NT Subharmonic Memory Unit v1: the making of (from concept to finished instrument)
"I shot this video while conceptualising, designing and programming my latest virtual instrument called Subharmonic Memory Unit for the Nontemporary Toolbox. My voice was recorded on the camera's built-in microphones and as a result of me not setting the levels properly the audio can be (very) noisy at times."
NT: Subharmonic Memory Unit v1
This instrument was sampled from a modular synth and based on the concept of subharmonics. It has a challenging but interesting control surface aimed at experimentation.
The story
In my experiments to create plugins with a rather leftfield control surface (inspired by modular synthesis techniques) I decided to make this virtual instrument based around the concept of subharmonics. To make the sounds I used a square oscillator routed through a module called ‘Maths’ which is a function generator (amongst other things). All samples are recorded straight from the modular synth into my interface (5 samples for each bank) and then mapped to the different layers.
The ‘random’ toggle switch engages a random engine that chooses a layer for you, you can turn it off and select the layers yourself with the little switches for every bank.
By adjusting the drift setting you’re able to decrease or increase the pitch drift (this is independent for every bank).
I added a ‘memory unit’ to the instrument that enables the user to loop phrases. There’s a spring reverb (convolution*) and a 7kHz low pass filter."
A new desktop synth from Erica Synths minus the ocillators?
Details follow:
No oscillators, 8 voice polyphony.
The Steampipe is a true physical modelling synthesizer developed in close collaboration with Dutch company 112.dB.
The Steampipe has no conventional oscillators. Instead, it mimics the way sound is created in wind instruments and it is fine-tuned to create a wide range of sounds - everything from wind instruments to strings, pipe organs, crazy effects and beyond. The Steampipe has three major sections – STEAM, PIPE and REVERBERATOR.
The STEAM section can be compared to the lungs and mouth of a musician. The generator creates the flow of air or “steam”, the envelope in this section determines the force with which it is blown out. DC/noise is the noise you get when blowing out. DC/Noise on the Steampipe can also be replaced with an external audio source.
The PIPE section can be compared to a flute. In the pipe, the tune is formed. Push (in feedback) bounces the steam like it does in a flute and generates the tone. The delay box subsection changes the flute’s tuning and shape.
The REVERBERATOR adds space and ambience to the sound.
The Steampipe is optimized for performance with wind MIDI controllers and it works great with any MIDI keyboard. The overtones the Steampipe produces are very organic and rich and it comes with great-sounding presets. The Steampipe is rather versatile and allows for nuanced sonic exploration, conjuring sonic imagery ranging from from wisps of cloud to fairground band organs, then to industrial horns of the railroad and finally, to massive, otherworldly ambiences.
We believe that the Black Stereo Reverb and the Black Stereo Delay 2 will significantly expand the FX palette on any modular system. Instead of a generic multi-FX approach, we decided to develop dedicated modules with extended controls over the most important parameters – FX design powerhouses.
The modules run on new Erica Synths DSP hardware and the effects are developed in collaboration with Dutch company 112.dB who make some of the most beautiful sounding effects.
Brett Naucke performs on the Spectraphon!
video upload by MAKEN0ISE
"Brett Naucke performs new patches at Drop of Sun!
Asheville-based musician and Make Noise Records alumnus Brett Naucke performs three new patches on our brand new module— the Make Noise/soundhack Spectraphon— at the great Drop of Sun Studios here in Asheville, NC!
We are THRILLED to finally share our latest collaboration with Tom Erbe (soundhack), The Spectraphon! For more information on this dual spectral oscillator, head to: https://makenoisemusic.com/modules/sp...
The Spectraphon is the first module to be built by Make Noise on its new digital hardware platform. This hardware, engineered by Jeff Snyder and Tony Rolando, provides more i/o at higher resolutions, and a lower noise floor than we have ever had access to in a digital module, allowing us to unleash Tom Erbe’s DSP code to a previously unattainable degree.
The Spectraphon has two nearly identical sides, A and B, which oscillate in one of two ways: Spectral Amplitude Modulation (SAM), or Spectral Array Oscillation (SAO). In SAM, instead of oscillating at all times like an analog VCO, sound at the Spectraphon’s input is used to modulate the amplitude of a set of harmonics. In SAM the Spectraphon can be sequenced and frequency modulated like any VCO. At any time the current spectrum can be used to create an Array for later use in SAO mode where the Spectraphon oscillates at all times, with the spectrum at the Odd and Even harmonic outputs being drawn from those stored Arrays.
The Slide and Focus controls are mode-dependent: in SAM, they determine how the Spectraphon responds to sound at the input for Spectral AM, while in SAO, they are used to modulate the Array.
