Synth pop pioneer Phil Oakey (Human League) goes Telemark
British ‘boutique’ analogue synthesiser and accessory designer/manufacturer Analogue Solutions is proud to announce that bona fide synthpop pioneer Phil Oakey has added a Telemark V2 semi- modular analogue monosynth to the stunning synthesiser collection currently residing at The Human League’s legendary HL Studios in Sheffield…
Human League main man Phil Oakey needs little in the way of introduction. Having co-penned some of pop’s finest musical moments with memorable hits spanning several decades — notably 1981’s chart-topping perennial favourite ‘Don’t You Want Me’ (which sold well over a million copies in the UK alone, making it the 25th biggest-selling single of all time there, then shifted another million copies to secure the coveted US number one spot during the following year), he helped forge a popular music landscape-changing template for pre- programmed, synth-driven song structures that are still reverberating around the world today.
Back in the day, The Human League ‘Mk I’ co-founder Ian Craig Marsh wasn’t adverse to rhythmically riding a mid-Seventies-vintage Roland System 100 semi-modular analogue synthesiser’s resonance and filter faders to create a track’s Model 104 Sequencer-driven bass and snare drum on the fly! No need to do that today, of course, for HL Studios is packed floor to ceiling with old and new synths to die for. Indeed, it’s fair to say that what Phil Oakey doesn’t know about synths simply isn’t worth knowing!
Now something of a connoisseur, Oakey owns a considerable collection of synths, sequencers, and drum machines at HL Studios, many of which are analogue. Which is exactly why he has taken delivery of an Analogue Solutions Telemark V2, a dual-VCO, rack-mountable, semi-modular analogue monosynth with multimode VCF featuring lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and notch filter types, which will be perfectly at home there since the healthy socket selection dominating the right-hand side of its spacious control panel means it can comfortably be patched to work with other modular systems and analogue sequencers for added flexibility. Features like those, combined with a generous helping of modulation routing options, provide the Telemark V2 with an extraordinarily diverse range of sound possibilities, including leads, basses, effects, and percussion, as well as being able to be used as an effects processor thanks to its audio inputs (feeding audio signals directly into its mixer).
Another distinguishing feature of the Telemark V2 is its 100% analogue voice and modulation circuitry formed from discrete components. Nothing travels through digital circuitry here, so turning a knob directly affects the associated analogue circuitry to produce a characteristic sound straight from the Seventies/early-Eighties — albeit reliant on today’s reliable technology!
Improvements to Telemark V2 over and above the original version of the instrument include adding an octave divider (SUB-VCO/DIVIDER) — for creating a fuller, fatter sound or for use as a clock divider designed to be a source of lower frequencies (particularly suited to rhythmical usage) — and a ring modulator (RING MOD), typically used for fashioning metallic-type sounds (although it has other uses).
Little wonder, then, that the original Telemark and now its V2 successor are so sought after by those in the know. Chances are the characteristic sounds of Phil Oakey’s new and improved Telemark V2 — in limited-edition black, no less! — could well be being heard on some more memorable musical moments from The Human League in the not too distant future. We wish them well.
Telemark V2 is available to order online directly from Analogue Solutions (http://www.analoguesolutions.org.uk/concussor/telemark.htm) for £749.00 GBP (excluding VAT and delivery) or through one of their dealers. Alternatively, the keyboard- equipped Telemark-k V2 is available for £1,099.00 GBP (excluding VAT and delivery).
The highly awaited modular synth for iPad has arrived
Modular is an advanced synthesizer environment with richly detail graphics and incredible sound for your iPhone 4S or newer, iPod Touch 5th generation or newer, and iPad 3rd generation or newer.
Modular offers you the ability to build your own synthesizer, the way you want to. At the same time, modular is a great tool for learning how analog subtractive synthesis works.
By separating each synthesis process, modules can be connected in any way. You are no longer limited to synthesizers designed by others, you are now in full control of your sound. This is the beauty and power of modular synthesis.
Modular looks, acts, and sounds like a hardware modular synthesizer to give you the familiarity and features that musicians want such as pulse width modulation, oscillator sync, 4 pole ladder filters, and 1v/oct filter tracking.
Traditional modular systems cost $$$$ where modular is free. In-app purchases give you access to advanced modules. Owning a module means you own as many as you can fit in the modular rack. Do you want to build a monster 6 oscillator synth? You can.
Features:
- Analog sound
- Bandlimited oscillators
- Oversampled filters
- Beautiful graphics
- Dynamic workspace
- Intuitive navigation
- Controls that give detailed values such as filter frequency in Hz and oscillator tuning in semitones
- Minimal menu interface
- Keyboard with 10 octave range
- Arpeggiator
- In app help and tutorials
- Audiobus support
- Soundcloud export
- CoreMIDI support
- Record live performance
- Email recordings
- Import / export patches via iTunes file sharing
- Background Audio
And it’s free! There’s an IAP that is very competitively priced. Download it and take a look.
Electro track from Noblesse Oblige – Hotel California
Soft chill electronica from Noblesse, details below:
Director & concept: Carmen Lidia Vidu
Cristina Baciu: VFX
Horatiu Lazar: Photography
Special thanks to Oana Dorobantu, Cornelia & Raluna
Hotel California appears on the Noblesse Oblige Album “Affair of the Heart”
(RepoRecords, release date: May 24th 2013)
Buy the album:
Germany: http://www.amazon.de/Affair-heart-Nob…
UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Affair-The-He…
USA / Canada: http://www.stormingthebase.com/nobles…
France: http://www.amazon.fr/Affair-heart-Nob…
Italy: http://www.amazon.it/Affair-Heart-Nob…
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/affair…
Original version by The Eagles, written by Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley.
