Korg Polysix with Kiwi Technics Kiwisix

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by ohm_studi_ohm

"Demo of some patches I programmed on the Korg Polysix. This unit has the KiwiSix CPU board installed that adds many features (like MIDI, sequencing, 512 presets etc) without changing the sound of the synth.
The polysix is a true 6 voice VCO VCF VCA analog synth and it sounds great. By design however the enveloppe is slow and the sound a bit dark due to an added post FX VCF (LM13600). A simple mod allows to bypass this and let the synth shines. With this mod you get a very snappy and funky synth whose SSM2044 filters gets very well along the built-in chorus/phaser/ensemble FX. This unit has this mod done.
From funky keys, to lush string pads, the P6 has a very large scope despite its very limited features.
Only bad point of the P6 is that it has a fairly high noise level. Some improvement can be made like in this unit by adding more ground wires, applying copper foil on the bottom case and adding ferite around wires."

via this Reverb listing, also on eBay

"INSTRUMENT IS FOR SALE AT REDUCED PRICE ON EBAY DURING JANUARY ONLY"

Pics of the inside below.

"Serviced and fully working classic 6 voices analog poly synth.- brand new KiwiTechnics Kiwisix CPU board that adds lot of features (MIDI IN & OUT, CC, sequencer, 512 presets etc)

- all electrolytic capacitors were replaced (the P6 has many of infamous Panasonic CE capacitors that leak after decades of use)

- post FX VCF mod: this simple mod gives the P6 faster enveloppe and fuller sound. A must do on all P6, check demo.- improvement of the ground design by adding more and thicker ground wires, copper tape on the bottom case and ferrite around the data wires

- full calibration

Unit is fully working and sounds great. As expected with these Polysix there still is some light background digital noise due to design, but nothing major, check demo to hear how it sounds.

Cosmetic is good with some scuffs here and there, especially on the case as it often is the case on P6. One switch cap ("hold") is not original."

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Black Corporation Xerxes MK2 :: Building a Pad from Scratch :: Sound Design

video upload by Harry van Mierloo

"Little sound design session on the Black Corporation Xerxes MK2 to test a lightweight recording setup directly to my phone.

No fancy post-processing, maximizing, review, just me building a pad from scratch on the wonderful Xerxes and exploring various variations of it, to give you an idea of the sound design freedom. The patch is initialized from a basic single saw wave patch and I play around with low pass and band pass filtering for the pads. Later in the recording I add some reverb from the @Strymon BigSky, which always helps on a pad.

Like most synths, a basic patch like this might not immediately sound '5K expensive' without effects, refinement and post-processing. Fortunately this versatile machine can do a lot more and is a real joy to use with all its hands-on control. Some typical Elka-features like Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM), sync phase control and oscillator self resonance, add to the unique character of this synth. It's a really enjoyable synth and I feel it's going to be one of my main workhorses.

I love how good a DCO-based synths can sound, and they are usually great for pads. Like on the Matrix-1000 and JX-8P, DCOs are super stable by nature, so imperfections need to be added manually. Apart from tuning tweaks/modulation, the Xerxes has a nice drift control for this.

Enjoy, and next time I'll clean the camera lens, I promise! 😅"

Eko Ritmo 12 (Italy, 1982) - Vintage Analog Drum Machine Rhythm Box with original pedal

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

via this Reverb listing

"CONDITION: The unit is fully working and in very good cosmetical condition for its age with some minor cosmetical traces of use. It comes with the original intro/fill in and start/stop pedal (super hard to find!). The only thing to report is that the on/off potentiometer (which is the same potentiometer that controls the volume) in this model only works as a volume potentiometer. So, to turn the drum machine on and off you simply have to unplug it! Real vintage gem in super great condition for its age: grab a bargain!

DESCRIPTION: The Eko Ritmo 12 has, as the name suggests, a selection of 12 preset rhythms to choose from. The machine also offers Intro and Fill-in breaks for each of the 12 rhythms.

