Thalassa’s Berlin School Moments is a retro live synth jam, featuring Moog MG-1 + Synthesizers.com + Yusynth + MFOS step sequencing.

“Berlin School” synth music is music that’s inspired by the tradition of 70’s German electronic music pioneers like Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. Key characteristics include step-sequenced basslines, “spacey” effects, Moog synth leads and Mellotron pads.

Details below.

via Thalassa77:

Synthesizers.com and the MFOS Sequencer: main sequence

Moog Realistic MG-1 lead sounds.

Redtron : Mellotron Sounds.

No MIDI sequences were used , all was recorded on one take and no further mixing after recording, Everything is improvised,please forgive my mistakes ( a lot of them )

This set of videos offers a visual introduction to Native Instruments’ Maschine 1.1.

The BT Visit London Awards 2009 opened this year at The Westfield Centre, London to the sound of a 10 piece Tenori-On Orchestra.

The event, to celebrate and award the best of the tourism industry in London, was opened in style. A  string quartet began playing Beethoven’s 5th against a back drop of images of London. As the piece built up, a 10 strong Tenori-On orchestra took over, turning Beethoven’s 5th into a disco tune a la Walter Murphy.

You can hear the Tenori-On Orchestra’s version of Beethoven’s 5th at the Yamaha site.

The Tenori-Ons were programmed by Sound Designer and Yamaha artist Marc01.

“Taking on such a monumental piece of music (Beethovan’s 5th), and adapting it for the Tenori-On was definitely an exciting and challenging project,” said Marco1. “The Tenori-On is a very inspirational tool – having the ability to program it in a very melodic way, and to suddenly switch to the more experimental layers such as Bounce and Random opened up a world of possibilities.”

“Having the luxury to use 10 Tenori-Ons meant that I could really experiment with multiple layers, effects and processing to take the Tenori-On way beyond peoples expectations of what it can do.”

If any readers made it to this performance, leave a comment!

If you’ve been intrigued by the Tenori On or the monome, but put off by their prices, you’ll want to check out the Novation Launchpad – which can be used like a monome controller.

The above video demos the Novation Launchpad with MLR.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This was made and sequenced in mlrV with a Novation Launchpad, through nonome.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video captures Matt DiFonzo testing out flin with nonome version 1.12b.

Resources:

• You can find Nonome at the monome site.
• There’s a Nonome / Launchpad / Apc40 / MLR Group at Vimeo.

This video, via synthjunk, is a celebration of all that is good – with an emphasis on the pure analog electronica power, using classic synths, sequencers and drum machines.

via synthjunk:

Influenced by electronic music of the 70’s 80’s & 90’s.

Recorded using Ableton live with minimal overdubbing.

Robot featured is home made.

Synthtopia regular MirlitronOne created what could be the low-budget music hack of the year – turning a $6 LED kit into a 8-stage step sequencer.

He started with a Vellemen MK107 LED kit – which are available all over the place for less than a fast food lunch, making the kit a great risk-free starting point for music hacking.

In this video, MirlitronOne shows you how he did it and how this DIY music sequencer works.

via MirlitronOne:

How to turn a cheap Velleman LED kit into a simple eight-note analogue voltage sequencer for a synthesizer, WSG etc. The whole thing could be built for under £10 and has a novel function for playing subsets of the selected notes for ‘related’ arpeggios. This electronic music project comes to you from the bench of Mirlitronics, Inc., suppliers of low-tech gadgetry to “The Mirlitrons” – check us out on iTunes.

via Make

This music video, Tenorance, features Yamaha Tenori On and Motif ES Rack.

Details below.

via Tonneman:

This song has been created by me using the Yamaha Tenori-On. I used the Tenori to create the layers (patterns) using score mode and random mode. A total of 8 different layers have been created. Once the layers were created, I used the Tenori to control the Yamaha Motif ES Rack to produce the sounds (8 parts). Obviously, the Motif ES Rack can produce much better sounds than the Tenori’s internal sound processor.Have fun!

Matthew Davidson has put together a couple of videos demonstrating how you can run monome apps in Ableton Live 8 with the help of Max For Live.

