Title link takes you to images pulled via this auction.
Monday, November 20, 2006
PAiA Modular
Another one is up for sale. You can see the previous one here. This one is two cases. Click here for shots via this auction
The First Digital Synthesizers
A friend of mine asked me what the first digital synth was. To my surprise I wasn't sure. We all know it was the Yamaha DX7 (1983) that changed the landscape from analog to digital, but it clearly wasn't the first. The NED Synclavier (1975) and the Crumar/DKI GDS (197x?) and Synergy (1982) predate it. If anyone out there knows for sure, feel free to comment. Image of the Crumar/DKI GDS via synthony.
Snip on the GDS via Synthmuseum.com:
"'The GDS came out of some early research at Bell Laboratories in the early '70s,' explains Mercer 'Stoney' Stockell, who himself shared in developing the GDS and Synergy. 'Hal Alles, a researcher there, designed the high-speed additive engine that was put into the GDS and later systems. He was a very bright man. The work originally came out of some stuff he was supposed to be doing for echo-cancellation on telephone lines.'"
BTW, regarding the DX7, be sure to check out this post on the Yamaha FX1.
Update via adam s in the comments:
"The Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer is the Synclavier's ancestor. This is recognized as the first digital synthesizer existing as a self-contained instrument, closed system or whathaveyou. Of course, the first digital synthesizer (that is, first digital device to synthesize sound for the sake of music), is the IBM 704 Mainframe computer, on which Max Matthews created Music I in 1957. It's amazing how far computer synthesis predates 'digital synthesizers'. I'm sure that in that almost 20 year span, plently of people had developed (successfully or not) digital synthesizers, especially during the early 70's microprocessor boom."
LABELS/MORE:
Analogue Systems,
Crumar,
Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer,
GDS,
NED,
Synclavier,
Synergy,
Yamaha
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Circuit Bent Analog Synth Drum Machine
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.Details:
"Here is a totally unique old school circuit bent noise generator/synth. I picked up this mystery box recently and do not know any details as to its origin. My guess is it is early 70's home/custom built. The circuit board is hand wired bread board and it was done by someone who knew what they were doing. The sound is somewhere between a sound Aphex Twin might use or The 60's group Silver Apples. The tone can range from a drum machine like hi hat sound to bleeps with noise added in varying degrees. The tone frequency can vary the pitch and sounds like a pretty cool resonate filter. The emphasis puts the tone on a continous 4/4 to 4/2 4/3 4/1. Pretty simple overall but absolutely loads of fun to tweek in real time. The design is interesting in that it was built into a japanese wood box and works like a traditional music box, ie when you open the lid the unit is turned on. This is a self contained unit with a built in speaker. There are currently no provision for an output jack but that would be easy to do wired off the 2 leads from the speaker. I could not see what chips were used in the design as they are not visible without taking the unit apart. The unit runs on a hard wired 9v wall adapter. Maybe someone out there knows the origin of this vintage piece? Perhaps it was built for a specific music experimentor back in the day or just as a hobby project I do not know. At any rate this a cool conversation piece and a complete one off synth. Way kooler than a speak and spell! The unit measures 8.5 x 5 x 3.5 inches."
via Brian Comnes.
energyXT2
energyXT2 is set to be released dec 1, 2006. Title link takes you to the energy-XT2 website which is pretty sparse, however, you can read more about it on Linux Rock Star. It will support Linux and Windows.via Linux Rock Star:
"energyXT is an advanced music composer and plugin chainer. It can be run as a standalone application or as a plugin in another DAW to overcome it's limitations. energyXT2 is designed to be very easy to use with drag and drop, streamlined mixer and a very user friendly piano-roll. And when the final version of energyXT2 is out, it will have a built in synth/sampler and multi-effect processor so that you can create music “out of the box”."
This one via Inverseroom.
Analogue Haven Forum
Inverseroom wrote in to let me know Analogue Haven now has a forum, including a modular synth board. Title link takes you there.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Replicant Samples
Remember Replicant? Well, it's not out just yet, however, Analog Industries has a few samples up. Title link takes you there.
Fairlight CMI Keyboard
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.I saw this one on Failed Muso.
The auction also featured the videos below.
Peter Gabriel and Fairlight CMI
YouTube via Artmuzz. Previously posted here.
