Knob Monster is a new site that’s sort of like iCloud for your vintage synth patches.
The site is a browser-based SysEx librarian for your synths. It uses the Web MIDI API to connect directly to hardware like the DX7, Juno-106, Korg M1, CZ-101, Roland D-50 and more, and let you back up your synth to the cloud.
There are no drivers or desktop installs – you just plug your synth in, and Knob Monster reads the synth’s memory buffer, parses the patch names from hex and backs everything up to the cloud.
Knob Monster features dedicated name-decoding parsers for the Yamaha DX7 (and compatible synths like DX7II, TX7, TX81Z), Roland Juno-106, Korg M1, Roland Jupiter-6 (Europa-modded), and the Casio CZ series. It also has a universal Generic Scan that works with almost any vintage synthesizer by scanning raw SysEx bulk dumps for readable ASCII character arrays to extract patch names automatically.
Plastic Factory has introduced Grainsmith Field, a new granular synthesizer for iPad and iPhone.
They say the idea behind Grainsmith Field was to make granular approachable, so it sounds great, and you can play it without digging through menus
Features:
Four XY performance pads control paired parameters (Density/Size, Jitter/Spread, Scan/Reverse, Cutoff/Resonance), with a Morph macro that sweeps several at once
Area Select: long-press the waveform and drag handles to bracket exactly the region the grain cloud plays, with live feedback as you drag
Live Mode: capture audio from a mic or instrument input and granulate it in real time, freeze the cloud, scrub the waveform, export WAV to Files
Instrument mode: play the grain engine from a MIDI keyboard with four-voice polyphony and an attack/release envelope
AUv3 + standalone: loads in AUM, Logic for iPad, and GarageBand with full parameter automation and saved session state
Reverb, filter, grain-shape windows, factory presets, and a compact iPhone layout
Grainsmith Field is available now with an intro price of $9.99 USD.
In the video, synthesist and developer Stretta demonstrates Smol Sequencer, a browser-based modular sequencing environment.
Video Summary:
The video explores how how small sequencer modules can be interconnected to create evolving musical patterns.
Learn to manipulate note values, introduce randomization, and utilize pitch class rotation for scale-based composition, all before sharing your unique musical ideas through compressed, link-based project files.
Smol Sequencer is available now as a free, browser-based application.
