🎛️ Exploring the Synth Petting Zoo | Toronto 2026 🎶

video upload by Vintage Sounds and Synthesizers Canada

"I checked out the Synth Petting Zoo at the Wavelength Music Festival + Conference 2026 in Toronto — and it was such a unique experience!

Held at InterAccess from March 19–21, this FREE, all-ages interactive exhibit lets you get hands-on with a wide range of synthesizers and electronic instruments. Whether you're a total beginner or a synth nerd, you can actually play the gear, experiment with sounds, and learn from on-site experts. ()

This event is part of the larger Wavelength Music Festival + Conference, a celebration of independent music, creativity, and community featuring live performances, panels, and immersive art experiences across the city. ()

In this video, I take you inside the Synth Petting Zoo, show off some of the gear, and capture the vibe of this super cool interactive space."

ARP RHODES CHROMA Analog Synthesizer - Sounds, Patches & Ambient Soundscapes | Synth Demo

Published on Jan 25, 2020 synth4ever

"ARP Rhodes Chroma analog synthesizer demo featuring various sounds, patches, presets and ambient soundscapes. This Rhodes Chroma synth demo covers a variety of sounds on the Chroma and features some effects from Strymon Big Sky. Filmed at Synth Palace (http://www.synthpalace.net) in Montreal, Canada.

The Rhodes Chroma is a vintage analog synth originally designed by ARP, and then completed by Rhodes in the early 1980s. Only 3000 Rhodes Chroma synths were manufactured, making it fairly rare today. Its sound can be described as big, brash, powerful and aggressive in tone, but also refined, harmonically rich and organic.

The ARP Rhodes Chroma uses VCOs and features 16 voice mode (1-osc per voice) and 8-voice mode (2-osc per voice). The synth engine architecture is very powerful and allows for complex sound creation, parameter routing and modulation. The Chroma uses an Electronically Reconfigurable System which allows the VCOs, VCFs and VCAs to be reconfigured, or "patched" like modular synthesizers, but without the patch cords.

For example, filters can be arranged in series for 4 pole or band-pass response, or in parallel for notch filtering. In addition, some configurations feature oscillator synchronization, filter frequency modulation or ring modulation.

The Rhodes Chroma has 16 LFOs (1 or 2 per voice) which are digitally generated -- shapes include: sine, cosine, offset sine, half sine, saw, square, lag square, 2 x triangles, random and 6 x patterns. The filter can be set to 24dB/oct low-, high-, band-pass or notch modes, or 12dB/oct low- or high-pass modes. It also has digitally generated ADSR envelopes.

The ARP Rhodes Chroma has a 64-note keyboard, which is velocity sensitive and weighted action, with optional polyphonic aftertouch capability (if installed). It can store 50 programs, is 2-part multi-timbral, and can also be expanded up to 32/16 voices of polyphony via the separate Chroma Expander unit (also quite rare).

In its standard configuration, editing the Rhodes Chroma in real-time is very difficult as it uses membrane panel buttons and a single data slider for changing parameters. However, today there are Behringer BCR2000 sysex templates available for download, as well as custom controllers available for purchase from manufacturers like StereoPing (https://www.stereoping.com/synth-prog...) and Red Shift Consulting's "ENABLER" (http://www.redshift-consulting.com/en...) which give you direct hands-on control via knob-per-function design.

I hope you enjoy this demo of the Rhodes Chroma by ARP. It is a colossal synth and versatile instrument, and sounds magnificent to this day. The raw power and tone from the Rhodes Chroma is something which must be heard in person, as some have suggested it is essentially a polyphonic ARP 2600. Needless to say, I was very impressed with this beautiful synth and its sounds. Hope you enjoy the demo."

Announcing Modular Icons Sound Bank for Kontakt!

