Oberheim Xpander FM exploration

video upload by Collector Current

"Exploring FM bell sounds on the Oberheim Xpander. Recorded in mono without effects."

Moog Memorymoog with MIDI & Extras SN 2361

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

via this listing

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Wine Country Sequential Is Winding Down

This the end of an era. Wine Country Sequential was formed by ex Sequential Circuits employees when the original Sequential Circuits went under. They specialized in servicing and providing parts for vintage Sequential Circuits synths. I actually own a Wine Country "Perfect Prophet-5" myself.

via Wine Country Sequential:

"The Long & Winding Road Ends..Soon

It's been 46 years since musicians experienced the polyphonic sounds of a Prophet-5, and 41 years since the Prophet 600 introduced MIDI to the world. Sequential Circuits Prophets have made significant contributions to music, film, & theatre for decades. Since 1987 keeping the Prophet sound alive has always been the goal of Wine Country Sequential, and it's been a long and interesting ride. The ride is now over, Wine Country Sequential repair services for Sequential Circuits Prophets ended in December 2023. However, Wine Country Sequential remains open for business as the liquidation of original Sequential Circuits parts & manuals in order to help vintage Prophets survive in the decades to come.

Liquidation of Sequential Circuits parts, manuals & archival documentation continues. Original Operation & Technical Manuals, Printed Circuit Boards, custom IC's, sound programs, Diagnostic ROMs and various other parts are available for most Sequential Circuits instruments. Wine Country Sequential will remain open for business in 2024 until the parts are gone.

Visit WineCountrySequential.com and SequentialCircuits.com for updates reflecting current availability of parts as the liquidation continues.

The Last Restored & Warranted Prophet 600 for sale by Wine Country with a 30 Day Parts & Labor Warranty is currently posted on SequentialCircuits.com at https://sequentialcircuits.com/prophet600forsale.html

Coming soon to SequentialCircuits.com is a Collector's Corner page offering original manuals, memorabilia, brochures, and even complete original engineering fabrication drawing packages for Sequential Circuits Prophets, drum machines, & other synths.

Thank you for your previous interest, and best of luck with your music.

Kind regards from California,

David Sesnak
General Product Manager
WINE COUNTRY PRODUCTIONS INC.
San Jose, CA 95118 USA"

G-Storm Electro Introduces Roland SH5-VCF Dual Filter Eurorack Module Adaptation

video upload by gstormelectro

SH5-VCF Dual Filter Patches + Sounds [Demo #2]


"In this video I will show some cool patches with SH5-VCF Dual Filter.
As per usual, listening w/ headphones or quality monitors is the best audio experience.
Watch your levels, this is a filter demo w/ some resonance ahead.


Check my Reverb store for SH5-VCF, 101-VCO, 2xVCA, 2xADSR availability

Currently I only sell exclusively on Reverb, I hope one day to sell in stores outside the USA.

Timestamps
0:00 Sounds and Intro

0:16 Patch 1 | Fat Liquid Bass
2:44 Patch 2 | Series Cascading the Dual Filters
3:01 Patch 3 | Evolving Sequence
3:47 Patch 4 | Analog Percussion
5:20 Patch 5 | Supersaw! Unison Stack
6:33 Patch 6 | Complex Analog Thing

Oscillator | 101-VCO
Modulations | Batumi, 2xADSR
Control + Sequencing | Keystep Pro
No added effects, EQ, Compression, nor other post-processing."

via this listing

"Time to get a little more serious.

SH5-VCF is an all analog Eurorack adaptation of the Roland SH-5 mixer and Dual Filter. There are no filters-on-a-chip here. The SH5-VCF uses all discrete components and quality op-amps to work its special mojo. Like on the original, the Low Pass circuit is comprised of open-collector matched transistor pairs arranged in a diode ladder configuration. The lack of temperature compensation was also respected, so while the resonance can self-oscillate the v/oct keyboard tracking is about 3 octaves at best. This same configuration used in the Roland SH-1000 and the earlier System 100 (not 100m).

The Dual Filters: VCF + BPF
| VCF | The VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter) comprises one HP (High Pass) and one LP (Low Pass) circuit in series. VCF Select switch can choose 1) HP, 2) LP, or 3) BP (Band-Pass) configuration. Due to the unique design, the HP resonance is actually derived by overdriving the LP circuit.
| BPF | The dedicated BPF (Band Pass Filter) has its own discrete circuit distinct and apart from the VCF. The original BPF circuit has been respected, but greatly expanded upon using a proprietary voltage controlled feedback path to enable frequency control via external signals. This feature wasn’t available on the original design. The original did not have a buffered output jack for the BPF neither, as the SH5-VCF does. The BPF Level attenuator will affect the main output only.

