Roland SRE-555

Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo. Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction, including a shot of the inside and the block diagram.

via brian comnes.

Cyndustries ZO Sequence

Title link takes you to an MP3 sent my way via Josh.

Space Time Modulator

Title link takes you to Space Time Modulator, a blog on patchable electronic training labs via Nick Kent.

"I've been noticing this category of gear always brings up some curiosity - it certainly did for me - and some debate as to how useful it is for processing audio and CV.

I've read some generalized comments and the occasional short thread in a couple of forums including AH over the past couple years. I've also looked at the now fragmentary Dan Slater web page that's on archive.org without the diagrams.

So I'm wondering if there are any other sites or forums with useful discussion or info? I have a blog going with some photos not harvested off some other page. I'll try to add more details as time permits.

If you have something like these, especially if it's the same model as one of mine, please do add some comments. I'm sure others would find it useful. Maybe if people are interested, maybe someone else or I might make a better forum or wiki or something?

nick kent"

L.A. Style - James Brown Is Dead [1991] 2006

YouTube via mauriciokalil.

RIP James Brown. You will be missed. There was a certain something about the man. As a good friend of mine, who also passed, would always say, "You're so fucking suave." A bit of a David Lynch, Blue Velvet reference. Apologies for being late on this one. I heard the news on Christmas day as well, but held off as this site is only about synths. Then it occurred to me that James Brown is probably one of the most sampled sounds in "synth music." As for this track, it was one of the tracks that was played at nearly every rave I went to during that time, and it's a classic example of the Roland Alpha Juno Hoover sound. Oddly, I don't think I hear a James Brown sample in it. There's a bit of him dancing in the middle of the video but that's it. If you know of a JB sample in the track feel free to comment.

For those of you in New York, James Brown's body will be shown one last time at the Apollo theater [via]:

"James Brown's body is being flown to New York City, where the legendary showman will be put on public display at the Apollo Theater this Thursday.

'It would almost be unthinkable for a man who lived such a sensational life to go away quietly," the Rev. Al Sharpton said in an interview from Georgia, where he was making funeral arrangements with Brown's children.

Sharpton said the public Apollo viewing will be followed by a private ceremony Friday in Brown's hometown, Augusta, Ga., and another public ceremony, officiated by Sharpton, a day later at the James Brown Arena there.

'His greatest thrill was always the lines around the Apollo Theater," Sharpton said of the Harlem landmark. "I felt that James Brown in all the years we talked would have wanted one last opportunity to let the people say goodbye to him and he to the people.'

In other Brown news, director Spike Lee has signed on to direct a film about the Godfather of Soul."

And... Here we go. Thank you James Brown.

Talking Tapes

"A long thin plastic strip, about 60cm long. It doesn't look like much, but it talks! Along the length of the strip is a pattern of fine ridges or lines. Run your thumb nail along the ridges, and the tape speaks. However the sound needs to be magnified, so that you can hear it. One method is to hold one end of the strip between your teeth. Then, when you run your nail along the strip you hear it talk, but no-one else does. Or you can stick one end of the strip to an inflated balloon or a paper cup using sticky tape. The balloon or cup acts as an amplifier, and you can then demonstrate it to anyone nearby."

File this one under Flying Machines and Time Warp Sound Systems, Sand Dunes, Nature Dioramas, and Saturn.

Cure for the common Micron

Image via Diametro on this HC thread.

BugBrand LightBoardWeevil

YouTube via BugBrand. Seen on Sendling. Title link takes you to more BugBrand videos.

Jean-Jacques Perrey - Life, Laughter & Loops DVD

YouTube via mee3d.

Here's an after Christmas present worth considering:

"2 disk limited edition DVD boxset available Christmas 2006. Features new 2 hour, 3 camera interview. Two complete lectures from the Tryptych and Transmediale festivals (also featuring the late Bob Moog). Transmediale concert with Dana Countryman in high definition widescreen, rare photo gallery and more. Contact jjpdvd@mee3d.com to be put on the list."

Previous Posts on Jean-Jacques Perrey. I was fortunate to see him and Dana Countryman perform live in Seattle. It was a great show.

Dotcom ZOs

No title link. Just two shots of the Cyndustries ZO in Dotcom format, sent my way via Josh. Yowsa! Impressive.

Update: This is Josh's of Malekko - Josh's and Paul Barker's [Ministry] upcoming venture, mentioned in this Novamod SH-101 with Maestro Brassmaster post.

Upate: You can find an MP3 in this post.

Stephen St. Croix

Tim sent me a link to this Bode Vocoder up for auction along with a link to Stephen St. Croix's website. I didn't realize who he was and that he had passed until I got to the bottom of the gear page.

"Stephen St. Croix – aka Steven Marshall – professional rock-and-roll producer and guitarist, and inventor of equipment for the pro audio industry, died earlier this year of melanoma. Almost everyone has been exposed to his work through music or movie soundtracks in the course of his influential career in professional audio.
In the early 1970s, Stephen founded Marshall Electronic, under whose auspices he designed the Marshall Time Modulator, a cutting-edge audio effects device, which became a bestseller in the recording industry and was also used to create Darth Vader’s voice and many other movie special effects. He worked on numerous landmark recordings, including Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life” and “The Secret Life of Plants,” having invented the device used to record the sounds of plants. Stephen also invented the ‘Revectorization’ process that he used to restore the soundtracks for motion pictures including “Gone with The Wind,” “Wizard of Oz,” “Easter Parade,” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Furthermore, he re-mastered recordings of a number of the masters, including Bob Marley, Patsy Cline, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to name a few."

You can find more about his contributions at the bottom of his gear page. It appears they are auctioning off a number of items, and will be selling more.

Bode Vocoder.

Update: Note the huge black synth over his left shoulder is a Black Oberheim Eight Voice.