flickr by tvvork.Title link takes you to more cover shots in the set.
BTW, you can download issues of Synapse magazine off of the Cynthia website under the goodies section.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Synapse
flickr by tvvork.Title link takes you to more cover shots in the set.
BTW, you can download issues of Synapse magazine off of the Cynthia website under the goodies section.
Museum of Techno Halloween Video
Title link takes you to the video on the Novation Xio Synth site, or watch it teeny tiny here.
flickr by djvartan
Gleeman Pentaphonic - Clear
Gergo Palatinszky Synth
Ginos Buchla
Title link takes you to the set.
PNW06: John Bowen Compares Prophets
John and Stephen play with a Creamware ASB Pro-12 and Prophet 5 at this year's Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting.
PNW06: Stephen Talks About his Custom Wood Cased Pro One
Stephen Talks About his Doepfer Ribbon Controller
Two more via this year's Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting. You can see the Prophet T8 minus keys that Stephen refers to here. You can find Stephen's custom woodwork on Synthwood.
PNW06: David Skinner Demos his Synthesizers.com Modular
Two more of David Skinner and his Synthesizers.com modular at this year's Pacific Nortwhest Synthesizer Meeting. Click here for two previous posts.
Ondioline
Click here for shots pulled via this auction.
via Dave.
More on the Ondioline on 120 Years.
Via wikipedia: "The Ondioline was a vacuum tube-powered keyboard instrument, invented by Georges Jenny, which was a forerunner of today's synthesizers.
The Ondioline was capable of creating a wide variety of sounds. Its keyboard had a unique feature: it was suspended on special springs which made it possible to introduce a natural vibrato if the player moved the keyboard from side to side with their playing hand. The result was an almost human-like vibrato that lent a wide range of expression to the Ondioline. The keyboard was also pressure-sensitive, and the instrument had a knee volume lever.
Jean-Jacques Perrey first acquired an Ondioline in the mid-1950s [1], and used it on all his older albums from the late 1960's."
You might recognize the name Jean-Jacques Perrey from these posts (you can see him playing it in the first post). I saw him play live with Dana Countryman and he had the Ondioline with him. It sounded just like a theremin. Jean-Jacques Perrey stated that the Ondioline was his favorite instrument.
Stupid Trivia
So in the comments of this post on Synrise, dan s. calls out that Synrise has had the same site design since 1999. It occured to me that I might actually hold the record for the synth site with the oldest original design! I know, exciting stuff. The original Matrixsynth, which is still up, btw, has had the same exact crappy design since Oct. 1997, when I originally put it up. If anyone knows of another synth site with an older design that is still up, feel free to comment. And yes, the blog link is new, but the overall site really has been the same since day one minus adding and updating links. Appropriate title, huh?
Thursday, October 26, 2006
EMS Synthi Sequencer 256
Click here for shots pulled via this auction.
Details:
"You are bidding monstrous EMS Synthi Sequencer 256 (formerly known as Synthi Moog Sequencer), very rare separate version of the Synthi 100 sequencer . Very few of them were produced back in the very early 70's. Designed by David Cockerell. Features the following options:
-Layers with 2 Control Voltages plus Key Parameters
-Fourth Key only Layer
-Five Octave Velocity Sensistive Keyboard
-256 Event x 42 bit Memory
-Each event comprises 2 x 6-bit Control Voltages and 13-bit Start & Stop times
-Internal (0.1 - 200 Hz) or External Clock
-Plays Forwards and Backwards
-Editing
Classic piece of electronic music history, it was surely the most sophisticated sequencer of the early synth years. List price in 1974 was $6500 in the States or 2500 pounds in UK. Looking incredibly cool. Every picnic would need a Synthi like that. The world would be different. I would not sell it I have not to. Cosmetic condition is very good (some traces of being used in the studio during the years, see the pictures; never on the road), working condition should be very good either , however sold as is because of the age. It was originally part of the one of the few modern electronic music studios fully based on EMS equipment founded in 1973. Serial number 6023, what means it is probably 23-rd unit ever produced. I guess not many more than 50 units were produced in general. Power plug included. To be picked up from Hayes, London or I will ship everywhere, however it might be expensive as the unit is quite big and heavy (more than 40 lbs)."
More info:
http://www.ems-synthi.demon.co.uk/emsprods.html#seq256
http://members.tripod.com/werdav/vosyn100.htm
http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/ems/index.html
Sent my way via Johan.
The Davolisint
This image popped up on AH today. The synth in the center is the Davolisint. Title link takes you to a page dedicated to the synth with specs, samples and more shots. Anyone know what the synth below it is?
