TR-808 Bassdrum Waveform

flickr via altemark.

Update: Forgot to mention that the title link takes you to a few more shots including some cool ones of a cat - minus synths though. : )

Buchla 200e Samples by Todd Barton

Title link takes you to some Buchla 200e samples by Todd Barton (vgermuse).

Circuit Bent Roland 707 with Cathode Tubes and Patchbay

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

Details:
"The Roland TR-707 is a vintage drum machine with 16 classic sounds, individual outputs for each sound, indvidual mixer level controls plus accent level, the excellent Roland grid based programming interface, trigger out, DIN sync, MIDI, tape sync and a whole host of extra features. It even has 909 samples for the hats!
The mods we have installed on this machine consist of:

Cold Cathode Tubes - If you are in the market for a gratuitously cool looking drum machine then look no further. This machine features two pink/red (they look a lot more orange than they really are in the photos) cold cathode tubes mounted above and below the LCD screen. As well as looking obscenely sexy these lamps also allow you to actually see whats happening on the screen on a dark stage, which as all 707 users will know, is a bit of a novelty. There is a big red button on the back of the machine to turn the lamps on and off and the invertor to power the tubes is mounted on the left of the machine. You will need a power supply able to deliver 12V and at a minimum of 700 milliamps in order to use the lamps The machine will run on a lower rated power supply with the lamps turned off.

Main Patchbay - Connections made between the sockets on the patchbay with standard minijack patch cables cause all kinds of distortion, ring modulation, sound swapping, modulation and general alien effects to be applied to the sounds. multiple connections can be made at any one time offering thousands of different percussion grinding options. MIDI functions are not affected in any way. The machine functions as normal with no patch cables in place

Patchbay Multiples - These are simliar to the kind of patching multiples you would find on a modular synth. They consist of three sockets linked together internally. This allows you to take a cable from a patchbay source socket, plug it into a multiple to split the signal and take two further cables from the multiple outputs to two patchbay destinations. This gives vastly expanded sample grinding options.

Patchable Switches - These are two switches connected to two sockets that can be patched in line with any of the main patchbay connections. Essentially this allows you to find two effects you like and turn them on and off at the flick of a switch instead of having to repatch any cables.

3 Way Distortion Switches - These are two switches on the right of the machine. Each switch has two different distortion settings and a centre off position. These switches can create anything from a mild crunch to the kind of sounds that wouldn't sound out of place at a panel beating convention.

Hi-Hat decay knobs - These are the two knobs on the bottom right of the machine. They control the decay of the open and closed hi-hat sounds. Seeing as the open and closed hats actually use the same sound sample on the 707, the open hat knob sets the decay of the open hat and acts as a kind of master decay level. The closed hat knob then sets the decay of the closed hat in relation to the master setting, if that makes any sense at all.

Audio input - This jack on the side of the machine routes any external signal through the Hi-Hat channel. The hats are replaced by the external signal which is cut and gated according to the programmed hi-hats pattern and decay knobs."

via GetLoFi.

Matrixsynth By Kaden

No title link. Roland TD-8. If you are wondering what this is about, check out these posts. There were more, but Google site search is lacking.

Custom Electro Theremin

Title link takes you to some shots pulled from this auction. This appears to be a dissertaion project. Note the auction is not for the unit, but rather the dissertation on CDROM.

Vintage Serge

A few vintage Serge modules just came up on the bay. As always be careful. Thought this description was a little humorous: "Vintage serge panel #3 with precision VCO, and extended VCF. Powers up and does what it is supposed to do...since you need a friggin degree to work it, I just got frustraded and abandoned it to the garage!!" link


"Vintage serge panel #2 with precision VCO, tripple comparator, dual analog shift registers, 2 mixers, and a VP-1." link


"Vintage serge panel with stepped function generator, slope generator, wave multiplier, keyboard envelope generator, mixer and a ems prestopatch!!" link

No title link, just these three shots and descriptions.

