Showing posts sorted by date for query matrixsynth. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query matrixsynth. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Packaging at Easy Street Records Seattle 12/14/25
video uploads by matrixsynth
https://packaging.bandcamp.com
https://easystreetonline.com
"Connor Birch on Korg MS1 MicroSampler, Roland Juno-60, Fender Rodes, Moog Moogerfooger, & pedals."
Playlist:
1. Packaging - With My Girl at Easy Street Records Seattle 12/14/25
2. Packaging - Running Through the Airport at Easy Street Records Seattle 12/14/25 w/ Jessica Dobson of Deep Sea Diver
3. Packaging - In Your Pocket at Easy Street Records Seattle 12/14/25 w/ Jessica Dobson of Deep Sea Diver
Tuesday, December 09, 2025
1974 EMS SYNTHI 100 Up For Sale
Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this Reverb listing
"Up for sale is an original 1974 EMS Synthi 100 Synthesizer. I am the second owner of this amazing instrument. It is in incredible condition for an item of its age and size. Very few of these were produced in the early 1970s and most of them were sold to institutions, private studios and musicians - these almost never turn up for sale on the open market.
This particular Synthi 100 was one of the last produced by EMS (London) and has all of the standard factory updates including newer scope, sequencer memory display and patchable multimeter. below is a list of what is included with the auction:
via this Reverb listing
"Up for sale is an original 1974 EMS Synthi 100 Synthesizer. I am the second owner of this amazing instrument. It is in incredible condition for an item of its age and size. Very few of these were produced in the early 1970s and most of them were sold to institutions, private studios and musicians - these almost never turn up for sale on the open market.
This particular Synthi 100 was one of the last produced by EMS (London) and has all of the standard factory updates including newer scope, sequencer memory display and patchable multimeter. below is a list of what is included with the auction:
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Mystery Synth in Norwegian Vintage Synthesizer 70's and 80's Dreams Full Album
video upload by Kaj Roger Willumsen
This one was spotted and sent in via Ivan Trajkovic aka dejayiwan. Note the video is from 11 years ago so not AI. Could be a render for a soft synth or other though. Could be DIY, but note the touch panel or screen. According to the YouTube comments "Picture is only for cover. Not sure which synth it is. Will try to find out." There was no follow-up that I could find after that aside from mention the album itself mainly features Arturia. You can find a list of hardware synths and some harware synth spotting in this previous post featuring Dreamland. If you know what that blue synth above is, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post, or send email to matrixsynth at gmail.com and I'll update the post with anything definitive. BTW, you can find additonal Mystery Synths via the Mystery Synths label here. There have only been 23 including this one, to date, since 2005. Update: answer in the comments of this post below. That was quick.
Here's the video description for the above:
"Norwegian Vintage Synthesizer 70's and 80's
Is now available on.
https://itunes.apple.com//artist/kaj-...
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/2MO67...
Some songs are made for Norwegian television documentary.
1.Dreamland----- 0:00
2.Saltfjellet ----- 4:32
3.80's movement -- 7:06
4.Nordlandsbanen- 10:31
5.Voyager 2--------- 14:31
6.Dolphins song---- 18:00
7.Kepler Telescope--21:53
8.Deep Impact------ 26:09
9.Reisen--------------- 29:15
10.Mariner 2----------33:40
11.Mars------------ 38:00
12.Venus------------- 40:49
13.Supernova----- 45:20
14.Tones Comforder--49:25
15.Jupiter------------ 52:40
16.Home--------------- 57:34
17.Back to 80 century- 1:01:14
18.We fly out of place--1:05:10
19.Minded Traveling--- 1:08:00"
Friday, November 21, 2025
Lyle Four Voice Vanilla Synthesizer by muSonics

You might recall muSonics Lyle featured in previous video posts here on MATRIXSYNTH.
The following are some addtional details and pics of the system in via muSonics.
Lyle is a four voice Vanilla Synthesizer with a polyphonic envelope generator system, four voice mixer, MIDI allocation, and utility modules. It is the first polyphonic modular synthesizer with master control of time and timbre since the Oberheim Four Voice, whose circuits it is based on.
