via the seller: "The Mighty EMS Vocoder System 2000, with 16 bands in excellent condition and 100% fully functional. It looks beautiful. This is the series II, black version with rack ears, handles, dual LED meters and in USA voltage. I am the original owner and it has less than 50 hours on it. I kept it turned off and disconnected from wall power when not in use.
I have owned most of the top vocoders with exception of the EMS 5000 and the EMS line of vocoders sound better than all of the rest in terms of raw character. The EMS 2000 has an electric punch to it that others don't have and it's sibalance is excellent too. To me it sounds better than the Moog/Bode vocoders and definitely better than the Sennheiser VSM-201.
The Sennheiser is smooth but lacks that electric punch. Electronically in terms of filters and envelopes, the EMS 2000 is close to identical to the EMS 3000 and EMS 5000. Only difference is that the 3000 has the same 16 bands/filters/envs but with attentuators and the 5000 has 22 bands and patch panel. The S/N ratio is better on the 2000 than the 3000 perhaps due to not having the attentuator circuits installed. Sure digital vocoders can do cool things, but when you hear an EMS 2000 analog vocoder with a monster Moog or Oberheim synthesizer along with vocals, some analog reverb and tube preamp...piped into a very powerful sound system, well, lets just say.....you will definitely never forget it."
"The new EMS Synthi (licensed) Card by http://www.portabellabz.be
be sure to checkout these audio files for best sound http://www.portabellabz.be/SYNTHI_Car...
Great to have this onboard.! Wonderful sounds and timbres. I will be making more videos -- hope you enjoy this teaser."
"I'm happy to announce the release of a new Portbellabz card for Music Easel and 208 under EMS Cornwall license.
This card expands the Music Easel or 208 with original EMS Synthi A and VCS3 circuits : an oscillator that produces simultaneous square and triangle waveshapes with wide range and features useful modifications (synchronization, shape CV, hi/lo range) and a noise generator with variable colour, together with my acclaimed Random Voltage Generator modification module that expands many original EMS Synthi A, AKS and VCS3, unlike the 208's one, it's true random.
The inputs and outputs voltages are adapted to match the ones used in the 208.
It will be available in late February / early March, pre-built (€460 + shipping, Rogans and rear edge connector in option) or as a DIY PCB set (€130 shipped) like the 208 ToolBox.
The prices include a commission for Robin Wood at EMS, that is the same for each pre-built unit or PCB set sold.
It works with 208p, 208r (not rev1) and BEMI / Buchla USA Easels. The tracking can be set to 1V/oct, 1.2V/oct or 2V/oct (or other, but who wants that ? :lol: ).
A very few privileged persons were lucky enough to already test a prototype and enjoyed it. Thanks to them for keeping the secret.
Hopefully a demo video of the great Todd Barton should pop up soon, thanks in advance Todd.
In the meantime, here are some (very basic) demo of the card with my own 208.
All sounds are coming from the card except the CO modulation track (208's CO modulated by the card). A 218r was used to demonstrate tracking. It's a bit high in the lowest notes but this is fixed.
[b]Oscillator[/b]
- 100% analogue discrete components
- square and triangle outputs, blue bananas are full range outputs for modulation, red knobs are outputs to the mixer
- wide range from very slow LFO to ultrasonic, switchable hi/lo range with fine tuning
- tracking good on about 5 octaves via the 208's keyboard CV in
- variable frequency CV input with attenuverter via black banana
- variable shape CV input with attenuator via black banana
- variable sync input with attenuator via black banana
[b]Noise[/b]
- 100% analogue discrete components
- white banana is full range output for modulation
- red knob is output to the mixer
- variable colour
[b]Mixer[/b]
- tinijax out to feed the 208's preamp
- banana out for mixed modulation
[b]Random voltage generator[/b]
- available on the white banana - a mini slide switch behind the panel selects noise or random, this affects the white banana only, the noise is still available in the mixer when random is used
- clock input via the 208's inverter "to card" socket
- noise colour changes the random voltage
Bill Sequeira kindly did this nice overview. Thank you Bill.
The pictured card is a prototype, the production one will look very similar.
Details:
"This is a Mk I EMS Synthi A from 1971, the first version of the EMS popular
briefcase model. About a year later came the Mk II, also known as Synthi AKS. Mk
I is rarer due to its short production run. According to Robin Wood at EMS about
300 were made. Electronically it's identical to the first version of the VCS3
which was produced between 1968 and 1972. Mk II intruduced a number of
modifications:
* The PSU was redesigned, Mk I PSU is too weak to power a KS (the blue/black
touch keyboard of the AKS) DK1 and DK2 can be used though.
* The output amplification, reverb driver and ring modulator circuits was
redesigned.
