Oscar Peterson and His Synths

Published on Jun 22, 2016 Rudy Cortes

Roland Jupiter-8, System 100m, & NED Synclavier. You might remember Oscar Peterson from this TB-303 ad. You can find a handful of posts mentioning Oscar Peterson here.

This one is in via @auralhistories

Oscar Peterson's Yamaha CS80?

Probably the smallest pics of a CS80 you will ever see on this site. Via Craigslist Vancover, CA for $10000
"Yamaha CS-80 with service manual , manual and all technical docs.Sounds great, holds tuning well.The Tolex cover has a few scrapes and bruises but the functional areas are pristeen .The unit was never on the road. It was purchased from Oscar Peterson in 1981 when he built his Synclavier system,and owned till 1994 by Barry Warne, a local synth afficiondo and tech.I have owned it since then and have only used it occasionally on studio sessions . It has been kept in studio for the last 16 years. It is a truly unique beast.....Serious offers only, thanks"

via Kaden

Bright Sparks - Tom Oberheim - Bonus Scene. Oberheim Musicians

video upload by GForce Software

"During the filming of the Bright Sparks - Tom Oberheim documentary, we discussed interactions with seminal Oberheim users such as Joe Zawinul, Oscar Peterson and Lyle Mays. In this bonus footage, Tom and Marcus impart a few great stories from those halcyon days, including the real story behind Lyle's 8-Voice ending up in Tom's possession, plus Marcus' reaction to being asked to demo the Oberheim System for Oscar Peterson.

Bright Sparks - Tom Oberheim full documentary: [previously posted here]

The Bright Sparks Instrumental album is available from: imonster.bandcamp.com/album/bright-sparks-instrumental"

Roland Inspiration Centre - Synth Studio Tour | Toronto, Canada

Published on Oct 19, 2019 synth4ever

"An in-depth synth studio tour of the Roland Inspiration Centre in Toronto, Canada hosted by Dustin Good (keyboard/DJ product specialist at Roland Canada).

Roland Inspiration Centres allow musicians to try out the latest Roland and BOSS gear and attend exclusive events in Toronto and Vancouver. While visiting Toronto earlier in 2019 I was able to stop by and see the space in person.

In this studio tour, Dustin takes us through the Roland Inspiration Centre and goes over various Roland digital and analog synths, BOSS guitar effects pedals, guitar amps, drum machines, DJ equipment, and much more.

A big thanks to Dustin and Roland for having me drop by! To learn more about Roland Inspiration Centers in Vancouver and Toronto, visit: https://www.roland.com/ca/getinspired

----

Timecodes:

0:00 - Intro

0:49 - Workspace & Product Showcase Area
2:10 - Boss guitar pedals
2:46 - Roland Boutique synths
3:33 - Roland Aira synths & drum machines
4:12 - Roland Juno-DS
4:51 - Roland System-8
5:17 - Roland System 500
5:47 - Roland System 100-M (Oscar Peterson's)
7:33 - Roland JD-XA
8:22 - Roland DJ-808
11:00 - Roland DJ-202
11:18 - Roland AE-10
12:38 - Mixing console & video switchers
13:31 - Roland Combo Organ
13:47 - Boss Amplifiers (Blues Cube, Nextone)
15:15 - Roland AX-Edge Keytar
17:12 - Accessories, guitar cables, travel bags
18:21 - Roland T-shirts (Jupiter-8, 808, JX-3P, Juno 106)
19:33 - Events, Festivals & Synth Meetups
22:42 - Roland Inspiration Centre locations

23:25 - Conclusion"

KORG DS10 Plus Demo 3

YouTube via karenevil.

Demos 1 and 2 here.
"Trying solo keyboard play with DS10 on the great sound track of Oscar Peterson's 'Fly me to the moon'"

Yamaha Motif XS8 Star Edition: 2GB sample RAM, 16GB Flash dr. & Pianosoft Library

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

via this auction

"The XS8 Star Edition is a souped up XS8 there is only one of. First the sample RAM is expanded to 2GB. Then as a response to the XF8's much-advertised 1GB of Flash RAM, I gave the XS8 a 16GB Flash memory stick... ha! When the paint wore off on the XS's right side from my mouse / trackball, I created a custom decal to cover the metal. The winning bidder gets and extra decal, and the Photoshop file on disc too in case you want to change the text, add colorful flying monkeys to the design or whatever.

One of the things that never looked quite right to me on the standard XS8 are those iffy green side panels. So I got to work again and voila - lovely smooth wood panels, like a $10,000 Yamaha DX1. Except this new synth has 1000 times the audio capabilities of a DX1.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Korg PS 3200 Synthesizer with PS 3010 Keyboard SN 210115

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

via this auction

"Vintage Rare Korg PS 3200 Synthesizer with PS 3010 Keyboard. Tested and Fully functional. Sounds amazing. Includes original PS 3010 Keyboard with Original Cable made by Honda. Has some knicks but overall in good cosmetic condition as seen in photos. Pretty sure somebody stained it black. The guy who sold this to me said this was owned by Oscar Peterson at some point years ago and he sold it to a music store he had been working at, but there is absolutely no proof and he told me this after i bought it so its just a weird piece of information that is in no way verifiable or should affect value whatsoever."

