Host Ziv Eliraz, in his latest loopop video – takes an in-depth look at the new Yamaha SEQTRAK, a portable groovebox, synthesizer and sequencer introduced at the 2024 NAMM Show.
The SEQTRAK is an all-in-one music creation station, designed for composing and performing electronic music anywhere. It’s sure to draw comparisons with the Teenage Engineering OP-1, because of its size and form factor.
But the SEQTRAK builds on Yamaha’s strengths, featuring an AWM2 sound engine with 128-note polyphony, in addition to a four-operator FM sound engine. And unlike the OP-1, the SEQTRAK is priced at a relatively affordable $399.
Watch the video, and share your thoughts on the Yamaha SEQTRAK in the comments!
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In his latest video, synthesist Alex Ball takes a look at the Korg MS-20 synthesizer and the SQ-10 step sequencer, and how they shaped the sound of a group of German musicians in the late 70s and early 80s.
Watch the video and share your thoughts on the MS-20 synth and SQ-10 sequencer in the comments!
Moog Animoog Galaxy new synth is an Apple Vision Pro exclusive, and promises to be ‘an immersive experience unlike any other’.
Moog Music has unveiled Animoog Galaxy for Apple Vision Pro, bringing the powerful software synthesizer into a new dimension.
Animoog Galaxy runs exclusively on Apple’s Vision Pro ‘spatial computer’- a headset platform that runs a new operating system, visionOS, that focuses on virtual reality and augmented reality.
For more than a decade, Animoog has been on the leading edge of software synths, debuting on the iPad with an advanced synth engine and a cutting edge expressive touch keyboard, embracing MIDI Polyphonic Expression, incorporating cloud features and adding cross-platform support.
Given its heritage, it seems fitting that Moog is one of the first developers to release a synth for the Cupertino company’s new headset, though some elements of Animoog Galaxy are familiar. Animoog Galaxy is based on Moog’s Anisotropic Synth Engine (ASE), which has powered earlier versions of Animoog and Animoog Z. The software synth has always featured the ability to modulate and animate sounds in two dimensions, using an X/Y grid. With Animoog Galaxy, this capability is extended into three dimensions, letting you modulate sounds within an X/Y/Z space.
Animoog Galaxy also visualizes this capability by giving you the ability to “teleport inside Animoog Galaxy”, giving you an immersive interface for synthesis. Vision Pro’s gesture controls are used to tweak and play the synth, though you can use a real MIDI keyboard if you wish. Flipping this around, you can also have MIDI Out so that you can use the virtual keyboard to play other instruments.
Said keyboard offers configurable scales, pitch correction and glide, while parameters can be tweaked by looking, pinching and dragging. Other features include a step sequencer, three DAHDSR envelopes, three LFOs, a modulation matrix and effects, and you’re supplied with 120 presets.
A preview of Animoog Galaxy in action:
Features:
Anisotropic Synth Engine (ASE): Animoog Galaxy allows you to spatially move through the X, Y, and Z axes of unique timbres to create an expressive and constantly evolving soundscape.
Immersive Experience: Constantly evolving sounds and visuals help create a “peaceful mood and environment all around you”.
Designed for Apple Vision Pro: Visuals, graphics, gestures, interactions and sounds were created specifically for Apple Vision Pro.
Modulation and Pitch Shifting: Control Animoog Galaxy’s advanced gestural keyboard with configurable scales, pitch correction, and glide.
Intelligent Step Sequencer: Rhythmical melodies can be generated in-tune with the keyboard.
EG/LFO: Articulate your dynamics with three independent six-stage DAHDSR envelope generators for Amp, Filter, and Mod, each with loop and sync functionality. Give motion to your sound with three independent LFOs featuring continuously variable wave shapes, phase offset, delayed start, sync, and support for 1-8 repeats.
Mod Options: Animoog Galaxy features a highly flexible modulation matrix with 10 lanes and a multitude of sources, controllers, and destinations—including global destinations like Delay and Thick.
Expansive Effects: Experiment with a collection of dynamic sound-altering and sound-augmenting effects with Delay, Unison, Bitcrush, Drive, Filter, Arpeggiator, and Recorder.
MIDI Integration: Use your favorite MIDI controller to control Animoog Galaxy (with full support for MPE input) or go MIDI out to use Animoog Galaxy’s highly expressive keyboard to control your favorite instruments.
Additional Features: Animoog Galaxy includes backwards compatibility with presets and timbres from Animoog Z, 440Hz base frequency offset (+/- 10Hz), and preset tagging.
A demo from Geert Bevin, Moog’s Director of Software Development and author of the original MPE specification, exploring the responsiveness of the augmented reality keyboard in Animoog Galaxy:
“As you can see, it totally holds up and is a lot of fun!” he notes.
Animoog Galaxy joins the previously announced Vision Pro version of Algoriddim djay in the first tranche of music-making apps for the platform, and we’re sure that there will be plenty more to come.
Animoog Galaxy is available now for $29.99. Find out more on the Moog website.
