keys

flickr by pac209

Roland SH-101
Roland Juno-106
Clavia Nord Lead
Korg Poly-800

full size

EL-KA - Live @ E-Day 2007

You might remember EL-KA from these previous posts. The project features electronic music primarily from Hajo Liese and Till "Qwave" Kopper. That's them pictured in the CD inlet to the left. Pictured below is "Cosmic Hofmann (the brain behind the MEMOTRON, he did all the sampling libraries) explaining the Memotron to David Wright from UK." You can listen to and pick up the album here.

As always the posts here are about the synths. Click the top image to see the synths used.

Update via Qwave in the comments:
"I might add this shameless comercial info: you may buy the music also as download here"

Joystick available via devi ever

100k x 100k dual potentiometer joystick with sexy chrome handle
$10 a piece
$8 a piece at quantities of 50 and greater

click here for more info.

JoMoX 888 wireless network Logic 8 / midi bug

YouTube via shagghie
"Ok, so it's really a MBP/L8/CoreMidi bug, but I'll be damned if my 888 doesn't have a .11x card in it!"

Yamaha YMC10 Midi Converter

via this auction
"Use this to convert tape sync to MIDI or MIDI to tape sync. I never tried using this, but i got it from a world class studio (smart studios) when they had a garage sale, so i assume it works. It needs a 12vdc power supply which is not included. It has MIDI in, MIDI out 1, and 2, tape sync in, tape sync out, a switch to select tape sync in or tape sync out, a power switch and a LED."

Roland Jupiter-8

images via this auction

"Roland Jupiter 8, serial # 192066.This particular one is a 'Peace Of History' use by producer Matthew Willder on No Doubt album 'Tragic Kingdom' It goes with hard case with Matthew Willder logo on it(no Manual)."

ENSONiQ FiZMO RacK TransWaVe Synthesizer

images via this auction
"Here I've got a mega rare Fizmo Rack up for sale.One of only 50 or 250 made.A few people have told me 50 were made and some say 250.Definately not many and are rarely seen for sale.It comes with original manual,presets sheet,and original adapter.

If you're concerned about the voltage regulator issue I think Ensoniq fixed this with the Rack versions.A few people I've talked to say it was plus no ones ever heard of a rack going bad."

Anyone confirm this either way?

"Here are some specs:
The Fizmo is a 48-voice synthesizer which uses 2nd-generation Transwave technology to create very organic sounds unlike any other synth available. Every programming function has its own dedicated knob or button, and there is a limited but useful 4-character LCD display. The Fizmo features an Arpeggiator and 24-bit VLSI effects with 41 algorithms, including a Vocoder and the ability to process incoming audio through the Vocoder and effects.

Transwave synthesis uses wavetables of sound data with layered variations in harmonic structures such that their timbres progress naturally from one end to the other. This allows for sounds to modulate over time, or by velocity, wheel, pressure, or any number of other options.

There are 2 oscillators available for each of the 4 presets allowing for 8 unique oscillators at the same time, not to mention individual LFO and Noise generators for each Osc. Another wonderful feature is the ability to stack up to four individual presets together into one sound and map them across the keyboard. This synth is very capable of some very complex sounds.

The built-in Arpeggiator has 118 presets which can be easily edited to your liking, and 26 real-time control/editing knobs make mutating your sound a pleasure. All controls may be recorded in real-time to an external sequencer. There are current operating systems and patches available over the internet from Emu/Ensoniq's Web site"

installed and ready to rock, on top

via Shagghie

Future Retro XS
Future Retro Mobius
MacBeth M3X

Visual Synthesizer - How It Works

YouTube via ChannelLight

Jomox Xbase 888 Live Track2 by Priox

YouTube via Monolaend. Follow-up to this post.
http://www.myspace.com/hack999

Futre-Retro XS Bacon Session 3: Lesson 1 & 2 knobbery

YouTube via shagghie
"Bacon was exhausted after 1 and 2... on this one, he allows Shagghie to touch the knobs..even more than one at time. Video demonstrates lessons gleaned from a 1 & 2. Please note, and this is no joke, that my camera mic broke during these sessions during my first take..the bass coming out was so strong and subsonic, that now the mix has a white hiss noise and doesn't work the same. A Cannon Elf too!"

Future-Retro XS Bacon Session 1: Env 1 Amt to Filter

"Bacon demonstrates how to turn this knob on the all-new F-R XS. The only thing that sizzles more than Bacon is the XS. More to follow, but watch them in the right order, if you don't mind."

Future-Retro XS: Who's afraid of the dark...

