Update2: Rumor has it musical isntruments may not be exempt after all.
Udpate: Via synthetic in the comments:
"He tells me that this article says musical instruments and photo development machines are not affected by the law. The reason is that equipment might become damaged during PSE testing, or the owner may claim that it became damaged during testing The government doesn't want to be held liable for paying the replacement cost on these expensive items."
----
Anyone know Japanese? Title link takes you to an article in Japanese on the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law that goes into affect on April 1. Someone on AH pulled the following translation from the article which sounds like electronic musical instruments and photograph baking machines will be exempt. : )
"The economic industrial ministry on the 14th, decided that the used electronic musical instrument and the photograph baking machine etc are designated as outside the object of electric supplies safe method. Including the used item, it shows safety, sale of the electric product which does not have the “PSE mark” is prohibited from April 1st. Assuming, that as for the electronic musical instrument and the photograph baking machine etc during electric leakage inspecting there is danger where the equipment breaks down, it makes outside the object, also after of the April continues and can transact in the old market."
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Antenna of Doom
Modular theremin video by REwire. His cat makes a guest appearance. Via this post on VSE. Also check out this video if your into cats, or not. A covered Korg M1 makes an appearance.
Rough Mixes on Gnostic Rocket
Title link takes you to a couple of cool mixes on Gnostic Rocket. The gear used is listed including this ARP 16-voice electric piano and of course, the Springboard Dub. I particularly like "a huge blubbery creature with piggish eyes." Both solid tracks in the making.
Anykey Studio and the Andromeda A6
Title link takes you to Anykey Studio with tracks featuring the Andromeda A6.
"The A6 is used on every track, but also the S.E ATC-X. ATC-X do a more
of the vintage sounds, leads ,drones etc. But I also us the DX200, it's a
nice contrast to the analog sounds."
"The A6 is used on every track, but also the S.E ATC-X. ATC-X do a more
of the vintage sounds, leads ,drones etc. But I also us the DX200, it's a
nice contrast to the analog sounds."
Monday, March 13, 2006
Update on Matrixsynth Ts
This is what they were supposed to look like:
This is what mine looks like:
Horrid! I'll be closing the shop, refunding the couple of people that bought one and letting them keep this little bit of Synth history. : ) Sorry about this. I'll be looking locally at shirts next. BTW, I'll be closing the shop as soon as the orders are done and I receive confirmation from those that ordered them, so technically you can still order shirts, but if you do, I will NOT refund on new orders because I simply can't afford to. So PLEASE DO NOT order unless you actually want one of these soon to be rare collector items! Heh, sorry, had to to. : ) Apologies to the two that ordered. I sent each of you an email so I can reimburse you. If you do not get that email, send me an email.
This is what mine looks like:
Horrid! I'll be closing the shop, refunding the couple of people that bought one and letting them keep this little bit of Synth history. : ) Sorry about this. I'll be looking locally at shirts next. BTW, I'll be closing the shop as soon as the orders are done and I receive confirmation from those that ordered them, so technically you can still order shirts, but if you do, I will NOT refund on new orders because I simply can't afford to. So PLEASE DO NOT order unless you actually want one of these soon to be rare collector items! Heh, sorry, had to to. : ) Apologies to the two that ordered. I sent each of you an email so I can reimburse you. If you do not get that email, send me an email.
Casio CZ1000 Featured on Gnostic Rocket
Specs, shots, samples and part of a cat. Title link takes you there.
A book on synthesis by Casio. Trip.
A book on synthesis by Casio. Trip.
The "Can't-Resist-A-Sizer"
The Eaton-Moog Multiple-Touch-Sensitive Keyboard. It has two rows of keys.Update: Found a video link on The Ledger.
What if this is Moog's new announcement? Probably not, but who knows... ; )
Note: The sound of it reminds me of the Novachord Restoration Project.
Title link takes you to the full article on the Lost Eaton-Moog Synth Keyboard.
Note that Eaton will be performing in New York on March 19:
"Eaton's works will be featured in a concert at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 19, at St. Stephen's Church, 120 West 69th St. in New York. The event is a collaboration of the New York Composers Circle and ModernWorks. The suggested donation is $15."
Some bits pulled from the article:
"It's called the Eaton-Moog Multiple-Touch-Sensitive Keyboard, a name only an engineer could love. That's fine with Eaton. He and Moog (rhymes with "vogue") spent four decades honing a tool for virtuosos, not a toy."
"It's very difficult to play. But an instrument should be difficult to play. That's the only way to master musical materials, by overcoming these difficulties," says Eaton, 70, surrounded in his cramped attic studio by upright pianos, ancient computers and programs and scores from his 20 operas."
