MATRIXSYNTH: Saturday, May 19, 2007


Saturday, May 19, 2007

Wurlitzer SideMan - 1950s Tube Drum Machine


YouTube via peahix.

"The Wurlitzer SideMan was arguably the world's first drum machine. It depends on whether you count the Chamberlin Rhythmate, which was introduced some years earlier, but featured tape loops instead of electronically generated drum sounds. In any event, the SideMan is definitely the first "beat box." I just picked this one up for $50. It's got all its guts exposed so you can see how it works."

Circuit Bent Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion


YouTube via zioaxiom. Via Luca Capozzi via the Matrixsynth forum.

Update: Circuit Bent Boss DS-2 Tutorial

Blindly Patching for Light

This is pretty hilarious. Title link takes you to the full post on Muff Wiggler including an mp3.

"Check this out, I'm CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY sleep deprived and quite unsane at the moment, and i did something stupid

i got the idea to totally waste a shitload of time instead of sleeping, and patch up my modular so that every LED was lit, to take some pictures."

Awesome. Title link takes you there.

The Most Underrated Synths

Update: also check out this post for Sonic State's podcast on the list.

JB thought it would be fun to come up with an underrated synth list in the same vein as The first synth to post. I think this might be a pretty cool idea. I think all synths have something to offer and it would be interesting to see what people come up with. So here is how it will work. Put a synth you chose in the comments with 1 to 3 main points on why you think it's underrated and I'll update the list in this post. Make sure to follow the format below, or it doesn't go up. I need to be able to just copy and paste it in. You can discuss away in the comments, but only the list will get updated in the body of the post. Note the reasons can be a combination of what was cool about the synth in your opinion and what you believe kept it from gaining higher status. And yes, you can cheat by combining small things like I did below. I'll make this a sticky post on the right of the site as well so we can check it out and add to it over time as other posts go up. That said. I'll start with two. The most underrated synth in my book of course starts with:

The Oberheim Matrix-6
1. The modulation capabilities for the price - ramp and tracking generators, release velocity, matrix modulations, etc.
2. It is completely overshadowed by it's bigger brother the Matrix-12.
3. It is a CEM based DCO analog and categorized as one of the lesser sounding poly analogs along with it. It's true to an extent but I still like it's sound and it is the source of name of my alias and this site. : ) My first synth.

The Rhodes/ARP Chroma
1. It's just as incredible sounding as the more popular analog poly monsters like the Roland Jupiter-8, SCI Prophet 5, Oberheim OB-Xa, Memorymoog and so on, but for some reason it never seems to get the same recognition. I found one for US $950 in prestine condition from a shop that usually overprices gear.
2. It has a weighted keyboard and mod settings to die for. It's one of the most expressive and best sounding synths I have ever played. Definitely in a class of it's own.

Elka Synthex
1. the Elka synthex was much underrated too because of its brand. It's a fantastic synth anyway.

INSOMNIA

Title link takes you to a Doepfer A-100 track via COMMONTONES. Be sure to check out the rest of their daily tracks. Note this is a project of Sonicbrat.

MOOG Rouge Videos

Messing with my Moog Rogue


basic analog synthesis on a moog rogue


Selkies Synth




Me on the moog

Via this auction.

MOOG Rogue

Title link takes you to shots via this auction. I didn't realize it used a wall wart. Click the image to the left for the full effect. There are some good shots of the synth after the hop and at the auction.

Elektor Formant


Click here for shots via this auction.

Details:
"The Elector Formant modular synthesizer was designed by C. Chapman. The Formant was published in a series of articles in Elektor (in The Netherlands, Elektuur), and later as a book with a compilation of the articles. A year later there was another book with additions and extensions by M. Aigner, an Austrian. In those days I was still a student, and didn't have the time or money for the project. So I shelved it, till a later date when I would have both time and money at the same moment. This rare combination of factors occurred in October '92, triggering the project from hibernation.

"The Formant is a conventional Moog-style synthesizer, voltage-controlled with a 1V/octave characteristic. It consists of separate modules, which I mounted in a rack. Each module is a printed circuit board with a front.

"The original book describes the keyboard and interface, power supply, VCO, VCF, LFO (consists of 3 LFOs), Noise, ADSR, VCA, COM (output module), RFM (Resonance Filter Module) and a 24dB VCF. The book by by M. Aigner contains things like Ring Modulator, Envelope Follower, Mixer, Phase Shifter, ADSR Controller, VC-LFO's, Sample and Hold, and a few more. I'll briefly describe the modules here, and how building the Formant went.

