Roger Nichols WENDEL JR Drum Sampler

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EPIC!!! '80s Drums 'n' Echo: Roger Nichols WENDEL/WENDELjr Sequential Drumtraks Lexicon 224XL/LARC video upload by Synclav com

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This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

Note this is the first one to be featured on the site. There's mention of a Wendel Sampling Computer here. Roger Nichols, the creator, passed away in 2011.

"Note that there is only one (1) unit (s.n. 140) shown in the photos and seven (7) sound boards, and that is what you get for one money.
Serial number 140 is seen in the video "EPIC!!! '80s Drums 'n' Echo: Roger Nichols WENDEL/WENDELjr Sequential Drumtraks Lexicon 224XL/LARC", it is the unit that is not rack mounted but over on the right side, sitting on top of the two stacked Lexicon 224XLs with the two LARC remotes sitting on top of it, and it is heard to play the Tom-2, Crash cymbal (Crash Cym-1), Ride cymbal (Ride Cym-1), Heart snare, and Heart kick.

If you select quantity two (2), you will get the second identical unit (s.n. 230) and a second set of the same (7) sound boards. I promise you the second one not shown is in equal or better condition. This would be very powerful and convenient setup for a producer to have, then able to do kick and snare at the same time, for example, and also for live sound drum replacement applications.
Serial number 230 is seen in the video "EPIC!!! '80s Drums 'n' Echo: Roger Nichols WENDEL/WENDELjr Sequential Drumtraks Lexicon 224XL/LARC", it is the unit that is in the bottom of the rack, and it is heard to play the two alternating clap sounds (the clap sound is not included in this listing, but always available), which again shows what the WENDELjr can do but none of these drum machines can (alternate claps, they just go clap-clap, same sound, machine-like).

Also if someone wants me to list just the sound kit for some other WENDELjr they bought from a chump and have no sounds for it, it's $799.00 for the seven sounds on seven boards."

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Model 162-8 Mystery Sequencer

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GARLAN ELECTRONICS CO?

From East Lansing Michigan.

Looks DIY from the pics of the inside.

If anyone knows more about this one, feeel free to leave a comment.

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Never Released Korg MU-5000 (Japan, 1985) Vintage Music Synthesizer PC Prototype

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via this auction

SN ES 850111

"In 1985 Korg decided to challenge the personal computer market creating a competitor for the legendary Commodore 64 (which was born three years earlier, in 1982).

Rumors then began to circulate about a new musical personal computer signed by Korg, called KORG MC-4000.

Along with the Korg MC-4000, Korg had designed 2 units which were extra and integral parts of the personal computer: a music synth expander called Korg MU-5000 and a microdisk unit called Korg MF-1000.

The incredible fact is that the personal computer project signed by Korg (the first “musical” personal computer in history) has remained for many years as a fake, since none of these products has ever been marketed in the western world.

The only historical artifact related to this project is a Japanese advertisement, a printed ad by Ishibashi Gakki released in the April 1985 issue of “Keyboard Magazine”.

In this ad (please, see the original photos), there were showed 3 products: KORG MC-4000, KORG MU-5000 and KORG MF-1000. The KORG MC-4000 music computer was then presented as a "compact computer containing its own music system".

Korg MC-4000, Korg MU-5000 and Korg MF-1000, according to historical information, have never been marketed because then Korg decided not to challenge the personal computer market. We don't know why!

Today, after years of research, we at Re Seller are pleased to present you the only survivor in the world of that super cool project: the original KORG MU-5000 expander synth!

This find of ours is of fundamental importance as it demonstrates that the Korg music personal computer project would have been really close to being commercialized!

This impossible to find Korg MU-5000 has been tested and is still in working order! Cosmetically there are minor signs of wear due to age, but nothing serious. The power supply is compatible and is included in the sale (this unit works with any 9V power supply and center negative polarity).

This small desktop synth contains beautiful sounds at its core! It is a 16-channel midi expander capable of generating some mighty impressive sounds courtesy of the same Digital Waveform Generator System used in the DW6000 and in the best Korg sounds of the 80s!

