BUILDING NEW OLD STOCK ELECTRONIC KITS - PAIA 5700 DRUM Synthesizer

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"building NEW OLD STOCK PAIA DRUM 5700 KITS"

ReSynthesizer (Autonomous Synthesizer Installation at MIT's PSFC, Spring/Summer 2018)

video upload by ParadisoModular

"In December of 2017, as part of the 50’th anniversary celebration for MIT’s CAVS (Center for Advanced Visual Studies), I was invited to install my large, custom built-and-designed modular synthesizer system into the experimental hall where Alcator C-Mod was residing, MIT’s most recent tokamak reactor used in plasma fusion research. Known as being a pioneering melting pot for art and technology during the 60s, 70s and 80s, the CAVS was a place where scientific fields like physics would commune with performance and music. Modular synthesizers, as used there by early adopters like Paul Earls, were part of the Center’s original vernacular, and after many decades they are being enthusiastically re-discovered, re-embraced, and in many way re-invented by the current young generation of electronic musicians. Such reflected synergy into the present led to my invitation (as well as this installation’s name), as did the match between the aesthetic and technical grandeur of a large heavily-patched modular synthesizer and the huge mélange of custom, elegantly-kludged electro-mechanical systems that surrounded the tokamak. Similarly, the researchers’ quest to manage the chaotic nature of an energetic plasma (as expressed inside the tokamak’s torus during the peak of plasma confinement) resonated with my efforts to ‘sculpt’ my autonomous and likewise chaotic huge synthesizer patch into a definable aesthetic.

As I have my PhD in high-energy physics (having worked at CERN at various times between the late 70s and early 90s) in addition to having designed, built, and used electronic music systems of various sorts over the last 45 years, I was anticipating having access to actual Alcator data and using it in the patch that I would compose when the installation would go live in late March of 2018. My plasma physics colleagues resonated with this idea, and I was provided with several waveforms coming from various sensors on the tokamak acquired during its record-breaking run from a few years ago, when Alcator C-Mod had attained the largest recorded plasma pressure. Listening to this data as audio, I was immediately transfixed. This didn’t sound like bland digital noise, but instead felt alive – some strange kind of muted rattlesnake here, burbling life forms on a weird water planet there, perhaps other samples evoked the barely scrutable control room of an alien spaceship. These sounds, played at various rates and filtered into audible bands, were strongly otherworldly. This dictated the flavor that I’d strive for in my patched composition. Accordingly, I loaded banks of Alcator’s waveforms into an array of Eurorack samplers that I could control from processes running in my synthesizer. While most of these signals were used as direct audio, some were adopted for modulation envelopes and slow control – the tokamak cycle exhibited a variably noisy build-and-release structure as the magnetic fields were ramped up to concentrate the plasma before it went terminally unstable, which worked well here.

My patch evolved considerably during the installation, which ran from late April through late August of 2018. I worked on it weekly, and it achieved its ultimate balance between form and complexity by the beginning of July. At the end, I used every patch cord that I owned (on the order of 700) and nearly all modules in the synth, in addition to an assortment of outboard effects and commercial Eurorack modules that I coaxed to work with my system. Towards the end, when I was starting to run out of cords and hardware capacity, I resorted to kludging in simple wires and electrical components hanging in the air between modules to attain effects and sounds that I still wanted but didn’t have the modules available to make. This was the most extensive and ambitious synthesizer patch that I’ve yet composed – it pushed me to extremes of being simultaneously a composer, synthesizer musician, engineer, and scientist. Having designed, built or custom-modified nearly everything in my setup creates a special rapport for me that goes deeper than interaction with commercial synthesizer equipment – my system has its own unique capabilities and quirks that reflect my personal audio nuances and what I want to achieve with them.

At various stages during the 4-month run of this installation, I digitally recorded the patch’s stereo mix – in all, I have archived probably on the order of 60 hours of audio. The excerpts provided in this video all came from different sections of this long set of recordings. Aside from cross-fading between different excerpts, there was no manual intervention or overdubbing in these clips – the sound was made entirely from the patch running on its own after I set it on its way, with updates and augmentations I made every week or two based on ideas I got while listening to it stream online. The video also features a brief example of some of the raw plasma data sounds that I used."