Electro Harmonix HOG & Pigtronix Echolution

YouTube via Analogger
"This is to show some of the textures you can create with the EH HOG. It does a lot of cool things - but its not a "guitar synthesizer" in the sense it doesn't create sawtooth or square waves - what it does is give you different octaves and harmonies relative to your original pitch. It then puts that signal thru a 12 db resonant lowpass filter. It doesn't really work that well with chords - it does if you keep it to just a couple octaves and/or harmonies - but when you adjust your playing style you can coax all sorts of cool sounds out of it. Its really great for adding ambient textures to your music.

I hope this will help you decide if you can use the HOG in your creative process. I was kinda disappointed with the EH demonstration of it from NAMM on YouTube. Camcorder mics suck - especially in a huge convention hall. I would love to produce product demo videos for some of these guys!

I improvised some music for this video incorporating the Pigtronix Echolution -including a couple spots where I looped a short segment and played on top of it. I also ran the sound thru a little bit of reverb on my Lexicon PCM-80. I also used just a tiny amount of chorus from the Roland SDX Dimensional Expander.

My favorite feature of the HOG is the expression pedal - especially the "volume" mode which lets you blend in the amount of effected signal with the original guitar signal. Kind of like a volume swell. The other is the "filter" mode which gives you an awesome analog wah effect. Of course the whole idea here is to hopefully inspire your creative ideas - and think of ways you might use this tool."

Sequential Circuits Pro-One + Roland Juno-60 + TR-707

YouTube via retrosound72

"synth demo track by RetroSound

reso-bass: SCI Pro-One, triggered by the TR-707
analog strings and other sounds: Roland Juno-60
drums: Roland TR-707

live played, no sequencer software used"

Oberheim Upgrade for the Minimoog?

via old socks and new toys:

"I bought mine for about $300 from Hirsch Gardner at Daddy's Junky Music (MAIL ORDER!) around 1990. If I remember correctly he was selling it for a friend, he was told something about how it had had some sort of Tom Oberheim upgrade, whatever that might have been has been lost in my memory banks."

Anyone know more about this upgrade?

SIEL DK600

images via this auction

I almost put this one up on Matrixsynth-b due to the average images, but I thought the details were worth posting here.

"via the SIEL website:
The updated version of the Opera 6. Design improvements, a smarter and more restrained slik-screen job Improved program select buttons. Velocity sensitivity now programmable. Improved MIDI, including channel select and MIDI splits. VCA and VCF control voltage input sockets, curiously on 5-pin DIN. Re-badget as the Kiwi and also by Sequential Circuits as Velocity 6

Chips
3 SSM2020 VCA
6 SSM2024
6 SSM2044 VCF
6 SSM2056 EG"

You can find the full specifications on the SIEL website.

Akai EWI 1000 & EWV 2000

images via this auction

EWI 1000 wind controller
EWV 2000 synth engine

"A wealth of information on EWIs can be found here."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Elio

flickr by rutt

MOOG Rogue

Anyone know what the white box is?

Roland Jupiter-2 in Custom Case

flickr by janvanvolt (click for more)

"a Roland Jupiter 2 Synthesizer. which i recently acquired from a forum sale. I will do another frontpanel with Schaeffer and re-optimize some of the circuits sooner or later.

it's sounding awesome ! Sound samples soon. "

Vince on roland JP-4

flickr by Neil Vance (click for more)

full size

Vince Clarke
Roland Jupiter-4

Untitled

flickr by yousoundhollow

Cyclus 3 Sequencer

via the Techno section of NAMM Oddities 2008, the Spectral Audio Cyclus 3. You can find more info including specifications in this previous post.

"This gives you an updated control for vintage-style sequencing. One of the nice features is that each of the tracks can have a different length so your sequence mutates as the individual tracks loop at different points."

BTW, do check out the NAMM Oddities site for some of the bizarre items from this year's NAMM. I wouldn't call the Cyclus 3 odd, but only seeing it on the Oddities site so far is... kind of odd. Hmm...
via Dave.

Synthasonic Mystery Module Demos

Demos are up on the Synthasonic website.

Frontline x-2 aka DrumFire DF-2000

via this auction

via paleface in the comments of this audio post on the DrumFire: "The united kingdom version was known as the frontline x-2 same machine as the DF-2000."