* The patch matrix was reconfigured, Mk I has two individual outputs per
oscillator Mk II has only for each of osc 1 and osc 2 only osc 3 has two
outputs. In my opinion the Mk I configuration is much more useful.
* Some switches were added for AKS compatability.
* Prestopatch socket was added. With some work it can be added to a Mk I as
well.
I think all Mk I Synthis and VCS3 came with the beautiful "Morning Mist"
coloured front panel. Later on, most of them had uncoloured metal finish.
I have owned this synth for three years. When I bought it from a guy in Berlin
I was told that this particular unit was originally owned by Manuel Goettsching
of Ash Ra Temple and used by him as well as by Klaus Schulze, but i have not
been able to confirm this so i can't be sure.
Together with Magnus Danielsson I have restored it internally. All electrolytic
capacitors and all but two potentiometers have been replaced. Some failing
transistors has been replaced with "new old stock" transistors of the same kind
that was used by EMS during the 70's. Many trim potentiometers has been replaced
for greater precision. The PSU has been re-organized. One of the transistors
there produces a lot of heat. This one has been moved from the circuit board and
mounted to a larger metal area inside. Many Mk I Synthis and VCS3 has been
ruined due to this transistor being mounted on the board, it has the potential
of burning off the traces of the circuit board. The synth is fully working and
electronically in great shape. Though, due to its age I cannot give any
guarantees and it is sold as is. But I would not expect it to fail anytime
soon.
One thing is missing, there is only one speaker inside. However these can be
bought from Robin Wood at EMS.
"Selling my original vintage EMS Synthi A with its beautiful original DK1 "The Cricklewood" keyboard, all in exceptional and fully working condition !
The Cricklewood keyboard is also fully original and complete except for the oscillator's frequency knob which has been replaced by a multi-turn pot for finer tuning and a switch at the back which allows to switch on or off the gate signal to the Synthi.
The Cricklewood ads a 4th oscillator to the 3 oscillators already present in the Synthi A making the system a 4 oscillator synth ! Plus it can emit dynamic control (velocity control) to any destination available in the matrix !!
Included in this auction are :
- the Synthi A itself with its 22 original patch pins and spartanite case (note the EMS blue tag on the case is gone)
- the DK1 "The Cricklewood" keyboard
- the power cable
- the cable linking DK1 to Synthi A
- the full EMS service manual of Synthi A/VCS3, DK1/2 keyboard & KS sequencer (although there is no KS in the unit I am selling)
- a soft black fabric case for the DK1.
Essentially the same instrument as the legendary EMS VCS3, and sometimes known as the ‘Portabella’, the Synthi A is a self-contained, analogue modular synthesizer system, literally built into its own (genuine) Spartanite attached briefcase. This is a very rare original working example of one of the most revered, versatile, fantastic, and ultra portable synthesizers ever made...
As far as I could see and hear, after several hours spent testing it as thoroughly as I possibly could, this amazing instrument seems to be in full working order indeed. In spite of its age, all pots are noise-free and clean as a whistle, I have never come across any unwanted noise from them, and appear to function as you would expect them to.
Here’s a general rundown of the features of this particular Synthi A:
- 3 Oscillators - all with 2 waveforms and a very wide range
- Filter section - including self oscillating resonance and Stereo Output Filter
- 64 pin matrix routing system - providing infinitely variable configurations, mod possibilities, routings, you name it. It is essentially a 3 Oscillator (4 with the one from the DK1) modular analogue synthesizer packed into a relatively tiny space.
- Ring Modulator
- NOISE generator
- Looping Envelope Shaper - including Trapezoid
- Push Button Trigger
- Joystick - for cross modulation, bi-channel frequency control, panning, etc
- Stereo Audio Out - including individual panning controls for each channel
- Stereo Audio In
- Stereo Phones output
- Built in analogue reverb - really great, especially when it feeds back!
- Built in stereo speakers
- VU meter
And a few other relevant factors to note:
It’s an EMS SYNTHI A, and NOT an AKS - this means that there is NO 'KS' keyboard/sequencer included but there IS a DK1 which is far more pleasant to play.
All 22 original patch pins are included - there’s a couple of pins that sometimes don’t work quite as well as the majority of them, but apparently you can order more online if you want brand new ones
Prestopatch socket - as I don’t have a Prestopatch to try it out with, this is untested, so I don’t know if this works or not, but I really cannot see why it wouldn't seeing the working condition of the rest of the synth..."
