Automat and the ASE MCS70

Another via Frederic. Automat is an old electronic album from 1978 that featured the ASE MCS70. You can read more about the album here where you will find a number of samples. You can find more on the MCS70 on Synthmuseum.com where the image below was pulled from.

via the Automat page:
"When I saw my incoming mail box in 2000/October/01 I had a great surprise. A message from Mario Maggi (the man who idealized and constructed the MCS70, the sinthesizer used to do "automat"). Once again, my thanks to Sergio A. Simões. He found the Mario Maggi´s e-mail, contacted him, and told him about my page. To receive a message from Mario Maggi and all creators of "automat" is one of my great objectives. Naturally, I had (and still have) thousands of questions. We change a few messages, and I´ll continue changing. Now you can see a few questions. The first message was from Mario Maggi to answer questions for Sergio. The main subject is about MCS70, but there is a lot of information regarding 'automat'." Thanks Frederic!

Siliconsequences (Extended) on YouTube

Remember Siliconsequences? Here's the extended version. Via Frederic.

CS80_OPENED - New Flickr Shot

flickr by CountLovE.

SEKU Analog Sequencer

Title link takes you to a couple of shots. Via Sigma:

"We are an Ambient/Electronic-music duo from Finland and have something we would like to share other synth/DIY-fans.

SEKU is a self made 2 x 16 step sequencer with slider-pots as in ARP-sequencer. Length of the sequence can be set to N by patching PULSE-OUT from N+1 step to RESET-IN jack. When no clock is connected to CLK-IN sequencer can be manually stepped from STEP button.

Each row has CLK-IN, CV-OUT, GATE-OUT and RESET-IN jacks. You can mute any one of the 1-16 steps with the STEP-MUTE switch. Each step has also a PULSE-OUT jack.

Slider potentiometers for STEP-CV adjusting are used because they are more informative.It is also possible to draw waveforms with the sliders when SEKU is clocked with audio-rate clock.

SEKU and Korg MS10 combination is something very special. When you patch first row CV-OUT to Korg VCO-CV-IN and second row CV-OUT to Korg CUTOFF-FREQ-IN (modulation wheel is patched to INITIAL-GAIN-IN so that VCA is open) you always get something very musical.

Here is YouTube-link for video-demo of SEKU-MS10 combination with additional noise-drum from Roland S100M: link

Our new CD "Music With Analog Improvised Soundscapes" is based on this SEKU-MS10 combination and can be purchased from CD-Baby: link"

Pink LEDs

Nice. Via Tec Assistance, "here's a pulse programmer i recently built with the new issue pink leds.I believe they are the fruition of some Philips research which is able to combine the materials such that other colours will become available.I guess the rainbow is coming!"

EMS Synthi AKS Restored by CMS on The Bay

A couple of shots pulled from this auction. Restored by CMS. Currently at 10 bids and $6200.

Details:
"Up for auction here is a fully restored Synthi AKS made by EMS of London, in excellent condition complete with a fully functional KS keyboard. The unit is all original and is not a clone, reissue or reproduction. Serial #’s on the synth and the keyboard match. This Synthi has been fully restored by Phil Cirocco of CMS / DiscreteSynthesizers (yes it's me). Google the "Novachord Restoration Project" for a restoration example. I hate to give up my special secret weapon of aural destruction, but it's the usual story, I'm trying to buy a house. This unit is dangerous through a very large PA system.

Standard Synthi AKS features will not be listed here. I assume you know them if you are looking for one.

Synthi A Features: All the electrolytic (wet) capacitors have been replaced. Wet caps dry out after 15 to 20 years. There are numerous wet caps used in the Synthi and they all must be replaced. The power supply is the more reliable version 2 and has been fully rebuilt. It has brand new speakers and a new reverb tank. It also has 14 new silver knob inserts. New power switch and AC inlet. The knobs and front panel are in excellent condition. The pin matrix is also in brand new condition. The joystick has no play and stays in position. The meter plastic has no scratches. All circuitry and mechanicals are fully functional and have been calibrated to factory specs. This is a rare opportunity to buy a Synthi AKS that needs no post-auction servicing.