The MIXER
There are four audio signal inputs, each with its own fader pot and filter routing switch. Each routing switch can send each audio line to either VCF, BPF, or both VCF + BPF.

The 3 CV MODULATIONS – Choose Wisely
Incoming CV signals can be used to modulate any filter frequency cutoff. Signals can be up to +/- 10Vpp DC polar or AC bi-polar at the inputs.
| CV1 | has inverting and non-inverting behavior where zero is at 12:00.
| CV2 | has non-inverting behavior for both filters, and inverting available to VCF only
| KB | is a non-inverting V/OCT Keyboard Tracking control available to both the VCF and BPF, typically a Keyboard Voltage – but can be any kind of polar or bi-polar signal.

A Eurorack power connection ribbon cable is included. To get the most out of the filter experience follow your filter with a VCA. The filters require startup voltages on the low end to avoid audible thump, so there will be sub-frequency audio seepage. A post-filter VCA (sold separately) is recommended to gate the filter. Be sure to check out the G-Storm Electro 2xVCA when available.

The SH5-VCF pairs well with (sold separately)…
GSE 101-VCO + 101E output expander
GSE 2xVCA
GSE 2xADSR
Xaoc Batumi Quad LFO

Specs
Width | 16HP
Depth | 35mm
Weight | 6.3 oz
Inputs | 4 audio, 3 control voltage
Outputs | 1 main output, 1 BPF output
CURRENT DEMANDS (measured)
+12V: 48mA
-12V: 48mA
+5V: 0V *not used*"

G-Storm Electro Reverb Shop

New Landmark SSI2130 VCO Chip from Sound Semiconductor

The press release:

SOUND SEMICONDUCTOR INTRO’S NEXT GENERATION VCO CHIP

First New Electronic Music VCO IC in Decades

September 16, 2020 – Sonora, California – Sound Semiconductor today announced the first new audio-band Voltage Controlled Oscillator (“VCO”) integrated circuit in decades, the SSI2130.

The SSI2130 VCO provides unprecedented performance and features for electronic music systems, audio function generators, or other devices that require high-integrity audio waveforms. Based on a precision- generated triangle core, the SSI2130 also produces saw, reverse saw, pulse with width control, and open- collector square wave outputs. Great care was taken to provide glitch-free waveforms.

In addition to buffered voltage outputs, the triangle, saw, and pulse signals are internally routed to a five- channel VCA mixer with two auxiliary inputs. The mixer output is current-mode for easy summing with additional SSI2130 VCO’s and connection to current-input voltage controlled filters such as the SSI2140 and SSI2144.
The SSI2130 also includes a sine shaper that provides a low-distortion sine wave from the triangle output, and a unique “time reverse” pin enables through-zero FM and PM synthesis with the addition of comparator, dual op amp, and handful of discrete components.

The analog multiplier has excellent exponential performance over a ten-plus octave range, and on-chip temperature compensation outperforms all previous VCO IC’s. Exponential input setup is easily accomplished through one or two trims in analog systems, or automated by CPU-based systems. Both hard and soft sync are offered.

The SSI2130 is packaged in a 32-lead QFN package and requires minimal external components. Pricing is $2.25 at 1k pieces and the SSI2130 is in stock now. Samples and an evaluation board are available to qualified OEM’s; hobby and DIY enthusiasts are served through a growing network of Sound Semiconductor’s authorized resellers.

"Our design team has been anxious to develop a new-generation VCO,” stated Dan Parks, President of Sound Semiconductor. "We knew the SSI2130 was going to be good, but it greatly exceeded expectations."

Sound Semiconductor is composed of musicians and technologists with the goal of developing affordable, high- performance integrated circuits for music creation. For more information, please visit www.soundsemiconductor.com.

Collector Quality Roland Juno-60 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer

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

via this auction

"Absolutely stunning example of a vintage Roland Juno 60.
In collector quality cosmetic and working condition.

During our last run on the Joe Walsh tour, I came across this Juno at a tour stop in Florida.
It was living in a rehearsal closet in a private school's music department where it had been set up since new! Though my current interests lean more towards modular synths, I couldn't leave such a beautiful example behind. I cleaned it up and serviced the faders and pots with Deoxit Gold and Faderlube. Everything sounds great without any scratches or pops. You would be hard pressed to find any significant imperfections in the metal or wood ends.
She is ready for her new home!"

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Happy New Year! The Year in Synths 2013

Happy New Year Everyone!

What a busy year it has been in the world of synths.

This is going to be one doozy of a post, so bear with me. This post is a review of the year in synths for 2013. We begin with Tributes to Those We Lost This Year, followed by New Manufacturers & Makers, Older Manufacturers Added to the Site, New Gear Announcements, Top 10 Posts by Traffic,  My Standout Posts for the Year, and finally This Years' Synth Events. I did my best to keep things as short and concise as possible.