What we were able to test is very easy: we connected a midi keyboard to the Korg MU-5000 and listened to 128 sounds preset via program change (we changed the program change directly on the MIDI keyboard).

There are probably many more features to discover, but we don't have the capabilities to test it 100%!

An incredible piece of history, for the most demanding collectors in the world. Impossible to find another in all of history!"

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Pulser LIVE BEATS M-35 Rhythm Box

video upload by Rec Gear Demos

aka Telly's Gear Depot On Reverb
The is the first one to be featured on the site.

Buchla Touché (1980) – Hybrid Analog Keyboard Instrument

The following was sent in by Anastasia Chernysheva, a Ph.D. student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"In 1979, Donald Buchla invited experimental composer and his friend, David Rosenboom to collaborate on the design of a new, keyboard instrument with digital sound generation and hybrid, computer-controlled, analog outputs. The result was the Touché, released in the spring of 1980.

Among particular traits of the instrument are:
• flexibility in use – highly programmable, (64 programmable function parameters available), Touché offers a library of “instrument” structures that could be stored as “presets”;
• responsiveness – a user of Touché would enjoy a broad ability to program multiple stimuli and response structures in performance;
• non-linear waveshaping – Touché permits to produce an enormous range of sound with efficient means of control, i.e. using a small number of knobs

The guiding idea of the instrument design was to optimize it for live performance. The hybrid, digital-analog nature of Touché assumes the following.
• On the digital side: a sound-generating engine produced a wide range of timbre of sound possibilities with non-linear wave shaping techniques.
• On the analog side: a programmable analog circuit called Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator (MARF) enabled extensive control of all sound synthesis parameters.

Rosenboom’s recordings Future Travel (1981) and Daytime Viewing (1983) offer extensive exposure to some particular sound worlds created with the Touché. Other than being used for these recordings and in the recent release by Richard Smith a.k.a. Shusta Cults, (the current owner of Rosenboom’s Touché), the instrument barely may be heard in any other recording. Only 4 instruments exist today but just one of them is in the functional condition.

To learn more about the history and design of the instrument check out the lecture about Buchla Touché given at University of Illinois (2022). Technical parameters of the instrument may be found in the brochure for the instrument. Download the PDF here."

Circuits and Fingers – Composer-Performer Convergence in Electronic Instrument Designs, Oct 5th
video upload by Illinois Music

"Guest lecture at EMS Forum: Circuits and Fingers – Composer-Performer Convergence in Electronic Instrument Designs, Oct 5th

With the director of Experimental Music Studios – Eli Fieldsteel.

Learn more: https://davidrosenboom.com/miller-res..."

Also see Brainwave Music with Buchla 200 at Western Front.

Peter Theremin tries SOMA FLUX

video upload by Vlad Kreimer

"Peter Theremin is the great-grandson of the famous Leon Theremin
https://theremin.space/en/

FLUX
https://somasynths.com/flux/"

Dave Fredericks - Stinger - The ARP Family of Synthesizers Demo Record

video upload by PJ

"Nice track from an Arp Synthesizer company promo 7"."

Stinger ~ A discussion with Arp Instruments Dave Fredericks.

video upload by David Frederick

"A discussion with Arp Instruments Dave Fredericks on the song Stinger from the 'Red' Arp demo record. This conversation between David Frederick and his father David Frederick Sr. (Dave Fredericks) discusses the origins of this song, recording the iconic song on the Arp "Red" demo record, and using the Arp 2600, Arp Odyssey, and Arp Pro Soloist in the performance. A great conversation on this song, Arp history, synthesizers, and more!

Interview note & correction: "East Meets West" was recollected to being in 5/4 time signature when in fact, it was in 4/4. At the time of recording this interview, East Meets West was recorded 56 years ago!"

