Zoxnoxious: The Four Voice Cards

video upload by Ultratroninator 3000

"Four voice cards developed (so far!). And their VCV Rack interfaces.

Up til now the voice cards were named based on the analog chip the card was designed around. The Z3340 for the Curtis / Alfa Rpar 3340 VCO, Z3372 for the Curtis / AS3372 chip, and the Z5524 for the Curtis / Alfa Rpar 3394 + SSI2130 (3394 + 2140 = 5524). A boring but technically accurate description.

The most recent card could have been named Z2140, for the SSI2140 filter chip. Or 2040, after the SSM chip it originated from. Z4330 would have also been acceptable given it's core function is SSI2140 + SSI2190 chips. However, nothing better describes its function than Pole Dancer. It's a rarity and deserves a name better describing the function. Take a great sounding analog filter, add voltage controlled mixing of the filter poles, and you've got the Pole Dancer. This voice card does a good job of realizing many many filter types. Lowpass, highpass, bandpass, notch, allpass. Along with morphing between them. Not to mention it has options for resonance compensation, something not present on other '2140 implementations. So boom. Baby. Boom.

Open source on github: https://github.com/brer-rabbit/zoxnox..."

Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Rev 2 Analog Synthesizer SN 0912

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

via this listing

Additional Retro Gear Shop Listings

"Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Rev 2 61-Key 5-Voice Analog Polyphonic Synthesizer. The Rev 2's tend to be the most coveted holy grail version of the Prophet 5 due to the design implementing SSM chips rather than later Prophet 5 Rev 3's Curtis chips. The Rev 2's have a more raw, bold aggressive sound that some consider to be the real classic tone that a P5 should have. This one is tested and fully functional. Previous owner bought it from a synth shop that tends to refurbish all their items for sale so it's likely been gone through as needed in the past. Includes high quality dust cover. It's in excellent shape for its age, with most of the wear as expected on the bottom surface. The top and sides are in great shape with minor signs of wear. This example has been well taken care of."

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The Story of SSM and Curtis Electromusic. The soul within the sound of the 80s

video upload by Johnny Morgan Synth Dreams

"A mini-doc on two companies that changed the way synthesizers were designed in the 80s. Both had a incredible impact on the electronic music industry and the sound of music created during that time."

The Beginners Book of Electronic Music

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

via this auction

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Crumar Spirit

video upload by SSM Curtis

"for some people possibly to much noise"

You can find addtional Crumar Spirit posts here.

Roland SH-7

video upload by SSM Curtis

The 80's DIY Synthesizer You Built From A Magazine - The Digisound 80

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"The Digisound 80 vintage #diy #synthesizer Beginning in february 1980 you could build this DIY analog modular synthesizer month by month with Electronics Today International, it is based on Curtis and SSM chips much like many commercial synthesizers of the time! in this video i go through the digi sound series, repair one, and show you what it sounds like!
Download the wav of the jam and samples to use and much much more :- https://www.patreon.com/lookmumnocomp...
it also makes @THIS MUSEUM IS (NOT) OBSOLETE get bigger and better."

Jordan Rudess plays the Megawave, Obie One, CATO, and Triptych from Syntronik 2

Jordan Rudess plays the Megawave modern virtual synthesizer from Syntronik 2
video upload by ikmultimedia

"Watch Jordan Rudess plays one of the classic synths of Syntronik 2 - the Megawave. The Megawatt features the powerful wavetable synth sounds of the original Waldorf Microwave, a classic digital/analog hybrid. The Microwave was the heir to the PPG Wave legacy with its sweepable digital wavetables and Curtis chip analog filter. The unit we recorded is the most coveted Rev A version."

And a few more:

Jordan Rudess plays the Obie One modern virtual synthesizer from Syntronik 2


"Watch Jordan Rudess plays one of the classic synths of Syntronik 2 - the Obie One. The Obie One is our recreation of the innovative Oberheim OB-1, excellent at creating classic and fat sounding bass, pad and lead sounds. The new 4-pole slope in our O-Type state variable filter model in Syntronik 2 now captures the distinct difference between the 2- and 4-pole filter sounds of this excellent hardware synth."

