monophreak EMMY1OH1 Software Editor for the Roland EM-101 Preset Desktop Synthesizer

via Monophreak

"With the right firmware mod (that’s right – no mysterious hacky soldered in dials) for old board Roland EM-101 machines, the EM-101 is no longer a preset machine. Often billed as a cutdown Juno 106 restricted to just 24 presets, this box previously had some interesting uses but didn’t really deliver as an anlogue beast in my arsenal. It was too restricted. Until now. Due to the amazing work by Ryan (Plutoniq), the EM-101 has been give a new lease of life and transformed into a strong addition to my music making and since the parameters can now be controlled over midi CC, I have written an editor to load in presets from the Juno 106 and MKS-7, extended to a new Roland EM-101 format with naming and created a preset saving system and librarian for patch recall. It’s not a Juno 106 but it is a very nice sounding a machine with it’s own character sharing a lot of parallels. If I have understood correctly (there could be inaccuracies!), it has a M5232RS tone generator chip with 36 (I think) waveforms that are beautifully shaped by Roland analogue fitters. A good example is the IR3109 VCF filter, found in a the Jupiter 8 or M5241L VCA found in the MKS-70. If you look at the chip list, there are lots of shared electronics that overlap between Junos, Juipter and other quality Roland gear of it’s time, giving it character. Notably, the MN3009 and MN3101 chorus chips shared by the Juno 106 chorus. It has interesting analogue effects on board but the chorus particularly shines due to the much greater CC control (as you can see from the screenshot). That chorus is gorgous, adds that analogue sheen and processing. I spent last night building up a preset bank for the EM-101 to release with the editor (and check bank functionality) and got lost inside this little beauty."

If you forget the EM-101 you can find some pics and demos in previous posts.

This one is in via monophreak in the comments of this post and this post.

Roland EM-101 Sound Plus - filter mod

video by wildchurch

"video in two parts:
1. brief demonstration of filter adjustment
2. multi-tracked piece (all EM-101 except drums)

--------------------------------------------------------------
the Roland EM-101 is an analog sound module from the mid-80s
it's all about preset sounds and has very basic MIDI functionality
there are 2 banks: ensemble (polyphonic) and solo (monophonic)
there's also a 3rd hidden bank accessed through a button press/power on combination

the EM-101 is paraphonic and any VCF adjustment requires opening the case to access trim pots
i've simply replaced these with potentiometers mounted to the front panel

while this allows adjustment to the sounds, it's not a particularly practical solution from a playing point of view
the available space to mount the pots is very tight making it too fiddly for musical adjustments

a better solution would be a break out box with a decent cable length so the controls could be positioned ergonomically
in addition, this could incorporate switch jack sockets for foot pedal control (especially for the ensemble voices)

depending on selected preset, the filter has variable impact on the sound, from barely noticeable to harsh self-oscillation
it's impact is most evident on the solo voices but it can also give a pleasing sizzle to some ensemble sounds"

Roland Museum Germany Massive Synthesizer Selloff - Most Gear for Sale in a Single Auction

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

This one in via Marko of Retrosound.de.

26.000,00 Euro gets it all.

via this auction

Someone needs to contact the Guiness Book of World Records. Longest list of gear for sale ever:

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Synamiitti 2015

Published on Sep 6, 2015 Petri Kauppi

"Turun syntetisaattoriseuran Synamiitti 2015"

Video from this year's Synamiitti synth event in Finland.

