Moogprints

flickr by brian siskind.

WC Olo Garb in the Park - New Flickr Shot

flickr by polaranta. Click through more. And of course: http://www.syntezatory.prv.pl/

Yamaha CS70M

It's interesting that Yamaha had three distinct CS lines of synths. There's the CS5, CS10, CS15, and CS30 mono synths, the CS20M, CS40M, and CS70M, the CS50, CS60 and CS80 and of course the grand daddy of them all... The kick ass CS1X! - well, it actually is a fun little synth for the money. If you ever wondered what the CS70M sounded like, title link takes you there. There are a couple more shots as well. So why did Yamaha do this?

Studio 303 - 303 & 606 Movie

Title link takes you there. Mov link is at the bottom of the page.

Update via Fiercefish on AH:
"A few folk have enquired if the 606 is modded so here is how the clip was recorded.

The 606 is actually unmodded but it is going into a 4" Yamaha mono powered monitor via the mix in of the 303, the way it sounds is due to the way the mic in the Sony Clie picked it up when recording. I'd recommend miking the 606 thru a small speaker though as it can sound quite good. Also the phasey type character to the sound is due to me moving the Clie whilst recording. There was no fx or eq used either, it was literally 606-> 303 mix in, 303 out -> Yamaha powered monitor -> Sony Clie UX50 PDA mic."

Roomba MIDI Vacuum

Yep... Title link takes you to more. Via Music Thing via todbot.

Catching up with Sequencer.de

I've been wondering what happened to Moogulator's Sequencer.de as I haven't been getting any new posts on my bloglines feed. Moogulator asked me to update his link directly to sequencer.de. For some reason I didn't make the connection that the blog feed might change as well, so... I missed quite a bit. Title link takes you to Sequencer.de. Check it out. There are quite a few posts including the Dewtron synthesiser Apollo A1 + Gipsy. Gotta like that. : )

MC-202 Rack

Title link takes you to more info, shots and samples. cykong, MIDI mod.

Blue Monday on YouTube

Yep...



Click image to launch. I see a MicroKorg. Via this VSE thread.

Stylinghead Studio - New Flickr Shot

flickr by stylinghead. Title link takes you to more.

Alesis Air FX - New Flickr Shot

flickr by stephenieman.

Oberheim OB8 Demo

Title link takes you to the sample by WhinyLittleRunt on a VSE thread. I also saved it here for when the post disappears.

The Beatles Got Synth

Of course the synths take care of themselves. Via the comments of this post. Too funny.

The Korg MS10 Rebuild Project

Title link takes you there.

New XPander Sides by James R. Coplin

Via James R. Coplin on AH:
"I have been annoyed that my Xpander has to sit flat and takes up a bunch of
valuable horizontal surface in my studio. I do have extra vertical space so
I though it would be great to make some new sides for the Xpander so that it
could "stand up".

You can see the results here:

http://www.ticalun.net/Music/Xpander_up.jpg

Works perfectly! I made mine out of 1/4 sawn white oak and finished with a
Mission style / Stickley finish. The color is pretty much exact to my
original sides. The stainless screws are just temporary until the black
hardware arrives!

http://www.ticalun.net/Music/Xpander_side.jpg

Since I know people are going to ask, yes I will make these for folks and
they are super easy to install. The price is $75 plus shipping for standard
hardwood (oak, maple, etc.). If you want some funky colors, it's not a
problem but will run an additional $16 for the dye. You can see the
available color options at:

http://www.homesteadfinishing.com/htdocs/TransTint.htm

The color on mine is the Dark Mission Brown. The red desk you see in the
picture is the Bright Red dye.

This is not a chump finish either, it is a traditional oil finish with hand
cut shellac and a hand oil rub out. The look and feel is silky and perfect.

I can make these out of more exotic or highly figured wood as pretty much
anything is available to me but expect about a $25 additional charge
depending on the wood you are interested in. I can also make standard
Xpander sides if you just want to spice up your Xpander or replace a beat
set on your current. The price is the same as there isn't much less wood
and most of the cost is in the labor. I can also make sides for any other
synth you would want, just get in touch with me. Thanks!

James R. Coplin"

Gameboy Advance MIDI Interface

Title link takes you to the post on hackaday. Via underface.

