Ginko Synthese Sampleslicer KickStarter Project

Products from the Netherlands get some special attention at PatchPierre.Net.

SampleSlicer prototype

Jan Willem from Ginkosynthese is slowly uncovering the KickStarter project plans for the Ginko Synthese Sampleslicer Eurorack Module.

" The Sampleslicer is a real-time monophonic sampler, including a 16 step voltage-controlled sequencer.The incoming sound is chopped up automatically into 16 parts by the incoming clock signal and spread out over the16 steps in the internal sequencer."

The first batch will be manufactured from a crowdfunding project.
Subscribe to receive an e-mail as soon as the crowdfunding campaign kicks off."

Read more about this project on Kickstarter.

Follow Jan Willem on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jan.willem.737

Video: Intro


Video: Ginko Synthese SAMPLESLICER demo by Jan Willem

New updates will be added later...
" Last but not least: If we reach the goal, we will create an add-on module to use pre-recorded samples from a memory card, and moreover it opens a way for us to develop even more awesome modules!""

Update Oct. 20 2014:

As you probably know the sampleslicer kickstarter is successfully funded. Thank you all for the support! 
The sampleslicer will be shipped to all backers around 20th of december. 
We work hard to get this date stipt. 
If you where not able to be part of the kickstarter project there are two options to get a sampleslicer. 
1: there will be a short period for ordering on my websitewww.ginkosynthese.com (people on the waitinglist will get a mail about this) 
or 2: wait for the retailers as we will drop some modules at retailers afterwards

Doepfer A-112 Sampler Modular Digital Delay by LESINDES

Another nice video via YouTube.
LESINDES shows a weird-sounding delay-effect, created with a Doepfer A-112 Sampler...
Too bad the patch isn't explained in the video, but nevertheless interesting enough to watch/listen.

Video: Doepfer A-112 Sampler -- Modular Digital Delay


" This is a very special use of the Doepfer Modular System A-100 to create a Digital Delay sound which is not so easy btw ;-) But you are refunded with a very weird FX that you cannot create other than through a modular system"

Uploaded by LESINDES

QU-Bit Electronix Nebulæ

QU-Bit Electronix is a new Eurorack modular synthesizer company based in North America founded by Andrew Ikenberry and Jason Lim.
They love open source hardware/software, and put their knowledge together to create this first QU-Bit module, the Nebulæ.

QU-Bit Nebulæ module 

Nebulæ is an audio file player/granular oscillator in the Eurorack modular synthesizer format.

It uses sound files to create loops, melodies, granular clouds, drones, pads and any sound recorded audio is capable of generating.

It comes with 1 GB of royalty free samples recorded and mastered specifically for Nebulæ.

Main features:
- Plays .wav, .aif, .flac , and .ogg files from a USB device- No naming convention for files
- Independent control of pitch and speed
- 1 V/oct pitch tracking
- MIDI control over all parameters
- DSP engine by Csound ( Csound is a C-Based Audio Programming Language) http://www.csounds.com/
- Looping / one shot capabilities

Video 1: Nebulae Drum Break

" Demonstration of the 'freeze' and granular functionality of the Nebulæ Eurorack module by QU-bit Electronix"

Video 2: Nebulae Loop Controls

" Demonstration of the looping/cropping functionality of the Nebulæ Eurorack module by QU-bit Electronix"

Video 3: Nebulae Looping Mode

"Demonstration of the Nebulæ Eurorack module by QU-bit Electronix in Looping mode"

The Nebulæ looks like a pretty awesome and flexible module to me, especially with the easy file-import via USB.
It can be yours for USD 429.00
They are now (december 6) accepting a limited number of pre orders on the site (http://www.qubitelectronix.com/) and anticipate to start shipping in mid to late December.

More at http://www.qubitelectronix.com/

Say hi to them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/qubitelectronix (new)

Videos uploaded by http://www.youtube.com/QuBitElectronix

Doepfer Sound Sampler (1984)

Doepfer 8-bit Sound Sampler

On a random search on the internet for rare Doepfer products i came across this module in an old Matrixsynth post:
This Doepfer Sound Sampler module (8 bit voltage controlled sampler with interface and sampling software for Commodore 64) was made by Doepfer in 1984.

Sound Sampler book 
by Dieter Doepfer and 
Cristian Assall

The Doepfer CV/Gate controlled modular Sound Sampler system was available as a kit between 1984 and 1990.
The complete system was also described in detail in the book written by Dieter Doepfer and Cristian Assall called "Sound Sampler" (published by Elektor ISBN 3-921608-44-9) in 1988.
This book was dedicated to building an 8-bit modular sampler that could be edited with a Commodore 64 home-computer.
All schematics are in the book, with all PCB designs and front-panels for all modules: input, memory/sampling card (with CV/Gate), loopcard, C-64 interface and compressor/expander.

Picture via Gearslutz

Every sampler module had its own memory.
There was software available that could handle sampling, FM synthesis, Wavetable synthesis, Fourier synthesis and Waveshaping synthesis.
The C64 could be used only to modify the sampling memory (sampled sound or sound generated by software synthesis like FM or Fourier), up to 8 sampling voices.

Most of the PCB board was covered by the memory chips that were pretty expensive at the time.
The picture below shows a 6-Voice system, the Input/Interface module is left, then 6 times the Memory-Card, each with a HS-VCO to get the pitch and a Curtis filter.
Apart from the sampler was a CV/Gate controlled stand-alone unit (not on the pictures)

Later Doepfer added another extension card, the so-called CCU (computer control unit). 

With this unit it was possible to define loops with free adjustable start and end position (the software helped to find zero-transitions for a glitch-free loop), and the unit could now be fully controlled by the computer (also pitch via high-speed DCOs). 

Also an expander/compressor was available but the improvement of this addition was very small from Dieter's own point of view.

6 x Memorycard, 6 x VCO,
6x Curtis filter

Around 300 kits were sold, partly because around the same time (1984-1988) Ensoniq released their Mirage sampler that was cheaper (and easier to use) than the Doepfer sampler.

Dieter: "To some extend this was also the beginning of the Eurorack standard (instead of Doepfers/DD Systems earlier Formant sized modules) as the front panels already had the same dimensions and mounting positions as the A-100 that started in 1995."

This module was the precursor of the A-112 that was released more than a decade later, but in the A-112 one small chip contains twice the memory of the 16 large chips of the old sampler.

Special thanks to Dieter Doepfer for all additional info

Random Videos: HOX808

I really like the recent uploads from YouTube user HOX808 from Berlin, Germany.

Focussing on modular analog synths and with their minimalistic approach these video's are simply amazing.

I posted 2 video's below, but be sure to also check out the older uploads by this user.

The first video is a minimal drum sequence, made with only the Doepfer A-160 and 2 A-161 Sequencer/Dividers, TipTop 808 Bassdrum, Snare and Hats drum modules, a touch of (TB-)303, a few samples and some kind of delay.

Quite impressive with these minimum resources.

This does bring back an old wish of me for Doepfer to produce some drum-modules that sound (at least) as good as this though...

Video 1: The Thin Rebirth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XivBQxgERPg
-no description available

The second video also mainly seems to be about drums, but if you look a bit further, you notice that these are not drum-modules, but six (!) Doepfer A-112 8-Bit samplers in a row, and it looks/ sounds like the same TipTop drum-module were used.
Very original again, but what happened with the knobs?

Video 2: 6 x Doepfer A-112 8 Bit Sampler

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJErS9T04HQ
" 6 x Doepfer A-112 8 Bit Sampler and Tiptop Audio BD SD,Flame Echometer, MFB STEP 64."

Uploaded by HOX808