MATRIXSYNTH

MIDERA: October Tears

Published on Nov 25, 2019 MIDERA

Yamaha RS7000, Roland JX-3P, Chroma Polaris.

"Violet"

Published on Nov 25, 2019 SynthMania

"Yamaha CS-5, Sequential Circuits Pro-One, Korg Trident mkII, Linn LinnDrum, Alesis MidiVerb II"

Rossum Electro-Music Trident Multi-Synchronic Oscillator Ensemble Zing Modulation Demo

Published on Nov 25, 2019 Rossum Electro-Music

"The latest brainchild of synth pioneer Dave Rossum, TRIDENT is a 100% analog, triple oscillator module that opens up a universe of dynamic timbral textures.

At its most basic level, TRIDENT is three precision audio VCOs, each sporting a unique variety of control voltage inputs.

The main or “Carrier” oscillator provides its three waveforms simultaneously. The two Modulation Oscillators each have a single output and a waveform selector. The Modulation Oscillators also have a voltage controlled Symmetry parameter which varies the duty cycle of the triangle wave output from sawtooth to triangle back to time reversed sawtooth, and also varies the sawtooth output to have an upward or downward kink in the middle, as well as controlling pulse width when the pulse waveform is selected.

And while each oscillator can be used independently if desired, it’s when they’re combined into a synchronous ensemble that the real sonic magic happens.

That magic is what we call Zing Modulation. Each of the Modulation Oscillators can modulate each of the Carrier outputs in an amount controlled by the Zing parameter. Zing Modulation is mathematically akin to ring modulation, but due to the synchronization of the oscillators (when an oscillator’s Sync button is on), the aharmonic sum and difference sidetones of ring modulation transform into complex but purely harmonic overtone spectra, which vary dynamically and dramatically with the frequency and waveshape modulations of the modulation oscillators. Each change in the Modulation Oscillator parameters – Frequency, Symmetry, Waveshape, Zing, and (in the case of Modulation Oscillator 2) Phase – will have a different effect on the timbre of each of the three Carrier waveshape outputs.

When the modulation oscillators are set to track the carrier oscillator, the waveshape will remain constant as the carrier frequency changes. In this case the overtone structure is determined by the settings and CV modulations of the modulation oscillators. If instead the modulation oscillators do not track the carrier, some of the overtone structure will vary relative to the carrier frequency.

What all this means is that whether you take advantage of Trident’s unique synchronous modulation capabilities (which you, of course, should), or just treat it as three superb, wide-range analog oscillators, TRIDENT offers a vast variety of dramatic sonic textures."

Waldorf Rack Attack Drum Synthesizer SN 110110001977

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via this auction

Little robot model not included.

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eurorack modular jam at sea with pisttsburgh sv-1

Published on Nov 25, 2019 sector

"A little jam at the wwII bunker, neat the door of europe in Lampedusa"

LoFi Eurorack Module Prototype Part 1: Wow and Flutter

Published on Nov 25, 2019 Reckless Experimentation Audio LLC

"The first part in building a Lo-Fi afication Eurorack Module. I cut out the face-plate, and build out a wow and flutter circuit based around a PT2399 chip."

Introducing Orba by Artiphon – An instrument designed for your hands

Published on Nov 25, 2019 Artiphon

Artiphon brought us the INSTRUMENT 1. The Orba is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter.

"Hold out your hands and meet Orba, a new kind of musical instrument. It’s a tiny synth, looper, and MIDI controller that lets anyone make music immediately. Orba’s minimalist design resembles a cross between a gaming controller and a half a grapefruit, and its feather-touch sensitivity translates gestures from your fingers and hands directly into sound. Orba introduces a new and fun way to make music anywhere, even if you’ve never played an instrument before."

Onboard synth:

"We designed an innovative new synthesizer engine for Orba, with a broad range of synth sounds that work seamlessly with various playing gestures. Orba’s embedded looper means you can layer multiple parts without ever looking at a screen. The built-in speaker lets you make sound immediately (and it’s loud enough for a bit of karaoke). Plug in headphones to play alone or an external amp to play it loud.

The Orba companion app lets you explore even more. Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android, the Orba app will let you access more sounds, presets, loops, and settings. The app is also where you’ll be able to save and edit your loops and songs. And of course, you can share your songs to social media and export to your favorite music-making software to keep building your beats."

No word on how programable the synth engine will be. That will of course determine how much the Orba is more of a controller and performance device vs. full fledged programmable synth.