Apple II Synth Editors

"For some screen shots of Apple II editors for the Chroma see:

http://www.rhodeschroma.com/?id=apple"

Dave Smith Instruments Factory Tour

Click image to launch video or title link to get to same on YouTube.
Also worth checking out: Is Dave Smith a Performing Musician.

Roland TR-505 Bends

Title link takes you there.
Via GetLoFi.

The ERWIK Matrix 12 Filtermodule

Features:

2 Audio inputs
2 VCA´s adjusting the input signals (manual or with CV)
Filter "cutoff" and "Q" controllable manual or with CV
1 VCA controlling the output signal (manual or with CV)
Filtertype can be selected manual or with trigger at input "UP" & "DOWN"

Very limited edition (12 )

Software:

Switching on your system you can choose between 4 different modes.

1. No button pressed - normal function.
2. Downbutton pressed - rotating filtertable.
3. Uppbutton pressed - faster triggering/swithing filtermode.
4. Both buttons pressed- rotating filtertable as well as faster triggering/swithing filtermode.

The display gives an indication of 'r' or 't' as well as both.

Filters:

1 pole Low
2 pole Low
3 pole Low
4 pole Low
1 pole High
2 pole High
3 pole High
2 pole Band
4 pole Band
2 pole Notch
3 pole Phase
2 pole High + 1 pole Low
3 pole High + 1 pole Low
2 pole Notch + 1 pole Low
3 pole Phase + 1 pole Low

Siel Brochures

Title link takes you there.

Anthony Pateras

Title link takes you to audio.
That looks like a Synthi to me.

Yamaha Electone "Synths"

Video of the Yamaha D-80 by Mattias. I always seem to forget that some of the Yamaha Electone home organs had synth sections and with the D-80, an arpeggiator as well.

Frank who is an Electone enthusiast posted the following on AH and gave me the ok to put it up here:

"I've got the 415: image

which is probably the last of their analogue spinet organs.

Very cool machine. The solo synth on mine sounds very SY-1 or SY-2'ish. You can have pitch and/or filter mod with left-to-right wiggling of the solo section keys too. It takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it can be pretty expressive.

The strings, with soft attack and longer release, through the synphonic ensemble (BBD ensemble) or the rotary speaker (!) can be very pleasant.

Jeff Koepper tried mine a couple of weeks ago and got all sorts of cool un-home-organ-like things out of it.

Yamaha made a whole bunch of these kinds of miniature three manual organs with solo synths in them. Earliest is probably the DK-40, then at least there was the D-80, D-85 and 415. The D-85 and 415 seem to be nearly identical, feature wise.

The DK-40 is technologically not too distant from the earliest group of Yamaha analogue organs, and I suspect it shares similar circuitry to the YC series of organs.

Also, the DK-40 has a 'fourth' manual, in the form of a separate 'portamento' synth, which is played from a ribbon controller to the left of the solo synth keys. You can just barely see it in this image the green tabs control the portamento ribbon, which extends right in front of them.

I kid myself that the 415 is sorta like a cut down EX-1. It isn't really, but it's fun to pretend, and I don't anticipate ever owning an EX-1, for a number of reasons! :-)

Frank
Electone enthusiast"

Update via buckystoppz in the comments:
"I also have the 415 and use it to death! People are sleeping on these, I got it for $120 on eBay locally. They were about $8000 new in the early eighties."

DBX Subharmonic Synthesizer

"THE BASS IS BACK. The disco boom of the 70's was fueled by the throbbing bass beat of dbx® Subharmonic Synthesizers in discos around the world. During the 80's, patented dbx Subharmonic Synthesis was the secret weapon used by mobile DJ's and film and sound professionals to produce an impact unavailable from any other device-unique because the dbx process actually produces a new, Waveform Modeled bass note, exactly an octave below the bass in the original audio.

THE PROFESSIONAL SOLUTION. The dbx 120XP Subharmonic Synthesizer has been specially optimized by dbx engineers for the needs of audio professionals. Its two separate bands of bass synthesis provide the best combination of smoothness and control, and the independent Low Frequency Boost circuit is designed to get the most out of high-performance low frequency speaker systems.

Flexible system interfacing is achieved by providing main outputs which can be full range (including synthesis) or high frequency only, along with a separate subwoofer output with its own level control.

