MATRIXSYNTH

Monday, December 10, 2007

Atari Synthcart

via this auction
"custom [white] atari 2600 synth ! The bit crushing low end , this creates is unlike anything you've heard . This model is upgraded from the ones I normally sell . It has been custom painted and the controllers have been upgraded from the video touch pads and keyboard controllers that are available . The biggest and most essential add-on , is the MIDI2600 external kit from highly_liquid adding midi capabilities to this little bitcrushing Monster, without any other modifications . I have also added a 1/4 inch out put for easy use with amps, pa's mixers, computers , and more !! Thus making it perfect for many live and studio applications.

First off , I want to start out by saying that I believe in this machine. Its power is unbelievable ! The bass tone that this unit produces is one of the best I've heard. Sometimes I can't believe it's actually a 4-bit machine producing these tones. The cartridge was designed by a brillant man by the name of Paul Slocum . He's also created a cynthcart for the Commodore 64 and he's working on another cartridge for the 2600 called the Loopcart, that's actually going to be a sequencer for this machine. It should be ready by the end of the year. So you have even more to look forward to with this unit . With the synthcart you can do the following (as written on Mr. Slocum's website)

Play using an assortment of familiar Atari sounds
- Use two different sound types at a time, one assigned to each controller
- Intelligent voice management constantly re-assigns the two oscillators for maximum perceived polyphony
- 8th, 16th, and 32nd note arpeggiator
- Can arpeggiate both oscillators simultaneously
- Beat Box with many pre-programmed beats and fills
- Play two beats simultaneously to create custom beats
- Two tremelo settings
- Four attack/release settings

and now the hardware.....

oAtari 2600 fitted with a quarter-inch jack for easy use with amplifiers, PA systems and mixers
o2 upgraded controllers to play notes and drum patterns
o power supply
oSynthcart (brand new)
oOwner's manual/documentation for synthcart
o MIDI2600 kit w/ joystick extensions
o wired with a 1/4 inch output jack for easy use with PAs',mixers, amps, etc."

Update via wgungfu in the comments: "Its not a 4-bit system making these sounds, its an 8-bit. The 2600 is an 8-bit system."

RadioShack MOOG MG-1 with MIDI

images via this auction
"Although Moog built this synth for Radio Shack, Moog liked the design so much that they took the design of the MG-1, dropped the polyphony and ring mod and added pitch/mod wheels) to produce the Rogue.

Go here to find out more about the EXCELLENT 16 channel Synhouse MIDIJACK installed on this unit.

PDF user's guide and service manual (covers the principles of operation, basic repair, tune up, schematics, parts lists, etc) here.

User review here.

Some features:

* 31 note keyboard (F to C) * Monophonic
* Two tone sources / oscillators, square and saw waves
* Oscillators can be synced or detuned
* Pink noise generator
* Bell tone generator (ring modulator)
* A countour generator
* External ports for trigger and pitch
* 50dB signal to noise ratio"

Waldorf XT

images via this auction

"This is among the greatest and most original sounding and looking instruments to have come out of the 1990's, the Microwave XT. Fortunately, it sounds as great as it looks, and the burnt-orange "powdercoat" paint job is really nice, and this is one of the early models, before they cheaped out and went to glossy bright orange paint; this unit has the aqua-colored plastic cover over the LCD as well, unlike the later models. The original "fat-style" knobs are all present, all encoders and buttons work flawlessly, and the LCD shines brightly. The jacks on the rear are all intact and in flawless condition. The sound of this instrument is very versatile, going from very warm, dramatic pads with lots of movement (thanks to the wavetables and one of the nicest-sounding filters around) to some of the coldest, hardest digital timbres. 7-stage envelopes also provide endless possibilities for the dedicated programmer. The Microwave XT is descended from a line of landmark instruments that began with the PPG Wave synthesizers in the 1980s, and offers the benefit of knobby goodness for tweaking on the fly and really dialing in complexity with ease."

Sunday, December 09, 2007

New Yusynth STANDARD CV Module

via yusson on this electro-music.com thread

"I have just published a new YUSYNTH module at my site. It's an utility module that provides two three channels of standard control voltages.
It features OCTAVE rotary switches, SEMITONES rotary switches, 3 buffered outputs per channel and one external CV input per channel (to input a keyboard controller CV for example).

Enjoy it at: yusynth.net, or direct link to the module"

Nord Wave Tracks

Click here for the track on electro-music.com. Via Aleksandar.

Poly Challenge - Canecutter's Christmas Competition

"Name the synth in a blind listening test and win a fabulous prize!

The contenders are Jomox's Sunsyn, Roland's MKS-80 Super Jupiter, Korg's PolySix and some POS kid's toy.

Follow the link on the canecutters homepage to the forum thread, download the zipped folder and mail me your answers by next Sunday.

Guess them all right and you could win one of these fabulous polysynths."

Talkbox: Roger & Zapp Medley

YouTube via talkboxmayhem (click for more). Sent my way via fischek.
"Gettin' funky with Roger to a beat I made. I hope you enjoy :)
Equipment: Yamaha DX100, Rocktron Banshee
This video recently appeared on MTV: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1568..."

"A basic description on how to simply get a sound out of a Moog or some other old analog synths. WIRING DIAGRAM UP SOON - in the meantime, see http://myspace.com/dokashiteru"

Moog Synthesizer 102

"More instruction on a fuller, more interesting sound out of the Moog synthesizer. WIRING DIAGRAM UP SOON - until then, see http://myspace.com/dokashiteru."
YouTubes via DoKashiteru. Follow up to this post.