The KS keyboard is in excellent condition and has been totally rebuilt and calibrated. The sequencer is fully functional and the meter indicates the sequencer location. The keys, transpose and random touch switches all work fine. The touch sensor also is fully functional and is normalized through input channel 2. As with all AKSs, the sequencer output is routed through the joystick output, and the real time CV out is routed through input channel 1. Usually, when you buy an AKS, the KS keyboard is not functional. It’s very labor intensive to diagnose and repair it’s primitive computer, but this keyboard also has been totally restored and is guaranteed fully functional.

The outer case is in good condition with the usual light scratches, nothing deep. All the plastic parts of the suitcase are totally intact, no rips. The outside chrome hardware has tarnished and has some rust and pitting but probably could be brought back with some steel wool or jewelers polish. The latches all work. The lid is in very good condition and the blue plexiglass EMS emblem is in very good condition.

Comes with a brand new power cord, keyboard cable and 15 brand new matrix pins."

Mighty nice.

via ag

DIY Synth

Via frederic. I didn't see a details page on this one. If you know more about this piece, please feel free to post in the comments.

Pinky

Title link takes you to more info on Pinky, a DIY synth.

"pinky has mostly cgs boards - gate sequencer, with preset and cv, digital noise, 2 tube vcas, steiner vcf, 2 bandpass filters, passive ring modulator, envelope generator, joystick-nipple, super psycho lfo, psycho lfo and dc mixer. cheers Ken! Also Paia dual VCOs and modulator"

via Frederic

Synthesizerpark Köln - Video + Pics

Title link takes you to the post on sequencer.de.

Moog Little Phatty - New Flickr Shots

flickr by Ethan Callender.

Title link takes you there.

Electronik Supersonik on YouTube

Previously posted here, minus embedding. You can thank Docktor Future in the comments of this post for this one. An oldie, but goodie. If you haven't seen this one, fasten your keytar strap, you are about to be taken on a Supersonic adventure. Enjoy. Go Zlad!


Update: See this post.

Behringer Synth

Title link takes you to the Behringer Synth page on Synrise.

"These synth was built in 4865 hours of hard work by the 16 years old Ueli Behringer founder of the studio equipment firm BEHRINGER in ca. 1982. It seems to be an additive synthesizer if the 16 faders on the left side controls the spectrum of the first 16 harmonics."

via Frederic

Yamaha CSDX

Title link takes you there.

"Last prototype for the final DX-1. It was never released, but shown in the very first flyers, has the same wooden case and keyboard range."

via Frederic

Vocoder - What happens now? on YouTube

Enjoy. : ) Hmm... 3:23 into it. Damn. I want a shopping cart full of synths.
YouTube via nelcast.

Jean-Jacques Perrey and Dana Countryman Live

Reminder that the first show in Seattle this Sunday, other dates below. Title link just takes you to my original post. The following is the press release:

The Most Senior Touring Pop Icon ... At 77 Jean-Jacques Perrey Is a Legend and Electronic Music Pioneer. Fans Can See Him Live in Seattle on Aug. 27, San Francisco on Aug. 29 and Los Angeles on Aug. 31

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23, 2006 -- This August, Oglio Records will release a new Jean-Jacques Perrey/Dana Countryman CD, THE HAPPY ELECTROPOP MUSIC MACHINE. The CD is an insanely happy instrumental collection of original tunes, and also includes five melodies by other composers. Using classic "Moog"-style analog synthesizers, as well as acoustic instruments, the CD is styled to be very retro, and very happy.

