tangiblewaves

  • Products
    • AE Modular: complete systems
    • AE Modular: Modules
    • AE Modular: Cases, Accessories
    • Third Party Products
    • Education Systems
    • VMIX-10
  • News
  • About
    • Imprint
  • Retailers
  • Service
    • Plan your Rack
    • AE Modular Wiki
    • Support Forum
    • AE modular documentation >
      • Oscillator calibration
      • DIY Info
      • Discontinued Modules
    • Downloads
  • Contact
    • Special Discount
    • Email Newsletter
    • Privacy policy
  • Products
    • AE Modular: complete systems
    • AE Modular: Modules
    • AE Modular: Cases, Accessories
    • Third Party Products
    • Education Systems
    • VMIX-10
  • News
  • About
    • Imprint
  • Retailers
  • Service
    • Plan your Rack
    • AE Modular Wiki
    • Support Forum
    • AE modular documentation >
      • Oscillator calibration
      • DIY Info
      • Discontinued Modules
    • Downloads
  • Contact
    • Special Discount
    • Email Newsletter
    • Privacy policy

BLOG

February 2022 - Make Synths not War!!

25/2/2022

 
These are strange times and as I’m writing this, my heart goes out to all the people who fear for their life and their loved ones as they are being dragged into war and violence. The current crisis in the Ukraine is a terrible situation and I don’t want to make light of that at all, but it has also, to some extent, affected the release of one of our new products. Let me explain … 

For a few years now, as I’ve been dreaming up new modules and researching electronic music circuitry, I’ve been inspired by the invention of one man who created a beautiful filter with a very distinct sound. This filter, and the whole synthesizer it was part of, was designed and built in 1982 in the USSR at a time when the country was mostly shut off from the western world. Some of western music did find its way behind the iron curtain though and the inventor of this filter wanted to create an instrument that gave his fellow countrymen (and women) the same sounds as what the Beatles and other western bands had. This synthesizer was called POLIVOKS which in Russian means multi timbres and although it could only be played duo-phonically, it was revolutionary for an electronic instrument built in the Soviet Union at the time. Some people even called the POLIVOKS the Russian Minimoog, because of its sound even though it’s circuitry was very unique and not at all like the Moog or any other analog synth.

So I became fascinated by this synth, the unique and unorthodox design of the filter and its inventor Vladimir Kuzmin. For the last few months I’ve been designing a filter module for the AE Modular system which is based on this vintage design which is nowadays in very high regard and has come to a kind of renaissance as lovers of electronic instruments are rediscovering the roots of these circuits. 

Finally, just about two weeks ago, the filter was finished, ready for a production run and ready to be announced to the world. I thought I would call it “VLADIMIR” to honour its original inventor (who is still  alive and currently working with Behringer to bring the full Polivoks experience back to the masses). 

Then, Russia decided to invade Ukraine and suddenly current affairs mingled with our beautiful cloistered world of electronic music which is usually free from politics. I did not feel confident about the name anymore as it could now very easily be misunderstood for the name of the current president of Russia and that man and his government does not currently appear in a good light in most parts of the world. It might be easy to explain to anyone who asks, which Vladimir the filter is named after and that it’s not in any way an expression of support for a regime which is inflicting such pain not only on the Ukrainians but also on its own people. But sometimes people just make up their own minds and turn their backs and don’t ask to understand the finer points. As a small business owner I feel that I can’t risk being caught in a political debate or having customers turn their backs on my products just because of politics and a misunderstanding. I have to think of my business on which my and my employees' livelihood depends. So I’m not risking it. I also can’t name it ‘Polivoks’ as this is now a trademark owned by Behringer. (see this article here) 

So here we are. I have a beautiful filter for you, which has no name. What do you think it should be called? Please let me know in this thread on the forum:

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1972/blog-february-2022-make-synths​

If there’s a good suggestion that is free from political dangers I’ll definitely release the filter under this new name. In case you would like to know more about the Polivoks synth and its inventor Vladimir Kuzmin you should read the following article which also includes an interview:

http://analogik.com/articles/180/polivoks-russian-vintage-synth

New Products

T-Shirts and Hoodies
​

Many of you asked for it time and time again. And finally I was able to find the right supplier for the shirts and the print. They are unisex and available in all standard sizes.

You can order them in our online shop here: T-Shirts and Hoodies.

VMIX-10 a standalone mixer made for Volcas!
​

As I was working on the MIXCONSOLE and the VM-BRIDGE I was thinking of those little Volcas which were my initial inspiration for the design of the AE Modular system a few years ago. I also noticed that there isn’t a suitable mixer available which fits into this Volca ecosystem. So I decided to build one. This mixer is made especially with Volcas in mind, but can be used with any audio device and is completely standalone. It allows the connection of up to 6 mono and 2 stereo sources with line/synth levels, meaning 10 channels in total. It offers level, pan and two FX sends per channel; plus a stereo headphone output The VMIX-10 has exactly the size of a Volca, therefore should fit perfectly in Volca stands that are available. It also has power out connections so that up to 4 Volcas can be powered directly from the mixer.
​
​You can now purchase this product in our online shop.​
Picture
Picture
Picture
(Volca Modular shown only for size comparison. Volca is a trademark owned by Korg.)

COMPACT MIXER

This is the same design as theVMIX-10, but made to fit into an AE Modular rack. Instead of the power connectors it features both 3.5mm minijack and AE patch points so you can use this mixer just like the MIXCONSOLE but with the added benefit that each channel can now be patched in also from an external device, and of course, the integrated headphone amplifier.

