Secrets of analog & digital synthesis
Synth arts lesson 1 – the physics of sound
original title: secrets of analog & digital synthesis
(c) 1985, 1986 Ferro Productions
by Steve de Furia
EMW WCS-1 Synthesizer “On the Mix”
Little track showing the WCS-1 bass sound.
WAVE COMPOSITION ANALOG SYNTHESIZER WCS-1
Description
The WCS-1 is a MIDI synthesizer module that utilizes a digital oscillator followed by all discrete analog circuits to produce unusual and heavy sounds. The exclusive wave addition resource together with a dual input powerfull VCF and a lightning fast VCA ensures its powerfull sound generation capabilities, being an ideal tool for electronic music production.
Utilization
To make use of the WCS-1 you need a MIDI controller keyboard or any other type of equipment that has a MIDI OUT port, like drum machines, MIDI Pad controllers, bass pedals or a computer with MIDI connection. The WCS-1 has a 1/4″ (P-10) mono jack on the back panel in order to be connected on a sound mixer, computer audio interface or directly to an amplifier.
Analog Drum ‘n Bass
Bakground data:
This is my imagining of what circa ’98 era minimal tech step drum ‘n bass may have sounded like had it been invented before modern samplers and digital synths / fx.
All the sound is being generated live, coming straight from the main mixer in the middle, with no multitracking. Sequenced by 3 vintage hardware sequencers, the Yamaha QX-1, Roland MC-4 and Roland MC-8 locked together by tape-sync.
List of the main gear used :
Sequencers : Roland MC-8, Roland MC-4, Yamaha QX-1
Modulars : Roland System 100 (Drums), Moog series 900 (pads), Roland System 700 (Basses), Arp 2500 system, Buchla 100 series.
Other Synths : Korg MS-20, Roland System 100 standalone synth.
FX : Roland Space Echo RE-501 (tape delay, chorus, spring reverb), Roland DC-30 (analog chorus-echo), Roland Dimension-D Analog Chorus.
Mixer : Tascam M308b
Pittsburgh – A brand new analog delay module
Here’s a new modular from Pittsburgh:
A brand new analog delay module designed around a pair of 4096 Bucket Brigade Delay Line (BBD) ICs to produce a distinct analog delay effect. The maximum delay time when shipped is set at 9/10ths of a second but this can be adjusted up to 2 seconds. The Analog Delay offers voltage control of the delay time, feedback, and wet signal. A true bypass switch allows the delay to be enabled and disabled quickly.
TB ReelBus VST – modeled after legendary Japanese and Swiss reel-to-reel recorders
TB ReelBus is an analog tape recording simulator that aims at accurate simulation of all properties related to tape, including its frequency and level dependent saturation, inter-modulation effects, bias dependencies, tape hiss, asperity noise, wow and flutter, and clipping of electronic circuitry. It is especially suitable for bus processing (including the master bus) to subtly sweeten and enhance the sound.
A spokesperson says, “TB ReelBus currently contains 7 preset recorder simulations, which can be adjusted individually by offsetting the tape hiss, asperity noise, amount of spectrum and saturation processing, and alike.”
Features
- Very low-latency processing (only 4 samples delay) as a result of analog design
- Support of all sampling rates from 44.1 up to 192 kHz
- Adjustable record level with auto level makeup option
- Accurate simulation of existing reel-to-reel recorders with different tape speeds
- Adjustable tape hiss and asperity noise levels
- Adjustable tape spectrum and tape saturation
- Adjustable wow and flutter strength
- Option to amplify bias strength for overbiasing
- Simulation of both tape saturation as well as analog circuitry clipping
- Calibrated analog VU meters
- Each and every processing element carefully modeled after analog circuits and filters
- Based on the VST 2.4 specification to allow compatibility with virtually all host programs
Pricing and Availability:
EUR 10.00
More information:
Skyline – Analog Keys and Rhythms for Kontakt
Rhythmic Robot has released Skyline Analog Keys and Rhythms for Kontakt.
