Synth Porn Saturday: This video captures an Analogue Systems workshop at 4Sound Stordahl Musikk – or as Audiobersjerk calls it, a giant wall of manly Analogue systems modules.

Ahhhh. You can almost smell the patch cords……

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

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

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.

Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company

Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Co. was formed in 1969 in Ithaca, NY as an ensemble dedicated to performing music not heard in the Ithaca area. It performed pieces by Robert Ashley, John Cage, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Steve Reich and others. In less than a year, it developed into a live synthesizer ensemble, considered to be the first one in the world.

The group performed their own pieces for an RMI Electric Piano, three modular Moogs and two MiniMoogs, including the prototype which is now on display at the Audities Foundation at the Chinook Keyboard Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

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!

The Robotmaker’s Crush Kill Destroy:

The return of the Robotmakers only deepens the enigma of the robot with the anger management problem. Original music created with Moog, MOTM, Dotcom, Cynthia and homemade modulars, Fender, Phantom guitars and Vox amps.

Original video filmed with rng35 35mm adapter, OM and Lensbabies lenses.

via robotmakers

Dave at Attack Sustain has published a fun post looking at the secret “easter eggs” that are hidden on his Analogue Solutions synth modules.

If you look closely at the PCB above, you’ll see “my precious”. Leave your thoughts on what this means below.

I remember seeing some secret drawing on a Sequential Circuits Pro-One circuit board when I opened it up; you can see photos taken from another Pro-One here.

Do you know of any other secret “easter eggs” hidden on other synths? If so, or if you know the stories behind any of these synthesizer secrets, leave a comment or a link!

This video captures a long section of an Alessandro Cortini BlindOldFreak show, live in Toronto in February, 2009.

If you’ve been to any of the BlindOldFreak shows, leave a comment and let us know what you thought of the show and if this video is representative of the show you attended!

The Metasonix R-53 Vacuum-Tube Waveshaper Ringmod is a unique tube-based synth module for Eurorack modular synthesizers.

Description:

The r-53 is directly derived from Metasonix’ tm-1 device. It uses a 12af6/bd6 remote-cutoff pentode and a 12av7 dual triode.

Waveshaping is provided by a vacuum-tube “pulser” circuit that spits irregular pulses onto the input waveform. They synchronize erratically with the input pitch (if a waveform with sharp transitions is used). combined with true vacuum-tube circuit distortion, this can provide a vast range of complex, aggressive distortion effects, utterly unique in the world.

A basic ring-modulation function is also available in the unit–applying a carrier pitch from an external oscillator to the screen grid of the pentode, This allows making inharmonic sum-and-difference pitch sound effects, with a unique vacuum tube pentode sound.

If you’ve used the Metasonix R-53, please leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Details:

Power requirement: +-12v dc, 200 ma

The metasonix r-series of vacuum-tube modules is intended for use in any “eurorack” standard modular synthesizer system.

All r-series modules are 22hp (112mm) wide and fit in any doepfer(tm), analogue systems(tm), or other compatible cabinet. They are powered entirely from the cabinet’s internal +-12v dc power supplies, using doepfer compatible 16-pin power connectors. their circuits protrude behind the panel less than 25mm (1 inch).

All vacuum tubes are nos (new old stock) types from classic american and european manufacturers that are run very conservatively for long life, and are readily available from distributors. The tubes protrude from the panel for visibility and cooling, less than 38mm (1.5 inches), and should fit inside a doepfer a-100 suitcase cabinet lid or into a doepfer mini case.

All audio inputs and outputs and cv inputs/outputs are 100% compatible with other synthesizer modules.

Plate voltage is provided by a tiny switching supply producing clean 48v regulated at low current, which is very safe and will not injure the user. Potentiometers are top-quality alpha rk12l types, and 3.5mm phone jacks are special kobiconn vertical-mount types,.

Each r-module is fully protected against reverse supply voltage, overvoltage, undervoltage, or incorrect hookup to external equipment. The r series is handcrafted in Northern California, USA.

Audio demos are available at Analogue Haven

The Metasonix R-52 Vacuum-Tube Multimode Filter is a unique synth module for Eurorack modular synthesizers.

Description:

The r-52 uses two pentodes, type 12au6. The circuit is derived directly from the Metasonix tm-2 filter, but with all the features of their tm-6 filter.

