Bye bye 2014

The Duotron - Dual oscillator Atmegatron

Well it's been quite a year. I couldn't have hoped for a better response to the Atmegatron. There's gonna be a lot exciting new things next year too. I look forward to sharing these with you over the coming months.

Anyway I thought I'd finish the year off with yet another software version, The Duotron. This is a dual oscillator variation of the classic Atmegatron software. It uses the techniques used on the Delayertron, but replaces the delay-line with another oscillator. It's got a pretty heavy sound as you can hear. It does do warmer sounds too, I had the wave-crusher turned up high on that little demo.
You may wonder why the 2 oscillators are always slightly detuned.  This is because oscillator B uses a 16-bit timer and A uses an 8-bit timer.  The tuning accuracy of the 16-bit timer is better, hence why they always sound slightly out.
Some people may notice the high frequency PWM noise with this software (it's the same reason as with the Delayertron). It is nothing to worry about, it's well out of human hearing range.
I'll try and do a new version of this next year that is duophonic (i.e. if you press 2 MIDI notes, 1 oscillator goes to each note).

Dirt Cheap PCB

There's a dirt cheap PCB for sale at the online store.  It is a fully functioning PCB, the only issue is that some of the output filter components are faulty meaning that it has a sound which is a little too warm! I'm happy to show any soldering experts which components need replacing (should you want to).

New Atmegatron software available

There's a new version of the Atmegatron software available (version 1.3) on the downloads page. It adds the ability to change MIDI channel and also fixes some stuck MIDI note issues that Ableton users were having.

Find out how to change MIDI channel here and how to upload the software here.

Last minute Christmas presents!

Atmegatron Complete and PCB back on sale

There's a small stock of Atmegatron Complete's and PCBs available, via the website and also some distributors. The distributors currently with stock are:

• Juno (UK)
• Music Store (Europe)
• Gizmo Music (Japan)
• Perfect Circuit Audio (USA)

If you order from the webshop, please bear in mind the following last dates for orders to arrive by Christmas:

• UK - 20th Dec
• Europe - 13th Dec
• USA - 12th Dec
• Canada, Asia, South America, Australasia - Won't make it in time, apologies

Delayertron and Atmegadrum overlays now available

Finally the Atmegatron overlays are ready! They are available from the webshop and you get 2 for £7.50 (ex VAT and postage). The overlays are for the Delayertron and Atmegadrum and the software for them can be found here and a tutorial on how to upload the software can be found here.

Please note that only orders to UK addresses will ship in time for Christmas.

New Delayertron and Atmegadrum demo track by DREAMTRAK

To celebrate the new overlays, there's a new demo track showing off the Delayertron and Atmegadrum software. The track was edited together from a jam between DREAMTRAK and Soulsby Synths, performed on 2 Atmegatrons. It's pretty experimental, and that's exactly what the Atmegatron is all about!

Oh and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Music Tech Fest this weekend

It's Music Tech Fest this weekend. I'm going to be taking part in the 24 hour hackathon. Judging by past Music Tech Fests it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun.
Do come along and say hello if you're free.  Details below:

Music Tech Fest - festival of music ideas

Jerwood Hall, LSO St Lukes, London.
Tickets: £20 per day

• Friday 5 September: 6pm–10pm - Occupy Music (Soulsby Synths are not involved this day)
• Saturday 6 September: 1pm–10pm - Gunk and HMI
• Sunday 7 September: 1pm–10pm - Get Your Ears Dirty

Delayertron (tron tron tron .... ....) software available now!

Turn your Atmegatron into a sci-fi dream machine

The Delayertron software is now available on the Downloads page of the Soulsby Synthesizers website.
You can see a video of the Delayertron in action here:

The heart of the Delayertron is a crunchy 8-bit delay line. The following parameters can be adjusted:

• Dry/wet mix
• Delay sample rate
• Feedback
• Delay length
• Clip mode (for gritted distorted delay with >100% feedback)
• LFO and envelope amounts to control the sample rate

There's also a filter which can be either high or low pass. The LFO can control it's cutoff and it can be inserted either after the delay or at the output mix.

All the oscillator waveforms are new too and have been increased from 32 to 256 samples long.  The waveforms are derived from Adventure Kid's awesome waveforms library.

The software can be uploaded by anyone who owns an Atmegatron and an FTDI cable.  See this video for instructions.

Latest Atmegatron news (July)

Only a few Atmegatrons left in stock!

It's been a crazy few months and we're now heading towards the end of the first batch. There's literally just a couple left! If you still haven't ordered your Atmegatron yet, head over to the shop.
A second batch of Atmegatrons will be made, but these won't be ready until later this year.
There are also some resellers that still have stock: Juno (UK), Analogue Haven (USA), Perfect Circuit Audio (USA) & Gizmo Music (Japan).

Pre-release version of Atpolytron software now available

Version 0.1 of the Atpolytron software is now available. It provides 4-note paraphonic polyphony to the Atmegatron. There will be some major changes to the software when the final version is released, such as longer waveforms and a different audio processing chain.
Also in the pipeline are:

• Delayertron (simple synth with tape delay fx).
• Envelopertron (not final name! Snappy logarithmic envelopes with envelope repeater).

And there's more that are just at the 'idea' stage, so watch this space!

miniAtmegatron development in progress

Here's a first look at the miniAtmegatron Arduino shield kit. It's at the prototype stage and is currently being debugged and tested.
The miniAtmegatron is designed for Arduino and electronics enthusiasts who want to build their own Atmegatron
It'll come with build instructions and also instructions on how to flash the Arduino to turn it into a USB MIDI device.
There are also plans to create a control interface with the Lemur iPad software.

Drum machines, magazines and more!

Atmegadrum software released today

The Atmegadrum software is now available from the Soulsby Synths website. It turns the Atmegatron into a 16-part 16-step drum machine. It also features a global pitch LFO and individual instrument volumes and delay effects.

The default sample rate is a crunchy sounding 8kHz and this can be tweaked. Check out this YouTube video to hear it in action. There's an audio demo track on Soundcloud too.

In the near future there will be software to allow users to upload their own drum samples to the Atmegadrum.

Latest Atmegatron Reviews

If you've still not got an Atmegatron and want to know more about it, be sure to check out some of these reviews:

• Sound On Sound (June). "Paul Soulsby’s debut product is a small synth of violently unrestrained character."
• Future Music (June). "The unit is certainly fun to use and sounds as gnarly and unrefined as you would expect."
• Palm Sounds. An audio interview with Paul Soulsby and demonstration video.
• Sounds and Gear. A highly in-depth video review.

Soulsby Synths at Games Britannia

Soulsby Synths will be at Games Britannia Live! in Sheffield on 28th and 29th June. It's a family friendly video gaming and coding festival.

During the day there will be Atmegatrons out for people to play and visitors will have the opportunity to try sampling their own voice into the Atmegatron.

During the evening there is a "Chiptune Gig In The Garden". Soulsby Synths and _ensnare_ have teamed up and will be performing live. Be sure not to miss this!!!

Atmegatron Complete back in stock soon!

A limited run of Atmegatron Completes will be available in the second week of June. If you would like one of these please email the waiting list, as these have nearly sold out already!

Development is well underway with the miniAtmegatron DIY kit and Eurorack project. I hope to have more news on these projects in the next few weeks.