Casio DG-20 & Ibanez X-ING-2010 Synth Guitars

Get your keytar on. Title link takes you to some shots of the Casio DG-20 pulled via this auction.

FEATURES:

* 4 different Acoustic Guitar sounds;
* 2 different Electric Guitar sounds;
* 3 other strings: Mandolin, Harp & Japanese Shamisen;
* 2 built-in pedal effects: Flanger & Distortion;
* 3 keyed instruments: Organ, Jazz Organ & Funky Clavicord;
* 3 wind instruments: Trumpet, Flute & Clarinet;
* 3 other effects: Glockenspiel, Chorus & Crystal;
* Built-in Drum Machine;
* 12 background rhythms: Rock, 16 Beat, Pops, Reggae, Country, Enka (don't ask... we don't know either), Swing, Blues, Bossa Nova, Slow Rock, Waltz & Tango;
* Synchro/Fill-in button
* 4 Separate Digital Drum pads: Snare Drum, Hi Tom, Low Tom & Cymbal;
* Tempo up and down controls;
* MIDI output

Here's a link to shots of the Ibanez X-ING-2010 pulled from this auction.

Features:
* 100% Fully compatible with vintage Roland 24-pin Systems
* Graphite reinforced neck eliminates the need for G-707 style stabilizer bar
* The only guitar synth controller ever built that supports ALL FOUR Roland Control Voltages
* Unique "virtual" whammy bar for perfect bends while maintaining tuning integrity
* Buffered control voltage electronics for circuit stability
* Custom Ibanez bridge with integrated guitar synth pickups
* Steinberger style headstock and design
* Precision microtuners in bridge for fast, easy, accurate tuning
* Two distinct Ibanez designed humbuckers for premium guitar tones
* Continuous control over modulation depth (no awkward touch pads with intermittent operation)

B. Killingsworth Electricity Poems, Vol. I and II

Via B. Killingsworth:

"I wanted to invite you to check out my web release on Backporch Revolution records (out of New Orleans). Totally electronic music.. and what I mean is that it is of the type that is more or less just supposed to sound like what it is - raw analog synth sounds. No sequencers used. Enjoy! (or not :) )... "

Description on Backporch Revolution:
"The tempo of cicada and cricket songs vary according to air temperature - drummers dependent on the environment for their pulse.

To say that the environment in southeastern Louisiana had changed by the end of summer 2005 was to put it mildly. A human drummer taking his cue from these surroundings would have short-circuited any second line band.

I wasn't looking for a second line party, but like vomit on Bourbon Street seeking its own level, I needed stability. My drummer would take his cue from 60 pulses per second - electricity itself.


Electricity Poems Vol. 1 & 2 was recorded on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana."

Vol. 1 (tracks 1-6) late winter 2006
* analog drum synthesizer triggered by an electrical ground loop
* Sequential Circuits Pro One analog synth
* digital delay pedal
* mixer

Vol. 2 (tracks 7-10) summer 2006
* tracks 1-4 of Vol. 1 fed into a modular analog synthesizer
* mixer

Title link takes you there. You can download and/or stream all tracks. Note the only synth on Vol. 1 is the Sequential Circuits Pro One.

BTW, you might remember the name Backporch Revolution from this previous post on Liteworks, another Backport Revolution artist from New Orleans and affected by Katrina.

Orange MFB Synth Lite II

Found this searching for an MFB Synth Lite image for the previous post. I've never seen one in orange before. Title link takes you to the source, the MFB page on sequencer.de.

Inside and MFB Synth Lite

No title link. Just the shot via Paulo: "I think that it is very interesting! Digital technology... the reason why it is so small."

The Wiard Woggle Bug

Update: This is not a new module. The page just hasn't been updated... since 2001? : ) via the comments: "The woggly dude dates back to around 2001"

"The newest module in the Wiard system is the Woggle Bug. The Woggle Bug is an utterly unique module that produces complex random voltages and tones. It reproduces the set of random voltages available from the original Buchla Model 265 "Source of Uncertainty" module. This long out of production module is representative of the most musical random voltage generators produced in the first "Golden Age" of modular synthesizers.

