MFB’s medium sized semi-modular synthesizer
My experiences with the Nanozwerg were enough to warrant buying it’s slightly bigger brother. The oscillators sound good, the modular functions keep surprising you with new sounds and Manfred Fricke always squeezes a few extra functions in the machine, in this case by using a ‘shift’ button. The shift button plays a major role in this machine, as this is the button you use to change between filters 1 and 2, the 2 oscillators, and the LFO settings. The normal oscillators and low frequency oscillators feature the familiar triangle, saw and square waveforms but both OSC’s and LFO’s have an extra trick up their sleeves. OSC 1 features a ring modulator while OSC 2 offers white noise, the LFO has an added ramp in it’s waveforms while LFO 2 has sample & hold.
The Nanozwerg’s bigger brother brings more modularity and patch points than it smaller sibling (the smaller yellow synthesizer pictured on the left). It looks a bit cooler in dark blue with it’s many patch points above the controls, but together they offer a very cool modular combination. Both dwarfs (zwerg being the German word for dwarf) also go well together by using both machines together using the CV (control voltage) in- & outputs. The audio signals can be combined via the ‘VCA (voltage controlled amplifier) add’ and filter inputs. The downside also being the same semi-modularity, with an emphasis on ‘semi’. Not everything can be done, like the lack of being able to adjust the incoming CV value, or scaling as it’s called. This is where a full modular rack would really step-up the sound-designing game. Like the Nanozwerg the filter isn’t awe inspiring but does it’s job well with the 12dB per octave it offers. The resonance is a bit too eager to scream, but together with a distortion pedal this doesn’t have to be a problem. Since I would really would like to expand my studio with a full modular synth in rack format, I’ll probably make use of external filters pretty soon anyway. And there’s always the option to use plugin’s (within a digital audio workstation) to do the filtering. I already play my synths via MIDI inside a DAW and triggering a digital filter is as easy as using the same MIDI notes to trigger the filter’s cut-off.
Because I’ve already tested the Nanozwerg the Micorzwerg isn’t surprising me soundwise. Well, not a lot as I’ve already heard some mad things I didn’t expect when dialing in the sounds. It’s modular side however probably still holds many secrets for me that I’m more than ready and willing to find out. Yeah, it’s not a Moog, but at this price I really don’t care! A great synth to start with to try if analog synths are what you’re looking for. It’s many patch points will stay valuable even if you already expanded your modular synth set-up beyond the capabilities of the Microzwerg making it great value for money.
Related:
MFB Microzwerg Patch Sheet
MFB Nanozwerg Review
A patch sheet for the MFB Microzwerg
I found a few on the web and they all had a ton of mistakes in them, so I edited them to perfection and this is the final result!
Now, I can hear you think: “But how do I note the second instance of the machine after pressing shift?” Well, you can always use two different colors to note the differences or just mark them with a “1″ or “2″.
As always, if you’ve got any questions feel free to ask me in the comments below. If you want to share your patches, mention me in your Tweet of status update on Facebook and I’ll spread the word for you!
Download here.
Related:
Review of the MFB Microzwerg.
MFB Nanozwerg Patch Sheet
Yesterday, Jeralta interviewed graffiti & design artist Capse1.
I tagged along to make some snapshots and because I had yet to met the artist myself, who made the artwork for the Sensei Walingh remix (embedded below). On the left is one of his many creations, which he gave to me! Thanks mate!
“For the people who don’t know you, introduce yourself.
Hello, I’m Ruben, better known as Capse. I’m from Holland, Art and Design student, former graffiti artist (I will be back though!), designer, full-time hip hop lover, Part-time interesting person.”
Read the full interview on DJ’s Without A Cue. The interview includes many more artworks by Capse.
Check out Capse’s many creative sessions on Dailybooth, and follow him on Twitter.
Follow Jeralta from DJ’s Without A Cue on Twitter.
The latest hard techno release by Cicuta
It’s dark, it’s uptempo, it’s Drugstore as we know him best.
Free download via netlabel Cicuta
Tracklist:
1. Gaia
2. Gaia (Oliver Kucera Remix)*
3. Kundalini
4. Kundalini (David Meiser Remix)
5. Circon
6. Circon (CBTØ Remix)
*Mastered By David Morales
Artwork: David Collado
Photography: Remoto
Multiband sidechain compressor for Ableton Live 8.x
Looking for a way to create this effect I found this post explaining how I’ll need Linkwitz-Riley filters to make a perfect crossover between the low, mid and high frequencies. Searching for a Linkwitz-Riley filter for Mac didn’t yield the results I was hoping for. But then I realized the original multiband dynamics effect build into Ableton features a solo button for the low, mid and high frequencies. The crossover used in the multiband compressor should be flat, meaning the frequency response is the same before and after the effect (if no compression is applied). Using these filters already available in Ableton Live I made a simple effect rack where you can control the crossover for the three bands and adjust the compression for each band separately. Now you can side-chain each band!
I made this rack specifically for side-chaining because there’s already a multiband dynamics compressor in Ableton, which this effect-rack uses. But, the rack allows for some creative use meaning you can side-chain one band and ignore the other two bands, or compress one band normally, sidechain the other, and ignore the third one. There are many more combinations possible, so go nuts if you feel you have to!
In it’s default setting nothing is happening to the signal. On the left you’ll find two buttons for adjusting the crossover and you’ll notice three channels (low, mid and high) just on the left of the middle in the grouped device. Each channel/band has it’s own compressor, on the right. These compressors are set to the default setting and side-chain is switched on. Select the band you want to side-chain or compress, adjust the compressor to taste and hey presto! (Side-chain) compression is applied to the band you require compressed.
Download here!
Made in Ableton Live 8.3, older versions might work. Feel free to confirm which versions work, or not, in the comments below.
Edit: The zip-file might unpack the effect rack without the proper extension! If so, simply add “.adg” (without quotes) to the end of the file name.
Review, Software & Hardware | JordyVision | 
15/05/2012 20:27 | 
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