Mark Pulver on "the Minimoogs"

Mark Pulver is one of those iconic names you come across in the world of synthesizers. He's just a person like you and me, but he has a pretty extensive and respected background when it comes to synths, and he's someone that helped me re-discover the bigger world of synths nearly ten years ago on Sonic State's the-gas-station (it used to be THE synth forum back then), later Analog Heaven, and a private email now and then. He is a "deputy" on Analog Heaven (one of the people that helps administer and keep it under control) and he was good friends with Bob Moog himself. Check out his tribute to Bob. So let's just say I have a huge amount of respect for Mark.

So, I've heard that a Voyager can nail the Minimoog sound as indeed it is a Minimoog plus more, and on the flip side, I've heard that it doesn't quite sound the same. So I thought I'd ask Mark. The following is what he had to say. It's interesting in that after reading it seems so obvious. You'll notice that in a sense it's inconclusive - that is what's obvious about it. Time and design both impact a synth. And no two minis are exactly the same. Title link takes you to Mark's Voyager page for more of his thoughts and notes.

"I think that the Voyager is a great instrument, and it's capable of a lot
more sounds and textures than the original Mini - including some of the
sounds that have made the Mini famous, and some sounds that will make
itself famous in its own right.

I think that a lot of the love of the Mini is how it plays, and that comes
from the 30yo keyboard, caps, trannys, etc. Audio circuits that actually
have bleed through, power supply rails with dirt on them, etc. There are
ways that the Mini handles when you tune the OSCs to a harmonic that
overdrives the filter "just" that way - VERY hard to define, or to catch on
a scope, or to make happen on a modern machine. I really think that stuff
like this comes from design flaws turned into features. Not a bad thing,
just something that can't really be replicated.

There are a lot of things like that in the Mini.. Lay the filter on the
edge of howling - notice how it loves to distort the VCA. _AND_ that
character will change based on the pitch you're playing. _AND_ that
character will change based on if you're gliding between notes. _AND_ _AND_
_AND_...

It's like, the Voyager is a pure design - lotso the same schematic work
from decades ago, but then with grit _designed_ into it. No happy accidents
waiting around the corner like the first time that Bob pressed a key on the
Model A.

It's not a bad thing to design in "flaws that have become features", it's
just different. Ya' know?

I guess the bottom line is that I don't have a concrete answer - to me,
something like this really needs ethereal babble.

And... feel free to post it in your blog if you think it makes sense. : )"

Mark

It does. Thanks Mark!

Synthasaurus

Title link takes you to Synthasaurus, home to Andrew Sanchez' modular website. There is a huge list of samples he made with his custom modular.

Vintage Synths Safe in Japan

Title link takes you to the good news on Create Digital Music. "The Japan Times, an English-language newspaper, reports today that the Japanese government is backpedaling on its plans to ban the sale of used electronics." Whoohoo!

I Satellite

Title link takes you to the I Satellite gear page. Huge list but only a few shots. The shots are top quality though including this Roland MC-4b. What's kind of cool about this particular shot on site is that it's initially black and white. When you mouse over it turns into this brilliant color shot. Kind of cool if you are into detail. Obviously check out the rest of the site when you get there.

Four Gorgeous Synths

Gorgeous shots of an SCI Prophet 10, Moog Minmoog, Yamaha DX1, and Octave CAT pulled from these auctions. Links below takes you to the set for each.

Prophet 10


Minimoog


DX1


CAT

Innerclock Sync Shift

Title link takes you there. What is it? Simply put it shifts your sync; Sync Shift, get it? Note the center top is labelled "Throne."

"Using Midi Clock and Din Sync always ensures that start times between connected devices is always the same. This is a good thing mostly. Sometimes, however, you might really like to hear that TB-303 riff playing against the groove – maybe starting on the 3 instead of the 1. You could re-write the pattern in the TB-303 shifting all the notes, accents and slides individually forward by three steps if you had the time or you could record a bar as audio and trigger the phrase in software but then you would lose the live feel and the hands-on control."

Tweakbench

Title link takes you to Tweakbench, home to a bunch of free VSTs, synths and effects. I haven't tried any of these yet, so... try at your own risk. Let me know what you think if you do try any. Chris Sushi sent these in via AH. He recommends Tapeworm, a mellotron clone. The cool thing is there are mp3 for each VST, so you can liesten before you try.

Update via Doktor Future in the comments:
"I *heart* Tweakbench too. They have a great nintendo sound VST synth too. It's great to contrast the SID stuff with Nintendo sounds, let me tell you.

Here's an mp3 of the Mellotron VST I did in Fruityloops:

www.paulsop.com/deathray/mp3/2005/Haunting_Flute.mp3"

HCGPF on Analog Industries

And it's a synthy one. Vince Clark's gear at that. Title link takes you there.

Ciat Lonbarde

Title link takes you to Ciat Lonbarde's website. Home to some truly unique and esoteric synths and more. You want wood? Here you go. Check out the knobs. Reminds me of those little sandwich wraps. Just pick one up and chow. : )

"For you, Ciat-Lonbarde will make the finest instruments to listen to spacey sounds and make space reggae. These instruments feature the sandrode philosophy, a path to intuition. You are presented with infinite possibilities arranged in the random sandrodes and the connections you make in them. You touch them softly or short them metallicly to scroll thru different sonic worlds of sound. The Fourses and Fyrall are two kits to make your own sandrode sonic worlds. "

Hmm... Space... Reggae... Pot... Sandwich wraps. Mmmm....

Joking aside... Truly beautiful design. Make sure to check out the rest. Amazing.

Basement Jaxx and the PSE Law

Title link takes you to a Basement Jaxx video (not sure what the track is), that just screams of the PSE law in Japan. Hmm... I wonder if that was a TB-303 in the bathtub... "Don't take my Ensoniq! Please! For the love of Bob!"

Via Apollo Pony.