Sunday, February 04, 2007
YMO Kirin Beer Commercial
The Making Of.
The Commercial
Previously posted here. I love the reference to Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Akira Kurosawa is a master film maker.
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams on Amazon
YMO posts
genoQs Octopus - First Encounter
This one sent my way via genoQs. ; ) Title link takes you to more videos of the Octupus titled First Encounter. Thank you genoQs! I'm feeling pretty flattered at the moment. Matrixsynth by genoQs!
Jordan Rudess Performs Pink Floyd's On The Run
Title link takes you to a QuickTime video of Jordan Rudess performing On The Run live on a Synthesizers.com modular and KORG OASYS. via Richard Lainhart of O-Town Media.
Sun Pop Blue
Say hi to Freddie and his Serge. Check out the blue system in the second shot. Title link takes you to Sun Pop Blue's home page where you will find more info, music and images.Update: There's more info on the blue Serge and some samples after the hop.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Frontpanel for Polivoks VCF PCB
No title link. Just this shot pulled via this auction
Note the auction states this is in MOTM format. It's actually in Dotcom format. Note the screw hole at the top of the panel.
Stairway To Heaven
Serge via Lester Barnes aka Beermaster.BTW, a little bit of Matrixsynth history/trivia. When I first started this blog, Beermaster was one of the first visitors. He sent me a bunch of images that I ended up putting up on flickr. This set was the first flickr set I ever put up, even before my Matrixsynth set. You can see the post with a link to the set here.
New EMS Synthi Faceplate
Image of the new EMS Synthi faceplate sent my way via ross. Click image for full size shot.Via AH:
"I had talked to Robin Wood regarding production of the new Synthis. Apparently they will have 99% exact parts as the originals, the only being that the original reverb tank on the originals VCS3 and Synthi A has lapsed, and there is a comparable replacement. All the rest of the parts and circuits should be built to exact specifications as the original units produced from 1972 onwards. Although I had originally considered trading my Synton Fenix due to EMS lust, I think I am better off attempting to acquire one of Robin's new handmade units. I won't be able to easily replace the functionality of the feature set of my Synton Fenix, and it is far more rare of an instrument. My only apprehension is that Robin has stated that he would build units for the last 6 years, and it has been quite some time since they were produced. I think he is honest, and he has been absolutely helpful in my recent E-mail inquiries into his Synthis, however I am weary of waiting for many years in anticipation for a Synthi A, with the possibility that they may never be produced. Apparently he only has 40 Synthi briefcases left, so Synthi As will no longer be produced after this next batch. Furthermore, the company that produces the matrixboards for the Synthis is stopping production, so there is a new renewed urgency to finish production on these units, as well as to backstock this particular part for future repairs. Anyone on the list have a recent custom made Synthi from 1990-2001? It would be interesting to hear if these units differ from the originals, and how well they conformed to original specifications."
Update via Ross:
"Synthi differences
heard from Robin that there are more differences
1. no more Prestopatch ( see faceplate photo)
2. Pastel coloured knobs
3. no more sequencer
4. Joystick is not the same.
I wanted to buy an old silver face plate for my Synthi AKS as the china
graph is coming off, and was informed that the silver faceplate is no
longer being made.
I am desperate for anyone who has copied exactly the original
prestopatch Synthi AKS faceplate in any format pdf, etc or what ever
format as I want to get a new faceplate made up."
PPG Wave 2.2 / 2.3 / EVU Simulator
"Together with Paul Maddox, I [Hermann Seib] developed a hardware/software combination to drag the PPG Waveterm into modern times - Waveterm C. I haven't found the time yet to finish it - other projects, like VSTHost, consume too much of my time. Besides, the capabilities of today's average computers have grown to a point where it's relatively easy to simulate a complete synthesizer, with only minute differences, inside the PC. So... that's what I did. "Title link takes you to more info including demos.
via SoNiCbRaT
Zebranalogic Oscillator ZA-1 with Light Sensors
Title link takes you to a photo gallery of the Zebranalogic Oscillator ZA-1. You can find a sample here. Zebranalogic analog synths are hand made in Peru. You can find previous posts with images and samples here.
