Bwolaloolaloo
Here’s an uptempo track featuring a solid, pumpin’ drum loop by Looperman contributor “axeleon”, later perked up with some effected hi-hats courtesy of Looperman contributor “Krolbeats”. All wrapped in a percolating arp punctuated by a long-tail reverb’d pop sound.
Caught in the Filter
In a continuation of getting to know the MuLab software better, I decided to try some track automation for frequency filters. A few arps and a PortaTone dance rhythm later, and we have this upbeat tune!
Duophonic Membrane
In this up-tempo ditty, I managed to sandwich in several sounds from an old Yamaha PortaSound PSS-130 keyboard. This compact little music maker has a unique sound, all generated by a square wave generator. Don’t forget, you can download all of these songs for free at TransistorSandwich.com.
Sixteen Candles
A poppy little tune featuring a consumer portable keyboard from the 80’s, the Yamaha PSR-16. This little gem is a consumer-grade FM synth from the same family of synthesizers as the Yamaha DX-7 (actually, it has more in common with the DX-11). Sandwiched in are a couple of rhthym patterns, a bass sound, piano sound and bell sound.
Catch the Square Wave
This song grew out of a “getting-to-know-you” session with a new thrift store find, the Yamaha PSR-225. This music education-focused Portatone keyboard from 1998 has many sounds and styles which hold up surprisingly well after all this time.
Bontempo Arpeggio
Here’s a spotlight song featuring sounds and rhythms sampled directly from a very old Bontempi Minstrel Alpha keyboard, complete with built-in aging electronics buzz.
The Night Train to Vertiform City
No Way Out
Here’s a tune that takes a lot of twists and turns. Just when you think you’ve figured out the pattern, it throws you a curve and you land right back where you started. It’s the musical equivalent of the Windows pipes screensaver.
Return of the Arp
This song grew out of a couple of loops from Looperman.com after a search for “beatbox” loops. The actual beatbox ended up in the background, but an arpeggiator of bells came up in that search too, and it made the song.
PSS-11 Funk Jam
This spotlight song features the itty-bitty Yamaha PSS-11 Portasound keyboard. This sample-based tone generator from 1986 has a “jam” section of prebuilt patterns that you can play along with. This song is based on the “Funk” jam preset and also features two PSS-11 tones: a piano/vibraphone combo and a flute. A few more layers from a couple o’ Korgs and we’re all set.