MATRIXSYNTH


Sunday, March 23, 2025

MOTM / Synthesis Technology's Paul Schreiber Has Passed Away


Paul Schreiber at CONTROL in 2018


It has come to my attention that Paul Schreiber has passed away.

Pictured: Paul Schreiber at the 2006 NAMM show. Top from this previous post (pic by fr1zz), and bottom from this post (pic by Synthtopia) - this is the first image of Paul on the site. There is one comment in that post: "He's a good guy." Indeed.

Readers of the site should be familiar with his work. He was the man behind MOTM and Synthesis Technology.

To say Paul was one of the greats to influence the synth community would be an understatement. He was pivitol to the rebirth of modular synthesizers. He started when modular as we know it today was in its infancy, as one of a very small group of large format modular manufacturers along with Blacet, Modcan, Cynthia, Wiard, MacBeth, Oakley, STG, Catgirl/CGS, Tellun/Lower West Side Studio YuSynth, Jurgen Haible, and of course DIY staples like Thomas Henry/ MFOS, Ray Wilson and PAiA (see this post for some modular formats back in 2007). P.S. If I missed anyone in the early days, leave a comment. This post is about Paul, but I think it's important to relect on some of the large format modular manufactures he was amongst at the time.

Paul created the MOTM format of 5U modules in 1998. From Wikipedia: "MOTM was created by Paul Schreiber in 1998. The system was created in part due to the renewed interest in large-format analog modular systems that occurred in the late 1990s. Between 1998 and 2021, over 8000 modules were sold. The company, Synthesis Technology, also offered a limited number of modules in Eurorack[2] and Frac[3] format."

He later joined the eurorack scene with Synthesis Technology branded modules. FYI, his site for MOTM was always http://www.synthtech.com/, short for Synthesis Technology. The first post to mention Paul and MOTM was posted just under twenty years ago here on MATRIXSYNTH back on August 26, 2005. If you click through you will see it was a post announcing the MOTM/synthtech.com site was going down for the weekend. He announced he was retiring from the synthesizer business in August of 2023.

I beleive the first synthtech eurorack post went up on December 2, 2012 for the E102 Digital CV Processor. The first post to mention Synthesis Technology was an Epic Son track by John L Rice in August of 2011. Since then there has been approximately 845 posts to feature MOTM, and at least 398 Synthtech.

You can find a number of interviews with Paul in previous posts here.

It's worth repeating, Paul Schreiber was one of the key figures that brought modular back to the masses. He was both respected and loved by the synth community. It's impossible to overstate his influence. He will be missed.


The following are the first the last videos with Paul to be featured on the site:

The SynthSummitShow Episode 2: Paul Schreiber (Synthesis Technology) and A.Dapt (music producer) ...

Streamed live on Oct 2, 2015 Flux302 of Fluxwithit.com
Details previously posted here.

SysEx Dumpster - Episode 44 - a conversation with Paul Schreiber
video upload by Sysex Dumpster
Details previously posted here.

Synth jam - Model 101, TR 505 and Prophet 5 Rev. 3


video upload by Franz Kreimer Keys

"This is a short sunday afternoon jam with my Roland System 100 Model 101, TR505 Drumcomputer and Sequential Prophet 5 Rev. 3.
I'm using Arturia's Beatstep pro as Sequenzer for Midi Clock and for triggering the Model 101 via CV."

Alfa AS3109 VS IR3109N Quick Comparison


video upload by gstormelectro

"Audio + Video by G-Storm Electro c. 2025

Many have commented about my last video [posted here] why I fool around w/ reclaiming the old chips when Alfa has some remakes on the market. So here's a quick comparison of the Alfa AS3109 remakes vs. IR3109N OTA chips in my 101-VCF tester module. For me the Alfa behaves quite differently with regard to signal clipping and output magnitude. Enough as to not recommend them as a 1-to-1 replacement in vintage synths and the reason I don't use them in my own modules. It's too bad, I enjoy using other kinds of Alfa chips 3320/3340/3350 in other filters and my 101-VCO.

G-Storm Electro:


MUSIC https://gstormelectro.bandcamp.com/
BLOG http://gstormelectronica.blogspot.com/
LISTEN/DOWNLOAD http://soundcloud.com/gstormelectro
REVERB https://reverb.com/shop/gstormelectro"

‪@ModularWorld‬ Set


video upload by Jon Gee

"20 min set for the ​⁠‪@ModularWorld‬ show on 3/23/25

Check out the channel! Also check out ‪@ajohnsonstudio‬

Thanks to ​⁠‪@JohnoWells‬ for your beloved channel and for reaching out.

Thank you also ​⁠‪@chris_economou‬ for the Camera B and dancing bliss❤️

Featuring:

​⁠‪@nyppy‬ Neutral Labs Elmyra 2
​⁠‪@MAKEN0ISEMUSIC‬ Strega and 0-Ctrl
​⁠‪@intellijel‬ Cascadia, Sealegs
​⁠‪@somasynths‬ Pulsar-23
​⁠‪@ArturiaOfficial‬ Polybrute
​⁠‪@SequentialLLC‬ OB-6
​⁠‪@beetlecrabaudio‬ Tempera"

LSPXPO 2025: Erica Synths Echolocator - first look


video upload by sonicstate

"There was an Erica Synths stand at the show, but no one available to demo the newly-released *Echolocator*, so Matt bravely took on the task himself. The Echolocator is similar in layout to the *NightVerb*, but as the name suggests, is a delay-focused unit.

We'll be having a more in-depth look soon, this was very much a quick first impressions taster, but it sounds promising."

LSPXPO 2025: Chase Bliss - Onward and Clean demos


video upload by sonicstate

"Chase Bliss make interesting pedals - some are creative takes on existing ideas, others are full-on out-there bonkers weird & wonderful - but boring they are not. We have some ourselves, and if Chase Bliss are at a show, we try to check out what they've been working on, so we asked Tyler to demo a couple of their newcomers; Onward and *Clean*."

LSPXPO 2025: ALM Busy Circuits S.B.G-PRO


video upload by sonicstate

"Rupert from ALM showed us the upgraded MCO Mark II module, and the new *S.B.G-PRO*, designed for integrating Eurorack systems with external pro audio equipment. The S.B.G-PRO has quarter-inch jack inputs, dry/wet mix, input/output controls, and handles both balanced and unbalanced lines.

Ideal for using external effects, it simplified studio integration with modules like guitar pedals."

LSPXPO 2025: Synth Evolution's Vintage Synthesizer Illustrations


video upload by sonicstate

"At the LSPXPO 2025, we met Oli Freke from *Synth Evolution*, who shares his passion for synthesizers through his unique illustrated books and posters. They're great. (We have a poster on the wall at the Sonic office ;-)

More Info:
https://www.synthevolution.net/"

LSPXPO 2025: Music Thing Modular: Workshop System


video upload by sonicstate

"We've come across Music Thing Modular's Workshop System previously - the DIY only modular synth has a number of different sections, but one in particular allows for the addition of program cards to transform it into various functions, and apparently this has lead to a bit of a community, creating cards such as Backyard"

Sequential Take 5 - Waterfall


video upload by SirJon

"New Track made entirely with the Sequential Take 5 (except the drums)"
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