Some details on the event via http://synamiitti.com for the archives:

"12:00-18:00 Synamiitti, Loads of synths on display
The Daytime event is free of charge and the bar is open.
Päivätapahtuma on ilmainen ja Dynamossa on A-oikeudet.
AFTERPARTY
21:00-02:00 Live performances by:
RONSKIBIITTI (21:30)
MR VELCRO FASTENER (22:30)
visuals by:
VJ TURU SANOMA
Ovet/doors 21.00, liput/tickets 6e, ennakot/advance 8raita & Ticted
The Afterparty is presented by: TELMU & Turun Syntetisaattoriseura

ON DISPLAY / PETTING ZOO

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Roland Juno 106 & Rolanda Beat Feat: Roland TR-33, SH-101, EM-101, Boss DB-33, DR-110 (No Talk)

video upload by Keyboard Kingpin

"Come Explore the legendary sounds of the Roland Juno 106 and an array of iconic Roland gear! Featuring the TR-33, SH-101, EM-101, Boss DB-33, and DR-110, this beat-driven journey is all about pure music with no interruptions. Dive into the synth magic and rhythm of these classic instruments. Also Don't Sleep on Rolanda!! She is an Instrument in herself."

Roland EM-101 SoundPlus analog sound module demo (1985)

Published on Mar 21, 2018 Dr Ralf Madness

"A Berlin-school track only made with this rare sound module.it produces Juno-6/60/106 like pure analog sounds.The filter and DCO/VCA come from the Juno-6.Sequenced by MFB Step-64 and played with Roland A-30 keyboard."

You can find additional posts featuring the Roland EM-101 here.

Roland EM-101 SoundPlus Analog Midi String Machine - Juno-106

YouTube Uploaded by SynthesizerDemos on Jun 14, 2010

"Demo of Roland EM-101, an early Midi module from the early 1980's. This module is analog and has similar voice architecture to the Juno-60. It is modeled on the String Machine/Poly Ensembles of the 1970's, such as the Arp Solina and produces Analog Strings, Analog Brass and the like."

Roland EM-101 Sound Plus Synth Hidden Presets Demo

Published on Jan 8, 2018 Kemek

"A quick demo of the functions and presets of the unusual Roland EM-101 Sound Plus analog synthesizer module. Includes the hidden presets as well."

Voltron Meets Moog

And I'll Form The Head - Voltron Music by Praxis Axis

YouTube Uploaded by PraxisAxis on May 8, 2011
[Re-posted. This one was a casualty of the recent Blogger outage.]
"Voltron. Yeah! This video proves once and for all that Chuck Norris *can* be beaten. Original music by the Axis of your Praxis. Don't forget to subscribe, you PUNKS.

Dedicated to Sprinklerhead.

Gear I used:
Little Phatty
Voyager
Electribe S mk II
TX81Z
MU80
Casio SK-1
Some other stuff I've forgotten.

By the way there's some fairly straightforward arithmetic encoded in this tune... 10 points to anyone who can figure it out."

Powerup Happytime

Uploaded by PraxisAxis on Nov 25, 2010

"This track is just one from our upcoming album; it's not available yet but it will be soon. If you had fun, please subscribe... we'll be doing more videos.

Info:
"Powerup Happytime" Performed by Praxis Axis.
Composition/recording/mixing/editing etc Thomas Green
Video and artwork by Thomas Green
Trumpet: Clint Allen
Guitar: Paul Henderson
Keys: Thomas Green
Bass: Sam Vincent
Drums: Mark Henman

Principle Artistic Concept Advisors, and additional artwork:
Charlie Green and Toby Green

This track has not yet been professionally mastered. If you like it, stay tuned for its online release on an upcoming album by Praxis Axis. Note that this video's audio quality is better at higher definition settings (bottom right of the video screen).

Synths used:
Moog Little Phatty
Nord Stage EX 88
Korg Electribe SMKII
Roland EM-101 Sound Plus
Hammond Autovari 64
Yamaha TX81Z"
And the gear candy:

Just Stay Home (and play synthesizers)

Uploaded by PraxisAxis on Mar 7, 2011

"A line out of the song Inner City Pressure by Flight of the Conchords served as the inspiration to this tune. The Flight of The Conchords is a totally rad duo from NZ. You can see their song here http://www.youtube.com/user/FOTC0123

For fellow synth geeks here are the ones I used:
Moog Voyager Electric Blue
Moog Little Phatty
Korg Electribe ES-1 mk II
Yamaha DD-7
Yamaha Portasound PC-50
Yamaha TX81Z
Roland Sound Plus EM-101
The delay, reverb and vocoder are audio plugins.

