"For sale is a true gem of drum machine history: the very first Keio Mini Pops model, designed as an organ companion unit in the late 1960s. This is the original predecessor to the famous Mini Pops 7 and Mini Pops 20 – and an extremely rare find, especially in this kind of condition.
Condition:
This unit is in excellent cosmetic and working condition. All patterns and sounds function perfectly, with that unmistakable warm analog character only true vintage gear can offer.
Features:
First-ever Mini Pops model by Keio (pre-Korg era)
Analog preset rhythms with vintage charm
Intended as a built-in rhythm box for organ setups
Ultra-rare collector’s piece
Perfect for studio use, collectors, or vintage sound lovers
Sound Demo:
Check out how it sounds in the YouTube video I made"
"Oli Freke from Synth Evolution takes us on a guided tour of some of the most iconic drum machines that shaped music in our time.
He'll be joined on stage by Michael Eden who will demonstrate some of the drum machines in his collection.
Chapter times:
00:00 - Introducing the hosts 00:50 - What is a drum machine? 03:30 - The Wurlitzer Sideman from 1959, the first drum machine? 04:35 - Wurlitzer Sideman demonstration 08:15 - The Sideman's valve mechanism in action 09:52 - Legal problems and use by home organists 11:21 - Transistor-based Keio Donca Matic DE-11 from 1966 13:34 - Donca Matic DE-11 demonstration 15:15 - Keio becomes Korg 16:17 - Ace Tone Drum machines from 1967 17:15 - Keio Mini Pops 7 from 1967 20:47 - Famed use by Jean-Michel Jarre on Oxygene (Note: YouTube has muted the music clip) 23:12 - Inclusion of Quijada/ Jawbone sound 24:24 - Robin Gibb, Sly & The Family Stone drum machine firsts 26:29 - Paia Programmable Drumset from 1975 28:06 - Paia Drumset programming demonstration 32:16 - Use by Peter Gabriel 34:01 - Roland TR-808 from 1980 37:29 - Roland TR-808 features and demonstration 41:00 - Programming a beat on the TR-808 43:48 - Pioneering new genres of electronic music 47:13 - How does the TR-808 make its sounds? 48:14 - Recreating the 808 bass drum 50:39 - Recreating the 808 snare drum 52:22 - Recreating the 808 clap sound 53:48 - Recreating the 808 hi-hat sound 56:17 - Recreating the 808 cowbell sound 57:38 - Comparing the digital model with the original TR-808 58:29 - Outro
Published on Jun 7, 2019 EMEAPP Update: looks like this one was pulled and re-uploaded. It's back now.
"SONIC TEST DRIVE: Unique Pre-KORG KEIO 'Synthesizer Traveler' Pedal featuring fuzz distortion, wah-wah and a freaky pedal-controlled "singing" oscillator demo, from your good friends at the Electronic Music Education and Preservation Project. More information at emeapp.org, please consider joining us as a member!"
"Here is a super Rare Keio Synthesizer Traveler pedal. Excellent condition, looks and sounds awesome!"
You can find some previous posts featuring the Keio Traveler F-1 here. Korg was originally known as Keio Gijutsu Kenkyujo Ltd. and later Keio Electronic Laboratories.
"I made an other DEMO for my Yamaha Electone C 605 P home organ. I routed it through an Eurorack modular synthesizer. This time I used a sequencer (Arturia Keystep) to trigger the oscillators (MI Braids and AS RS95E VCS3 clone) and the gate of the Intellijel Dual ADSR. The sound of the oscillators and the home organ are filtered by a MI Ripples, that is modulated by a Doepfer Quad LFO and a S&H module. The sound of the Electone organ and the OSC's are the routed into a MI Clouds module. For drums I used a Vintage Keio Minipops and at the end of the demo the Electone's own drums. I also used a vintage Vermona Synthesizer routed through a Strymon TimeLine effect pedal.