The Woggle Bug adds 4 permanently coupled audio VCOs to the random voltage outputs. Through a design trick, the single mechanical module contains the equivalent functionality of 18 electrical modules. Obviously, all the patch points cannot be brought out to the front panel."

Title link takes you to more info.








It's also worth noting:

"Each Woggle Bug purchaser gets a free lifetime membership in "The Loyal Order of the Woggle Bug", an imaginary fraternal order with the privilege of displaying this fine emblem upon your Fez."

Buchla 200e Sample by Ezra Buchla

Title link takes you to samples sent to the Buchla 200e group by Ezra Buchla, Don Buchla's son. I found it best to download everything to a folder and then play the samples as one entire, piece in order.

"there are all kinds of modules in there. i recorded a few seconds or minutes
of every system i checked out. it's pure 200e, pretty random patches, no
specific intentions...

one of the weirder sounds in there is a 227 mounted backwards and played
with fingers and a flashlight. try it if you dare but don't let the op-amps
get too hot...

yasi and i also recorded a couple of 'spine sessions' where we filled a
whole cabinet with one kind of module. we did one with 18 259's and one with
18 self-oscillating 291's. there's some of that in there, but sometime i'll
get around to editing a more focused thing i think.

both oscillators can produce lots of harsh staz without even using any
patchords; set the mod osc to modulate pitch in pitch tracking mode for
builtin fm feedback... cv feedback introduces some additional interesting
noise from the cv sampling rate interactions; use 2 coupled oscs in low
frequency mode and a 291 to make weird stumbling chaos glitch beats.

the phasor can do some pretty intense self-modulating stuff as well. use the
210+281+292+297 to make no-input tabla freakout."

Octavarium - JR Continuum Solo

YouTube via weirdjade27. Sent my way via frederic. More on the Haken Continuum.

Moog Sonic 6

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

via Loscha.

Soviet Analog Synth Altair 231

images via this auction.

Details:
"ALTAIR-231 is a monophonic 3'osc synth, it has 4-oct keyboard (F-C) with velocity sensitivity assign to vibrato effect. Sound control is performed with round knobs and switchers. For live performance there is a wheel which provides pitch shift (called glissando).

Synthesizer is based on 3 VCO (any can work as the modulator), 1 VCF (lowpass 24dB/oct) with ADSR, 1 VCA, 3 LFO, noise generator (white/pink), portamento. Consist of 5 main sections - MODULATION, OSC'S, MIXER, FILTER and AMP (called Contour).

MOD section:
- portamento on/off, rate;
- mod mixer knob: balance between modulated by OSC3 and noise, depth amount;
- vibrato on/off, octave shift to 1/2
- pitch wheel (glissando)

OSCILLATORS section:
- osc 1,2,3 registers - 2", 4", 8", 16", 32", LF
- osc 1,2,3 waveshape select - triangle, saw, square, pulse, sine
- osc frequency - freq 1..3, freq 2, freq 3 -linked to keyboard pitch on/off
- modulation on/off switch

MIXER:
- osc 1,2,3 on/off, level
- ext input level, on/off
- noise generator level, on/off
- noise mode switch: white/pink

FILTER:
- mod on/off
- cutoff, resonance, brightness
- attack, decay, sustain
- keytrack on/off

AMPLIFIER:

- attack, decay, sustain
- key hold memory on/off

Next - global section: main volume, phones volume, phones out (5din), A-440Hz tone on/off, power.

