Elka Synthex - Full uncut version

YouTube via Sharpblue. via Mr. Array
"Paul Wiffen demonstrates a 1984 Elka Synthex. Most famously used on Rendezvous as the Laserharp sound by Jean Michel Jarre. Paul also originally programmed the original presets. Also used by Geoff Downes and Stevie Wonder - a beautiful synth sorely missed." EDP Wasp and Oxford Synthesizer Company OSCar covered as well.
cut version previously posted here.

Nord Lead 3

YouTube via rpb1966. sent my way via fischek.
"The Nord Lead 3 can re-create a wide palette of sounds, these patches, Vox Humana, Laser Harp and Billys Screaming Lead, were all programmed by myself."

More Nord Lead 3

"Just have a listen, I thought I would do a longer one this time, a nice tribute for Billy for starters, and a few other surprises."

Laser harp in the microkorg

YouTube via cmatsuoka
"This is my first attempt at creating a program for the microkorg, so I picked up a sound that is easily recognizable. This is certainly not the best Synthex "laser harp" sound recreation around, but it should provide a good start for tweaks and improvements. The idea should work with any two-oscillator analog or analog-modeled synthesizer with oscillator sync, filtering and some kind of pitch envelope for the sync sweep. Actual values used in each parameter are shown in parentheses."

Update: a slightly different version via Tjoppy.

A bit of Jarre on MicroKorg

YouTube via Tjoppy
"A little bit of Jarre on the MicroKorg, the fat bass-like synth sound from rendez-vous 2. It sounds different from the original Elka Synthex sound; a bit more acid/dirty."

NORTEC: Arpa Laser / new Machine for Bostich+Fussible

YouTube via pepemogt
"We are building a Laser Harp from a design made by stephen hobley(thanks), Luis Vargas our technician guru is in charge of making this instrument work, the plan is to use it on our live presentations for controlling our synthesizer, here is a preview, coming soon in our Bostich+Fussible 2009 tour."

The beamz Music Performance System

Get your laser harp action on. No MIDI - USB Only. Not sure if you can use/mod it to control external gear.

"The beamz system has a "W" shape, with six laser beams spanning the two sections; connect via USB to your PC or laptop, and hook up some speakers. The simple, intuitive computer interface makes it easy to choose any of 30 included songs in 19 musical genres for laying down a complementary rhythm track. The beamz library includes original works in jazz, bluegrass, classical, hip-hop, reggae, heavy metal and more.

Breaking the laser beams with your hands automatically generates pre-authored pulses, streams, riffs or loops of musical notes or sounds from an incredible variety of instruments from around the world — guitars, steel guitar, strings of all types, percussion, keyboards, winds.even cowbell. Sophisticated high-fidelity sounds seem to pour from your fingertips like magic!

# Extraordinary invention fuses the interaction of your hands with laser beams to create the sounds of hundreds of different instruments.
# Breaking the laser beams with your hands automatically generates pre-authored pulses, streams, riffs or loops of musical notes or sounds from a variety of instruments — all kinds of strings, keyboards, winds, percussion. Sophisticated high-fidelity sounds seem to pour off your fingertips like magic!
# Choose a complementary rhythm track from 30 original songs in 19 music genres, including jazz, bluegrass, classical, hip-hop, reggae, heavy metal and more.
# The beamz system has a "W" shape, with six laser beams spanning the two sections; connect via USB to your PC or laptop, then hook up some speakers and you're ready to perform great-sounding music.
# Includes software CDs and USB cable for connecting directly to USB port of your PC or laptop."

more info including pdf at The Sharper Image. Or you can build this. You can find all posts mentioning laser harp here (scroll when you get there).

