Welcome to this latest edition of the TabMuse Synth News Digest. This gives us a chance to present some interesting music tech news stories and product announcements. If you want to check out the last digest, simply click on the following link.
Now, as ELO once sang, here is the news!
Waldorf to introduce Kyra Synthesizer at Next Year’s NAMM
The world’s first synthesizer based on FPGA technology is in the works from German synth maker, Waldorf. The company presented a prototype of the Kyra at NAMM 2018. A full launch is scheduled for next year’s NAMM show located in California.
A teaser photo of the Waldorf Kyra. Photo copyright Waldorf Music.
The FPGA tech (which stands for field-programmable gate array) raises the processing power of the Kyra exponentially. The synth features 32x oversampled hardware with wavetables that include thousands of waveshapes. A synth architecture providing either 10 or 20 oscillators offers the opportunity to create massive sounding patches.
Powerful multimode resonant filters, three envelope generators, three stereo LFOs each with 64 shapes, microtuning, and an 18-channel modulation matrix round out Kyra’s impressive specifications. A robust effects engine provides an extra sonic boost. The synth also outputs four assignable 32-bit/96kHz audio streams.
Expect a rackmountable desktop module version of Kyra at NAMM 2019 with a keyboard version to follow. The street price comes in at around $2,000.
Spitfire Audio adds Solo Strings to its Symphonic Collection
Spitfire Audio continues to raise the game when it comes to high-quality sample libraries. We are currently in love with their free LABS sample plugin, and the company recently introduced Solo Strings, the latest edition of their classical instrument collection. As such, Solo Strings partners nicely with Spitfire’s Chamber and Symphonic sample libraries.
The recording session used for the samples includes some top classical players known for their soundtrack work. The Hall at Air Studios provides the ambience, captured with state of the art microphones and a Neve mixing console. A variety of playing techniques are used on violin, viola, cello, and bass. If you are familiar with Spitfire Audio’s work, you understand!
Spitfire Solo Strings currently features an introductory price of $339. 85GB of hard drive space is required for the install, with half that space as a requirement afterwards. If you want a library of high-end classical string samples, here’s your opportunity!
Doepfer introduces Standalone Dark Energy III Synth
Doepfer is primarily known for their Eurorack synth modules. In fact, they essentially created the format. They occasionally release products for use outside the rack, including their line of Dark Energy desktop synths. The third edition of the Dark Energy just hit the market!
Dark Energy III fits a robust amount of power into its relatively small package. Its architecture features a Triangle VCO core with FM and PWM capabilities. A 12db multimode resonant filter, two LFOs, an envelope, and a USB/MIDI interface are some of the other features. Of course, CV I/O ports abound on both the top of unit as well as its rear panel.
If you know your way around a circuit board, additional signals are accessible using the internal pin headers. You are even able to daisy chain a few Dark Energy synths together. The solid construction also sports a pair of hearty wooden side plates.
The Dark Energy III is available at a street price of 479 Euros. Buy many for all your friends!
Anyone searching for a flexible software synthesizer with a wide array of sonic possibilities at a great price need look no further than SynthMaster One. Developed by KV331 Audio, this soft synth is also easy to use, with an entire interface that fits on one screen. Supporting most popular plug-in formats and including a standalone Windows version, SynthMaster One is worthy of your attention.
SynthMaster One Features
Two Stereo Oscillators each with its own Flexible Sub-Oscillator
Four ADSR Envelopes, Two Filters, Two LFOs
16-step Arpeggiator/Sequencer supports Different Time Signatures
Wavetable Synthesis with User-Defined Tables
Eleven Effects with Six Inserts
Microtuning
Modulation Matrix
Easy to Navigate Preset Browser
500 “Factory” Presets
Effectively a condensed version of KV331’s award-winning SynthMaster plug-in, SynthMaster One stands out as one of the best values in the synthesizer plug-in world – its street price is $79. Let’s dive in to the details to see if it makes sense in your music arsenal.
A Straightforward Synth Interface
SynthMaster One manages to fit an entire synth architecture on one, easy-to-follow page. I had to run it FL Studio’s “detached” mode to get everything on my 15-inch laptop’s screen. Still, nearly all functionality is accessible from this one screen.
SynthMaster One at work in the studio. Photo by author.
