Happy B-Day Leon Theremin!

Image via Wikipedia.

Just read that he would have been 109 today on Create Digital Music.

Thought I'd put up a link to Wikipedia's article on Leon, but there isn't one! Someone put one up! I did however find one on the theremin with the following pic though. BTW, Bob Moog started with theremins which were always dear to him. When he left the synthesizer business, he started up Big Briar and made theremins. Moog Music still makes em as part of their Etherwave product line.

Update: I'm a loser. Cikira corrected me in that it is Theremin, not Theramin! So I looked up Leon Theremin on Wikipedia and there is a section on him. Funny thing is the link on Wikipedia takes you to the article on the theremin but leaves the address "theramin." I missed it. Also proper etiquette is lower case T for the instrument and upper case for Leon Theremin, and his original Russian name was Lev Sergeivich Termen, anglicized later to Leon Theremin. Sorry Leon. Thanks Cikira! : )

Recycling NES Music System

My buddy Scott sent this one to me. Six NES controllers that plug into a midi box for some controlled musical mayhem. Too hear and see videos of this in action do the following:

1. Go to http://www.recyclism.com/
2. Click on any of the pictures
3. Click on Projects
4. Click on The Res
5. Click on the drawing
6. Click on any of the pictures and a Quicktime video will launch

Roland on a Bus

Just saw this on Vintage Synth Explorer. Shot appears to be taken in Tokyo based on name of jpg. Also, the thread starts with the Every Nun needs a Synthi jpg. If you haven't seen it check it out. Two more bus shots after the hop.

Modular - New Flickr Shot

via Flickr

Not sure what this one is. If you know, please share. Nothing in the tags I recognized. This Flickr photo set is also home to the sparkle Korg. Always click through Flickr links for bigger shots and/or more.

$20,000 for 17 pounds of synth

Someone on AH said the new Buchla 200e is only 17lbs! That's less than my 25lb dumbbell! Crazy, I tell you. When I first saw it I thought it was huge, then found out it's about the size of a minimoog. Now I find it's only 17lbs?! I can't imagine walking around holding one with my right hand while doing a jig, but I guess I could. Forget the dream of having a Synthi before I die, I want to do a riverdance holding a Buchla 200e in one hand and my hip on the other. Anyone willing to give me 20k to do it? : ) If I ever do have enough money to buy me one, I'm going to get me a butler to bring it to me one hand over head, on a tray whenever I want to play it. "Sir, your Buchla is ready."

http://www.buchla.com/200e/index.html

EMS still kicking - Home of EMS Synthi

Someone asked about the EMS site and whether it was legit on AH. It is and I beleive you can still get a brand new Synthi out of them built to original spec or other if you like. But... It is pricey and I've heard there is a long wait. Before I die.... I will have a real Synthi. : )

EMS claims to be the world's longest synthesizer mangacturer. From the history page (make sure to check out the history and products page while there for some amazing historical pics):

"Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd. was formed in 1969 by Dr. Peter Zinovieff to market innovative ideas arising from his private studio and interest in musical applications of computers. Over the next ten years many seminal products were released and many talented designers worked for the company. EMS had its own peculiar brand of British eccentricity which could be both endearing and annoying, but should be viewed in the context of true pioneering. It is easy to copy and follow others, but not to think up new ideas in the first place and EMS had no shortage of originality. The EMS influence was significant and can be traced into many contemporary products. "

"After EMS(London) folded in 1979 the assets were bought by Datanomics, a company that made rocking hospital beds [sic.]. From 1980 to 1984 a small number of VCS3s, Synthi AKSs and Vocoders were made and a new synthesizer was developed, the DataSynthi. This was essentially a VCS3 type monophonic keyboard using Curtis ICs with a programmable patch matrix and it was never produced. They also redesigned all the circuitry of the Synthi 100 and then sold just one to a studio in Spain.

After the honeymoon, Datanomics realised that they were not destined to become commercial synthesizer manufacturers and EMS was sold again. The next owner was composer Edward Williams, a long term EMS user and enthusiast, with the soundtracks of the famous "Life on Earth" documentary series to his credit. The Soundbeam and several upgrades to the Vocoders were made during this period.

In April 1995 Robin Wood aquired the full rights of EMS after working for all incarnations continuously since 1970. Synthi As, VCS3s and Vocoders are still being produced to the original or modified specifications. Current details and news appears in the EMS Main Page. "

Moog Voyager 50th Anniversary - New Flickr Shots

Some nice shots of the 50th Anniversary Edition Logo of the Minimoog Voyager. Click here for more.

