Sunday Synth Jam: German synthesist Martin Stürtzer shared this live ambient performance, the 63rd in his series of Home Concerts.
He launched the series at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020. He plays a live show from his studio on the first Sunday of each month.
What Stürtzer shared about the technical details of his performance:
“In this set, I present five new Ambient tracks, arranged with my hardware synths, Daweseome Myth, U-He Repro-5 and Ableton 12. For live looping I used Enso by Audio Damage.
This set left me a lot of space for improvisation, the use of my Juno 60 was completely spontaneous.”
This video, via The cosmic electronics music department, captures a rare live performance by the late Gert Jalass, former head of German synth maker Moon Modular.
The performance was recorded at Ambient Waves Festival 2020.
Moon Modular is known for making modern modules in Moog format. Jalass’s performance gives you a sense of his inspirations.
Jalass died unexpectedly ahead of this year’s Superbooth 2024.
MNTRA Instruments has introduced Vespera, a new software synthesizer for Mac and Windows that they describe as “a hybrid electro-acoustic synthesizer, crafted to explore physical re-synthesis.”
This instrument is based on heavily driven tube modular synth oscillations, re-amped and resonated through various physical objects. Vespera takes these sound sources and turns them into a polyphonic instrument, designed to respond to your slightest touch.
What they say about it:
“The result of extensive sonic experimentation focused on acoustic synthesis, Vespera is a hybrid electro-acoustic synthesizer that seamlessly merges the raw distortion of tube-driven circuits with the innate resonance of physical objects. Each oscillation undergoes a complete transformation by painstaking re-amping through a vibrational speaker transducer -resonating through diverse mediums, including drums with various skins, metal springs, and the sympathetic vibrations of resonant instruments such as a rare giant Indian Ezraj and a Swedish Nyckelharpa.
Captured using a pair of custom Oaka Instruments Tellus pickups with extended range signal path, using custom preamps and best-in-class mastering grade AD conversion. The outcome is a diverse array of organic textures and tones that transforms the grit of the original distorted modular synth signals into completely new sounds, unlocking inspiring possibilities for sound exploration.
Powered by MNDALA 2’s Animistic Synthesis capabilities, Vespera becomes an extension of your musical expression. Its nonlinear features allow each multi-dimensional patch to resonate spontaneously, intuitively responding to the subtlest nuances of your touch. With over 128+ SSM powered polyphonic velocity possibilities at your disposal (powered by Sample Start Modulation), with each note, Vespera offers unprecedented subtle articulation and responsiveness to your touch, surpassing the capabilities of current traditional physical and virtual synths alike.
Vespera is not just an instrument; it’s a portal to a vast, unexplored sound-texture universe. Its deeply designed patches beckon you to venture into a realm of dark, gritty, and hauntingly beautiful sounds. Vespera‘s expansive sonic palette offers a multitude of unusual reactive variations, pushing the boundaries of traditional modular synthesis. From pulsating rhythms to ethereal atmospheres and gritty textures to haunting drones, Vespera is a limitless playground for your sonic exploration.”
Vespera Video Intro:
Vespera is available in Standard & Pro Editions, starting at $39.