The synth controls – oscillators, envelopes, filters, etc. – dominate the main screen with a window in the middle used for effects, filter routing, and the arpeggiator/sequencer. The layout is clear and logical, and should be intuitive for anyone familiar with subtractive synthesis. A virtual keyboard and buttons accessing utility functionality reside at the bottom.
A variety of skins allow some customization to the interface, but the contrast of the default setting works best in most low-light situations. It is simple enough to switch skins.
At the top of the screen there is a navigation area for switching between presets. A dedicated preset browser allows searching using a host of metadata. Users familiar with Massive’s patch browser will feel right at home.
Flexible Oscillators add Sonic Complexity
The heart of SynthMaster One’s architecture lies in its two flexible oscillators. Each of them comes with its own suboscillator. In addition to serving the traditional function of adding bass heft to a patch, you are able to use these subs for a variety of modulation functions, including ring, FM, and more.
With oscillator waveforms that run the gamut from traditional analog-style to samples to wavetables, you have a nearly unlimited amount of sounds at your fingers. 16 waveshaping algorithms let you modify the waveforms in a host of ways, such as filter, sync, bitcrush, and pulse.
The Unison setting lets you stack up to 16 detunable oscillators for supersaw and chorusing effects. Additional settings control the detuning, spread, and more for the stack. Remember that these are stereo oscillators, as noted by the pan control. Free oscillator mode and ability to add “drifts” enhance the synth’s ability to simulate the vagaries of vintage analog devices.
The support for wavetable synthesis – and the ability to use your own wavetables – greatly adds to the extensibility of SynthMaster One. Newly sampled waveforms can be used as well – a boon for those with access to vintage synths.
Filter, Envelope, and LFO Options Abound
As mentioned earlier, the management of SynthMaster One’s filter architecture is handled in the multi-purpose window at the middle of the screen. As expected, the two filters can be arranged in split, parallel, or series. A standard array of parameters – cutoff, resonance, etc. – exists for all the filter types.
The Acid setting links the cutoff and resonance, while Boost compensates for lower outputs in high resonance situations. The filter types simulate a variety of classics, like the Moog Ladder, the Roland TB-303, Oberheim’s SEM, and the Korg MS-20.
Two ADSR envelopes are used to control the amps, while two modulation envelopes handle the filters. Expect the standard array of envelope parameters controlled by sliders. You are able to drag and drop to change the envelope shapes, even switching from linear to exponential. Once again – flexible!
The two LFOs are connected to each filter respectively, but you can also use them as modulation sources as discussed later. The parameters include a setting to sample and hold the LFO output.
SynthMaster One’s interface supports the drag and drop connection of modulation sources to their destinations; you can also see existing connections at a glance. Additionally, there is a separate modulation matrix screen to manage these connections. Either way works like a breeze.
Arpeggiator and Effects
As noted before, the middle screen in SynthMaster One also manages the arpeggiator/sequencer and effects, in addition to filter routing. Thankfully, in addition to polyphony the arp also supports odd time signatures. The importing of standard MIDI files and real time sequence recording are two other useful features.
SynthMaster One includes eleven (one more than ten) effects to be used in six effect slots. Expect the standard collection of synth effects, including a vocoder. The parameters and their control are all quite intuitive.
Be sure to check out KV331 useful tutorial videos and user manual for a full explanation of SynthMaster One’s functionality.
In short, SynthMaster One might be the best value in a software synthesizer priced under $100. Its flexibility, extensibility, and ease of use are all top notch. Its “Big Brother” won many industry awards in the synth world, and KV331’s new model looks to be headed down a similar path.
Editor’s note: Jerry Kranitz published Aural Innovations magazine for nearly twenty years until retiring earlier in 2016 to work on a book project. No other entity did a better job covering the worldwide psychedelic music and spacerock scenes. He typically interviewed me every few years about Church of Hed and Quarkspace, my two primary musical outlets.
Church of Hed — Brandenburg Heights
Recently, Jerry gladly agreed to conduct an interview about the making of Church of Hed’s new album, Brandenburg Heights. For some background on the album, here is an excerpt from a review by Pete Pardo, published at Sea of Tranquility.