Connection 1/4 jacks: input, output, pedal input (5din), ground.
Power supply: 220V/50Hz, fuze 0,125A"

Serge Analog Modular Synth

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

Details:
"This panel was mainly designed as a control voltage generation /modification source and is the perfect companion to a TKB touch keyboard sequencer. It is a slightly modified version of the "Red CV 1" shop panel shown here: http://serge-fans.com/newpics/panel_red_cv1_150dpi.jpg I replaced the Random Source, CV Processor and SSG with modules that fit better in my system at the time, namely the Active Processor, Pulse Divider, CV Mixer and Dual Scaling Processor. I no longer have a TKB and am slimming back my system so I'm passing this on to a loving home."

Clef Analog Mono Synth

via this auction

Update via Georg in the comments: "This is the B30 Microsynth from a company called CLEF PRODUCTS LIMITED from Bramhall, UK. It was sold as a kit as well in 1982.
I first thought the design looks like an BME, but I was wrong...

Georg."

Update via Hodgheg in the comments: "I used to sell these! Clef Products was a seriously weird place to work, I was there in the early 80's & left before they went bust. The Microsynth was the only instrument not designed in house; the designer was Allan Bradford MSc, at the time a lecturer in electronics at B'ham Uni. Good synth for the money, (£129 in kit form, £199 built) amazing variety of sounds but 1/3rd volt per octave meant tuning problems so bad that we used to put silica gel in the demo model to keep the humidity stable! I sold 30 bare pcb's to GCHQ (the listening spies) who wanted them for 30 new apprentices, presumably to teach them about soldering and/or interaction of waveforms. So I imagine somewhere there are a few Microsynths that stay in tune due to using military grade components:-)

If anyone wants to sell me one, contact me at hodgheg hotmail.com"

Waldorf Micro Q Keyboard

Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction. I always wanted one of these.

Vintage Rolf Harris Stylophone Synth

No title link. Just two shots from this auction.

Doesn't that mug shot make you want it? : )

Casio MT 400V with Analog Filters?

No title link, just a few shots and details pulled from this auction. I've never seen one of these before. Anyone know if it actually does have analog filters and how it sounds?

Gotta love the descriptions you find on the bay. : )

"What a freak machine! Casio sometimes pull gems out of the bag, and this is one of them (model MT 400V) - has all the usual suspects i.e. cheesy presets and bop-a-long drums - where it all goes "ping" is with the awsomely funky analogue filter section at the end - you can send either the drums or the key sounds through this thing which has a swept filter with cutoff e.t.c. plus a bunch of other cool spacewarp additions to texture and shape your sounds to taste (see pictures). Pretty Hot Damn Thrilling ! Adds the cool juice to any track - in excellent working order, missing the tops to 5 of the sliders - doesn`t impair its` workability at all."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Andromeda Goes Juno?

Another via Tuomas of Quandace:

"I just purchased a second hand Boss CE-300 chorus and tried it with my A6. So, I made a short demo. Earlier I played the Terminator Theme alot with my Juno-106 and I've been trying to imitate that sound with my andy. The CE-300 helps alot I think. Here's the link.

I turn the chorus on at 1:10. Before that I only tweak the A6's filter cutoff. All tweaks after 1:10 are from the CE-300 apart from the rising filter cutoff from Andy."

Also mirrored here for posterity.

Synthesizers Shop in Tokyo

Click here for a flickr set by mosram of 5G (FiveG) in Tokyo, titled "Synthesizers Shop in Tokyo."

via Francois P.

Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting

"The Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting is next Saturday.

Bring your analog or other synthesizers for show or to play. Come see and
hear what others have brought. Additional information is available on my web
site.

Saturday, October 21, 2006
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Renton Technical College
Building C, Room 110
3000 NE 4th St
Renton, WA 98056

Take care,
John
www.sound-photo.com"

imogen heap on letterman

I almost didn't put this up as I try to keep post specifically about the synths rather than just artists using synths. You can imagine how out of control the site would get if I opened the flood gates. But... Since I've been on a bit of a looping kick lately I figure why not. I've heard of Imogen Heap before but I never made the time to listen to her music. Brian Comnes sent me a link to this video as Imogen Heap is becoming the looping artist. This video shows how she is able to create a full piece of music all by herself using loops and most importantly building them live. Pretty cool, and Letterman seemed to like it. : ) This song is really growing on me. Anyone know what synth she's playing?

