AViC KV-04 RYUICHI SAKAMOTO & KV-01 Seifuku Part1 ROM Cartridges for Yamaha DX7

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AViC Keyboard Voice ROM KV-04 RYUICHI SAKAMOTO Cart via this eBay listing

AViC KV-01 Keyboard Voice ROM Seifuku Part1 Cart via this eBay listing

These were spotted and sent in via
M Me.

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Rare Ensoniq Mirage ISF-1 Input Sampling Filter Expander Cartridge w/ Original Box

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via this eBay listing

"Rare! Working! Ensoniq Mirage ISF-1 Input Sampling Filter Expander Cartridge! This cartridge has been fully cleaned and tested! Works beautifully! Comes with Ensoniq Mirage Disc Library Bundle Lot Of 17! These disks have been tested on my Mirage DSK-8 and are still in working order!"

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

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ARP 2500 Modular Synthesizer w/ Pair of Fully Loaded Wing Cabinets

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via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

"Vintage ARP 2500 Modular Synthesizer system. Accompanying the ARP 2500 main cabinet is a pair of fully loaded wing cabinets. The main cabinet and keyboard were fully restored by Phil Cirocco (CMS) around 2011 as well were most of the modules in the wing cabinets. However the system has not been powered up or played since 2018 when I moved from Los Angeles to Tucson Arizona. It was working perfectly in 2018. Since sitting for 7 years the system will most likely need some small service to get it back to perfect. IT IS UNTESTED AND WILL NOT BE TESTED. IT IS BEING SOLD AS IS.

The previous service was meticulously done to satisfy my serious demand for the system to remain as original as possible. No modifications were done and all parts replaced with original or appropriate parts. The system is hyper clean in person and was clearly babied. It was used on notable lp's. You may live a 100 more years but will likely never find a better more complete ARP 2500 for sale. This system is priceless and was the most expensive new instrument when it was produced in the early 1970's.

I collected and played many Moog, ARP and Buchla modular systems. However owning so many systems became a burden. As well, switching between using Moog, ARP and Buchla took too much bandwidth. I sold all of my Buchla systems and this is my last and best ARP piece from my massive collection. Time for someone else to own it

CAN BE PICKED UP IN TUCSON AZ OR I CAN DELIVER TO LOS ANGELES CA"

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Custom Black AKAI MPC 60 MKII Roger Linn

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via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

"The sampler has been completely refurbished. The casing has been painted black. All tact switches have been replaced, the old LCD with a new LED and pad sensors. Additionally, I have installed the Gotek FDD emulator (32GB Sandisk pendrive included), the latest Vimana 3.15B OS, max RAM memory and multivoltage power supply. This means that it does not need step up or step down converters to work! The voltage switches automatically depending on the place in the world. It accepts AC voltage from 65 to 265V. This is probably the only such version in the world. I was going to replace the LCD window, as it has a few scratches, but I'll leave that to the new owner. The glass is available on eBay, and replacement is easy (double-sided tape). Insured shipment."

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Technics SM-AC80 MIDI PCM Orchestra Expander Arranger

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via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

You can find a demo of one previously posted here.

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Variophon Realton Vintage Synthesitzer

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via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

A search on Variophon Realton will bring up additional posts including a few demos on the site.

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BugBrand Introduces the Weevil 20/25

video upload by BugBrand

"A new Weevil to celebrate 20 years of BugBrand - the first regular production since 2015 and perhaps the first 'cased' version since around 2008!

Thanks to everyone who sent in pics of their old Weevils!"

via BugBrand

"I'm excited to present the new Weevil to mark 20 years of BugBrand and Weevils - it's the first regular production since the 2015 BoardWeevil and, I think, the first 'cased' design since 2008! Quite a change from the old cigar boxes of the early days ;)

The main listing for the 20/25 is here - I'm doing a run of 50 for now, which will be built up in batches of 10 over the coming months. The 2nd batch should appear in early April.

