Synthesizers
Trash Audio
Sep/13/2011 10:45 Filed in: Modular
Thanks Trash Audio for the great time @ the 2011 Synth meet in LA. We had a blast being there and got to see some great new products. There are 12 modules surfacing by the end of the year by some major manufactures. The new Malekko Joystick Axis is super badass. That and the Pittsburgh Modular Generator expander are on the top of my list. Also love 4ms’s new PEG. So many new things that make me excited.
Thanks everyone.
Thanks everyone.
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4MS Noise Swash
Jul/24/2011 12:04 Filed in: Modular
Here with another module that is crazy sweet. The Noise Swash, from 4MS combines a sound shaper/filter with pulse/time generation, and oscillator. Through time I still believe it does even more than that. With a 10 turn potentiometer, it is great for live performance and manipulation in real time. The tone knob shape has made it a filter like module that sounds more extreme in bending and shaping. Keep in mind, I have owned the module for a year and am still finding new things all the time. Try running a sequencer clock with it. It’s crazy!
Pailo
Pailo
Pittsburgh Modular Generator
Jul/23/2011 09:26 Filed in: Modular
http://pittsburghmodular.com/index.html
We will be selling Pittsburgh Modular @ Switched On. Great people, making crazy modules. We are excited about this one. The Generator is composed of a dual triangle core oscillator, and has four inputs, and three outputs. Broken down, the inputs are voltage inputs, two oscillator shaping points, an external with switch routing for modulation controls, and a cv input to control the rate of the Generator. The outputs are oscillator 1 out, oscillator 2 out, and an oscillator 1 out again at the bottom. This module is great for feedback, and FM dives.
We will be selling Pittsburgh Modular @ Switched On. Great people, making crazy modules. We are excited about this one. The Generator is composed of a dual triangle core oscillator, and has four inputs, and three outputs. Broken down, the inputs are voltage inputs, two oscillator shaping points, an external with switch routing for modulation controls, and a cv input to control the rate of the Generator. The outputs are oscillator 1 out, oscillator 2 out, and an oscillator 1 out again at the bottom. This module is great for feedback, and FM dives.
4MS Atoner
Jul/22/2011 14:15 Filed in: Modular
Built the Atoner from 4MS the last two days. Took me about four hours. Thanks Michael and Dann for all the help. You guys helped to make this possible. Been watching you two solder and taking mental notes for almost a year now. Took my first steps.
The Atoner by 4ms is killer. It can create quantized melodies, clock/trigger outputs, pitch shifting/jumping harmonics, cv mixer, and the nomal crazy sounds you get with 4MS gear. Pair it with a Noise Swash to get even crazier sounds.
http://www.4mspedals.com/euroatoner.php
Good Times.
The Atoner by 4ms is killer. It can create quantized melodies, clock/trigger outputs, pitch shifting/jumping harmonics, cv mixer, and the nomal crazy sounds you get with 4MS gear. Pair it with a Noise Swash to get even crazier sounds.
http://www.4mspedals.com/euroatoner.php
Good Times.
VCAMixer
Jun/09/2011 13:36 Filed in: Modular
4mspedals.com
Wow is all I can say. Amplitude Modulator, Mixer, VCAx4, Modulation Router, and Matrix for dynamic creation based on voltage. Insane fun. Too much for me to handle. Switched On is the first store to carry them. We are the only one’s to carry the black one’s too! Thanks to 4MS (dann and jeanot) for bringing them in and keeping me in mind. Please do not ask me for the “black one”. They are only for the select few :P Plus I sold my two already.
We have 4MS and Livewire Electronics in store June 27th, 2011 for a free clinic! That’s right! FREE!! So come down, meet some new people, and find out what modular synthesizers are all about.
Wow is all I can say. Amplitude Modulator, Mixer, VCAx4, Modulation Router, and Matrix for dynamic creation based on voltage. Insane fun. Too much for me to handle. Switched On is the first store to carry them. We are the only one’s to carry the black one’s too! Thanks to 4MS (dann and jeanot) for bringing them in and keeping me in mind. Please do not ask me for the “black one”. They are only for the select few :P Plus I sold my two already.
We have 4MS and Livewire Electronics in store June 27th, 2011 for a free clinic! That’s right! FREE!! So come down, meet some new people, and find out what modular synthesizers are all about.
Module Madness
Dec/29/2010 13:15 Filed in: Modular
ER1 MKii
Sep/17/2010 09:10 Filed in: Music
A great drum machine I highly recommend. I use it here in the studio for sequencing, programing, and arpeggiating. Lots of great features like motion sequencing, and the delay function is good for certain rhythm offsets. You can also gate external audio with the audio in section of the machine. All in all you can find them used @ Switched On, or in other corners of the web. The new one’s have tubes. I prefer the older one’s for the size and ease of use.
Arp Axxe Restore
Sep/11/2010 19:51 Filed in: Repair
More on the Arp Axxe fix. Solder the j-wires today, and added the bushings. New bushings look really good and i got the great deal online. Here are shots of the j-wire board, and bushing install. Here at the bench @ Switched On with a great iron, and some good tools. Thanks guys!
Below is the bag of j-wires.
Below is half of the bushing install.
\
Bag of lubed bushings.