Al Di Meola Sequencer 1982
YouTube via dorataro
Kate Bush - Experiment IV (Wogan)
YouTube via gaffahead
Fairlight IIL Demonstration at Syco Systems
YouTube via Synthasy2000. BTW you can get DVDs with this particular video and more here. Look for DVD on the left when you get there.
Synton Syrinx
via this auction. Note all the other synths on the list as well.
Note it's a black Syrinx with a blue lower case.
Lightwave Oberheim FVS Four Voice for Sale
Muzikfrommarz
Via daddio of tapewarm:"I had fun with the Metasonix filter that I won at the Nor Cal AH get together. Big ups to Mr.s Metasonix and Brian Comnes. Some mp3s and pics here. Brian actually won the item first and declined the prize, making it possible for my name to be drawn next instead. Now THAT'S the kind of host legends are made of."
This is really good stuff. The pics link is under the disco ball when you get there. There's a grooving cat in the set. Thanks daddio!
Metasonix TM-6 - Vacuum Tube Multimode Filter
Nord Lead 1 Rack
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.Update: this is the Nord Lead 1 rack, not 2. The auction says 2. Thanks to adam s for catching this in the comments.
Jen SX1000
No title link, just two shots via this auction.Details:
"Vintage Jen SX1000 37-note keyboard 12dB/octave filter White and pink noise Single digitally controlled oscillator Three waveforms, sawtooth, square, and Pulse Width Modulation. Four octave range (32', 16', 8', 4') Glide Two ADSR envelope generators and one LFO. Original overlay cards showing settings for various sounds, Hammond Organ 1 & 2, Human Voice 1 & 2, Brass 1 & 2, Synthesizer, Electronic Drum, Piano, Flute, Violin & Cello and blank for personalised settings 1/4-inch jack output Purchased from my old school ten years ago. I know very little about synths but this is in good condition and seems fully operational, with just the odd crackly pot and a few coloured plastic discs missing off the top of a handful of the control knobs."
Tangerine Dream 1980 Musik
Tangerine Dream 1980 Musik pt1.
Tangerine Dream 1980 Musik pt2.
"Tangerine Dream playing in studio for a German TV documentary (Musik aus dem computer?)in the early 80's"
YouTube via maximusprimemx. Sent my way via Frederic.
Tangerine Dream 1980 Musik pt2.
"Tangerine Dream playing in studio for a German TV documentary (Musik aus dem computer?)in the early 80's"
YouTube via maximusprimemx. Sent my way via Frederic.
Impro avec l'Ems Avs partie 1
"This is a test. A video realized with synth virtual Ems Avs inserted in Live 6 and using the effects Ping Pong Delay and the reverberation. Une vidéo "test" réalisée avec le synthé virtuel Ems Avs inséré dans Live 6 et utilisant les effets Ping Pong Delay et la réverbération."
YouTube via deb7680. Sent my way via frederic.
Friday, November 17, 2006
More Steiner Parker Synthacon via Vgermuse
Another shot of the Synthacon sent my way via vgermuse. Click here for some samples. See these posts for more.
Waldorf Q-stick Mod
Title link takes you to the source page in German. For English here is a Google translated version.
Waldorf Microwave Editors for Mac
"With the great revival of the user-forum inside the waldorf universe, I am so free to take the chance to announce an update of my Microwave Editor programs for the Macintosh.
4.1a0 can be downloaded at: link
This new version is an Universal Binary, which means that it runs natively on one of these super-dupa fast Intel Macs. It was compiled using Apple's wonderful XCode Development Tools and requires at least MacOS X 10.4 (Tiger).
Though this still an alpha release, it is very stable since all these sexy big/little endian issues have been fixed. One thing to beware of, is the fact that the preferences are now stored in a plist file. This means that if you have already a registration code, it has to be re-entered. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause."
Title link takes you there.
Trig Live @ Malmöfestivalen Malmö 060824
"Simon Brunndahl and Marco Manieri is trig. The setup consists of partly DIY analogue equipment (6 ch 16 step trig sequencer) and rare vintage electronics and modular synths (Roland System 100). Everything is improvised."
YouTube via discooocsid.
Synthi A Clone
Title link takes you to more shots. Kris sent the following into AH. I asked him if it would be ok for me to grab it for a post and he gave me the thumbs up. Thanks Kris!"Thought I'd show some pics of my synthi A clone in dotcom format. It is not yet finished, but in the next months I won't have much time to work on it so I'll show you what I've got so far:
2 x VCO1
4 x VCO2
1 x Filter
1x dual ringmodulator
1x envelope shaper.
