"This is a demo of Tom’s Steelphon that got whooped by UPS - broken circuit boards, broken MDF case, no output. We took the case to be reproduced by Kent Meloy of Tunguska Guitars and in the meantime went to town on the electronics. There isn’t a schematic available anywhere, but after getting the rails back and the keyboard CV working, there was still no output. I isolated it to the filter board and realized the VCF is a Moog copy, component-for-component, so I used a Minimoog schematic to help troubleshoot the problem.
The Mellotron is mine and has undergone quite a bit of work. New pinch rollers, new motor control board, rebuilt the PSU, and fabbed a new key as one was missing."
"Music Technology Discussion with Kent Spong, Andrew Longhurst & Rob Puricelli!
It's our birthday!! 4 years ago, we decided to start doing a livestream and here we are, 4 years and 208 consecutive episodes in! Join us as we celebrate 4 years of mayhem, nonchalance, sarcasm, wit, vim and vigour and the occasional discussion about synths and music tech!"
"This instrument of wonder has had MIDI fitted, and is complete with original swell and sustain pedals, and locking chrome stand. Condition is excellent, considering its age. It was converted to 220V, when serviced by Kent Spong (top UK go-to tech/London). Tuning is stable, after the analogue components are allowed to warm up. Serial number is 0019 (only 800 ever made..). Weight of this instrument is around 100Kg. Serious weight,serious instrument. Used by Vangelis and countless others......do the research.
If you are reading this, then you must be "au fait" with the CS-80 model. This one was sourced from a Japanese collector, imported to central England, professionally serviced, then sporadically used in a pro studio. It has NOT been thrashed/abused..."
"Immensely powerful yet easy to use and understand. It is also very flexible and I consider it to be a mini Event Generation Workstation. Bring a bit of East Coast exponential envelopes (and whole bunch more madness) your 200 system.
00:00 Off we go! 00:01 Basic walkthrough of layout 01:14 TWO ADSRs but the right side has more features 02:47 Explaining “BOTH” and “INV BOTH” outputs. 03:56 Patching in the 251e sequencer and kicking things off. 04:30 Note the exponential curves and why not linear 05:36 Repeats 06:08 Repeats wait until the end of a gate’s sustain 06:59 End of all Events pulse output 09:43 INVERTED output patched to filter 10:58 Trigger Delay 12:25 Randomized Trigger Delay Times 13:15 Randomized Trigger Delay with Repeats (Behavior) 14:55 Fixed Delay with repeats 15:15 Both Outputs Cascaded Looping 16:56 attenuate 17:58 Cascaded Looping gives you full envelope settings and programmed rules on each side 19:19 Individual envelope looping via shorting bar 19:54 super quick AD envelopes! 20:34 Looping the right side with trigger delays and repeats 21:24 Recap of hDI features 23:00 Fini, Finished, Fertig"
"Music Technology Discussion with Rob Puricelli, Andrew Longhurst, Kent Spong and our very special guests, Dan Goldstein & Mitchell Sigman of Cherry Audio!
This week we're delighted to welcome back Dan & Mitchell of Cherry Audio, a company that in the last few years has grown its reputation for quality, affordable and quite excellent software synths that emulate some amazing synthesizer classics such as the ARP Quadra, Novachord, Jupiter 4 and 6 as well as classics like the Memorymoog, Synthex, GX1/CS80 and Polymoog, plus their own Dreamsynth & Sines!
Join us to hear all about the latest synths to be added to their collection, Harmonia and the brilliant recreation of the PS-3300!
We appreciate your help! All donations go directly toward making the show run smoothly. If you'd like to help support our streaming platform, you can make a donation via PayPal here:
"Servicing Status: KSR have carried out a health-check on this DX-1in June 2023.
Remarks: A good all original condition Yamaha DX-1, which we have previously sold to the current owner but they are now Brokering it back through us for re-sale.
What is there to say on this 1983 flagship synthesizer that has not already been written, but it’s a very rare machine with only 140 reported to have ever been manufactured, so a really unique find in 2023.
Cosmetic Condition:
The overall condition of this example is very good, with the normal amount of wear we would expect to see on a synth this age, size and quality. We sold this DX-1 to our EU customer, so it was shipped out of the UK against the original sale and then was re-imported in May this year, having been sent straight to Kent Spong at KSR for some servicing, where the instrument currently resides.
The photos below were taken at KSR, so are un-doctored and show the overall presentation.
Operational Condition:
The following declaration is made in good faith and is an honest account of the current operational condition of this example.
All the controls, LEDs, functions of the control panel work as they should, so LED buttons are all operational. However, Bank A Voice 5 button feels slightly different to operate than the others which suggests the component is faulty, but it does function, although it can be intermittent. We are not aware of a replacement for this part as it would appear to be a DX-1 specific component but we are declaring this as a known issue.
The LDC display is fully working with all segments showing properly and brightness is perfectly readable. The volume LED indicator on the right hand side, next to where to says ‘DX-1 ’ on the front panel has one of the tiny LED segments that is dimmer than all the rest (the 14db) and one that does not work (the 96 db) - I’ve attached a photo I took when we had it set up in the workshop .
The sliders top the right of the instrument all work correctly.