A pair of bandpass filters is swept with a vactrol(tm) control element, a resonant treble filter and a less-resonant bass filter, giving a 4-pole lowpass response. Filter sweep range (approx): bass-only 80-200 hz, bandpass/lowpass low setting 300-1000 hz, high setting 800-1900 hz. filter resonance/q adjustable from less than 1 to oscillation.

Voltage gain approx. 2 with resonance set to 10 o’clock position and input level set to maximum. both filters, or one at a time, may be selected and mixed in desired amounts using the front-panel response control. this allows for a wide range of equalization and special sound effects.

CV inputs are available for sweeping the cutoff frequency and for affecting the treble filter’s resonance. circuit distortion is less than 0.5% typical.

If you’ve used the Metasonix R-52, please leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Details:

Power requirement: +-12v dc, 150 ma.

The metasonix r-series of vacuum-tube modules is intended for use in any “eurorack” standard modular synthesizer system.

All r-series modules are 22hp (112mm) wide and fit in any doepfer(tm), analogue systems(tm), or other compatible cabinet. They are powered entirely from the cabinet’s internal +-12v dc power supplies, using doepfer compatible 16-pin power connectors. their circuits protrude behind the panel less than 25mm (1 inch).

All vacuum tubes are nos (new old stock) types from classic american and european manufacturers that are run very conservatively for long life, and are readily available from distributors. The tubes protrude from the panel for visibility and cooling, less than 38mm (1.5 inches), and should fit inside a doepfer a-100 suitcase cabinet lid or into a doepfer mini case.

All audio inputs and outputs and cv inputs/outputs are 100% compatible with other synthesizer modules.

Plate voltage is provided by a tiny switching supply producing clean 48v regulated at low current, which is very safe and will not injure the user. Potentiometers are top-quality alpha rk12l types, and 3.5mm phone jacks are special kobiconn vertical-mount types,.

Each r-module is fully protected against reverse supply voltage, overvoltage, undervoltage, or incorrect hookup to external equipment. The r series is handcrafted in Northern California, USA.

Audio demos are available at Analogue Haven

The Metasonix R51 VCA/Distortion Synth Module is a unique voltage-controlled VCA for Eurorack modular synthesizers.

Description:

The r-51 is unique and never before available in any form. It uses two remote-cutoff pentodes, type 26a6. two cv inputs are available for controlling circuit distortion from less than 2% up to more than 40% (varies with individual tubes). two cv inputs also allow use of the r-51 as a conventional synthesizer vca, with gain variable from less than -75db to +5db (typical).

Both distortion and vca features can be used simultaneously. This allows true vacuum-tube asymmetrical soft clipping to be applied to any waveform. with suitable cv processing, the r-51 can be configured as a true “variable mu” limiter or expander.

If you’ve had a chance to use the Metasonix R51, leave a comment!

Details:

Power requirement: +-12v dc, 150 ma.

The metasonix r-series of vacuum-tube modules is intended for use in any “eurorack” standard modular synthesizer system.

All r-series modules are 22hp (112mm) wide and fit in any doepfer(tm), analogue systems(tm), or other compatible cabinet. They are powered entirely from the cabinet’s internal +-12v dc power supplies, using doepfer compatible 16-pin power connectors. their circuits protrude behind the panel less than 25mm (1 inch).

All vacuum tubes are nos (new old stock) types from classic american and european manufacturers that are run very conservatively for long life, and are readily available from distributors. The tubes protrude from the panel for visibility and cooling, less than 38mm (1.5 inches), and should fit inside a doepfer a-100 suitcase cabinet lid or into a doepfer mini case.

All audio inputs and outputs and cv inputs/outputs are 100% compatible with other synthesizer modules.

Plate voltage is provided by a tiny switching supply producing clean 48v regulated at low current, which is very safe and will not injure the user. Potentiometers are top-quality alpha rk12l types, and 3.5mm phone jacks are special kobiconn vertical-mount types,.

Each r-module is fully protected against reverse supply voltage, overvoltage, undervoltage, or incorrect hookup to external equipment. The r series is handcrafted in Northern California, USA.

Audio demos are available at Analogue Haven

The EuroRack Monster Planner is an online application that lets you make your plans to rule the world with synth power!