The rhythms are selected by 6 black switches arranged in a 6 x 2 format. All of the switches have built in red LED's to indicate the rhythm selected.

The rhythms encoded in memory are:

· Bank 1: Waltz, Tango, March, Swing, Ballad, Bossa Nova.

· Bank 2: Cha-Cha, Beguine, Samba, Rock, Disco 1, Funky.

The sound quality of the voicing of this drum machine is very good, especially the Snare, Hi-Hat, Cymbal and Cowbell!

Eko was the Italian brand that produced many legendary instruments. The Company was based in Marche, Italy, in the same area where Elka, Elgam, Farfisa, Crumar, Jen, Siel, Solton, CRB, etc. were born.

This is your chance to get your hands on a super rare drum machine made in Italy!"

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Ultra-Rare Sound Logic DX7 Cartridge – MusicPack MR-2 (YAM128)

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

via this eBay listing

"Fully working tested with DX7 mk1

Original Sound Logic MusicPack MR-2 ROM cartridge for the Yamaha DX7, complete with its original gold Sound Logic sleeve. Early third-party DX7 cartridge that rarely appears on the market, especially with original packaging.

Details

MusicPack MR-2
YAM128
Yamaha DX7 ROM cartridge
Made in USA
Gold-plated contacts
Original sleeve included

Condition
Cartridge in good vintage condition
Packaging shows authentic age wear
Contacts clean
Genuine early FM expansion and a hard-to-source piece for serious DX7 collectors."

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Introducing SQUID-3 by Acustica Audio

video uploads by Acustica Audio

Playlist:

1. SQUID-3 - You don’t need make-up when the sound is this good.
2. SQUID-3 Explained | Complete Walkthrough

Quick No-Talk Synth Demo

video upload by Autodafe

"Here’s a fast, no-talk demo of SQUID-3 (SQ-3), the new synth by Acustica Audio. This video is all about listening: no voice-over, no explanations — just sounds and visuals so you can get a first impression of what this synth can do.

In this demo I’m simply showcasing a selection of patches and musical textures. I’m not going into technical details or deep sound-design features this time — think of this as a relaxed, musical overview rather than a tutorial.

If you’re curious about the engine, workflow, or a more in-depth breakdown, feel free to leave a comment and I may cover it in a future video. For now, just sit back and enjoy the sound."

SQUID-3 is a forward-thinking synthesizer born from Acustica’s groundbreaking MAREA series, available in VST3, AU, and AAX formats. Built to respond better than a real instrument, SQUID-3 gives you the speed to create instantly, and the depth to design without limits. It’s fluid, focused, and sonically honest.

This isn’t a vintage emulation, or a collection of pretty presets under reverb.

SQUID-3 fuses algorithmic modeling with advanced convolution, capturing the behavior of analog gear - better than gear does.

SQUID-3 is not another virtual synth.

It’s a new breed - designed to sound finished, even before the FX.
Every stage of its engine, from oscillator to output, was built to make raw synthesis sound like a mastered record.

SQUID-3 is available in two separate editions:

• the Standard (3-D, multi-page) edition, hardware-inspired interface with depth, lighting, and tactile realism for an immersive studio feel.

• a Flat (2-D version, single-page) edition, A clean, flat design optimized for speed, built for maximum graphic efficiency, where all controls are summarized on a single page"

You can find additional details at https://www.acustica-audio.com/shop/products/SQUID3

Korg Polysix PS-6 Analog Synthesizer SN 461833

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
video upload by Liam

"This unit is currently available for sale on Reverb, Ebay and local selling websites. If the listings are up, it's still available."

via this eBay listing, also on Reverb

"Original Korg PolySix from 1981 in Very Good condition, everything working, no yellowing. Originally bought from Japan.

