Crunchgear takes a look at the Elektron Machinedrum SPS-1 UW drum machine.

via ivanberes

This video, Telemark Machinedrum, demos the semi-modular Analogue Solutions Telemark Synthesizer.

The Telemark is a rack mount version of Analogue Solutions’ Semblance monosynth, with the addition of signal patch points. It will run from MIDI or can be sequenced the analogue way.

UK price is £599 exc. tax and VAT.

If you’ve used the Analogue Solutions Telemark Synth, leave a comment with your thoughts!

via bigcitymusic:

Here’s the incredible sounding Analogue Solutions semi-modular Telemark. It’s based on the Oberheim SEM but it definitely has the signature ASol gnarly factor.

The Telemark opens the SEMblance model to have patch points, allowing you to integrate it with other synth gear easily. You can process external sounds with the Telemark too. It has a great sounding filter with low, high and an extensive bandpass mode

For this demo, we’re using the low pass mode only. Sequencing and drum sounds courtesy of the Elektron Machinedrum.

Sherman FB2 MIDI Control Fun

via bigcitymusic:

It seems like every time we turn on the Sherman Filterbank 2 we get new and interesting sounds. We have never messed with the MIDI control before and thought it would be an opportune time for a video.

The Elektron MachineDrum is sequencing the drums and controlling the cutoff of filter 1 & 2 as well as the the release on the AR envelope. If you watch closely, you can see us un-mute the MIDI sequencer channel on the MD, engaging MIDI control.

The Sherman Filterbank is a load of fun, and certainly one of the best values in the analog processor realm!

monomachine meets videoscope

via erasemusic:

“hello, you are watching a machine that can talk and freak” www.erasemusic.com

This video demos using a Jazzmutant Lemur to control a Machinedrum drum machine.

Awesome, huh?

Leave a comment with your thouhts!

via erasemusic

Ever wonder if your gear needs a vacation?

Kamoni takes his favorite drum machines on the road for a visual adventure in beats and blips, in this video - Would You Like to Tap My Box?

via kamoni

Elektron’s Machinedrum SPS-1 is a state of the art drum machine and drum synthesizer. It builds on the features of the best classic drum machines, and adds improved drum synthesis technology. 

In his EM review of the Machinedrum, David Battino said:

Although it builds on the time-tested features of classic drum machines, the Machinedrum leaps off in a wonderful new direction with its distinct synthesis and live-performance capabilities. It may seem expensive, but a couple of noisy, unreliable vintage rhythm boxes would set you back a lot more, and they would have far less creative connectivity. You can control all 384 of the Machinedrum’s tone-tweaking parameters with MIDI.

The Machinedrum is a specialized instrument, but it’s one of the easiest to personalize. If you’re tired of the sampling bazaar, get to know the Machinedrum. Frequent EM contributor Todd Souvignier once advised, “Let machines speak with their own native tongues.” When the Machinedrum speaks, it’s so joyfully synthetic that it verges on being alive.

Here’s another video, via Zane Brzezinski, of the Machinedrum in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Features:

• 16 voice polyphonic drum synthesis
• Oscillators
  • Sample Playback and Synthesis; 39 drum sounds via 4 synthesizers:
  • TRX (12 instruments), EFM (8 instruments), E12 (16 instruments), and PI (6 instruments).
• 16 LFOs (2 per voice); dual-waveforms assignable to various destinations
• 1 Multi-mode resonant filter per voice 24 dB/oct (4-pole)
• 4 Master Effects: Rhythm Echo reverb/echo, Gate Box reverb, 3-band EQ, Dynamix compressor. Each drum sound has 2 independent echo and reverb Sends.
• Instrument effects: Amplitude Modulation, 1-band EQ, Sample-rate Reduction, Distortion.
• 16 Trigger pads for triggering sounds and/or programming patterns
• Memory: 64 Drumkits, 128 Patterns (up to 32 steps each)
• MIDI IN/OUT/THRU, External Audio Triggering

Resources:

• The Elektron Machinedrum website
• Machinedrum review at EM
• Machinedrum at Vintage Synth

This is a video demo of the Future Sound Systems Decade Counter DC1:

The module sequentially counts through ten outputs (this can be cut down by patching a step output to the reset input), which can then be used to trigger envelopes, etc. in a modular system. Here, the module is used to process audio coming from the Alesis Ion, sequenced by the Elektron Machinedrum. Strange, gritty sounds can be produced by using two oscillators – one clocking the counter and the other either resetting or disabling the counter.

