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Resynator is a new documentary, and “synth resurrection project”, by director Alison Tavel that tells the story of a ‘lost’ synthesizer design of the 1970s, and its rediscovery.

The Resynator was invented by the Tavels’s late father Don Tavel in the ‘70s. Alison Tavel found the synth in her grandmother’s attic, 25 years after her father’s death, and has been on a mission to share it with the world ever since.

The Resynator is an instrument-controlled, monophonic, rack-mount analog/digital hybrid synthesizer. Invented by Don Tavel and engineered by Mike Beigel, the synthesizer can track the pitch of anything from the lowest note on a bass to the highest note of a piccolo.

The new documentary had its world premiere at SXSW in March, and won the Documentary Feature Audience Award. Details on screenings are to be announced. See the film website for more information.

Film Summary:

“In unearthing the revolutionary synthesizer her late father invented in the 1970s, Alison Tavel not only revives his mission to share it with the world, she unexpectedly forges a deep bond with the father she never got the chance to know.”

Directed by Alison Tavel

Executive Producer Grace Potter

Produced by Jon Lullo, Brendan Walter, Kathryn Robson, Sara Nesson, Christopher Noviello, Barbara McDonough

Edited by Kathryn Robson, Chris Gibson

Music by Chris Ruggiero

Animation by Danny Madden

Sound designer Paul Schilling shared this video, which explores recreating the lead sound from Talking Head‘s Burning Down The House.

Schilling demonstrates the patch with the Sequential Prophet-5, but provides tips for recreating it on the Prophet-6, as well.

What he say about it:

“I only mention this at the end of the video, but the way I hear it in the original, the filter in this sound is wide open. The character comes mainly from the combination of pulse waves, detuned unison, and oscillator sync. I focus mainly on the oscillator, unison and glide settings but the envelope settings are also quite simple…fast attack and release, sustain all the way up.”

Tips for creating this on a Prophet-6:

• To get a fresh “init patch”: While holding down the PRESET button, press the WRITE button
• To set the number of Unison voices: Hold down UNISON button, use the BANK/DECREMENT and TENS/INCREMENT buttons to set the number of voices
• To set Unison detune amount, use the SLOP knob
• To get Osc A to have both saw and square/pulse waves, set the SHAPE knob to 2 o’clock (halfway between saw and square shapes)

Sound Workshop shared this sneak preview of the Quord drone synthesizer.

Quord is described as a “harmony exploration machine”, with 4 sawtooth waves on long pitch sliders that flow into a mixer, filter, and distortion. This video discusses some interesting behaviors that emerged from it.

Details on pricing and availability for the Quard are to come.