Published on May 9, 2019 moogfoundation

"We are thrilled to announce our collaboration on the new MODULAR ICONS sound bank with industry giant Native Instruments, featuring some of the most coveted, rare, vintage modular synthesizers in the world. Modular Icons features sounds by Jean-Michel Jarre, Steve Porcaro, Mark Isham, Jeff Rona, Michael Boddicker, Benge, Walter Holland, Robing Rimbaud (Scanner), Francis Preve, Dan Goldstein, Jim Solomon, Kurt Ader, and Paca Thomas.

This video features sound design guru Francis Preve during his visit to the National Music Centre of Canada to sample the legendary TONTO, one of the many modulars featured in this sound bank. Find out more here."

Synclavier Digital Introduces the Synclavier KNOB

"Synclavier Digital re-engineers original knob from Synclavier® II as standalone Synclavier KNOB for iconic instrument iOS apps

NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: Synclavier Digital is proud to announce availability of the standalone Synclavier KNOB — a re- engineered re-creation of the original knob central to the seminal Synclavier® II Digital Synthesizer’s speedy control surface, specially commissioned by co-inventor Cameron Jones as a USB device designed to perfectly compliment the newly- created Canadian corporation’s creation of a next-generation Synclavier, recently released as awe-inspiring Synclavier Go! and Synclavier Pocket! iOS apps fit for today’s owners of Apple’s inescapable iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch platforms, putting all the famed FM (Frequency Modulation) and Additive (harmonic) synthesis capabilities of the iconic instrument as well as its intuitive panels of easy-to-touch red backlit buttons in anyone’s hands (and pockets) at an affordable fraction of the trailblazing original’s prohibitive pricing — as of April 24…

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OSCar Oxford Synthesizer Company Rare Vintage Monophonic Analog Synth SN 0180

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

via this auction

"For sale here is a rare OSCar Oxford Synthesiser Company. Includes a very nice fitting custom hard case (it will still be double boxed for shipping) and original manual. This OSCar has midi and is 100% fully functional. Cosmetically it's in great shape. It sounds AMAZING, with a huge set of features for the time, including programmable harmonic waveforms, patch memory, sequencer, an awesome arpeggiator, duophonic capabilities (yes you can play two notes at once) along with one of the best filters I have ever played, allowing for LP, BP, HP, overdrive capabilities. Huge bass, leads, effects unlike anything else. One of my favorite monophonic synthesizers of all time, & I've played them all, from Minimoogs to Arp Odysseys to Synton Syrinx. If I had to describe the sound I would say it's instant Boards of Canada, smooth, bubbly, analog with an aggressive Aphex Twin side that can get gritty & rough."

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Last Call for The Schmidt!

If you have $25,000 to spare and want a Schmidt, now is the time! Just be sure to send some support my way for the tip.

"e:m:c calls last orders for final 25-unit production run of Schmidt subtractive super-synth

'I feel really honoured that musicians around the world love the Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer, which simply started as a small-scale bass synthesizer project before I took a chance on building the synthesizer of my dreams. That e:m:c has decided to build another 25 units of this exclusive — and expensive — instrument makes me proud!'

- Stefan Schmidt, 2016


LANGENAU, GERMANY: e:m:c (electronic music components) — German distributor of several key electronic musical instrument brands, including Mellotron (Sweden), Moog (USA), Vintage Vibe (USA), and MIDI Solutions (Canada) — is proud to announce that it is taking orders on a second self-financed (and final) 25-unit build run of the exclusive (and expensive) Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer, surely one of the most ambitious analogue synthesizer projects ever undertaken...

The no-expense-spared Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer was, without doubt, a showstopper when namesake hardware and software designer Stefan Schmidt’s hand-crafted first prototype unit debuted at Musikmesse 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany. Within a year it was being shipped Stateside for its first proper public airing at The NAMM Show 2012 in Anaheim, California. Indeed, it is somewhat fitting that following a repeat performance at The NAMM Show 2013 that same super-synth prototype made its way over to Santa Monica for an audience with none other than Hollywood hotshot Hans Zimmer, one of the most successful, influential, and prolific film composers of all time with a sumptuous synthesizer-filled studio setup second to none! It’s still there... the rest, as they say, is history.

