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

The US Library of Congress has announced that it has restored Morton Subotnick‘s iconic Buchla 100 synthesizer, and is making it available for researchers to play.

They share the background at their website:

“Around 2008, the Library of Congress acquired one of the earliest Buchla 100 synthesizers through musician and teacher Michael Czajkowski, a friend of composer Morton Subotnick.

The system was purchased by Subotnick in 1966 for his Bleecker Street studio in New York City, where he composed “Silver Apples of the Moon” (1967) and the “The Wild Bull” (1968).

The first Buchla 100 system had emerged a few years earlier, during Subotnick’s time at the famous San Francisco Tape Music Centre, where he and Ramón Sender commissioned inventor Don Buchla to realize something that bridged the gap between tape music practice and the future capabilities of computers.”

The instrument has been restored to full operation, and in the process, high-resolution photographs were made of the front and back of each module.

The Buchla 100 system is now available for researchers to play (by appointment, and subject to approval by the Music Division).

It will also be featured at an upcoming Library of Congress event featuring Subotnick:

Morton Subotnick and the Buchla 100

Thursday, December 5, 2024, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

LJ-119, Thomas Jefferson Building

Free, tickets required (available Wednesday, October 2 at 10:00 a.m. ET)

Featured Speakers: Morton Subotnick, composer; Steve Antosca, composer

Members of the Modular Electronic Music Systems (MEMS) team: Chip Flynn, MEMS Research Associate; Mark Milanovich, MEMS

Research Associate; Andrew Northrop, Film and Media Technician, Slade School of Fine Art/UCL

Find out details on the LOC website.

It seems to be MIDI keyboard week. Earlier this week, Arturia unveiled the new KeyLab mk3 generation, which features an updated design, features, and more. Now, the United Kingdom is calling.

Today, Novation introduced the fourth generation of their popular Launchkey range of MIDI keyboard controllers with new features, design, and more.

They say that the new Launchkey is designed to provide the most detailed DAW integration of any Launchkey to date. It offers in-depth hands-on control of all major DAWs, and a totally overhauled suite of creative tools, including a generative arpeggiator, chord and scales modes, and a step sequencer for Ableton Live.

The hardware has also been re-engineered to look, feel, and play “like an instrument”, with high-quality keybeds and unique patented Launchpad-style FSR pads with polyphonic aftertouch. They also now feature continuous encoders and sharp OLED displays.

Features:

• In-depth DAW control – Powerful control of Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, Reason, and more, with no set-up required
• Tweak your software – Eight encoders (and an additional nine faders on the 49 and 61 key modals) deliver control over DAW mixers, virtual instruments, and effects; user mappings can also be created for customized control
• Play drums and instruments – 16 velocity-sensitive pads with polyphonic aftertouch for playing drums and instruments, as well as launching clips and working with grids; the patented design delivers increased responsiveness than standard FSR drum pads
• Perform with high-quality keybeds – Launchkey 49 and 61 both have keybeds that are semi-weighted with waterfall keys for piano-style performances; 25 and 37 keybeds are synth-styled, delivering superb playability and feel; and finally, Launchkey Mini 25 and 37 have responsive and sensitive keys.
• Powerful tools for creating chords and patterns – Powerful built-in Arpeggiator and three Chord Modes to easily create musical progressions: Fixed Chord, User Chord, and Chord Maps
• Scale Mode locks notes on the keyboard into the right key, and Chord Detector shows what chord is currently being played, with visual representation on the OLED display
• Split and Layer the keyboard on the 49 and 61-key models – Split enables you to divide the keyboard into two independent zones, and Layer means two MIDI channels can be played simultaneously from the same keys
• Connect to other instruments – Launchkey can be connected directly to synths and other MIDI hardware with the MIDI out port; it also works with your iPhone or iPad
• Create your own control surfaces – Launchkey is fully customizable; map MIDI parameters to pads and controls of your choice with Novation’s easy-to-use Components software

The Launchkey range offers six models:

• Launchkey 61: (61 full-sized semi-weighted piano-style keys and nine faders)
• Launchkey 49: (49 full-sized semi-weighted piano-style keys and nine faders)
• Launchkey 37: (37 full-sized keys)
• Launchkey 25: (25 full-sized keys)
• Launchkey Mini 37: (37 mini synth-action keys)
• Launchkey Mini 25: (25 mini synth-action keys)

Software Bundle:

• Klevgrand plugins: Plugins including LUXE, R0verb, and Slammer enhance your production with professional-grade tools for track refinement and sound design.
• GForce Software: Recreate the sound of legendary synthesizers with emulations like the Oberheim SEM, OB-EZ, and AXXESS.
• Orchestral Tools Parallel Orchestra Bundle: The bundle combines selections from two Orchestral Tools collections; Inspire 2 and Time Macro.
• Ableton Live 12 Lite: Live 12 Lite is the latest version of Ableton’s software for recording, producing, and performing music. It includes essential workflows, instruments, and effects for creating new sounds, recording ideas, performing on stage, and more.
• Melodics: Hone your skills with bespoke keyboard lessons for Novation users, designed for musicians of all levels, ensuring you get the most out of your new Launchkey.

The new Novation Launchkey range is available to pre-order, shipping now with the following pricing:

• Launchkey Mini 25 $119.99
• Launchkey Mini 37 $149.99
• Launchkey 25 $179.99
• Launchkey 37 $209.99
• Launchkey 49 $249.99
• Launchkey 61 $299.99

Noise Engineering has introduced Dystorpia, their first guitar effects pedal.

They say that, while Dystorpia was designed for guitars and other stringed instruments, it sounds great on synths, drum machines, basses, even theremin.

“From the start, we knew we wanted to make something designed with guitarists in mind,” explains  Noise Engineering co-owner Stephen McCaul. “Our testing initially focused entirely on how Dystorpia sounds with the more complex dynamics of guitars. Once we got there, we started trying it on other instruments and we were excited at how well we’d hit our mark; Dystorpia sounds great on guitars, but also basses, synths, drums, and more.”

Dystorpia features three different distortion parameters.

• Gain sets the input level going into the rest of the pedal, and can overdrive for classic driven timbres.
• As the Blend knob is turned up, it adds in a slight saturation for some gentle distortion on its own. This makes it easier to timbrally balance the unaffected dry sound with the heavily processed wet signal.
• Fold controls a wavefolding algorithm, a technique taken from the world of synthesizers that creates a unique flavor of harmonic distortion.
• Pura adds a full-wave rectifier to the mix, another unique distortion.
• Along with all of that distortion, Dystorpia features an expression-controllable Tone control with variable mid-band frequency, a switchable noise gate, and an optional suboctave generator.

Dystorpia also features two foot switches. On the right, a buffered bypass turns off and on the distortion processing. The left foot switch activates a latching or momentary freeze effect, infinitely sustaining a sound until it’s unfrozen again. While a sound is frozen, the pedal can still process new sounds at the input, allowing the performer to play over a frozen signal.

Dystorpia Manual Video:

Features:

• Three unique distortion effects
• Expression-controllable Tone parameter
• Optional noise gate to reduce hum and add dynamics
• Add in suboctaves with the DOOM switch
• Infinitely freeze a signal with the left footswitch
• Sounds great on guitar and synths

Dystorpia is available now, priced at MSRP $399