Jean-Jacques Perrey is a legend, and a pioneer in the popular electronic music field. He was the second musician to ever own a Moog Synthesizer, and one of the first to record with it, way back in 1966. Over the past five decades, Perrey has released many classic MOOG albums, featuring his trademark crazy tape loops and his catchy original melodies. His theme "Baroque Hoedown" (co-composed with Gershon Kingsley) has been featured as part of Disneyland's much-loved "Main Street Electrical Parade" for over 30 years. Even today, Perrey's music has been sampled by countless popular Hip-Hop and Rap artists, including Ice T, DJ Premier, Gangstarr, and many others. At age 77, Perrey is still very much active, and still creating "Music for Smiles and Laughs."

A recent Perrey/Countryman concert in Berlin, Germany had a sell-out crowd, and that performance will be released soon on DVD. To support the release of new THE HAPPY ELECTROPOP MUSIC MACHINE, Perrey and Countryman will be performing the new album in a mini-tour of concert venues this August, starting in Seattle, and continuing on to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

A tour of the United Kingdom is planned for the Spring of 2007, followed by a tour of Japan, later that year. THE HAPPY ELECTROPOP MUSIC MACHINE is a refreshing "blast from the past," focusing on catchy melodies, at a time when interest in the Moog Synthesizer is suddenly in vogue again.

Show Dates for THE HAPPY ELECTROPOP MUSIC MACHINE:
Live in Seattle
Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006, 7:30 pm
The Triple Door - 216 Union Street - 206-838-4333
$15.00 advance, $18.00 door

Live in San Francisco
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006, Doors open: 7 pm - Show, 8 pm
Recombinant Media Labs -
763 Brannan @ 6th St. in San Francisco's SOMA District
For more information: 415-863-3068
Tickets are available by emailing info@researchpubs.com

Live in Los Angeles
Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006, Doors open: 7:30 - Show, 8 pm
Knitting Factory - 7021 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90028
323-463-0204
See online artwork at the photolink:
http://www.danacountryman.com/promo1/HEMM_art.html

Please contact:
Craig Melone
Hands On Public Relations
(310) 341-3201
Handsonpr@aol.com

Perrey and Countryman's web sites:
http://www.jeanjacquesperrey.com
http://www.danacountryman.com

Oglio Entertainment's web sites:
http://www.oglio.com
http://www.coolcds.com

Technics SY-1010

Remember the Technics SY-1010? Title link takes you to some shots pulled from this auction.

via dmxkrew.com

Korg EA1/ER1 BPM Trigger Out Mod

"I like using my Korg ER1, I have an EA1 too but never use it. I have always wanted to have the ER1 sync with my diy synths, which don't have midi. I worked out a simple circuit to get a BPM trigger out but did the operation on my EA1"

Title link takes you there. via synth ollie.

Zero OSC Samples by Legion

"Here's a quick ditty I came up with last night while messing with the basic FM patch and a TKB: legion_ZO_ditty.mp3 (2.56M)

This is pretty simple (vco driving ZO, LFO driving FM in, two ADSRs) The only thing I'm tweaking is the the one ADSR towards the end and I "play notes" ont he TKB to get the different ...well... "notes" :)

I'm a proud poppa of this creature which I built the past four months or so. Like most children it's cost me my life savings but there are rewards :)"



Title link takes you to Legion's Help Wanted Productions. Check out the groovy monkey shot.

Hmm... Why isn't it spinning?

Haven't had a cat shot in a while. Here's one sent in by legion.

No title link, just the shot.

Firstman SQ-01 - New Flickr Set

Remember the Firstman SQ-01?

Title link takes you to a Flickr set by hinotori mortal.

Synton Syrnix - New Flickr Shot

flickr by unrest.

Note: Typo in the title of the Flickr shot. It should be Syrinx.

What's cool about this shot is you can actually see the slight detuning of the two Oscillators.

Note the switch in the middle. It's a switch that let's you select LFO1 or LFO2 to modulate the firtst BPF. Title link takes you to the shot with a mouse over the mod.

Thebridechamber

"We build synthesizer modules and provide various things you'll need to build your own. So far, 4 of our modules are based on the circuit boards of Ken Stone and one module of our own design. Ken Stone is an Australian circuit designer with a versatile and playful frame of mind which is greatly to be praised. We are Bridechamber - what more can we say?"