History has it, then, that the Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer is quite possibly the most expensive analogue eight-voice polyphonic synthesizer the world has yet seen and heard. Hardly surprising given the investment involved in its drawn-out development, both in terms of funding and man hours. Hardly the stuff of commercial viability in an accepted age of market value-driven optimisation, often resulting in compromised products. Put it this way, though: this is the synthesizer that Stefan Schmidt always dreamed of, created against all odds without any compromises whatsoever (with more than a little help from friends Axel Hartmann — co-founder and owner of renowned industrial designers designbox, whose distinctive design talents took the Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer prototype to another level entirely, thanks to some serious funding from e:m:c President Stefan Hund).

But bolstered by those tradeshow successes, supported by his partners at e:m:c, Stefan Schmidt set about putting his dream synthesizer into (build-to- order) production. A limited run of 25 units was admirably announced. Anyone arguing about its ‘second-tier’ five-figure price point probably couldn’t afford one. But bear in mind that those that could were buying into a thoroughbred analogue eight-voice polyphonic synthesizer with a fully- analogue signal path (with precise digital control) that’s truly a sound designer’s dream machine.

More meaningfully, a quick glance at its complex four-oscillator structure should be more than enough to convince even the most skilled synthesist that the Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer is capable of creating complex timbres that go way beyond the capabilities of conventional analogue synthesizers. Speaking of which, Oscillator 4 is worthy of special mention. Thanks to its chain of five ring modulators fed by six pulse-waves, each with different pulse-widths, it can create colder, wavetable-like sounds — despite being fully analogue. These truly unique features are hitherto unheard of in any analogue synthesizer, let alone an analogue polysynth! Subtractive synthesis clearly knows no bounds here, helping to make the Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer a shining example of no-expense-spared synthesizer design, deploying discrete sound generation circuitry throughout — no integrated oscillator/filter circuits on a single chip, for instance — in keeping with the highest possible production standards, while each and every parameter is directly accessible via dedicated controls on a seriously spacious front panel to die for.

Fortunately, for Stefan Schmidt and his supportive e:m:c production partners, all 25 units subsequently sold; Hans Zimmer would not be the only seriously satisfied Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer owner, after all. And that could so easily have been the happy ending to this success story, with the Schmidt Eightvoice Polyphonic Synthesizer surely going down in the annals of history as one of the bravest moves in electronic musical instrument design as a bold statement that flies in the face of the fast-paced and superficial age we unfortunately find ourselves living in today.

Today, though, with 25 instruments already hand-crafted in Germany and duly delivered to seriously satisfied owners around the world, e:m:c is proud to announce that it will be building a final batch of 25 more. Maintains"

MeeBlip anode - compact bass synth with analog filter

"Calgary, CA and Berlin, DE -- Blipsonic and CDM (createdigitalmusic.com) today announce MeeBlip anode. Combining an analog filter with unique digital sound sources, all in an easy-to-understand, compact sound package, it’s synth hardware anyone can enjoy immediately.

The all-new MeeBlip anode is part analog, part digital, capable of producing a range of uniquely aggressive, bass-heavy sounds. And inspired by the best classic synths of the past, getting your hands on that sound is always simple, direct, and intuitive. Simply plug in a keyboard, computer, iPad (via adapter), or controller via the MIDI port to play notes. Then, adjust sounds via knobs and switches - you don’t need to navigate a single menu.

Its digital side reproduces the sound and architecture of classic synthesizers, but with an emphasis on adding personality, especially in the low end. Its all-new analog filter with resonance can range from smooth to raunchy - perfect for shaping sound or making squelchy basslines.

