ribbon controller

Appendage and WaveThing CMOS Divider Test

via ScottStites:

This is the Appendage controlling a single VCO. The VCO is processed by an experimental circuit that multiplies the sawtooth output of the VCO by 8. That signal is then divided down and shaped with resistors and diodes to form pulse and sawtooth waves.

I recorded this video as a record of the experiment – I have Wave Thing circuits that work better.

Eowave has announced the Persephone Mark II, set for release in June of 2009.

Description:

The Persephone markII is a fingerboard synthesizer in the tradition of the first non-keyboard electronic instruments from the 1920s, preserving the incomparable warmth of analogue sound generators whilst featuring digital controls, routing presets and a unique duophonic ribbon.

The major improvement with the Persephone markII is the ribbon duophony. With this new Eowave ribbon and a new synthesis architecture, this is possible to play different sounds simulteaneously, to modulate one sound source with another while playing…

With its two analogue oscillators and LFO, the Persephone markII can generate notes with a variable range up to ten octaves to create deep and resonant cello tones on the lowest notes to ultrasonic frequencies on the highest pitches. An optical modulation key will transmit the slightests vibration to create expressive modulations. The two analogue oscillators sine to saw waveforms and a 12 dB resonant lowpass filter will give a more or less brilliant sound.

The ribbon enables to play glissando like on a Theremin, les Ondes Martenots or a Trautonium. The addition of one oscillator takes all its dimension with the new duophonic ribbon which extends the instrument sonorities spectral to play simple chords, but also enables numberless modulations, e.g. FM of one oscillator on the second one with two fingers. Routing presets have been increased to 16, including 8 freely editable presets. This section significantly increases the instrument control and modulation possibilities.

With a complete outputs section with 4 CV out, 2 pedals in, MIDI in & out, audio out, USB (MIDI), the Persephone markII can be turned into a powerful and unique controller to control most of your analogue or digital synths.

If you’ve used the Eowave Persephone Mark II, leave a comment with your thoughts. Read more…

Scott Stites demos his new Dragon Controller:

This is my new Dragon Controller driving the Appendage. It’s made of an exotic hardwood, with an Asian Dragon motif carved in it.

I’ve got it plugged into the Appendage controller, and it’s driving a fairly simple patch. The video demonstrates the ease with which one can change the dynamics of what the controller is doing using the Appendage. Finally, in this video, the Appendage is driving a pair of pulse wave VCOs through a new filter prototype I’ve been working on the past week or so.I used some red font that really crapped out when rendered – I overlaid that part with annotations so they could be readable.

Nice demo video, and the Dragon Controller looks gorgeous. Let me know what you think of this!

This demo video shows an Electric Western Zia Ribbon Controller controlling a Phantastron vacuum tube synthesizer.

via sheepslinky:

Demonstrating the new Zia Ribbon Controller and the Phantastron from Electric Western.

This setup is played much like a Trautonium. A ribbon controls the pitch and volume is controlled with a foot pedal.

Technical Setup:The ribbon CV is fed into a Solid State 1V/oct oscillator which is fed to the sync input of the Phantastron. Audio is taken from the Phantastron only and delay is added. Volume is controlled by a Roland expression pedal that plugs into the Zia Ribbon’s circuits (which are on the desk behind me) and controls a VCA. The ribbon shown is a prototype, and the nice wooden case has not been built yet…

This video, via Scott Stites, demos the Appendage patched as a keyboard modulation controller, controlling three parameters from a single control surface: Filter cutoff, Triangle Vibrato at one frequency, and Pulse Vibrato at a higher frequency.

The position of the initial pressure controls filter cutoff. Sliding up from the initial point of pressure introduces triangle vibrato. Sliding down from the initial point of pressure introduces pulse vibrato.