Last night I went to Control in Williamsburg to see Richard Nicol from Pittsburgh Modular. There was a decent turnout including a few girls, a dog, beer, whiskey and Vince Clarke. There was a Q&A and then people took turns on the new Pitsburgh Modular Cell systems. I asked a few questions. I have some space about the size of a 8″ monitor speaker on my desk and I wanted to know if Richard was planning on making a 3 tier high Cell [48] case. The answer is yes and he plans to go to 4 high or maybe even higher. I also asked if he was planning any drum modules but he thinks that’s been covered by Tiptop so he’s not going to try at this time. Later in a one on one discussion I learned his main focus is keeping prices low. There’s really nothing wrong with that as his modules do sound great. After playing with the Cell systems myself I made myself over to Vince Clarke and had a nice 20 minute conversation with him. He’s a nice guy and like really into synths so I could talk for hours with him. I admit driving home I put on Yaz and then I realized I’ve now met every person who was ever in Depeche Mode (epic!). Thanks to Daren and Jonas (the store owners) for a fun evening. To see a full set of photos: click here
“All of the Pittsburgh modules are handmade with the look of 1950?s science fiction laboratory equipment using bold components and unique layouts to promote interaction and experimentation.” – Pittsburgh Modular
For more info: pittsburghmodular.com, ctrl-mod.com and vinceclarkemusic.com
This entry was written by , posted on February 19, 2013 at 6:27 am, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged Control, Eurorack, modular, Pittsburgh Modular, Vince Clarke. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Trigger sequencer are the rage right now in Eurorack. We recently saw Pamela’s Workout, the upcoming Tiptop Audio Trigger Riot and now the Delptronics Trigger Sequencer. They all have interesting ways to get your drums and bleeps going. The Delptronics will be $190 USD and available soon.
“This is a preview of the new trigger sequencer eurorack module from Delptronics which debuted at NAMM 2013.” – delptronics.com
For more info: delptronics.com
This entry was written by , posted on February 15, 2013 at 6:59 am, filed under drum machine, modular, synthesizer and tagged Delptronics, Trigger Sequencer. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
I stopped by Control in Williamsburg yesterday. Jonas put together a patch consisting of a Synth Tech E560 Deflector Shield, Make Noise Optomix, Function, Pressure Points and Brains. We were discussing how great the Synth Tech modules were and how the Vactrols in the Make Noise stuff makes things sound rubbery in a good way. Vactrols use LEDs inside the modules to control parameters.
“A Vactrol is an optoelectronic device consisting of a source and detector of light, which are optically coupled and electrically isolated from each other. The light source is usually a light-emitting diode (LED), a miniature incandescent lamp, or sometimes a neon lamp, whereas the detector is a semiconductor-based photoresistor made of cadmium selenide (CdSe) or cadmium sulfide (CdS). The source and detector are coupled through a transparent glue or through the air.” – Wikipedia
For more info: ctrl-mod.com
This entry was written by , posted on February 13, 2013 at 4:10 pm, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged Control, Eurorack, Make Noise, Synthesis Technology, Vactrol, Williamsburg. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
The incredible modular synth documentary I Dream of Wires is getting closer to being finished. It comes out this June. The new trailer above is great. I can’t wait to see this and further justify my obsession and spending.
“This is the famous red panel that was apparently dipped in LSD where you could kind of lick it and get some extra inspiration.”
For more info: idreamofwires.org
This entry was written by , posted on February 11, 2013 at 2:48 pm, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged I Dream of Wires, movie. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
My favorite modular store Control is getting a visit from Pittsburgh Modular on Monday, February 18 from 6-8PM. I’m definitely going to this one. They recently released a very pretty line of new cases and several new affordable Eurorack modules.
“We are taking our NAMM setup on the road! Richard Nicol will be at Control in Brooklyn on Monday, February 18th between 6pm and 8pm to show off the latest Pittsburgh Modular gear. The full range of new systems, cases, and modules will be setup and ready to test drive. Stop by for free stickers, logo panels, and a module giveaway!” -pittsburghmodular.com
For more info: pittsburghmodular.com/control
This entry was written by , posted on February 6, 2013 at 10:21 am, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged Control, Eurorack, modular, Pittsburgh Modular. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Tony Orlando’s Make Noise Eurorack modules are usually noted as the best or in the top few on people’s lists. The 6 channel RXMX which comes out this summer will surely be awesome for some wild panning, pinging and much more. Thanks to Nick and his team at Sonic State for the video.