PUT THE BEAT BACK INTO THE MUSIC. The 120XP's patented subharmonic synthesis process actually builds the synthesized waveform using the waveshape of the original bass material. Unlike other attempts at bass synthesis, the dbx process produces smooth, musical low frequencies that don't interfere with mid and high-band information, even when maximum synthesis and boost are applied. The result is a low-end punch that people really feel, even at system levels that won't destroy sound equipment or damage hearing."

Title link takes you to the DBX page on the 120XP. These are discontinued.

Arturia Releases Analog Factory

Looks like Arturia is coming out with a preset bundle featuring it's line of soft synths. What's interesting is that you will be able to tweak common paramaters. You can see cutoff, resonance, LFO, Chorus, Delay, ENV and four "Key Paramaters" in the screen shot. There is also 8 buttons that correspond to patch memories for your tweaks. Via Sonic State News. I didn't see anything on Arturia's site as of this post.

Details:
-2000 analog synthesizers sounds that have defined the sound of modern music.
-Presets all carefully selected from the Arturia Classic Synths (minimoog V, Moog Modular V, CS-80V, ARP 2600 V, Prophet V and Prophet VS). These TAE® powered sounds offer unparalleled audio quality.
-Smart Preset Manager: fast filter the presets by Instrument, by Type (Bass, Pads, Leads…) and/or by Characteristics (hard, soft, complex, simple, short, long…).
Organize Presets view by Name, Instrument, Type, CPU usage, Favorites, or User Presets.
-Straightforward Editing, with the most essential parameters for personalizing presets: (Filter and LFO sections, 4 Key Parameters differing for each preset, Chorus & Delay mix, ADSR envelope)
-8 SNAPSHOTS buttons (quickly store up to 8 snapshots for sound comparisons, variations…)
-Integrates as a plug-in within your sequencer, on Mac and PC, or plays as a standalone software synthesizer.
-Optimization of the screen space: possibility to view the Preset Manager only, the Keyboard only, or both at the same time.
-Set to Control with the external MIDI keyboard in just a few clicks.
Up to 32 voices of polyphony, depending on the preset loaded.

Happy Birthday Bob Moog - 1979

Via Brandon Daniel.

Full page ad from a 1979 issue of Contemporary Keyboard magazine.

Happy Birthday Robert A Moog via the electro-music.com forum

Title link takes you there. Looks like the poster picked the Wendy Carlos portrait as well.

Happy Birthday, Bob Moog via CDM

Title link takes you to the post on Create Digital Music.

Thanks Bob - Mark Pulver

Couldn't think of a better day to put up another post on Mark Pulver's tattoo tribute to bob. Mark sent this in with birthday wishes to AH. If you blow it up you can see a message that reads, "Thanks Bob." Title link takes you to more. BTW, if you have anything you want to send in tribute to Bob, send it in - email link is always on the bottom right column. This will be a Moog only day.

Bob Moog Portrait by Wendy Carlos - Happy Birthday Bob

Today would have been Bob Moog's 72nd birthday. I've been waiting to put this shot up. A portrait by none other than the woman who possibly started it all, Wendy Carlos.

Happy Birthday Bob. Thanks for everything.

Caring Bridge
Moog on Wikipedia
Big Briar
Moog Music
Wendy on Wikipedia

X-Station Faders - New Flickr Shot

flickr by Daragh.

Roland System 100 - New Flickr Shots

flickr by mixdelayoutonly. Yep.... Title link takes you to more.

Hmm... Might have put this post up too soon. I subscribe to a couple of flickr feeds and got to the shot above first, so it went up and it will stay. However there are some really nice gear shots in the set as well, such as this shot of a Jupiter 6. The gear in the shots are immaculate - some of the cleanest I've seen. Title link has been updated to bring you to the start of the set.

Melbourne, Australia DIY Modular Synth Builders unite

For those of you in Australia, Ross Healy asked me to post the following. Sounds like a great idea.

"Melbourne, Australia DIY Modular Synth Builders unite

In the Spirit of the 60's Modular synth builders....

Modular Synths cost way too much for Australians to import (I know I
just bought a 5 panel Serge Modular Synth) so kits seem to be the best
option, but for a noobie to solder and build here is an idea...

This idea came from *Serge Tcherepnin and the 60's spirit.

I have a classroom in the centre of town that we could use on 1
Saturday a month to get together and build modular kits. W*e would all
buy the same board and parts ( say of a Ken Stone - Low Pass Filter) and
build it all on the same day, this would enable people with no knowledge
to be next to people with no knowledge and in the process have fun.

