images via this auction* Filter effect
* Fuzz effect
* Pitch to CV converter
* Voltage controlled mini-synth
* Guitar synthesizer
* Envelope follower
Looks like this is via ZonkOut. You can see some videos of the unit at the auction or here.
Friday, February 08, 2008
KORG X-911
images via this auction* Filter effect
* Fuzz effect
* Pitch to CV converter
* Voltage controlled mini-synth
* Guitar synthesizer
* Envelope follower
Looks like this is via ZonkOut. You can see some videos of the unit at the auction or here.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Minimoog Accessories and Minimoog Manuals
Click here for the following MOOG manuals via Marcos:MOOG Accessories
Accessories Service Manual
Minimoog Technical Service Manual
Minimoog Operation Manual
User Manual
I also copied over the Minimoog Service Manual previously posted here, so they are in one location. I left the old share for anyone that bookmarked it.
Synth Chips
"We specialise in supplying those hard to find components used in a variety of vintage instruments.We hope you'll have a good look around and find the information relevant.
Our current stock you'll find on our Spares page.
New stock items have been added 15/07/06.
Always WANTED CEM and SSM devices
please mail with details."
http://www.synthchips.com/
Be sure to check out their circuits page for diagrams of some classic synths. via brian c.
AnalogSuicide.com at Big City Music: French Connection!
YouTube via tarabusch
"http://www.analogsuicide.com
http://www.bigcitymusic.com
http://www.analoguesystems.co.uk
Tara Busch leads us through a mini tour of the fabulous Analogue Systems French Connection...a sweet remake of the classic Ondes Martenot."
Casio CT-638 CircuitBent
YouTube via a2sidedcoin
"I just finished adding on a switchboard and one pot. to the growing monster.. After it is completely done, I will post part 2 of this video.."
Update:
Casio and Xiosynth Jam
YouTube via a2sidedcoin
"Took an arp that I made with the xiosynth, and jammed along with the newly bent casio ct-638"
MOOG SL-8
Another shot of the MOOG SL-8 via Neil Vance"Looks like this was scaled down cheaper version of the rather expensive MemoryMoog? an attempt to grab some market and compete with the likes of the yamaha DX7?"
full size
I disabled comments here to keep them all in the previous post.
BTW, also check out this post by jared on the Matrixsynth Forum, for some interesting insight or rather suggested discussion on the impact of the Yamaha DX7.
roland v-accordion demo with extensions
YouTube via oove999. You can thank Music Thing for finding this gem.
"uwe steger proudly presents his extensions for the roland v-accordion. if you are looking for a christmas gift for YOUR accordion, here you will also find the contact to the guy who gets the work done"
The ARP 2600: A Short Overview Part One
YouTube via AutomaticGainsay. follow up to this post.
"Here is a demonstration of the sound and functionality of the ARP 2600 analog synthesizer. Something about the source material (despite having been recorded in the same fashion as all of my videos) has resulted in the YouTube compression generating a lot of audio artifacts. No attempt I've made has resulted in a removal of this effect. Hopefully, you can listen past the effect of YouTubes compression to hear the sound of this synthesizer in these two videos! Hopefully, this problem won't exist in subsequent examples."
Yamaha DX7 Harps demo
YouTube via DX5.
Sent my way via fischek.
"Me playing a DX7 Harps brief demo. Bronski Beat "Smalltown Boy" and Enya "Caribbean Blue" type harps.
Recorded several months ago for Sonicstate.com (you can see some of that demos at "Top 20 Greatest Synth" series).
Sorry, It was recorded with my old cam, so the sound doesn't come directly into the cam, but thru a speaker.
A "Smalltown Boy" cover coming soon..."
Strumenti Vintage: Korg Trident + Wem Copicat
YouTube via zioguido. sent my way via fischek.
"Video girato per gli amici del forum di SupportiMusicali.it - il primo di una lunga serie :-)
Qui vi mostro il mio Korg Trident MK1 e il bellissimo delay a nastro Wem Watkins Copicat.
Perdonate i tagli ma per farlo entrare nei 100 Mb e nei 10 minuti ho dovuto troncare alcune parti... comunque il succo c'è... buon divertimento :-)"
Minimoog Service Manual
Click here for the full Minimoog Service Manual sent to the Lords of the Mini list via Marcos.Update: Marcos sent in the following as well. I've created a new share for all.