Davidson notes:

maxforlive simplifies monome workflow.

For example, if you want to use polygomé with a DAW, you must open your DAW software, open polygomé, set up sync in polygomé, set up sync in your host app, set up MIDI output routings from polygomé, set up MIDI routings in your DAW. There is a lot of overhead.

With maxforlive, you simply drag polygomé into your track as a MIDI effect. Then you can start playing immediately. There is no setup. Everything is in sync.

Here’s another video, by Davidson, that demonstrates a stepfilter audio effect he created for Ma For Live.

If you’re working with the monome + Max For Live combination, leave a comment with your thoughts on it!

Yamaha today announced a new, budget version of it’s innovative Tenori On music synthesizer – the Tenori On Orange, TRN-O.

The TRN-O is an entry-level version of the Tenori On, offering the same basic musical functionality, but using orange LEDs, stripping away the backlighting LEDs and using a basic white plastic case.

Surprisingly for a budget item, Yamaha did not announce the pricing for the new Tenori On Orange. The TRN-O is expected to be available in December.

Yamaha also confirmed a free forthcoming firmware update for Tenori-On customers, expected to be available in January. The update will address the syncing of Tenori-On to external DAW applications and offer an improved MIDI sync implementation.

According to Yamaha, the new Tenori-On ‘Orange’ offers the same levels of creative power as the original but has been made significantly more affordable. Yamaha has replaced the magnesium casing of the original with a heavy duty and durable plastic casing.

“We know everyone loves the concept and fresh approach of Tenori-On, however, as you’d expect we have received thousands of requests for a more affordable version,” Yamaha’s Peter Peck explains. “We therefore looked at many ways of reducing the price without compromising the all-important product concept or creative operating system. By removing the battery option and the back panel LED’s and changing the chassis construction from the magnesium found on the original to a more affordable material we have achieved our goal of creating the more affordable Tenori-On ‘Orange’, bringing the full creative capability of Tenori-On to a much wider audience.”

Details at the Yamaha site.

A few weeks ago, I suggested that there are only two colors for serious electronic music gear: black & matte black.

A lot of Synthtopia readers weighed in, pointed out all the holes in my logic, suggested all sorts of exceptions to the rule and basically said I had gone insane.

It’s probably all true – and there’s room for those pink keyboard controllers – but at least the monome guys are on board.

They’ve introduced the monome grayscale – which features grayscale/bright white lighting. black silicone over a strong steel enclosure (wacka-chicka-wacka-chicka) and the same minimalist functionality as the original monome sixty four.

The original monome 64 is a great, influential controller. They’ve been selling as fast as they can be made.

The monome grayscale is sure to be a hit, too.

It’s going to cost $500. It’s going to have 64 buttons. It will be available starting in January – but it will probably be hard to get.

Saturday Synth Porn: This video is a quick demo of the very sexy Moon Modular M569 Step Sequencer.

The M569 is a Moog-style step sequencer, but offering up to 32 positions, arranged in four rows.

Each row can be controlled independent from each other, so that the user has practically up to four separate sequencers at his disposal, each with its own clock- and reset-input jacks, and – at the same time – different running directions (up, down, random and “ping-pong“).

via JohnLRice:

I just couldn’t resist playing around a bit with my new Moon M569 sequencer! It has so much great potential for doing interesting sequencing it’s really exciting!

This is a demo of 4MS Pedals’ Autonomous Bassline Generator.

It’s available as a kit for $50, and includes PCB, pre-programmed AVR ATtiny84 chip, and all the controls and components needed.

via 4mspedals:

Built your ABG kit? This is what it should do when you turn it on…For more info on the ABG, go to http://www.4mspedals.com

Sunday Synth Jams: Astral Flyover, a live modular synth improvisation.

Details on the patching below.

via davidryle:

Arrick modular synth live performance. Used Cubase 4 and Addictive Drums vst plug-in to clock into the Q960 Sequential Controller.

The Berlin School lives on, with Martin Peters’ hypnotic interlocking sequencers + symphonic electronica synth jam, Another Symphonic Theme.

