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

Ahead of Superbooth 2024, Moon Modular has introduced two new Moog format filter modules, inspired by modules from the West and East.

The first module, the M518 Voltage Controlled Low Pass Gate, is inspired the classic Don Buchla Low Pass Gate design, part of his Series 200 modular system from around 1970, and a core part of ‘West Coast’ synthesis.

The Moon 518 module features a switchable combination of a low pass filter circuit with voltage controllable cutoff frequency and a VCA (here called “Gate”). Both functions work separately or in combination.

The filter resonance is also voltage controllable. The low pass filter slope is 12 dB/oct.

The second module, the M509 Voltage Controlled Low Pass/Band Pass Filter, is inspired by the filter of the Formanta Radio Factory Polivoks synthesizer from 1982.

The Moog M509 features a switchable band pass/low pass filter, with voltage-controllable cutoff frequency, and as an enhancement of the original voltage-controlled regeneration. The filter slope in low pass mode is 12 dB/oct, in band pass mode 6 dB/oct.

The two modules expand Moon’s filter lineup to a total of 6 modules, plus their Modular Six-Band Voltage Controlled Filter Bank.

Both modules are expected to be available by the end of April 2024, priced at €269 (incl. the German VAT of 19%) or €217.89 export price. Find out details on the Moon Modular website.

Soniccouture has introduced Kora, a new virtual instrument, based on the African harp.

What they say about it:

“A beautiful & fascinating African instrument, the Kora is hard to classify. With 21 strings and a cow-hide resonator, it’s a type of bridge harp, but with some lute or guitar DNA in the mix. Originally from Gambia, it is widely played in Mali, Senegal and across Africa.

Sonically it is similar to the harp, but when played in the traditional style it also bears resemblance to a guitar played using the flamenco or Delta blues technique of plucking polyrhythmic patterns with both hands.

Soniccouture’s virtual instrument is designed to be very playable and versatile, featuring a MIDI pattern player for authentic accompaniment and micro-tuning for authentic scales if desired.”

Features:

• 6 GB Library (2.8GB compressed)
• 24 Bit, 96khz Stereo Sampling
• 40 Velocity layers with Round Robin Anti-Repeat
• Release damping samples 25 layers
• Mute detero samples 25 layers
• Custom MIDI Pattern Player
• Stereo Mic Channel, Stereo Contact Mic Channel
• Sound Design Presets

Kora Performance Demo:

Kora is available now with an intro price of $89, normally $129.

As part of the Tracktion family, Peter V a.k.a. Dawesome is a developer known for making creatively adventurous synth plugins like Kult, Novum and Abyss.

Dawesome today has announced the release of its next software synthesizer. MYTH is an innovative instrument that makes use of resynthesis techniques based on machine learning.

Designed to encourage adventurous sonic exploration, MYTH uses machine learning to resynthesize samples into complex oscillators and transform their timbre.

Instead of conventional oscillators, MYTH is equipped with what Dawesome calls an ‘iris’ – two of these, in fact. Load any audio file into the irises and MYTH will attempt to resynthesize it by analysing the characteristics of the sample and approximating its timbre using non-linear synthesis.

Each iris can be tweaked using various ‘transformers’, which will transform its character by imposing characteristics from other sounds (waveforms such as square and saw and synthesis techniques such as frequency modulation, physical modelling and oscillator sync) on to the synthesized timbre. These sounds can then be shaped further in the oscillator sections, which also offer virtual analogue oscillators, should you want to take a more conventional approach.

MYTH’s oscillator sections are modular, meaning that various modules can be chained together to create complex timbres. Here, MYTH is well-equipped with an extensive selection of filters and effects. We’ve got analogue-modelled, comb, vowel and modal filters, six different modulation effects, four types of distortion, three reverbs and much more. There’s also a number of MIDI processors in MYTH’s module collection, including an arpeggiator, scale device and a chord generation module.

Almost any parameter in MYTH can be modulated using powerful LFOs that make use of custom drawable waveforms. Modulation sources can be shaped with their own selection of modules, which can be chained together to create complex and evolving modulation signals. There’s also a handy modulation matrix for seeing an overview of all modulations at once.

Full Specifications:

• Advanced organic re-synthesis based on machine learning.
• More than 700+ presets created by more than 10 sound designers and artists.
• Intuitive modular system.
• Trainable resonators (by dropping a sample).
• Virtual analog filters.
• Creative midi effects.
• Full MPE support.
• Build-in tutorial system.
• Powerful and innovative randomisation system.
• Intuitive modulation system.
• Supports MTS-ESP for microtonality.

MYTH is currently priced at $125 and is available for macOS and Windows in AU/VST3 formats. Find out more on Tracktion website.