Apple's corporate tune
A complete re-recording of the Apple corporate song (sans cheesy 80s lyrics). The keyboard featured is a Clavia Nord Lead 3. The original track appears heavily based on ‘What a Feeling’ from the musical Flashdance, with similar instrumentation, melody and singing style – Apple obviously wanted to reference or parody this.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThosIwczZDA&feature=player_embedded]
Can't afford a real Moog?
Well here’s the second best 
Mini-paper-Moog
Free new VST synth from Lithium – Waveform..
…and more
Check out Lithium’s homepage here >>
Lithium Sound has released Waveform, a freeware synthesizer instrument for Windows. Waveform is a simple wave table synth and was created for making more organic (organ, ep) tones.
| Waveform | |
 Waveform is a simple wave table synth and was created for making more organic (organ,ep) tones. Download |
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| Silver Bass | |
 Silver Bass is a simple analog style synth for making Drum&Bass, Hardcore, and Dub basslines but is also useful for making classic rave stabs. Download |
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| Rastabox | |
 Emulates classic dub siren sounds and such. KVR Developer Challenge 2007 entery.Download |
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| Blaster | |
 Ray gun noise maker.Download |
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Two new synths from Yamaha
Yamaha has announced two new synths designed specifically for players : the S90 XS and S70 XS Music Synthesizer. Here is an excerpt from the official website :
“Designed specifically for players, particularly those who want the highest quality piano sounds and expression, the S90 XS/S70 XS is a performer’s dream. Yet, casual players and hobby musicians will appreciate the exquisite sounds, advanced features and superb playability just as much as top professional artists.
Main features :
Features:
– A new C6 Piano sound. Sounds promising
– All the sounds of Motif XS incl. arps
– All piano sounds of S90ES
– Ideal for Live performing. Easy to spit sounds on de keyboard.
– Mic/Line input. Input gain knob on the front.
– Record your perfomance (incl. Mic.) Everything you sing/speak and play can be recorded (max. 18 minutes in internal flash or otherwise USB
– 76 Keys (on special demand)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xtk3F0IFWU]
Sorry no audio in this video
New stuff from Rob Papen
Spotted this intersting story on the net today, and based on what Papen has delivered before I believe this is well worth waiting for:
Just recently Rob Papen released his latest VSTi SubBoomBass. However that doesn’t mean he is leaning back and enjoying some rest. At this time he is very busy working on another project (together with RPCX). Not a virtual instrument but an effect plugin.
The new project is a reverb plugin. It will not be a ‘convolution reverb’. This reverb is based on a new algorithm by RCPX (Rob Papen and Jon Ayres). What we know already is that it gives the processed audio a surprisingly warm sound and new types of colouring. An early comment from Armin van Buuren was that it sounded ‘bizarly good’.
However, as we learned from Rob, this new reverb plugin is still in development. Layout, GUI and even the name still have to be finalised. Details on beta testing, specifications or release are still unknown. As soon as Rob releases more info you’ll find it here.
| SubBoomBass ! |
SubBoomBass is filled with excessive amounts of low end ammunition to detonate your tracks! With presets designed by Rob Papen and other guest artists, this dedicated bass synth will supply you with huge cone-rattling sounds that will devastate any dancefloor.
SubBoomBass has been carefully crafted to provide you with the tools to create fresh new bass lines for any musical style.
Rob Papen again displays his cutting edge and innovative style by combining the ‘phat’ sounding synth engine with tuned drum percussion samples and rare samples.
Other features include a groove sequencer and two effects slots which can be modulated. SubBoomBass also features a great ‘Easy Mode’ page and the unique ‘Quick Browser’ system that will allow you to find the sounds you need quickly and easily. Great for Hip Hop and RnB, this software instrument can also be used for Dubstep, Drum and Bass, Garage, Grime and much more.
Make sure you check out the mp3 demos!!
Rhytmic modulations with Moog's MF-101
The MF-101 Low Pass Filter’s ENV OUT Control Voltage makes a number of amazing Rhythmic Modulation techniques possible. This video shows some of these applications in a Dance Music setting. This technique is not limited to Dance Music. The applications are as endless as your imagination.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W868tnYADDk]
The award-winning MF-101 Lowpass Filter is a direct descendant of the original Moog modular synthesizers. It contains two complete modular functions: a voltage-controlled lowpass filter and an envelope follower. It can be used with any instrument level to line level signal.
The moogerfooger filter’s control parameters are signal mix, cutoff frequency, resonance amount, and envelope amount. All of the Lowpass Filter’s parameters can be controlled with expression pedals or external control voltages as well as by great feeling knobs which beg to be tweaked. Panel switches select filter mode and envelope follower speed. 1/4″ jacks are provided for audio input and output, pedal/control inputs and envelope follower output. A heavy-duty, yet smooth-acting bypass switch allows tabletop or foot operation.
A lowpass filter removes high frequencies from a tone. It makes the tone sound more mellow or muted. The lower the Cutoff, the more muted the tone sounds. Imagine a window shade. As it is pulled down, it cuts out the higher light, then the light from the middle of the window, then finally all the light. The MF-101 Lowpass Filter does the same sort of thing to the sound spectrum with it’s Cutoff Control.
