audiolab

assets for the IDM audio lab (2MTC, room 824)

This project is maintained by IDMNYU

The IDM Synthesizers

Overview

Analog Studio Panorama

IDM has a collection of (mostly analog) synthesizers for the users of the Audio Lab to work with, set up as a self-contained studio of modular synthesizers on one side of the room, with a second set of non-modular synthesizers on the center table. The lab has two main types of analog modular synthesizers, based on the 1970s-era designs of Serge Tcherepnin (Serge) in California and Alan Robert Pearlman (ARP) in Massachusetts, as well as a small collection of non-modular synthesizers, including a rack of industry standard digital synthesizer equipment from the late 1980s. The various systems are described in these pages. Our collection includes:

In addition, some auxiliary equipment exists in the Audio Lab to help people work with the synthesizers:

Studio Basics

First, please remember to read the IDM Audio Lab Policies, Rules, and Room Reservation Procedure.

Power

The power for nearly everything related to the synthesizers in the Audio Lab is controlled by four switches; two found on the Furman power conditioners on the black racks to the right of the main Serge system, and the switches on the two power strips on the center table:

Furman Power Conditioner

Green lights on the conditioners and power strips will confirm that you’ve got power. Please use these power switches (and nothing else) to turn on and off the synthesizer equipment in the Audio Lab.

Mixers

There are two mixers for the analog equipment; one along the wall for the modular synthesizers, and another on the center table.

Modular Synth Mixer

The mixer for the modular synthesizers is a Tascam Model 16, which takes inputs from the various modular synthesizers and feeds them to the speakers or, by using a USB connector, to your computer for recording. The Tascam mixer also has an SD card input that allows you to directly record digital files from the mixer.

Analog Studio Main Mixer

The channels of the mixer are wired to:

Channel Input
1 the left output of the “Stereo Mixer” module on Panel 1 of the R*S Serge.
2 the right output of the “Stereo Mixer” module on Panel 1 of the R*S Serge.
3 the left output of the “Stereo Mixer” module on Panel 5 of the R*S Serge.
4 the right output of the “Stereo Mixer” module on Panel 5 of the R*S Serge.
5 the output of the “XFader” module on Panel 3 of the R*S Serge.
6 the output of the ARP Avatar.
7 the main output of the Benjolin.
8 the output of the IKEA plate reverb.
9/10 the left and right output of the TTSH Mixer section.
11/12 the stereo output of the Vermona DRM1 drum synthesizer.
13/14 the stereo output of the small Mackie mixer connected to the 73-75 Serge panels.

Please don’t re-plug the channels on the mixer.

The USB output of the mixer comes out of a USB hub on the right-hand wall (between the Shelfisizer rack and the 73-75 panels). This hub also allows you to connect to the MOTU 8A audio interface and the MOTU Micro Express MIDI Interface.

USB Hub

The mixer is a multi-channel audio interface, with the Main Mix available as input channels 15/16. In other words, you can record individual tracks from the mixer on a per-channel basis. If you are a Mac user, you won’t need a driver for the mixer, though you should confirm that you have a connection by looking in the “Audio MIDI Setup” or “Sound” panel under your System Preferences. If you are using a Windows machine, you will have to download and install a driver for the mixer here.

You can also record to an micro-SD card on the mixer directly by record-enabling individual channels and using the console interface above the output section of the mixer. The mixer will record standard .WAV files at 24-bit, 44.1kHz. Higher sampling rates can be achieved by recording onto your computer via USB.

The “Main” output of the mixer routes the audio to the two Genelec audio speakers on the table, based on the volume of the white “CR” (Control Room) fader. They should let you listen to the synths with plenty of volume, so please don’t adjust the gain controls on the Genelecs. The “Sub” output allows you to route audio from the mixer to the Akai reel-to-reel tape deck. The “Sub” output is a bus, so you need to enable it on a per channel basis via the small buttons next to the channel fader.

Center Table Mixer

The mixer on the center table (for the non-modular synths) is a Behringer UFX-1204, which takes inputs from the various keyboard synthesizers and feeds them to the speakers or, by using a USB connector, to your computer for recording.

Analog Studio Center Table Mixer

The channels of the mixer are wired to:

Channel Input
1 the output of the Deckard’s Dream synthesizer.
2 the output of the IDM Vocoder.
3 the output of the microphone on the center table.
4 the output of the SH-101 synthesizer.
5/6 the left and right outputs of the Prophet-6 synthesizer.
7/8 a stereo 3.5mm / 1/8” * jack for a laptop connection.
9/10 the stereo output of the 80s rack.

* Audio connector trivia: mini-phone jacks have a diameter of 3.5mm, which is 0.14in, not 0.125in (1/8”). In the USA, they are incorrectly referred to as 1/8” jacks because (a) the USA has a cultural aversion to the metric system and (b) they look to be about half the size of 1/4” jacks.

Please don’t re-plug the channels on the mixer.

The Vocoder is hard-wired using the insert output of the microphone channel and the headphone output of the Prophet-6.

The USB output of the mixer has a cable connected for your use. If you connect it up to your computer, you can record the output of the equipment. The mixer shows up as a multi-channel audio interface, with the input channels on the mixer routed on a per-channel basis (e.g. input channel 3 on the mixer comes into your computer as input channel 3 of the interface). The “Main Mix” output of the mixer appears on channels 15-16.

If you are a Mac user, you won’t need a driver for the mixer, though you should confirm that you have a connection by looking in the “Audio MIDI Setup” or “Sound” panel under your System Preferences. If you are using a Windows machine, you will have to download and install a driver for the mixer here.

The mixer can send your computer audio either pre- or post-fader (which includes not only the channel level, but also the internal effects and equalization). The red button at the top of the channel below the white Gain knob lets you set this option. In general, the pre-fader (button up) option will give you a cleaner signal, allowing you to post-process the audio once you’ve recorded it.

The “Main Mix” of the mixer routes the audio to the two Genelec audio speakers on the table. They should let you listen to the synths with plenty of volume, so please don’t adjust the gain controls on the Genelecs.

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