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

 

Mike Bachman has launched a Kickstarter project to fund production of the Nucleus analog hybrid monophonic synthesizer.

 

Artisan Electronic Instruments’s Mike Bachman says that Nucleus “combines the sound design of East and West Coast ideas, blends analog and digital technologies, and packs a vast sound palette into an intuitive user aesthetic.”

 

The Artisan Nucleus is a 60hp synth that’s available as a Eurorack or desktop module. While it’s compact, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of sonic possibilities, with: two discrete analog oscillators; a digital oscillator that can do basic waveshapes, Karplus-Strong synthesis, Swarm wave, custom waveforms, noise, bit-crushing and more; a flexible filter with multiple low-pass, bandpass and high-pass options; 4 six-stage Envelope Generators; 3 LFOs; deep modulation options and more.

 

Oscillator 1 is based on an analog discrete Saw-core circuit providing Saw, Triangle, and variable pulse/PWM waveforms. Tied into it is a modulate-able 4 stage wavefolder, for creating metallic tones. The Sub-Oscillator has its own variable filter, producing smooth sine waves or all the way through a rich square.

 

And Oscillator 2 is also a fully discrete analog design, with Saw, Variable Pulse/PWM, and PWM with Sub-Octave. It also has a selectable 2 or 3 stage Digital Ring Modulator. Oscillator 2 can also Hard-Sync to a separately controlled digital 4th oscillator. And it can be Frequency Modulated by Oscillator 3, through a dedicated VCA controlling the FM depth in real-time.

 

Oscillator 3 is digital. It can do basic waveshapes, but also offers variable slope Saw to Triangle wave, an adjustable width Swarm wave, and String tones using the Karplus-Strong physical model. There are ten slots for custom waveforms and a noise source. Oscillator 3 also has a bit-crusher/sample reducer effect, if you want to get into more digital effects.

 

The filter is a unique cascade multi-mode design that runs in 2 pole Low Pass, Bandpass, and High Pass modes, as well as 4 pole versions of each. Bachman says that it’s the Dual-path Regeneration and 8-pole design that gives a unique character to the Bandpass modes, providing variable and modulate-able bandwidth and dual peak resonance. The filter can track over a wide range, so you can “play” the peaks and get a 5-oscillator sound or chord. The filter has modulation inputs for cutoff, resonance, and filter shape.

 

Lastly, you can dirty up the sound with asymmetrical soft clipping circuits.

 

Modulation Options Galore

 

The Nucleus also offers a deep and powerful modulation matrix, with 50+ modulation sources and 30+ destinations that are all available simultaneously.

 

They include:

 

• 4 six-stage Envelope Generators (delay, attack, hold, decay, sustain, release), with looping, linear, and expo shapes and time and sustain modulation
• 3 LFOs provide 9 waveshapes, key-sync, delay, and rate modulation.
• 2 external CVs and 4 modulation paths from the keyboard add more real-time modulation control.
• You can also take those modulations sources and Add, Multiply, Average, Lag, Quantize, Switch, Sync knobs, contour, and route MIDI CC to create new modulation effects.

 

In addition, all 200+ parameters are saved with patches, and you can save up to 200 patches.

 

Features:

 

• Osc 1: Analog Discrete Saw Core with Wave-folding & PWM
• Sub Osc 1 with variable waveshapes
• Osc 2: Analog Discrete Saw Core with PWM, Hard Sync and FM
• Osc 3: Digital Wavetable, Karplus Strong + Noise & Bit Crushing
• 3 input Digital Ring Modulator
• 8 Pole Multi-Mode Dual Peak Filter
• VCA with soft and hard clipping distortion
• 4 ADAHSR Envelopes with variable shape
• 3 LFO with key-sync and delay
• Modulation Adders, multipliers, lag, contouring….
• Full MIDI In/Out interface
• User-selectable CV In and Out
• 100 user patches and built-in standard patches
• Over 50 Modulation sources
• Over 30 Destinations (all simultaneous)
• 60 hp
• +12v 120ma / – 12v 50ma

 

Introduction to the Nucleus:

 

Production of the Nucleus is being funded via a Kickstarter project and it is available to project backers starting at $770 for the Eurorack version.

 

*Note: Crowd-funded projects can involve risk, see the project page for details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After having updated its Timeless delay plugin to version 3 this year, FabFilter has now returned to another old favourite. Volcano 3 is – as its name so succinctly suggests – the third version of Volcano, the company’s rather excellent filter plugin.

 

New interface, more filter types and a tweaked feature set.

 

Users of Volcano 2 and Volcano 1 will immediately notice the redesigned interface, which promises to improve the visualisation of your audio and modulation signals.

 

In addition, there are new filter – in addition to the High-, Low-, and Band-Pass types-vintage-style Bell, High/Low Shelf, Notch, and All-Pass modes as well. Each filter (you can use up to four simultaneously) also gets its own variable saturation circuit, along with a 6dB/octave slope option, and independent volume and pan controls, and includes many of other tweaks.

 

Features

• Up to four simultaneous filters, each drawing on an extensive range of modes and styles for an infinite palette of coloration
• Wide variety of parallel, serial, and hybrid routing schemes in Stereo, L/R, and M/S modes
• Fully redesigned, highly streamlined interface
• Rebuilt filter control panel, including selection and adjustment of multiple filters at once, integrated spectrum analyzer, and optional piano display
• Even better sounding filter algorithms
• Independent Drive control for each filter
• Vintage-style Bell, High/Low Shelf, Notch, and All-Pass filter modes, and extra 6 dB/octave slope option
• Per-filter level and pan controls
• Endless modulation options, with as many 16-step XLFOs, XY controllers, envelope generators, envelope followers, and MIDI sources as desired
• New real-time modulation visualization of both targets and sources, and floating slot panels on all targets
• High Quality (4x oversampling) mode
• Curve shaping of Attack, Decay, and Release Envelope Generator stages
• Envelope Follower transient detection mode
• Resizable interface with full-screen mode
• Carefully designed and curated factory presets, plus support for earlier Volcano presets
• All the usual features FabFilter users have come to expect: perfectly fine-tuned knobs and controllers, interactive MIDI Learn, undo/redo and A/B switch, Smart Parameter Interpolation for smooth parameter transitions, an extensive help file with interactive help hints, sample accurate automation, SSE optimization, and more.

Find out more on the FabFilter website.

The desktop version runs on PC and Mac in VST/AU formats and is available now – you can also download a 30-day trial. It costs $129/£94/€109 – existing users should log in to their accounts to see their upgrade discount offers. iOS users will like the AUv3 plugin version that is available on the Apple App Store.

 

Developer Momo Müller has released MIDI editors for the Roland MC-707 and MC-101 Grooveboxes.

The Editors are designed to give you have direct access to many parameters and to let you select / start scenes and clips directly.

You can also use the plug-in versions to record controller movements in your DAW.

Features:

• Select / start the Scenes and Clips directly from Editor.
• Complex sound changes can be made easily and quickly.
• Direct access to the sound parameters
• All controllers can be automated.
• X-Y modulation of all parameters
• All Scatter variants can be started from the Editor.
• You can use your MC-707 and MC-101 as a sound module in your DAW

You can preview the MC-707 editor and MC-101 editor via the videos above.

The Editors are available for PC as VST / Standalone 32/64 bit and for MAC as VST / AU / Standalone 64 bit and MAC-M1. The Roland MC-707 and MC-101 Editors are available now for € 6,90/ $ 7.90.