Title link takes you to what more they can say.

via sequencer.de

JoMoX Sunsyn OS Update

"I have fixed the SunSyn Voice Release cuts of envelope 1 (Filter). On long filter release sounds the voices have been cut prior than 8 voices because the filter envelopes for all other voices were discharged erratically…took me 2 days to find this little but f**ing bug."

Title link takes you to the details on Sequencer.de.
It's good to see the synth still being supported.

Jörg Schaaf's Studio

Jörg Schaaf is the maker of the Spectralis. Sequencer.de has some shots of his studio up. Title link takes you there.

Analog Days

Analog Days seems to be getting a few nods in the comments of this post. I have the book myself but haven't had a chance to get around to it. The general consensus is that it is a great book but there are a few inaccuracies. I've been hoping the authors would come out with an addendum that clarifies them, but I haven't heard of anything to date. I checked the Analog Days website for this but couldn't find anything. If anyone knows where we can find such a list, please post in the comments.

Also, someone posted a link to an interview with Trevor Pinch, one of the authors of the book, on ABC Radio National. It's worth a read when you have the time. In the interview they state the theremin was used in the Beach Boys Good Vibrations. It was actually an electro-theremin.

BTW, if you are thinking of picking up a copy of Analog Days, here's a link: Analog Days on Amazon : )

Update: I remember putting up a post on Analog Days before. I checked my archives and found the post on August 23, 2005, exactly one day short of an entire year from this post. Funny. Anyway, there was mention of the inaccuracies in that post (this is a quote from AH, not me in the post): "It's also said to contain a lot of B.S. with attributions to people who simply didn't do certain things the author says they did. For one, Dan Wyman who ran SoundArts in L.A. in the 70s, and who WROTE the Moog modular manual, was quite ticked-off when he read the book and saw so many historical inaccuracies."

We need this list...

Updates via the comments:
via Peter Kirn:
"It's difficult to get interviews with Wendy Carlos, I know that, but I agree. I mean, in general, the writing isn't great by any stretch, and it doesn't feel comprehensive -- I would have liked to see more discussion beyond Moog, for one -- and there are inaccuracies.

But having said all that, you'll still want to read it, and you'll still have a great time with it. I think we need a new book now, mainly! And there's a lot of the roots of electronic music that just don't get told at all; the whole history of the 40s and 50s gets pretty much lost."

via anonymous:
"You can toss pretty much the entire section on Wendy Carlos. The amount of editorializing was nauseating and brings the credibility of the entire book into question. Yet, this wingnut is making money talking to radio progams around the world, telling her story for her. Jackass."

Via Anon:
"Beyond inaccuracies (of which I noted a few), the authors of Analog Days sometimes sound like grad students in psychology. Even so, the book is worth the read for the story - the general arc of the story is true and I haven't seen so much of the story presented in one place anywhere else.

For example, who would have thought that the success of the Moog synthesizer was tied in any way to Taco Bell?"

Aries Modular Track

Title link takes you to the track by kkissinger on electro-music.com. If you like Switched On Bach by Wendy Carlos, you should like this. BTW, if the post on electro-music dissapears over time, post a comment and I post a back-up. Not sure how long they keep their posts.

Moog Tribute by Simon James aka Corky Burger on CDM

Title link takes you to the post and mp3 on CDM. Track list: Walter Carlos, Spring, Columbia Records Richard Hayman, The Windmills of Your Mind, Command records Walter Carlos, Sinfonia to Cantata no 29, CBS Tomita, The Earth – A Hollow Vessel, RCA Gershon Kingsley, Did You Ever Take a Journey, Audio Fideltiy Records Chris Swanson, Snow, n/a Dick Hyman, The Minotaur, Command Circulus, My Body is Made of Sunlight, Rise Above Records C&K Vocal, Generace, Supraphon Emerson Lake and Palmer, Lucky Man, Island The Moog Machine, Aquarius/Let the Sunshine in, CBS Marty Gold, Day Tripper, AVCO Embassy Hugo Montenegro, You Got it Bad Girl, BMG Clara Rockmore, Swan, n/a Walter Carlos, Winter, Columbia Records Dick Hyman, The Moog and Me, Command records Devo, Mongoloid, Warner Herbie Hancock, Earth Beat, CBS Klaus Schulze, Mind Phaser, Bomb Records

