JJ Abrams On His Synthwood Pro-One

via http://synthwood.com/pro-one/

"I am suddenly the owner of MY FAVORITE SYNTH .. I am blown away .. THIS THING IS GORGEOUS." - JJ Abrams, Bad Robot

follow-up to this post.

Ensoniq Fizmo Synthesizer

via this auction
"Features & Specs:
- 61-note velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive keyboard.
- Four programmable keyranges, and four possible zones.
- 48-voice polyphony.
- Two digital effects processors.
- Vocorder.
- Arpeggiator.
- 44.1kHz sample playback rate.
- 20-bit D/A conversion with 100dB dynamic range.
- 97dB signal-to-noise ratio.
- 2Hz-20kHz frequency range.
- Left/right quarter-inch outputs.
- Stereo headphone output.
- Audio input.
- Single/dual footswitch input.
- MIDI In/Out/Thru.
- 64 Presets, 256 Sounds.
- 24 knobs, 32 buttons.
- 4Mb of 16-bit internal wave ROM (Ensoniq 2nd-generation Transwaves)."

samples at the auction while up

Update via Aaron in the comments: "Ensoniq's swan song! Just make sure it has the regulator fix: http://www.carbon111.com/fizmo.html"

Ionic Performer Analog Synthesizer EMS Synthi AKS Synth

via this auction

be sure to see the Ionic label below for more. Details from the auction:

"Many know the EMS Synthi AKS as THE synth used in Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The low bass sequence loop in "On The Run" is the Synthi. The Synthi AKS is one of the most coveted, rare and expensive analogs of yore. Few know of the Ionic Performer.

Quote Found on the internet: "Somewhere in my collection of EMS material I have a lurid photo of the Ionic Performer you mention. I remember attending a NAMM show in Chicago in the early seventies where Ionic Industries had a small booth and were exhibiting the Performer. You are correct that it was a repackaged VCS3 with an integral keyboard. Instead of the pin matrix it had rows of rectangular push-button switches - like an early ryhthm box. What really struck me about it was the publicity leaflet which brazenly announced 'No skill required' in its operation, before expanding further on this theme. It still had the familiar vernier dials for tuning the oscillators. I spoke to Steve Mayer on the stand but no Alfred. Dealings with Ionic were soon curtailed and from about 1972 the US side of the business was handled by Dr. Everett Hafner and his company EMSA from Amherst, Mass."

The left block contains the keyboard oscillator - frequency, tuning spread (distance between notes), level, octave divider and doubler, and whether the keyboard dynamics or voltage were routed to the modification rails. Also on the block are the left and right output level controls, and their pan positions (affecting only the line output).

There are two main oscillators (sine/triangle and square/triangle) and one square with an extended low range (to .01 Hz -- a direct-coupled output that caused Killer to regularly blow up my transistorized Dynaco power amps). The shape (duty cycle) is adjustable as is the relative level of the waveform pairs. Below is the external input level control (line or microphone could be modified as well as the oscillators) and the routing of the keyboard oscillator as a source. The last source in the group is white noise.
Each source can be modified by an envelope, ring modulator (modulated from any other source), filter, and reverb, and be routed to either or both output amp directly. Note that the filter (either with modified output or ringing at the Q point) could also be a source, as well as the keyboard oscillator, external inputs, and white noise. To make sure the player knew which oscillators were in use, there are four green lights (one for the oscillators, one for any other source).

Beginning at the bottom is the reverb (spring reverb), with a nice, rich dry/wet mix. To the right is an Attack/Duration/Decay envelope. The automatic envelope trigger control is to the right. The switches at the top patch the output of one device to the input of another. Only the oscillators and filter can't be patched to themselves, and the white noise has no input. But you could create some pretty unbelievable sounds with this matrix! Note the three items first introduced here, the trapezoid controller (actually the envelope used as a voltage source) and the two "sticks" (pseudo-joysticks).

The filter allows adjustment of frequency, response (Q, right to the feedback point so it could be used as another oscillator), and output level. The trapezoid (envelope) level is also adjustable. The "sticks" adjust two "axes" -- assignable to any device, and adjustable (using the two limit sliders) from no effect to full range. The sticks make this one heck of a microtonal machine. The system is +/-18 volts, so the limit range is extensive. Power and speaker on/off switches are at the top. To the right is the "Z axis" (auto pan/phase) pullswitch and level control. A manual envelope trigger is available, and trigger was normally routed to the keyboard in every case.

