Synthesizer Meeting in Kufstein 2007

Title link takes you to some images of the Bluesynths event in Kufstein, Austria. via sequencer.de

Anyone know more about this one?

Update via swissdoc in the comments:
"This is the EEF-Modular owned by Theo from Bluesynths. You have had it on you Blog allready: link

Theo said, it was built in the 80s in Belgium. More on Sequencer.de"

Waldorf Website Reloaded

Looks like Waldorf redid their website. Check it out here:

http://www.waldorfmusic.de/en.html

via swissdoc

Mike Hankinson - The Unusual Classical Synthesizer

"This record is the first L.P. ever recorded using only the Electronic Music Studios "Synthi" VCS-3. This instrument has the capability of producing virtually any sound, but was used purely as a straight musical instrument on this L.P. The only modification - a potentiometer control was added, which gave a sliding octave up or down, by rotating the control, thus extending the keyboard to 5 octaves."

Title link takes you to more info, shots and a stream of the album. Via both J of Schematic Music Company and swissdoc.

Rick van der Linden - GX1

via swissdoc:

"today I found a very nice and rare synthesizer LP at a local flea market: Rick van der Linden - GX1. As the name suggest, the whole record is done with the Yamaha GX1 synthesizer.

It is dated 1977.

Here's the cover of the LP. (pictured)

Some information about Rick van der Linden: link

There seems to be a torrent available for downloading the music"

SAILOR: 'All I Need is a Girl' - Mystery Keytar

Embedding is unfortunately disabled on this one, so click here to watch. Anyone know more about that keytar? Looks like a custom job.

via swissdoc: "found this nice big and heavy keytar while watching a German TV show from the past "Musikladen - TV Discotheque International", that show was aired for a longer time, that section is taken from 1978. Found the clip allready on youtube. It is actually Sailor with 'All I need is a girl'"

Formant Modular Brochures

Remember the Formant Modular? Swissdoc scanned two brochures and sent them my way.

"I spent some quality time in scanning and editing to pdf two Formant Brochure from the company ICA which was selling those kits back in the late 70s till early 80s"

First Brochure
Title as JPG
Second Brochure
Big Formant from the Brochure
mirrored here

Terratec Promedia Waldorf micro Wave PC EWS Synthesizer Module for the PC

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

via this auction

Here's something you don't see often. A Waldorf synth that sits in a PC drive bay.

The Waldorf microWavePC or micro WavePC. Curious what the EWS stands for. Electronic Wavetable Synthesizer? Excellent Waldorfian Supersynth?

P.S. I swear I've seen one before, but this just might be the first one to be featured on the site.

Update via Swissdoc:

"It [EWS] stands for Eierlegende WollmilchSau. Terratec used the EWS name for a series of soundcards.

The term 'eierlegende Wollmilchsau' is often used to describe product, which can do everything and more. It describes an animal, which is a hybrid out of chicken (can lay eggs), sheep (produces wool), cow (gives milk) and pig (in German Sau or Schwein). Translated it would then be: egg-laying wool-milk-pig. This is not working out in English, since the English language is missing the option of composing new words out of existing. Like Donaudampfschif...

There is a German Wikipedia entry for EWS only. But here is a nice visualization, of how a EWS may look like.

Coming back to the Terratec microWave PC. This a special version of the Microwave II/XT, but it runs a different OS. The latest OS for Microwave II/XT was not ported over back in time, so the Terratec microWave PC lacks a few features. On Sequencer.de there was a recent thread about soundsets for the Terratec microWave PC, where forum member Summa posted some converted banks. I made it available for download."

Knobcon 2016 Marc Doty Lecture Synthesizer Myths

Published on Sep 11, 2016 TheWindyTown Videos

"Knobcon 2016 Marc Doty Lecture Synthesizer Myths"

This one in via swissdoc.

Chopped CS2X Minus Keys

This one was spotted by swissdoc on richardo.ch.


It almost looks like a more powerful piece of kit without the keys.

New York School of Synthesis - Intro to Synthesis

Intro to Synthesis Part 1 - The Building Blocks of Sound & Synthesis

YouTube Uploaded by matrixsynth on Jan 4, 2012
Videos for parts 2 and 3 further below.

Update2: Dean also wrote The Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers & Drum Machines (on Amazon here).

Update: Details on how to get your own New York School of Synthesis T-shirt here!

Also see: The Yamaha DX7 II FD D Video Manual by The N.Y. School of Synthesis

Dean Friedman of New York School of Synthesis back in the day. This is a great intro to sound synthesis. Currently Dean is an indie recording artist with a slew of international chart hits and critically acclaimed albums to his credit. You can see what he's currently up to on his website www.deanfriedman.com and his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/deanfriedman.

I want to thank Dean Friedman for giving me the permission to put these up and swissdoc for sending them.

Dean Friedman on Wikipedia - be sure to see his full bio for his musical accomplishments. The following is just a portion pertaining to his book on synthesis, the "New York School of Synthesis", and this video:

"In 1985, Friedman produced a seminal work on the newly emerging synthesizer industry called Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines. Whilst dated, this tome is still of use in evaluating devices that crop up on the second-hand market. Friedman also set up the "New York School of Synthesis" and provided a series of videos entitled Intro to Synthesis'. Friedman presents the rudiments of this topic in an audio-visual format, whilst incorporating a unique sense of humor." Note the videos must be from 1988 or later as they reference the Korg M1. Thanks goes to Caixa in the comments for catching this.

You can find Dean's website here: http://www.deanfriedman.com/

Synth Trivia: At the end of the video the credits mention the synths were provided by The Music Connection in Happinger Falls, N.Y. I did a quick search on them and nothing came up.

