Mutagene has released version 0.9 of POCAS, a freeware chaotic additive synth VST plug-in for Windows PC. Changes in v0.9 “Speed” of particle simulation can be modulated by output level of synthesizer. “Freeze” allows preferential locking of particle movement to X or Y axis. Patches are stored in XML file for future (???) compatibility. bugs/denormals… Read More Mutagene POCAS Freeware Synthesizer
Bismark has released the bs-0 freeware software playback sampler for Steinberg VST 2.4 and Apple Audio Units plug-in format. bs-0 lets you play all SoundFont 2 files for Creative Sound Blaster series, and DLS (Downloadable Sounds) files on your host application. via SonicState
The Improvisator is a new Windows plugin that knows the mathematical logic and rules of harmonic theory. It’s designed to directly offer technically correct harmonic options. The Harmony Improvisator is described as a completely new composition tool that makes the world of harmonic functions transparent to its users. It supports the musician in composing, improvising… Read More New VST Understands Harmony, Music Theory
We’ve seen some strange musical instruments in our days, but this probably takes the prize. United States patent 5163447 is for a Force-Sensitive, Sound-Playing Condom – aka, the musical condom. The musical condom looks and acts like a traditional condom but it incorporates “a chip-controlled piezoelectric sound transducer (18) which plays a melody or voiced… Read More Musical Condom Opens New Worlds Of Musical Expression
Vision Systems Design, an engineering tech journal, has an interesting discussion on the technology behind the Reactable synthesizer interface. The Reactable, developed by researchers at the Pompeu Fabra University, is a tangible interface for manipulating synth sounds built from an off-the-shelf camera, computer projector, PC, and a custom-built light-table. The Reactable hardware is based on… Read More Secrets Of The Reactable’s Pattern Recognition
Fuzzpilz has released version 37-5b of Oatmeal, a freeware virtual analog synth plug-in for Windows PC. Changes in v37-5b Multiple instances running on separate cores/CPUs should no longer produce garbled output Per-voice saturation does not as easily cause annoyingly audible note-off clicks. A handful of useless new filter types and some minor internal changes. Download… Read More Fuzzpilz updates Oatmeal to v37-5b
The 2008 NAMM Show wasn’t a great year for new synth and electronic music gear……but it was a good year. We’ve already mentioned tons of great new gear that we saw at NAMM in the last couple of weeks, but, following in the footsteps of last year’s modular analog synthgasm, here are our picks for… Read More The 2008 Winter NAMM Show Synthgasm
Sinevibes has introduced Ambisphere, a sample library dedicated to unreal sounds. Ambisphere delivers a wide variety of very special and unusual phrase tracks, all of which are seamlessly and endlessly looping. The phrases are designed to be instantly usable for atmospheric, ambient and meditational music, as well as movie and podcast soundtracks. A total of… Read More Sinevibes Ambisphere Ambient Sample Library
Blechturmstudios has released BTS Destruction Box, a freeware modulation effect for Windows PC, designed to produce weird sounds. It’s free and it’s designed to make weird sounds. What else could you ask for? (OK – a Mac version…) Features Surprise & Destruct parameters Dry/wet controls Volume control Panic button BTS Destruction Box is a free… Read More Free BTS Destruction Box Makes Weird Sounds
In 1955, RCA unveiled its Electronic Music Synthesizer, and a new era in the history of music began. Developed at RCA’s David Sarnoff Research Center (near Princeton, NJ), it was the brainchild of Harry Olson and Herbert Belar. Olson was also the designer of a number of RCA’s microphones. This huge and unwieldy system was… Read More Music From The 1955 RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer
