MATRIXSYNTH

The toy keyboard mod - stand along synthesizer

video upload by Michael Nolan

"Recently - as a response to the pandemic I followed my dreams to skill back up in electronics, software development. I went through a lot of projects - a huge number and started to talk but today I'm sharing a really big step up in my work. Many firsts had to be worked through to design, make and then develop the software and hardware user interface for this full working keyboard and digital synth (that simulates analogue sounds to a great extent).

This is a fork of the original code from Marcel License
https://github.com/MichaelPNolan/Stan...
I wrote a lot of the parts for physical controls, the display, the arpeggio functionality and more. Without the code from Marcel though I wouldn't be anywhere as far making music. Initially it was a steep learning curve but this is about the 3rd object for making music I've made and i'm starting more projects. Eventually I hope to have a suite of different keyboards that do different things or work in different ways."

Additional details via github:

"StandAloneSynth37key

This is for someone who wants to wire up from a toy keyboard and pots, buttons to play the synth in a self contained unit. That is why I forked from Marcel Licence who has developed a number of modular synth projects and shared.

I made a thread where I started to list new features. https://github.com/marcel-licence/esp32_basic_synth/discussions/60

This project is moving along as a fork of basic synth. I've made my own knobs, banks of parameters physical interface in this self contained unit. I am milking this code for all I can to develop something I have a good deal of control.

Ran into a lot of little electronics building issues with physically making it stable and wiring it. My projects are kind of semi-wired and semi-wires into temporary pin-connectors like you have on a test arduino where I soldered some connectors to the ESP32 dev module. Getting it to be stable and using the right wire and lengths so I can keep opening it up and improving it without breaking some connection takes experience.

Issues I am starting to look more at the modules I was just using at how the work and learn from that. Had some weird DAC issues when i had a floating local SCLK instead of earthing it. Sometimes I get a bit of clipping with the sinewave or the current use causes it to lose it's stability until I had the wiring done right. Started to use my on AWG22 solid core breadboard style wires cut from a spool so I could make things stable.

Feature upgrades I like my display setup - i have 8 sectors and a routing for showing the set levels. I need a button I think to put it into edit or not edit so that I can change sets of parameters without overwriting things.

New Features to be started I need to make a patch write/read or at least read out a list of numbers to save as presets. I need to make a physical 5 pin DIN midi in/out so I can slave or master out the keys."

DIY ANALOG SPACE SYNTHESIZER

video upload by KLOY из NØKU

"my first analog space synthesizer"

Forms

videos upload by Forms

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The Weeknd - Blinding Lights | Loop Guitar and Synthesizer cover

video upload by Karel Smit

"I wanted to do a cover again where I played everything live. It limits the amount of layers and dynamics a bit, and the buildup needs some patience, but so much fun to do!

Set-up:
Arturia Keystep Pro sequences:
-Track 1 Moog Mother-32: arpeggio thingy during verse
-Track 2 Arturia Minibrute 2s: Bass
-Track 3 Korg Minilogue xd (double Osc sawtooth)/Ableton wavetable plugin (double sawtooth with sub)
-Track 4 Arturia Microfreak Vocoder Edition: pads

Arturia Drumbrute Impact: drums (kick, snare, clap, hihats)
Guitar: Fender american strat. Sounds from Archetype: Cory Wong plugin by Neuraldsp. Harmonised part is made with the Digitech Whammyt DT set to a higher fifth

Recorded, mixed and effects added in Ableton live 10"

Hans Zimmer - Leaving Caladan (Dune Soundtrack) | Synthesizer & Guitar Cover

video upload by

"It was time for something cinematic again. This one was a bit challenging, because I couldn't find any sheet music, so it's definitely not entirely the same as the original, but I like how it turned out :)

Set-up:
Arturia keystep pro controls:
-Track 1 Grand piano (Ableton plugin)
-Track 2 Arturia Minibrute 2s: bass
-Track 3 Korg minilogue xd: second bass
-Track 4 Moog Mother 32: highs / Ableton plugins: Viola section & Glowing choir female

Maschine MK3 for drums. Used toms from multiple groups and edited the samples a lot
Guitar: Ibanez RG8 in drop E, tuned down to D with the Digitech Whammy DT
Sounds come from the Archetype Abasi plugin by neural DSP"

Sonicware Liven 8Bit Warps XFM Volca Modular Nord Lead - Downtempo New Age Jam

video upload by ChrisLody

"This jam started off as quite an experimental affair and ended up landing in ambient electronica/downtempo/chilled out/new age music territory. Perhaps because I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. As I've mentioned before on the channel I used to be a carpenter and joiner, I did that for a living for 20 years in fact. To cut a long story short I've decided to go back into the trade after a break of a few years and I'm quite excited but a bit apprehensive, though I've already been out to look at some work and it's only been 3 days since I set up my new Facebook page so that can't be bad 😁 Anyway, my point is this sounds a bit 90s to me which is the decade I was learning the trade. Probably not a coincidence, but it's not even a genre of music I listen to much 🤷‍♂️

So in this jam the Volca Modular has a radio\cassette player plugged into the CV input which is being routed through like it were an oscillator. This enables me to gate the incoming signal. There was some sort of radio play on which gave me plenty of vocal material to work with. I also had to get it done fast though as I wasn't sure when it would finish which is why the video is a bit wonky and blurry on this one, sorry about that.

The radio\cassette in question is a cheap Matsui model that no longer plays tapes but the radio output is impressively loud making it a good fit for playing radio and noise into the Volca Modular

The Sonicware Liven XFM is providing the drums here using a kit that spreads across all 4 track. It's fast becoming my go to drum machine on top of everything else it's good at, more on that in a future video

The Liven 8Bit warps is producing a pad sound using it's lovely lofi FM engine, most of what I'm playing here is improvised. Again I had to work fast so the first good take was the one to use

The Nord Lead is obviously playing the lead sound. Again largely improvised. I learned how to trill on piano recently, maybe a bit too much of that in this to be honest 😄

Effects are provided by the Danelectro Fab Echo on the Nord Lead and the Zoom Studio 1201 routed into my Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 audio interface"