Analog Systems 8 16 Sequencer MOOG Minitaur PHENOL & Benjolin

Published on Jan 19, 2016 Ritchie DeCarlo

"Experimenting with the 8-16 sequencer into 3 synths at once"

THE KIT Vintage 1982 Analog Synthesizer/Drum Machine by M.P.C./MXR w/ orig box SN 002388

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Pic of the inside & original trimpot adjustment tool below.

"Made in England by M.P.C., distributed in America by guitar effects company MXR Innovations. GOOD+++ Condition, as you can see it's been well used and very well cared-for, check all the detail pictures closely to see the odd places of wear here-and-there. It even comes in its RARELY SEEN original box – I seriously doubt you'll find another!

Its right-hand Cymbal piezo is pretty sketchy, the first time I tried it I got a rapid-fire stutter as it was hit or depressed; then as I monkeyed around with it a little, it managed to sound off properly for about a dozen crashes, and now it seems to be nearly dead; sometimes it does nothing, sometimes you can hear it very faintly, and once in awhile it burps-out its proper tone. I dunno if there is any available replacement, I'm thinking the piezo element is bad, but then again as I inspect the innards, perhaps it could be a cold solder joint, or who-knows-what? Check my detail collage of this cymbal trigger unit, apologies for my amateurish blurry photog attempts. I reckon it would be prudent to consider this one cymbal part dead, although the rest of the unit appears to function 100% normally, and I suppose the remaining Hi-Hat Cymbal would still serve as an acceptible substitute, I did not discern any difference between its sound compared to the other. As a valuable consolation, this machine DOES HAVE all its heavy cast gold metal cymbal “knobs”, which were missing-in-action from all the ones I saw in past auctions; these knobs' surface are somewhat scratched and pitted - again, please refer to the detail pics. Its drum pads have a rather dirty appearance, and a couple of them are loose and “flop out” of their cavities if the unit is inverted; they're attached with small bits of double-sided sticky stuff which apparently has lost its grip over the years. Inside its styrofoam protector, you'll see its original factory tool for adjusting its trim-pots through the tiny access holes in the back, I left these adjustments alone, I cannot say whether they do what they're supposed to. I did give all the main control pots a quick shot of cleaner while I was in there; a couple may be a little scratchy still, there was no apparent audible effect of the cleaner, but they do turn a little more smoothly/freely now. I did not plug anything to any of its jacks, therefor I cannot report on their functionality (its main output jack was working fine).

I ran it through as many of its paces as I could, I tested all the control knobs and everything appears to be working well at this time. The piezo striking elements are designed to respond to varying degrees of force, and although its tones are fairly nondescript it does get a little louder or softer according to how hard you hit the pads and buttons. I have no manual, but I did manage to find a good PDF copy online, so there does exist a fully available factory description of its operation “on the cloud”.

A somewhat obscure analog synthesizer, this vintage drum machine has those junky-funky lo-fi tones that are all the rage in these times of debase electronic “musical” creation and appreciation. This would be a nice addition to any studio's secret weapon stash, you oughtta get some oddball/jaw-drop appeal here, I'll bet no one you know will have ever seen or heard one of these."

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MOOG ROGUE Vintage ANALOG Synthesizer Original Box SN 7811

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"Here is a vintage Moog Rogue Synth. Excellent condition! Original BOX. Recently serviced, works and sounds awesome. A few of the bottom keys have some red markings on them. I can swap them out with reissue keys if desired."

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Casio FZ-1 I Vintage 16bit Sampler with full Additive Synth Engine

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"OK - so this synth is a beast! It has a very unique sound and the 16bit sampler is amazing and clean and lovely, but the real star of the show here is a full Additive Synth Engine that will let you color and play with and change the samples a ton. True additive synths are tough too come by and this one has 48 harmonic steps to play with. PLUS! it has amazing 8 stage filters and envelopes that can add a ton of warmth. This was a totally overlooked machine in its day (1987) as it was trounced handily by the Emulator which was only a 12bit machine. The FZ-1 also has 8 Voice Polyphony and 8 audio outs! And way ahead of its time, it also had graphic wave drawing and editing that was really only available on $10,000 Synclaviers and Fairlights.