Anyone can throw four voices in a box and call it a polyphonic synthesiser, so what makes Lyle so special?
The Polyphonic Envelopes network has its own set of 8 envelope generators, bringing the system total to 16. Its EGs are normaled to the filters, oscillators, and output amplifiers of the system. The Vanilla Envelopes are still available and can be patched to interrupt the Polyphonic Envelopes.
The Polyphonic Envelopes control module is the only one of 7 in the network which is on the front panel. It gives you attack, decay, and sustain control for the VCF and VCA EGs, amount controls to route the VCF EG to the VCF and VCO modulation inputs, and an offset control for the VCF EG to the VCF modulation input (think global filter cutoff.)
There have been a few stabs at aggregate polyphony since Tom Oberheim built Lyle Mays and Pete Namlook their favourite synthesizer, but no one has done this.
Another nice feature of this instrument is the Vanilla Stereo Mixer, which not only gives you level and pan for each voice but also an additioinal gain stage to overdrive if you wish, bringing the total number of manageable gain stages (and potential distortions) to four per voice.
The instrument can be operated without any patch cables on the front panel. MIDI control and audio output happens on the back of the instrument. Patch points are for timbre authoring beyond the default patch, similar to an ARP 2600.
The module complement includes:
- 4 Control Distributor
- 4 Vanilla Modulation
- 4 Vanilla Oscillators
- 4 Vanilla Filter
- 8 Vanilla Envelope
- 4 Vanilla Mixer
- Vanilla Stereo Mixer
- Polyphonic Envelopes (8 additional envelopes)
- Japanese Modulation
- Transistor Logic
- Active Multiples
- Active Attenuators
- 4 MIDI Interfaces plus polyphonic MIDI allocator
Lyle also includes a road case, which is required because there is no other way to ship it assembled.
Lead time of 6 months or so. I need to finish the backlogue of current orders first.
The deposit is 50%. When your instrument is ready an invoice for the balance and shipping will be generated.
A page of demonstration audio and video is at https://musonics.com/lyle_videos.htm
If you're interested in purchasing Lyle please visit https://musonics.com/ and it can be found at the top of the page.
Saturday, November 15, 2025
FLEA MARKET / FUSE / DIY - SYNTHI (with internal spring reverb) by Jacob Steel
video upload by jacobsteel
"DIY Synthi - piano stand test! #synthesizer #electronicmusic #synth #synthi #diysynthi #matrixsynth"
And a playlist in chronological order:
"Currently running the following:
Oscillators 1-4 - started out with the XR2206, schematic, pretty much from the data sheet. This part is the crazy chaos part. The XR2206 can be amplitude modulated as well as frequency modulated (here with a button) Oscillators 5-6 - Digital (this part will be CV volt-octave controlled) https://www.alldatasheet.com/datashee...
Envelope - 555-based envelope, similar to "the fastest envelope in the west" https://www.schmitzbits.de/adsr.html"
Playlist:
1. DIY SYNTHI first test all components
2. DIY Synthi longer demonstration….
3. DIY Synthi, stick demonstration
4. DIY Synthi - CV to Matrix test
5. Ölands Norra Udde - the Northern Head of Öland (DIY Synthi jam)
6. Alla världar som finns - (All Worlds That Exist) voice/lyrics Johan Holmlund
7. Synthi - Piano short improv
Friday, November 14, 2025
JLR's Modular Synthesizers - System Breakdown #15
video upload by John L Rice
"This is my fifteenth video breakdown/rundown, this time for my largest system, the mighty 5U "wall"! 🥳 This is likely the last installment of this series.
Index:
0:00 Beginning
2:23 Preface
4:30 Introduction
5:28 Section 1
Monday, October 20, 2025
Erik Norlander Announces Keyboard Sale to Benefit the Bob Moog Foundation
Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.


Reverb's press release follows. Pics are via The Bob Moog Foundation. I'll be capturing some of the listings here on MATRIXSYNTH daily for posterty. See the Erik Norlander Listings label.
October 20, 2025 (Asheville, NC) – Musician, composer, and music technologist, Erik Norlander, is selling a collection of 40+ vintage and current synthesizers and keyboards on Reverb.com starting on October 6th. Thirty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation to support its work in education, archive preservation, and the operations of the Moogseum. Erik Norlander’s Bob Moog Foundation Benefit Sale can be accessed here.
