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FOR YOUR CREATIVE MAGIC


MODULAR SYNTHESIZERS, MULTIFUNCTIONAL UNITS,
UTILITIES AND CABLES.




FUNCTIONS


ENVELOPE GENARATORS, LFO,


SEQUENCER, ADSR, LOOPER.

QEG

Quad ADSR Envelope Generator

FEG

ADSR Envelope Generator

QSQ

Eight Channel CV Generator

in progress


EFFECTS


RINGMODULATOR, ANALOG DELAY




CTM

High end BBD Delay/Reverb

in progress

XDR

Ring modulator with XOR and Diode circuit




VCO AND VOICES


COMPLETE VOICES, VCOS,


AUDIO RANGE LFOS

BOC

Analog discrete VCO/LFO with 4 SUB OSC

DOC-MK2

Analog discrete VCO/LFO with small form factor

DMO

Analog Dual LFO/VCO

SED-CSM

Analog discrete Synthvoice

in progress


FILTER


VCF & VCA




SED

Discrete VCF & VCA plus 3 Ch Mixer


MIXERS


DESIGN EQUALLY FOR


AUDIO AND CV SIGNALS

NGM

2×5 Passive Mixer with active Gain

XXM

2×4/1x8 Ch mono, 1x4 Ch stereo Mixer


UTILITIES


ATTENUATORS, ATTENUVERTERS,


MULTIPLIYERS. CONVERTERS (LINE TO MODULAR AUDIO)

TUL

Dual Attenuator / attenuverter

QAM

Quad Active Multiple

CON

2x2 Ch Gain Converter

DPM

Passive Dual 3to2/2to3 Adapter/Multiple

QUA

Quad Attenuator with 10V source

QPM

Quad Passive Multiple


PATCH CABLES


PATCHRIDES (10 CABLES)


PATCHRIDES X (6 CABLES)




DEALERS


UNITED KINGDOM


JUNO RECORDS


JUNO RECORDS





SIGNAL SOUNDS


SIGNAL SOUNDS





FRANCE


MODULAR SQUARE


MODULAR SQUARE





UNITED ESTATES OF AMERICA


PERFECT CIRCUITS


PERFECT CIRCUITS





CHINA


NOISETONE


NOISETONE





GERMANY


THOMANN


THOMANN





SCHNEIDERSLADEN


SCHNEIDERSLADEN





MUSIC STORE PROFESSIONAL


MUSIC STORE PROFESSIONAL





SPAIN


BPRO AUDIOSTORE


BPRO AUDIOSTORE





SWITZERLAND


HOUSE OF SOUND


HOUSE OF SOUND





NORWAY


SYNTHSHOP


SYNTHSHOP





SOUNDS AND SYNTH PATCHES


RITS-SOUNDS.COM


RITS-SOUNDS.COM





UPCOMING EVENTS


UTRECHT - NETHERLANDS


DUTCH MODULARFEST


DUTCH MODULARFEST


(31 AUGUST 2024)


CHICAGO - USA


KNOBCON


KNOBCON


(6-8 SEPTEMBER, 2024)


UK


SYNTHFEST | UK


SYNTHFEST | UK


(5 OCTOBER 2024)


BRISTOL - UK


MACHINA BRISTRONICA 2024


MACHINA BRISTRONICA 2024


(12-13 OCTOBER 2024)


BEIJING - CHINA


MODULAR COMMUNE


MODULAR COMMUNE


(8-10 NOVEMBER 2024)