Weltklang Electronic Music

Title link takes you there. Scroll down the left column when you get there for more shots. Nice PPG in this shot.


via sequencer.de

The $500 Buchla

Title link takes you to a bit of Buchla history.
Excerpt:
"In contrast to Moog's industrial stance, the rather counter-cultural design philosophy of DONALD BUCHLA and his voltage-controlled synthesizers can partially be attributed to the geographic locale and cultural circumstances of their genesis. In 1961 San Francisco was beginning to emerge as a major cultural center with several vanguard composers organizing concerts and other performance events. MORTON SUBOTNICK was starting his career in electronic music experimentation, as were PAULINE OLIVEROS, RAMON SENDER and TERRY RILEY. A primitive studio had been started at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music by Sender where he and Oliveros had begun a series of experimental music concerts. In 1962 this equipment and other resources from electronic surplus sources were pooled together by Sender and Subotnick to form the San Francisco Tape Music Center which was later moved to Mills College in 1966.

Because of the severe limitations of the equipment, Subotnick and Sender sought out the help of a competent engineer in 1962 to realize a design they had concocted for an optically based sound generating instrument. After a few failures at hiring an engineer they met DONALD BUCHLA who realized their design but subsequently convinced them that this was the wrong approach for solving their equipment needs. Their subsequent discussions resulted in the concept of a modular system. Subotnick describes their idea in the following terms:

'Our idea was to build the black box that would be a palette for composers in their homes. It would be their studio. The idea was to design it so that it was like an analog computer. It was not a musical instrument but it was modular...It was a collection of modules of voltage-controlled envelope generators and it had sequencers in it right off the bat...It was a collection of modules that you would put together. There were no two systems the same until CBS bought it...Our goal was that it should be under $400 for the entire instrument and we came every close. That's why the original instrument I fundraised for was under $500.'

Buchla's design approach differed markedly from Moog. Right from the start Buchla rejected the idea of a "synthesizer" and has resisted the word ever since. He never wanted to "synthesize" familiar sounds but rather emphasized new timbral possibilities. He stressed the complexity that could arise out of randomness and was intrigued with the design of new control devices other than the standard keyboard. pp39-40"

Anyone else thinking Starkey? Coincidentally the recent Starkey went for $541 on the bay. Yeah, I know I'm stretching it...

via Peter Grenader on AH.

Xpantastic ! - New Oberheim XPander Group

It's XPantastic! Like the name? : ) Title link takes you to the new Yahoo! Group. If you have an XPander or Matrix-12 or are interested in them, feel free to join. I have no affiliation with the list. I just know the old Xpansions list seems to have dissapeared and somone created this one. BTW, if you know what happened to the Xpansions list, please comment. I think I'm subbed to it, but I'm no longer sure. : ) I haven't received an email in probably over a year, so... Not sure if I unsubbed and forgot or if it just died.

Sequential Circuits Studio 440

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

Rare sampling drum machine with analog filters by Sequential Circuits. More on VSE.

via Matt

Drumming Machine on YouTube

Remember Animotion? Here's a clip of it on YouTube.



via Tim. YouTube by siaush.

Secret of the Ancient Sampler on YouTube

Part 1 (audio comes it at 1:21)


Part 2


The Mellotron of course. Amazing to see how it actually plays in the first clip.
Via Tim. YouTube by btpro.

Jean Michel Jarre - Equinoxe - Place De La Concorde on YouTube

via Tim. YouTube by Sharpblue.

Laser Harp on YouTube

via Tim. YouTube by Shayu.

