Cool effects processing using the BOSS SE-50
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0CBWw0M4vo&eurl=http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded]
What the author says about the demo:
“Quick demo running through the presets of this early 90’s fx unit. I have a simple sequence playing on a Roland HS-80 (Alpha Juno 2 with speakers) using an unfiltered saw wave without chorus running into the left channel and a couple of preset patterns from a Roland TR-626 Rhythm Composer in the right channel. There are some algorithms (such as Stereo Mixer and “x” + “y”) that have seperate parameters and/or effects for each channel. In Vocoder mode, the HS-80 acts as carrier signal and drum machine as modulator. Using half the width of a single rack space, this compact unit is great for live situations. With a street price of $400 back then, the SE-50 gave a lot of bang for the buck.”
Enjoy 
The new Roland V-synth
The reason I recommend the V-Synth is because it is the only synth of its kind that provides an amazing combination of sampling, synthesis and looping along with the best set of programmable controllers ever assembled. Having such a great knobular synth combined with touch screen and a loaded controller set makes this an awesome performance keyboard. The factory sounds are great and it’s cool that you can always recover them if you want them. The best part is creating your own sounds because this keyboard makes it so easy and awesomely fun.
Roland’s original V-Synth set a new standard in expressive synthesis and sound design. It won awards and acclaim around the world, as it forever changed the way sounds were created and performed. But just when you thought V-Synth technology had reached its peak, Roland raised the bar even higher with the new flagship V-Synth GT! This unique instrument injects the V-Synth’s famous Elastic Audio Synthesis engine with revolutionary Articulative Phrase Synthesis technology. Its expression and realism is unprecedented, as is its ability to make never-before-heard sounds.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-QjkCGjaNY]
- Multiple forms of advanced synthesis under the control of a friendly, icon-driven interface
- New AP (Articulative Phrase) SYNTHESIS technology models the performance behavior and nuance of musical instruments
- Includes Roland’s proprietary Elastic Audio Synthesis engine plus Vocal Designer, playable simultaneously
- Sound Shaper II offers incredibly easy and efficient user programming
- Futuristic, high-quality industrial design
- Color touch-screen display with wide viewing angle
MK Digital Keys – Retro Keyboard Sampleset Released
Hi all Nucleus has a released a new Refill that is definately worth checking out and as a bonus there is also a free demo Refill below….
MK Digital Keys is a new retro keyboard sample library by Nucleus SoundLab.
Bring the 80s keyboard sound to your productions with this faithful sampling of Roland’s MKS-20 keyboard synthesizer. MK Digital Keys is available in three format packages: Reason Refill, WusikEngine, and Kontakt/EXS/SFZ.
Back in 1986, there weren’t many good ways to take a good keyboard sounds with you while touring. Sampled pianos were in their infancy, with extremely low samplerates and small ROM sizes. One answer to this problem was SAS synthesis. This unique form of synthesis uses no samples whatsover, and produces a very realistic sound. Still, its not a ‘real piano’, so these days the sound is more useful for its retro character. It still sounds great!
MK Digital Keys brings this retro sound to your modern sampler, while removing original limitations like low polyphony and noisy outputs. This is an extremely comprehensive sampling, with 6 samples per octave, 7 octaves, and 6 velocity layers per note. All 8 tones of the MKS are represented (3 pianos, 2 EPs, Clav, Harp and Vibes). All of this comprises a total of nearly 2100 mono 24-bit 44khz samples!
MK Digital Keys is also built to be scalable. At times, you won’t have need for the full extent of the sampling described above, due to CPU/RAM constraints. For those times, 3 alternate smaller versions of each tone are contained inside – L, M and S sizes. The S versions weigh in at under 50mb and can fit into even the most RAM-starved projects. Details:
* 3.6+ GB of 24-bit 44khz samples
* 8 different classic keyboard tones
* 20 Combinators and 32 NN-XT patches inside the Refill
* 78 WusikEngine presets, including 46 custom presets by Daniel Stawczyk
* Kontakt/EXS/SFZ format pack contains raw .wav files plus patches for all 3 formats.
Listen to what MK Digital Keys offers by downloading the MP3 demos below.
In addition, a Demo Refill is available for free download.
http://www.nucleus-soundlab.com/mp3s/mkdigital/burnweaver.mp3
http://www.nucleus-soundlab.com/mp3s/mkdigital/Asian%20Toys.mp3
http://www.nucleus-soundlab.com/mp3s/mkdigital/Fading%20City%20Lights.mp3
http://www.nucleus-soundlab.com/demos/MK%20Digital%20Keys%20Refill%20Demo.zip
Roland announce the GW-8 workstation with intelligent backing-track functionality
Roland announced several new products at the London International Music Show. Amongst others they unveiled the new GW-8 Workstation and the revival of an oldie, the Juno in a stage version.
Let’s try it out
Roland’s GW-8 is the next generation of their GW-series workstations with intelligent backing-track functionality. Roland say that with their world-leading sound technology at its core, the GW-8 rivals any workstation on the planet with its rich, expressive sound. It features a wide variety of contemporary sounds, intelligent backing styles, and additional banks of ethnic sounds and styles from around the world.
A multi-format USB Memory Player feature allows direct playback of MP3, WAV, AIFF, and SMF files from USB key, while the Centre Cancel feature for audio files enables karaoke-style sing-along.
Here’s the details
Features
- Contemporary music workstation with high-quality 128-voice sound engine derived from Roland’s renowned sound-module lineup
- Wide variety of contemporary sounds and intelligent backing styles, plus additional banks of ethnic sounds and styles from around the world
- USB Memory Player feature allows direct playback of MP3, WAV, AIFF, and SMF files from USB key; Centre Cancel feature for audio files enables karaoke-style sing-along
- Newly designed graphical display, plus Style Select button, Analogue Modify knob, and D-BEAM
- Style Converter and Playlist Editor software included
- Onboard 16-track sequencer for saving your interactive performances
Flagship Sound Engine with Easy User Interface
With Roland’s world-leading sound technology at its core, the GW-8 rivals any workstation on the planet with its rich, expressive sound. The GW-8 comes loaded with hundreds of the freshest and most essential sounds culled from Roland’s top sound modules. In addition to its authentic sound set, the GW-8 is equipped with many user-friendly control devices, such as the expressive D-BEAM and the Analogue Modify knob, which instantly adjusts sounds to suit your taste. The GW-8 is perfect for live entertainers who play multiple roles in their performances.
Intelligent Backing Styles
The GW-8 is packed with a huge collection of styles, representing a broad range of music genres, from contemporary rock, pop, dance, jazz and beyond. In addition to the excellent library of contemporary sounds and styles, the GW-8 is equipped with ethnic instrument sounds and authentic regional musical styles.* Each backing style has four intros, four main patterns, and four ending progressions for you to craft your own arrangements live
Space echos with Moog
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyVOv955oD8]
A short movie clip of some Moog Voyager running through a Boss RE 201 Space Echo which is based on the legendary Roland RE201 tape echo. Nice!!
Roland TR909 for iPhone and iPod Touch, yesss!!
Here’s another addition to iPhone / iPod touch, the author of the beautiful, minimal iPhoneSynth has created a drum machine inspired by Roland’s classic TR-909. Basic features, but it could be fun to hash out a drum pattern for your next tune on the subway: IR-909 is a drum machine for the iPhone inspired by the Roland TR-909. IR-909 features a 16-step sequencer, 4 patterns, 8 different drum sounds and the ability to adjust tempo(BPM) and shuffle amount.
iPhone Applications at roventskij.net
In mood for total whacko C64 music…
…well make sure to check out Toxic Lipstick >>
My favorite is Slip, slop, slap
Or perhaps you are feeling more techy today, than feel at home with the pic below:
TB 303 – VST
Spectralhead Audio has released SilverBox, a VST instrument plug-in for Windows based on Roland’s legendary TB-303. Finally someone who honors the old vintage legends :-). Just a pitty its only available on Windows – shape up guys.
Features :
- Authentic monophonic analog bassline emulation
- Easy-to-use interface
- Oscillator with saw/square waveforms
- 18 dB/oct. analog modeled multimode filter, lowpass/highpass/bandpass modes
- Sequencer with piano roll, accent & slide
- Variable pattern length (1-16)
- Advanced randomize functions
- 16x oversampled distortion with minimum aliasing (soft, hard clipping, soft foldback, hard foldback)
- Optimized DSP code using SIMD instructions
- Customizable MIDI CC automation
What the manufacturers claim:
At the beginning of the 80s, a new bass synth appeared on the market. Aimed at bass-guitarists, it featured an in-built sequencer with slides and accents. Only about a decade later did it become one of the most popular instruments in certain styles of acid, techno, house and trance music. Since that, numerous copies and software and hardware emulations have been born, which all try to grasp the character of this wonderful synth. We did our best to reincarnate this instrument as an authentic-sounding, convenient and easy-to-use VSTi plugin. Countless hours were spent on analysis and measurements, with the goal of making the most-authentic sounding emulation. As a result of the research, SilverBox was born, 25 years after the creation of the machine.
Oberheim Matrix-12
Spent an hour in one of my fav synthshops this week and played around with an old favorite of mine the Oberheim Matrix-12 – had almost forgotten how nice it sounds – can´t remember right now which group it was that was using it the most, could have been OMD but I am not sure. Below is a video clip featuring an Oberheim OBX (couldn´t find a clip of the M-12) paired with an TR 606 and an SH 101, me like
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl8hKDM5FA0]
About the Matrix-12
The Matrix-12, truly one of the “Monsters” of programmable analog synthesizers. It is basically two complete Oberheim Xpanders hooked up to a velocity-sensitive (including release velocity), pressure-sensitive (there were some early Matrix-12s that did not have pressure-sensitivity), 5-octave, 61-note (C-C) keyboard. With 24 oscillators (two VCOs per voice) it can be set up as a 12-part monophonic or a 6-part polyphonic multi-timbral synth. The front panel is exactly like the Xpander, except for one button that switches between voices 1-6 and 7-12.
DATAMASKIN
