“The new Synth Kit includes an assortment of 12 electronic Bits modules that instantly snap together with magnets to create circuits like those used in KORG’s famous analog synthesizers. Modules included in the Synth Kit are power, oscillator (x2), filter, envelope, delay, keyboard, micro sequencer, mix, split, random, and synth speaker.” – Korg
more info : korg usa
On 21-5-2011 “MEET THE KNOBBERS” has been the first synth meeting in Tuscany, Italy.
The meeting has been conceived as the first of a serie of musical events regarding synths and the application of electronic music in different enviroments, from interactions between art and music to live performances.
The location was the ” SOUNDY Musical Center ” , a recording studio with live hall and various live rooms, settled near Siena, in the beautiful country hills of the Chianti shire.
The meeting was a “One day only” event, with an afternoon in “total addiction” tweaking feast and a night of electronic music live.
The afternoon was spent with two “live rooms” full of machines and “knobbers” who played them but with a lot of curious people too!
Knobbers came from nord and south of Italy, everyone with his “toy”, as special guest Enrico Cosimi , the famous italian synth guru.
One room was dedicated to vintage stuff and DIY Modulars and synths, the other was based on Eurorack modular systems and pedals effects.
The afternoon led to interewsting electronic jam sessions with acoustic and electric instruments too such as guitars and bass.
The after dinner live sets was focused on various type of electronic music played by different artists, ambient electronica with GATTOBUS and his group, glitch/IDM with MICROSWITCH , electro with YES EXPRESS and deep house with ANDREA PEDRA.
MEET THE KNOBBERS are :
Andrea Pedrazzoli (producer, dj, live performer as Andrea Pedra/Whitesushi)
Francesco Poggianti (producer, live performer as Microswitch/Xtal/Notchsider)
a little list of the “knobbers” who made this meeting such a succesful event:
and last but not least Mimmo Nocera for his kindness and friendship, helping us to make this event come true giving the availability of the Soundy.
Electro Harmonix Q-Tron and the Korg R3 in action.
The Q-Tron is the recreation of the Vintage Mu-TRON III , it’s an Envelope Follower with a multimode resonant filter , it’s an auto-wah.
The pedal reacts to the volume of the signal processed and control the sweep of the filter.
A great jam session with Akai MPC 1000 and the Korg MINI KP from nicoluminous youtube channel.
Korg MS-20 and MS-50
At the end of the 70s the japanese synth market became very busy.
The leading brands were Korg , Yamaha and Roland.
While Yamaha’s target was mainly on low budget prepatched monosynths users, Roland and Korg were on the low budget side but with an interest in producing low cost modulars for the masses.
Roland at the age had the SH serie that targeted prepatched synth users while the system 100 was towards low budget modulars/semimodulars and the System700 was a Pro-Studio product.
Korg had a different approach, the MS and PS series were mainly mono and poly semimodulars that could be used as standalone prepatched instruments as complex systems linked together.
The MS serie was composed by the MS10 (the little 1 vco, 1 vcf, 1env basic synth), the MS20 (the 2 VCO bigger brother with many added features), the MS50 (the modular expander, full of the less common modules on synths of that period) and the SQ10 (3 track sequencer).
Even if the components used on MS synths were mainly the same, due to different electronic construction the three models have slight different sounds.
The MS10 is considered by some the more aggressive as filter behaviour (compared to the MS20) and because of the presence of pulse width modulation (absent on the MS20).
The MS20 is the more versatile of the three as can work as a synth (with lots of features), efx processor, and can be controlled even with audio signals!
The MS50 is the only real modular of the serie, it must be patched to produce sounds, and has a vast array of particular features as 2 ringmodulators, the vc lfo, the vco with multiouts, logic modules, the volt-meter, etc…
While the MS10 is a “straight” synth if used standalone, the MS20 is a good soundesign machine but it is a real awesome modular when used in junction with MS50 and the SQ10.
The MS50 can be used to produce linear or exp FM, or to fatten up the sound, with 3 vco, 3 filters 4 env etc this little modular is really awesome!
