Mobile Musician Magazine June 2022

PLUS READER’S RIGS: Craig P. Smith

REVIEWS Zenbeats by Roland Bastl Kastle Drum The Homeland of Electricity by: Scanner Inversions by: Erik Wollo Hydrological Cycle by: Mindphaser Morning Mercies by: Sergio Mariani

FIELD GUIDE: Semi-modular Connections

PATCHWORKS:

Bastl Kastle Drum

DIY:

CircuitMess Jay-D

LISTENING BOOTH

SUZANNE CIANI

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Visit: www.mobilemusicianmagazine.com/magazine

www.mobilemusicianmagazine.com jeremy@mobilemusicianmagazine.com

Jeremy Spurgeon Editor

Cover photo by: Suzanne Ciani

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elcome to the June issue of Mobile Musician Magazine! We are halfway through our first year and I hope you will agree that we have come a long way since we started back in January. We want to thank everyone for continuing to support the magazine and we are very excited about what is to come.

Guest author Martin K. Kosvolko, producer of the compilation album Mobile Strategies, presents how each performer made their track and the mobile equipment they used.

It is an interesting look behind-the-scenes of that amazing album.

We meet another interesting musician, Craig P. Smith in our Readerʼs Rigs column. He explains how he uses the 2HP Lunchbox modular synth and his love for the Mellotron.

This issue features the long awaited interview with Suzanne Ciani. She was so gracious to sit down with me and talk about her career, performing with the Buchla modular synth, and what she thought of the current state of electronic music. She is so insightful and it was such a pleasure to talk with her.

We also take a look at the new Roland AIRA Compact synths and how they could be the perfect choice for mobile musicians.

All of this and so much more is waiting to be read. With this issue being our sixth issue we ask that you let us know how we are doing and what changes you would like to see. As always, I hope that you enjoy Mobile Musician and we look forward to serving you the latest stories, news, and reviews from the world of mobile music.

We also feature a recently discovered gem, Oksana Linde. She has been composing electronic music since the early ʻ80s in Venezuela, but has only recently been able to release her first album. Her life is an inspiring story of struggles and triumphs that I hope will move you as it did me.

Jeremy Spurgeon In a sad turn of events we lost another visionary composer, Vangelis, who passed away on May 17th. We take a look at his amazing career and how his music has touched the lives of so many.

All contents copyright 2022 Jeremy Spurgeon or published under license. All rights reserved.

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EDITORIAL 3 NEWS 6 Suzanne ciani 8 aira compact 16 Oksana linde 22 Vangelis 28 Mobile strategies 32 Roland zenbeats 40

Kastle drum 44 Reviews 46 Album reviews 48 Reader’s rigs 54 Diy 56 FIELD GUIDE 58 PATCHWORKS 62 LISTENING BOOTH 64

Photo by: Suzanne Ciani

Nunomo Qun Mk2 Nunomo has announced an update to their Qun pocket synth. The Qun MK2 is a powerful tiny synthesizer with an on-board sequencer and looper. They have improved on the original design by adding LED buttons, external processor for UI processing, and SD card support. They are currently taking preorders.

For more information visit https://shop.nunomo.net

Apple Discontinues Ipod after 21 years

Apple announces that after 21 years in production, it is officially discontinuing the iPod. The iPod touch, released in 2007 and last updated in 2019 will be the last iPod produced. With the rise of the iPhone and the shift to on-line streaming services the popularity of the iPod has been steadily declining.

Deus Arrakis

By: Klaus schulze The final studio album from Klaus Schulze is scheduled to be released on July 1 2022. It is available for pre-order on Bandcamp and will be released on digital, vinyl, and CD formats.

For more information visit: https://klausschulze.bandcamp.com/album/ deus-arrakis

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ufOrb 3oth anniversary concert

The Orb will perform their 1992 genredefining album live in itʼs entirety at Cheese and Grain on July 30, 2022.

For tickets and more information visit: https://www.ents24.com/frome-events/ cheese-and-grain/the-orb/6515366

The Homeland of Electricity By: scanner

Scanner has a new album coming out on June 17, on DiN Records. It will be released as a digital download and a limited 500-copy CD version. See our review in this issue.

For more information visit: https://din7d.bandcamp.com/

Pocket operator for Google Pixel

A new app version of the Pocket Operator from Teenage Engineering is now available for the Google Pixel phone. It allows you to record video clips and then slices them into playable sections to use as the building blocks for rhythms and musical parts.

For more information visit: https://teenage.engineering/designs/popixel

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Photo by: Jeff Towne

Photos by: Suzanne Ciani

SUZANNE

CIANI

With a career spanning over 50 years, the “Diva of the Diode” is busier

now than ever, demonstrating the power of the Buchla synthesizer to a new generation of enthusiasts around the world.

“I like to call Don Buchla the Leonardo DaVinci of instrument design.”

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Photos by: Jeff Towne

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Photos by: Roland

the latest technology to provide the user with powerful functions that are normally found on larger, more expensive devices.

Masters of the universe All three AIRA compact devices contains a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that conveniently provides hours of continuous use between charges.