You can order  this product in our online shop, shipping will start in 2-3 weeks
Picture

HEARTBEAT 

This is the master clock for your AE system! The display allows you to select a very fine grained BPM setting which you can select either via the knob in steps as fine as 0.1 or via the tap tempo button.  It has 6 outputs which can be configured individually for different clock divisions between 1/1 and 1/32 and even dotted notes and triplets. The module has its own internal clock, or it can be configured to use an external clock (e.g. the Bus clock if MIDI is plugged into the MASTER module).

You can now purchase this product in our online shop.
Picture
Picture

HEARTBEAT EXTENDER

This is an extension module which connects to the HEARTBEAT module via a small cable on the rear side. It offers a quick way to switch between different clock rates  via the 6 preset buttons. It also offers minijack connections for MIDI in (as an additional clock source independent from the external clock input). With the MIDI out socket you can use the AE system as the master clock in your studio as it sends standard MIDI clock/start/stop signals to other gear. Lastly the SWING/ACCLR knob allows for choosing a swing amount or accelerando/ritardando time when switching between tempo presets.

You can now purchase this product in our online shop.

??? Filter

The (yet) unnamed filter is based on the Polivoks design by Vladimir Kuzmin, known for its rough, unique sound and the special circuitry that avoids capacitors which is quite unusual for filter circuits This filter features high pass and low pass output, and, beyond the original design, a distortion and FM mode and its resonance can be switched between soft and hard.

Ready for production, but because of the naming issue not yet for sale. Please let me know your thoughts and idea for the name in this thread on the forum:

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1972/blog-february-2022-make-synths​

Picture

Music made by the Community

If you are considering buying any of the the albums below, on Friday, 04 March 2022, Bandcamp will waive their revenue share to better help support the artists. For more information read here: daily.bandcamp.com/features/bandcamp-fridays-update
​

Picture

​When John aka @namke takes his AE on the stage he invites the listeners to join him on a sonic journey of mystery and wonder. Here is another such journey all performed solely on the AE Modular with a few extra modules of his own making!
https://namcom.bandcamp.com/album/arent-we-all-on-the-edge-right-now
Picture

​Our most prolific Jamuary artist of 2022 @maydonpoliris has handed over his new work to @maximilius001 for mastering and out came this album of very engaging and interesting AE Modular tracks.
https://maydonpoliris.bandcamp.com/album/hysteria

Picture

​Again @funbun has delivered an album full of intricate sequencer lines and rhythmic elements that fuse jazz, minimalism and the experimental together. The pieces in this album reflect life stories, some happy, some not, of people in @funbun's life. Or to quote him:  If music cannot help humanity, then what's the point? https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/bonnie-the-kellog​ 

​Other music on the forum

You may nod your head to these tracks by @p3r https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1953/head-nod-ahead

Some interesting tracks by @101 https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1942/new-release-goldair-aa

Foxermod aka @anachronmaker released a few tracks on Spotify: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1946/foxermod-1-released

And just last minute @dmoney2000 posted his latest YouTube track as usual with very cool animations ​https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1971/hey-everybody-neforum.aemodular.com/thread/1971/hey-everybody-neww 

DIY Projects

Wooden Cabinets

Do-it-yourself doesn’t always mean that you have to be an electronic wiz, sometimes it’s just as well to exchange the solder iron for a hand saw and the solder for glue. These self made wooden cabinets for the AE Modular look fantastic and they are all as unique as their makers.

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1950/diy-ae-cabinet
Website for Patching Inspirations

Sometimes an unpatched modular synth can be just as intimidating to a musician as a blank sheet of paper is to a writer or painter. This new website can help you overcome the initial moment of indecision by providing you with randomised prompts about which module to patch with another. It has been designed and developed by @timothyjackman, a relatively new user on the forum. It’s simple, easy to use and absolutely brilliant, please check it out!

You can access the website directly here:
https://timothyjackman.github.io/aepatchgenerator.html


And you can leave comments and words of thanks in the following thread:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1956/ae-patch-inspiration-challenge-website

Electronic Music Documentaries on TV

The European TV channel Arte has a few interesting pieces about electronic music, its artists and inventors. Check out the following programmes:

Sisters with Transistors (viewable in Europe only)
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/104017-000-A/sisters-with-transistors-die-verkannten-heldinnen-der-elektronischen-musik/ 

Electronic Vibrations (this seems to be viewable from anywhere)
https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/098798-000-A/electronic-vibrations/

The following is a British documentary about various prominent inventors of electronic instruments. Luckily it’s available on YouTube.

Bright Sparks - A Side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXWgBEiNhs

Bright Sparks - B Side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXPoM9s8Trs ​

Meetups and Events

Superbooth​ is not far off and will hopefully still go ahead from May 12th to May 14th in Berlin. Tickets are now available from the website:

https://www.superbooth.com/en/tickets.html

A few AE forum members have already indicated that they are planning to come to the event and that they would be interested in meeting up more formally. Please let us know if you’re also planning to come along and whether you’re interested in an AE Modular meetup at or outside Superbooth.

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1701/ideas-ae-meetup-superbooth-2022 

    Author

    Robert Langer, founder of tangible waves. Here, I will share some thoughts, background infos and news about AE modular and tangible waves.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Company

About
Imprint      
Privacy Policy
Email Newsletter

Support

Contact
tangible waves forum
​
AE Modular Wiki
© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Please visit our forum at http://forum.aemodular.com