Clear Moog Etherwave Theremin
Title link takes to shots pulled from this auction.Deatails:
"This is a one of a kind Moog Etherwave Theremin. It was built for display to show the insides. Now thats cool and the fact 4 total clear units ever made is even cooler, But this is the only one that had a strobe light and a LED back light made for this Clear Theremin. Its one of a kind. Its electronics are made by Bob Moog. It works and comes with the two Theremin Videos to show how to play. The videos are new. The Theremin mounts on a standard mic stand. And when played on stage its LED light shines a beam of light across the stage, and you turn on the strobe it lights up the player and the electronics to the audience, but the eyes of the thermin player are sheilded by the PC board of the theremin. It looks great on stage. Its a 110 volt power. It has 1/4 audio out. all the same controls of the Moog Theremin : Volume, Pitch, Waveform & Brightness controls and an extra power switch for the strobe. Here is the amazing Moog Etherwave Theremin designed by the legendary, Grammy Award winning Theremin and synthesizer designer, Robert Moog! Dr. Moog's Etherwave Theremin is of the same high quality as his earlier designs from the 1950's and 1960's, with 3/8" nickel-plated brass antennas. It completely puts the imitators to shame! The Etherwave has an enormous pitch range that allow the player to shake the room or play notes that Celine Dion would have a hard time following. You can plug it into your stereo, mixer, or guitar amp, and sounds amazing with reverb or delay added. It comes complete with two video tutorials : "Clara Rockmore: the Greatest Theremin Virtuosa", and "Mastering the Theremin", featuring Lydia Kavina."
Custom Paia Synth
This one came in via AH. According to Harry Bisell:"From the names of the modules and the number of jacks on each... its a re-packaged PAiA 2720 synth. The LPF, BPF, and "Sine Converter" modules are dead guiveaways !!!"
VEMIA Auction Nov 4
Via Peter Forrest. Note the VEMIA auction usually has some pretty interesting stuff. Last year some gear from Brian Eno including his DX7 were included. Definitely worth taking a peak. Here are some previous posts mentioning VEMIA.
"Next VEMIA auction has some good stuff coming, including 22 lots (actually probably nearer 40 or 50 lots) starting at 22 uk pounds with no reserve.
Some items are already up online at www.spheremusic.com
They include an ARP 2600 (but that's already had some keen bidding); an Obie 4-voice (at 110 pounds at the moment); some Metasonix items - two already listed; and, to come, a Moog Taurus, a MIDI'd Odyssey module, and quite a few other interesting pieces.
No hidden reserve on anything in the auction - one bid gets it if no-one bids higher. 10% buyer's premium, but you get personal service and protection for that, plus the ability to pay in a variety of ways for free. Auction ends Saturday Nov 11.
Thanks! Peter Forrest"
"Next VEMIA auction has some good stuff coming, including 22 lots (actually probably nearer 40 or 50 lots) starting at 22 uk pounds with no reserve.
Some items are already up online at www.spheremusic.com
They include an ARP 2600 (but that's already had some keen bidding); an Obie 4-voice (at 110 pounds at the moment); some Metasonix items - two already listed; and, to come, a Moog Taurus, a MIDI'd Odyssey module, and quite a few other interesting pieces.
No hidden reserve on anything in the auction - one bid gets it if no-one bids higher. 10% buyer's premium, but you get personal service and protection for that, plus the ability to pay in a variety of ways for free. Auction ends Saturday Nov 11.
Thanks! Peter Forrest"
Vintage Monophonic Analog
Here's an interesting one off of the bay. Looks like a DIY synth. Love the label. : ) Title link takes you to more shots pulled via this auction. If you know more about this particular synth please feel free to comment.Details (not much):
"Here is a Vintage Vintage Monophonic Analog Synthesizer . I can not find a name on it, maybe a Korg ??. The item powers up and made some different noices, but that is all I can test. I do not know how well or if it works. I do not know how to use all the functions. I got this from an estate of a person who had a one man band. sold as is"
MIDI Ribbon Controllers
Minimoog & 1150 Ribbon Controller
MIDI Ribbon Controller with MOTIF ES 7
YouTube via interlogic.
MIDI Ribbon Controller with MOTIF ES 7
YouTube via interlogic.
Memorymoog patch selection
Not the best audio and video, but there you have it. YouTube via interlogic.
Synrise
I just realized I haven't put up a post for Synrise yet. I've referenced the site in a number of posts but never put up an actual post on the site itself. So here you go. If you haven't been there before, do check it out. It's one of the original synth sites out there. tipped via sequencer.de.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Lightner's Sliders
Via Reed: "We recently replaced the sliders in my Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator with beautiful, new, well-lubricated ones obtained at a reasonable market value from Kevin Lightner's parts store. The best part for us: Kevin & Monica offer sliders which haven't been pre-cut down to the insanely short Arp standard length. Anyone with Arp synthesizers & sequencers, Buchla Marfs, Easels or Comb Filters should look no further than Synthfool for all their impossible-to-find part needs."Click Buchla 200 image for much larger shot.
