Thursday, February 26, 2009

Tetra Maps Diabolical EX-800 Echobox

We're using the super unique Signal Arts Tetra Maps Sequencer to run the Diabolical Devices modified Korg EX-800 into the SubDecay Echobox delay pedal.

The Tetra Maps is unlike any other sequencer. You can sequence up to thirty-two MIDI channels as well as four CV and gate outputs for modular and analog synths. The Tetra Maps is not your conventional sequencer, although you could do some pretty normal sequencing if you wanted. The Tetra allows you to fire off multiple sequences at the same time, on the same channel or on different ones. Crazy chasing sequences, continuous controller mayhem, and MIDI to CV are all included in this genius piece.

The Diabolical Devices EX-800 sounds good! We forgot to mention in the last video that you can also process external sounds via the 1/4" jack on the front. Nice.

The Echobox delay pedal from SubDecay is an incredible sounding pedal. Especially for the price! It's a pretty standard delay with the welcomely added feature of LFO modulation to only the echos. From subtle pitch modulations to all out swishing echo madness, SubDecay has outdone themselves. And yes. It will self oscillate, sending your sounds into the stratosphere and beyond.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Diabolical Devices Modified Korg EX-800


This great sounding little module now has dedicated knobs for filter cutoff and resonance. This is the tabletop version of the Korg Poly 800. It's an eight-voice polyphonic synth with DCOs and you can stack the oscillators to make a bigger sounding four-voice.. The filter is pure analog goodness and can definitely resonate. This little baby has a built in polyphonic sequencer too! (We're actually using an Elektron Machinedrum for this demo though).

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Diabolical Devices Modified TR-505

The Diabolical TR-505 is similar to the 707 and 727. It has four knobs to manipulate the pitch of kick, snare, toms, timbales and congas. It also has a ten point patch bay for linking various bends. The cymbal sounds are crazy!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Metasonix r53 Demos Up On Metasonix.com

The r53 Vacuum Tube Waveshaper Ringmod is definitely the nastiest of the new Eurorack modules from Metasonix. These demos were made with an Analogue Systems rs95 VCO and a Plan B Model 15 VCO. The r53 does not have it's own carrier waveform, instead it allows you to input your own oscillator (or whatever!) into the circuit. The Pulser circuit is voltage controllable, allowing you to "play" just the r53. Tear yourself a new one!

Click to go to Metasonix.

Number 6 is phasing over-driven awesomeness.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Diabolical Devices Modified TR-727

If you weren't really feeling the need to have an old Roland TR-727, maybe this could change your mind. Diabolical Devices has modified this Latin percussion version of the 707 to have pitch mods for nearly every sound, a few global bends and a cymbal delay bend. You can turn the individual bends on and off. There's also an insane banana plug patch bay on the left hand side allowing you to link various bending points that's not even in this video. More demos soon!


Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Diabolical Devices Back In Stock



Yes! We now have some modified 707's, 727's, and 505 Roland drum machines, a Casio RZ-1 sampling drum machine, a Roland Juno 106 modded to have filter cutoff and resonance control for each voice individually, a modded Korg EX-800.
Diabolical Devices also makes some incredible sounding pedals too. We have the "Matter Disorganizer" crushing fuzz beasty in stock! Video and audio demos are coming soon.

Monday, February 16, 2009

French Connections Back In Stock



We finally have some Analogue Systems French Connection keyboards in stock. If you've inquired before, these beauties can be hard to get a hold of sometimes. This batch looks incredible. The walnut grain is stunning. If you don't know much about the French Connection here's a little rundown.

The French Connection is a controller keyboard for analog synthesizers. It's based on one of the first synthesizers, which also happens to be one of the first electronic musical instruments, the Ondes Martenot. Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead was looking for an alternative for touring to his fragile Ondes Martenot. Bob Williams of Analogue Systems came up with the French Connection for him. Luckily Bob made these incredible instruments available to the public.