It’s the crack cocaine of synth fantasies, because you can use the Regular 12U Planner to design a relatively reserved modular synthesizer or you can choose the Monster Planner and plan your TyrannoSynth.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

There are some great examples of what you can do with the EuroRack Monster Planner at MusicOfSound.

And if you use the EuroRack modular planner to create an awesome modular synth of your own, put a link to it in the comments!

In the interview, Mike talks about what originally inspired him to get into electronic music:

When I was *really* young, I remember hearing “Funeral for a Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding” on Elton John’s ”Yellow Brick Road” LP…

Honestly, that was probably my first real awareness of synthesizers…. (yeah, I know… pretty lame, huh?) after that… I remember my friend’s hippie older brother playing this record for me through headphones… it was “Autobahn” by kraftwerk. now that REALLY blew me away… then the late 70s & early 80s came… some records I specifically remember would be “TVOD” by The Normal, “Metal Beat” by John Foxx, the “Leave in Silence” 12″ by Depeche Mode, that first Heaven 17 LP… what was it called?, “Rage in Eden” by Ultravox (Conny Plank’s work…amazing), the “Replicas” LP by Gary Numan, “Your Silent Face” & “Temptation” by New Order… all this stuff really got me into electronic music.

It was like an explosion really… all this great music and most of it made with synths. then in the 90s I remember the first time I heard “Papua New Guinea” by FSOL… and then all that big beat stuff… “Block Rocking Beats” & “The Rockefeller Skank”… and then drum n bass… and IDM… Autechre & Aphex Twin… man, so much great stuff.

I love hearing what inspired people to get involved with electronic music (45 of Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein anyone?). Stories like Mike’s tell you a lot – about the person and the time in which they grew up. 

I had the opportunity to meet Mike at the 2008 Winter NAMM Show. He’s a very nice guy with some really interesting ideas for modular synthesis. 

Check out the full interview with Livewire’s Mike Brown at the vicmod site.

This is a quick functional demo of the new Club Of The Knobs C1680 Voltage Controlled Analog Delay.

Club of the Knobs makes modular synthesizers in the style of classic Moog modular systems.

Before and after this launch our products will continue to be available at a number of dealerships both domestically and abroad and a list of those dealers will be updated on our site in the coming days.

I need to stress that this decision had everything to do with business and nothing to do with our successful and strong relationship with Noisebug, a partnership which bore immeasurable growth during it’s tenure and one which I hope will continue in the future. It isn’t about that. It’s about Plan B this month entering it’s fifth year. We’re all grow’d up now…and it’s time to stand on our own.

Look for a PLAN B DIRECT update early next week on the purchase tab at http://www.ear.group.net. Only products currently in our finished goods will be included. For those not listed, links will be provided giving immediate access to dealerships currently stocking products which may not be available at PLAN B DIRECT at any given time.

As always, I look forward to the future, to sharing your experiences with our products and the art created with them. On behalf of Sam Hernandez, Kateri Lirio, Dylan Sang and Brian McKinnon, I thank you for your continued support.

via the awesome Stretta blog of electronic musician Matthew Davidson

2009 NAMM Show: MOTU introduced Volta, a virtual instrument plug-in that lets you play and automate modular synthesizers—or any hardware equipped with control voltage (CV) inputs—from your favorite host audio workstation software.

Volta receives conventional virtual instrument input such as MIDI notes, MIDI controller data or even high-resolution audio track ramp automation and responds by outputting a corresponding control voltage signal, which the host software then routes to the outputs of any DC-coupled audio interface connected to the computer. The resulting DC voltage can then drive a standard CV input, such as those found on classic modular synthesizers, modern analog mono synths and even popular effects processors such as Moogerfoogers.

“If you have CV-controlled analog gear that you’ve been dying to incorporate into your computer-based studio, it’s time plug it in and let it rip because now you can use it with same level of convenience and control as a virtual instrument,” said Jim Cooper, Director of Marketing at MOTU. “Volta represents a major breakthrough in operating CV gear from Digital Performer, Logic, Live, Reason or any other Audio Unit host software.”

Check out this video demo of Volta to see it in action.

This looks like it could be a great tool for vintage and analog synth gear fans. If you’ve had a chance to try out Volta, leave a comment!

