360 SYSTEMS SPECTRE Oberheim SEM Based Guitar Synth

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via this auction, also on Reverb

"We fully serviced this unit a few years ago and used it occasionally since then. The 360 Systems Spectre is an Oberheim SEM (synthesizer expander module) with a built in guitar interface. The SEM is legendary for its excellent tone, thanks in great part to its sweet multimode filter. We got this unit without a guitar pickup, so it hasn’t been tested with a guitar. We had our tech rewire the transpose A and B jacks so they’re now CV and gate inputs so this unit can be controlled with a Roland or similar type 1 volt per octave synth with CV and gate outputs. Since we don’t have a pickup to test this unit with, we don’t know if the guitar interface section is working, so although we have no reason to believe it’s not working, we cannot guarantee it and are therefore selling it as is. 1 of the latches that holds the case closed is missing but the case still closes ok. There's a new fuse-holder too."

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The Datanomics SYNTHI 100

This one is in via MATRIXSYNTH reader, Daniel Araya of Camp303 who also restored the Belgrade SYNTHI 100 featured here.

"I just restored the University of Cuenca Synthi 100!

This is the last S100 ever made, by the company Datanomics that took over EMS in 1979.

They produced this unit in 1981/82 and it was used at Gabinete de Música Electroacústica de Cuenca (G.M.E.) until it was put in storage for many years.

Now, thanks to professors Sylvia Molina Muro and Julio Sanz Vázquez a new G.M.E. is started and the Synthi 100 is restored to be used at the University.

The Synthi had been stored in a good environment and was in a nice state.

This machine is very different from the other S100's, it is completely redesigned internally by Datanomics and is using CEM chips (Curtis Electromusic Specialities) that made it a lot simpler to service because the reduced number of components.

The sequencer and keyboard are based around Z80 microcontrollers and are greatly improved from the old ones. Some components had not aged well so I changed out every power supply capacitor and replaced some broken IC's and went through all modules and functions.

I managed to fix about 97% of it in two days, a small part of the sequencer and some controls are still left for the next visit.

The new studios are modern and spacious and sports an amazing vintage quadrophonic Genelec 1024B sound system that is also being restored as well as some cool vintage outboard effects and various reel to reel tape recorders.

I also discovered an original ad/article for this synth while researching, check this out.

pic attached (with a classic Akai sampler as a bonus!)

/Daniel Araya"

The Commodore Music Maker Deluxe

Published on Dec 10, 2019 MrCaliforniaD

"I made this keyboard out of a broken Commodore machine and a Arturia MiniBrute keybed.

This thing is not a MIDI controller nor a Arduino / Raspberry Pi design. It uses carbon contacts that act as switches and connect directly on the keyboard matrix inside a Commodore 64.

Because of this, it can be used with ANY programs that allow the musician to play notes directly on the C64's keyboard, allowing you to use a wide vierity of original music programs that were compat"

OMD's Enola Gay :)

The Commodore Music Maker Deluxe Part 2 - The making of

Published on Dec 23, 2019 MrCaliforniaD

A Clockwork Orange Opening Theme with the Moog Matriarch and Grandmother

Published on Dec 10, 2019 Mattelica

"Live take of Wendy Carlos' opening track for A Clockwork Orange with the Moog Matriarch on chords and Moog Grandmother on bass to a Roland VS880 HDR to a Canon 6D + 50mm 1.4 lens."

SOUNDMIT 2020 and TORINO SYNTH MEETING Set for November 2020

Check out previous posts featuring SOUNDMIT here. Note exhibitor sign up is currently 20% until 31 Dec 2019. Details follow:

"SOUNDMIT 2020 and TORINO SYNTH MEETING: 10 YEARS OF SYNTHESIZERS UNDER THE MOLE ANTONELLIANA

The Soundmit and the Torino Synth Meeting are preparing to celebrate 10 years of activity together by announcing a 2020 full of surprises!

The dates of the next international exhibition dedicated to synths, electronic musical instruments, and new technologies are already set.

The event will always take place in November but the dates change a little, the Soundmit moves from the first to the third weekend of the month that the City of Turin dedicates to contemporary art, to consolidate international and institutional collaborations. So schedule the dates for Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November 2020 right now!