More infos on:
www.noblesseoblige.co.uk
www.facebook.com/noblesseobligemusic
Midera goes ambient on the Access Virus and Korg Radias
Artist: MIDERA
Song: The forgotten odyssey
Gear
Synth: Access Virus (Pads), Korg Radias (FX)
Mixer: Onyx 1220i
DAW: Logic pro
Camera: Canon 60D, Rokinon 8mm lens 1:3.5, Fish-eye CS
Rocking with MFB Tanzbär & International Ensemble
MFB Tanzbär – Dancing Bear (GER), Analog Modular System Tinysizer (GER), moogerfooger MF-104M analog delay (USA), Korg Monotribe (JAP).
Sequenced and recorded with Ableton Live, a bit of reverb added to Monotribe but no other additional effects.
Morrisey celebrates 25 years with new DVD/Blu-ray
Out on 21 October is Morrissey “25 Live” on DVD, Blu-ray and Visual Digital Formats. The concert release marks 25 years of the solo career of Morrissey. It’s the first Morrissey live concert video for 9 years and features tracks from across his career as you can see below.
The footage was shot during Morrissey’s show at the Hollywood High School in Los Angeles on 2 March 2013. Before the concerts starts you’ll have to wade through fans talking about their ‘unwavering devotion’ to the singer.
Bonus features on “25 Live” include 4 tracks recorded in a studio session: “The Kid’s A Looker”, “Scandinavia”, “Action Is My Middle Name” and “People Are The Same Everywhere”. There’s also a mini feature shot behind the scenes at Hollywood High plus also a segment entitled “Grissle Bandage Present Lord Mudslide” which features Russell Brand’s introduction to the Hollywood High School show.
Tracklisting:
- Alma Matters
- Ouija Board, Ouija Board
- Irish Blood, English Heart
- You Have Killed Me
- November Spawned A Monster
- Maladjusted
- You’re The One For Me Fatty
- Still Ill
- People Are The Same Everywhere
- Speedway
- That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore
- To Give Is The Reason I Live
- Meat Is Murder
- Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
- Action Is My Middle Name
- Everyday Is Like Sunday
- I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris
- Let Me Kiss You
- The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
Time machine: KORG DELTA DEMO
Demo from the Korg Delta Vintage analog synthesizer/string machine.
Korg’s Delta is an analog semi-poly synth/string machine, basically a slimmed down version of the Korg Trident. Though limited in the range of sounds compared with other synths of the same genre, the sheer quality of the sound from this little beastie really does make it something of a marvel. It can be found used for cheap and is worth it for the retro synth strings and fat bass synth tones.
The synth is split into two sections, Strings and Synth, for which there are separate audio outputs along with a combined output for headphones or mixing. Each section has its own controls. The String section has two pitch sliders (16′ and 8′) along with two tone controls (Bass and Treble) and variable Attack and Release controls to modify the sound. The Synth section has four pitch sliders (16′, 8′, 4′ and 2′). There is also a white noise generator along with a very effective 24dB/oct low pass filter (high pass and band pass options are included too) and full ADSR controls. The synth has no memory storage or MIDI, however it does has voltage control and gate ins and outs.
The string sounds are very basic but with its separate outputs and when mixed together with the polysynth you do get that classic ‘layered’ sound which is useful enough on this synth; and it’s fully polyphonic, so you wont be running out of notes! There is a handy joystick to the left of the 49-note keyboard for pitch bending and modulation capabilities. The construction is solid and heavy partly due to the implementation of a wooden base but also because it was designed for heavy usage on the road. Added bonuses: noise modulation, stereo out (strings/synth split), and the ability to combine synth and strings or turn off oscillators in the mixer section.
Ableton Live Modular Synth Plug-in – Free Max for Live Download
The Point Blank modular synth is based on the legendary EMS VCS3. The VCS3 was built in London in the late ’60s and there were a number of subsequent models of varying sizes. It was a popular synth and used by the Radiophonic Workshop (the ring modulator was used to process the sound of the daleks) through to Pink Floyd.
It’s a great synth to generate sounds and jam around with and the interface was really well thought out, featuring an innovative matrix which is still a neat way to patch the different synth sections together. It features three oscillators, a noise generator, a ring modulator, a couple of filter sections, audio input, envelope generator, spring reverb and an assignable joystick control – if you really wanted you could even hook up a keyboard!
The Point Blank modular synth is a simpler interface, but still offers three oscillators and noise generator, a filter section, ring modulator and X/Y controller. Unlike the VCS3, it’s possible to store your settings, and trigger the sounds easily (and in tune!) from a MIDI source. We’ve also included a slide control to emulate the smooth sweeps you could sometimes achieve with the original synth.
The modular synth is a free download for Point Blank Facebook fans.
Auria DIY send effects using Audiobus
Auria tutorial showing how to use 3rd party iOS effect apps with Audiobus as ‘DIY send effects’ within Auria.
Nektar Panorma P1 Overview
Impressions of the Nektar Panorama P1 USB MIDI Controller. The P1 works great with Reason or Cubase for a completely integrated experience.
“The enormous controlling power of Panorama P1 is contained in a compact case about the size of a 17″ laptop. An unrivalled amount of assignable controls makes Panorama the most comprehensive and fully featured MIDI controller around. 16 encoders, 9 45mm faders, 10 LED buttons, 28 buttons and a foot switch jack gives you immediate control of up to 61 parameters at any one time. Settings can be stored in 20 presets with individually save and loadable F-keys maps for more than 1200 combinations. The numbers may not matter but being in control does.”
DATAMASKIN
