MATRIXSYNTH

at 6/09/2006 12:14:00 AM

Click here for shots pulled from this auction. For those of you not familiar with the OB3, it's a drawbar virtual organ produced by Viscount under the Oberheim name. Viscount also produced the somewhat controversial Oberheim OB12 VA.

Check out the gorgeous wood.

via Brian Comnes

at 6/09/2006 12:12:00 AM

Two shots pulled from this auction. Unfortunately the details didn't reveal much about the unit. If you know more feel free to comment.

Update via 7ate9 in the comments: found a description here.

at 6/09/2006 12:10:00 AM

A few more links via Chris Strellis.
mp3s
pics and info
Mov 1
Mov 2

And the Acxel Resynthesizer is featured in this DVD, also posted here back in September 2005.

Update via Doktor Future in the comments (also posted here):

"Check out Symbolic Sound's new Tau re-synthesis algorithm. It has a lot in common with the Acxel:

- Dedicated Hardware
- Real time waveform manipulation

Screenshots
MP3's

Tau sounds *way* better than their previous resynthesis algorithm (which is still in the software if you want to use it). I have been working Sound that uses this re-synthesis algorithm and their 'cross-filter' convolution algorithm at the same time. It's pretty wild. I big fan of Symbolic Sound."

Update. We killed Chris's bandwidth. Chris gave me the ok to move these to Twango. Here they are:

at 6/09/2006 12:07:00 AM

You might have seen this one over at Analog Industries. Blogger had a major burp today so I haven't been able to put this one up until now. So... Looks like Carbon111 is selling his Serge panel. That's blasphemy in some circles. Title link takes you to more shots. I don't think the ant is included.

Details
1) ADP - 4each 1/4" to Bannana adapters
2) PRNV - A Preamp and Envelope follower, 2 linkable sections
3) PCO - Precision Oscillator with lots of modulation i/o, very stable,
linear and exponential FM available
4) RING - Ring Modulator, voltage controlable, very quiet
5) EQ - Resonant EQ, A fixed filter bank with boost, cut *and*
adjustable resonance
6) AMX - 4x1 audio mixer with 3 attenuators
7) UAP - Universal Audio Processor - dual VCA, Panner, crossfader,
voltage controlled AM
8) 2RVG - Dual Random Voltage Generator - smooth, stepped voltage and
random trigger sources (x2 of each - not linked) Voltage controllable rates.
9) QUAN - Quantiser. Either standard scale or special scales (see catalog).
10) SPRC - Scaling Processor. Voltage mixing, scaling, inverting and
attenuation, 3 sections

Send offers to carbon111 if interested. BTW, he is also selling a Polyevolver rack in very good condition for $900 + shipping.

Update via Carbon111 in the comments:

"I'm selling A Serge panel, not all of them ;)

I've still got my Animal Panel and my first custom panel...I'm basically looking to get a Serge TKB. "

Ok, there is now balance back in the world. : )

at 6/08/2006 12:55:00 AM

Apologies for being late on this one. Remember the Prophet64? Well, the cartridge is now available in limitted quantities.

"Prophet64 is a suite of very user friendly music applications for the Commodore 64 platform. Designed to hook up to modern MIDI equipment with either DIN-sync or third party MIDI interfaces, it makes your old computer become a highly useful music tool.

The software is distributed on a hardware cartridge that plugs right into the back of your C64. No disk or tape loading, just plug and play!

The Cartridge contains the whole suite of applications. You can read more about them in the links on the right side bar.

With an array of music software that mimics modern and classic sequencing devices through versatile user interfaces, Prophet64 opens the door for everyone who wishes to explore the world of the legendary audio circuit (the "SID") in the Commodore computers.

Instead of collecting dust in the closet, you can put your C64 at work right beside the synthesizer rig in your studio today! Add some in-fashion bleeps and blops to your latest track, an extra bass flavor, an additional lead sound or why not an 8-bar break with Rob Hubbard drums?

The possibilities are endless."

