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  • 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 2023

27/2/2023

 

Any News?

This month there is no news to report from the tangible waves headquarters. All hands are on deck busy to fulfil orders for our customers who have been waiting for much too long. However the AE community has been as active as ever and that is definitely worth reporting!

Music from the Community

Acid Rest by Dēofol (feat maydonpoliris) - A collaboration made in …. (you fill in the blanks) showing you the Australian Bush like you’ve never seen or heard it before! Check it out: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2486/acid-rest-ofol-feat-maydonpoliris
Precipicio - A wonderfully mellow track posted by @frndo, check it out:https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2489/precipicio
MO)))O)))N drO)))ne - Inspiration struck @Mafic_Pulse after experiencing the mighty Sunn O))) in a live concert and he produced this epic drone with his AE system. If you have good speakers then you should turn them all the way up for this!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2493/mo-dro-ne
Earcandles Live Set - This is a video of a live performance in Sydney by @rodney who performs what looks like open heart surgery on an unsuspecting AE Modular rig! A delight for all the senses!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2513/earcandles-live-set-video 

Beaucarnea - Four reasons to stay - This collaboration album between @maydonpoliris and @pol has gained another track since it started last year. This one is atmospheric, rhythmic and slightly mystical. Check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2501/beaucarnea-2-tracks-2023 

New Album - Phrygia’s Dance - This is a special album from @funbun aka Black Warrior Lures. After 3 years of composition this is a milestone in his exploration of minimalistic fusion music which is inspired by the works of La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Steve Reich and it’s all performed with the AE Modular! Check it out:
https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/phrygias-dance
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Boopy track - They Will Be Green - This is a fun track by @solipsistnation to bop your head to and shuffle your feet. Definitely worth a listening to:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2499/boopin

DelugAe - a beautiful song made with the AE Modular and the Deluge by @mathias. It’s a bit of a challenge to combine the AE with other instruments, but it’s very well done in this track.
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2510/delugae

Mirage - This is another track where the AE Modular is embedded into a whole with other instruments. It’s dreamy, atmospheric and beautiful … like a walk in an ancient forest. Check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2512/mirage 

Apparatus Cherry - As we’ve heard last month, our master of the Drone has got some serious beats and he shows them off in this new track! Listen with the volume up, but take care of your speakers:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2519/apparatus-cherry 

CHALLENGE - Do your own Tangerine Dream - The gauntlet was thrown by @maydonpoliris who valiantly issued the first track inspired by the founders of Berlin School electronic music. A few others followed with impressive tracks, all worth checking out! Even though there is a cutoff date … don’t be deterred … if you feel like doing Berlin School, you can post your tracks any time!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2488/tangarine-dream-cutoff-date-28th

Events and Meetups

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February Zoom Meetup

This started out very cosy with only 3 people at first, but then more and more regulars dropped in and we had some great discussions. Topics included:

  • What inspires you to make music? Most people mentioned other music, nature, repeating patterns and generally sounds from the world around us.
  • How to do Berlin School music? In reference to the challenge (see above) there were some pointers on how to get started. They should find their way to that thread some day…
  • This led to the suggestion that we should start a thread on the forum to collect patching tips and tricks. A bit like the patching challenges, but more helpful and more easily reproducible. Watch this space!

The meetups are a great way to connect with the people of the AE community and although there is now a small group of regulars, anyone is welcome to join at any time. 

We would love to see you at the next one! 

For information about upcoming Zoom meetups, log in to the forum and go here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/board/29/online-meetups 
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Meet Wonkystuff at Superbooth, Berlin, Germany - 11-13th May

It’s confirmed, John from Wonkystuff will be at the ‘booth for 3 days. You will most likely find him somewhere near our tangible waves table. We would love to meet you there!

​Buy tickets here: https://www.superbooth.com/en/tickets.html

Exciting new year ahead!

31/1/2023

 
I would like to wish all our customers and members of the AE Modular community a happy and above all, healthy new year! 

We are now in the 7th year of operation since the successful Kickstarter in late 2016 and we have great plans for this year. But first the good news: Antonia is back from her extended hospital stay, which will be a huge relief for all of us and also will hopefully mean that we will get through our backlog much quicker than we have while she was away.
Last month we released the first two clones of Mutable Instrument modules which use a chip which is relatively good available and hopefully will be for some time (fingers crossed). There are more MI modules in that line which use this chip and we’ll try to release those just in time for Superbooth.

I’m still excited about the possibilities of the micro modules and have a few ideas for extending the range further this year. I have concluded that the ½ height format is too cumbersome, especially when thinking about specialised cases, so this format is now discontinued and we will only release ⅓ modules from now on. There will be a new mixer module (replacement for the only ½ sized module) and a few different sequencer modules among others. I hope you’ll like where this is going.

There are also a few older modules which are in need of improvement with better sound quality and additional features, so stay tuned for those.

Of course we will also be present at this year’s Superbooth and I hope to meet some of you there in person, if you can make it!

But apart from what we’ll be doing here at the tangible waves workshop, I’m especially looking forward to what YOU will be doing with the AE Modular and I hope to hear and see many more amazing creations on the forum and social media! 

New Products

SELECTOR

The SELECTOR is in a line with the 3VCSWITCH and SWITCHMATRIX4x4 modules; it’s also known as “Sequential switch” in former modular synths. It has 8 inputs for any kind of signals, no matter if audio CV or gate, and one of them can be routed to an output in different ways: Either by a knob, or by a CV, or by clock pulses to advance by 1. And it can also operate as a dual unit with 4 inputs each.

​You can purchase this module in our online shop.
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VOLTAGE TESTER

This nifty little tool can help you understand if you have enough power in your case for all your modules. You can plug it either into a free socket on the bus cable, or via the included adapter, to the extension header at the front/rear side of the case. Then, 5 LEDs show the supply voltage, either green for "ok" (supply voltage is in the range of 4.9 - 5.1 volts), or other colours for too high or too low voltage in steps of 0.1 volts.

​You can purchase this module in our online shop.