No MIDI upgrade. All original hardware. Every key works with no problems and every function throughout the entire unit is in good working condition.
Wood panels in good condition, natural wearing on some corners and a few nicks on the bottom but overall very good for it's age.
Metal panel on front has light scratch on the left side (pictured) and a few nicks on the edges towards the back, but overall nothing huge cosmetically. Key bed in good shape, almost mint condition. Used very lovingly for about a year, many recordings done with it.

It's very good for gritty 80's sounds, people often compare it to the Juno but I'd more so compare the sound to that of something by Sequential Circuits like the Prophet series, with a key bed that feels like a Juno, while any remaining character is completely it's own. It even gives some effects to play with that come from the turn of a knob, letting you enable Chorus, Phaser, or both while letting you change the intensity via the knob next to it.

I've included a demo of what this particular unit sounds like, playing Eyes by Clio, produced by Roberto Ferrante who also used only a Korg Polysix for the synth tracks.

Some other notable uses of this synth off the top of my head are Faces (Clio, 1985), Start Of The Breakdown (Tears for Fears, 1983), Subways Of Your Mind (FEX, 1984), Till The End Of Time/Animal In Me (Affair, 1984), Under The Ice (Topo & Roby, 1984), and just any underground European artists from the early 80s."

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Dreadbox Artemis sounds rather nice.

video upload by mylarmelodies

"This is a no-talking sound demo of the Dreadbox Artemis analog polysynth so you can hear it doing a range of things, without narration or external FX, coming up with track ideas. Drums come from the System 80 880, some sequences from Keystep MKII (and some sequences from Artemis' built-in sequencer - esp 23:14).

This demo was funded by the good people at Dreadbox - thanks for having me play your nice synth! As with all Dreadbox stuff I have tried, it feels and sounds great to me, and I hope that comes across here."

Meet Teenage Engineering's Carlo, Miki, Ivana, Gisela, Olga, Leila, Bogdan, and Hatshepsut

Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Bad Gear - TE Choir video upload by AudioPilz

Note this video is from two years ago, but I never managed to feature it or these devices on the site until now as they aren't really synths. These come to you curtesy of a supporting member who has them listed on Reverb here.

"Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:09 Overview Bad Gear - TE Choir
01:28 Presentation of the Dolls (feel free to skip)
02:10 Standalone Mode, Control via Bluetooth Midi / OP-1 Field
02:39 How does it work?
03:19 Start/Stop a Song
03:39 Midi Control, Articulation
04:16 Limitations, Bugs, Issues, Latency
04:49 How it ACTUALLY works in practice
05:01 What else??? (Github, Pricing, Thanks)
05:30 Hate
05:54 Jam 1 (Sleepy Anime Music)
06:45 Jam 2 (Classic Bad Gear Jam)
07:07 Finale (Art House)
07:37 Verdict"

And a short one from HAINBACH:

Teenage Engineering Choir Unboxing And Sound
video upload by HAINBACH



via these listings

Be sure to check out the seller's other listings.

Each singer/member has its own vocal tone and is in very good condition and the electronic modules all work.

Holiday Songs

"Shchedryk" (Carol of the Bells)
"Deck the Halls"
"Sankta Lucia"
"O Come, All Ye Faithful"
"O Tannenbaum" (O Christmas Tree)
"Silent Night"
"Prelude" (a short introductory piece)
"Auld Lang Syne" (also available in their downloads)


All preloaded songs - more can be played live with BLE MIDI

silent night – franz xaver gruber, joseph mohr, j f young*
o tannenbaum – trad., ernst anschütz*
o come, all ye faithful – john reading, frederick oakeley*
sankta lucia – trad. via teodoro cottrau, sigrid elmblad*
deck the halls – charles wood, thomas oliphant
shchedryk (carol of the bells) – mykola leontovych
auld lang syne – trad. via robert burns
love me, and the world is mine – ernest ball, dave reed jr.
i never knew – tom pitts, raymond egan, roy marsh
sverige – wilhelm stenhammar
dear old girl – theodore morse, henry buck
gute nacht – robert schumann, friedrich rückert
sweet adeline – harry armstrong, richard gerard husch
warm-up exercise: signore – trad.
in all my dreams, i dream of you – al piantadosi, joe m
den blomstertid nu kommer – trad., israel kolmodin
i've been working on the railroad – trad.
now is the month of maying – thomas morley
gaudeamus igitur – trad.
warm-up exercise: zing-a-mama – trad.
the darktown strutters' ball – shelton brooks
an die freude – ludwig van beethoven
en sommarafton – adolf fredrik lindblad
tourdion – pierre attaingnant, césar geoffray
goodbye my coney island baby – les applegate
o haupt voll blut und wunden – johann sebastian bach

