MATRIXSYNTH: Thursday, June 28, 2007


Thursday, June 28, 2007

PROTOTYPE sintetizzatore analogico 2 ottave

via this auction. Details: "Analog VCO termo (x2 ) with square/saw wave, everyone with LFO triangle/up/down wave, rate and out level. Moulation FM / EXP Sync VCF , with EG ( adsr with level control), LFO tiangle/up/down wave ,rate and out level, frequency, resonance ( MiniMoog filter 24 db, completely transistorized ). VCA with EG ( adsr ), with volume control, GLIDE and GATE manual/ keyboard control. NOISE generator with pink / white and out level ( behind ) out BF and out stereo headphone, 220v cable. (the CV IN is not inserted, but possible)"

via Tim g.

MOOG Rogue in orig. box!

Title link takes you to shots via this auction. Title is via the auction.
Details:
"The Rogue, a "Miniaturized, cost-cutting successor" to the Moog Prodigy, is a 2-VCO, monophonic synthesizer with a 2-1/2 octave, 32-note (F-C) keyboard. Both VCOs are tunable to three octaves by a common switch. In addition, VCO2 is tunable via a knob to anywhere between a half-step below to an octave above VCO1. There is also a single switch that selects the waveform for both VCOs. A three position switch syncs VCO2 to VCO1. It can be hard synced or contoured synced, where the amount that VCO2 is synced to VCO1 is controlled by the envelope generator. The mixer section allows both VCOs and the noise generator to be mixed together, with a slider controlling each level. The mixer can be pushed to overdrive (distort) the waveforms. The filter section features variable keyboard tracking controlled by a knob, and sliders for the cutoff frequency, emphasis (resonance), and envelope amount. It also has "the pitch and mod wheels up above the keyboard, not to the left of it, along with a fine tune knob and a glide (portamento) knob." The Rogue has a single envelope generator for attack and decay, that switches to activate the sustain mode. There is also a switch that selects how the envelope affects the VCA. It can be set for either contour, keyed, or bypass (which was a simple organ-style gate)."

MOOG Music Inc.
Buffalo, N.Y. 14425
MADE IN U.S.A.

Buchla 218 VC-able Portamento

via vtl5c3 on electro-music.com:
"Last night I finally tested the slew circuit that I cloned from the Buchla 218 keyboard. I'm happy to say that it works. I've posted the schematic and a couple of sound samples below. I may have to do a bit of fine tuning... if nothing else I will try smaller cap values, since it's pretty easy to get way too much portamento going."

Demos at the post.

Cyclus Sequencers

Remember this post? I didn't realize it was designed by Cyclus and not Spectral Audio. Title link takes you to the Cyclus website. Currently it links to the Spectral Audio site. Bookmarking the site to check out later.

via Suit & Tie Guy

Thoughts on the genoQs Octopus

In the comments of this post, eric f wrote some notes on the genoQs Octopus. I asked him if I could put them up as a separate post and he gave me the ok. Here they are. Enjoy: "I *adore* the Octopus. The interface looks intimidating and, if you read the manual, it sounds intimidating, too. Quite the contrary... in practice learning to read the LEDs is very simple. You very quickly learn what mode you're in from the distinctive LED patterns in the grid without referring to the circle (see the manual, though it doesn't really do the idea justice).

Ease of use: The Octopus is easily the most intuitive sequencer I've used, hardware or software, for building great patterns once you have it set up (MIDI channel-wise and in terms of base track pitch). In terms of building a monophonic, single track melody, it's not as straightforward as the P3, but moving into multitracking, it more than makes up for this.

What it does best: I intuited this from the manual and am thrilled with the results, having bought it without using one before... You have ten tracks on a page, each assignable to its own MIDI channel (or the same MIDI channel as another track). Let's say you have four monophonic instruments each on its own channel and the current page is dedicated to a single chord structure within a single musical bar. I can assign four tracks to one channel (with a different base pitch for each), two to another, two to another, and one to the last track. Now I can arpeggiate the notes on each instrument among the base pitches (adding chromatic alterations per step on a track, where required) and explore the various inversions of the vertical harmony over the time of the bar.

This is amazing. On almost any other sequencer, you have to leave one track, go to another, remember from memory what notes were where, and then compose the harmony.

In other words, you can use the Octopus for polyphonic and multi-timbral arrangements in a visual and immediately interactive fashion, something I've never really seen before. The results have been very insteresting and once I get my MOTM-650's power supply and Bridechamber cabinet, this plus my modular will be very interesting indeed.

Once the aforementioned module and cabinet arrive, I'll send Matrixsynth some serious synthporn.

