VAI 38 - Two Farfisa Syntorchestras

Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"While we had two of the Farfisa Syntorchestras in the studio we thought it would make sense to make track using both of them.
We're using the transcribe/pitch knob to create the monphonic lead melody harmonies, a surprisingly effective little trick for us amateur players to come off as skilled :).
The Vermona ER9 is an East Germany-made drum machine with individual volumes for each sound.
Here we ran it through a phaser and spring reverb.

We make these videos as a showcase for our studio, for other curious vintage heads - and for fun.
We don't dilly-dally too much with production and mixing but it can sound pretty good with headphones on."

Polyend Tracker Firmware Update v1.3.0

Polyend

"Polyend is pushing the Tracker standalone workstation further forward with a welcomed functionality-boosting v1.3.0 firmware update.

This is a special one as it is also introducing onboard games, allowing users to take a breather from music-making and refill their creative juices.

Download at polyend.com/downloads, update your unit and explore the new possibilities. Get on the right track!

Firmware Release Highlights

New MIDI I/O functionalities:

- Per step MIDI Chords,
- MIDI Microtune step Fx,
- Performance mode is now controllable via MIDI input,
- Master mixer levels are now controllable via MIDI input,
- Tracker can now be configured to send 6 distinct MIDI CCs per MIDI channel,
- Added support for sending MIDI channel aftertouch and polyphonic aftertouch,
- MIDI instruments in Pattern mode can now be present without a note (specify which MIDI channel to send CC),
- MIDI delay compensation for external clock sources in Config,

Overall enhancements and workflow refinements:

- Tune step Fx,
- Track Arm Recording,
- Live Audio Line Input Monitoring is now available during song playback,
- Long Sample Importing,
- Lo-quality Importing (saves sample pool memory time),
- Delete unused samples,
- Timestretch Fx in Sample Editor,
- Bit depth available as step and Performance Fx's,
- Transpose octaves by turning the Jog-wheel with Shift in note editing,
- Enhanced Pattern Fill command: Euclidean fills, density setting in Random fills,
- Rewritten from scratch rendering mechanism,

New sound sculpting possibilities:

- 5-band master EQ,
- Bass booster,
- Stereo enhancer,
- Updated Limiter with gain reduction meter,
- Line Input can now be a Sidechain source for the Limiter,

Onboard games are now available to catch a breather from a hard day of music-making.

- Polyend Tracker v1.3.0 firmware update is required to run the games,
- Download the games, unzip and copy the "Games" folder directly to the SD card root directory,
- Games will be accessible from the Files screen.

Please save your active project before upgrading firmware.


Picture & sound by Isobutane"

Korg OPSIX Review - Sonic LAB

sonicstate

"The Korg OPSIX has generated a lot of interest as FM synths often do. We want to see if they've made it any easier to understand this generally impenetrable synthesis method. And this is the aim of the OPSIX - bringing the creation and editing of FM sounds into a more understandable and tweakable package."

See the dealers on the right for availability.

Triadex Muse Electronic Yule Log Live Stream

Pittsburgh Modular Synthesizers

"Long form live performance of the elusive Triadex Muse. The sliders will be modified from time to time during the stream. The output of the Muse is a series of dry square waves so effects were added to spice it up. Enjoy!

The Triadex Muse is a sequencer-based synthesizer, produced in 1972, and designed by Edward Fredkin and Marvin Minsky at MIT. It is an algorithmic, deterministic event generator, utilizing early digital integrated circuits to generate an audio output that can sound very musical. It produces a sequence of notes based on the settings of about a dozen different parameters, including four small sliders that control Volume, Tempo, Pitch, and Fine Pitch. Only a few hundred were ever made."

Remember the days of the old schoolyard - Cat Stevens

phamhagov

A little synth spotting with Cat Stevens. Hadn't seen this one before.

Vince Clarke's KORG MS50 Modular Analog Synthesizer Expander

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"We got this unit from our friend Vince Clarke of Erasure, Yaz, Depeche Mode, etc.
Here's the story behind this particular MS50, as we told it on Instagram when we got this unit in:

JUST IN: Vince Clarke’s (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure, etc) Tone Tweakers serviced Korg MS50. For sale soon (on our website). History: many years ago, Vince swapped us his first MS50 (which needed servicing) for one of our fully serviced MS50s. He hadn't really used it though, so yesterday he asked us if we wanted it. Duh! 😂 Although we encouraged him to move it across the studio so he could use it with his vintage MS20, he wasn’t into it, so we snagged it and bagged it. It's still working quite well after all these years, thanks to us servicing it before we delivered it to his old studio in Maine, but we still intend to service it again prior to sale. Vince and Andy Bell are still releasing albums as Erasure. Also check out Vince’s record label Very Records. Use google to find them, since we can’t post links here.

This MS50 was fully disassembled, cleaned, and electronics were completely overhauled, sparing no expense, so it works like new again and is better than the rest. All pots and jacks were cleaned. Replaced some capacitors. Performed a slight power supply modification. Recalibrated. This process required approximately 6 hours of skilled labor. We didn't need to do it since it worked fine when we got it - we WANTED to do it to hopefully extend the life of this beautiful instrument so it outlasts all others of its kind.

If this unit fails to sell for its current price, we may be open to counter-offers… or we may just keep it along with the other MS50 in our studio."

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Pollard Industries Syndrum Twin Drum Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"The synthesizer section was fully serviced and is working perfectly.

The 2 drum pads work fine and will be included in this sale if requested (please remember to request them!). They were built with a layer of foam inside. As with nearly if not all vintage foam of this age that we've seen, this foam is crumbling. The crumbs are coming out the holes in the pads. We would normally want to replace this foam, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to disassemble the pads and we don't want to risk breaking them, so we're selling them the way they are. As noted above, the pads aren't even needed to use this piece - we've got a Syn Drum Twin in our studio and always use it without them - we trigger it via a Roland TR-808 (which we also have one of we plan to list shortly)."

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Sequential Circuits Prophet VS Rack Synthesizer SN 0457 w/ Original Box & New Backlit Display

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"This unit has been fully serviced and is in perfect working order. We replaced the original display with one that's much easier to read in the light as well as in the dark. Sale includes power cord and Sequential box."

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Roland Viintage Jam Session

synthlegends

"Roland TR-808 triggers my Jupiter 6 with two arpeggiated sounds in split mode, the SH-101 and the JUNO-60. I used the delay from Korg DW-8000 for my JP-6 and reverb pedal GFI specular for my SH-101. The JUNO-60 and TR-808 are clean with no FX and processing. I wish you Merry Christmas with this track and thank you so much for supporting my channel. Take care!"

Prophet 5 + Prophet 600 | Matt Chadra

ClavAnother

"Prophet 5 Rev 4 connected to a Prophet 600 (Gligli) Eleven voices of fun, I'm playing six note chords, and I have no idea where the stolen Prophet 5 voice is going - let me know in the comments if you can hear it."