The French Connection has control voltage outputs for pitch, button, gate, and trigger. You can hook it to virtually any synthesizer or oscillator that tracks one volt per octave (and others too). It has a normal keyboard with low-note priority or you can switch it to the button & slider modes. The button, a nice looking solid walnut block, is pushed down to create a varying gate output. That means that you don't need an envelope generator. Just plug the button output directly into your VCA. The harder or faster you push the louder it gets. The slider, a nylon string with a brass ring attached, controls the pitch. There are circular indentations below the string that mark the white keys, and silver rivets that mark the black keys. These indicators make playing the French Connection very easy and quite intuitive. The action of the slider is smooth and precise allowing for accurate glissandos and playing techniques unattainable previously.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Alternative Oscillators -Volume 1

Here are a few different modules you wouldn't normally use for oscillators. But, in a pinch, or for effect, they work quite nicely. As a reference we start with an Analogue Systems rs95 square wave. The first alternative is the Plan B Model 37 Elf LFO. Yes. It will track one volt per octave. It also offers a few different waveform outputs too The next is the Cwejman MMF-1. Lots of Cwejman modules track one volt per octave, this is one of them. This is the ow pass mode but it will track in the other modes including the awesome dual band pass mode. The next is the Analogue Systems rs120 Comb Filter. It does not track one volt per octave but the feedback makes for an interesting tone for an oscillator. All modules are being sequenced by the A.S. rs200.

Metasonix r51 Modules Arrive!



We just got our first shipment of Metasonix r51 vacuum tube VCA/Distortion modules in! They look great and can sound like a bear who's sat on a sharp stick! Check them out here.

Big City Music Now Carries Sub Decay Pedals!


We're really excited to welcome Brian and the effect pedals from Sub Decay. These pedals are some of the highest quality that we've seen and they sound incredible. For synths check out the Echobox modulated delay. For superbly clean envelope filter effects check out the , Prometheus. It brings the fire!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Metasonix r52 Multimode Filter Eurorack Module

Ok nerds. Here's the ultra-dork demonstration of the new r52 module from Metasonix. We start with a square wave oscillator, the Analogue Systems rs95. This r52 sounds great. I don't want to hear any complaints that it's not extreme enough (try the r53). This is the same filter as the Metasonix TM-6. You can see when the first cable gets plugged in. That's when we start modulating the "Sweep CV In" with the A.S. rs200 sequencer. The second cable is another channel of the sequencer modulating the "Resonance CV Input". Don't ask about dB response. Just bask in the crusty warmth that is the r52.

Update: I just talked to Eric. This is the prototype of the r52. The actual production models will be revised and will self-resonate. Cool.

Yes. You can preorder this module. Click here. Add to cart. Pay. We'll send it to you when it comes in. You don't wanna' be the the only synth geek without a pee-colored module in your rack do you?

Xotic Robotalk2 Now In Stock


The new Xotic Robotalk 2 is a fantastic sounding dual analog envelope follower guitar pedal. Use one side, the other or both combined for super rich funk tones and smooth filter modulations. Check out xotic.us for demo videos.

Bostich+Fussible and the Analogue Systems rs240

The guys from Nortec Collective came in. Here we are messing around with the A.S. rs240 Frequency Shifter.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Cool Jomox Pics


Resonator Neuronium Prototype

Check out the Jomox Myspace page. Add Jomox!

Cwejman RES-4 Sequence

Yes, it's another Resonator video. This thing is badass. These are just sounds from the RES-4. We're just sending a trigger into it's input and a control voltage from the sequencer to the master CV!

Tag Team Patch 020709

Here we are with our friend Don just messing around. We're using a Plan B Dual Timbral Gate (Sounds good!), Cwejman RES-4, Analogue Systems rs290 Delay/Sampler among other random modules. Don's starting to get some great formant sounds out of the RES-4 and the rs-290 is being clocked with a trigger signal from our sequencer. Thanks Don!

Monday, February 2, 2009

Cwejman RES-4 Quad Resonator Module

Here's the Jomox 888 into the Cwejman VC-FCS stereo compressor and on into the RES-4. The Res-4 is made up of four analog resonant bandpass filters. Each one has control for frequency, resonance level and volume.

The filters are triggered by the audio signal.  The more you turn the resonance up, the longer it rings out. Make kick drums. Use it as a multiple band sound shaper.  Use it to make really awesome sounding steel drum mutations while sequencing the pitch via CV.  There's a master CV and each individual filter has a frequency, level and bandwidth CV in.

Yep. It's pretty rad.

Learning the Diabolical Devices SK-1

This little gem has a sixteen point patch bay, built in oscillator and LFO, MIDI input by Highly Liquid, and various bends. You remember the SK-1. Record your voice into in. Play it back. Play it back in rhythm with the demo. This bent version can mangle your samples, the built in sounds and drumbeats and drone you to sleep. We're still learning!