Saturday, November 30, 2013

Raul's World of Synths presents PATCH IT- "The Intermission Patch"

Raul Pena uploaded a new video, as some kind intermezzo between his Doepfer A-144 Morphing Controller/ Waveshaper Video videos. (4 parts in total)

Video 1: Raul's World of Synths presents PATCH IT- "The Intermission Patch"
" A multi-part segment of improvised patching. "The Intermission Patch" is aptly named due to it acting as an intermission during the regularly scheduled Doepfer A144 series. Stay tuned for a completed version later this month. For now some patching."
Sound and Video by Raul Pena."

Video 2: Raul's World of Synths Presents PATCH IT-" Intermission Patch" Part Two

"New segment of PATCH IT for Raul's World of Synths. A continued exploration of "The Intermission Patch". Part Two of Three. Sound and Video by Raul Pena."

Video 3: Raul's World of Synths Presents PATCH IT-" Intermission Patch" Part Three
"New segment of PATCH IT for Raul's World of Synths. A continued exploration of "The Intermission Patch". Part Three of Four. Sound and Video by Raul Pena."

Raul's World of Synths Presents PATCH IT-" Intermission Patch" Part Four

"New segment of PATCH IT for Raul's World of Synths. A continued exploration of "The Intermission Patch". Part Four of Four. Sound and Video by Raul Pena."
Check out Raul's latest survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K3Z9PVF
Other places to find Raul's World of Synths on the Web:

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Critter & Guitari Melody Mill Eurorack Note Generation Module

Critter & Guitari announced their first Eurorack module, the Melody Mill today.

" The Critter & Guitari Melody Mill is a note generation module for Eurorack modular synthesizers.
It contains a keyboard, CV outputs, CV clock input, built-in arpeggiators, a sequencer, and MIDI capabilities.

Critter & Guitari Melody Mill
With the Melody Mill you can:
- Use the CV output to control oscillators
- Connect your MIDI controller or computer into your modular setup using the MIDI input
- Play notes, record and playback sequences and arpeggios on your favorite modules
- Convert MIDI clock into CV pulses
- Clock the arpeggiator with an LFO for strange melodies
- 'Hold' notes for drones
- Connect the built-in square wave oscillator directly to a filter or an amp

The Melody Mill generates 1-Volt per octave, trigger, and gate control voltages.
These signals are used to trigger other synthesizer modules.
Notes may be played on the built-in keyboard or received via MIDI.
The notes may be used directly to generate the CV signals, or fed through one of the five arpeggiator modes first.
Adding to the fun is a hold button and a simple sequencer to record and playback notes.
In addition to the CV outputs, the Melody Mill also outputs MIDI of the note it is generating.

A ‘smart’ arpeggiator clock selects a clock source depending on what is connected to the Melody Mill: CV clock input, MIDI clock, or internal clock (controlled by the 'Rate' knob)."

I really like the idea of such a module and also the wooden look of the buttons. i hope we'll see some videos of it soon...
The module is shipping now and can be yours for 360 USD

Monday, November 25, 2013

Gijs Gieskes Euroboy

Gieskes Euroboy Eurorack module
It's always refreshing to see new Eurorack creations by Dutch designer Gijs Gieskes.

His latest creation is a Eurorack module that is based on, and controlled by a Nintendo Gameboy device and was presented at the Europe in 8 Bits festival in Amsterdam last weekend, where he also showed some other designs and installations.

As always you can find the schematics of this module on his website HERE

He uploaded a few videos that show off the functionality. Enjoy!

Video: Euroboy doing Tetris

Video 2: Euroboy playing Graba

Sunday, November 24, 2013

QU-Bit Electronix Nebulæ

QU-Bit Electronix is a new Eurorack modular synthesizer company based in North America founded by Andrew Ikenberry and Jason Lim.
They love open source hardware/software, and put their knowledge together to create this first QU-Bit module, the Nebulæ.

QU-Bit Nebulæ module 
Nebulæ is an audio file player/granular oscillator in the Eurorack modular synthesizer format.
It uses sound files to create loops, melodies, granular clouds, drones, pads and any sound recorded audio is capable of generating.
It comes with 1 GB of royalty free samples recorded and mastered specifically for Nebulæ.

