Long time reader Adam Abraham wrote in to let me know his little synth kitty PENELOPE has passed away. You might recognize these pics from prior posts, Odyssey Cat and KORG MS20 with KORG 35 Filter & Synth Cat.
According to Adam, she's been a synthhead by his side since day one. These little friends keep us company along our journey. She will be sorely missed.
"ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe teams up with Teenage Engineering EP133 KO2 groovebox loaded with classic Roland drum machine samples for some arpeggiator heaven! One take dawless jam :)"
"From the Terry Bozzio, Missing Persons Collection.
Missing Persons was one of the most influential bands of the 1980s New Wave movement. The band was founded by Dale and Terry Bozzio in 1980. Their biggest hits, Words, Destination Unknown and Walking In L.A helped define and establish New Wave.
This 1980s Mini-Moog Model D synthesizer with a Roland MPU-101 Midi Interface were played in recordings and live performances with Missing Persons circa early-mid 1980s.
The keyboard was in excellent working condition with no issues when it was last used. It currently powers up and has no visual damage or any indicators that anything is malfunctioning. We do not have access to the gear needed to confirm its current working condition. It is being sold "as is".
This is an iconic piece of New Wave history that played a pivotal role in defining unique sound of one of the most innovative and influential groups in the 1980s New Wave Movement.
"This MC-909 is an excellent daw alternative with Roland's XV synth engine ready to go. This particular unit shows some signs of wear but overall it's in very good condition for it's age."
"In this Korg Opsix tutorial, I dive deep into the Wave Shaper effect—a feature inspired by the classic Korg 01/W. Discover how to move beyond standard FM synthesis to create complex, harmonically rich textures, including PPG-style vocal pads and D-50-inspired bell tones.
I explore how to use parallel routing and internal filters to tame these aggressive waveforms, turning digital noise into playable, lush patches. Whether you're looking for gritty bass or shimmering pads, the wave-folding capabilities of the Opsix open up a whole new world of sound design."
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction: Creating PPG-style vocal sounds
00:57 – Setting up a Stacked Algorithm for parallel routing
01:20 – What is Wave Shaping? (Origins from the Korg 01/W)
02:05 – Analyzing different Wave Shaper types and harmonics
03:45 – Designing D-50 style bell pads with high harmonics
05:30 – Using Operator Filters to shape complex waves
07:30 – Starting with Sawtooth waves for digital overtones
09:55 – Creating a vocal wavetable sound with Band Pass filters
10:45 – Detuning operators for a thicker, layered sound
12:00 – Adding high-pitched bell overtones with additional operators
14:35 – Final thoughts and experimentation tips
"Can the Korg Opsix recreate the sound of the legendary Roland D-50 without using samples? In this video I build a D-50-inspired patch from scratch, using nothing but FM synthesis, wave shaping, layering and effects to see just how close the Opsix can get to Roland's classic LA synthesis sound.
Along the way I break down the patch step by step, recreating the D-50's signature combination of organ, bell tones and bright "spectrum" textures. Rather than copying a preset, this is a practical sound design walkthrough that explains why these layers work and how you can apply the same techniques to your own patches."
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 – Intro — Can the Opsix recreate a Roland D-50?
0:18 – What makes the D-50 sound? LA synthesis explained
0:33 – Breaking down the layers: organ, bells and spectrum fizz
0:50 – Choosing the algorithm: why Algorithm 24 gives flexibility
1:33 – Building the organ layer with additive waves
2:26 – Detuning for classic D-50-style width
3:12 – Shaping the organ envelope
4:35 – Creating the bell layer with FM ring modulation
5:18 – Bell envelope programming
6:07 – Listening to the original Roland D-50 bell
6:59 – Building the spectrum-style layer
7:42 – Wave shaping and filtering
8:51 – High-pass filtering to recreate the D-50 texture
9:33 – Balancing the layers
10:12 – Master filtering
11:10 – Experimenting with a noise-based layer
12:37 – Refining the bell envelopes
13:07 – Adding chorus, delay and reverb
14:00 – Soloing each layer
15:01 – Final thoughts — Did we get close?
"A look at the famous Roland JP-8000 from 1996 along with its prototype.
0:00 Intro
1:17 History
4:18 Demo 1:
5:22 What is the JP-8000?
11:13 Demo 2:
12:22 The Story of the Prototype
15:59 Demo 3:
17:05 The Usual Suspects
18:48 Patron Outro Jam
"Jamming with Oxi One mk2, Dreadbox Erebus, Nyx & Hades.
My music : https://stefantorto.bandcamp.com/
Get my sample packs : https://www.stefantorto.com/sample-packs
Website : https://www.stefantorto.com
Special thanks to https://www.synthesizer.gr/
Synths : Dreadbox Erebus, Nyx & Hades
Sequencer : Oxi One mk2
Eurorack : Arturia Rack Brute 6U
Mixer : Cosmotronic Cosmix Pro
Fx : FX Aid (x2)
Groovebox : Roland mc101"
"This Roland Juno-106 (Vintage) has been fully tested and is in great working condition. It has been fully serviced at our Synthesizer Rejuvenation and Wellness Centre and given a clean bill of health, along with brand new voice chips from Analogue Renaissance.
You might recognize these pics from prior posts, Odyssey Cat and KORG MS20 with KORG 35 Filter & Synth Cat.