I am collecting names of people who are interested, I am hoping to get
10 - 15 people max interested (already have 5 people, all you need to do
is get involved in the spirit ..., pay nothing except for the Board,
parts, and your own solder etc. and come along..

Contact Ross Healy healyr@tpg.com.au and I will start to get the ball
rolling."

Juno 106 Replacement ICs

There is finally hope for the dreaded failed voice of the Roland Juno 106. Someone has cloned the chip.

Click here for the official page on the chips with more info and how to get them. They are also up for auction here.

Anyone else thinking what I'm thinking? These might be great for a DIY project or a new synth.

Details:
"The most common problem with juno-106's is one or more of the voices going dead or that keep hanging. The problem is the poorly manufactured A1QH800170 or A1QH80017A custom vcf and vca ic. Since these ic's are no longer manufactured and roland has no spares for them anymore, we are forced to scrap other 106's for spares. Which is not a good idea because every single one of these ic's will die. Therefore I did some research on those ic's.
First I designed a vca clone, that only took over the vca of the 80017A, but still used the vcf part (if that was still alive). This design was completed at the end of 2003. Numerous of these ones have been sold and installed to great succes in juno's worldwide.
After that I continued my research on this ic with the goal of designing a full clone of it. This was a particulary hard job because only little is known about the intestines of this ic: only the rough outlines which are displayed in the juno-106 service manuals and the little info that is available on the IR3109 and how it is used. It took no less then 6 restarts from scratch until I had a prototype of which I thought that it was on the right track. The bigest problem was the creation of an exponential current source that has the same error and temperature tracking as the one inside the IR3109 (of which no one knows how it was built). When this problem was solved (about nov 2004) I could start doing signal analysis on both an opened 80017A and my design to adjust gain levels so that the non-linearities (tanh) of each stage were the same(summer of 2005). After that I designed a smd prototype for further testing which surfaced more problems: strange behaviour with resonance at very high and low frequencies, which were all solved by the end of 2005. At this moment I was unable to measure nor hear any difference between the original and the clone. After that I built some more prototypes and installed these in 4 different juno's owned by different people. These have been in test for several months now and none of these people were able to tell which voice had the clone.
After that only minor changes (pcb-design)were done until the final design which is now (may 2006) for sale:

summary:
-Designed and built to the highest standard.
-No measurable nor audible difference with the original. I'm very serious about this and I'm well aware that my clone is the only one which sounds right.
-All integrated components are in mass-production by more than one manufacturer and have been available for over a decade. Thus have a proven reliability and are easy optainable(in the very unlikely event of failure).
-Used discretes are close tollerance and high quality (capacitors are the infamous panasonic stacked pps film ones)
-very high quality pcb.
-Installation is straightforward: remove the defective 80017A , replace it with my clone and re-adjust your juno as described in the service manual. (please do not ask me how to do this. I simply do not have the time to give electronics lessons. If you don't have the knowledge: consult your local synth-geek)"

Serge Modualr Synthesizer Prototype - New Flickr Set

flickr by wayneandwax. Title link takes you to more.

Listen Tu Compiuters

Ok, this one took me a bit to figure out. This originally was going to be a New Flickr Shot post for this. I was wondering if this unit actually existed because it looks pretty sweet in red. I then clicked the all sizes link to get a bigger shot of the image so I could read the text. It read more like a graphics design technique on placing text. So I think, ok this is just someone's photoshopped work for a design class or the like. Then I click on the link to www.compiuters.com at the bottom of the flickr shot. I get there and I see what looks like an interactive large scale version of this keyboard. Some music starts playing and I click a key, but nothing. So... I'm thinking this is a work in progress and eventually it'll be playable. Cool! I then notice the player controls and click the forward button. Nothing. I go about my browsing wondering if I should even post this and a few minutes later music starts playing but this time it's actually a song! And... It's actually interesting - catchy, geeky, computer, synth pop in Spanish (actually one track reminds me of "Bust a Move" and another reminds me of Bow Bow Wow for some reason). Catchy stuff. So at this point I'm obviously guessing this is a band's site. Pretty clever considering how I found it through flickr as a synth tagged shot. If you know more about them and/or if that's a real Casio product feel free to comment.