The caveats I'll add are that the Octopus does three things poorly (in my estimation). First: If I want to quickly put together a melodic line in one voice, know the notes I want, the P3 just cannot be beat. Second: The P3 is the *master* of evolving sequences and unpredictability. This is a tricky thing (parameters must be carefully pre-programmed and possibly filtered by a MidiSolutions-type box) in a harmonically complex environment, but is great for longform pieces (eg, live ambient, which I haven't actually done). Third: The Notron separates CCs from the clock step better than the Octopus and as such is better (I've heard) at being used as an independent voice modulator for a well-CC-mapped VST. But I use all analog/hybrid equipment, so it's not such a concern.

Ok, long, verbose post. I set up an email address if anyone is curious in asking Octopus-related questions: eulersid (dash) octopus (at) yahoo (dot) com. I'm not a shill for genoQs or Analogue Haven or anyone else. It's a fascinating piece of kit with relatively little first-hand info out there and the folks who run their forum are bad about approving memberships. I'm also interested in tips and thoughts on it as well.

cheers,
eric f"

Another Mess

This one via vgermuse.

Spot the synths.

Roland MC-4


Click here for three scans via Kenneth Elhardt including data sheets.

my sp is nice y'all - Beastie Boys Flickr Set

flikr by Oscilloscope Studios.

"this is one of my machines...it's a great machine...my sp1200 will take over the world one day...but for now it's out at jean's patio getting my computer a cherry coke.... "

This is actually from the Beastie Boys flickr set for their current tour.

A-114 Ring Modulator

flikcr by stretta.

Title link takes you to more module shots.

Update: the modules are up for auction here.

Connemara

flickr by doris.

"kylemore abbey chapel"

Guess the KORG.

Analogue Synth Jam


YouTube via analoguecrazy4.
"Here is my first track.

Gear used:
CS-40M - Lead
SH-09 - Bass
R8 - Drums"

Groovey.

Synton Fenix

via this Craigslist post, listed at $5500.

"This synthesizer is a rare collector's item, only *75* are known to exist.

You can learn more about the Fenix at the official Synton web site."

via brian comnes

Mess

flickr by E d e n.

Guess the synths. Title link takes you to some of the answers.

Happy Ghost

Title link takes you to a video sent my way via LDT.

"LDT: Korg Sigma, Korg EA-1, Korg MicroKorg, Boss Giga Delay, Electro-Harmonix LPB2ube, Zoom MRS8, assembled and rendered with Acid Pro and Sound Forge."

Effector 13 Improbability Drive Demo + Registry


YouTube via plexuss. via a post on Zerosum Inertia that was actually in response to the Poll on synth demos. The post had the following to say:
"I was happy to see that 57% of 577 votes wanted to hear what the gear sounds like as apposed to hearing music made with the synth. I like both, however What someone else does with gear isnt what Im going to do with it most of the time, so why should I care what kind of music they make?"

Details on the video via plexuss:
"http://www.musicofplexus.com The ID is processing a drum and bass line from an electribe SX. only a bit of reverb and echo are added towards the middle. There is a guitar demo later on. Apparently only 15 of these were made, according to E13 directly so if you have one post a comment!"

AnaMaria - DJ Series

flickr by lowfreq.

KORG Microcontrol

Serge Modular


Click here
for shots via this auction.

Details:
"SMOOTH FUNCTION GENERATOR, NOISE SOURCE, DUAL ANALOG SHIFT REGISTER, DUAL UNIVERSAL SLOPE GENERATOR, DUAL PHASER, UNIVERSAL EQUAL POWER AUDIO PROCESSOR, TIMBRAL OSCILLATOR, PRECISION VCO (TWO OF THESE), WAVE MULTIPLIER, VARIABLE Q VCF, DUAL TRANSIENT GENERATOR, DUAL AUDIO MIXER, TOUCH ACTIVATED KEYBOARD SEQUENCER.

Serge gets its name from Serge Tcherepnin (pronounced "Cher - epp - nin"), a multitalented composer and electronic designer born of Russian-Chinese parents and raised in France. Self-taught in electronic design and circuit building, Serge enjoyed doing 'junk electronic' projects early on, making tape compositions using various electronic noisemakers cobbled together out of transistor radios and the like.

After studying music and physics at Harvard and Princeton, he taught music composition at the California Institute of the Arts. This was the early 70's, the heyday of Moog, ARP, and Buchla synthesizers. Calarts had a few Buchla-equipped studios. These were expensive, highly sought-after instruments, kept under lock and key. Getting studio time on one at Calarts meant being either a recognized staff composer or someone who maneuvered themselves into favor. The Buchla, ARP, and Moog synthesizers were interesting in their way, but could be improved upon. They were both expensive and bulky, a system with a decent number of functions could take up a whole wall in a small room. Serge and students Rich Gold and Randy Cohen wondered what they could do about this. After kicking around some ideas, they decided they were going to do their own synthesizer.