I am not gonna lie, this synth/sampler takes some work because there are so many options and parameters at your disposal, but once you get a handle on it you can get so much out of this. The LED screen and menus are a bit of a pain, but nothing like the DX7. Casio has them laid out easily and intuitively, and I never really felt like I was menu diving and going nuts."

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Yamaha Reface CS Synthesizer

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Some nice shots in this set.

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Exploring the Yamaha SK30 Mono Bass Voice

Published on Jan 19, 2016 Mike Kiraly

"Playing around with the Mono/Bass Voice of the Yamaha SK30 via CV. There is a separate fully polyphonic synth section, as well as a string synth and organ, all of which can be mixed together or routed individually. I hadn't really heard of the SK series before, but I'm glad I found this one - it's really a beautiful sounding synth and they go for reasonable prices in the secondhand market."

BOSS Introduces Vocoder VO-1 Guitar Pedal

BOSS VO-1 Vocoder featuring Kai Smith

Published on Jan 19, 2016 BOSSchannel

"When you plug into the VO-1, you can literally talk, sing, and cry with your axe, taking your playing to places you never dreamed of before."

"The VO-1 Vocoder is a unique and innovative stompbox that puts the massive expressive range of the human voice in the hands of every guitarist and bassist. By vocalizing into a connected mic as you play, it’s easy to transform your tone with electronic voices, classic talk box sounds, and tons of all-new colors that are perfect for modern music styles. It’s even possible to create impressive ensemble vocal sounds without the need to connect an external mic. When you plug into the VO-1, you can literally talk, sing, and cry with your axe, taking your playing to places you never dreamed of before.

- Innovative, easy-to-use vocoder pedal powered by BOSS’ famous guitar synth technology
- Use your voice to dramatically extend the expressive range of your instrument in countless ways
- Vintage mode for classic electronic synth-voice sounds and Advanced mode for all-new vocoder tones with enhanced clarity
- Talk Box mode enables “talking lead guitar” tones without the hassles of a traditional talk box setup
- Choir mode for achieving rich vocal sounds with no mic connected
- Effect loop for sound enhancement and easy integration with existing pedals
- Works with guitar, bass, or any instrument with a 1/4-inch output
- BOSS five-year warranty

Powerful Vocal Expression for Guitar and Bass

Without a doubt, the human voice is the most expressive instrument there is, capable of producing a massive range of sounds. Vocoder technology lets you harness this power and control the tone of your instrument in endless ways via real-time vocal manipulation, achieving speech-like sounds, infinitely controllable wah, and much more. For decades, keyboardists have used vocoders to create electronic vocal tones and other voice-like textures with synthesizers. Now, the VO-1 makes it simple for guitarists and bassists to use this inspiring creative tool with their music.

Cutting-Edge Vocoder Technology in a Compact Stompbox

Driven by BOSS’ famous guitar synth technology, the VO-1 delivers power and versatility that goes well beyond other vocoders. Vintage mode produces the familiar synthesized voice sounds heard on numerous pop and electronic music records through the years, while Advanced mode utilizes new BOSS tech to translate speech and other vocalizations to your axe with unprecedented definition and clarity. Talk Box mode recreates classic 'talking lead guitar' tones without having to use a traditional talk box rig and mouth tube, making these cool sounds much more accessible and convenient. Finally, Choir mode produces rich, impressive vocal textures from a direct input, with no mic needed.

Infinite Possibilities Made Easy

With the VO-1, BOSS has made the vocoder straightforward and incredibly simple to use. First off, it connects to your rig like any other pedal. The only additional connection needed is a microphone, which you’ll use to drive the VO-1’s vocoder engine when using the first three modes. After that, just turn on the effect, tweak the knobs, and vocalize into the mic as you play. Don’t worry—you don’t even need to be able to sing in tune. You handle all the pitch control with your hands as normal, while the VO-1 applies the complex formant characteristics of your voice to the tone in real time. The VO-1 also features an effect loop for patching in external effects, plus a Blend knob for mixing vocoder and straight tones together."