RELATED WEBSEITES


MODULARGRID


MODULARGRID





SOUNDONSOUND


SOUNDONSOUND





SYNTHESIZER MAGAZIN


SYNTHESIZER MAGAZIN





MODWIGGLER


MODWIGGLER





GEARSPACE


GEARSPACE





KEYBOARDS


KEYBOARDS





AMAZONA


AMAZONA





BERLIN MODULAR SOCIETY


BERLIN MODULAR SOCIETY





CDM


CDM





GEARNEWS


GEARNEWS





SONICSTATE


SONICSTATE





SYNTHANATOMY


SYNTHANATOMY





MUSICRADAR


MUSICRADAR





WAVEFORM


WAVEFORM





GEAR REVIEW


DOC AND QEG


DOC AND QEG


REVIEW BY WAVEFORM


SED DISCRETE VCF•VCA


SED DISCRETE VCF•VCA


REVIEW BY WAVEFORM


DMO


DMO


REVIEW BY WAVEFORM


QEG•DOC•XXM•CON


QEG•DOC•XXM•CON


BY SOUND ON SOUND


XXM•TUL•QAM•FEG•QEG


XXM•TUL•QAM•FEG•QEG


REVIEW BY BONEDO


DOC & DMO


DOC & DMO


REVIEW BY BONEDO




RIDES IN THE STORM

RIDES IN THE STORM
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
INSTAGRAM
TIK TOK CHANNEL

FIND OUT MORE
PHILOSOPHY

SUPPORT
FACEBOOK

SYMBOLIC
CLASH OF ELEMENTS CAUSES INTENSITY AND CHAOS IN A TURBULENT SITUATION

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION
BEAUTY AND CREATIVITY IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY OWN POTENTIAL FOR ARTISTIC
EXPRESSION OR INSPIRATION EVEN IN DIFFICULT OR CHAOTIC CIRCUMSTANCES.


DYNAMIC ENERGY
DYNAMIC AND RESONANT SOUND LEADS TO ENERGY AND IMPACT OF AN INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP
FACING CHALLENGES HEAD-ON WITH VIGOR AND DETERMINATION.


WITH LONG EXPERIENCES IN THE SYNTHESIZER BIZ (MFB/IO INSTRUMENTS/ACL) RIDES IN
THE STORM COMPOSES EXCELLENT SYNTH MODULES WHO COMBINE SINGLE ENDED DISCRETE
CIRCUITS WITH HIGH QUALITY COMPONENTS FOR AN ATTRACTIVE PRICE. YOU CAN READ OUR
PHILOSOPHY HERE.

OUR BERLIN&SOFIA BASED TEAM ARE UWE GEORGE (THE BOSS), NIKOLAI (THE ENGINEER),
MORITZ (THE PROGRAMMER), KOKO (THE FACTORY) & KAI (THE BBD).

THE WHOLE DEVELOPMENT USES OWN IDEAS AND CIRCUITS TO OFFER A UNIQUE SOUND
PHILOSOPHY IN A SLIM (ALL MODULES ARE 25MM DEEP) AND COOL DESIGN FACTOR.

PLEASE CHECK OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL WITH TUTORIALS, COMPARISONS AND LIVE SESSIONS.


MODULES ARE AVAILABLE AT THE FOLLOWING DEALERS.

FOR FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT
[INFO AT RIDES-IN-THE-STORM DOT DE].

BEST, UWE GEORGE


RIDES IN THE STORM


PHILOSOPHY

BERLIN, 08.05.2023

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Opening words

In our time with many new modules, new electronic musical instruments and new
companies entering the market every day,sometimes it's difficult to find an
instrument that has the right balance of rich functionality and that beautiful
tone combined in the same piece of work.

But as we see it, it is precisely this narrow cross-section that makes a product
unique and special. And while that balance is entirely subjective,we believe
that our opinion on this is shared by many passionate, creative people around
the world. From a technical point of view, this is not a trivial task and to
achieve this, a very specific approach should be considered and we are ready to
share it with you.


1. Discrete&Integrated

Our designs are very often, although not exclusively, discrete. This means we
use the simplest available components in the signal path, such as discrete
semiconductors, resistors, capacitors, etc. rather than using macros - called
ICs or "chips" - to implement a function.

While one or the other isn't definitely better or worse, we think discrete makes
particularly good sense in our case.


1.1. Signal path and its influence on sound parameters and qualities

Arbitrarily, the circuitry of any electronic musical instrument (or any studio
or audio device for that matter) can be divided into two distinct parts - the
signal path and the control circuit. And while the controls can have a
significant impact on the desired sound quality at the output, this is difficult
to achieve without a properly designed signal path. In the signal path of our
products mostly discrete circuits are used, but this is not the case in the
control part.


1.2. Degree of integration and discretisation in the signal path

There are some musical instruments that are conventionally thought of as
discrete, simply because they don't use dedicated VCO or VCF chips in their
signal path. But they still use another IC, such as comparators, operational
amplifiers, OTAs and VCAs that have similar limitations as the fully integrated
VCO or VCF ICs. By customizing our schematics, we are able to design circuits
that completely avoid these limitations.


