Transonic Trio: A Triple Transformation of Beats, Keys and Voice with the Make Noise Spectraphon

video upload by HANGING OUT WITH AUDIOPHILES

00:00 - Spectraphon meets Pulsar 23
01:41 - Spectraphon meets Orchestron
03:16 - Spectraphon meets Voice

The Make Noise Spectraphon can transform and reveal many a hidden world contained in all the sounds we make. Rather than present a breakdown of this wonderful module, I thought I'd hit you with a no talking special where I set the beast against drums, keys and voice to form a little Transonic Trio.

In the last track, all the vocal effects are coming from the Spectraphon :)"

Panoptigon plays Orchestron Vibraphone & Drehorgel Discs

Published on Feb 14, 2019 optigandotcom

"Another Panoptigon demo, this time layering two of our Orchestron discs- Vibraphone & Drehorgel. This demo features the onboard hall reverb effect on the Vibraphone, with no additional processing."

Panoptigon plays Giant Steps & Yakety Sax on Orchestron Saxophone Discs

Published on Feb 12, 2019 optigandotcom

"Another Panoptigon demo- this time a a comparison of a vintage Orchestron Saxophone disc with our remastered edition of the same disc. The vintage disc plays a midi file of Coltrane's Giant Steps, while the remastered disc plays a midi file of Boots Randolph's Yakety Sax. The reverb is onboard the Panoptigon, and there's a bit more applied in Giant Steps. Note that Yakety Sax has a fair amount of pitch bends, which are achieved on the Panoptigon by mechanically changing the rotation speed of the disc. Also note the fair amount of clicky noises when playing rapid passages like this. These sounds are a by-product of the unique way the Panoptigon produces sound, and were present on the vintage Optigan and Orchestron as well. This is an inherent and characteristic sound of these instruments. Both midi files were downloaded from the web. You can find info about pre-ordering a Panoptigon (which comes with our remastered edition of this Vocal Choir disc) here: http://optigan.com/2019/01/panoptigon..."

The Panoptigon Updates Classic Optigan, Vako Orchestron

Published on Jan 30, 2019 Synthtopia

"At the 2019 NAMM Show, Quilter Labs introduced the Panoptigon, an optical sample playback device, based on the rare Optigan and Vako Orchestron instruments of the 1970's."

NAMM 2019 Panoptigon

Published on Jan 27, 2019 sonicstate

"We're just really glad this exists. A personal favourite. Expensive, crazy and lovable, but brilliant"

Some history in this one.

Panoptigon Plays KRAFTWERK's "Franz Schubert" on Vintage Vako Orchestron VIOLIN Disc

Published on Jan 19, 2019 optigandotcom

"This is a demo of the PANOPTIGON- the new Optigan/Orchestron disc playing instrument by Quilter Labs, developed in association with optigan.com.

Kraftwerk is undoubtedly the most famous user of the original Vako Orchestron, which can be heard on all their albums from the late 1970s. Most notable is their use of the VOCAL CHOIR disc, but they also made good use of the VIOLIN disc, heard on such tracks as 1977's "Franz Schubert." We painstakingly transcribed the two Orchestron tracks from the original recording and created a sequence in Cubase, which then played back the parts via MIDI into a Panoptigon loaded with a vintage VIOLIN disc just like Kraftwerk had. The left/right channel parts were then recorded in two seperate passes as audio back into cubase, and mixed with a soft synth plug-in recreating the repeating arpeggio pattern. A bit of reverb was added, but otherwise what you're hearing is the direct signal from the Panoptigon.

Please visit http://www.optigan.com for more information about the availability of the Panoptigon, as well as remastered editions of all the original Orchestron disc titles that Kraftwerk used on their albums!"