Pictured: Carlo & Miki

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Crumar Bit99 - Relective 3D Inscriptions Intact Version

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

via this Reverb listing

"BIT99 in very good condition.

40 years vintage synth released in 1985

Analog synthesizer.

Polyphonic

Rare 3D Reflective Lettering Intact .

Superb 80s Look . TRON movie design inspiration

Beautiful Violins, Brass, and Bass.

Prophet 5 filter and sound family type"

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Tiptop Audio Introduces the TRIAX8: An Oscillator like no other

video upload by Tiptop Audio

As always, check with dealers on the right for availability and price.

TipTop TRIAX-8 Polyphonic Thru-Zero FM Oscillator - What is TZFM?

video upload by gattobus

"Here's a quick presentation and audio demo of the new TipTop Audio TRIAX8 Polyphonic Eurorack Oscillator.

00:52 - What is THRU-ZERO FM ?
03:45 - XOR Waveform
05:45 - Music Performance

This video is sponsored by TipTop Audio"


"Meet the TRIAX 8 , an oscillator like no other, featuring 16 analog triangle-core oscillators with full note polyphony and patching. The TRIAX8 is a landmark in synthesis technology, combining true polyphonic patching and full note polyphony with the creative and joyful hands-on workflow of a modular synthesizer. Every function has its own knob, and all modulation inputs are ready for patching with patch cables. Beneath this interface lie 16 true analog oscillators, real circuits built from semiconductors, capacitors, and resistors, each one alive, drifting naturally with temperature and with the magnetic and electric fields they generate. This is the sound of analog: full, warm, organic, and never the same twice.

In this demo, we showcase just a glimpse of what the TRIAX8 is capable of, and how easy it is to design sounds through instant patching. We focus mainly on pads and drones, with a touch of arpeggios. A note about video sound quality:
YouTube plays compressed audio, which significantly affects sound quality. Compared to the original recording, the audio will generally sound muddier and harsher in the highs. However, it still provides a good sense of the character and tone of the demoed device.

Patch Overview for this video: For modulation, we used the OCTOLFO to randomly patching LFO signals into the TRIAX 8’s CV inputs. The audio output was routed through the OCTPASS 24 dB low-pass filter and then into the OCTOGAIN. From the OCTOGAIN’s stereo outputs, the sound was sent to the Z-DSP, where some patches feature reverb or delay from the Z-DSP. For control, we played notes from Ableton through the Octopus, or used G-Mode sequencing on the Octopus and NerdSeq."

Check with dealers on the right for availability and price.

Roland Chorus Space Echo RE-501 test with Sequential OB-6 [NO TALKING] [with explanatory subs]

video upload by Freedom of Movement

"Roland Chorus Space Echo RE-501 test with Sequential OB-6

🟢 TURN ON CC FOR SUBTITLES EXPLAINING WHAT I'M DOING IN THE VIDEO 🟢

I picked up this RE-501 yesterday and was disappointed when I got it to the studio & turned it on as the tape echo wasn’t really working properly. The tape was jamming & squeaky & there was tons of wow & flutter & distortion - not in a good way either

But! After a thorough clean of the rollers & heads and letting the motor run for a bit it now sounds like this!