The overview video features a load of pics of old Weevils after the callout last time -- thanks so much to everyone who sent in pics & memories, it meant a lot to me 💚💚💚

Next week I'll do another mailout to mark the actual 20 years - stay tuned!

All best! Tom"

"Weevils were the first designs I made as BugBrand and, between 2005 & 2015 I made a whole slew of them – you can see some on the Weevil Archive page. So it seemed apt to make a special one to mark 20 years – the first regular production for 10 years and the first ‘housed’ one since perhaps 2008!

The core is a simple little circuit I found in a library book – a cymbal sound synthesiser made of some CMOS 4000 series logic gates to make squarewaves that are quasi-ringmodulated together. Back in my early days I was doing a lot of circuit bending, so I tried out adding power starvation and body contacts and discovered a deep & chaotic sonic world. This Weevil Heart has stayed pretty constant over the years while I’ve played extensively both with the surrounding circuitry and how to present an instrument. For example, the STEIM Cracklebox was always an inspiration as an almost acousitc electronic instrument that had to be played in a truly experimental manner. It has really been a case of iterative refinement and the developments nicely highlight how my build techniques have evolved.

The 20/25 Weevil is really quite similar to the last BoardWeevil of 2015 – we’ve got the 3 Oscillators, 2 RingMods and State-Variable Filter – but I wanted something cased so took the existing modular boxes and fashioned a new PCB frontpanel with accompanying side-cheeks that could hold a speaker, battery box and line output. Smart!

For further details, have a read of the Instruction Sheet & refer to the Block Diagram – but really the best way to learn is to dive in and experiment!"

Moog Sequencer Complement B Reissue

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via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

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DYNACORD ADVANCED DIGITAL DRUMS ADD One

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via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

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Waldorf QUANTUM SHADOW 007 of 30 Limited Edition

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SN *19490900007* via this eBay listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

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Rare "Engineer Sample" Behringer Kobol Keyboard Spotted

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via this listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

"Not in production. Not available anywhere.

Perfect for your Youtube video or synth channel.

Rare opportunity to own one of a kind synthesizer keyboard.
This is the Behringer Kobol Keyboard. There's a label in the back showing this to be an "Engineer Sample".

All controls and keys seem to be working. Although given this is not a production model, there could be quirks. The Pitch and Mod wheels light up when activated. The LED bar changes when knobs are turned.
I had tested only the audio outputs - headphones, main out, and amp out. Other connections and USB are untested.

Good overall physical condition, but there are very visible scratches and dings and dents on the panel, as shown in the photos.
The back stand has 3 positions for tilt adjustment."

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Belgian Magazine Article Featuring Mario Mathy

This one is in via Jos who had the following to say followed by an English translation of the article.

"Years ago, I sent you information about Mario Mathy (I think 2019). You published it on your blog. [you can find it in previous posts featuring Mario Mathy here] Afterward, Mario Mathy's 'Jumping Dance' went viral and achieved cult status.

Since your blog has become the most comprehensive and important documented synthesizer resource online, the attached article should also be saved for future history. It would be cool if you could share it with the rest of the synthesizer community. I translated it from Dutch to English using Google Translate.

Notice in the picture below the article that the photo was taken during the period when Mario endorsed Korg.

All I can see in the picture is Korg equipment. The song 'Love Dreams' is from his first album.

I expect most of the songs from his first album ‘Hello This is Mario Mathy’ were created using Korg synthesizers (in contrary to what you would expect from the album cover showing only casio).

After his first album, the single 'Jumping Dance' was released in Belgium. 'Jumping Dance' was from his second album, 'Music-Land'.

On his second album, you can hear a noticeable difference in his sound.

This likely resulted from switching from Korg to Casio synthesizers.

Mario was my piano teacher when I was about 15 years old."

You can check out Mario Mathy's releases on Discogs here.

The following is the tranlation of the article pictured in this post.

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ESQ Die Ensoniq Synthesizer Book

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via this listing

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

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How To Loop All The Gear In A Studio: Sequencers/Mixers/Synths

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Hello my friends this video has been a very long time coming. Its been years since I have done an updated studio tour and rundown so I figured today was a good day to catch up!