Groovey Korg - New Flickr Shot

via Flickr

Alright, those eyes are freakin' me out.

Some Nord Lead 3 Demos

Just posted here. Takes a bit to load but worth it. The samples are varied and give a good overview of the synth.

Sony PSP Rhythm Composer

http://www.iturzaeta.com/PSPRhythm/index.html

Update: For those of you brave enough, there is a PSP OS 2.0 downgrade to 1.5 available via Make:. Just click the Make link for more. I ain't going to take the chance myself, so you are on your own. Good luck. : )

Update: Looks like it only works on OS 1.0 or OS 1.5. Will have to wait for higher than 1.5. My guess is they skip 1.52 for 2.0 as it should hit any time now.

Update: Changed URL to homepage for the software (last link had horrible pop-ups!). Also not having any luck getting it going. I get corrupt data file on my PSP. I have OS 1.52. Need to dig a little more...

Whoah. I will definitely need to check this out.

"“PSP Rhythm Composer is a TR-x0x style drum machine. It features a easy to use 16 step sequencer, 16 drump pattern loops and 16 drum sounds."

Update (from the readme):
-=PSP Rhythm Composer=-

Coding: Louie Iturzaeta rconlives@yahoo.com
Audio: Billy Iturzaeta
Graphics: Tri Nguyen

PSP Rhythm Composer is a TR-x0x style drum machine. It features a easy to use
16 step sequencer, 16 drump pattern loops and 16 drum sounds.

-=How to use the drum sequencer=-

CLICK FOR MORE »

Casio SK-1 - New Flickr Shot

Thought this one was interesting. Click here and mouse over the SK-1 to read the description. Other fotos give more context.

Spectrum - Sonic Boom

I couldn't help but think of Sonic Boom and Spacemen 3 after reading and posting about Space Machine 3. Sonic Boom, aka Peter Kember, did some excellent solo work as Spectrum with a Synthi VCS3. If you haven't checked out his work yet, do so. Forever Alien is one of my favorites. Some samples on the link.

P.S. Yes the Forever Alien link takes you to Amazon, and no I don't get a cut. Freinds are pressuring me to wrap up so we can watch a movie, and that link had some samples, so up it goes. : )

Space Machine 3 - Yamazaki-Maso

http://www.yamazaki-maso.net/

Someone asked about this band on AH. Click through http://www.importantrecords.com/releases.htm and scroll down to Space Machine 3 for two tracks of some analog mayhem.

"Space Machine is Yamazaki Maso's solo synth-psych side project. This single cd release includes both the Space Machine 3 studio sessions as well as Space Machine live at Big Cat in Osaka, Japan with Makoto Kawabata of The Acid Mothers Temple"

Interesting. Will need to check them out sometime.

Also check out Merzbow

Akai VX600 Analog Mini Polysynth

Found a great site on the Akai VX600 analog synth. Loads of sound samples, pictures, the manual and more.

Speechless...

Yamaha Taurus pedals...

Yamaha CS01 with pedal casing for sale on the bay. My balance simply would not be good enough for this, especially after a beer or two...

Create Digital Music

Looks like I made Create Digital Music. Click through and search for matrixsynth. My posts on Waldorf Resources, Sequentix Hardware Sequencers, and the Simons SDS6 made it. Very cool. Thanks Create Digital Music! : )

Russian Vintage Analog Synths

Vintage Synth Explorer has a post on some Russian Synths for sale. The following two sites have a ton on information on Russian vintage synths including the popular Polivoks pictured below and the Altair-231 three OSC monosynth described as the Russian Minimoog. It's fascinating as you don't often see discussion of them on the synth boards or lists.

Two great sites on Vintage Analog Russian Synths:

• Russkeys
• Geocities Russian Vintage Synthesizers

Polyvoks from Geocities Russian Vintage Synthesizers:

ModernBeats Waterverb

In via Harmony Central. ModernBeats has come out with a line of VST Plugins including Waterverb. Trip.

WaterVerb - Ever imagine placing a soothing liquid reverb over your vocal or drum tracks? ModernBeats is the proud inventor of this innovative plugin. PlugIn Features include:

- 10 Stereo Water Samples to select from! (Stream, Brook , Shower, Rain, Drizzle, Pouring, Faucet, Srip, Bubbling, & Bath)

- Water Level & Mix parameters

- Unique Low Pass and High Pass Filter parameters

- Reverb Size, Width, Damp, Mix, & Pre-Delay parameters

List of Musical Instrument Museums

Click here for a list of Musical Instrument Museums. Some have synths. Saving this one for when I'm in the mood to browse around. I found the two gems in my post below off of the list. Now I need to learn Greek.