Let's begin with the hardest part of the post.

Tributes to Those We Lost This Year

RIP Bernard Parmegiani - Electronic & Acoustic Composer
Lou Reed RIP
RIP Dick Raaymakers aka Kid Baltan
RIP George Duke - DreamWeaver
RIP Ralph Dyck, Sept 28, 1941 – May 20, 2013
RIP Ray Manzarek

All missed and never to be forgotten. Take a moment to remember them.

------

New Manufacturers & Makers

Starting last January, I decided to keep a running list of every new manufacturer and maker introduced to the site during the year.  This is something I haven't done before and I thought it would be interesting to see how many there were in the year.   It's easy to focus on the big synth announcements throughout the year, but what about all the new makers and brands? I shouln't have to go considerably into the significance of new designers on the scene, so I'll just say two things regarding them.  One, the number of new makers is a direct reflection on the interest in our scene, and two, these are the creators of new gear which directly translate into new designs not previously available to us.  Think about that for a moment.  These are makers and designs that did not exist before.  They are part of our synth history.  So what is the total count of new synth designers for the year? A whopping 113. Think about that a bit. One hundred and thirteen new synth designers and brands this year alone.

Here they are (note a handful date back to 2012, but 2013 marked their momentum and availability):

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ETI 4600 Synthesiser Auction Video Overview & Demos

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
YouTube Published on Aug 9, 2012 by MikeyJTUK
4 part video series for this auction.

"ETI 4600 synthesiser demonstration. This is being sold on eBay from August 15th 2012 and ending on August 25th. World-wide shipping is available. This is an overview showing the complete 1970s vintage analogue synthesiser with an overview of the modules and layout.

This synth was a state-of-the-art design when it was conceived back in the1970s. Designed by Trevor Marshall in 1973, this synthesiser was offered in kit form by Maplin Electronic Supplies (in the UK). The parts cost was around £500, and was said to match the performance of synthesisers costing £1500 - that equates to a staggering £15,600 in today's money (according to www.thisismoney.co.uk calculator). This is a collector's dream! This actual synthesiser is featured on the home page of www.eti4600synthesiser.org.uk website, is fully working, and is in great condition considering it is some 35 years old. This synthesiser was built by me in 1977 when I was a teenager and has remained in my possession until now.

Not only is this a great asset for lovers of nostalgia and early electronic music history, but also for the modern day sound design engineer who can sample these great 70's sounds and combine the wonderful early synthesiser sounds with the precision, reliability, automation, and flexibility of modern DAW's!

See the other 3 parts for an in-depth demonstration."

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E-MU SYSTEMS DRUMULATOR PAD PROGRAMMER SN 314

via this auction
"The extremely rare E-MU Pad Programmer consists of four independent trigger sensors with appropriate circuitry, with a common housing and power supply. The power supply is a simple three terminal regulator +5V supply. The input voltage is between 8 and 25 VDC and the current requirements are small enough (around 40 mA when an LED is firing, less quiescently) that heat sinking is not required. The plug in wall unit supplies nominally 10V DC, which is filtered and regulated. The sensor is a piezo-electric crystal mounted in a housing designed to transmit pressure from a vertical strike by a drumstick, and attenuate vibrations conducted by the housing. This assembly is glued together and tested at the factory. Service on these assemblies will generally be by replacement, as repairs are difficult to accomplish and will frequently be unreliable. The sensor produces a substantial voltage spike (10 to 100+ volts), which is loaded by a parallel capacitor and resistor, and rectified by a full wave bridge. The resulting positive voltage is attenuated and applied to one terminal of a comparator. The other terminal of the comparator is adjusted for the desired sensitivity threshold. The trim range is set to stay within the common mode range of the comparator. Positive feedback around the comparator is provided to minimize marginal switching. The comparator output triggers a one-shot which will both swallow any comparator oscillation or multiple triggering, and provide sufficient pulse width for the LED amplifier and for the output trigger pulse. Both of these signals are buffered from the one-shot output.

Probably the most rare and sought after vintage E-MU piece out there, and the most hard to track down besides the E-MU modulator system. The EMU Drumulator Pad Programmer allows you to program the Drumulator (or other drum machines with standard CMOS 5V trigger inputs) in real time with ordinary drumsticks. I was able to trigger my Forat F-16 drum brain with no problems and have a blast, in addition to the Drumulator, so it's very versatile. You can also trigger an analog modular with this unit. If you're an E-MU collector this is not a unit you can pass up. It could be years before you find another one. There weren't too many of these units ever made, and if you can find one it is probably very beat up and not working. This unit is in very good condition. Also the original magazine ad for the Drumulator Pad Programmer is included. This unit was purchased from "Roger Dodger Music", a Minneapolis based keyboard/synthesizer dealer. This may be the only time to snag the E-MU Pad Programmer, as they never come up for sale. The last one came up in 2007on Ebay and didn't work. If you have been waiting for years for one of these units to become available, now here is your chance. Owned by non-smoker without kids and pets.

