! ! ! Academy of Scoring Arts Music Technology Newsletter April 2017 ! ! By Larry Hopkins ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2017 NAMM show wrap-up Hardware Synths ! As a Composer / Pianist / Sound Designer, I’m (of course) checking out all the keyboards first and in more detail. ! !Here are some of the highlights of the show for all of you keyboard gurus:! Dave Smith Instruments Rev 2! $ The REV2 is Dave Smith’s reimagining of his Prophet ’08 poly synth. The REV2 retains all of the key features of the Prophet ’08 and expands on them. It has twice the polyphony (16), twice the mod matrix sources and destinations, waveshape modulation on all waveforms, digital e&ects per layer in stacked or split voice mode, a polyphonic step sequencer per layer, and more. You can download any of the many existing libraries of Prophet ’08 sounds and they will not only sound identical, but can be enhanced with the new features. The REV2 2/4 pole, low-pass, resonant Curtis filters per voice. A separate Audio Mod control adds additional harmonic complexity and movement. You can now vary the “pulse width” of any of the four waveforms (sawtooth, saw+triangle, triangle, square). Using the Shape Mod control, you can manually dial in a desired waveshape width or use an LFO or other mod source for continuously shifting timbre. The e&ects section provides reverb, delays, chorus, phase shifter, ring modulation, and distortion. In stacked or split voice mode, you can apply a di&erent e&ect to each layer. # E&ects parameters can be modulated through the Mod Matrix. The polyphonic step sequencer allows up to 64 steps and up to 6 notes per step. The arpeggiator features note repeats, re-latching, and can be synced to external MIDI clock, as well.# The knob-per-function front panel o&ers instant access to all of the REV2’s functions. Included are 512 permanent factory programs and 512 rewritable user programs. The Rev 2 sports a five-octave, semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch. There is USB support and a crisp OLED display. I played this synth extensively and just fell in love with the overall sound and warmth. I found it easy to program and modify on the fly as I was playing. If you’re a knob happy fool (like me), this is a good choice and lot’s of bang for the buck. DSI rev2 Street price (1,999. https://www.davesmithinstruments.com/2017/01/ !rev2-16-voice-poly-synth/# NAMM 2016 introduced the OB-6 from Dave Smith Instruments designed in collaboration with Tom Oberheim. These two synth-building legends gave us such synths as the SEM, Matrix 12 and the Prophet V! So low and behold, they combined the talents and decided to butt heads and break new ground! At NAMM 2017 DSI introduced a module form of the OB-6.# I recently got the Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12 for my new recording studio and couldn’t be happier with it (having both !extensive digital and analog synthesis capabilities). It’s now one of my favorite sound design tools.# $ # ! ! Arturia MatrixBrute ! Although introduced at NAMM 2016, the Arturia Matrix Brute is finally shipping and the NAMM 2017 live demo was truly amazing to my ears. It certainly brought me back to my early days as a teen learning to program modular analog synths. If anybody does the mix of analog and digital right, I’d give that to Arturia hands down. They started o& by doing the absolute best plug-in re-creations of classic analog synths like the ARP 2600, the Mini-Moog and the Oberheim SEM. But then they got into making small, portable and extremely a&ordable fully analog circuitry synths such as the Mini Brute. So it seems natural that the next evolution in their product line would be a bigger, better and ground breaking design synth. This is exactly what you get when you discover the sound design and musical applications of the new Maxi Brute! It’s basically a fully powered modular synth without the need for hundreds of patch cables. As someone who learned on Moog Modular and Emu Modular synths, I can tell you the speed of getting a musically brilliant patch is like lighting in comparison! Why? Check out the !modulation matrix switches on the front panel (on section 14).# ! $ # 1. Three Analog Oscillators:# Sawtooth, Pulse, Triangle, waves with waveshapers that have become the trademark of the 'Brute' sound. There is also a sub- oscillator on each of the two Brute oscillators.# • ! 2. Combination VCO/LFO oscillator:# The third Oscillator can be used for both audio signals and LFO modulation at the same time. You do not have to choose either !operation here so you can always have that big 3 oscillator sound. This is never been done before!