Site Issues

Update: And I am officially done!!! Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Update: Actually it looks like I can save the static links!

Update: Well it looks like all my external link redirects are bust. I can either redirect unique posts to one given post or to the default site and hope people find the article. I opted for the default site obviously. Cie la vie. Sorry all.

Udate: All posts have been moved over to matrixsynth.blogspot.com. This will be the blog's permanent new home. I need to scrub links back to previous posts as they will need to be updated to the new blogspot links. I also need to take a look at the comments, but I have a feeling they are gone. Unless I want to open myself up to spam (I received 28 spam comments on my last post in a matter of minutes), I'm going to keep the text verification up. Feel free to add new comments.

Update: I'm getting there. I'm litterally moving all posts over. I've gotten a couple of emails offering help and asking for thier synth crack. : ) Thanks for that, made my day. I promise more will come soon enough. I just want to get everything over first just in case. Thanks all.

Update: If you've been back a couple of times you will notice that this site is changing format and content. Pleae bear with me or enjoy the rebuilding process. : ) You can watch this evolve over time.

I had site issues with my previous hosting provider. I am temporarily moving the blog here and will decide whether I want to keep it here or move it back. Posts coming shortly. And of course the content will need to be built back up if I decide to stay here.

Baldwin Syntha-Sound and Tempo-Matic

Ran into these on a post on Vintage Synth Explorer. I never knew these existed. Title link takes you to Audio Playgrounds Synthesizer Museum page on Baldwin. Click through to get a bigger shot of each. Oddly you have to click on the Syntha-Sound picture on the first page to get to the Tempo-Matic picture.

I found the following in the AH archives regarding the Syntha-Sound:

"Interesting box, but not what I recall as a terribly remarkable sound.
Three sections: a variable synth department, some preset synth tones
(trumpet, trombone, sax, cello) and a monophonic organ section comprising
flutes at 16', 8', 4', 2-2/3' and 1-1/3'. I think they can all be used at
once, but they were all monophonic.

Some controls on sliders, a lot of mode selection controls on pushbuttons,
like the VCO octaves, waveforms and 'mode' controls, which essentially set
you up with preset envelopes. The filter, as I recall was a multimode and
had at least low-pass and bandpass modes.

hmmm, what else? Built-in spring reverb, built in amplifier, *and* a speaker
on the side of the unit. There are a couple of push bars right above the
keys- one of them shut off the LFO momentarily, if I recall. Three octave
square-front keyboard, more wood than most synths (in fact, essentially all
wood except for the keys and front panel, don't remember what the bottom is
made of). I think there's an external input, but I don't know whether it can
be routed through the filter/VCA or not.

Different architecture, and an interesting concept. I don't remember being
blown away by any particular characteristic of the sound though...

Frank"

There is also a little piece on the Syntha-Sound in this article.

I haven't found anything on the Tempo-Matic.

Enjoy - Casio MT-100 Diddy

Wow. I was reading this post on Sonic State's the gas station, and I went to go check out the track, Mayhem Without the "H." It's good and definitely worth a listen. While there I decided to check out the Casio MT-100 track. I mean what can you make with a measley Casio MT-100. I've heard it's the musician and not the instrument a hundred times, but come on... a Casio MT-100? Well... Just check it out. Pretty cool little tune.



This is the best shot Google came up with for Casio MT-100, so I guess it will have to do.
Somehow it fits. Dance little kitty, dance!

Yamaha DX7ii D - New Flickr Shot

Yamaha DX7ii D. If I were to get a DX7, this would be the model. Real clicky buttons instead of those membrane ones. For years I thought of the DX7 as the nemesis to my Oberheim Matrix-6. I used to have my-synth-is-bigger-than-yours arguments with a good friend of mine who opted for the DX7, while I went with the Matrix-6. I have grown out of my synth prejudices and now respect all synths including the mighty DX-7. Instead, I now blame the manufacturers for moving away from analog for so long. But still. The Matrix-6 is better! : )

Kurzweil VA1 Resurrected?

I posted earlier on the Kurzweil VA1. Well rumor on Sonic State's the gas station has it that the real reason the VA1 dissapeared was due to red tape around patents, which have now been lifted, and... VA1 development has been ressurected. Urban Legend or truth? Who knows, but my fingers are crossed. : )

Yunost-21 on the *bay

Saw this one on Music Thing. Russion Yunost-21 keytar synth up on the *bay. Title link takes you to the auction shots saved for posterity. And yep, it definitely looks and sounds like a Juno-106 clone based on the name. Check out this post I put up a bit ago on Russion synths for two great sites with samples.

RIP Larry and Anne Hendry

I didn't know Larry personally. You will hear when the big names like Bob Moog leave us, but rarely will you hear about those that love synthesis and make it their hobby. Although I never had the fortune to meet Larry, many on AH have and they all have kind words to say about the man. This is a synth blog. It's about the instruments, the music and more importantly, the people. My condolences go out to those hurt by this sad news. RIP Larry, you made a lot of lives better out there.

Larry and his MOTM


More shots of Larry at the yearly AHMW

Should I open the site to other posters?

I've been thinking about opening up this blog to other posters. That would mean you and others could create an account, login and start posting your own content. You would be limitted to just posting and editing your own posts. The rule is that it has to be about synths. If anyone abuses the site, they would be banned from posting again. Let me know if you think this is a good idea or not via the comments link below. Currently I am the only one posting. If I do open this up then I lose this site being my personal blog, but if I do open it up, Matrixsynth would have the potential of becoming something bigger. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,
matrix

EML 400 Modular on the *bay - Are dealer markups worth it?

You don't see these come up to often. Minimi123, aka synthland123, has this EML 400 and a ton of other gear up for sale again on the *bay. Some complain that dealer prices on vintage gear are marked up. Are they worth it? I say a big fat YES. Well, of course it depends on the markup, but I personally think it's worth it knowing that you will get a quality piece of gear.

My story: I once picked up a Prophet 5 in "the best condition ever!" from the *bay. Turned out it looked nice but had some serious problems with it. I wasted a couple of months sending it to a tech recommended by the seller (who said he'd pay for it). The seller dragged me along just enough to get past the feedback limit of three months (I was unknowing and naive having never dealt with a bad experience on the *bay and him being local to me). Well, he disappeared and I got my synth back from the tech unrepaired. I ended up sending it to Wine Country Sequential. After a few hundred dollars of repairs there was still work to be done and it was in such bad shape that they did not know how much more work was needed. We needed to try things one step at a time, each one paid up front. I ended up deciding to recouperate some of my losses by trading it in for one of thier Perfect Prophets before I sunk too much into the bad one, and I have never been happier. So, unless I can fully test a used piece of gear before I buy, I won't bother. But... I do trust dealers and if I can't test it out, I'll gladly pay the mark up to be sure I get what I pay for. In my experience it is more than worth it. Why do I trust vintage dealers? Because they have too much on the line to screw you over.

Synth Color Schemes & Custom MacBeth M5

Interesting post on Vintage Synth Explorer regarding synth color schemes. Some pictures of the usuals and then this...

Tim Love Lee's custom MacBeth M5. Wow.