This auction is for the E-MU Pad Programmer only. Please see my other auctions for the mint Drumulator shown."

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Pet Shop Boys Fairlight CMI Series III for Auction

via this auction
"You are bidding on a Fairlight Series 3 music computer, its an ex Pet Shop Boys system, this unit powers up but currently doesn't boot up from the hard drive (message displays 'insert boot disk') Either the drive was wiped or has a problem. The hard disk powers up and spins up so may well take another format, it will require a set of system disks which are easily available. Current revision is rev5/6. It will need some work to bring it back to full functionality and would be ideal as a project for a collector, musician or studio. The monitor works but is intermittent, so will also need work but this should be a fairly easy fix. The music keyboard has one broken key, and 2 of the keys have been repaired. The qwerty kbd/graphics tablet has the stylus missing ( I have contacts for several replacement kbds if needed) I also have contact details for engineers who can refurb this machine to the later revision 9 Waveform Supervisor and Rev 11.39 MFX2 operating system if needed. This is a very rare opportunity to buy a complete and original system. Also comes with original operating manual and full set of flightcases, please note the keyboard flightcase has suffered major damage on one side and will need rebuilding. This machine is sold as is ,no returns and collection only from Bath in Somerset. I've had several of these systems so if you have any questions please ask. I'll add some more pics when I get a chance. Spec as follows.

Fairlight Series III
Revision 5/6
16 bit stereo
16 XLR audio outputs
1 x XLR mix output
Stereo XLR sampling input
SMPTE card
Midi card (64ch 4 x out/3x in, sync 24 I/O/clock
16 voice polyphony
up to 100Khz sampling

14 Mb RAM
250 Mb internal tape streamer
159 MB internal HD (Newbury Data)
8 inch internal floppy drive

Happy Bidding!"

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Casio ROM Collection

flickr By kyosho collector

"Most of my current ROM pack collection, including my MT-820 and PT-80. Not shown are my MT-800 or PT-82. Still want to add a PT-50 to my collection some day."

ULTRA RARE! VOX JENNINGS UNIVOX 1954 VALVE SYNTH/ORGAN

via this auction

"VOX JENNINGS UNIVOX J-7 VALVE SYNTHESIZER, MADE BY THE JENNINGS ORGAN COMPANY IN WORKING CONDITION! BUILT IN 1954! THE FORE RUNNER TO TOM JENNINGS FAMOUS VOX CONTINENTAL AND JAGUAR COMBO ORGAN LINES! BUILT IN KENT ENGLAND, SERIAL NUMBER 669! WOODEN KEYS, (12) ROCKER TAB CONTROLLERS, VOLUME CONTROL, 3 POSITION VIBRATO CONTROLLER, INCLUDING OFF, (3) POSITION OCTAVE TRANSPOSE CONTOLLER, AND, 6 WATT VOX AMPLIFIER! VOLTAGE SWITCH FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, WE HAVE ADAPTED TO USA CURRENT WITH 3-PRONG POWER SWITCH. KEYBOARD CAN BE ATTACHED TO UNDERSIDE OF A PIANO OR ORGAN, AND USED AS A MONO SOLO VOICE! OF COURSE, IT IS A VERY RARE, A COLLECTOR'S HISTORIC KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT, IT IS COMPLETE, AND IS IN REALLY GOOD COSMETIC CONDITION CONSIDERING ITS AGE, AND OF COURSE, IT SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!! IT NEEDS TLC, AS IT IS A VINTAGE, TUBE DRIVEN INSTRUMENT. THE TONALITY IS AKIN TO THE HUMAN VOICE, AND IT MADE THE 60'S INSTRUMENTAL GROUP, "THE TORNADOS" VERY FAMOUS INDEED, AS THE SOLO SYNTH INSTRUMENTAL VOICE THAT DROVE THE MONSTER 60'S HIT: "TELSTAR" INTO INTERNATIONAL ORBIT! THE CROCKADILE SKIN TOLEX IS IN GOOD CONDITION, A BIT OF SCUFFING AT SOME CORNERS. BRASS LOCKS AND INTACT HANDLE. VOX HISTORIANS AND COLLECTORS WILL BE VERY INTERESTED IN THIS IMPORTANT HISTORICAL FIND. I IMPORTED THIS SPECIMEN FROM ENGLAND MANY YEARS AGO, AND REGRETFULLY MUST SELL IT NOW. THANKS, PAUL"

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Gestures Gear VBlog: Giants Steps on the WX7

YouTube via AccumulatedGestures | February 11, 2011 |

"Sean wasn't happy with his first video playing the WX7 and decided to up the ante and shred some electronic sax on John Coltrane's Giant Steps, and then some general fun playing around with synth tones.

