I recently took delivery of a Gristleizer module from Anthony Norton at Analog Craftsman. Tony makes some interesting, large format modules as well as doing custom work. If there is a Eurorack module that you would like to have converted for use on your man sized system, Tony is your man. 

Tony, age 40, is from Belfast, Maine. Currently reside in Arlington, MA and Eastman, NH with wife Jen and son Maxton. They have two dogs, Daisy & Bam Bam and (the inevitable I suppose) cat, Sheba.

He was an undergrad at Castleton State College (BS Comm) and a graduate of Indiana University (Master Science Music Technology).

Tony has a 12 year career in motion picture lighting, then a 7 year career as part time faculty at New England Institute of Art teaching various music technology classes: physics of sound, listening and analysis, digital audio theory, music theory, music synthesis and sampling. He founded analog craftsman in January of 2012.

1-  How did you get started with synthesizers?

I was asked to fill in at drums for a band my freshman year of high school because the drummer had to go to a wedding. Those folks I would continue to play/write/produce with to this day. Last gig together two weeks ago, Williamsburg Music Hall, NYC.

I bought my first synth, a Yamaha PSR-36, at some department store (Service Merchandise?) in early 1988, followed later that April by a full Roland electronic drum set (the old hard plastic pads) with a PM-16 trigger to MIDI box and an Alesis HR-16 drum machine for sounds. I moved from drums to synthesizer the following year and got an Ensoniq EPS for Christmas in 1989. Started sampling/sequencing/programming and writing songs, recording to 4 track cassette. My first analog synth, a Roland SH-101, for $45, in August 1991, which I still have. It's my "bottom bitch." It will be cremated with me. 

I slowly collected synthesizers/drum machines throughout the 90's. Highlights include Chroma Polaris for $125, Juno 60 for $300, SP-12 for $200. I feel like I've owned pretty much everything, but I always come back to the SH-101 (though the Model D is a close close second), Korg Polysix, and Prophet VS, those are my desert island synths. Got into modulars about four years ago when I traded my Emulator II for a MOTM voice: 300, 440, 800, 190, 390. I had a few euro modules before that, but large format was where it was at for me and the rest is history. Never looked back.

2- What is your training in electronics?
As a faculty member at NEIA I can audit classes for free. We have two levels of musical electronics there, so I took both of those. One was taught by the guy who deigned/invented the Schulz Rockman. Funny story about Tom Schulz calling him on the phone to give him the pitch. Cut my teeth on classic guitar pedals for awhile: Dallas Rangemaster, Maestro FZ-1, Fuzz Face, 2 knob Tone Bender. Eventually parlayed that interest and experience into building modular kits then designing some modules and learning the whole process of design/procurement/fabrication/manufacture. Still learning...

3- What inspires your module designs?

Things that don't exist in large format. My first production module was ARCADE. It combined my love for classic arcade video games with controlling modular synthesizers for both euro and 5U formats. We even have a prototype for a banana version for the Serge/Buchla crowd.
Otherwise, I like offering classic circuits in their original design to folks who cant afford the real thing. Arp and Polivoks VCFs and also the mixer from the Polivoks, both with all original Russian ICs sourced from behind the former iron curtain. Also the venerable Chris Carter Gristleizer. Most of my other production modules are utility type things that are high on economics of space: 5x attenuators in 1MU, 4x instrument interface in 1MU, 4x EGs in 1MU. Also about half of what I do are custom builds and repanels from other formats. Mostly euro, but I have converted Frac modules and am currently working on a custom 5U panel for an e-Mu modular module.

4- If money were no object, what one piece of gear would you buy?

A Moog modular. Its the classic musical modular. I am babysitting one now while a friend moves. Three cab monster with dual 960s and the rackmount Bode Frequency Shifter (serial no. 1 of 11, handwritten by Bob himself). A Buchla 100 would be mighty cool, too, though I am mostly into programming musical sounds as opposed to sound oriented music. I'm east coast, almost always.

5- What new modules do you have coming?

I'm too busy right now to release a new module. The last new module I released was the Fonzo Baker Tube Tribute (limited to 10) which was in honor of a customer's grandfather who had the most amazing life story. Truly a lost generation. Proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Foundation. I'm dabbling with a Synthi AKS VCF, but we'll see... Always building cool custom stuff for folks, I just never get to keep it. Lots of Buchla clones and euro conversions for 5U:

6- If you could be reincarnated as any animal, what would it be?

It's a dog's life...

Thanks Tony!

Earlier in the week I finally received my new C104, Odyssey of Sound, oscillator from Corsynth. The module made it all the way from Spain and was lost by the local U.S. Postal Service for several days. 

One thing that you notice straight away is how shiny the finish is. Unlike the other modules in my rack it is very dark black and very reflective. I think the finish is lovely and it does not aggravate my OCD. It fits in well with it's new neighbors in the Atomic Synthesis System.