Pretty, pretty good

I’m using both A & B outputs so the chorus, delay & reverb are stereo panned. It’ll sound a bit weird in headphones but on speakers it sounds awesome

Gotta say that the 501 sounds vastly superior to the 301 I had until recently. The reverb especially is a marked improvement but in general - aside from the styling perhaps - it’s a step up

I still think the unit needs a proper service: new felts, a new pinch roller … maybe even a new motor … and new tape of course

But for now it’s got just a nice amount of wow & flutter and noise. Sounds good right?

The sequence is coming from the Sequential OB-6. Starts off plain then I introduce some time-synced LFO; bandpass filter, sample & hold/random, clocked to 8th notes"

X1L3 - STARSTRIKE - boss fight - 8 bit techno - AY3 / YM2149f - eurorack module

video upload by X1L3

"A bit of tidying up of the code and a tweak to the tuning routine of the AY/YM/GT300 modules. Pretty much wrapped up now. And those three dev modules are now consolidated into one build which can run the AY3, it's clones, and the YM2149f. The final build being called starstrike. Named after an old ZX spectrum favourite of mine (starstrike II)....

No filters used this time, so it doesn't sound like it's trying to pretend to be a sid chip. Just pure ZX/ST square wave action. 198X 8 bit techno / cracktro music. A good example of how well it does this even as a drone machine with no VCA support 🔥🔥🔥"

Ambient Improvisation

video upload by Jörg Schaaf

"1,859 / 5,000
It's been quite a while since I produced and uploaded my last live video. With this video, I want to make a fresh start and produce more videos from my studio in the future. Therefore, this improvisation is quite simple. The Prophet X plays two sequences of different lengths using a sound from my Prophet X Sample Library Volume 1, which is available on my website and will be presented in detail here on YouTube soon.

https://www.joergschaaf.de/wordpress/...

The Spectralis plays a deep bass note every two bars and runs unsynchronized at the same tempo as the Prophet X (119 BPM).

I play a few melodies on my Minimoog, which has faithfully accompanied me for almost thirty years. It's a kind of farewell to a beloved synthesizer that I unfortunately have to part with. You can find it on the German online classifieds site Kleinanzeigen.

(https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeig...)

The Minimoog is in very good condition. I've maintained it regularly over the years, and it underwent a complete overhaul last week. This Minimoog is equipped with a Lintronics MIDI converter, which includes an additional LFO and other modifications. Thanks to retrofitted precision trimmers, the oscillators are significantly easier to tune and more stable than the original.

The sound of a Minimoog is very organic and majestic. I emphasize the vintage character of this little instrument by using the Valhalla DSP Delay plugin. This plugin produces wonderfully glorious noise and distortion on demand, adding even more life to this session."

TASTY CHIPS GR1 DESKTOP GRANULAR SYNTH

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

via this listing

Additional Signal Sounds listings

"A pre-owned Tasty Chips GR1 in very good condition. It comes with original packaging and accessories.

Manufacturer's description The GR-1 is a granular hardware synthesizer. Creating textures, characteristic sounds, drones, soundscapes, and pads has never been easier. When you are working on a unique sound, it’s always nice to have hands-on controls to easily dial in the sweet spots. The possibility to quickly adjust any parameter of your sound is necessary to adapt to the workflow of any user. Trace every adjustment you make with the built-in 7″ full-color display that is typically only found in top-class synthesizers."

ISLA SP2400 SAMPLING DRUM MACHINE

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

via this listing

Additional Signal Sounds listings

"A pre-owned ISLA SP2400 in very good condition. It comes with its original packaging and accessories.

Manufacturer's description
For us, the S2400 is a passion project – to recreate the sound of one of the world’s most iconic sampling drum machines, and bring it up-to-date with modern features. The result is the very best of old school and new school technology coming together.

Brad has been obsessed with drum machines for many years – owning, repairing, restoring, modifying countless makes and models (see his HR-16 mods on youtube).

Staying true to form in both sonic characteristics and design aesthetic were the main drivers in the realisation of this project, while bringing the hardware into the 21st Century and keeping the same ‘instant gratification’ and intuitiveness of its spiritual pre-predecessor at heart."