Roland has also included some clever connections to help you get the most out of these portable instruments, including

sync in and out ports, midi in and out, USB-C ports for charging and connecting with your computer or tablet, headphone out, and mix in and out ports. The latter provides a convenient way to chain the audio output of each device to a single headphone output, eliminating the need for a separate audio mixer. With so many connections, these devices can be integrated into a much larger system with ease. Each device also includes a bright LED display, back-lit buttons, and knobs and sliders for hands-on control-

providing a uniform user experience throughout the line-up. Manufactured with Rolandʼs legendary build quality, these devices will provide years of service.

T-8 Beat Machine In another clever move, Roland has combined the most popular drum sounds from their TR-808, TR-909, and TR-606 drum machines with the bass tones from the TB-303. Using their Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) found in the TR-8S and TB-3, the T-8 has that classic Roland character. It features six rhythm tracks, including bass drum, snare drum, hand clap, tom, and closed and opened hi-hat.

The bass and snare drums have individual level, tune, and decay controls, while the hand clap and tom are grouped and have a level control and a tune control. The closed and open hi-hat are similarly grouped together and have level and decay controls. The seventh track is the bass track, which includes level, pitch,

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decay, cutoff, resonance, and envelope modulation. There is a universal effects section that includes controls for adding delay and reverb. The T-8 also features an overdrive effect and side-chain compression. The T-8 includes a 32 step sequencer with 64 pattern storage. There is also advanced rhythm programming options, including probability, sub step, shuffle, and velocity. The T-8 also includes many real-time performance features, like step loop, mute, fill, reload, and pattern shift. Bass notes can be traditionally programmed in step mode with accents and slides, or recorded live by playing the buttons.

J-6 Chord Synth The J-6 packs the incredible sound of the Juno-60 into a tiny device that features a 4 voice synth engine with filter and envelope controls and 64 synth presents.

The J-6 also includes 100 chord sets spanning classic and contemporary

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genres, 64 user patterns with up to 64 steps per pattern, and an arpeggiator with 9 styles and 12 variations per style. With the built-in keyboard you can play single notes and chords or use the chord sets to play chords with one key and change the chords in real-time. You can also program chord changes into the chord sequencer which allows you to record chord changes, style variations, single notes, and tempo changes in each step. Once you have your chord sequence programmed, you can continue to tweak your masterpiece by selecting your synth sound, adjusting the filter and envelope settings, and adding some delay and reverb. Another amazing feature is that the chord sets, styles, and variations are transmitted over MIDI and USB, allowing you to use all of these powerful features to drive other

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hardware synthesizers or softsynths on your computer or tablet.

E-4 Voice Tweaker The E-4 is an audio playground in the palm of your hand. Go from subtle pitch correction to full blown voice transformations. Choose from a wide variety of harmony types like octave up or down, 3rd, 5th, and 7th giving you creative control over your backing parts all in realtime. With the vocoder you can change your vocal gender or turn yourself into a robot. Use the on-board synth waveforms or an external MIDI keyboard to control your pitch. Turn your voice into a full band with the 24-second looper, building up layer after layer. Once you have your masterpiece just right, chop it up with the

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scatter knob! Everything syncs with the tempo and there is even an option to use a gamerʼs headset or your phoneʼs earbuds with an inline mic. One of the coolest features is the ¼” microphone jack and level control. To me this opens up the possibilities to use the E-4 with other instruments as well as voice. With the looper, you could build up guitar parts or other synth parts and use them in conjunction with the T-8 and J-6, for a complete song-writing package. You could also use it to record the T-8 and J-6 to free them up for more parts.

Overall, I am very excited about the new AIRA compact devices. It seems Roland has been patient and have introduced these three devices that provide tools that were missing in the market. Never content to copy what other manufacturers have done, Roland has taken things a step further with some

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handy features that were missing on other devices, including the mix in and out connections, rechargeable battery, and class compliant USB connections that allows users to connect them to computers, tablets, and phones without a fuss. Roland has really set the stage for some interesting music to be made. For the mobile musician, the AIRA compact devices address many of the issues we have been facing when trying to put a rig together. These devices will easily integrate into our current rigs and they provide the tools that have been lacking in our systems. I canʼt wait to see what else Roland has planned for AIRA compact in their future designs.

For more information visit: https://www.roland.com/us/promos/ aira_compact

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Photo by: Oksana Linde

Electronic musician, Oksana Linde has been composing music for over 40 years. With the help of Buh Records she released her debut album in March 2022, and is finally receiving some well deserved notoriety as one of Venezuelanʼs undiscovered treasures.

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hen Luis Alvarado of Buh Records first contacted me in February 2022, I was very excited to listen to his new album release by Venezuelan artist Oksana Linde. Unfamiliar with Buh Records or Oksana Linde, I didnʼt know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised! As it turned out, only a handful of people have been familiar with Oksanaʼs work. As I learned about her a beautiful and inspiring story began to unfold.

another world to me”. Although science is Oksanaʼs passion, music has always been a part of her life. “My family bought a turntable when I was around four years old”, she says. “We listened to many genres of music, Ukrainian, Moldavan, classical, folk, and many others”. Oksanaʼs parents also bought an old piano when she was young so her Grandmother could give lessons to Oksana and her sisters. “I didnʼt want to take lessons so I just learned to play by ear”, she explains.

