OK, first off I am stretching this one a little on synth content so consider yourself warned. Dave, creator of one of our favorite and only synth toons, The Packrat, sent me and a few others a link to an old toon he did called Sci-Fi Guys. I wanted to put up a post on it, so of course I asked if any of the toons featured any synths. Duh. Turns out they did for audio. The following are Dave's words on the toon followed by the synths. Note Randal of redshiftdigitalaudio and the On The Bench posts also worked on this.
"For about a year and a half, my old Sci-Fi Guys toons haven't been available online at all, after Camp Chaos shut down it's 'Other Shows' section. At a rate of about one per week, since May, I've uploaded them all to Newgrounds. The eleventh and final episode (the Christmas one) will get shoved up there in November sometime.
The title song for Sci-Fi Guys is called 'Ryu' off my Parallax CD 'visit the entropics.'
There are other very synthesized sound cues and transitions in the films also, taken directly from the album.
This music was sequenced by me at home, all on a rickety Korg 01/W, but the exported general MIDI files were painstakingly re-mapped & produced by Randel at redshiftdigitalaudio (the tech guy behind the "On the Bench" posts linked from your blog from time to time). A few overdubs, samples and leads were added later. Synths I definitely know that were used: Waldorf Pulse & Microwave, Clavia Nord rack, Korg MS2000R & Wavestation, a couple of Oberheim Matrix-6R's, Roland JD-800 & three JD-990's, and Yamaha VL1-m.
Audio Damage Dr. Device demos via brian comnes:
"this is one Ableton clip processed 5 ways
organ is Kjaerhaus Spectra pre-set
drums are microtonic
all clips run thru kjaerhaus MPL master limiter
clips are
clean - organ and drums no plugs
dr device on organ only
dr device on drums only
dr device on both drum and organ
last but not least I put Audiu Damages other plug in Replicant on the organ and dr device on drums and let it run for 64 bars so you could hear replicant pusnhing the organ clip around
YouTube via gattobus. "The song played in this video is a remake of the Access Virus b factory demo, "Endorphins". All played with Korg Radias in real time."
via this auction. BTW, if you are even considering picking this up, read this post including the comments, and be careful with those caps! Also more info here.
Title link takes you to shots via this auction. BTW, this appears to be a re-listing with new shots.
"Oberheim 2 Voice, Serial # 0404. This very rare synth was built in 1975, I purchased it a few months ago, and had just been professionally serviced, everything works and sounds great. See for yourself in the links below. 2 voice means that this synth is polyphonic, 2 VCO's per SEM module, the modules can be triggered together for 4 oscillators at once, or split so that either the left or right module will trigger first. Each oscillator has 2 knobs, one stacked on top of the other allowing for a qick or fine tune of the frequencies. There is some cosmetic wear on the exterior of the case, slight rust on the corner guards and some light scratches typical of an antique such as this."
Oberheim 2 Voice demo 1
Oberheim 2 Voice Sequencer Demo
Oberheim 2 voice test part 2 YouTubes via Hobbs360.
Click here for shots via this auction. Be sure to check them out full size. These are some nice shots.
"This Synthesizer is one of the first monophonic keyboards from the early 70's. It was made by Keio Electronic Laboratories (KORG) and was distributed in the United States by Unicord under the Univox name. This is a 3 octave keyboard, single oscillator unit with controls for volume, attack, percussion, depth, wave shape, chorus, in addition to switches for expand, bright, sustain, bender, and repeat. There are additional controls for the repeat circuit, the vibrato, depth and speed, and the portamento as well as overall pitch. There is also a modulator called traveler with 2 slide controls. The rear panel has 2 outputs designated low and high, and the power cord tucks away behind a panel on the rear of the unit."
via this auction. I love the look of this. "The drums have a variety of beats and patterns are fully programable and have full midi so they can be incorporated into almost any set up and remotely trigger sounds via midi. There are eight individual pads and a sliding scrapper function that creates a unique ribbon control like synthesizer."
Sample of the Triadex Muse sent into AH via Scott. Posted here with permission. Big thanks to Scott. This is the first time I've heard one. Note the Triadex Muse is considered to be the first digital synth. It was produced in 1972. One is also featured as a prop in the movie Brainstorm staring Christopher Walken. You can find more info on the Muse via the Triadex (Muse) link below as with all posts. You can download the mp3 of the above here or here.