“Fluttering synth patterns, piano, and drum loops litter the first part, the melodies soaring but eventually giving way to brooding menace as the ominous synths take the listener into space rock heaven. Part two kicks off with some prog/jazz styled piano and synth noodling before the creepy Pink Floyd/Tangerine Dream explorations take over, Williams use of Moog and various Korg keyboards creating dramatic swells of unsettling terror. Eventually the brooding pace picks up as stabbing synth lines dart in and out of the mix, culminating in a full blown space rock finale that brings to mind Hawkwind, Eloy, Pink Floyd, Schulze, and Tangerine Dream.
Brandenburg Heights is a fascinating listen from start to finish, Paul Williams’ ability to create seamlessly shifting moods quite effective over the course of 40+ minutes of instrumental music. Fans of synth dominated music would be well advised to seek this out!”
JK: Let’s start right in on the new album, Brandenburg Heights. I’m sure we can make assumptions about the Berlin inspiration but tell me about the title. Is this a Church of Hed “travelogue” album?
No, this isn’t a travelogue album per se, in that there’s no journey along a long, lost highway. Still, the music allows anyone to travel in the mind, which is one of the benefits of spacerock and psychedelic music.
This is a Berlin School album and there is a town in Ohio named, Berlin Heights. I didn’t want to call the album “Berlin Heights,” so we used the Brandenburg Gate to finish off the etymology, so to speak. The front cover was derived from an excellent photo of the gate I found on Wikimedia Commons.
JK: The album is comprised of two 20 minute range tracks that for me play as one continually evolving piece. How did that come about, as opposed to the multiple tracks you’ve done on past albums?
After acquiring a Korg SQ-1 hardware sequencer, I conducted a few experiments syncing together two Korg Volcas, a Korg Monotribe, the Moog Sub 37, and a Teenage Electronics PO-12 drum machine. Soon a long-form piece began to develop, and I managed to capture a version with a variety of sequencer patterns, beats, and live playing. That’s the basis of Brandenburg Heights, Part 1.
With one twenty-minute piece in the can (minus additional development and overdubbing), I decided to do a second piece of a similar length, inspired by the mid 70s album structure of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Mike Oldfield, etc. Perusing through some recent improvs, I found a 5-6 minute jam with a Moog arpreggiation and a drum beat. This served as the introduction to Brandenburg Heights, Part 2.
I composed two additional sections, followed by another 7-8 minute sync experiment with the same instrumentation as Part 1. I wrote a melodic motif to tie the different sections together and proceeded to overdub both parts until the album was finished towards the end of the summer.
JK: You describe the music as “a modern Berlin School exploration featuring hints of prog, psychedelia, and space rock”. I would say far more than hints. I think you beautifully bring together all those worlds throughout the album.
Thanks! Quarkspace always took a “stew” approach to music – combining different inspirations into something (hopefully) unique. I follow that same path. It is honestly the only way I know how to do things from a stylistic manner.
My influences range from Philip Glass to Peter Hammill to Neil Young (among hundreds of others). They all get distilled into the final brew – or stew.
JK: I have to say that in the twilight years of Aural Innovations, the music that most excited me was bands who brought these various worlds together. It’s very hard to be really new and, dare I say, innovative anymore. But it does seem that musicians can set themselves apart and even create an identity by mixing things up.
Indeed. Simply regurgitating the stylistic markers of a genre or subgenre doesn’t do it for me. Bringing something new to the table, combined with strong and innovative composition, trumps all.
JK: Any new instruments/software/toys that you feel influenced the direction or sound of the music on Brandenburg Heights?
Syncing multiple pieces of synth hardware, as mentioned earlier, is the “new” thing on Brandenburg Heights – but old hat for the majority of electronic music artists. Part 1 up until the coda, and the last few minutes of Part 2 feature this technique. Typically in Quarkspace or Church of Hed, we’d play live instruments over a loop or beat created using something like Rebirth back in the day or FL Studio or an iPad app (iMS-20, Gadget, iPolysix) more recently. I’ll switch between both approaches moving forward.
The Waldorf Streichfett deserves special mention. A modern string synth, this thing is all over the album crushing all other sound sources in its wake. I love it!
My relatively ancient Pro Tools setup – DIGI 002R – still handles the recording duties. This limits the amount of plug-ins I can use while mixing or as sound sources. Thus, Brandenburg Heights features all hardware instrumentation. It just happened that way.