Oksana was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1948. Her parents were Ukrainian immigrants and although they did not have much money, they enjoyed their life. Oksana remembers visiting the beaches and what an affect it had on her, “I was very impacted when we went to the Caribbean beach”, she remembers. “The immense sea, the sound of the waves, and the colors were like

In college, she studied Oceanography and spent the weekends on the beach with her friends. During this time she was a member of a musical group of fellow students who played movie themes, bossa nova, traditional jazz, and other styles. She completed her studies at the Central University in Caracas and interned at the Venezuela Institute for Science before being hired there

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permanently. By 1974, Oksana was married Over the years Oksana has suffered many and had two daughters. “I managed to buy a setbacks to her musical career. Most of her piano and I played many pieces by ear”, she equipment was either sold or needed costly remembers. She started her PHD program, repairs. Other pieces were stolen. “It was but was unable to complete it because of her hard to say good-bye to the equipment, but health. “I had to quit because of health that is the way life is”, she says. Oksana issues”, she says. “The protective measures continues to improvise on the piano, but at the laboratory were not adequate and I awaits the day she will have an electronic later found out that I had been exposed to a studio again. number of toxins that had affected my organs and brain. Much of the damage was In the early ʻ80s Oksana met fellow musician irreversible. I was heartbroken”. To make Angel Rada. She visited his studio where they matters worst, she was misdiagnosed and discussed recording techniques, philosophy, given medication that made her condition and musical ideas. It was a Facebook post by worse. Oksana became very depressed as Angel that led Luis Alvarado to contact Oksana she dealt with her health issues. Eventually about releasing an album. “The post was she met a physician who understood her written by music critic and good friend symptoms and how to treat them. As her Gustavo E. Pazos, who has always encouraged health improved she decided to return to me to compose music”, she explains. Luis music. So she arranged for a loan and arranged for Caterwú Studio to digitize purchased a secondhand Moog Polymoog Oksanaʼs musical archives from her remaining and a Teac 3440, 4-track tape recorder. “I cassette recordings. “I tried to listen to my old started with those cassettes, but my and later I added a “I wanted to make music that sounded like player started to Moog Source, a destroy them”, Roland Tape Echo, a an orchestra with the acoustic and she says. “Luis TR-505, and a Méndez from mixer”, she says. non-acoustic sounds I loved”.

Caterwú Studios She met José Ignacio was able to Lares and informally studied under him at the preserve what most likely would have been Institute of Phonology. “I call him the lost”. Twelve tracks were selected from the Venezuelan ʻEmersonʼ because he dedicates newly digitized files and remastered by Alberto himself mainly to progressive rock”, she says.

Cendra at Garden Lab Audio and Aquatic and Other Worlds was born. 41 years after the first Oksana found solace in her music, “When I recordings were made, Oksanaʼs dream of was isolated and immersed in composing it releasing an album has been realized. had a very therapeutic effect on me,” she explains. For a while Oksana was very The reception has been amazing. Oksana and productive. During the ʻ80s and ʻ90s she her music have been embraced by the music composed numerous pieces, many of which community the world over, and for good appears on her debut album, Aquatic and reason. Not only is her story inspiring, but her music is outstanding. When you consider that Other Worlds. Unfortunately, life in Venezuela has been particularly hard for Oksana. “We these tracks were composed during the early have lived under a totalitarian regime for more days of electronic music, you begin to that 20 years”, she explains. “Our income has understand why she is being hailed as a been very low and the prices are very high”. pioneer. Thanks to the help of record labels

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Oksana in her studio in 1985 Photo by: Mardonio Diaz

Photo by: Oksana Linde

like Buh, the world is beginning to learn more about the rich electronic music scene of Latin America. Oksanaʼs music is a joy to listen to and is on par with many of her European contemporaries. “I was captivated with the otherworldly sounds of electronic musicians like Jarre, Vangelis, Kitaro, and Froese”, she tells me. “I wanted to make music that sounded like an orchestra with the acoustic and nonacoustic sounds I loved”. I believe you will agree she has succeeded. Her music is magical with complex melodies and simple arrangements. “It is hard for me to explain my recording process. Sometimes it was like I could see the music in my mind with shapes and colors”, she describes. Indeed, Oksana still notates musical ideas with lines and symbols, mapping out musical pieces that she wants to compose. Throughout all of the hardships and misfortunes in her life, she has remained true to her music. Utilizing the tools available to her, she has continued to compose. “In 2007 I acquired a Korg TR88 that was not fully functional, but I was able to use the on-board sequencer to compose many pieces”, she says.

“I still have many tracks I would love to get off of that sequencer”. More recently she has been able to create music with royalty free sounds and Audacity, a free audio editor and multi-track recorder. “It is hard to get equipment here in Venezuela. I have been waiting years for some of synths to be repaired and I may never get them back”, she says.

Buh Records are planning to release more of Oksanaʼs music in the future and I remain hopeful that she can setup a new studio some time soon. In fact, I hope that this article can in some way help to facilitate that. I applaud the efforts of Buh Records in shedding light on the amazing treasure trove of Latin American artists that have remained virtually unknown to the rest of the world. I asked Oksana if she was able to use mobile devices to make music because of their versatility and inexspensive apps and she said, “I havenʼt used mobile devices to make music before, but now I am working on some sounds to use on future

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projects with the Latin American Women of Electronic Music, who consist of musicians from different countries in Latin America”.

In the world of electronic music it is easy for us musicians to get caught up in the latest gear and software, especially now when devices are so inexpensive. It is hard to imagine artists struggling year after year trying to create their art without access to the basic tools they need.