"What is unique -- and challenging -- about the Eaton-Moog keyboard is how many ways each key can be programmed to respond. How far you depress a key matters. The actual area covered by your finger changes the sound. Sliding your finger across a key's length or width can approximate, say, a vibrato effect on a violin string. How hard you push a depressed key matters, too."
"Eaton jokingly dubs this keyboard the "Can't-Resist-A-Sizer."
"How does it sound?
Think theremin -- from quavering soundtracks of cheesy sci-fi movies -- crossed with a baseball organ. Throw in some psychedelic chemicals, and you begin to get the idea."
Aphex Twin Sleevenotes on Yamaha CS-5
Nice! You'll ether love or hate this one. Music Thing always seems to find the best auction peices on VEMIA. This time, it's the sleeve notes for Aphex Twins' Selected Ambient Works Volume II inscribed on the bottom of the synth. According to the auction they were done by Richard James himself. Title link takes you to some more intersting tidbits in the post.
Lost Eaton-Moog Synth Keyboard
Interesting. Synthtopia has a post up on a Lost Eaton-Moog Synth Keyboard. They are asking if you know more about it, to contact them. I wonder how this compares to the Haken Continuum. I wonder if John Eaton knows about it.
"Composer John Eaton is waiting for someone to develop a "lost" instrument, the Eaton-Moog Multiple-Touch-Sensitive Keyboard. The keyboard design was a collaboration between Eaton and Robert Moog, and features keys with enhanced capabilities, enabling new methods of touch control of synthesizers.
The [device] is "the world's most sensitive musical instrument next to the human voice," according to Eaton. "Playing it is a kind of combination of playing a a very sensitive stringed instrument and playing a keyboard instrument."
The keys on the 49-note keybaord respond to five motions: the distance a key is depressed; the finger's front and back position and motion on each key; the finger's side-to-side position and motion on each key; the total area a flattened finger covers on each key; and pressure on a key after it is depressed fully.
These five, fully independent controls send signals in digital streams of numbers to a computer, which routes the signals to affect any possible aspect of musical continuity desired--loudness; vibrato; tremolo; reverb; tone color or instrumental change; the speed, pitch, and any other application that can be dealt with by a modern sound synthesizer or sound-generating computer program.
The prototype now lives in Eaton's attic, according to an article in the NJ State Ledger."
"Composer John Eaton is waiting for someone to develop a "lost" instrument, the Eaton-Moog Multiple-Touch-Sensitive Keyboard. The keyboard design was a collaboration between Eaton and Robert Moog, and features keys with enhanced capabilities, enabling new methods of touch control of synthesizers.
The [device] is "the world's most sensitive musical instrument next to the human voice," according to Eaton. "Playing it is a kind of combination of playing a a very sensitive stringed instrument and playing a keyboard instrument."
The keys on the 49-note keybaord respond to five motions: the distance a key is depressed; the finger's front and back position and motion on each key; the finger's side-to-side position and motion on each key; the total area a flattened finger covers on each key; and pressure on a key after it is depressed fully.
These five, fully independent controls send signals in digital streams of numbers to a computer, which routes the signals to affect any possible aspect of musical continuity desired--loudness; vibrato; tremolo; reverb; tone color or instrumental change; the speed, pitch, and any other application that can be dealt with by a modern sound synthesizer or sound-generating computer program.
The prototype now lives in Eaton's attic, according to an article in the NJ State Ledger."
Analog Japan
So what happens to these guys on April 1? Title link takes you to more gear p*rn.
Note: there were a couple of notes on AH about this outfit not returning emails after purchse, so be careful if you are tempted to buy from them.
Update just in from AH:
"I used to be listed as a reference on the analogjapan website (Looooooooong
story). I must have had at least 60 emails over a 3 or 4 year period from
people asking me if I knew how to get in touch with them after they had sent
them money but never received the goods. People who sent $1000 to as much as
$4000 US Dollars and after 9 months, not gotten the items. SCARY!!
PLEASE do yourself a favor and stay FAR away from analogjapan.
Don't say I didn't WARN you!!!"
Update via the comments:
"Reed said...
Eh, I bought something from them a couple years ago & it was a pretty hassle-free transaction, other than the fact that they didn't take Paypal. I paid & they delivered."
Note: there were a couple of notes on AH about this outfit not returning emails after purchse, so be careful if you are tempted to buy from them.
Update just in from AH:
"I used to be listed as a reference on the analogjapan website (Looooooooong
story). I must have had at least 60 emails over a 3 or 4 year period from
people asking me if I knew how to get in touch with them after they had sent
them money but never received the goods. People who sent $1000 to as much as
$4000 US Dollars and after 9 months, not gotten the items. SCARY!!
PLEASE do yourself a favor and stay FAR away from analogjapan.
Don't say I didn't WARN you!!!"
Update via the comments:
"Reed said...
