MATRIXSYNTH

PanKAT MIDI Steel Drum Controller

"THE WORLD'S FIRST MIDI PAN CONTROLLER"
• Special tunings for Pan players
• One-piece, 30 pad design, plus 2 virtual controller wheels
• GM sound engine included for instant plug n play! (128 sounds)
• PanKAT also includes multiple steel drum instrument samples for various software samplers for use with a PC or Receptor.
• Same responsive, pressure sensitive FSR sensors as all KAT controllers
• 128 factory kits for turnkey performance with any GM sound module.
• 128 user kits for programming your own kit configurations.
• Headphone output for private practice
• Power to layer the keyboard with independent MIDI control
• Special performance features including dampening, deadstroking, poly/mono modes, velocity shifting, alternate notes per pad, pitch bend on the fly, warp arpeggiator, loop control functions, and much more.
• 2 programmable inputs used for control,
or HiHat & Bass Drum pedals
• Ongoing software upgrades: The PanKAT will continue to evolve.

Title link takes you there.
via JB.

KeyToSound Nextsyn

"Nexsyn is a hybrid instrument that combines sample playback and synthesis technology. Nexsyn is designed for the musician, sound designer, and producer who wishes for a powerful synthesizer with high quality output, advanced modulation, and precise sample based key-map playback....

Nexsyn is capable of laoding sample based keymap files (XWM) and comes stock with a 4GB sample library (thanks Big Fish Audio!). By loading an XWM file as an oscillator, Nexsyn can modulate it as you would find with a subtractive synth. There are no limitations to the modulation possibilities. This makes combining a Vox Continental, a Hammond B3, and a pulse wave into a unique sounding organ patch as shown above. Any sample based keymap file can be modulated as an oscillator, or played without modulation for prestine representation of the instrument."

Title link takes you there.

Sounds of the Korg MS-20

YouTube via Newueel

I found this looking for a video of the giant instructional version of the MS20 posted below. If anyone knows of any, let me know. I seem to vaguely remember seeing a Japanese instructional video of one.

KORG MS20 Educational Edition and Das Synthesizer Handbook

via this auction

Giant sized instructional version of the MS20. Here's another one. via ben.

Sensorium's Studio

Title link takes you to more shots.

Update: No the silver and gold centennial DX7. Here's another.

Update: images mirrored here.

Blue-9

flickr by thumbuki.

Blue Invention

Gratuitous gear shot via Blue Invention. Via the comments of this post.

SIMMONS Silicon Mallet Vibes

Click here for shots pulled via this auction.

Update: you can find a video of one posted here, via Ruud Wiener in the comments.

Details (note this is not mine, nor any auction I put up for that matter):
"this is the rarest of the rare. there is very little info on this on the internet and i havent even been able to find another owner. made at a time when r&d and production cost was extremely high so very few were made or sold. its serial # is 000197. i assume it was the 197th unit made.i think its from the mid 80's. made in england. of real metal and rubber!!! its quite heavy and feels really solidly built. ive owned it for a few years. its really fun to use and makes great sounds, but im not a percussionist and i dont have the room. it also needs some repair. sometimes all or some of the pads dont work right. than it just starts working again. usually if i gently shake the unit. i assume its just a loose wire or connection but i definatley dont want to open it up because i know nothing about electronics. i contacted 2 different synth shops in nyc and described the problem. they both said they could fix it no problem but i never got around to bringing it someplace. there are about 20 pre programed patches of all sorts or sounds. than there are another 80 that are empty to put your own sounds in. it had midi so im sure someone who knows about these things could program some really cool sounds. i always thought of it as a a synth with pads instead of keys. its a really cool idea and if was in some sort of electronic band this would be the coolest. and your sure to be the only one around with one! all the sounds are super tweakable too. controls for: patch volume, dynamic sensitivity, octave, semitones, half tone-quater tone scales, tremelo speed and depth, vibrato speed and depth, mod pedal route, pitch blend, brightness, harmonic, bite, attack time, decay time, gate time. you can also select through patch number, split patch, tune, split position, midi ch, split voice assign, midi mode, sequence. the outputs are: headphones, stereo outs (voice 1-3 and 4-6) sustain pedal, up/down pedal, mod pedal, pitch pedal, midi out, midi thru, midi in, cass out. to be totally honest i had alot of fun playing around with it, but i have no idea what most of these things do. the unit seems to be in great shape for its age. as i said the case of the actual pads and the unit that sits on it are made of metal, so its quite durable. the stand is in good shape and it even has some extra parts for it. it all comes apart and is adjustable with a drum key."