Austin-based record label that focuses on the local punk and underground music scene.

Born in 1982 and a resident of Los Angeles since 2005, Gengras has defined his practice with the art of synthesis. Starting with a string of short-run cassettes detailing the interior curvature of his well-worn vintage budget level Moogs & moving into the more diverse sonics of modular synthesis explored on recent releases like ISHI (Leaving Records/Stones Throw), the focus has remained, sculpting new sounds from raw voltage & creating engrossing sonic environments. In addition to two prolific solo careers (counting his dance-music alter-ego Personable), Gengras is an avid collaborator and has recorded and performed with The Congos, Akron/Family, Sun Araw & members of the Grateful Dead & Cold Sun. He is also the co-founder (with Sun Araw's C. Stallones) of Duppy Gun Productions, which pairs contemporary left-field producers with Jamaican vocalists to create new vision dancehall-influenced tracks.

Bana Haffar is a synthesist currently based in Montreal, Canada.

synthesize. check out the shared system Soundcloud for more music on modular.

this page is not current at all but I’m chillin here checking out your music

Hello all!  This page will serve as a creative forum for users to showcase their compositions with the instrument in order to create a dialog of knowledge and inspiration amongst Shared System users and the world at large.

We started the Shared System Series back in 2012 in order for us to showcase the works of several artists using the same musical instrument, composed live with no multitracking, midi sequencing, or external effects. In this way, the series hopes to capture an artist’s raw compositional and emotional intent, while working outside the confines and comforts of digital automation and modern editing techniques.

If you would like to participate, please create a piece of your own that adheres to the same guidelines of the original series (please see full submission framework below). If you don’t have access to the Make Noise Shared System, that’s ok too, so long as your work is composed only using the modules within a single Shared System. When we released the first five records, the Erbe-Verb didn’t exist, so we allowed the artist to use the reverb of their choosing. Of course we hope you’ll choose an Erbe-Verb!

By submitting, you’d be allowing us to host your work; however, you would still maintain all creative rights. We also ask that your piece be unreleased and exclusive for a period of 90 days. After that, you may use and distribute your composition as you like. Should any issues come up after your content has been posted, please contact us and we’ll work to correct the situation in order to meet your needs.

As the Shared System Series is equally about sharing knowledge, inspiration, and system familiarity, we would also like to ask for either a photo of a patch diagram or a Modular Grid link in order to illustrate your unique approach to synthesis. Please feel free to continue the conversation with any other information you’d like to share!

Shared System Framework:

1. You must have access to the Make Noise Shared System or restrict your composition to using only the modules within a single Shared System.

2. Your recordings must be solely composed on the Shared System (no other modules, FX*, instruments, programs, etc may be used to compose your music. The point of the Series is to emphasize the gamut of capabilities within a single instrument as used across a wide variety of artists and musicians)
*external reverb is acceptable.

3. Your piece must be recorded live to stereo 2-track (no multi-tracking or post-production).

4. You piece mustn't exceed 10 minutes (if you have a piece that is longer and would still like to use it, please select your favorite 10 minutes).

5. Submissions should be made through SoundCloud via a private link with downloading enabled and we'll take care of the uploading. We only wish to serve as a host for these pieces and relinquish all creative rights to the artist. We ask that any submissions made be material that is otherwise unreleased and exclusive, and that it remains so for 90 days after it is posted. Beyond that point you are free to use it however you wish and change the track to public. If there is any complication with having your material online after a submission is posted, please contact us and we will act promptly to meet your needs.

6. Please include either a patch sheet diagram or a Modular Grid link.

7. Please include links back to your artist webpage, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, SoundCloud, Bandcamp and/or anything else relevant to your art.

The more info the better! This is an opportunity to express your personal compositional style and process through a shared medium! Help us paint a unique and diverse sonic mural that highlights the endlessly versatile nature of the Shared System.

-Shared System Series Team

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