x0xb0x Overlays

x0xb0x overlays are now available at CustomSynth.co.uk.

Looks like it's up for auction. as well.

x0xb0x Wasp

Genoqs Octopus Basic Demoinstration 3

YouTube via DayflightTrok. Click here for all demonstrations.
"A short demonstration of the EFFEKTOR, a function to manipulate/modulate tracks."
Click here for all three demonstrations by DayflightTrok.

Mia and The Bird - EML Track

Click here for the track via Heath Finnie. Be sure to check out the rest of the site while there.

"is about 8 minutes of a noise coming from an EML 101 and 200 combination. It's sort of a noisy drone."

Fairlight's New Xynergi Controller

"Originating from the Greek word sunergia, meaning "cooperation," and also sunergos, meaning "working together") It is the combined working together of two or more parts of a system so that the combined effect is greater than the sum of the efforts of the parts.

We are introducing the Xynergi Controller, the first truly ‘application aware’ controller. In essence, Xynergi harnesses the power of the CC-1 card to deliver one of the world’s most powerful desktop media production centre.

The Xynergi controller features a unique implementation of self-labelling key switches which are able to display full colour images, animated icons or text to provide intelligent control over the entire recording, editing and mixing process. In addition, the controller can support any type of language or icon driven menu structure with an ‘on-demand’ QWERTY keyboard for routine naming tasks and immediate access to Windows applications.The controller also features eight touch sensitive rotary controllers and multiple soft keys arranged around a high–res color control zone known as the 'pad'."

Click here for the product page with video. via gearslutz, via Robert.

Bob Moog

Title link takes you to some shots of Bob Moog sent in via an anonymous reader. The shots were from a channel called ARTE broadcast in Belgium, The Netherlands and possibly France. I thought these were from the MOOG Movie, but the anonymous source says it's not. The images are a bit fuzzy, but there you have it.

Jean Michel Jarre and his DigiSequencer

Another shot of JMJ and his DigiSequencer sent my way via an anonymous reader. Note this is is from the same documentary these shots of Bob Moog where taken from. "the docu. features all know moog users,tangerine,keith,etc..and interviews with them"

Crumar Bit One Demo

Title link takes you to the mp3.

via sequencer.de

Moog

flickr by manuwonka

click here for the full size shot

MOOG Liberation

more shots

Innovative Synthesis

Title link takes you to Innovative Synthesis a blog on synthesis techniques and more. Currently posts include Basic Sound Synthesis: Part 7 – Miscellaneous Stuff, and Basic Sound Synthesis: Part 6 - Arpeggiators and Sequencers. Be sure to check out the previous posts when you get there.

"I have recently started a new website with articles on sound synthesis, and could do with more exposure to readers for ideas for future articles. I have just finished a guide of basic subtractive synthesis, and have more advanced & historical articles lined-up for the future."

Feel free to send your suggestions there.

Synth.nl

Image via synth.nl where you'll find a ton of synth information including shots, music, details on various synths, and more.

Armitage Shanks Military Grade Modular Synth

"mostly made up of old industrial & military generators, etc. many of which are labeled “Property of NASA” or 'Dept. of the Navy'"

Click here for one more shot on Deviant Synth.

The shot below? Oscilloscopes at the The Black Hole / Los Alamos Sales Company (click for more images). Now that would be worth a visit... Additional links and info here.

MOTM with Marimba Lumina

flickr by Max Lord.

Title link takes you to more info including more shots. Be sure to click on the "All Sizes" link for the full size when you get there.

Salamander Music Systems

via Wavedeform in the comments of this post. I actually posted about the SMS website back on 7/12/2006. You can find all SMS posts I've put up here. Note there are three SMSes: Synthetic Music Systems, makers of the SMS MARS analog synth, Salamander Music Systems, and of course the fake SMS 2000. That said, here is the following via Wavedeform. Be sure to check out the site.

"My rather sparse Salamander site can be found here.

Salamander Music Systems (SMS) was started by Dennis Saputelli, an amazing designer. For its entire history SMS also manufactured lighting consoles, which was a much more lucrative business. Pretty much everyone involved with SMS was into it for synth-geek reasons, though, and saw the lighting stuff as the necessary evil that needed to be done to finance the synth stuff.

I worked at Salamander from roughly 1977-1985. The goal was to build the no-compromise synthesizer we all wanted. This meant that we were somewhat more expensive than a lot of systems of that era. At one point we had some pens made up that read: "SMS - When you don't care _how_ much it costs." There were a handful of (mostly large) modular systems shipped, and somewhere between 30-50 Voice 400s. Quite a lot of custom work was done also. For example, Mike Cotten of "The Tubes" had a bunch of SMS stuff, including a cool custom sequencer.