This one sent my way via SoNiCbRaT.
Babel Box
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.Details:
"DAVE BARNES AKA SLAPSTIX 'BABEL BOX'. THIS AMAZING PURPLE BEAUTY IS IN PERFECT NEW CONDITION. VERY GHAZALA ART FANTASY FINISH & ENDLESS ARRAY OF ELECTRONIC PULSES, DRUM MACHINE LIKE LOOPS, DRONES, GIBBERISH, SINGING, VIDEO GAME NOISES, R2-D2 LOVE SONGS, PHENOME YODELINGS, AND MORE..."
Anyone know more about this box?
Friday, February 02, 2007
Music From Outer Space Eight Stage Phase Shifter
Features
* Switchable 4 or 8 stage phase shifter.
* Variable feedback ranges from mild swooshing to raucous mind bending.
* Two external control voltage inputs.
* Pseudo stereo output when 4 stage and 8 stage outputs are used.
* Transconductance amp based phase shift cells.
* On-Board LFO produces Triangle and Ramp waves.
* Phase angle is modulated in a logarithmic fashion.
* 8 Stages of phase shift result in some sweet barber pole effect.
Quirks
* With high feedback settings you get a bit of oscillation, depending on osc. rate.
* With ramp wave setting you get some control voltage feedthrough (and the above).
* Not a noise generator but not a piece of L.A. studio equipment.
* Makes a pop when switching between 4 and 8 stages.
* Board requires a simple kludge.
Title link takes you to more info and samples.
Livewire NAMM Video on Sonic State
When I previously posted on the Analogue Haven booth NAMM videos on Sonic State, the Livewire video wasn't working. I've been checking back, and it is now up. Title link takes you there.
AHMW 2007
"Midwestern Analogguers and Long Distance Synth Travellers (ie. Cary Roberts) - The Ninth annual Analogue Heaven MidWest Get Together will be Saturday March 24th 2007. As always, it will take place at Prairie Heights High School in northeast Indiana. As always, there will be a ton of cool gear to play with and a mob of cool people to hang with. More info, maps, etc: link. Feel free to spread the word to other lists!Andrew, your AHMW host :)"
New NAMM Videos up on Sonic State
Synths include:Way Out Ware KickAxxe
Arturia Origin Synth
Roland VP550 vocoder
Roland MV8800 music production
I couldn't get the Quicktime Origin video to run, but it came up fine in Windows Media Player. As always, if one format doesn't work try the other.
Previous Sonic State posts
Livewire Synthesizer Modules at NAMM
Title link takes you to the video on Amateur Chemist. I'm a sucker for blinky lights. Check out the Chaos Computer's matrix of lights.
Analog Bach - Marco Rosano
Title link takes you to a new page on the Rhodes Chroma site featuring composer Marco Rosano. He recently finished an album featuring Bach performed completely on a Rhodes Chroma. You will find info on Marco, the album, and his thoughts on the synthesizer as a musical instrument. He asks the age old question on whether it is an instrument in the truest sense. Before I scoffed at the question even being asked, I realized what he was talking about. He wasn't talking about the fact that it produces sound, but rather the sounds you create are instruments in and of themselves. He states:"One morning, I woke up and I decided to create a new musical instrument; I started up my synthesizer and I built a musical instrument that did not exist before, with unique and unrepeatable features, with miltiple human-machine interfaces, with original timbric properties, new sounds, new emotions never felt before."
