Money, power and ... synths? - what synthesizers can tell us about geopolitics

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

Missed in South America: GS Music - Argentina, EMW - Brazil, and AtomoSynth - Peru. AnalogFX in Netherlands. Meng Qi is worth a DIY stand out mention for China as well as Aforack in Uganda, Africa. There's no way to list every manufacturer, but if he missed a country/region feel free to comment (feel free to comment regardless of course). It's an interesting video and a useful reminder of where manufacturers are based.

"If a country can support one or even more synthesizer manufacturers, that tells us a lot about its place in the world. I have some numbers to back this up, look at some of those synthesizer-producing countries and then make some predictions on their future trajectory.

Table of contents:

00:00 introduction
00:50 the idea (explained with the UK)
02:43 the synthesizer world map walkthrough (west to east)
03:01 United States of America
04:21 France
04:56 United Kingdom
06:27 Germany
07:50 Italy
09:08 Scandinavia (i.e. Sweden)
10:07 Eastern Europe
11:18 Ukraine
12:18 Russia
13:19 China
15:11 Australia and New Zealand
16:37 Japan
18:40 The DIY scene
19:34 conclusion - where are the countries headed to?
20:32 my personal thoughts
21:29 bye - please subscribe (and if you like this style of video, please tell me in the comments)

B-Roll footage from pexels.com

HÄLP ZIS CHANNEL
https://www.patreon.com/floyd_steinberg
https://floydsteinberg.gumroad.com/
https://floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/"

Ultrarare Soviet synthesizer Unost" 33 PSMIDI | ЮНОСТЬ 33 PSMIDI

video upload by Futulyric

"Manufactured at the Murom plant in the early 1990s, it was released in a small run of about 200 units. It contains 128 standard MIDI instruments."

You might recall the Roland Juno-106 inspired Unost' 21. This is the first post to feature the 33.

Schober Dynabeat 1968 Transistor-Based Drum Machine

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video uploads by Adrian Täckman

Found the above searching for a demo after seeing the listing below. This is the first post to feature the Schober Dynabeat.

via this Reverb listing

This appears to be the first one featured on the site. Moby had a Portable Dynabeat you can see in this post (do a find for Schober when you get there).

"Here’s a rare Schober Dynabeat (1968). It’s a vintage, transistor-based electronic drum machine designed as a DIY kit to accompany Schober organs. It produced percussion sounds (bass drum, tom-tom, cymbals, bongos) using phase-shift oscillators, allowing players to trigger sounds via small pads or by connecting it to the organ’s lower keyboard and pedals."

CLICK FOR MORE »

COMPUTALKER SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

You can find a demo of COMPUTALKER in this previous post from back in 2008.

Here are some pics and additional info on the COMPUTALKER via this reddit thread where you'll find a dropbox link to additional docs including some source code. Note the poster on reddit is looking for help on gettig it going. If you can help, reach out there.

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me who also found some addtional info here.

From the reddit thread:

"The Computalker CT-1 was one of the earliest commercially available speech synthesizers for personal computers. Introduced in late 1976 and shipped beginning in 1977, it was developed by D. Lloyd Rice and Jim Cooper in Santa Monica, California through their company, Computalker Consultants.

Unlike simpler speech devices that played back recorded sounds, the CT-1 was a 9-parameter formant speech synthesizer. A host computer generated control data describing pitch, formant frequencies, fricatives, aspiration, and other speech characteristics, while the CT-1 generated the actual voice waveform in hardware."

"My goal, (which I do think may end up being completely impossible) is to get this up and running and hear it speak. Among the photos, there are some shots of the inside. I understand that this was originally designed for the S-100 bus going as far back as the Altair 8800. Serial number inside and out is 7001 and I can see that a previous owner likely replaced the older capacitors already.

This variant however, In all my searching I cannot seem to find a single reference to anywhere. My best guess with the information I have is that this could be a prototype version that was meant for later computers and perhaps it's missing some type of interface card for maybe an Apple II or TRS-80?

Here is a dropbox link to all of the information I have collected so far. I have found the manual, the software manual (With source code?!) and all sorts of little information. Also there's a lot more photos....

https://www.dropbox.com...

Maybe someone out there has seen this before? I am super excited to keep collecting information on this! Thank you for checking this out!"

Some pics of the inside below.

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1977 E-Mu Systems Modular Synthesizer - Original VCA - 2000 Blueprint

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

via these Reverb listings

See the seller's other listings for more.

