DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS (DSI) - SYNTH STUDIO & OFFICE TOUR

Published on Jul 21, 2017 synth4ever

"An in-depth synth studio and office tour of Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) in San Francisco, California -- including the DSI synthesizer showroom, Dave Smith's office and personal synth collection, and walk-through of the Dave Smith Instruments office.

Join me on this fantastic journey into Dave Smith Instruments' headquarters, alongside DSI's own Carson Day. Carson was kind enough to provide an amazing synthesizer studio and DSI office tour, and gives in-depth commentary on the history of Sequential Circuits, Dave Smith Instruments and their synths throughout.

Huge thanks to DSI for allowing me to visit the office on a recent trip to San Francisco. Cheers guys!

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Timecodes:
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0:00 - INTRO / DSI HEADQUARTERS
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1:10 - DSI SYNTH STUDIO & SHOWROOM
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1:39 - Mono Evolver & Poly Evolver
2:35 - Tempest
3:02 - Prophet REV2
4:13 - Prophet 6
4:33 - OB-6
4:47 - Pioneer DJ Toraiz SP-16
4:58 - Pioneer DJ AS1
5:11 - PRO2
5:45 - Prophet 12 / P12
6:24 - Mopho X4, Mopho SE, Mopho, Tetra
7:05 - Prophet 12 / P12 desktop
7:57 - Wrap up & leaving the showroom


8:07 - AWARDS
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8:43 - DAVE SMITH'S PERSONAL OFFICE & SYNTH COLLECTION
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9:05 - Moog Model D
10:14 - Prophet 5
11:22 - Sequential Circuits Pro FX
12:16 - Prophet 10 (inside look)
14:06 - Prophet T8
15:39 - Dave's tequila collection
16:11 - Posters


17:11 - DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS OFFICE
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17:48 - Repairs, testing & support
18:55 - Beta instruments
19:18 - PRO2 (inside look)
20:21 - OB-6 (inside look)
21:35 - 3D Printer
22:00 - Sales, artist & media relations
22:33 - Marketing materials & Studio 440
23:09 - Evolver & Sequential Circuits posters
23:44 - Korg MS-20
23:57 - Awards
24:08 - DSI shot glasses


25:09 - WRAP-UP & OUTRO"

Free DSI Prophet 12 & Tempest 1.3 Clinic with Carson Day at Robotspeak

"REE CLINIC: Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12 and Tempest 1.3 update clinic.

Stop by the shop on Saturday August 3rd at 2PM for another view of what Dave Smith calls his best synthesizer yet AND get the latest on what the Tempest's version 1.3 update adds to this sick Analog drum machine.

Ex ROBOTSPEAker Carson Day now employed full time with DSI, is back from a European DSI Prophet 12/Tempest tour. Carson will be in the shop to answer any questions you may have about the Prophet 12 and Tempest as he Demo's/jams on both of these electronic musical instruments.

It's free !

Please RSVP info@robotspeak.com"  [San Francisco]

Hopefully there will be some video captured for the rest of us.

User Petition for the Tempest and Dave Smith Instruments Response

Update: a new OS is coming.

You'll find the petition here. The following is DSI's response from Carson Day of DSI:

"CARSON DAY'S POST:

The description in the campaign is interesting, though somewhat misleading. The vast majority of Tempest owners are happily making music with it. Most importantly, if anybody had contacted us directly at DSI support to ask whether we have quit development on the Tempest, we would have told them no. We do intend to continue, and finish, development of the Tempest.

Separately, the campaign appears to be an inaccurate representation of Tempest users since there’s no way to qualify who is an owner and who is not.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Livid CNTRL:R and Dave Smith Tempest

Livid CNTRL:R and Dave Smith Tempest: Setting up the Tempest with Live and CNTRL:R from Livid Instruments on Vimeo.

"While the Livid CNTRL:R provides a huge amount of control over Live's instruments, effects and Livid's Step Sequencers, the sonic originality and beauty of outboard synths are an essential part of most electronic music setups. Livid teamed up with the best synth maker in the business, Dave Smith Instruments, and explores some ways to seamlessly integrate the Tempest and Mopho into an Ableton live set. With the help of DSI's Carson Day, Peter puts full control of these analog beauties into the CNTRL:R, ending in a thick and rich mix of synths, sounds, and sequences.
In this video, Carson Day of Dave Smith Instruments and Peter Nyboer of Livid give an overview of their plan of attack for getting the DSI Tempest and Mopho setup and integrated into Live. Carson explains how the Tempest is setup and Peter shows how the Livid CNTRL:R accesses everything on the desktop, both real and virtual. Not just an ideal setup for DAW production, but the wealth of hands-on control makes for a perfect setup for collaboration and jamming."

DSI Tempest & Prophet 12 Demos by Carson Day at junodj&studio

Dave Smith Instruments - Tempest Analog Drum Machine demo

Published on Jul 24, 2013 Juno Studio·2 videos

Tempests on eBay

"More info: http://www.juno.co.uk/products/dave-s...