Mark Shreeve (Live At Emma '94)

YouTube via Kenzoid27. Sent my way via frederic. Title link takes you to more.

SpiralSynth Modular

"SpiralSynth Modular is an object orientated music studio with an emphasis on live use. You can use it in a fairly straight forward way to make tracks with, or get very experimental. Audio or control data can be freely passed between the plugins. Data can also be fed back on itself for chaotic effects."

Title link takes you there. via SoNiCbRaT.

Roland SH-1000

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.
"It has 10 preset sounds and a synth section for creating your own sounds. On the synth section there are 9 synth selectors giving a range from 32' to 2' each of which can be combined for generating more complex waveforms. It also has a VCF and VCA. Effects include Vibrato, Tremelo, Portamento, Glide, Growl, Waw and Random Note which plays "accidental" random notes, interesting effect. There is also White and Pink noise."

Philips PMC100 Tiny Portable Synth

No title link. Shot and details pulled via this auction.

"This auction is for my Philips PMC100. It comes with its original box, a shoulder strap that clips on, a set of earphones with spare foam covers, the original manual in German, and a photocopy of an English manual. There are also some other little booklets to go with it that are in German.

It is in very good condition and works well - although I must point out that I'm not really sure what it does! As far as I can tell it works fine.

It can work on either 6 AA batteries, or a 9 volt multi adapter, neither of which are included.

It has a tape recorder built into it, that enables you to save your compositions like how old computers used to work. The tape recorder also allows you to record audio.

Connection wise it has a headphone/line out socket, a microphone socket and the external power input socket.

The PMC100 has 100 instrument or "melody" voices, and another 15 "melody and accompaniment" voices.

The keyboard is touch sensitive in a similar way to the EDP Wasp.

There is not much more to say abouth the PMC really, I couldn't find much info about it on the net and I know very little about it myself. As it is portable and can be run on batteries, I did wonder whether it may be of use to circuit benders?

Here's what I did find about it on the net:

Its based on the Yamaha FM sound chip, was launched in 1986, it had a nine-channel FM synth with a 100 presets, a membrane keyboard, 8k of ram, a built in cassette recorder, and buttons for a strap. It was designed by British PC music pioneer Lyndsay Williams, who claims to have designed the first ever PC soundcard, for an Olivetti in 1987."

Update via Andreas in the comments: picture of a white PMC100 via link.

Lord of the Korg

This goes out to the people who took the time out to comment in this post. ; ) For those of you that appreciate the video, check out Yanni Live!

The Yamaha HX1

Click here for a site dedicated to the Yamaha HX1, including samples, sent my way via Loscha. The site also includes the following modules: CVS-10, AVS-10, MDR-2/3/4/10, FVX-1, AVX-1, VEX-1/VEX-10, MBS-10 and more.

"The Yamaha HX is an electronic organ (musical instrument with keyboards) usually refered as an Electone - electronic tone (sound) generator. It is used not only for playing church pieces as with traditional organ or harmonium, but also for contemporary music such as jazz, rock etc. along with auto accompaniment and rhythm patterns. The first HX was introduced in 1987 and was the first electone equiped with Yamaha's new AWM tone generator (sampeled acoustinc sound). (EL and AR series are almost entirely AWM based).