And in the studio:

Synth Patch For Chaos Unit, Sitar Pedal, and NightSky'ed Keyboard (August 2021)

video upload by ParadisoModular

"In the summer of 2021, I put in a synth patch to test out my newly-arrived Sitar Pedal as well commemorate the tweaking/repair of my voltage-controlled chaos module. This was a very simple patch compared to my usual - nothing too deep or thought out, and the master sequence is a bit shallow - but it has its vibe. Plus, at 2:30 in, I added a keyboard line over what the patch was doing. This was all live - the synth patch ran autonomously and I just recorded as I played - no preparation, overdubbing, or refinement here - hence it's raw and not even close to what I'd term finished or a 'demo' - but I kinda like its intrinsic 'hopeful' feel.

The basic sequence is running through the sitar pedal, which locks on fine (it can separate the drone sounds and re-synthesized lead into separate channels). I'm running a fixed tone also through my chaos generator, which I move in a complex way into and out of stability - it locks onto subharmonics or devolves totally/partially into noise as it sweeps. This sound goes through several signal processing paths that periodically fade in, involving filters, unstable phase-locked loops, and a Boss guitar synthesizer pedal (which does wonderfully noisy gyrations as it tries to lock onto the chaos signal between stable moments).

At that time, as opposed to collecting Eurorack modules, I was slowly accumulating and modifying pedals - pedals are all about modifying an input sound in interesting ways, and which generally appeals to me (I hack them, of course, to accept voltage control in different ways).

The only keyboard sound here (aside from one chord and arpeggio at the end) is from the little cheezebox Casio 'toy' that the Minskys gave me at a Media Lab event some years ago - I abandoned my more sophisticated synths for this one in this piece, as it fits easily on your lap (that's how I played it in the excerpt here) and it sounds amazing if you feed it through one of the new complex reverb/echo/delay pedals like the NightSky or Micropitch (those pedals can put any sound into an evocative space).

The video is indeed of this patch and me playing atop it (shot while I was holding the phone in my other hand), but it's not the live segment that you hear in the piece, so pardon if things don't line up entirely, but you get the vibe.

OK - I figured I'd let this one get a bit of air in case it hits some resonance... It radiates a bit of melancholic positivity, which is something we all relate to these days."

PAIA ELECTRONICS SYNTHESIZER CATALOGS

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No. 1072 via this auction

19 Pages 6 x 8.5” 　

1976 w/ the Gnome via this auction

19 Pages 6 x 8.5” 　

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Vintage 1970s PAiA Gnome Micro Synthesizer

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via this auction

Update: link fixed.

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PAIA Model 4700 Modular Synthesizer W/ (2) Unopened mult kits + Audio & CV cables

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via this auction

"It powers up
Oscillators sound great
Sequencer is great
Envelope has been tested and is good
Modulation is good
Mults are all functioning
Audio path is good with the acception of some scratchy pots
The only thing that is questionable is the filter.
The filter seems like it’s functioning but it’s struggling.

( original missing potentiometer cap in photo has been replaced it was never officially missing I just forgot to put it back on for the photo. I only removed it to look at the potentiometer closely to clean it with a squirt of deoxit )

Comes with 3/4” audio patch cables and PAIA cv cables"

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Industry Tributes to Dave Smith

Some tributes from those in the indsutry. If there are others, feel free to leave them in the comments section below and I will add them to this post. I wanted to start with this one via @BirdKids from a post here on MATRIXSYNTH back in 2006, the year I actaully started this version of the site. It was the top pic from that post and I thought it fitting to start with it as it features a hidden message from Dave Smith.

via @BirdKids

"'May Peace prevail on Earth' Image via @matrixsynth matrixsynth.com/2006/09/on-ins… That's a Sequential Drumtraks (1984) How cool is that!?!? Thank you for everything Dave Smith and @sequentialLLC — your legacy, not just the machines, but the music and people it inspired, endless!"

