This video, from the producers of the I Dream Of Wires documentary, captures extended interviews with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor & Alessandro Cortini.
I Dream Of Wires is an independent documentary exploring the history, demise and resurgence of the ultimate electronic music machine, the modular synthesizer. A 4-hour extended cut is available to order now on DVD and BluRay. The feature-length, theatrical cut is set to premiere spring 2014. Continue reading
New Czech instrument maker Bastl Instruments has introduced Trinity, a new line of inexpensive modular grooveboxes.
Here’s what they have to say about the Trinity modules:
Trinity is a universal musical instrument and original sounding modular groovebox. It can function as any type of digital synthesizer, sequencer, controller, arpeggiator or almost anything that can be programmed into a micro-controller.
Trinity is designed to be connected and combined with other Trinities of different functions in a chain, so you can create your own music making environment. It is ready to communicate with the outer world via MIDI and different sync and CV methods using MIDI Bastl.
We have developed 4 different instruments for Trinity which work great together. They are sequencer, drum synthesizer, polyphonic synthesizer and monophonic FM synthesizer.
All Trinity instruments have the same starting price: 60 Euro for assembled instruments and 45 Euro for a DIY kit. And they’re open-source, DIY, hackable and repairable. Continue reading
Critter & Guitari have introduced IIO, ‘the quickest way to get sound out of your Eurorack modular’.
The IIO is an amplifier and speaker in a gold anodized panel. It provides two 1/8″ inputs and volume control. It contains a 3W amp and speaker and ‘gets pretty loud’.
It can be used to turn your Eurorack setup into a self-contained sound mchine or to preview patches.
Specs:
The IIO is available at the Critter & Guitari site for $100.
The inimitable Nick Batt takes a deep look at the new Waldorf Pulse 2 analog synthesizer. Continue reading
Developer Matt Heins has announced the Hackme Vector – a new way to interact with a modular synthesizer that’s a bit like a theremin on steroids.
Vector is a three dimensional control interface designed for Eurorack modular system. It senses the location of a hand over its face and outputs a signal proportional to position for each axis: x (left and right), y (up and down), and z (in and out).
Vector works by generating an electrical field and sensing changes in it causes by the proximity of your hand. Think of it as a smartphone screen with an added dimension of depth four to five inches from the surface. The system uses six electrodes to form the active sensing area. The sensing electrodes are part of the circuit board which lays just behind the piece of acrylic.
This allows you to control three things at one time, like turning three knobs all at once by moving your hand through the air. You could control the amplitude of a sound with the x axis, the pitch with the y axis, and the modulation of that sound with the z axis.
Here’s the official video into for the project: Continue reading
Dave Smith introduces the new Dave Smith Instruments’ Mopho SE – a “powerful, portable and professional synthesizer” in this new video.
They’ve “taken it up a notch,” he says, and have added an octave to the Mopho SE keyboard, and have now outfitted it with the custom soft-touch knobs from the Prophet 12. It also has an arpeggiator re-latch feature that is new.
The Mopho SE has many of the same popular features of the older models, like one-knob-per-function interface, polychain, USB, full-size weighted velocity and pressure sensitive keyboard, solid all-metal construction, and external audio input.
For more information, check out the Dave Smith Instruments website.