"This is a cool quantizer with the usual scales (major, minor) and a mode where you can enter your own scale. Has some nice trigger in/out features and 2 summed voltage inputs. This is cool because it allows you to run your V/Oct into one input to track keyboard, sequencer, etc and occasionally whack the second input with an envelope generator for some scale-swept pitch modulation. Another cool thing is to run a slew generator after the 1 V/Oct and before the PSG for scale generated glissando."
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Analogue Systems RS130 Scale Generator
"This is a cool quantizer with the usual scales (major, minor) and a mode where you can enter your own scale. Has some nice trigger in/out features and 2 summed voltage inputs. This is cool because it allows you to run your V/Oct into one input to track keyboard, sequencer, etc and occasionally whack the second input with an envelope generator for some scale-swept pitch modulation. Another cool thing is to run a slew generator after the 1 V/Oct and before the PSG for scale generated glissando."
KORG DSS-1

You can use the slider to draw single cycle waveforms to use as oscillators on the DSS-1. Hit the appropriate button and wiggle the slider to create some on the fly oscillator waveforms.
Features:
12-bit sampler with fixed sampling rates of 16, 24, 32 and 48kHz
# maximum sampling times range from 16 seconds to 5.5 seconds at the top rate of 48kHz.
# lush analogue VCF switchable between 12 and 24dB
# eight notes of polyphony
# 61-key keyboard
# two oscillators per voice
# noise source
# two multi-stage envelopes
# resonant filter
# auto-bend
# twin digital delays
# oscillator sync
# unison mode
Friday, October 26, 2007
'JEAN MICHEL JARRE: OXYGENE' CD & DVD BOX SET

via JarreUK, where you can find more info.
Have fun synth spotting this one. Click the image for the full size shot.
Grey Matter E! Expansion for the Yamaha DX7II FD/D

"This is what a virgin Uninstalled E! board for the Dx7IIFD looks like. Boxed, booked and stickered. No magic special components, just plain old 74HC/CMOS glue logic, EPROMs and some memory ICs. We could clone it if we wanted to, I guess, although, there are a lot of smart cookies out there who would be able to do the whole thing on one chip nowadays without too much drama. Original installation guide was on blue paper, but, I've made it a big more screen friendly black and white, 'cause I'm such a facist like that sometimes'."