Main features:
- Plays .wav, .aif, .flac , and .ogg files from a USB device- No naming convention for files
- Independent control of pitch and speed
- 1 V/oct pitch tracking
- MIDI control over all parameters
- DSP engine by Csound ( Csound is a C-Based Audio Programming Language) http://www.csounds.com/
- Looping / one shot capabilities

Video 1: Nebulae Drum Break

" Demonstration of the 'freeze' and granular functionality of the Nebulæ Eurorack module by QU-bit Electronix"

Video 2: Nebulae Loop Controls

" Demonstration of the looping/cropping functionality of the Nebulæ Eurorack module by QU-bit Electronix"

Video 3: Nebulae Looping Mode

"Demonstration of the Nebulæ Eurorack module by QU-bit Electronix in Looping mode"

The Nebulæ looks like a pretty awesome and flexible module to me, especially with the easy file-import via USB.
It can be yours for USD 429.00
They are now (december 6) accepting a limited number of pre orders on the site (http://www.qubitelectronix.com/) and anticipate to start shipping in mid to late December.

Say hi to them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/qubitelectronix (new)

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Random Video: Cardio Bass & Respiration Synth by Ukrets

Mark Mennings (@sensien) brought this next video to my attention.
A nice example of biorythmic/posture control of a doepfer modular.

Video: Cardio Bass & Respiration Synth

" Ukrets uses the ephysm.us biomusic performance and authoring platform. Performed by the Holminid with synthesis by Sensien, using a modular analogue synth. Everything is generated from live biosignals and postures, except the obligatory 808 kick that was added for structural support. The track consists of two patches recorded in succession, mixed without any further editing or processing. Jaala, Finland, July 2013. http://ephysm.us"
" ...we convert the signals from the wireless sensor belt to OSC, which is then used to create triggers and control ableton. This is converted to CV."

Read more about it on MuffWiggler,
and don't forget to check out http://ephysm.us/ electronic physiological music

Friday, November 22, 2013

Quick SiteTip: CatSynth.Com

Funny how most of the modular synth-lovers that i know seem to be serious cat-lovers as well.

Penelope trapped in a Eurorack
Picture by @Grillobeats
Because of this, you might also have heard of CatSynth.com before...

The CatSynth blog started in July 2006 and covers Cats, Synthesizers, Music, Art, Opinion and more...
Besides that, CatSynth regularly features reviews of music and art.
The focus is on modern, contemporary or experimental work in a variety of media. 

Catsynth primarily covers the San Francisco Bay Area, but occasionally find themselves in New York or such far away locales as an electronic music show in Tokyo or an underground club in Shanghai.

Want to see how it all started in 2006?
Find their inaugural post with the photo of the cat (Luna) that started it all… HERE

http://www.catsynth.com
http://twitter.com/catsynth
https://www.facebook.com/catsynth

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

2Egress Studio Furniture and Cases

After the recent wave of interesting new Eurorack-modules you might run out of rack-space pretty soon...
I recently stumbled upon a Canadian firm that builds and designs studio furniture and Eurorack cases.

A few of the 2Egress Eurorack case-designs
2Egress is a three year old small business located in Toronto, Canada that specializes in technical furniture for recording studios and film editing suites.

"Growing up with an avid woodworking father, Brock inherited a love for all things wooden, and developed a passion for restoring classic racing sailboats.
These experiences have been stepping stones to the high quality, detail oriented pieces that he designs and builds today.

As a schooled audio engineer and musician, it became clear to Brock that studio furniture had become stuck in the 60's and 70's - ugly and utilitarian to excess, the standard pressboard self-assembled furniture available was not recognizing the unique needs nor aesthetic discernment of the industry.
Some time ago they had been invited to build a Eurorack case and have decided to continue building them ever since."

12U 104HP wide custom case for Damian Taylor
Recently they designed and built a double wide 12U 104hp modular case for Grammy-nominated producer Damian Taylor (Bjork, The Killers, Unkle, Arcade Fire, The Prodigy).
It houses four Doepfer PSU2’s and 8 Bus Boards, has two IEC power connectors on the rear and even a matching rear panel to compliment his studio space.
They included 1/4” connectors on the rear with passthroughs to the front of the case. 
See the building-process HERE, and the finished product with modules installed HERE

I really like this sort of craftsmanship, that's why I think it is worth posting it here.
If you are looking for a new case or rack, contact them to find out what they can do for you.
They mention worldwide shipping on their website...
Based on the pictures they seem to make good quality products with an eye for detail.
Watch their site as they will be adding some very funky cool cases in the very near future.
Loads of drawings are already just waiting to be pumped into their CNC machine...