Goth vs. Industrial

Not really synth, but I found these beauties on the Metropolitan Museum of Art website . Both are pianos. Click through for more. Man, I need a bigger studio.

You pick. I personally was into both at one time or another, so... ; )

Update: a bit Steampunk as well.

Oberheim Four Voice Hornimam Museum - New Flickr Shot

via Flickr

This is a beauty. Apparently this was taken at the Hornimam Museum in London.

Moog Moogerfooger Heaven - New Flickr Shot

via Flickr

Moogerfoogers, Theramin, Elektron Machinedrum and Alesis Andromeda.

Carbon111's Serge Modular Page

And Carbon111 has yet another dedicated page! Big surprise! : ) This one is on the Serge Modular. Some great info and more shots after the click.

Minimoog Voyager Reveiw

An oldie but a goodie. If you haven't checked out the Sound on Sound review of the Minimoog Voyager. Check it out. The reason I posted this is because the whole Voyager vs. original Minimoog cropped it's ugly head again. This review claims the argument is absurd and the Voyager is everything a Minimoog is and more. It also calls out an interesting point in that many original Minimoogs can sound different from each other. I've heard this numerous times before. The point is, if Minimoogs sound subtly different from each other than the base line of comparison is more of a blanket than a fine point. The Voyager is a Minimoog. Bob said so. : )

Korg LE - New Flickr Shot

Korg LE shot in via Flickr. Caption reads "My Korg, introducing Kilroy." I love that. Reminds me of Mr. Robato, in a good way. Very, very cool.

Virtual Analog vs. Analog showdown

Well maybe not an official showdown, but keyboards.de has a bunch of A/Bs of the same patches played with the same notes between a handful of VAs and their Analogs. I don't think I've ever seen a list this comprehensive before.

Synths A/B'ed:

- Arturia CS-80V vs. Yamaha CS-80
- Arturia Minimoog V vs. Moog Minimoog
- Audiorealism Bassline vs. Roland TB-303
- Creamware Minimax vs. Moog Minimoog
- Creamware Prodyssey vs. Arp Odyssey
- Creamware Pro One vs. Sequential Circuits Pro-One
- GMedia impOSCar vs. OSC OSCar
- GMedia Odity vs. Arp Odyssey
- Korg Legacy Polysix vs. Korg Polysix
- Native Instruments FM7 vs. Yamaha DX7
- Native Instruments Pro53 vs. Sequential Circuits Prophet 10
- Roland VariOS-303 vs. Roland TB-303
- Roland VariOS-8 vs. Roland Jupiter 8
- Waldorf PPG vs. PPG Wave 2.2

Yowsa! Guess what I'll be doing tonight. Note the Pro54 vs. Prophet 10, poor guys didn't have a Prophet 5 to compare it to. ; )

BTW, credit goes to Colin for finding this site. Amazing find!

Jomox - Jayemsonic Resonator Neuronium

The resonator has been making it's rounds accross blogs lately including Gizmodo of all places. The first 20 units are sold out and have been delivered. The second run is almost complete. Click here for more on Jomox's Jürgen Michaelis Resonator Neuronium. What makes the Neuronium unique is its six analog resonant neurons. Not sure how it works, but looking at the knobs and the description it seems like some sort of FM and mixing accross the six units using the six knobs. Interesting stuff.

"We have 6 neurons with 6x6 = 36 net connections for one parameter. In order that summation and FM is connected, we have 2x36 = 72 net connections with individual pots for each node."

Elka Synthex Electric Harp Samples

Some Elka Synthex samples of the Electric Harp patch made famous by Jean Michel Jarre.

G0_Lharp.wav
G1_Lharp.wav
G2_Lharp.wav
G3_Lharp.wav
C0_Lharp.wav
C1_Lharp.wav
C2_Lharp.wav
C3_Lharp.wav

Update: unfortunately these are gone. If anyone knows where to find them again, feel free to leave a comment.

Waldorf XT Resource Page

Carbon111 left this gem in the comments section of the Some Waldorf Resources post. It's an amazingly rich site with tons of information on the Waldorf XT and Microwave II including the users manual for each, charts of the wavetables, workshops, links to other sites, pictures and much, much more. Not surprising as the site is also home to the DSI Evolver and Polyevolver resource page. Thanks Carbon111! BTW, how many of these resource sites do you have?! : ) You need to add a link to the evolver page and any others to your main page.