Title link takes you there.

at 6/08/2006 12:40:00 AM

Furious monkeysynth model 32.21.330 rev.C.

"Fifty year old children's toy with cymbals replaced with contact microphones. A beat-box from hell - quite temperamental. In the collection of G. Stevens."

Title link takes you to more gadgets and a sample of this monkey.

Creeeeepy. I thought clowns spooked me out. Via gerald in this post.

Update via the comments:
"I should have sent this link along with the photos: monophidelic"

at 6/08/2006 12:34:00 AM

"M64 is a program that will turn your C64 into a synth module. All you need is a MIDI interface that is either Passport, Datel or Sequential-compatible. To enable users to create good sounds, M64 provides an abstract assembly-like language (ASL). ASL programs are supposed to read MIDI controllers and act on key presses. Read the manual for more information."

Title link takes you there. Via gerald in this post.

at 6/08/2006 12:27:00 AM

gerald of logo-64 sent in the previous post on Babyland. I decided to check out logo-64 and liked what I heard. I noticed the following listed as band memebers: gerald - synths : S.A.M. - C64 vocals. I was curious what S.A.M was as well as the modular in the shot and any other synths he used. gerald replied with the below (also be sure to check out the update at the end of this post for an interesting bit of trivia via Cynthia Webster of Cyndustries). Title link takes you to the logo-64 MySpace page.

"S.A.M. - a speech synthesis program for the C64 "Software Automatic Mouth" The modular is my DIY synth. Paia, Blacet, CGS, and EFM modules. Plus a "FracSid" - midibox SID in a modular format with 6 analog CV ins, 8 analog and 2 gate outs. Will take some pictures, record some sounds and make a web page about the FracSID some day... probably put it up on my erinys site.

Synths used for logo-64

Elektron Machinedrum
Elektron Monomachine (by the way, it ships with a preset I made for it - B6, kit22 "gerald", the benefits of being a beta-tester!)
Access Virus Indigo
DSI Evolver
OB Matrix1000
Yamaha DX200
Crumar Performer
Nord micromodular
Casio SK-1, SK-5, SK-60, RZ-1, CZ-101, HK-700, RapMan
Yamaha CS-01
Roland TR-55
Simmons SDS8, SDS400 and clap-trap
Commodore SX-64 with midi-cart and M-64 (http://gallium.prg.dtu.dk/anyware/)

That's all I can think of right now - lots of junk scattered about... all of the synths below the Nord were thrifted."

Update: Interesting bit of trivia via Cynthia Webster of Cyndustries:
"the S.A.M. Software Automatic Mouth listed as a band "member" in Logo-64, was software written back in 1979 or so ago by none other than Designer Mark Barton of Cyndustries Zeroscillator fame, (he wrote the MacinTalk speech synthesizer program a few years later as well!)"

at 6/08/2006 12:03:00 AM

Title link takes you to the Babyland website.

Via gerald:

"My personal favorite synthpunk - Babyland is worth checking out if you haven't heard them before.

http://www.myspace.com/babylandmusic

They're still sequencing with Cubase on a mac classic - have been since 1989. I miss their old "fire" shows - they'd dump motor oil in tin drums, light it up and then play the drums with pipes. Billowing, choaking black smoke, crazy beats, jumping flames - damn I wish it was the early 90's again. They still put on a fantastic show - Dan is a crazy-energetic vocalist.

Also check their main page - www.babyland.info - you can see the mac classic in the video.

