Tiptop Audio Blag

Hello. Its been few months of intense design work, but our next module is coming along nicely. This module is a dream come true for our designer, pairing a gloss of digital electronics with a thick layer of analog sound circuitry. A radical departure from our first product, the Z5000, this new module is an embodiment of our design process and our slogan: Analog. Digital. Harmony.

Our design process starts with the community; we listen to synthesists, technicians, hobbyists and everyone in between, learn your desires and needs, and combine them with our ideas and new technology to bring you affordable analog sound technology. The new module is the culmination of years of discussion and debate finally being realized in physical form. We are supremely excited about the potential of this new product.

As excited as we are, we can't really explain what this is all about just yet, but we can say that our beta testers are about to get their hands on the first prototypes and will have interesting things to say in the coming weeks.

Please be sure to visit our website and forum for updates on the upcoming release.

Posted by Tiptop Audio at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sitting at the core (or left of center, depending on how you look at it) of the Z5000 VCDSP is the Tiptop Audio 24-Bit DSP. What makes it even more unique is that because the modular format allows patching to and from anywhere in a system it is fairly easy to make very interesting use of the 16 different algorithms that the DSP contains.

All of the algorithms in the DSP work differently. Some handle the signal on two separate channels (like the delay effects), but the reverb algorithms, work entirely differently, mixing and processing the signal together using both processors.

Using that delightful feature, it is possible to send a signal into the left input and then feed the left output  back to the module's right input that to create a wild feedback loop that makes the module to oscillate and create its own sounds and timbres, similar to the way filter resonance works. This oscillation will continue as long as the CTRL knob is set to MAX, and will decay as the knob is turned to MIN.

Technically, the module should start oscillating even with out any external signal. Using a sound source, however, gives you the ability to "trigger" and control the oscillation and also blends the oscillation timbre with that of the incoming sound source.

Check out the sample below for those long oscillations fading in and out as the sound source triggers them. It's nice to hear how the sound source is changes the tone of this oscillation each time it cycles.

 http://www.tiptopaudio.com/dl/Z5000_5.mp3

Posted by Tiptop Audio at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I know that I was eagerly anticipating this day and it has finally come! We have one of the first reviews of the Z5000 over at The Stretta Procedure! It is a great review, check it out! Many, many, many thanks to Matthew Davidson for his kind words and we hope that his Z5000 continues to cause him to spend more nights playing with it and giggling!
 

Posted by Sean at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For those of you lucky enough to snag a Z5000 from Analogue Heaven, we have an updated version of the Quick Start guide that is listed along with the serial number on the outside of the Tiptop Audio box. For anyone else  who is interested (don't worry we'll have more units ready real soon!), you can find it here!

Let me know if there are any corrections or questions!

 sean [at] tiptopaudio [dot] com

Posted by Sean at 01:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)