KORG Trident MK1 Analog Synthesizer - Recently Serviced SN 330833

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

via this Reverb listing

"This is an incredibly lush vintage analog powerhouse of a synth with three distinct sections (Synth, Brass, Strings) and an insane onboard flanger.

I bought this earlier this year from Rosen Sound, who had completely serviced it. Everything is working and sounding fantastic. Internally its in 'excellent' condition externally its 'very good'

As to be expected for its age it has some cosmetic signs of wear on the wood furniture and panel but in truth it looks excellent besides these small blemishes."

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Roland SH-2 Analog Synthesizer SN 034024

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

via this Reverb listing

"Roland SH-2 Analog Synthesizer (1979) w/ Original Gig Bag included for free!

I’m pricing it lower than usual for a quick sale due to an unexpected expense. No issues with the synth — just need to move it quickly.

It’s in good condition, fully functional, and sounds amazing — rich, fat bass and creamy leads that only real analog gear can deliver.

Cosmetically, there are some normal signs of age, but everything works as it should — all keys, sliders, and switches respond perfectly.

The SH-2 is a simple layout, huge sound, and built like a tank."

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Rare Folktek Micro Garden - Electro Acoustic Drone Synthesis

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

via this eBay listing

You can find demos in previous posts here.

"For sale is one of the rarest and most sought after in the Folktek Garden Series, The Micro Garden. It is signed by the developer and artist Arius Blaze. It is in very good cosmetic, and 100% operational condition, with no noisy pots, etc. The Micro Garden will ship to include the Power Supply. Insured shipping is $ 40 within the Continental U.S., and all sales are final. Listed below is some information provided by Folktek.

The Garden is a conceptual sound art work and a phenomenal instrument for extending micro sounds into waves or generating odd sounds based on an acoustic source. The sound very much reflects the aesthetic - an electric garden with waves growing from the sound field they're created from. The sound board and spouts of wire extending from it are picked up with high sensitivity and run through a digital delay with a very warm sound. This delay can be as tight as possible or extend to about one and a half seconds. Every sprig of string has a unique sound and the Garden can be played as a percussion piece or soundscape generator. The feedback can be adjusted to generate long extensions of micro sounds to become waves then captured in long format if desired. There is as much musical potential as there is a potential for strange sounds - bits of waves can be stretched in real time and become distant-relative abstractions of themselves."

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PopuMusic Party Studio Review — Pros, Cons & Real‑World Performance

video upload by Floyd Steinberg

Follow-up to this post.

"Here's my full review of PopuMusic's Party Studio ( https://www.popumusic.com/pages/party... ) - an innovative MIDI/synthesizer-enabled bluetooth speaker. I've tried to answer all your questions from last sunday and run through all of the functions and features, and point out the good, the patch-worthy and the 'why is this not there'."

Table of contents:

00:00 demo (pure / then mastered in a DAW)
00:46 hello, what's this?
01:07 specs
02:01 overall impression
02:17 internal battery run time
02:30 sound quality (speaker) - LOUD
02:47 user interface overview
03:58 synthesizer overview - tech info
04:43 the GM soundset
05:10 examples and thoughts on the piano sounds
05:41 ... and on the electric pianos
06:00 ... and strings
06:15 ... and guitar sounds
07:07 ... organ sounds
07:25 ... bass sounds
07:53 drums
08:20 GM parameter list (CC for tweaking sounds)
09:10 grand piano after tweaking ;-)
09:25 working on a detuned saw wave
10:17 singalong mode (auto accompaniement)
10:59 visual metronome
11:39 MIDI connectivity (keyboards, DAWs, sequencers...)
12:22 some standard MIDI files played back on the PartyStudio
13:18 bluetooth connectivity: "real music" + internal synth
13:47 the PartyKeys keyboard
14:17 conclusion: The Good
15:20 potential firmware update fixes
17:18 answering a viewer question
17:41 synthesizer users will not like this omission (plus a workaround)
18:51 the wish list
19:18 verdict
20:37 bye