Compared to the “high end” modulars/semimodulars of the period , like the ARP 2600, EMS Synthi, Moog Systems, the MS serie has a more “noisy”and less harmonic carachter, but while back in that days were mainly considered low budget modulars, now are considered great sounding machines because the approach at making music (especially electronic music) is really changed.
Every electronic music producer uses or has used an MS in his career.
In the late 70s and early 80s MS10 and MS20 were widely used by new wave synth pop bands as O.M.D. , Human League, Depeche Mode.
During the 90s every techno , electronic , producer used one or more than one.
Just to name a few Aphex Twin uses 4 MS20 , Autechre uses MS20 and MS10, Coldcut used extensively the MS20 , Mr.Oizo (MS20) , Portishead (MS20 & MS50),Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers…
Later I’ll analize deeper the MS20 & MS50 combo, stay tuned!
Analogue Solutions SY02 Multimode Filter VCA
I’m a great fan of the Korg MS-20, as it’s one of my favourite synths ever, so I decided to expand my modular with an MS-20 filter clone.
There are many emulators/clones in eurorack format for the Korg filter, but I focused on three modules:
I like the Borg but it works only as a multimode filter that can out put only one signal, so it’s quite limited.
The Doepfer is interesting but I found the ASOL the more versatile and at the same time interesting as carachter.
The first thing to say that THIS IS NOT THE MS-20 FILTER!
In its way it can have common caracteristics and sounds very similar but it’s not the same.
The module has a vertical row of connections for CVand audio INs on the left and the knobs on the right.
There is a an INPUT LEVEL to adjust the gain for the incoming sounds, that useful to saturate or lead the filters to overdrive.
On the left there are 2 AUDIO IN .
Than there is the HIGHPASS Filter section with
The HPF CV has 2 CV in the first is attenuated by the knob while the second has no attenuation control.
The LOWPASS Filter section has the same controls:
As for the HPF even the LPF filter has 2 cv in and only the first is attenuated by the LPF CV.
There is aslso a VCA section with :
The VCA has its 2 CV IN not attenuated.
This module is the FILTER/VCA section usedon the Analogue Solutions VOSTOK too, the construction is solid and the VCA it’s a really good add o this filter.
The filters have a really particular response , tryng to emulate the Korg MS-20 filters/VCA, and the input gain is the key to get smooth sounds or enter in noise territory.
I’ve patched the synth in a very simple way to understand clearly the behaviour of this module.
I’ve patched only the first vco (from my MFB OSC02) directly into the first audio in of the sy02, used the MFB Dual ADSR to control the vca ancd the LPF.
With a low input level the sound is really mellow and “japanese”, smooth and deep.
As I turn the input level clockwise, the waveform gain in volume and in saturation until “distortion”.
Distorion is like a good overdriven sound , not a clear distortion.
As the filter , with a low input level flows into the filters they react quite smoothly and the resonance has a pleasant harmonic sound but reaches only little aggressive tones.
As the input level grows the filters start to saturate and overdrive the sound, and using ring mod with saw sources it creates a particular clipping , like if it would cut and drive the peaks of the saw waves.
A really interesting trick that every MS-20 user knows is using the HPF as a frequency booster.
In fact the resonance of the HPF can produce a really big amount of sub frequencies usable to fatten up the sound.
If the HPF is controlled with the tracking of the keyboard it can create very powerful SUB basses.
Behond the FILTERS there’s a good (in my opinion) VCA that concurs to give a strong carachter to the module.
The VCA does not ave a superfast response or a extra dynamic behaviour, but it’s very warm and full, really musical!
For me it’s very important for a module to be “musical” because too often a modular synth can do amazing noises but cannot play a bass sound , and that’s quite absurd.
Doepfer modules (like the A-132-3 DVCA I own) have a cleaner sound and more volume but are less musical (in my opinion but maybe you will like it), and I find this useful for percussive sounds or effects and less pleasant for melodic sounds.
Back to the SY02 , I’m really happy with this module, it has a certain retrò/MS-20 touch, but it also has a carachter of its own.
I really recommend it to everyone looking for a japanese touch in his modular sounds!