Regular listeners to the show will know that we are great enthusiasts of squelchy analogue electronics here at the Moonbase. One of the best events to find out about the tastiest new analogue synths is the annual NAMM Show which has just taken place in Anaheim, California.
Lots of great gear was unveiled at this year's NAMM but here are four new toys we were particularly moved by:
First up, those giants of all things analogue, Moog Music Inc, have released the Minitaur, a new version of their classic Taurus bass pedal line, except this time it's in the form of a bass synthesizer into which you can plug any MIDI controller (or CV/Gate controller for that matter):
Next, Arturia who up until now have been chiefly renowned for producing software emulations of some classic analogue synths (including the Moog Modular and Minimoog). They have, wisely in our view, decided that there's nothing quite like twidding real knobs and have released the amazing Minibrute. Of particular appeal is the presence of a "Brute Factor" knob:
Both of the above synths will be selling in the region of £400-500. This next one is out of the range of mere mortals (it'll set you back about $15,000) but it's worth a mention because we love the idea of a modular synth which you can fold up. This is the latest in the 200e line of modular synth systems from that other great pioneer of analogue synthesis, Don Buchla. He calls it the Buchla Skylab:
Finally, another analogue synth designed for portability, this is the Pittsburgh Modular Foundation which, as with the Minitaur above, can be played with any MIDI controller. What's particularly appealing about this one is the fact that it includes a number of REALLY GIANT KNOBS:
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Sources: Moog Music Inc, Matrixsynth, Synthtopia.
Prompted on the one hand by the inclusion of an owl-themed track on the new Spacedog album and on the other by a seagull-themed track on Jonny Trunk's recently released collection of music and songs used in Fingerbobs, we thought it an appropriate moment to celebrate all things avian by making birds the theme of this week's show. This is part of our ongoing exploration of the animal kingdom. If you have a particular favourite branch of the evolutionary tree or if there is a genus or species you are particularly keen on, do let us know and we will do our best to make it the subject of a future show.
Chiefly inspired by the remarkable discovery of a whole album's worth of punk covers played on the steel drum(!), we decided it was time to dust off the ripped tartan trousers and attach chains of safety pins to our lab coats as we turn the whole show over to punk rock. Please rest assured, dear regular listener, that this is the Alternative History version of punk rock where one can quite happily use the music as a backdrop to the enjoyment of creamy stilton and several glasses of fortified wine.
