Synth Concept: A-SYNTH

Concept:

A Dual OSC Analog Synthesizer with a sampling OSC & flash memory.

Features:

-sampling

-Switchable filters, to combine an analog OSC with sample wave

-Chorus + Delay FX.

-patch in / out sends the wave or OSC to outboard gear and back for pre-envelope and pre-filter processing.

Conclusion:

It would be something like a V-synth, but with analog pathways, or a Doepher dark energy but with sampling and onboard FX. Extra Outputs and Inputs would make it semi modular and function as part of the patch.

Vintage Sample Archives

Instead of new samples of vintage gear, how about some OLD samples all created and archived before 2001, when this decade went to crap. Some of these directories haven’t been changed since 1995!!!!! It is a miracle they are still available! I imagine files sitting on some old hard drive, in the dark, probably covered with dust, still running. The are owners mummified in the next room and utility companies to big to bother to cut the power. Oh well, free samples!

Netboy “W30″

http://gamelay.usami.com/~netboy/w30/samples/

Obviously a guy, maybe japanese who used a W30. Last modified March 2000. Contains samples created in 1997 etc. Lots of roland, drum machines, and old breakbeats.

Mirror of “Hornet”

http://www.club.cc.cmu.edu/pub/scene.org/mirrors/hornet/music/samples/

Descriptions of these sample packs available on this website which must be the original location (with non-working links).

Internet Trash

Internettrash “sample direct” Probably another mirror with some of same packs and description.

Some of the samples are in .XI format which are capable of being opened in Fast Tracker 2 and Milky Tracker. To open .XI wavs in OS X, Use Milky Tracker load the sample, hit 16 bit, then “NO” when it asks you to convert.

Tips: Making out of date synth patches on new systems

Dreaming of owning a keyboard with a 6mb sample rom library? Thinking of selling your entire studio to get that new sound? Try these simple tips to get bigger synth sounds.

1. Use a double delay instead of reverb. Digital delays are the best. You can try one tight delay (30ms or so) and one long delay (250ms), then pan each to the left or right. This creates a larger sound space.

2. Filter the sample, or analog modeling synth with a Lo-Fi sample rate down-conversion (destructive). Change the bit rate to 12 or 8 bit. This would simulate old sample roms or digital synthesis.

3. Combine a choir (ahh) sample with a short percussive attack sample. Many pad patches have been created this way with various string type sounds or percussive strikes and plucks. Many keyboards based on rom libraries let you create a sound with two “oscillators” in the patch. Again use the tips above on something like this to make it sound bigger. This is the scariest tip.

4. Experiment with sample speeds, transposition zone, and formant. If you have a roland sampler with vari-synth or ableton you may be able to get low-fi type results on modern samples, as if you were to take a smaller section of the rom sample and stretch it to fit the keyboard. Sometimes its better to turn these new pitch correcting/stretching technologies OFF and let the samples run.

5. Use a stereo choir effect or guitar pedal

The old tricks are the best tricks.

What you see when you die.

Link: What you see when you die.

Online Audio Workstation Application

Pluto.Synth Looks like an entire sequencer / synthesizer *online* with wav export. Very interesting! It requires a plugin called microsoft silverlight however. By Grape.Hu

LINK

Looking For Music Inside the Brain

Using electrophysiological recording techniques to study the neuronal activities in the auditory cortex of awake monkeys, researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center’s have shown neurons tuned to the fundamental frequencies and harmonic sounds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020111412.htm

Battlestar Galactica Disco

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/10/11/giorgio-morode-lost-disco-battlestar-galactica-soundtrack-album/

Take a Listen @ Synthopia

Mushboy Twins

Via Flickr

iTunes 9: Worse

Quick review of what I think about the drawbacks of iTunes 9 are.

1. Minimizing the window to “mini player” is now a 3-button command. The green upper left button no longer functions if you think about it. Collapsing itunes to get it out of my way was the only feature I used the most. Nobody ever remembers quick commands. Those were designed for power users who were doing repetitive graphics work. I want iTunes 8 back just to get this feature back…one-click minimize to the mini player please!! WTF.

2. The interface is harder to look at. They tried to candy it up even farther, but fucked up. The pause/play button is now whiter. But the playlist background is white. This is bad because you do not want a non-object (the background) to correlate color wise with the main buttons. Its giving me a 3d headache. Poor use of dimension.

3. I don’t like how ever new feature requires an iTunes account now. It seems like apple wants to know what data is on your CPU. Why would I need an iTunes account to share across a home network? Lame.

Verdict: Its just an mp3 player. Screwing up the minimize window function and making it a key-command makes me want to digg up Soundjam MP.

UPDATE. FIXED!!!!! AN UPDATE to iTunes brings back the green button maximize function.

LinnDrumm II Design

Looks like I didn’t see this yet. Its a cool 3d mockup. Looks a little like a mixing console. Everything is starting to take this shape lately.

http://www.rogerlinndesign.com/products/linndrum2/index.shtml

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