Details from the auction:
"COOLEST MOST CAPABLE DRUM SYNTH EVER MADE + OLIVER LIEB'S SECRET WEAPON
THE ITEM IS THE BOTTOM UNIT IN RACK
Frontline X-2 also known as the Drumfire DF-2000
Adjustable pre set/Dual Channel Percussions Synthesizer
The Ultimate in Analogue drum synths
This thing smokes the Syndrums and just about all others as far as sound, functionality, adjust ability and can create many many more variations via its adjustments Basically a MOOG for drummers!
Each Channel has 2 adjustments which include
Manual trigger button
Sensitivity control
Oscillate decay1
Oscillator decay 2
Noise decay
Sweep
Pitch
Wave form shape
click on/off control
Noise filter
osc/noise balance
master volume
Audio On Off
Pre-set or manual switch
Each channel also has adjustable presets for these same controls there are 4 inputs for various footswitch functions allowing for on off control and shift between preset and manual settings for quick sound changes and 2 1/4" ins for triggers
Includes 2 standard 1/4" Acoustic triggers or use with any drum triggering device,
Outputs are standard 1/4" (2), top output sends ring or tip depending or your mixer setup
Each channel also has fully programable presets for these same controls"

Roland System 100 Schematics

includes:
# Mainmodule 101, mechanical oversight
# Mainmodule 101, VCO
# Mainmodule 101, VCF, VCA
# Mainmodule 101, Powersupply
# Sequencer 104, mechanical oversight
# Sequencer 104, block diagram
# Sequencer 104, schematic
link

EMS VCS3

click here for some amazing shots of the EMS VC3 - note it is also for sale (more info at that link). Be sure to check these out full size. I was given the OK to mirror them as well.

via mono-poly.

"The 3 inputs on the right are for voltage controlled waveshape. This machine is in very good condition for it's age and the mods are nice done to."

THE SQUARE (T-SQUARE) - PRIME

YouTube via bassa5112. sent my way via Dave. synths come in at 2:09
Takeshi Ito (Lyricon (EWI) )
Masahiro Ando (g)
Hirotaka Izumi (key)
Toyoyuki Tanaka (b)
Tohru Hasebe (d)

BBC2 Culture Show ft. Soulwax

BBC2 Culture Show ft. Soulwax

Uploaded by Frauleinnoise

novelty synth functions

Remember the novelty synth? Here's an image of it's main functions.

NAMM: Alesis SR18

Finally, a successor to the Alesis SR16. Anyone know how long the SR16 was in production? It leaves me wondering if it holds the record for the longest production run of any electronic instrument in the sense of synths, sequencers and drum machines.

"Alesis knows drums. The legendary SR-16 ignited the drum-machine market in 1990 and has remained a classic ever since. The SR-18 is designed to meet the demands of today’s musicians.

Introducing the SR-18. Following in the tradition of its ancestor, the SR-18 is loaded with cutting-edge drum kits, electronic drums, hits, and up-to-date percussion sounds for any modern drummer. From hip-hop, to country and everything in-between, the SR-18 has you covered.

The integrated effects engine includes Reverb, EQ and Compression for customizing the sounds to your liking. Since the SR-18 can be powered by AC or batteries, it ensures that whenever you need to lay down a groove, you're fully-equipped.

The new era of drum machines is here, only from Alesis.
_Large, 32MB sound set with percussion bank and bass synth
_Built-in Effects- Reverb, EQ and Compression
_Battery Power for max portability
_Pattern Play Mode enables different patterns to be triggered from the pads directly
_Mute/Solo Function for parts- Drums, Bass and Percussion and per pad within a bank"

WNAMM08: Plugiator – An 8 Synth DSP Box

Be sure to see the write-up on Sonic State.
You can find all NAMM videos by Sonic State here.
Update: Some interesting notes and a question on the Plugiator after watching this video:
In a prior video he referred to the audio input for use with the vocodizer only, in this video he says you can use it with the synth engines as well, so this is good. However, in this video he mentions or implies that you need the PC editor for extensive editing as the hardware only has five knobs? This is actually a show-stopper for me. I'm interested in the Plugiator as you can basically get the same synth engines as the Creamware ASB boxes in one device, but if you can't edit all the paramaters w/o the use of the PC, it kind of kills it for me. Anyone out there confirm this either way?

WNAMM08: Surfin Kangaroo Sequencer Updates

Be sure to check out the write-up on Sonic State.

WNAMM08: CME VX and UF Keyboards – More For Your $$

Be sure to see the write-up on Sonic State.

WNAMM08: More Korg n VOX Bits

Be sure to see the write-up on Sonic State.

Analogue Systems rs600 Performance Wheels Eurorack module

YouTube via bigcitymusic
"The Analogue Systems rs600 'Performance Wheels' module is a nice alternative to the rs220 Joystick Controller for the Demon or Sorcerer keyboard. The rs600 can also be used as a module in its own right in any Eurorack modular setup.

Clear backlit wheels change color as they are moved while the modulation wheel LED changes in intensity as it is moved showing the internal LFO frequency."

Also be sure to check out the new Big City Music Blog.