David Van Koeverings Prototype #1 Orchestron

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

via this auction, also on Reverb

"What we have here is a museum find. This is David van koeverings #1 Proto type synthesizer one of a kind. From a collection owned by David. Moog super salesmen responsible for the launch and success of the minimoog. In great condition comes in Viking case. I plugged the orchestron in it powers up but I have no discs to test it..."

via Wikipedia: "Vako Synthesizers Incorporated, founded by electronic instrument pioneer and former Moog technician and salesperson David Van Koevering, started to build improved versions of the Optigan under the name Orchestron in 1975. Intended for professional use as an alternative to the Mellotron (hence the name Orchestron), it featured improved recorded sounds over the Optigan. The Optigan was an organ that played its sounds from light scanned graphic waveforms encoded on film discs. The sounds with the highest fidelity were on the outer rings of these discs. These outer rings were used for the Orchestron sounds to improve the sound. Although the Model A Orchestron is identical to the Optigan, the models B, C, and D follow the designs of the Chilton Talentmaker. The Talentmaker was taken out of the market after Optigan's manufacturer – Optigan corporation, a subsidiary of toy company Mattel – threatened to sue Chilton because of patent infringements..."

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David Van Koevering Has Passed Away

Update: this post will be pinned on top for the day. You can find newer posts below.

Brian Kehew wrote in to let us know synth legend David Van Koevering passed away yesterday at the age of 77. Per Brian, "So many people in the industry knew him; such a long and varied life!" Indeed. The following is the obituary sent to him from Van Koevering's family.

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Vako Orchestron VIOLIN Disc Demo - KRAFTWERK - Franz Schubert

Published on Apr 25, 2017 optigandotcom

"I transcribed the Vako Orchestron VIOLIN disc parts from Kraftwerk's 'Franz Schubert' and put together a little demo / cover version. I cheated and used samples instead of learning the parts and playing them live on a real Orchestron, but hey, life's too short. You can get my Orchestron samples here:

http://optigan.com/shoptigan/soundwar...

I put this together in Cubase. The synth sequence is played by Retrologue. I didn't spend too much time dialing in the sound just right, but it's close enough.

The other thing I didn't take the time to do is emulate the dynamics of Kraftwerk's original Orchestron performance. I'm assuming this was Ralf just improvising, most likely with a foot pedal to control volume, because there's lots of dynamic volume stuff happening that isn't possible by just playing an Orchestron straight. It would have taken a lot of time to re-create all these dynamics, so I didn't.

I also decided to omit the "Endless Endless" coda.

The disc image you see is our own remastered version of the original Orchestron Violin disc. These are also periodically available, if you happen to have an Orchestron to play one in:

http://optigan.com/shoptigan/new-opti..."

Optigan / Orchestron / Talentmaker - The Optical Organ Toolkit

Published on Mar 24, 2017 optigandotcom

"This is an informercial for a downloadable sample library of Optigan, Orchestron, and Talentmaker loops. More info in the video and at http://optigan.com/shoptigan/soundwar..."

New 2015 Vako Orchestron Disc - HARMONIUM

Published on Jul 12, 2015 optigandotcom

"Now taking pre-orders! Place your order at http://optigan.com/shoptigan/new-opti...

A new release in our line of Vako Orchestron discs, HARMONIUM. It's unlikely that there will be sufficient demand to do a second run of 25 of these discs, so your best bet is to buy as many of these as you need while you can!

HARMONIUM is a sound that is new to the Orchestron, though it previously appeared on the vintage Optigan "Gay 90s Waltz" disc. The source recording is an old Estey harmonium (reed organ), taken from the original Optigan studio master tapes.

PLEASE NOTE: This disc WILL NOT play properly in an Optigan! They WILL play, but the sounds will NOT be mapped correctly to the keyboard- they will be mapped mostly haphazardly across the chord buttons. Please don't order this disc expecting to easily use it in an Optigan. In the future we will be porting the Orchestron sounds to the Optigan- please be patient! :)

Stay tuned for more Orchestron discs, both new and remastered titles!"

Mattias experimenting with heavily distorted Orchestron String Ensemble

Published on Mar 9, 2015 RothHandle

"Today was supposed to be the last big session day but due to feverish children we had to cut the session short but we got a lot of stuff done.