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TBD Android App

This came as a complete and very welcome surprise: with this mobile phone app you can control the TBD module from your phone without the need of a PC! Currently this only works on Android phones and you need to connect a USB cable between your phone and the TBD. This app was developed by a new user @betaboon and he currently offers it as a free download from the Google app store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aemodular.tbd 
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​If you have any questions or would like to report any issues, please head over to the forum where you can find more information: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2435/tbd-android-app

​Music from the Community

Interstellar Drive Extended Mix - @deepSEA presented this video of how he made his track for the last Aetherwaves album. Check it out: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2477/deepsea-interstellar-drive-extended-youtube

First two fishing trips - @funbun has taken up his fishing rod and jumped into his trusted boat to present us with his first two fishing adventures of the year. Always worth a watch and the soundtrack is, of course, all made with the AE Modular: 
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2445/first-fishing-trips-2023

First Jam - We always love to hear and see the first creations that newcomers to the AE Modular community present. This one is long and beautiful and shows that the AE can hold its own next to much more expensive gear. https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2471/first-recorded-ae-modular-jam

First track in 2 years - @pol has done a few collaborations last year, but apparently not finished a single track all by himself. This is the first one in two years and it’s very cool and surprising. Check it out: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2464/first-completed-track-ae-years

Huir Lab Exploration - this track features the AE modular in combination with a Behringer 2600 and it sounds really good. Check it out: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2449/new-patch-experimentation

41.619, 1.78538 - these could be coordinates to a cool synth studio or to a secret space station. We’ll never know, but it sounds great!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2425/41-619-1-78538

Space - and another spacey contribution by @mathias, check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2444/space

It Blends! - this little soundbite was made by @duddex with the VCDO blender firmware on the Core.A synth made by Wonkystuff. Check out how tiny this system is!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2444/space
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#jamuary Jam - a beautiful jam by @moruial using the AE modular together with the biggest mixer we’ve ever seen! Check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/post/20700/thread

Ghost flight over the Hebrides - This is another track by the collaboration duo Beaucarnea by @pol and @maydonpoliris and it features the new uBitcrusher and uProbagate modules as well as the Moog filter plugin on the TBD controlled via the cool Android app which we showed above. Check it out: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2457/ghost-flight-over-hebrides-beaucarnea 

Folding SpAcE - another space inspired track by relatively new user @Mafic_Pulse which features the AE Modular in combination with the new Roland SP-404 MkII. Check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2432/folding-space

Album Releases

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​Wide Shores by Deofol
The master of the Drone is getting more and more beat oriented and on this album shows off a very jazzy and almost danceable (if your Wednesday) tracks. Definitely check this out! 
https://deofol.bandcamp.com/album/wide-shores

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​HEAL by Black Warrior Lures

This album is full of quirky tracks which we have come to love from user @funbun. There is even a patch challenge on this album! Check it out: https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/heal
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A Prayer for Selma by Warrior Lures
This is a tribute to the town of Selma in Alabama, USA, which was ravaged by a tornado on January 12th 2023. This collection of tracks is as jazzy as we expect from @funbun! Check it out: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2481/prayer-selma ​

DIY

Project GRAINSILO - This is a project which allows one or more GRAINS to be controlled directly via USB MIDI from a Raspberry Pi using Supercollider. If you don’t mind the coding then you should definitely check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/post/20891/thread

USB MIDI for the GRAINS - This is the code used in the above project to control multiple GRAINS using MIDI. If you ever wanted to do this, then check it out:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1900/midi-control-grains-using-library

Another beautiful wooden case - presented by @apiel in this thread: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2472/another-wood-case
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​Futuristic AE Modular System - this monster rack is a symphony in black and purple neon and the creation of @betaboon. Now we just need to hear some sounds coming out of this beauty ;-) 
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https://forum.aemodular.com/post/20856/thread
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​Poll

Do you use the MIDI connector with your AE modular? It may not be everyone’s cup of tea to use MIDI in a modular setup, but the AE system provides this connectivity out of the box with the Master module so leave your vote whether this is important to you or not: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2466/aemodular-midi

AE Modular at Georgia Tech

In a very welcome forum post, Dr. Lanterman of Georgia Tech's Electronics department advised that his course "ECE4450 Analog Circuits for Music Synthesis" will have students design a module in the AE format as their final course assignment. Lectures from previous instalments of this course can be watched on Youtube and are a great way to get started with DIY! Read more about this here: 
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2479/georgia-techs-ece4450-format-project

Events and Meetups

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​January Zoom Meetup

Our first Zoom meetup of the year was on the 21st January and it was well received as usual. The main topics were about new 3rd party modules, how to manage customer reactions to new and improved module versions and how to get (or stay) motivated to make music.

The next meetup will be Saturday 25th February 2023 at the usual time. For more info, check the forum closer to the date.

​Superbooth, Berlin, Germany - 11-13th May 2023

We would love to meet you there, so time to get organised! You can already buy tickets here:
https://www.superbooth.com/en/tickets.html

December 2022 - Looking ahead!

17/12/2022

 
I never thought that being in a hardware business is hard. In fact I never thought about being in a hardware business at all! This whole AE thing started out as a crazy idea which somehow got traction on Kickstarter and it just developed and grew and took over my life. Since mid 2018 I am working full time at tangible waves and since then I’ve been joined by a great team of staff who are working diligently at producing modules, assembling racks and getting orders out of the door. Who would have thought that we would be faced by this century’s most challenging times just as we got really started? We had our ups and downs over the last few years and currently things are a bit more challenging than before and I have to apologise again to everyone who is still waiting for their deliveries … Things have been a bit shaken up over the last few months due to personal issues, but we are still working as hard as we can (even on weekends) to whittle down the immense backlog.

However, I’m still incredibly inspired by the wonderful community of AE Modular users and the mostly positive feedback we receive for our work. I also have a long list of ideas for modules which I want to develop and produce over the next year, so all hardship aside, I’m mostly positive and really looking forward to what the new year will bring. My focus will most likely be on the micromodules which have seen a lot of interest from the community and also a line of Mutable Instrument clones which has now become more important since Émilie has shut down her business this month.

I can’t say this often enough, but I am immensely grateful to each and all of you who have bought a system or module and have put it into your life, your music, your art. Listening to the AEtherwaves album or watching any of the many Youtube videos of your tracks is making me indescribably happy and inspires me to keep going and to create more modules for you.

A huge thanks also to my team here at the tangible waves workshop. Unfortunately, Antonia is on a longer hospital stay at the moment (no worries, it’s a necessary treatment for some chronic health issues she faces for a long time), but Leonie stands in now and has familiarised herself with the non-trivial shipping and order management stuff in record time :-) All of them, Antonia, Tamara and Leonie have gone above and beyond, not just by assembling and shipping out all the orders, but by making the workshop a really fun place to work at. 

The tangible waves team wishes all of  you a happy Christmas and a healthy and successful new year 2023!
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New Products

Even though the order backlog is a constant pressure on my conscience, I just can’t help myself - I just have to make new modules! Following the sad demise of the CIRRUS module due to the global chip shortage I’ve been working for months on a replacement. I’ve also thought about new ways to mount the increasingly popular micro modules.

