MATRIXSYNTH

TIME TUNER 16 Drum Machine Rhythm Synthesizer

1973 Moog Satellite With an Interesting Bit of Synth History

YouTube Uploaded by richspe on Mar 6, 2012

via this auction

Read the description for an interesting bit of synth trivia involving this individual synth. The story starts at the second image below.

"I purchased this Moog new in 1973. It was occasionally used in a recording studio I owned. As you can see it shows little use. Also included are the user’s guide, service manual, and a tech bulletin with detailed tuning information. The user's registration guide is useful for basic settings for most musical instruments and a variety of other strange sounds. A year or two ago I tuned this Moog and cleaned all key contacts planning to sell it, which I didn’t move ahead with for some reason. It was working great. Now it works great some of the time and other times the tab settings don’t change the sound, as they should. Not sure what the problem is. It seems to be somewhat temperature related in that when the temperature is cooler it generally works fine. Perhaps a transistor needs replacing or something else. I am selling it as-is with no returns. The service manual has a full schematic, parts list, and picture views of the PC board. See the video I made 2/29/12 below, at which time it was working. This synthesizer has a great bass sound.

More than you wanted to know: It was used to produce the first radio/TV commercial for electronic money transfer, which became today’s ATMs. Yes, a Lincoln Nebraska savings and loan company started electronic money transfer. It was called TMS, transmatic money service. TMS service was at a special service counter in chain grocery stores. It was very rudimentary, sort of like going to a bank and requesting money from a saving account – no mag card or machine was involved.

The savings and the loan company that pioneered TMS knew that the banking industry would use legal means to shut down this service and that the courts would decide if TMS was legal. The banks claimed that the savings and loan company had not chartered a branch operation through the Banking Dept. of the State of Nebraska, which in their view was required for any money transaction. Not knowing which way the courts would rule the ad agency for the savings and loan company had me do a relatively low cost track rather than purchase a track from the jingle-jungle in Dallas Texas. ATMs are everywhere today so we know how the court ruled. At that time I think I was recoding with my Ampex 440, 4 track recorder (like the Beatles used early on), or an 8 track Ampex 350 deck with 440 electronics. Some of my synthesizer settings for the TMS commercial are written in the back of the user’s guide on blank registration pages. I know some say this is a wimpy synthesizer, but the fact remains that it has that great full Moog sound and it is a quick way to lay down a bass line, banjo track, or a track using any of the other great sounds it will create."

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15 Voice Alesis A6 Andromeda Analog Synthesizer

via this auction

"Everything functions perfect except one oscillator in one voice that can't be tuned. However it does not affect performance since it's only the one of 16 voices and can be turned off."

Click the pic to see voice 6 in the tuning status.

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YAMAHA PORTASOUND VSS-30 Synthesizer and Sampler

via this auction

"Yamaha's competetor to the SK-1. Samples sound a LOT better than SK-1 samples when sampled via the built in condenser mic. Very fun keyboard which can make some wicked cool sounds!
Allows combining/overwriting of samples
ASDR envelope can be applied to sounds/samples
Effects can be applied to sounds/samples including Reverse, Echo, Fuzz, Freq. Modulation, Amp. Modulation, U-Turn, Loop at various levels/values.
Built in arpeggiator with 12 preset rhythms
11 preset sounds (all are fairly lame, but can be tweaked to sound great)
No drums or drum patterns
8 bit sound"

TOY #3 YAMAHA VSS-30 Sampling Keyboard (original, not circuit bent) HQ DEMO

YouTube Uploaded by AnalogAudio1 on Sep 13, 2009

"This little sampling keyboard has a lot to offer. It has 8-bit sampling and synthesizer functions. Samples can be looped with a variable loop point / lenght. Forwards / backwards or both possible. If you want, you can overdub the sample - there is no overdub limit - make your own mellotron choirs! ;-).
It has an ADSR envelope for volume like a synthesizer. LFO and TREMOLO speed is variable. FUZZ and ECHO effects. It has 12 different "arpeggio styles". The samples and the 12 synth sounds can be tweaked as well. It has a little sequencer, which records what you play.

The VSS-30 is the competitor of the famous Casio SK-1, but the VSS has more to offer and the sampling engine sounds better to my ears. Indeed, you can use it for recording, if you like great lofi sounds - which the VSS-30 can deliver. I like the sound, because it sounds less trashier than a Casio.
Also a great advantage is the absence of the "automatic power off" of the Casios. The VSS-30 remains powered on as long as you want.

This one is in original state - not circuit bent."

ghost in the circuit

YouTube Uploaded by squeakyfromme69 on Mar 5, 2012

"accidentally picked up some radio broadcast about ufo's."

Arturia Spark Vintage Drum Machines

YouTube Uploaded by Arturiaweb on Mar 6, 2012

"SPARK Vintage Drum Machines brings 30 legendary drum machines to the musician.

Intuitive and powerful, this software is much more than your typical sample player. By mixing high quality samples and virtual analog synthesis (based on TAE®), Spark Vintage Drum Machines manages to capture the unique soul of these instruments.

More details : http://www.arturia.com/sparkvdm"

Passing Through

YouTube Uploaded by JohnLRice on Mar 6, 2012

"Just some experiments that came together and sounded nice to me. Cirklon sequencer with three simple parts driving FantomX, Supernova and TX81Z MIDI synths and sending MIDI clock to modular. 569 sequencer is doing the fast arp and the 568 is controlling a Zoom 234 drum machine via the Moon CV to MIDI module. (sloppy improv but it was fun! ;-)"

This one reminded me of Cocteau Twins' Victorialand.