Some of the notable synthesizers and keyboards for sale include: Oberheim Matrix-12, OB-Xa and OB-8 analog synthesizers, Rhodes (ARP) Chroma analog synthesizer, Rhodes Mark V and Mark II electric pianos, Farfisa Compact Duo CD/30 combo organ, Farfisa Syntorchestra, Korg Maxikorg DV800, Logan String Melody string synthesizer, Roland VP-330 MK-1 Vocoder, and the Waldorf Q wavetable synth keyboard, among many others.
“I am excited to offer part of my rather sprawling keyboard collection for sale to benefit the Bob Moog Foundation,” noted Norlander.
“I have been a supporter of the Foundation since 2007, and I strongly believe in generating funding to empower its work in education, archive preservation, and the operations of the Moogseum.”
Erik Norlander is an accomplished keyboardist, composer and producer with over 40 album credits including nine solo albums, seven with his Rocket Scientists project, and 11 albums with vocalist wife, Lana Lane. He serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Bob Moog Foundation. Erik toured and recorded with Asia Featuring John Payne from 2007 to 2014 and recorded two albums with the Asia spinoff project, Dukes of the Orient, in the years following. He toured extensively in the US and Europe in 2016-2018 with Last in Line featuring original Dio members Vinny Appice and Vivian Campbell. Before Last in Line, Erik toured with Big Noize, a supergroup featuring hard rock all stars, Joe Lynn Turner, Simon Wright and Carlos Cavazo. Erik also wrote the music and produced the album, Roswell Six - Beyond the Horizon, in 2009 for science fiction author, Kevin J. Anderson, in support of the first of his Terra Incognita fantasy novels.
Outside of the music world, Erik co-designed the UNO Synth analog synthesizers for IK Multimedia, carrying on the legacy of his design work on the legendary Alesis Andromeda analog synthesizer in the late 1990s. Erik also created IK Multimedia’s Syntronik virtual instrument libraries based solely on samples of his synth collection along with scores of sample libraries for SampleTank 4. Prior to that, Erik was the first synthesizer product manager for Alesis Studio Electronics and presided over the creation of the QS series of synthesizers, DM5 and DM Pro drum modules and several other products. He is currently the Director of Keyboard Product Development for Moog Music and the inMusic Family of Brands."


Reverb's press release follows. Pics are via The Bob Moog Foundation. I'll be capturing some of the listings here on MATRIXSYNTH daily for posterty. See the Erik Norlander Listings label.
October 20, 2025 (Asheville, NC) – Musician, composer, and music technologist, Erik Norlander, is selling a collection of 40+ vintage and current synthesizers and keyboards on Reverb.com starting on October 6th. Thirty percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation to support its work in education, archive preservation, and the operations of the Moogseum. Erik Norlander’s Bob Moog Foundation Benefit Sale can be accessed here.
Some of the notable synthesizers and keyboards for sale include: Oberheim Matrix-12, OB-Xa and OB-8 analog synthesizers, Rhodes (ARP) Chroma analog synthesizer, Rhodes Mark V and Mark II electric pianos, Farfisa Compact Duo CD/30 combo organ, Farfisa Syntorchestra, Korg Maxikorg DV800, Logan String Melody string synthesizer, Roland VP-330 MK-1 Vocoder, and the Waldorf Q wavetable synth keyboard, among many others.
“I am excited to offer part of my rather sprawling keyboard collection for sale to benefit the Bob Moog Foundation,” noted Norlander.
“I have been a supporter of the Foundation since 2007, and I strongly believe in generating funding to empower its work in education, archive preservation, and the operations of the Moogseum.”
