MATRIXSYNTH

Synth Pics via Marko of Retrosound.de

Dr Bohm Hobbytron
ARP Odyssey
MOOG Taurus

retrosound.de

Regarding the Hobbytron:
"this is a very rare self-built stylophone by the german Dr. Boehm organ factory. The sound is different to the original stylophone."

71 - endoplasm 'gasm

YouTube via atishmeh. Via atish.net (check out the site for more).
"Jazzy Snazzy And Gazm-y"

Simmons SDS-2 Prototype?

"The missing link between the original Dave Simmons SDS prototype (which from what I've found is no longer in existence) and the somewhat successful SDS-III is the SDS-2. Like the original SDS it was just a prototype designed from spare parts and electronics lying around the workshop. In Bob Henrit's famous book about the Simmons history ("The Complete Simmons Drum Book") the only mention is a few lines on page 8. For decades people seem to have guessed that this old piece of gear was lost in the mist of time too until it suddenly surfaced on german Ebay and I managed to bring it to Sweden at a bargain price in September 2003."

You can find the rest of the story including more images and sound clips on Studio Sting. via jesper.

Update: jesper wrote in to say this might not be the SDS-2 prototype after all. If you know feel free to comment.

Korged Out!

flickr by zonkout.

click here for the full size shot.

Casio Rapman

images via this auction.

Move over Roland DJ70

"This is one little Casio keyboard that I remember fondly from the early '90s!! Rap was at the top of its popularity then, and this fun keyboard allowed all of us to become instant rappers :-)This 32-key keyboard offers 25 preset tones, including piano, horns, guitar and sound effects; 30 Rap patterns, including rap, rock, house and more; a scratch disk that gives you control of up to four different scratch sounds by turning it with your hand, and three effect pads - three buttons on the console that give you one-touch access to a selection of exciting sound effects.One of the best features of the Rapman is the Voice Effector function: this changes the pitch of the sound being input through the microphone. Yes, there's an extra-cool Casio EM-4131 mini-microphone included!The on board speaker is powerful enough for home use, but there's an 1/8" output too, for when you need to kick it up a notch.

some review
Yo-ain't nuthin' mo' stupid-dope than rollin' wit da Rapman. It blows-up big; It's like blow-it's like BLOW-It's like BLIZZ-OW!!This thing was marketed when the first wave of old skool rap jumped the proverbial shark-and it shows. The dated sound of the Orchestra Hit and percussion pads, the goofy technology of the "Voice Effector," and the bogus preset "Funky Cold Medina" and "Super Freak" rap patterns make the Rapman one of the most amazing period-specific cultural artifacts of its time.On the other hand, like the Casio "SK" series of mini keyboards, a lot of us into the avant garde have explored this instrument, found its unique attributes, and have exploited them to make new and hypnotic crazy sounds. I'm here to tell you that, even though I have much lizzove for the circuit benders, you don't need to bend the Rapman or the SK's to get bizarre new tones and textures; they're already there.Casio's sampling and rap synthesizers are some of the most underrated musical instruments ever made, as well as being inexpensive and almost unbreakable. The Rapman is built Casio-tough!!So, in between working on the avant synthpunk masterpiece that I'm presently trying to write, I put on a cheeze rap pattern, plug my "Fry Cook" headset microphone into the "Voice Effector," and get stoopid wit' the prurient ill rhymes."