The Florian Schneider Collection to Be Auctioned at JULIEN*S November 19

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via JULIEN*S

"THE FLORIAN SCHNEIDER COLLECTION

Auction to be held at Musician's Hall of Fame & Museum, Nashville, on November 19

An incredible collection of more than 450 artifacts from the life and career of Florian Schneider, co-founder of the pioneer electronic band Kraftwerk."

Pics and videos featuring some of the gear below, and his Lederhosen for good measure (thanks greg!).

Update: the post has been fully updated with all the synth related gear. This may just well be the longest post to be featured on the site. I wanted to capture all the pics for all of the details including notes, scuffs, and of course serial numbers. It's an interesting look into what he used, the condition he keped his gear, in some cases, how he actually used his gear. Note the phonetics on the keys of the Casio CZ-101 and DX-100. Note the Midi Switch Box with a built-in speaker? What's that about? Note the camouflage key strap on the Korg RK-100 Remote Keyboard. Did he pick it out himself or did the keytar just come with it? Note the repeat midi controllers and the MIDI saxaphones. Wind was his primary instrument. You'll find a ton of the acoustic gear he used in the other listings. This is a fascinating insight into both what and how he used his gear.

Side note: there is no affiliate compensation for this post. The note at the top automatically shows for all posts with the Auction label.


Rack Mount Sennheiser VSM-201 Vocoder

Starting Bid $5,000

Estimate $20,000 - $40,000 USD

A late 1970s Sennheiser VSM 201 Vocoder with no serial number from the personal studio and collection of Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk (see images). While it’s said that only a few dozen of these Vocoders were produced, a few examples made it into the hands of forward-thinking musical artists including Herbie Hancock, Daft Punk, and of course, Kraftwerk, who used a VSM-201 like this on their albums Man Machine (1978) and Computerworld (1981). The VSM-201 has an intelligible sound that has not yet been bested by modern gear. Includes power cable. This VSM-201 has been removed from its wooden enclosure (which bears the serial number plate) and modified with a metal rack mount casing, presumably for live use. Requires 240v, IEC power cable not included.

Dimensions: 19 x 9 x 9 inches

Category: Kraftwerk, Equipment

Provenance: PROVENANCE From the Estate of Florian Schneider

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Elektronika Ritm Soviet Analog Drum Machine SN 41

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Kee Reel

This appears to be the first one to be featured on the site.

via this Reverb listing

"Vintage soviet analog drum machine from the year 1978. Elektronika Ritm .

Serial number: 41

The unit works but the preset buttons are not fixable. Also there is some noise and other small issues.The machine requires service.

The video shows its condition.

The original start button is included.

Works with 220v"

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Salamander Music Sytems Voice 400 s/n 14 not perfect

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Vemia listing

Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.

This appears to be the first one featured on the site. Pics of the inside below.

via the listing:

"SMS (Salamander Music Systems - sorry for the typo in the title) Voice 400 - Programmable analogue mono synth with 2 VCOs and analogue delay line. Seems to work all OK EXCEPT the modulation generator (LFO) is not working. Condition is average. Has USA plug on, but can be switched between 110v/240v on rear. Also see the next lot."

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Rare Vintage KORG KEIO (?) CHECKMATE Drum Machine

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

This appears to be the first one to be featured on the site. It looks a bit like the Wexler ROCKMATE. Teisco made a CHECKMATE keyboard. You can fhand a handful of posts mentioning CHECKMATE here.

Details via the listing:

"A vintage Checkmate drum machine, a true gem from the early days of rhythm boxes. This unit is as much a visual statement as it is a piece of music history: with its golden front panel and large knobs, it’s a guaranteed eye-catcher in any studio or collection.

Fully serviced: all electrolytic capacitors have been replaced, ensuring reliable operation.

Everything works as it should – all rhythms, switches, and controls have been tested.

Runs on a single 9V battery inside the unit, making it portable and hassle-free.

About the Checkmate

The Checkmate belongs to the family of early preset rhythm machines from the late 1960s/early 1970s, often linked with Korg’s DoncaMatic line. These units were designed for accompaniment but quickly became collectible for their quirky analog character and stunning design.