The module is solid and the finish is flawless. Top quality knobs, jacks and switches are used throughout. One does notice some superficial similarity to the Synthesizers DotCom Q106 module. However the C104 has some nice extras that it brings to the party.

The C104 (top row) between the STG mixer (left) and SSL DDVCO. The C104 is darker and shiner than the DDVCO. The STG mixer is a similar matte black finish like the DotCom Q106 (far right)


All of the traditional analog waveforms are available simultaneously from the bottom row of jacks. Oscillator synch and pulse width modulation are present and accounted for. Pulse width is preset at 10% to 90%.

There is also a built in ring modulator and a diode soft clipping circuit.

This oscillator covers a lot of sonic territory. It is based on the ARP 2600/Odyssey design, hence the Odyssey of Sound name. There is enough sonic difference for it to make a great companion to the Q106 when making two oscillator lead patches. The clipping circuit can go from soft and fuzzy to fairly nasty and distorted. The ring modulator is a cool addition with the square wave internally connected to it. The soft clipping level can be voltage controlled and outputs either the saw or triangle wave. Download the PDF manual and hear multiple audio clips at Corsynth's website.

Here is a nice demo video that I found on EweTube that does a much better job of showing the possibilities of the C104 than a lot writing is ever going to do.

Let's meet Pablo Penas Vazquez, the man behind Corsynth. Pablo is a sound technician and learned about synth design by taking electronics classes after being bitten by the synth DIY bug. When I asked him about his designs he told me that he just designs things that he thinks would be cool to add to his own system. He was very tight lipped about an upcoming C105 module. While he did share the details he asked that I keep it to myself for the time being. Let's just say that I already want one and that is going to mean a 4th rack frame!

A quick look at his website shows that he has a low pass filter that is based on the Roland SH-1/SH-101/JP-8 design, as well as voltage controlled LFO and frequency divider/multiplier modules. He has high rez photos, PDF manuals and ample SoundCloud tracks of all of his modules on the various product pages. 

I have found him to be very prompt with answers to questions. Here are some of the questions that were posedposed for this article and his answers.

What synths to you own?
At this moment I own :
-MU format modular synth mix of Corsynth, Synthesizers.com and DIY modules
-MFOS Sound Lab Ultimate + Expander
-MFOS Sequencer
-Ensoniq ESQ-1
-Moog Realistic MG-1
But to tell the truth I spend most of my time with the modular synth. I  really have fun patching and creating new sounds.

Why synth modules?
Before I started Corsynth I was a modular user and DIY enthusiastic so to start designing my own modules was a natural  evolution. I like the fact that adding a module to a system can open a new  world of possibilities. Many times adding a new module is like having a new synth. 

Your design philosophy?
As I said before I'm a modular user so every time I start to think about a new module is because I feel that I need that module in my system.  For example when I designed the C102 VC-LFO I was missing a dedicated VC LFO in my system and also there wasn't many options in MU format so I decided to design it.  

What new products do you have in the works?
In October I'm going to release  the Corsynth C105 that will be a sound generator and an audio processor. My idea for the future to offer enough variety of modules so you could create a complete modular system using only Corsynth modules.  So there will be Corsynth VCAs, envelopes , mixers.....

The C104 is similar in layout to the DotCom Q106. How are they different?
The C104 and the Q106 can look similar but they have many different features. The main differences are that the  C104 includes a CMOS Ring Modulator and a Diode soft Clipping and the Q106 have Linear FM. Other important difference is that the C104 has limited Pulse Width and it can be over-modulated. This means that you will not loose the audio signal because the pulse width will be always between 10% and 90%.  Despite the fact that the C104 can go into the sub audio range (more or less 2Hz) it's not designed to be a LFO as the Q106.  The last important difference is that the C104 has Coarse Frequency and Fine Frequency controls along with a +/-1 Octave switch,  the Q106 has a frequency range selector and a Fine Frequency control.  I really like the Coarse Frequency control in the VCOs because allow you to have a wider frequency range available from the front panel  and I was missing this feature in my Q106s,  maybe because I like to experiment with the modular more than create "normal music".  


Most of the other large format modules are finished in a semi-gloss finish. Your's are a very glossy black. Was that a deliberate decision or was it based on some other consideration?
The first modules ( C101 , C102  and C103 ) also had  a semi-gloss finish. After the C103 I've changed my front panel supplier. When I contacted with them for the first time  they send me a sample of how the panel would look like and I really liked it, that's the story :)

Do you have a degree in electronics or are you self taught?
I had taken a few courses of electronics at the university but I got really interested in electronics when I discovered the SDIY community. Since that moment I started to read everything that I could find about synth design, I bought a copy of Electronotes, old electronics books.... I became some kind of synth design junkie.

Do you ever feel that the more experimental modules are happening in EuroRack and that the large format is too bound up with traditional synthesis modules? Have you ever thought of making some more Buchla type features in large format modules?
I think that this is starting to change. I have the feeling that MU format is getting more popular and people are demanding more experimental modules in MU format so I believe that we are going to have a lot of not traditional modules in a near future.