-gerald
http://www.myspace.com/logo64"

Very cool, I like what I hear so far. I definitely need to check them out, and logo-64 (good stuff).

at 6/08/2006 12:02:00 AM

Shot of the Technos Acxel Resynthesizer via Jam.se. There's a ton of other gear there as well, new and vintage, worth checking out. More on the Acxel Resynthesizer here.

at 6/08/2006 12:01:00 AM

"The seventh annual San Francisco Electronic Music Festival will take place Thursday, August 10th to Sunday, August 13th, 2006 at SomArts Cultural Center located at 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. We are planning a full festival this year with electroacoustic composers, sound installation artists, and interdisciplinary performance." Title link takes you to more info including shots from previous years. Hey, Morton was there. :) Via Brian Comnes.

at 6/08/2006 12:00:00 AM

"Multitracked MEK, drums from Spectrasonics Stylus and Steinberg LM4" Title link takes you to a 5.05M MP3 by Stefan Tripper.

at 6/07/2006 09:34:00 AM

Ok, this is one of those "how the heck did I not know about this before" posts. Title link takes you to the pics page of The Music Technology Labs at Evergreen State College right in my back yard so to speak. They have Buchla, EMU and more. Thanks to sequencer.de for this one. Funny that I found out about this via Moogulator all the way over in Germany. : ) Thank you Moogulator!

P.S. I see a cat in the shot.

at 6/07/2006 09:17:00 AM

Title link takes you to a track title SuperCatDeluxe2 by Spookeyman on VSE. Note the cat. : ) I thought it was a pretty cool track and a good example of the synths listed below.

"Again...i took part to a "one instrument" competition. The only synths that were allowed are : Korg MS-50, Korg MS-20 or Korg MS-10.

I have the last, the little one VCO/ENV/Filter MS-10.

The Drum Machine that i used is the Roland CR-68, and the effect is a Roland RE-201. Thats all. No sequencer, or modulation effect."

Track also saved here.

at 6/07/2006 01:22:00 AM

Title link taks you to the Blackstrobe Studios synth manuals page. I ran into the site looking for an Arp Axxe patch sheet for UNIT-Sound in the comments of this Synthwire post, and my previous post. Note, that the list of manuals on the page appear to be links to other sites hosting the manuals. It's cool that they didn't just copy the manuals down and host them themselves, but via links would be nice. : ) Regardless, the links are there if we need them.

at 6/07/2006 12:40:00 AM

Title link takes you to more on Synthwire.

at 6/07/2006 12:39:00 AM

Title link takes you to some shots of Mutek Montreal 2006 sent my way via Mike Jerugim. It looks like it was a great show. For more on Mutek in general, click here - note the language links on the top right of each festival.

"Thought you might want to see some of the pics that I posted from the Mutek festival in Montreal last Sunday Night. I had to leave after the second act, as the subways were going to stop running, but hopefully you'll get the idea. It was really inspiring to see an electronic music scene that was so alive and vibrant. They truly appreciated the music that (thankfully) was not 100% boom boom techno. It really felt like this crowd was sophisitcated in their tastes, and generally accepting of music that most neophytes might consider a bit "challenging". My hat is off to the Mutek organizers, performers, and most of all the Montreal audiences. They were simply great. I can't wait to come back next year!!!"

Hey, what's wrong with boom boom techno? : P

at 6/07/2006 12:39:00 AM

Simon (... snafu ...) posted this piece along with a few others he has on auction to the AH list. Title link takes you to a few more shots he sent my way. Some notes from the auction:

"it has been modded, so that each (of the two) voices hast a single output."

"in the 70s it became famous, because it was used to make these wierd disco-sounds bioooouuuuu biiiiuuuuuu - but behind those cheezy sounds there is a hidden gem not many know about... i have been told, that it can do very cool bass-drum hits, that can ever out-boom the TR909 (that is why i bought it :-)."

Nice description snafu. : )

It's interesting how this looks a lot like a Roland. Anyone know if there is any connection there? The shots of it on it's side, however, make it look completely different. I'd love to hear some samples of this as well. If anyone knows of any, please post in the comments. I asked Simon if he had any, so we'll see. I also tried Audio Playground's Virtual Drummachine page and no go.

Update via zerozeroisland in the comments:

"The syncussion is great! In addition to all the 70's disco sounds, it's capable of a lot more. Skinny Puppy used it in the early days and it's definitely useful for very aggressive, heavy sounds...

if you have a copy of Reason, here is a refill for the Redrum drum machine of some amazing sy-1 sounds: link"

at 6/07/2006 12:38:00 AM

Two shots of a custom modular based on Ray Wilson's Modular Circuits, built by lanxe. The shots come from this electro-music post.