Limited but charming selection of preset rhythms.

Simple analog sound circuitry with a warm, nostalgic tone.

Rarely seen today, making it highly desirable for collectors of vintage drum machines.

Why You’ll Love It

While it won’t replace a modern drum computer in terms of versatility, the Checkmate delivers something unique:

A rare piece of music history that shaped the early years of electronic rhythm.

Unmatched aesthetics – the gold panel and oversized knobs look fantastic both in use and as a display piece.

Collector’s must-have – these machines are increasingly hard to find in good working order.

If you’re a vintage synth/drum machine enthusiast, this is a rare opportunity to own a serviced and working Checkmate drum machine. Perfect as a collector’s item, studio conversation piece, or source of authentic retro rhythms."

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Quasimidi Gigacard 512 Styles für Roland E-35/E-36/E-56/E-70

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

Rare Quasimidi Gigacard, 512 Styles for Roland E-35/E-36/E-56/E-70.

This is the first one to be featured on the site.

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Impakt Tom electronic drum demo - first commercially released electronic drum.

video upload by Momtnz

This one is via kevinwulf just in via the comments of this older post on a flyer for the Impakt Percussion Synth. Also see Vintage Drum Machine Demos & Book - RHYTHM MACHINES The Rise and Fall of the Presets.

"A short demo on what was the first commercially released electronic drum pad - the Impakt Tuneable Tom-Tom, which came out circa 1973.

For more information on vintage electronic drum kits, pads and accessories, check out three new books on electronic drums by Alex Graham. The 180 page all colour Electronic Drumfax covers all vintage electronic drums made from the early 1970s to the end of 1989 from all over the world - UK, USA, Japan, Germany, etc. (A black and white page book with the same content is available as Drumfax 4).

And for those just seeking to learn about the British electronic drum industry, the book Thwak! covers the electronic drums and accessories made from 1978-1994 - 100 pages and all colour - featuring Simmons, MPC Electronics, Honky Tonk Music Klone, Cactus, Ultimate Percussion, M & A and others. All books are available on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and other Amazon sites around the world."

Finally a decent video on the GODWIN DRUMMAKER 32

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

""Many find it attractive" reads the gushing review in british music mag Muzines in February 1983 : https://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/go...
The reviewer makes the point that it sounds too good to be a typical auto-accompaniment section from an organ and damnit if that ain't right.
Punchy drums, futuristic synth arpeggios, separate audio outputs and individual volumes for most drum sounds.

We finally found a Godwin Drummaker 32 and its even rarer keyboard 32 K and we think the internet deserves a high quality video of its sounds and functions since the ones out there might leave more to be desired.

Most of the specific information and specs are in the video text so please have a look but a quick summary would go a little something like this :

The successor to the Drummaker 45 share all the original features but got an upgrade with completely new sounds in every section.
The new drums are snappier and fill-ins have been added while the arpeggio has an actual synth sound.

Used by OMBs - One Man Bands - all over Italy, this type of machine generate accompaniment to sing and play other instruments over when the budget and/or stage space is limited.
The keyboard on top indicates the chord and key to the unit below, generating bass lines, chord patterns and arpeggios.

If you're into rare Italian synths and drum machines you should check out our website which is basically an encyclopedia of them : https://www.vintageaudioinstitute.com/

And don't miss our next video of the almost equally rare GODWIN CD1 so subscribe here on Youtube or better still follow us on Instagram where we also post vintage gear for sale : / vintage_audio_institute_italia

Elgam carousel elka wilgamat solton disco 64 solton polyvox wersimatic cx1 cx2"

You can find addtional posts featuring the GODWIN DRUMMAKER 32 here.

ATAK Special Rhythm Player, Vintage 19inch Drumcomputer

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

From this listing

"ATAK special rhythm player, a vintage 19-inch drum machine.

Works and sounds great.

I think it's from the 80s, made in Turkey.

I can't find any other information about it online, so it's quite a rare drum machine."