CIRRUS CLASSIC

Yes, we have the chips! This is a 100% clone of the original CLOUDS module from Mutable Instruments and I have managed to make it with a chipset which is available at the moment. It doesn’t come with as many features as the first CIRRUS module (which is based on the Microcell clone), but it can do all the things you love about granular processing. It comes with either the original firmware or the Parasite alternative firmware pre-installed and you can purchase it today from our shop. 
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(The boards are currently in production, so the module will be actually ready for shipping at the end of January.)
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​RAINS

Finally you can patch the internet’s most iconic ambient patch “Rings into Clouds”, as this module is a 100% clone of Mutable Instruments’ Rings. It is a resonator which accepts an incoming short sound burst or simply a trigger and can apply various physical modelling algorithms to sound like a tube, a metal bar, a drum or plucked strings which can be pitched. It’s a great complement to the CIRRUS CLASSIC module and can be purchased from our shop.
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​uCASE

This is a special case for holding a row of ⅓ micro modules. It comes in the 3 standard widths and can be attached to any AE Modular case using the standard connection kits. This is a great addition to a small performance oriented rack. You can purchase it from our shop.

uCASE CONNECTOR

To attach the uCASE to an existing AE case with maximum space saving, we have created a new connector; similar to the hinge kit, but fixed. Works for connecting regular AE cases too! You can purchase it from our shop.

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​VMIX-10 Success Story

The VMIX-10 has been a huge success and, as mentioned above, it has brought tangible waves to a whole new community with a product which fulfilled a much lamented need. In these challenging economic times, the sales of this product alone have made a big difference to our company’s bottom line.

So it was that one of our new customers came by spontaneously to show me how the VMIX-10 has become the central hub of his Volca studio .. in a van! (BTW: We love meeting our customers in person - a very rare event.)
purchas(photos posted with permission from Sebastian Loncar)

VCASE-7

Having the same dimensions as the very popular Volca range of instruments it fits perfectly into this ecosystem. The VCASE-7 takes this idea even further in that it is a tiny rack which comes with power, audio out and headphone amplifier and has room for 7 units of AE modules. If you ever wanted to combine AE Modular with your Volcas … this is the perfect rack for that. You can purchase it from our shop.
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​Music made by the Community

Let’s start this off with a new member of the AE community, RSKT, who has wasted no time after receiving his starter rack and made this really well done tutorial followed by a track which shows off how simple modules like S&H can have great impact.​

​Flying a Chopper into an Arctic
storm by @maydonpoliris is a high energy track:

Minimal Monday by @pt3r seems to have been inspired by The Peripheral, a book by William Gibson which has recently been turned into a TV series on one of the major streaming services.
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2356/minimal-monday

Old boat with a new motor is another cool documentation style video by @funbun which combines a great story with impressions from the fishing life style underlined by catchy AE Modular tunes

Distorted Growth is a new album by @glitchyfrog which you can listen to on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2345/on-spotify-distorted-growth-album
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Voices is the track @moruial made for the last AEtherwaves Album and this video adds really nice visualisations to it:

The Retreat is a new album by @funbun which can only be described as a Maesterpiece! Check it out: 
https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/the-retreat
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How small can you make your system and still amuse a crowd with a live performance? @namke shows us how it’s done with this super minimal live set:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2365/8-inch-beat-version-live
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And finally here is a live performance​​ with what could be the biggest AE Modular system in existence … beautifully performed by @malibuinterface


​Meetups and Events

AE Modular Zoom Meetup
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The last Zoom meetup of the year 2022 was on December 3rd with special guest Frae LaSci who runs the Future Sounds workshops for teenage girls at the Willie Mae Rock Camp in New York. The main thing that makes this school special and conducive for teaching electronic music is that Frae took much care to create a space that has a vibe that makes the girls comfortable and relaxed so they find it easier to be creative. The delivery of the workshops follows a model that is 25% speaking and 75% listening to the students (the opposite from normal school). Most projects focus on small deliverables which consist of experiments: stated hypothesis is tried in experiment and discussed in reflection. Making mistakes is OK and strongly encouraged after the Jazz saying: if you make a mistake, make it again and it sounds deliberate.

Here you can see a performance by the girls with quite a few different electronic instruments and see if you can spot the AE Modular Synth Explorer!

Next Zoom meetup will be 21st January 2023. More details will be posted on the forum.
Natural Connection, Munich, 13th & 14th January 2023

This will feature various installations where plants interface with electronics to make art. User @tomblane from our forum will present the Organa a Biodata Sonification module for Eurorack and AE Modular. You can find more information about the module here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/1908/biodata-sonification-module?page=2&scrollTo=20458

And you can sign up for the event here:
https://fb.me/e/2fD0dykL9 

​Superbooth, Berlin, 11th - 13th May 2023

Just putting the date in your calendars if you are planning to come to the world’s biggest synth event! Tangible waves will be there and we would love to meet you!

https://www.superbooth.com/en/ ​

October 2022 - Art and Music

31/10/2022

 
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​This was a quite unspectacular month and although there are always many orders outstanding and new modules to design, test and release, I took a few days off for a trip to Venice - an urgently needed break. The Biennale was in full swing and between espressos and cappuccinos I enjoyed all the wonderful things presented in the multitude of exhibitions with works from all over the world. The exhibition places alone are so amazing there! If you ever can make it, I recommend it! What would life be without art or music? For me at least it would make no sense at all! So in this case this trip gave me so much energy again that I can now positively look forward to the next few months of building synths for this amazing community.​

New Prices

​The price increase, which I announced last month, is now coming into effect. But I stand to my word and if you feel financial pressure and still want to make music, please contact me via this form and we will work something out!

New Products

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FILTERBANK914

The FILTERBANK914 module which was introduced in last month’s blog post is now available for purchase at the shop.
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​New Module Tease by Kyaa

Kyaa has been teasing his new module on Discord and at the last Zoom meetup. It is a multi purpose module which can be loaded with the Radio Music firmware (by Tom Whitwell) or the Prok drum synthesiser code from Prok Modular. This module has not yet been released for sale so check the forum for any news!