Skyline is sampled from a rare Italian GIS Skyline keyboard. The Skyline was an early 70s analog keyboard-and-rhythms combo machine with 3 combinable keyboard tones (giving it a grand total of 7 sounds) and six preset analog rhythms. It was a strikingly designed instrument, with a contoured and beveled matte black case standing on twin columns attached to a pedestal base. The casing also housed an amp and twin speakers, which helped to take the edge off the transistor sound and gave the Skyline a surprisingly sweet, warm tone.
Rhythmic Robot’s sampled version of the instrument samples all of the tones and their combinations, ensuring that combined tones sound exactly as they do on the original Skyline (rather than recreating them in Kontakt). It also contains the Preset Rhythms, which have been sliced and are fully sync-able to host DAW tempo – and also can be combined for multi-rhythms. In addition to the Preset Rhythms there are individual kit piece hits for the rhythm tones, which have been multi sampled and are triggered randomly to avoid machine-gunning.
Skyline incorporates some carefully-chosen effects accessible from the front panel, with Compression and Level controls for the Rhythm section, and Tube saturation, Vibrato and envelope Attack and Decay for the keyboard sounds, plus a lush Chorus. Although the original Skyline was mono, the sampled version includes a subtle stereo spread from the low notes to the highs. Output can be run through an amp cab simulator for an extra “live” feel.
Features:
- All 7 possible keyboard tones sampled at 24-bit.
- All 6 analog preset rhythms sampled.
- Rhythms freely combinable and will automatically sync to host tempo.
- Compression and Level controls for rhythms.
- Tube saturation, Vibrato, envelope Attack and Decay, and amp cab simulation built in.
- Stereo spread tracks keyboard position for subtle width.
Price: £8.95.
Compatible with Kontakt version 4.2.3 and above (including Kontakt 5). Not compatible with Kontakt Player.
KOMA Elektronik goes guerrilla at Musikmesse 2012
As MusikMesse gears up – here’s a budget teaser from KOMA:
More information: http://www.koma-elektronik.com/musikmesse
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KOMAelektronik
As a small Berlin based analog effects manufacturer we have no large promotion budget, this is why this year KOMA Elektronik will go guerrilla at Musikmesse 2012. Instead of the “usual” booth the KOMA crew will be driving the press and everybody else who is interested in our products around in the “KOMA Cab,” and we’ll throw a big party on thursday night. You wanna fight the good fight with us?
PLAYING AT OUR PARTY (MARCH 22ND):
EMIL NIKOLAISEN & ÅDNE MEISFJORD (Serena-Maneesh, NO) (4AD)
http://4ad.com/artists/serenamaneesh
KAAP DE GOEDE HOOP (Planty Herbs, NL) (WAX-ON Records)
http://soundcloud.com/kaapdegoedehoop
O TANNENBAUM DJ’S (Ole Records, Berlin)
http://o-tannenbaum-berlin.de/
MusikMesse teaser: Eowave’s Magma synth is here
Synth manufacturer Eowave has announced plans to release the Magma analogue bassline synthesizer at Musikmesse 2012.
According to the developer, the Eowave Magma analogue bassline synthesizer was inspired by classic synths from the 1980s.
Key features include:
- Mix four different waveforms (saw, square, sub, noise);
- 24 dB low-pass filter; and
- A 16 step sequencer.
The Eowave Magma is priced at €599 and is expected to be available ‘soon’.
Features:
- Oscillator section
- analog VCO with square saw sub (sub can be 1 or 2 octaves below the master freq), noise.
- VCO can be modulated by LFO and PW
- Variable glide
- mixer to mix the 4 waveforms
- Filter section
- Full analogue VCO, filter & VCA
- external audio with a trimmer to feed the filter
- 24dB low pass filter (Roland style for a classical 80s sound)
- filter can be modulated by ENV2, KB, LFO
- VCA section
- VCA is affected to ENV1
- 2 envelopes ADSR modulate respectively the amplitude and the filter.