This was exactly the epiphany I had discovering my first synth, an Oberheim Matrix-6 back in 1986. At first, like many getting into synths, I thought of it as a keyboard/piano device with a multitude of synth sounds. I went through the presets and then started going under the hood. I thought what a great instrument. Then it clicked. It's not one instrument. Each sound was technically its own instrument. Each sound depending on how it was programmed could be played with a completely different technique. I then realized a synthesizer was not just a device that could be used to synthesize sound, but it could actually create brand new instruments never heard before. That realization blew me away. The Matrix-6 has velocity, release velocity, aftertouch, RAMP generators, Tracking generators, 3 Envelopes, 3 LFOs and more, all available as sources in it's Matrix Modulation. Depending on what and how you assigned these modulators, you in effect had to learn how to play the sound. For example, I'd set the release velocity to extend the release so when releasing keys slowly, the sound would sustain, and while releasing them quickly the sound would cut off immediately. I developed different techniques for different patches - and I of course realized it's not a piano! (I actually put up a post about this back on July 25, 2005). Update: On the flip side, I often come back to a patch I programmed and think, "what the heck was I thinking?!" It usually takes some effort to rediscover the magic behind the patch and how it was created. Usually it's just an evolution of technique and sound as I just get lost playing something.
So, the next time you program your synth, try creating a new instrument.
The image in this post was taken from Marco's MySpace page. It reminds me of the duality between sound and instrument. And the Rhodes Chroma? I finally got to play one. With it's modulation capabilities, the weighted wooden keyboard and its rich analog sound, it is one of the most expressive synthesizers I have ever played if not the most expressive. Listen to some of the tracks by Marco and hear some of what it is capable of. Listen for the subtleties. An instrument like that is a dream to play.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
EML Electrocomp 500
Click here for shots via this auction
"The EML 500 was a response to the popular trend towards compact performance synthesizers set by the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey. The EML 500 is a monophonic analog synthesizer with dual VCOs like the Odyssey for a nice thick sound. However it is no match for the Minimoog's 3 oscillators. Nice and evenly distributed sliders and switches are laid out across the top of the keyboard for easy access to all editable parameters in a true and obviously analog programmable synthesizer. The knobs and patch cords of modulars like its bigger brother, the EML 101 as well as the classic ARP 2600 and Moog 3C systems were coming to an end with the rise of these easier to use performance synthesizers.
Typical analog parameters can be found and controlled straight from the knobs and sliders above the 44-note keyboard. The dual VCOs offer square, sawtooth and noise waveforms. There is a simple VCA envelope section with controls for attack, sustain and decay (ADS). The VCF section is very nice with switchable low-pass, band-pass and hi-pass filtering, resonance but no external audio input capability. The LFO can generate some great modulation possibilities with 6-waveform shapes to choose from. Other features include sample-and-hold, a ring modulator, octave up/down switching, a sustain pedal input and CV/Gate external control. Also, the unique thing about this synth is that by use of the scale slider, it can play microtonally as well as in equal temperament across the keyboard.
As far as truly analog vintage monophonic synthesizers go, the EML 500 is an elegant yet inexpensive alternative to similar machines that will not let you down when it comes to sounds, flexibility and programmability. It's been used by DEVO--It's the 'Whip-it' sound!"
Quasimidi Sirius
Click here for shots via this auction.
Details:
"Polyphony: 28 voices
Oscillators: 2 osc per voice : 128 synth waves, 365 drum and percussion samples
Filter: 24dB and 12dB slopes, Hi and Low pass filters with resonance and overdrive
Effects: FX1: reverbs, stereo delays. FX2: chorus, flanger, delays; vocoder
Arpeg/Sequencer: 16 pattern arpeggiator / 7 track sequencer with tap tempo
Keyboard: 49 velocity sensitive keys
Memory: 384 patches (288 preset, 96 user), 16 vocoder patches, 20 percussion kits
Control: MIDI (7 parts, 3 synth and 4 drums)
Fantasy Jack Palance Synths
Title link takes you there. Synths currently listed: Roland SC-50, Roland A-30, Yamaha TX81Z, Roland D-110, Yamaha CS-5, Roland Juno 6, Korg DSS-1, Moog Micromoog, Roland JX3P, PG-200 Programmer, Jen SX-1000, Alesis DM-5, Akai S3000XL, Line 6 Pod XT, Yamaha AN1X, Sequential Circuits SixTrak, Vox Continental Organ, Moog Minimoog, Clavia Nord Micro Modular, MAM VF11 Vocoder.