MOOG Accessories
Accessories Service Manual
Minimoog Technical Service Manual
Minimoog Operation Manual
User Manual
Reformat The Planet - Chiptune Documentary
BLIP FESTIVAL: REFORMAT THE PLANET trailer from 2 Player Productions on Vimeo.
Click here for more. via Peter.
MOOG Posters
Two Moog posters sent in via Tangent Electronic Studio."here's a couple pics of my Moog posters... i've never seen the MiniMoog poster anywhere else before. got them both from Medley Music in Bryn Mawr, PA in the early 80s. [the store, incidentally is still there, under the same family ownership.]"
MOOG Minimoog
TANGENT ELECTRONIC STUDIO
"visit: http://www.tangent-project.com/ and choose: TANGENT ELECTRONIC STUDIO from the menu on the left. there are thumbnails in the 'gallery'that you an choose from. i'll be putting up some new pics in the coming days, including some more shots of the Serge - i just built a custom interface panel for attaching other gear to it so i can exploit some of its peculiar abilities. i've been collecting since my fist synth in 1978 - the Odyssey that i still have and use [though i do need to put in the replacement sliders i bought recently...] i have two Mellotrons here right now - both mine and one i am working on for a friend, no pics of the second one - it won't fit in the studio right now anyway ;0)...and there are also some nice things in Harrison's studio." (bottom image here - click on Harrison's Studio on the left menu there)
AKAI S900 resource page
"This page is dedicated to those of us who are broke and make great music with what they have available."
http://xfader.com/akai/
via Regend in the comments of this post.
http://xfader.com/akai/
via Regend in the comments of this post.
Voice Of Saturn Sequencer
flickr by recompas. You can find more images here. Note these could come up for sale. If you are interested, keep reading. Update: more info on the recompas website.
"Hi, I'm an avid reader of Matrixsynth and was curious if you'd be interested in my little analog sequencer project i'm working on currently. I basically want to get some feedback from people to see if its worth my time making these to sell (i've got a few prototypes for myself which i'm having a lot of fun with). There's a lot of components and it takes me quite a while to put one together and I was wondering if there is enough interest out there for something like this for around $250-$300 depending on the case. Its a 10 step analog sequencer (actually, can loop from 1-10 steps) with gate outs for each step, 0-~9v cv output, s-trig or regular trig output, clock output/input, and runs off a 9v battery - and yes, its based more or less off the Baby10 sequencer. I'll have some sound samples up soon on my website, it works great with my Korg MS-10 as well with my Voice of Saturn synth box that I'm also in the process of developing. I'll have more info on everything up soon."
eagleroad - machinedrum uw MDUW
YouTube via eagleroad
"gear used:
elektron machinedrum UW (drums+MIDI sequencers),
nord modular G2 engine (wonky synth+MIDI step sequencers,
juno-106 (bassline)
jx-8P (klang synth)
dx-7 (percussion/bass)
Boss Dr Pad (hand claps)
some analog echo boxes, and distortion.
sorry for the bad image qulaity. the camera was hanging from a mic stand hence the shakes..."
And a little more info directly from eagleroad:
"semi-improv hardware only. used a g2 patch i made emulating the sequencer in an sh101 to trigger a roland juno 106, jx-8P and yamaha dx-7. all triggers and drums from the machinedrum."
Plan B Model 23 First Listen
via Peter Grenader on the Plan B list:
"As the Model 23 Analog Shift Register nears design completion, I've posted some sound samples to give you an idea why it's got us sort of excited. Before I do, let me go into a few details on the things about ASR's which I've personally found aggravating:
A) Outputs do not track the input voltage, making driving them with a keyboard problematic.
B) Output taps not tracking one another so that a voltages vary as they are passed down the line of outputs.
C) Incoming clock causing a droop in held voltages at it's falling edge.
I'm glad to say that the Model 23 does none of these things. As the following sound samples indicate, four separate VCOs driven by the (now) four outputs of the ASR track to the quantized input of an envelope generator: asr1.mp3
Same patch, but slower, giving you a clear indication of the uniformity of the voltages as they go down the line of outputs: asr2.mp3
Same patch, at even a slower pace: asr3.mp3
Having a little melodic fun, now with the four VCOs gated through a Model 13: asr4.mp3
Screwing around with the update speed, this time with the M23 sampling quantized random voltages via the Model 24 give the 'classic ASR' effect: asr5.mp3
Design Changes/Improvements:
The M23 now has four independent outputs taps Clock distribution to the four S+H's is now performed by an Atmel 2051 microcontroller. The analog memory (the capacitors) are monolithic laser-trimmed semiconductor junction type. The added expense yields the resolution you're hearing while cutting down on the overall part count.