- Attack goes from 2ms to 10s.
- LFO section
- LFO with 8 waveforms (triangle, ramp up, ramp down, square, random, digital noise, staircase up, staircase down)
- Connections
- audio in
- audio out
- MIDI in
- USB (for software update and MIDI in/out)
- Sequencer
- 16 steps sequencer with LED
- 4 rows: 1 row controls gates and notes.
- 3 other rows are freely assignable to any parameter of the front panel.
- You can transpose the sequencer with an external MIDI keyboard.
Here’s an older demo of the Magma when it was still in prototype mode:
Introducing the MFB Dominion-X Synthesizer
MFB has updated their site with details on the Dominion-X synthesizer.
The MFB Dominion-X combines analogue synthesis, programmability and modular patching.
Features:
- Programmable Analogue Synthesizer
- 3 VCOs with wave shaping and ring modulationDual-Sync and Dual-FM features
- 6-fold multimode-filter including 3 low pass configurations with 12/18/24 dB
- patch-section for external CV/Gate-control
- Velocity routing matrix with 11 destinations
- 3 LFOs with 2 LFOS offering one-shot-modes and reset
The MFB Dominion-X is priced at 780, Euro.
Audio demos and details below.
The MFB Dominion X offers three oscillators for maximum flexibility. Each waveform can be varied in symmetry. Besides altering the pulse width of a rectangle, you may also continuously turn a saw tooth into a triangle and a triangle into a sine.
All oscillators also offer ring modulation. In addition, VCO 2 and VCO 3 can be synced to VCO1.
Finally, VCO3 can modulate the frequency of VCO 1 and VCO 2. The analogue oscillator circuit is processor-controlled for stable tuning.
To complete the available sound sources, noise or an external audio input can be added to the VCOs in DOMINION X’s mixer section.
The filter offers six operation modes. Available are three low pass variations with 12, 18 and 24 dB/oct. slopes. Also available are high pass-, band pass and a notch filter with slopes of 12 dB/oct. respectively 6 dB/oct. Variable filter modulations are possible via an invertible envelope, keyboard tracking, LFO, VCO, different MIDI controllers as well as by the use o the CV-input.
The two ADSR-type envelops are internally routed to the VCF- and VCA-sections. In addition, envelope 1 can also modulate the VCO section. LFOs 1 and 2 offer six waveform shapes including sample & hold. They may be switched to one-shot-modes to emulation simple envelopes. A third sine-LFO works in combination with a keyboard’s modulation wheel and can dynamically address the VCO, VCF and VCA sections.
Modulations are assigned by the use of selector switches, located at the destinations. This allows easily setting and re-routing internal modulation paths – ideally for your live-performance.
To integrate external modulators, control- and audio sources, DOMINION X offers nine inputs. Therefore, oscillators, filter, VCA, CV/Gate and mixer can be easily combined with other analogue synthesizers such as MFB’s MEGAZWERG, analogue sequencers such as MFB’s URZWERG PRO or modular synthesizer systems.
An additional selector switch allows assignment of velocity for up to eleven modulation destinations.
The MFB Dominion X offers 128 programmable patches. To support sound programming without an attached keyboard, different demo sequences are available. To use The MFB Dominion X as a filter box for external audio sources, the VCA can be opened permanently. Finally, there is an insert available to integrate an effect or distortion unit into the signal path.
The MFB Dominion X has the following dimensions: 330 x 170 x 60 mm. An external power supply is included.
Analog Universe (NightBirds Electronic Music / Live in studio) 2012
Recorded live & direct in the studio with 3 cameras.
Instruments used :
RSF Kobol & Blackbox, ARP Odyssey, KORG MS-20, ROLAND System 101 & 102 (x2), ROLAND Jupiter 6.
Race against time to get everything done in one take 
Video by NightBirds.
Publication & Copyright by NightBirds Electronic Music – 2012
http://fr-fr.facebook.com/people/NightBirds-Electronique/100000038001995
http://soundcloud.com/nightbirds-electronic
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