What I still need to finish:
2 envelope shapers
1 joystick module.
All the vco's switch between low and audio range so VCO2 can act also as VCO3 in the original synthi. I've also added a shape CV in and and sync in.
When everything is finished, I'll try to find a camera and I'll post a video on youtube.
Last but not least I would like to thank Yves Usson and Jürgen Haible for their help. I couldn't have done it without them!
regards, Kris"
Nice! Can't wait for the video. : )
Update: here's an MP3 from Kris.
"It's a basic patch: VCO1 and VCO2 are both in audiorange and go to the ringmodulator. From the ringmodulator it goes to the filter. Another VCO2 in low frequency range goes to the frequency input of VCO1. I manually change the shape and frequencies of the vco's and the filter."
Midibox Controllers
I realized I put up a ton of Midibox C64 posts, but none of the Midibox 64 and other controllers. Title link takes you there.
Rare Vintage Analog Synth
No title link, just shots taken from this craigslist post. Anyone know what it is? I swear I've seen it before and might even have put a post up on it. If I knew what it was, I'd search for it. : )Details (and no I'm not the one selling it. Grab it while you can. ; )
"I'm selling an old analog keyboard, I think from the 60s or 70s. I'm pretty sure it was originally a diy kit synth. It has analog oscillators and filters with push buttons to let you change the sounds. The synth comes in a wooden case with cover, the electronics are a little shakey and work best with the cover off. The synth itself works completely, although it is shakey as mentioned and could use a little work. I've never seen anyone else selling this synth before, so I'm asking $100 or best offer."via Brad
Update: It's a Hammond Monosynth.
Roland MC-202 with Modular Upgrade by Analog Solutions
Title link takes you to a few more shots via this auction.Details (Note the comment on Fad Gadget):
"Totally amazing box. As if the 202 wasnt interesting and versatile enough already, this one had an early Analog Solutions mod added for all sorts of options. I've photographed the box close up so you can see. I bought this from Fad Gadget, he had the upgrade added. The condition is as to be expected, its been used, but cared for really well. the sound is unique and it comes with an original leaflet all about it, a sort of user guide, a full user guide (photocopied, though) and a power supply. pay me quickly with paypal and I'll ship it anywhere in the world as you are paying. From Synthmuseum: he MC202 is a sequencer and simple monophonic synth with 32 buttons arranged like a small keyboard (F-C). The monosynth is similar to the SH-101. The VCO is based around the ever-so-popular Curtis 3340 chip and features a slider switch for octave (2', 4', 8', 16'), a slider for pulse width, and one for modulation (LFO) amount. The VCO outputs a square/pulse wave, a sawtooth wave, and a sub-oscillator which are mixed together in the "Source Mixer" section. The sub-oscillator is switchable between a square wave 1 octave down, a square wave 2 octaves down, and a pulse wave 3 octaves down. There are knobs which control fine tune and portamento. The VCF section has a slider for cutoff frequency and resonance. There is a slider for each of its control sources: envelope, LFO, and keyboard. The VCA can be controlled by a simple gate or the Envelope. The envelope is an ADSR with a slider for each stage. The sequencer is quite powerful for its time. The MC-202 features a large (for the time) LCD display, upon which all the sequencing editing is displayed. The two available sequences can be played simultaneously using the CV/gate outputs to control another sequencer. The sequences can have a combined total of 2729 events. Sequences can be entered in real time via the pushbutton keyboard or via another keyboard using the CV/gate inputs. This feature has a negative side, though. Since all incoming CV/gate signals are routed through the microprocessor, there is a bit of a lag when the MC-202 is played by a another keyboard or a MIDI-to-CV device. The Sequences can also be programmed using step-time, setting a separate pitch and duration for each note. Also programmable in a sequence is accent and portamento. Accent works the same as in the TB-303, with an accent amount knob that can be adjusted in real time as the sequence is playing. The speed of the sequence is also controlled by a knob. The back panel has a sync input and two sync outputs, a tape interface for saving and loading sequences, CV/gate inputs and two CV/gate outputs (one for each sequence), a headphone jack, and a main output jack. The MC-202 came out at a time when the synthesizer market was just starting to impliment MIDI. After MIDI became an accepted standard, sequencers such as the MC-202, using the old-style CV/gate interface, quickly lost popularity and died away."