Note: I added a link to this post in both the Synth Books and Synth Movies sections. There's actually two copies of Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines on Amazon [link] at the time of this post.

Intro to Synthesis Part 2 - Types of Synthesis & Programming Examples

Intro to Synthesis Part 3 - Additional Synth Features, Performance Controls & Wrap Up

[HQ] - The Twins - Love System - Musikladen Folge 86 - 03.05.1984

YouTube Uploaded by phoenixcosma2 on Nov 30, 2010
via swissdoc. Roland Jupiter-6
"Die Gruppe "The Twins" mit dem Titel "Love System", aus der
Sendung "Musikladen" Folge 86 vom Donnerstag, den 03.05.1984.
Künstlerinfo: http://de.Wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twins_%28Band%29 ++
Quelle: Bayerischer Rundfunk ++ HP: http://www.BR-Online.de ++"

Rolamtech Synth Stuff

Click here for some details and samples of the following:

PEAVEY PARADOX – The Synth that Was Not
Paia Fatman Page
MFB Synth Lite 2
Cheetah MS6
Evolution EVS1
Novation Bass Station
Ensoniq ESQ1
Oberheim Matrix 1000

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roland V-Synth Patches

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

via this auction

"V-Synth patches. New. Never installed them."

Update: the samples appear to be of the Kinetic Sound System. I thought it was just the maker of the disk and it slipped my mind. Thanks goes to swissdoc for catching it.

This is one of those things likely I only found interesting. Note the Roland logo. First, it reminded me of Duran Duran's 1st album & early singles during the Planet Earth period. Just thought it was interesting from a design perspective. Where did it originate? Second, I don't recall seeing this particular Roland logo before. I was curious if this was a valid Roland logo or one made up by someone for the CD. I have no idea if it is an official CD from Roland. I ran a quick search on Roland logos and found it, but... It appears to be associated with their printer products? Via Sign Shop: "Currently celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, Roland DGA Corp. has once again been recognized by InfoTrends, Inc. as the leading North American provider of digital printers for the durable graphics market. According to the InfoTrends 2010 Quarterly Wide-Format Tracking Shipping Project report, Roland sold nearly twice as many printers in 2010 priced under $30,000 into the North American marketplace as its nearest competitors."

I didn't know Roland made printers.

Anyway, consider this your random synth trivia for the day...

If you've seen this particular logo used for other Roland synth products, feel free to leave a comment.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Polynomial.com

Polynomial.com

Too many synths to list. You'll find samples, pics, and various resources on tons of synths.

This one in via swissdoc.

Diggin' In The Carts - Documentary on the Composers of Japan's Original Video Game Music

Published on Aug 28, 2014 Published on Aug 28, 2014

This one in via swissdoc. This is a playlist of trailers and excerpts from Diggin' In The Carts, a documentary on the composers of classic video game music. The first video is a good intro. The third video is an excerpt from the documentary. Forward to 5:35 and turn on CC for English subtitles in this video for the technical bits. Don't miss the waveforms at 6:49. Great stuff.

YouTube description:
"Watch the full series here: http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/diggin

Diggin' In The Carts is a new series from Red Bull Music Academy about the untold story behind the most influential music to come out of Japan.

For many of us, the music of video games played more in our households growing up than any other form of music. Over six episodes Diggin' In The Carts shines a spotlight on the composers who created a style of music that has had an immense impact on modern pop culture. From the personal studios of these legendary composers, to the concert halls of Japan where symphony orchestras are performing their compositions to sold-out crowds today - the series will document how the music of video games was created, what inspired it, and how it evolved into its own cultural phenomenon. Peppered with commentary from some of modern music’s finest DJ’s, musicians and electronic producers from around the world, the documentary also shows the influence these Japanese composers had on the world - and the world of music.

@RBMA
#diggininthecarts

Music Credits:

WALTZ OF MEDITATION PART 2
Hitoshi Sakimoto
Magical Chase - (c) (p)1991 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.

BLOODY TEARS
Konami Sound Team
Castlevania II Simons Quest - (C)Konami Digital Entertainment

HEBEREKE
Naoki Kodada
Hebereke - (C) Sunsoft"

Sheila E. - The glamorous life 1984

YouTube Uploaded by fritz51313 on Dec 13, 2010
More synth spotting via swissdoc. JX3p and Wave 2.2
Sheila E. - The glamorous life 1984

Sheila E - The Glamorous Life (Live 1985)

Uploaded by debandana on Jul 2, 2010

"AMA"

Synths in TV and Film

Note: some of the videos below have been pulled from YouTube, but I'm keeping mention of them up as a reference that they are out there.

Let the page load before scrolling - it's a long one.
Be sure to see the Synth Movies list and see the Synth Movies and Synth TV and Film labels for more.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Synths: ARP 2500 played by Phillip Dodds, head of ARP Engineering, Yamaha CS-?.


2. Fame Synths: ARP 2600, MOOG Minimoog

CLICK FOR MORE »

New UDO SUPER 6 Product Presentation Brochure

This one in via swissdoc.

via UDO:

"We are keen to share some news on our upcoming product the Super 6.

We have provided a link to a Product Presentation we hope you find it of interest. This is public information so please share as you see fit.

Thanks from everyone at UDO Audio for your continued support."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Casio FZ Series Sample Discs

via swissdoc

"got this today via a non eBay auction. Mostly untouched and some discs
in the original sealing. One pack completely un-opened."

PPG 300 Modular Suitcase

detailed pics here

via swissdoc