Erik Norlander is an accomplished keyboardist, composer and producer with over 40 album credits including nine solo albums, seven with his Rocket Scientists project, and 11 albums with vocalist wife, Lana Lane. He serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Bob Moog Foundation. Erik toured and recorded with Asia Featuring John Payne from 2007 to 2014 and recorded two albums with the Asia spinoff project, Dukes of the Orient, in the years following. He toured extensively in the US and Europe in 2016-2018 with Last in Line featuring original Dio members Vinny Appice and Vivian Campbell. Before Last in Line, Erik toured with Big Noize, a supergroup featuring hard rock all stars, Joe Lynn Turner, Simon Wright and Carlos Cavazo. Erik also wrote the music and produced the album, Roswell Six - Beyond the Horizon, in 2009 for science fiction author, Kevin J. Anderson, in support of the first of his Terra Incognita fantasy novels.
Outside of the music world, Erik co-designed the UNO Synth analog synthesizers for IK Multimedia, carrying on the legacy of his design work on the legendary Alesis Andromeda analog synthesizer in the late 1990s. Erik also created IK Multimedia’s Syntronik virtual instrument libraries based solely on samples of his synth collection along with scores of sample libraries for SampleTank 4. Prior to that, Erik was the first synthesizer product manager for Alesis Studio Electronics and presided over the creation of the QS series of synthesizers, DM5 and DM Pro drum modules and several other products. He is currently the Director of Keyboard Product Development for Moog Music and the inMusic Family of Brands."
Sunday, July 20, 2025
The Moon Performance System by LI ZILU
"The Moon Performance System is an innovative music creation tool launched in 2023, combining hardware and software design principles. It integrates a MIDI controller, FM synthesizer, and drum machine sequencer into a unified system. At the core of the system is its dual-circuit board MIDI controller, designed symmetrically, with the left section controlling the sequencer and the right section controlling the synthesizer. This design makes the controls more intuitive and efficient while providing aesthetic harmony throughout the controller. Furthermore, the controller’s dual circuit boards can simultaneously connect to two computers, allowing for independent control of the synthesizer and drum machine sequencer, with the ability to switch instantly and perform concurrently, greatly enhancing flexibility for live performances and music creation.
The software component of the tool is built within Reaktor, with developers utilizing its powerful modular construction tools to create highly customizable and flexible audio and control modules. The Moon Performance System’s drum machine sequencer is powerful, allowing users to adjust drum tones and pitch without needing additional sound packs. Users can select from a variety of effects and perform mixing, making it versatile for different musical styles.
The Moon FM Synthesizer is equipped with an advanced frequency modulation (FM) engine that allows modulation between oscillators for precise control of FM sound colors. The XY-axis visualization interface makes envelope and filter adjustments more intuitive, and when combined with effects like distortion, delay, and chorus, it easily creates captivating sounds. The Moon Performance System not only meets the diverse needs of music creation but is also especially suitable for live performances, as its sleek design allows creators to focus on music creation and performance without worrying about complex operations. The project won an Excellence Award in the Music Technology category at the 2024 IEMC International Electronic Music Competition, showcasing its outstanding performance in sound innovation and technological integration."
[pictured]
Moon MIDI Controller
Moon Sequencer
Moon Fm Synthesizer
via onedrive, via Midi.org
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Patchwerks Closes Shop
Some unfortunate news in via Patchwerks:
"Patchwerks has closed.
It has been an incredible ride. We created Patchwerks to make a 'third place' away from home and the office that was a safe space for people who wanted to explore making sounds and music with synthesizers.
We started with our meetups in 2016 and grew from there to a little shack off Eastlake Avenue. Then, we outgrew that space and had a shot at a large, beautiful showroom. It was a risk, but we took it. There we had an amazing time building out the store, investing in the community, hosting shows, and more.
We encountered plenty of difficulties in the last few years, and unfortunately now is the time to close the book on our journey.
Having said that, it has been an honor to share our love of synthesizers, music, noise, and community with you all. Keep exploring and keep making sounds. We wish everyone well for what's next."
You can find a ton of content featuring Patchwerks here on MATRIXSYNTH that will live on in the archives. We are going to miss them, and we hope to see them again in the future.
Saturday, July 12, 2025
CYBER SYNTH ⚡ 3-Oscillator Neural Network Synthesizer
via the creator: "I've been reading Matrixsynth for over a decade... Now, i made my own chip-tune synth that works in a browser, computer or smartphone... 3 OSC, LFO, FX, Arp..."