Music for Robots
via Simon:"An old record called ‘Music For Robots.’ The first side seems to be mostly narrative, but the second side, ‘Tone Tales of Tomorrow’, is all vintage synth wackiness."
Title link takes you there with a direct link to download the record for free. I love this stuff. You guys get to hear it first, as I need to step out for a bit. Thanks Simon! BTW, check out other posts on Scar Stuff for more.
New from Trogotronic
Model 655 Analog Generator/Effect $135.00A little sister to the "665", the Six-FIFTY-FIVE adds an oscillator but looses a pre-amp chip, a few knobs and $45 off the sticker price. Hear samples on the website alone and effecting poorly played guitar and really bad digital drums.
CV Controller Joystick $165.00
Necessity is the mother of invention: frustration with an interface born before the light bulb between myself and an analog modular synth' begat the "Iron Cross CV". It is an Analog Synthesizer Controller�Joystick� compatible with any synth' rig that uses the control voltage standard and is available in right or left handed configurations. Hear a quick and extremely dirty demo of one working out with a real nice PAIA on the website.
Iron Cross 2.0 Audio Controller $200Yeah, we know, 200 bucks is a lot... But it's also a lot LESS than 300+ bucks that it cost to buy version one... Those who bought one then have never looked back and "won't leave home without one". Those who still don't have any idea what this thing is about might be a little closer to finding out:
The stick itself is a premium, heavy duty Japanese job with�action�and feel�superior to anything available here in the states. Problem is the the best materials are cumbersome and expensive to import.
So we refined the design and chassis materials to make the unit easier to use, easier to build and cheaper to produce... everybody wins including the curious and elusive grandpa selling the best joystick on earth in his 2 square meter shop in Nippon.
For the first time at Trogotronic.com there's a sound sample (thanks to the fellas in Geronimo) of the Iron Cross in action.
Land Mine "True" Bypass $50 Claymore Super Bypass $100
Since we recommend NOT jumping feet first on any of the analog generators that we sell we offer sturdy little stomp-boxes to take the hit.
LAND MINE is as simple as can be: one stomp is "on", one more is "off". "On" routes the signal through the effects send jacks, "off" bypasses the effects loop altogether. Or it can control a signal by ignoring the bypass altogether and using the box alone as an on/off switch.
CLAYMORE�works the same but has two extra switches... the switch on the right works the same as the Landmine's but the one on the left is a momentary, only "on" as long as you step on it. The middle switch selects which of the two is being used, and the indicator lamps tell which of the two is active.
Both are passive 'true" bypass designs (to make sure the sound you put in is the sound you get out) and both are compatible with any gear that uses 1/4" phono plugs... so you could route signal to an auxiliary amp' or to and from your Barbarian with a tap of the toe.
All of these things are at Trogotronic.com and all are hand built by Free-Range, non organic Smog-Breathing Troglodytes in LBC, USA.
New Audio Damage Product Teaser from Analog Industries
Something new from the wizard is coming. Filters and beats, oh my!
PNW06: James Demos His Roland CMU-800
Continuation of this previous post. James Gallant demos his Roland CMU-800 at this year's Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting. No title link. Unfortunately I cut the last video short thinking I better keep the video small to upload. The tune ends, James takes a bow, and we all laugh. Hard work James. : )
Matrixsynth Search Engine
You might notice a new search box on the right frame of this site. Google just came out with custom search engines. In short you can create a custom search engine that favors particular content based on keywords you specify along with websites to give preference to in your searches. I used the list of sites on my old site along with synth, synthesizer, analog, modular and sequencer as the keywords to start. I wanted to keep it basic and general and even thought about removing analog modular and sequencer, but then thought synth and synthesizer might skew towards synthetic materials. BTW, the search will include other sites as well. The sites and keywords are meant to help make the results more relevant. Take a look at the list of URLs in the left frame of my old site and feel free to suggest URLs to add in the comments. But, please make sure you verify the URL is not on the list first. I don't want to do that work for you. : ) Title link takes you to the homepage of the Matrixsynth search engine, but something tells me it will be too difficult to remember, so... Just use the search box to the right.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
The Polymonster - E-MU Voice Board Based Modular
You are looking at a custom modular built by Dave, consisting of eight E-MU boards. Links: gallery 2, gallery 3, E-MU demo board scans. Via Dave:
"Each board had 2 ea. SSM 2030 VCO, 2 ea. SSM 2050 EG, 1 ea. SSM 2040 VCF, and 1 ea. SSM 2020 dual VCA. It was basically equivalent to a Rev 1 Prophet voice, but without the extra VCAs necessary for computer control."
