This week’s offering comes in a double helping under the general title of Choppersphere… (black, for arpeggiated and wavesequenced fx)

This is made up of two main instruments…  a curious arpeggiated effect called Type 545B Chopper and  a  warm pad called Composite Chorus and comes in two example forms (Strings) and (Hall Pluck).  There are also three multis in the download:  Choppersphere, Super Hall Pluck and Sustained Hall Pluck.

Type 545B Chopper was the result of one of my more experimental sessions.    The raw sample data was made in a rather bizarre manner by feeding a basic waveform into channel #1 of a 1968 Tektronix 545B tube scope and setting it up to trigger on it.  This resulted in the sawtooth generated by the timebase being in sync with the incoming waveform which was promptly fed back into channel #2 on the scope.    The Type 1A1 plug-in unit was then set to chop mode whereby the two input signals were alternately chopped to create a complex waveform syncronised to the external signal.   The trigger level was then slowly tweaked resulting in a very unusual signal ending up on the vertical signal output.   This was captured and several seconds of sample was programmed up to fire on random round robins with different sample starting points on each.   The harmonically rich waveform was then filtered randomly and a  simple arpeggiator patch setup to sequence the whole thing.

The delay in the default instrument has been configured to run at 120 bpm – this can be tweaked in the GUI to gain the desired effect at any bpm set in Kontakt.   It is quite entertaining to hold down some notes and start tweaking the filter cutoff, filter amount and filter decay settings as well as just about everything else on this one!

The second instrument in the choppersphere download is called Composite Chorus (a red one!) and is based on a composite of a number of string like timbres layered and fed through an analog chorus unit.

Both sounds can be played together and indeed layered with any other sound in the Blue Zone Series.

Type 545B Chopper:  firstly played in its default state and then continuously tweaked:

Sustained Pluck:  one of three example multis in the Choppersphere download:

"Dig it. Absolute no brainer at this price. Please keep up the good work!" thisplace, KVR Forum

HS-4KL-BZ05 (08/02/13)

The hope is to release new additions to The Blue Zone Series every 1 to 2 weeks…

Flux Reversal is a Blue One!

   This week’s little delight I’ve called Flux Reversal and felt like a blue one to me.   This evolving little number was made with a blend of several layers including three warm gently overdriven tube signal generators, a series of reversed glassy digital hybrid bells and three analog waveforms from old signal generators mixed in a super smooth sequence using a pendulum orbiting in a bath of brine water!  The latter setup I call The Water Mixer and often makes bystanders raise their eyebrows when they catch sight of various test leads and old lab equipment hooked up to a baking tray full of salty water!!…  Things your mom told you never to do – like sticking a knife in the toaster… which, knowing me, I probably tried as a kid! (you forget such events as an ever tinkering electronic engineer after over 30 years of this kind of thing!)…

This one works well on it’s own but also sounds rather nice played together with sustained diallings of Anthem Keys…

There is something quite special about 1960’s tube signal generators.   My good friend Stephen Howell (Hollow Sun) has also picked up on this – how can mixing three free running tube generated sinewaves together sound so sweet? – but they do and whatever is happening is almost impossible to see even when viewed side by side with more modern offerings. Naturally then feeding the results through a gentle tube overdrive adds a slice of sonic magic 🙂

Some 8-bit digital goodness was also used in the making of this one – a curious multi-sampled reversed bell like effect but I couldn’t resist feeding the results hot through one of my active tube EQs.

A 10 triode design of mine, the active tube EQs have been secret weapons in my sound design for some time now are very different beasts to most semi-passive offerings to be found…

Credits

D.A. Wilson (Hideaway Studio) Equipment Design, Sound Design, Sample Set, Example Patch & Demo

Stephen Howell (www.hollowsun.com) GUI Concept, GUI Design & Graphics.