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EMS Vocoder 5000 Repair

video upload by Really Nice Audio

"The time has come that bridge rectifiers from the mid 70's can fail short due to age. In this repair I managed to find a blown one and another that was on its way out! This was an RS bridge rectifier dated 1976.

This EMS Vocoder 5000 belongs to Pete Townshend and is housed at The University of West London.
https://www.uwl.ac.uk/study/study-fac...

Music from my forthcoming ATMOS album 'Height Supremacy'
https://www.galactichorizon.com

#ems #vocoder #repair #emsvocoder5000 #petetownshend #bridgerectifier #blowsfuses"

SN VOC 8

Synthorama - Synthesizer Museum in Switzerland - the place to be!

video upload by Jürgen Moßgraber

"During our holidays in Switzerland I had the opportunity to visit Synthorama a must see synthesizer museum located in Luterbach. Many rare synthesizers ready to play!"

See the Synthorama labels below for additional posts including some from my own visit.

Best Ambient Synth Shootout #147: Sony DPS-F7 - Song 1

video upload by Christian's Sonic Spaces

A synthesizer from Sony. You might remember the DPS-F7 & other units in the series from this previous post.

This video appears to be the first demo of the Sony DPS-F7 featured on the site.

"This is the first recording with the Sony DPS-F7. As far as I know, it's the only synthesizer ever made by Sony. However, it's only part of the DPS-F7, which can also be a percussion synthesizer, as well as a fading parametric equalizer, dynamic filter, compressor/limiter, sub-harmonic generator, vocoder, and saturator.

The features sound interesting for a monophonic digital synthesizer. It has two oscillators with classic waveforms AND two Karplus-Strong oscillators, which can be routed to any of the four filters (LPF, HPF, BPF1, BPF2). You can optionally connect the HPF and the two BPFs in front of the LPF. Six ADSR envelopes are available as VCAs and VCFs. The (unfortunately) only LFO is permanently linked to the pitch. The audio signal then passes through a stereo delay and a soft clipper.

I used for the recording the following FX pedals:
Pigtronix Echolution 2 Deluxe, GFI System Specular Reverb 2.

The signal went through a Presonus StudioLive 16.0.2 into the PC via USB for recording. To create the complete song I recorded consecutively several stereo tracks. On some tracks Compressor and EQ where added in Cubase. The final song was then mastered using iZotope Ozone."

SynthAxe Demo - Full Video #sythnaxe #guitar #synth #music

video upload by natr0n

via Wikipedia

"The SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in 1985. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling the neck of a guitar in form and in use. Its name comes from the words synthesizer and axe, a slang term meaning a guitar in rock music. The system was developed as a joint venture funded by Richard Branson's Virgin Group.

The SynthAxe itself has no internal sound source; it is purely a controller and needs synthesizers to produce sound.[1] The neck of the instrument is angled upwards from the body, and there are two independent sets of strings.

The fretboard is continuously scanned and sends signals to synthesizers which produce the sound. The left set determine the pitch played, through contact with the frets on the neck and by sensing the side-to-side bending of the string. The right set of strings are velocity sensitive; these strings can be plucked, strummed or damped in the same manner as a guitar. A keyboard made up of nine keys can also be used to trigger notes instead of the strings.[2] Design of the key toggles was done by the late David Fowler, at the time trading under BJ Hopkins Injection and toolmaking, in Littleworth, Oxford.

An electronic tremolo bar (the 'electronic wang arm') can be used for standard whammy bar effects, or can be redefined to produce different MIDI output such as filter cutoffs or volume.[3]

When originally produced, the SynthAxe was priced at £10,000[4][5] (approximately $13,000) and eventually sold for about £6,000. The instrument was built from aerospace and military grade hardware, and was such a sophisticated and expensive piece of machinery that few were sold, making it difficult to keep the company afloat. In or around 1986, Virgin Games took over the distribution but let it go after a couple of years.