Many of us have never dealt with the kinds of issues that Oksana has faced, both physically and socioeconomically. She brings an interesting perspective to electronic music composition that we could learn from, “When I see photos of studios filled with instruments I wonder if they are all necessary”, she says. “It would be interesting to have an opportunity to work with just a few of them”.

Oksana is very humbled by the publicity she has received, “I am an empirical composer who relies on intuition and not on formal training.

Iʼm not sure if all the publicity is warranted”, she says. However, her music speaks for itself and some of the greatest musicians have not been formally trained. I have truly enjoyed getting to know Oksana and listening to her music. I hope you will consider her situation and show your support anyway you can.

For more information visit: https://buhrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ aquatic-and-other-worlds

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Vangelis From progressive rock star to Academy Award winner, Vangelis became one of the most recognizable electronic artist over the course of his 59 year career.

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vángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, professionally known as Vangelis passed away May 17, 2022 from heart failure at the age of 79. Described as one of the most important artists in the history of electronic music, Vangelis is best known for his film score to Chariots of Fire. The opening piece was released as a single and reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over 1 million copies in the United States alone. Vangelis won an Academy Award for Best Original Music Score in 1982 for Chariots of Fire. Vangelis is also known for his film score to Ridley Scottʼs masterpiece, Blade Runner. In fact, his score has been characterized as being as much a part of the environment as the decaying building and ever-present rain in the film.

Vangelis had an uncanny ability to compose in real-time. Describing his studio method he said that as soon as a musical idea was formed, he would connect as many keyboards as possible to the mixing board and play as many parts as he could at the

same time. This way the main ideas were recorded and all that was left was to decide what to add to it and what to leave out.

Composing directly to tape, Vangelis has been described as a “one-man quasiclassical orchestra”. Vangelisʼ music is most recognized by his signature sound produced by the Yamaha CS-80. Vangelis himself said that the CS-80 was “the most important synthesizer of my career and for me the best analog synthesizer design there has ever been”. However, Vangelis was equally pleased with acoustic instruments stating he was happiest with unlimited choice and that sound is sound and vibration is vibration, whether from an electronic source or an acoustic instrument.

In his career, Vangelis scored many more films including, Antarctica, 1492: Conquest

of Paradise, Alexander, LʼApocalypse des animaux, and many others. He recorded over 20 solo studio albums and collaborated with artists such as Jon Anderson of the band Yes. The duo release four albums under the name Jon and Vangelis. Their debut album, Short Stories, reached number

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Photos by: Martin K. Koszolko

Martin K. Koszolko, producer of mobile strategies, shares how the artists produced their tracks with mobile devices

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Production process: I started this concept while in the back of a van as I toured with my band, Basecamp. I got the first idea while tinkering with this iOS app a friend had just put me on called "TF8". It was very simple to navigate, and I instantly created a lil arp melody that inspired me. Next, I plugged up my Bastl MicroGranny to see what type of samples I could capture from within the van. I hit record on the MicroGranny and started smacking on everything within armʼs reach. What I thought was just going to be a few field recordings started to turn into some very interesting rhythms. To build on the initial foundation, I layered a melody with the same app, "TF8". Later in Ableton, I added a gate to make it duck on the beat more and some reverb to automate for dynamics. And Iʼve been loving how fat the PO-14 sounds, so I threw that on and now we got some bounce. The track still felt like it needed air.... anytime i feel this way, one of my go-to ideas is my portable radio shack cassette recorder, it has a built-in microphone and it sounds incredible. Last but not least ... a vocal! I was going to record my vocal on the iPhone's voice memo app, but I decided to go with the MicroGranny again (the way it down-samples audio is magical).

15. Artist: BLEO Track Title: Full Featured Mobile Gear: Motorola Moto Z2 Play with PSP emulator and Littlegptracker apps Production process: For a number of years now, I've been producing tracks as BLEO using the cross-platform samplebased tracker, Littlegptracker aka Piggytracker.

Though I've used it on many different consoles over the years, my current setup is to run it on my Android phone within a PSP emulator. It's so nice to be able to compose on the fly without any extra stuff except for what I'm already carrying in my pocket anyhow. I also dig the phone setup because the constant internet connectivity allows me to continually back up all my work to Dropbox, which is not only great for safety's sake but also nice for version control ("Oh this mix sounded way better yesterday... revert!"). I worked up this

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particular track over a few days while on the bus, at work, in the car in the grocery store parking lot, etc. The finished product is a render generated directly from the tracker with no additional/external mixing or mastering.

16. Artist: Yoshima Petrosyan Track Title: Nonza (Tabac/Asbestos) Mobile Gear: iPad Air with GarageBand and Flux:FX apps Production process: This track was recorded using GarageBand on an iPad while I was in a small village in Corsica (Nonza). I used the app's native synth and drum sounds combined with samples generated from external sources. For example, the introductory percussive sound is the sound of saucepan lids being hit with a fork, sampled, and run through an arpeggiator. I modified all sounds using the Flux:FX inter-app audio. On this occasion (as I was traveling) I used only the iPad, however, typically I use the Apogee One as the audio interface between instruments/microphones and my iPad. I should note that the Espresso Martini is not typical.