1.3. Heat dissipation and schematic flexibility

Some of these are the lower possible heat dissipation and the lower schematic
flexibility possible with ICs. To get the best performance, some stages of the
circuit should be biased to a specific current consumption that is either not
possible, or they get too hot. Oftentimes, dedicated ICs are optimized for a
smaller footprint, lower power consumption, lower price, and convenient
functionality, rather than just sound quality or a specific feature that we want
to implement, but was not intended by the IC developer. But though individual,
unlike any other sound signature can be more easily achieved with discrete
circuits, there are some synthesizer chips that are beautifully designed and we
will probably use them in the future.


1.4. When to use integrated and when discrete (the

disadvantages of being puristic and going fully discrete path?)

Basically we use discrete in the signal path and a mix of integrated and
discrete is used in the control circuitry.

Of course, this is not set in stone. We just use what gives us the best results.
Being purist in electronic design can be advantageous only if it is not
restrictive.


1.5. Impact of the discrete approach on price, chip availability and compactness

One aspect of using generic simple building blocks that is usually overlooked is
price - you can build very powerful instruments that are also inexpensive due to
the low price of the individual parts. Same with chip with discretisation the
obsolescence and limited availability have much less influence, unlike with the
dedicated ICs, since all generic componets are easily available ot
interchangeable.

Repairability is also better, though at the expense of the more complex
troubleshooting process.In the past it was thought that the use of discrete
elements would result in less compact circuits, but this is no longer the case
with the small footprint SMD parts available today.


2. Circuit diagrams (how we create our schematics, from scratch, influences and
copying)

Copying the circuit, apart from the moral aspect, inevitably copies, at least in
part, the characteristic sound of an instrument. That's why we create our
designs from scratch and consider this a big part of creating an unique musical
instrument. The schematics, while not a clone of specific instruments from the
past, are surely influenced by them, but the main influences for our designs are
those of industrial electronics, measurement and laboratory equipment, studio
and recording equipment, as well power amplifiers.


2.1. Distortion and noise, single ended and differential, pushpull, class A bias
and headroom

Tailoring the nature of the overtones produced by various mechanisms, their
order, relative and absolute amounts has a lot to do with each instrument's
subjectively perceived sound signature and when designing a discrete circuit, we
can certainly influence how the instrument will sound. One can do this by
implementing gain stages and buffers as single-ended or differential push-pull,
biasing them in Class A or changing the amount of the even low-order harmonics
or the odd high-order harmonics by manipulating the headroom of various stages
in the signal path. The possibilities are nearly unlimited. As for noise, we try
to minimize it whenever possible (except of course in the noise generator).


2.2. Either Short feedback or no feedback in the discrete part.

Speed and bandwidth, low order harmonics and less complex Miler compensation
Using short local negative feedback paths can, when properly designed, produce
less higher order harmonic distortion, percieved by human ear as fatiguing and
harsh.

Such approach is also esential in achieving DC stability and in eliminating some
parasitic high frequency oscillations in less complex way. Care is taken also
that there occurs no slew limiting, in any stage, except VCF and portamento
parts, so the full possible bandwidth is achieved. This results in clean and
defined high and low end, qualities often overlooked in synthesizer world.


2.3. The difference between short signal path and uncompromised one

We avoid building signal paths, compromised with unwanted noise and distortions.
Sometimes is better to do the extra work and have some more complexity, but to
preserve the basic tone purity. Short and simple signal path is good, but not at
the expence of sound quality.


2.4. Gain stages and loads

Output gain stages, including Op Amp otput stages, are known to produce more
distortions when driving heavy loads. While this can be used to produce some
interesting timbres, it is better to design the circuitry in such a way, as to
minimize this effect in the stages not specificaly dedicated to achieving audio
signal coloration and distortion.


2.5. Layout and signal path integrity

We dont shy away from multilayer PCBs, sometimes we use up to eight layers.
Benefits from having our pcb traces nice and tidy, with low impedance ground and
power planes between them greatly outweights the increased design process
complexity. This approach creates products with significantly less crosstalk
between different parts of the circuitry, better power supply rejection, less
electromagnetic interference and noise.