Click on the MORE Triadex (Muse) link directly below for more posts on the Triadex Muse.
"Dr. Device is two (two! two!) hi-octane analog-style effects in one. First in the chain is a multi-mode filter, featuring our own private reserve 4-pole lowpass, along with 5 other tasty musical modes. Then, your audio takes a trip through our true-stereo analog delay. Couple these effects with a two-node XYZ pad, motion recording, and kinetics (you have to see it to believe it) and you've got an effect well-suited for both live performance and studio tweaking.
Dr. Device is available as a VST effect for Windows, and as an AudioUnit/VST effect bundle for OSX Universal Binary. Note that you must have OSX 10.3.9 or greater to use the Macintosh version of this plugin."
Title link takes you there. You'll find samples and more.
YouTube via retropunk. "Turbo's famous broom-dance to Tour de France by Kraftwerk Trivia - Turbo has been credited for teaching Michael Jackson the 'Moonwalk'"
Synth content? A while back I heard synths were featured in the film Breakin' and/or Breakin2' Electric Boogaloo. I think it was mentioned on a gas-station thread. I was wondering if anyone out there has seen the movies and can comment on any synth content. These along with Fame are on my list of movies with synth cameos I must see one day. Hmm... Synth movie list post coming up...
"I had some old posts mentioning synths on batteries and with a view to solar. Well, through developments I've worked some things out and really should post some ideas/findings up -- I've found it interesting working out a system and how things work (or don't) and now I'm looking forward to doing some more shows with such a system (hint - it chucks out ever evolving techno-wobbles!).
So, here's a picture of my latest frame (..and the frames have been changing a lot over the last months - but this one was built from scratch so finally made to measure)
Finally outside! ..I just need to build a power amp into this frame.!. &, actually, this pic is a little faked --> the solar panels (big'uns!) feed into external charge controllers & SLA batteries before powering the frame.
52 frac unit space! & it should be possible to take it on a flight tomorrow as a carry on musical instrument!"
Be sure to check out this post followed by these for more.
"playing live at sunrise, Rosarito beach, Mexico.
playing the song TRISINE followed by a jam with 303 bass lines and linndrum beats(more info about 303 and linn below).
Latinsizer
Pepe Mogt In this project Pepe Mogt works with a very synthetic and basic set of musical tools to create a quirky approach to electronic music exemplified by "Ritmo 55", the first track released by Latinsizer which appeared on the Nortec Experimental CD. This approach could be described as a combination of the melodic work of early synth Pop classics such as Eno-era Roxy Music and Switched on Bach, modular synth based artists like Tangerine Dream and the grit of urban Tijuana, Latinsizer "live at MUtek CD" has a more noise dance oriented aproach without loosing his analog roots
Latinsizer becomes an alternate project to Nortec, and particularly, to Fussible, recently playing at experimental and dance music festivals like Mutek or Decibel, currently is working on his new album and EP, Celofán is a video of his latest works.
The TB-303 is THE sound of acid and techno house music! It's a monophonic analog bass synthesizer married to a pattern-based step sequencer released in 1982. It features a single analog oscillator with two waveforms (ramp or square) and has a simple but excellent VCF filter with resonance, cut-off, and envelope controls. There are also knobs to adjust tuning, envelope decay, tempo and accent amount.
How does it work? Well, it's not a performance synthesizer because you have to program a pattern of notes and timing info into it (sort of like a drum machine). Patterns can then be linked into songs. It was originally made to accompany a drum machine, the TR-606 specifically, and provide bass-line accompaniment to guitarists, keyboard players, etc. It was not a successful product in its time. As a result, creative DJs and aspiring electronic musicians found them for next to no money and began using them for techno and acid music. Usually a single pattern is continuously played while the performer tweaks the knobs creating an exciting and expressive musical event.
The TB-303 has become one of the most sought after vintage synths ever! It has helped develop and stylize many forms of electronic music including House, Acid, Trance and Ambient. If ever there was a need for a repetitive bassline/groove or an extremely resonant and bubbly sound, the 303 is KING. Truly a unique machine with a very identifiable sound! It has spun off several imitators as well: Novation BassStation, ReBirth, Doepfer MS-404, MAM MB-33, Syntecno TeeBee, and more (see Related & Alternative Gear sidebar).