Also check out their impressive portfolio at http://www.2egress.com/portfolio.html

Website: http://www.2egress.com/home.html
I also added their RSS newsfeed to the right column of this blog >

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Make Noise Sub Timbral Oscillator (STO)

Make Noise released their Make Noise Sub Timbral Oscillator (STO) and it looks quite interesting.

Make Noise
Sub Timbal Oscillator
(STO)
The STO is a "compact Voltage Controlled Oscillator designed for generating SINE waves, Variable wave-SHAPEs, SUB-Octaves, Oscillator SYNC and Linear FM in the analog domain. 
The Sub-Timbral Oscillator is the more subtle and melodic friend to the DPO's complex harmonic lattice.

It features:
- Triangle Core with outputs for SINE, SUB and Variable SHAPE
- Unique Variable SHAPE circuit ripples Even and Odd harmonics for subtle timbral shifts
- Linear FM input with Depth control
- EXPOnential input for deep FM, SYNC sweeps or Transposition of sequences
- SUB-Oscillator yields max bass
- S-Gate input for gating or sync of SUB-Osc. independent of other outputs
- Hard SYNC circuit which combined with Linear FM and Variable SHAPE yields harmonically rich sounds
- Pairs well with the MMG or Optomix"

Video: Make Noise Sub Timbral Oscillator (STO)

Monday, November 18, 2013

Random Video: Doepfer A100 vs Moog Modular by Kevin Farrow

Kevin Farrow posted a nice video, comparing his Doepfer A-120 Moog filter with an original Moog modular system...

Video: Doepfer A100 v Moog Modular by Kevin Farrow

" Spot the difference. This is a comparison of my new Doepfer Modular A100 System fitted with the A120 (Moog) 24db Filter compared to Tom's Mighty Moog Modular.
Not bad considering the Doepfer is about £30,000 cheaper !"

Uploaded by Kevin Farrow

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Doepfer A-166-2 Logic Module Announced

Via the Doepfer A-100 Usergroup on Yahoo we found out today that Dieter and his crew are working on an additional logic module (A-166-2).

Not the new, but the 'old'
A-166 Dual Logic Module
You probably remember the original A-166 Dual Logic Module, which is a double logic device that combines digital control / clock signals.
Read all about that module HERE.
A typical application of this module is the combination of digital signals of the A-100 gates, clocks and triggers to obtain "gated" clocks or rhythmic clock patterns.

The new A-166-2 "...will also include - among other functions - a flipflop.
( The output will turn high as soon as the first pulse of the "gate stream at audio rate" appears and stay high until the gate turns low.)
Sometimes I'd like to have a flipflop function in certain patches.
A simple zero-crossing comparator could be added to this module too. 
The A-166-2 will probably also include a rising edge detector (outputs a short pulse at the rising edge of a digital input signal) and a falling edge detector (outputs a short pulse at the falling edge of a digital input signal).
I think also about a pitch-change-detector (or more general CV-change-detector). 
It outputs a signal whenever a CV connected to it's input changes (probably with three outputs: positive/negative/both). 

So far there is no front panel layout available as I'm still fiddling about the arrangement of the sockets and controls, which features will be finally included and which front panel width (4/6/8 HP) is the best compromise."

Price and availability are still unknown...

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I Dream of Wires Extended Interviews

"I Dream of Wires" is a crowdfunded independent documentary film about the resurgence of the modular synthesizer and is written and directed by Robert Fantinatto with Jason Amm (Ghostly International recording artist Solvent) serving as producer and co-writer.

The 'Hardcore Edition', a four-hour long 2-DVD-set, was released a few months ago and distributed amongst the crowd-funders and pre-orderers all over the world.
- sale started September 16 via http://science-with-synthesizers.myshopify.com/)

The 4-hour long documentary Hardcore Edition is definitely worth watching/buying, but if you don't have the funds, you can also entertain yourself by watching the Extended Interviews that are still online at their Vimeo account.

If you're not familiar with the I Dream of Wires Extended Interview series, they've released 9 of them so far. See the list below.
They will be releasing one more free Extended Interview piece in 2014.

