July News and Updates

Wow this blog is super late! The last 3 months have been a non stop rush. First preparation for Superbooth, then the rollercoaster that is Superbooth, then I was sick with COVID (again) and then a relentless stream of orders and work on the SAMPLYR module. So my apologies for the late updates.

Superbooth was amazing as always. It is really a great experience not only to meet our trusted and new potential customers, but also the other exhibitors. Over the years we have become a sort of extended family, and Superbooth our grand gathering in the middle of the year.

Here are a few impressions:

We also had a visit from Luke from Sonicstate again. Have a look:​

New Products

SAMPLYR is now for sale!!

It’s a sample player which loads samples of any length from micro SD. Samples have to be stored as 8bit mono WAV files. You can set the sample start and end points as well as a loop start and end point. Here is a demo video on how this sounds:​

While the hardware for this module was stable months ago, it took much longer to work on the firmware.

But this is now done and you can order the module from our shop.

New case by KYAA

This has been leaked and talked about a lot, but seeing and feeling this super quality case was amazing. We can’t wait to see this in production. This video shows Toms talk about it in more detail:

Le Module 01 by M4vrick

This is a chord oscillator not unlike the Solina, but with different waveforms. It sounds amazing! Check out this video by RSKT to get more info and some ideas on how to use it in a patch:

The first batch of this module was sold out a week ago, but a new batch is promised to arrive soon. Please register your interest in this thread on the forum:

https://forum.aemodular.com/board/32/m4vrick 

AEuroPi by Fauxcyrillic

This is another programmable module which is similar to the Ornament & Crime (which is unfortunately no longer available due to chip apocalypse). It is a CV control module which can be programmed in Micropython. It has the following features:

• Digital input
• Analogue input
• 6 CV outputs
• OLED display
• Nice big buttons :)
• Menu system; store several scripts and switch between them without reprogramming the module
• Comes with a range of scripts already installed, and the freedom to build your own
• Example scripts: clock generators, multi-LFOs, sequential switch, Turing Machine, etc

You can get up to date information about this and other projects by Fauxcyrillic on the forum:

https://forum.aemodular.com/board/33/fauxcyrillic ​

555 Oscillator by Keurslager Kurt

​This is a fully analog oscillator with superb tracking and sound. It has the following features:

• A stable, 1V/Oct, fully analog VCO, based on the legendary 555 timer chip.
• Triangle, saw, square and sine wave outputs
• PWM knob & PWM CV in (with attenuating knob)
• Linear & Exponential FM inputs (with dedicated attenuating knobs)
• Hard Sync input (for some more crunchy FM-ish sounds)
• Coarse & Fine tuning knob
• 2U wide
• Aluminium front panels

​You can purchase it from Tindie:
https://www.tindie.com/products/keurslagerkurt/kurt-m4vricks-555-vco-for-ae-modular/ 

​Wonkystuff news
John has been hard at work to create a new series of modules which will revolutionise the way we use MIDI in our AE Modular systems. So far this series consists of the following modules:

mb/1 - This is the base module in full size 1U. It has a 3.5mm MIDI input jack and 20 patch outputs: one for each of 16 MIDI channels, plus reset, clock, start and a MIDI through. The revolutionary thing about this is that each of the 16 channels transmit the fill MIDI serial protocol via the patch cable! This introduces a third signal path to our modular systems: Audio, Control Voltage and now MIDI!

mco/1 - This is a micro sized fully featured oscillator which has a MIDI patch input and audio, trigger and gate outputs. Although it has a convenient hardware tuning knob, all other parameters are accessible only via MIDI control messages (CC).

mcc/4 - This translates various MIDI CC messages into control voltage for use within the AE rack. Out of the box the following messages are supported, however other CC commands can be configured: 

• a: Pitch bend
• b: Modulation  (CC 1)
• c: Breath control (CC 2)
• d: CC 3

m/tr8 - This is a micro module which translates MIDI key presses into trigger signals which can be used to trigger drums or envelopes in your AE rack. Out of the box it registers middle C as the first trigger and the following seven notes/keys for subsequent triggers.

All of these modules are currently in development. Check out the forum for any updates! However here is a sneak peak from Superbooth:

New shop front for EU customers - Due to the UK's Brexit it has become a bit difficult to ship anything to the EU, which has prompted Wonkystuff to open a second storefront for EU customers only. This manages postage and any customs charges a bit more conveniently:

https://lectronz.com/stores/wonkystuff

​Music from the Community

RSKT (the capable musician) has been very busy making videos for the AE modular system. These are all of very high production value and his style of explaining makes it very easy to follow and understand. He is also a gifted musician and the patches at the end of each video are gems in themselves. We’ve already linked to the video about Le Module at the top of this newsletter, but here are a few more which are excellent:

​Album Marmor by Jerngevir (aka @gaetan)
​This a very nice atmospheric work made 100% in the AE rack. The two songs use the same patch in different ways. 

https://jerngevir.bandcamp.com/album/marmor

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​Album Sequences by Black Warrior Lures aka @funbun 
​One track on this album answers the question we have all been asking ourselves when lying awake in the dead of night, “can the AE play Shakespear?” Go and listen to Twelfth Night’s Storm and you will agree, that yes, AE is definitely up for Bill’s finest! The other tracks are also very good and make much use of the new Rains and Cirrus modules.

https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/sequences ​

Album TAKES, TOKES & TOKENS by Deofol aka @pt3r
​From the master of drones comes a superbly rhythmic and melodic album which explores new modules straight out the rack.

https://deofol.bandcamp.com/album/takes-tokes-tokens ​

Making the most out of a tiny system

Matt Wand aka @rockysmalls showed it first in this jam at Superbooth where he created huge soundscapes with only the AE Rains and AE Cirrus modules with some micro helpers in a tiny VCASE7 rack.

This prompted The 5th Volt aka @admin to make a more “classic” MicroStAEtion which features a dual oscillator, very grungy filter and 8 step sequencer also in the VCASE7. It’s great for jamming as you can see in this video:

AE Modular Live Set in Brooklyn, NY by @rami - Playing live with a modular can be a daunting task, as we discussed many times in our Zoom meetups. Rami shows how it’s done in this 50 minutes long performance. And the audience is loving it! 

Live in Australia by @maydonpoliris - This is another daring modular live gig at a wintry outdoor modular meetup near Sydney. Get into it and let the groove put you in a trance!

So much more! 

As always, this blog can only list a small sample of the music that’s uploaded to the Forum and Discord. The last 3 months have been full of new music created by our fantastic community. Please check it out either on Discord or on the Forum:

https://forum.aemodular.com/board/5/ae-music-performances 

Events and Meetup

At the last Zoom meetup in July we saw a few new faces which was great! It's a good forum to catch up on the latest news and to chat about personal projects or to ask questions. There is now a kind of "core" group of people, but we are always happy to see new people who may bring a different perspective to our discussions.

Next meetup is on the 26th of August (27th for the Australians). Please check the forum for more information.