Eh, I bought something from them a couple years ago & it was a pretty hassle-free transaction, other than the fact that they didn't take Paypal. I paid & they delivered."
Upates on Mattias' Mellotron Site
I put up a post on Mattias' Mellotron site on November 14, 2005. He's added some samples and some shots including the somewhat maniacle and sweet shot below. New video clips include A: Chamberlin steel guitar, B: Mandolin Tremolo, C. Swinging flutes. Title link takes you there.
The Clock is Ticking in Japan
Update:
Looks like musical instruments might be exempt.
http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/shakai/20060314AT1G1401414032006.html
"The economic industrial ministry on the 14th, decided that the used electronic musical instrument and the photograph baking machine etc are designated as outside the object of electric supplies safe method. Including the used item, it shows safety, sale of the electric product which does not have the “PSE mark” is prohibited from April 1st. Assuming, that as for the electronic musical instrument and the photograph baking machine etc during electric leakage inspecting there is danger where the equipment breaks down, it makes outside the object, also after of the April continues and can transact in the old market."
-----
Title link takes you to an article on the impending date of April 1, 2006; the date when the sale of vintage synths will become illegal in Japan. Previously posted here.
"Hardest hit will be Japan’s vibrant trade in electrical instruments — a trade which has given thousands of young musicians their start in life, and without which, say furious veterans of the music industry, artistic expression will die.
The draconian law has been roundly attacked by Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar-winning composer who has led a petition of 74,500 enraged musicians and tradesmen demanding that the law be toned down and the critical trade in old recording equipment, amplifiers and synthesisers continue.
Hideki Matsutake, another composer and chairman of the Japan Synthesizer Programmers Association said: “Most musicians start with very little money. The second-hand instrument is absolutely vital. This law will destroy the ambitions of young people and young musicians.”
A retailer will be allowed to pay to have items officially stamped with the PSE seal (like the British Kitemark). But the test can cost anywhere from £30 for a simple item such as a kettle to £300. Dealers will face up to a year in prison and a fine of about £500,000 if caught selling an un-tested vintage Les Paul guitar or a Space Invaders machine that has not passed its PSE. The Government’s abject failure to publicise the law has fuelled the public’s anger. Although it was passed in 2001 very few retailers of second-hand goods, let alone shoppers, knew until last week what it entailed."
Looks like musical instruments might be exempt.
http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/shakai/20060314AT1G1401414032006.html
"The economic industrial ministry on the 14th, decided that the used electronic musical instrument and the photograph baking machine etc are designated as outside the object of electric supplies safe method. Including the used item, it shows safety, sale of the electric product which does not have the “PSE mark” is prohibited from April 1st. Assuming, that as for the electronic musical instrument and the photograph baking machine etc during electric leakage inspecting there is danger where the equipment breaks down, it makes outside the object, also after of the April continues and can transact in the old market."
-----
Title link takes you to an article on the impending date of April 1, 2006; the date when the sale of vintage synths will become illegal in Japan. Previously posted here.
"Hardest hit will be Japan’s vibrant trade in electrical instruments — a trade which has given thousands of young musicians their start in life, and without which, say furious veterans of the music industry, artistic expression will die.
The draconian law has been roundly attacked by Ryuichi Sakamoto, the Oscar-winning composer who has led a petition of 74,500 enraged musicians and tradesmen demanding that the law be toned down and the critical trade in old recording equipment, amplifiers and synthesisers continue.
Hideki Matsutake, another composer and chairman of the Japan Synthesizer Programmers Association said: “Most musicians start with very little money. The second-hand instrument is absolutely vital. This law will destroy the ambitions of young people and young musicians.”
A retailer will be allowed to pay to have items officially stamped with the PSE seal (like the British Kitemark). But the test can cost anywhere from £30 for a simple item such as a kettle to £300. Dealers will face up to a year in prison and a fine of about £500,000 if caught selling an un-tested vintage Les Paul guitar or a Space Invaders machine that has not passed its PSE. The Government’s abject failure to publicise the law has fuelled the public’s anger. Although it was passed in 2001 very few retailers of second-hand goods, let alone shoppers, knew until last week what it entailed."
Flux Radio
I previously posted on Flux Radio hosting a ratcheting example of the A6 and an EMS Synthi track. A Prophet 5 track with Emagic ES-1 Softsynth and Kawai MP9000 have been added. Title link takes you there.
Rapture on One Blue Monkey
Rapture Soft Synth with emphasis on wavetable synthesis. 6 parts with 200 oscillator types with up to 9 voices. Title link takes you to the video and details on One Blue Monkey. Video under date, under title.
EDP Wasp - New Flickr Shot
Title link takes you to more shots in the set. Shots by PTCowan.