Edit Dec 13, 2013 - I Dream Of Wires Extended Interview #10 is now online, with none other than Trent Reznor and Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails...
Find it at https://vimeo.com/81576339

I Dream of Wires - Extended Interview Series:
9. Chris Carter:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/chriscarter
8. Richard Devine:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/richarddevine
7. Solvent:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/solvent
6. Orphx:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/orphx
5. Made in Canada - Modcan & Intellijel:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/modcanintellijel
4. Carl Craig - Modular Pursuits:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/carlcraig
3. Drumcell - Modular Techno:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/drumcell
2. Allan Ravenstine and Robert Wheeler of Pere Ubu:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/ravenstinewheelerpereubu
1. Richard Lainhart:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/richardlainhart
Also:
I Dream Of Wires showcase - MUTEK 2012:
http://vimeo.com/idreamofwires/idow2012mutek
I Dream of Wires:
Hardcore Edition DVD, Blu-Ray and
 accessories are still available to order at:
sciencewithsynthesizers.com

Read more about IDOW on PatchPierre.Net HERE

Sunday, November 10, 2013

PatchPierre Twitter Lists

Over the last few weeks I have been making various synth-related Lists on my PatchPierre Twitter account.
I personally think they are a great resource for synth-news and can be very helpful if you need a synth repair service or if you are looking for a new case...
These lists will be expanded over time, i hope you can help me by DM-ing me the Twitter accounts that I might have missed, or just leave a comment below...

Follow PatchPierre.Net on Twitter
So far I made 7 separate Lists containing:

Modular Synth Makers
A public list of mainly Eurorack module-makers. Feel free to DM me more suggestions...
Synthesizer Magazines
Synth mags... online or printed on dead trees
Synth Shops
Synthesizer- sellers from all over the world
Synthesizer Manufacturers
Makers of synthesizers and drum-machines from all over the planet 
Synthesizer Bloggers  
Synth fanatics who like to share... - list still under construction...
Synth Repair Services  
People and shops who might be able to help you with your broken synth 
Modular Case Makers
Makers of modular cases and studio furniture 

Please subscribe to the lists/follow and/or help me to promote them online.
Feel free to contact me for other list-ideas and if you have additions to existing lists.
Thank you in advance!

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Doepfer History: MVP1 MIDI Volume Pedal

The Doepfer MVP1 MIDI Volume Pedal was manufactured from 1991 until 1994 and was available as a kit, ready built pc board or complete pedal unit (i.e. built into a foot controller).

Doepfer MVP1 with external box and
the (Dutch) Elektuur Magazine of July 1994
The MVP1 was a programmable unit that could be used as volume (factory setting) or expression-pedal.
It featured MIDI In and Out so it could be placed between your keyboard and a sound module.

Via a learn button and internal DIPswitches you could change this module's functions.
Other parameters that could be controlled with this unit were volume, modulation, portamento, aftertouch, pitchbend, and velocity.

The MVP1 was also published as a DIY article in the July 1994 issue of electronic magazine ELEKTOR which was published in different languages (German, French, English, Dutch).

MVP1 DIY-kit
Elektor is a monthly magazine about all aspects of electronics, first published as "Elektuur" in the Netherlands in 1960, and was published worldwide in many languages including English, German, French, Greek, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese (native and Brazilian) and Italian with distribution in over 50 countries.
The English language edition of Elektor was launched in 1975 and is read worldwide.

The advantage of Doepfer's original MVP1 board was that the board was so small that it could be mounted inside the pedal.
ELEKTOR modified Doepfer's original MVP1 pc board design a little bit because they did not like that a smaller circuit was located directly under the processor to keep the pcb board dimensions as small as possible, but the electronic circuits are exactly the same.

MVP1 pedal with internal electrnics
The ELEKTOR version of the pc board was much larger and that's why an external box was necessary (as seen in the top picture).

The last MVP1 units were sold somewhere between 1995 and 1996.

The kit costed between 40 Euros (PCB only) and 70 Euros (PCB and foot controller)
The ready built unit was available for 110 Euros.
Around 600 units were manufactured.

The user manual is still available on the Doepfer website HERE

Sources: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elektor
and additional info as always kindly provided by Dieter Doepfer

Find all my Doepfer History blogposts at http://patchpierre.blogspot.nl/search/label/Doepfer%20History

Saturday, November 02, 2013

Doepfer A-100LC3 Low-Cost Case Announced

Quite fast after they released their A-100BP case, Doepfer has now announced another new case to house your eurorack modules.
This time it is a low-cost case that will probably be available from the end of 2013.

Doepfer A-100LC3 low-cost case front view
The A-100LC3 is the "small brother" of the low cost case A-100LC6 (and A-100LC9).
It is very similar to the A-100LC6 but offers only one row with 84 HP for installation of modules. 
The A-100LC3 is equipped with one power supply (1200mA) and one bus board. 