The right keyboard block controls final output functions. The two channels can be assigned portamento (which worked quite well) with adjustable pitch slide speed that makes Midi look positively amateur, fuzz, tremolo (triangle controller) and repeat (square controller). The latter two could be given a different variable rate for each channel, and combined with the Z-axis auto-pan, zowdy! These buttons are illuminated.

The designers had ergonomics down before IBM invented the term. Color-coding and logical layout made the instrument performable in near-darkness.

For the most detailed information on this EXTREMELY RARE SYNTH, please see the website: link"

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Casio CZ-5000 Vintage Digital Synthesizer

via this auction

Oberheim OB-X

via this auction

Arp Pro 2721 Pro Soloist /DGX

via this auction

Arp Odyssey 2811 MKII

via this auction

inside an ARP Odyssey

Doepfer A100 meets Compact11 first improvise

YouTube via experimentmine

SmartAV Tango Control Surface 2

YouTube via audiomidicom.

Not directly synth related, but I'm curious if anything is assignable.

"Houston Haynes demos SmartAV's large-format touch screen surface mixer controller with Steinberg Nuendo. Part two of two. Call audioMIDI.com at (866) 286-4601 for more info!"

reminds me of the Buchla 700 - similar color scheme

SmartAV Tango Control Surface

My new slimmer synth set up

YouTube via synthiakorg

ROLAND SH-5 vintage synthesizer 1976 - HQ sound demo

YouTube via AnalogAudio1
"The Roland SH-5 is one of the best compact monophonic synthesizers from Roland. It has almost everything, that you could wish from a monophonic synth: 2 VCOs, 1 resonant multimode filter (highpass/bandpass/lowpass), 1 bandpass filter, 2 LFOs, Sample & Hold, ring modulator, oscillator synchronisation, noise generator (white and pink noise), ADSR and AR envelopes. Also there is a nice signal mixer with routing capabilities."

Search Upload * Video File * Quick Capture Gleeman Pentaphonic - Dirty Boy Bass Bully

YouTube via bigcitymusic
"Wow. Here's Stephi tweaking the Gleeman Pentaphonic into the Dirty Boy Bass Bully. The Bass Bully is certainly one of the best sounding bass guitar fuzz pedals ever made.

All Dirty Boy pedals are handmade, using the highest quality, new-old-stock parts. Every pedal's germanium transistors are hand-matched too for the best sounding pedal possible. Oh yeah. The Gleeman sounds pretty good too huh?"

Anita

flickr by Danny van Lieshout

full size

KORG something or other

Depeche Mode - Behind the Scenes

You find find the full article at Keyboard Magazine Online.

via
https://twitter.com/brandon_daniel and
https://twitter.com/Chris_Randall

Note the Steiner Parker Synthacon on top of the Fender Rhodes, the EML sequencer, EMS Putney VC3S and ARP 2600. Spot the rest.

Synapse Magazine

I haven't put up a post on Synapse Magazine in a while, so I figured why not put one up. Synapse Magazine was a synth focused magazine from the 1970s. Cynthia (yes, this Cynthia) has scanned several of the issues and made them available for free here. Do check them out. Lots of old analog goodness. You will feel just like Malcolm Cecil of Tonto.

meowsynth

YouTube via knobstervideo. via fischek
"Meowsynth VSTi - world first 'meowizer'"
http://knobster.org/project/meowsynth/
meow synth, cat synth.

tr909 tr808 & sp1200 quick filtered house jam

YouTube via kidysputpikii. via fischek
"live impro with sp1200 tr909/808 and some filters ( mutronics mutator / xone vf1 )"

tr909, ms20 and mc 202 having a chat

"sorry for the audio glitches and video sync :/
setup :
tr909 synced to mc202
Ms20 controlled with kenton pro solo
Fx : EH small stone / A&H xone VF1
remoste 25SL for muting and mixing purposes"

Korg Live Techno starring MS20 and SQ10

"ive jam featuring :
- korg ms20
- korg sq10 (impossible to see, it sits on top of the ms20)
- roland tr909 (hi hat, snare, clap , rim shot)
- roland s550 (kick & drum loops)

Always the same synchronisation problems between audio and video :( I need to buy a better cam."

