AH Bay Area Gathering Shots

Title link takes you to more.

C64 on Retro Thing

I love it when Retro Thing puts up retro synth content. Title link takes you to a new post on the Commodore 64 Sid Chip which includes a shot of the Sidstation and a link to a C64 blog I haven't seen before. Check out the following shot of a C64 and SCI six-trak and drumtraks.

Click here for the source and a much bigger shot.


Speaking of retro synths. I've been meaning to put up my favorite retro synth for some time. Coming up... : )

The Crystal Method - New Flickr Shots

Jackpot. Title link takes you to a ton of shots. Looks like they are using an Andromeda A6.

Fairlight Voicetracker

I just saw a post on electro-musci.com for a Fairlight Voicetracker for sale. I never heard of one before, so I decided to look it up. Apparently it's a device that converts voice input to midi output.



From the site:

"In 1985, Fairlight Instruments introduced the Voicetracker VT-5, a device that allows you to operate MIDI and control voltage synthesizers with your voice or any monophonic instrument, rather than with a MIDI keyboard. It was priced at US$2495 when it first came out.

The Voicetracker's 8MHz 68008 CPU analyzes an input signal to determine the pitch and harmonic content of the sound (such as dynamics and breathiness). It takes about 1ms plus several cycles of the incoming sound to determine the pitch. As you might guess, the pitch information is output as MIDI note values and analog control voltages, while the harmonic content analysis can be used to control a synthesizer's filters (among other things)."

Title link takes you to more.

Solvent City - Analog Goodness

Via Jason Amm of Solvent City on AH. I decided to check out his site for more and was glad I did. His music is simple, magical and beautiful. A wonderful treat to my ears. Title link takes you to his site. Make sure to check out the studio link for some great synth shots.

Roland System 100, models 101/102 (w/Midi)


----------------------------
SOLVENT European tour 2005
----------------------------
Thursday October 20: BERLIN, Germany

Thursday October 27: AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands

Friday October 28: UTRECHT, The Netherlands

Saturday October 29: GENOA, Italy

Monday October 31: ROME, Italy

Wednesday November 2: BOLOGNA, Italy

Thursday November 3: VICENZA, Italy

Friday, November 4: PARIS, France

Saturday November 5: LIEGE, Belgium

Sunday November 6: HAMBURG, Germany

Radikal Technologies Spectralis Shot

Just a shot of a Radikal Technologies Spectralis on the *bay. It went for $1575. Not bad considering they go for $2500.

Andromeda A6 Hard Acid Track

F.A.S. Truhan III posted this on on AH. Alesis Andromeda A6 and Korg ER-1 and some Roland R-8mkII. It'll give you a taste of the A6 for acid. Enjoy.

Quick note on SYNTHWIRE

Stuff is starting to come in, so make sure to check it out if you haven't already. Also, feel free to sign up to start posting your own stuff as well.

Sealed's SY85 Page Update

Via Sealed's Deep Synthesis Journal.



"I added new sound examples of YAMAHA SY85 .

Also MIDI SysEx information added. It seems that there are different versions of SY85 OS. If you know anything about SY85's SysEx, please let me know."

x0xb0x

303 DIY clone. Via CoolColJ's the gas station thread started way back on May 28. I swear his threads always seem to last forever. I think his Andromeda A6 thread was the longest running except for maybe the Olde Oberheim Abbey thread. Those were good times, btw. I still wonder what ever happened to Seldom Seen Slim. : )

Title link takes you to the main x0x0b0x site with more pictures and samples. Check out this little diddy.




"The x0xb0x is not just another MIDI-controlled TB-303 clone. x0xb0x is a full reproduction of the original Roland synthesizer, with fully functional sequencer. The sequencer can be programmed just like the original 303 (ok its actually a little easier, we think) and can be used to control other synthesizers via any of its various output formats. 128 banks of track memory and 64 banks of pattern memory are stored in onboard EEPROM, no battery-backup is needed!"

More Shots of Tim Lee's Custom Macbeth M5

I recently posted about Tim Lee's custom macbeth M5. He just posted a link to more shots of it on AH. Title link takes you there. Some good shots that give you a perspective on the size of the Macbeth M5.

Korg Poly61M Samples

Some great Korg Polysix samples via rockmanrock on the gas station.

Picture curtesy of Analog Playground.

Genesis Synth P*rn

Apparently the Genesis - Video Show DVD has tons of analog synth p*rn in it. Definitely need to add it to my list...

Three Prophet VS Emulations

Update: Make that THREE Prophet VS emulations. Via anonymous in the comments (guys and gals, start using your alias I can give you credit! : )

This Prophet VS emulator has been around for a while. That would make three!

http://manfreda.org/LordFrito/Prophet%20VS/index.html




Update: Trip! I just tried out the Auguar demo and the two envelops you can see in the picture below actually have a white dot that indicates where you are in the envelop while you hold a note down. Too cool.

