

It looks like the Lawrence Public Library of Lawrence, KS, may soon have its own monster modular synthesizer.

The Lawrence Public Library already offers the Sound + Vision studio, right – a studio that’s open to the public and free to use. It offers multiple work areas, tricked out with mics, drums, keyboards, computer workstations and more.

Now, the Lawrence Public Library Foundation – an independent non-profit organization that helps support the Library – is working on furnishing the Library studio with a large-format modular synthesizer.

The Foundation offers several reasons why they think the Library should have its own modular synthesizer:

It will establish the LPL as the electronic music hub of northeast Kansas and give musicians a place to be creative with a tool that may exceed what they could afford on their own.

It supports a local business – Free State FX – that makes custom synth modules.

It can be enjoyed by a wide range of studio users, regardless of music genre.

It encourages users to think about music differently. Users start from nothing to create something. And, by removing the computer screen from the equation, users get a tactile experience no software synth can replicate and get to make music with their ears instead of their eyes.

The Lawrence Public Library Modular Synthesizer will be a custom 48 rack unit Moog format modular synthesizer, including the following modules:

16 Step Analog Sequencer

Voltage Controlled Delay

Voltage Controlled Phaser

(2) Lopass Gate

(2) Envelope Generator w/Pulse Width/Delay

Dual Digital Voltage Controlled Oscillator

Fixed Filter Bank

MIDI to Controlled Voltage Converter

(2) Multiple

(3) Analog Voltage Controlled Oscillator

Standards Discrete Controlled Voltage

Ring Modulator

Noise/Sample & Hold

Mixer

Voltage Controlled Low Frequency Oscillator

State Variable Filter

(2) Envelope Generator ADSR

Discrete Lowpass Voltage Controlled Filter

Dual Log/Lin Voltage Controlled Amplifier

Four Channel Voltage Controlled Panning Mixer

Dual Gated Slew Limiter

Inverting Mixer

The synthesizer will feature custom metal panels, painted red and silk-screened to match the Sound + Vision studio identity.

You can find out more about this project at the Lawrence Public Library Foundation site.