The WX7 is a vintage wind controller made by Yamaha in the late 1980s that is long since out of production. Not having its own built in sound module, the WX7 is here setup to control a Dave Smith Instruments Desktop Evolver via MIDI.

About us:
The Accumulated Gestures are an 8-piece neo-soul/funk band from Perth, Western Australia. With lead vocalist/producer Donovan de Souza being an avid collector of synthesizers and vintage keyboards as well as a current move towards incorporating more synthesizers in our band sound, our Gear VBlog aims to show the strengths and limitations of synth interfaces, synthesizers and other musical gear. The kind of videos Donovan would have liked to see when he was buying electronic gear in the first place. .

Find us at: http://www.myspace.com/accumulatedges... or add us on our more frequently updated page on Facebook."

Gestures Gear VBlog: Roland Juno-106 and Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 Duet

YouTube via AccumulatedGestures | January 29, 2011 |

"Casey plays a quick jam on the Juno-106 and Prophet 600, recorded into Cubase with no EQ or effects. The first half is played with the Juno providing chords and the Prophet providing the lead, before Casey swaps over for the second half.

There is a lot of talk about the slow envelopes of the Prophet 600 but I haven't seen many clips on Youtube really show what it sounds like when in action. Mostly, its flattering strings/pad synth videos that sound incredible. In truth, the envelopes are not a problem for a lot of sounds and it really does sound AMAZING as a string synth, but there are some sounds that are problematic for the software envelopes.

When Casey is soloing on the Prophet, the slows envelopes sound fine and the Prophet VCO sound really cuts through as a nice lead compared to the mellower Juno. However, once Casey switches over to comping on the Prophet the lag of the envelopes becomes quite obvious and distracting. Clearly not a job the Prophet will be filling in our music.

More videos of the Prophet and the Juno are to come. Apologies for the shallow depth of field - still getting used to filming with a Canon 5D.

About us:
The Accumulated Gestures are an 8-piece neo-soul/funk band from Perth, Western Australia. With lead vocalist/producer Donovan de Souza being an avid collector of synthesizers and vintage keyboards as well as a current move towards incorporating more synthesizers in our band sound, our Gear VBlog aims to show the strengths and limitations of synth interfaces, synthesizers and other musical gear. The kind of videos Donovan would have liked to see when he was buying electronic gear in the first place."

Gestures Gear VBlog: Introducing the Yamaha WX7...

YouTube via AccumulatedGestures | January 26, 2011 |

"... to Accumulated Gestures' saxophonist Sean Patrick Little, here playing the instrument for the very first time.

The WX7 is a vintage wind controller made by Yamaha in the late 1980s that is long since out of production. Not having its own built in sound module, the WX7 is here setup to control a Dave Smith Instruments Desktop Evolver via MIDI.

About us:
The Accumulated Gestures are an 8-piece neo-soul/funk band from Perth, Western Australia. With lead vocalist/producer Donovan de Souza being an avid collector of synthesizers and vintage keyboards as well as a current move towards incorporating more synthesizers in our band sound, our Gear VBlog aims to show the strengths and limitations of synth interfaces, synthesizers and other musical gear. The kind of videos Donovan would have liked to see when he was buying electronic gear in the first place.

Find us at: http://www.myspace.com/accumulatedges... or add us on our more frequently updated page on Facebook."

via Obscotch-
Note the Miles Davis poster in the background.

Professor William Hoskins and His Mystery Moog

Pictured to the left is Professor William Hoskins (via). What you see there is not the mystery Moog, but his Moog modular system. This post is about another Moog synth, one most likely based on the Sonic VI. If you have any information on what this synth might be after reading this, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. My contact info is on the bottom right of the site. I have already contacted Michelle Moog-Koussa and Brian Kehew author of Kaleidoscope Eyes A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, as well as Trevor Pinch, author of Analog Days [Amazon hardcover & paperback, preview on Google books], and featured in this exclusive post. I also contacted James Husted of Synthwerks, George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular, Steven Jones of Synthwood, and Carbon111, all of whom know their synth history. None were familiar with what the synth might be.

The story: I was recently contacted by a Paul Rego with the following:

"I've been searching the Internet for over a year now and have not been able find a specific synth. Since you seem to know and work with every type of synth known, I thought I'd ask you...