Title link takes you to a post I was reading on Vintage Synth Explorer regarding a Prophet VS VSTi named the Auguar. I decided to check it out remembering that I previously downloaded General Vibe's excellent Prophet VS emulation, VectorSector. I remember reading that the people behind the VectorSector worked on the original Prophet VS, but I might be mistaken. If you know either way, please comment. I haven't been fortunate enough to get my hands on a real Prophet VS but both of these do sound good to my ears. They have that haunting quality the Prophet VS is known for. Click on the links for more info including samples and demos of each. I believe the Auguar is free while the VectorSector is $129 as of this post. It's amazing what you can get for relatively nothing today.

Auguar


VectorSector

First SYNTHWIRE Post is in!

It's from ALANG. I see a future synth user in the works. : ) So cool. Click through for more.

Yamaha CX5M Music Computer - Retro Thing

Update via the comments:
"The full story behind my post is that I bought the CX5M at a music store blowout sale in the late 1980s. I paid $20, including the Yamaha 4-track sequencer cartridge.

They had a Roland MC202 at the same sale for $50. Wish I'd have the spare cash to snag that, too. -- cheers, james"

Trip, Retro Thing has a post up on the Yamaha CX5M Music Computer. I forgot about these. Click through title link for more.



From the post:
"I was digging around in my basement yesterday and came across a box of forgotten music gear from the 1980s. The most exciting discovery was my old Yamaha CX5M MSX-compatible music computer. Released in 1984, this little beast offered a built-in FM synthesizer and MIDI IN/OUT ports. It also includes Microsoft Extended BASIC for programming. Methinks I'll have to dust it off, power it up, and hack up a few strange little MIDI mangling synthesizer programs."

Um.... Yeah! I'd be all over that thing.

Dronebox2 and Polycomb

Posted on Electro-Music.com. Below is a picture and specs on the Dronebox2 VSTi. The Polycomb is similar but uses MIDI to trigger the comb filters. Looks interesting. Click here for a sample of the Polycomb. There are also demo links to the software.



Description:
Dronebox is a VST effect that can turn your guitar into a sitar. It is a bank of six resonant, tunable comb filters with extensive modulation options. It can be used to create lush evolving drones or to add resonance to drums or whatever source material you wish to process.
Version 2 has a stunning new GUI, enhanced modulation and excitation possibilities plus a reverb effect. It also has a built in help section, manual and presets.

Features:
- 6 comb filters that can be tuned by note name, frequency, or by midi input.
- Volume, Pan, Polarity, Damping and Decay time controls for each comb filter
- An Oscilator to reinforce the drone.
- Advanced Excitation section to feed the comb filters with different noise
- Resonant filter
- Four LFOs and a Modulation Matrix
- Pitch bender to adjust the pitch of all combs at once.
- Delay effect
- Reverb effect
- Tool tips for each section.

Pieces of Light - Jazz and the Arp 2600

Title link came in on AH. I checked the site out for samples, but came up dry. It's too bad. I would love to hear an Arp 2600 in a 1974 Jazz piece. Need to put this one on my list...

Magnus Oberheim OB-8 Page and more

Via AH. Great resource page on the Oberheim OB-8 including the Service Manual, Release List, Factory Patches, Engineering Change Orders, Tips and Issues, and Links. Also back track to the root of his site for more.

SYNTHWIRE!

Previously I put up a post asking whether I should open up this blog to other posters. The idea was that I put up stuff I come across every day, but I bet there is a whole bunch of stuff I am missing, and a whole bunch of stuff others might want to put up.

I pretty much received unified feedback that although it's a cool idea, I should leave the site as is. The biggest concern was there possibly being too much noise, which would result in the quality of the site going down.

Well, I thought about it and it came to me. Why not put up a separate site for others to put stuff up. Well, that site is here and it's called SYNTHWIRE.

So how do you join? Send me an email at matrixsynth at hotmail.com from the email address you want to use and I'll add you. Then go to http://synthwire.blogspot.com and start posting.

Note that even if you just want to put something up say once a month, just do it. If we have enough members a single post in a while will add up to plenty of content. Of course if you want to post away, feel free.

We'll play it by ear and see how it turns out.

Obviously if there is any abuse from a given user, I will simply delete the post and the user.

Cheers,

matrix

Ultimate Joystick Controller

Move over you little Korg joystick controllers. The original and real deal is back in town. Someone had to do it. Check out this joystick on a Casio SK-1. Look familiar? It's none other than the Atari 2600 joystick. Now if it only made that 2600 Pacman bonk, bonk, bonk sound. I still remember picking up a copy with my mom and brother at Zody's off of Sunset and Western back as a kid in Hollywood. Via GetLoFi. Title link takes you there.