Upate via PTCowan in the comments:
"Hi Friend. The shot was taken on the 3rd March at Forest cafe in Edinburgh. Its of my friend Joni Hawley who is synth mental he has a spare room bursting at the seams with analogue gubbins. The photo set is of the night which was very impressive with lots of vocoder and Moog action. The t-shirt was a home made job I think. Anyway cheers for using the shot on your blog."
Upate via PTCowan in the comments:
"Hi Friend. The shot was taken on the 3rd March at Forest cafe in Edinburgh. Its of my friend Joni Hawley who is synth mental he has a spare room bursting at the seams with analogue gubbins. The photo set is of the night which was very impressive with lots of vocoder and Moog action. The t-shirt was a home made job I think. Anyway cheers for using the shot on your blog."
Sunday, March 12, 2006
The Casio DM-100
Trip. I've never seen one of these before. Retro Thing has a post up on the double decker Casio DM-100. It's a Casio PCM based home keyboard with an SK-5 sampling keyboard built in. Title link takes you to more.
The Sonic Emulsifier
Title link takes you to more. Via Frank Vanaman. Update: Looks like Carbon111 beat me to it on Synthwire! I was wondering when this would happen. : ) Oh well, the more the merrier in my book.
"I call it the Sonic Emulsifier, a name coined by someone at work who knows nothing of analogue synthesis or sound processing."
"The History:
It started out with a WersiVoice card, which is basically a triple BBD contraption that was very commonly installed in Wersi organs, that gives both ensemble and rotary speaker effects, and, for its time, was actually pretty decent sounding. What it turned into:
(1) the Wersivoice BBD device
(2) a Ken Stone bandpass filter (SH-5 Bandpass clone)
(3) a Ken Stone Real Ring Modulator (two transformers, four diodes)
(4) a Paia “Roctave divider” board
(5) a multi filter band pass unit tuned to vocal frequencies (based on the VP-330 filters)
(6) a 566-based VCO using Thomas Henry’s schematics
(7) a 4-in, 1-out DC mixer, and
(8) a 4-way mult
The VCO is there basically so that if you want to use the ring modulator with a single input, there’s something there to modulate with. It’s a strange assortment of things, some of which are included because I happened to have the boards sitting around (like the PAiA Roctave).
I couldn’t resist the desire to make something that looked “technical’ from the front. The big central dial is the main frequency control for the oscillator. Pots to the upper left control the PAiA divider; pots to the right are for the mixer, the oscillator has an output attenuator control (left of the big dial) and a wave-shape sweep control (to the right of the big dial). Switches at the bottom left select the Wersivoice modes, switches to the bottom right control the selection of groups of filters in the vocal filter matrix.
Nothing’s blown up yet, so I’m assuming I’ve managed to put it all together right the first time.
MP3s? Eh, eventually…"
Frank
"I call it the Sonic Emulsifier, a name coined by someone at work who knows nothing of analogue synthesis or sound processing."
"The History:
It started out with a WersiVoice card, which is basically a triple BBD contraption that was very commonly installed in Wersi organs, that gives both ensemble and rotary speaker effects, and, for its time, was actually pretty decent sounding. What it turned into:
(1) the Wersivoice BBD device
(2) a Ken Stone bandpass filter (SH-5 Bandpass clone)
(3) a Ken Stone Real Ring Modulator (two transformers, four diodes)
(4) a Paia “Roctave divider” board
(5) a multi filter band pass unit tuned to vocal frequencies (based on the VP-330 filters)
(6) a 566-based VCO using Thomas Henry’s schematics
(7) a 4-in, 1-out DC mixer, and
(8) a 4-way mult
The VCO is there basically so that if you want to use the ring modulator with a single input, there’s something there to modulate with. It’s a strange assortment of things, some of which are included because I happened to have the boards sitting around (like the PAiA Roctave).
I couldn’t resist the desire to make something that looked “technical’ from the front. The big central dial is the main frequency control for the oscillator. Pots to the upper left control the PAiA divider; pots to the right are for the mixer, the oscillator has an output attenuator control (left of the big dial) and a wave-shape sweep control (to the right of the big dial). Switches at the bottom left select the Wersivoice modes, switches to the bottom right control the selection of groups of filters in the vocal filter matrix.
Nothing’s blown up yet, so I’m assuming I’ve managed to put it all together right the first time.
MP3s? Eh, eventually…"
Frank
The Mighty Logan Vocal Synthesizer
Shot pulled from this auction. Description pulled below. If you know more feel free to comment.
"Logan Vocal Synthesizer is fully working. Was stored 25 years in heated room."
"Logan Vocal Synthesizer is fully working. Was stored 25 years in heated room."
