Cagura Sappro City Standar DIY Analog Synth

via RJBlog here

Anyone know more about this one? via philip.

Update: some additional info in the comments. Also see this holiday track featuring a Roland CMU-800 and SH-101. Click on the "CMU-800 de Xmas" link when you get there.

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Roland DG CMU-800 CompuMusic Vintage Analog Synth Sequencer SN 327621

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Up for sale is very rare Roland CMU-800 CompuMusic vintage analog synthesizer sequencer module.

The unit powers on and the LEDs light up, but that is all as far as the testings go as I don't have the needed gears to test. So I'm selling this AS IS.

If you search the net it seems like there are ways of converting this to MIDI, as well as people who sell MIDI interface for these."

These require an interface card and software to run. You can see a video of one here.

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PNW06: James Demos His Roland CMU-800

Continuation of this previous post. James Gallant demos his Roland CMU-800 at this year's Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting. No title link. Unfortunately I cut the last video short thinking I better keep the video small to upload. The tune ends, James takes a bow, and we all laugh. Hard work James. : )

GEETA DAYAL "Signal and Noise: A Brief History of Electronic Music" :: watsON? NOISE 2013

Published on Jan 31, 2014 The Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry

Missed this one from 2014. Title of the post says it all. Fascinating bit of history that lead to our world of synthesizers. Enjoy.

You can find her website at http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com.

"Project Page :: http://watsonfestival.org/2013/geeta-...

Geeta Dayal is an arts critic and journalist who has been covering the intersections between sound, culture, and technology for a decade. She has written hundreds of articles and reviews for major publications, including Wired, Frieze, Cabinet, The Wire, The Village Voice, Bookforum, The New York Times, Print, and many more. Her first book, Another Green World, on the musician Brian Eno, was published by Continuum in 2009. Her essays appear in several anthologies on music, including The New Grove Dictionary of Music (Oxford, 2013), Loops (Faber, 2009), The Resistible Demise of Michael Jackson (Zer0, 2009), The Pitchfork 500 (Simon & Schuster, 2008) and Marooned (Da Capo, 2007). She is a recent recipient of a major grant from Creative Capital / The Andy Warhol Foundation in the Arts Writers Program. She holds two undergraduate degrees from MIT (2001) and a master's degree from Columbia (2003). She is currently based in San Francisco, and is at work on a new book, on sound and technology in the 1950s.
________________________________________­_________________________

The watsON? NOISE Festival 2013 - Curated by Golan Levin and Spike Wolff
'Ancient life was all silence.... with the invention of the machine, Noise was born.' -- Luigi Russolo, 'L'Arte dei rumori'
Noise continually surrounds us, from white static to violent intensity. We are absorbed into, embraced by, and assaulted with sound. Vibrating through our bodies, we capitulate as it engulfs us and permeates our psyche. In the still of its quiet absence and the thrill of its deafening roar, the force of sound is a constant. wats:ON? 2013 explores the realm of noise through a variety of analog, digital, and apparatus enhanced sound-music performances. Noise asks you to surrender to the possibility of the rush of the sublime.
________________________________________­________________________________________­_

The Jill Watson Festival Across the Arts (wats:ON?) was created to honor the life of Jill Watson, whose interest in the arts inspired others through her work and her teaching. The festival celebrates Jill's commitment to an interdisciplinary philosophy as an artist and celebrates her accomplishments and reputation as an architect. Jill Watson was a Carnegie Mellon University alumna, adjunct faculty member in the School of Architecture, and acclaimed Pittsburgh architect who died in the TWA Flight 800 plane crash on July 17, 1996.
The wats:ON? Festival is made possible by the generous support of the JILL WATSON FAMILY FOUNDATION.
________________________________________­________________________________________­_

This lecture is co-hosted by The wats:ON? Festival and CMU HCII Human Computer Interaction Institute, with support from :

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Roland CMU-800R MIDI Interface Test

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
Published on Mar 6, 2016 DeftAudio



via this auction

See this post for a fun overview and demo of the CMU-800R, including the software, at the 2006 PNW Synth Meet. You can find additional info on the CMU-800R here and here, and of course in the archives. Note you do not get full access to the internal synth parameters, so think of this as a severely limited preset synth with TR-606 drum sounds, and CV & gate outs. Still a fascinating bit of synth history and this one has MIDI so you do not need the software to make use of it. According to this Sound on Sound article it was "the first sound module to provide multitimbral voicing, independent outputs for each section, control over other synthesizers, and sequencing."