The HX has warm sounds and beutiful figure (as can be seen in the Modular page). The tone generators of that series supported FM (Frequant Modulation),WM (Wave Memory - sampled organ sounds) and AWM (Advenced Wave Memory - sampled acoustinc sounds). As far as I know, only the HX (and FVX-1) series had 8/16 operatores for each FM sound, the famouse Yamaha DX-7 and SY-77 had only 6 operatores for each FM/AFM element. The HX has:
- 90 presets + 8 user (programmable) FM polyphonic voices (8 op. each),
- 54 presets + 6 user (programmable) FM monophonic voices (16 (!!) op. each),
- 16 presets + 16 user (programmable) WM polyphonic voices (Sampeled Drawbars),
- 5 presets AWM polyphonic voices (U/L keyboard),
- 5 presets AWM monophonic voices (bass),
- 60 Percussion AWM sounds."

Spoogeworld - Yamaha Resource Site

This one via Loscha. Title link takes you to a Yamaha resource site with manuals, patches and a book on FM Theory & Application written by the creators of FM synthesis.

Waldorf Wave Demo Take 2

Remember this WAVE demo? OH is back with one more:

"i have posted a link to a song [risong] with many sounds from the waldorf WAVE. a larger version is now available at: link

it is now called "resurrect me"

it is not finished yet but there are many beautiful WAVE sounds at the beginning and above all in the slow break."

Shadow Wave pictured.

Korg Z1 Demos by Suit & Tie Guy

Two demos by Suit & Tie Guy:
demo_world.mp3
"a Ligeti-ish take on 'What a wonderful world,' with synths. it's Numerology controlling 6 voices of a Z1 and a pluck sound on the MS2000. the pitch bend module in Numerology is used to make the notes glide from note to note over a one-measure period."

demo_dnb_world.mp3
"the phaser on the Z1 is coming from the Digitech Studio 400, and any delay or reverb is off the TSR-24. the sequencing was done with a very very early version of Numerology, probably the freshest alpha as of Jan 28, 2003. the bass on the dnb version is from the Bass Station and the drum samples are off the S2800, and i'm pretty sure are my own samples of a local indie rock drummer at his kit."

CV LED Plugs

via daddio:
recipe:
1/8" or 1/4" plug
100k resistor
led
shrink wrap

Plug into CV out and watch the lights pulse, ramp up and down, etc.
Multicolored blinky light heaven.

Similar to: link.

Buchla Phases out 259e & 249e?

Via the Buchla list.

Bryan notes:
"Looks like the 249e might be gone as well. Both modules have been removed from the systems on the price list. I bet there aren't as many orders for them now that the 261e and 250e came out. I haven't got my hands on either of the DARFs yet to prefer one over the other but I do like the 259e just as much as the 261e. Maybe more..."

Two prior posts specifically mentioning the 259e Oscillator (I didn't find any I put up for the 249e):
Buchla Breaking the Mold
Buchla 200e Analog vs. Digital

Update via Ezra Buchla:
"- something very much like the probability fields in the 249 can be
programmed with the 250 and the lower section of the 266. try it!

- keep up the feedback. it is not impossible to make more of these,
especially the 259. i love that module, because i love crazy extreme digital
sounds. these very same sounds have been bad-mouthed a lot in the press, so
if you enjoy them, let us know.

- the 249 is a beast to assemble, and we've had few enough orders that it's
hard to justify continuing firmware support for it (a lot of work would be
needed to really root out all the bugs.)"

Another update from Ezra:
"hi everyone, a couple things:

- we're not taking orders for either of these modules right now (and here
are good reasons). we will fill orders on the waitlist. i can't say if we
will make more of them ever.

- if you were considering ordering a 249, i would not dismiss the 250. it
lacks some functions but adds other important ones: 32x stationary knob
bank, 16x sample and hold, new voltage integration uses... if you miss the
259's probability fields, it is possible to program the same behaviors with
a 250 and 266 combo."

The Bob Moog Memorial Foundation for Electronic Music

Newsletter #2:

"Greetings from The Bob Moog Foundation! Thanks so much to all of you who helped make the launching of our website a success. We've had over 6,000 visitors to the site and over 1,100 downloads of our podcast featuring the band Perpetual Groove. The podcast series has also helped us to reach out to the community of musicians playing Moog instruments.