Mario Krušelj Synth Engine Script

“Sounds absolutely stunning! Icy but yet emotive and melancholic at the same time.  Have just bought all 4 from the series and can’t wait to hear what you come up with next!”  ScarKord, KVR Forum

“I love them coming in such affordable bite-sized bits and pieces. It’ll be cool building up a collection of great, unusual sounds. Keep up the good work!   Just bought the lot.!”  Vicshere, KVR Forum

A Quick Demo: Kontakt 4.2.4 or later required...

HS-4KL-BZ04 (01/02/13)

An Improved GUI….

Before I introduce the new additions may I say many thanks to all who have purchased The Blue Zone.  After some user feedback Stephen and Mario very kindly offered to update the GUI to include a filter envelope and a filter amount control.

There are now two small yellow buttons, one on either side of the ENVELOPE control.

By clicking on AMP you can set the VCA envelope and by clicking on FILTER you can set the filter envelope.  The controls will move to their previous positions when switching between each mode.

The filter FREQUENCY and RESONANCE controls are still present in VCA mode

The FREQUENCY and filter ENV AMT controls are present in FILTER mode for adjustment.

As before, all control positions will be preserved if the .nki file is saved but please remember to use a new file name to avoid overwriting the original.

The Electron Forest is the second release in the Blue Zone Series.  It was made by mixing the hand cranked output of two 1960’s tube sinewave generators running well above the audible range (60 to 100kHz).  This produced upper and lower sidebands, the lower being in the audio range.  This was passed through a tube EQ resulting in a super smooth superheterodyne effect much like tuning an old AM radio but with no extraneous noise.  The Theremin works on a very similar principle.

A long recording was made and then several random round robin loops were setup in the instrument.

You will have noticed that The Electron Forest GUI is ochre in colour.  The idea is that the instruments in The Blue Zone Series will be colour coded:

Blue:  Ambient / New Age / Washes & Synthetic Textures   Ochre: Sound Effects   Red: Synths 

More GUI colours / timbres may be added over time.

The Electron Forest Played Live…

The Electron Forest & The Blue Zone Together…

And a further addition to The Blue Zone Series….  Anthem Keys

Anthem Keys… made with 3 layered tube overdriven PWM waves presented in octaves.  Adding a rapid filter envelope results in synth chime type timbres and warm pads with slower envelopes.

Two example patches and a multi are provided with the instrument.

Anthem Keys (the layered multi provided with the instrument in action)…

Credits

D.A.Wilson (Hideaway Studio) Oscillator Capture & Wave Shaping, Sample Set, Example Patches & Demos

Stephen Howell (RIP) (www.hollowsun.com) GUI Concept, GUI Design & Graphics.

Mario Krušelj Synth Engine Script

Usage Restrictions & Copyright Notice (see below)

HS-4KL-BZ02 & HS-4KL-BZ03 (26/01/13)

A New Series of Unique Sounds & Textures…

The Blue Zone is a new series of one-off experimental electronic textures and instruments presented with a simple user interface to be periodically interspersed between major releases (there is indeed much work in progress on a new project!).  The plan is that they will eventually form a unique library of more exotic sounds available in single inexpensive installments.

Most of the sounds in the collection will be exclusively created from scratch using combinations of custom tube hybrid equipment, experimental circuits and vintage analog gear.  I have named the first installment after the series, The Blue Zone…

This wispy number was created by three modulated and detuned ramps fed hot into the Dual Tube Hybrid Filter with both the Tube and Multi-Mode stages dancing about self resonance.  The filter cutoffs were hand cranked in unison via a modulation matrix in and out of the harmonic resonance points and the results passed through an analog chorus and sampled in 24-bits.

“A cool producer tool to have in hand when background/soundscapes/tapestry is needed”  Numanoid, KVR Forum

The first installment is now available for download complete with a great GUI by Steve Howell (Hollow Sun) & Mario Krušelj.

The Dual Tube Hybrid Filter – One of Only Two Examples in the World

HS-4KL-BZ01b (26/01/13)