
Module width: 4HP
Module depth: 60mm
Current draw:
+12V: 50 mA
-12V: 40 mA
+5V: 0 mA"
"I intended to make a 5 minute or so video with this piece of music but it turned out somewhat longer. It starts and ends with some Mutable Instruments Clouds goodness accompanied by two pictures of the wonderful Gran Sasso area in Italy which we visited last year. Sequences are from the DSI Mopho, Mutable Instruments Braids, SynthTech E330, Mutable Instruments Elements, Oberheim SEM, Korg ARP Odyssey, Rob Hordijk OSC-HRM and the Synthesizers.com Modular, all driven by the Cirklon sequencer. Recorded live and multi-track in Studio One and mixed afterwards. Hope you like it."
"Video four in my #2hpTuesdays series is with the 2hp Arp module. With major, minor, sevenths, sus4, augmented, diminished chords types and more you're set for a tonne of musicality with the module. You can address the root note (CV transpose) the output, change chord type with CV and also reset the pattern/mode. Modes include, up, down, up/down and random across one or two octaves. There's a lot of fun to be had playing the module with an irregular/random pattern or with non steady clock rhythms so you step through arpeggio patterns in rhythm/sequence as opposed to just straight clocks. Good fun!"
"Included in this post is a look at some creative outcomes for my 2017/18 fellowship activities in USA and Regional NSW => Mentorship with Doug Quin and residency at Syracuse University, residency at Important Records HQ including a visit to local studio to see an ultra-rare Emu Modular, and giving workshops and working in the field/studio in regional NSW. I've included a number of soundcloud links giving excerpts of some the material I was able to record."
