Click here for a video on CNet covering this year's Vintage Computer Festival. The Con Brio makes an appearance at about 2:09 left.
via James Grahame of the excellent Retro Thing.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Vintage Computer Festival: The rare, historic, and bizarre
Click here for a video on CNet covering this year's Vintage Computer Festival. The Con Brio makes an appearance at about 2:09 left.
via James Grahame of the excellent Retro Thing.
Two Studio Pics via Scott Metzger
I spy with my synth eye...Yamaha CS80
Prophet VS Rack
E-mu E6400
? You fill the rest
ARP Avatar - 6 videos
YouTube via 123synthland. Up for auction here. Note there are six videos in this set.
"We deal in vintage synthesizers, but you already know that. :) Here's the ARP Avatar we've currently got up for sale. The Avatar is essentially a keyboard-less version of the ARP Odyssey that was designed to be played by either a guitar or a CV Gate instrument like an old vintage keyboard with 1 volt per octave and gate outputs or an analog sequencer.
These days most people use them with a MIDI to CV converter or a guitar. These are pretty rare. They're often without the guitar pickup or their guitar circuitry isn't working right. This particular one was tested with a guitar, works well and comes with the hard to find guitar pickup as well. This series of video clips features the Avatar, with occasional help from a few other items we're unloading - a Roland RE-201 Space Echo, Roland SH-101 Blue and Oberheim Mini-Sequencer. All of the sounds are coming from the Avatar in all except 1 video where the SH-101 is patched through the filter together with the Avatar's oscillators. The reverb and delay effects are courtesy of the Roland Space Echo and any sequences you hear come from the Oberheim Mini-Sequencer and/or the SH-101. Several of these videos show just the ARP triggering itself, without a sequencer. Enjoy, and email me anytime at minime123@onebox.com"
The ARP Ensemble Organ
There was some discussion of the ARP Ensemble Organ on AH.From Ivan:
"I finally found the photo!? Took me a few hours of digging through back copies of Musical Merchandise review.? It is from the August 1974 issue and was shown at the June 1974 NAMM show: link [pictured]
So what David has is the same unit that was called the "Arp Ensemble."? Evidently it was sold with a Pro Soloist to make it a three-manual organ per the letter I got from a dealer ages ago: [link]
While searching for this info I also found a pic of the rare double-keyboard Mellotron: [link]"
Previously from Dave Hillel Wilson of the New England Synthesizer Museum had to say:
"It helps to remember that the ARP String Ensemble IV was really the Solina, manufactured by Eminent and rebadged by ARP. I bought a Pro Soloist a few years back from someone who told me it was the top keyboard on an organ. I played this organ and it sounded amazing, so I bought it for the Museum. It is called the Eminent 310, and is similar to the 310 U used by Jean-Michel Jarre."
images mirrored here
Update via Milo Johnson in the comments:
"That "double keyboard Mellotron" looks to be the Mellotron/Novatron Mark V prototype, and the year would be correct for it. There were 28 or 30 units made before the company finally folded. The Mellotron Mark I, Mark II, and SFX Consoles were all double-keyboard models as well, and there were an approximate total of 500 two-manual Mellotrons made in the early days. Fast forward to nowm when both Mellotron and Mellotronics are offering or developing new two-manual Mellotrons."
CONN Electric Band
Images and audio sent my way via Brian Kehew of The MOOG Cookbook.All WAV files hosted on Twango.
download here
Presets
Presets 2
Bass and Drums
Variable Sound
More images
Update: Some words from Brian Kehew:
"It's from CONN - the same people who sold trumpets and saxes to kids in band class. But I think it's made by Lowrey - just a hunch. It has a lead mono synth with two oscillators, sounds very much like an ARP Soloist or Moog Minitmoog. One of the preset settings is "variable" and you have some adjustments you can make in the sound, the others are all presets you see on front. On the left is a set of black keys that do the bass note and chords. The bass tone 9as you hear) is HUGE and super deep. It plays a simple bass line when you start the drum machine. There is a cool beatbox, typical 70s one. And my favorite feature is that it can all run through the spring reverb inside - 3 settings from minimal to underwater! I love the fake wood grain stuff.
I've only ever seen three of these; the two others were one my friend Roger Manning (of Moog Cookbook) has, and one other I sold to Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo."
Mellotron Protector Muff
currently up for auction on VEMIA."a sort of padded leatherette bondage coat with loads of big buckles which fastened round an M400 in transit."
ODW Lawnchairs
YouTube via bkricoODW. sent my way via Romeo.
