We are going to make an explosion sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79N5p3zrxM0

There are white noise bursts one could call an explosion. Then there are perfectly formed digital meets analog snappy explosions done right. Let the attack begin!

Check list: Quad multi-mode gate (CHECK!). Zorlon Cannon (CHECK!). QMMG Module (CHECK!). Voltage Controlled Slope Generator(CHECK!). Block of pork (CHECK!). Kid ready to stomp on something (CHECK!).

For more info: makenoisemusic.com

This entry was written by Oliver Chesler, posted on February 19, 2009 at 6:59 am, filed under hardware and tagged hardware, QMMG, synthesizer, Zorlon Cannon. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.

The Harvestman Zorlon Cannon 8-bit Module.

Of all the modules you can buy for a modular synthesizer my favorite is the Zorlon Cannon. This nicely named module comes from “The Harvestman” based out of Michigan (USA). What separates this module, and in fact all The Harvestman modules is that they are based on vintage digital electronics not analog components. Here is the objective statement from The Harvestman website:

The development of these synthesizer modules fulfills four major personal goals:

1. To enable a voltage-controlled deployment of traditionally “digital” signal generation and processing techniques.

2. To produce a series of synthesizer modules that aid my personal compositional aesthetics: aliasing, quantization, and severe signal distortion are not traps to be avoided, but valid sonic processes to be controlled and enjoyed.

3. To raise awareness of archaic digital sound processing techniques often overlooked in the context of analog synthesizer nostalgia.

4. To aid the musical efforts of those committed to the ideals of nonlinearity, discontinuity, and quantization

The Zorlon Cannon module is a take on the Atari 8-bit machines such as the 2600 and 5200 range. The best way to get a grip on what the Zorlon sounds like is to see it in action. Take a look at this video interview with Scott Jaeger at NAMM 2008 from sonicstate.com. The Zorlon kicks in at 9:00 minutes:

photo credit: nakedintruder

This entry was written by Oliver Chesler, posted on March 4, 2008 at 1:36 am, filed under hardware, synthesizer and tagged 8-bit, Eurorack, modular synthesizier, The Harvestman, Zorlon Cannon. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink and follow any comments with the RSS feed for this post.