Syntraits

Bon Voyage

I just spent a very bon week in the Luberon, doing a bit of quarantining prior to visiting my dad. I took the opportuninty to work on some new music, getting my head round the Octatrack, and also putting my feet up a bit. Merci beaucoup to my gracious host

Emu Labels

Heres my Emu Modular - after Tony Wride came over last week and "sorted it out"...

TEMB

Two VCOs (258) are cross modulated to produce an evolving sequence of clocks, not just random because the interactive nature of the cross modulation creates unexpected pauses and clusters - the envelope follower (model 230) helps in extracting the clocks. These are sent to an LPG which gates a modulating sound from the 259 - the main tone. The MARF sequences pitches, but these are shifted with a clocked random voltage, changing every 5 or 7 pulses (using the MARF programmable pulse out feature) There are 5 LFOs are all slightly different, and being clocked by more scaled down pulses from the MARF, so the LFOs are locked into the main set of pulses. The signal is split into several paths, one goes to the 277 delay (being modified by the same random voltage mentioned above) and the other going to the spring reverb, also being modified (by an LFO). These also go into 2 bandpass filters, being modulated with row 2 of the MARF. The stereo signal is being modified as well and the whole lot goes into the Buchla 100 signal leveller (model 172) and vintage eq (model 175)

Braken

Sketchy

Heres a little sketch on the CS80 and Buchla 100. I managed to get them to almost play in tune!

Syndrones & Syntones

And look - a brand new Benge album too - this is my session that I recorded for the Source Of Uncertainty podcast at the end of last year - actually, I don't think I posted about that - you can listen to an hour long interview with me over on their archive HERE

The album was made on the Buchla 100 and 200 synthesisers only, two studies with each

Boxset

At last! The Expanding Records box set is out! Actually, they have nearly all sold already - after only 2 days - whoopee! Theres a downloadable compilation below, that features one track from each of the 17 albums too

videoz

Here are some recent videos from around the studio - pretty self explanatary really, but go to the YT description for more info. This first one is one I found on a hard disk of Zan flying a drone round the control room a couple of years ago... WHIZZY!

Bord

This patch uses 6 square wave oscillators with fixed frequencies (tuned to a harmonious chord) going into the 107 VC mixer. The 114 touch plates control the duration of the notes. Two of the trigger outs fire off a 180 dual attack generator which varies the frequency of the 191 filter (all the oscillators are summed through it in mono). There is some 185 frequency shifting added in (acting as a phaser) and also some RE201 Space Echo. This mono signal is then going through a delay line (Bel-BD80) and is panned hard left and right with the original signal