Arturia has released Moog Modular V 2.5, the latest version of its virtual Moog Modular.

Changes in Moog Modular V v2.5:

• Switch to Syncrosoft copy protection.
• VCF audio quality improvements.
• Lower CPU utilization on Mac OS X.
• Better Audio Unit compatibility (Digital Performer most notably).
• Ability to use NRPN MIDI messages for automation.
• Better handling of control surfaces while changing preset.
• New presets added.
• MIDI RPN “pitch bend range” message is now recognized.
• Miscellaneous Bug fixes.

Moog Modular V is available for PC and Mac (VST/AU/RTAS) for $249 USD / 229 EUR.

NLog Free Synth (App Store link) is a free iPhone synthesizers, based on the NLog Sound Engine.

Features:

• 32 factory sounds, plus 7 bonus sounds
• Sound playback using NLog Sound Engine.
• Editing by 4 selectable performance parameter

Description:

Substractive sound algorithm with classic analog waveforms. Professional 44.1 kHz Stereo CD quality with internal high performance realtime floating point engine. Real POLYPHONIC synth.

Sound generator features:

• 2 Oscilators with classic sine, square, sawtooth and triangle waveforms as well as 5 additional complex artificial waveforms
• True pulsewidth modulation, frequency modulation and ring modulation
• Noise generator
• Filter with cutoff and resonance control
• 3 Envelope generators
• 2 LFOs each including delay and sample & hold
• Rich set of modulation parameter
• Stereo delay with cross-feed
• chorus
• distortion
• 32 factory sounds plus 7 bonus sounds

Keyboard:

• sliding octave control
• dynamic velocity from vertical position
• optional after touch modulation

If you’ve used NLog Free Synth, leave a comment with your thoughts!

ATTENTION: Keep care of resonance, feedback, ultra low and high frequencies when working with headphones or strong amplification.

Description:

This soundset takes the Prophet 5 and the Prophet VS to new extremes!

The Heavenly Prophecy is focused on delivering inspiring up-to-date sounds with the special Prophet flavor. The crystal leads will shine, the stab sounds will drill holes in your heart, and the fabulous mystic pads will make you cry. This is our prophecy!

A demo bank with 20 free presets is available for instant download.

The Heavenly Prophecy retails for $50.80.

The Waldorf microQ synthesizer was derived from the Waldorf Q Synthesizer and packed into a 2u rack housing.

These audio demos feature Waldorf MicroQ synth sounds created and programmed by morpheus2027 that showcase the MicroQ’s versatility, with an emphasis on modern dance sounds.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a preview of Akai’s new MPD18 and Miniak synthesizer from Frankfurt Musikmesse 09.

via musicradartv:

The folks at Akai give MusicRadar the skinny on what’s new for Musikmesse 2009: the MPD18 USB pad controller and the Miniak virtual analogue synth.

Teenage Engineering OP-1 at Frankfurt 09

Musikmesse 2009: This is a short video overview of the Teenage Engineering Operator-1, Teenage Engineering’s portable synthesizer. It’s a synth, sampler, drum sequencer and controller, all in one.

via musicradartv

Musikmesse 2009: Arturia released an update to its Origin synthesizer.

Version 1.1, to be released in June 2009, includes:

• New B3 ToneWheel Oscillator:
  • Combined with the Leslie Effect, the ToneWheel allows the addition of famous
    vintage organ sounds, opening Origin to this sonic universe.
  • In conjunction with other Origin modules and effects, the B3 ToneWheel is a great
    oscillator adding new sound design possibilities to explore.
• New Leslie Effect: The Leslie can be used on the ToneWheel to give the classic
  Hammond organ sound, but it is also very interesting in other contexts, notably
  when used on an audio input (such as a guitar).
• New CS-80 envelope: This envelope is modeled after the particular envelope set on
  the filter of the CS-80.
• New Effects: Bit Crusher, Compressor, Equalizer, Ring Mod, Parametric EQ.
• New Midi possibilities:
  • Origin to be used as a MIDI controller
  • Origin to be automated via Sysex.
• Sequencer improvements
  • Better GUI
  • New performance mode.
• Keyboard Module improvements.
• GUI Improvements: Parameter values are now fully displayed.

Musikmesse: Arturia has announced that Minimoog V 2.0 will be shipping on April 20.