Marc Barreca + Allen Strange Live

Update: "DUE TO ILLNESS, ALLEN STRANGE WILL NOT BE PERFORMING)" click the link below for more info.

Via CHAPEL PERFORMANCE SPACE
Saturday February 2
"8:00 PM; $5 - $15 sliding scale donation at the door; presented by The Island Music Guild.

Marc Barreca, a Seattle pioneer of electronic music will be making a rare appearance with new works for electronic accordian, computer and interactive video. The evening will be shared with colleague Allen Strange, active in electronic music performance since the early 1970s.
Both Barreca and Strange will be releasing new CDs of recent works later this year. They will be joined by guest artists Pat Strange, violin, and William Trimble, saxophone. Both composers are current residents of Bainbridge Island and this is their first Seattle performance in many years."

The performance will be at the Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N, 4th Floor, Seattle, WA; in Wallingford, 1/2 block south of 50th St., 1 block east of Meridian; 206-789-1939
See these prior posts for some synth books by Allen Strange.

WNAMM08: EAR Plan B Synth Modules Too

Be sure to see the write-up on Sonic State. What's that on Peter's jacket? ;)

WNAMM08: Livewire Oscillator Module Nears Production

Be sure to see the write-up on Sonic State.

WNAMM08: More Modules From Doepfer

Be sure to see the write-up on Sonic State.

DeltaLab Echotron

Another scan via LDT.

Roland D-50 Part 1

YouTube via alphacode909. vis fischek.
"All the best Patches for that great synth are here ,it's the best ambient and pad machine..."

Roland D-50 Part 2

Analog Synthesizers VS Digital

YouTube via OldSchoolJungle
"A little poll that I ran at one of the popular music production boards shown some interesting results."

Jomox Xbase 888 Livetrack by priox

YouTube via Monolaend. www.myspace.com/hack999

MOOG Sonic Six

YouTube via e200001
"This is the Original MOOG Sonic Six Synthesizer and it is in Argentina"

EQUINOXE IV Jean Michel Jarre Cover

YouTube via gattobus
"Yet another JMJ song... This is one of my favorites. Drums, Arpeggio, Lead and all the variations are programmed on the Nord Modular G2. Pad from Virus TI and Sample Hold FX from the Moog LP. Enjoy!"

Trash_Audio interviews Dieter Doepfer

YouTube via justjustjustmcg.
"This is a great interview with Dieter Doepfer who makes Doepfer analog synthesizer modules, as well as other products. This particular interview is about his background/life/history and not about any specific products."

Rock On

flickr by mjp3000

full size

"Josie takes a turn on the Moog"

MOOG Little Phatty

RITM-2

images via this auction
" A rare subtractive analog synth, manufactured in 1982 by the Kirov radio plant in the former Soviet Union is here now! Fully functional! There is an original soviet factory structure - i.e. method of synthesis, knob resistors, parts, connections, voltage etc. It runs on 220V AC (US customers will need an adaptor). NO MIDI, CV-GATE OR SYNC ARE INSTALLED.

HERE DESCRIPTIONS FROM BOOK "VINTAGE SYNTH'S A-Z" BY PETER FORREST:

Ritm-2: 32-note (F-C) 1-VCO monophonic synth.
- Neat little synth with a mix of knobs and sliders. Sprung pitch-bend
wheel; modulation slider. Portamento / glissando; LFO - saw, triangle or
random; VCO: three waveforms; noise; VCF with resonance, switchable key
follow. Two ADSRs.
- This seems to have a feel of early Korg about it - nice. Made in the
Kirov factory."

KORG MS20

images via this auction

Inside a Rhodes Chroma

images via this auction
"Rhodes Chroma (Originally an ARP project) 16-voice Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer with JL Cooper MIDI interface now for sale. Registration # 21030348. Cosmetic condition is fair to good. All Voices tune. The Chroma (Quite a rare synth) comes with a box of manuals, factory-patch cassette tapes, and two extra voice-cards. (I believe these 2 extra-Voice-cards are not working)"

Yamaha SK20

images via this auction

No whimpies

"The SK20 adds the POLY-SYNTH SECTION: a 7-note polyphonic synthesizer with basic filter, pitch, envelope, and portamento controls. It features two (detuneable) oscillators per voice so it's good for thick pads. It lacks any bite whatsoever and, even in normal attack mode, has way too slow an envelope to be used for any bass or percussion sounds. But, the pads and strings you can get certainly shine and glitter like Bowie a-la Ziggy Stardust (especially when layered with the Strings section). It's like a good entry-level synthesizer. Basic and simple LFO, filters and ADSR envelopes. It has a built-in sustain and the Tremolo and Ensemble chorus effect also apply to this section."