DJ Shakey on One Blue Monkey

Some Ableton Live action via the Warper Party. Title link takes you to the video on One Blue Monkey.

Ableton Live rules for live play.

The First ARP 2500

You are looking at the first ARP 2500. It's home is at the New England Synthesizer Museum in Nashua, New Hampshire. I was fortunate enough to actually see it in person a couple of years ago. It was an amazing experience, standing in front of it, realizing what it is. I took a few shots including this one. Title link will take you to them including a much larger version of this one. Also note the SYNTHE license plate on top. : )

What is just as amazing is how Dave Hillel Wilson, the curator of the museum, acquired it. There are amazing deals and then there is this... But don't feel to bad, as you will see, somehow karma has a way of balancing things, but somehow I think Dave still came out ahead. : )

"Many years ago a man tried to sell an ARP 2500 to Daddy's Junky Music in Nashua, New Hampshire. They didn't want it, so they referred him to me. I looked at it and was afraid to offer too little; I offered $500 US. He was expecting to get $50 for it, so he was so happy he threw in his gray meanie 2600 as well. Later Alan R. Pearlman confirmed that this 2500 was the first ever made.

Best purchase I didn't make - I looked at a Buchla Music Easel (before I knew much, but after I thought I new everything) and said it wasn't as good as an ARP Axxe. The guy offered it to me for $400 US dollars and I said no. Boy have I made some stupid mistakes in my lifetime!! (Some guy bought it for 400, turned right around and sold it to a dealer for $1200, who sold it to someone in Europe for $2400, so it's long gone)."

- David Hillel Wilson
Curator
New England Synthesizer Museum
_DWilSynth[]aol.com
_www.synthmuseum.com/nesm

Update: a few more pics below. Note David Hillel Wilson passed away in 2010.

MPC Shots and Sample

Title link takes you to more shots including some gorgeous shots of an EDP Wasp, Serge and more. He even has one of these! : ) You can find a 4.6M mp3 here. Via Dennis Vershoor. Thank you Dennis!

More on the MPC.

The History of Roland on SOS

Title link takes you to Part 1 of a four part series. Roland was founded by Ikutaro Kakehasi. Something tells me James of Retro Thing will appreciate the following. : )

"Born in 1930, Ikutaro Kakehashi was just two years old when his parents died from tuberculosis, and he spent much of his youth living in Osaka under martial law. He studied mechanical engineering and simultaneously worked as a schoolboy worker in the Hitachi shipyards where Japan's 'midget' suicide submarines were built. As a result, he witnessed a great deal of destruction in the last months of the war.

Once World War II was over, and after failing on health grounds to enter the city's university in 1946, Kakehashi moved to the southernmost of Japan's four major islands, Kyushu. This offered a far more rural existence and, to survive, he took a day job as a geographical survey assistant. But, at just 16 years old, he noticed that, with no watch or clock industry in post-war Japan, there was a thriving business to be had repairing existing timepieces. He was unaware of it at the time, but a chap named Torakusu Yamaha had also started out as a watch repairer, as had Matthias Hohner. Even the Hammond Organ Company started out as a sub-division of the Hammond Clock Company!"

Update via the comments:
"Mr Kakehashi is a very nice man.
He will give you his full attention and fully listen to you without interruption.
He visited Roland US once when I worked there (mid '80s) and I was shocked to find that he took the time to sit with me and go over things I found in error with some Roland products.
He even took notes.
Consider that. The president of a huge international company actually listening to a lowly repair tech.
This is part of why he's successful.
He has very little ego and loves music."

Vyonich Yamaha CS10 Sample

Title link takes you to a sample of a Yamaha CS10 monosynth with an extra OSC modded, being driven by a Roland EF-303 through a Kenton Pro Solo MIDI to CV converter. Via Chris Strellis' Vyonich.

Robert Rich Review and Shots

Title link takes you there. Link to photo set is in the box on the top left when you get there.