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17. Artist: Planet Nowhere Track Title: Elevator Woman Mobile Gear: Korg Volca BASS, Korg Volca SAMPLE, iPhone 6s Plus with GarageBand app Production process: Korg Volca Bass was used for the main bassline and Korg Volca Sample for all percussion. The audio signal from the Volcas was routed to preamp mixer and driven for saturation. Then audio was sent into iPhone 6s Plus via audio interface. Everything was recorded in GarageBand on iOS. The Alchemy Synth in GarageBand was used for synth tones and processing. Post production and edits also took place in the GarageBand app.

18. Artist: Aday Track Title: Pressures Touch Mobile Gear: Samsung Galaxy S8 with AudioEvolution app, LSDJ DMG-001Gameboy, iPad Air 2 with Effectrix, Turnado, Egoist, FugueMachine and GeoShread apps Production process:

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Gearup

I used AudioEvolution app on Android via my Samsung S8 to capture multiple tracks of me noodling around with the FugueMachine app to build the melody, then jammed some LSDJ noise channel over the top for some percussion.

Next, I jammed along with GeoShread to give it some of that guitar modeling sound. Itʼs an awesome tool, I suggest everyone go play with it, especially if youʼre not that great at guitar but have access to a tablet. The track was processed/edited/cut up a bunch in AudioEvolution (with an OTG Cable + USB HUB + Soundcard + Mouse). When I had the layout, I put some of the tracks through the Sugarbytes apps. Most of the production process was streamed live over at Twitch.tv/aday0.

At: https://whats-your-speed.creator-spring.com/

19. Artist: Globotom Track Title: Es Ist Zu Spät Mobile Gear: iPad Pro 1st generation with GarageBand, Synthmaster and Sunrizer apps Production process: Es Ist Zu Spät means It Is Too Late and was made while I was doing some homework and tv played a horror movie. As it was foggy outside it was a very frightening atmosphere. Apps used were GarageBand, Synthmaster, Sunrizer and some effects.

For more information visit: https://clananalogue.bandcamp.com/album/ mobile-strategies-battery-powered-sonics

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Photos by: Roland

Roland Zenbeats In September 2019, Roland released Zenbeats a crossplatform DAW that promised to be a mobile music production powerhouse. Letʼs take a look at the new version 3.0

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Loopbuilder view

Linear view

Instrument view 41

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Present Browser view

Mixer view

Effects view MOBILE MUSICIAN

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Audio editor view

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KASTLE DRUM Photos by: Bastl

Based upon their popular pocket-sized modular synth, the Kastle, Bastl Instruments has taken the same hardware and repackaged it into an experimental modular drum machine.

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astl Instruments is a small company in Brno, Czech Republic, who specializes in eco-friendly electronic instruments and eurorack modules. In 2016, they released the original Kastle Synth, which gained instant popularity. After considering user feedback, they released an improved

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version 1.5 a year later. After re-visiting the design of the Kastle, Bastl decided to create a special edition of the Kastle which focused on algorithmic, industrial, glitchy drums.

Repackaged as the Kastle Drum, it features a unique dynamic acceleration charged envelope that produces a lot of rhythmic variety. Drum patterns can be fed into the

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Kastle Drum from other sources with the two Control Voltage (CV) inputs, or they can be generated from the built-in stepped pattern sequencer. Just like the Kastle Synth, the Kastle Drum is designed for experimentation.

It features 8 drum synthesis styles, a noise output for less tonal sounds, decay time, pitch control, voltage-controlled clock, 8 step and 16 step pattern loop generator, 2 CV inputs and outputs, and modulation controls. It uses the same “jumper wire” patch cables found in the Kastle Synth and other modular synths from other manufacturers like the Korg Volca Modular and Moog Werkstatt. These devices can be patched with the Kastle Drum to create a larger, more powerful system. It is powered by 3 AA batteries or USB. The Kastle Drum is also open source. The source

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code is available on Github for anyone who wants to modify itʼs functionality.

Overall the Kastle Drum has been a lot of fun to play. It provides the user with so many possibilities. When you combine it with the Kastle Synth and other synths the magic really happens.

For more information visit: https://bastl-instruments.com/instruments/ kastle-drum

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ARTIPHON

ORBA 2 ARTIPHON.COM $149 The new Orba 2 by Artiphon picks up where the original Orba left off.

Version 2 offers a new sound engine that supports sample playback. Use the new Orba app on your phone to capture and import samples. It also includes quantization with groove options, 128 bar song length, 2 GB of factory memory, 2 GB user memory, 24-bit audio converter, and better quality headphone output.

DONNER

B1 BASS SYNTH DONNERDEAL.COM $168

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Donner introduces itʼs first synthesizer, the B1 Bass Synthesizer and Sequencer. Modeled after the classic TB-303, the B1 offers an easy to use interface with hands-on controls and a silicone back-lit keyboard. Capable of classic deep bass tones it also features saturation and delay effects. It comes pre-programmed with 128 sequencer presents covering a range of musical styles and 128 user locations for your own creations. It can be used as a USB controller for your computer and tablet, as well as, connected to your external MIDI devices.

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CRE8AUDIO

EAST BEAST CRE8AUDIO.COM $249 This new tabletop synth is an all analog East Coast style subtractive monophonic synth. It is controllable via MIDI, CV, and on-board keyboard.

