Synthesea 2017: Was It Worth Attending?
11 June 2017 – The Synthesea event was organised by Simon Forsyth
Hardware:
- Analogue Solutions Fusebox
- AJH Mini Mod Modules
- Dübreq Stylophone GEN X-1
- plus Millenium Falcon? Dalek? And more…
Performances:
- Vile Electrodes
- Nick Batt (Sonic State)
- Battery Operated Orchestra
- Native Ray
A synth event by the sea with a live performance lineup including Nick Batt and Vile Electrodes. Juicy hardware synthesisers topped by the first public appearance of Analogue Solutions’ new Fusebox. All of this was available about 5 hours away from Sonic Voltage HQ! So we went, and by we I mean my twelve-year-old son and me.
It Didn't Start Well
My new audio recorder did not arrive in time for the event. I was only going to be able to record audio straight into the mic input of the digital camera. The trip could have been better. Traffic and diversions meant it took a seven-hour drive to get there. Luckily, we had planned to arrive in Hastings the day before the event. No rush.
The day of the event started much better with good sunny weather, but there was no time for the beach as we still needed to find the venue. It took a few attempts to get there. The venue was around “that corner” you always miss. When we did find it, I immediately had a smile on my face. A glance around revealed plenty of toys any synth-lover would (have s… with) want to have the pleasure of playing with.
The Orange Beast
Analogue Solutions’ Fusebox with that striking and appealing orange colour caught my attention first.
I had exchanged emails with Tom Carpenter from Analogue Solutions in the past. I purchased one of his Eurorack Modules some time ago, but to meet him in person was a great pleasure. He is a nice guy.
Tom was kind enough to give me a thorough overview of the Fusebox (recorded on video). I also recorded a demo of the Fusebox ‘without talking’, Tom played it for us. You can watch the Fusebox presentation video, the video-audio demo and Analogue Solutions’ preview of Mr Hyde Synthblock on our YouTube Channel.
Wait A Minute... I Know This Guy
Nick Batt passed by, and I introduced my son and myself to him. A few days earlier, during one of his podcasts, we exchanged some messages with Nick about Synthesea. What a nice guy, but more about our encounter with Nick later, let’s keep going with the hardware for now.
I Own A Voyager. Surely I Don't Need AJH SYNTH MiniMod Modules In My Rack, Or Do I?
Because I own a Moog MiniMoog Voyager, I have avoided spending money on eurorack moogish-modules. Yes, the Voyager is different from a Model D, but I am happy with the sound of the Voyager. Well, here I was with a set of AJH Synthesis modules staring at me from a few meters away! Immediately, my body teleported to this Waldorf KB37 Keyboard stuffed with AJH Mini Mod modules.
I started with whatever was already patched, then I kept editing and patching to create a multi-oscillator lead sound. I only spent about ten minutes with it but I ended up with a beautifully warm, fat and playable voice. I was impressed. These Mini Mod modules sound really nice. Finally, I had the chance to meet Allan Hall (AJH) and spent some time talking with him about AJH and the Mini Mod. I can’t wait to meet him again at the next event and record some thorough demos of his modules. The only problem now is that I wouldn’t mind having some Mini-Mod in my setup. I mean, if these are good enough for Hanz Zimmer who am I to not want to buy some?
Tom Carpenter, Nick Batt, Allan Hall... Great Start! But Who Put All Of This Tegether?
Time to find out who is the man behind Synthesea 2017. Drum roll… give it up for Mr. Simon Forsyth
How many friendly and nice people can you find in one room? I don’t know, but there were plenty here, and Simon Forsyth was one of them. I assumed this was one of several Synth Events he had organised so far, and I was surprised to learn this was his first! He wanted to bring some of the synth scene to Hastings. Congratulations, Synthesea 2017 was a great start. His synth collection was on display, and the guy has taste. Keep it up Simon, it was great to meet you, and I look forward to your next Synthesea event.
Which Synthesizer Sold Millions Of Units? Correct Me If I Am Wrong But Usually Synths Don't Sell Millions Of Units. Well... One Did! More UK Genius At Work.
What about a UK-born instrument that sold over four million units since 1968? It all started with Brian Jarvis, co-founder of Dübreq Studios, inventor of the Stylophone. Fast forward to 2013, the slick Stylophone S2 launched and now the latest baby from Dübreq with a launch date set for July 2017… Stylophone GEN X-1.
The GEN X-1 was in preview at Synthesea 2017, and I had the pleasure of meeting John Simpson from Dübreq. We played a bit with the new Stylophone. This synth proudly claimed its space in the noisy room.
We plugged the audio out of the GEN X-1 straight into the camera mic input, and John demoed sounds for us. John could not hear what he was playing because we did not use a mixer to split the output between a speaker and the camera input. Still, this thing can scream. Video of the demo and more about the GEN X-1 here…
What Else Was There?
My son was first attracted to the Dalek, then the even more impressive Arturia MatrixBrute stole his attention. I think the Dalek was a speaker device. I intended to come back for the MatrixBrute later to spend time with the matrix/sequencer section, but I had no time to do so. And what is that thing behind the MatrixBrute? Maybe if I force myself around the corner I can see it better, but before moving I see a CustomSynth.
You Have Been Violated! I think this Analogue Solutions Telemark-K is the Depeche Mode Violator Themed version by CustomSynth
Han Solo Parked His Car In Hastings
Mr Solo was not available for interviews and he spent most of his time on the phone. Judging by the sounds he was making I think Solo was trying to offer some word of comfort to Chewbacca who must have been having some sort of breakdown on the other end of the phone… something about waxing gone wrong I think.
Anyway… my dear friends, I don’t know what those knobs at the back of the Millenium Falcon are supposed to do, I didn’t catch anyone near this thing to ask about it and I didn’t want to break anything so I didn’t touch it. If you know what those knobs are for, please comment below
And More...
Lamond Design Cases
Some of the Hardware Synths I had time to look at included the Promars, Oberheim, Waldorf Q, Sledge.
Oberheim Two Voice
More Modular Goodies And Cool People To Meet?
I had a nice chat with Andrew Duff, organiser of Brighton Modular. Nice man with a nice modular setup. He was showing the new Pamela Workout to anyone interested, and he also had some Video Synthesis modules processing a live camera feed.
We all know Nick Batt for his great work with Sonic State and, of course, for some of his Remixes from the past and his work with Goldfrapp. My son plays Drums and Piano and recently started showing interest in synthesisers and enjoyed watching some of Nick’s hardware reviews. During one of Nick’s live podcasts, we mentioned to Nick that after watching so many of his videos it would be great to say hi to him in person.
What a nice man! We met him as he buzzed past moving his live-performance equipment, and although busy preparing his setup for his live performance Nick made time to come back to us and chat with my son and me. Nick is a star, genuinely a nice guy. What a pleasure talking with him about synths and other stuff.
Nick’s live set was great. In fact, to read and watch more about the second part of the event, the evening live performances from Nick Batt, Vile Electrodes, Battery Operated Orchestra and Native Ray CLICK HERE.