Around 1973 - 1974, I took private synthesizer lessons at Jacksonville University (Florida). The instructor was Professor William Hoskins and the synth was a custom Studio Moog assembled by Professor Hoskins.

One day, Professor Hoskins showed me his personal, portable synthesizer. He brought out what looked like a brown suitcase. When he opened it, I saw a Moog Sonic VI.

This is nothing new. I've seen lots of images of this synth on the Internet. The one aspect of this particular synth, that I cannot find anywhere, is that it had a touch-sensitive keyboard. The keyboard was made of plastic and had a gray / brown color. Outlining the keys (showing the location of the 'white' and 'black' keys) was an almost medium blue color (about an eighth-inch thick). (He and I tinkered with this synth for about a half-hour to an hour.)

Professor Hoskins passed away several years ago, so I can't ask him about it. I did contact his family but they don't remember anything about this synth.

I do remember Professor Hoskins telling me that he and Bob Moog had 'gone to school together'. I think he was referring to electronics school but I never asked him more about it. I thought I had read somewhere that Professor Hoskins and Bob Moog had briefly worked together on a Sonic VI prototype but I don't know if that's true. (Even if what I saw was a prototype, someone has to own it now and should be proud enough of it to post some photos somewhere.)

I thought the background story might help in your own research on this.

Basically, I'd just like to know if this synth ever existed or am I just not remembering it correctly.

Thank you for your time and attention."

My first obvious guess considering the blue was the Buchla Music Easel or separate Buchla touchplate keyboard modded into the case of a Sonic VI. I sent Paul a couple of links to various images.

Paul replied: "the synth I saw didn't look like the Buchla Easel. Good call though.

The 'blue', which outlined the keys on the Sonic VI I saw was a bit lighter in color than the blue in your photos and maybe had a bit of green in it (closer to turquoise). There was no red or other color on the keyboard (that I can remember) and the entire keyboard seemed to be one piece of plastic with only the blue / green outlines separating the 'keys'.

I also read a story recently about the time when Musonics bought Moog and had a synth ('Sonic V'?) of their own, at that time, but I haven't research this too much yet. One thought I had was the synth I saw was something from Musonics but was never officially released (until it had the 'Moog' name placed on it). I'm pretty sure the synth I saw had the 'Moog' logo and the word 'Sonic VI'. (Not 100% sure but it seems clear in my memory.)"

I also sent Paul images of the EMS Synthi AKS. Paul replied it was the closest, but definitely not it.

I contacted Michelle Moog-Koussa and Brian Kehew to see if they knew of anything. Michelle replied: "...I can tell you that we have several of William Hoskins reel-to-reel tapes in the archives, so there was obviously a significant professional relationship between he and Bob.

I don't ever remember reading anything about the Sonic VI, but maybe Brian does. One thing I can tell you for sure is that Dad began working with John Eaton in 1970 on the Multi-Touch Sensitive keyboard [left via]. The main component of the MTS was the touch-sensitive keyboard, of course. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Dad would have used his work with John to push boundaries on another project."

Brian replied: "Bob didn't design or build the original Sonic V (from Musonics before they bought Moog) that was Gene Zumchak: The Sonic V did have a brown wood style. It's even unlikely Bob did much on the Sonic Six as it was the same thing with a new outer case.

The Sonic VI was the version Moog made in 1972 and later, in a plastic suitcase version. Many of these were made vs the very few Sonic V's. So one might think they saw a Sonic VI when it was the V (same front panel and features). But the brown suitcase and colored keys and touch sensitive thing are ALL unusual. I know a little about Prof Hoskins from the paperwork of the past, but no mention of this synth. Definitely unusual to have keys like that anywhere, anytime!" Followed by: "And there IS touch (velocity) sensitivity on Wendy Carlos' synth by 1971 for Clockwork Orange, but it's used under the normal keyboard. THIS velocity was very possible, but would not make the keys look different. Again - maybe a Sonic V was retrofitted with a cooler keyboard later in the 80s, but why not do so on a BETTER synth!?" :)

On a separate thread, Trevor Pinch got back to me with the following: "Bill Hoskins was important in that he was one of the first people David VanKouvering approached about minimoog reiail sales etc. I have a good album of his somewhere! I think he may have been Bob's favorite composer for a while.

I have no idea about the touch key board but I'm in touch with Gene Zumchak the guy who designed the Sonic Six, so I'll ask him. (I guess you know the joke that the Sonic Six was known by Moog engineers as the Chronic Sick!)

Actually its story might be kinda interesting - Zummy (as he is known) told me that it was made with 741 op amps and in many ways was more advanced than the minimoog.
Maybe it has had an unfair press. I never heard one or saw one for real."

