Nick from Sonicstate takes a thorough look a the Gotharmans deMOON synthesizer, a boutique synthesizer from Denmark.
The Gotharmans deMoon is a 4-note polyphonic filterbank synthesizer, with built-in granulator and distortion effects, step-sequencer and note randomizer.
Details on the deMoon below.
THE OSCILLATORS
The deMOON oscillator waveforms are continuously variable from triangle to saw to square or from triangle to saw to noise. The wave-shaping can be modulated from all sources, including the oscillator itself. All waveforms can be pulsewidth and pitch-modulated. The noise waveform can be pitched or unpitched. Unison mode with detune are availible. The oscillator section has it’s own two LFO’s and one envelope. The LFO waveforms are continuously variable from triangle to saw to square to pulse. The LFO’s can be both wave and rate-modulated.
THE FILTERS
The deMOON has four filters which are indepedently programable and each can be routed in serial or parallel to the others. Each filter can be set in lo-pass, band-pass or hi-pass mode. Cut-off, resonance and output levels can be modulated, and each filters output can be panned separately. The filter-section has it’s own two LFO’s (same types as descibed in the oscillator section), one envelope and one random-generator, that can be trigged from LFO1, LFO2 or midi note-on’s.
THE MINIGRAN
The minigran are a scaled down version of our deFormer’s granulator effect. It cuts the input up in small fragments, and reorder these fragments to create a totally different sounding output. While the deFormers granulator works in sizes of seconds, deMOON’s minigran only works in sizes of milliseconds, so it is not very usable for rearranging beats. It’s more like that it rearranges the waveform, and makes it sound glass/bell/voice-like or very strange.
THE DISTORTION EFFECT
deMOON has five different types of distortion to choose from:
- GAIN: Not really a distortion. Just gains the sound. It is possible to gain the sound so it clips.
- VALVE: A digital model of a classic valve distortion.
- SINE: Sine shape distortion. Strange and Noisy!
- FUZZ: A digital model of a classic fuzz distortion.
- XDIS: INSANE!!! Destroys everything.
THE STEP-SEQUENCER
A one-track monophonic type with a maximum of 32 steps. Note, velocity and controller sub-tracks. Tracks are “recorded” by entering values for each step. Syncs to midi-clock.
THE NOTE RANDOMIZER
The note randomizer treats incoming MIDI note on and off’s and notes generated by the internal sequencer (if turned on). When it receives note data, it takes a look at a user adjustable probability parameter, and randomly decides if it will play that note or not. If it decides to play the note, it will have a look at a user adjustable random velocity parameter, and if this is higher than zero, it will randomize the note velocity value with the adjusted amount. This effect is very useful for creating variations in repeating patterns.
MIDI CONTROL
deMOON receives note on’s and off’s and program change on the selected midi-channel. The oscillators also recieves pitch-bend data. All modulatable parameters can be modulated by velocity and midi-controller 1-3. Midi controllers 4 to 90 are hard-assigned to most of the deMOON’s parameters, for easy hooking up with a midi-control device.
THE USER INTERFACE
deMOON’s user interface are very simple: One volume knob, to edit/controller knobs, an encoder with click switch and a play/enter pushbutton with blue LED. In edit mode, the two edit/controller knobs edits two parameters at a time, on the selected edit page. In sound select mode, they transmits midi-controller 2 and 3 internally to the parameters, where these controllers are selected as modulation source. The encoder selects sound and navigate around in the edit pages plus it adjusts some switch-functions on some edit pages.