Minimoog vs. Minimoog

Model D vs. Voyager sound test on the Vintage Synth Explorer forums. Title link takes yout to post. I'd recommend right click and saving the track, Windows Media Player is currently stuck downloading the track while I type this. Ok, just listened to them. The Voyager sounds way more bright in these samples. Makes me wonder what it would sound like with the filter down just a notch. They both sound like Mini's to me. Bob always claimed the Voyager to be a Minimoog. It's also hard to tell what time does to the sound of an analog synth. I've frequently heard that no two Minis sound the same. There are subtle differences in sound between them. I like to think that a Voyager sounds like a Model D just out of the factory. And of course the Voyager adds a bit more in it's featureset.

Clear Gleeman Pentaphonic - Phillip Taysom's studio

Ran into this via this gas station thread. Title link takes you to an Oct, 2004 Sound on Sound article on Phillip Taysom's studio. There are some really nice shots there including an Oberheim 8-voice and one of the rarest synths out there, a clear Gleeman Pentaphonic pictured below. Wow.

Juno 6 - New Flickr Shot

Sonic State Reviews Novation ReMOTE SL

Title link takes you there.

Serge Music CD - Serge Modular Music: Now

Also via AH. There are streamable tracks. Title link takes you there. Enjoy. : )



"In 1983 Serge Modular Music Systems produced a demo cassette featuring many talented musicians playing the Serge Synthesizer. Recently a few Serge fans got together and thought, wouldn't it be cool if we did another Serge compilation and released it on CD! This is the result. Ten people from Europe, Asia, and America contributed to this fun-packed CD."

Serge Music Tape, 1983

In via AH. Title link takes you there. Enjoy. : )

"In 1983 the Serge Modular company produced a demo cassette featuring many artists using the Serge Modular synthesizer. I'm posting this music here as a public/historical service. Each track is a few megs, the whole tape is 100Mb."

Technosaurus on Retro thing

Trip. Retro thing has a post up on the Swiss made Technosaurus. Title link takes you there.

Analog Data Synth

Via GetLoFi. Currently on the *bay.



Details via the auction saved for posterity:

Here we have a multi-oscillating/multi-LFO desktop synth. The data synth is capable of producing classic moog/jupiter/tb-303 type sounds.Pulsating squeals, sub-harmonic drones,anti-rhythmic beats,nasty acid lines and whole bunch more bundled in a neat little package.A total of 10 knobs to fondle.

1. Frequency knob

2. Frequency knob 2

3. Frequency knob 3 with on/off switch

4. LFO rate knob

5. Frequency cutoff filter.

6. Volume knob.

7. Ring Mod Frequency knob with on/off switch

8. Ring mod Volume knob

9. Extra LFO with Speed and depth control. This mod can create a off beat rhythm.

10.1/4" mono output jack, hooks right into your amp or mixer

11. DC jack. That's right no battery needed for this unit. Accepts standard 9vdc Boss style adapter. Sorry not included.

12. Blue power LED

13. Master on/off switch

samples are here

http://www.geocities.com/teststrikego/synth.html?200528

Unit has been made using all high quality brand new parts, and will function for years under normal conditions. I've housed the unit in what use to be a data switch box. The connections to the data terminals are no longer active, the terminals just adds to the aesthetics of the unit.

Theremin World and Spellbound iPod Nano

Trip. Theremin World and Spellbound are having a contest for a 2G iPod Nano filled with Theremin music. Title link takes you there. Groovy pumpkin logo, btw.

Zork.... I mean Quoth

Title link takes you there. I ain't gonna ruin it for you. Start with the demo and then click on huh? I think I'm still in a state of huh? but it was worth it. I will definitely need to check it out more.

Site Update

Well, I am officially done! What a crazy two days that was. All 594 posts on the old blog have been migrated over, links have been updated, and I've set up redirects from my old site to here. Now I can focus on what I like to do, browse the net on synth stuff and post it.

I want to thank Peter Kirn of Create Digital Music and Tom Whitwell of Music Thing. They both contacted me offline and offered their help. Thanks guys. It really made a difference.

Now, back to blogging! : )

Oh, and a plug for Blogger/Blogspot.com. So far it rules! Super easy to use and more importantly, I feel much safer knowing it can handle the load. I was back up in about an hour and fully up in two days. It literally saved my blogged. Cheers.

Mind the Puppet - New Flickr Shots

Bdu has some new pictures up on Flickr. Title link takes you there. Enjoy.

Stolen gear: Jim O'Rourkes Synthi AKS

In via AH. Spaces in email and @ to AT intential to prevent spam bots from picking it up. Make sure to correct that if you send email.

"Jim O'Rourke's EMS AKS Synthi was stolen last week in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"Please contact joachim AT idealrecordings.com if you have ANY information or
you can leave the synth at Nefertiti Jazz Club. No questions asked."

http://www.idealrecordings.com/01.php

So please be cautious if offered a Synthi from Sweden.
I am sorry i don't have any more info than this.

Johan"

Yamaha Analog Delay

Another one via Craigslist Seattle. Never saw one of these before.