It is fully patchable and can be used with external devices. It also features a 32 step sequencer with 13 presents, a generative sequencer mode, clocksynced arpeggiator, multi-mode filter, oscillator with sine, triangle, saw, square, and pitched noise waveforms, and many other features. It also can be removed from itʼs case and mounted into a eurorack case.

CRE8AUDIO

Cre8audio has also released a new West Coast style additive monophonic synth.

Designed around the same interface and form factor as the East Beast, the West Pest is controllable via MIDI, CV, and onboard keyboard. It features a fullypatchable design, 32 step sequencer, clock-synced arpeggiator, analog oscillator with sine, triangle, and saw waveforms, frequency modulation, wave folder, digital multi-mode tool, LFO, built-in clock divider, and much more. Like the East Beast, it can also be mounted into a eurorack case.

WEST PEST CRE8AUDIO.COM $249

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lost in. There are some interesting layers in here, like the piano part that is faintly heard at the end of Grain, Letting Go. It adds to the curiosity of the whole track, which sounds like it would be right at home in the latest scifi film.

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he Homeland of Electricity, by

Scanner, Is a marvelous playground of rhythm and sound, featuring 10 tracks that immerse you in thick textures like a crystal clear pool.

The opening track, You and Me begins with soft strings, but quickly picks up the pace with an underlying bass line and slow arpeggios that float around in the stereo space. Scanner masterfully combines synthetic and acoustic instruments to create a dense sound with dark overtones. I particularly like the mellotron flute, acoustic bass, and percussion instruments he has sprinkled throughout the album.

There is an aimless feel to these tracks, which to me adds to the floating feeling, like you are just hanging there in the experience.

Of course, Scanner also uses dialog and vocal effects to perfection, adding to the ambience.

As does the use of reverb, delay, and glitchy audio effects create a vast environment to get

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Overall, the album has a dark feel to it, with heavy bass lines and dissonant chord professions. It is very rhythmic, even when there are no percussion sounds in the track, Scanner adds rhythmic sequences. In Artemovsk he combines drums, arpeggios, and glitchy vocal effects to build layer upon layer of rhythm, all anchored with a dark bass progression that moves the track along.

Scanner ends the track with a spoken loop, reminiscent of Front 242.

The upright bass is the star of the track At Last it Moves into Silence, with itʼs playful jazz melody that fades away towards the end.

It is so interesting to hear the variety of genres featured on this album. Scanner uses them to perfection to add a little flavor here and there. Jazz, fusion, Berlin school, cinematic, techno, and industrial are all represented here.

The Homeland of Electricity will be release on June 17th on DiN records and I highly recommend it.

For more information visit: http://scannerdot.com

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nversions, by Erik Wollo is a collection of seven ambient guitar tracks, recorded at Erikʼs home. As he describes it, “My musical ideas usually come to me while I am doing something else, so I have guitars and loopers set up all around the house so I can capture them”. For Inversions, Erik collected the best of these sketches and compiled the EP. “These sketches feature many backward loops that ʻinvertʼ the notes and chord progressions”, he says.

The beautiful tones of the guitar and shimmer reverb captures your imagination and images begin to form in your mind of desolate places and peaceful moments. Like being in a dream that you donʼt want to end.

This album is very impressive when you realize that all of the sounds your hear have been created with guitars and effects. Erik did not use any synthesizers on this album, yet it sounds like he did. The textures created by layering up loop after loop are magical and show just how skilled Erik is.

Each piece makes you feel like you are locked in time, watching the world pass you by.

For more information visit:

At 30 minutes long, Inversions is the perfect album to escape the pressures of real life to just pause for a moment to decompress. Iʼm sure we could all use a break. Take a few minutes and get lost in your own imagination with Inversions.

https://projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ inversions-ep-name-your-price

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orning Mercies, by Sergio

Mariani features six tracks of beautiful ambient music. The arrangements are very sparse and the parts are simple. This is by design as it creates a sense of solitude.

The opening track begins with a pulsating bell pad and slowly builds with a guitar lead sound that accents the chord changes. The title track reminds me of a lazy morning, waking from twilight sleep to the sunʼs warm glow. The synth part has a very long release that just seems to float in the background forever.

Overall, I love how retro this album sounds.

The choice of synth sounds are straight out of the ʻ90s and reminds me of artists like Kevin Braheny.

I guess my only criticism would be that the album is too short. It is so enjoyable that I wish it lasted a little bit longer. But nonethe-less it is a great collection of tunes that will melt away the tensions of the day.

For more information visit: https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/ album/morning-mercies-cyd-0053

For Scotish Fidelis there is a lovely vocal part and the guitar sound used on Two Adams is a nice touch. The final track is also very slow, with long string sounds that fade in and out.

On top of it all is an amazing vocal pad sound.

I was surprised right near the end of the track when the acoustic guitar part fades in. That is a nice addition of some real-world sounds.

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F

elix Perez a.k.a. MindPhaser set out with the idea of combining his love for music with his experience as a Hydrologist Engineer. He has always been fascinated with early electronic music and for his latest album Hydrological Cycle / A Water Adventure, he composed nine tracks in the Berlin School genre that represent a different part of the water cycle. Utilizing a small collection of hardware and software synths, including the Waldorf Biofeld, BassStaion II, Peak, Cobalt8, Analog Lab, Mellotron, and more, Felix sequenced everything into Logic Pro.