Description from the listing:

"The CMU-800 is one of unique and rare module that was produced by Amdek and then by Roland in the past. It's a medium-sized, off-cream metallic wedge, with a barrage of jacks on the back and a bare minimum of knobs on the front. It also sported this ruddy great ribbon cable hanging out the back!

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Roland CMU-800R

Click here shots via this auction.

Details:
"2 VERY RARE ANALOG + CV synth + 2 apple2 computers the kit includes:
- 2 x cmu-800r de roland compu music for apple
- 2 x apple2 with disk drive
- 1 x cart midi interface for apple2 de Passport Designs
- 1 x operation manual for cmu-800 original
- shématics (copy)
- no software"

You *might* be able to track the software down. See this post. via JB

Roland CMU-800R with MIDI Option Installed

via this auction

"For the quick info visit:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec04/articles/roland.htm

www.cmu800r.deftaudio.ru

http://sites.google.com/site/analogvocoderinfo/interfaces/roland-cmu-800r

The CMU-800 is one of unique and rare module that was produced by Amdek and then by Roland in th past. It's a medium-sized, off-cream metallic wedge, with a barrage of jacks on the back and a bare minimum of knobs on the front. It also sported this ruddy great ribbon cable hanging out the back!

What is it? Essentially, its a computer-controlled CV/gate output system, designed to work with computers - a Japan-market-only NEC Z80 machine and the humble Apple II range. No MIDI, no inputs as such, just a means to let your "brand spanking new 8-bit computing marvel" be the controlling heart of your System 100M. The box was the same for each model, you just bought the interface and software to suit your particular CPU.

This unit is in amazing condition looks and works like new even it's 25+ years old! It has MIDI option installed. This is custom prepared unit, almost not possible to buy anywhere else:

http://cmu800r.deftaudio.ru/midi.html"

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Roland CMU-800R MIDI Conversion Kit

Remember the CMU-800R? The biggest "problem" with it is that you need an Apple II to use it. Well, not anymore. Title link takes you to a site with info on a MIDI conversion kit for it. The site is in Japanese, however, you can find a Google translated version here .

"MIDI conversion KIT specifications

At the time of MIDI conversion remodelling, concept and the specifications were done as follows.

* At low cost and simple.
* It makes MIDI conversion KIT, the substance build in completely, decreases remodelling the substance as much as possible.
* CV, it makes 1~8ch of MIDI 1~8ch of GATE CORRESPOND.
* Melody of the built-in sound source, the base and the cord/code (4 sounds) it makes 1~6ch of MIDI CORRESPOND.
* The rhythm sound source uses MIDI10ch and the GM map.
* You do not use TEMPO [kontoru] of CMU-800.
* In order to be able to control MC-4 and TR-808 etc, DIN SYNC output is acquired. (In MIDI timing clock same period)"

via altemark.

Udpate via altemark in the comments: "Another japanese resource, seems to be an older version of the mod, not using a PIC? the page also has gif-files of the routing of the digital board among other things [link]"

DIY Synthesizer "Promenade"

YouTube Uploaded by skclabo on Oct 10, 2011

"音源として自作のモジュラーシンセだけを使用して「展覧会の絵」からプロムナードを演奏してみました。
まだまだ演奏に甘い部分がありますが、お許しください。
ちなみにMIDI-CVインターフェースとしてMIDI化したCMU-800を使用しています。"

Googlish:
"Use only your own modular synth sound as" Pictures at an Exhibition "Promenade tried to play from.
There are still playing sweet part, please forgive me.
Incidentally, as the CV-CMU MIDI Interface MIDI-imposed uses 800."