Dave Smith Instruments very own Carson Day give us a demo of the Tempest Analog Drum Machine at Juno DJ& studio HQ

Features:
- Analogue drum machine
- 256 x 64 OLED display
- 16 x velocity sensitive pads
- 6 x analogue voices
- 2 x analogue and 2 x digital oscillators per voice
- Analogue effects
- USB connectivity
- Compact and portable: 15.4" L x 9" W x 2.5" H"


Dave Smith Instruments - Prophet 12 demo

Published on Jul 24, 2013 Juno Studio·2 videos
Dave Smith Prophet 12s on eBay

"Product details here: http://www.juno.co.uk/products/dave-s...

Dave Smith Instruments very own Carson Day give us a demo of the Prophet 12synthesizer at Juno DJ& studio HQ in London

SPECIFICATIONS

• Power: 1 universal IEC AC power inlet for internal power supply, Operates worldwide on voltages between 100-240V, 50-60Hz, 30 watts maximum power consumption

• Oscillators: Five DSP based oscillators per voice

• Filters: Famed Curtis 2 or 4 pole resonant analog low pass filter (self oscillates in 4 pole mode) per voice, 2 pole resonant analog high pass filter per voice

• Modulation: 16 x 2 modulation matrix with 26 mod sources and 97 mod destinations

• Program memory: 396 user and 396 factory programs

• Velocity sensitive: Yes

• Keyboard: Full-sized, 5-Octave, semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and channel aftertouch

• Inputs: 1 MIDI in, 1 MIDI thru port, 1 Sustain/footswitch input, 2 expression pedal inputs

• Outputs: 1 MIDI out, Main stereo output (2 1/4" phone jack), Layer B stereo output (2 1/4" phone jack), Headphone out (stereo 1/4" phone jack)

• Dimensions: W: 464mm, H: 1115mm, L: 200mm (boxed)

• Weight: 14.5kg (boxed)"

MATRIXSYNTH NAMM 2013: Carson & Peter Perform at the DSI Booth Video

Uploaded on Feb 4, 2013 matrixsynth·261 videos

Not the best audio in this video but I thought the performance was pretty cool and I wanted to capture it so here it is.  Carson on the Tempest and Peter on the Prophet 12.  You can see the Bob Moog Foundation booth in the background.  See this post for my DSI booth pics.  I opted to put this video up separately as I'm putting my NAMM posts up in the order I visited each booth.  This video was captured on my second visit.

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com

Livid CNTRL:R and Dave Smith Instruments Tempest - The Meeting

Published on Oct 30, 2012 by lividTV

"Check out this preview of Peter Nyboer (Livid) and Carson Day (DSI) in a "best of both worlds" throw-down. With an unholy union of gear from the Livid and Dave Smith shelves, Carson and Peter conjure up a mad mix of clips, synths, plug-ins, and step sequencers, in a seamless combination of analog and digital sounds.
Livid and Dave Smith Instruments at first glance seem like two opposites in the music tech world: Livid's controllers are geared toward trends of portability, flexibility, and all-digital, real-time production. Dave Smith's Tempest is gloriously rooted in traditions of analog audio and all-in one electronic instrumentation. However, both companies are simply fans of electronic music, and wanted to find a way to cross-pollinate these ideas. Keep your eye on your inbox, twitter feed, facebook page, or your tickertape for the upcoming tutorials and downloads that show how to bring these amazing pieces of gear together!
Stay in touch:
Livid Newsletter: http://bit.ly/TUKmW0
Learn more:
Tempest Drum Machine and Mopho at http://bit.ly/TlSJDE
CNTRL:R http://bit.ly/QT13wW"

Livid CNTRL:R and Dave Smith Instruments Tempest - The Meeting

Published on Nov 2, 2012 by DaveSmithInstruments

"Check out this preview of Peter Nyboer (Livid) and Carson Day (DSI) in a "best of both worlds" throw-down. With an unholy union of gear from the Livid and Dave Smith shelves, Carson and Peter conjure up a mad mix of clips, synths, plug-ins, and step sequencers, in a seamless combination of analog and digital sounds.
Livid and Dave Smith Instruments at first glance seem like two opposites in the music tech world: Livid's controllers are geared toward trends of portability, flexibility, and all-digital, real-time production. Dave Smith's Tempest is gloriously rooted in traditions of analog audio and all-in one electronic instrumentation. However, both companies are simply fans of electronic music, and wanted to find a way to cross-pollinate these ideas. Keep your eye on your inbox, twitter feed, facebook page, or your tickertape for the upcoming tutorials and downloads that show how to bring these amazing pieces of gear together!
Stay in touch:
Livid Newsletter: http://bit.ly/TUKmW0
Learn more:
Tempest Drum Machine and Mopho at http://bit.ly/TlSJDE
CNTRL:R http://bit.ly/QT13wW"

Prophet VS Demos & a Look Inside by Dave Bellamy

Published on Oct 18, 2018 Dave Bellamy

Playlist:

1. Prophet VS arpeggiator and lead sound (bight and LOUD).

The pretty unique Prophet VS when it was working.
It had a nice arpeggiator with Assign mode which I find ten times more useful than the standard uop and down modes.
Here is a little string type lead sound on top of the arpeggiator: the same sound as the arpeggio but brighter because the notes are more sustained. This synth could be searing, bright and loud and at other times really quite subdued. The waveform was a strings waveform on all 4 oscillators if I recall correctly.
It' is (was, becaus it's now broken) a bitimbral synth but this is in 8 voice monotimbral mode with notes overlaying the arpeggio.