# 3. Noise Generator:# !Noise generator with White, Pink, Red and Blue noise types. # 4. Audio Mod:# The AUDIO MOD section allows for complex oscillator and filter FM possibilities bringing whole new tonalities to your !sound.# 5. Performance Controls:# Pitch bend and mod wheels and 4 Macro encoders which can be assigned to any of the modulation destinations for instant !hands on performance playing.# 6. Voice Modes:# Multiple keyboard modes for mono, paraphonic and duo-split modes. Split Oscillators for paraphonic mode or use the duo split !mode to play a sequence while playing notes over the top of it. Remember here only two notes at a time.# 7. Three LFO’s:# Two standalone LFO’s with 7 waveforms and trigger modes allow for complex modulations. The combination VCO/LFO adds a 3rd LFO in the system.# ! 8. Mixer:# Mix and blend Oscillators 1, 2, 3, as well as the noise generator and EXTERNAL input sources. Route each mixer input to the !filter of your choice using the FILTER assign buttons.# 9. Steiner-Parker filter:# We have upgraded our Steiner Parker filter to support both 12db per octave and 24db per octave slopes as well as a DRIVE control for making thicker sounds. The 4 modes, Low pass, band pass, high pass, and notch allow for a vast array of sound !making possibilities.# 10. Ladder Filter:# We have included a traditional beefy Ladder filter with both 12db and 24db per octave slopes as well as Low Pass, High Pass & !Band Pass modes and a Drive control. This filter design is known for making punchy bass and thick lead sounds.# 11. Filter routing:# The two filters can be patched in series or in parallel configurations.# ! 12. 3 Envelope Generators:# !The two ADSR envelopes and the 3rd DADSR envelope give you plenty of sound sculpting tools.# 13. 256 Memory locations:# Store and recall your favorite sounds at the touch of a button. You can organize, save and load new banks of sounds using the !free MIDI Control Center editor application. The MatrixBrute comes with 128 factory presets.# !Alright, here comes the cool news!!! The modulation matrix has sources on the left column and destinations on the top row. It’s that simple. The display gives you easy access to modulation depths. One button press gives you the equivalent of a patch cable plugged it the right source/destination without the need for a dedicated pot for each parameter. Remember how big the original Modular Synths were. Plus, Arturia starts you of with hundreds of preset so you can check out !how their expert programmers came up with their patches. ! # 14. The Matrix# !It allows for complex modulation routing, step-sequencing and instant preset recall.# Modulation Routing: You can assign any of 16 modulation sources to any of 16 mod destinations. 4 destinations are user !programmable and can be seen in the display. Set amounts of each modulation routing using the data encoder.# Step Sequencer: The matrix can be used as a 64 step sequencer with separate STEP, ACCENT, SLIDE and MODULATION !steps.# !Preset Recall: In Preset mode the matrix allows you to recall any of 256 presets at the touch of a button.# 15. True Analog E&ects.# To enhance your sonic pleasure we have added an analog and Delay/ Chorus/ Flanger to the output. Choose from any of 5 !operation modes. And YES! the controls in the analog e&ects can be set as modulation destinations in the Matrix.# 16. Sequencer/Arpeggiator controls# The sequencer and arpeggiator add to the playability of the Matrixbrute. Multiple modes of both the seq and arp allow for !unlimited musical ideas to be realized.# 17. Keyboard# !The 49 note keyboard features both velocity and aftertouch for a musical feel with plenty of expression.# 18. Master Audio Outputs:# !Stereo ¼” jacks for your master audio outputs.# 19. Control Voltage Interfacing:# !12 CV Inputs and 12 CV Outputs allow the Matrixbrute to interface with your standard 1V per octave modular synth gear.# 20. Audio Input:# Line and instrument levels allow for adding an external oscillator from your favorite modular synth or processing a guitar or !bass through the filters, VCA and analog e&ects.# 21. Gate I/O:# !The Gate inputs and outputs allow you to trigger external gear or trigger the internal envelopes remotely.# 22. Sync in and out# !This allows you to synchronize the MatrixBrute’s sequencer and arpeggiator with external devices.# 23. Pedal Inputs# !Expression and Sustain pedal inputs give you real-time control to expand on your expressive capabilities control.# 24. MIDI Interfacing# !Standard MIDI in, out and thru will connect you to both modern and vintage gear alike.# !25. USB# USB I/O allows you to interface to a computer DAW directly. This is also the link to use our free editor/librarian software provided for the MatrixBrute.# If you are serious about anything to do with analog synthesis, this ought to be your control center for everything.