Ironically, these days it's become trendy to dislike the 303 again, now because of over-use. But I don't and you shouldn't either because it is one-of-a-kind and it's just got that sound that everyone loves! Fatboy Slim says it best in his song "Everybody Needs A 303".
The LinnDrum was the second machine from Linn Electronics. It's basically an upgraded version of the original LM-1 with added crash and ride cymbals to the kit. The LinnDrum uses samples of acoustic drum sounds. At the time, they sounded great and much more realistic and they were a fresh alternative to the analog drum sounds of the '80's drum machines. The LinnDrum also had a handy upgrade option, a well designed layout and interface, and live drum trigger inputs.
The LinnDrum had beefed up the sampled sounds from 28 to a 35kHz sample rate. It features 15 sounds including bass, snare, rimshot, hihat, crash, ride, three toms, cabasa, tambourine, high and low congas, cowbell, and clap. Up to 12 sounds are available simultaneously. Individual controls are available to tune, pan, and mix each drum sound via dedicated knobs and sliders. An Accent is available for the kick, snare and hats. The handy upgrade options involve inserting new chips containing new sets of sampled drum sounds created by many session drummers of the time.
The sequencer had some innovative features (for the time) such as swing, quantizing and memory storage! Two-bar patterns can be recorded in real or step time, with or without quantizing. There are 56 user patterns for storing your drum patterns. There are also 42 preset drum patterns. Patterns can be arranged into Songs for which there are 49 memory locations. Old songs and patterns can be off-loaded to cassette tape for storage. Designed for the studio, there are 15 individual outputs for each sound around the back as well as external sync and trigger but no MIDI (unless modified by a 3rd party). The LinnDrum's features made it the most professional drum machine of its time. It was widely used throughout the 1980s and there are about 5,000 of them which have been used by professionals (such as Sting, Prince, Jean-Michel Jarre, Sheila E., Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Edgar, Jan Hammer, Peter Gabriel), hobbyists, and educators alike!"
YouTube via zamisers7k. "Hooked up through CV/Gate, don't know if hooked up properly or not, my first time trying cv/gate, but seemed to work OK. Towels under TB cause I've repainted OBs top, pretty again, don't want scratches. Enjoy it or not screwballs!"
YouTube via diekleinekuh. Sent my way via Kris. "The Lonesomes' keyboard player Anne Moo playing the Arp 2500, Korg MS20 and Ems Synth in her session at the WORM - CEM studio in Rotterdam."
"Arp Odyssey synthesizer model 2810, also known as the type II. This perticular Odyssey was purchased by myself over 8 years ago from an arp representative who traveled around the country with it, lugging it about to trade shows in the 1970's showing off its fantastic analog capabilities... very low serial number odyssey. #0018 to be exact."
Title link takes you to Burnkit 2600 where you will find a number of interesting circuit bent and modded gear. Pictured here is the TR-626 Rhythm (de)Composer. You'll find more details on the mods and samples after the hop.
Title link takes you to the studio gallery of Things To Come Records. You'll find a number of shots including synths of course, along with the some of the construction of the studio.
"In 1951, the first electronic music studio was conceived from scratch at the WDR Radio of Cologne (Germany) to enable the composition of electronic music sounds. Briefly, the concept of studios evolved up to the 1955 design of the Phonology studio in Milan by Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna. With nine oscillators, various filters and other sophisticated equipment , the presence of a technician/musician (Marino Zuccheri), the studio was the best equipped in the world at that time."
Part 2
"Marino Zuccheri was the sound engineer of the famous Milan RAI (Italian Broadcasting Company) Electronic Music Studio, and he worked with Berio, Nono, Maderna, Cage, Pousseur among the others, and he gave birth to some of the great masterpieces of early electronica. He was the one who actually knew how to operate the equipment."
Part 3
"Original Luciano Berio's off-camera commentary: "This is the RAI Studio of Fonologia in Milan, one of the first electronic music studio. There are sound generators, filters, tape recorders, modulators, mixers and also excellent technicians (Marino Zuccheri). Here you can find all you need to produce electronic music in a good mood. It's necessary when you have to go back and forth on the sound equipment, to do a hundred of manual hand-works and to patiently cut the magnetic tape with the scissors". YouTube via usoproject. via AudioLemon.
This is a handmade Soundlab analog synth designed by Ray Wilson and put together /modified by me. It has the following MODS:
-FINE TUNE VCO1,2
-VCO MODULATION
-TIMING MODS FOR VCO1,2 and REPEATER -BLUE LED INDICATORS.