Polyfusion Modular S&H
YouTube via buchla300.
"Once again, not musical really but just showing the S&H and Filter on my Polyfusion. I will do some musical stuff on it soon. Ex Moog employees built these to higher spec and although some might prefer the character of the Moog, I prefer this sonically and feature wise. The quality is absolutely incredible. 5 VCO, 3 LFO, 2 Lo Pass Filters, 2 Hi Pass Filters, 6 Envelopes (2 voltage controlled), dual ring mod, dual s&h, Voltage Controlled Reverb, Octave Divider, 6 Voltage Controlled Amplifiers, Voltage Controlled Phaser, Envelope Follower, Quadrature LFO, Parametric Equalizer, Variable Formant Filter, Quantizer, 7 Mixers, Various DC sources and Attenuators Plus a Velocity & Aftertouch sensitive Keyboard. This used to belong to Hans Zimmer btw A Sequencer rack would be nice, but hey, you can't have it all!"
Polyfusion Modular VCO tracking
YouTube via buchla300.
"Not really an exciting musical video but just showing how accurate the Polyfusion's VCO's are. They have a 10 octave range and track incredibly well. At some point I patch one VCO to another to do some FM and even then, they remain totally in tune (except for when I put one VCO too low by mistake) Try this on most analogues and it just doesn't work! Also, they sound massive. Probably not via YouTube, but standing in front of it is quite an experience."
Rhodes Chroma Expander
images via this auction.
If you are considering this one, don't miss the note on MIDI below.
"Rare keyboardless version of the Chroma. (Less than 250 expanders produced) The Chroma was the last instrument produced by Arp before the company went bust in the mid 80's. Rhodes then took over Arp and rebadged the Chroma. The Chroma is a very flexible instrument, the architecture is almost modular like, very patchable plus with the benefits of having user memories. Fantastic sounding instrument, on tons of records from the 80s/ 90s. Famous users include Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock (Future Shock) amongst others.. Check out Herbie Hancock playing his Chroma in this Youtube video below:
Herbie Hancock jams with his Fairlight CMI
YouTube via froady.
"Herbie shows off while Quincy Jones looks on. 1983" Herbie plays the Chroma starting at 2:40 into the video. Gives you an idea of how great the synth sounds! Personally i think the Chroma is a much better sounding instrument than many of the other classic analogue polysynths, like the Prophet 5, Jupiter or Oberheim OB series. Here are some more details on the synths specifications: -2 VCO oscillators per voice, 8 note polyphonic synthesizer OR 1 VCO per voice and 16 note polyphonic. *Velocity and aftertouch sensitive* -Oscillators have sawtooth and square waveforms. -Ability to modulate the width of the sawtooth wave giving sine and triangle waveforms. -Filter modes include: 4 pole Low pass/4 pole High pass/ 2 pole Low pass/ 2 pole High pass/ 2 pole Band pass/ 2 pole Notch all with resonance. -Filter FM, ring modulation and Oscillator sync! -Four envelopes and glide generator PER voice. 16 LFO waveforms. -Arpeggiator with random mode. Also check out the excellent Rhodes Chroma website for more further information. Super instrument. Sonically its really versatile, great for percussive, cutting lead lines great for experimental and effects sounds (has a ring modulator, frequency modulation, tons of assignable LFOs and envelopes!) also very good for traditional synth sounds, smooth brass, string/ pad sounds etc. Really rich sounding.. It has a dual voice architecture like the CS80, where each oscillator has its own individual signal path and settings, so you can build some really impressive sounding patches. There is also a wide selection of decent patches to download from the Rhodes Chroma website. This unit has just been fully serviced (October 2007) and been given a full bill of health by Roy Paynter, an Arp trained Chroma repair expert in the UK. As well as being serviced the internal PSU has been also replaced with a modern switching unit improving long term reliability and also makes the instrument a lot lighter! The Expander is great if you are limited for space, its about a third of the size and weight of the Chroma keyboard! Also included in the auction is a JL Cooper Chromaface midi interface and manual and the Chroma user manual. I havent been able to get this midi interface working, im not sure i have it hooked up correctly, im sure the midi interface works ok, but thought it was worth mentioning. I was considering purchasing a CC+ midi kit for this unit, a great midi interface new on the market, which really brings the Chroma into 2007, gives it a great midi spec. Unfortunately i didnt get round to it and need need to sell this Chroma now to fund something else. But i highly recommend the buyer to check out the CC+ midi kit"
Andromeda A6 Tracks
via the AH list:
"There is a new CD out from Symbion project (aka kasson crooker of freezepop & splashdown) and the CD is 100% A6. If you're into Vangelis & Wendy Carlos or just want to hear a raw A6 in action, check it out. Here are a couple of links.
http://www.symbionproject.com/audio/woundup_clip1.mp3
http://www.symbionproject.com/audio/woundup_clip2.mp3"
"There is a new CD out from Symbion project (aka kasson crooker of freezepop & splashdown) and the CD is 100% A6. If you're into Vangelis & Wendy Carlos or just want to hear a raw A6 in action, check it out. Here are a couple of links.
http://www.symbionproject.com/audio/woundup_clip1.mp3
http://www.symbionproject.com/audio/woundup_clip2.mp3"
Luray Caverns: Stalacpipe Organ
"Visiting the caverns at Luray, Virginia. The organ is played with hammers striking the stalactites."
YouTube via lostcheerio. via the Top 10 Bizarre Musical Instruments on The List Universe. The Ondes Martenot and theremin make an appearance on the list as well.
BTW, I created a new tag, Nature, for stuff like this. Check it out. If you find any posts that I missed let me know and as usual I will tag them.
Boats
YouTube via JimGordon5. via My Synthesis Technology MOTM...
"Boats at Dana Point California October 2007. Music by Jim Gordon."
You might remember the name from this post.
rare device