Starring:
Thrusterhead and Friends"

Roland EM-101 Sound Plus - filter mod - mkII

video by wildchurch

follow-up to this post.

"A quick update on my EM-101 filter mod...

I wasn't happy with the previous approach - trimmer pots mounted to the front panel - it was too fiddly to make any meaningful adjustments.

So here's an improved version - a breakout box connected via a 9-pin D-sub cable.
Proper sized pots to play with, plus the option for foot pedal control.

Cheers!"

Super Fat Analog Roland Guitar Synth Video

Super Fat Analog Roland Guitar Synth - GR-300 VG-99 Control Voltage MIDI Demo

Published on Nov 26, 2012 by WayneJoness

"http://www.joness.com/gr300/vwham.htm Inspired by the original Analogger GR-300 video using control voltages [embed added below], this clip shows a simple VG-99 GR-300 patch being modulated using MIDI CC commands for filter cutoff and resonance. With its built in effects, including poly compression which puts a compressor on each individual string, the VG-99 is capable rich, thick, analog synthesizer tones. In this demo, the two VCOs of the GR-300 are layered in 5ths for a fatter sound."

Update: some additional info from WayneJoness:
"Quite some time ago, I was really impressed with a demo of the Roland GR-300 that Analogger did, using a MIDI sequence, then converting the MIDI sequence to control voltages using a Roland MPU-101, and then taking the output of the MPU-101 to the CV/filter pedal input on the GR-300.

So I thought: couldn't you do this directly with the VG-99? It would be easy to make a basic MIDI sequence that would send MIDI CCs to the VG-99. I came up with a simple pattern and added a drum loop. See the video below. Most of this video is me playing a four note pattern on the VG-99: E, G, F and Bb, with the VCOs tuned in 5ths. In some sections I added a top note on the high E string, and in other sections, I just played minor chords: Em, Gm, Fm and Bbm. I added in a low bass at one point, with the second VCO pitched one octave down.

I used poly compression and regular compression to reduce the natural attack of the GR-300 to give it more of a keyboard sound. Anyway, I was surprised at how analog the entire thing sounds, it fell together quickly, and I spent as much time tweaking the video as I did playing the track! Because of the nature of the GR-300 waveform, and the fact that the guitar almost never plays the same note the same way twice, I think this is very convincing analog simulation, on par with the best virtual analog synths."

Update 9:47PM: Here's the Roland GR-300 video referenced in the description above.

Roland GR-300 Guitar Synth (filter modulation)

Uploaded by Analogger on Jul 18, 2007

"Greetings everybody! Please check out my new Myspace music page when you get a chance. The project goes by the name "Mr. Dithers." thanks!

http://www.myspace.com/mrdithersnoisebox
I have this immaculate Roland GR-300 guitar synth and the G-707 guitar controller. (I have the 505 as well which actually works better with the GR-300 but I wanted to test the 707 with the 24-pin cable I bought on Ebay!)) I am not really a guitar player but wanted to use the 300 for textures - kind of like what Andy Summers did with his on certain Police tunes. The GR-300 is not midi in any way. It is triggered by a guitar equipped with a GK-1 pickup and rare 24-pin cable. The GR-300 features six voltage controlled oscillators (VCOs)-one for each string. It also features a hexa-fuzz unit (again one for each string) which can be layered with the VCOs. You can also blend the actual clean guitar sound as well. The key to the sound is that the VCOs and Hexa-fuzz go through a beautiful fat 24dB analog filter. The cutoff and resonance are adjusted from the guitar. However, in the back of the unit you will find an input for an expression pedal. This is designed to sweep the filter to give you wah-wah efx. This is for all the synth geeks out there who are compulsive 'tone chasers.'"

Also see this post for the GR-300 on it's one.