"This beautiful AKS was restored and serviced recently. The shape is very good thinking that is an instrument of near 50 years. Some marks of use and time can be seen, take a look the pictures for close detail. But maybe you know that is very difficult to find this kind of instruments with no marks of time or use. Most important is that this unit was never modified, is full original condition with no drills or non reversible modifications that you find in another units usually seen. This unit looks and works like the original. Also includes the very interesting prestopatch socket. This is definitively the best Synthi A version with this features, finish and wild vintage sound.
Some service details are:
Deep cleaning of all electro mechanic elements, potentiometers and switches. All original potentiometers recovered and working smooth now.
Full polarized recap service, any vintage EMS with original polarized capacitors have surpassed the life span, must be replaced. With this service enjoy more decades of reliable capacitors. Taking care carefully of the compatible values and parts for ensure the original behaviour and sound.
Replaced crackled film capacitors. Some vintage EMS suffers from crackle polyester capacitors that need to be replaced for ensure good work. When requeried, new fresh polyester capacitors are used for this replacement
All bad/crap original trimmers replaced with good quality ones. Added precision multiturn potentiometers at VCO tracking for very musical close matching.
Temperature compensation for VCO 1 and 2 following the EMS bulletin. Now the track and tune keeps very stable for long sessions. Finally is possible to play it musically precise.
An Introduction to this Eurorack Generative CV Source video upload by AJH Synth Official
"This is the all-new, Limited Edition DUAL RVG module for Eurorack modular. It is based on the original EMS Random Voltage Generator, providing the functions of the original, but adding substantially more. It uses the same uni-junction transistor ramp & hold circuitry of the original, incredibly rare vintage unit. It produces 2 separate random voltages, that can be triggered by it's internal clock or external gate signals. However, unlike a a common Sample & Hold, it also has random variation of it's internal clock, the amount of which can be added/adjusted manually, or controlled by CV. Additionally, it has a gate output that can be used to trigger other modules in time with it's internal LFO, and also has Triangle and Sawtooth outputs, which are also affected by the internal LFO, although these can also be used as a voltage-controlled LFO, as the module's internal clock speed can also be controlled by CV.
This super-flexible Eurorack recreation is both authentic to the technology, character and behaviour of the original, whilst offering a serious amount of random goodness for experimental, generative music, whilst also having provision for more controlled duties, from regular twin Sample & Hold duties, to voltage controlled frequency modulation.
The Dual Random Voltage Event Generator (Dual RVG) is a faithful replica of the vintage EMS Random Voltage Generator. It is an all analogue design which generates two separate random voltages that can be timed either from the internal LFO or from an external clock. However, one of the most interesting features is that varying amounts of randomisation can be added to the internal clock rate with the Time Vary control - so with this we can randomise time period in addition to voltage.
The TR-IN input allows an external clock to be used instead of the internal LFO. When the LFO is stopped two new random voltages can be generated with each press of the manual Trigger button.
We have added many useful features that were not present on the original design, including Level and Offset controls for both outputs, adjustable Slew on Output 1, control of internal LFO run / stop from an external Gate signal, control of LFO rate using an external CV, and the LFO output is brought out to the front panel as both a Sawtooth and Triangle wave and both of these waveforms are skewed as Time Vary is added to the LFO rate. We have also added a gate output that produces a gate for each internal clock pulse, and this gate length changes in proportion with the time variance. The duty cycle of the gate can also be varied from 1% to 99%.
Module Width: 14hp
Module Depth: 26mm (Including power lead)
Current Usage: 95mA Positive, 70mA Negative
Provisional Information
We have taken the original EMS RVG design and re-created it in Eurorack format, and added many extra features that make it a considerably more useful in a modern day modular system, but of course it can also be used with other synths too and with a suitable conversion cable it can be used with the original EMS VCS3 and Synthi A or Synthi AKS.
Limited Edition
The Dual RVG will be available with either a Black (Dark Edition) or Silver front panel. Just like the original EMS RVG the circuitry uses vintage unijunction transistors for both the ramp and hold and LFO circuits, these are quite rare and we have only obtained enough UJT's to build a limited number of modules, Therefore the Dual RVG module is being released as a once only, strictly Limited Edition of 250 units worldwide.
Expected delivery in first quarter 2022, and it can be pre-ordered from many AJHSynth retailers.