David Frederick ~ Stinger Reborn

video upload by David Frederick

"My dad who was one of the original founders of Arp Synthesizer, VP of Global Sales and Marketing, and visionary behind such Arp synths as the Odyssey, Pro Soloist, String Ensemble, Omni, Explorer, Axxe, and Little Brother, wrote this song back in the late sixties around the time I was born. He initially released it on his first album "Mr. Talent - Dave Fredericks" where he played the organ and my uncle Bruce played the drums.

My dad reintroduced Stinger on Arp's "The ARP Family of Synthesizers" record (the red record), using the Eminent Organ, Arp Pro Soloist, Arp Odyssey, and Arp 2600 with Cleve Posar on Drums.

One day I decided for fun and nostalgia to quickly whip up a new 21st-century arrangement of my dad's song and I thought I would share.

Hope you dig it!
David

TRACK NOTES
David Frederick - Keyboards - Arp 2600, Hammond B3, Steinberg Horns, Steinway Grand Piano, Roland Jupiter 8 (pads), Spitfire Audio Drums, and Kontakt Percussion.

Recorded: Direct into Steinberg Cuebase, processed and mastered with Waves Abby Road Mastering Chain."

Vintage synth featured in 1957 film "Different from You and Me."

video upload by Robotussin Vintage Synths

"The dangers of electronic music, according to a film about the menace of homosexuality from 1957 called 'Different From You and Me'. It features the Trautonium, a synthesizer from the 1930s that was created by Friedrich Trautwein and used by Oskar Sala. The film, which was called 'The Third Sex' or 'Bewildered Youth'(!) when released in the US, is about a prosperous German family whose son is lured into a seedy world of gay men, nude wrestling and avant garde electronic music by an effete friend and a licentious antique dealer.

Terrified that their son is not into women, the teen's parents induce their cleaning lady to seduce him and awaken his more 'natural' desires. This ends in the month's arrest for arranging prostitution!

While the film is based on homophobic ideas, the original version has some nuance and depicts some of its gay characters in a relatively balanced light for the time. Being gay was still a crime in Germany and elsewhere in the 1950s. However, before it could be released in West Germany censors insisted on changes, weaving in more anti-gay rhetoric, making the gay characters more criminal and removing scenes that showed gay men in positions of authority and respectability.

For me, it's remarkable only for the scenes featuring the synthesizer, but it is interesting that even then electronic music was associated with same-sex relationships, given that 20 years later the gay communities would be such a driving force behind the foundation of the electronic music scene.

I have uploaded all the scenes from this film that feature the Trautonium to my YouTube channel, which is also called Robotussin Vintage Synths."

CBS MASTERWORKS Electronic Percussion 1970

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video upload by fritz5139

Vintage Electronic Drums (Percussion/Congas)

video upload by celtusfergus

via this auction

"This exceptionally rare analogue percussion synthesizer was made in Japan in the very early 1970's. It has been most notably used by Anne Peebles in the rare groove song 'I Can't Stand The Rain' which was sampled and used in the 1997 Hiphop track 'The Rain' by Missy Elliot. I have replaced the disintegrated foam which sits under the pads with brand new longer lasting foam. The pads are "velocity sensitive," using a magnetic pickup inside each pad that runs on a 9V battery which powers all voices. The mute switches all work, which essentially control the decay for each instrument by varying degrees based on the circuit design. There's a circuit diagram pasted to the base of the case beneath the top of the synth.

There are trimmers on the circuit board of the synth which I'm assuming control either overall tuning or deacy. I haven't touched these in order to maintain the originality of this instrument. The synth is in amazing original condition despite its age and the fact that it needs to be hit in order to work. :)"

Note this is the first one to be featured on the site.

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Rare Macbeth Moroco Stereo Filter Bank Processor w/ Patch Points & MIDI

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Tone Tweakers eBay | Reverb

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"Spelled Moroco and not Morocco. This is a fantastic dual multimode filter with 4 LFOs and 2 envelope generators and midi control. It seems there may have only been 8 made. The photos show one of 2 units we have - this may or may not be the one we sell, but they are in the same condition (just about perfect). Fully tested and working great. Not sure how to put on a price on such a rare item. Price will definitely be negotiable if it doesn’t sell for a while, though if you miss this one, it’s likely you won’t find another anywhere cause they’re that rare."