"For sale is a vintage original Blueprint for the modular E-Mu Systems - VCA - 2000 Voltage Controlled Amplifier Submodule dated 12/05/1977. DOC.#2000 - 011-002

Don't miss out on this historic piece of history.

I accept offers for this original E-Mu Modular Blueprint.

This is a must-have for any vintage synthesizer/E-MU collector as these are getting very hard/impossible to find these days.

This Blueprint is in very good condition, see the picture's for more detail.

I'm shipping worldwide. The actual shipping-cost must be paid by the winning bidder of this auction. All sales are final. No returns accepted. Selling as is, don't hesitate to contact me for more information and/or picture's.

Please check my other auction's as well, I can combine shipping to reduce shipping-costs . Thank you for your interest."

Exelvision Exeldrums

This one was spotted and sent in via Ivan Trajkovic aka deejayiwan. This is the first post to feature Exelvision.

via the Rare & Old Computers blog

"As I said in another blog post I find the computers of the 1980s French company Exelvision interesting and under-appreciated. Not only featured these computers (French) speech synthesis, but it had also one of the most interesting and quirky add-ons of the 80s: a digital drum computer (well, sort of)! Fitting into the naming scheme of Exelvisions products, it was called the “Exeldrums”. It was first sold in 1985 for 1200 French Francs (about 400 USD today)."

See Rare & Old Computers for the full post.

RARE MOOG Four Track track tape machine one of a kind!

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

via this eBay listing

"This is a one of kind RARE MOOG 4 Track. There were very few made. This one turns on but I don't have a way of testing out its full functionality."

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Margaret Thatcher at EMI Abbey Road Studios Simmons Drums DX7 Juno 60

video upload by Con Brio Synthesizers

"Maggie visits the famous studios in 1990 - watching a mixing session, visiting Mike Batt, hoping to meet Kate Bush (no) and playing a JUNO 60 and DX& and ?? plus rocking the SIMMONS DRUMS before going back to work..."

How do you one-up Krafwerk? With Margaret Thatcher of course.

EEH Zaunkoenig

Pictured here is a Google image tranlated article on the EEH Zaunkoenig. You can find the original German sent in (and shared on Sequencer.de) via Swissdoc below.

Click on the images to zoom in. You can find pics of a brochure prviously posted here.

Update: additional scans from Keyboards magazine 06/85 added below.

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Rare Drum Electronic Synthesizer HOT ED-42 test

video upload by nagrzybydolasu

This appears to be the first post to feature the HOT ED-42.

"This is a little jam with very rare polish drum synthesizer HOT ED-42. Couple of takes (with Roland Tr6s and Moog Dfam)
Hot Ed has 4 mono trigger IN/OUT (gate or audio) + 2 mono audio IN channel.
All 4 channels sounds the same and has the same parameters (sensitive, decya, sweep, VCO, volume, panorama).
2 audio channels has Treble/Bass/Effect/Volume/Panorama
There is no NOISE knobs (for snare and hihats)
There is one AUX (for 2 audio channels).
4 mysterious knobs on front of the machine (i have no idea what they do)

** Polish**
bardzo rzadki perkusyjny syntezator HOT ED-42
Posiada 4 wejścia wyjścia Gate/Audio które wzbudzają VCO (nie brzmią perkusyjnie, bardziej basowo, melodyjnie - brak NOISE do snarów lub hihatów)
2 wejscią audio (audio może być z zewnątrz lub mogą wychodzić OUTami z ed42)
1 wejście AUX.
1 wyjście stereo(lub mono)
4 gałki na froncie, z przodu instrumentu - nie mam pojęcia co robią)

to chyba pierwszy filmik tego syntezatora na YT. Więc niech leci w świat.

zawsze możesz mnie wesprzeć :
https://patronite.pl/greenjesus"

Coupland Synthesizer & Clara Rockmore's Theremin at the Musical Instrument Museum in Arizona

Some pics in via Greg of Le Shat Noir and The Cripples [they are playing Slim's Last Chance in Seattle this Friday!], from a recent visit to the Musical Instrument Museum in Arizona.

These are the first pics of the Coupland in the flesh to be featured on the site. Previously, the Coupland has only be featured in various brochures. Be sure to see them for additional info.