The module is available in FracRack/EuroRack, MOTM/Modcan B/DotCom & other formats.

Vintage Collection, contains 7 of Puremagnetik’s old-school synthesizer libraries sourced directly from the classics of the 1970s and 80s:

• TeeBee – Roland® TB-303 instrument and loops.
• Circuit:30 – “Circuits” based on Moog® synthesizers and effects.
• Analog Bass Volume 1 – Assortment of deep analog bass instruments.
• P-50 Linear – Sounds from Roland’s® classic 1980’s D-50 synthesizer.
• String Machines – A collection of the great string synths from the 1970s.
• Eight Bit – Classic Commodore 64 SID chip sounds.
• Vintage 80’s Classics – assortment of great 1980s retro synths.

Producer Bundle, a collection of acoustic and electric instruments:

• Purple Kit – Custom built multi-mic maple drum kit and drum loops.
• PM Mark One – Fender Rhodes electronic piano.
• Technosphere – Sound design toolkit for composing and scoring.
• Guitar Rack Volume 1 – Stratocaster instrument and loops.
• Guitar Rack Volume 2 – Acoustic guitar instruments and loops.
• M-200 – Wurlitzer electronic piano multisample instrument.

Designer Bundle, a collection of Live Packs created exclusively for Ableton Live. It includes 6 of Puremagnetik’s unique Micropaks that utilize many of the new and innovative features of the Ableton Live environment:

• Retroputer – Modular instrument and sequencer based on the Elektron® Monomachine.
• Wavebase – Modular “Wavetable” instrument and Live Clips.
• Microdrum – Classic electronic and acoustic drum sounds with built in step-sequencer.
• RackPak – Over 100 sophisticated effects racks for Ableton Live.
• Juice – 60 fresh and new Operator presets.
• Elektrodrum – Versatile soundset modeled after the Elektron® Machinedrum.

The bundles are available for $60 USD each, or $90 USD for 2 bundles.

Nice demo of using the Future Retro Revolution as an audio processor.

With an analog resonant filter, envelope, overdrive, and DSP effects, the Revolution makes a powerful effects processor. The Elektron is slaved to the Revolution’s MIDI.

via BigCityMusic

There are 30 tracks from many well-known artists including Autechre, Dntel, Venetian Snares, Daedelus, Kim Hiorthoy, John Tejada and many more. The release also contains exclusive contributions from: The Sea and Cake, Boom Bip, Tiga, Proxy, John Starlight and others.

The album will be distributed digitally and has a $5.00 cost attached to it. All proceeds will go to the World Wildlife Fund, a cause Daniel was passionate about.

Additionally, there are over 25 free songs available for download.

You can preview 45 Tribute below:

Track List:

1. Orsan Kart – Eine Weitere Stunde
2. Daedelus_- Eulogy For An Uncommon Man
3. Dntel – Exercise Bike
4. Tiga – Good As Gold
5. Future Image – Botley Corpse
6. Landstrumm vs. Milanese – Corked
7. Autechre – coenc3
8. dDamage – Golooom
9. Jon Martensson – Where Everything Joins and Parts
10. Music International – Earth Chorus
11. The Sea and Cake – Sound & Vision
12. Kim Hiorthoy – Uprock Work
13. Erase – The Machine
14. Pelektor – Flytrekker
15. Wanker’s United – Soul Boxes
16. AEVSVS (Autechre vs. Venetian Snares) – Elephant Gear
17. John Starlight – Shadowbreaker
18. John Tejada – In the Moment
19. Honey Claws – Giant Town
20. TReD Grp. – Scarfac 323
21. Micronaut – Minimist
22. scutopus, JTS3K, and The Brown Moth – The Light That Came from Across the Sea
23. Proxy – Din Dah
24. Material Object – Blacklight
25. Boom Bip – Coogi Sweater (Featuring Ali Lee)
26. Emnine – Magical Music Box
27. Beautiful Planet Earth – Farewell Letter
28. Van Basten – The Solution
29. How Dragons Disappear – Have to go to work but
30. Kero (feat. Perilelle) – Syndrome

The compilation consists primarily of electronic oriented music but it isn’t specific to any sub-genre.