"Selling my beloved EMS Rehberg Logik Synthesizer with external EMS Rehberg keyboard controller. The Logik Synthesizer is in excellent condition, has some very very small surface scratches from normal use over the years. The Logik Synthesizer has Serial No.51. Electronics are in the best condition you can find, like new to be honest. Description of what this Logik Synthesizer contains: VCO, VCF with Phaser Output, LFO, Noise Generator, Slow Ramp Generator, Envelope Shaper, External Input, Portamento, Ring Modulator, Inverter, Output Section. Possibility to add the external keyboard controller. Or an external sequencer. This Logik Synthesizer does have an internal keyboard with black and white knobs, computer look-a-like buttons that looks like a 'normal' keyboard, and can be played like a keyboard. The Logik is a monophonic synthesizer which requires patching using cables instead of the usual EMS pin-patching. Included is the original powersupply which is 18 Volts DC, cables to make patches on the synthesizer, manual on cd-rom in PDF, and connector cable between the Logik and external keyboard controller. EMS Rehberg external keyboard controller. Serial No.96. Keyboard can be used on the Logik Synthesizer, Synthi-E or Synthi A synthesizers. In very good good condition, has some wear of normal use over the years. Keyboard is monophonic." VEMIA - Click on Auctions, Search, and search for 5943.
"Loula Yorke is a live artist and composer who uses sound, video and participation to create noisy artworks. Dancing in the spaces where the personal meets the political, her electronic music practice conjures moments of revolt as well as revealing hidden systems of control.
We met up with Loula at Asylum Studios to chat about her unique improvisational process, relationship to music and art, and her influences along the way.
Black DIY synth with banana jacks at 4:02. Similar in shape to an EMS VCS3 Putney / SYNTHI.
P.S. I did a search on black EMS to see if it was ever mentioned before. I didn't find it but some other interesting posts came up. Every now and then you can find interesting things in the archives just searching on radomn stuff.
"Throwback! This is an extremely rare EMS VCS4 analogue synth from 1969 belonging to Matt Black of Coldcut, it was the first one he ever used. The model never went into production and there were just two prototypes...
It looks like it's in a custom case. You can see the original here. Some info via this post:
"Additonally, the VCS3 was also sold in a plastic breif-case and called the Synthi A. The major Synthi 100 system was based on three VCS3's strung together. Some ultra-rare commercially unavailable synths EMS made include the VCS4 in 1969 which was basically 2 VCS3's plus a keyboard. And the Synthi Keyboard 1 of 1970 was just a VCS3 with a mini 29-note keyboard. Many of these EMS synth's have been used by Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Stereolab, Yes, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Jean-Michel Jarre, Astral Projection, Klaus Schulze, Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke, Add N to (X), The Who, Todd Rundgren, Recoil, Freddy Fresh, and many more."
via AnalogSuicide.
"1972 - Le légendaire EMS Synthi A K(eyboard) S(equencer) en action dans les non moins légendaires studios EMI d’Abbey Road (Londres), dans les mains du vénérable Roger Waters.
Ce dernier semble conquis par ce bijou technologique à l’allure de jouet, présenté dans une petite valise en plastoc, avec son clavier à surface tactile bleu et noir, ses boutons rotatifs en bakélite, ses switches aux couleurs vives, et sa matrice d’interconnections façon « touché-coulé ». Malgré son apparence inoffensive il s’avère assez redoutable à programmer et surtout génère des sons à vous retourner les entrailles. De plaisir.
Dans ce court extrait tiré du somptueux Live at Pompeii (version Director’s Cut) Roger et David (Gilmour) évoquent les technologies, l’évolution de la musique et les possibilités offertes par l’électronique. Ils conviennent que pour faire vivre ces engins il est nécessaire d’avoir la soul, la vibe, l’univers cérébral adapté qui seuls peuvent dompter la machine. Et non l'inverse.
L’extrait se termine sur un rush du très électronique « On The Run » figurant sur l’album Dark Side Of The Moon.
Pour plus d’infos sur le Synthi A (hors de prix !) :
http://fr.audiofanzine.com/produits/avis/index,idproduit,44003,mao,ems_synthi_aks.html
http://www.vintagesynth.com/index2.html
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Music_Studio
http://www.emsrehberg.de/SYNTHI__s/synthi__s.html (instrument VST, pour les fauchés)"
In Googlish:
"1972 - The legendary EMS Synthi AK (eyboard) S (equencer) in action in the equally legendary EMI studios at Abbey Road (London), in the hands of the venerable Roger Waters.
The latter seems captivated by this technological jewel at the pace of games, presented in a small suitcase in plastoc, with its keyboard surface touch blue and black, rotary bakelite buttons, switches its vivid color and its matrix of interconnections a "hit-cast." Despite his seemingly harmless it is quite daunting to program and especially generates sounds to you return the entrails. From pleasure.
In this short excerpt taken from the sumptuous Live at Pompeii (Director's Cut) Roger and David (Gilmour), evoke technologies, the development of music and opportunities offered by electronics. They agree that to sustain these devices must have the soul, the vibe, the universe adapted brain which alone can tame the machine. And not vice versa.
The excerpt ends with a rush of the very electronic "On The Run 'appearing on the album Dark Side Of The Moon.
via Inverse Room, via Muff's:
"You guys will dig this.