These are sessionvideos with the Swedish progressive rockband Necromonkey. So far we have released three albums and we are hoping to release two more this year. These sessions are for a Synthbased album called "show me where it hertz, again and again". If you are curious to find out more about the band, please get in touch with us at Necromonkeyness@gmail.com and we will try to help you as best as we can, ok?

Thanks for watching."

An Interview with David Van Koevering on Astronauta Pinguim

via Fabricio Carvalho on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

"David was one of the main [people] responsible for the Mini Moog becoming a very popular instrument in the early seventies, when he decided to travel thru the USA demonstrating and selling the instrument. David Van Koevering was also the developer of the Orchestron, an instrument that was based on Mattel's Optigan, that became very famous when musicians like Patrick Moraz and Kraftwerk members used in their records!"

You'll find the interview on Astronauta Pinguim here.

Pictured:

Top: "On stage: David Van Koevering (2nd from left) and Robert Moog (seated)."

"ASTRONAUTA - How did you meet Robert Moog for the first time?

DAVID - I was traveling and doing musical educational programs in the public schools. There is a picture of my educational presentation in Trevor Pinch's book "Analog Days". I saw an ad in the Music Educators Journal that had a photo of the R. A. Moog Studio in Trumansburg, NY which said "Come Visit Our Backroom". I was performing in the area and decided to visit. Bob Moog was in Europe so I did not meet him then. Awhile later I was performing at a school in Long Island, NY and the principal said "I want you to meet Bob Moog". He had come from Trumansburg, NY to meet me and see and hear my show. Bob and I talked about the last song on my show where I performed on a "Theremin". I had made it from and article that Bob had published in an electronics magazine. After meeting Bob that day he asked if I would like to join him and his family at Carnegie Hall in New York City. It was the first ever live performance of the "Moog Quartet" with Gershon Kingsley. During that concert something switched on in my spirit, I knew I needed to be involved! I had a huge audience and showing the future of music to the younger generation became my goal."

Left: David Van Koevering with Moog theremin.

www.davidvankoevering.com

Kraftwerk on Meeting Bob Moog

This one in via Brian Kehew.

I thought the following was pretty great. It's at the end of a rare interview with Kraftwerk's Ralf Hütter on the Miami New Times.

"Before you leave, may I ask you what influence Moog has had on your music?

We met him when we were recording a TV show in Los Angeles back in '75 and Mr. Moog was there. We used a monophonic Minimoog -- we didn't have the budget for the larger one -- but he, of course, knew that already. What he didn't know was that meeting the machine's inventor was one of the true highlights of our lives."

Update: below is an image of Kraftwerk from 1976 via Wikipedia's page for Trans Europe Express.  You can see the Minimoog as well as a couple of ARP Odysseys.  Curios what that is in the background left.

Update2 via Steven in the comments: "It's a Synthanorma sequencer (by Matten & Wiechers).
http://a-u-t-o-b-a-h-n.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/elektromusik-u-t-o-b-h-n-der-besten-das.html

I guess it's an earlier model than this one.
http://www.matrixsynth.com/2007/02/synthanorma-sequenzer.html"

And via Brian: "Under the Minimoog is an Orchestron, Model A or B..."

Anima Morte recording Vako Orchestron String Ensemble

Published on Apr 7, 2014 RothHandle·1,698 videos

"A little video from yesterdays Anima Morte session."

New 2013 Vako Orchestron Disc - BRASS ENSEMBLE

Published on Aug 13, 2013 optigandotcom·16 videos

"Now taking pre-orders at http://optigan.com/shoptigan/new-opti...

A new release in our line of Vako Orchestron discs, BRASS ENSEMBLE. It's unlikely that there will be sufficient demand to do a second run of 25 of these discs, so your best bet is to buy as many of these as you need while you can!