Details on gear + patches below!

via attorks:

This theme is somewhat like the symphonic theme I uploaded in February of this year, yet it is also quite different

The 3 rows of the Doepfer MAQ16/3 sequencer drive 4 voices. The first voice you hear is one Q106 VCO through the CGS Steiner Synthacon VCF and the Oakley Equinoxe phaser. The second voice one Q106 VCO through the Q150 transistor ladder filter. These first 2 voices have the same 4 step sequence running on row 3. Then you hear the self build Modular running on row 2 and after that the Creamware Minimax ASB running on row 1. These 2 voices start each with a 4 step sequence which after a while is varied between 5 and 8 steps manually. Then the bass and the theme are played on the Waldorf Q keyboard with a PPG-like sound. The Mellotron-like strings are played on the Roland XP-80. The solo is performed on the Clavia Nord Lead 1.

I noticed the video is gradually getting out of sync with the sound; I don’t know what caused that and I also didn’t know how to fix that when editing the clip. So, sorry for that.

Sunday Synth Jam: This is a semi-autonomous synth jam, via Eric Archer:

I’d like to make music free of the cliched compositional motifs I’ve picked up from years of listening to pop tunes in America. Still, I grew up in the 1980s, and the sonic qualities of electro/new wave/industrial are dear to me.

Entertain the notion of playing an “automatic composing machine” that can synthesize sounds like this. The system in this video was built between 2007-09, using 1970’s and 80’s technology. Its analog sounds are controlled by digital algorithms that generate rhythm and melody.

When playing it, my role is to set the tuning, sculpt the tones, and create flow by switching elements in and out of the mix.

This is another demo video for the Doepfer Dark Energy analog synthesizer.

See this earlier post for details on the Doepfer Dark Energy synthesizer.

via repeatle:

Just trying out some of the features on the tiny but very nice analog synthesizer Dark Energy. This is all very non musical but perhaps interesting in some way. You get to hear the superfast LFO’s in action and some filter tweaking as well.

The Doepfer was sequenced from an Analoguw Solutions Oberkorn III.

Remember the Acid Symphony Orchestra?

This short video clip comes from Flow Festival Helsink, where the Acid Symphony Orchestra opened for Kraftwerk:

There are ten TB-303’s in this orchestra and one TR-707(?) operated by conductor Mr Jori Hulkkonen. This was very good performance, but unfortunately I only have some short clips with very bad audio quality. These guys were supporting Kraftwerk, which played excellent gig later.

Imagine ten 303’s from Kraftwerk PA system… Ahhh…

via Chris Randall

Well – you could do worse than reading the archives of Synthtopia and checking out Computer Music magazine’s Make Synth Music special.

I haven’t seen a copy of this yet, but it looks like it should be a good intro to synth music.

All the software you need is on the included disc, along with ten video tutorials .

Features:

• The history of synth music
• Synthesis fundamentals
• How to create classic riffs and cutting-edge sounds, step-by-step
• Free start-up synth kit – everything you need to create your own sounds with your PC or Mac
• Ten exclusive CM video tutorials on disc

Jay from Livid demos the new $399 Livid Block MIDI control surface, working with Ableton Live 8:

The audio is from my band Sinch’s sinch.net 2006 EP Subdivisions, Bluskreen created the samples and they are available under a cc license here bluskreen.com/soundshare.php

Here’s another Ableton Live 8 + Livid Block demo video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

You don’t need any special drivers or apps to do this – the Livid Block is plug and play.

Sunday Synth Jam: This is a demo/Berlin School synth jam of the Moon Modular M569 Quad Sequential Voltage Source [Sequence Mode].

See the Moon Modular site for details on the M569.

via moonmodular

Changing sequence mode with RESET/SKIP/STOP and gates ON/OFF in row #4 (row #1-#3 are doing the basic job), finaly the SEQ. MODE switch set from 4-8 to 2-16 and 1-32. Master Midi clock – M553 – M563 – M569 drives an Oberheim Xpander (6 voices).