James Husted sent me the image of Professor Hoskins at the top of this post. I sent it to Paul to see if maybe it brought back any memories that might help.

He replied: "The custom Moog modular in that photo is the same one I took lessons on. However, this is an early photo and when I saw that Moog modular, Professor Hoskins had already added a top layer to that cabinet — which included a Moog sequencer. (I have a photo of it, that I took around 1990, but the top part of the photo, showing the upper section, is cut off.)

The reason you didn't see Professor Hoskins' 'Sonic VI' is... I'm guessing that he didn't bring it to the university very often. When I saw it, I was at his home. He had invited me over one Saturday afternoon to see HIS custom Moog modular. It was in his garage, which he had made-over into a nice studio. It also had a two-manual organ, at least two reel-to-reel tape decks and LOTS of recording tape. Later, during that same session, he said 'There's something else I want to show you. Come inside.' We went into the living room and I sat on the couch. He said 'I'll be right back.' After about a minute, he came back carrying a brown 'suitcase'. He set it on the coffee table in front of me and sat down on the couch. He opened it up and... Whoa! I had never seen one of these and it was the first time I had seen a Ring Modulator!

---

I remember seeing Professor Hoskins play his Sonic VI during a live performance of his album 'Galactic Fantasy / Eastern Reflections'. The Jacksonville University orchestra played most of his composition but at one point his Sonic VI was brought out and he played it while at center stage. I could see it clearly from my seat but, of course, I could only see the back of it, which simply looked like the back of a brown suitcase.

---

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Since I think this is important, I thought I'd try to recreate the 'Sonic VI' I think I saw. I 'Photoshopped' a production Sonic VI and attached it to this message. It's the best image of what I think I saw.

Modifying the image forced my memory to go into more detail. Here's what I'm fairly certain of:

• The outer color of the "suitcase" was almost dark brown.

• The outer shape was more square than the production Sonic VI.

• The thickness of the top and bottom sections was thicker than the production Sonic VI model.

• The keyboard was made of slightly textured plastic, otherwise completely flat, was brown / gray in color and had a vibrant blue outline between the keys. (I'm not 100% sure if the "black" keys were outlined or solid blue.)

• The background color of the back panel and the area surrounding the keyboard was almost dark brown. It looked like it was made out of either pressed cardboard or thin wood. It really reminded me more of the thin 'wood' used in old, tube televisions and radios (during the 1960s).

What I'm not 'fairly sure' of:

• I can't remember if it had a Mod Wheel.

• I think there was more space between the modules.

• I think it had two speakers (placed on the left and right side of the back panel). Each might have been the size of the center speaker-grill in my photo.

• I can't remember if there were any connectors, switches or knobs on the keyboard section."

Update: via Aaron aka theglyph in the comments: "Holy shit! That's the guy from JU. There was an electronics repair/pawn shop here in Jacksonville called Active Electronics that had a bunch of synths back in 90's. The owner had a sign in the store explicitly stating that the synths were not for sale and that customers were not allowed to walk up and look at them or touch them. I walked in day and walked close enough to notice that the MiniMoogs had very low serial #'s. It wasn't until I read Analog Days that I found out that the earliest Mini were sold here in Jacksonville. There so much more to this story that I don't know where to begin but I can say that I did an obscure Moog at the store that I've never seen photographed since and I simply thought I was loosing my mind recollecting it. WOW!

Cheers,
theglyph"

Update: Above, Brian originally mentioned Bill Hemsath as the person that designed the Sonic V. He meant to say Gene Zumchak. This has been updated.

Updates: via Dorothy in the comments:
"HI, as a Hoskins kid, I watched Dad perform on the synthesizer and I know we had the Sonic but I thought it was a "V". Dad had several custom modules built for him by Bob Moog. They were friends but didn't go to school together -- Dad went to Trumansburg NY to work with Bob on the synthesizer that they got for Jacksonville University (in 1969, I think). I will have to go digging in the Will Hoskins letters that I have. Those of you who knew Dad know that he was very meticulous about writing up the components that he bought and what they were for.
Late in Dad's life, when he was basically letting go of most composing effort except for revising existing scores, Bob helped Dad find a collector (in Germany, as I recall), who bought all of Dad's big home synthesizer. I think some of the smaller units were in the hands of Steve Smith, who was Dad's right-hand man at the JU studio for some years. Whatever happened to them, I don't think Dad would have cared as long as someone was using them to create music. He wouldn't have collected synthesizers as museum pieces, he actively used everything he got from Moog until he was ready to let it go."