#PopuMusic #PartyStudio #BluetoothSpeaker #MIDIKeyboard #GeneralMIDI #SynthReview #PortableMusic #StreetMusician #MusicTech #GearReview #BatteryPowered #LivePerformance #MusicTeacher #MIDIController #SynthCommunity
#PopuMusic #PartyStudio #BluetoothSpeaker #MIDIKeyboard #GeneralMIDI #SynthReview #PortableMusic #StreetMusician #MusicTech #GearReview #BatteryPowered #LivePerformance #MusicTeacher #MIDIController #SynthCommunity

HÄLP ZIS CHANNEL
https://www.patreon.com/floyd_steinberg
https://floydsteinberg.gumroad.com/
https://floydsteinberg.bandcamp.com/"

100 Oberheim Expander/Matrix12 single FX patches by Arthur Springer

video upload by Really Nice Audio

"So whilst on soak test I came across this crazy bank:
Notes from the .txt
ART SPRINGER STRIKES AGAIN (free)
Reviewed by Mike Metlay

All right, gang, I know what you're expecting in this space, so I'll oblige you and get it over with. Ready? Here goes: "WAHOOLAZUMA! Everybody's favorite twisted puppy is back from the audio torture chamber, and he's brewed up the most brain-slashing package of monstrous elektronoyze EVER! This stuff's great for warping your brain patterns, killing your cat, etc..."

Okay. Happy now? Good, now let's get serious. I heard from Art recently that he didn't get a terribly good response to his first mailing, and that few, if any, XUG members looked him up for his second set of patches

He seemed in a pretty good humor about it, but I couldn't help wondering if my presentation of his patch set didn't scare a lot of people away just by the wording. So, with a new patch set from Art (more diverse than the first two) in hand, I'd like to try again.

One of the most unhealthy trends I see in today's patch-editing software is the patch randomizer, that cute but overused utility that generates random patches at the click of a mouse. Literally thousands of these random patches are being sold by unscrupulous hackers as "original sounds," and a whole new generation of MIDI morons is springing up (pardon the pun) whose idea of "good programming chops" is the ability to tweak a randomly generated sound into something that (almost) works. No program of this type exists yet for the xpander, and I'm glad of it: the lack of computer-generated garbage on the market forces the user community to seek one another for new ideas, rather than some electronic I Ching. We come together in this Group to share ideas and learn from one another and I believe that studying another human being's work beats watching a computer coughing up random numbers. Which brings us to the music of Art Springer.

In my opinion, these patches are important. VERY important. I get so enthused about Art's work because I see in him a reflection of my college days, when I puttered about with ARP and Buchla modular monsters creating sounds for the sheer joy of it, putting together tonalities never before heard on Earth rather than trying to make a realistic shakuhachi. This was, and often still is, the meat and potatoes of electronic music to me. And when I hear Art telling me that people- Xpander users!-are returning his work because it's "too weird," I know something's wrong. The Xpander isn't a sampler or a digital piano. It's not an imitative instrument by nature. It's a powerful, multiply interfaceable modular synthesizer with a great deal of flexibility. Art Springer takes a stance on its use that no other Group member has had the courage to try: using its Power as a CV percussion device to enhance the sounds of his more traditionally oriented synths. (By the way, Lionel and I are big fans of his music ... it's not as inaccessible as you might think, and the odd tonalities make his dance pieces a lot of fun.) This is a new idea to a lot of you, and I don't blame you for being frightened. But it's better to learn from someone whose ideas differ from yours than to convince a computer to feed you something safe. I'd like to suggest something simple to start with: get one of Art's sound sets, trigger your Xpander with your drumbox, and try writing music with these sounds as part of the atmosphere rather than conventional drum noises. Or do something completely different. The important thing is to try to expand (hm) your horizons to something new. These sounds of Art's do take getting used to, but I think you'll learn a lot from them. Trust me."