The Soundmit 2019 closed on the rise with a turnout of 1200 paying visitors, 180 operators in the sector, 55 brands on display with 12 countries represented, over 30 hours of workshops and showcases and 7 live shows during which we celebrated the 100 years of the Theremin.

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Trovarsi Eurorack Techno Tutorial With Noise Engineering Modules

Published on Dec 10, 2019 Perfect Circuit

"LA-based techno artist Trovarsi recently came by our shop to talk about modular synth techniques. If you're curious about how to make techno with a modular synth, this is a great place to start. In this demo, she shows that even the most modest setups can be powerful musical tools when approached with some fundamental techniques and a healthy dose of experimentation. Learn more here: https://www.perfectcircuit.com/signal...

Trovarsi uses a 62hp Intellijel Palette case of Noise Engineering modules to create an array of alien percussion, slithering bass lines, and frantic, aggressive leads. By linking several sequencers and modulation sources to a single clock source (the Horologic Solum), she keeps everything moving together. Her only sound sources are a Basimilus Iteritas Alter and a Manis Iteritas—but by deploying some clever patching, she expands these into a complex tapestry of fluid, yet aggressive sound.

Proving you don't need a lot of gear to make compelling sounds, Trovarsi turns this tiny system into a full-fledged, in-your-face groovebox."

Novation Peak & Strymon Big Sky

Published on Dec 10, 2019 3rdStoreyChemist

AudioKit L7 - Live Looper - Let’s Explore - iPad Live

Published on Dec 10, 2019 The Sound Test Room

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audiokit-l7-live-looper/id1485507635?ls=1

Release post with details and official demo posted earlier today here.

New Panoptigon Format Disc – GRAND PIANO

Panoptigon plays SILENT NIGHT Published on Dec 1, 2019 optigandotcom

"SILENT NIGHT recorded on Quilter Labs' PANOPTIGON, featuring the new Panoptigon format disc GRAND PIANO (available now!) as well as the Optigan format DARKSOPHONE and Orchestron format VOCAL CHOIR and SOLO FEMALE VOICE discs. Please see http://www.optigan.com for more information."

PANOPTIGON Format Disc Demo - GRAND PIANO

Published on Dec 10, 2019 optigandotcom

"Announcing a new disc for PANOPTIGON from Quilter Labs! This is the third disc in the new Panoptigon format, only playable on Panoptigon (https://optigan.com/product/panoptigon/).

https://optigan.com/product/panoptigo...

GRAND PIANO expands on the concept of our original Orchestron format Piano disc, in that it takes advantage of the full 60-note keyboard of the Panoptigon format, and also we've arranged more complex rhythmic figures for the individual notes, in 6/8 time. As with all of our discs featuring rhythmically articulated scale tones, GRAND PIANO is best used for playing sustained chords to produce rippling, arpeggiated patterns and textures. It's also great for playing in reverse for even more ambient effects.

GRAND PIANO can only be played on PANOPTIGON, and is NOT compatible with Optigan or Orchestron.

The raw piano recordings used on this disc are open-source samples available here: http://theremin.music.uiowa.edu/MIS.html"

How to use a Raspberry PI as a synthesizer

Published on Dec 10, 2019 Floyd Steinberg

"How to use a Raspberry PI as a synthesizer. Table of contents below! The Raspberry PI is a popular card-sized computer. In this video, I show how to set up a Raspberry PI V3 as a virtual analog synthesizer with keyboard and knobs for realtime sound tweaking, using standard MIDI controllers and some very minor shell script editing. The result is a battery powered mini synth, creating quite impressive sounds! There's a demo at the start of the video showcasing some sounds I came up with.

This video is not about Pure Data or DSSI - that's a topic for a separate video.

Table of contents
00:00 demo (Synth V1 App, realtime tweaking of sounds)
02:48 hello
03:23 required / optional hardware
04:47 required / recommended software downloads
05:18 installation instructions
06:15 enabling remote access to your PI
06:40 installing music software
07:19 you don't know JACK... (and you don't know ALSA)
08:55 Bristol synthesizer - DX7 emulator
09:19 Bristol synthesizer - Korg polysix emulator
10:01 synth v1
10:32 XRUN callbacks?
11:32 lol, Linux
11:38 setting up a patch bay in qjackctl for reusing setups
12:29 setting up synth v1's control scheme for external midi gear
13:30 creating a boot script for launching your setup after switching on
14:25 conclusion"