The modular was really amazing for its time. It used high quality sub-modules for all of its core functions. We started out using EMu sub-modules for the 97 Dual Oscillator, 147 UAF, and maybe one other module (I seem to remember a four pole LPF, too). The EMu modules were really expensive, and hard to get, so early on we designed our own sub-modules, some discrete, some based on SSM and Curtis chips.

The power distribution was perhaps overkill, but it also had significant advantages. Basically, there is a system wide, loosely regulated, +/- 18 VDC, and +9 VDC power supply. Each module has it's own local regulators to bring that down to +/- 15 VDC and +5 VDC. Because a module has its own power supply, it can be swapped around from system to system without the need for re-calibration. It also spread the heat around more evenly. The 1" modules didn't really have room for regulators, so they had their own regulated distribution scheme.

The Voice 400 was also really nice, but came out a little after the Prophet V, and a little before the DX-7; polyphony was the order of the day. A great sounding programmable monosynth, even with a programmable analog delay, was not what people wanted. I had one music store salesman tell me, flat out, that effects in a synthesizer were a bad idea, and that no one would want them. It turns out that they may, in reality, be a bad idea, but everyone wants them, anyway :-).

After SMS had been selling systems for a few years, Serge Systems relocated from Hollywood to San Francisco, just across town. There was a good natured rivalry between Darrell Johansen, Paul Young and the crew from Serge, and the SMS crew. If the respective companies were bigger, and we weren't all pasty-skinned synth-geeks, we would have had rival baseball teams or something. I had been a Serge user, as had Salamander user Naut Humon, currently of Asphodel/Recombinant Media Lab, and his bandmate at that time in "Rhythm & Noise", Rex Probe. Rex was also affiliated with SMS, doing assembly mostly, but a little design, too. Somehow illustrating the cycles of life is the fact that Rex is currently running Serge Modular.

Dennis Saputelli is still doing some lighting stuff, but mostly he does custom design and assembly, on an OEM basis. His company is called Integrated Controls http://integratedcontrolsinc.com/ , and is still in the same warehouse as the Salamander of old. Since I worked there, he has expanded into all the available space on the first floor of the building, and seems to be doing well."

Top 5 Greatest Samplers

Looks like Sonic State has a new Top X coming. This time samplers. BTW, what happened to the Top 20 Weirdest Instruments? Hmm... Maybe they're saving that one for Halloween.

Click here for the trailer for the Top 5 Samplers. Feel free to share your top 5 in the comments. It'll be interesting to see how this one turns out.

via HarriL


A little poll for fun, and no I don't know the answer for this one.


More info on the Amen Break

TRY - experimental mailing list

"there is a new mailing list called TRY for experimental electronics / art. its intended to be sort of an all encompassing mesh of new audio device announcements, idea exchange, bender Q and A, pedal / synth builder announcements, live show announcements, parts trading post...… you get the idea."

Title link takes you to more info and the sign up on Synthwire.

DIY PCB MILL & DRILL (2) drilling

YouTube via cnightwing.

Oberheim Xpander

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Seiko DS-250

via this auction

"Very rare synthesizer made by Seiko in 1985. This is a very, very rare synthesizer and don't let the Casio like toy exterior fool you it is capable of making both digital and additive sounds not to mention it was used by famous French synth musician Jean-Michel Jarre on the album Rendez-vous.

This synthesizer is early digital and additive together. It can make PPG like clear sounds with a bit of grit as well as Juno like pads. Yes you read it, its capable of making some nice analog style pads. It has basic editing features on the front panel of the synth.

Now heres what makes this already synth even rarer. It has a SRC-10 voice expander cartridge installed for additional patches. I cannot find anything on the net pertaining to this upgrade. It is a Seiko upgrade as you can see in the picture but nothing is available about it. I can say it is does add additional patches.

The DS-250 has stereo outputs, midi in,out and thru, RCA outputs(stereo), phones and level controls for both channels, You can split the synthesizer for two tones at once making it bi-timbral. Quite alot for a rare synthesizer from 1985."

If you know more about this one, feel free to comment.

Update via Dave in the comments: "I had one of these for a few months... it was suprisingly not 100% horrible. Even came with an external sequencer. Here's my little page on it, with a sound sample."

Update via the comments: "I see a lot of scammers on Ebay trying to sell Seiko 250's, claiming that the power cord has been "lost" like it isn't a big deal.

1-First of all, this keyboard needs a power supply, not just a "power cord".
2-Without the power supply, the keyboard is useless. Why? because the power supply is impossible to find. The power supply has a dual voltage design and the connector is non-standard, which means if you buy a unit without a power supply, you are going to have to pay someone to design and make one from scratch. This is not hard if you know what you are doing, but if you were to pay someone to do it, expect to pay at least a couple of hundred bucks or more.. which is more money than what the keyboard is worth."