There have only been four posts prior to this one mentioning the Moroco. There was a video which is unfortunately gone. You can however see the original announcement post with digital flyer there. Only one other was listed for sale.

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1969: Introducing the MOOG SYNTHESISER | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

video upload by BBC Archive

"Derek Cooper introduces the Moog synthesiser, an instrument that can produce a variety of noises and arrangements, both mimicking real instruments and creating new sounds - all electronically.

This clip is from Tomorrow's World, originally broadcast 30 September 1969."

Also see 1970: WENDY CARLOS and her MOOG SYNTHESISER | Music Now | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

Dianzi Qin (电子琴) Chinese synth from 1978

video upload by Robotussin Vintage Synths

"Look at these strange synths produced by Cold War-era China. This is a Dianzi Qin (电子琴).

The synth came about following a cultural exchange in the early 1970s when composer Bernie Krause visited China to demonstrate a Moog modular system. It was part of Richard Nixon’s attempt to build up relations with China to counterbalance Soviet influence in the region – a program known as “Ping-pong diplomacy”.

Krause demo’ed his Moog to Communist officials who were apparently very impressed, after which the Party declared that electronic music 'had no cultural bias', meaning it was not intrinsically Western and decadent, and so there was no problem for Chinese people to explore it and incorporate it into their compositions.

This led inventor Tian Jin Qin to develop this instrument, as a modern, electronic synthesizer with Chinese characteristics – it’s loosely based on traditional Chinese string instruments such as the Erhu.

The Dian Zi Qin is controlled with four ribbons, which power an additive synth engine. There seem to have been two versions, one that looks like an upright stringed instrument, the other that looks more like a desktop synth but with a vertical neck sticking out of it with the ribbon controls to finger. The second type has additional touch controls on the main unit that have some ability to bend and accent the note.

I’ve read that very few were made and it didn’t get out of the prototype stage, but in this video I see at least three playing in concert, as well as what looks like a more conventional organs. I’ve uploaded the full film to my YouTube channel as it was not available anywhere on the Western internet."

Norman McLaren's hand-drawn sounds

video upload by Robotussin Vintage Synths

"Scottish-Canadian animator Norman McLaren developed a technique of painting onto the optical soundtrack area of the film negatives of his animations.

The shapes would then make drones and buzzes when played through a special type of projector. He used the technique to create experimental soundtracks to his animations.

It's similar to Daphne Oram's technique of turning shapes into sound – though hers, which she called Oramics, was more complex, with dedicated machines that read shapes on the entire area of the 35mm film, rather than just the little strip that contains the soundtrack.

You can see the results in the third video above, an extract from McLaren's film 'Dots', which employs the technique.

McLaren – born in Scotland in 1914 – worked for the British Post Office's film unit until around 1939, when he moved to New York, then to Canada in 1941, where he produced animations for the National Film Board, before setting up an animation studio at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal and the Ontario College of Art.

There he produced around 70 films, much of it highly experimental and strange. He died in 1987 aged 72."

This also reminds me of the Optigan.

Norman McLaren is mentioned in this book: Vector Synthesis: a Media Archaeological Investigation into Sound-Modulated Light

Punchcard synths at the Seimens studio in 1967

video upload by

Click the CC in the player controls on the bottom right for subtitles.

"The electronic music studio of the Siemens company in Munich in 1967, one of the first private electronic music studios in the world. Programming electronic music back then was a complex process that involved punch cards and maths. On the plus side, there were lots of gorgeous dials to turn and Bakelite switches to play with.

The Seimens studio was set up in 1958 and used until 1968. The studio initially created “musique concrète” but later explored purely electronic works, with engineers building equipment specifically for this task. I’ve seen it said that vocoders – which were invented during World War II to encrypt voice messages – were first used in music production at this lab.