As you turn up the Resonance control, the overtones near the cutoff frequency are boosted. Resonance gives the moogerfooger filter the same classic Moog filter sound as the Minimoog; and Moog modular synthesizers.
The envelope follower tracks the loudness contour (envelope) of a sound, and produces a voltage that follows the dynamics of your playing. Every time you play a note, the envelope voltage goes up and then down. The harder you play, the higher the envelope voltage goes. The envelope follower opens and closes the lowpass filter. Think of the envelope voltage as an invisible hand that turns the CUTOFF knob up and down every time you play a note. Since the envelope follows the dynamics of your instrument’s signal, you actually play the filter as you play your instrument.
New 8bit synth for iPhone
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzlWaY8hh_Y&feature=player_embedded]
8Bitone is Synthesizer and Sequencer application to simulate sounds for 8bit Personal Computer and Console Game Generator from the 80`s.
PSG and SSG vintage voices are revived here and their nostalgic electric sounds are able to be simulated with iPhone/iPodTouch. The Sequencer part uses general Piano Roll Screen.
It has been adjusted for Multi-Touch function of iPhone/iPodTouch to compose songs with fingertip easily.
★ Synthesizer
Monophonic
1 oscillator or LowBitNoise.
LFO
Envelope
HiSpeed Arpeggiator
★ Sequencer Edit
With Truck manager on Sequencer screen, Composing is easy with Piano Roll format.
In addition, Voice Change is equipped to produce different Voices in the song.
4 trucks are the maximum limit.
★ Voice Edit
The nostalgic sounds can be created here by turing knobs and operating sliders on Synthesizer screen.
In 8Bitone, a group of values which are set on the Synthesizer screen is called “VOICE”.
Each one song can contains up to 128 Voices.
In addition, playing with keyboard on the bottom of the screen can be enjoyable too.
Move the wheel to control the Pitch.
The Largo synth soon to be revealed
In May, what many of us have been waiting for, is soon to be revealed the Largo Synthesizer. Largo is the first pure software synthesizer with Waldorf DNA
Largos sound engine was injected with all the notorious wavetables of the Microwave, the legendary Wave and also the Q series. The LFO is already rehearsing very complex steps and the filter drive screams as loud as only our little baby can. So be prepared!
Largo offers three fat oscillators, two of them with sub oscillators. These oscillators include models of classic analog waveforms as well as a selection of waves from the PPG and Waldorf Wave stored in two Wavetables. All these run through two Waldorf multimode filters with steep cutoff, resonance up to self-oscillation and a drive stage to add even more punch and grainyness to the sound. Ultra-fast envelope generators and flexible LFOs as well as an easy to understand, yet extremely versatile modulation matrix make for a sound designer’s dream.
The filters have always been a core part of any Waldorf instrument. With outstanding expertise in both analog and digital synthesis, our developers took utmost care in developing the filters. And you can hear a significant difference when working with a Waldorf filter – they just sound right! Use the comb filters for plucked, stringed or blown sounds. Band pass, high pass, low pass and notch filters are all available with 12 dB and 24 dB slope. All of them sound extremely accurate and add pure sonic quality to the sound of your music.
Largo contains a flexible arpeggiator with 16 freely programmable steps as known from the exclusive Q synthesizer line plus an array of high quality effects such as Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Overdrive, Delay and Reverb.
Introducing RADCASTle
If you by any chance wonder what RADCASTLe stands for, here you go:
RADCASTle: Really Awesome Digitally Controlled Analog Synthesis Tool, limited edition
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1RXHcUwao0&feature=player_embedded]
This is a demonstration of the RADCASTle, a monophonic synthesizer using analog sound-generating circuitry driven by a microcontroller.
This was a ECE4007 Senior Design Project at Georgia Tech in the Fall 2008 semester. The team members were Robert Estelle, Logan Snow, Hoan To, and Greg Hartl.
The analog boards were purchased from Ray Wilson of Music From Outer Space. The team developed custom boards to interface the various analog synth boards with a PIC microcontroller through digital-to-analog converters.
MOTU gives us VOLTA
Volta is the ground-breaking virtual instrument plug-in that lets you control modular synths and other CV-equipped gear from Digital Performer and other popular audio workstation software packages, such as Apple Logic Pro and Ableton Live.
The very first product of its kind, Volta has created quite a stir among analog synth enthusiasts since it was first announced a few months ago. Even if you’ve never used analog gear before, but coveted that analog sound, Volta could be just what you’ve been looking for.
Here are just a few examples of what you can do with Volta:
- Perform MIDI sequencing with external modular synths with sample-accurate precision (if your host sequencer supports sample-accurate MIDI).
- Automatically calibrate and tune oscillators with the click of a button.
- Use ramp automation in your host audio software to control filters, envelope generators, effects processors and other voltage-controlled external gear.
- Apply LFOs, step sequencers and pattern sequencers to CV inputs and tempo-sync them to your host software timeline.
DATAMASKIN