Primary features:

- Unique 8-bit oscillators meet an original analog filter

- Compact, 4” x 4” case (approx. 100 x 100 mm)

- Modulation, envelope, tuning, and pulse width controls

- Open source hardware, but fully-assembled and ready to play


- MIDI input for compatibility with vintage and modern hardware, computers, and (with a compatible adapter) iPad and iPhone

anode comes fully assembled and ready to use. But because it's open source hardware, users can learn from anode by looking through the code and circuits, modifying how it works, or even creating their own instruments based on the design.

MeeBlip anode is available direct from the manufacturer. Pricing:

North America: US$129.95

Europe: 129.95€ / £109.95 including VAT

A preorder is available now, with a discount. The product will ship in approximately seven weeks. For Black Friday / Cyber Monday, we’re offering a special sale. Starting now, through midnight December 3 Pacific time in the US, the code THANKSGIVING will net an additional discount:

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I Dream of Wires to Add Additional Extended Interview

via I Dream of Wires on Facebook:

"It looks like we'll be producing and releasing one more free I Dream Of Wires: Extended Interview piece in 2014. If you could choose just one person, out of all of the people we interviewed in IDOW, who would you like to see featured in a full Extended Interview? [leave your pick on Facebook here]

If you're not familiar with our Extended Interview series, we've released 9 of them so far. See the list below, and check out our Vimeo channel to watch.

I Dream of Wires - Extended Interview Series:"

9. Chris Carter:

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I hope 2012 treated you well and I wish you the best in 2013!

As I do each year, I thought I'd reflect a little on the past year.  These posts are always difficult to write, and I always wing them, so bear with me.  It's impossible to justify a whole year's worth of synth coverage in a single post.  The following is just a small bit of what comes to mind when looking back.  You'll find a top ten list of posts with the most page views followed by my picks for the year further below.  Apologies if I miss anything, and of course, if you have anything to add, feel free to leave a comment below.  I'm curious what you, the readers of the site, felt stood out in the world of synths this past year.

First, I want to begin this post with a HUGE THANK YOU!!!  If you are reading this it obviously means you have come to this site and some of you have been coming here for years! Thank you for sticking with me. This site is a journey I hope to continue for years to come. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to showcase their synths, and thank you to those that share what they find! Thank you to those that link to the site and help spread the word on MATRIXSYNTH via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and your own websites! And of course, THANK YOU to all the sponsors on the right who believe in the site enough to support it!

A nod to previous New Years posts, pictured to the left is the MATRIXSYNTH world domination map. :)  I always think it's worth taking a look at who's watching the site.  Synths are global and you are looking at a map of the readers of MATRIXSYNTH.  Everything you see in green represents a visit from that country.  The darker the green, the higher the number of visits.  This is just for the year, but for the life of the site, we still haven't gotten a single hit from North Korea!   I don't know what they have against synths!  ;)   You'll find the top 10 visits by country further below.

This is the eighth New Year the site has gone through!  The focus for the site this year has been the same as previous years, and I plan to keep it that way.  This site is about showcasing specific synths, not just synths in general, and not just news and press releases.  The focus is on the individual synths that have existed throughout history, the technology behind them, and the lives they lead with their odd owners, myself included.  :)  Yes it is about the gear, their makers, and their players.  It has always been my opinion that synths in general have a tendency to be undervalued. Compared to say collectible guitars, they are often discarded and devalued in favor of next year's model, next year's technology.  It has always been my opinion that every synth has something of value to offer,  something specific and something unique that gives it its character. I built this site to showcase that.  This site is about the history of synths as their history unfolds - videos and images of synths being played and used, by both those that make them and those that play them.  Vintage synths being offered in the second hand market, being exchanged from one sonic explorer to the next. It really is a wondrous thing. Think of the magic synthesizers bring into your world. That is what this site is ultimately about.  Some posts may not seem to make sense now, but they will in time, because they will be a look back in time. A day in the life of a particular synthesizer.  I love analog and I love digital. I love all synths and this site celebrates that.

And now for a little reflection on the year. This year we had a total of 16678 posts including this one.  That comes out to roughly 45.69 posts a day.  Not a single day of the year went without a post.  So what dominated the synth year?  Mobile, modulars and a few dedicated hardware synths.