From the MIM website:

"At MIM, you can see several synthesizers, including the Coupland Digital Synthesizer, which was invented by Rick Coupland in Phoenix in the 1970s. Coupland grew up playing the piano and dreamed of a keyboard instrument that could play any sound he imagined. In the early 1970s, he developed one of the first fully digital synthesizers. It offered touch-sensitive controls that could modify dozens of parameters of sound, in real time, while the player was playing. Though the Coupland Digital Synthesizer never went into production, many of its fundamental technologies and concepts later became standard features of popular, affordable synths from major manufacturers. The original prototype, now on display at MIM’s Electronic Music exhibit in the United States / Canada Gallery, was a fascinating prediction of music’s digital future."

You can find an image of Clara Rockmore's theremin from the museum further below, however there's no additional info on it on their website.

There was also an Indonesian Yamaha PSR-A1000, pictured below, for those interested! :)

P.S. Click on the panel pics to zoom in for the parameters. Note the Harmonic Number section with Phase Angle and FOURIER button.

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Gleeman Pentaphonic Demonstration

video upload by mysterycircuits

"Going through many of the features of this rare synthesizer from 1982 after repairs."

One of only 20 of 50 ever made in a clear case.

Rare drum machine: Amtroncraft UK 262

video upload by Lennart Regebro

"A quick demo of the extremely rare Amtroncraft drum machine."

This appears to be the first one to be featured on the site. If anyone knows more about it, feel free to comment.

Touché: Don Buchla’s Rare Polyphonic Keyboard Instrument

video upload by Sarah Belle Reid

Follow-up to Sarah Belle Reid plays the Buchla Touché

"In this video, I explore an extremely rare electronic instrument called the Touché, created by Buchla and Associates in 1980. Filmed at the Buchla Archives in Vancouver, this is a rare opportunity to hear and see an instrument that very few people have ever encountered firsthand. Only around five Touchés are known to have been built, and very few remain functional today. Because of this, the instrument has remained largely absent from public performance and documentation. This video helps bridge that gap by sharing the Touché’s sound, design, and historical context.

While Don Buchla is best known for his modular synthesizers such as the 100 and 200 Series, he also created a number of non-modular, computer-based instruments that explored new relationships between performance, software, and sound. The Touché is one such instrument. Conceived by Don Buchla in collaboration with composer David Rosenboom, it is a bi-timbral, eight-voice polyphonic keyboard instrument that combines digital sound generation, analog processing, and computer-mediated control.

The video begins with a historical overview of how the Touché grew out of Buchla’s computer-controlled instruments of the 1970s, including the 300 Series systems. From there, the video moves into a detailed walkthrough of Touché’s sound architecture, including many musical demos.
This video was created in collaboration with the Buchla Archives, an organization dedicated to the thorough and thoughtful documentation and preservation of Donald Buchla’s work.

Special thank you to Ryan Gaston and David Rosenboom for research assistance."

Timbre & Digital Nonlinear Waveshaping (Buchla Archives): https://www.buchlaarchives.com/blog/t...

Nova Wind (1983)

video upload by David Rosenboom

"This video, shot informally in the Ensemble Room at Mills College in 1983, contains the only footage known of David Rosenboom playing his 1981 composition Nova Wind from Future Travel. In it, he plays the legendary Touché—digital/analog keyboard instrument produced in collaboration with Donald Buchla in 1979-1980—, violin, piano, and ancillary electronics. A complete studio recording of Future Travel was released first on a vinyl LP by Street Records in 1981 and later on a double-CD from New World Records in 2007."

Circuits and Fingers – Composer-Performer Convergence in Electronic Instrument Designs, Oct 5th

Shasta Cults - self titled album: https://shastacults.bandcamp.com/albu...

Future Travel (David Rosenboom): https://blacktruffle.bandcamp.com/alb...

Daytime Viewing (Jacqueline Humbert & David Rosenboom) https://jacquelinehumbertdavidrosenbo...

Zones of Influence (David Rosenboom) https://davidrosenboom.bandcamp.com/a...

Exploring the 1st Buchla 100 Modular Synthesizer

The Electric Music Box: Exploring a Vintage Buchla 200 Modular System

Free Intro to Modular Synths Course: soundandsynthesis.com/firstsynthpatch

On Being Invisible, David Rosenboom at Western Front, Vancouver, 1977, Part 1

video upload by David Rosenboom

"David Rosenboom, On Being Invisible (1977), video documentation part 1. 58 min. 28 sec. Courtesy of Western Front. ID# WFVDN_7702_03-1."

On Being Invisible, David Rosenboom at Western Front, Vancouver, 1977, Part 2

video upload by David Rosenboom

"David Rosenboom, On Being Invisible (1977), video documentation part 2. 44 min. 35 sec. Courtesy of Western Front. ID# WFVDN_7702_03-2."