The Polyphone & Hugh Le Caine

"The Polyphone (860004), an analogue polyphonic synthesizer, was built by Le Caine's National Research Council (NRC) lab in 1970, at the same time that the last two Sackbuts were being completed, and ten years before polyphonic synthesizers became commercially successful. Each key of its touch-sensitive keyboard had its own pitch control and wave form control. Essentially it was a bank of 37 key-operated oscillators, able to produce 37 separately defined tones.

Above the keyboard were several control devices that were typical of synthesizers at the time: low frequency oscillators, envelope generators, and filters, all of which could influence aspects of the overall sound produced by the instrument. Below the instrument was a pressure-sensitive pedal keyboard that controlled other aspects of the overall sound. The instrument provided extremely comprehensive resources and was potentially a very powerful tool; however, it was difficult to learn to play, a problem it shared with most synthesizers."

Title link takes you The Polyphone page on the Canada Science and Technology Museum website. Make sure to check out some of the other interesting bits while there.

For more on Hugh Le Caine check out Hugh Le Caine.com. The following was pulled from the biography:

"Canadian scientist and composer Hugh Le Caine (1914-1977) has been called one of the "heroes" of electronic music. He was brought up in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay) in northwestern Ontario. At an early age he began building musical instruments and experimenting with electronic devices. In his youth he imagined "beautiful sounds" that he believed could be realized through new electronic inventions."

"At home he continued to pursue his interest in electronic music and sound generation. He established a personal studio in 1945, where he began to work independently on the design of electronic musical instruments such as the Electronic Sackbut, a sophisticated monophonic performance instrument now recognized as the first voltage-controlled synthesizer. Le Caine later developed voltage-control systems for a wide variety of applications."

"Perhaps the most important aspect of Le Caine's designs for his instruments was the "playability" that he took care to build into them. His fixation with "beautiful sound" led him repeatedly to design electronic instruments capable of producing a nuance-filled expression typical of the orchestral tradition. He had an acute sense of what performers needed if they were to be able to create the performance gestures that he believed formed the essence of music.

Touch sensitivity was an essential ingredient in this, and was used in keyboards, mixers, and other components, applied mechanically, electronically, and through light sensitivity. Le Caine's designs were so advanced in this respect that some of the features that he developed found their way into commercial designs only in the late 1980s."
Image of Le Caine with the Sackbut.

via Frederic.

Update via slabman in the comments: "He did some pretty amazing stuff with the technology of the day - some of it still unmatched. For example, the Sackbut has a touch sensitive 2D timbral mixer control that balances various overtones & waveforms. Made the sound very controllable & dynamic, but also made the instrument more difficult to master. It's interesting to think of how there's a kind of Bell curve of synthesizer technology: one one end you have the laboratory instrument type approach (Buchla, Serge); at the other end, you have people inventing new instruments like the Sackbut & Theremin. Commercial gear mostly occupies the bump in the middle of the curve. It would be great to see some more activity at that 'new instrument' end."

The MAESTRO - Russian Poly Analog

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

Polyphony - 4 voices
Oscillators - 1
Preset sounds - 20 (sorted on category), registers 2',4',8',16'
Filter - 2-pole resonant lowpass 12dB/oct
Pitch - tuning, chorus
Modulation - vibrato depth, frequency
Amplifier - release, volume
Arpeggiator/tremolo - rate, up/down, single/double, note memory
Control - joystick pitch/modulation depth (X-Y)
Outs - line, phones(jack)
Weight - about 12kg

more on ruskeys
via frederic

Blevin Blectum

Brian Comnes sent the following in after seeing this post on Women Take Back The Noise. The shots are of Blevin Blectum who is featured on the album.

"Blevin Blectum, a local here is on it and here is a shot of her at last Year's SFEMF , there's a laptop running Live in 1 pizza box and I think a mixer in the other, the horse head is off the chart" Love the shoes as well.

Title link takes you to her site.