BRASS ENSEMBLE is an entirely NEW sound for the Orchestron. It's a composite of three different trombone recordings and two different trumpet recordings, all taken from the original Optigan/Orchestron master tapes, but never used back in the day! The trombones and trumpets are an octave apart, producing a nice rich brass section sound. Please excuse my awful playing here, which is just a quick noodle to demonstrate the sound!

PLEASE NOTE: This disc WILL NOT play properly in an Optigan! They WILL play, but the sounds will NOT be mapped correctly to the keyboard- they will be mapped mostly haphazardly across the chord buttons. Please don't order this disc expecting to easily use it in an Optigan. In the future we will be porting the Orchestron sounds to the Optigan- please be patient! :)

Stay tuned for more Orchestron discs, both new and remastered titles!"

1978 Technical Research Institute Inc. Orchestron Ad

via Retro Synth Ads where you'll find the full write-up.

"Technical Research Institute Inc. Orchestron 'Your Instrument of the Future' half-page black & white advertisement from page 30 in the January/February 1978 issue of Synapse Magazine."

1976 Vako Synthesizers Inc. Orchestron "The Instrument of the Future" Ad

via Retro Synth Ads where you'll find the write-up.

"Vako Synthesizers Inc. Orchestron 'The Instrument of the Future...' two page black & white advertisement from page 32 and 33 in the January/February 1976 issue of Contemporary Keyboard."

New 2012 Vako Orchestron Discs - SOLO TRUMPET & TROMBONE

New 2012 Vako Orchestron Disc - SOLO TRUMPET

Published on Nov 24, 2012 by optigandotcom

"Now available at http://www.optigan.com/shoptigan

A new release in our line of Vako Orchestron discs, SOLO TRUMPET. It's unlikely that there will be sufficient demand to do a second run of 25 of these discs, so your best bet is to buy as many of these as you need while you can! Any future additional copies will most likely be done as one-offs, which are twice as expensive to produce, and thus will cost twice as much.

SOLO TRUMPET is an entirely NEW sound for the Orchestron. This is an actual acoustic trumpet sound, taken from the original Optigan/Orchestron master tapes, but never actually heard on any Optigan or Orchestron disc until now! Please excuse my awful playing here, which is just a quick noodle to demonstrate the sound!

PLEASE NOTE: This disc WILL NOT play properly in an Optigan! They WILL play, but the sounds will NOT be mapped correctly to the keyboard- they will be mapped mostly haphazardly across the chord buttons. Please don't order this disc expecting to easily use it in an Optigan. In the future we will be porting the Orchestron sounds to the Optigan- please be patient! :)

Stay tuned for more Orchestron discs, both new and remastered titles!"


New 2012 Vako Orchestron Disc - SOLO TROMBONE

Published on Nov 24, 2012 by optigandotcom

"Now available at http://www.optigan.com/shoptigan

A new release in our line of Vako Orchestron discs, SOLO TROMBONE. It's unlikely that there will be sufficient demand to do a second run of 25 of these discs, so your best bet is to buy as many of these as you need while you can! Any future additional copies will most likely be done as one-offs, which are twice as expensive to produce, and thus will cost twice as much.

SOLO TROMBONE is an entirely NEW sound for the Orchestron. This is an actual acoustic trombone sound, taken from the original Optigan/Orchestron master tapes, but never actually heard on any Optigan or Orchestron disc until now! Please excuse my awful playing here, which is just a quick noodle to demonstrate the sound!

PLEASE NOTE: This disc WILL NOT play properly in an Optigan! They WILL play, but the sounds will NOT be mapped correctly to the keyboard- they will be mapped mostly haphazardly across the chord buttons. Please don't order this disc expecting to easily use it in an Optigan. In the future we will be porting the Orchestron sounds to the Optigan- please be patient! :)

Stay tuned for more Orchestron discs, both new and remastered titles!"

Orchestron Musical Instrument

Published on Oct 25, 2012 by GForceSoftwareTV

"A GForceSoftwareTV feature of the classic Vako Orchestron the instrument behind the new OrchesTron add-on pack for M-Tron Pro"