Optigan.com has introduced two new sound discs for the vintage Optigan, Glitchdelica & Guitarscape. Glitchdelica is an experimental rhythmic pattern generator. Forgoing the usual drums/chords/keys convention entirely, each button and key features a different loop, drawn from Optigan.com’s Pea Hicks’ archive of oddball instruments, electronics, and other sound sources.
This video, via Mark Steiner, documents and demos three Korg Volca Beats snare mods.
Sunday Synth Jam: This video captures a live hardware techno jam by Calle Nilsson at Debaser Medis, Stockholm.
Sunday Synth Jam: This video captures a ‘video song’ style performance by synthesist Steven Morris, with Soundole (Peter Anthony Smith) on EWI. It’s an original symphonic electronica composition, Analogous Structures.
When we have covered the Vo-96 Guitar on Synthtopia, readers’ comments have focused on ‘infinite sustain’ as the key feature, and compared the Vo Guitar’s technology to other sustain technologies. But inventor Paul Vo‘s vision for ‘acoustic synthesis’ is much deeper than infinite sustain.
At the 2016 NAMM Show, Tribal Tools introduced the Kadabra, a unique new wireless musical instrument. The instrument is made of hardwood and combines electronics, software algorithms and ergonomic design. There are 24 capacitive copper pipe keys carved into the lower part of the body, flanked by multicolored LED lighting. The upper section is home to 12… Read More Tribal Tools Kadabra Wireless Musical Instrument (Sneak Preview)
Reader Eric Mortensen let us know about an interesting collection that he’s curated of free 3D printable electronic musical instruments, add-ons and hacks for existing instruments.
In this video, below, Gaz Williams takes an in depth look at Vermona DRM1 MKIII analog drum synthesizer.
One of the more unusual introductions at the 2016 NAMM Show was the Roland EL Cajon EC-10 – an acoustic + electronic hybrid cajon that combines acoustic cajon performance with the ability to layer in 808 and other electronically-generated sounds. So, if you’re looking for a hard kick in your cajones, look no further.
At the 2016 NAMM Show, Expressive E introduced the Touché – a new MIDI + CV controller that lets you add expressive control to your existing setup. Here’s a video demo from the NAMM Show floor by Arthur Bouflet, who gives an overview of the Touché’s capabilities and then demonstrates it:
