de la mancha releases the BASSBOMB synth
de la mancha have introduced bassbomb which they describe as a monophonic bass monster covering all your low frequency needs. Here’s what they have to say about it…
bassbomb is a monophonic, bass synthesizer focused on creating a wide range of bass sounds from punchy to chunky via squelchy and fat with a sprinkling of dirt on top. It does everything from dubstep wobble, electro house dirt, funky bounce, breakbeat dirt, hiphop boom, acid squelch and more besides. As well as bass lines it’s also happy banging out kick drums and bass drops, with a pure sine sub osc to really nail that low end.
It features custom waveforms, a composite filter and non-linear envelopes to give that old school synth sound, with 2 LFOs and 3 envelopes to really make stuff move around. Unison, oscillator sync, ring modulation and dirt all add to the flavour and a tempo-sync arpeggiator is the cherry on top.
Features
- Monophonic bass synthesizer for bass lines and drum sounds
- 2 oscillators with 7 custom waveforms each (sine, square, pulse, ramp, saw, triangle, noise)
- Adjustable Pulse width and detune, modulated by envelope and LFO (per osc)
- Adjustable Unison with spread control per oscillator
- Oscillator sync and ring modulation between oscillators
- Octave selector and level per osc
- Sub-osc with math-generated pure sine wave for sub bass layering
- Independent sub-osc detune modulation from envelope and LFO
- Octave selector and level control
- Resonant Low Pass filter, 24 dB / octave slope
- Composite design, non-linear behaviour across frequency range
- Adjustable Cut off and Resonance, both modulated by envelope and LFO
- Cut off can also track velocity and note, positive or negative modulation
- 3 non-linear ADSR envelopes, for amp, filter and multi-parameter modulation
- All envelopes have pickup mode as alternative to starting attack from zero
- Multi-parameter envelope covers cut off, res, pwm, detune and dirt
- Pulse width modulation and detune are selectable per oscillator
- Detune modulation allows pitch envelopes for kick drum and bass drops
- 2 tempo-sync LFOs with 20 waveforms, note-sync and adjustable phase
- LFOs can be tempo-sync to host (32 beats to 1/32 beats) or free (0-100 Hz)
- LFOs both modulate cut off, res, pwm, detune and dirt
- Pulse width modulation and detune are selectable per oscillator
- LFO 2 also modulates the depth and frequency of LFO 1
- Tempo-sync arpeggiator with 6 patterns
- Arp can cover 1 to 4 octaves, synced to host (1/32 beats to 4 beats)
- Adjustable note length (0-100%)
- Dirt control adds harmonics and saturation for extra oomph
- 2 monophonic modes, classic and drop (only plays last note)
- Portamento with adjustable time control
- Master volume and pitch control
- 200 presets covering many styles and functions
Download demo VST (2.8 MB) – This zip contains a demo version of bassbomb with 1s silence every 20s. It also has some missing controls, which do not detract from the sound of bassbomb,
Introducing Nanoloop for the iPhone
Hi sending this off from a busy tradeshow in Barcelona (Mobile World Congress)
Had a chance to play around with this little beauty yesterday evening 
Nanoloop for iPhone (App Store link) combines sequencer, synthesizer and sampler in one package to bring vintage 8-bit Gameboy music goodnesss to the iPhone and iPod touch.
The app builds on Nanoloop for the Gameboy, but features a new software synth and features not possible on the Gameboy.
Features:
- Six channels, each can be synth or sampler
- Fast and easy to use stepsequencer
- Synthesizer with envelope, filter, LFO and other parameters
- Sample external audio or nanoloop’s own sound output
- Song editor with loop function
- Save function
- Works on 1st gen iPod touch and 2.2 software
- Send and receive projects via e-mail, using the iPhone’s / iPod’s e-mail program
Details below.
Sequencer
The sequencer displays the pattern as a grid of 4 x 4 rectangles. Notes can be set, removed and edited just by tapping and swiping. This editing without mode-changes and the straight, generous layout ensure a smooth workflow.
Unlike the Game Boy versions, nanoloop for iPhone only allows to set pitch and one additional value step-wise in the sequencer. All other sound parameters are controlled channel-wide through the synth panel.
Synthesizer
The simple but powerful synthesizer allows to create a great bandwidth of sounds, including beats, noises, basses and pads. Available synthesis types are:
- rectangular wave with filter
- FM
- LFSR noise generator
Rectangular wave and LFSR sound similar to the Game Boy’s and other console’s soundchips but offer more fine control and additional effects (lfo / envelope for pulse width or filter, simple phaser for noise).
The FM synth is the simple type with two sine wave oscillators, with fixed base frequency and variable modulator frequency. An envelope / LFO can be applied to modulation amplitude or frequency. For a sweeping spatial effect, the modulator can be slightly detuned, with inverted phase for left/right.
Each synth channel is two-voice polyphonic and a stereo effect can be applied.
Sampler
Samples of one second length @ 44 kHz, mono (or about 5.5 sec @ 8 kHz mono or 0.5 sec @ 44 kHz stereo) can not just be used in a drum-machine style, but also be pitched and played as notes.
Recording sources for samples are the built-in microphone (iPhone only), a headset microphone (iPhone, iPod touch 2nd gen only) and nanoloop’s own sound output. The latter allows to create new samples from scratch, using up to five channels to create one single sound. Typical applications would be percussion (claps, snares etc), chords, arpeggio and microrhythmic / microtonal elements.
Share
With nanoloop for iPhone, you can send your saved projects to other nanoloop users via e-mail. If nanoloop is installed on the recipient’s iPhone / iPod, she/he can simply tap on the file name in the received e-mail to start nanoloop and import the attached file so that it is available for editing. This makes collaboration very easy, multiple users around the world can work on the same project by simply e-mailing the file back and forth. This function may also be used to backup projects on a PC.
This does not mean that files are sent as audio, data are in the native nanoloop format which can be read only by nanoloop. An export function to wav or mp3 is planned for future versions.
xoxbox synth
This is a slightly obsessive shootout between the classic Roland TB-303 Computer Controlled Bassline Synthesizer and the Adafruit x0xb0x synthesizer.
For some, the x0xb0x is cheaper, more reliable and more powerful. For others, the x0xb0x is close but not close enough to replace the TB-303.
“I hope you have your flame resistant suits on because here we have it, the definitive Roland TB-303 vs Adafruit x0xb0x shootout.”
Cheers Ola
The new Apple "banjo" synth
8BitWeapon has announced a new Apple II Digital Music Synthesizer:
The DMS is the only wavetable synthesizer for the Apple //e, IIc, and IIc+ computers that is suitable for performance use.
It supports up to 8 voices, which can be selected from the 10 on disk, and played (monophonically) from the Apple II keyboard. It can be used to “record” a performance for later playback as well. Also, the DMS doesn’t require a monitor! Just turn on your Apple II and when the drive light goes off. Then hit the space bar you’re ready to play live!
Sounds on disk are: Acoustic Piano, Vibraphone, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Bass, Trumpet, Clarinet, square wave, sawtooth wave, sine wave, and (for Bud Melvin)… Banjo!
Requirements: A2.DMS requires an Apple //e, IIc, IIc+, or IIgs computer with 80-column capability, at least one 5.25” floppy disk drive. Monitor is optional.
Never ending story: Analog vs Digital
In this video synth jam, elfferichfour pits the analog goodness of a vintage Yamaha CS-10 synthesizer against the Yamaha CS2X synth, an analog modeling beast.
Soo which is best
New version of Synthmaker
Outsim has updated synthmaker to v1.1.6. This release adds automatic update checking so you can always be sure to have the very latest version of the software. There are also many other important fixes to improve stability and performance. There are fixes to the mouse over, corrections to the behaviour of exported exes and improvements to stability with hosts like Nuendo. Several crash situations have been resolved and there are more improvements to comply with data standards for Vista and Windows 7.
Additions and Fixes:
- New update check feature automatically checks for updates to help keep you up to date.
- Corrected a bug introduced in 1.1.5 where some modules can become locked when you move inside them or if you position elements in the extreme top left corner.
- The Maximised state is now reinstated correctly on load.
- Corrected a small graphical glitch in the Search Bar on Windows 7.
- Fixed a bug in the relink caused when selector changes as this was causing crashes in some hosts.
- When exporting you now have the option to save/load wavetables to/from disk or generate each time for the Triangle and Sawtooth oscillators.
- Fixed a Mouse Over issue which was causing overlapping windows in hosts to pass mouse messages to the SM window below.
- The Mouse Over component wasn’t updating correctly when another window overlaps and the mouse moves from the active area to that window.
- Fixed a problem with the mouse pointer getting hidden if another window appears during a drag operation.
- Fixed a bug in the Wave File component that was causing crashes when copying.
- The target folder for exported exe’s or VST plug-ins was not being recognized if it had a backslash at the end.