2. Sequential Prophet VS Curtis filters resonance demo after raspy strings sound.

Sequential really, rather than Sequential Circuits, Prophet VS. Raspy string sound and then crazy filter resonant bubbles sound. Curtis analog filters, digital oscillators playing single cycle sample waves, so this was a hybrid synthesizer in the true sense. Definitely showing the harsher element of the VS sound!

3. Sequential Prophet VS - first look inside this Analog/Digital hybrid vector synthesizer.
Sequential Prophet VS - first look inside this Analog/Digital hybrid vector synthesizer, after most of the dust was cleaned out!
Video file: PA180371.
Similar to the other videos - but this one shows a possible crack developing in the left hand circuit board near the data slider.
4. Sequential Prophet VS electronics: Curtis CEM chipset 3360, 3365, 3379, 5510 & 5530.

Quick tour of the Curtis chip set on the circuit boards of a Sequential Prophet VS synthesizer. Chips shown: CEM 3360 (VCA), 3365 (DAC, x2), 3379 (VCF, x8), and sample and hold ships CEM 5510 (x4) and 5530 (x2).
Synth needs repair, otherwise pretty decent condition (no data slider knob); it worked for 18 years for me.
This is after most of the dust was cleaned out! I couldn't even read the numbers on the chips when I first opened it this morning.
Video file: PA180381

5. Sequential Prophet VS interior electronics inc. VCFs and VCA - synth currently needs repair.

Quick tour of the interior and circuit boards of a Sequential Prophet VS synthesizer, showing various parts including most of the Curtis chip set used in this synth. Synth needs repair, otherwise pretty decent condition (no data slider knob); it worked for 18 years for me.
At around 1:00, I mentioned the 4 CEM 5510 S&H chips; actually that's the right number of those! There are no nice arty designs or illustrations on these boards like there were on the Prophet-10 for instance (see DSI studio and office tour with Carson here on YT).
This is after most of the dust was carefully cleaned out of this synth! I couldn't even read the numbers on the chips when I first opened it this morning.
Video file: PA180375

Friday Afternoon DSI Office Jam & Tempest Demo at Robotspeak

Published on Apr 3, 2013 carsonday303·48 videos

Modular: Mark Kono & Tracy Wadley
Prophet 5: Matia Simovich
Poly Evolver: Carson Day
Prophet 12: Kurt Kurasaki

Tempest Demo at Robotspeak with Dave Smith and Roger Linn

Published on Apr 3, 2013 carsonday303·48 videos

"A brief video of my Tempest demo at Robotspeak alongside Dave Smith and Roger Linn."

The DSI Crew at NAMM

via @dsiSequential

"Thanks for a great #nammshow2017 !! #rev2"

Pictured: Justin, Carson, Andy, Mark, and Tracy.

Dave Smith Instruments Intros OB-6 Desktop Module [Summer NAMM Floor Video]

Published on Jun 28, 2016 Synthtopia

"At Summer NAMM, Dave Smith Instruments introduced the OB-6 Desktop Module.

DSI's Carson Day gave us an overview of the new synth, which he says has the exact same audio engine as the original OB-6."

https://www.davesmithinstruments.com

"Teen Angst" - M83 w/ Prophet 12 & Tempest

Published on Feb 5, 2013 peterkeys88·19 videos

"Because it's fun! A live synthy cover of M83's "Teen Angst" using just the DSI Prophet 12 (still in beta) & Tempest (in playlist mode). More music at http://peterdyer.net/

Carson Day jammed on this w/ me at Namm '13, tweaking the Tempest live, but since no video emerged of it, I wanted to share the sounds, as it was fun to play. It's still in development so don't get your panties in a twist."

Roger Linn, Tom Oberheim & Dave Smith on a Jet Video

Gearfest 2015 Published on Jun 16, 2015

Legends on a plane.

Follow-up to this post. Carson Day of DSI holds the camera and makes an appearance at the end. So, who's the dude hiding behind the newspaper?
Little bit of synth history right there.

Robotspeak 16th anniv. gathering - 10/20/18

Published on Oct 8, 2019 SynthAddict

"I caught only 2 of the many live performances that day: Kurt Kurasaki (Buchla madness) and Carson Day (DSI/Sequential monster jam). The projected video synth images by Dirty Bill accompany the first session - nice ambience. :-) A great show - thanks Robotspeak (Steve) for another great annual event !!!"