via @WeAreNovation

"We're extremely sad to share that industry legend, Dave Smith, founder of fellow Focusrite family members Sequential, has died. We're heartbroken, but Dave was with his family, and doing what he loved best. To share your thoughts and memories, please visit http://sequential.com"

via @RolandGlobal

We are deeply saddened to learn that Dave Smith of Sequential has passed away. As a true synthesizer pioneer, he was very much admired and respected by Roland and others. We offer our condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and fans worldwide.

via @WeAreElektron

"We are terribly saddened to hear the news of Dave Smith’s passing. He has been such a pioneering giant of our industry, and his creativity and innovation will forever be part of the story of electronic music. Our thoughts are with his family & the entire @sequentialLLC team. RIP"

Note all three above used the image released by Sequential also featured in my post here. I grouped them together for that reason.

via @moogmusicinc

"Thank you, Dave, for all that you have given to our shared community. The world wouldn't sound the same without you."

via @SoulsbySynths

"RIP Dave Smith, thanks for the pioneering synths (including my Pro One which I love!), MIDI & so much more."

and via @tiptopaudio

"Rest In Peace Dave Smith. You brought so much happiness to this world, the sounds of your instruments touched the souls of so many of us. @sequentialLLC"

And via Roger Linn Design

"On May 31, 2022, Dave Smith, my dear friend of many years, passed away. His legacy of excellent synthesizers will last well beyond his years, as well as the positive influence on music that his instruments have had.

I first met Dave in the late 1970s at a trade show in Anaheim, California. He was showing his new Prophet 5 synthesizer, which I believe was the first polyphonic, programmable analog synth. I marveled at his creation, as did everyone else in attendance. Dave was full of energy and ambition, and well understood the new technology of microcomputers and software programming that was starting to change the world. He decided to use this new technology to change musical instruments. Of course the Prophet 5 went on to become a huge success, used on countless hit recordings in the 1980s.

Unlike me, Dave was an avid athelete, cyclist and triathlete. He actually participated in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in his younger years, an astoundingly difficult physical endeavor. He even enlisted me in some of his strenuous hikes, including Mount Whitney, the back side of Yosemite's Half Dome, and Mount Shasta. I named our climb up Mount Whitney 'Iron Man and the nerd'. :)

Our friendship continued over the years, and in 2011 I had the pleasure of collaborating with him on the Tempest analog drum machine. It was fun working with Dave and I learned a lot from him. He had a deep understanding of analog synthesis circuitry and the many design choices that are necessary in order to insure that the final instrument meets the demands of golden ears. He was also good at pushing me a little to bring out my best.

Sadly, the healthiest of atheletes are no match for the roll of the genetic dice, and Dave developed some medical problems in his later years that no doubt contributed to his being taken from us earlier than many. I feel privileged to have known and to have enjoyed a friendship with this extraordinary and creative individual. I miss my dear friend.

Roger"

Update: there's a brief mention of Dave Smith's Hawaii Ironman Triathlon in this article on the development of the Prophet VS (also captured here). He was there during development.

Update2: KORG pays tribute:

via @KorgUSA

"Korg USA wishes to pay respects to the family, friends, and legions of fans of Dave Smith. We've lost a true pioneer and wonderful human being. From the roots of MIDI to Sequential, Dave leaves behind a legacy of innovations that have forever changed the way we create music."

PAIA 4700

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1970s PAIA Synth restoration Demo video upload by DB Cisco

The video above is from Jan 8, 2020.

via this auction

PAIA 4700 Synthesizer Complete system in working order Late 70s/early 80s
3 VCOS and sequencer !!!"

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PAIA Electronics & Wersi Vintage Pedal Synthesizer Catalog Brochures

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via this auction

Note the Synchronous Technologies SMPL System featuring SMPL Lock and MIDI instrument sync on back. Also the PAIA Programmable Drum Set.

"The two Paia catalogs are 22 pages total, the Wersi NOTES is twelve pages. All are from the 1980s. The Paia ones are in rough shape, but are totally complete w no marks anywhere. Much loved and pored over."

