You can find this Cat's music here.
Images mirrored here [old link]lol cat
Monday, April 09, 2007
Roland CMU-810
Click here for shots via this auction. Details: "This is the Roland CMU-810 Compusynth, one of the rarest synths ever made by Roland DG Group, an obscure offshoot of the Roland Corporation that remains to this day. In the old dealer price sheets from the 80's it was listed as an expander for the CMU-800 Compu Music, a small mixer/synth/drum machine in a similar housing that you hooked up to a computer. If you look online or read Peter Forrest's A-Z book, a false rumor has perpetuated that this is simply an SH-101 or an MC-202 in a metal box without a sequencer. They reference the schematics but the schematics are nowhere to be found. I've been looking for years for them without any luck. I've compared all three synths side by side, and have triggered the CMU from both an SH-101 and MC-202 sequencer as well as the Roland MC-4. The sound out of this box is entirely different than it's younger cousins, more aggressive, with a faster attack, and much nicer filter. The SH-101 and MC-202 sound very plasticky and thin compared to the CMU. The CMU-810 sounds more like the SH series of synths and soundwise it's probably closer to the SH-09. It excels at bass sounds and percussive effects. It also differs from the MC-202 and SH-101 in that it has a delay slider on the LFO, an input to control the VCA for tremolo effects, and removes the trigger control over the envelope. It also has a built in miniature mixer so you can merge the sound of two additional synths or drum machines (MC_202/TR-606?) with the output of the CMU. It sports sliders from the era of the Jupiter-8 indicating that it probably predated the MC-202 and SH-101 by at least a year or so. One European reviewer on SonicState wrote, "They say it is like the 101/202 but I have not heard any of them (101/202) as aggressive as my new baby (cmu). Very clear, very warm, loads of rumbling and as stated before it can be a very aggressive basspump. If you want to get rid of yours give me a shout cause I would not mind linking a few together." I agree 100%. I would buy one over an MC-202 or SH-101 anyday. But the CMU makes a good partner for either of these synths because it takes up such a small footprint and can act as a second voice when hooked up via CV/GATE. You can watch a video of a CMU-810 on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eof7hVqBsw0"
Previous CMU-810 posts
Bent VSS-200
For the circuit benders out there, title link takes you to OXO Unlmitted and a post on a bent Yamaha VSS-200. You'll find more images and info on the bend.
Plan B Model 26 Readies for Release
"The new Plan B Model 26 Multi-tasking CV Processor has hit the assembly stage and will be available for purchase on two weeks time. A fully operational store demo will be at Analogue Haven later this week.The price is $185 USD.
The M26 is the first of a series of 'swiss army knife' modules intended to provide a series of basic, albeit important synth functions without having to make a large investment in money or real estate to do so."
via Peter Grenader.
Guns N' Roses' New EAR System
Via Peter Grenader:"Guns N' Roses have taken delivery of their custom Plan B system, which will be used by keys player Chris Pitman (ex of the band Tool) as the GNR touring begins in Africa and Asia in Mid-April."
Electrobeds Volume 1
Title link takes you to more shots and mp3s of the disk.via Brandon of fdiskc.
"It says 'Music for Moog Synthesizer', but pieces of it sound distinctly Buchla to me... especially some of the percussive bits. I acquired this in a lot of library music in the mid-late 90s, it's not very good, IMO, but maybe someone will get a kick out of it."
Makes me want to go record diving. Some of it sounds very "8-bit" as well, particularly the first track on side 1.
Latinsizer / Celofán
Build Your Own Custom Monome
Remember the Monome? Title link takes you to a post on Create Digital Music that walks you through how someone built one.
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Rev 2
Click here for shots via this auction.
Details from isatellite:
"This is the famous Sequential Prophet-5, a rare Rev. 2 version, in near mint collector's quality condition. It is considered by many to be one of the best analog polysynths ever made. This one has been babied, and maintained throughout it's life. It comes with 5 new old stock spare SSM chips (VCOx2, VCF, VCA, ENV) worth over $500 so you can be sure this synth will be running for many years to come.