Jordan Rudess plays the CATO modern virtual synthesizer from Syntronik 2


"Watch Jordan Rudess plays one of the classic synths of Syntronik 2 - the CATO. The CATO captures the distinctive analog sounds of the Octave Cat SRM and its SSM filter. The pure-analog tonality of this synth is huge, and its modulation capabilities allow for truly unique and stylized timbres. Able to create gigantic Moog-style basses, the CAT can also go in its own sonic direction with its clever oscillator sync implementation."

Jordan Rudess plays the Triptych modern virtual synthesizer from Syntronik 2


"Watch Jordan Rudess plays one of the classic synths of Syntronik 2 - the Triptych. The Triptych is based on the warm sounds of the classic Korg Trident with its separate synth, string and brass sections. The Trident was basically a 2-oscillator Korg Polysix combined with a convincing string machine with dedicated ensemble chorus and a paraphonic brass synth. It is a beast of a synth capable of a wide range of classic analog synth and stringer sounds."

You can find additional IK Multimedia Syntronik 2 psots here.

Prophet-5 Analogue Renaissance Rev-1 Downgrade

video upload by synthlegends

Additional posts here

"Some tweaking and demonstrating the downgrade mode of analogue renaissance.

What I like in this mod is the boost switch, called Q-compensation and 12 dB Filter, which makes much power even with high resonance in the filter. You can listen it in the first patch in this video. The recording was made without processing, effects and just raw into the audio interface in mono. For further information go on the website of analogue renaissance.

I kept my curtis filter chips, so I can built this prophet everytime back in the original state.

Here is the description from the website of analogue renaissance:

This modification for the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 reverts the Rev 3 sonically to the earlier, much bigger-sounding Rev 2! The two Prophet 5 versions sound different due to the nearly complete redesign of the voice architecture to use Curtis’ CEM chips instead of Dave Rossum’s SSM chips for the transition of the Rev 2 to the Rev 3 model. This difference in sonics has made the Rev 2’s more desirable - and significantly more expensive. Fully working prototypes have been built and tested, and have the following features:
No mods to the Prophet 5 PCBs are required.
A REV -1 simply plugs into the IC sockets, replacing each CEM3320.
Only 1 extra wire for the -15V supply needs to be soldered.
Electronics have been added that cancel out the pollution from the CEM3320’s level shifting circuitry. The little that remains (30 to 100dB attenuation depending on frequency content and Prophet component tolerances) is also moved entirely to the filter's input. So, it get's further attenuation of 24dB per octave beyond cutoff.
Extras:
The input signal has been increased a bit, since the 2040 likes to be driven a bit harder. This is no issue for the purists as it can be attenuated in the ‘mix’ section of the prophet-5.
By design the SSM2040 is also self-limiting, so the output level has been increased a lot as ample headroom was available, and this gives a much better signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range.
REV -1 also adds two new features not present in the original Rev 2:
variable Q-compensation that restores the loss of bass when resonance is increased (14dB is lost at the onset of self-oscillation in the original filter design).
the option to use the REV -1 as 2-pole filter instead of the original 4-pole configuration. Most non-linear effects happen in the first two filter stages, and the 2-pole mode lets you hear these effects unfiltered by the last two stages.
The combination of these two extra features will make a Prophet 5 sound absolutely monstrous!
Switches to select 2-pole or 4-pole mode and the amount of Q-compensation will be included with mouting hardware.

Thanks for watching and listening."

IK Multimedia Introduces Syntronik 2

"Syntronik 2 sets the new standard in modern virtual synthesizers. IK’s advanced sampling techniques, combined with a hybrid sample and modeling synthesis engine, power a comprehensive collection of rare and sought-after synths with stunning sonic accuracy and the deepest editing.

This is a massive update to the previous release, adding 11 new synths, exciting new, advanced, and much-requested functionality, and a huge number of all-new presets for the 22 original synths taking advantage of all these new features."