The first major work produced here was the soundtrack to a documentary called 'Impulse of our Time' ('Impuls Unserer Zeit') directed by Otto Martini. After this, the studio was rented out to radio stations for compositions and sound effects, and composers were also invited to use the equipment. Karlheinz Stockhausen was one prestigious guest who used the studio, but there were many others. But really, the studio was a showpiece for Siemens and a chance for them to test out new ideas and equipment

The studio was placed in storage and forgotten from around 1968 to 1992, when it was rediscovered. It is now permanently installed at the Deutsche Museum von Meisterwerken der Naturwissenschaft und Technik in Munich.

I took this from a 13 minute video that’s available in full on the YouTube channel freeartslab. I added the subtitles so they are not very accurate, but they give you an idea of what’s going on if you don’t speak German."

The Massive Sound Of An Experimental Soviet Drum Machine

video upload by HAINBACH

This appears to be the first post to feature the RMIF ES-2-5.

"The RMIF ES-2-5 is an experimental drum machine that was made in Riga, Latvia, in the last days of the Soviet Union (1991). It was an attempt at re-creating the Roland TR-808, but was hampered by the lack of microchip technology available. RMIF abandoned the project after only a testing run of 30 units where made. One rare surviving example found its way to my studio in a sorry state. I had it restored to better then new condition, as I feel it is a piece of instrument history. And it sounds so very very heavy and melancholic.

PATRONS get sounds of the ES-2-5: http://patreon.com/hainbach"

00:00 Unboxing
01:08 First Track: With Maestro
02:30 Second Track: Solo ES-2-5
03:27 A Closer Look
05:31 Third Track: FX
06:22 The Sequencer
07:41 History Time
09:16 The Competition At The Time
09:50 Relevance Today

Shamballah (K7) Recording in SANYO KBX-7 WIRELESS SYNTHESIZER KEYBOARD RADIO CASSETTE 80'S

video upload by AMYR VON BATHEL CANTUSIO JR ALPHA III PROJECT

"SANYO KBX-7 WIRELESS SYNTHESIZER KEYBOARD RADIO CASSETTE 80'S VINTAGE (Curiosities)
MUSIC BY AMYR CANTUSIO JR( 1990) Kanx K7(cassete tape)
Music I produced, recorded in K7 on this device. I already had one. The little keyboard separates from the radio but the sound is WIRELESS (ie the keyboard itself has no sound output, but comes out via "remote" through the radio speakers ) bluetooth type.
Radio sound is fantastic and above all, the Keyboard records audio in K7 (cassette tape) with great definition!
With the Audio output of the Headphones vc. you can plug in an amplifier and use the Keyboard signals for a P.A. with great possibilities. The keyboard is not a wave synthesizer, but similar to Casio Portátil with K7 recorder."

Note this is the first post to feature the SANYO KBX-7. I found the following pics of a white one on eBay.

via this auction

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Rob Rosen Reveals His Ultimate Synth Collection

video upload by Anthony Marinelli Music

A look inside the Yamaha CS80, the 14th ever made Sequential Prophet-5, a Rev 1, and a Roland Juno-106, touching on some of the evolution of analog synthesis technology over the years.

"I hope you enjoy this rare opportunity to visit with my close friend Rob Rosen for a deep dive into his ultimate vintage synth collection. Together, we’ll see inside some of the rarest synthesizers of all-time and learn from this master technician how synthesizers have evolved, what makes them tick and why synthesizers make such cool sounds!

I consider Rob’s shop @Rosen Sound ground zero for anything relating to synthesizers. It’s also the biggest wonderland of vintage synths in perfect working order that you’ll ever see .

Rob is a self-taught technician and is now the world leader for repair, restoration, custom manufacturing and sales of vintage synthesizers. He’s also quite an accomplished musician programmer and keyboard player as well."