History: When I bought it I had a Kenton Electronics MIDI kit installed in it. It has been used on pretty much every song I've ever done and was featured as the main lead in the song Automat. I used it live once at the Autobahn show in Ohio back in 2003 and it was a solid performer live. It has been one of my favorite synths and I really hate to see it go. This synth has guts, and nothing sounds like it. I've owned 5 Prophet-5's throughout the years and this one sounds the best. I've owned many Rev. 3's and they have generally been more unreliable than this synth. You'd be hard pressed to find one in better condition at any price.
Version: This is the later version Rev. 2, just before they switched over the CEM chips. It uses the much better sounding SSM chips throughout, and has the rare cassette upgrade. This is how a Prophet-5 was supposed to sound, before it got a complete circuit redesign by Sequential Circuits. Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads said he preferred this version to the other Prophets. OMD swore by their Rev. 2 and were upset when Sequential changed the internals. Some have called this the Rev. 2.2 model, but that numbering has been debated.
Condition: See untouched photos for details. These were taken this morning, straight out of my camera. Based on 15 years of owning literally dozens of vintage synths, I would rate it a 9.9/10. It is in near mint electronic and cosmetic condition. I know the word mint is overused on eBay, but take a look at the photos and judge for yourself. As you can see, the cosmetic condition of this synth is pristine. There is no wear whatsoever on the graphics, knobs, silver switches, or lettering. The logo plates are all original and reflect like a mirror. The large Prophet-5 logo on the back is simply stunning and in pristine shape. Looks much better than the heatsync on the Rev. 3 models. There is no sun damage and all of the parts retain their original coloring. The wood is a gorgeous walnut with only a few small marks here and there on the wood edges that are barely noticeable in the photos. There is one indentation in the wood on the righthand side that is very minor and not noticeable in the photos. Rev. 2 Prophets almost invariably have a crack in the wood at the upper right due to a design defect in the modulation section. This synth has been taken care of and has no cracks in the wood. A couple of the knobs have marks on them, but they are all original, not Wine Country reproductions. Small mark on the top of the modulation wheel...barely noticeable. Small indentation on the right of the Prophet-5 logo on the face of the synth. The underside has some marks and paint scrapes in places. There are still two pieces of velcro stuck to the bottom where I had a controller attached for turning on a bubble machine during the performance of Bubbleboy in 2003. One screw is missing from the bottom of the synth. The red LED screen is bright and clear, and the plastic lens has only extremely light scratches from dusting it...but they would not show up in the photos. A little plastic polish and the lens will shine as new. The keys are highly reflective with only the occasional mark here and there. The internal components are all present and accounted for, and the internals are clean and free of rust and debris. This is the mintest example of a Rev. 2 Prophet-5 that I have ever owned or seen ever in over15 years of collecting synths. If you're picky about the condition of your gear, and you want the very best Prophet-5 ever made in pristine condition, this is the synth for you. I realize I'm asking a lot for this synth and it may not be the synth for your price range. If so, please don't send me threatening e-mails. If you can find another in this shape at any price, then buy it. It would be worth it. I'm the type of person that will pay additional $ for something that is the best of its kind, with no rust, and no issues. And this is the best example I have seen of a Rev. 2 Prophet-5 anywhere, at any price.
Functionality: This synth has been babied and maintained in top functioning condition its entire life. I literally just brought it back this weekend from having my tech go over it in detail and make sure everything was functioning 100%. It tunes up after about 20 minutes of warm up, and then never drifts after that. A few years back Tony Clark of Great Lakes Modular modified the power supply so that it was more stable than typical Rev. 2 Prophets. All of the knobs and buttons function perfectly, with no scratchy pots. I have never had to clean the sliders or pots, and they all work as new. All keys trigger perfectly with no double-triggering. I spent a great deal of money buying and installing completely new bushings about a year ago. The keys play like butter. All inputs and outputs, MIDI, velocity (from MIDI), aftertouch (from MIDI), modulation, pitchbend, keys, buttons, and pitchbender - everything works perfectly. There is nothing functionally wrong with this synth. The Kenton MIDI kit provides MIDI in, out, and thru and is considered to be the best MIDI kit available for the this synth. For more info on everything that the Kenton MIDI kit can do, please check out the Kenton site at kenton.co.uk. In case you are worried about the reliability of this synth, I have only had one SSM chip replaced during the 11 years I've owned it."