In either mode (SAM or SAO), the Partials control works as a combined amplitude and timbre gate for the Odd and Even harmonic output and the FM Bus will create high definition internal frequency modulation from the opposing side of the Spectraphon. The two sides can also interact via the internal FM Bus, the Follow and Sync modes, and by patching them together.
"LIVEN Texture Lab | Granular Synthesizer/Effector
- Sample, slice, transform and reconstruct audio to synthesize completely
new sounds
- Granular synthesizer with granular effects processor mode
- Shimmer reverb for fantastical and majestic sounding spaces
- 128-step sequencer with parameter locking
- World-famous sound designers have provided presets as results of their
experiments
The presets are
01 FL.BK (Flashback) : Yasutake(elfin)
02 DRMR (Dreamer) : Limbic Bits
03 FEAR (Fear) : Chris Lody
04 US.HP (Use Headphones!) : Takashi Matsuura
05 CHOR (nostalgic space choir) : Dr. Endo"
Los Angeles, CA and Berlin, Germany — Boutique modular synthesizer company Noise Engineering announced Roucha Legio, a stereo resonant multimode filter with wavefolding, 1V/octave tracking, and gateable bypass, at Superbooth. The Eurorack module is available May 11.
Roucha Legio is a 12dB/octave state-variable stereo multimode filter. It is the fourth module in the Legio series of many that the Noise Engineering team has said they are working on.
“We argued for so long about the core of this firmware. We started with something completely different but we just couldn’t quite agree on the finer points. So we took a step back and decided that we should probably work on a filter, since people have been asking for one for years,” said Kris Kaiser, Doer of Many Things at Noise Engineering. “The next firmware Stephen dropped for us to test was so much fun that our team Slack workspace went silent while we all started patching. We knew this was the one.”
Roucha Legio features lowpass, bandpass, and highpass filter settings. The filter frequency is adjustable via the dedicated encoder or the one-volt-per-octave CV input. Roucha Legio is designed not to self-oscillate without an input signal, but once a signal is added, the Resonance control can offer anything from clean to the squelch of an acid house bassline. Resonance is also CV-able, which means filter sweeps are easy to achieve.
Noise Engineering has a love for wavefolders, so of course there is a Fold knob, with a switch that configures the placement of fold in the signal chain before, after, or both before and after the filter.
Roucha Legio also features a bypass control. Tap the encoder to bypass the DSP, and tap again to re-enable it. The dedicated Bypass gate input also works to bypass the filter while the input is high.
Roucha Legio is part of the Noise Engineering Legio DSP/oscillator platform. Users can change the firmware on any Legio module, completely free, to any other firmware in the Legio series via USB. Current offerings include the Virt Iter Legio oscillator (based on the same algorithms that Noise Engineering contributed to the Arturia MicroFreak and MiniFreak), Tymp Legio drum voice, and Librae Legio dynamics processor.
To help keep the panel controls straight with all the different firmwares available, Noise Engineering also offers laser-etched, impact-acrylic panel overlays that fit right over the existing panel. Overlays are available in silver with black text or black with white text, and as individual panels or in discounted multipacks.
Roucha Legio ($310 USD) and Legio panel overlays ($16 each or $48 for the 4-panel multipack) are available now at https://noiseengineering.us and at retailers globally. Current Legio owners can try Roucha for free by heading to the Noise Engineering Customer Portal (https://portal.noiseengineering.us) to swap the firmware.
Notable features ● 6 HP ● CV-able inputs ● Bypassable filter ● 1v/8va tracking ● Self-calibrating frequency CV ● Part of Legio ecosystem: buy one module, get them all ● Hotswappable panel overlays sold separately
Availability and pricing: Roucha Legio: In stock in black and silver. Shipping from Noise Engineering and retailers starting May 11, 2023; MSRP US$310
Overlays: In stock in in silver with black text or black with white text, and as individual panels or in discounted multipacks
"Synthesize reality with Objekt, a physical modeling synth for new and unique acoustic sounds. Discover the character of organic instruments and real-world materials. Dynamic, playable, and easily customizable.
Producers and beat makers are on the hunt for new sounds with an acoustic flavor. Sounds that can’t be easily duplicated by just any plugins or samples. That’s why Objekt doesn’t play back pre-recorded instruments, it synthesizes them.
Explore hundreds of patches ranging from bells, mallets, percussion, stringed instruments and more. Move any parameter to see what happens. Where you end up might sound familiar or like an imaginary instrument that doesn’t exist. Until now."
Learn Physical Modeling Synthesis with Objekt from Reason Studios
"Objekt Modeling Synthesizer for Reason is a whole new type of synthesis for most people but that's why we packed it into the form factor that would be both easiest to learn and most powerful when you've got it down — a classic Reason Rack synth.