MIDI sequencing

Volta allows users to play CV-controlled oscillators with MIDI notes by simply “playing” Volta as they would any other virtual instrument via either MIDI track data or live input from their MIDI controller. Volta converts the MIDI note data to control voltage signals, which then trigger the external hardware. Because host software can pre-buffer MIDI data during playback, the timing between the external hardware audio output and the host software timeline can be sample-accurate (with hosts that support sample-level precision).

Analog oscillators are notorious for being difficult to get in tune and keep in tune. In addition, not all oscillators adhere to the tuning standard of 1 volt per octave. But if the oscillator has a CV output, Volta can take care of these issues with one click of its Calibration button. By sending voltages and measuring the pitch response, Volta automatically creates a complete profile that addresses any non-linearities in both the audio interface voltage output and the oscillator. Volta can even tune self-oscillating filters using this closed-loop system. Users can click the calibration button at any time to instantly bring all external gear back in tune.

Virtual instrument operation

As an instrument plug-in, Volta produces mono or stereo audio output to the host software, just like any other virtual instrument plug-in. Volta’s output consists of the audio signal returned from the external hardware synth. This means that external hardware, which is already sample-accurate with (and tempo-synced to) the host software timeline, can then be mixed and processed with all of the powerful features of the host software’s mixing and effects environment. For example, the host software could be used to arpeggiate the MIDI notes going to Volta (and the external oscillator), and then Volta’s resulting audio output could be processed with the host’s tempo-synced delay, phaser and reverb effects.

Track freezing

Because Volta operates as a standard virtual instrument plug-in, all external hardware oscillator output playing through Volta can be bounced to disk using the host software’s track freezing features. This means you can conveniently “print” external synth audio output at any time for archiving, mastering or future reference.

Complete automation

Volta allows users to automate continuously variable, CV-controlled parameters on their analog hardware (such as filter cutoff frequency, filter resonance or envelope depth) using MIDI CC data (sequenced in a MIDI track or played live from their MIDI controller). If users wish to achieve much higher resolution to avoid possible “zipper noise” and other pitfalls of MIDI resolution, they can instead control Volta using the audio track automation features in their host software. Audio track ramp automation can generate smooth, precise voltage changes at the resolution of digital audio.

In addition to these external automation sources, the Volta plug-in itself provides LFOs, a pattern sequencer, a trigger sequencer and even MIDI beat clocks. These automation sources can be freely applied to any Volta CV outputs, and they can of course be synced to the host tempo and timeline.

A simple user interface

The Volta plug-in window displays 24 sockets at the top of the window that represent audio outputs on the audio interface(s). Control sources (MIDI notes, MIDI CC’s, ramp automation, LFOs, etc.) are displayed as icons across the bottom of the window. Users then drag any desired control source icon onto any output socket they wish to control with it. Users can access settings for each control source simply by clicking it.

Each instance of Volta supports up to 24 output slots, and users can invoke as many instances of Volta as their hardware allows. For example, a MOTU PCI-424 system with four 24io interfaces provides 96 channels of output.

Summary of advantages

• Volta now makes it easy to use CV-controlled analog gear in today’s computer-based studio.
• Familiar virtual instrument operation—Volta operates within the host software as a standard Audio Unit (AU) plug-in.
• Total recall—all Volta-controlled parameters are saved with the host session.
• Automated tuning and pitch calibration—Volta tunes and calibrates the pitch of external hardware oscillators at any time with the click of a button.
• Sample-accurate precision—the timing between the external hardware and the host timeline can be sample-accurate (with a supporting host).
• Tempo sync—all parameters such as LFOs, etc. can be tempo-synced to the host software.
• Track freezing—through Volta, external hardware oscillator output can be captured as digital audio using the host software’s standard track freezing features.
• MIDI CC control and automation—play or sequence MIDI CC data to control your exteral hardware.
• Very high resolution automation—use host ramp automation for smooth changes without “zipper noise”.
• Built-in control sources—the Volta plug-in itself provides tempo-synced LFOs, pattern sequencers, trigger sequencers and even MIDI clock as control sources.

Volta will ship as an Audio Unit plug-in instrument compatible with any AU host on Mac OS X.