Sanctuary - New Flickr Shot
Shot by Luca Capozzi. I saw this shot and the first thing that came to mind was how un-Moogy a Roland JP8080 was. I thought of perspectives on how Roland has not come out with something innovative in years, how "digital" the JP8080 was, and how far away from the mighty moog analog sound it was. A lot of people see Roland and their digital synths as the anithesis of Moog. Then I saw the title of the shot, and I remembered how Bob described himself. He described himself as a tool-maker who made wonderful musical instruments for people to enjoy; magical instruments at that. There is no doubt in my mind that a JP8080 is capable of bringing this magic to its owners. Bob brought synthesis to the mainstream, making it affordable and accessible. This shot forces you to see that. A shot of the Roland JP8080, the magic synthesis brings and respect to Bob.
Racked Synths Done Right
In the comments section of this post, Mr. Array posted a link to the Sudio Electronics Museum page with a number of classic synths in rack format. Above is a Roland Juno-106. Beautiful. Title link takes you to more. Thanks Mr. Array.
Alesis Fusion
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Sequencers Cooking - Infection Music Zeit Sequencers
Hubba hubba. The Infection Music Zeit Sequencer x 5 burning in for 24 hours. In via the lovely Cikira.
"David Hughes, the desigher of Infection Instruments Zeit, updated his list of patient devotees thusly:
-----------
This is "Burn In Day" when all of the current batch of machines are "burned in" for 24 hours.
In the foreground is the prototype machine which was in the workshop for a software upgrade.
Incidentally, in case someone asks, the LEDs are bright but not eye-seeringly bright. We didn't just fit a bunch of lasers to the front of the sequencer. That's a 4 second time exposure!"
Tricked out EMS VCS3
EMS VCS3 project by jhaible.
"Basically a VCS3 on steroids with focus on signal processing(phaser, analog delay, two frequency shifters, envelope follower added)"
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_1.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_2.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_3.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_4.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_5.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_osc3_noise_filter.jpg
"Basically a VCS3 on steroids with focus on signal processing(phaser, analog delay, two frequency shifters, envelope follower added)"
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_1.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_2.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_3.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_4.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_in_progress_5.jpg
http://www.oldcrows.net/~jhaible/matrix_fx/matrix_fx_osc3_noise_filter.jpg
Racked Roland SH101
DVDBORN put up some shots of music stores in NYC in 2001. Below is a racked red Roland SH101. Note the 101 Sound by Armen. Armen was the tech for Rogue Music. He's made a few people unhappy with service in the past, including myself. I have no idea how things are today. Title link takes you to DVDBorn's post.
MoS 042 Cropped - New Flickr Shot
Access Virus C, Jomox XBase 09, Doepfer Schaltwerk and Regelwerk. Shot by knuckledragger.
Friday, March 10, 2006
100 New Sidstations
Looks like Elektron found 100 more chips. Title link takes you there.
Update via xonox in the comments:
"I've been checking that page every week since january and sidstations were available all the time i think. It's a shame they raised the price, they used to sell for 580$us a few years ago... "
Doh! Nevermind. Nothing to see here, please move on... : )
Update via xonox in the comments:
"I've been checking that page every week since january and sidstations were available all the time i think. It's a shame they raised the price, they used to sell for 580$us a few years ago... "
Doh! Nevermind. Nothing to see here, please move on... : )
The Song That Made String Synths Famous
Well, in my world at least. Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart. I beleive this is an ARP OMNI 2. If not please correct me in the comments and I'll update the post. For years I've heard it's either a Solina or OMNI. In the video it's clearly and Omni. I do know New Order later used and ARP Quadra for their strings. ARP all the way for them. Links below.
Two videos:
The official processed video. The OMNI sounds silky and smoothed out a bit.
The live/raw video. You can really hear the raw sound of the OMNI hear.
Two videos:
The official processed video. The OMNI sounds silky and smoothed out a bit.
The live/raw video. You can really hear the raw sound of the OMNI hear.
Silicon Teens, a Wasp and an ARP 2600
Moogulator has a post up on some more synth goodies from YouTube including New Order, Fad Gadget, Human League, and the Silicon Teens. I picked the Silicon Teens for this post for two resons. One it's not every day you see an ARP 2600 and EDP Wasp in the same video, and two I completely forgot about this song. It was a nice trip back in time. BTW, there is a third synth in the video. If anyone know what it is please feel free to comment. Title link takes you there.
Moog Polymoog and Oberheim OB8 Schematics
More scans from ChristianH. I previously posted his Memorymoog scans. He added a scan of the Polymoog and OB-8. Notes below. If you can help, feel free to post a comment.
Udate: Looks like Jordan Gibson on the AH list came through. He ran a full scan of the Polymoog Service Manuel and Brandon Daniel is hosting the whopping 180M file on fdisk.com.
"Hi all,
I finally spent some time and did some joyous 30 year anniversary
Polymoog scanning to acompany the Memorymoog schematics scans I did the
other day.