The first modules were designed, soldered, and built at Serge's home in what was essentially a kitchen tabletop operation. Before long, the word got out to other professors, students, and musicians about this new synthesizer. They wanted a piece of the action. Serge set up a strange sort of guerrilla manufacturing operation at Calarts on a second-story courtyard balcony. People paid $700 upfront for parts, worked on the 'assembly line' soldering and building modules, and eventually got themselves a six-panel system. Somehow, the Calarts administration either didn't find out or wasn't too bothered by this.

Another interesting player in this drama was composer Morton Subotnik, a professor at Calarts. He had a long association with instrument designer Don Buchla in the early 60's, the two of them collaborating on fundamental aspects of synthesizer design. When Mort spoke, Don listened. Serge caught on to this, and sought to woo Morton away from the Buchlas, but that was difficult. Eventually, Serge did build Mort some custom equipment.

In the 70's Serge collaborated on the design and construction of TONTO, a large polyphonic modular system. TONTO had the ancestry of many early Serge designs, some packaged behind faux-Moog front panels, including the NTO.

Serge eventually quit teaching and began to build synthesizers more seriously, using the first designs as a springboard. The Serge company was started in 1975, in the West Hollywood area, then headed north to San Francisco's Haight Street a few years later. It was always a humble bohemian concern, running more on enthusiasm and the love of making music than money and hardheaded business sense. Business tapered to a trickle in the middle 80's, and Serge, to support his family, started doing various outside electronic consulting projects. In 1992 Serge decided to move back to France. It was at this point that he sold the closely-guarded circuit designs to longtime associate Rex Probe, who then founded Sound Transform Systems. Production record keeping was pretty informal; it's estimated that "hundreds" of Serge systems were produced in the early years.

Today, Serge is again doing musical composition and is involved in helping Russian Jews move to Israel.

As Moog was a powerful East Coast influence that inspired ARP and Polyfusion, Buchla was the West Coast influence on Serge. Several Buchla designs, including the use of touch sensitive nontraditional keyboards, sequencers, random voltage generators, function generators, and matrix mixers found their way into Serge's repertoire. But that's not to say that Serge is merely a Buchla clone. Serge made many unique contributions, including the wave multiplier module, and some ideas were taken to new heights. Serge's oscillator designs have extraordinary accuracy and stability, especially considering their discrete nature. His philosophy of allowing the easy interplay of audio, control, and trigger signals, combined with the use of banana plugs, makes these systems wonderfully flexible.

There's no denying the amazing staying power of the Serge designs. Largely because of the development of convenient microprocessor-based keyboard synths, the 80's were a nasty time for analog synthesizer makers, practically all of them throwing in the towel. Serge's business slowed way down but never completely went out of production. With the recent clamoring for analog gear fueling successful production, Rex Probe and Sound Transform Systems look poised to carry the cream of analog modular music synthesis over the threshold of the 21st century, into their fourth decade of realization.

Sound Transform Systems has done a great job of continuing the analog modular lineage. Most of the traditional Serge modules are there, a few old ones were dropped, a few new ones added. The details are constantly being improved in many visible and invisible ways. They are still laboriously handmade, though the entire build process has been improved. Turnaround time has been improved from several months to 'just a couple'. All the components are top notch. The panel graphics and layout of many of the modules have been redesigned to make them more compact while keeping or improving the functionality. The circuit designs on many modules have been updated."

Doepfer Modular

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Details:
"A-190 MIDI TO CV CONVERTER, MC01 MASTER CLOCK, BD88 BASS DRUM, A-112 SAMPLER, A110 VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR (TWO OF THESE), A-118 NOICE SOURCE, A-117 DIG SOURCE/808 SOURCE, A-121 VCF2, A-123 VCF4, A-120 VCF1, A-180, A-181, A-138 MIXER, A-114, A-115, A-116 WAVEFORM PROCESSOR, A-140 ADSR, ENVELOPE GENERATOR (TWO OF THESE)."

Be careful with the rest of the description on this one. It's pulled from VSE and features more modules than what's actually up for auction.

Yamaha EX1 SN 5012

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.


via this auction

Anyone know more about these? Where they purely organs or did they have any synth capabilities? Do not confuse the EX1 with the mighty GX-1 analog monster or the FX1 FM monster. The auction details claims, "Successor to the famed, GX-1, this organ was very similar in many regards and originally cost $35,000 when new in 1977!" In look yes, in anything else? If you know feel free to comment.

100 Patches for the Casio CZ-101

via this auction.
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