Some of you probably know Trevor Pinch from his book Analog Days [Amazon hardcover & paperback, preview on Google books], about the history of the Moog synthesizer. Trevor's a friend of mine--we both teach at Cornell U.--and he recently restored his moribund DIY modular that he built in the seventies. Last night he and our friend James Spitznagel (together they are Electric Golem) played a show here in Ithaca, with Trevor on his synth and Jim using a Mopho, Evolver, Orb, Nintendo DS and various iPhone apps.
Oh BTW sorry these are not better photos. I should have brought a DSLR for this but I had a digital rangefinder camera with me that is not so hot at high ISO. Full set is here (for now): http://inverseroom.creotia.com/golem/"
I contacted Trevor Pinch and he had the following to share:
"Hey Matrix:
I built that synth in London in 1973. I used it til 1975/6 in a collective band/scene in London and then in Manchester - we also had a VCS3 and various gizmos from EMS as one of our band knew Tristram Cary, one of the founders of EMS. By the way anyone interested in EMS should check out the half hour documentary Matt Bates made for Australian TV - 'What the Future Sounded Like'. I was a talking head for that movie. It's got tons of info in it and great clips of Hawkwind, music of early Floyd etc [below].
My synth was kinda in storage before being shipped to the States in 1990. It was smashed up badly in the move and I only started work on it again a few months ago when Park Doing here in Ithaca persuaded me to get it going to jam with Johnny Dowd, Richie Stearns, Brian Wilson, and others for a 'Requiem for Analog TV' show we did at Cornell. Since then I've played out with it a couple of times with Park's band, the Atomic Forces, and once with The Electric Golem with Jim Spitznagel.
The schematics come from the hobby magazine Wireless World August 1973. Tim Orr did the design (he was the same guy who designed the EMS Vocoder). I built it 1973. The Voltage Control filter is online [link]
VCO 1 has square, triangle, sine , and variable mark space (I think in the US they call it duty cycle - adjusting the width of the top of a square wave). It turns out the variable mark space is one of the most musically useful controls I know.
It has three frequency ranges from very low to way up there! There are two VCO inputs with 1 K pots to control the voltage in.
VCO 2 has square, triangle, sine, ramp, and pulse outputs. There are two VCO inputs with 1 K pots ditto.
VCO 3 is a six-step sequencer with an incredible frequency range, with each step selectable and tunable. This is the awesome guts of the beast. There are two VCO inputs with one K pots. You feed the sequencer output as an input into the VCO1 and VCO2 and away you go.
There are also the following modules:
2 voltage control amplifiers
2 exponential converters
A keyboard module for operating a resistor chain monophonic keyboard - I abandoned the keyboard as I could never get it in tune and it sounded better out of tune!
I voltage control filter - band pass or low pass output - band pass only is working
I mixer with three channels and two virtual earth mixers for summing and reversal with three channels each,
White noise source and blue and red noise (variable) outputs
Spring reverb.
Envelope shaper. Not yet working
Two preamps. Buggered.
2 very low frequency outputs. Not yet working.
Sample and hold - Never worked!
Joy stick control and circuits with two pots providing variable X and Y voltages.
The joystick is home built by using three pots (design based on the first one that David Cockerell made for VCS3) my killer control for live performance (think Brian Eno and the way he used the joystick on the VCS3 (Putney)). The joystick was beat up terribly in the move and was the hardest single thing to get working and nicely balanced. Read the story of how the pitch and mod wheel were designed for the minimoog in Analog Days! Having a controller that feels right when you play is for me half the battle.
There is an onboard power supply for 240 volts in and 15v plus and minus and 5 volts plus out. Useless in US! So got new power supply built.
The modules are mainly built on plug in breadboards made by a UK company called Electrokit. So when I blow out transistors - happens all the time - I can unplug for easy access. Also I like to leave it open so shaking the instrument shakes the modules and affects the sound and of course the reverb. Opening the black box is my aesthetic.
Housed in hand machined painted aluminium case (wise choice in hindsight as it is sturdy, light and didn't rust!)
Patch bay is banana plugs, wires and sockets (what we used to call banana plugs or Wonder plugs in the UK). US banana plugs are too big - anyone know where I can get the UK banana plugs from as I need more?
If anyone is interested in my early experiences in playing the synth, they are written up in a chapter in a book by Sherry Turkle, Evocative Objects - the reflection is online at a awesome exhibition, "Remix, Rewind and Replay" at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art which I was on a panel for. http://www.rewindremixreplay.org/pdfs/pinch.pdf
By the way, that essay was written before I got the synth working again. In that essay I said the synth had no name. When I unearthed the old schematics to start soldering work I found I did give it a name, "Stray Capacitance". That's what the synth was like - full of capacitance.