For more music please visit www.nordmusic.ro and https://nordmusic.bandcamp.com/"
"I just bought a couple of days ago (fantastic bargain!) this piece of history: Korg (Keio) Minipops 7, for my friend Nord (since I already spent my gear money on Bass Station, Kurzweil K2500S and Roland Demora! - so the Minipops remain in familly!). It's sounds amazing, deep, the sweet flavor of vintage gear and I almost feel that I'm in Jarre's studio, back in the 70s! Audio is not compressed, it is the raw sound of the Minipops 7.
Enjoy! And if you have the opportunity to buy one, DO NOT HESITATE!
"Studio Combinations, mashing of machines- Muse Triadex, Korg MS-10, Roland Juno 106 and Pre Korg KEIO Donca Matic Mini Pops Drum Machine. Recorded to 1/4 tape then digitized, no plug ins, no digital filters."
"A quick demonstration of a rare and classic analog rhythm box, one of the first Mini Pops by Keio which then became Korg. A very distinct sound and mixes great!"
"This is a fully functioning Mini pops 5 Rhythm Drum Machine in excellent cosmetic and working condition. It comes with the original power cord as well as the original output cord. I purchased an RCA to 1/4" adapter, so the unit can easily be played through any standard amplifier! This unit is from the late 60's/Early 70's, and is an amazingly flexible drum machine that allows you to dial in a huge array of rhythms and beats while being able to tweak the speed, volume and tone. In the "Fox-Swing" and "Young-Beat" settings, you are able to tweak the sound to add or delete specific instrumentation from the rhythm. The chrome bar on the face of the unit is tapped by the user to start and stop the unit. There is also a built-in metronome that you can engage to play along with the beat/rhythm. Again, this unit is tested and fully functioning and is ready-to-play upon arrival. The shape of the unit is such that it allows it to be attached to any organ/shelf or table top securely by a set screw in the center, although it doesn't need to be. The unit sits flush when not attached to a level surface as well."
"This auction is Keio Electronics Lab (Korg) Mini Pops 5 analog drum machine. This unit was built by Keio Electronics Lab, which was the original name for Korg! This machine was originally designed to attached to your favorite organ where it could then be connected up to a speaker and set to accompany your playing with only a touch of the "magic" metal bar on the front of the unit! Today, these are very popular for "circuit benders" and other modification to create very cool drum machines!
This unit is unfortunately untested due to the lack of the power cord and the fact that I don't want to ruin one of these very, very rare units! The unit is in great physical condition though, having only minor scratches and dust..."
"This is the original Korg Donca Matic Rockmate Drum Synthesizer Machine produced in 1966 in Tokyo, Japan. It was one of the first all-electronic solid state drum rhythm machines made. The company was originally called "KEIO Gijutsu Kenkyujo Limited" before it became the Korg company.
The case is made out of metal and measures 7.5" x 7.5" and 1-1/4" deep. It is powered by a 9-volt battery (included), but also has an AC adapter jack on it. The 1/4" output jack is dirty, it makes crackle sounds every once in awhile. otherwise everything seems functional."
0.08 - 1.23 Roland VP-330 Vocoder Plus (1979)
1.24 - 2.32 Crumar Performer (1979)
2.33 - 3.53 Logan String Melody II (1979)
I used the special functions (human voices, brass filter, lfo, tone colour, chorus...) on the stringmachines.
bass: Moog Taurus 1 basspedal (1976)
drums: Keio Minipops Junior (1972)
recording: multitrack without midi
fx: a bit reverb and delay"
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via this auction
"For your consideration is this vintage Keio Synthesizer Traveler "Singing Geisha" wah/fuzz/synth effects pedal. This particular example, serial number 720147, is in very excellent all original condition. It works perfectly, sounds incredibly interesting, and with some familiarity, it becomes a very expressive and completely unique voice. With 4 separate volume/blend knobs related to different features of the pedal along with a traditional wah-style foot-operated pitch control, and 2 stomp switches, the pedal is actually incredibly versatile. The singing tone is not reminiscent of the "siren" feature of concurrent Shin-Ei units, and as mentioned, the pitch of which can actually be controlled, producing a pleasant theremin-esque synth sound."
