A Glimpse of Knobcon 12

Knobcon 12 was a unique synthesizer convention that was celebrating its twelfth year. The event took place last weekend at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, just outside Chicago, Illinois, bringing enthusiasts from around the globe under one roof. With performances, workshops, and manufacturers, attendees had a chance to explore a vast array of equipment, learn from industry experts, and engage directly with designers behind some of the most innovative hardware synthesizer products. Some of the Cherry Audio crew attended Knobcon 12, and here is a bit of what we saw and heard.

One of our first stops was at the booth of Bjooks, the indie publisher who has been creating exciting, informative, and beautiful books about music technology, such as the Patch & Tweak series, Synth Gems 1, and Inspire the Music - 50 Years of Roland History. Now comes what is perhaps their most ambitious project ever: The Minimoog Book, representing a decade's worth of research into the Minimoog synthesizer turned into storytelling by JoE Silva. It includes exclusive interviews and features with legendary musicians and today's respected songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. The book features detailed photography, schematics, historical promotional materials, engineering interviews, illustrated sound patches, and over 70 artist features, making it a perfect coffee table book for lovers of synthesizers, music history, illustration, and photography.

Knobcon was our first chance to lay hands and eyes on this impressive tome, and to meet Bjooks founder Kim Bjørn and Cherry Audio friend Dr. Mike Metlay, a musician, author, editor, and educator who has been working in the music technology field for over 40 years. The official launch of The Minimoog Book takes place this weekend, Saturday, September 14, at the Moogseum in Asheville, NC, and you can preview and order the book now from the Bjooks website. Don't miss it!

We also met long-time Cherry Audio supporter Shawn Johnson (aka The Breathalyzer) at the Knobcon Afternoon Abstract, where nine musicians performed a range of musical styles (and gear!) in a live music showcase. Shawn demonstrated his expertise with wind/breath control, performing his set with both hardware and software, including Cherry Audio's Quadra, Elka-X, GX-80, Mercury 6, and Voltage Modular (both as a lead instrument and as an effect), and using Launchpad X as a clip launcher in Acoustica's Mixcraft. Check out the recording of his performance above on Shawn's YouTube channel, which was shot by Jeremy Parker.

Shawn was one of many Cherry Audio old and new friends we met at Knobcon, including Dina Alcalay Pearlman-Ifil of the Alan R. Pearlman Foundation, synth pioneer Manny Fernandez, sound design partners Drew Schlesinger, Jordan Passmore, and Mike Martin, Cameron of Venus Theory, and synthesist and educator Marc Doty (Automatic Gainsay).

So, who was there at Knobcon from Cherry Audio, and why were they wearing those mysterious tees?

From left to right, Cherry Audio Synth Designer Mitchell Sigman, Creative Director Mal Meehan, Director of Marketing Robert Saint John, and Director of Sound Design James Terris. Thanks to Dina of the ARPchives for snapping this rare picture of the gang in its natural habitat.

As for the shirts... time will tell!

Want more Knobcon? Check out this comprehensive walkthrough from Ben "DivKid" Wilson.