Music by the Community

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​AEtherwaves Vol. 4
- will be released on Friday, 3rd of November to coincide with Bandcamp Friday. The album will feature 33 completely new tracks made by members of our AE Modular Community. Again, all proceeds from album sales will be donated directly to the non profit organisation Musicians without Borders which is working with youth in war torn regions to overcome the trauma of violence with the help of making music. 
Once the album has been released, you can check it out at 
https://aetherwaves.bandcamp.com/



​Horror Films 2022
- This is a collaborative album of Horror tracks made in the spirit of Halloween! A few of our forum members have made tracks for this album. All proceeds go towards a non profit organisation Feeding America. Check it out here:

https://auralfilms.bandcamp.com/album/horror-films-2022
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​Megalithic Transport Network by @martynaudio
- This album was also made completely with the AE Modular and explores classic Berlin School and Kosmische Musik. Check it out here:

https://martynstonehouse.bandcamp.com/album/megalithic-transport-network ​




​Daisy by @thomblane - This beautiful EP was made completely with the AE Modular and is Thom’s debut on the forum. It is really quite the achievement. Check it out:
https://thomblane.bandcamp.com/album/daisy ​
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Raptor Mating Dance by @maydonpoliris - This is a new album release on Bandcamp with 12 tracks of his very unique and interesting style. Check it out: https://maydonpoliris.bandcamp.com/album/raptor-mating-dance ​

No Kooning by @krakenkraft - this little track sounds like it could belong on the Horror album above as it sounds a bit like a John Carpenter movie soundtrack.
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2286/kooning

Cccccccorona by @glitchyfrog - it’s rare, but always welcome to hear the sound of AE mixed with vocals even (or especially?) when it’s in German. https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2285/ccccorona 

Ghoulish Drummer by @pt3r - this is another horror inspired track from our drone master. This comes with a very stylish and mysterious video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPaZ5N9ksJc

Vectrex and AE Modular jam by @frix - This is a cool short video with very cool drums and stunning visual effects. https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2206/hello 

All the modules by @mathias - This is a very melodic generative patch using most, if not all, modules in this 2x16 case. https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2305/all-modules 

Usug’s Rage by @reductionist_earth_catalog - A bit of banger with a catchy beat and inspired by a D&D game session which saw an Orc Barbarian take on two mighty Wyrms in a single round of combat: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2325/usugs-rage 

Patch Challenges

Since the first AE Modular Zoom meeting @pt3r was busy putting out new patch challenges to make us think about our modular in different ways and to challenge our ordinary ways. These are always fun and we encourage everyone to try these at home and even to record them and share on the forum. There is a very encouraging crowd and you can only learn more about your instrument! These were this month’s challenges:

#23 No Predictions - Try to build a patch that generates triggers and or gates as random as possible without resorting to the usual suspects, so no Noise module.
Show us your creativity. 

 #24 - Bread and Butter - Only ENVelopes and VCAs are allowed and some output so we can hear your creations. Perhaps a bit of FX to make the medicine go down? That's up to you.

#25 - There is no Spoon - create sound with “no input mixing”, but watch those feedbacks and don’t let them get out of control!

#26 - Ugly Ducklings - Build a patch with your most overlooked module and finally convince us all but mostly yourself of its usefulness.​

DIY Projects

Bluetooth MIDI to CV with ESP32 - This project by @duddex is a great way of controlling your AE Modular from any Bluetooth MIDI controller, ie. an iPad or similar! All you need is a spare ESP32 micro controller and some time to follow these instructions: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2287/bluetooth-midi-cv-esp32

Meetups and Events

​UPCOMING - November AE Modular Zoom Meetup - 26th November

Please put this date into your calendars as it will be the last meetup of this year, so we make it special! More information on the forum (you have to be logged in to access this post)
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2319/modular-online-meetup-saturday-november 

Wonkystuff at Synthfest UK
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Apparently the Wonkystuff stand at this event was well received and surrounded by people interested in AE Modular and the tiny, colourful modules that Wonkystuff produces. Two new modules for the micro series were introduced: a Hihat and a Cowbell!

October AE Modular Zoom Meetup

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​The Zoom meetup was held on the 22nd October and this time there were 12 people present from all around the globe. A very special guest was Paula Maddox the creator of the wonderful WAVETABLES module which is loved dearly by everyone in the AE Modular community. She shared her experience of developing modules for different formats and how refreshingly easy it is to design a module for the AE format when compared to bigger formats like 5U.

September 2022 - Tough Decisions

30/9/2022

 
It seems almost like a lifetime ago, but it was only last year that we had to increase our prices for the first time after 4 years. Back then it was a tough decision to make, but it needed to be done in response to increases in cost due to supply constraints (the Chip Shortage) and other cost increases which were mostly due to the COVID pandemic. 

Unfortunately things have not improved after the pandemic got mostly “under control”. Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine has not just caused incredible hardship to the people of Ukraine, but has led the whole world to the brink of a global recession and the repercussions of this are felt in almost every industry. Especially the volatility of currencies is making it very hard to budget and to keep a small business afloat, or even make a small profit.

So it is with a very heavy heart that I have decided to raise prices for all products again, even though it is going against everything that I believe in. After all, I founded this company with the promise of “Modular Synthesis for EVERYONE” especially for those who cannot otherwise afford the entry to making modular music. This means that I have two announcements:

1. The price increase of 15% for all products will come into effect on 1st of November 2022.

2. There will be a way to request a personal discount, if you cannot afford the increased prices.

The personal discount offers a pathway for anyone who feels strongly that they can not afford the increased prices and wishes to still participate in the modular world. There will be a special form on the website where you can request a discount for personal reasons. I hope that everyone who struggles financially, but wants to express themselves through modular electronic music, will contact me through this form, so that we can work out the best way to bring more music into these increasingly challenging times.

To all our customers, those that have been with us for years and those who have just ordered for the very first time, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your support, understanding and ideas. You are making this whole venture possible and meaningful and I couldn’t keep doing this without you.

I hope we will all get through this challenging period together and that you keep on making your incredible music while I’ll create more modules. There is a huge list of modules to build and I hope to share them with you over the next few years!

​New Product
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​You may remember the mystery module which we showed in last month’s blog. Here is a picture of the real deal … It's modelled after the legendary Fixed Filter Bank 914 by Moog. There are 12 fixed frequencies (technically these are bandpass filters) which can be attenuated on the incoming signal and in addition the very low and very high ends of the signal can be controlled too. The filter bank works differently compared to a usual equalizer: In an equalizer, the signal bands can be attenuated or amplified by a certain amount (usually -12dB to +12dB) whereas the filter bank settings can attenuate the frequency bands completely to zero. It’s a great tool to focus / emphasise certain frequencies which is typical for acoustic instruments. Klaus Schulze said in an interview, he can create a human voice out of white noise through a filter bank :-)
Another nice feature of the FILTERBANK914 module is that there are separate outputs for the even/odd numbered bands, meaning you can use it to create a kind of pseudo stereo effect.

