Guitarist, songwriter and instrument designer Roger Linn (LinnDrum, MPC, Tempest) shared this video, telling the story of the creation of the LinnStrument.
Linn discusses the impetus for creating the LinnStrument, the instrument’s design, and the actual physical construction of the instrument.
LinnStrument is a unique expressive MIDI controller that builds on stringed instrument performance technique. The instrument senses your fingers’ subtle movements in five ways:
Strike Velocity
Pressure (Z)
Left-right (X)
Front-back (Y)
Release Velocity
This enables for much more expressive control than is possible with most MIDI controllers.
The LinnStrument, along with the Haken Continuum, showcases the expressive potential of moving beyond traditional MIDI controllers and has paved the way for more expressive keyboard synthesizers, like the Expressive E Osmose and Ashun Sound Machines Hydrasynth.
Yarra Audio has introduced CAMADA, a powerful and versatile polyphonic software synthesizer, powered by the free player HALion Sonic 7.
They say that “CAMADA has been meticulously designed from the ground up with one core principle in mind—to deliver an instrument that is both intuitive to use and packed with a lots of modulation options…”
Features:
Dual Engines, offering a wide range of waveforms and modulation options. Customize your sound by adjusting detuning, panning, and mono/poly mode settings for each engine.
Voice Program: Unlock a unique set of morphable waveforms with the Voice Program feature. Control waveform morphing using the XY pad.
Sub Oscillator: Select from a variety of waveform options, including Sine, Triangle, Saw, Square, Pulse Wide, and Pulse Narrow, for the Sub Oscillator.
Crossfader: Blend between the two engine sounds using the crossfader.
Multi-Mode Filter: Customize parameters such as Cutoff Frequency, Resonance, Filter Envelope, Key Follow, Tube Drive, and choose from a wide range of Filter Type options.
Delay: Add depth and rhythmic patterns to your sounds with the adjustable time, feedback, and tempo synchronization capabilities of the integrated Delay effect.
Reverb, featuring adjustable room size and a rich reverb tail.
Extensive modulation options
Modulate the Modulator: Assign one modulator to control the parameters of another, resulting in the creation of new and unique waveform shapes.
CAMADA Audio Demos:
CAMADA is available now, with an introductory price of $49.00 through Aug 31, 2023 (regularly $79.00).
Synthesist Hainbach shared this sneak preview of an upcoming reissue of the Crumar Spirit, a rare analog synthesizer from 1983, designed by Bob Moog, Jim Scott and Tom Rhea.
It’s been described as ‘the Italian Minimoog’. But, while it may share some DNA with the Minimoog, it’s a very different design, with more flexible synthesis options – including a ring modulator and multi-mode with switchable slopes – and more capable performance options – including an arpeggiator and 3 performance wheels.
“My friends from Museo Del Synth Marchigiano, the Italian synthesizer museum, invited me again to visit them in Italy,” explains Hainbach. “This time, they had something new and old to show me: a faithful re-creation of the rare Bob Moog designed Crumar Spirit mono synthesizer. They teamed up with Crumar to bring this little known instrument back to life, staying as close to the original as possible.”
Full details on the Crumar Spirit reissue are still to be announced.