JK: You dedicated the album to the memories of Paul Kantner and Gilli Smyth. How did those two particular artists inspire you?
Paul Kantner is a huge influence on my songwriting, most obviously in Quarkspace’s Where Galaxies Collide off of the Hidden Moon. Brandenburg Heights is the first time since then I’ve written a side long album track. Almost makes me want to put it out on vinyl! The Jefferson Airplane remains my favorite American band.
What can you say about the Mother Gong? Gilli is another great loss among many in 2016. Gong always greatly influenced Quarkspace more than any other spacerock band, and she was a big reason why. Her space whisper lies within us all.
JK: Produced by Lance Starbridge? I take it that’s a nyuk nyuk joke? Feel free to spin a yarn of a response if you want to keep it “insider.”
Lance remains the long time producer of Quarkspace and Church of Hed. His credit is on most of the albums. We are lucky to retain his services.
JK: I believe Church of Hed has been 100% solo since Electric Sepulcher, is that right? You had historically been a “band” guy. Do you enjoy working solo now that you’ve been doing it for a while? Any wistful desires for collaboration and live performance?
I am really enjoying this newfound focus on solo work. In fact, considering what happened with Quarkspace slowly entering dry dock, I really should have made the solo move when Chet relocated to California in 2009. My productivity level is higher than ever.
Collaborations are always on my mind. The Rivers of Asphalt sequel – The Father Road – is a likely spot to involve others. I am considering doing some live performances in the studio and potentially releasing them. Beyond that, logistics make it difficult to do an actual show when living in a rural country with no electronic music scene. Who knows?
JK: And, following from the last question, Spacefolds 12 was the last Quarkspace album in 2013. I realize those were unreleased tracks and the band hasn’t been a functioning entity in some years. Was Spacefolds 12 the last of the available Quarkspace music you plan to release?
Spacefolds 12 is like any other Spacefolds release – the best improvs from a certain time period, which was 2008-2009 for that album; it wasn’t like they were unreleased tracks from the late 90s or early 2000s. Quarkspace were always 4-5 years behind in getting Spacefolds releases out to the public, not to mention the continued failed attempts to release a studio follow-up to Drop.
So, that 85% finished studio album is still out there as well as hours upon hours of yet to be chronicled improvised material from 2009-2014. If I get bored, I may release tracks from the studio album, or if a friendly record label wants to fund a Quarkspace retrospective box set, we’d include some of those tracks. Beyond that, I am more focused on new music, as always.
If some of the prodigal Quarkspace members are interested in putting more Spacefolds releases out, I’d listen, but I am not doing all the work – or a disproportionate share of it. Ultimately, it seems Chet and I are the only ones who truly care about our “legacy.”
JK: What new bands have most impressed/inspired you in the past year AND which of the old timers do you find yourself revisiting?
I’ve been getting into the LA school of newer hip-hop and electronic artists, centered on Flying Lotus. Thundercat is his collaborator at times, and is a stunning bass player and songwriter. They occasionally work with Kamasi Washington, a tenor sax player drawing a lot of buzz. Kamasi plays with a spirituality and musical vision reminiscent of John Coltrane. Speaking of which, Alice Coltrane, John’s wife, is Flying Lotus’s aunt.
You will find all three of those artists on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly album, which is one of the most popular albums in recent years. It’s a stunningly musical work from a genre – hip-hop – many people consider not to be music. It truly kicked my ass.
Cavern of Anti-Matter, the new band from Tim Gane of Stereolab, is doing great work in the Berlin School vein. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is a synthesist known for her excellent compositions, largely performed on a Buchla Music Easel. She is garnering a lot of acclaim in the indie music scene – well deserved.
As far as older artists, I’ve been getting more into Dylan; filling gaps in my collection. Klaus Schulze, Manuel Gottsching, and Jean-Michel Jarre have been representing the electronic side of the shop. The Charles Ives compositions outside of his four symphonies and diving deeper into Eric Dolphy’s canon also warrant a mention. As always, there are way too many to mention. I remain open to pretty much all music but pop country.
JK: Tell me about TabMuse and the articles you’ve been writing for them.