Honda?

CLICK FOR MORE »

Dave Smith Awarded Grammy for Technical Achievement Press Release

And the official press release (video link below):

"Dave Smith Awarded Grammy for Technical Achievement

Instrument Designer Recognized for Role in Creation of MIDI

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—February 11, 2013—Musical instrument designer Dave Smith was honored with a Grammy® award this past Saturday for his work developing the Musical Instrument Digital Interface or MIDI, as it is more commonly known. The ceremony, held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, also celebrated the work of Glenn Gould, Carole King, and the Temptations, among others. Smith shares the award with Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland Corporation, the Japanese musical instrument manufacturer.

In 1982, Smith and Kakehashi formed a technical alliance to develop a means by which musical instruments and then-new personal computers could communicate with each other. They developed an inexpensive hardware interface and a simple protocol so that the technology could easily be integrated into new products. MIDI made its public debut at a trade show in January 1983 when instruments from Sequential Circuits--Smith’s company at the time--and Roland were connected for the first time and used to control each other.

MIDI was adopted by all major manufacturers of electronic instruments and proved especially valuable to performing musicians. It also kickstarted the home studio revolution by enabling musicians and composers to make multitrack recordings at home at a time when multitrack audio recorders were too costly for most artists.

One of the more remarkable things about MIDI is that the interface and protocol are virtually unchanged thirty years later and that--with its widespread inclusion in musical instruments, computers, and cell phones--it is more commonly used today than ever before. 'I can connect one of my latest instruments with a Commodore 64 or one of the instruments from the ‘80s with an iPad and it just works,' said Smith. 'How many other computer protocols can you say that about?'

Smith has been designing instruments for thirty-five years and they have been played by a diverse range of musicians, from Pink Floyd to Herbie Hancock, from Alicia Keys to Philip Glass, and from Oscar Peterson to Trent Reznor. Smith continues to design synthesizers and drum machines for his current company, Dave Smith Instruments. Founded in 2002, the company is headquartered in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. The instruments are also manufactured in San Francisco and sold worldwide.

Video of the award presentation is available at tinyurl.com/aqfcwfd.

About Dave Smith InstrumentsLaunched in 2002, Dave Smith Instruments is helmed by legendary musical instrument designer and Grammy® award winner Dave Smith. Dave’s many accomplishments include the creation of the Prophet-5—the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and his legacy as the primary driving force behind MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

Dave Smith Instruments’ products are used by an ever-increasing roster of well-known musicians and are available from music retailers worldwide. Instruments include the versatile analog/digital hybrid Evolver synthesizers, the Prophet ‘08 and Prophet 12, and the Tempest analog drum machine. Dave Smith Instruments is based in San Francisco, where the instruments are also manufactured. For more information, visit www.davesmithinstruments.com."

Congrats Dave!

Previous Posts:
Dave Smith and Ikutaro Kakehashi To Receive Technical GRAMMY Today
Dave Smith & Ikutaro Kakehashi to Receive 2013 Technical GRAMMY for MIDI

Roland Designs the Future?

flickr by Neil Vance

full size

"Oscar Peterson on the Roland PianoPlus! (and TB-303 & TR-606)
This is a scan of an old 1982 Roland brochure I managed to keep all this time - HEY! so this is what Roland thought was good use of a TB-303 & TR-606! never minding that the TB-303 actually managed to change the direction of music forever from 1988 to date with the acid resonance movement!!!!"

petersonacidbig - New Flickr Shot

flickr by point_misser.

Here's an interesting shot. An ad for the Roland TB-303 and TR-606. Remember these were originally meant to be used as bass guitar and drum replacements, not acid. Also featured on Music Thing.

In color here.

Oscar Peterson

Black Oberheim Dual Manual 8 Voice

Interesting update via the post by elcraigo, the owner of the black 8 Voice. Also be sure check out the post for a nice shot of a white one.

"Here's the scoop on mine:
The metal work screened in black was an experiment by Tom Oberhiem to see what the units looked like; he didn't like the look, which is why they were never sold this way.
From what I recall, there might be (2) two voice units and a four voice unit built in black. There was not a regular eight voice in black, as there was not enough parts to do both a dual manual and a regular. There are (4) white dual manual units. The one before mine went to Oscar Peterson. The others are Tito' Jackson, Peter Wolf, and other unit's owner I don't recall.
I'm the original owner of the black unit. I built it myself from parts purchased from Oberhiem directly. There was an employee purchase plan, where you could buy the part kits (all the pieces pulled from stock, and organized). It's been a while, but I think it was 1978, I do have all the paper work and original documentation, somewhere. It took me (2) years to build it in my spare time. It's built mostly stock, except the power supply, which I beefed up and located a little different. The dual manual unit takes a very long time to calibrate and tune; getting both keyboards and all the SEMS tracking together can be a challenge."

Via VSE. Wow.