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Monde Synthesizer MS5 Pannerama - Introduction Video

YouTube Uploaded by MondeSynthesizer on Aug 31, 2011
"A demonstration of the Monde Synthesizer MS5 Pannerama."

"MS5 Pannerama unleashes a world of sound through a powerful, easy to use interface

(Ottawa, Canada, September 2, 2011) The MS5 Pannerama unleashes a vast array of analog sound sculpting tools right to the fingertips of musicians and recording professionals through an affordable efficient interface. The Pannerama, produced by Ottawa firm Monde Synthesizer Inc., takes a monophonic instrument or microphone and processes it into a sweeping stereophonic soundscape. This ergonomic unit easily fits atop a semi-modular synthesizer or beside a mixer. It allows the musician to continuously vary the effect: moving from slow smooth sine wave panning through to aggressive square wave ring modulation -- and everything in between.

'The Pannerama really broadens your instrument's palette of sound," explains Monde's President and CEO, John Emond, himself a musician. “It possesses a wide range of interfacing capabilities -- from analog, semi-modular and digital synthesizers to guitars and expression pedals. We call it the Pannerama because it provides an extensive range of stereophonic panning and ring modulation effects'.

This versatile unit is available in two different packaging options -- a desktop unit and a "synth-top" unit. Both are available for just $535.00 plus shipping and handling. For more information (including full technical specifications) or to order, go to www.mondesynthesizer.com.

About Monde Synthesizer Inc.
Monde Synthesizer Inc. is an Ottawa, Canada-based firm specializing in electronic musical instruments and accessories. Our mission is to provide superior analog synthesizer products that enhance vintage electronic music studios and integrate with modern digital audio environments. Our instruments enhance the capabilities of traditional analog musicians and introduce new musicians to real analog sounds and interfaces."

Something Wicked is Coming From M-Audio

"Get ready for an aggressive new M-Audio sound.

On January 13, 2011, we'll unveil a wicked new sound to the world.

Enter your information below to be notified at launch—and if you’re in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, or Ireland, you’ll be automatically entered in a drawing to win your own."

via M-Audio where you'll find the form and a teaser video with The Crystal Method.

Update: some additional info.

Teaser splash. Details in Googlish:

"Venom 49 synthesizer keyboards from M-Audio combines classic analog synthesizers character modern digital processing to bring a new sound, aggressive and catchy. Stimulate your appetite with included presets, and then feed up with original sounds that you can create them - from the sounds of the atmosphere, subtle, to sound angry and categorical. You can easily play with the parameters of the synthesizer or potentiometers can explore the limitless possibilities of sound processing using the included software publisher. You can play bass lines or main parts made with this synth can please even the most demanding musicians. You can also use the audio interface with Pro Tools M-Powered (minimum 8 or higher) or any other audio software. Thus, you have a production car that you can lead in some areas where the music never was.

Venom comes with 512 patches and 256 straight multi-sound patch (the layers) made by the renowned team of sound designers in the world. All the Venom will find a classical arpeggios, for more animation. With the new synth engine of the M-Audio, Venom flavor blends anolog sound on digital power. Thus they create a distinctive note that is distinguished easily from other digital synthesizers. Where you have 41 oscillators and 53 sample drum sounds from the keyboards of cargo last 40 years, and an oscillator for a DSP May retro vibe. Each of the 12 simultaneous voice virtual analog oscillators have three each, which gives tremendous flexibility for octave, intervals and detuning. For more ways to manipulate the sound, the filter multimodal operations can 12dB/octava Venom (2-pole) and 24 dB / octave (4-pole).

The most important caractersitici:

* heat combines modern digital processing of vintage synthesizers
* 512 and 256 single patches patch layers
* intuitive control surface and easy to use software + editor
* 49-sized keyboard
* Compatibility with Pro Tools
* USB Audio / MIDI"