Check it out here: https://chiptuneneo.created.app
Monday, June 09, 2025
Lost Road...
video upload by Craig Sue Sound
"An ambient synthscape of lots of textures & favourite synth sounds to images of cityscapes and a solitary figure... This track was performed with real analogue & digital equipment, as well as some in the box... headphones a must for the imaging & bottom end in this piece... enjoy..."
"Equipment used in this piece includes Moog Voyager, Roland VP-330, Yamaha SS-30, Arp Odyssey mk3, System 100m, Waldorf M, Arturia Microfreak.
Effects included the Chase Bliss CXM1978, MXR Flanger/Doubler, E.H. Small Stone, Hologram Microcosm. Software used N.I. Kontakt.
Headphones a must for lots of movement in the mix as well as low frequencies… Enjoy :)"
And a MATRIXSYNTH T :)
LABELS/MORE:
ARP,
Arturia,
Chase Bliss,
EHX,
Hologram,
MATRIXSYNTH Bling,
MATRIXSYNTH Members,
MOOG,
MXR,
Native Instruments,
Roland,
Soft Synths,
Synth Bling,
Synth Ts,
Waldorf,
Yamaha
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
GoFundMe for Keyboard Magazine's Former Editor Stephen Fortner
It has come to my attention that Keyboard Magazine's former editor-in-chief (2009 through September 2015), Stephen Fortner has suffered a stroke. His wife has set up a GoFundMe to help with his recovery (click through for details). She also has a YouTube channel with progress updates here.
I grew up reading Keyboard Magazine and still have my original collection. Keyboard Magazine is what many of us grew up with before the age of the Internet.
Stephen has been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH countless times.
We send him and his wife our best wishes to a full and speedy recovery.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Meet the M0SS 101 Synthesizer by Andrew John March
M0SS 101 DEMO video upload by Andrew March
"A quick demonstration on how to build a patch with the M0SS-101 synthesizer."
From the creator of WVR, the the M0SS 101 virtual analog monosynth is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter.
"M0SS-101 is a virtual analog monosynth built for a pure, hands-on subtractive synthesis, packed into a compact, rugged guitar pedal enclosure.
With 26 buttons and a single encoder, M0SS-101 gives you intuitive access to a deep 42-parameter virtual analog synthesis engine. Press a button to select a parameter, turn the encoder to modify it, and monitor your signal flow via the LED system.
Using a MIDI controller, you can map any parameter via simple MIDI learn, making it easy to integrate into your setup. Up to 17 presets can be saved and recalled for quick access to your favourite sounds.
The 26 RGB LEDs use colour and brightness to represent signal flow, modulation paths, settings and selections. A separate row of 11 LEDs at the bottom gives you instant visual feedback on the currently selected parameter. I aim to offer an affordable, compact, and versatile instrument, without sacrificing features, ergonomics, or most importantly, fun. I hope you'll enjoy playing this synth as much as I have :'-)"
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Ultra-rare Waldeck 70s US Synth
Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this VEMIA listing
Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.
VEMIA is Peter Forrest's auction house. He is the author of The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizer Books.
Pics of the inside below.
"One of the rarest synths ever - this one is serial number 7 out of about 10 that were built. They were designed in the late 70s by Steven Waldeck, professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Although there are so few of them there is a good deal of information gathered at the excellent matrixsynth site: https://www.matrixsynth.com/2016/05/more-info-on-vintage-waldeck.html?m=1
We had this example imported from the USA with the aim of having Dani at Hideaway do her magic - but sadly she has too many other projects on the go, and could give no idea of how many hours it would take - and how economically viable it would be. She did check it for electrical safety: 'If it was a 240V piece I'd say it would need some serious attention to detail and most definitely grounded - at 120V, I would say at the very least it should be checked over properly and some addition of sleeving/insulating sheet of the mains wiring on the transformer, fuse and switch terminals.'
Bear that in mind along with Mark Verbos' honest appraisal of another example from the matrixsynth page, and consider it a fascinating project, inspired by the VCS3 but definitely not a VCS3. Good for sound effects and weirdness, but not accurately pitched notes.
