JLR's Modular Synthesizers - System Breakdown #15

video upload by John L Rice

"This is my fifteenth video breakdown/rundown, this time for my largest system, the mighty 5U "wall"! 🥳 This is likely the last installment of this series.

Index:
0:00 Beginning
2:23 Preface
4:30 Introduction
5:28 Section 1

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SYNTH-WERK to Release SW MOON 505 Multimode Filter

via SYNTH-WERK:

"The moon has risen...

Our first Moon Modular module after the sudden and unexpected death of our friend Gert Jalass.

The SW MOON 505 Multimode Filter is available and can be ordered from us now.

It is the first product in the Moon Modular filter series. More will follow…

Price: 430 Euro plus TAX"

Check out the only demo of the original Moon Modular branded 505 featured on the site here.

PDF spec sheets below.

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Mon nouveau studio - YUSYNTH

video upload by yusynthman

"Voilà les travaux de mon nouveau studio sont terminés. Maintenant commence le travail d'installation du matériel. Les premiers modulaires sont sortis de le papier bulle après 15 mois de sommeil..."

"The renovations to my new studio are finally finished. Now begins the work of installing the equipment. The first modular speakers have emerged from their bubble wrap after 15 months of hibernation..."

First Stage Fright

video upload by davidryle

"Rossum Electro-Music works its' way into the 5U system. The results are pretty nice.

Using a Trident Oscillator with quantized pitch CV from a Mob Of Emus into three envelopes from Synthetic Sound Labs Octal VCA Expander, then on to the Rossum Panharmonium Mutating Spectral Resynthesizer.
A tap off the Trident is sent to the Rossum Linnaeus filter for a percussive FM part which starts the work. The timing is from the Moon Modular 563 Trigger Sequencer.
The rhythm section is the Synthetic Sound Labs / Hagiwo Geo Gruvn euclidean sequencer for all the parts.
The bass part is the SSL Woven Spirits (MI Plaits) in wavetable mode.
The dual Q960 sequencers are transposing the 1V/Oct input to the Panharmonium and sending various control voltages to the bass and another pad swell sounds from the 5U system.
All recordings are in real time to Cubase 12 and video is edited in Final Cut Pro."

Moon Modular System

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Vemia listing

Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.

"In memory of Gert Jalass (RIP) - Mastermind of Moon Modular, the from him so called 'Tiny Hans Zimmer' System: with 6-Voices, integrated CV- & Gate Routing (normalized Patch-Loops). Module-List or detailed pictures on request possible! Original Modules Packaging and Paperwork also included. [VEMIA note: this came as a real shock to me, as I hadn't found out that Gert had died. He really was a very nice man as well as an excellent designer and modular maker. Very sad news. I know many people who have his systems and they will live on being played for many years in his honour and memory.]"

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Moog Modular: eleven original cables

via this Vemia listing

Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.

Little bit of synth history.

"7 grey, 4 red shorter ORIGINAL vintage Moog Modular cables ¼ inch, from a Moog System 55. I don't have the synth anymore, can't test them but they used to work until 5 months ago."

After October - Panharmonium/Metropolix

video upload by davidryle

"The Intellijel Metropolix sequencer making a dual pattern to a pair of Q206 VCO's. The filters were the Dove D502 Multi-Mode VCF and the Corsynth C110 2044 VCF. They go into the Lower West Side Studios (Yusynth) Panning Mixer then into the Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium Mutating Spectral Resynthesizer.

The Panharmonium splits the signal to two destinations. The main voice is sent to the TipTop Audio Z-DSP with the Halls of Valhalla plate reverb. The FX voice is sent to the Make Noise Soundhack Erbe Verb reverb.

The Bass part is the Q960 sequential Controller into a pair of Q106 VCO's and The Oakley Sound Systems Diode Super Ladder filter. The on to the Synthetic Sound Labs Digital Delay and Tube VCA.

The fluttering noise effect is the Dove Audio WTF Oscillator in noise mode to the Moon Modular 517S in High Pass on to the Modcan 73B Dual Delay and the Echo Fix tape echo/reverb."

Celestial Surge

video upload by rimela

00:00 Neon Pulse
01:52 Midnight Reverie
03:59 Celestial Surge
06:29 Phantom Circuitry

R.A. Moog Modular IIIC, 1968

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Vemia listing

Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.

This appears to be the one previously featured here with additinal pics.