"Syntronik 2 features

33 powerful synths with familiar panel designs and easy-to-use controls

A collection of 54 iconic hardware synthesizers and string machines

Multi-sampled oscillators for ultimate authenticity

4 classic types of circuit-modeled filters to shape sounds

DRIFT™ technology for realism of subtle oscillator variations

Mix and match oscillators with filters for new original sounds

True 4-part synth to create rich sounds with Multis and splits

4 dynamic arpeggiators and new step sequencer for complex rhythmic textures

71 high-quality effects derived from T-RackS, MixBox and AmpliTube

More than 200 GB of sounds with disk streaming and over 5,500 presets

Browser search by category or keyword to find sounds in seconds

Optimized resizable interface and “lunchbox-style” effects panel

Load Syntronik sounds into SampleTank 4* for more expandability

Works as a 64-bit plug-in or standalone instrument for Mac/PC

Fully functional free Syntronik CS version also available"

New models.


The CATO captures the distinctive analog sounds of the Octave Cat SRM and its SSM filter. The pure-analog tonality of this synth is huge, and its modulation capabilities allow for truly unique and stylized timbres. Able to create gigantic Moog-style basses, the CAT can also go in its own sonic direction with its clever oscillator sync implementation.

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DIY PolySynth by Chris Synths

DIY PolySynth In-Progress Demo video upload by Chris Synths

"Hi folks, here's a short, no-talking demo of a prototype 8-voice analog synthesizer I am working on. What do you think?

The hardware of each voice features two VCOs, a ladder-style lowpass and a state-variable highpass filter, wave folder, and ring mod.

All voice circuitry was made with op-amps, OTAs, and discrete components.

There is one effect, an 8-stage analog phaser.

There are two ST microcontrollers for MIDI, voice control, display driving, front panel scanning, etc. Control voltages are produced by 23 DACs, 21 DAC7554 and 2 AD5676.

Circuit design and PCB layout was done in Eagle. PCBs made by JLC. Sheet metal designed in and ordered from emachineshop. Software written in C using STM32CubeIDE. Knobs and buttons are 3D-printed."

Demo of polyphonic analog synthesizer prototype
video upload by Chris Synths

"Some demo sounds from my previous DIY analog synth prototype.

It has six voices, two VCOs per voice, a multimode filter, 3 LFO, 2 ADSR, and a phaser for effects. No Curtis or SSM chips, all discrete and op-amps. A Microchip PIC24 was used for control.

One of the design ideas was to have all the modulation in one place on the panel rather than spread around in each module, but it ended up being not as intuitive to program that way."

PPG wave 2.2 Wavetable Synthesizer (1982) The Pure Sound (no fx)

video upload by RetroSound

"(c)2007-21 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

❤️ Support #RetroSound​ channel: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com

PPG wave 2.2 Synthesizer from the year 1982
8 minutes across the wavetables with the Wave.
A single sound program that I continuously change with the help of the wave envelope, wavetable, wave amount, upper wave, sub wave, aftertouch etc. So there are always new timbres.

Recorded directly in stereo without any external effects, EQ or anything else.
The pure sound. And a lot of digital dirt.

The PPG Wave 2.2 is the direct successor of the Wave 2 but with 2 oscillators. Only 500 Wave 2.2 were manufactured.
The sound character is different to the later Waldorf Microwave synths and different to the Wave 2.3.

- 8 Voices
- 2 to 16 Oscillators per voice
- 30 Wavetables with 64 waves per wavetable
- analog 24 dB/oct lowpass SSM 2044 VCF
- Curtis CEM 3360 VCAs
- micro processor (6809)
- 8Bit DACs

Used by: Trevor Horn (Propaganda, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones), Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears, Thomas Dolby, The Fixx, Thompson Twins, Tangerine Dream, Gary Numan and much more."

Emu SSM Modular 1 of 1

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

via this auction

"For sale is one incredibly rare (1 of 1) E-MU SSM modular based around the SSM voice demo board issued by E-MU. This was built by Gene Stopp (technician for ELP!!). As well as having all the features of the SSM voice demo board a 3rd CEM (curtis) based oscillator was added, along with a slew of other functions! Also included is a binder detailing each and every part of the build (schematics for added functions, schematics from E-MU etc). Undoubtedly the only one like this! The synth itself is has been tuned up and is 100% working.

This sale includes the E-MU mini-modular, binder with ALL documentation, and of course a power cord!"