In this deep dive, Ryan will show you how to get started with physical modeling synthesis and how you can either build sounds from scratch if you're a sound designer or modify existing sounds in entirely new ways if you're a musician looking to get inspired.
Contents of this video:
0:00 - Introduction
1:53 - Real world sounds
3:16 - Basic Objekt patch
7:12 - Objekt’s mixer
8:38 - Exciter Impact section
13:55 - Exciter Noise section
18:40 - ADSR vs CPDDD
24:27 - Randomizer
27:41 - Tuning offset"
Objekt is an open-ended physical modeling synthesizer, meaning it models the properties of acoustic instruments and gives you control over those as parameters. Instead of choosing between pre-made options, it opens the hood to the inner workings of physical modeling synthesis so that you can experiment and approach it like what it really is: a synthesizer.
At the heart of Objekt are three resonating objects, think of them like the instrument itself, with in-depth control to create anything from a string or bell to a skin or something yet unheard. The instrument is then set in motion by the Exciter section. From the short impact of a stick to a wash of noisy static, the Exciter lets you play the instrument in dynamic and wonderful ways. Tweak the sound to suit your needs or invent entirely new instruments with just a few parameter changes. Objekt generates all sound in real time without relying on pre-recorded samples which makes it dynamic, playable, and easily customizable—but also fast and lightweight.
Need somewhere to start? Explore over 500 expertly crafted patches covering a wide range of sounds. Objekt excels at both realistic reproductions and new imaginary instruments that doesn’t exist. Until now. Move any parameter to see what happens. Use the powerful randomizer to slightly alter a patch or morph it to a brand new direction. Start from scratch and see where you end up. Objekt’s designed to be explored on your terms.
Objekt is perfectly integrated into the Reason Rack workflow with the familiar browser, native undo, CV and audio cables, and more. You can even connect any audio signal to the External Input and use any sound to excite the instrument’s resonators to incredible effect, think of it like an “acoustic vocoder”.
Features Open-ended physical modeling synthesis for unique acoustic sounds Dynamic, lifelike, and easily customizable Powerful randomizer for instant variation and inspiration Over 500 included patches Included with Reason+ Requires Reason 10.1 or later. The included Combinator patches require Reason 12.
[Note: you can find additional user videos futher below]
"The Roland S-1 Tweak Synth is a powerhouse micro polysynth that merges the legendary tones of the SH-101 with futuristic tools for the modern creator. Get reacquainted with the snappy bass tones and expressive leads brought to life in exquisite detail by our Analog Circuit Behavior technology. Then tap into a world of new creative possibilities with expanded four-voice polyphony and an array of innovative features, including cutting-edge wave manipulation, advanced sequencing, and unique performance features.
In this video, Dustin Good dives into the S-1 features, capabilities, sounds, and more.
0:00 – Introduction and Overview
1:32 – Sounds
2:01 – Basic Sound Design
2:35 – OSC Draw
3:13 – OSC Chop
3:44 – Riser
4:06 – Effects
4:33 – Sequencer
5:06 – Sub Steps
5:36 – Probability and Motion Recording
6:25 – Arpeggiator
6:54 - Performance Tools – Step Loop, Transpose, D-Motion
7:53 - Connectivity and Portability
Build from square, saw, sub, and noise oscillators and mono, poly, unison, and chord modes. Craft custom waveshapes with OSC Drawing. Dice sounds with OSC Chop to produce a labyrinth of overtones and metallic timbres. And use the noise oscillator as an independent riser to add sweeps and pulsing sound effects for transitions and dramatic effect.
Bring programming and performances to life with a 64-step sequencer, motion recording, and D-Motion. And humanize patterns with Probability, ratchet tones with Sub Steps, and create on-the-fly fills with Step Loop.
Sync the S-1 Tweak Synth with the rest of the AIRA Compact gang for a highly jammable micro-studio in perfect sonic symphony. Chain them together or connect with MIDI gear, computers, and music apps to expand your setup. Just power on, hit play, and go with the flow."
The Buchla Music Easel was one of the first truly portable electronic music instruments. Fifty years ago, in 1973, only a few dozen were made. Unlike many iconic technologies, the influence was not grown through force of scale, but rather the force of the ideas. The Music Easel made available virtually every musical dimension: timbre, melody, rhythm, and time; how these dimensions intersected was no longer the court of acoustics and material, but signals and voltage. The 208 Stored Program Sound Source engendered “a new functional organization [with a] particularly rapid system of patching and program storage via plug-in cards.”
NT: Subharmonic Memory Unit v1