This is the complete Service Manual, Volume II (schematics).
Some of the sheets are pretty large, but luckily I have access to large
format scanners at work :-)
Considering that some of the original manual sheets are some kind of
ancient 70s blue prints, which have severely yellowed background
(actually the paper deteriorated to a hot red in some areas), the end
result looks quite nice after some heavy processing, you all know the
routine - EQing, noise gating, compressing, and a tad of Exciter to
improve sharpness:
http://www.chrismusic.de/synth/schematics/polymoog.zip
12 MB ZIP file, but by today's download standards, this isn't that large
anymore.
All missing page numbers are blank pages, nothing has been omitted for
scanning.
I NEED YOUR HELP: Now, if some kind soul would do the same for Volume I,
I simply don't have that one. I assume, it contains calibration info and
circuit descriptions, and thus should be more suitable for small format
scanners. I'd be glad to host Vol.I on my site as well.
And maybe the additional "Polymoog Keyboard" filter board schematics
would fit in here nicely, if anybody has them available.
And while I was at it, there's an almost legible scan of the OB8 voice
board component layout:
http://www.chrismusic.de/synth/schematics/OB-8-voice-board-600dpi.tif
On all scans I found before, the component designator numbers were
pretty hard to decypher, which makes locating measurement points on the
boards quite tedious.
This one comes from an original service manual. Not on the light side,
at 600 dpi grey scale - a whopping 4MB for one page.
cheers
Christian
P.S.: maybe a little long-shot, I'd be glad to do a similar scanning job
with the giant CS-80 schematics diagram.
The one to be found on the net is a godsend nevertheless, but due to
small format scanning, the pieces won't really fit together.
If someone could lend the schematics to me for scanning, that would be
great.
If there is a CS-80 owner in the western Germany/Netherlands/Belgium area,
I'd even opt for a personal pickup (and maybe some synth geek talk as
well... ;-)"
Udate: Looks like Jordan Gibson on the AH list came through. He ran a full scan of the Polymoog Service Manuel and Brandon Daniel is hosting the whopping 180M file on fdisk.com.
"Hi all,
I finally spent some time and did some joyous 30 year anniversary
Polymoog scanning to acompany the Memorymoog schematics scans I did the
other day.
This is the complete Service Manual, Volume II (schematics).
Some of the sheets are pretty large, but luckily I have access to large
format scanners at work :-)
Considering that some of the original manual sheets are some kind of
ancient 70s blue prints, which have severely yellowed background
(actually the paper deteriorated to a hot red in some areas), the end
result looks quite nice after some heavy processing, you all know the
routine - EQing, noise gating, compressing, and a tad of Exciter to
improve sharpness:
http://www.chrismusic.de/synth/schematics/polymoog.zip
12 MB ZIP file, but by today's download standards, this isn't that large
anymore.
All missing page numbers are blank pages, nothing has been omitted for
scanning.
I NEED YOUR HELP: Now, if some kind soul would do the same for Volume I,
I simply don't have that one. I assume, it contains calibration info and
circuit descriptions, and thus should be more suitable for small format
scanners. I'd be glad to host Vol.I on my site as well.
And maybe the additional "Polymoog Keyboard" filter board schematics
would fit in here nicely, if anybody has them available.
And while I was at it, there's an almost legible scan of the OB8 voice
board component layout:
http://www.chrismusic.de/synth/schematics/OB-8-voice-board-600dpi.tif
On all scans I found before, the component designator numbers were
pretty hard to decypher, which makes locating measurement points on the
boards quite tedious.
This one comes from an original service manual. Not on the light side,
at 600 dpi grey scale - a whopping 4MB for one page.
cheers
Christian
P.S.: maybe a little long-shot, I'd be glad to do a similar scanning job
with the giant CS-80 schematics diagram.
The one to be found on the net is a godsend nevertheless, but due to
small format scanning, the pieces won't really fit together.
If someone could lend the schematics to me for scanning, that would be
great.
If there is a CS-80 owner in the western Germany/Netherlands/Belgium area,
I'd even opt for a personal pickup (and maybe some synth geek talk as
well... ;-)"
Korg Radias Samples on Sequencer.de
Title link takes you directly to the Korg Radias page on Sequencer.de. New samples are at the end of the page.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Juan Atkins Interview
Title link takes you to a classic interview of the godfather of Detroit Techno and House.
Some synth bits (make sure to read the full article):
"'During the summer of 1980 I bought myself a Korg MS10. I messed around with that synthesiser all summer, and I'd got to the point where 1 was making up all sorts of drumbeats on it. 1 had two Kenwood cassette decks and a little Yamaha four-channel mixer, and I'd make up my drum beat and record it on one deck, then bounce it across onto the other and overdub another part at the same time. I became a real master at doing that; I knew how to EQ my drum sounds to start with so that by the time I'd finished four or five overdubs the music still sounded clean.'"