“The RXMS is a concept we are working on with Grant Richter. It stands for Richter’s Exquisite Mixer. The concept behind is a to apply the surrealist techniques of the exquisite corps game to patching.” – Tony Orlando (Make Noise)
For more info: wikipedia.org/Exquisite_corpse and makenoisemusic.com
This entry was written by , posted on February 5, 2013 at 11:29 am, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged Eurorack, Grant Richter, Make Noise, mixer, NAMM, Namm 2013, RXMX, Tony Orlando. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
When I saw the new Korg MS20 Mini I should have out $600 aside for it. There was one problem though. My heart now belongs to my Eurorack modular. But wait The Harvestman has come to the rescue! Scott has announced the English Tear which is an attenuverter and Eurorack interface for the Korg. He says it will be available in April and be inexpensive. Spend. Spend more now!
“I announce with great satisfaction ENGLISH TEAR, the first in a line of small utility modules. This module features the expected “voltage processor” attenuverter and big offset knobs, but also includes a full set of functions for interfacing to an MS-20. Easy conversion from exponential volt-per-octave to linear hertz-per-volt and back, as well as V-trigger to S-trigger conversion. Jack normalling fixes the voltage processors to these converter circuits, so you may scale the input voltages as desired. The log/expo converter ciruits also have many other uses in your modular system beyond the conversion of pitched voltages.” – The Harvestman
For more info: https://www.facebook.com…6344336&type=1&theater
via Matrixsynth
This entry was written by , posted on January 29, 2013 at 6:38 am, filed under hardware, modular, synthesizer and tagged English Tear, Korg, Korg MS20, MS20, NAMM, Namm 2013, The Harvestman. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
The Trigger Riot is one of three new sequencers from Gur at Tiptop Audio. If you read this blog you know I am really enjoying the TTA drum modules. Very simply you hook some modules to the Riot and as you change knob positions you get different patterns of all sorts. I’ll be getting this one for sure.
“From a conceptual view, the Trigger Riot generates 16 clock streams consisting of multiple time manipulation functions (division, offsets, etc) that interact to create the trigger output, and direct access to each parameter via individual knobs allows for quick manipulation. The 8 outputs are the sum of those manipulated streams per row. The outputs of the module are arranged as either a 4×4 matrix, where each of the 16 knobs affects both row and column, or as a set of independent outputs for each row or column. This allows forming 8 complex musical interactions in a ‘Matrix’ mode or 8 independent streams in ‘Independent’ mode and is switchable from one to the other on press of a button for some unexpected results. Since each of the 16 knobs represents a real time tweakable trigger generator/modifier the Trigger Riot is extremely playable and can result very complex patterns with only few knob turns; patterns that would otherwise take much longer and in some instances be almost impossible to produce using grid based step sequencing. Patterns can have unique time signatures that can repeat or be randomized through probability, time shifted and phased, divided, multiplied and counted, it’s unbelievable how complex this module can get with minimal input.” – Gur (Tiptop Audio)
For more info: tiptopaudio.com and muffwiggler.com/viewtopic…
This entry was written by , posted on January 27, 2013 at 7:36 am, filed under drum machine, modular, synthesizer and tagged drum machine, Eurorack, modular, NAMM, Namm 2013, sequencer, TipTop Audio, Trigger Riot. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
Richard Nicol’s Eurorack modular synth company Pittsburgh Modular has released some great stuff this year at NAMM. To start off there is Cell which is a very inexpensive complete synth voice. From there everything grows into multiple systems. Some 48HP some 90HP. The systems are well thought out such as the System 2 which focuses on sequencing and effects. What also has me really excited are the new cases which are inexpensive and look great with nice wood ends and can be built vertically. Every studio should have 90HP of Eurorack sitting in between their computer monitor and keyboard angled toward them!
“Two complete synthesizer product lines and a pair of desktop eurorack case and power supplies.” – pittsburghmodular.com
For more info: pittsburghmodular.com
This entry was written by , posted on January 26, 2013 at 7:35 am, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged Eurorack, modular, NAMM, Namm 2013, Pittsburgh Modular, Richard Nicol. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
How wicked is is magnet table CV controller?
“Here is a demonstration of a CV controller that I built. It is a simple pendulum with a magnet at the end. The magnets on the table can be moved and can either repel or attract the pendulum.” – artoftravelogue.blogspot.com
For more info: artoftravelogue.blogspot.com/magnetic-table-cv-controller
via Tom Whitwell
This entry was written by , posted on January 25, 2013 at 9:59 am, filed under modular, synthesizer and tagged CV, magnet, magnetic, modular. controller. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.
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