Nothing Studios Rack of Metasonix
Shot of the Nothing Studios (Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor) Metasonix rack via the Metasonix FAQ page. via Michael of endmusik.
Korg OASYS PCI
The OASYS before the OASYS. Title link takes you to shots via this auction.Now that's a nice looking box. Click the image for the full effect. I remember when these were being blown out at Guitar Center for $199.
Customize Sampled and Synthesized Keyboard Sounds
"Korg USA sound-design wizard Jack Hotop teaches you how to customize sampled and synthesized keyboard sounds"Title link takes you to to the video.
Roland MC-202
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.This is what a synth typically looks like to me while I'm actually playing music. Sharper shots after the hop.
Stylophone Demonstrations via Loscha
This one via Loscha
"I was cleaning up yesterday, I found my Stylophone 7" demonstration record. Recorded it as 96k mp3s and slapped it up on a very very basic page. A friend has a stylophone for me, but, I haven't gotten it from him yet. When I do, I'll attempt to make a schematic - because I haven't seen one online.
Jaycar Electronics - an Australian electronics company has a Stylophone-like kit you can built - as does Dick Smith Electronics. None of them are as good as the Dr Bohm Hobbytron. The Dr Bohm isn't the same as a real stylophone, though. A real stylophone has a BJT based oscillator, where as the Dr Bohm (and the Jaycar and DSE kits) are all 555 based.
Rolf Harris was quite famous in Australia, and more so, I think, in the UK. He was from Bassendean - a pretty dreary suburb in Perth (where the sadly defunct Casio featuring band Turnstyle were from). He had a kids TV Show in the 70s. He recently painted the most up to date official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
An inside picture of one here.
My LP recording is here.
The "Vibrato" on a Stylophone actually lengthens one side of the rectangle wave, not both sides, so, it is Vibrato, but, it is also Pulse Width Modulation. My friend Robin Whittle found this out when he hooked his stylophone up to his oscilloscope.
--
www.loscha.com"
Image via Nick Law via Flickr, via Creative Commons.
Morgana
"Morgana is an authentic representation of a vintage digital sampler, designed to be musical rather than accurate. Morgana doesn't try to boast the most impressive spec sheet, or the most transparent sound. By returning to a simpler architecture, Morgana actually transcends the limitations of typical software samplers, creating an experience that sounds and feels like an actual instrument--one that is inspiring and with a sound all its own."Looks like the Mirage to me. Title link takes you to the product page, but check out this post on SIGHUP for an excellent review. This reminds me, I need to add SIGHUP to my blogroll.
"It isn't a specific emulation, mind you, as they've decided to make it functionally less limited, while remaining functionally similar. And it sounds dirty, dirty, dirty. It hasn't hit a feature freeze yet, so stuff will inevitably change, but here's a quick run down of some of its greatness:"
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Room Full of Little Phattys
Via Amos.Title link takes you to more.
Update. Amos gave me the ok to grab the shots. They are mirrored here.
Custom AcidLab TB-303
"# Original Roland knobs have been used, not the cheap plastic remolds supplied with the kit.# Industry standard ALPHA panel mount pots (as used on the modern doepfer and analogue systems modular synthesizers) have been used, rather than the supplied pots that you are advised to GLUE (arghh!!!) in place (imagine servicing a synth 10 years down the line that has things GLUED in place???!!)
# Cliff 3.5mm jack sockets have been used, rather than the 2.5mm supplied, for easy interfacing with other gear (not to mention them being a much more visually elegant component)
# The CV and Gate sockets are as per Kenton's specification, giving cv / gate / filter / accent / slide."
Title link takes you to more info and images. Note this is AcidLab, not Acidlab.
Vintage Synth Ads
This one via Erick. Title link takes you the rest. The current list includes Akai, Oberheim, Casio, Roland, E-MU, Sequential, Korg, Siel, and Yamaha.
I didn't realize it had a guitar neck.
Lobster Ailab Atari Punk Console
Black velvet. Big knob.Title link takes you to the post on GetLoFi.
PREVIOUS PAGE
NEXT PAGE
HOME
© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
© Matrixsynth - All posts are presented here for informative, historical and educative purposes as applicable within fair use.
MATRIXSYNTH is supported by affiliate links that use cookies to track clickthroughs and sales. See the privacy policy for details.
MATRIXSYNTH - EVERYTHING SYNTH