- Exported exes were not sizing correctly at startup and under certain conditions were leaving blank space below the front panel.
- Corrected a problem with storing of transparent images in the schematic file which was resulting in very gradual degradation of the image.
- The Poly to Graph component was giving an incorrect final entry in the array.
- The Recovery file folder has been moved to the user data area.
- Added a button in Application settings to take you to the recovery folder should you need access.
- Fixed a problem with exported effects crashing on open in Nuendo.
- Module labels were not being drawn correctly at high zoom levels.
- Moving between fit to screen and windowed modes in exported exes was leaving the window at the wrong zoom level.
- Fixed a problem in exported exes where after using the context menu in full screen mode the next mouse click gets ignored.
- Fixed a problem with exported exes where, after returning from full screen, changing the zoom level would not update the window correctly.
- Corrected an issue with mouse areas not responding to right-double-click events in exported exes.
- Moved the default exe target folder to the user app data folder.
- Fixed a bug in the disassembler that was outputting an incorrect translation for the cmpps instruction.
- Plugin delay compensation was not being sent to the host in response to changes in the schematic.
- Null terminators were not being added to VST program names when truncating to the VST spec max length of 24 characters.
SynthMaker is a graphical programming environment for creating DSP applications. With synthmaker you can design your own Digital Filters without writing any code, you can display their impulse/frequency response, perform FFTs and general Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
You can export your creations as VST effect and VST instrument plug-ins.
Moog Taurus bass synth
Moog shows off their new Taurus bass sythesizer at NAMM 2010.
Well this is more like it – more from NAMM
Mungo Enterprises announced their new toy today.
- 8 notes of polyphony
- Standalone hardware
- 4 Oscillators per note
- 4 Filters per note
- Hardwood enclosure and lid
- Anything-to-anything patching
- Programmable normalling
- Real 3.5mm patch cables
- Unlimited routes
- Stored in memory
Bass, continuously variable portamento time + stereo filters one with overdriven feedback.
Pad, stereo sawtooth symmetry modulation + detuning by scaling
Cheese, 6 operator DX-7 type “FM” synthesis
More free synths and effects at Stereoklang, including DroneMaker
Sonic Entropy has introduced Zombie Killah 2, a free synthesizer instrument plug-in for Windows that they describe as “THE ultimate badass synth”.
“Most recommended for use for lead parts, especially in Drum’n’Bass, Breakbeat, Dubstep, Jungle music.”
Zombie Killah 2 Features:
- 2 detuned oscillators.
- 1 sub bass oscillator
- Easy and quick modulators:
- One-Knob Adjustable Frequency Modulation.
- One-Knob Amplitude Modulation.
- Double-Knob Pulse Width Modulation.
- Vibrato and Tremolo.
- 3-way filtering.
- Host-synced BPM LFO Speeds.
- All parameters automatable, but an assignable MIDI CC for LFO Speed is available if needed.
- Chorus effect for stereo widening.
- 10 Factory Presets to get you started.
Zombie Killah 2 is a free VSTi plugin for Windows. Mac users will have to find their own “ultimate badass synth.”
SoundMagic Spectral is a free suite of 23 Audio Unit plug-ins that implement real-time spectral processing of sound.
Included in SoundMagic Spectral are the following effects:
Spectral Averaging, Spectral Bin Shift, Spectral Blurring, Spectral DroneMaker, Spectral Emergence, Spectral Filterbank, Spectral Freezing, Spectral Gate and Hold, Spectral Gliding Filters, Spectral Granulation, Spectral Harmonizer, Spectral Partial Glide, Spectral Pitch Shift, Spectral Pulsing, Spectral Shimmer, Spectral Shuffle, Spectral Stretch, Spectral Tracing, Chorus, Comb Filter Bank, Grain Streamer, Idee Fixer, Mr Filterbank
Requirements:
Mac OS X 10.4 and a G4, G5 processor or Intel Mac.
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New VST iMoog for free
Sound Blocker has introduced iMoog, a free software synthesizer for Kontakt 4 based on sounds of the Moog Minimoog Voyager.
Mike at Sound Blocker notes:
I sampled some Moog Voyager sounds and made a free Kontakt instrument. All samples are made with analog outboard gear like API A2D, 5500, 2500, SMC 2b or Hammer EQ.
For now you can download two demo packs: “Big Boy” and “I saw U”.
More sound packs will come soon – Hope you like it. Have fun …
Cheers Ola
DATAMASKIN
