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synthCube has announced plans for synth DIY build workshops at Knobcon 2023, being held September 8-10, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago.

What they shared about the workshops:

Build Workshop: uMatrix Mixer

We’re collaborating with our friends at Low-Gain Electronics to hold a build workshop on a Knobcon special edition of their uMatrix 4×4 Passive Matrix Mixer.

Low-Gain Electronics 4×4 uMatrix Mixer

The uMatrix Mixer is great for audio feedback mixing or CV modulation routing.

Whether it’s feedback mixing with fx pedals, or mixing CV sources from you desktop or modular synths together for more complex CV signals, a passive matrix mixer is a blast to play with!

PG-13 Build Demo

This unit is so easy to build, even a kid could do it! (Adult supervision recommended.)

PG-13 is a simple, yet endlessly useful, passive dual gate.

It takes about 30 minutes to build!

This simple build will take place on the showroom floor –– no registration required.

In addition, they plan to have a variety of gear available at their booth, including Eurorack and 5U modular systems, pedals, kits and more.

Knobcon Number Eleven tickets are available now for $60.

Plankton Electronic’s Alex Ballester let us know that the Winter Plankton Zaps firmware has been updated to V1.1.

Zaps is a Eurorack percussion module, featuring an analog voice designed by Plankton Electronics, digital control designed by Winter Modular and an interface designed by Miguel Angel Martínez.

The update adds new randomize template modes for quickly creating bass drums, snares, and other percussion sounds; simultaneous control of both oscillators (for melodic lines); a new trigger delay setting; a screen saver and more.

New in Winter Plankton Zaps firmware v1.1:

• New ‘Randomize’ templates for creating Sounds and Banks: Bass drum 1, Bass drum 2, Snare drum, Low drum toms, FM percussion, FM and AM percussion, Glass AM, Pitched FM tones, High tones, Multi-drum 1, Multi-drum 2, Chaos, Dirty 1, Dirty 2, Retrigger envelope 1, Retrigger envelope 2, and Full set template (for Banks).
• Simultaneous CV IN control for pitch 1 & 2: You can now control both oscillators with just one CV source.
• New Trigger delay setting: for all the Gate and CV sources that change the CV after rising the gate, we have added a configurable trigger delay, so once the trigger is received we wait x ms to read the CV.
• Screen saver: We added a new adjustable screen and energy saver following user requests.
• Now it’s possible to randomize a slots or banks via CV IN trigger.
• Added CV in control for Retrigger time and Slope type.
• Improved SLOT buttons behavior in MUTE, now we show both muted slots and playing slots (with a more intense light)

Zaps is available to pre-order for €535,00 The update is available as a free download.

Warp Records and Aphex Twin have released a new immersive augmented reality application for his new EP, Blackbox Life Recorder 21f / in a room7 F760.

The free application, YXBoZXh0d2lu, augments Aphex Twin’s new EP, bringing the artwork, music and video to life.

Created by Tokyo-based spatial internet studio KALKUL, visual artist Weirdcore with Warp and Aphex Twin, the app offers an alternate world of interactive AR bringing the artwork, music and video to life in 3D.

The app was developed by KALKUL with Weirdcore and Warp Records. It is available now as a free download for iOS and Android devices:

• iOS
• Android