This module will soon be available in the shop.


Music made by the Community

Record your Music!

If you haven’t yet recorded your jams with the AE Modular and always wondered how to do this, or if you are a total pro and happy to share your workflow, please visit this thread and comment or ask questions about recording your AE Modular (and other gear):
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2264/talk-recording-music

AEtherwaves Vol. 4 Submissions by 20th October!!

The submission deadline for the 4th volume of our community album AEtherwaves is coming closer. Last year we had over 40 submissions, and it would be so amazing to replicate this again this year! More info here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2254/aether-waves-vol-submissions-wanted

Halloween Compilation Submissions by 28th October!!

If you have another track in you (after your submitted one to AEtherwaves ;) ) you might want to send it to Aural Films to have it included in their Halloween Compilation. All proceeds from that album will go to a charity that helps US American families in need. Musicians from all genres will be submitting their music, so let’s get a few AE Modulars into the mix! More info here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2250/halloween-compliation-track-request

Exquisite Corpse still looking for parts!!

The Exquisite Corpse project started by @maydonpoliris is still open for submissions. This is a fun little experiment for when you just want to do a 20 second sound snippet. Get all the information here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2192/exquisite-corpse

Patch Challenge #23 - No Predictions

After the first AE Modular Zoom meetup user @pt3r thought to rekindle interest in the fabulous patch challenges. If you are not familiar with them, they are little modular puzzles to make you think deeper about the possibilities of your modular and to stimulate your creativity by asking you gently to do things a bit differently than usually. This one is all about randomness without the usual random suspects (looking at you NOISE and RBSS). It's never to late to submit patch notes or a short performance. Check it out here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2271/patch-challenge-23-predictions ​

Klondike Incident

As if to prepare for Halloween comes this horror track from our mast of the drone @pt3r .. Check it out at
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2270/klondike-incident

Droning Around

Inspired by the “recording your music” thread @duddex uploaded his first song which features the DRONX, DRONE38 combo:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2267/droning 

Laser Sun Drop

This acid ambience piece by @glitchyfrog is not only a great piece of AEmbient sound craft, but also started a healthy debate about noise gremlins in the AE Modular system and what to do to get rid of them…
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2253/laser-sun-drop-acid-ambience 

Megalithic Transport Network
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​Go and grab this awesome new album from Martyn Stonehouse. It was recorded live using the AE Modular:

https://martynstonehouse.bandcamp.com/album/megalithic-transport-network

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Live Jam from 101 Dolittle

Here is a nice dolittle jam from @101. Check out the cool suitcase which hosts and protects the AE Modular!
NOLS Live set in Bristol

This recording is from the Exchange in Bristol where @nols performed live and almost killed everyone in the audience with a murder bass sound. You should definitely watch this, but take care to to play this too loud!

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AE Modular Debut Jam

This is not bad at all for a first try with the AE … user @frndo from Argentina shows off an interesting way to trigger video effects by hand:

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3RGOT Collab Jam

Users @maydonpoliris and @pt3r are now probably the most prolific uploaders of original content on the forum. So it’s great to see them collaborating and mixing their individual styles into this ambient-glitch-techno-horror-scenario. We need more collabs!!

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DIY Projects

Gate to MIDI converter

User @reductionist-earth-catalog has shared this rather elaborate project in which a DIY module contains an Arduino Nano which sends incoming CV/Gates via USB to a USB host which then converts those to MIDI signals. There is enough hardware hacking and software fiddling to keep you occupied for a few days!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2265/gate-midi-converter​
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Meetups and Events

First Online AE Modular Meetup was a success!

On Saturday 24th September was the very first AE Modular online meetup via Zoom. There were 9 people from a wide variety of time zones, some had their morning coffee, some afternoon tea while toasted with an evening beer! The meeting went for close to 2 hours and was thoroughly enjoyed by all. You can read more about it in this thread on the forum:

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2258/modular-online-meetup-saturday-september
(sorry you have to be a logged in member of the forum to read the post!)
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8th October - UK Synthfest with Wonkystuff!!

This year's UK Synthfest will host @namke aka Wonkystuff as an exhibitor! If you're nearby (or even on the same isle) then definitely go and visit him!
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https://www.synthfest.co.uk/exhibitors

22nd October - Second AE Modular Online Meeting

This will happen again via Zoom at 8pm UTC. Please see more info in this thread on the forum (only visible to forum members):

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2272/modular-online-meetup-saturday-october

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August 2022 - Going Solar

31/8/2022

 
Things are ticking along well enough here at the tangible waves headquarters and we are relieved that a few cooler days have come along and relieved us from the incredible heatwave that has swept through Europe this summer.

While the situation with the chip shortage is still somewhat problematic, we are not too bad off and, except for the O&C and the Cirrus, we are able to produce all our modules and can fulfil all orders. In that regard we are really lucky especially when looking at a few other synth manufacturers who are struggling much more or even had to close their business.

The current energy crisis which has been caused by the Ukraine invasion by Russia is coming more and more into focus, especially here in Germany. This has given me even more incentive to work on the solar power/battery module which I talked about in the last blog. It’s not quite finished yet, but here are some photos of a working prototype. Please let me know what you think of it.​
After introducing the micro modules last month I have received numerous requests and ideas from people about a more cost effective and integrated way to mount those modules instead of having to buy a dozen base mounts. So here is an initial prototype which can be attached to an existing rack via the usual method (via hinge kit and bus link cable) and can hold ½ modules and ⅓ modules directly. This “microCASE” would be available in all three widths. Again this is an early prototype and I’m keen to hear your feedback.​
Also in a collaboration with Matthias aka @visuellemusik who has helped so much with fixing the Cirrus bug (and introducing half a dozen new and exciting modes in the process) we have a prototype of another programmable module! This time we just provide a mounting system for the Micro:bit educational single board computer. This is also a prototype, let me know what you think of this!