The synth truly has a unique sound : the sonic energy is simply amazing. It can cut through like a chain saw on magic mushrooms - everything sort of feeds back on everything else in various unpredictable ways. Its like a live bucking beast to control. Park Doing says I shouldn't call it a synth and I agree. It's more a sometimes controllable sound and noise maker. John Robert Lennon (aka Inverse Room) on seeing and hearing it in action the other day - said how come it just doesn't explode. It's a miracle that it works at all! Its industrial sound is awesome in a punk band and when playing alongside someone with more varied and sweeter sounds (like Jim Spitznagel can produce) it can cut through and complement and attract attention. With the spring reverb it sends you into space. In the early days we also used to use huge tape loops as well.
That's it!
Trevor"
I'd like to give a huge thanks to Trevor Pinch for taking the time out to share this with us and of course Inverse Room for sending this our way.
YouTube via inverseroom — April 25, 2010 —
"Inverse Room interviews Trevor Pinch, author of "Analog Days" and other books about the history of technology, who demonstrates the DIY modular synth he built in the 1970's.
The thing I find really cool about this design is the step sequencer that can be run at high enough speeds to create, in effect, a new oscillator with primitive custom waveforms. And of course there's the total lack of sides to the case--gotta love that, too!"
Update as of 9:26 PDT: I made a couple of minor updates in case you read it before then. Sorry!
A quick note on posts like this: I hope you enjoy them. If not, just skip them. When I first started the site I used to share my synth dreams but stopped. Personally I get a kick out of them. I won't share every one, just some of the stand outs. The last one stood out for the humor, this one stood out for the design of the instrument. It reminds me of different makers and their approach. As a maker, do you set out to design a synthesizer, an instrument, or both? Are you locked in by the tools, components, and paradigms of what makes a synth? In my dream both the musician and the maker (who never made an appearance BTW) didn't really know what a synth even was. The maker just designed an instrument and the musician just played it. This reminds me of Don Buchla's original designs and specifically the Buchla Music Easel. This was at the birth of synthesis as we know it. What's interesting is his designs weren't meant to be what they are commonly perceived as today. They were meant to be unique instruments, palettes for sound, hence the Music Easel. I heard even his modular systems weren't meant to be complete fixed instruments, they weren't meant to be mixed and matched. Think about that for a bit. They were modular in design, but they weren't meant to be modular in nature. They were meant to be wholly formed instruments. In the following dream the musician reminded me of Marc-Henri and Barry Schrader to an extent. Marc-Henri almost exclusively uses an Access Virus Ti as a music easel for his compositions. Barry Schrader started with Buchla and then moved to FM synthesis for his compositions. You can find an extensive interview with him here.
And the dream...
I had another synth dream last night. In this one I was at an ensemble event held in kind of a classroom/workshop/gym-type of open space at what felt like an old English or New England boarding school - lots of wood, flat tall ceilings, and windows along the length of the far wall. The ensemble consisted of maybe 18 people in a semi-circle with a small audience in front of them, mainly standing, which I was one of. The instructor had each member of the ensemble introduce their instruments. I was in front towards the left of the ensemble and noticed the last two instruments to be electronic desktop boxes sitting on a card table (synth gathering anywone?), both vintage and almost DIY looking in style. I remember thinking, "I know what these boxes are. They are synths! I can't wait to talk shop with the owners and check them out." Well the instructor starts going around the ensemble starting on the opposite side. Each member introduces their instrument and talks a little bit about them and their technique. There were some interesting brass-like instruments. I think there was one based on an alto trombone, but it was just a flat pipe and no horn at the end. Funny side note is my daughter is currently learning to play piccolo. She plays flute in high school band and decided to finally give the piccolo a try as a stretch goal. If you don't know what a piccolo is, it's a tiny flute for super high notes. She said there were tiny versions of most instruments including the trombone. I looked one up and sure enough there is. A tiny trombone not much longer than a foot exists. The instrument in my dream also bore a resemblance to the ribbon controller featured in the Nunomo QUN post, so I'm guessing that's where it came from - some bizarre mix of the two. Anyway, when the instructor/host got around to the last two instruments, it turned out the first was a theremin based synth minus the antennas. It was made of wood and looked vintage. It would have been interesting if not for the next box. That was something. It was black with white and silver sliders, levers, buttons, and knobs. It was a unique instrument custom made for the owner who knew the maker. The interesting thing was the musician wasn't familiar with synths and didn't even see the