For more information of the M23, go here.
We will be seeing these along with the other first wave of ELF devices coming in the late Spring/Early Summer."
"As the Model 23 Analog Shift Register nears design completion, I've posted some sound samples to give you an idea why it's got us sort of excited. Before I do, let me go into a few details on the things about ASR's which I've personally found aggravating:
A) Outputs do not track the input voltage, making driving them with a keyboard problematic.
B) Output taps not tracking one another so that a voltages vary as they are passed down the line of outputs.
C) Incoming clock causing a droop in held voltages at it's falling edge.
I'm glad to say that the Model 23 does none of these things. As the following sound samples indicate, four separate VCOs driven by the (now) four outputs of the ASR track to the quantized input of an envelope generator: asr1.mp3
Same patch, but slower, giving you a clear indication of the uniformity of the voltages as they go down the line of outputs: asr2.mp3
Same patch, at even a slower pace: asr3.mp3
Having a little melodic fun, now with the four VCOs gated through a Model 13: asr4.mp3
Screwing around with the update speed, this time with the M23 sampling quantized random voltages via the Model 24 give the 'classic ASR' effect: asr5.mp3
Design Changes/Improvements:
The M23 now has four independent outputs taps Clock distribution to the four S+H's is now performed by an Atmel 2051 microcontroller. The analog memory (the capacitors) are monolithic laser-trimmed semiconductor junction type. The added expense yields the resolution you're hearing while cutting down on the overall part count.
For more information of the M23, go here.
We will be seeing these along with the other first wave of ELF devices coming in the late Spring/Early Summer."
Dave's Dilema
"Help Dave find a synth for his '80s band, with....1) awesome sounds both new & vintage, including good organs and pianos
2) budget-minded, bare-bones... like an M3 with no unnecessary features
3) good live gigging interface, ease of patch change and assignable banks, etc.
4) joystick style bender preferred
5) it'd be for live use, it'd be cool if it had architecture set up to make changing sounds quick and easy."
He recently picked up the White VSynth here, but the sound character wasn't what he was looking for. If you have any recommendations, feel free to post in the comments or contact him directly via his site.
Boss SP-303
YouTube via drjackohollious. follow up to these videos.
"This is a little demo of the sp-303. I know that it is a little dated but there are very little differences between the 303 and the new 404. Just a demo so let me know what you think."
Jan Hammer & Fairlight CMI
Synthasy2000 | April 03, 2008
"Jan Hammer rocks out with his Fairlight and Yamaha KX5 remote keyboard on BBC Rock School series 2 from 1987"
Roland JD-800 + Juno-60 "sound collage"
YouTube via retrosound72
"synthesizer demo by RetroSound two classic synths by Roland, JD-800 and Juno-60 The Juno-60 plays in hold-mode and the JD-800 plays the typical JD-pads and glassy sounds."
Sherman Filterbank 2 w/ Elektron MachineDrum - Bird Calls
YouTube via bigcitymusic
"Here's the MachineDrum again with more extreme filtering by the Sherman."
Sherman Filterbank 2 w/ Elektron Machinedrum
"Here's Mike Dobler tweaking this awesome filter. We're running various patterns from an Elektron MachineDrum. The knob at the top right is dry/wet."
Sherman Filterbank 2 Filter Tracking Bass
Sherman Filterbank 2 Filter Tracking Bass from RozzBox
YouTube via bigcitymusic
"Here's a short one of the Rozzbox into the Sherman. Mike Dobler is using filter resonance to make a mean bass. The Sherman is tracking the incoming pitch. bigcitymusic.com"
Alesis Micron
YouTube via synthartist69
"Here is a quick video of the Micron I have listed on Ebay. Thanks for viewing my auction!" Not sure which one it is, so here's all of them: link
Oberheim OB-12 by syntezatory.prv.pl (2 of 2)
YouTube via Jexus.
Follow up to this post.
"2000 Oberheim OB12. All sounds programmed by WC Olo Garb. Video editing by WC Olo Garb. ||| Syntezatory.prv.pl Videos: showing you not what a synthesizer can do, but what a man can do with a synthesizer."