pearl_drxDemo_dance.flv

YouTube via stereoping — May 21, 2010

"A realtime-arrangement-demo of my modded Pearl DRX-1 drumsynth. Normally this excellent drumsynth must be painfully programmed by 4 buttons on the front and had 8 storagememories. i rejected this digital circuitry and added 40 pots, one for each of the 8 parameters of the 5 voices. In contrast to the simmons-things the voices are nearly identical: Pitch, Decay, Attack (adds a short enveloped noise, not just a click), Filter (slightly resonant), Bend (just piuuu) and Overtone (adds a second detuned oscillator) and Level. Sequencing comes from mc-909, the triggersignals come from my modded CMU-800 which holds (besides its modded analog drumvoices) a 16channel- midi to trigger interface. The CMU also runs the Pearl Syncussion in the background. Other synths used: D-550, Fantom and V-Synth. Just Pearl and Roland-Gear :) It is not a perfect song/arrangement but i guess you like it more than just listening to the drx alone."

pearl_drxDemo_soft.flv

stereoping — May 21, 2010

Another much softer demo of my Pearl DRX-1. Normally this excellent drumsynth must be painfully programmed by 4 buttons on the front and had 8 storagememories. i rejected this digital circuitry and added 40 pots, one for each of the 8 parameters of the 5 voices."

Michigan Synth Works MSW 810 Analog Synthesizer

video upload by Michael Dykehouse

"The MSW-810 is a faithful recreation of the CMU-810 Monosynth which was designed as a synth expander for the 1983 CMU-800 computer music production system. At its core however, is the tone generator of the MC-202. In this clip the MSW 810 is producing all the sounds you hear including the drums. Available currently as a kit and will be available fully assembled in the fall of 2022."

Additional Michigan Synth Works MSW 810 posts

Final Set of A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

The listing is from the author Peter Forrest who states this is likely the last set.  These are great books and imo the most comprehensive.  Click on the pics to get an idea of what they are like.  Peter also has other items listed including The Museum of Synthesizer Technology and Synthesizer von Gestern II.

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Roland Museum Germany Massive Synthesizer Selloff - Most Gear for Sale in a Single Auction

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

This one in via Marko of Retrosound.de.

26.000,00 Euro gets it all.

via this auction

Someone needs to contact the Guiness Book of World Records. Longest list of gear for sale ever:

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VINTAGE ROLAND DG COMPU MUSIC CMU-800 SYNTH DRUM GATE

via this auction

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1984 Roland DG COMPU-MUSIC CMU-800 German Ad

via synthmuseum.de

Roland cmu-800 MIDI interface test / CMU800

Published on Mar 6, 2016 DeftAudio

The End of Asia／YMO

Published on Mar 23, 2015 Toshiyuki Arakawa

With the DSI Prophet '08 and a Yamaha Motif.

See this post for a version with the Roland CMU-800 & Gakken SX-150.

The Roland Super Quartet - The 80s band in a box!

Alex Ball

Check out more of Alex Ball's synth videos here.

"If you’re after a classic Roland Juno-106 or TR-707, you might not know that both (plus a bass synth) are found inside the MKS-7 or “Super Quartet” from 1985.

Roland made various rack mount versions of their 80s synths in the MKS range, but the Super Quartet is a little different and is somewhat related to their earlier CMU-800.

In this video we take a look at what it does, how it was intended to be used and how it can be used in ways that weren’t intended.

Espen Kraft even shows up. What’s not to love?

0:00 Intro
0:32 The Super Quartet
2:07 Four Bass Presets
2:56 Four Chord Presets
4:12 Four Melody Presets
4:55 Editing
5:17 In Its Pure Form
6:04 Karaoke
7:09 Playing Outside the Box

Some original brochure scans stolen from the wonderful Retro Synth Ads blog:
http://retrosynthads.blogspot.com"

Roland DG CMU-800 with a MPU-401

via this auction

Roland Compu Music CMU-800

via this auction

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