instrument as a synth. The maker also wasn't into synths. In the dream he was more like a luthier, more of an artist instrument maker than a synth maker. No offense to synth makers! :) Anyway, it was about the size of an EMS SYNTHI and was black with white levers and sliders and had a bunch of esoteric control blocks with non standard names/labels; similar to something like the Hartmann Neuron where controls are familiar but the names are completely different. For some reason it reminded me of a black Lassence uVentury, Modor NF-1, mixed with some MacBeth and Folktek in design, but again completely different. Again, this maker wasn't into synths. This was a unique instrument. After the talk was over the musician gave a little demo. The sound of it. It was like formant analog but the timbers coming out of it were rich and full, not thin or glossy like most formant synthesis. It sounded like nothing I've ever heard before. After the talks were over I walked over to it to check out the controls and design. I wondered if I could touch it and play with it a little and for some reason, as happens in dreams, I knew it was OK so I started playing with it. There was a thin ivory white reed-like lever about an inch and a half long that controlled a female formant timbre. It was amazing. There was an group of lever-type sliders that controlled a multi band formant filter block and I remember thinking, "Oh this is a filter!" There were envelop sliders and other familiar groups that I now forget, but there were a bunch of interesting controls on it that didn't quite match up to common synths. There were additional effects and shaping tools built into the design and everything just flowed like a natural instrument. Again it kind of reminded me in concept to a Hartman Neuron and Modor NF-1, with maybe a bit of Folktek, but it was more vintage and simplistic in design - just a sold black block with white and silver controls. It was definitely designed as a work of art instrument vs. a synth. Similar in concept to the Buchla music Easel as I mentioned in the intro to this dream above. So after checking it out a little and talking to the owner I realized I should take a video of it for the site! I got the OK to film it, pulled out my iPhone, and started trying to capture some of the controls and timbres it was capable of. When I got to that formant female slider it was gone! I couldn't remember what I did to get that sound and I couldn't find the control again. Damn dreams.... And as in many real world sessions I wasn't getting those rich timbres again. I got lost between timbres! I thought my readers would be disappointed in my programming chops for a split second, but then I reminded myself anyone into programming synths will understand and not care, so I kept tweaking. Well, right then, a foster kid boarding at the school distracted me and started talking to me. I hand gestured to him (no I did not flick him off) to hold off for a second because I was in the middle of filming the synth and trying to capture audio. He understood for like five seconds and started talking again. I asked him to give me a sec but he got upset and said I should be there more for people. I felt bad and wasn't getting anywhere with the instrument at that point, so I stopped filming to talk to him before he left.
And that was it! Everything felt right with the kid so that was good, but that instrument! It's gone forever...
00:00 Opening Titles
00:17 Introduction
01:27 Switched On 80s
16:14 Synthesiser Club
19:48 Commercial Break
23:57 Patching Today
35:04 Little Black Boxes
38:53 Video Lab
44:22 Outro
SWITCHED ON 80s - This third series takes an in-depth look into six classic 80s synthesisers, selected because of their interesting and unique attributes
SYNTHESISER CLUB - A short musical demonstration of a synthesiser classic or three, concentrating on 'families' of synths
COMMERCIAL BREAK - Some shameless Memetune shilling
PATCHING TODAY - A deep-dive into vintage modular systems and how to set up a patch on them, starting from scratch, this time using Cybersynthesis techniques to bring an element of surprise to the patches
LITTLE BLACK BOXES - A further look at some classic rack mount studio gear of the 80s and 90s
VIDEO LAB - A look at old video equipment and how to create experimental visuals, concentrating on a specific device in each episode
SWITCHED ON 80s - A detailed presentation on FM synthesis and its history, looking at the DK Synergy (as used on the Tron soundtrack), but mainly the Yamaha DX series of synths
via
Vemia
"People talk glibly of 'museum quality', but if there is one item in this
auction that fits that description, it is this. Firstly, it is very early, and
extraordinarily rare: Serial number 7001, and we believe Robin Wood at EMS has
had his hands on only ONE other example (possibly Eno's?). (On the phone this
week he clarified this - there may have originally been 10 or 15 made
altogether, he guesses, but he has only seen one.) Secondly, the cosmetic
condition is unbelievably good: it honestly looks like it was made in the last
few months, not nearly 40 years ago. The black tolex is so perfectly black,
and the keys so perfectly white, that it is very difficult to photograph. It
is clear that it has hardly ever been used, if ever. It was stored in dry,
secure non-smoking storage at Dartington College of Arts, who owned it from
new. It has been checked over and calibrated by Lucid Sound, is in perfect
working order, and comes with a perfect eight-pin lead."