The opening sound in Rain Percolation into Groundwater instantly reminded me of the classic Casio CZ-1.

I particularly like the interesting chord progression he chose for The Hydrosphere and his use of the classic Mellotron flute sound. The beautiful sequencer line that fades in near the halfway point of Isotopic Fractionation pays homage to the pioneers of the genre. The way the tone slowly changes over time is also a nice touch, adding some variety for the listener.

https://cyclicaldreams.bandcamp.com/ album/hydrological-cycle-a-wateradventure-cyd-0054

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The whole album is a nice mixture of ambient synth sounds and infectious rhythms. The complex sequencer lines overlapping and flowing in and out of the composition cause the tracks to come to life. After listening to the album, I would say that Felix has mastered two professions, engineering and music composition.

For more information visit:

JUNE 2022

Star’s End

Ambient music every Sunday Morning from 1:00 am to 6:00 am With your host Chuck Van Zyl, only on WXPN 88.5 FM For live broadcast and archived recordings visit: xpn.org

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CRAIG P. SMITH T

his month our Readerʼs Rig features Illinois based musician Craig P. Smith. Craig began his music career back in the ʻ70s with friend and band mate, Joe Fasula.

“My first loves were singing, the Mellotron, analog synthesizers, and electronic music”, he says. “I bought my first Mellotron when I was still in high school in 1976”. Craigʼs band, Eternal Void was an improvisational

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experimental group, inspired by the music of Brian Eno. “When Joe and I decided to revive the band in 2019, we changed the name to Neutral Earth and started working on new tunes”, says Craig. “We both had Tascam DP-32 recorders so we mailed SD cards back and forth until we had completed the tracks”. They have released two albums on YouTube that are excellent.

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“I was diagnosed with a rare degenerative muscle disorder that began to hinder my ability to play keyboards”, he continues.

“I thought a eurorack modular synthesizer would be the perfect instrument to continue my musical journey with, so I bought a 2hp Lunchbox and filled it with modules”. Inspired by YouTube videos of musicians playing their compact modular synthesizers outside, Craig started filming his own original patches and posting them to Youtube as well.

The 2hp Lunchbox is a 42 HP modular synthesizer in an actual lunchbox. His modules include: (All 2hp) ADSR, VCO, MMF, VCA, Sine, Pluck, LFO, EG, Div, Rnd, TM, Clk, Euclid, Seq, Arp, Tune, Delay, Verb and Mix. To power the 2hp Lunchbox when electric outlets are not available Craig uses a BESTEK Portable Power Station 167Wh (45,000mAh/3.7V) Lithium Battery Generator. Mobile recordings are done with a TASCAM DR-07X. Craig also wants to incorporate the HYVE touch synthesizer, the Make Noise 0-Coast, and 0-Control in a mobile music system, along with a KOMA Elektronik Field Kit he recently purchased.

For more information visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/ nx01craig/featured https://www.facebook.com/Craig-PSmith-106681454411362/about/ ?ref=page_internal https://www.facebook.com/NeutralEarth-102941078118034/ ?modal=admin_todo_tour Photos by: Craig P. Smith

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Photos by: circuitmess

CIRCUITMESS JAY-D KIT In this monthʼs DIY we take a look at a simple kit designed to teach you about soldering, coding, and how to DJ.

C

ircuitMess is a group of talented developers who are bringing electronics to the masses in a fun and educational way. By manufacturing DIY kits that are easy to build and teach you how to solder, code, and assemble all sorts of interesting devices, CircuitMess is MOBILE MUSICIAN

introducing electronics to the next generation and anyone else who is interested in learning something new.

The Jay-D Mixtable kit includes everything you need to assemble a fully functioning DJ mixing table. It allows you to load multiple 56

song files and mix between them, applying effects and beat matching. You can even program lighting effects with the on-board LEDs. An included SD card comes preloaded with royalty-free beats to get you started and you can add your own. The Jay-D includes a 3.5mm headphone output and built-in speakers. There is a step-bystep instruction guide and video guides are also available online.

Check out the Jay-D and the other amazing kits over at CircuitMess. It might be the beginning of a long and happy relationship.

For more information visit: https://circuitmess.com/pages/shop

The Jay-D is a cool little project that will teach you a lot about soldering and coding.

It is difficult enough to give you a bit of a challenge, but not so difficult that you will throw in the towel. Best of all, when you are finished youʼll have a tiny audio player that you could add to your live rig. And while it may not have the latest bells and whistles, it could be programmed to do just what you are looking for.

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HOW TO BUILD THE PERFECT LIVE RIG By: Jeremy Spurgeon Building the perfect live rig can be a daunting task. In this monthʼs field guide weʼll explore semi-modular patching.

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ʼm no expert in modular patching, but one thing I love to do is patch my tiny synths to each other to create my own “semi-modular” system. One of the semi-modular synths I own is the Korg Volca Modular. It is based on west coast synthesis and uses bread board jumper wires as patch cords. You can re-wire the signal path to create your own unique sounds. When I first got it I made a few patches on it, but it didnʼt dawn on me that I could patch from one synth to another until much later. I also own the Bastl Kastle, so it was the perfect choice to experiment with since it also uses jumper wires as patch cords. In fact, now I own the Kastle Drum and the Moog Werkstatt-01 that use the same wires as well. Although, I have the patch bay expander on the Werkstatt so it uses 1/8” mono patch cables instead of the jumper wires now.