Project History:
The 45 Tribute started as an idea of a member of the Elektron-Users.com site last October. Several people from the community wanted to pay homage to Daniel and his genius. We then reached out beyond the Elektron-Users community and asked many well-known artists to participate. With Elektron’s blessing and the generosity of the artists, we were able to make 45 Tribute – For Daniel Hansson a reality.

Song Selection:
Many of the established artists were asked if they wanted to be a part of our project. Additional songs were submitted from the Elektron user community. We received so many songs that we established a panel to vote on which ones should be included in the release. Since we received so many submissions, we created the ‘Free Songs’ section.

Name Significance:
The name of the compilation is inspired by Daniel’s old C64 demo group called Zone 45. Apart from that, it was also his favorite number.

In a statement at the site, the Elektron team says that “Daniel’s strict determination, innovation and unsurpassed eye for detail resulted in instruments that have already reached cult status amongst musicians all over the world. He will live on forever through his machines.”

Elektron

The new batch of SidStations is built exactly like the previous ones. All original parts have been hunted down to assure the original sound.

The SidStation is a MIDI-controlled synthesizer with real-time controllers. Many synthesizers built today are made to fit a current trend to a specific market. SidStation is not one of them. It is built with love and dedication, and capable of producing really unique sounds that can not be recreated on any other instrument.

The heart of the SidStation is the sound generating chip from the classic home computer Commodore 64. This sound-chip, the MOS6581 SID (SID for Sound Interface Device) was developed in the early eighties by Bob Yannes at MOS technology. It’s a very unique-sounding marriage of analogue and digital techniques. However, the trend in sound synthesis soon changed towards sampling technology, and nothing like it has been produced ever since. The rediscovery of the SID-sound is a pleasant surprise for all sound explorers looking for something more exiting than the current crop of analogue imitating ‘virtual’ synthesizers.

It takes certain programming techniques to get the most out of the MOS6581. More than 20,000 lines of assembly code takes the SID-chip from being a quirky piece of silicon, to become a friendly music instrument. The SID-chip is basicly just a tone generator (with a special sound), and the SidStation OS realises all features like LFO’s, wave/note-tables, arpeggiators and filter envelope. Thousands of young hackers of the C64 has devoted years of their lives exploring all possibilities of the MOS6581. In the development of the SidStation, inspiration and experience has been gathered both from this hacker scene as well as traditional synthesizers.

Features:

• MOS6581 SID-synthesis
• Brushed aluminium casing
• Alfanumeric backlit 2×16 LCD display
• MIDI 3*DIN5P In/Out/Thru
• 1/4″ line level audio out
• 1/4″ line level audio in (routed through SID-filter)
• Dimensions: 240W x 70H x 200D [mm]
• Powerful and friendly SidStation OS
• Three oscillators, phase accumulation synthesis
• All oscillators syncable (ringmodulation and synchronization)
• Sweepable pulsewidth modulation
• Resonant multi-mode analogue filter
• Portamento, individual for all oscillators
• Variable interval-independent portamento time
• Unique wavetable function in form of 3-track mini-sequencer
• Flexible 4-part LFO modulation system
• Extensive MIDI support

The price of this batch of SidStations is set to EUR 920 inside the European Union and USD $950 for USA and outside EU. The price is subject to change. The units will be sold only by Elektron to end customers directly from their web site.

For more information, visit the SidStation site.

Elektron

Users of Elektron’s Machinedrum synthesizer and arranger can now enjoy an overall feature boost. Elektron offers an upgrade to the new OS1.20. The OS is now available from the Elektron Machinedrum webpage free of charge for all current users.

Highlights of the update include DJ-tempo for turntable synchronization, control machines for improved live control and individual swing, accent and slide tracks. In addition to this many details has been tuned and improved according to user feedback.

The Elektron Machinedrum SPS-1 is generally referred to as the state of the art beat box and percussion synthesizer. It is sold direct to musicians world wide from the Elektron webpage and through a selected set of retailers.

For more information, check the Machinedrum site.