Korg Electribe ER-1 Drum Machine Through Roland RE 101 Space Echo & Yamaha EM 90 Ensemble Mixer

Yamaha EM 90 Ensemble Mixer w/ Drum Machine, Spring Reverb test Published on Dec 5, 2018 SUBTOKYOSHOP

"Yamaha EM 90 Ensemble Mixer w/ Analog Drum Machine, Spring Reverb 70's Rare Vintage Test

+ Roland RE 101 Space Echo
+ Korg Electribe ER-1 Drum Machine"

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Update via subtokyoshop in the comments:

"Hi, I am Shin subtokyoshop, I like to add one point, this main drum sound is from yamaha EM-90 mixer, it contains vintage analog beatbox and spring reverb inside. Korg ER-1 is for adding some drum sounds for EM-90. thank you for attaching my youtube anyway."

Note this is the first post to feature the Yamaha EM 90.

Vintage Synth Scans

Click here for pdf scans of various synth brochures and articles. I tried to list all models below. Apologies for the long list but if you are searching for this stuff via your favorite search engine, this is the only way it'll come up, and finding that oddball rare scan can be absolute gold.


Roland
JX-8P and PG-800, JX-3P and PG-200, Jupiter-6, Juno-106, Synth Plus-60 (HS-60), SH-101 and MGS-1, EP-50, MPU-101, MPU-103, TR-707. TR-909, TR-606, TB-303, CR-8000, CR-5000, SBX-80, MSQ-100, MSQ-700, JSQ-60, BOSS Dr. Rhythm DR220A and DR-220E, Alpha-DRUM DDR-30/PD-10/PD-20, Alpha Juno-1 and Alpha Juno-2, DEP-5, DG CMU-810 Compu Synth, Juno-106, Juno-6, Super JX JX-10, MKS-100, MKS-50, MKS-7, MKS-70, SBX-80, SDE-3000/1000/2000, TR-505, Octapad PAD-8, TR-727, Jupiter-8, MC-8, System 700, CPE-800, VCA-800, System 100M, System 100, Jupiter-4, Promars, SH-2, SH-09, CSQ-600, CSQ-100, SH-1, SH-5, SH-2000, SH-7, SH-3A, SH-1000, VP-330, RS-09, RS-505, SA-09, SIP-300, SIP-301, SPA-240, SPA-120, SPV-355, SVC-350, SBF-325, SDD-320, SPH-323, SMX-880, SRE-555, RE-502, DC-30, DC-20, CR-78, CR-68, TR-66, MKB-1000, MKS-30, MKB-300, MKS-10, MKS-80, MPG-80, JX-3P, MC-4, MM-4, MC-202, MIDI-DCB, MTR-100, CV Interface, Piano Plus-400 HP-400, Piano Plus-300 HP-300, RE-150, RE-501, RT-1L, MPU-104, MPU-105, Cube-100 (CK-100), Cube-60 (CK-60), Cube-40 (CK-40), KS-2, KS05, KS-6, KS-11, KS-1000, TB Series Carrying cases, PSA AC Adapters, KS-1100, SC series soft cases, AB series resin-molded cases, MR-1, RH-10, DP-2/6, FS-1/2/3, M-16C/64C, BR-2/3, RD-1000, MKS-20, MKB-200

Yamaha (note the documentation adds the - in the descriptions. So you CS70M in the title, but CS-70M in the body). I thought that was interesting.
CP-30, CP-20, GS-1, CP-10, CP-11, CS-70M, CS-40M, CS-20M, MQ802, CP-80, SK-50D, SK-15, CS-15D, CE-20, CS-01, CS-15, CS-5, SK-30, SK-20, SK-15, SK-10, GS-2, CE-20, MA-10, MM-10, MH-10, KS-50, KS-100, E1005, E1010, MQ802, CP-80, CP-70B, CP-35, CP-25.