Because of the limited space the power supply of the DIY-Kit #1 with an external transformer is used (same as for the DIY-Kit #1). 

Doepfer A-100LC3 low-cost case
On the left side of the case the connector for the external transformer is located.
The external transformer is not shown in the above pictures. 
The outside dimensions in mm are about 445 (width) x 160 (depth) x 150 (height). 

The price of the A-100LC3 will be around Euro 180-200 (including external power supply for 230 or 115V AC, without modules).

One of the benefits of having the connector on the side of the module IMO is that it can also be used on its back, as some kind of (high) skiff, but I wouldn't look up strange if Doepfer soon announces a skiff or another case...

Friday, November 01, 2013

Intellijel Metropolis Preliminary Info

One of the most interesting modules i have seen in a while has been sent out to various testers in the last few weeks.

The original:
RYK M-185 Sequencer
The Intellijel Metropolis is a 'complex multi stage pitch and gate Eurorack sequencer', based on the RYK M-185 sequencer from the early Roland M-100 series.
This RYK module has always intrigued me, and i was always hoping someone would bring this style of sequencing/programming to the Eurorack.
(Watch some of the original RYK M-185 demos HERE and HERE)

Intellijel worked out an agreement with RYK earlier this year to create this only official Eurorack adaptation of his brilliant sequencer design.
It has taken many months to procure all the special parts and the design has already gone through several hardware revisions. 

Looking at the prototype picture that i see floating all over the internet, i see it has a quite lot of extra features.
It's a big, space-consuming module (34HP wide) and it looks very impressive with its rows of sliders for pitch and pulse count, the switches for different gate modes, and buttons for slide on/off and skip step.
All the core original M-185 functions seem to be there...(Read more here)
On the left side of the module is a 5 digit LED screen, buttons for complex programming/editing and a few knobs for AUX-levels, Gate- and Slide-time plus one for data input.

Intellijel Metropolis Sequencer
Some of the features :
-Sequencer modes:
Forward, Forward-fixed, Reverse, Reverse-fixed, PingPong, PingPong-Fixed, Random, Random-fixed, Brownian, Brownian-fixed
-TB-303 style slide (constant time portamento) with adjustable time
-Stage skipping (double click slide buttons)
- Internal quantizing with selectable scales and keys
-Can act as a master clk with BPM control or slave to an external (using clk src function)
-Save/load panel settings
-shuffle
-Internal clock divider
-Sync output (sets output pulse on last clock step of a sequence, used to slave other sequencers via reset)
-Two assignable AUX inputs which can control: gate length, transpose, key shift, root shift, sequence length, and step divisor.
-config menu to set slider pitch range, clock div type, clock offset
-tap tempo when in internal clock mode and tempo lock with bpm detect in external mode.

-All menu actions are one level deep. i.e. press the menu button and spin the encoder.
There are no hidden levels or sub menus.
Info via MuffWiggler

Video: Metropolis Scrutineering by Dudadius
Metropolis Scrutineering from dudadius on Vimeo.
" First go around with the Intelljel Metropolis. This is a pretty basic setup; I didn't get into using the aux inputs to modulate things within the Metropolis. I'll try that next! As you can see though, the Metropolis really lends itself to performing and improvising. Very hands-on and easy to go all sorts of crazy ways, melodically. Similar to the Rene, in that regard, but from a totally different point-of-view.Patch notes. Pamela is sending clock to Metropolis, Trigger Riot, Modcan Dual Delay, and Sound of Shadows.
Metropolis is sending the same note info to three different oscillators. The third one going through a uScale first to create intervals. All going into the Dubmix. The Trigger Riot is controlling Tiptop drums, mixed through a VCA Matrix then an M277 for a little grit. That's into channel 2 on the Dubmix, where I add a little Spring Reverb at one point.
The kick and snare are ultimately doubled with the Cwejman BLD and DPO. Lastly, I dialed into some sustained notes on the Pressure Points and a Modcan Triple OSC. The uStep is advancing the Pressure Points.
I had some troubles with the Trigger Riot losing sync when I would change presets.
I'll have to delve into that some more."
Video by Dudadius / On Twitter: https://twitter.com/dudadius

Watch an early Metropolis prototype testing video (september 2012) at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zkgb9aZocg

Update November 11:
Now available for USD 580 - more info at http://www.intellijel.com/eurorack-modules/metropolis/
Manual as PDF available at http://www.intellijel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Metropolis-Manual-v1.0.pdf