"Instruments in the Atkins arsenal include a Korg Poly 800, Yamaha DXlOO, Sequential Pro One, and Ensoniq Mirage and Akai S900 samplers. Like Saunderson, Atkins is not interested in sampling old records. He prefers to devote himself to the delights of synthesis - and in particular to one synth.
"The Pro One is my heart. I'll use that Pro One until it falls apart, and then I'll probably still use it if it makes any sounds. "These new synthesisers now, I think they're scaling them more to interface with the consumer. Synthesisers used to be synthesisers that a synthesist could play. Now manufacturers are going for presets and they make it really hard to get beyond those presets to program your own sounds. "
"Atkins has a similar preference for old drum machines.
"I still use the 808 and 909. I don't like Roland's latest drum machines, but the 808 and 909 are classics. The 808 has a real techno feel. Everything on that drum machine has an electronic feel, it's not like digitally-sampled real drums."
"'We unveiled our secret weapon, which was that we'd brought a Roland 808 to the party to play live rhythm tracks between the records.'
The crowd went wild and the Direct Drive crew got mad. But a new idea was born which was to have a profound impact not so much on Detroit as on Chicago."
Some synth bits (make sure to read the full article):
"'During the summer of 1980 I bought myself a Korg MS10. I messed around with that synthesiser all summer, and I'd got to the point where 1 was making up all sorts of drumbeats on it. 1 had two Kenwood cassette decks and a little Yamaha four-channel mixer, and I'd make up my drum beat and record it on one deck, then bounce it across onto the other and overdub another part at the same time. I became a real master at doing that; I knew how to EQ my drum sounds to start with so that by the time I'd finished four or five overdubs the music still sounded clean.'"
"Instruments in the Atkins arsenal include a Korg Poly 800, Yamaha DXlOO, Sequential Pro One, and Ensoniq Mirage and Akai S900 samplers. Like Saunderson, Atkins is not interested in sampling old records. He prefers to devote himself to the delights of synthesis - and in particular to one synth.
"The Pro One is my heart. I'll use that Pro One until it falls apart, and then I'll probably still use it if it makes any sounds. "These new synthesisers now, I think they're scaling them more to interface with the consumer. Synthesisers used to be synthesisers that a synthesist could play. Now manufacturers are going for presets and they make it really hard to get beyond those presets to program your own sounds. "
"Atkins has a similar preference for old drum machines.
"I still use the 808 and 909. I don't like Roland's latest drum machines, but the 808 and 909 are classics. The 808 has a real techno feel. Everything on that drum machine has an electronic feel, it's not like digitally-sampled real drums."
"'We unveiled our secret weapon, which was that we'd brought a Roland 808 to the party to play live rhythm tracks between the records.'
The crowd went wild and the Direct Drive crew got mad. But a new idea was born which was to have a profound impact not so much on Detroit as on Chicago."
Cream's Mini Up for Auction
Title link takes you to an auction for Jack Bruce of Cream's Mini. Details below saved for posterity. There was only one shot below, so the title link just takes you to the auction while it's up. Via Dylan Gaffney.
Jack Bruce's Mini Moog synthesizer Model-D
serial number 1058 circa early 70s (model D serial numbers started with No.1001 in 1971) - the side panels to the casing on the right-hand side are missing and in generally used condition. This instrument was used by Jack Bruce in recording and composing. Mini Moog synthesizer is now, due to its unique sound, a sought after collector's item.
Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Janet Bruce.
Jack Bruce's Mini Moog synthesizer Model-D
serial number 1058 circa early 70s (model D serial numbers started with No.1001 in 1971) - the side panels to the casing on the right-hand side are missing and in generally used condition. This instrument was used by Jack Bruce in recording and composing. Mini Moog synthesizer is now, due to its unique sound, a sought after collector's item.
Accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Janet Bruce.
Pulse Wave on OSC-3 Please
Title link takes you to more cat shots sent my way by First Last. That cat is fixated on OSC-3's Wave selector, or he's wondering where the keys went.
The New Moog
Almost here... Moog Clue #1
"You Know IT'S Coming...But What Is IT?
Can You Feel The Anticipation?
Moog Music is proud to announce the advent of a much anticipated NEW product at Musik Messe in Frankfurt, Germany, March 29, 2006. Come visit your Moog friends in Hall 5.1, Walkway B, Stand 43. Along with showcasing our "hip" new product, we will have world-renowned thereminist, Pamelia Kurstin demonstrating the Etherwave Pro. You all remember her from the Moog Movie.
Although we can't tell you what IT is right now -- we promise to continue to update this location with news and plenty of CLUES. Here's a picture of your first one. Any guesses? Please feel free to share your thoughts with others on the Moog Forum where speculation grows stronger each day.