Elka Synthex

images via this auction via Rob
"Brief specifications:
8 note polyphonic analogue synth. 16 oscillators, 2 per voice (Triangle/ Sawtooth/ Square waveforms on both oscillators) . Multimode filter: 4 Pole Low pass, 2 Pole Band pass, 1 Pole Band pass, 2 pole high pass modes. 2 EGs. 2 LFOs. Ring modulation. Cross modulation. Sync. Very programmable glide, independant for each osc. Sequencer. 40 user memories. 40 presets. Beautiful sounding 3 position analogue chorus unit.

Superb for string and pad sounds. Great sync sounds ("Laserharp" for example) sounds. Lush resonant sweeps. You name it, this synth is possibly the finest sounding poysynth ever made!

Check out a full in depth review here.

To hear how this synth sounds check out this Youtube:

YouTube via Sharpblue
"Paul Wiffen demonstrates a 1984 Elka Synthex. Most famously used on Rendezvous as the Laserharp sound by Jean Michel Jarre. Paul also originally programmed the original presets. Also used by Geoff Downes and Stevie Wonder - a beautiful synth sorely missed.
For more info and DVDs goto www.museumstudio.co.uk"

Laser Harp Mk II Construction

YouTube via shobley
Remember the Laser Harp? Here are some videos on it's construction. you can find more videos here.

Laser Harp Fully Functional

YouTube via shobley. Update: see this post for how he did it an more.
"Finally got the bugs worked out with the sensor. The harp is connected to the impOSCar VSTi software synthesizer, the TAOS sensor array sits on the floor in it's own stand. The array above the harp i is just made up of fs mirrors for added p'zazz. (www.stephenhobley.com)"

Third Rendezvous On The Elka Synthex

YouTube via oxygene65.
"Short demonstration of what the Elka Synthex is famous for. Used throughout Jean-Michel Jarre's Rendezvous album. Most famously for the sound of the laser harp. One of the best polysynths of the 80's. Sorry for the crap version of Third Rendezvous and poor sound quality."

Also via oxygene65:
Synthex Demo with Smallstone Phaser

"A quick demo of the Smallstone Phaser attached to an Elka Synthex doing a Jarre Oxygene/Equinoxe type thing. Not exactly as well done as with an Eminent 310 organ, but pretty close. Apologies for the bad sound quality."

Bike Wheel Laser Harp

"Demonstration of the simplest use of my Bike Wheel Laser Harp: straight-up bass oscillator"

YouTube via Studio271. Sent my way via Frederic.

Laser Harp on YouTube

via Tim. YouTube by Shayu.

Bernard Szajner's Laser Harp

"The first laser harp ever made was a framed laser harp. It was created 1981 by the frenchman Bernard Szajner and was named “Syringe” from a science fiction book."

"Technical explainations:
His harp was powered by a Spectra Physics 5 Watts argon ion laser. The beam was sent through a fibre optics conductor to a line grating, where the beam was split into the 12 “strings” of laser light"

Via Frederic
"The synth behind Bernard Szajner is a RSF Modular"

Title link takes you there.

Elka Synthex on YouTube

"Paul Wiffen demonstrates a 1984 Elka Synthex. Most famously used on Rendezvous as the Laserharp sound by Jean Michel Jarre. Paul also originally programmed the original presets. Also used by Geoff Downes and Stevie Wonder - a beautiful synth sorely missed."
YouTube by Sharpblue.

Jarrelook Lazer Harp - via SYNTHOSIUM

Update: Lame on me. It's Jarrelook's Lazer Harp, not JMJ's. Jarrelook is a JMJ tribute band. Nice lazer harp.

Sent to me by Luca Capozzi of Naples Italy. He just set up his new blog on you guessed it, synths and music. Very, very cool. I also announced the site on SYNTHWIRE. BTW, don't forget to use SYNTHWIRE! It's meant for stuff like this. Posting about your site and your work is exactly what it should be used for. It can be anything you want it to be as long as it's focused on synthesis and music. Use it to promote yourself already! Anywho. I can't wait to see what Luca starts posting. Congrats on the new blog, Luca! Title link takes you there. P.S. Obviously I love your site design. ; )