The reason it's taken so long to do something like this is because I've always been so overwhelmed at the idea of doing it right........ So instead of making a big production out of things we're going to keep it cool and casual and just see what catches out attention as we go. Thats the only way this is ever getting done!

The most important part of my studio is the ‪@ElectricSquad‬‪@squarpinstruments‬ Hapax sequencer. The Hapax is connected to every single piece of midi-equipped gear in the studio via 5-pin din or usb and is what allows me to loop everything in sync with each other.

When I play the keybed or change the controls on a synth, I'm not directly playing the gear so much as I'm playing it through the Hapax. With local controls turned off on the synth, all of the notes and midi information is sent OUT to the Hapax and does not trigger the synth in question (yet). After it gets to the Hapax it is run through any enabled MIDI effects and (if recording is armed) is recorded into the loop before it is sent instantaneously back to the synth in real time in a way you cant even tell that its happening. This way you can enable effects like arps and harmonizers on synths that dont have them.

All the audio from every synth and drum machine is sent to the tower of 3 Roland MX-1s. the MX-1s send MIDI sync and power through usb to some AIRA-link enabled pieces of gear and simplifies some cabling that way, and every track can be sent to Logic and recorded individually as its own instrument when combined as an aggregate audio device on my macbook."

Lego Minimoog

This one was spotted and sent in via
M Me.

It's actually from the official Lego site as a concept idea you can vote on. Don't miss the pics of the inside below.

From Lego Ideas:

"From the moment it hit store shelves back in 1970, the Minimoog signalled the start of a musical revolution. It was the first synthesizer ever to be sold in retail stores, and over its original 13 year run sold over 12,000 units. It became a cultural icon and transformed how music was produced and performed in and out of the studio, leaving its mark across a huge variety of genres: prog rock, jazz, funk, pop and disco are but to name a few.

This project submission serves to honour the legacy of one of music history's most iconic instruments. Captured at 1:1 scale, this faithful recreation replicates the look and feel of this legendary synthesizer inside and out. With rotating knobs and pitch wheels, pushable keys and a rotating control panel. The rear of the control panel is even removable, revealing the collection of circuits and electronics inside that truly bring this model to life!

As an avid electronic music listener and (very amateur!) producer. I wanted to make product idea that follows with my passion, and provides a great display piece for fellow music fans, that would fit right alongside other music-themed sets Lego has produced in the past.

If you yourself are a fan of music production or music history, then please consider supporting the project! Any and all support or feedback would be greatly appreciated! Thank you !"

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Sunday Jam #54 : Music for an imaginary puzzle game - plus!

video upload by MIDI IN

"After deciding that my original idea was a complete disaster, I returned to something I've developed several times in the past. This time I've given it the rock treatment.

I first showed this tune played on a dual-SID C64 [1st video below]

And then using MIDISID [2nd video below]

0:00 Intro
0:24 previous versions
0:49 what I've done today
1:00 how I generated the video
2:01 the track"

Puzzled : music for dual-SID C64

video upload by MIDI IN

"Another piece of original Dual-SID music. I'm starting to doubt the wisdom of writing long ponderous intros, so I won't think any less of you if you skip forward 30s to where the bass and percussion action starts.

My 16-channel MIDI to 6-channel SID voice music player is improving . The sound for this video is captured straight from my sixtyclone which you can see in the video. The music is actually being generated by Logic Pro on a Mac and sent to the C64 via MIDI (Datel MIDI cart)."

Puzzled MIDISID demo 2

video upload by MIDI IN

"I've been unlisting some early MIDISID videos which show MIDISID as a prototype - it's come a long way and is now a commercial product: https://peacockmedia.software/midisid/

I like this tune and decided to re-shoot the video and re-record the audio using some better MIDISID sounds. If you like this or any of my tunes, and would like to use the music for free - you are welcome, as long as you credit me and give a link to my channel. Better still, contact me and I'll provide a good quality audio file."