Analog-Lab X-32
This is why I grab Ebay shots. Someone on the AH list mentioned a vocoder by Analog-Lab called the Analog-Lab X-32. I went over to the Analog-Lab website and it's under construction, no images or info on their products. I did a quick Google search, and the first result was this auction. I went to check it out and the auction is long gone along with the images. Fortunately there are images via Google images but they all appear to be stock.That aside. Title link takes you Analog-Lab. Anyone know what other products if any they might have?
Update: More images of the XS32
Waldorf Zarenbourg Explained - WNAMM '07
Title link takes you to the video on Gearwire. That's Axel Hartmann on the left. He designed the look and feel of synths for such manufacturers as Access, Waldorf, MOOG, and of course his own Hartmann Neuron. I believe that is Stefan Stenzel on the right, but he said it so fast I'm not 100% sure. : )The Zarenbourg uses physical modeling and not samples. It is being touted as a players keyboard with basic editing on the panel and more extensive editing via software. You will be able to edit and save your own custom patches. I'm a synthesist at heart, but there is something attractive about letting go of the editing and just playing the sound that's there in front of you.
Synth Books and DVDs
I just added the Book and DVD amazon ads back to the right pane of the site. I had a little trouble getting them back up with the new template. Take a look. If you see any books or DVDs that you think should be on that list, post a comment and I will look it up. I was thinking about adding CDs but I don't want that to get out of hand. I'm wondering if a top 10 list of CDs might make sense or I could just make them text links like my blog roll. The rule of course would be the CD has to showcase the synth, so Wendy Carlos' Hooked on Bach (MOOG Modular), Morton Subotnik (Buchla), and Roger ODonnell (MOOG Voyager) would make sense. Let me know what you think.
Plan B Knobs on Doepfer
cray5656 replaced the knobs on his Doepfer modular with Plan B knobs. Pretty nice. I see Livewire there as well. Title link takes you to cray5656's flickr set.
EPROM MODS DIY
"Solid Rate Studios is proud to announce it's leap into the world of Eprom Programming! Eproms are programmed in-house from a wide range of source material including binary images taken from stock Eproms, after market Eproms and binaries made from custom samples. We provide Eproms for virtually any Eprom based drum machine including... SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS DRUMTRAKS, LINN LM-1, LINN DRUM, OBERHEIM DMX, OBERHEIM DX, E-MU DRUMULATOR, ELEKTRON MACHINE DRUM, KORG ER-1, ROLAND MC-303, ROLAND TR-909, ROLAND TR-808, ROLAND TR-727, ROLAND TR-707, ROLAND TR-606, ROLAND DDR-30, BOSS DR-202, ALESIS SR-16, ALESIS HR-16, MPC MUSIC PERCUSSION COMPUTER, VARIOUS MODULAR ANALOG DRUM KITS, and more."Title link takes you there.
Inverse Room
Looks like Inverse Room has a new album out titled "American Recluse," along with a completely revamped website. You'll find new studio pics, samples, and more including the less often seen Yamaha SY-2 and Casio PT-7. Title link takes you there. Enjoy.
Vintage Analog Percussion
ACE Tone FR-3
Synsonics Pro
The Kit by M.P.C Electronics
The Clap by M.P.C Electronics
Multivox FR-4
Univox JR-5
No title link. These were sent in via Mo Rosati and are up for auction.
Roland TB-303 Devil Fish
Another TB-303 Devil Fish up for auction. Title link takes you to the shots. These are big ones, so be sure to click on the "All Sizes" link in the menu above the shots on flickr if you want to see the full image.via Dan.
