Title link takes you to shots via this auction.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Octave CAT SRM II
Title link takes you to shots via this auction."The Cat is similar to the ARP Odyssey, but not as similar as some people think. Things that make this synthesizer unique are: The 2-voice keyboard, which has a second sample-and-hold for the second voice, so both notes die out when you let go of the keys. Each oscillator has a sub-octave output allowing you to get 4 separate notes from the machine at once (although two must be octaves of the other two). VCO 1 also has a triangle wave output, which ARP left off of the Odyssey. Finally, the keyboard is switchable between 2-voice (poly) and 1-voice (mono) modes, allowing you to work monophonically if you want to. The ARP can't do that, so if you're using the ARP's ring modulator you will get random timbres if you aren't careful to release each key before pressing the next one.------ Dave Wilson from synthmuseum.com"
Also see this post for a video demonstration including differnces of the SRM 1 and 2.
GENIUS AT WORK
flickr by Roytex."John Carpenter mans the keys circa June 1978 at Sound Arts Studios in Los Angeles. The soundtrack for "Halloween" was written, performed and recorded in about two weeks."
click here for the full size shot.
Update via the comments:
"No..no..no, this picture is definitely not from the original Halloween session back in June 1978*. I'm pretty sure it was taken during the Halloween III sessions at Alan Howarth's Pi West Electronic Music Studio, Glendale CA, ca. June/July 1982.
* the music for the original Halloween movie was recorded at Sound Arts, Los Angeles and featured Moog modular programming by Dan Wyman."
Casio VL-1 VL-Tone
YouTube via DrSqu
"Casio VL-1 is a cult of the mini synthesizers. Monophon, build between 1981 and 1984. It inclouds a synthesizer, sequencer and a calculator. In this demo is show some funny things about it. Do you remember the song "Da da da" by "Trio" in 1982? Here, 25 years after, you'll see how to play it right. And with yout hands you also have a wah-wah ;) Interessting is the synthesis with some waveforms, ADSSR and 2 LFOs."
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Roland SPV-335 Manual
Title link takes you to a scan of the manual. It's also available on the Roland site, however, for those of you that do not want to create an account and log on, here you go.
An XR-2206 Non-Hint
via Thomas Henry on electromusic-com:
"In my VCO Chip Cookbook, I mention that the four quadrant multiplier in the XR-2206 would be lousy as a VCA. In fact, I had a chance to find out just how bad it is this past week.
I've developed a rather unusual electronic percussion synthesizer with no commercial equivalent, and among the chips in it is the XR-2206. Somewhere along the way in the design cycle I thought I might use the internal multiplier as a VCA and save a chip or two. I figured, even as bad as I knew it to be, it would be okay for percussive sounds.
In a nutshell, no way! Even for simple VCA applications, this chip stinks. There are several problems. First, "off" means down -55dB which is still very audible. Second, it's hard to find "off" in the first place---it corresponds to a control voltage around 1/2V+, meaning that a trimmer will be needed. Third, even in the "off" position, the amount of background hiss is quite objectionable.
Like I say, I thought I might get away with it in this situation, but it's clear the unit is abysmal even as a simple VCA for percussion.
However, the story has a good ending. I wound up using the multiplier as a ring modulator, and in this context it's great! I probably wouldn't have considered that option before, but didn't want to waste part of the chip.
So again, in the XR-2206: VCA no, ring modulator yes. I hope this saves someone else a wasted evening pursuing that which doesn't exist! By the way, the new circuit is the most difficult one I've ever pulled off. It took a solid 14 twelve-hour days to get it right. See what I do for summer vacations!
Finally, I figured out another way to put the XR-2206 under exponential control. (There's one version in the VCO Chip Cookbook that is particularly powerful, but this new method is ideal for non-critical applications like tuning the drums via a keyboard). When I get a chance, I'll draw it up and share it here.
Thomas Henry"
"In my VCO Chip Cookbook, I mention that the four quadrant multiplier in the XR-2206 would be lousy as a VCA. In fact, I had a chance to find out just how bad it is this past week.
I've developed a rather unusual electronic percussion synthesizer with no commercial equivalent, and among the chips in it is the XR-2206. Somewhere along the way in the design cycle I thought I might use the internal multiplier as a VCA and save a chip or two. I figured, even as bad as I knew it to be, it would be okay for percussive sounds.
In a nutshell, no way! Even for simple VCA applications, this chip stinks. There are several problems. First, "off" means down -55dB which is still very audible. Second, it's hard to find "off" in the first place---it corresponds to a control voltage around 1/2V+, meaning that a trimmer will be needed. Third, even in the "off" position, the amount of background hiss is quite objectionable.
Like I say, I thought I might get away with it in this situation, but it's clear the unit is abysmal even as a simple VCA for percussion.
However, the story has a good ending. I wound up using the multiplier as a ring modulator, and in this context it's great! I probably wouldn't have considered that option before, but didn't want to waste part of the chip.
So again, in the XR-2206: VCA no, ring modulator yes. I hope this saves someone else a wasted evening pursuing that which doesn't exist! By the way, the new circuit is the most difficult one I've ever pulled off. It took a solid 14 twelve-hour days to get it right. See what I do for summer vacations!
Finally, I figured out another way to put the XR-2206 under exponential control. (There's one version in the VCO Chip Cookbook that is particularly powerful, but this new method is ideal for non-critical applications like tuning the drums via a keyboard). When I get a chance, I'll draw it up and share it here.
Thomas Henry"
Fantasy Rondo In A Minor
YouTube via Goldenthrush.
"A slow, strong piece, thoughtful and beautifully performed. This is a Jackson guitar using a Roland GR-20 guitar synthesizer, one of Tedd's best works. The audio can be downloaded here. The footage is taken from "A Trip Down Market Street 1905", also from the Internet Archive, I urge you to view that version, as I ended up clipping off several minutes of it for this purpose. This is San Francisco before the earthquakes."
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© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