Ensoniq Mirage DMS-8 Digital Multi Sampler w/ Original Box & Extras SN 706207

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via this listing

This one was spotted and sent in via M Me.

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Macbeth Elements 2 EL2 SN 017

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via this listing

This one was spotted and sent in via M Me.

"At first glance, the EL2 features a classical, subtractive signal flow. A closer look then reveals some cool oddities like unconventional filter slopes, extensively equipped modulators, a band echo simulation and a spring reverb. The EL2 features a completely discrete circuit design. Its sound is creamy and fat at the same time. Thanks to NOS components, the instrument has a nice vintage vibe. Compared to its predecessor, the EL2 offers some very useful additions. – Especially its three oscillators have been extended considerably."

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Vintage RME DIY Drum Machine?

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via this listing

This one was spotted and sent in via M Me.

"Are you looking for something a bit more special to exhibit in your studio space?
For sale is a unique, ultra rare analogue Drum Machine from the late 1970's.

I got it from an elderly gentlemen who worked for the BBC as an electronic engineer in the early 1980’s.

Everything as far as I can tell seems to be working including all of the red LEDs.

It recently had been converted from a much older round bacalite power connector in the back to an IEC standard connector.

I have no way of testing the multi-pin connectors on the back, which have been installed st the time to connect the machine with multicore looms!

It has eight trigger inputs and eight separate line outputs on XLRs and also a stereo monitor output on a DIN plug (I will supply the DIN plug adaptor)....

This drum synthesiser looks like it could have been a custom built drum machine for Kraftwerk's own KlingKlang recording studio! ;-)

It is actually a drum synthesiser with eight seperate instruments and controls for the instruments like a more modern drum synthesiser not unlike like a Vermona DRM for example, but obviously in a much larger console shaped enclosure.

This is from the earlier days of electronic music where some engineer tried to combine the preset beat-boxes of the time with eight oscillators, that have basic sawtooth, sinus and triangle waveforms and with white noise generators that were triggered by those preset rhythms or via the trigger inputs in the back. Various rhythm presets which were common at the time and some permutations are selectable. Also several presets can be selected at the same time which make a lot of variations possible.

You can get some basic beat box sounds like many other drum machines from the 60's and 70's, but also disco toms (Ring My Bell) if you tune the oscillators. The oscillators go up into the sonic spectrum so you get some very robotic sounds out of the machine too, but settings need to be selected carefully and with some patience.

LFO, VCO and Noise generators can be individually switched on and off per channel.

I would say that the oscillators and the options remind me a little bit of something like let's say the options of what a Coron DS drum synthesiser from the mid 80's had to offer.

A real focal point in ANY studio setup!

This is piece of memorabilia from a bygone area of early electronic pioneers like Kraftwerk, Cluster, Harmonia, Ashra, Popul Vul, etc.

Cosmetically speaking the drum synthesiser is in excellent condition and hasn’t been moved around much and it shows.

The fourth photo shows the drum synthesiser without any of the knobs.

The dimensions are 55x 47x x29cm and it's about 20kg, so pretty heavy....

Here is a link to a quick sound sample of the RME drum machine that I recorded this afternoon. No EQ or compression was used. [Soundcloud here]

This sound sample is taken from the stereo monitor output section which splits instruments 1-4 to the left side and instruments 5-8 to the right side."

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RIP Gert Jalass of Moon Modular

Some sad news sent my way via John L Rice who helped man the Moon Modular booth at NAMM every year. Gert Jalass, the man behind Moon Modular has passed away. I met Gert serveral times at NAMM and he was always a pleasure to talk to. He always welcomed me with a smile. He was genuinely passionate about synthesisers and the synth community. I haven't been able to make events lately and was looking forward to seeing him again. I'm so saddened that I won't be able to. I am sincerely going to miss him.

You can find posts featuring Gert here, and of course posts featuring Moon Modular here.




Musicianews NAMM 2011 Moon Modular Controller for Analog Synthesizers

Jan 2011 video upload by musicianews

The above is the first video featuring Gert on the site posted back in 2011.

The image of Gert above is from this 2019 video.