MATRIXSYNTH: WMS 1020A Analog Sequencer


Friday, July 14, 2006

WMS 1020A Analog Sequencer

Title link takes you to more shots pulled from this auction.
"1970s vintage WMS model 1020A analog sequencer, serial #D10218, and accompanying power module #100-D. This unit is in very nice to excellent used cosmetic condition and 100% fully functional plug-and-play condition. All jacks on the unit are 1/4" and it runs on 117V US voltage. WMS (i.e. Wasatch Music Systems) was a very small 1970s US company and I believe they were based out of Utah.

This unit is so incredibly rare that I haven't ever seen another for sale, though I'm guessing they made at least 17 others... my logic being that the serial numbers likely started at 1020x (due to 1020 being the model number). It's very cool and very flexible. It has many of the features of the great Arp Sequencer like random mode, a voltage controlled clock that can be normalled to the second voltage row and individual outputs for each row with parallel and serial mode. Serial mode is particularly cool on this one because the A/B outputs both flipflop at the end of the row (with LEDs!) so both outputs functionally serially and opposite each other. Though it is missing a couple of important features of the Arp (quantizer and gate busses) it has a few bonuses of its own, like the negative voltage outputs, switchable V-trig / S-trig gate output to drive pretty much any kind or brand of synth with cv/gate inputs, and of course 2 extra steps per row. And it is much smaller than the Arp Sequencer. All jacks are 1/4" and the "Carry" output is a reset trigger output so you can use it to restart your other sequencers in your setup. Other functions should be fairly self-explanatory if you've used analog sequencers before. One thing that's a little weird at first is that both voltage rows are at zero when they the knob marker is on the line... this means that zero for Row A is at 6 o'clock while zero on Row B is at 12 o'clock. Oh, and check out the killer fake wood (plastic) end cheeks with relief WMS logo on them!"

5 comments:

  1. Hope the terracotta craft table comes with it plus a 78 piece brown plastic tupperware
    garden drinks set.Remember the natural dollies though that plasware was never particularly stable and running juice is perilous for those brown custom slacks you synthesise in.
    I can't dig those knobs,in this case wood effect chunky would move my cash.

    ..........................................
    On a serious note:there was once on ebay,a orange plastic tv set shaped drum sequencer with a screen and controls on the back.Made i think in Northern England,probably connected with the Sheffield scene(Human League,Heaven 17 etc).A very peculiar object,maybe two in existence,so beyond comprehension that perhaps i dreamt it.Any clues?

    ReplyDelete
  2. wipe up that spelling...doilies/doylies

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, so those are plastic sides. I thought the texture reminded me of Disneyland handrails in Frontierland.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Too funny....


    That totally looks like Disney. Should have tied the sale with Pirates of the Carribean.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before electroman9000 puts it up on Ebay again for a lot more than he paid for it. :(

    ReplyDelete

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