I started TabMuse two years ago as a resource for music technology discussion. At first, it focused on iOS music apps, but as I’ve moved more into hardware synths, the magazine’s output followed. I never find enough time to write for it, but I hope that changes in 2017.
JK: What’s upcoming? Your web site mentions a sequel to Rivers of Asphalt?
A new “Seasons” EP is my current music project, ala the Autumn Shrine EP. This one has the moniker of “A Cold White Universe EP” with darker Holiday and wintertime proggy psychedelia. Expect a release in February – before the Spring Equinox at the latest.
Progress composing and rehearsing sections of The Father Road continues. This is the sequel to Rivers of Asphalt, but an aural travelogue of a journey from west to east on the Lincoln Highway this time out. I expect to begin recording it next year with a 2018 release the most likely outcome at this point. I am always rehearsing the piano-based parts for this; it’s on the weighted keys, so practice is a must – I’m not Jay Swanson.
Concurrent with these other releases are two new “normal” albums. One is more concise and beat-laden, while the other is aimed at a Berlin School atmosphere. Expect these albums to see the light in 2017 and 2018. I’m keeping busy!
While Korg’s Volca series of portable analog synth boxes intrigued me, I wasn’t really in the market for one. But with a Moog Sub 37 on seemingly perpetual pre-order (its ship date recently moved from mid-May to late-Summer) and two albums from Church of Hed and Quarkspace needing overdubs I began to reconsider. I hoped to use the new Moog extensively for these synth overdubs, and I couldn’t wait until the end of August or even later.
Enter the Korg Volca Keys. I figured I could MIDI it to my Korg Prophecy, creating a hybrid analog/VA synth to serve as the emergency understudy and get these albums finished.
Korg Volca Keys Features
Classic Subtractive Synth Architecture in a Small Package
3 VCOs, 1 VCA, 1 VCF, 1 LFO, 1 EG
Ring Modulator, Delay
Syncs to Other Volcas and the Monotribe
Loop Sequencer with 8 Memory Locations
A Street Price of around $149
Needless to say, the Volca Keys fits perfectly in my live setup paired with its older uncle Prophecy. Its true analog sound cuts through a dense mix; letting me finish these tracks, while I wait for the Sub 37. The included loop sequencer is more feature-laden than the Korg Monotribe’s version, making me contemplate using the two synched together.
A Polyphonic Analog Synth in a Box for $150?
The bottom line is that a polyphonic analog synth in a small box for around $150 is a stunning achievement from Korg. The Volca Keys sounds great, and tweaking the filter’s cutoff and peak add some piercing bite to the proceedings. Three notes of polyphony are possible; the voice knob lets you switch between poly and unison settings, with octaves and fifths also possible.
The Korg Volca Keys in my live rig on the Z1 plateau above the Roland TD-8. Photo by Author.
A ring modulator is “hard-wired” to the voice knob as well. It adds a metallic sound to the poly and unison settings, using a square wave. Generally, the Volca Keys uses a hardwired sawtooth wave, with the ring mod being the exception.
A LFO and a simple envelope generator allow a measure of sound shaping and tweaking. A delay rounds out the Keys’ sonic architecture with time and feedback as the only controls. It sounds nice, but I would have preferred a level control to boost the delay’s output.
A Simple Loop Sequencer as well
The Volca Keys loop sequencer works in a similar manner as the version from the Monotribe, with the notable improvement of eight memory slots to save patterns. The Active Step feature supports odd time signatures, and Flux mode allows for loops free from quantization. The Motion Sequence capability provides for the automation of the Keys’ synth parameters within a loop.
A real Korg “Trinity” — the Z1, Prophecy, and Volca Keys hold court behind the Yamaha MM8 and Kawai K5000. Photo by Author.
I only spent a little time syncing the Volca Keys with the Monotribe, but intend on exploring that feature more closely in the future. If I discover any interesting insights, you’ll read about them here.
The Volca Keys is another “little synth box” winner from Korg. Sometimes I wonder if I should have gotten the Volca Bass which provides step note entry and three independent simultaneous patterns when using its sequencer. (Not to mention a big cutoff frequency knob on the VCF.) Still, it is a worthy purchase and serves well as a perfect introductory analog synthesizer for those curious about this alluring sector of music. Recommended.