For those who think that patience is sometimes, but not always a virtue - you can also Click Here to subscribe to our newsletter.
These are the best two ways to collect your clues before everyone else.
See you in Frankfurt!"
"You Know IT'S Coming...But What Is IT?
Can You Feel The Anticipation?
Moog Music is proud to announce the advent of a much anticipated NEW product at Musik Messe in Frankfurt, Germany, March 29, 2006. Come visit your Moog friends in Hall 5.1, Walkway B, Stand 43. Along with showcasing our "hip" new product, we will have world-renowned thereminist, Pamelia Kurstin demonstrating the Etherwave Pro. You all remember her from the Moog Movie.
Although we can't tell you what IT is right now -- we promise to continue to update this location with news and plenty of CLUES. Here's a picture of your first one. Any guesses? Please feel free to share your thoughts with others on the Moog Forum where speculation grows stronger each day.
For those who think that patience is sometimes, but not always a virtue - you can also Click Here to subscribe to our newsletter.
These are the best two ways to collect your clues before everyone else.
See you in Frankfurt!"
M-Audio on One Blue Monkey
NAMM 2006 video is up on One Blue Monkey along with shots and summary. Title link takes you there. Video link under date under title. Axiom controllers pictured on the left.
Kitty Goes Modular
Yep... Shot below from Eric on AH. And then there's KatFish via Jason Proctor.
Update: Another cat shot from Justin Maxwell. What's interesting is that it always seems to be cats in synth shots. Never dogs, never birds, never rodents, never fish. What's with synth people being into cats? I'm into cats as well. So...
Update via the comments. Thought this was pretty funny.
"That's because dogs would be sitting on the floor, looking at you, going "I wuv woo, I wuv woo.."
Cats would be climbing up onto your gear going "For goodness sake, that's not how you patch a modular synth. Here, connect the OSC1 sync here and...
Bloody humans, think they're great at everything... Now where's my dinner?" "
Update: Another cat shot from Justin Maxwell. What's interesting is that it always seems to be cats in synth shots. Never dogs, never birds, never rodents, never fish. What's with synth people being into cats? I'm into cats as well. So...
Update via the comments. Thought this was pretty funny.
"That's because dogs would be sitting on the floor, looking at you, going "I wuv woo, I wuv woo.."
Cats would be climbing up onto your gear going "For goodness sake, that's not how you patch a modular synth. Here, connect the OSC1 sync here and...
Bloody humans, think they're great at everything... Now where's my dinner?" "
ARP 2600 Grey Mini Shots
Title link takes you to shots put up by Cary Roberts. Click on one to get to its photo album.
"I'm in the process of refurbing my early model grey face ARP 2600. Most
folks would call this a gray meanie as it has all first rev boards and
all op amps are octal not DIP. It does not have a 4410 ADSR. The ADSR
in the unit is labeled "Board 4-1" and is a good bit larger than a 4410.
Board 4 also has odd header locations for the 4019 VCA so several of the
legs on 4019 are bent to make it work. This was fixed in the next rev
of the board.
I'm replacing all the jacks with new Switchcraft 142As and disassembling
and refurbing all the pots. Also, contrary to popular belief, the Cinch
Jones S-306-DB keyboard connector is still manufactured although it's a
couple week lead time from most distributors. In a pinch you can take a
standard S-306 socket and replace the defective socket in the S-306-DB
metal bracket.
While perusing the pics note the silk screened trimmer functions and
jack normalling symbols not present on later units.
http://www.retrosynth.com/gear/arp2600/"
"I'm in the process of refurbing my early model grey face ARP 2600. Most
folks would call this a gray meanie as it has all first rev boards and
all op amps are octal not DIP. It does not have a 4410 ADSR. The ADSR
in the unit is labeled "Board 4-1" and is a good bit larger than a 4410.
Board 4 also has odd header locations for the 4019 VCA so several of the
legs on 4019 are bent to make it work. This was fixed in the next rev
of the board.
I'm replacing all the jacks with new Switchcraft 142As and disassembling
and refurbing all the pots. Also, contrary to popular belief, the Cinch
Jones S-306-DB keyboard connector is still manufactured although it's a
couple week lead time from most distributors. In a pinch you can take a
standard S-306 socket and replace the defective socket in the S-306-DB
metal bracket.
While perusing the pics note the silk screened trimmer functions and
jack normalling symbols not present on later units.
http://www.retrosynth.com/gear/arp2600/"
Bob Cash's Keyboards & Synthesizers
Bob sent me a link to his site filled with high res shots. Title link takes you there. Enjoy. Thanks Bob!
PREVIOUS PAGE
NEXT PAGE
HOME
© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