click here for the full size shot.
Update via jm3 in the comments:
"this was a sticker from last night's opening of Rare Device in san francisco: http://www.raredevice.net/"
How a NeKo is Born (a youtube exclusive)
YouTube via OpenLabsInc.
"We were up at work late the other night and decided to tape some of our silly antics. Happy Halloween folks!"
Novation BassStation Demos
Novation Bass Station (TB-303 emulation) Techno Bassline
"me playing a simple bassline on my novation bass-station which is a real analog synth. the knobs i'm turning: filter section: frequency and resonance, i'm using first 12db then 24db filter"
Novation Bass Station - Trans Europe Express
"me playing parts of kraftwerk's trans-europe-express on my novation bass-station. i'm using both oszillators and the triangle LFO"
YouTube via kiezi.
"me playing a simple bassline on my novation bass-station which is a real analog synth. the knobs i'm turning: filter section: frequency and resonance, i'm using first 12db then 24db filter"
Novation Bass Station - Trans Europe Express
"me playing parts of kraftwerk's trans-europe-express on my novation bass-station. i'm using both oszillators and the triangle LFO"
YouTube via kiezi.
Home Studio Tour
YouTube via practicalsampling.
"A brief look at the tools sitting in my basement studio. Several pieces of the gear belong to Gregory Walker and Pete Coggan. On loan for specific sampling projects."
Oberheim Xpander with analog sequencer
YouTube via 123synthland.
"We are pro vintage synth dealers, but you all know that by now. :) Here's the Oberheim Xpander we just put up for sale being controlled by the ARP Sequencer we also just put on the market. Playing the Xpander from an analog sequencer's a lot of fun and makes me wonder why I control mine via MIDI. Hmmm. Email us anytime at minime123@onebox.com"
Emu Drumulator with MIDI
YouTube via rolandsh1000.
"This is a demo of some of the sounds of the Emu Drumulator and how it can be controlled via MIDI."
Wurlitzer Orbit Synthesizer
via this auction
See this previous post for more info in the comments and what looks to be a three manual version.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tristram Cary - UK Electronic Composer "Dr. Who"
YouTube via molotov324. via rustyanalog. What the Future Sounded Like. I haven't watched this through yet but a clip in episode three was not work safe - not sure of there are more.
"Tristram Cary - Pioneering UK Electronic Composer Electronic Music Studios avant-garde Peter Zinovieff Dr Who VCS3 Brian Eno Hawkwind Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon Emperor Machine Roxy Music BBC Radiophonic Workshop Tangerine Dream Hawkwind Tim Blake Jean Michel Jarre Kraftwerk David Cockerell"
Felix Visser with Synton Syrinx 0001
via this auction
Here's a bit of synth history. If you aren't interested in the auction, do note that is the first Synton Syrinx ever and that is Felix Visser, the creator of the Syrinx.
"This [picture] is number 02/10 of a strictly limited edition, and will be signed and numbered by Felix Visser, former boss of the famous synth and vocoder company, Synton. The synth itself, serial number 0001, Felix Visser's personal machine, will be sold at VEMIA in the next few weeks, and number 01/10 will be given to the winning bidder."
Blue Q