Next to the Micro:bit module below you can see another module which I'm currently working on. I won't tell you what it is, can you guess?​
New Products

Shortly after our introduction of the Micro Module format John from Wonkystuff has announced his first two ⅓ sized modules for sale. You can buy these directly from his web shop at https://wonkystuff.net/ae-modular/

The first is the BD55 kick drum module which is modelled after the Roland DR-55 drum computer. The other module is the RS-55 rimshot module which is again modelled after the RD-55 drum machine. 
Music made by the Community

TODAY is Bandcamp Friday, so please make sure you purchase something from the catalogue of our esteemed AE Modular artists. In addition to the releases below you can check out the list of artists on our wiki and visit their bandcamp pages:

https://wiki.aemodular.com/pmwiki.php/AeMusic/MeetTheArtists

New user @luk is a very accomplished Jazz musician and has released this album which features the AE Modular together with a Jazz trio!
https://bandcamp.for-tune.pl/album/dont-try/

@funbun aka Warrior Lures has released another really interesting albums - The Void. Check it out:
https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/the-void

Mr. Fritz going by the username @frix has made this catchy jam with his huge double system:

Our resident drone master @pt3r was recently on holidays and took only the Blackbox sampler full of AE samples. This is what came of it:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2199/ph3rn

Here is a wonderful collaboration between @maydonpoliris and @pol now going by the name Beaucarnea. The album is fabulous and definitely worth the purchase on Bandcamp Friday:
https://beaucarnea.bandcamp.com/album/walking-around-zion

And here is a very trippy video for one of the tracks:​

User @davidchang aka Nublo Roboten has been working a lot with his AE Modular and has now released another fantastic Bandcamp album and accompanying video:
https://nublo-roboten.bandcamp.com/album/nublo-roboten-y-zara

This video is from one of Nublo Roboten’s live shows:

And last, but not least, this very bubbly video was made by @nols using the AE Modular, Volca FM and the Strega:

DIY Projects

“Sometimes I make flutes out of Bamboo”. What reads like a promising introduction to a Hemingway novel has been posted by user @chuck together with this photo of a beautiful bamboo flute … but we should really point out the amazing AE Modular Keyboard case in the upper right corner. Now that is a thing of beauty!
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​But back to flutes … this whole thread is of course about Karplus Strong algorithms and the amazing insight by @pt3r that this can be achieved by the MultiFX and a noise module - Wow! Read on here:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2195/electronic-wind-instrument

Meetups and Events

Knobcon in Chicago, US will happen this month from 9th to 11th September and AE Modular will be presented by Toms aka Kyaa with some help by Noisebug. So if you are anywhere near Chicago on those dates, then please go say hello to Toms!

Update July 2022

31/7/2022

 
Words from Robert

The last two months have been challenging. You’ve heard me write this a few times now over the years, but it’s true, operating a small manufacturing business is quite a  challenging thing  and sometimes the problems tend to become overwhelming, especially in these crazy times. We’ve had to deal with illness, delays in receiving parts from China and lately the soaring US Dollar (or falling Euro?). We are now paying almost 20% more for parts than before, however we’ve decided to not pass this extra cost on to our customers. The wait list still stretches back to orders from May, but we’ve again re-organised our production workflow and are quickly catching up. As always, we are very grateful for the patience and support of our customers!

Those challenges notwithstanding, we are as happy as ever to create synth modules and to see how they are being used by our incredibly creative community! 

Good News and bad News

The HEARTBEAT module was advertised a bit too early and it took me a very long time to finish the firmware, but it is now finally done and all orders will be shipped as soon as possible! This taught us a very valuable lesson to never again promise a module again before it’s not absolutely complete and ready to ship!

Inspired by the current energy crisis which is the result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I have been thinking about energy consumption and have started development on a solar power / accumulator module! More info on this once it gets past the prototype stage.

The KUZMIN Filter has sold reasonably well and we have been able to donate close to 1500 Euro to UNICEF to help children who are affected by the war in Ukraine.

The ORNAMENT & CRIME module is currently on hold. Due to the global chip shortage, we have not been able to source any more Teensy 3.2 boards, which are absolutely essential for this  module. This means that for the time being, we can’t produce those anymore!
 
New Products

Micro Modules

After the announcement at Superbooth in May, I had to change the layout of the base and micro modules a bit and now finally the boards have arrived ready from production. The following modules are now available for purchase from our online shop - a whopping 14 new modules! (ok, some are shrunk versions of existing AE modules, but anyway…)

You can order these modules now in our shop.

I'm also thinking about a case for one row of these micro modules in the usual case widths that can be attached the same way as cases are already connected, via the hinge kit. Let me know what you think about this idea!
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  • µBASE- this is the base module needed  to host either three ⅓ sized or two ½ sized modules
  • µ2MIX - a tiny mixer with 3 attenuated channels and 4 fixed channels (at the moment the only ½-sized module)
  • µOR2x4 - same as the existing AE module shrunk to ⅓ size
  • µ2SIGAMP - same as the 2SIGNALAMP module, shrunk to ⅓ size
  • µ2VCA - a dual VCA
  • µ4BUFFER - this is an active buffered multiple, great for distributing clock signals and CV's without loss of voltage
  • µ4LOGIC - same functionality as the LOGIC module in ⅓ of the size
  • µATTENUVERTER - adjust signal level inverting/non-inverting plus offset; perfect for CV shaping
  • µBITCRUSHER - digitising and bit-reducing + variable sample rate
  • µDISTORTION - a diode based distortion with different modes
  • µLFO - a tiny LFO with wave selection and PWM
  • µPROBAGATE - switches between two channels according to a probability gate
  • µSH-RNDM-NOISE - a sample & hold plus noise/random CV source
  • µSUBOCTAVE - lets you mix 1 and 2 sub octaves to the incoming oscillator signal
  • µTONE - control highs and lows with this tiny module

Just a reminder, that both Wonkystuff and Keurslagerkurt are currently developing their own micro modules which will fit into this base system! Stay tuned for their announcements!
You can order these modules now in our shop.
Music made by the Community

​AEtherwaves on Internet Radio

This internet radio show dedicated 2 hours of play time to showcase the awesome tracks made by our community for the AEtherwaves Albums. This is a great way to reacquaint yourself with a collection of the songs from all 3 albums:
https://www.mixcloud.com/RtSRadio/6-14-2022-harris-king-elektro-kultur/

The Demo Patch - This is Robert himself playing the “Demo Patch” at Superbooth 2022

Superbooth Interviews - Not really music, but The 5th Volt has interviewed various members of the AE Modular community while at Superbooth and you can see all those interviews in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj8Sv1wV_p3OW2VAJNpEzzXp6qP9LzGEv 

Ole Cane Pole - a new album by @funbun which is a collection of tracks which were originally made for the Black Warrior Lures YouTube channel. Imagine yourself on a boat on a river with a fishing rod … https://blackwarriorlures.bandcamp.com/album/ole-cane-pole
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Live set by @madonpoliris - this was presented at a meetup in Wollongong, Australia:
https://youtu.be/LUVhvKsp17c

Threnody for Titan - This one is a collaboration of our two most prolific artists. @pt3r and @maydonpoliris. True to their form it is both interestingly weird and extremely atmospheric! https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2180/threnody-titan-collab-maydonpoliris

