analog

CatSynth video: do re minor

A great demo track from Ebotronix on YouTube. Via matrixsynth. It includes an impressive array of synth gear. And watch for the cat in the corner 🙂

4ms Peg, QCD / Expander, RCD, VCA Matrix
Analogue Systems RS100²,RS110²²,RS 170,RS360²,RS500e²
Arp Odyssey 2821 white noise
Bananalogue VCS
Cyndustries Zero Oscillator
Doepfer R2m, A118, A134²², A143-2,A148,
A 149-1, A151²²,A160/161, A175²²,A185-2, A 138c
Flame Chord Machine²,Talking Synth Module²
Grendel Formant Filter²
flight of harmony choices
Make Noise PP, Maths²,Moddemix²²,Optomix,QMMG,René, Woglebug²
Malekko Anti Oscillator²² Uncle³,Jag
Moog Freqbox²²,MP201
Oberheim Sem
Sherman Filterbank 2
Simmons Clap Trap
SSL Modulation Orgy
Tip Top Audio Z8000 manual voltage source
Toppobrillo Quantimator,Sportmodulator,TWF²
Logic masterclock to Kenton Pro 2000² , QCD,Peg, RCD
FX :Boss VF1,Lexicon MX 400,PCM 80, Line6 echopro,TC M one XL
mackie the mixer³
kick by RS110 Maths QMMG

CatSynth pic: Korg Mono/Poly and Charlotte the Cat

Some sad news via matrixsynth. One of our frequently featured synth cats, Charlotte, recently passed away.

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Charlotte appeared in many photos featured on this site, often showing disdain for the synths. You can see a few examples here and here. She lived a good long life of 18 years, but it is still sad to lose a beloved pet, and our thoughts go out to her family.

The post on matrixsynth also featured some cool filtered images of the Korg Mono/Poly.

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NAMM 2014: New WMD / Steady State Fate modules

Analog-module makers WMD had a strong presence at this year’s NAMM show. In addition to their existing offerings, which include both utility and more esoteric modules, they presented a set of devices that were jointly made with Steady State Fate (SSF). You can see a demo in this video.

It was fun how they made Zip, our trusty stuffed kitty, rock out to the modular 🙂

NAMM 2014: Waldorf 2-pole

Waldorf introduced a new analog filter, the 2-pole at this year’s NAMM show.

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Those of us who spend time with analog synthesis are quite used to all sorts of complex filter topologies, most of which have at least four poles. So a two-pole filter seems a bit simple by comparison. But Waldorf is known for taking simple concepts and turning them into complete instruments. The 2-pole includes low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass elements, and also includes drive and rectify settings. It also includes its own envelope and LFO, as well as live triggering capabilities.

You can see a full demo of the Waldorf 2-pole in this video:

NAMM 2014: Moog Theremini

The most notable new offering this year from Moog Music, Inc. was the Theremini, a very accessible incarnation of the classic theremin.

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The design of the instrument evokes classic science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s (in which the theremin was a mainstay), and it features modern enhancements including a variety of tones and effects, support to stabilize pitch, and CV and MIDI for external control. And it’s MSRP is $299.

I decided to try my hand at this fun and photogenic instrument.

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You can see a bit of my attempt to perform one-handed in this video.

I can see this being a great tool for live performance, both standalone and as a controller for analog synths. I look forward to learning more about it.

NAMM 2014: New Modules from Make Noise

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Make Noise has introduced several new modules this year.  You can see Tony Rolando of Make Noise demonstrating them in this video. There is much delightful noisy crunchiness.

The most notable new addition is the Teleplexer, which has a series of metal plates that can be tapped with leads from other modules, creating quite a bit of expressive variation, even chaos. The paradigm of touching conductive plates was inspired by the telegraph.

I tried this out myself, but like other Make Noise modules, it will take a bit of practice to make it work musically.

Dave Smith Instruments at NAMM 2014

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I have long been impressed with the offerings from Dave Smith Instruments, such as the Tempest pictured above. They’re easy to play and offer rich sound possibilities that one can either keep tame or push towards more extreme. Last year I was quite taken with the Prophet 12, and still coveting one of those. This year, they have introduced a tabletop version of the P12. I was fortunate enough to get a demonstration from Dave Smith himself! You can see it in the video below.

The Prophet 12 features 12-voice polyphony, anchored by digital oscillators that feed into analog high and low-pass filters. It has some aggregate controls for the oscillators with odd names like “Air” but are pretty intuitive once one tries them out.

So maybe the tabletop edition would be a practical alternative to the keyboard?

NAMM 2014: Big City Music (Metasonix, Mellotron, Leon Dewan)

One of our perennial stops at NAMM is to the Big City Music booth to see what’s new and play with old favorites. There is always an impressive display of analog modules, including the “wall of synth” from Analog Solutions.

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Of course, Big City Music also prominently displayed a full complement Metasonix modules. This included the new spring reverb (at the bottom) that does not conform to the usual yellow color.

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I spent a little time with the Mellotron, including a demonstration of the original instrument and its extensions. You can see a bit in this video:

Towards the end, you can see the mechanical elements for the tapes at work.

We also visited again with Leon Dewan, who presented his Swarmatron instrument. Here he demonstrates, and I tentatively try to play as well (one handed as I am also holding the camera):

Although most of these instruments were familiar ones, it is great to see them in action again.