Thor's Hammer - Modular Analog Drum Synthesizer

Pictured:
"Clangora Hi-Hat Simulator
Thomas Henry's Clangora hi-hat synth project, which was published in the November 2003 issue of Nuts & Volts. The Clangora is practically a complete analog synthesizer, sans voltage control or temperature compensation of the VCOs; features include dual envelope generators, dual VCOs with FM mixer, frequency sweep and filtered pseudorandom digital noise source. The noise source and other sections are specifically engineered to evoke the character of brass percussion, but while the Clangora can certainly provide a convincing hi-hat impersonation it's also capable of a wide range of unique sounds and timbres. The circuit board was made using Mr. Henry's original artwork, and the chassis and faceplace are my own design. I also added front-panel pushbutton triggers for tuning without an external trigger source."
White Sequential Circuits Pro-One
Remember this white Pro-One via synthwood and customsynth.uk? Looks like it or another is up for auction.
via Jeff
Vince Clarke Studio For Sale
"Due to Relocation... Vince Clarke from Erasure is Auctioning over 160 items of Audio Equipment from his UK Studio. All have been regularily serviced. Most have documentation. Five items a day will be Auctioned starting from Wednesday 24th October.
Items that will be sold:
Pictured above: Roland Space Echo RE-201 and Korg Stage Echo.
Vince Clark's hobbit / mushroom looking studio.
Glass Viper