"The top row is all ray's circuits and the second row has a few of his modules (a couple of state variable filters, two envelope generators, two dual vca's and two oscillators)

The keyboard is rays matrix scanning circuit added to an old hammond keyboard donor.

i just bought some sheet aluminum, cut and milled it, had it anodized black and cnc engraved the lettering...........about $80 for all 8 module panels.

There is still alot on his site i have yet to explore"

Title link takes you to Ray's Soundlab page.

Update via Pickleinn in the comments: "yeah, this is mine (lanxe). i have done a lot more diy synth stuff since this post. you can see most of it here: www.pickleinn.com in the pictures section under synth. or here"

at 6/07/2006 12:37:00 AM

Sébastien in France sent me info on a Moog Modular clone he is building. He is considering making more of these for sale. Title link takes you his site with more info and shots. Currently he has the following listed:

921a Oscillator
921b Oscillator
902 VCA
904a Low Pass Filter
911 Envelope Generator

It will be interesting to hear how these sound and compare to the real deal.

at 6/07/2006 12:36:00 AM

Just love this song. It reminds me of everything synth.

at 6/07/2006 12:35:00 AM

Title link takes you to more shots via this thread. For more on Electro Music 2006, click here, and here.

at 6/07/2006 12:05:00 AM

flickr by campingcar_disc. I haven't seen a white one before.

at 6/07/2006 12:04:00 AM

flickr by Skinfitz.

at 6/07/2006 12:03:00 AM

flickr by RowleyRegis.

at 6/07/2006 12:02:00 AM

flickr by janvanvolt. Shots are of a project sequencer he is building.

at 6/07/2006 12:01:00 AM

Well sort of. It will be free with Issue 102 of Computer Music.

"As you can see, there are three LFOs; each one can be synced to host (at various musically useful divisions) or free-run from 2Hz on up to audio rate. The "PULSE DEPTH" knobs determine how hard each LFO hits the VCA. The "PULSE SHAPE" knob sweeps from square through forward ramp, reverse ramp, to sine wave at the clockwise position. Using these 7 controls, you can get some really odd moving tremelo patterns."

Title link takes you to more on Analog Industries.

at 6/07/2006 12:00:00 AM

flickr by Jabberwalky.

at 6/06/2006 01:40:00 PM

"PHOENIX Jun 6, 2006 (AP)— Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own series of hit singles, including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59."

"Preston not only inspired the Beatles to get along Harrison likened his effect to a feuding family staying on its best behavior in front of a guest but contributed a light, bluesy solo to 'Get Back,' performing the song with the band on its legendary 'roof top' concert, the last time the Beatles played live. He was one of many sometimes labeled 'The Fifth Beatle.'"

Title link takes you to the release on abcnews. Sad day.

at 6/06/2006 10:28:00 AM

I'm sure most of you have seen this before, but considering it's 6/6/6...

Update: Yep, I'm a synth geek; I actually found this video disturbing.
Reminds me of NIN trashing a synth in every show. Evil bastards.

Update: here it is:

Uploaded by s0ulever on Feb 15, 2010

at 6/06/2006 10:22:00 AM

For those of you celebrating 6/6/6 today. I wonder if the Open Labs Neko guys are sacrificing anymore synths *cough* PCs today. Title link takes you to the post on GetLoFi.

at 6/06/2006 10:16:00 AM

Title link takes you there. Via CDM. I almost went with the shot CDM used, but then I saw this bad boy. Yeah, baby...

at 6/06/2006 01:41:00 AM

I love the contrast in this shot. Title link takes you to more. via Sequencer.de.

at 6/06/2006 01:40:00 AM

Click the image for a bigger shot. That is one interesting piece of equipment. Title link takes you to the post on Chroniques de la Mao, translated to English here. You can find more on Pierre Henry on Wikipedia (translated).

