Schneider's Buero Berlin

Whilst on a recent holiday in Berlin I made a pilgrimage to the legendary Schneider's Buero; but first I had to find it. Not an easy task!

Once inside the staff were all really friendly, knowledgeable and able to advise, whilst also allowing me space to experiment on my own. I went there with a shopping list, expecting to have to pick and choose depending on what was in stock. They had everything on it!

Could this be the hotline to the London test salon...?

You want hardware? They got it!

Even the ceiling is cool.

My daughter loved this Doepfer LMK2+ housed in an old piano.

Summing up: if you're into analog synths and you're in Berlin,  Germany, or even Europe, I'd definitely make a trip there. In fact I'd like to take another trip to Berlin, just go to Schneider's. It's a unique place with a fantastic vibe, great staff,  great gear, and an ethos that exudes enthusiasm and passion for what they do. Long live Schneiders!

Industrial dystopia sends us back to the womb

A new track...

Recorded Portsmouth 2013.

'Industrial dystopia sends us back to the womb' is a drone/noise/ambient piece made with a small Doepfer A100 system.

No midi sequencing, just good old fashioned knob twiddling...

Recorded in mono, then converted to stereo in Logic with manipulation to create a wider field.

Schneiders Test Salon Modular Synthesis Workshop

On Saturday I spent a enjoyable and enlightening couple of hours at Scheneiders Test Salon in London.

The event was organised by Simon Lynch to help publicise all the salon has to offer, and give folks a hands on introduction to different modules, and styles of synthesis. He began by demonstrating a selection of different systems - subtractive, analogue FM, digital wave table, which we were then allowed to knob-turn, twist and bend to our hearts content.

Thanks to all the participants and organisers.  I came away on a modular high, and would definitely recommend the next event to anyone with an interest.

The salon is also open to individual users. There is a film about how it works here.

Synthesis of a crappy keyboard

A new Neal Beard and his Machines track...

Recorded Portsmouth 2013.

Yes, it's meant to sound like this!

Bass, melody, and noise from a Doepfer A100. Drums Yamaha DD10.

For filtering I used Doepfer's A124 Wasp module, which created lots of unusual glitchy type effects. The audio was also split and overdriven through several VCA's across the stereo field.

New tracks in Progress

Two new tracks in progress:

A composition called Crappy Cat V,VI,I,ii in C (although I think I might rename this Crappy Keyboard Synthesis V, IV, I and ii in C) and an improvisation called Back to the Womb.

Both tracks created using an A100 and a circuit bent Yamaha DD10. The A112 sample was of my daughter.

Nearly, but not quite finished...