This new version of Arturia’s Minimoog synthesizer emulation includes:

• Advanced automation mode
• A new preset navigation system called the SoundMap
• New formant-analysis-based FX called the Vocal Filter
• Various improvements to the sound structure
• A fresh bunch of presets
• Bug fixes

This is a free upgrade for 1.6 owners. You’ll be able to download your Minimoog V 2.0 and request your Syncrosoft Activation code. A short online guide will help you in upgrading your product.

If you’ve used Arturia Minimoog V 2.0, leave a comment with your thoughts!

Features:

• All the parameters of the original minimoog V
• Advanced automation mode ( Minimoog V 2.0 Only )
• Revolutionary preset navigation system called the SoundMap (Minimoog V 2.0 Only )
• New formant-analysis-based FX called the Vocal Filter (Minimoog V 2.0 Only )
• New modulation matrix with up to 6 connections (12 sources and 32 destinations)
• New arpeggiator
• New LFO
• New Chorus and Stereo Delay Effect section
• More than 500 presets created by talented artists and sound designers
• Up to 32 voices of polyphony, and a Unison mode
• 3 voltage controlled oscillators with 5 waveforms
• 1 amazingly sounding 24 dB/octave filter
• 1 VCA
• 1 Mixer
• 1 Noise Generator
• 2 ADSR envelopes
• 1 external audio input and 1 external oscillator and filter modulation input
• Soft clipping function
• No aliasing from 0.1 Hz to 20 kHz
• 64-bit floating point precision
• Sampling rate: up to 96 kHz

This is a Berlin-school style demo of the Quasimidi Polymorph.

This short piece of music was used by Quasimidi to promote their virtual analogue Polymorph synthesizer module.

via Yorkshirelad69:

It seems that Klaus Schulze had quite a say in it’s design and he also programmed many of the presets and sequences that came as standard on the Polymorph. 

Does this sound like Klaus Schulze to you?

2009 NAMM Show update: FXpansion announced the debut of D-CAM: Synth Squad a collection of virtual vintage synths.

D-CAM: Synth Squad is comprised of three modeled synthesizers, Strobe, Cypher and Amber that combine the best features found in classic synths with new modern features. The synths are brought together with Fusor, a semi- modular synth-layering environment.

D-CAM: Synth Squad is compatible with all major plug-in formats and sequencing environments, and comes complete with a large suite of presets ready to engage and tweak.

Here are the details on each software synth:

D-CAM: Synth Squad features include:

• Strobe: a stripped-down performance synth, as easy to program as classic monosynths, with the added benefit of polyphony, osc stacking and detuning, and a versatile multimode filter. Strobe specializes in ripping analog leads, sick basses and complex pads.
• Cypher: geared towards audio-rate modulation of various types, features variable-depth sync, polyphonic waveshaping and syncable beat-detune. Cypher takes pure analog FM to the next level, introducing possibilities that are only possible with digital technology, without sacrificing the edgy rawness that analog audio-rate modulation provides. Amber: a lush string-synth centering on divide-down oscillator architecture with the bonus of formant filtering and 3 chorus models. Amber’s sound is creamy, thick and psychedelic sound.
• Fusor: a semi-modular synth layering environment with extra LFOs, envelope followers, step-sequencers and a suite of circuit-modelled FX that can be used on each of 3 synth instances as inserts and aux sends, as well as on the master output. The FuseMod inter-modulation system allows the user to use the LFOs and envelopes from one synth to control and affect other synth and effect parameters.

Other highlights include:

• Drive stages to add ‘grit and attitude’
• Analog noise simulates the instability and chaos inherent in real analog circuits
• LFOs that feature pulse width modulation and swing
• Powerful and intuitive modulation system for anything from subtly expressive movement to seismic timbral shifts
• MIDI Learn, BPM synced LFOs and envelopes, multiple oversampling for offline rendering, intuitive visualization and all the other conveniences you have come to expect from software synthesis.

DCAM: Synth Squad will be available worldwide in Q2 2009, price TBA.

This is an official Ableton video that takes a look at Operator in Ableton Live 8. 

Operator has been given a major overhaul. This video gives you a taste of what’s coming!