"I got this off of Blevin's site which also included a link to SFEMF archives with also some Zeena Parkins pictures -
see this link for more, actually there are some good shots of Zeena's harp , looks like guitar pickups on one side and some sort of ribbon controller on the other ..I don't see any MIDI output so I guess its just a harp"

"an as yet unreleased goody!" from Moog?

Someone in the comments of this post was surpised that no one caught a mention to "an unreleased goody!" from Moog Music in the following excerpt:

"Some time in November or December of 2004, Bob was introduced to Cyril Lance. As Winter NAMM was fast approaching, Bob kept telling me, 'I really want you to meet Cyril.' I just could not find the time until February, 2005. In the meantime, Bob had given Cyril a test project to work on (an as yet unreleased goody!). Needless to say Bob was very excited about what he saw – schematics, prototype, and (most importantly) thought process were all eerily similar to Bob’s way of working. Since then we have been truly blessed to have Cyril with us. He has poured his guts and all of his considerable brains into the Little Phatty; a project that would not have been possible without his efforts."

I completely missed this assuming that the reference was to the Little Phatty and the unreleased goody comment was a reflection of that point in time, but if that were the case it would have been worded differently [an unreleased goody at that point in time!]. Hmm... BTW, cheers to Cyril. Keep that torch burning.

rekem1000 - Greatings from Australia

rekem1000 sent me a greetings from Australia along with a link to his flickr set. Title link takes you there. There are some amazing shots in this set so do check it out. Thanks rekem1000! Man I love the color in this shot.

Banana Frac Modular Progress - New Flickr Shot

flickr by zonkout.

"Blacet modules assembled by Seth Nemec for my Banana-Franken-Fracan modular. Note the bananafied Bananalogue in the middle."

Love the look of this.

Starkey Hearing Science Laboratory - New Flickr Shot

flickr by zonkout.

"Four oscillators, three multimode filters, two A/R envelope generators, digital gate sequencer, noise generator, phase shifter, external audio input...but no CV control. Uses mini-banana jacks. Built in 1977."

Trip. Never seen one of these before.

Update via the comments: "Tres cool. This thing originally came with a set of speakers (follow the link and chech top left on the record cover). Although it isnt a real synt (it has no cv input) you can use it as a really cool gate/trig-processor and a trig sequencer. You can also make some strange noices 'manually' on it. Check this link."

Update via gerald in the comments: link to more shots pulled from this auction. Looks like it went for $541.

Engineering Lounge - New Flickr Shot

flick by Space Truckers. Title link takes you to the shot with mouse over info on each piece.

Women Take Back The Noise

"The WOMEN TAKE BACK THE NOISE compilation, 3 years in the making, showcases a collection of 47 women artists worldwide who experiment with sound in various ways, ranging from ambient-organic to quirky-glitch-beat to harsh or extreme noise, as well as categories yet to be defined..."

Title link takes you there. Pretty cool.

Moog Rogue Shots

Title link takes you to more shots via this cl listing.

via Brian Comnes

The Bob Moog Memorial Museum

Via The Bob Moog Foundation:
"We envision the Bob Moog Memorial Museum as both an information resource and a place to connect with Bob's spirit. The Museum will house Bob's personal and professional archives, which include: writings, photos, instruments, schematic drawings, articles written by and about him, an extensive collection of electronic music, and other Moog artifacts. The goal is to make this an educational, interactive museum open to students, researchers and music historians, and for all people interested in engaging with the Moog legacy. We are also considering an exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame."

And via Ileana Grams-Moog on Caring Bridge:
"To preserve his home and workshop in Big Briar Cove, near Asheville, as a museum and archive of his life and work, as well as a nature preserve. It would be a place to connect with him as a craftsman (he partly designed the house, laid the floors, plumbed and wired it, arranged the spring-fed water system, and cut the wood to heat it), as a historian of electronic music (he left a remarkable collection of slides and records of electronic music), as a designer of musical instruments ( through an extensive archive of material about him, and in the building where he hand-built theremins for many years), and as a nature lover (the house is surrounded by old second-growth forest full of animals, birds, and plants native to Western North Carolina). This project is particularly dear to my heart. He loved Big Briar Cove, and it would be a place for his fans to connect with him on many levels."