The First Roland TB-303 Tracks
An interesting thread came up on the Analog Heaven list regarding the first tracks to feature the TB-303. The following are a handful of them in order of release. Note how the TB-303 is more used in it's original intent as a substitute for bass guitar - no acid here. As Blancmange was the first on this list, I thought I'd put up a picture of them with the 303. I found the image on The Daily Disco. If you know of anything earlier with the TB-303, feel free to comment.
Update: also see Raga Bhairav - 1982 - SYNTHESIZING: TEN RAGAS TO A DISCO BEAT - Charanjit Singh
Blancmange - Living on the Ceiling - Aug 1982
Shannon "Let the Music Play" - Oct 1983
Let Me Go - Heaven 17 - Oct 1982
Modcan Series A
Click here for shots via this auction
Details:
"Oscillator 01A
Dual Envelope 37A
Multimode Filter 10A
Interface 25A
Signal Arts Midi Analog Performance Sequencer 42A
It is housed in a Modcan Series A black anodized Mounting Chassis with 19" rack mounting brackets and a Custom Modcan Power Supply that powers up to 21 modules. It also comes with 16 banana cables of varying colors and lengths, but it does not come with the SKB case in the photos.
This synthesizer can be used with other modular gear, but it was designed to be a fully functional monosynth. Bruce’s Multimode Filter has a VCA built right into it, so this unit can be used as a very flexible standalone synthesizer with 2 envelopes, a very versatile VCF, and of course one of the most unique sequencers ever made.
I waited at least 6 months for Bruce Duncan to build this. I used it for a few months in my studio until I became busy w/other things. Since then it’s been packed away in the SKB case in the closet, so it’s basically brand new, ready to plug and play. If you’ve read this far you already know that Bruce Duncan’s work is of the highest quality, and this synthesizer sounds absolutely wonderful. The Signal Arts Midi Analog Performance Sequencer (MAPS) is one of the most unique analog synthesizers ever built, and many people now consider it the best analog sequencer being made today. There is truly nothing that compares to its unique functionality. You can read the MAPS review I wrote for Tape Op magazine here: http://www.signalarts.ca/files/seqrev.html#GFreview
And you can read more about Signal Art and Modcan:
http://www.signalarts.ca/
http://www.modcan.com/
Thomas Henry (a.k.a. Midwest Analog Projects) ADV-SNARE
via this auction."PCB for the Thomas Henry (a.k.a. Midwest Analog Projects) ADV-SNARE percussion generator. Includes a digital copy of the construction and schematic manual. Also includes the very rare LM566 Function Generator (Triangle / Saw) and two and two CA3080 Operational Transconductance Amplifiers. The rest of the items you will need (transistors, resistors, capacitors, solder, pots, wire, ic sockets, jacks and 1458 and 741 i.c.s) are all very readily available from any number of electronic sales outlets Once finished you have a fantastic DRUM source - it takes allmost any TRIGGER INPUT - from a microphone/piezo to a midi2gate converter. Panel controls include several building blocks. You have the SHell Generator, The Snares (noise) generator, the Impact Tone generator and Trigger conditioning circuits. Pots include Shell Volume, Shell Decay, Shell Modulation, Shell waveshape, Snares Decay, Snares VCF/Cut off, Snares volume, Impact Tone, Impact Volume - and several switches for modulation/pitch changes. Make allmost any drum sound you want! Snares, Kicks (808 boom), Toms, Hi hats, Cymballs, Devo beeps, its all here"
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© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