Dani's general verdict as it stands: 'This was clearly intended to be aimed more at making sound effects than to be used as a well calibrated and stable musical instrument - the whole thing is extremely drifty with very narrow usable control ranges on the oscillators - there is a fair amount that doesn't work but I still had some fun making some sort of recording with it to mark the occasion.' https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/1978-waldeck-on-the-waldeck/s-2j3HAUd60BE (corrected URL!)"
via this VEMIA listing
Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.
VEMIA is Peter Forrest's auction house. He is the author of The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizer Books.
Pics of the inside below.
"One of the rarest synths ever - this one is serial number 7 out of about 10 that were built. They were designed in the late 70s by Steven Waldeck, professor at the Art Institute of Chicago. Although there are so few of them there is a good deal of information gathered at the excellent matrixsynth site: https://www.matrixsynth.com/2016/05/more-info-on-vintage-waldeck.html?m=1
We had this example imported from the USA with the aim of having Dani at Hideaway do her magic - but sadly she has too many other projects on the go, and could give no idea of how many hours it would take - and how economically viable it would be. She did check it for electrical safety: 'If it was a 240V piece I'd say it would need some serious attention to detail and most definitely grounded - at 120V, I would say at the very least it should be checked over properly and some addition of sleeving/insulating sheet of the mains wiring on the transformer, fuse and switch terminals.'
Bear that in mind along with Mark Verbos' honest appraisal of another example from the matrixsynth page, and consider it a fascinating project, inspired by the VCS3 but definitely not a VCS3. Good for sound effects and weirdness, but not accurately pitched notes.
Dani's general verdict as it stands: 'This was clearly intended to be aimed more at making sound effects than to be used as a well calibrated and stable musical instrument - the whole thing is extremely drifty with very narrow usable control ranges on the oscillators - there is a fair amount that doesn't work but I still had some fun making some sort of recording with it to mark the occasion.' https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/1978-waldeck-on-the-waldeck/s-2j3HAUd60BE (corrected URL!)"
Monday, April 07, 2025
ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL THINGS SYNTHESIZER | THAT SYNTH SHOW LIVE
video upload by SYNTH SAMURAI
Browsing MATRIXSYNTH with SYNTH SAMURAI. :)
This one was sent my way via HanzVolt, aka SYNTH RENEGADE MAFIA.
MERCH SHOP
https://synth-samurai-shop.fourthwall...
If you like what I am doing and want to support the channel buy me a beer
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/synthsam...
Sunday, April 06, 2025
Dr T's "M" Midi Music Software for the Atari ST Brochure / Ad
This one is in via plantssystem.
Click the pics for the full size shots.
See see this previous post for some additional info on the software including a demo. You can find additional demos in previous videos by plantssystem featured here on MATRIXSYNTH.
Saturday, April 05, 2025
Emu 70s modular university/Pat Gleeson?
Note: links to listings are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
via this VEMIA listing
Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.
VEMIA is Peter Forrest's auction house. He is the author of The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizer Books.
"This interesting E-mu modular started out life at an American university, at a time when E-mu were happy to sell circuit boards and sub-modules to individuals as well as manufacturing the systems themselves. Because this was built by two people, they were completely familiar with the layout (even though they decided in a few respects to make changes to the design to improve the layout of, for instance, the Universal Active Filter). That meant that they had no lettering on the panels (as well as none of the distinctive blue edging that E-mu themselves use on modules). Further research: according to a post for an auction in 2014, it was actually built by Pat Gleeson and a PhD student, and there were some pencil markings on the panel which have since worn off. Search the wonderful matrixsynth for Early Vintage E-mu Modular for Sale . Here's the link: https://www.matrixsynth.com/2014/05/early-vintage-e-mu-modular-for-sale.html. The most likely supposition is that this was built for Cal State East Bay (then known as Cal State Hayward), but we're trying to find out more.
In the interests of intelligibility by someone not intimately involved in its creation, we decided that it needed labelling. We did this with cheap tape, and a Brother printer. The results are more useful than beautiful. (If it was partly Pat Gleeson's work, the lettering and blue tape could easily be removed if you wanted.) Cosmetically it is generally good - the knobs have started to discolour a bit after nearly 50 years, but are still nice to use. One silver top is missing.