2.6. Bringing some studio quality sound in Euro Rack world

We already wrote above, that we have strong influence from studio&recording
equipment. This claim has couple of sides - from the high quality passive
elements we use and the way we design the circuitry in our instruments, to that
we have quite some utility modules with technology close to what you can find in
studio environment. In the future some modules with System500 functionality and
with comparable haracteristics are already planed to be released for Eurorack
format.


3. Component choice

One part of how an instrument will sound is the element choice. While we think
that schematic design choices have the most influence, the componets still have
significant impact.


3.1. SMD versus trough hole, miniaturisation and form factor

We use SMD whenever possible. The dispute about SMD versus trough hole is a very
old one and while 10-15 years ago there was still some superiority in the
quality of the TT components, now that is not the case, exept for some very
specific passive elements, which are anyway not very relevant in synthesizer
building. Actually designing with SMD is better in minimizing parasitic
inductances and capacitances, because of the intrinsically less parasitics in
the end termination of SMD parts and optimised PCB layout.

While this is not always hearable, it is definetely measurable effect. Other
important thing is the influence of the element form factor on the distortion
and noise profile. Voltage and current coefficient of resistance and
capacitance, which are directrly corelated with element size, are significant
contributor, among the component material and production technology, for
excessive noise, component nominal value drift and distortions, which usually
are not benign sounding.

A lot of the bad reputation of the SMD parts is probably due to suboptimal
component choices, like using in the signal path the cheapest, lowest quality
elements with inadequate form factor, which results in higher noise, current and
voltage coefficients. Susceptibility of the circuitry to this effects is, of
course, different in the different parts of it, but where needed we use at least
0603 and in some case even 1206 resistors and capacitors with maximal voltage
ratings at least 50% higher than the required, in order to minimize these
unwanted effects.


3.2. Either quality caps or no caps
Let us define what we mean under quality, in regard to capacitors - that is
foremost the type of dielectric material used in the production, but also the
production technology itself. Some capacitors are superior, according to our
listening and measurement tests and we use them troughout our products
exclusively, but we are trying to design our circuits so, that we use lesunlike
any others capacitors in the signal path alltogether.


3.3. Resistors and trimmers

We mentioned the significance of the form factor in resistor choice, but another
factor to consider is again the material and the production technology. Thin
metal film, low thermal drift, 1% accuracy or less is what we solder in our
products. Trimmers are equaly, and sometimes even more important than the other
components for the overall performance of an instrument, so a low thermal drift
cermet multiturn types are used everywhere.


3.4. Regulators and references

There are cases where moving one module or device to another rack or room can
result in VCOs and VCFs detune and some other functions to perform in unusual
way. To avoid this we use where needed stable low noise internal voltage
references. In signal generating and processing modules, as well as the ones
which proper functioning relies on stable PSU, both positive and negative rails
are regulated with low drop, low noise voltage regulators. That also assures
that no audible crosstalk between the modules and ripple from PSU is presented
at the device outputs.


3.5. Discrete semiconductors, matched pairs, transistor arrays, op-amps

All single transistors are high bandwidth, high gain, low noise types. We use
also well matched pairs for all our differential circuitry and super matched
transistor arrays, where that can bring particular advantages. Depending on
where we use them, the Op Amps are either high quality audio types, similar to
what you can find in expensive mixing consoles, for example, or precision, low
power Op Amps for the control circuitry.


4. How we want our instruments to sound? Closing words

We always strived for pure, majestic sound with almost acoustic quality and
resolution to it. And while that can be viewed as some higher standard of
perfection still to be achieved, the discrete approach we use, together with our
modern design influences position us sonically closer to the big modulars of
70-ties, combined with definition and sound clarity, rather than the later
decades of synthesizer development. Nevertheless, because of the extended
functionality, interface ergonomics, small form factor and the flexible control
possibilities of our instruments, we definetely would like to imagine them much
more like something from the future, than from the past. Anyway, quite
interesting combination, isn't it?

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RIDES IN THE STORM


RIDES IN THE STORM





Select LanguageEnglishChinese (Simplified Han, China)
English



FOR SOUND EXAMPLES, VISIT OUR


YOUTUBE CHANNEL


YOUTUBE CHANNEL





FOR MODULES AQUISITIONS


DEALERS


DEALERS





FURTHER NEWS ON


INSTAGRAM


INSTAGRAM





FOR SUPPORT QUESTIONS


FACEBOOK MESSENGER


FACEBOOK MESSENGER





CONTACT & IMPRINT