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New Roland SYSTEM-500 Series Eurorack Module Videos - Inspired by SYSTEM-700 and SYSTEM-100M

Published on Jan 19, 2016 RolandChannel

"SYSTEM-500 is a range of fully analog modules inspired by Roland’s legendary SYSTEM-700 and SYSTEM-100M, two of the most revered electronic instruments of all time. Made for the Eurorack format, the range comprises VCO, VCF, VCA, ENV / LFO and PHASE modules. These videos look at each module in detail, showing how they sound and the effect they have on the sound creation process."

Playlist:

1. Roland Intro Videos for the SYSTEM-500 Series Modules - "Watch Josh Holley, President of Malekko, along with Sven Miracolo and Enrico Cosimi assess the impact of the original SYSTEM-700 and SYSTEM-100M synths from Roland, and discover how the new all-analog SYSTEM-500 was born after a chance encounter at the Tokyo Festival of Modular."
2. Using the Roland SYSTEM-500 modular series (ENV/LFO)
3. Using the Roland SYSTEM-500 modular series (PHASE)
4. Using the Roland SYSTEM-500 modular series (VCA)
5. Using the Roland SYSTEM-500 modular series (VCF)
6. Using the Roland SYSTEM-500 modular series (VCO)

Roland Introduces Mini Boutique Style A-01 Keyboard Controller & 8-bit Mono Synth

Published on Jan 19, 2016 RolandChannel

"Take control of your musical setup with the A-01 Controller and Generator. Connect your gear using standard MIDI, hook up to your computer-based DAW with USB MIDI or play music apps on tablets and smartphones via Bluetooth. You can also drive vintage synthesizers and modular synths via the CV/Gate outputs and step-sequencer. Along with the knob and ribbon controllers, the A-01 also includes an 8-bit monophonic synth engine for creating distinctive synth tones."

Note this does not have the Boutique name, but it definitely has the Boutique styling with the optional detachable keyboard. Details:

"A controller is a vital part of any music production setup, but choosing the right one can be a dilemma. You want a unit with the flexibility to drive all your MIDI and CV/GATE-equipped analog gear. You need to connect to the huge range of music-making apps for tablets and smartphones. And as a modern musician moving from gig to gig, you need to be able to work on projects whenever inspiration strikes. The Roland A-01 ticks all of your boxes—whether you want to warm up backstage, control every element of an elaborate home studio setup, or create original music from scratch, this flexible controller and sound generator is your one-stop solution.

SPECIFICATIONS

Memory
Controller Mode: 16 patches (4 patches x 4 banks)
Synth Mode: 16 tones (8 tones x 2 banks)
Seq Mode: 16 patterns (8 patterns x 2banks)

Connectors
PHONES jack: Stereo miniature phone type
CV OUT jack: Stereo miniature phone type
GATE OUT jack: Stereo miniature phone type
MIDI (IN, OUT) connectors
USB port: MicroB type (MIDI)

Bluetooth
Bluetooth LE

Power Supply
Rechargeable Ni-MH battery (AA, HR6) x 4
Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4
USB bus power

Current Draw
500 mA (USB bus power)
Expected battery life under continuous use:Rechargeable Ni-MH battery: Approx. 12 hours
* This can vary depending on the specifications of the batteries, capacity of the batteries, and the conditions of use.

Accessories
Owner's Manual
Leaflet "USING THE UNIT SAFELY"
Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4

Options (sold separately)
Keyboard unit: K-25m

SIZE AND WEIGHT
Width300 mm
11-13/16 inchesDepth128 mm
5-1/16 inchesHeight46 mm
1-13/16 inchesWeight950 g
2 lbs 2 oz"

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Roland AIRA Effects Modular Customizer Software

Published on Jan 19, 2016 RolandChannel

"Discover the power and flexibility of AIRA modular effectors with the Modular Customizer software for iOS, Android, Mac OSX and Windows. Reconfigure, reprogram and repatch an array of virtual sub-modules including LFO, ADSR, FILTER, SAMPLE AND HOLD, TONE and many more. Just drag the modules, patch the cables and enter a new world of radical sonic exploration."