Volta can be used with any MOTU audio interface with quarter-inch outputs, as all MOTU quarter-inch outputs are DC-coupled. This includes MOTU’s PCI-424, Firewire and USB audio interfaces. Compatibility with third-party DC-coupled audio interfaces is also planned.

Volta is expected to ship Q1 of 2009. Pricing TBA.

2009 NAMM Show preview

Both Plan B and Buchla will be at the Noisebug booth 6108 which is on the main hall this year in the vicinity of Moog and Motu.

Sometime this week I will be posting further details on what we’ll be showing on the Plan B Analog Blog (go to www.ear-group.net to sign up.

On the module end will be the models 21C Mini Milton VC Sequencer, the Model 32 Vector Plotter and the M30 and 30A – two components of the mighty Triple Digital VCO Subsystem.

There are four other products being introduced which are part of the big move into cases and systems.: The Ringer, a single row rack frame offering a low-cost solution to a previously expensive expansion requirement, and the Model Zero, which is the same three row Zero Halibuton case used by NIN with some significant improvements, including power saving modes, top/bottom strip modules and the option of expanding to six rows. A photo has been posted in the PB Analog Blog.

The Performance System, which has it’s own case not unlike the Doepfer portable although two rows of 102 HP and eight inches deep is our fist venture into the systems arena and will also be on display and operational.

To support the Ringer, the Zero and the PS we’re introducing an external power system which utilizes two high-grade second party switching supplies as it’s engine. The supplies are audio grade and protected to the point that key’d power connectors on the bus will not be required…the PSU will shut itself off instantly if a module is installed incorrectly.

Along with Noisebug’s, Plan B goods will be on display at a couple of other booths as well – keep a sharp eye out!

Again, when my schedule allows I will be posting more details on all this, including photos to the PBAB. Please grant me patience with this and in getting back with anyone who may need to contact me as I’m deep into Namm hell at present and time away to post is minimal.

Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you all at the show!

via the Plan B Yahoo group, via bleepology

This video, via ModularLand, demos the Genoqs Nemo Sequencer.

The track features melodies sequenced by the Nemo and synthesized by Synthesizers.com, MacBeth M5N, Cynthia, and Modcan.

Vicmod

In it, Grenader talks about how he got into electronic music.

I started early on with Electronic Music. I was fortunate, my high school had a brilliant teacher, John Waddell, who to this day gave me the best music theory instruction I’ve ever had, including CalArts. He had a friend who loaned him a VCS3, and John held a class on it. I took to it severely. I use his instruction techniques with my own students. Heavy emphasis on not only function, but the physics behind what’s happening.

One day in class John announced that a friend of his, Alex Cima, who came to our class to show his SYNTHI AKS, would allow one piece in his concert series form our high school class. Alex was a member of the local Los Angeles EM scene and a founding member of the band LEM (Live Electronic Music). He was also the Southern California rep for Steiner-Parker. Getting back to the announcement however, I devoted my life to this proposition and my piece, The Fifth Vesper, was selected for that program. Partially because of the novelty of it being composed by an 17 year old the piece got a very good review in the LA Times and I think this was a huge part of my acceptance to CalArts, the fact that I was already actively composing and my work was being selected for performance.

As far as electronics, this is an interesting story. At CalArts you could focus your composition program on electronic music. I and many others did this. OK, so…you graduate. Four years working with three massive Buchlas…what do you do when you get out? In order to acquire an axe, many of us went to work at Serge Tcherepnin’s factory on Western Avenue in Hollywood, many years before his move to the bay area. Darrell Johansen, Gary Chang, Chas Smith, Jill Fraser, Kevin Braheny were all there during my tenure. The deal was you worked for a system. I did this and in the interim got enough knowledge of electronics to be dangerous.

Later on my father suggested I go to work in the electronics field and I took this suggestion. I started off in assembly and within a couple of years became an engineering tech at a few companies and this is where I really learned how things worked. It’s there I met another mentor, Martin Bondyer who read between the lines that I really didn’t know what I was doing – at least not enough to hold the job to any satisfaction. Instead of firing me, he took me under his wing and educated me. Again, I was fortunate.

Make sure you check out the full interview at the Vicmod site if you are a fan of modular synths. Grenader reveals a few secrets about what’s he’s got up his sleeve for the 2009 NAMM Show.