Ben Pringle (The Rentals) Repairs the Pro-One

YouTube via TheRentalsDotCom. Sent my way via Sean.
"a quick "how-to" on fixing a problematic key or two on the Sequential Circuits Pro-One"
Note there is also a j-wire version of the Pro-One. I picked one up for $125 due to a sticky note. I popped it open, bent the j-wire back in place and it was fine.

Update via the comments:
"hmmmm.that's more of a rig than a fix.... next time, use a pencil erases on the back of the membrane and on the metal contact on the PCB, it will actually "fix" it instead of introducing foreign materials like tape that will only make it work temporarily and then probably melt and gum up your control board and make things worse."

Oberheim SEM Modded for Keith Emerson?

via this auction.

Details
"Oberheim CPS-1 that have been modified especially for Keith Emerson back in the 1970's. We have no official documents that certify that but since it have really been modified for him, I'm saying it here on ebay and if someone knows him and ask him, he will remember this synthesizer because it's unique in the world. (the modification I mean)."

Update : for anyone considering this one, be sure to check out the comments of this post and of course be sure to check out all the feedback."

EDP WASP

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Oberheim OB-1

Title link takes you to shots via this auction. Note the blue LEDs.

"-8 patch memories for saving user presets, VERY handy on a vintage monosynth!
-2 VCOs with Saw and Pulse waveforms.
Both VCOs have a voltage controllable width control (both can be swept by LFO or Vco2 by the Envelope) for both the pulse waveform (from square to narrow pulse waveform) AND rather uniquely the sawtooth waveform too (can be swept from sawtooth to a sine waveform!)
-2 Sub-Oscillators available, one for each oscillator! Can sound HUGE!
-Oscillator Sync and Cross Modulation. Oscillator sync is absolutely killer sounding, i dont think ive heard a synth that has better oscillator sync! Cross modulation is great too.
-Excellent discreet, Oberheim filter, either 2 pole or 4 pole slopes are available with keyboard tracking and resonance. Keep rolling up the resonance and the bottom end stays solid. Fantastic sounding filter, one of my favourites!
-1 LFO, three waveforms, Sine, Square or S+H.
-White noise.
-2 ADSR Envelopes.
-Portamento.
-Flexible modulation buss. LFO can modulate both oscillators frequency or waveform shape and the filter cutoff. Envelope can sweep Oscillator 2 or the filter.
-Excellent performance bender, you can bend one or both oscillators (has a broad or narrow range) or introduce modulation.
-CV, Gate and audio inputs."

Admin: Contact Info Update

Just an fyi, but I changed my contact info from matrixsynth at hotmail to matrixsynth at gmail. My hard drive crashed the other day and I had to rebuild it from scratch. I went with Vista (apologies to the Mac users out there but I need it for work) which no longer has OE, so I went with Outlook and the hotmail integration is horrendously slow even after downloading all my messages, 2.5 Gigs. : ) I keep everything. Anywho, I finally gave up and decided to try gmail integration with Outlook. It supports proper POP and is FAST, so... I'm on gmail now. If you have me in your address book, please take a minute to update it with the new address. Apologies for this, but my mind was going numb waiting for each individual email to synchronize with the server. It's literally like those dreams where you try to run but can't as you feel like you are running waste deep in water. Mind numbing, horrid stuff.

Instrumental Innovators - Dave Smith: Synthesizer Pioneer - DVD

"Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in the mid-70s, and in 1977 he designed the Prohet-5 - the world's first microprocessor-based musical instrument and first completely programmable and polyphonic synth, which set the standard for all synth designs that have followed. In the last few years Dave has returned to the hardware instruments with the Evolver and Poly Evolver synths, which combine real analog electronics with digital processing to create yet another new world of unique instruments. This DVD includes a 90 minute complete history of Dave Smith from Prophet to MIDI to the PolyEvolver and roundtable discussion with Dave Smith, Roger Linn and Tom Oberheim."

Available at Dave Smith Instruments. 

This one is in via brian comnes.

amza elvis

YouTube via elvisarmeanca. Via JZ.
"amza elvis play live casio cz 101"

Jordan Rudess playing the Memotron

YouTube via neilomac.
"Here's a vid of Dream Theater's keyboard player playing the Memotron, a digitally-modeled Mellotron. Looks and feels like the real thing, but smaller, and less prone to tape wierdness."

Something New from Dave Smith Instruments This Way Comes

Via David Bryce on this VSE thread. Sent my way via HarriL. And, no this is not the Boomchick developed with Roger Linn:

"This has been developed in almost complete secrecy. Only a few people know about it. This is the first time it's been mentioned publicly.

As I mentioned earlier- it ain't gonna be secret for much longer. The first run is being built right now, and will be ready for shipping next week.

dB
DSI"

The only hint as of this post is black with wood ends.

Updates in the thread (thx goes to ben of mus-ok for the tip):
"sizzlemeister wrote:
It's got to be a 5 or more voice simple Rev 4.0-like Prophet.

Basically correct.

Quote:
It'll be like a PEK using the CEMs DSI uses in the Evolver, but minus EVERYTHING digital excepting patch-storage and MIDI.

Again, basically correct.

Quote:
This to address the market demand for a modern, affordable analog polysynth from DSI that has 5 or more voices. So, keeping the voice architecture "simple" like a P5 with no bells and whistles allows to maintain a "lower" price-point.

Yes...but it does have some bells and whistles. We kept the sequencer, added the arpeggiator, and tacked on one or two more fun little functions.

Prophet '08. Eight voices, all analog. Shipping next week.

dB
DSI"

"It does use the same CEM chips as the Evo stuff, but they sound different because Dave tweaked them differently, and the system isn't the same without the digital stuff in the signal path.

I think you'll be surprised. I sure was...

dB
DSI"

regarding pics:
"
I don't have any good ones, and I believe we're waiting on the production models to take a formal one. We've all been working on hand built prototypes. I think I'm the only one who has one that has the knobs with the silver caps.... Very Happy

As far as the price point goes..$2199 MSRP, $1999 MAP.

dB
DSI"

Update (thx to Xavier for the tip in the comments):
And we have a teaser video from non other than Stefan Trippler.

And some samples:
"http://www.trippler.net/files/p8/p8k.mp3

Drums from Spectrasonics Stylus.

And one more old Style tune, all synth sounds:

http://www.trippler.net/files/p8/p8i.mp3"

Update via Mr. Array: More samples:
"Copy the following link and paste it into your address bar:

http://www.trippler.net/files/p8/p8a.mp3

Then change the p8a.mp3 to p8b.mp3, then p8c.mp3 and so on.

Thanks to Mr. Array for the tip."

Update: There have been quite a few more posts since this one. If you are just seeing this, click on the DSI tag below for the rest. Be sure to scroll as it will bring up all posts tagged with DSI.

Buchla Electric Music Box

YouTube via wotgorila.
"This is an old Vintage Buchla Electric Music Box was rescued from a dumpster and reconditioned by my friend chuck. As you can see, it takes a while to set up, chances are the previous owners could only get it to make fart noises and chucked it."

Update video re-posted here.