Working order: every module has been checked out as 100%. Three of them needed some expertise from Tony Wride, who used E-mu parts where possible and Pioneer Tribute parts where not. Altogether this modular is probably about 97% E-mu and 3% Pioneer. As this process has taken a year or two to complete, and the modular hasn't received the regular playing it deserves, some pots may be scratchy when first used.
Check the pics for what you will get. The UAF needed a replacement wooden piece in the cabinet to screw into, so hadn't been connected when we took the pics. Packing 30GBP."
via this VEMIA listing
Click the auction link on top when you get there for additional listings.
VEMIA is Peter Forrest's auction house. He is the author of The A-Z of Analogue Synthesizer Books.
"This interesting E-mu modular started out life at an American university, at a time when E-mu were happy to sell circuit boards and sub-modules to individuals as well as manufacturing the systems themselves. Because this was built by two people, they were completely familiar with the layout (even though they decided in a few respects to make changes to the design to improve the layout of, for instance, the Universal Active Filter). That meant that they had no lettering on the panels (as well as none of the distinctive blue edging that E-mu themselves use on modules). Further research: according to a post for an auction in 2014, it was actually built by Pat Gleeson and a PhD student, and there were some pencil markings on the panel which have since worn off. Search the wonderful matrixsynth for Early Vintage E-mu Modular for Sale . Here's the link: https://www.matrixsynth.com/2014/05/early-vintage-e-mu-modular-for-sale.html. The most likely supposition is that this was built for Cal State East Bay (then known as Cal State Hayward), but we're trying to find out more.
In the interests of intelligibility by someone not intimately involved in its creation, we decided that it needed labelling. We did this with cheap tape, and a Brother printer. The results are more useful than beautiful. (If it was partly Pat Gleeson's work, the lettering and blue tape could easily be removed if you wanted.) Cosmetically it is generally good - the knobs have started to discolour a bit after nearly 50 years, but are still nice to use. One silver top is missing.
Working order: every module has been checked out as 100%. Three of them needed some expertise from Tony Wride, who used E-mu parts where possible and Pioneer Tribute parts where not. Altogether this modular is probably about 97% E-mu and 3% Pioneer. As this process has taken a year or two to complete, and the modular hasn't received the regular playing it deserves, some pots may be scratchy when first used.
Check the pics for what you will get. The UAF needed a replacement wooden piece in the cabinet to screw into, so hadn't been connected when we took the pics. Packing 30GBP."
Sunday, March 23, 2025
MOTM / Synthesis Technology's Paul Schreiber Has Passed Away
Paul Schreiber at CONTROL in 2018
It has come to my attention that Paul Schreiber has passed away.
Pictured: Paul Schreiber at the 2006 NAMM show. Top from this previous post (pic by fr1zz), and bottom from this post (pic by Synthtopia) - this is the first image of Paul on the site. There is one comment in that post: "He's a good guy." Indeed.
Readers of the site should be familiar with his work. He was the man behind MOTM and Synthesis Technology.
To say Paul was one of the greats to influence the synth community would be an understatement. He was pivital to the rebirth of modular synthesizers. He started when modular as we know it today was in its infancy, as one of a very small group of large format DIY modular manufacturers along with Blacet, Modcan, Cynthia, Wiard, Oakley, STG, Catgirl/CGS, Tellun/Lower West Side Studio YuSynth, Jurgen Haible, and of course DIY staples like Thomas Henry/ MFOS, Ray Wilson and PAiA (see this post for some modular formats back in 2007). I focused mainly on those offering DIY. There were other manufacturers including Synthesizers.com, Club of the Knobs, MOS-LAB, Moon Modular, MacBeth, CMS, and more. Feel free to mention others in the comments. This post is about Paul, but I think it's important to reflect on some of the large format modular manufactures he was amongst at the time.
Paul created the MOTM format of 5U modules in 1998. MOTM stood for Module of the Month offering monthly DIY kits. From Wikipedia: "MOTM was created by Paul Schreiber in 1998. The system was created in part due to the renewed interest in large-format analog modular systems that occurred in the late 1990s. Between 1998 and 2021, over 8000 modules were sold. The company, Synthesis Technology, also offered a limited number of modules in Eurorack[2] and Frac[3] format."