2009 Winter NAMM Show: Arturia announced minimoog V 2.0. 

New features include:

• Sound MAP: Explore hundreds of sounds using Sound MAP. Morph sounds on the MAP by clicking anywhere you like. Add filters to make your search easier, or get back to the traditional list of presets, by sound-designer or by type. 
• Vocal Filter: Did you ever think of making a Minimoog talk? Arturia compares the effects available with vocal filter to Wendy Carlos’ voice synthesis work in Clockwork Orange.
• Circuitry improvements: The Keyboard Follow can now be deactivated on VCO2. They also extended the modulation matrix and added a few sources and destinations. The Pan and Vocal Filter can now be used as destinations. Two random signals based on a Sample & Hold are added as inputs. 
• A fresh bunch of presets.

This is a review/overview of the Roland SH-201 Synth. Coverage of D-Beam, Recorder, Envelopes, and Preset/User tone accessing.

SH-201 Synthesizer

Description:

A demo of the Roland SH-201 analog modeling synthesizer.

DiscoDSP has released the Mac OS X version of Discovery Pro, a virtual analogue synthesizer featuring 12 oscillators (8 Virtual Analog + 4 Wave) with extensive sound design capabilities.

Here are the details…..

Features:

• 128 Patch Memories per bank
• Parameter Morphing using Modulation Wheel or MIDI velocity
• 2x oversampling
• 2x oversampled distortions
• Bank browser (by clicking arrows in display led and bank name)
• More than 300 presets in 3 banks (including a percussion one)
• Nord Lead 2 and 2X patch import
• 4 Layers per Patch, each with :
  • 2 Oscillators (Sine, Saw, Triangle, PWM, Square, Parabolic, White and Pink Noise) with Ring modulation, Sync and Frequency Modulation
  • 1 Wave Oscillator. Can load WAV files using high quality interpolation. User banks are easily added
  • Resonant Filters (LowPass, HighPass, BandPass, BandReject, Formant, 8 taps phaser, X 12/24 dB and Y 12/24 dB are Moog modeled)
  • ADSR for Amp & Filter. Amplitude envelope can switch between linear and exponential curves
  • 2 LFOs
  • Modulation Envelope
  • Graphical Modulation Envelope
  • Arpeggiator
  • Built-in Chorus, Phaser, Panning Delay and Gate effects
  • Symmetric, Asymmetric and Asymmetric 2 Distortions
  • Limiter
  • Portamento
  • Poly/Mono/Legato modes
• MIDI CC control
• MIDI Out

Discovery Pro is available now for Mac OS X in VST format at a retail price of €149 / $199.

Arturia has updated the firmware of its Origin synthesizer.

Here’s what’s new in Arturia Origin Firmware 1.0.6:

• Increased stability in Multi Mode
• Increased stability while editing programs
• MIDI event management improvement :
  • When sending a bank change or a program change to Origin
  • When flooding Origin with MIDI messages
• Fixes some issues while using the footswitch pedal in Multi Mode
• Fixes occasional crashes on preset 1000
• Fixes issue with preset loaded at start-up
• Improved graphical performance

Version 1.0.6 is a free update for all registered users.

This is a video demo of the Korg Legacy Collection Analog Edition Polysix.

Sonic Labs does a video overview of the new Arturia Origin virtual analog synthesizer.

The quality of this video is a bit iffy – but it demos an amazing DIY analog modelling synth project. 

Here are the details:

Broadly, the purpose of this project was to create an Analogue modelling musical synthesizer; 
that is, a synthesizer implemented using both analogue and digital components that intends to emulate the sounds of traditional analogue synthesizers, whilst being controllable through modern-day digital protocols such as the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). 

The synthesizer platform exists upon its own standalone hardware, and may be controlled 
using a variety of existing MIDI-capable instruments, including keyboards, guitars and drums. 
Additionally, the unit features its own innovative touch-screen interface which intends to provide simple-and-intuitive control of the system, but with an unprecedented ability to customize and control synthesizer parameters and sound generation. 

pecial attention has been placed upon the usability of the synthesizer, particularly within the realms of it being played by musicians in a live environment. 

The units MIDI capabilities also mean that it is easily combined with professional studio equipment and sequencing software such as Cubase VST

This GearWire demo video looks at the vocoder features of the Alesis Micron. 

The Alesis Micron is an 8-voice, 3-octave analog modeling synthesizer. The micron’s compact design delivers the power of large synthesizers like the Alesis Ion (the Micron is compatible with Ion programs).