Our Daughter's Wedding. "Lawnchairs video filmed live at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City, 1982"
Spot the synths.
Octopus - 3 Videos
YouTube via teheruranu. Sent my way via Xavier. Be sure to watch all three videos. The last video is an excellent tutorial or descriptive video of the second video.
"The official demo video of the Octopus Midi Hardware Sequencer" Note there are 3 videos in this set.
MC-909 // Virus // Equipment test: Electro Stylee
YouTube via siedgey (click for more after this one). via Nusonica. This one takes a while to pick up but it does.
"Hi guys,
Well...I finally bought the synth of my dreams. I got the old Access Virus Classic for an amazing price. Hooked it up, wired all my gear through a mixer and my Behringer Tweakalizer, hit a few buttons and this is what came out.
It's not really a tune - more me messing about with a two bar loop, but hey, thought I'd upload it anyways.
Comments welcome. Thanks for watching. :)"
Oberheim OB-8
YouTube via staticforce31. via Nusonica.
"Just a quick video of me messing about on my Oberheim OB-8. Please excuse the rubbish playing (and noisy keys) but hopefully this will give you an idea of the sounds you can coax out of this beast."
Moog Little Phatty and Jordan Rudess - Oscillator Sync
YouTube via MoogMusicInc.
"Jordan demonstrates the powerful sonic and expressive uses of oscillator sync. Visit www.moogmusic.com for more info."
Fran and His Balloon Organ
YouTube via inflatableminute.
"Episode #11 - Addi interviews Fran Holland of Berkely, Ca. who built and plays an organ made with balloons."
DSI Prophet '08 and Some Facebook Notes
Nice image of the Dave Smith Instruments Prophet '08 via Goran posted on Matrixsynth Facebook where you can find more general synth shots. Unfortunately you do have to log on like MySpace to see them. Not my rules. I haven't been on Facebook much lately so if anyone has been sending me messages or posting stuff I apologize for not being more receptive. I'll try to check the site more often. BTW, the best way to get me to post something of course is to send me an email (contact info is on the bottom right of the site). Only synth specific stuff goes up - in general you have to be able to identify the synth or synths via site or sound.
There is also a pretty cool video featuring a Doepfer modular running through a Plan b Model 12 by Adam Somers posted to the Matrixsynth Facebook group here (log on required again). Does anyone know if you can embed Facebook videos on other sites? I couldn't find the embed code. If so I could start posting some of the better videos I find here.
ILIKEITTOOTOO- Keyboard Zip Pouch- Hearts
flickr by [m]ichellelikesittootooclick here for the full size shot.
You might recognize the flickr name from this post. It looks like the zippered pouches have gone from just keys to synths. You know you want one.
EML 100
images via this auction
"Electrocomp EML-100 - 1 of 100 made, blue precursor to the EML101 1972/73 EML-100 VINTAGE BLUE FACE MODULAR SYNTH. VERY RARE INDEED.. So rare in fact ,only 100 of these were produced.These were designed for educational use for the school system and became popular with lots of musicians."
Kaossilator
YouTube via rc10t3. via this auction.
"Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer.
The next innovation in the highly acclaimed line of Korg DJ tools has arrived!
The KAOSSILATOR is a new pocket sized instrument that packs Korg's world renowned synth sound along with innovative performance features into an ultra-compact unit. Anyone can instantly play musical phrases by simply tapping or sliding their finger across the KAOSSILATOR's touch pad -- no previous skills required! The KAOSSILATOR is a portable, travel friendly device that runs on batteries, so you can have fun creating music anywhere your life takes you, with seemingly endless possibilities."
MAESTRO USS-1
images via this auction. There is a nice dog in the set."This is a large (22"x11"x9") analog box with six effects: Wave Form, Filter, Sample & Hold, Phase Shift, Envelope and Sub-Harmonic. There are six rocker switches color coded with eight sliders on the front panel. The sounds on this unit are simply excellent, very desirable for studio applications. Lush and warm sums this unit up well. The waveform creates a classic fuzz that I like to stack other effects on to. The sub-harmonic combined with the phase is very, well ..... 'Bucketheadesque?'"
Update via Brian Kehew of The Moog Cookbook in the comments:
"These were built by Oberheim, before Oberheim made their own synths..."
and 7ate9:
"not russian but tom oberheim!
as to whether they were built before oberheim made gear under the oberheim brand, I'm not sure as I've seen the maestro ringmod pedal with both maestro and oberheim labels on it. anybody has some history on this?"
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© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