ARIES MODULAR ANALOG SYNTHESIZER
images via this auction"Aries was an innovative company located in Massachusetts that sold modular synthesizers in either kit form or pre-assembled through the late 1970's. Aries modules sound very much like Moog equipment (the voltage controlled filters are clearly a patent infringement) and use a similar patching system, except that mini jacks are used to make connections rather than the standard 1/4" leads.
As a result, Aries equipment is quite compact (by standards) and a fraction of the price of a second hand Moog or Emu system. With the exception of the Aries III, most of the systems were housed in rather bland plywood cases, and designed to be used for serious academic or studio work. (Aries assumed that its customers were serious bad-ass synthesists who would not care about cosmetics.)
The Aries marketing department appears to have had something of an attitude problem, and its promotional literature shows a clear distain for the pre-set and portable synthesizer market.
The Aries manual is prefaced with comments that "you bought one of our systems, so you're obviously not an idiot and we won't insult your intelligence by explaining basic functions to you". Potential customers were assured in a mildly threatening tone that modular synthesizers were the ONLY choice of a real musician.
Aries modular systems were not cheap, and ranged from about $1,400 for a very basic System I to almost $4,000 for a complete Series IV (in 1978 dollars!). At the same time, they were successful enough to drive Moog out of the kit market, and establish a reputation for well made, if ugly synthesizers. When I have had to bring Aries modules across the border, Customs has had trouble believing that this is musical equipment and not military surplus!
Pictured here are close-ups of four Aries modules: To the left are the (from left to right) AR-331 Pre-Amp/Envelope Follower, the AR-334 Sequencer and the AR-318 Sample and Hold. To the right is the AR-315 Balanced Modulator. Note the slight cosmetic and colour variations from year to year. Many of the modules had dual controls, such as the 8/16 event Sequencer. Pitch was set manually with the rotary pots, not an easy thing to do given the cramped space."
Update via Peter Grenader in the comments:
"Aries was NOT a patent infringement! That's completely inaccurate and I dare say ignorant comment. Electrically they were one of the best-designed synthesizers ever produced. These guys were engineers and smart ones at that. This becomes immediately obvious to anyone who sweeps their schematics and knows what they're looking at. Aries was the real deal.
Let's not forget the ARP 2600 was designed by Aries' co-founder Dennis Colin and would have been twice a good as it was if it wasn't later cheapened up by Pearlman who replaced the active CV mixers with passive summers which introduced bleed and interaction which wouldn't have been there if they had stuck to Colin's initial design.
Think twice before passing the Aries off as just another 'kit'. They're dual core VCOs were probably the best ever in the history of modular analog instruments."
MOOG Minimoog Model 204D with MIDI
images via this auctionAlways read the auction details in full before bidding. This one is in need of repair.
Interesting that the MIDI mod has a switch. In a live performance situation this could be very useful.
Crumar Orchestrator with Pedals
images via this auction"CRUMAR Orchestrator String Machine with (3) Foot Pedals, namely: Pedal Board, Swell Pedal, & Filter Pedal. It's a 61 Note Keyboard; No Midi; Sounds : " String ", " Bass ", " Piano ", " Harps ", & " Cord ". These sounds can be used individually or collectively. The Orchestrator String Machine is a bit heavy but a very SOLID piece of musical equipment. Foot Expression Pedal with case; Brass Filter with case; & 13 Note (G-G) Foot Pedal with case.
Crumar is an Italian company which manufactured synthesizer keyboards in the 70s and 80s. Its name is taken from that of its founder, Mario Crucianelli. Crumar synthesizers are comparable and contemporaneous to Moog synthesiers and other analog synthesizers.
The Crumar Orchestrator (pictured above) was unique in its ability to split parts across the keyboard (similar to the ARP Solina). With numerous front panel controls the orchestrator was a flexible solution for keyboardists and sound programmers alike. The Orchestrator offered unique dynamic and filter controls for Violin, Cello, Piano and Clavichord."