River of Electrons / Embodied Synthesis #1 - A debut from our newest artist on the forum @interstar: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2179/river-electrons-embodied-synthesis-1

Open Mic in York - This is a live performance at the Electronic Open Mic in York by our very own @namke aka Wonkystuff! https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2175/open-mic-york

Open Mic in Salt Lake City - This a short excerpt from a live performance by @matthewd: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2172/second-open-mic

Starter Rack 2 Jam - @maydonpoliris showing what can be done with “just” a starter rack 2! Pretty impressive stuff! https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2163/starter-rack-2-jam

Wellen unserer Zeit - a music video of  spoken word (in German) and sounds made with the AE Modular … very mysterious and very beautiful track made by @glitchyfrog: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2134/wellen-unserer-zeit-waves-time

Of sweet Dorian - it’s great to hear from @chmeee5 again, this time with this “banger” recorded with Bandlab: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2159/sweet-dorian 

Vanishing tower - This is a beautiful duet between a bass guitar and the AE Modular by @101: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2142/vanishing-tower 

DIY Projects

4COMP - This is a new module made by @pt3r who is our master drone expert (see and hear his new soundscapes above). Hopefully he will make this module available for sale at some time!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2155/4comp-ins-outs-why
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This project came from a very rich discussion thread about the comparator circuit and how to build it on a breadboard:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2109/indispensible-braedboard-project-comparator 

You can also hear the 4COMP module in action in this drone called “Rectified” https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2164/4comp-rectifier

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Mixer Comparison - This is not a hardware project, but a great resource for anyone who may be confused by the many different mixer modules of the AE Modular. This is a great comparison matrix made by our Wiki Master @pol: 
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fAnq_wG-IyTYt36PenXePDh8rkmY4QD_vg1J5mIdU64/edit#gid=0

Filter Comparison - Again the works of @pol this sheet gives you a comparative overview of the different filters of the AE Modular system:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1250AgqWtZNNn6CccfdCI1xfppCxsX0bYZD0i09BeYSI/edit#gid=0


Meetups and Events

​Hopefully we will see some kind of AE Modular presence at these upcoming events. If you plan to go to any of these events and would like support with presenting AE at the event then please contact us!

Leeds Synth Fest - Leeds, UK, August 14th 
This meetup has free entry and is organised by DivKid. If you’re nearby, you should definitely try to attend! More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/460328272613452/

Knobcon - Chicago, USA, September 9th - 11th https://www.knobcon.com/ 
This year we will have Toms aka Kyaa manning a booth at Kobcon and showcasing the AE Modular and his own amazing modules! If you’re in the area, please visit him and say hello!

Synthfest UK - Sheffield, UK, October 8th https://www.synthfest.co.uk/ 
Please make sure to visit John at his desk with Wonkystuff and say hello when you're in the area!

Superbooth 2022

29/5/2022

 
This month was of course dedicated to Superbooth in Berlin which was again our highlight of the year. This year was very special because I was so lucky to meet (almost) all 3rd Party makers of AE Modules in person for the first time! We spent a lot of time together at the tangible waves booth and discussed many new ideas for new modules.
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​(from left to right: John “Wonkystuff” from UK, Toms “Kyaa” from USA, Zeno “Keurslager Kurt” from Belgium, your’s truly from Bavaria and Felix “Tuesday Night Machines” from Cologne)
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Superbooth is always a great way to connect with our customers and also to show and demonstrate the system to people who have never seen it or who just couldn’t believe how small the modules are and how good they sound. We were also very happy to be interviewed by Sonicstate and Gearspace which gives us very welcome exposure on the internet:

All in all we had a great team with Tamara, Toby and Carsten, all of whom were in great spirits and helped field the myriad of questions from interested visitors. Here we are saying goodbye after 4 long days:
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New Products - Micro Modules

The biggest surprise for visitors to our Superbooth stand was the new tiny format for AE Modular. This consists of a base module which can hold either 2 ½-sized modules or 3 ⅓-sized modules. This is currently a prototype and modules are in development from us, Wonkystuff and Keurslager Kurt! Here are a few photos of those prototypes to give you an idea:​
Currently the following micro modules are in development (partially finished already) from tangible waves:

  • µLFO - a tiny LFO with wave selection and PWM
  • µDISTORTION - a diode based distortion with different modes
  • µTONE - control highs and lows with this tiny module
  • µPROBAGATE - switches between two channels according to a probability gate
  • µ2MIX - a tiny mixer with 3 attenuated channels and 4 fixed channels (at the moment the only ½-sized module)
  • µ2SIGNALAMP - same as the 2SIGNALAMP module, shrunk to ⅓ size
  • µ4BUFFER - this is an active buffered multiple, great for distributing clock signals
  • µSUBOCTAVE - lets you mix 1 and 2 sub octaves to the incoming oscillator signal
  • µBITCRUSHER - digitising and bit-reducing + variable sample rate
  • µLOGIC - same functionality as the LOGIC module in ⅓ of the size
  • µ2VCA - a dual VCA
  • µATTENUVERTER - adjust signal level inverting/non-inverting plus offset; perfect for CV shaping
  • µSAMPLEHOLD-NOISE - a sample & hold plus noise/random CV source

You can expect them in the shop… …as soon as they are finished and produced ;-)

Keurslager Kurt is also developing a micro module called "What's Sub?" which is a DIY kit for a sub oscillator. However this module is in the early prototype stages.


Wonkystuff has been in on this new format from the start and has the following modules in the works:​
  • bd55 - a tiny ⅓ analog bass drum module which is modelled after the vintage RD55 drum machine from Roland
  • rs55 - a tiny ⅓  rim shot drum module also modelled after the RD55
  • sd100 - a ½ snare drum module modelled after the Amdek RVK-100​
  • there are more drum modules in the design phase already ...

These modules are still in prototype phase and we will let you know once they are available for purchase from the Wonkystuff online store.
New Module by Kyaa - 2AUTO

Kyaa has already taken the AE world by storm with the ingenious Euclid Grid module. This new module is also an amazing piece of hardware and software engineering. The 2AUTO module is a dual envelope / LFO with a twist - it records the knob movements of the CV knob and replays those movements, either as a one shot envelope or looping like an LFO. You really have to see and play with it personally to understand how incredibly cool this is. The moment your fingers touch the knob, it immediately and magically switches into record mode and then records any twist and turn until you let go. There are many more features like syncing to an external clock and locking among others, but this simple idea of recording knob movement already adds a new playable dimension to your modular which is truly magical.