Korg
PS-3300, PS-3200, PS-3100, PS-3010, PS-3040, PS-3050, PS-3001, VC-10, MS-10, MS-20, MS-50, SQ-10, MS-03, MS-02, MS-01, 800DV, 700S, 900PS, M-500SP, PE-2000, PE-1000, KA-180, FK-3, FK-1, V-C-F, Mr. Multi, SE-500, SE-300, EM-570, SP-2035, SM-20, Mini Pops 120W 120P, Mini Pops 7, Mini Pops 45, Mini Pops 35, Mini Pops Junior, Korg Quartz, WT-10A, GT-6, RT-10,

Vintage Synth Story - magazine scans
Crumar DS2, Sequential Circuits Pro-One, RSF Kobol, Roland TB-303 and TR-606, TR-808, PPG Wave Computer, PPG Wave 2, Oxford Synthesizer Company OSCar, EMS Polyvoks, Oberheim OB-X, Octave-Plateau Voyetra Eight, EMS Polysynthi, Moog Minimoog, LinnDrum, Korg PS-3100, Korg MS20, EMS Synthi AKS, ELKA Synthex, ARP Sequencer, ARP Quadra, Korg Polysix, Korg PS-3200, Moog System 3P, Korg Trident mkII, Moog Liberation, Memormoog, Mutron Bi-phase, Oberheim 2 Voix, Oberheim Xpander, PPG Wave 2.3, Roland CR-78, Roland VP-330, RSF PolyKobol, Moog 960 and 961, Sequential Circuits Prophet 10, Vox Super Continental, Yamaha CS-15, ARP, Chroma, Sequential Circuits Drumtraks, EMS Vocoder 5000, E-MU Drumulator, Korg Story, Yamaha CS70M, Korg, Synton Syrinx, Roland MC-4, Oberheim 6 voix, Simmons SDS V, Simmons SDS.3, PolyKobol RSF, Keyboards Synthe Story Part 1 and Part 2.

12/10-19/25 Metasonix D-2000 + Make Noise Maths + Roland SH-101 + Gieskes Starving Binary + (…)

video upload by Cfpp0

"12/10-19/25 Metasonix D-2000 + Make Noise Maths + Roland SH-101 + Gieskes Starving Binary + Alesis MIDIVERB II + Peavey 1310 + Yamaha EM-100 + DBX 119 + ElectroComp EML 200

This was a test from earlier this month of a rack we installed above the Metasonix D-2000. There are two Make Noise Maths and a Gieskes Starving Binary triggering the D-2000. The D-2000 is heard as is, but it is also heard through the DBX 119, which gates the signal, and also gates a drone from the ElectroComp EML 200, which is fed through the DBX 119 at the same time. The Roland SH-101 is played manually, through a Peavey 1310 delay into a Yamaha EM-100 mixer, with the preamps cranked up and the internal spring reverb on. Everything has some Alesis MIDIVERB II."

Roland EM-101 Sound Plus

via this auction

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Roland EM-101 Analog Synthesizer

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

via this auction

You can find demos of one in previous posts here.

Roland EM-101 Sound Plus Vintage Analog Sound Module

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

via this auction

Pic of the inside below.

You can find a few demos in previous posts here.

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Roland EM-101 Sound Plus Preset Sound Variations

video upload by SUBTOKYOSHOP

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Circuit Bent Roland EM-101

YouTube via circuitmaster of GetLoFi.com

10/12/25 Roland SH-101 + Peavey 1310 + Yamaha EM-100 + CXM 1978

video upload by Cfpp0

"Transposing a sequence on the Roland SH-101, with it’s audio output running though a Peavey 1310 delay, with one output panned center in the Yamaha EM-100 mixer, with the EM-100 internal spring reverb. The other 1310 output runs through another Peavey 1310 delay, which also runs through the EM-100, panned left, with spring reverb and a hotter impedance. There is also a little bit of stereo reverb blended on the CXM 1978.

NTS:
13 mile run, Canadian jets, Italian parade"