Below is the bag of j-wires.
Below is half of the bushing install.
\Bag of lubed bushings.
Still Restoring Axxe
Sep/10/2010 09:32 Filed in: Repair
Working on the Arp still. Did my order for the j-wire and bushings. Here is a link of who i recommend.
I have been using a MIDI to CV box with Ableton and using the Axxe with the two oscillators from the Roland 100M. Sounds pretty sweet. 3 oscillator analog monster. Looking into a fourth VCO and still haven’t decided on which to get. There are a lot of eurorack modules for sale and it’s tough to figure out which one will be the best sound for the best value. That’s why reading about them is hard enough, but then you have to go to some demo of a person playing the module through other modules. This makes judgement hard to pass because of the other modules surrounding it and the quality of the recording by the author.
The DIY Midi to CV. I will link you to the maker here. (Thanks Ebay)
I have been using a MIDI to CV box with Ableton and using the Axxe with the two oscillators from the Roland 100M. Sounds pretty sweet. 3 oscillator analog monster. Looking into a fourth VCO and still haven’t decided on which to get. There are a lot of eurorack modules for sale and it’s tough to figure out which one will be the best sound for the best value. That’s why reading about them is hard enough, but then you have to go to some demo of a person playing the module through other modules. This makes judgement hard to pass because of the other modules surrounding it and the quality of the recording by the author.
The DIY Midi to CV. I will link you to the maker here. (Thanks Ebay)
Arp Axxe Restoration
Aug/30/2010 09:46 Filed in: Repair
So some of my j-wires broke and the keys bottom out every time you play them. Solution: new bushings and new j-wire. The procedure is long and takes some patients. I am halfway through the project. Here are some pictures of the tear down. I need to soak the keys too. Thinking palmolive.
DIY people remember how fragile the j-wires are when taking apart the board. I used a pillow to lay the bed on so i didn’t ruin anything(except the pillow). There is tons of grease on the Pratt-Read Keyboard. Another thing to note is Vintage Vibe has the bushing set for 25$. J-wires are hard to find and more expensive than they look. If you need that link email me. Other tips are go slow so you don’t cut your hands or fingers, and don’t pull on the keys once you unscew them, take them off back to front.
I have found little documentation on j-wire and good tips for replacing them. That is why this blog is following a step by step. Once all the keys are off you can get to the j wire bed a lot faster. The hardest part, not hurting the good j-wire while replacing the bad. I will have more details on the next post.
DIY people remember how fragile the j-wires are when taking apart the board. I used a pillow to lay the bed on so i didn’t ruin anything(except the pillow). There is tons of grease on the Pratt-Read Keyboard. Another thing to note is Vintage Vibe has the bushing set for 25$. J-wires are hard to find and more expensive than they look. If you need that link email me. Other tips are go slow so you don’t cut your hands or fingers, and don’t pull on the keys once you unscew them, take them off back to front.
I have found little documentation on j-wire and good tips for replacing them. That is why this blog is following a step by step. Once all the keys are off you can get to the j wire bed a lot faster. The hardest part, not hurting the good j-wire while replacing the bad. I will have more details on the next post.
Arduino Synth
May/09/2010 14:09 Filed in: Work
Here is my first Arduino synth. Pretty sweet. Sounds wild and has tons of depth.
3 versions can be loaded right now, and I am working on modifying the code a bit more.
Thanks Tinker London for helping with the design. Open source is sweet!
http://code.google.com/p/tinkerit/
http://tinkerlondon.com/now/
MIDI Clinic
Apr/16/2010 10:11 Filed in: Work
Can’t wait for the MIDI clinic on April 18th. Going to bring some fun toys and really help connect Ableton to hardware in an easy to understand way. Hope everyone who makes it remembers to bring a controller. Mapping is also going to be a part of the clinic. Templates and the whole 9 yards!
Say Buchla
Mar/31/2010 20:20 Filed in: Music
http://www.buchla.com/
Go to this site and do what I do. Wish I had 40k to spend on a synth, cause this would be the one right here!!!
Go to this site and do what I do. Wish I had 40k to spend on a synth, cause this would be the one right here!!!
Vintage Synth Explorer
Mar/31/2010 20:16 Filed in: Music
http://www.vintagesynth.com/
Need to know something about most synths on the market yesterday? Look no further. At VSE you can find some really good info and user reviews. If you can’t find it there it does not mean that synth never existed, it just means they haven’t got to it yet. There are a ton of synths on that site though.
Need to know something about most synths on the market yesterday? Look no further. At VSE you can find some really good info and user reviews. If you can’t find it there it does not mean that synth never existed, it just means they haven’t got to it yet. There are a ton of synths on that site though.
Prophet Lives On
Mar/31/2010 20:14 Filed in: Music
http://prophet5.org/
A place where you can talk about the prophet series keyboard. My prophet 600 is broken right now. Don’t know if it’s an oscillator issue or what. Sounds like it just freaks out as soon as you turn it on. Too bad it’s the most played keyboard in my studio (when it works).
A place where you can talk about the prophet series keyboard. My prophet 600 is broken right now. Don’t know if it’s an oscillator issue or what. Sounds like it just freaks out as soon as you turn it on. Too bad it’s the most played keyboard in my studio (when it works).