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PAiA 4782 Road Keyboard

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via this auction

Additional Tone Tweakers Listings, also on Reverb

"This paia keyboard came to us in a package deal. It was part of the 4700 modular system (see our other listings for a full system). It’s being sold strictly as is for parts or repair. We didn’t test it but we’re sure it’s not working because some wires have been cut. While we repair most vintage analog synthesizers, we don’t work on Paias here because they are relatively low value instruments so, strictly from a business perspective, it’s not feasible for us to pay our tech to fix it. However, Paia schematics are generally available on Paia’s excellent website forum and Paia gear is typically relatively easy to repair. Since most people shopping for Paia are DIY electronics hobbyists, most Paia buyers would probably enjoy such a restoration project. If you’re not capable of fixing it yourself, perhaps Paia knows someone who restores these."

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PAIA MODULAR 2720 Modular Synthesizer

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via this auction

Additional Tone Tweakers Listings, also on Reverb

"This unit was tested and is working surprisingly well for a user assembled unit of its type and age. Since it's a relatively low value item, since tech time is valuable, and since most people who buy Paia gear are also into DIY electronics and enjoy doing their own repairs, we are selling it as is. This is one of the simplest synths ever made so sorting out its issues or even fully refurbishing it to be as good as new shouldnt be hard for someone who knows what they're doing. During testing, we noticed the following issues: The envelope generator attack seems too fast at maximum setting and the expand function doesn't seem to work. The oscillator doesn't track the keyboard well. We didn't attempt to calibrate the oscillator so doing so may or may not fix this -these 2700 paia oscillators typically dont track well, so this may just be due to design and not any defect. If you can't do your own repairs and don't have a good tech, you may want to trying to get in touch with Paia to see if they'd consider doing it or if they could refer you to someone who works on old Paia gear. This sale includes technical manuals and patch cables, as shown. Note: the manual colors changed a bit during photo editing, but the synth looks exactly the way it appears in the pics."

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PAIA 8780 D/A AND DUAL QuaSH MODULES

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via this auction

"These are extremely hard to find. PAIA 8780 Digital to Analog converter mated with TWO sets of 8781 QUASH (QUAD ADRESSABLE SAMPLE AND HOLD) modules gives you EIGHT sample and holds. These were used with special software and a computer like the Paia 8700 (sorry I am keeping mine) or a Apple II+ or PET. This enabled you to do tricks like Polyphony, weird effects etc-see Google. You could do 8 "Polytonic" voices with this setup. You can have up to 4 QuaSH tied together for 16 voices.

FROM.MATRIXSYNTH [posted here]:

"The QuASH provides four computer addressable S/H circuits in a single module. It features adjustable glide rate for each channel (selected by computer control), individual trigger “gates” and an individual modulation input for each channel. On-board address decoding allows up to four QuASH modules to be bussed together in a single system for 16 voice “polytonic” synthesis! This module is intended for the true PAiA fanatic that wants a complete and original computer controlled system from the glory days of the analog world: the 1970’s"

You can find a video featuring the QuaSH here, and the D/A here. See the PAiA label at the bottom of an PAiA post for more, or search for modules on the top right of the site.

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PAIA Electronics Early Synthesizer Keyboard Catalog 1978

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via this auction

"PAIA Electronics Synthesizer Catalog 1978. 6” x 8.5” 23 Pages"

PAiA 9700S Modular Synthesizer in Custom Desktop Case

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via this auction

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Vintage 70s PAiA Gnome Micro Synthesizer w/ Mods, Manuals, & Ribbon Controller

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via this auction

"Sound is generated by moving the metal probe across the black conductive ribbon strip. The trigger button initiates the voltage/sound. The installed conductive controller strip works fine, but an rare extra one is included, still in a sealed package.

You get the PAiA Gnome Micro-Synth, 1 conductive elastomer controller strip (new in package), 'Using the Gnome Micro-Synthesizer' booklet (1974), 'Gnome Micro-Synthesizer Assembly Instructions' booklet, and 'Interfacing External Signals with the Gnome Micro-Synthesizer' leaflet"

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1976 Paia Model 4700 Analog Modular Synthesizer Deep Dive

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video upload by Mears

"A deep dive on this rare, and synthesizer almost 50 years old. I've spent countless hours restoring it, and am very pleased with the results. It can produce a wide range of sounds, thick and beefy baselines, pillowy ambient textures, fat analog drums and so much more! This video covers the features of the synth, detailed shots and explanations of the restoration and internal components as well as a ton of high quality audio recordings of the various sounds this synth can produce.

