Korg Minikorg 700

via this auction
"There has been one modification done to it by the previous owner in the late 70s: a 1/8 jack socket has been installed on the back panel which runs to the inside someplace and provides access to pitch bend DOWN ONLY beyond the standard range. A small project box with an ON/OFF switch and a pot/knob can be plugged in here to achieve this bend down. It has no affect on normal operation and plugging it in is entirely optional. If I recall, there is a slight pitch shift either when the plug is in place or when switched on - I don't recall which, and this can be easily offset with the normal tuning slider. He told me he did this so he could pitch bend down without detuning the synth. It may be able to be modified to provide more options, such as bending up also, but these are questions for the new owner to ponder.

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KORG MAXI-KORG K3

via this auction

Sold For: US $1,399.00

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MOOG Realistic MG-1

via this auction
"This synth was fully restored by my tech (RAMCUR on Flickr). He cleaned the black gunk off the circuit board and lubricated all the sliders and pots. He also did the following upgrades :

-Output has been changed to a 1/4" jack (from rca)
-Input has been changed to 1/4" and is now routed to the filter of filtering external sounds
-The polyphonic section now has its own output on 1/4" jack
-The filter's frequency can now be controller by an external CV input (on 1/4" as well)
-The envelope can now be routed to the osc 2 frequency for AMAZING SYNC SWEEPS!!!
see video example of the sync sweep here (not my video)" [video here]

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LARGE CUSTOM MMM ANALOGUE MODULAR SYNTHESIZER

via this auction
"# Large custom MMM synthesizer with two wing cabinets
# Wing cabinets are original production #0001 MMM made from oak
# Large four section custom cabinet made from canary wood
# System has 4 MIDI, 8 LFOs, 4 VCOs, 2 Sample/Track and Hold, 4 EGs, 4 VCFs, 4 VCAs, 4 multiples, 6 mixers, 1 analog glide, 1 noise generator, 1 divided gate generator
# Non-smoker owned
# main cabinet dimensions are 46 x 15 x 6
# wing cabinets are 11 1/2 x 15 x 3 1/2
# Includes patch cords, some blank panels - all module screws will be installed (not shown)
# To listen to this system search "MMM SYNTH DEMO" on youtube.com" [or see the MMM label below]

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v2 Jomox SunSyn Analog Synthesizer

via this auction
"This instrument was fully serviced, v2.0 upgraded, and burnt in by Jürgen Michaelis, the man behind JoMoX GmbH, in December of 2009.

Those who say that modern analog synthesizers simply cannot contend with their classic brethren simply have not played the SunSyn! And at under 200 units ever made, this is understandable. As a point of comparison, there were around 2000 Roland Jupiter 8 synthesizers produced. It has been noted by well versed users that the sunsyn can pull off a lot of other synths, but yet, not very many synths can 'pull off a sunsyn' when it's being modulated and when it's using the RCO digital waveforms or wave sequencing to its fullest. The power of having those RCOs at your disposal is nothing short of amazing.

The SunSyn also employs an elegantly designed routing system allowing modulation and signal routing usually found only on the full blown classic modular synths by ARP, E-mu, Moog and Buchla, turning it into an 8-voice modular with complete patch memory and multitimbral MIDI implementation. The multi-mode filter section is also a true analog design but with very modern features. It is a 4-pole filter but fully configurable with independent high pass and low pass switching for each pole, with a cross fader allowing seamless morphing sweeps between any two 'filter presets' you want. Create filters that range from the sounds of a Minimoog, to the squelchy 303 or classic Oberheim, or timbers completely unique to the SunSyn and morph between them as you play, or use it to set the 'bounds' of filter sweep for recording or performance situations setting zero to the lowest desired cuttoff and full crank as the highest cutoff, resonance envelope amount desired. Again a feature typically only found in the realm of high end modular synthesizers such as Serge Modular Music Synthesizers.

In addition to the two discrete analog oscillators per voice the SunSyn also has a pair of Ramp Controlled Oscillators fed by 7 wavesets with 248 waveforms each. With the version 2 upgrade these RCOs can include user waves or short samples uploaded to the SunSyn with user defined start points which restart syncronous to note triggers, and a loop length allowing the play back of samples of about 1.5 sec length.