"IPEM: Established in 1963 as a joint venture between the then BRT and the University of Gent, the Institute for Psycho-acoustic and Electronic Music (IPEM) developed into an important centre of research and a studio where quite a few important composers of early electronica and contemporary music worked. People like Louis De Meester, Lucien Goethals and Karel Goeyvaerts are just a few of the important figures from this exciting period in recent (Belgian) music history.
During this evening, a number of original pieces from the IPEM studio are to be seen (coming from the collection of the MiM) together with the the EMS Synthi 100. The legendary synth in the possession of the IPEM since the 70’s.
We’ll start with a reading by Dr. Micheline Lesaffer on the history of IPEM. Right afterwards, a number of compositions played from from tape by Ivan Schepers, Head of Technolgy at IPEM.
screening: To Speak Or Not To Speak, R. Servais, 1970, 10min. Short animation film by Raoul Servais for which IPEM composer Lucien Goethals made music.
live set by Keith Fullerton Withman partly on the EMS Synthi 100
Screening: Harpya, R. Servais, 1979, 9min. Animation film in which Servais uses a technique with 35 mm projections on a multi-plane with a black back ground. The film won de Palme D’Or for best short-film in Cannes. Here too, the music is of Lucien Goethals is from the IPEM."
"David & Stephen Dewaele (aka Soulwax/2manydjs) have always been fascinated by collecting instruments and recording gear. Their passion hasn’t been born by completism: every new item inspires a world of possibilities. The one item that always eluded them was the EMS Synthi 100—a huge and rare analogue synthesizer, of which there were only 31 ever produced, that can create a near infinite array of sounds."
* David & Stephen Dewaele’s tribute to the EMS Synthi 100
* 48 page book exploring the background behind the album and the history of the Synthi 100.
* 1 x 180g black vinyl
* Vinyl and book housed in a fully art-worked inner sleeve, a perforated ‘patch bay’ outer sleeve and clear PVC bag.
* The book includes a foreword from David and Stephen Dewale, an introduction from 3030, the specific Synthi 100 unit that was used for the album; a history of its creation and an exploration of its sounds; and finally an interview with Ivan Schepers, the IPEM technician who has been 3030’s long-term custodian.
* Art Direction by Ill-Studio.
* Photography by Younes Klouche.
* Written, recorded, produced and mixed at DEEWEE by David & Stephen Dewaele.
"Improvisations on the EMS VCS 3 synthesizer using cross modulation, feedback and nonlinear patching. Recorded in June 2013 at WORM Studio, Rotterdam."
00:00 Opening Titles 00:32 Introduction 01:19 Little Black Boxes 04:41 Switched On Cybersynths 17:31 Synthesiser Club 20:38 Commercial Break 23:02 Patching Today 37:24 Video Lab 41:15 Outro
LITTLE BLACK BOXES - The Korg Wavestation was released in 1990. This rack mount module version, called the Wavestation A/D, was released in 1991
SWITCHED ON CYBERSYNTHS - Ramdomness Tamed. A look at the EMS Random Voltage Generator and the Buchla 200 version of the Magnetic Freak Gaussian module
SYNTHESISER CLUB - Today, its Club Crumar! Featuring the DS2, the Multiman Mk2 and the Synergy digital system
COMMERCIAL BREAK - Some adverts for Memetune related goodies
PATCHING TODAY - on the Buchla 100 - trying to tame the beast!
VIDEO LAB - In this episode we look at some SFX shots and the Ultimatte chromakey system
The MemeTune Programme Credits: Everything in this video was created by B D Edwards (Benge) All music, design, writing, filming and production completed at Memetune Studios, UK, 2024
"Winter 1977/78. Guitar, bass, drums, MiniMoog, EMS Synthi AKS, EMS Vocoder, RMI 300B. David Goessling, Dennis Kelley, & me. Mixolydian Studios in Boonton, NJ, 8 tracks & Don Sternecker engineer. Sometime in 1978 or 79 these tapes were used as pre-show tunes for DEVO. The band WKGB (duo of Dave & Dennis) opened for DEVO at Wollman Rink in Central Park that summer.
Dark skies are overhead,
"Not far". God said.
Black smoke and a dead cat,
Kids today know where it's at.
The air is getting hot,
stoned bliss it's not.*
If I could read your mind
I wonder what I'd find.
(kids today know where it's at)
Dark skies are overhead,
"Not far". God said.
Smoke Rise and a dead cat,
Kids today know where it's at.
*or "stoned kids eat snot" depending on my mood that night."
via the seller: "The Mighty EMS Vocoder System 2000, with 16 bands in excellent condition and 100% fully functional. It looks beautiful. This is the series II, black version with rack ears, handles, dual LED meters and in USA voltage. I am the original owner and it has less than 50 hours on it. I kept it turned off and disconnected from wall power when not in use. 