Shot of Bob Moog's house via this post.
I can't wait to take my daughter there. She and I will finally get to see where all the magic came from.

Moment of Moog: A Time for Reflection

Such a great shot. Wish I was there.
More from Moog Music:

"August 21st, 2006 is a difficult date for lovers of the synthesizer. It was one year ago on August 21st that Bob Moog, inventor of the synthesizer, passed away. This year, Moog Music is rallying the media world to honor the memory of Bob Moog with a special, 20-second “Moment of Moog.” During the Moog moment, Moog requests that radio stations and the online media play a short musical piece, recorded on one of Moog’s most famous inventions, the Minimoog® Voyager®. In doing this, the world of music will be paying tribute to one of the greatest legends in electronic musical instruments.

Radio Stations, Bloggers and Online Media Outlets, please download the Moment of Moog here. Join us by sharing this with your listening audience on August 21, 2006.

“Sometimes it feels as if he is still here; other times, he is sorely missed. One year ago his fate was sealed and the finality of his death certainly gave all of us pause. The ‘Moment of Moog’ is our way of honoring the tens of thousands of musicians who carry Bob’s legacy forward,” reflected Mike Adams, President, Moog Music.

Another organization is also set to honor and continue the Bob Moog legacy. The Bob Moog Foundation for Electronic Music will launch its Web presence on August 21st, 2006. The foundation will be online at www.bobmoogfoundation.org. The objectives of the Foundation are to create: endowed scholarships at University of North Carolina-Asheville, Berklee School of Music and Cornell University; a Memorial Museum in Moog’s name; an outreach/mentoring program that brings electronic music into disadvantaged schools; and to sponsor electronic music competitions and concerts that would foster innovation in the field.

Ken Soper, composer of the 'Moment of Moog' piece, said, 'These sounds remind me that Bob, like the Minimoog Voyager, is alive.'"

Indeed.

Moog One Year Later by Mike Adams of Moog Music

"As the anniversary of Bob’s death approaches, it is important to me to reflect back on the events surrounding his death. The truth is that it has been almost 16 months since Bob was at work. Sometimes it feels as if he is still here; other times, he is sorely missed. One year ago his fate was sealed and the finality of his death certainly gave all of us pause. In my reflection, I found some things that I would like to share with all of you."

"Bob died August 21st, his Memorial Celebration was held August 23rd and we [Moog Music] moved the next day; a day that can only be described as surreal. So not only was Bob gone but the place where we had all seen him work for ten straight years was devoid of all of Bob’s considerable artifacts (see the attached picture which I took one day when it was fairly clean!)."

Title link takes you to the full post by Mike Adams of Moog Music.

Vangelis & CS80 on YouTube

I remember seeing this a while back elsewhere, but I lost the link. Looks like analoghell put it up on YouTube. That's THE CS80 sound. Wow.

Update via reed in the comments of this other post: "The only string sounds Vangelis used the CS80 for were solo-string type sounds. He mainly used the instrument for that brassy lead, low drones, the guitar patch & the bass patch. He always did strings with a string machine. Those big impressive string & choir swells in Blade Runner are nothing more than a Roland VP-330 & a volume pedal with the occasional CS80 note on top or bottom. The VP-330 was also the secret weapon in Chariots of Fire, Missing, Antartica and The Bounty. Before that he used the Roland Paraphonic 505, and before that it was Farfisa & Elka boxes. The choir sound in "Heaven & Hell" was a real choir.

The real key to the CS80 is the keyboard with poly aftertouch & the performance controls on the lower right, not the main patch."

synthSeduction

Title link takes you to a video sent my way via Todd. Wow.


"the Voyager is providing the audio. It is one of 110 one-minute piece I did a year and a half ago: Moog Mars Musings (a new piece every day in response to the daily photos coming from Mars on the NASA site.)."