He was also helped design the Moog/Realistic MG-1. From Wikipedia: "In 1980, Moog Music was seeking to contract manufacture a mass-marketable synthesizer which could be sold via a large retailer. Moog representatives secured an appointment at the Radio Shack corporate offices for a 5-minute demonstration. Radio Shack approved the concept, and Paul Schreiber (then employed by Tandy Systems Development) worked together with Moog on the synthesizer's design to achieve Radio Shack's price requirements.[2][3]"
He later joined the eurorack scene with Synthesis Technology branded modules. FYI, his site for MOTM was always http://www.synthtech.com/, short for Synthesis Technology. The first post to mention Paul and MOTM was posted just under twenty years ago here on MATRIXSYNTH back on August 26, 2005. If you click through you will see it was a post announcing the MOTM/synthtech.com site was going down for the weekend. He announced he was retiring from the synthesizer business in August of 2023.
I beleive the first synthtech eurorack module was the MOTM E340 Cloud Generator. The first demos were posted on July 14, 2009, followed by a mockup of the front panel on July 20. The first post to mention Synthesis Technology was an Epic Son track by John L Rice in August of 2011. Since then there has been approximately 845 posts to feature MOTM, and at least 398 Synthtech.
You can find a number of interviews with Paul in previous posts here.
It's worth repeating, Paul Schreiber was one of the key figures that brought modular back to the masses. He was both respected and loved by the synth community. It's impossible to overstate his influence. He will be missed.
The following are the first the last video interviews with Paul to be featured on the site:
The SynthSummitShow Episode 2: Paul Schreiber (Synthesis Technology) and A.Dapt (music producer) ...
Streamed live on Oct 2, 2015 Flux302 of Fluxwithit.com. Details previously posted here.
SysEx Dumpster - Episode 44 - a conversation with Paul Schreiber
video upload by Sysex Dumpster on Jul 30, 2023. Details previously posted here.
The first videos to feature Paul presenting a module was back on January 3, 2010, and the first interview on SoundCloud in 2013, and he was of course featured in the modular documentary film I Dream of Wires.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Custom Patches for Novation Summit synthesizer - Dirty & noisy pads and soundscapes - No talking!
video upload by copenhagennoiselab
"Playing through 38 presets I have made for my Novation Summit... I bought the Summit after a few years with the Novation Peak. And while I have kept the Peak, I hav not used it since. All in all, this used to be my favorite synthesizer. It can be clean, and it can be nasty and everything in between. It is quick to work with, and it has that snappy character if needed.
The best thing about it is likely that it plays well in a context with other instruments - I usually turn it on as a drone or an arpeggio playing while playing piano. It works great. I feel like Nils Frahm or Hania Rani instantly... ;)
Anyway. The Arpeggiator on this thing is the best I ever used...
If you are interesting in getting the patches, please let me know, and we can likely work something out.
If you want some custom written soundtracks, get hold of me.
Anyway. If you like the sounds, please click like and subscribe or leave a comment. It means a lot to me. :)
There is no external processing going on, so the only FX you hear is the diffusion delay that is built in.
#novation #novationmusic #novationsummit #novationpeak #peak #summit #synthesizer #polyphonic #ambient #soundscape #patches #synthsounds #analog #analogsynthesizer #analogsynth #synth #synthesiser #analoguesynth #matrixsynth #demo #vcf #chrishugget #oscar #arpeggio #arpeggiator #compenhagennoiselab #custompatches #patches"
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
METAMORPHEUS Soundset for Oberheim TEO-5
video upload by James Dyson
"METAMORPHEUS Soundset for Oberheim TEO-5
128 deeply programmed Presets included covering all musical taste and styles.
No added FX or Processing."
Email firestormer2010@yahoo.co.uk for details on the soundset. Please note MATRIXSYNTH has no way of verifying this is legit, but has no reason to assume otherwise. As always just be careful. You are free to share your experience in the comments below.
Oberheim TEO 5 Synthesizer Soundset Sounds and Sound Design
video upload by James Dyson
Additional posts here
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MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH



































