WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

Sisters With Transistors – a new documentary about electronic music’s female pioneers – is now available to view via on-demand streaming.

The UK film tells the history of electronic music through the stories of visionary women whose work with machines redefined the boundaries of music, including: CLARA ROCKMORE, DAPHNE ORAM, BEBE BARRON, PAULINE OLIVEROS, DELIA DERBYSHIRE, MARYANNE AMACHER, ELIANE RADIGUE SUZANNE CIANI and LAURIE SPIEGEL

“We women were especially drawn to electronic music when the possibility of a woman composing was in itself controversial,” notes Spiegel. “Electronics let us make music that could be heard by others, without having to be taken seriously by the male-dominated Establishment.”

Narrated by electronic music pioneer Laurie Anderson, the film positions the story of women in electronic music in the context of the wider social, political and cultural context of the 20th century.

The film is written and directed by Lisa Rovner.

Visit the film site for information on on-demand viewing and screenings.

Are you using an additive synthesizer?

Here is a deep dive into Additive Synthesis, using a variety of software synthesizers.

Synthesist Ziv Eliraz takes a deep dive into Additive Synthesis, in his latest loopop video.

Ziv Eliraz explains it from the ground up, using multiple software synths, including Alchemy & Loom II, Pigments 3, Razor & PolyPhylla.

Topics included:

0:00 Intro

0:30 Sound to sines

2:40 Adding up sines

4:10 Tonewheel “synths”

4:40 Partial envelopes

7:30 Resynthesis

11:30 Animating partials

12:30 Spectral curves

13:10 Alien invasion

15:25 Natural sounds

16:00 Additive effects

17:40 Formant morph

18:20 Env timeshift

19:20 Natural decay

20:20 More additive tips

Share your comments.

UVI has introduced Super-7, a new virtual instrument that they say ‘delivers the unabashed sound of the ’80s’. UVI Super-7 combines Roland Juno-106 synth and X0X drum machine sounds to create an 80s analogue groove station.

The Roland MKS-7 has been been sampled and supercharged. Released in 1986, Roland MKS-7 was a multitimbral sound and rhythm module that contained the combined guts of the Juno-106 synth and TR-707 drum machine. And now it has been revived and refined by UVI, in the form of Super-7.

Super-7 comes with 260 ensemble presets – these are based on multisamples of an MKS-7 and drum machine sounds from across the Roland X0X range and beyond. The ensemble presets have discrete rhythm, bass, melody and three multi-purpose synth layers, all of which have their own voice and arpeggiator controls. Patterns, grooves and sequences can be performed in real-time.

In addition, the presets in Super-7 are fully editable using the amp envelopes, multimode filters and filter envelopes and effects; – EQ, drive, phaser and effect sends for two reverbs and two delays. The arpeggiators can also be customised and come with their own presets.

Super-7 sounds were sampled through a custom chain of outboard processors and recorded three times: normally, with the hardware chorus engaged, and with the noise switch active. This means that you can turn these features on or off, just as you could on the hardware.

Described as a “6-part analogue toolbox and groove designer,” this looks like something of an ‘80s dream machine, giving you everything you need to create your next synthwave opus.

Super-7 runs on PC and Mac and can be hosted in either Falcon or the free UVI Workstation.

Super-7 regular price is $79, but is available now with an intro price of $49

Find out more on the UVI website.