Over the past month, we have been hard at work building our base of support and we need your help! We are planning to distribute brochures about the Foundation to music venues across the U.S. to put backstage, encouraging bands to get involved. In order to accomplish this, we need to raise $5,000.00. Please consider making a $50.00 gift to aid in this effort. Every contribution counts. We need yours.

As we continue to work at cultivating support, we also have a couple of exciting Moogcasts coming up. Look for a podcast featuring Aron Magner, keyboardist from the Disco Biscuits, coming soon. Upcoming artists include progressive rock legend Keith Emerson.

We all miss Bob, but in these podcasts we get a chance to see the music live on through these great musicians.

We thank you for joining us in supporting the Moog legacy of electronic music innovation.

Moog lives. Rock on.

Michelle Moog-Koussa
Director, The Bob Moog Foundation

Spread the word!

Like Michelle mentioned, it's critical that we spread the word about The Moog Foundation in key music venues and studios around the country. With development, printing and production we need to raise $5,000 to make this happen. Will you help?

Donate Now

Moog in Japanese?

Thanks to our good friend Keiichi Goto, we now have translations of several key components of the www.moogfoundation.org translated into Japanese.

Look for the site to be updated in the coming weeks. Down the road, we hope to launch a Moog Foundation Japan site.

Thanks Keiichi!

What do you think?


We've gotten some amazing stories from friends, family and admirers from on our website. We are collecting these anecdotes and memories to put in a new section of the site.

Do you have a good Moog story? We encourage you to get involved by sending us your story today.

Submit your story."

matrixsynt(h) on Kaoss Pad 3

Via Martin:
"I did this one is on my brandnew KP3. (wonderful gizmo)
Sorry for the missing "h" on "synth", only 10 characters are possible
for scrolling text.. ;-)

keep on the good work,
i love your blog.

cheers from germany,

Martin"

Stuff like this just makes my week. GIANT GRIN : ) Thanks Martin!

AH California 2006

Via Brian Comnes:

=====Announcement ===========
Analogue Heaven - California announces its 2006 annual synth gathering to be held Sunday November 12 , 2006 at the Student Services Center of the College of Marin in Kentfield, CA. Doors open at 9:30 AM and the venue will be open until 8:00 PM. The event is free but there will be a donation bucket to offset possible janitorial fees.

Parking on campus on Sunday is free.
Take out and delivered food can be brought to the venue. There are plenty of places to get food within a few minutes of the campus. The campus prohibits alcohol.

The 5000 square foot facility should have plenty of room for all but if you plan to plug in , extension cords and outlet blocks are probably in order. The room has plenty of tables and chairs.

A campus map is at: link. Attendees should enter at Laurel Avenue and park in Lot 4 for load in and load out.

From Highway 101, take the San Anselmo exit (northbound) or the Sir Francis Drake Blvd. exit (southbound) and follow Sir Francis Drake Blvd. to College Ave. (seventh stoplight off 101). Proceed a block to Laurel, turn left and go to Lot 4 - see map.

Updates on the event will be posted to the Analogue Heaven mail list To subscribe to that digest, e-mail:
analogue-digest-subscribe at hyperreal.org

Hope to see you there!!

===============================

Accces Virus D - BLACK HELICOPTER

BLACK HELICOPTER

This is what comes up for product=virusd on the Access site. Anything else not released comes up with broken gifs.

Update: Check out the comments. Apparently this page has been there for some time, and I wouldn't be surprised if I saw it before. Too much to track and so much to forget, however:

"From Access Music email newsletter:

On a lighter note, we will celebrate the Virus' 10th anniversary starting 1st of November. Watch our website - you won't regret it ..."

A6 Demos by PaulSop aka Doktor Future

Three Andromeda A6 Demos by Doktor Future.

