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.

Doobie MX-150R Foot Bass Keyboard Analog Synthesizer (Made in Japan)

video upload by Make Noise Not War

This appears to be the first Doobie MX-150R to be featured on the site. They also made the Rhythmini FR-112 preset rhythm drum machine.

Screen grab in case the video disappears, followed by a few pics of SN 00703 found online:

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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."

Sarah Belle Reid plays the Buchla Touché

video upload by Sarah Belle Reid

"An improvisation on the Touché, at the Buchla Archives in Vancouver, BC. The Touché is an extremely rare 8-voice bi-timbral digital instrument designed by Don Buchla in 1980, with software (FOIL) by David Rosenboom.

If you're curious to learn more about the history of this instrument and how it works technically, join me next week (Jan. 20th) for the premiere of an in-depth video walkthrough of the Touché (here on my YT channel).

Join me on Patreon!
patreon.com/sarahbellereid

Sarah Belle Reid is a Canadian performer-composer, active in the fields of electroacoustic trumpet performance, intermedia arts, music technology, and improvisation.

www.sarahbellereid.com"

2 X EMS Universal Sequencer with 2 X EMS Synthi #emsuniversalsequencer #emssynthi #emssynthiaks

video upload by analogia pl

"EMS slav squat sessions, part 1.

Universal Sequencer on the right is master and the one on the left is synced to it. Otherwise it’s an equivalent of two Synthi AKS playing side by side."

Vintage Silver ROLAND Koffer Case

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.

I've never seen one of these before.

Curious what it originally held. If you know, feel free to comment.

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PlantsSystem-Prophet-5&PolySeq

video upload by plantssystem

"PlantsSystem performed live in the intimate space of a single room using the Prophet-5 and Poly-Seq.

Performer and audience shared the same space, and in a seamless environment, the Prophet-5's rich analog tone and the Poly-Seq's quietly pulsating sequences resonated with each other.

The act of performing itself blended into the living space, resulting in an intimate and immersive performance where the listener could experience the sound-creation process in its entirety.

#plantssystem #prophet5 #polysequencer"

PlantsSystem-Duos&PolySeq ChaosSync

video upload by plantssystem



"PlantsSystem performed using Hikari Instruments' Duos and Sequential's Poly-Sequencer, linked via ChaosSync.

The multiple sequencers interact and influence each other, generating music through a struggle between regularity and chance. The delicate yet sharp modulations of the Duos and the phrase changes made by the Poly-Sequencer overlap, keeping the development constantly fluid.

This experimental live performance, unique to PlantsSystem, showcases the process in which intention and chance emerge simultaneously."

1974 EMS SYNTHI 100 Up For Sale

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

via this Reverb listing

"Up for sale is an original 1974 EMS Synthi 100 Synthesizer. I am the second owner of this amazing instrument. It is in incredible condition for an item of its age and size. Very few of these were produced in the early 1970s and most of them were sold to institutions, private studios and musicians - these almost never turn up for sale on the open market.

This particular Synthi 100 was one of the last produced by EMS (London) and has all of the standard factory updates including newer scope, sequencer memory display and patchable multimeter. below is a list of what is included with the auction:

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EMS Documentary Clips & Interviews

video uploads by Ektoplasmic Interzone

Update: video 8. w/ Liz Parker added.

Playlist:

1. Zinovieff featured on "Tomorrows World" (1968) - Clip from BBC Program
2. Zinovieff from BBC's "New Horizons" (1971)
3. Rise and Fall of EMS London - Zinovieff interview
4. EMS Studio London - Peter describes the challenges of the electronic studio
5. Peter and Robin at EMS Oxfordshire Studio
6. Malcolm Clarke demonstrates Synthi 100
7. VCS3 Waves and Harmonics
8. Liz Parker demonstrates Synthi 100 Radiophonic

And a massive playlist from Ektoplasmic Interzone featuring additional videos:

Electronic Music Studios (EMS) London Ltd Synthi


You can use the player controls to skip around. Click the drop down on the trop right of the player to scroll through titles.

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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