Fewer than 100 SynthAxes were made,[6] and it is difficult to locate used units. Most musicians who desire a MIDI guitar controller often use other alternatives, such as Roland or Axon systems that can convert a guitar's output to MIDI via 13-pin cables and outboard devices or older systems such as the Roland GR-500."

Everything you wanted to know about the LOGAN VOCAL SYNTH but were afraid to ask

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"We finally found a Logan Vocal synth - and since this incredible unicorn doesn't get captured very often we thought the internet deserved quality photos and a video demonstration of all its functions. Or most of them - we actually missed a few features so stay tuned for a Part II later this summer.

Most of the info is in the video already but a quick introduction and recap would go something like this:

Logan Vocal Synth
weight 50 kilos
61 keys and 61 slider potentiometers

The upper panel is dedicated to :
instrument selection buttons, panning left and right, the monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers and their modulation controls.

The front of the panel is dedicated to the instrument sections Strings, Piano and Voice.

The architecture of this instrument is unique and might have been a bit of a gamble that sometimes worked out great and sometimes less so.
Our service technician had to slightly change the trigger circuitry to render the triggering of the notes more reliable and generally stable.
We also decided to non-invasively modify the split point to continue down to the lowest note on the keyboard instead of starting over two octaves up at the 24th key and below.
You operate this with the foot pedal switch, and it can be disengaged to return to the factory setting.

Some of the engineering wonkiness was decided to be kept though and you can hear the fluctuations, a slight tremble, in a lot of the sounds."

You can find an additional demo posted here.

This Rare Anatolian Drum Machine Hits Differently

video upload by HAINBACH

Bojidar Alaturka RITM - BOX

"I had no idea what to expect when I got this vintage drum machine from Istanbul. It looks like a classic Elka Drummer One style preset rhythm box, but there was no 'Tango' or 'Slow Rock' on here. Instead, the patterns are marked by timings, 9/8, 7/8, 5/4. I was fascinated but needed a lot more input, so I kicked of a little investigation into traditional Anatolian dance music, the history of the machine itself and the musicians that used it.

Music and samples: / hainbach

Listen to my music: http://hainbach.bandcamp.com"

00:00 Intro and translating
01:58 Turning it on
03:53 Making a track
05:39 A look inside
06:36 Anatolian Music Primer
10:31 Who made it and who played it?

Super Rare Kurzweil VA-1 For Sale

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

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Pearl Pk-701 Ultrarare Polyphonic Keyboard Synth

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

This appears to be the first post to feature the Pearl Pk-701.

"Extremely rare synth by Pearl, produced in very limited numbers with very little documentation available online.

It resembles an Italian-style string machine with piano, string, and brass sounds, featuring a beautiful chorus and vibrato. In reality, it’s a true 8-voice polyphonic synthesizer with an absolutely beautiful sound.

Cosmetically is in great condition, unfortunately, there are no schematics available, and I haven’t been able to tune the individual voices. Each voice has 4 potentiometers, but without documentation, it’s difficult to tune everything properly.

All the voice boards work perfectly, although the slot for board 2 doesn’t output piano sounds on the assigned note."

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David Lynch's Synth Gear Up for Auction

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

Apprenlty JULIEN*S auction house is auctioning off David Lynch's belongings.

Among the items you will some of studio equipment including the synths pictured here. It's interesting to see the gear he used. The Roland MKS-70 (JX10/JX-8P) used on Twin Peaks is not listed as I believe it was owned and by Angelo Badalamenti, not Lynch. I included his portable audio recording equipment, not as a synth, but as a possible sample source. Unfortunately the listing does not mention if there are any recordings present in them so keep that in mind if you bid. It would be a shame if they were removed.

Most of the items mention they were "owned and used by David Lynch in his personal recording studio."

Images in this post were captured in the order listed for each listing.

E-Mu Systems E III Model 6083 SN 02200324

Korg microX SN 003322 & Yamaha Motif 7 SN 1001208

Korg KAOS Pad KP3 SN 057331 & Kaossilator SN 080602

"Dumbland" Boss VT-1 Voice Transformer with Box Set and Studio-Used Microphones

"A lot containing the BOSS VT-1 Voice Transformer owned and used by David Lynch for voicing the characters of his cartoon DumbLand (2002), a Dumbland DVD box set, and two microphones used by David Lynch in his home recording studio known as Asymmetrical Studio."