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SynTesla VCO Hz-OSC560 from Hans Zimmer's Giorgio III

video upload by SynTesla

"Here is a short demo of the Hz-OSC560 oscillator, the same one found in Hans Zimmer's gigantic synthesiser ‘Giorgio III’. Here I am making a quick hard sync patch of two oscillators.
Please forgive the poor musical performance."

See: Hans Zimmer Next Level Giorgio III Monumental 5U Modular System

New CLUB OF THE KNOBS Modules For a Colourful Winter Time

This one was sent my way via John L Rice, via CLUB OF THE KNOBS.

"For a colourful winter time:

CP19 FOUR VOICE MIDI ADAPTER

C921P VOLTAGE CONTROLLED DUAL OSCILLATOR

p.s.

Also NEW in 2025 [not pictured, but mentioned in Dec 2024]

NEW! 2025
NEW! CP18 CHROMATIC TUNER
NEW! C929 VOX HUMANA (in addition to C1610 RESONATORS/FIXED MODIFIERS)"

http://www.cluboftheknobs.com

LMNC Covers MGMT KIDS and SEVEN NATION ARMY on Modular Synth!

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"A bit more footage from My Show In Southampton last week at 1865!
Download the Live WAV of this and see more of the show and others here :- / 141891906
Patreon is a massive enable to making videos, the larger DIY projects would be a lot more strung out without it! so i cant thank my supporters enough.
It Also keeps the lights on at @THISMUSEUMISNOTOBSOLETE where you can come and play this synth!"

Vintage 1969 Moog IIIc Vintage Modular Synth

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

"Stunning 1969 Moog IIIc modular synth: two cabinets, two keyboards for sale in original condition on behalf of the owner.

In very good original/ex-factory condition with no modifications. The owner says "I'm the 2nd owner since it left NYC in the early 70's - all modules signed and dated - might need a service on the Filter Coupler but she is very tidy for 50 years old."

While it is in good working order for a 50+ year old synth, we would advise that a sympathetic service be carried out for future reliability."

A few of the visibal SNs:

Model 904C SN 533-11-69
Model 901 B SN 634-070
Model 901 B 596-12-69

Listed at $135,646.61 + $2,796.84 Shipping

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Rest In Peace Jon Andersen

video upload by Jon Andersen

Friday morning classical guitar and strings

video upload by Jon Andersen

This one is in via John L Rice who had the following to say:

"'Just me' on ModWiggler spotted this Facebook post of Jon Andersen’s family seeking help and information on selling his Synthesizers.com modular. They posted a link to a video of his from 5 years ago of a performance he did with his modular and a couple keyboards. He only had one other video where he plays guitar and a keyboard."

Both videos are featured above.

Click through the Facebook link if you'd like to help or just leave your condolensces.

Hans Zimmer Next Level Giorgio III Monumental 5U Modular System

Hans Zimmer 2025 - Batman Dark Knight - Opening - Cologne / Köln - Next Level Live

video upload by C3|Nik

Pics and details below. First the video description:

"Some thoughts regarding the "Hans Zimmer - The Next Level" concert:

Amazing! Amazing! AMAZING!

I went to all shows of Hans Zimmer, some I've seen even multiple times. The sound quality of "Next Level" blew them all out of the water. It was louder, it was more intense, really top notch sound engineering. That part at 5:50 in the video was extremely intense, I have never experienced that kind of bass before. I sat close to the front, there was a line of subwoofers right in front of me, I would not be surprised if that part causes some anxiety for people, that's how intense it was.

Some pieces were re-arranged which was an interesting touch, it added a nice new dimension to it.

I can recommend it. It is expensive but a one-of-a-kind experience in my opinion."

Update: SynTesla video below added.

GIORGIO III, Hans Zimmer's monumental synthesiser manufactured by SynTesla

video upload by SynTesla

"SynTesla is the manufacturer of the gigantic GIORGIO III modular synthesiser commissioned by Hans Zimmer for his world tour 'Hans Zimmer Live The Next Level'. Discover the unboxing and assembly of this fabulous instrument."



This one is in via John L Rice.

via pidjyman on Mod Wiggler:

"The Giorgio III is a monumental 5U Modular synthesiser created by SynTesla (Pierre-Jean Tardiveau, aka pidjyman on MW) for composer Hans Zimmer for his world tour.

This synthesizer is undoubtedly the largest modular synth in the world, consisting of 12 cabinets measuring 5 x 5U + 1 x 3U in height. Only 10 cabinets are installed on stage, with two others serving as back-up behind the scenes.