Burst Generator

http://www.cyndustries.com/modules_burstgen.cfm

This in via AH. I decided to copy and paste this one as it's perfect as is and I need to run out for a bit. Enjoy and make sure to check out the sound samples.

"some discussion of burst generators came up on the Serge list (SMOG)....
after some dinking around and advice from others I put together some
voltage-controlled burst generator patches based on the Serge Universal Slope Generator.

What's a Burst Generator?
Basically it's an oscillator that gives you a discrete number cycles when you hit it with a pulse. So for example you can get exactly ten complete cycles of a waveform.

Cynthia sells a packaged Burst Generator here...
http://www.cyndustries.com/modules_burstgen.cfm

By adding voltage control you can vary the number and/or the speed of the cycles that you get out of your burst generator.

http://www.mnmlnoise.com/misc_samples.html

several examples of VC burst generators.

The last one is 2 in series. One emits 2 pulses. The other one is used
for pulses and as an FM source!
This is because both the pulse and OUT of the DTG is used.... so we're
getting a VC number of triangle cycles.

--
m/n/m/l
surreal electronic music, sound, noise
http://www.mnmlnoise.com
"

I can't wait to check out these samples!

Doug Wyatt Interview on O'Reilly

O'Reilly has an interview up with Doug Wyatt, co-designer of OMS(also see a brief history) and musician. It's a good read. Inspiring. The interview also includes some sound samples and great shots including the Aerosol Grey Machine I blogged on earlier.

MOTM in smaller Doepfer/FracRak formats?

http://www.synthtech.com/motm.html

In via AH. This could equate to lower prices on some select MOTM modules as well as the smaller format. If you are unfamiliar with modular synthesis, think of them as the legos or erector sets of the synth world. You buy individual components of a synth and patch them together to do what you want. You can buy complete systems from different manufacturers or you can buy individual modules and mix and match. Typically you will want to rack the modules into a case, cabinet, rack or other fixture of choice (really wish I had a good picture here). Different manufacturers typically adhere to different dimensions for their modules so they can fit nicely together in a rack. MOTM modules are similar in size to Moog, while FracRack and Doepfer are considerably smaller. If MOTM does this, you can now house MOTM modules with your favorite FracRak and Doepfer modules and... you can possibly save some money.

The following is a good chart on some differences between different modular systems:http://www.modularsynth.com/chart.html. Track back to http://www.modularsynth.com for general info on modular synths. Be sure to check out MOTM, also a great resource.

In via AH. This could equate to lower prices on some select MOTM modules as well as the smaller format. If you are unfamiliar with modular synthesis, think of them as the legos or rather erector sets of the synth world. You buy individual components of a synth and patch them together to do what you want. You can buy complete systems from different manufacturers or you can buy individual modules and mix and match. Typically you will want to rack the modules into a case, cabinet, rack or other fixture of choice (really wish I had a good picture here). Different manufacturers typically adhere to different dimensions for their modules so they can fit nicely together in a rack. MOTM modules are similar in size to Moog, while FracRack and Doepfer are considerably smaller. If MOTM does this, you can now house MOTM modules with your favorite FracRak and Doepfer modules and... you can possibly save some money.

The following is a good chart on some differences between different modular systems:http://www.modularsynth.com/chart.html. Track back to http://www.modularsynth.com for general info on modular synths. Be sure to check out MOTM, also a great resource.

Guiness Filter - Gulbranson Bottle Organ

Saw this one on Create Digital Music. At least it's Guiness. I can see the DIY community going nuts with this one. I just modded it with my Corona filter, what do you think! Or, "My damn girlfriend dropped a cigarette butt in one! But I like the timbre it added so I decided to keep it." Click here for the product site. Price? 29k US.

Some Waldorf Resources

I still can't believe Waldorf is no more. They made some of the absolutely, most beautiful synths out there including the Wave, Pulse, XT/XTk, and Q. Alex Hartmann of the Hartmann Neuron was responsible for much of the look and feel of the Waldorf Synths. Below is a few resources currently online for anyone looking for patches, OS updates and more:

http://waldorf.synth.net
http://waldorf.electro-music.com/
http://www.cavestudio.org/waldorf/ (mirror)
WaldorfWave
MicrowaveII/XT

The old site was at: http://www.waldorf-gmbh.de. I still have it on my MFG link section on http://www.matrixsynth.com in the hope that it will one day come back. : (

My pick for the most beautiful synth in the world, the Crimson Waldorf Wave:

ID this synth - Flickr Shot

via Flickr

This one came in under the tag "synthesizer." Not sure what it is but I like the picture. Click through for a larger shot and a couple of others.