For now it is only available for pre-order and you can find out more about it on the forum:
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2083/2auto
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Early Teasers ...

We also saw prototypes of almost production ready modules from Keurslager Kurt and M4vrick, a newcomer to the 3rd party maker group. Keurslager Kurt will soon release a new oscillator which is based on the 555 timer design by Thomas Henry. This module is very feature rich and can produce a true sine wave, sawtooth and square waves. M4vrick has provided us with a prototype of a very beautiful chord oscillator. Stay tuned for more information!

Accessories


As more people are buying the VMIX-10 mixer and using it for connecting their Volcas, they have found that sometimes an audible noise floor can be heard. This has been reported for Volcas with other mixers as well, so it’s not necessarily a problem with the VMIX-10, but we found a solution anyway with this nifty little audio cable which has a noise filter built in (technically, it does a ground isolation for the audio connection). We also now sell a power cable for connecting power to Korg Volcas directly from the VMIX-10.

You can find the Volca power cables here in the shop. And the noise blocker audio cable is here.

Additionally we have made a very simple power cable for your AE Modular which includes a power switch! You can purchase it here.

Music made by the Community

Every month our incredibly talented community produces more synth gems and it’s not always easy to follow it all on the forum. Therefore we are listing a random selection below.

This first patch by @glitchyfrog shows that you can turn a filter into a whale if you just add a delay and lots of reverb: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2098/space-orca-recorded-real-habitat

And here is a very fun and groovy video by the same artist: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2103/sunrise-surrection-official-video

Our resident Jazz musicians and fishing expert @funbun has made another video which mixes the love for nature (and fish) with groovy AE synth tunes: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2097/cane-pole-cat-trolls

This is a wonderful jam with the AE Modular and the venerable MS2000 by @martynaudio https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2091/ae-ms-2000-live-jam

Orca is a very powerful, albeit cryptic software MIDI sequencer. We have no idea how it works, but it looks beautiful and sounds very pretty in combination with an AE: https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2087/refilling-heart-containers

User @nols has released this really nice bandcamp album: https://nols.bandcamp.com/album/atop-kilvey-hill

DIY Projects

This project describes a comparator circuit which can be made with the BrAEdboard module and user @pt3r not only describes how to do it, but has also posted a video and sound demo of its use:

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2109/indispensible-braedboard-project-comparator

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2096/patch-challenge-bring-braed-table

This post describes a very simple oscillator circuit and there’s also a video that shows how it can be used very effectively in a 1 minute sound challenge:

https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2104/simple-oscillator

Meetups and Events

Hopefully we will see some kind of AE Modular presence at these upcoming events. If you plan to go to any of these events and would like support with presenting AE at the event then please contact us!

Leeds Synth Fest - Leeds, UK, date TBA

Knobcon - Chicago, USA, September 9th - 11th https://www.knobcon.com/ 

Synthfest UK - Sheffield, UK, October 8th https://www.synthfest.co.uk/ 

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A late April update

30/4/2022

 
There is not much to report for April except that everyone here at tangible waves was hit with the Corona virus recently. It knocked us all around quite a bit, but we are all fine now!

We are busy with preparations for Superbooth and also with assembling, packing and shipping the absolutely amazing amount of orders which we’ve received over the last 2 months. The VMIX-10 has been especially in high demand since it was featured and shared on a multitude of Facebook groups (most of which we didn’t even know existed!) and lately it was even featured in the print edition of FAZEmag, one of Germany’s largest DJ magazine.

No new modules were released in April … but do stay tuned for news from Superbooth which is only a few nights away now!

Music made by the Community

The forum was abuzz with new releases in April and now we have the space and time to feature most if not all of the cool tracks which were posted.

If you make music with the AE Modular, then we want to know about it and listen to it and cheer you on! Please make sure to post a link to your track on the forum so we can pick it up and feature it in these monthly blog posts.

On Bandcamp
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tIB - Front Toward Enemy

This track takes no prisoners! You will be transferred into a dystopian soundscape of eerie beauty and auditory surprises. Check it out: https://therapyinterferingbehaviour.bandcamp.com/album/front-toward-enemy ​
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Deofol - LAMINAE

Tune in to the soundtrack of despair from the master of the dark and beautiful drones. Check it out:
https://deofol.bandcamp.com/album/laminae
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Maydonpoliris - Ghost in the AE

​It's hard to find any album with more variety of sounds, styles and rhythms. Here you have it all, waltzing sloths, dancing mozzies, raving kangaroos and droning Kurt's. Check it out:
https://maydonpoliris.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-in-the-ae
​From the forum

Almost every day there is a post about a new track or composition for and with the AE on the forum. If you don’t read the forum every day then you can find a selection of these below for your listening pleasure.

@matthewd - Cosmic Urple
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2073/cosmic-urple

@maydonpoliris - Scratching an itch
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2072/scratching-itch

@glitchyfrog - Dark Clouds and Fresh Berries
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2037/stream-snippet-clouds-fresh-berries

@ampersand - Lo-Fi Raving - experiments with minimal rhythmic patterns
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2065/lo-fi-raving

@namke - Back to Basics - Playing with a minimal setup: Euclid Grid, a kæstle drum, and a pair of mystery modules  with the multifx.
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2053/back-basics 

@glitchyfrog - COVID Live stream - over an hour of live jAEmming!
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2036/covid-livestream

@pt3r - Quarantine Drones (this is scary good)
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2054/quarantine-jam

@rami - Jungle DnB (-ish)
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2044/first-composition-jungle-dnb-ish

@pt3r - Bite Beets (making the Algodrone do most of the work)
https://forum.aemodular.com/thread/2031/bite-beets

Meetups and Events

Superbooth is just around the corner! It’s not too late to grab one or more day tickets:
https://www.superbooth.com/en/tickets.html

Meet the Makers! It is our absolute pleasure to have all AE Modular makers in the same place at the same time at Superbooth! Meet John aka Wonkystuff from England who brought us the incredible RBSS and CoreAE among other cool modules. You can also meet Zeno aka Keurslager Kurt who has created Quadboost, Sloth and other instant cult classics. And last, but definitely not least, you will be able to meet Toms aka Kyaa the creator of the de facto standard module for Euclidean Sequencing “Euclid Grid”. He will come all the way from the United States to present his newest creation. 

We hope to see many of you at the tangible waves booth soon!

We need a break!

28/3/2022

 
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.
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​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.
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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 Products

While 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.
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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
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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.
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​This cable is now available from our online store.

Music made by the Community

Max Richardson, Here but not here
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​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.
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​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 Events

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

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