Followed by: "BTW, that last time I spoke to Bob Moog was after Dad died, when Bob came to Rochester NY http://www.esm.rochester.edu/news/?id=132 which is near where I live now. Bob spoke very fondly of working with Dad, because Dad cared as much about the science of music synthesis as any composer Bob knew. Dad did some work with him on modulators and other components for JU and the Hoskins home studio."

Followed by: "Hoskins synth photo --not a Sonic -- in news article 1970 [link]"

Update 6/6/2010:

Some more interesting bits of Moog history:

Trevor Pinch checked with Gene Zumchak who had the following to say:

"I am not aware of a touch sensitive keyboard on the Sonic V or 6. It did have a two-note keyboard and the highest key pressed and lowest pressed could be routed to Osc 1 and Osc 2.

They removed the keyswitch bus and superimposed a highpitch (100KHz?) tone on the voltage string. This might have been the source of a whine that some users complained about that wasn't present in the Sonic V."

via Josh Brandt: 'Okay, I did hear back from David Mash [VP of IT at Berklee and friend of Bob Moog], who says that the story he was telling me several years ago was about a keyboard Bob was building for John Eaton. I asked about the story he'd told me and if the pictures you posted could be of the instrument he'd been talking about, and he said:

"The story I was no doubt telling was definitely about the keyboard Bob built for John Eaton [middle pic above]. Bob was going to show us the completed instrument (which my friends Jeff Tripp and Paul Derocco helped complete), but we never got to see it due to the way the conversation turned over dinner. I did see the instrument several times during the design/build stages and again later after it was complete.

The keyboard was simply a controller and not a synth, so definitely not the portable synth the blog is referring to. I know Brian, and was involved briefly with him and a bit more with Michelle Moog on the NAMM Museum exhibit, and they used a couple of my photos for the exhibit. They're great people and working hard to preserve Bob's legacy.'"

Update via WmJHeart in the comments:

"Thanks Matrix, for hosting this page. I own a copy of Will's Galactic Fantasy & Eastern Reflections (my personal favorite) recording on vinyl. But I also discovered and listened to the entire album on YouTube recently! Here:"

Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections (1979)[Full Album]

Published on Jul 12, 2017 TheHomecoming

"Rare electronic/synth/moog private pressing LP

TITLE 'Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections'

William Hoskins, "Galactic Fantasy, Eastern Reflections" [CP-158]
TRACK 01 AUDIO TITLE "Overture : Stars Are Suns" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO TITLE "Intermezzo : Interplanetary Communique" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 06:39
TRACK 03 AUDIO TITLE "Star Nocturne" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 08:11
TRACK 04 AUDIO TITLE "Scherzo : Comets" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 16:35
TRACK 05 AUDIO TITLE "Beyond Beyond" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 18:54
TRACK 06 AUDIO TITLE "Prolog : Theme and Variation" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 23:40
TRACK 07 AUDIO TITLE "Lower Heterophonie" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 27:55
TRACK 08 AUDIO TITLE "Song : Open Skies" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 31:22
TRACK 09 AUDIO TITLE "Drum Chime" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 35:28
TRACK 10 AUDIO TITLE "Upper Heterophonie" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 39:41
TRACK 11 AUDIO TITLE "Epilog : Processional" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 41:30

A1
Overture: Stars Are Suns
A2
Intermezzo: Interplanetary Communique
A3
Star Nocturne
A4
Scherzo: Comets
A5
Beyond Beyond: An Entropy Study
A6
Eastern Reflections
Eastern Reflections
B1
Prolog: Theme and Variation
B2
Lower Heterophonie
B3
Song: Open Skies
B4
Drum Chime
B5
Upper Heterophonie
B6
Epilog: Processional

Criminally under-rated set of Early American Moog Modular Synthesizer Music - the sole release by composer William Hoskins, the 'Director of Electronic Music and Composer-in-Residence at Jacksonville University in Florida.' Issued in 1979 by the Harriman, NY-based Spectrum - a 'Division of UNI-PRO Recordings, Inc.' the LP consists of a pair of discrete pieces, with each taking up a side of its own."

Update via Kimberly S Beasley in the comments:

"Hello, everyone. I am the current chair of the Department of Music at Jacksonville University and I have the original Sonic VI manuals and one of Hoskin's Moogs....happy to share photos tomorrow."

Kimberly sent in the images with the following:

"This has been in the possession of our Professor Emeritus Dr. William Schirmer as it was given to him by Hoskins. Hoskins' granddaughter Dorothy is also aware of the instrument. We also have a large collection of manuscripts of Hoskins.

There is also a mini-Moog we just refurbished in our recording studio."

You can see WM. Hoskins written on the top right of the manual. Note "Home Copy" on the blue cover. It's kind of neat to think of him perusing through the manual in the comfort of his home.