1903

1903, part I from mrcury on Vimeo.

"This is a quick track I did this afternoon with my monome, Tintinnabulome, and Ableton Live.

Beats are sequenced as Live clips, everything else is Tintinnabulome feeding 7 midi channels."

1903, part II from mrcury on Vimeo.

Sonic LAB: OmniSphere Library Update

via Sonic State where you'll find the write-up.

Access Virus KB Demo , S4K Users Video www.space4keys.com

YouTube via Space4Keys

"Access Virus KB Demo , S4K Users Video Demo www.space4keys.com"

Jürgen Haible Scanner Chorus

via ModularSynthesis where you will find more images and info on the building of the JH Scanner Chorus. Also see the official Juergen Haible website for more.

Synthesiser Patel - Look Around You

Update: looks like the videos have been pulled. See this post for another upload.

YouTube via grebmops. Better quality video sent my way via Fractran.
"'Synthesiser Patel, synth enthusiast and programmer of the 'Easitone 'Play-In-A-Day' 50", from Look Around You Series 2"
You might remember Synthesizer Patel from these previous posts. The quality of this video is much better. Thanks goes to Fractran for sending in the link.

One more from the Look Around You series:

Look Around You featuring EMS VCS3 and Roland TR-66

YouTube via 81ZX.
aka The Harrington 1200 - Little Mouse

DS Acid Fun

via http://twitter.com/mr_union

"DS Acid Fun ep, all made on ninendo krg ds 10, free 128 mp3 download, enjoy :)"

Less is more ( TR-909 and TB-303 )

YouTube via nvanzoeren. see more previously posted here.
"303 goes through a Ibanez AD202 (Delay) &
909 goes through a Ibanez UE400 (compression)"

Circuit Bent Donny Osmond Mother's Day Card.

YouTube via circuitben
"I love my mum, so I decided to creep her out by making this awful card even worse.
I hope she likes it."

BTW, Donny is into synths

Donny & Marie Show guest Desy Arnaz Jr.

YouTube via 512R1H4. via Steve of Street Electronics. Donny Osmond. via this post. Moog Modular.

Crazy Horses - The Osmonds

YouTube via fezandfrat. For those of you that just can't get enough.
via this post
Anyone ID the synth he's playing? Almost looks like a Yamaha SY-1 but the angle of the levers / controls is way off. Update: via devetron in the comments: "It's a Yamaha YC-30 organ."

Roland Juno-60 + Juno-106 "The Juno Brothers"

YouTube via retrosound72

"vintage synth demo by RetroSound

'The Juno Brothers'

Both classic Juno`s are different in sound but both synths are great!

bassline: Roland Juno-60, the internal arpeggiator is triggered by the Roland TR-606
sweep sound and soft pad: Roland Juno-106
drums: Roland TR-606"

Minikorg Metasonix T-Resonator

YouTube via arrowbang
"Josh Humphrey plays a minikorg through jomox t-resonator and metasonix tm-7 (scrotum smasher)"

enapa sequentix p3 diy kit

YouTube via enapa1apa
"Just a short film showing my halvfinished sequentix p3, mounted in a temporary faceplate, will be in aluminuim later on....
Will be a nice sequenser, very nice!!"

Synth Jam

YouTube via angelometz
"ARP 2600, DOTCOM, Prophet 5 and minimoog D. Slow beat!"

Synth DIY meeting Dallas Texas 3-22-09

via the AH list:
"We will be having our 3rd DFW Synth DIY meeting 3/22/09 at the And/Or gallery, 4221 Bryan St. Ste B Dallas, TX 75204. It will begin around 3pm.

http://andorgallery.com/

There will be various projects presented including Lars' Video Synthesizer. I will have one of the Electro-Music.com cloned Low pass gates, a CGS tube VCA, and some of Ian Fritz projects to show. If you have a project you have been working on please bring it to show. If you have a project you need help with, bring it by and we will do our best to help.

Come hang out and tweak some knobs."

SoundLab does Pink Floyd - On the Run (again!)

YouTube via YpsiSynth

"Just showing off the groovy SoundLab Synth.
This synth is for sale. $375 Shipped and insured.
Possible flexible on price.

Sequenced on a MV-8800 via Paia midi to CV"