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SEM Module in TVS

video by SSM Curtis

"a dry reference sound of an original SEM Module"

Oberheim Two Voice

video by SSM Curtis

Octave Plateau Cat Synthesizer SRM II Vintage Analog Synth (NOS) w/ Original Box & Docs SN G1056

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

via this auction

"We have been fortunate enough to acquire some New Old Stock(NOS) Cat SRM II synthesizers from Octave Plateau’s last production run in 1981. These units have never been used and were safely kept in storage since the day they were manufactured. If you’re an analog synth aficionado, don’t pass up this opportunity to buy this legendary synthesizer. Once our inventory is sold, you’ll never get a chance to get one in this condition again.

The Cat SRM II was manufactured in 1980 – 81 and is the best and final model of the Cat synthesizer series from the mid-1970s, which included the original Cat and Cat SRM. It has stable Curtis CEM3340 oscillators, an SSM 2044 filter and a digital scanning keyboard that uses a single contact per key, which is significantly more reliable than the dual-contact analog keyboard used on previous Cat models and most other analog synthesizers of the day.

We have calibrated and tested these units to assure everything works as designed. The switches, pots keyboard contacts and buss bar have been cleaned and checked. We also replaced the original press-wood sides with high-quality genuine walnut wood sides and replaced the critical calibration single-turn trimmers with high-precision multi- turn trimmers for greater stability.

SRM II features include:

Monophonic/duophonic keyboard plays two notes with memory function on second note.
Dual VCOs (CEM3340) with oscillator sync and mixable waveforms for complex tones.
Sub octaves on both VCOs for full, deep basssounds.
Four-pole LPF (SSM2044) with adjustable keyboard tracking.
Versatile modulation system to create a wide variety of sounds.
LFO (with variable delay on sine output), S&H and dual envelope generators.
White noise generator.
Extensive expansion jacks on rear panel.
Although this unit has never been used, there may be some minor cosmetic imperfections, which is how it left the factory. Please refer to the photos for cosmetic details."

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RARE SOLTON K160 VINTAGE HYBRID ANALOG ITALO SYNTHESIZER w/ CURTIS CEM3389 Chips

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

via this auction

This on was spotted and sent in via swissdoc.

It's essentially a preset version of the Keytek CTS-2000 with limited programmability. If you look at the front panel you will see buttons for Filter Control and Velocity to VCF. It uses CEM3389 signal processor 4 pole Filter, VC resonance, VCA, VC Pan chips also found in the Sequential Circuits Prophet-VS, Studio 440, and Waldorf Microwave 1 according to Wikipedia's page on CEM and SSM chips.

You can find a demo of one in this post, and numerous demos of the CTS-2000 in previous posts here.

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Ensoniq ESQm

video by SSM Curtis

"some patches"

1 hour with Sequential Prophet 10 and Zoia - No Dialogue

video by Major OSC

"Prophet 10 - 1 full hour. Non-stop playing.
At various points I'll use summit's reverb, delay, and chorus, but limited enough to allow the dry signal to still be distinguishable. At certain points, where you hear the stereo image become much bigger and wider, that's the Empress Zoia. All of this made possible using sends off a Mackie 16 channel VLZ4, feeding post fader directly to a prism sound titan. Full of deadmau5 and Pryda covers, along with some random improv. Big pads in the last 10 minutes. Enjoy!

REV 1/2 SSM Filter

3:32​ - Chords w/ Empress Zoia Chorus Added + Summit Reverb
10:00​ - Gnarly Lead
11:11​ - Filter Lead Variant
12:25​ - Closed Filter Resonant Lead
14:58​ - Summit Delay Added
16:40​ - PolyMod w/ Osc2 - Big Layered Mono Pluck
18:32​ - Pitch Madness
19:30​ - More Modulation Exploration
22:00​ - Pumping Filter
23:17​ - More pumping and Mods
25:50​ - Rhythmic Melodic Riffs
28:21​ - Rhythmic chord progressions and comping
29:05​ - crunchier version
30:10​ - Some crunchy variant of "The Hand that Feeds"
35:30​ - more movement
36:27​ - PWM movement
43:05​ - R2D2
44:35​ - Strobe-ish
45:44​ - Armed
46:18​ - Faxing Berlin
47:49​ - The Veldt
49:51​ - Sol
51:33​ - Big Pad with Zoia Chorus added + Summit Reverb
52:00​ - More Pad + More Reverb
52:57​ - More Melody and Longer Release Times
53:30​ - Trippy unstable String Pad
54:11​ - Stable String pad
54:34​ - Heavy Deep Chords w/ lots of Summit Reverb & small amount of Zoia chorus
55:55​ - Chord progression to the Agenda
57:00​ - Big Ambient Blues