This monster represents 10 months of hard work in total. 23 types of modules were designed and produced in large numbers. To give you an example, the synth is composed of 3 separate units of 4 voices each, for a total of 12 voices, with 2 VCOs, 2 DCOS, 2 filters, 6 DADSRs, 6 VCAs, 1 resonator, 4 LFOs, buffered multis, logic, attenuators, attenuverter, mixers, wavefolders, gate delays, summing mixers, etc. etc...

The modules were manufactured in France by Syntesla and designed by Yusynth and SynTesla. They were assembled in Los Angeles at Hans Zimmer's studios and then shipped to Germany for final assembly on the tour stage.

When the synth arrived in Oberhausen, Hans Zimmer had never seen it before (he was rehearsing in London while it was being assembled in LA), and I can promise you that his smile in the photo is not fake (neither is mine).

The electrical part of the cabinets was also designed and built by SynTesla. It includes an oversized power supply with a capacity of 10 amps, an active filter that provides perfectly stable and clean voltage, and a power distribution board in SynTesla and DotCom format, as well as an integrated voltmeter and ammeter. The whole system has several levels of safety.

This made it possible to connect each cabinet to a solid-state relay socket controlled by DMX from the lighting console. The robustness of the device allows the whole or part of the system to be switched on and off in sequence, depending on the pieces being played on stage."

9/29/25 SSL 1660 + FSFX 103 + STG + acVOKS + .com Q128 + Paia 6740 + MIDIVERB II + MP-4 + DDL-3

video upload by Cfpp0

Remembering Gert Jalass of MOON MODULAR

John L Rice wrote in to let us know today is the late Gert Jalass' birthday. I met Gert a few times at NAMM, and John would often man the Moon Modular Booth. Gert was a great, kind soul. I miss his smile; I miss his presence.

John mentioned the Moon Modular website has had a few updates since his passing. The About and History pages are worth a look.

You will find the following there:

LUNAR MAGIC | Gert Jalass’ Work of Life

as well as

THE HISTORY OF MOON MODULAR 2002 - 2025.

Modular Moog (vintage)

video upload by Memetune Studio

"The Moog sounds so rubbery and gorgeous today

And the 914 Fixed Filter Bank sounds a bit like waves on an electronic beach"

Steffen Marienberg of Marienberg Devices Has Passed Away

Some sad news in via John L Rice, via the Sequencer.de forums

Google translation of attached funeral notice:

“We are sad that we have lost you. We are grateful that we were able to live with you. Steffen Marienberg *September 30, 1961 +August 19, 2025 In silent mourning: his Sigrid, his brother Holger, and all relatives. Alterode, August 2025. The funeral service, followed by the urn burial, will take place on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at the Hoym cemetery.”

Marienberg was a maker of 5U modules. You can find the Marienberg website at http://marienbergdevices.de/.

See the Marienberg label for a posts dating back to 2013 featuring their gear.

Lyle visits the Lost Ant Cafe

video upload by suitandtieguy

"Monday night I went to a very tiny bar in Lostant IL called the Lost Ant Cafe for fried chicken because the third shift clerk at the Tonica Casey's had a long conversation with Squiche and I about a bunch of stuff on the way back from Knobcon and I asked her what local fried chicken she liked. This was the only place I can remember from the conversation, and it's about a quarter mile down the road from a legendary upper Illinois River valley supper club called The Bull's Head which has been closed for too long. If you don't understand the relationship with the upper Illinois River valley, Italian supper clubs, and fried chicken then I don't know what to say other than you need to touch grass.

I came back to the studio and did this with Lyle. I think it demonstrates how absolutely fried this thing can sound. EBM guys are gonna want to save their pennies for the heaviest (by weight) bass machine they've ever played.

There is a modest amount of distortion on this example, in addition to slow LFOs from each voice controlled by each voice's auxiliary VCAs whose level is set by the Active Attenuators generating a simple voltage offset (something it does if you plug nothing into it) then multiplied to all four voices with the Active Multiples. These LFOs are fed into the second control input of the Vanilla Filters.

Each voice is panned across the soundfield with the output mixer.

In this example I only tweak the gate time on Continuo, global filter frequency and envelope amount, and the amount of the LFO to the filters from the Active Attenuators on the right side of the synthesizer.

As usual with Lyle videos, no effects or mastering at all, simply normalised.

Audio Verité, just like The Drive To 1981. I think it sounds great."