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The past weeks have been a bit overwhelming and challenging for us here at the tangible waves workshop. For one thing we were absolutely inundated with orders for the new VMIX-10 which has become a best seller in only a few weeks without much advertising even. The initial batch was sold out in a few days and we have now ordered many more for the next batch to keep up with demand. The first batch is now (finally!) shipping and I dare say it is looking quite stylish in its packaging.  We also had great success with the sale of the KUZMIN filter. We declared in this blog post that we would donate 70% of the sales of this module to UNICEF to help the children of Ukraine who are most affected by the brutal war inflicted on them by Putin. So far 32 modules were sold over the last 2 weeks which generated more than €960 which we’ve donated to UNICEF. If you haven’t yet decided to make the purchase, don’t worry, we will keep up with the donations in the future, as surely help will be needed even after the war ends.  We’ve decided to suspend working on new modules for a while. The process is more time consuming than I often expect (although I love it!) and made especially complicated and exhausting with the worsening chip crisis and delivery delays from China due to renewed COVID lockdowns that affect factories and delivery companies. We started the year with an almost clean order book and unfortunately have slipped behind in the production and shipping of orders due to the mentioned issues, but also because Antonia (who manages all the packaging/shipping) fell quite ill with Covid for a few weeks. Now we will all work focused hard to “close the gap” again. We will also focus more on improving the quality of existing modules, some of which may soon see improved versions. But don’t worry, we do have a special surprise planned for release at Superbooth ;-) New ProductsWhile there’s not much to see from tangible waves this month, our friend John from Wonkystuff has caused quite the stir with the release of two very exciting modules.
Wonkystuff - Kaestle The Kaestle is a clone of the famous Bastl Kastle mini synthesiser from Bastl Instruments. As you can see in the photo above it breaks the “rules” of where patch points should be in the AE Modular system. But as this module is almost a complete synth voice in itself, it makes sense and allows for easier patching. You can find more information about this module at the Wonkystuff shop here: https://wonkystuff.net/product/kaestle/ Wonkystuff - Drum This is another clone from Bastl Instruments, this time for the relatively new Drum module, a very complex, glitchy and fun way to explore lofi drum patterns and sounds. Find out more about the drum here at the Wonkystuff online shop: https://wonkystuff.net/product/kaestledrum/ Patchwire Fabrication - Angular Brackets
These new 3D printed brackets are a great and very sturdy way to connect two AE Modular cases to each other. You can either buy the finished product from the Patchwire Fabrication’s Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1192247163/ae-modular-desk-brackets Or you can print them yourself if you have a 3D printer at home. You can find the instructions and other information in this thread on the forum: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1995/new-brackets-patchwire-fabrication-available S-Trig converter cable So we couldn’t help ourselves and had to throw in a tiny, specialised product which we developed for a customer a few months ago. With this adapter you can convert gate/trigger signals from AE modular (or other synths) to the so-called S-Trigger. S-Triggers are used in Moog synths and its Clones, e.g. in the 911 envelope generator, and Korg synths, like MS-10, MS-20 and others.  This cable is now available from our online store. Music made by the CommunityMax Richardson, Here but not here  This is a truly special album even though it’s not per se made with the AE Modular. Max has asked many people from all over the world to recount their experiences and challenges throughout the pandemic and then assembled it all masterfully into a series of collages with subtle background music and sounds which provide just the right atmosphere for each segment. To be honest, it can be challenging to engage with it as it is very personal and may open some wounds that are now slowly healing after the global craziness of the pandemic. However throughout all the accounts of hardship, there’s also always the element of resilience and strength to move on. And that is what eventually instils hope in the listener. Please listen and purchase this amazing work on Max Richardson’s Bandcamp page: https://maxrichardson.bandcamp.com/album/here-but-not-here Max was also interviewed about this project on BBC radio and you can listen to the interview here (forward to 02:22:00): https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bs0rx5 Black Warrior Lures User @funbun is so productive, it’s almost scary, but in a really good way! Here are two new albums of electronic experimentation in rhythms and sounds.
You can find both albums on his Bandcamp page: https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/xenharmonique-2 https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/beccas-dreams Meetups and EventsSynthfest France, 1st - 3rd of April in Nante Our forum user @moruial is going and if you are also there, then maybe meet up for a mini AE Modular meetup! More information in our forum: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2020/synth-fest-france Superbooth, 12th - 14th May in Berlin We’ve talked about this a lot and are looking forward to seeing many of you there at our tangible waves booth. A small group of people has already started planning to meet up for a group event of some sort. If you would like to meet other forum users at Superbooth, then please add your name to the growing list here in the forum: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2014/superbooth-2022   The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Putin is shocking, a tragedy and most likely a crime. However it is easy to fall into the mentality of “us against them” and to succumb to hate directed against the innocent. As Sting has put it so perfectly in his song which he never thought to have to sing again: “The Russians love their children too”. So we should not mistake the madness of one man and his criminal cronies with the people of the country. While the Ukrainians fight for their lives, their freedom and their country against an overwhelming and brutal war machine, so do many Russians risk their freedom and maybe even their lives by protesting against this war on the streets in Moscow, St. Petersburg and many other cities deep within Russia in an increasingly oppressive regime. How does this affect us as artists, musicians and small manufacturers of electronic instruments? How can we help end this war and how can we give real, meaningful help to the hundreds of thousands of refugees who are leaving behind everything they love, their homes, their jobs, their families and their fathers, husbands and brothers who have to stay back to fight against Putin’s army? In my last blog post I wrote about the filter which I have designed and which was almost ready to go into production but for the fact that its design was inspired by a Russian inventor who also developed the Polivoks synthesizer a long time ago (maybe even when Sting wrote that song?) I asked you, the community, what the name should be for this filter, and the overwhelming majority voted for “KUZMIN” in honour of this great man, an inventor, an artist, a Russian who put his mind not to subdue people, but to give them the tools to express themselves musically, a kind of freedom towards the end of the cold war and the soviet era. So here is the new KUZMIN FILTER in honour of Vladimir Kuzmin: It offers a unique sound and some additional features:
And to directly offer my help to the people of Ukraine I will direct 70% of the revenues of this module to UNICEF, especially for the support of children affected by the war. So please buy this filter, it sounds great, it is inspired by a great heritage and it will make a difference to the children of Ukraine. You can purchase this module here in our online shop. Thank you, Robert. |
AuthorRobert Langer, founder of tangible waves. Here, I will share some thoughts, background infos and news about AE modular and tangible waves. Archives
December 2024
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