* Wave shaping with 16 LFO's.
* Continuously changing waveform.
* Easy to edit, basic interface.
* 4 Voices per instrument.
* LFO Envelopes with speed and
gain slopes.
* 4 Delay lines per instrument.
* Reverb and chorus effects.
* Comprehansive copy and
paste features.
General features
* 4 voices per instrument.
* Unique waveform mouse editing - listen while you tweak.
* 4 LFO's for voice basics, moving any waveform control point.
* Line, cosine or cubic interpolation for waveforms.
* 3 LFO per voice with 2 envelopes controlling speed and gain independantly.
* 4 syncable delay lines per voice.
* Six filter types.
* Comprehensive Copy & Paste algorithms for easy Panel, Voice, and Instrument copying.
* Plate reverb effects modelled from RaySpace technology.
* Stereo chorus.
* Additional wave-shaper.
* 6 controllers.
* Comes with 128 presets (included in evaluation copy).
link
Moog Little Phatty and Jordan Rudess - Octave Switching
YouTube via MoogMusicInc.
"Jordan shows some amazing tricks using the Little Phatty's ergonimically placed octave switches."
E-Mu Emax SE
via this auction
"Aside from being the keyboard behind the sound of Depeche Mode in the 1980's, the E-MU EMAX was one of the first truly modern synthesizer samplers, with awesome lo-fi 12-bit resolution up to 42kHz and 512K os sample memory. This board is PERFECT for 80's neuwave and electro sounds, and recreates saw-wave beasts like the Oberheim OBXA spot-on. All the tinny tines and silly fat swells are here ready to be run through awesome analog filtering that is actually easy to operate despite the lack of knobs. Having owned an Ensoniq Mirage, a Casio FZ1, and Korg DSS-1, I can truly say that this is the best 80's sampler I've used. I'm only selling to buy a new Juno 106, as that is my favourite board of all time and mine finally died.
The synthesizer you're bidding was owned by a synth geek since it was new, and is in excellent shape, with the superficial exception of the backlight for the LCD which, like most 80's synth screens, has stopped lighting up. No problem really, the screen is still visible 100%. This E-MU EMAX has the added SE programming, although I was told that the OS on the floppies would need to be updated to the newest version to take full advantage of this synth engine. Every aspect of this board functions great. All jacks sound off, all lines in sample correctly. I am including 9 disks of samples, from the Moog to an OBXA saw wave, lots of basic tones, some sweeping pads and strings, basslines, arpeggiators, and a disk of sci-fi samples.This board even comes with the ORIGINAL MANUAL AND ORIGINAL SHIPPING BOX with $2000 price tag! If you want to get into sampling, or you need lower-fi than modern MPC's can offer, this is your board. GRITTY, GRITTY, GRITTY, that's t he EMAX. I never like buying boards unheard, so I played off all my favourite sounds onto an MP3 for you to listen to. All these tones, included on the floppies, have been sampled from original 80's boards like the OBXA, Juno, and DX7, are at base filter with no effects and no special EQ'ing. Check it out here: MP3"
Apologies for grabbing the full description on this one. I usually filter them but this one was littered with interesting bits so the whole thing goes up. Anyone know what filter this one had? I'm not seeing it on the synthtech chip list and I forget.
Moog Liberation Keytar Analog Synthesizer
"This is a real Moog Analog, 100% Analog, 2 Analog Oscillators, 2 Moog Analog 4-pole filters synthesizer. Did I mention, this is all ANALOG!!!! Anyway, before digital modeling and sampling became the things in synthesizer, Moog ruled the synth world with their high quality instruments. This thing does not play realistic piano or accordion sounds but if you want the screaming, rich, fat sounds that ELP, Pink Floyd, Yes and Return to Forever used - this is the beast for you.
It was designed for the keyboard player who wanted to get out from behind the keyboard. It was designed to strap-on like a guitar so that you could get out in front and do soaring leads. The left hand controls are designed to give you full range of pitch bend, volume control, modulations and glide. The right hand plays the keys and works the other controls (the envelopes, waveforms, mix, octaves, etc). The Liberation is pretty straight-forward to use if you understand synth terminology. I played the thing on top of another keyboard or on a stand. If you strap it on, you won't to do that all night. It is heavier than a heavy Les Paul guitar at 13.5 lbs. But it is not bad for all it does.
It is made of wood and metal. All the pictures I have seen of Moog Liberations are black. This one is orangey-yellow. I have remove the bottom panel and it was yellow inside, too which leads me to believe it came from the factory this way but I don't know. Being almost 30 years old, it has nicks (at the tip of the arm) and a crack that has been glued and repaired (see pictures). Also, the syn switch had the arm broken off and was repaired with a long screw and spacer and works fine."
via everything2:
"A 2-voice polyphonic analog strap-on synthesizer with a 44-note keyboard. Manufactured from 1980 to 1984.
As mentioned above, the Liberation is a strap-on synth designed to be played like a guitar. Its neck features controls for filter cut-off (with a spring returning it to 0), modulation, volume, aftertouch sensitivity and portamento, plus a ribbon controller for pitch bend. The strap-on part of the Liberation is connected with a cable to its other, rackmount section. It features the synth's power supply and a CV/gate interface."
MOOG MODULAR SYNTHESIZER SERVICE MANUAL
"This is a fresh copy of an original service manual from Moog Music that I purchased in 1978,It covers information on modules for:
System I , II, III, 12, 15, 35, 55,
It is 54 pages which contain:
1. Full Schematics for all Modules,
2. Alignment and Tracking Procedures,
3. Interconnection and Cabinet Wiring,
4. Transistor Matching.
With these schematics and some technical knowledge you can build your own $20,000 synthesizer,(I did)" Note the modular this person built pictured below.
Roland Analog Sequencer Model 104
Made originally as part of the Modular 100 system
# 12 steps, with step selector switch and 12 red step LED's
# 2 channels (A, B)
# Internal clock with Rate and PW
# 3 Modes (manual, A, A+B)
# Start, Stop, Continue, Manual Step controls
# Serial and Parallel Outputs
Sequential Circuits Pro-One
"The most popular MOD was made by a qualified Sequential technician on this Pro One. You see it on the last picture. THERE IS NO DIRECT MODIFICATION MADE ON THE PRO ONE. IT is only a small circuit board that was added independently. It is an inverter, that inverts the polarity of the filter envelope. GREAT MOD! IT DOUBLES THE TYPES OF SOUNDS POSSIBLE ON THIS MACHINE" YOU CAN MODULATE ANYTHING (PW, FREQ, CUTOFF) WITH A NEGATIVE ADSR! SO GREAT! Just push the switch back down and you get a regular Pro One"
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Homebrew analog synthesizer

click here for the full size shot.
Note the Maker's Mark bottles sitting on top.
Update: More info on the synth here. via Mikael in the comments of this post.
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© 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