REV3 CURTIS FILTER

38:21​ - Filter & PWM movement
39:35​ - Rezy Rev3 Filter Rise
40:40​ - REZY Filter Dives
44:05​ - Sawtoothy / Rezy w/ AT LFO pitch Vibrato
51:50​ - Deep Pad with Zoia Chorus + Summit Reverb"

Sequential Introduces New Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 Desktop Modules

Title says it all. Press release follows:

Sequential Announces Prophet®-5 and Prophet®-10 Desktop Modules

San Francisco, CA—Jan 12, 2021—Fast on the heels of the reintroduction of its legendary Prophet-5 synthesizer, Sequential today announced that it has created a desktop version of the acclaimed instrument. As with the keyboard version, the desktop model will be available in both five- and ten-voice configurations, dubbed the Prophet-5 desktop module and Prophet-10 desktop module, respectively. They feature the same authentic vintage sound and front-panel controls as the Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 keyboards, but in a smaller form factor designed for portability and space-conscious studios.

“Our introduction of the Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 Rev 4 keyboards has been hugely successful. At the same time, a lot of people have been asking us for an easy way to fit them into a smaller studio space or into a touring rig,” commented Sequential founder and original Prophet-5 designer Dave Smith. “It was an easy decision to create a desktop module to fill that need. The great thing is, we managed to fit the same big, ballsy sound of the full Prophet-5 into a desktop model. It sounds every bit as awesome.”

Like the original, the new Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 modules feature two multi-waveform analog oscillators, analog resonant low-pass filters and amplifiers, and a filter and amplifier envelope per voice. Modulation is provided by a multi-waveshape LFO and Poly Mod, a ground-breaking modulation scheme for its time that allowed the filter envelope and oscillator B to be routed to a variety of destinations including filter cutoff frequency, oscillator A frequency, and oscillator A pulse width.

And just like the new Prophet-5/10 Rev 4 keyboards, the modules feature genuine Curtis VCOs and filters as used in the Prophet-5 Rev 3, as well as the Dave Rossum-designed SSI 2140 filter — the modern counterpart of the original SSM 2040 Rossum designed in the Prophet-5 Rev 1 and Rev 2. A Rev switch on the front panel allows users to switch between the two as desired.

Also present is the new Vintage knob, which loosens up the oscillators, filters, and envelopes from voice to voice as they typically are in vintage Prophet-5s. Users can dial in progressively more vintage character from a very stable “4,” as in Prophet-5 Rev4, all the way to “1,” as in Prophet-5 Rev1, which was the most temperamental of all Prophet-5s. The original factory sound set is included as well.

Other modern enhancements include velocity sensitivity and aftertouch to increase expressiveness, as well as MIDI and USB connectivity. Control voltage and gate ins/outs are also present for connecting modular synths and other gear. The new modules are housed in a premium-quality, steel case with hand-oiled sustainable black walnut heartwood trim.

Both modules will be available in February. The Prophet-5 desktop module has a US MAP of $2,499.
The Prophet-10 desktop module has a US MAP of $3,299.

About Sequential
Originally launched in 2002 as Dave Smith Instruments, Sequential is helmed by legendary musical instrument designer and Grammy® award winner Dave Smith. Dave’s many accomplishments include the creation of the Prophet-5—the world’s first fully programmable polyphonic synthesizer—and his legacy as the primary driving force behind MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

The company’s products are used by an ever-growing roster of well-known musicians and are available from music retailers worldwide. Instruments include the new Prophet-5 and Prophet-10 Rev 4, the Pro 3 and Pro 3 SE, and the Prophet X, Prophet-6, OB-6, and Prophet Rev2 synthesizers. Sequential is based in San Francisco, where its instruments are also assembled. Visit www.sequential.com.

Update: additional pics via https://www.sequential.com: (Note the CV IO on back)

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