However, the Volca Modular, Bastl Kastle, and Kastle Drum all have 1/8” input and output jacks so that you can interface them with other semimodular synths that use 1/8” patch cords. All of these synths use mono connections so one thing I discovered early on was that I needed a common ground to protect my devices when

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patching them together. It turns out that connecting the audio output of each synth to the same audio mixer provides the ground. I have connected all of my semi-modular synths to each other in this way and they have functioned as expected.

One of the coolest tricks I have learned is to use the LFO on the Bastl Kastle to modulate the sound on the Volca Modular, since the Volca doesnʼt have an LFO of itʼs own.

Another trick I have learned is that since I use the sync out of the Volca Modular to sync other Volcas, I can use the clock output on the Volca to sync the tempo on the Kastle Synth and Kastle Drum using jumper wires.

I have also used the sequencer output on the Volca Modular to play the Kastle Synth, which adds another layer to the sound. The beauty of cross-patching from one synth to another is that there are so many possibilities. I usually use the Korg Monotron Delay as an effects processor in my rig, but the Volca Modular has a bizarre built-in reverb effect that has a patch-able input. So

sometimes I will send the audio from the Kastle Synth to it, using the jumper wires. It is so cool.

the Kastle Synth with the built-in keyboard of the Werkstatt is awesome.

Using the 1/8” input on the Kastle Synth, I can also use the Korg SQ-1 to play the Kastle or modulate a parameter instead. It is such a versatile way to work that I understand the appeal of eurorack and other fully modular systems. For instance, being able to patch the audio from the Volca Modular through the filter of the Moog Werkstatt is amazing. Or, being able to play

The combinations are endless and with a bit of experimentation you will be surprised what you can come up with. I hope this article has provided you with a few new ideas to try with your semi-modular gear. Donʼt be afraid to think outside the box!

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AFFILIATE LINKS

VOLTAGE MODULAR modular softsynth By cherry audio cherryaudio.com

PATCHWORKS

EXPERIMENTAL DRUM PATTERN FOR BASTL KASTLE DRUM

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ately I have been experimenting with my new Kastle Drum synth from Bastl Instruments. It is a bizarre tiny gadget capable of some strangle blips and bleeps. It can produce all sorts of glitchy noisy sounds and some extremely harsh metallic sounds. I havenʼt figured it all out yet, which make it more exciting.

the left socket of the input jack to one of the Drum Mod sockets on the Kastle Drum.

For this monthʼs Patchworks I thought I would explain one way I connected the Kastle Drum to the Korg SQ-1 sequencer and the Korg Monotron Delay for some crazy rhythm patterns that could easily form the basis of a song.

Now, the Kastle Drum does not react to note CV like other synths do, so when you dial in the notes on the SQ-1 you will get a bunch of weird percussive sounds from the Kastle Drum, but as you dial the pitch, decay, and drum knobs on the Kastle you will “hit” certain tones that sound great!

By adjusting the cutoff on the Monotron you can create some great bass sounds and with some delay effect, you can start to make some great rhythms.

First of all most of the manipulation in this examples comes from turning knobs and not from control voltage (CV) modulation, especially since the Korg Monotron Delay doesnʼt accept CV. You can get all sorts of variations to your pattern by tweaking the pitch, decay, and drum knobs on the Kastle Drum, the note knobs on the SQ-1, and the delay controls on the Monotron.

Here is how you hook everything together. First, run a cable from the CV-A output of the SQ-1 to the input of the Kastle Drum. Next, run another cable from the Kastle Drumʼs output to the input of the Monotron. Connect your headphones or speaker to the headphone jack of the Monotron.

Finally take a jumper wire and patch

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A word of warning here. The output of the Kastle Drum is very loud, so be sure to start with the volume set pretty low on the Monotron and slowly bring it up to protect your ears.

That is pretty much all you need to know. This simple set up can create some awesome results. Just keep tweaking the knobs until you hear something you like.

The next step I think I am going to try is sampling the best rhythms I come up with into my iPad using the Blocs Wave app. That way I can integrate them into my larger Live rig and use them in my next improvisation.

Until next time, happy tweaking!

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Listening Booth We are constantly discovering new music and amazing artists that we want to share with you.

Here are some of our favorites.

Seven Waves Suzanne Ciani

Aquatic and Other Worlds Oksana Linde

China Vangelis

Red Sails Nightswimmer and Scanner

Point Yello

Mobile Strategies Various Artists

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The Presence and Absence of a Swerve Heart in the Birth of Evil L-Ror

Timewind Klaus Schuze

Architecture of Dreams John Scott Shepherd

Clockwork Orange Wendy Carlos

Sacred Journey of Ku-Kat Kitaro

Zones, Drones, & Atmospheres Steve Roach

Pulse Width Paul Ellis

Pinnacles Edgar Froese

Electronic Decade Vol. 1 Matrix Mirage

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JUNE 2022

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JUNE 2022

Korg Volca Modular Patchbook By: Jeremy Bernard Spurgeon Korg Volca Modular Patchbook is a blank notebook designed to save all of your favorite patches from the Korg Volca Modular synthesizer. It includes a page for name, date, and notes about the patch and an illustration of the front panel on the synth so that you can draw in your cable routing.

9” x 6” hardcover 100 pages

Available on Amazon