Here's where you can find a whole bunch of great info about this synth: https://modularsynthesis.com/paia/470..."

via this auction

"Really neat vintage synth, in great working condition. I restored it electronically 3 years ago, and have only used it in my home studio. I'm the second owner, and acquired it directly from the original owner whom purchased it in the 1970's, I believe it's from 1976. I have a bunch of paperwork for the synth somewhere, if I can find it(I'll try, it's buried in boxes somewhere!) I'll include it as well. It's worth noting that during the restoration, I preferred to keep the synth as original as possible, but electronically stable, and to make a 50 year old synth as reliable as possible. It includes and uses the original "pin" cables, so neat & rare. That being said, it's still a very old synth, from the early days of modular synths, when slight changes in mains voltage and temperature variations manifested themselves in "interesting" ways. I'd assume that the purchaser of this synth understands that and doesn't expect the oscillator tracking and tuning stability to be similar to modern synths. Please watch the Youtube video I created for this synth, which goes into great detail about the synths condition, and should answer any questions you have, and give you a clear idea of what to expect if purchasing.

One last thing, this will have to be sent in 2 boxes, and the synth is fairly heavy(each piece is 11kg on it's own). The shipping rate on the listing is not representative of what the actual shipping cost will be, so please if purchasing, expect that the shipping rate will be higher than indicated on the listing. The calculated shipping on Ebay doesn't accommodate multi-box shipments unfortunately. Feel free to contact me for a shipping quote, and if you purchase, please wait for me to provide you with a quote before sending payment. I'll do everything I can to keep the shipping cost as low as possible, but also make sure it arrives safely.

Thanks!

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Vintage Paia Proteus 1 MonoSynth with Paia 8785 Bass/Foot Pedals

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via this auction

Some pics of the inside below.

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PAIA 4700 MODULAR Analog Synthesizer

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via this auction

Tone Tweakers eBay | Reverb

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"Paia was always a cost-effective alternative to the pricey modular synths of the 70s. They were often sold as kits so were very popular among DIY synth people and electronics hobbyists. The beauty of Paia gear is that it's very simple and most if not all of the parts are still readily available from electronics suppliers. Paia gear sounds like nothing else. Its got a certain low-fidelity sound to it, but thats a major part of its charm. If you're new to vintage modular synths and want a real one but are on a limited budget, this may be a good place to start. Of course if you already own Paia gear, this would probably make a very nice expansion to your current system. This stuff is hard to find when you want it, so buy now before it's gone.

This system needs work and is being sold as-is. When we first got it, it wasn't working, so our tech replaced some caps in the power supply. Once he powered it up, he determined it had other problems that needed fixing, but tech time is limited and we need to focus on higher valued items. Since most people into Paia gear are also into DIY electronics and enjoy restoration projects, we decided to sell this system as is. Please don't buy it if you're not prepared to fix it or know someone who can fix it for you.

This system includes the folllowing components:

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Vintage PAiA 3760 Mini Polyphonic Portable Keyboard Synth

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via this auction

"Tested thoroughly and everything functions great to the best of my knowledge. Every key, every dial, every switch made the appropriate sound and lev changes.

I am not knowledgeable about audio equipment but I did my best to test everything.

There are signs of moisture damage but it doesn’t appear to have affected the electronics. Only cosmetic. Case doesn’t completely close flush.

Runs on 6 AA batteries.

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PAIA MODULAR SYNTH 4700 2700 Powered Wooden Cabinets

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One

via this auction, and one via this auction

Additional Tone Tweakers Listings, also on Reverb

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1970's PAIA OZ 3760 All-Key Polyphonic Portable Analog Synth

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via this auction

"18 keys and selectable 5 octave range. Tone, level, tuning control, trigger, 1/8" in and out, built-in speaker and amp. This one does not come with the pitch bending pad."

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