Features
Eight capacitive-sensing pads for feather-touch control

Accelerometer and gyroscope capture a range of gestures

Center menu button accesses four presets, the looper, and other functions

Onboard synthesizer and built-in speaker offer an immediate playing experience

Connect to the cross-platform Orba app for more sounds, songs, and settings

Use MIDI over Bluetooth or USB to plug into any of your favorite music apps

Use the ⅛” (3.5mm) output to listen on headphones, speakers, and amps

Multicolor LEDs respond to the way you play

Embedded haptics offer vibration feedback

USB Rechargeable battery

33 1/3: Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach - Talk By Roshanak Kheshti

Published on Nov 25, 2019 Perfect Circuit

"UCSD Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies Dr. Roshanak Kheshti came to Perfect Circuit to present a short lecture and reading from her new book 33 1/3: Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach, combined with examples on her own Moog synthesizers.

Kheshti makes a case that Wendy Carlos is one of the most important electronic musicians of all time: she brought an emerging technology into public visibility and was a strong force behind the popularization of the Moog synthesizer. Switched-On Bach remains one of the most popular "classical" music records of all time...and for a good reason.

33 1/3 Wendy Carlos's Switched-On Bach available here.

#PerfectCircuit #Synthesizer #WendyCarlos"

Animated Graphic Scores Performed on the Novation BassStation II

Rain Published on Nov 16, 2019 John Keston

"Strands is the working title for a series of audiovisual compositions based on the idea of animated, generative, graphic scores. Last year I composed six of these scores written in Javascript for Parking Ramp Project, a performance installation in a seven-level parking ramp with a large cast reflecting on transience, migration, and stability commissioned by Guggenheim fellow, Pramila Vasudevan. While Parking Ramp Project was composed for a trio, Strands is specifically composed for a soloist.

Rain is a new movement in the series and the first that I have produced with video of the animated score. Currently there are five movements in the piece. I performed the first four recently at the ISSTA conference in Cork, Ireland. The visual part of the piece is meant to be read like music but without the use of key or time signatures. Each time the piece is played the visuals are regenerated, so it is never performed the same way twice.

The musician may interpret the visuals in many ways. For example, in Rain lines are animated from the top of the screen to the bottom. Where the line appears horizontally is roughly regarded as pitch and as the line animates the sound is modulated. The lines also vary in weight. Heavier lines are louder and lower in pitch while thinner lines are quieter, generally higher, and sometimes altered with a high-pass filter.

I performed Rain using the Novation Bass Station II, which has a feature (AFX mode overlays) that allows for each note to have entirely different parameters. With this technique I was able to map different timbres to the keybed and use this variety in texture as another way to interpret the score. Keep an eye out for more of these. It is my intent to make videos for all five of the movements and perhaps add one or two more to the series.

https://audiocookbook.org/strands/"

Generator

Premiered Nov 24, 2019 John Keston

"Generator is the next piece in the Strands series. These audiovisual compositions illustrate the interpretation of animated, generative, graphic scores written in Javascript. Generator is made up of connected line segments that that go from left to right, up, or down, but never in reverse. The weight and length of each segment is consistent across the width of the screen and changes once a new set of segments starts again from the left.

I interpret each set of segments as an arpeggio. The tempo of each arpeggio is decided by the segment length. Shorter segments, drawn more quickly, are paired with faster arpeggios. As the line segments wander up and down I generally interpret the Y axis as pitch, but because the direction of each segment is random the pitches are not exact representations of the paths that are displayed; neither is it the intent to exactly follow the visuals. Instead, musicians interpret the score so that human qualities contrast the computer generated visuals.

The aesthetics of the pieces in this series, both visually and sonically, are secondary to the objectives. First that the scores are composed for the purpose of being read by musician(s). Secondly, the artist(s) have space to improvise within their interpretations. Thirdly (in addition to interpretation) aleatoric elements make the pieces significantly different from one performance to the next. Finally, although the performances vary, distinct characteristics identify each piece.

The objectives of these pieces lead to music that is often atonal and/or atemporal. After about a dozen rehearsals, performances, and recordings with a trio and as a soloist it has become apparent that tonality and timing often do emerge. For example, in Generator the tempi of the arpeggios change with each animated progression from left to right. Arbitrary rests are interspersed with random lengths. This amounts to timing without time signatures. And, since the pitches are left up to the artist the notes performed may or may not be in key. In my performance I chose to use a variety of intervals and scales leading up to the chromatic scale at the conclusion.

https://audiocookbook.org/generator/"