While the version 2 upgrade does bring a final resolution to the bug list that SunSyn users have lived with for years, as well as adding new functionality and improving tuning, stability and noise, one of the most important yet often overlooked improvements is the inclusion of a firmware based boot-BIOS. This new boot routine which executes under any circumstances provides the user with the tools to recover from any potential issue regardless of the severity. This is just one more element allowing the SunSyn to be enjoyed as it ages and becomes part of the ranks of the vintage classics."

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Modified Moog Opus-3 Polyphonic Paraphonic Synthesizer

via this auction

"If you’re not familiar with the Opus, it’s basically Moog Music’s version of an ‘orchestra’ synthesizer, having separate String, Brass, and Organ sections. It uses divide-down technology, which makes it basically ‘allophonic’ in that all keys can be simultaneously played. There’s a classic Moog filter which the Brass and Organ sections can be run through, and an analog Chorus section which the Strings and Organ can be run through. There’s also a triangle LFO for modulation of the oscillators or the filter, a pitch wheel, and an ‘articulator’ (basically the output VCA).

maintenance/improvements:
* Cleaned out the horrible foam that destroys the sliders
* Replaced all the sliders and switches with new ones from Technology Transplant (a $150 value, just for the parts)
* Recapped the electrolytics on the panel board and the power supply

modifications to this unit; most of these are very basic but very useful:
* Expanded the range of the LFO, from very slow (~ 0.1Hz) to audio range (>30 Hz)
* Added an audio input to the VCF
* Added an audio input to the Chorus circuit
* Added a ‘GATE IN’ jack (triggerable by voltage > 2V)
* Replaced the slider caps with Arp-like, color-coded rubber nips (I still have all the old slider caps, and I’ll include them with the shipped unit)

...the Opus had one of the better implementations of the Moog filter and this unit allows an external input to be run through it while being triggered from an external gate. Feeding a sound into the analog Chorus can certainly add richness and shimmer. And, credit where credit is due: the modifications that I’ve made were inspired by a Moog Opus-3 that was ebay’ed several years ago by a well-known Moog synth technician. Note that he did not make the modifications to this unit - I did - but he should get credit for the ideas!

Now for the bad news. There’s a cosmetic flaw in that the front panel sticker on this unit is fraying in the upper corners (see the pictures). It’s not a progressing problem, as it’s been like that since I got the unit 4 years ago and it never bothered me."

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Hammerhead Ultra Violet Show A.m4v

YouTube via VJFranzK | July 12, 2010

Hammerhead Ultra Violet Show B LUX 1.m4v


Hammerhead Ultra Violet Show C Scratch.m4v

The Packrat Returns

via Dave, the man himself:

"New Packrat toons are starting up; this one will appear in the August edition [of Keyboard Magazine] (should be on shelves now or soon)."

Yes!

BTW, this one is a bit close to home. :) See the third pic when you get there. Also scroll down the right of the site and see if you can find a little something Dave made for the site years ago.

Synthesizer Magazin #21

via sequencer.de
"Korg Prophecy – Solo Synthesizer. Lohnt sich “Multioszillatorsynthese” noch? Was ist das eigentlich überhaupt?
Akai APC20/APC40 vs Novation Launchpad – Ableton steuern und mehr?
Modular Special: Drucksensoren, Malekko Borg Filter – Ersetzt das den MS20?, Cwejman VM1, Modularmeeting Gearporn vom Treffen 2010 HK
Historisches ua Telharmonium
Recording Special
Kleines Wavetable-Synthese Special
Menschen
Blame (DnB)
Unkle
Atari Teenage Riot
Boyz Noise
Decoded Feedback"

http://www.synthesizer-magazin.de/

Synth DIY UK 2010 Cambridge - Update with New Pics

YouTube via Synthasy2000 | July 12, 2010

"Synth DIY 2010 at Robinsons College, Cambridge, July 10th"

Update: Moving this one back on top for two new image galleries for the event. You can find pics from Strellis here and pics from Noisecomformist here.