Via the site:
"Polyphony became possible (though expensive) when E-MU released their 4060 microprocessor keyboard. I bought the 14th one ever made. It had 16 channels and a 2000 note sequencer built in. I built an 8 voice synth using E-MU's voice demo boards, which used the legendary SSM chips. This thing sounded like an 8 voice rev 1 Prophet. It was also gigged on the road for several years. It was sold to the Audities museum to finance my latest modular system."
Make sure to check out the rest of the site for more modular goodness. I previously posted SuperMoe which is another one of Dave's projects.
Update: More on the board and a link to the Polymonster on The Emulator Archive.
Update via Phil in the comments:
"any more info on the developers?
I've always thought my poly modular may have been a prototype for this board.
although it's four SSM 20X0 boards,
all 3xVCO, VCF, 3xVCTG(ADSR). stereo VCA.
this thing
best,
phil"
EMS Synthi 100 Shots
"This one is in xtremely good condition (BTW:there are way more than 3 funktional)and more as 24 build to. The matrixes are as new on this one. Amazing Its very confusing to patch this monster,I don’t like it at all,if you like to patch analog computers,you will be happy to work with this synth. The sound is identically to an AKS. Perhaps I could buy this one for 16000$ or so,but im not interested to do the effort,and BTW iv not the place at home! Note that it seems (and also on this model) the sequencer never have working correctly (on any models) The guy told me that when the have buy the instrument new I din’t worked,and a few times (on request) a tec from EMS have come on location to try fix it,but never was able to. The second pic matrix is from the synth museum book." Check out the books on the right pane of this site for the Museum of Synthesizer Technology.
Automatic Tubular Bells
Wow, this is pretty cool. Via Jordi B:
"I often visit your page, and I think that the new MIDI device I am building could be of your interest. It is a set of MIDI controlled Tubular Bells. I’m still working on it, but I think it will be ready soon. I send you this video in case you’d like to post it. It shows the device being tested playing the musical scale notes. It can play one octave melodies ( C,C#,D,D#,E….) and can be controled through a PC or a MIDI secuencer ( I’m developing this option now )."
Daydream - In The Night
This one work safe. Hmm... Or maybe not. If you ruin your reputation caught dancing and singing along to this, it's not my fault. "O-o-o-o-ok?" YouTube via trivan. Sent my way via Jexus. Features Akai AX80.
I MONSTER Daydream In Blue
WARNING!!!: Not work safe. A bit of female nudity. You consent you are over 18 if you click on the image or title link. Yeah... YouTube via varrod. Sent my way via Kris. Features a bit of EMS Synthi, Korg MS20, Suzuki Omnichord and a string synth. If you know what the string synth is feel free to comment. Synths come in at the very beginning and about 2 minutes in.Update: the original was pulled, here it is again:
The OB-Mx Story
Click here for a sordid tale of the Gibson Oberheim OB-Mx. If you haven't read this before, make the time to do so. It's an interesting bit of synth history.
"D.N. "Lynx" Crowe and Don Buchla were called in to salvage the OB-Mx very late in the game. They weren't told the whole story of the project to that date; they gradually uncovered the archeological and forensic evidence in the drawings and code. Some details still aren't known, but thanks to the process of Discovery in several civil suits, including depositions of many of the people mentioned here, enough is known to show the mismanagement, fraud, and incompetence that doomed G-WIZ, the OB-Mx, and ultimately OpCode and any other hi-tech company that is fooled into trying to work with Gibson Guitar and its Technohick CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz. Everything spelled out in this narrative is either from my own memories of the time, or from depositions and exhibits already in evidence in the case."Pictured are two shots of the prototype OB-Mx via Analog Synth Service
Update: OB-Mx Preservation Page.
PNW 06: James Talks About His Roland CMU-800
James Gallant talks about his Roland CMU-800 at this year's Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting. Videos of the CMU-800 playing coming this week. Note the CMU-800 has eight channels of CV and gate.
ARP Odyssey Keys
No title link. Just one shot via this auction. Check out those keys! Kind of like the bottom row of my teeth. I'd say this ARP needs braces but then I had braces as a kid. Hmm... Why don't they last? via brian comnes.
Arp Odyssey Model 2800 Analog Synthesizer
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.Details: "Serial # 283076 3 octave, 37 keys. This is the 'black with gold printing' model, which dates it from 74-75--one of the earliest Odyssey models available, second only to the 'whiteface' model."
via brian comnes.
EMS Synthi 100
And it's back on the bay. Previously posted here, however it looks like there are actually a couple of new shots. Title link takes you to all shots pulled via this auction. Some one buy this so I can see what my affiliate chunk on 60k would be. : ) I'll even let you know how much it was. BTW, if someone actually can afford to shell out 60k for this, umm... make sure to check it out first.via one of the anonymous in the comments of this post.
Axiom 25 Wood Pimped
Soloandata added some wood to this Axiom 25. Title link takes you to a couple of shots pulled via this CDM thread.Update: Post up on CDM.
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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
