modular synthesizers

This is a demonstration of the new Macbeth Studio Systems X-Series Dual Oscillator – a high-end modular VCO.

via Bruce73X:

Demonstrating the Macbeth Dual Oscillator:

Pure oscillator sound going through a Analogue Systems VCA (RS-180), a Mackie Mixer and directly into the audio card (M-Audio) of the computer. No FX, no EQing.

First pure waveform listening and watching (sin and saw), than a little bit modulation (used the Sherman FB LFO for that) and at the end switching through the octaves with displaying the tune.

Bam Studio’s Voltage is a cool music video, inspired by modular synthesizers:

Just like modular synthesizers, people connect with each other in order to achieve diverse objectives. In Voltage, robots, half-human and half-synthesizer, powered by a huge amount of energy, connect to each other in an electric and chaotic trance.

Directed by:
Filippe Lyra e William Paiva

Produced by:
Barros Melo Animation Studio

Music:
William Paiva e Leo D

Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co., the world’s first all-synthesizer musical ensemble, will celebrate its 40th anniversary season with a free concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Johnson Museum of Art in Ithaca.

The concert will feature two compositions by David Borden, the group’s leader who taught at Cornell University for 37 years.

For Sunday’s concert, Borden will be joined by keyboardists and frequent collaborators David Yearsley, Blaise Bryski and Josh Oxford.

Details are available at the Mother Mallard site.

via stargazette

Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co, a pioneering synthesizer ensemble from the early days of synthesizers, is playing a free concert tonight to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Mother Mallard presented its first concert in spring 1969. The group was founded by David Borden and has been recognized as the world’s first synthesizer ensemble. The first concert took place in Barnes Hall on the Cornell campus, and each piece on that concert was an Ithaca premiere, including a few by Morton Feldman and John Cage. The 40th anniversary concert will take place in Barnes Hall at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 29.

Three pieces will be given world premieres, with the featured work being Viola Farber in 7 Movements with live video showing Farber’s dancing and choreography both as a soloist and with her company. In addition, a section from Borden’s The Continuing Story of Counterpoint, composed in 1979, will receive its first performance. And finally, a piece honoring Jimmy Giuffre, the gifted jazz composer and clarinetist/saxophonist will be premiered. Giuffre was Borden’s first composition teacher who died last April at the age of 87.

Performing on this concert will be keyboardists David Yearsley, Blaise Bryski, Josh Oxford and David Borden, with Gabriel Borden on electric guitar. Live video is by Noni Korf Vidal and Franck Vidal.

The concert is free and open to the public. Visit music.cornell.edu or call 255-4760 for more information. Read more…

In this modular synth demo, Thomas White shows how he creates analog swing time, all while filming while looking into the camera for the first time.

It may sound a little tricky, but White makes it look pretty easy.

Got any other modular rhythm tricks? If so, leave a comment!

via djthomaswhite:

Have you ever wanted to add “swing time” to your modular sequences?

I have!

Typically I have used MIDI, or a swung clock signal from my 909 or other Roland drum machines to achieve it. But, on a plane ride back from Portland I realized what I needed to do in order to get it going in my synth.

The equipment needed is, most importantly, a VC-LFO and a Frequency or Pulse Divider. The clock signal is sent to the sequencer. The clock signal is also sent via a multiple or y-cable to the pulse divider.

Dividing the clock signal by 2 allows you to have a pulse on every other step of the main clock signal. Take that half-time clock signal and patch it to an Envelope Generator. The output of the EG goes to the FM input of the VC-LFO.

By setting the decay/sustain time on the EG and the FM time on the LFO right you can offset every “up beat” to get the swing going. It will take a bit of dialing in to get it right, but hey, it’s a great lesson for me either way.

Now I have a whole new world of possibilities opened up with my same old modular synth. Thanks for stopping by!

Now go and check out synthtech.com and musicfromouterspace.com to buy these great modules!