rainbowrandom the ambrazier
The ambrazier has three 8bit digital delays on it. The first one can be tuned to period lengths from one second to 20 seconds. The other two have a wider range, because they repeat only in multiples of the first eight bit delay, using a special analog phase lock technique. So you can create interesting phasing phrases that interlock with the rhythm of the "main" delay. You can tweak each delay with a knob to repeat only briefly, or you can "highlight" parts of the phrase by turning up its feedback. You can also pause the delay and repeat smaller sections, and do microscopic surgery. Putting sound into the delays is a unique because you do it "dynamically". The envelope you apply over sounds will only fully affect the sound already in the delay when it is fully up. Otherwise, you can layer sounds or gradually sweep sounds in and eventually push the other ones out. Each sound has its own two part automatic envelope generator, as well as a knob to make your own envelopes with. There are three synthesizers onboard: -a chaotic oscillator can do sine waves to noise, from bubbly garble to high stxtstixstcxtsc -a resonant filtered saw wave can do really low bell rings to high pitched cat sounds -a digital noise generator can do low "obviously digital" noise to high swishes. In addition, there's a convenient xlr in jack, for your dynamic microphones, and a line in to sample other sources with. You can apply the same types of envelopes over these as the other sources. And you can also insert silence or delete sound.
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User Reviews of the rainbowrandom the ambrazier
- Submitted by grease from Portland, OR (2 points) on Aug 5, 2005
- When I first saw the description of the ambrazier I thought that surely had to be a joke, that this device would be just too beautiful, too practical, to possibly exist. But then I met Peter B, the constructor the ambraizer, on one of his "demo tours" of his amazing homemade noise synth devices (http://www.ciat-lonbarde.net). Although upon meeting him I didn't get to see an abraizer as his tour was featuring the tor-tor and some other tactile synth. One feature of his designs not present in this extremely bizarre and misleading picture provided here is that patch connections are established through brass nails that jut out of the surface of the device and are connected by allegator clips instead of a more high fidelity 1/4 jack or something. This allows you to touch the nails and alter the cv current with your bodies electrical field, meaning everyone plays them differently. I saw a 10 year old kid perform an amazing solo performence on the fourses kit at the brunch I met Peter at (he had done a performance the previous night..). Later I saw the amazing duo Metalux play at the No Fun Fest and J Graf was using an ambraizer as her primary instrument. Later, when they came to pdx, I was able to hang out with them and play the abraizer for a short while, which is the basis of this review.
- Good Points: The description is, as outlandish as it sounds, quite accurate. What you don't see in the picture (or perhaps this was a feature of her model) are four large wheels on the bottom which take samples either from the extenal output or the synth voices up top and mix them together on two low-fi loop samplers that can be mangled with the touch of a hand to cluster of brass nails which surround and provides modulation imputs to each knob. She could replicate patterns by having particular combinations of allegator clips, and saw her make beats by dropping loops of altered noise into the sampler, etc... It seemed the layout was well though out and really intuitive.
- Bad Points: Arcane user interface, but I imagine a joy to play when you get the hang of it. She helped design and build it so.. Until recently you had to make them yourself, which kind of sucked, but now he'll make them for you if you want for more $$.
- Price Paid: US$0.00
- Purchased At: Constructed by Peter B/J. Graf
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