Some Waldorf Resources

I still can't believe Waldorf is no more. They made some of the absolutely, most beautiful synths out there including the Wave, Pulse, XT/XTk, and Q. Alex Hartmann of the Hartmann Neuron was responsible for much of the look and feel of the Waldorf Synths. Below is a few resources currently online for anyone looking for patches, OS updates and more:

http://waldorf.synth.net
http://waldorf.electro-music.com/
http://www.cavestudio.org/waldorf/ (mirror)
WaldorfWave
MicrowaveII/XT

The old site was at: http://www.waldorf-gmbh.de. I still have it on my MFG link section on http://www.matrixsynth.com in the hope that it will one day come back. : (

My pick for the most beautiful synth in the world, the Crimson Waldorf Wave:

ID this synth - Flickr Shot

via Flickr

This one came in under the tag "synthesizer." Not sure what it is but I like the picture. Click through for a larger shot and a couple of others.

Sequentix P3

Saw this in a picture of someone's studio and wondered what it was. Turns out it's a DIY Sequentix P3 8 track sequencer that you can now get pre-built direct from Sequentix or from Analogue Haven in the us. Looks sweet. Two rows of sixteen knobs and sixteen buttons. Yowza! Haven't used that word before, so it must be good. ; ) More info and pics after the hop.

Also be sure to check out the custom gallery for more including a nice red one.

Vermona Performer change in design

Music Thing has a good post on how much the design of a synth can change the desirability of a synth. Aesthetically I like the design of the old Performer with those classy chrome knobs, but functionally I think the new Performer will be easier to use. It also looks inspiring in a more colorful way (pun not intended but I'll take it).

Picture from Music Thing:

It's amazing how much the design of a synth can influence your perception and quite possibly the sounds you create. The Korg MS2000 and MicroKorg for example have essentially the same synth engine, minus a few deltas like being able to capture formant samples via the vocoder on the MicroKorg, yet the interfaces will pull you in different directions. I have an Alesis Ion, but every time I walk into the local Guitar Center, I play with the Micron and I walk away really, really wanting one. It's not just the fun factor, but for some reason the design inspires different sounds from me; it's as if it has a different synth engine. Heck if interface didn't matter, why not get a Yamaha AN1X rather than a Roland JP8000?

Creamware Minimax ASB now shipping

Sleek hardware with knobs running Creamware's Minimax software.

Elka x705 on Ebay

This interesting item came up on Ebay. It's an Organ with string ensemble, analog brass, mono-synth for bass or higher notes, and 16 analog rhythms. Some info on harmony-central. It was used by Jean Michel Jarre live: JMJ kit list.

Elka x705 on Ebay:

Some pictures of Jean Michel Jarre playing the Elka x705 live off of jarreography:

Ever wonder what chips your old analogs use?

I was wondering if the Prophet 5 Rev 2 and Korg Mono/Poly and Polysix all shared the same SSM (Solid State Music) filter, so I shot an email to AH. But then I remembered, duh, it's probably on synthech. The Rev 2 used an SSM 2040 while the Mono/Poly and Polysix both used the SSM 2044. If you are wondering what your synths might be using or if you are just curious what synths had what chips in common take a look at the list. You'll be surprised to find out different synths used the same Curtis chips. Note that the design of the synth and implementation of the chip made a huge impact on the actual sound of the synth, so two synths like the Prophet 5 Rev 3 and Oberheim OB-Xa which used CEM3320 VCFs will sound different. Other synths that used the CEM3320 were the PPG Wave 2.0, PAiA Proteus, Elka Synthex, Crumar Trilogy, SCI Pro One, SCI Prophet 10, Lindrum, and CMI Fairlight II. Pretty versatile chip. : )
NOTE: Synthtech is also home to the MOTM modular. Check em out.

Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 Rev 2

Gorgeous Prophet 5 Rev 2 for sale on AH. It has some nicks, but it still looks beautiful to me. There were three primary revs of the Prophet 5, Rev 1, Rev 2, and Rev 3 which was followed by Rev 3.2 and 3.3. The Rev 1 was notorious for tuning problems, with the Rev 3 the most stable; however, the Rev 2 had and SSM filter chip while the Rev 3s had Curtis chips. Most say the Rev 2 sounds warmer. I haven't had the luxury to A/B the two myself but I have heard SSM filters on a Korg Mono/Poly and Polysix and they definitely sound different than most Curtis filters I've heard - much more liquid or bubbly with some resonance.

Simmons SDS6

Recently saw a picture of this and wondered what it was. It's a Simmons SDS6 drum pattern programer with 8 rows of 32 steps. Unfortunately no midi. Click here for more pics as well as other Simmons gear. Great Simmons site. Thanks to GG for link.

DSI Evolver OS 3.0 Update

http://www.davesmithinstruments.com/support/rev2-0.html

From the PDF:
Evolver Version 3.0 Update
The following changes have been made to the Evolver as part of the update. In general the changes were
made to make the it compatible with the Poly Evolver Keyboard.
1) A number of MIDI CCs have been added (see list at bottom of page); these are active for MIDI input
only; only the sysex parameters are transmitted.
2) Auto-sequence implemented; for some trigger modes, such as MIDI gated, the sequencer will
automatically turn on when the program is selected. This means you no longer have to first hit the Start
button for programs with these modes when playing from a keyboard.
3) LFO sync feature has been added; just turn the LFO amount over 100, and LFO sync will be on.
4) There is a quick reset of the Main parameters; just hit row 1 and 4 buttons at the same time, and the
Main parameters will be re-initialized.
5) Two MIDI clock modes, Ext In Step and Key Step, have been moved from Main parameters to
Program parameters, so there are now two additional Trigger Modes available.

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