Kirin Lager Meets YMO in Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
Click image to launch video. Title link takes you to the Kirin Promo site with a very nice image of YMO.
This is NOT the Graffiti Research Lab
YouTube via ni9e25.
In case you missed it there was a scare in Boston yesterday over these little devices cropping up around the city. They were mistaken for bombs. The officials brought out the bombs squads and blew them up. In actuality they were promo material for "Aqua Teen Hunger." You can read more about it on the excellent Laughing Squid.
To keep this post on topic, I'm curious if anyone knows what sound devices were used for the early arcade coin-op version of Pac Man. I always loved the richness of the sound and it was obviously before the SID. Anyone know if it was analog or digital? Also has anyone done anything new with the old devices? Seems like it would make for a good DIY project.
Updating The Site Template to Support New Blogger Features
If you read my last Blogger update post you will note that I noted search was broken. I think I figured it out. I need to update the site with a new Blogger template. This will finally give the "Older Posts" link at the bottom of the page that lets you go to the next page in the archives. Hopefully this will let you page through search results as well. I will also have a new Archive format that I think will be pretty cool. Anyway, I'm going to update the template now, so the site will look broken while this is happening.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Migrating to the New Blogger
And I'm back. If you seen any quirks with the site, please post a comment in this thread and I'll look into it. BTW, check out the new search functionality on the top left of the site. Instead of taking you to the old blogger search page based on Google results it will bring up the results inline, meaning on Matrixsynth. I believe this is the internal search engine which will bring back better results - I noticed the old search would often miss posts.
Update: Hmm.. Maybe not. The search results seem lacking. I did a search for MOOG via my internal editing site and I get 696 posts. I clearly don't get that when I search in the box above. I think there is supposed to be a forward and back button at the bottom of each page in the new Blogger. I'll need to see how to enable that.
Just and FYI, but it looks like I can finally migrate to the new Blogger. Previously I couldn't because my blog was too large. I'll let you know when I come out from the other side. If there are any glitches with the site before I get back, this might just be why. : )
Update: Hmm.. Maybe not. The search results seem lacking. I did a search for MOOG via my internal editing site and I get 696 posts. I clearly don't get that when I search in the box above. I think there is supposed to be a forward and back button at the bottom of each page in the new Blogger. I'll need to see how to enable that.
Just and FYI, but it looks like I can finally migrate to the new Blogger. Previously I couldn't because my blog was too large. I'll let you know when I come out from the other side. If there are any glitches with the site before I get back, this might just be why. : )
KORG KMS-30 MIDI Syncronizer
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.Details:
"This is The Korg KMS-30 Midi Syncronizer. If you have any Vintage drum machine or Analog Sequencer ( MC-202) or any synth that has SYNC IN than this Korg Korg KMS-30 will bring you to the MIDI world of today. Easy to use - Just plug the Sync cable and the Midi cable and you are in business of syncing. The Korg KMS-30 can strip a pilot to tape and read it for Analog recording sync with no Midi. The Korg KMS-30 is a MUST if you want to sync your old Analog gear directly to your Midi or PC. It uses a 9V DC power supply."
FAT FreeBass FB383 - MAM MB33
Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction. Apparently the FAT FreeBass FB383 and MAM MB33 are the same. They are Roland TB-303 clones. You can read more about them here. This unit is the FAT FreeBass FB383.
The Development & Practice of Electronic Music
No title link. Just the shot and details pulled via this auction.Details
"The Development And Practice of Electronic Music by Jon H Appleton and Ronald C Perera. Hard cover with 384 pages of theory (analog and digital), history and pics of synthesizers. Pics of synths include Moog IIIC Modular, Buchla Modular, EMS Synthi 100 Modular, Complete Arp 2500 Modular, Moog Modular CEMS system, Arp 2600 and others."
The Complete DX7
No title link. Just these two shots pulled via this auction. I've heard of the book before, but never seen it.
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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