The Modules
Keyboard interface
The keyboard is made with double switches, one switching a resistance ladder, the other the gate signal.
* inputs: frequency modulation
* controls: portamento, octaves coarse and fine

VCO
The VCO generates sine, triangle, square, sawtooth and spaced sawtooth waves. The pulse width of the square is adjustable, and even modulatable (PWM).
* inputs: frequency modulation, external control voltage, pulse width modulation. A LED indicates the pulse width.
* dials for octaves coarse and fine, output level, pulse width, pulse width modulation and frequency modulation.
* Switches to select each waveform (you can have sine and square at the same time, the signals are simply added together).
* External control voltage/keyboard voltage selector.

VCF
The VCF is a 12dB/octave voltage controlled filter. You can configure the filter as Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass or as a notch filter. Quite versatile really.
* inputs: Timbre Modulation, external control voltage, external signal.
* dials for timbre modulation, external signal level, envelope, octaves, Q (resonance) and output level.
* Switches to select HP, BP, LP and Notch filter function.

ADSR
The ADSR generates the envelope signals for the VCA and the VCF. Normally you will have two ADSRs in a system, one for the VCA, and the other for the VCF(s).
* dials for Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release.
* switch to select AD or ADSR envelope
* LED indicator showing the envelope

VCA
The VCA has the following controls:
* inputs for amplitude modulation and external signal.
* dials for AM depth, ES level and Gain.
* Switch for ENV/Off (Off means no ENV control).
* LED to view the input signal level.

LFO
The LFO module consists of 3 LFOs. LFO 1 and 2 are identical, generating square, triangle and sawtooth ( /|/| ) waves. LFO 3 is different, in that it generates triangle and two sawtooths, one being the inverse of the other. ( /|/| and |\|\ ). Each LFO has a dial for the frequency, and a LED that shows the triangular wave amplitude.

Noise
The noise module generates white noise, coloured noise and a random voltage. The 'speed' of the random voltage is adjustable with a dial and indicated with a LED.

COM
The Control and Output Module outputs the Formant signal, there are dials for tone control (Bass, Mid, Treble) and Output level. You can connect a headphone or external amp to this module. (All outputs of the Formant you can connect a headphone to.)
24dB VCF

It is basically like the VCF, but 24dB/oct.
* inputs: Timbre Modulation (TM), ECV, External Signal (ES).
* dials for TM, ES level, Envelope (ENV), Octaves, Q (resonance) and output level.
* Switch to select HP/LP, a switch to select VCO's/ES.
* A dB/Oct selector: 6, 12, 18, 24 dB/oct.

RFM
The Resonance Filter Module is used to mimic existing instruments more naturally, or just as some filter. Another name for an RFM is a 'parametric equalizer'. This is not a voltage controlled filter. The Formant RFM consists of 3 filters in parallel. Each filter has three dials for frequency, Q and A."-----Rick Jansen"

Hartmann Neuron

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Details:
" This RARE 21st-Century keyboard represents a unique approach to sound modeling and reproduction! Like a sentient being, Neuron recognizes a sound. But more than that, its intelligence is such that it puts at your disposal parameters whose structures are adapted DYNAMICALLY to suit this sound. Ant that makes Neuron the first synthesizer with a brain full of responsive synapses, that is, variable rather than fixed parameter assingments. In simpler terms, the keyboard applies pattern recognition based on neural networks to digital sound samples and extracts parameters which can be controlled by the numerous knobs, wheels, and x-y joysticks (whose movements can actually be recorded, similar to the motorized sliders of high-end digital mixers) populating the front panel. The parameters being controlled vary from sound to sound and represent sonic aspects that no other keyboard - or human beings, for that matter - could ever possibly recognize. The Hartmann website permits downloading of ModelMaker software which permits you to create your own samples and import them via USB to the Neuron for subsequent processing. Unlike conventional synths, with their VCOs, VCFs, VCAs, EGs, LFOs, and the like, the Neuron consists of custom exotic modules such as Resynators, a Blender, Shapers, a Programmer, a Mod, a Slicer, a Silver (incuding Surround Sound controls), and Master Effects. Accessories include a fabric dust cover, a damper pedal, a footswitch, an expression pedal, a bag of spare parts, a power cord, a user manual, a Model & Parameterset Info guide, a digital coax output cable, and an SKB hardcase."

Oberheim TVS

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

As always, click on the images for the full shot.
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