2022 Seminar & Demo Programme
Watch the seminars from last year's event below...
Main Seminar Room
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Synth Guru - Paul Wiffen
12:00pm to 1:00pm
It started with Vangelis... 40 years of Sound Design
Synth programmer and performer Paul Wiffen traces his parallel career in sound design for some of the world's leadings artists and his with major synth manufacturers.
For SynthFest UK 2022, Paul brought synths and an RGB Laser Harp to help him deconstruct some of his most famous sounds created for Jean-Michel Jarre and Stevie Wonder.
His career started off with an Elka Synthex as a programmer and demonstrator. This led Paul to work with visionary composer Vangelis, programming the iconic Yamaha CS-80 sound for Blade Runner followed by further work on The Bounty, 1492 Conquest Of Paradise and Alexander film soundtracks. Later in his career Paul also worked with Stevie Wonder on programming his synth sounds, including the Grammy-winning track 'Skeletons.'
He's also worked with Ultravox, Geoff Downes of Asia, Emerson, Lake & Powell, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel and with Jean-Michel Jarre at the Docklands concert with the famous Laser Harp and on several of Jarre's albums.
His work for synth manufacturers and software houses includes:
OSC (OSCar factory presets), Elka (Synthex presets), Sequential (Prophets T8 & 2000/2002), Emu (Emulator II), Oberheim (Matrix 12, DPX-1), Yamaha R&D Centre (TX16W, SY99, SY22), Korg (T1, T2, Prophecy, Z1), Apple (OSX Roadshow tour of Europe), Emagic sampler (EXS 24), Xils Labs (Synthix) and Martinic (GEM Panther & Arturia modules).
50 Years Of The E-Mu Modular
1:30pm to 2:30pm
To celebrate the 50th birthday of the E-Mu Modular at SynthFest UK 2022 Tony Wride of Exclusively Analogue took the audience back to the beginning in 1972 and described what makes the E-Mu Modular so desirable. He spoke about his personal journey from discovering a system in a secondhand shop to how this inspired him to befriend Dave Rossum, E-Mu founder and synth designer.
Tony then went on to establish his own company Exclusively Analogue to manufacture his version of the modular named The Pioneer and service some of the rare surviving originals.
Today this pioneering synth is largely unknown though numerous famous musicians have used, or are still using, the E-Mu Modular to great effect.
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Sarah Angliss - Sound World
3:00pm to 4:00pm
Sarah Angliss demonstrates how she combines Max, Ableton, Theremin, robotics and acoustic instruments to make her unique sound world. This includes an in-depth discussion of the bespoke techniques she’s devised for use in film, theatre and the concert stage - most recently the horror score for Amulet.
A composer, performer and sound designer, Sarah was a recipient of the Ivor Novello Visionary Award in 2021.
In this presentation Sarah offers insight into her live performances, explains how she combines Max MSP and a theremin to control sound and shows her home-made robotic carillon instrument.
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Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM) Showcase
5:00pm to 6:00pm
Founder and organiser Martin Christie discusses the philosophy and approach of the Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM) movement which has now spread across the UK to venues hosting regular nights featuring a diverse selection of musicians and electronic music styles.
Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM) Showcase at SynthFest UK 2022
Brought to you by Martin Christie - www.martinchristie.bandcamp.com, Twitter @mart_christie
Featuring
Payta Easton
Experimental and improvised music from Nottingham
Karen O'Donnell
Folktronica and keytar skills from Sheffield
Steve Bromley aka Gnomefoam
Sampling and processed vocals from Leeds - www.gnomefoam.bandcamp.com
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Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM):
www.electronicmusicopenmic.com, Twitter: @emom_news, Instagram: @emommovement
Lower Floor Stage
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Arturia Polybrute Deep Dive with Tom Lewis
11:00am - 12:00pm
Understanding Eventide Misha with Tom Mortimer
12:15pm - 13:00pm
Hydrasynth Deep Dive with Tom Lewis
14:30pm - 15:30pm
3M's - MAVIS, Matriarch & Malevolent with Tom Lewis
15:45pm - 16:30pm
We reserve the right to cancel or change the programme of talks, demos and performances at short notice.