Novation ReMOTE ZeRO SL Impressions on Analog Industries

Title link takes you to the post on Analog Industries.

Moog Groove

flickr by Lost America.

sent my way via Simon.

MK-52 - alternative programmer for Alpha Juno 2?

flickr by polaranta

not really. ; ) Could be cool though.

Jordon Rudess Demos the Roland VP-550

Title link takes you to a few videos of Jordon Rudess demoing the Roland VP-550.

via synthesizer-magazin.

Gentle Giant - The runaway

YouTube via McArtRidge. Sent my way via ZonkOut.

huppo studio

Title link takes you to more shots.

via huppo

Note: if you've been following this blog for some time you will realize cats seem to outnumber most other animals when it comes to the pets of synth owners and their synth shots. Not at huppo studio. I see a Beagle. : )

SynthMantra 1

Title link takes you to a post on SoNiCbRat featuring an improv of the Zebra VCF, MOOG MF105, Casio SA5, Roland RS09, SH101 and Sherman Filterbank II.

That's the Zebranalogic VCF (from Peru) to the left of the Moogerfooger.

Update: Seems the URL for the mp3 isn't working. Sonicbrat sent over this link for now.

Rhodes Chroma Knob Box

Remember the Rhodes Chroma knob box mentioned in this post? Title link takes you to a first look of the layout in PDF format.

Update: Waveshape knob added to the pdf.

Electro Harmonix Micro Synth

Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction. Samples here.

Casio CZ-101

Title link takes you to images pulled via this auction.

PAiA Modular

Another one is up for sale. You can see the previous one here. This one is two cases. Click here for shots via this auction

The First Digital Synthesizers

A friend of mine asked me what the first digital synth was. To my surprise I wasn't sure. We all know it was the Yamaha DX7 (1983) that changed the landscape from analog to digital, but it clearly wasn't the first. The NED Synclavier (1975) and the Crumar/DKI GDS (197x?) and Synergy (1982) predate it. If anyone out there knows for sure, feel free to comment. Image of the Crumar/DKI GDS via synthony.

Snip on the GDS via Synthmuseum.com:
"'The GDS came out of some early research at Bell Laboratories in the early '70s,' explains Mercer 'Stoney' Stockell, who himself shared in developing the GDS and Synergy. 'Hal Alles, a researcher there, designed the high-speed additive engine that was put into the GDS and later systems. He was a very bright man. The work originally came out of some stuff he was supposed to be doing for echo-cancellation on telephone lines.'"

BTW, regarding the DX7, be sure to check out this post on the Yamaha FX1.

Update via adam s in the comments:
"The Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer is the Synclavier's ancestor. This is recognized as the first digital synthesizer existing as a self-contained instrument, closed system or whathaveyou. Of course, the first digital synthesizer (that is, first digital device to synthesize sound for the sake of music), is the IBM 704 Mainframe computer, on which Max Matthews created Music I in 1957. It's amazing how far computer synthesis predates 'digital synthesizers'. I'm sure that in that almost 20 year span, plently of people had developed (successfully or not) digital synthesizers, especially during the early 70's microprocessor boom."