at 6/06/2006 01:38:00 AM

Interesting drum pad made with circuit bent toys. Title link takes you to more info, shots, and samples. Via Sequencer.de.

at 6/06/2006 01:37:00 AM

flickr by sleepydisco. Reminds me of War of the Worlds.

at 6/06/2006 01:36:00 AM

flickr by Robot in Catford. : )

at 6/06/2006 01:35:00 AM

Electronotes is a newsletter like publication on DIY music synthesis that started back in 1972. I hadn't heard of it until Sneak Thief posted the following in the comments of this ASM-2 post:

"It sounds good because the ASM-2, synthesizers.com & several CGS modules are based on a series of DIY plans released in the early 70's electronics publication called Electronotes: http://electronotes.netfirms.com/

In 1975 the authors of Electronotes, Bernie Hutchins, wrote a book called the "Musical Engineer's Handbook" - both the Electronotes series and this book have basically been the reference and inspiration for a good portion of todays modular synths.

In fact, Don Buchla, Bob Moog and Serge Tcherepnin were all subscribers to Electronotes and were definitely inspired by the schematics, and even contributed their own to the magazine.

I would even go so far to say that almost every current modular manufacturer has "borrowed" designs from the Electronotes series ; )"

Fascinating. What's also interesting is the publication still appears to be running and has changed with the times:

"Specifically, our information relates to the technical details of music synthesis and other sound processing, both equipment and methods. In the 70's, we were involved with voltage-controlled synthesizers, and more recently, we are involved much more heavily in digital signal processing and digital sound synthesis. At the present time, we are involved with a comprehensive review of both analog and digital signal processing. "

Title link takes you to there.

at 6/05/2006 08:00:00 PM

Title link takes you to the pressmonome flickr set. I put up a link to the set on April 18th. It looks like there was an update with new shots including this one on April 25. That's Erza Buchla, Don Buchla's son with the Buchla 200e and three monomes. Pretty cool. Thanks to Music Thing for putting this shot up.

Update: Link to Erza's MySpace page. Via Doktor Future in the comments. Make sure to check out the comments.

Update: Ezra dropped by in the comments. It's worth noting that none of the music on his MySpace page (as of the time of this post of course) is 200e. Remember, unless the comments on a given piece of music specifically call out the synth used, never assume what it is.

at 6/05/2006 03:55:00 PM

Title link takes you to the news on Frostwave.com. Sad to hear it.

at 6/05/2006 03:48:00 PM

I finally got around to checking out the VX-352 Control Voltage Expander for the Voyager Rack. I was curious what it did vs. the VX-351 for the Voyager. Turns out the VX-352 adds CV inputs while the VX-351 adds CV outputs. Pretty simple. Title link takes you to more on Moog. Also check out this video of Brian Kehew of The Moog Cookbook giving a demo of the VX-351.

at 6/05/2006 03:39:00 PM

flickr by Heath Finnie.

click here for the set.

at 6/05/2006 03:34:00 PM

That's the Anyware SEMTex on top. Title link takes you to more shots.

Update: Be sure to check out Sequencer.de for more coverage of this event including more shots and video. Here's a 25M teaser.

at 6/05/2006 03:33:00 PM

Model 3M

Mini Rock

Update: via Infrequent Sound in the comments:

"I have this synth Musel Electronic Synthesizer System 3M ULTRA RARE ANALOG SYNTHESIZER, 1984 + MANUAL

See my photo and manual in link:" [click here]

at 6/05/2006 02:56:00 PM

Title link takes you to the article. Via Synth Ollie.

at 6/04/2006 09:57:00 AM

flickr by maskinbatterist.

at 6/04/2006 09:45:00 AM

Title link takes you to the post. There is a link to a video and the Hans Zimmer Worship Page. I wasn't able to check out the video as I'm using a Hotel computer at the moment with no audio and the video is coming back choppy. BTW,if you sent me email and I haven't replied yet, this is why. The hotel was supposed to have wifi, but apparently they turned it off. I'll get back to you Monday.