-internal 9v power supply
-Arcade Button for Manual Trigger.
Everything else is standard Soundlab. My unit is made of Tranparent Plexi Glass Panels and wood casing. It has Highest Quality Laminated Artwork. The AC power adapter is included.
NOTE: out of the box this thing uses CV and GATE inputs. To connect midi you need a CV to MIDI converter. They sell em here at ebay. However, out of the box one could still make sounds with the onboard Pink Arcade trigger. The Midi only understands note on/off and pitch change.
All resistors are 1% tolerance, and cabling is CAT5 single strand internal. Thoroughly tested and mother approved.
Vintage Synth Drum Pad by Synsonics Drums 4 pads Cymbal and drum sounds "pitch-bend" wheel on side L/ R output and headphone out 9 volt d.c. in Also runs on batteries
Update: Reminds me of the custom drums used by Kraftwerk used in this video.
via Saemus in the comments: "This link shows the custom drum trig unit "played at studio by Wolfgang Flür and later by Karl Bartos in the 70s and was used live for the first time in the 1981 World Tour. link Just open 'Electronic Drum Pads'."
Update via Stephen in the ocmments: here is the service manual: link some info here: link"
There's been some discussion in the comments of this post regarding the Andromeda A6 and it's ability or inability to produce vintage sounds including snappy bass and leads. The comments made me think of how diverse the A6 is and it reminded me of the Andromeda A6 Tips and Tricks on the excellent Andromeda A6 Community Website. If you have an A6 take the time out to explore it a bit. The A6 actually has an "Engine Optimizer" section that allows you to adjust the settings below. This has often been said to result in what sounds like snappier envelops settings. If you have an Andromeda the following is worth a try. Set up an arpeggio with an attack of zero, short decay and sustain of zero then flip through the different settings. You will hear the difference. This is an example of how much detail in control the Andromeda offers. BTW, if anyone can create a sample of this, send it in and I'll post it.
"11.7 SETTING THE ENGINE OPTIMIZER:
The engine optimizer is a function hidden in the “Process” menu. The normal “compromise” timing of the Andromeda works well for bass and pad sounds, but it could be made better for either type of sound.
Hit “Process”, then turn soft knob one all the way to the right hand side to select the engine optimizer. Then hit soft knob one to select this function.
The engine optimizer has several settings for VCO: *Normal – The default. *Fast – Fast pitch changes, good for bass sounds. *Smooth – Smooth pitch changes, better for pad sounds that aren’t too slow. *Mushy – Good for deep drones and slower sounds.
The engine optimizer also has several settings for VCA: *Normal – The default. *Fast – Fast filter changes, good for bass sounds. *Slow – Slow filter changes, better for long sweep sounds. *Medium – Medium percussive, for slower bass sounds.
In general, you want “fast” VCO changes, and either “fast” or “medium” filter changes (depending on whether you are doing techno bass or more of a funky bass feeling). This is not a hard and fast rule; not every sound benefits from this."
Note: I disabled comments in this thread to keep them on the previous thread, so comment there.
"A little demo showing some bass capabilities of the Andromeda... Just one mono voice (no unison) playing its internal arpeggiator. At around 00:50 resonance is increased and consequentially the volume drops. At 01:25 resonance goes back to 0. No EQ or FXs."
"Hi Matrix, I did a comparison between the A6 and Roland System 100M after reading some people´s comments about the A6 not sounding "vintage". I posted it here [electro-music.com]. and the link is this [Twango embedded above]. To make it more fun, I´m not going to tell which is which, and I´ll let people decide. If you want you can post it in your site, with a poll or something. One synth´s on the left, the other on the right. One of the sides has a little beep at the beginning for avoid confusion between left and right channel. So, which synth´s on the click side??? (there´re some cues that may help, because I did it very fast and left some details unpolished)"
Vote for which yuo think sounds more vintage, aka the Roland.
YouTube via stretta. "Vanguard, MachFive, Model 12, kazoo (recorded with a U87 (handheld,'cause I was too lazy to go downstairs and get a mic stand)) and some sample loops. 15 minutes of effort, tops. I made it for my 4-year old son, who watched it, like, 50 times. I hope you're a connoisseur of the absurd." Yep... : )
Title link takes you to shots via this auction.