Chapter Time Stamps:
00:00:01 Intro Anthony on the street in Burbank, CA
00:01:55 Entering Inside Rosen Sound
00:02:06 Meeting “P” from Chromeo and The Rosen Sound Team
00:03:06 Rob shows us his personal work space
00:11:42 Montage of Synths - Start
00:12:35 Montage of Synths - End
00:12:36 Anthony and Rob in “The Cabin” - a wonderland of vintage synths
00:13:42 Anthony explains and demonstrates features on the CS-80
00:20:36 CS-80 “Under the Hood” in-depth tour by Rob
00:53:31 Prophet 5 “Under the Hood” in-depth tour by Rob
01:12:50 Anthony Demonstrates some of the Juno 106 sounds
01:19:27 Juno-106 “Under the Hood” in-depth tour by Rob
01:28:54 One-of-a-Kind Oberheim Modular 8 Voice System tour by Rob
01:35:31 Anthony asks Rob 20 Questions about Synthesizers
01:39:09 Rob asks Anthony some Questions about Synthesizers
01:49:47 Bass Shootout: 1973 Moog System 55 VS ARP 2600
01:54:54 Shoot Out Conclusion and Bass Tips

The first recording with Minimoog synthesizer - Sun Ra – ‘My Brother The Wind’ (1970)

video upload by George Greene

"The first recording with Minimoog synthesizer (Model B prototype) - Sun Ra And His Astro Infinity Arkestra – ‘My Brother The Wind’ (1970)

In 1969, Sun Ra had recorded on Moog Modular synthesizer at the New York midtown studio of Gershon Kingsley. Those recordings were issued on My Brother the Wind, Vol. 1 (although it was not titled 'Vol. 1'— it only achieved that reference after 'Vol. 2' appeared). The following year, drummer Tommy Hunter arranged a meeting between Sun Ra and synth pioneer Robert Moog in upstate Trumansburg, New York. Bob and his crew were testing prototypes of the Minimoog at that time, inviting Sun Ra to explore its sounds. A recording of this test session was made and, although not originally intended for commercial release, partly released many years later in 1992 (My Brother the Wind, Vol. 2, CD tracks 7-11: The Wind Speaks, Sun Thoughts, Journey to the Stars, World of the Myth 'I', The Design - Cosmos II). But more significantly, it was during this visit that Moog loaned Sun Ra a prototype Minimoog (Model B), several months before the commercial instrument (Model D) was introduced in March 1970. Ra immediately added the instrument to his repertoire of keyboards, later acquired a second, and featured the Minimoog prominently on many of his recordings of the early 1970s. Sun Ra sometimes played two Minimoogs at the same time to achieve a duophonic synthesizer sound.

#ElectronicMusic #SunRa #Minimoog #MyBrotherTheWind #BobMoog #Synthesizer

All rights belong to their respective owners."

You can find dditional posts mentioning Sun Ra and the Minimoog here.

You can find Sun Ra – ‘My Brother The Wind’ on Amazon here.

Found this one updating this old post, after posting AutomaticGainsay's The History of the Minimoog Prototypes. Down the rabbit hole I went...

Keith Richards Play a Synthesizer - 1969

video upload by TheMaximumVolumeable

Super Rare 1973 Caravan Synth | Vintage Analog Synthesiser | Made in Italy | Similar to Vox Jaguar

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by riffers

"(Video) Serviced Super Rare 1973 Caravan Synth | Vintage Analog Synthesiser | Made in Italy | Similar to Vox Jaguar | 49 Keys, 4 Voices, Vibrato, Chorus Bass | Built-in Speakers | Legs included"

via this auction

"'You know that new sound you been looking’ for?… Well listen to this!'

- Chuck’s cousin, Marvin Berry

Check out the video we've done running through some of the sounds produced by the 4 voices, vibrato and bass chorus. We also do a volume pot test, vibrato pot test, chromatic test follwed by a brief demo. We mic'd up the built-in speaker with a Shure SM-57 for the video but there is an external output for use with amplifiers etc.

Condition:

Excellent cosmetic condition and fully functioning. Recently serviced (19/07/23). Legs are included."

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