"Overflowing the A6 MIDI buffer causing odd sounds with Numerology: link

"I did this the day I got the A6 live with it's nifty Mix Mode and arpeggiator/sequencers: link

"A Cutsy riff inspired by a Pogues song played live: link"

Kendall Wrightson Loops a Linn 9000 and DX1

Been on a looping kick recently if you haven't noticed. Chris Strellis did and sent the following to me. What's funny is I have his Synth History DVD collection and this is the exact video clip that inspired me to finally get off my butt and actually start exploring the world of looping.

"I edited a section of the Synth History Revisisted DVD where Kendall Wrightson makes a track in one minute using a Linn 9000 and a DX1. This was for a guy who was interested in buying my Linn 9000 but I thought that it would be appropriate for everyone to see it. From 1985......... This clip [2.93M] comes from this DVD where more vintage synth fun can be found."

BTW, the DVDs? Absolute synth crack, and a blast from the past. Definitely recommended. You can find some of it on YouTube, but it's not the same as kicking back and watching it not only in better resolution, but full screen without interruption.

Update: BTW, check out Chris Strellis' MySpace page for some good music and a gear p*rn slideshow. Makes a good show while listenning to the music. You might recognize some of the shots from previous posts I put up from Chris.

Update via Chris in the comments:
"This video was shot at Syco Systems in London. In that area there's a rare Fairlight IIL (it has a hard drive!), a Kurzweil 250, a DX-1 and a Linn 9000. The most advanced hardware at the time. It just lacked a PPG with Waveterm - oh and a Synclavier ;)

Since that video, Kendall had written prolificly for Sound On Sound and other magazines and lectures on Music Technology in the UK's North East. link."

Reminder: 2n Annual Austin Analog Synth Meet This Sunday

linky.

Yamaha FVX-1

Remember the FVX-1? Brian Comnes found an FVX-1 site with specs.



- very rare programmable 8-operator FM synthesizer expander released in 1988
- 64 editable parameters - 22 direct + 42 with DOS based editor
- DSP - 11 effect algorithms Stereo-Chorus, Stereo-Pan, Symphonic, Phaser, Flanger, Delay, Tremolo, Digital hall, Celeste and Wah.
- 5 LED dsplays + levelmeter
- 4 x 8 voice blocks (4 part multitimbral)
- 248 ROM, 248 RAM presets, 16 performances
- 2x MIDI IN (front and back), 2x MIDI OUT (front and back), MIDI THRU, Headphone OUT, Aux OUT Stereo, Main OUT Stereo, Main In Stereo Cinch, Main Out Stereo Cinch, Aux In Stereo Cinch, Aux Out Stereo Cinch, Pack Port
- 14 Buttons + 1 Coarse, 4 endless controllers, 1 Main Out volume knob, 1 Aux Out volume knob, 1 headphone Out volume knob

Quandace Andromeda A6 Demo

Title link takes you to a 15.8M demo of the Alesis Andromeda by Tuomas Poikonen on Quandace.com. It's a pretty impressive demo. He also did a killer XTK demo previously posted here.

LOOPmaster

New Features:
* Tracks of different lengths can be recorded
* Click removal
* Enhanced user interface
* Multiple outs

Korg Oasys Gets Polysix and MS-20 Updates

Title link takes you to the rest on Sonic State.

Doepfer A100 Modular

flickr by unyo303.

Circuit Bent Casio PT-10

Title link takes you to GetLoFi where you'll find a map of the mods and more info.


Original PT-10 shot below via jarin.net.

Synth Trash

via CDM. This is a promo shot, named synthtrash, by Urs Heckmann for Zebra2. Hmm... Aren't sidewalks public property? Garbage is free game, right? Image: guy with Matrixsynth T running off with Urs chasing.

Zebra 2 Update

Remember Zebra 2? Version 2 has been realeased. Via Adam:

"I'm an analog guy, but I just bought this amazing softsynth. If there is only one synth that everyone should have, this is it. U-he is a one man developer whose creation is worlds ahead of NI. Try the demo."
It has also received praise from CDM.