Tony Bassett No. 1 Electronics Theremin "Spacetrip Passport"

Stylophone Pocket Synthesizer

Lot of Three Synthesizers: Alesis Nanosynth, Gakken SX-150 Mark II, Roland JV-1010 SN BN26304

Roland SPD-20 Sampling Pad SN FV41503

Portable Audio Recording Equipment - not a synth, but you have to wonder what recordings, if any, may be preserved for sample sources.

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Celebrating International Synthesizer Day at SynthTemple

video upload by Luke Million

"What better way to celebrate International Synthesizer Day than surrounding yourself with the most iconic synths ever made in a giant studio?!

Recently I visited SynthTemple to familiarise myself with what is possible in this amazing sonic playground.

I thought it would be fun to recreate The Chase by Giorgio Moroder and in particular to learn how to use the Roland System 700.

A lot of fun was had and although I didn’t get through the whole track, I learnt so much about SynthTemple and I can’t wait to return to work on new music.

Equipment used;

Oberheim DMX, Roland System 700, Yamaha SPX-900, Solina String Synthesizer, Roland SPV-355, Oberheim Eight Voice, Roland System 100 & Yamaha CS-80

Check out the amazing synth playground which is SynthTemple here - https://www.synthtemple.com/"

ARP 2500 Modular Synthesizer w/ Pair of Fully Loaded Wing Cabinets

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

"Vintage ARP 2500 Modular Synthesizer system. Accompanying the ARP 2500 main cabinet is a pair of fully loaded wing cabinets. The main cabinet and keyboard were fully restored by Phil Cirocco (CMS) around 2011 as well were most of the modules in the wing cabinets. However the system has not been powered up or played since 2018 when I moved from Los Angeles to Tucson Arizona. It was working perfectly in 2018. Since sitting for 7 years the system will most likely need some small service to get it back to perfect. IT IS UNTESTED AND WILL NOT BE TESTED. IT IS BEING SOLD AS IS.

The previous service was meticulously done to satisfy my serious demand for the system to remain as original as possible. No modifications were done and all parts replaced with original or appropriate parts. The system is hyper clean in person and was clearly babied. It was used on notable lp's. You may live a 100 more years but will likely never find a better more complete ARP 2500 for sale. This system is priceless and was the most expensive new instrument when it was produced in the early 1970's.

I collected and played many Moog, ARP and Buchla modular systems. However owning so many systems became a burden. As well, switching between using Moog, ARP and Buchla took too much bandwidth. I sold all of my Buchla systems and this is my last and best ARP piece from my massive collection. Time for someone else to own it

CAN BE PICKED UP IN TUCSON AZ OR I CAN DELIVER TO LOS ANGELES CA"

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Optonica MX-1000 1970s Mixer / Analog Reverb / Rhythm Machine

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this Reverb listing

This looks more like an amp than a mixer. The built-in rhythm machine gets the post. This would be a fun item to show off in the studio. "Check out my new amp", then flick on the rhythm section, or route a sequence running on your other gear through it with the volume down, then say "I wonder what's on the radio", mute your main mixer and switch over to the Optonica, "Oh it's me!"

"The MX-1000 is an extremely rare product, it is a mixer, an analog reverb unit & a pre-programmed rhyrhm machine.

Warm-sounding reverb, deep sinking echoes, and saturation sounds unique to analog mixers.
Rhythm machine sound like Roland CR-78.
You can listen to these wonderful sounds on youtube.

Features :
Inputs
- 2ch Microphone
- Phono
- Aux
Reverb / Echo effects
Pre-programmed rhythm machine (Waltz, Rock, Cha Cha, Latin, Ballad, Mambo, Foxtrot & Waltz Rock)"

This is the first post to feature the MX-1000. Curios what the rhythm circuits are based on.

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