YAMAHA PSS-680 with light-theremin mods
images via this auction"Yamaha PSS-680 "MusicStation" digital synthesizer, with mods. It comes stock with: MIDI in/out/thru jacks, 99 voices, 99 rhythms, vibrato/ duet/ sustain/ reverb/ portamento & stereo-chorus effects, transpose/tuning/attack rate/decay rate/ frequency/ feedback level/ modulation level & total level synth parameters, a four-bank drumpad array, a "custom drummer" mode that let's you program your own beats, bass/chord/orchestra accompaniments, a programmable pitchbend wheel, plus some memory banks and other cool buttons. I've added a mod to the pitch wheel function. the first toggle switch engages the photocell while the second toggle switch determines if the pitch will go up or down. The photocell then lets you "play" the pitch of the keyboard notes much like a light-sensitive theremin. The manual is online in case you'd like a copy."
MOOG The Rouge with Original Box
images via this auction
"Moog 'Rogue' analog synthesizer. It was purchased new in 1984 from Goodman Music in Anahiem, Ca. The serial# is 7639. It has not been powered up for 10yrs or so, but all functions worked well the last time it was played. It comes with all of the original documentation; owners manual, technical service info including schematics with some part#'s, service center listings. Lots of info about this unit is on the web.
Some of the white lettering is worn off around the master volume knob and one of the sliders in the area, upper right hand side, see pic.
The original box has water stains on one end but I don't believe the unit itself has gotten wet, it is isolated in the box with styrofoam packing and a cardboard insert, see pics."
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Akai S900 Blog
click here for a new blog on the Akai S900 by KONEY. Remember if you have an RSS reader like Bloglines, subscribe to it and you will get new posts as they come in.There's a ton up on the Akai Blog already including a JoMoX X-Base 09 drum kit.
Electribe EMX-1, no faceplate
flickr by jimgskoop (click for some mouse-overs)via JimG in the comments of this post. Click here for the set with more shots of the inside.
Moog prototype SL-8 synthesiser
flickr by Neil Vance1983 - full size
You can find more info and another image here.
Update via Jared in the comments: "A nice first hand write-up of its development and how quickly it met its demise at NAMM can be found here."
Update: one more scan via Niel here. This one is a full article.
Update: another panel shot via Niel.
Update via rick in the comments:
"more pics here: Audities Foundation
its currently not on display."
Editing on the JD-990
"Shown is an edit screen from the JD-990. This is the "structure" page, which determines how the processing blocks are to be organized in a given patch. The ability to do this is one of the improvements that the JD-990 has over the JD-800; the JD-800's processing architecture is fixed in the configuration shown on the left side. On the right side, we see a ring-modulation type patch. Tone C goes through a TVA (equivalent to a VCA), and then is multiplied by tone D. (The "R" in the box represents ring modulation, which is implemented in the digital realm by simple multiplication of the individual samples from each input. Ring modulation is one of the few synth functions that is difficult to do well in analog circuitry, but trivially easy to do in digital synthesis.) The patch then passes through two TVFs (equivalent to VCFs), and a final TVA to shape the output." click here for the full post on Sequence 15.
Workspace and Environment: Yip-Yip
"What is your favorite piece of hardware?Jason: Korg MS-10. I've had it for five years or so and it's the perfect synthesizer.
Brian: I just got a Moogerfooger freqbox, so I am pretty excited about that. My Synare PS-1 is probably still my favorite though."
click here for the full interview on trash_audio.
LL Electronics RozzBox thru Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo (tape)
YouTube via bigcitymusic
"Here's the new L.L. Electronics 5-voice Polyphonic Rozzbox running into a vintage Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo (tape echo). Sounds amazingly cool, huh? bigcitymusic.com"
Harmonic Hum
YouTube via Analogger
"This was just a happy accident I came across today. I was getting ready to do another video and I engaged the Pigtronix Attack Sustain pedal with the volume and harmonics knobs turned up. My guitar wasn't plugged in so I got this loud hum...made even louder by the Attack Sustain's massive compression. I engaged the HOG and it generated perfect harmonies relative to the hum. Instant drone. Pretty cool. I fed that into the Echolution and messed with the HOG's lowpass filter.
If you don't have the expression pedal plugged into the HOG then you can use the Expression Button which will alter a parameter depending on which expression mode you are in. I did all this before my wife got home from work. She has not yet discovered the zen-like quality of drones. Oscar, however, admits his very feline being has been immesurably enriched by the noise. I gotta go with Oscar on this one."
Analog Solutions Leipzig Monosynth
Image of the Leipzig in the flesh via Analog Solutions. You might remember the Leipzig from this post with specs. You can find the manual here.click the image for a larger shot.
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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
