Manmade madman shared this video demo (unofficial) of the new muSonics Vanilla Modular Synthesizer, which will make its official debut at Knobcon 2023, being held September 8-10, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago.
Vanilla synthesizer is a modular synthesizer in MU format, inspired, in part, by the Oberheim SEM and Two Voice synthesizers. As shown, it has normalled CV/Gate, two oscillators, a multimode SEM filter, two Attack/Decay/Sustain envelopes, each with built in VCA’s, and an output mixer.
They note, “You can think of this as a modular ‘best of’ modular Oberheim SEM.”
The new muSonics is headed by Suit & Tie Guy, head of STG Soundlabs and creator of Knobcon, and operating under the name STG muSonics. Details are to come at the muSonics website.
Noise Engineering has introduced a new Eurorack mixer, Xer Mixa, and a companion CV expander, Expando Expandi.
They will be debuting it at Knobcon 2023, being held September 8-10, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Chicago, but it will begin shipping September 6.
Xer Mixa Eurorack Mixer
Xer Mixa is a hybrid analog/digital design: it features a fully analog signal path, with low noise and crosstalk, “pristine” sound quality, and ultra-high headroom. Xer Mixa’s digital side allows for state save and recall, per-channel pan law and pre/post send settings, multichannel editing, and MIDI I/O.
The mixer features 10 stereo-paired input channels: 8 interactive fader-controlled channels and two aux channels, each with clickless mutes.
Per-channel options include pan-law settings, pre- or post-fader send routing, and more. Settings can be saved for easy recall during future sessions or live sets.
Expando Expandi CV Expander Module
As for users who want CV control, Noise Engineering is also offering a 4HP, 8-input expander, Expando Expandi. Up to two expanders can be connected to the mixer via the rear panel and the inputs routed to a maximum of 32 modulation destinations on the mixer.
“We wanted Xer Mixa to be as compact as possible and bring a core feature set to the mixer,” said Noise Engineering Chief Noisemaker Stephen McCaul. “Every feature we included added to the base price, so there were a lot of tradeoffs that we considered. We polled a bunch of users and based on their feedback, we opted to put CV control onto the expander. The mixer was already the largest, most dense, and most complex product we’d ever made. Bringing the expander into the ecosystem added even more complexity from a programming perspective — two different MCUs have to talk to each other. But it also opens up other possibilities for Expando Expandi which we’re pretty excited about.”
The expanders are available separately, but a discounted bundle of Xer Mixa and Expando Expandi (10% off) is also available.
A unique feature is that Xer Mixa is reversible, so that it can be oriented with the jacks at the top or the bottom. A simple system setting inverts the screen and interface.
Preorders are open now, with shipping from Noise Engineering and retailers starting September 6, 2023;
Organizers have announced the workshops and presentations being held at Knobcon 2023, happening Sept 8-10, 2023 in the Chicagoland area.
The presentations include:
The Basics of Synthesis – Marc Doty, “the undisputed king of YouTube synthesizer videos ” provides as comprehensive a primer about synthesis which could be reasonably expected to fit in ninety minutes.
Tiny but Mighty Setups with Circuit Rhythm & Eurorack – Novation Product Specialist, Shanda Nunez aka Trovarsi, will demonstrate a creative approach to integrating Novation’s groovebox Circuit Rhythm with Eurorack. By demonstrating how to sample loops and one shots from a small Eurorack system to create a sonic library, she will show how the Circuit Rhythm can be a powerful tool integrated in any small hybrid system for both studio and live performance.
Reverb – Jon Sonnenberg explains the concept of reverb in a different light, showing many examples of alternate ways to create reverb-type effects.
35 Seconds at Altamont – The first person to play a custom Moog modular synthesizer at a rock festival was not Keith Emerson, it was Knobcon 11 Guest of Honour Doug McKechnie, who will be featured in a live interview and AMA moderated by Suit & Tie Guy.
Why and How to play Buchla 200e Live – TamiX will show her live set approach in Buchla 200e, compare with eurorack, and discuss her modular live set techniques.
The Other Analog: The Rise and Fall of Photonic Synthesis – Perhaps the most fascinating forgotten era in the history of synthesis is the period of time where the photon was the shining hope for the authorship of sound. This technology presaged polysynths, samplers, and complex synthesis. Marc Doty takes you on a tour of the history, the technology, and the groundbreaking instruments that used light to make sound.
VAST: What’s it All About? – Professional K2000 programmer Shane Etter answers the eternal question: What the hell was Kurzweil VAST and what could you actually do with it?
DIY Workshops
In addition to the presentations, there are 4 workshops scheduled between Saturday and Sunday, each around 2 hours.
