Lovebot's First Micromac Demo

Here I take the Micromac through the paces, focusing more on the ambient/surreal side of the synthesizer, but there's percussion, bass, leads, FM madness and fx, etc.- something for everyone to enjoy. Everything is 100% Micromac... played by hand or self-generated, sorry for sloppiness at times. I've added reverb, delay, and compression to taste, and I've layered takes in some places; I wanted to provide musical context rather than some alienated melody line. This is by far the most amazing synthesizer I've ever played and I hope this demo reflects a fraction of my awe. Ken Macbeth has created a brilliant product! Hope you enjoy this demo. 

Here is a sequence of recordings made entirely with the Micromac (including percussion), controlled via the iPad (Animoog keyboard transmitting MIDI out, and an additional sequence provided by LittleMidi step sequencer app on the iPad).  

Micromac Electronic Pop Demo (short)

For this demo, I recorded several live takes of playing the Macbeth Micromac-r by hand (with a traditional midi keyboard, and sometimes with the MIDI out of the Animoog app for the iPad). The demo is multitracked with many layers of Micromac synth and some additional percussive stuff that I sequenced in Ableton Live (and a little sample I recorded of my Rhythm Ace machine too!). 

Lovebot's Second Micromac Demo

I present a few musical clips of the Macbeth Micromac's oscillators 1+2 running through the Manhattan Analog MA35 VCF/A eurorack module (a discrete transistor interpretation of the filter/amp combo in the Korg MS-10/early model MS-20 synths). Usually I only run the oscillators into the MA35's two channel mixer, through the filter + VCA, and then to the audio interface. However, sometimes I run the two filters in parallel-  Macbeth oscillators > MA35 module > external audio input on the Micromac > Micromac Filter + VCA ... and that achieves some filthy resonant dirt! Also in use: Pittsburgh Modular envelope and Analog Systems RS-380 modulation controller. Percussion was programmed in Ableton Live. I used the iPad as a midi controller for each recording (Animoog touchplate with user definable scales, StepPolyArp with user-definable arpeggiator, and Musix Pro isomorphic controller). 

Micromac > MA35

Here's just a snippet of the Micromac running through the (GASP) Behringer VD400 BBD delay pedal. This analog delay unit was only $25 and really captures that lo-fi vintage sound, despite being an absolute POS! All sounds you hear come from the Micromac, including the percussion! I sampled different patches into Ableton Live and constructed a drum rack comprised of Micromac blips and bleeps. Wait a few seconds for the beat to come in!

Micromac running through VD400 BBD delay

Late night analog recording session with the Micromac, BBD delay, reel to reel, and Ableton Live. I found a reel of studio-recorded drums that dates to the late 1980s to early 90s. First, I digitized the tape recordings into Ableton Live. After finding some choice breaks, I ran the Macbeth Micromac synthesizer into the reel and overloaded the input circuit to achieve some grimy analog synth saturation. Then, I ran the final output of the reel through a BBD delay pedal and into the audio interface for recording into Ableton Live. I laid down several Micromac takes in this manner and then arranged them into a semi-coherent musical motif that will become the basis of a new Lovebot track. Hope you enjoy this work in progress!  

GHOST TAPE demo (Micromac, reel to reel saturation, BBD delay)

I present the third epically long demo of the Macbeth Micromac; this one explores the intergalactic tones of the Micromac using a variety of control techniques:

-Programmed midi in Ableton Live software
-Played live by hand, either with a traditional midi keyboard or a variety of alternative controllers on the iPad, including the Moog Animoog touch plate controller and the Musix isomorphic keyboard
-Self-triggered (by the third oscillator or by other modules into the gate in)
-Controlled by arpeggiators in Ableton Live or Poly Arp running on the iPad

Other equipment used in this demo:
-Manhattan Analogue MA35 VCF/VCA (for occasional 12db filter processing, stereo processing with Micromac VCF/A panned left and MA35 VCF/A panned right)
-Make Noise Maths (for modulation, rhythm)
-Analog Systems RS-380 Modulation Controller (for noise, S/H, random modulation, VCLFO)
-Pittsburgh Modular Mixer (mixing oscillators, routing)
-Pittsburgh Modular ADSR (controlling MA-35 VCF/A)
-Pittsburgh Modular MIDI2 (controlled by Ableton Live or iPad running Animoog, Poly Arp, Musix isomorphic controller)
-Behringher Vintage Delay (BBD Delay pedal)
TEAC Reel to Reel (mic pre overloaded for saturation/distortion)
Biyang Analog Chorus
-Additional processing (reverb, ping pong delay from Ableton Live)

STAR RANGER MICROMAC DEMO

EVERYTHING SYNTH
http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com