The modulation and pitch-wheel both operate correctly.
The DX- sound engine itself operates correctly. There are some classic ‘DX’ patches loaded in the system, we did try to edit some sounds and all the edit functions were available are working, although we didn’t save those changes.
The professional weighted 73 note wood keyboard was fully working in terms of triggering notes, and the velocity was 100% working across all keys.
The Polyphonic After-Touch (Poly-AT) is not operating at more than 30% of the keyboard, although the DX-1 still received and operates Poly-AT via MIDI. Kent has gone though each key to check the after-touch sensors and there are many that simply are not working. Kent at KSR does not currently have any supply for replacements, so this is not something Kent has a resolution for, but the owner is aware and this is factored into the sale price.
In consulting with Kent at KSR on the reality on getting the Poly-AT system fully restored, as I know this would be of interest to any potential buyer, Kent told me that every DX-1 he had seen had similar issues as there are no replacement parts for the Poly-AT sensors at present. He said that in the last 6 years he had serviced two DX-1 owned by MI professionals, and both those machines also had significant Poly-AT sensor failures, so it would seem to be consistent with the age of these machines. I personally would be very suspicious of anyone selling a DX-1 stating that the Poly-AT system was 100% based on this reality."
The Yamaha CS80 is a legendary analog synthesizer, revered by musicians and producers alike for its rich, warm, and versatile sound. Originally released in the late 1970s, the CS80 has remained a sought-after instrument for decades, and its vintage charm is still highly valued in today's digital age. With its unique features and iconic design, the CS80 offers a truly exceptional sonic experience that sets it apart from modern synthesizers.
[Key Features]
Unmatched Sound Quality: Experience the distinct and lush sound that only an analog synthesizer like the CS80 can deliver. Its dual-channel design allows for layering and blending of sounds, creating rich and textured tones. Polyphonic Power: The CS80 boasts 8-voice polyphony, enabling you to play complex chords and harmonies with ease. Whether you're crafting captivating melodies or experimenting with ambient soundscapes, the CS80 has you covered. Dynamic Aftertouch: Enjoy expressive playing with the CS80's dynamic aftertouch feature. Add nuance and emotion to your performances by modulating parameters in real-time with the pressure of your fingertips. Vintage Feel, Modern Usability: While it retains its iconic vintage look, the CS80 has been meticulously designed to integrate seamlessly into modern studio setups. MIDI connectivity and other modern features make it easy to incorporate the CS80 into your existing workflow. Timeless Design: The CS80's classic wooden side panels and elegant layout give it a timeless and distinguished appearance. It's not just an instrument; it's a work of art."
"Music Technology Discussion with Rob Puricelli, Kent Spong and our very special guests, Dan Goldstein & Mitchell Sigman of Cherry Audio!
This week we're delighted to welcome back Dan & Mitchell of Cherry Audio, a company that in the last few years has grown its reputation for quality, affordable and quite excellent software synths that emulate some amazing synthesizer classics such as the ARP Quadra, Novachord, Jupiter 4 and 6 as well as classics like the Memorymoog, Synthex, GX1/CS80 and Polymoog, plus their own Dreamsynth & Sines!
Join us to hear all about the latest synth to be added to their collection, the Octave Cat!"
"The Covid Kid is back with his 90th video, 30 minutes in length(!), and 3rd round of Covid. I seem to only find time to make videos when I have some downtime due to Covid. Please excuse my flagging voice.
00:10 start of Audio Demos 07:39 start of Technical Overview and Features 08:07 AS3340 & AS3345 chips 08:20 What the 2AT isn't: not e-series and not based upon Buchla designs 09:38 The 4 main sections of the module 09:53 Common Control (Master Pitch in and offset knob) 10:33 Mix Out section with optical clipping 11:22 LFO Swarm based upon their Electric Dompteur h-seriers 1/2 space module. Genius! 13:35 LFO Swarm waveforms 14:15 the weird LFO shapes 15:05 8 octave range with rotary switch 16:08 mixer per oscillator 16:28 3 varieties of sub-octaves 17:39 FM normalling and routing 18:16 0-10V properly biased modulation outs on banana jacks 18:50 scoping out the modulation outs 19:50 shorting bars 20:00 listening to the various forms of oscillator sync 23:30 FM showcase. How it sounds and how the routing works. 28:00 3 Operator FM with 223e arpeggiator 29:21 Adding clocked LFOs and VCA mixing 30:14 fini!
The 2AT is an incredibly feature rich module: It tracks over 8 octaves 3 oscillators with four waveforms each. Each waveform has an individual mix level control via knob and banana jack Rotary switch for selecting the octaves 3-stage sub oscillator Selectable Waveforum Mod CV (0-10V) out Scalable FM and CV control Full PWM control Attenuverters wisely employed where they make sense FM inputs normalled to the outputs of anther oscillator and the routing can be changed on the back Sync I/O via shorting bars Each oscillator's waveform outputs are mixed internally and are present at the MIX OUT if no single out is used Optical clipping stages are present at each OSC, and again at the Mix Out stage
Clocked or Free-Running Swarm LFO The 8 frequencies (the 8 outputs) can be offset in phase or frequency, always based on the master frequency. It can go down to 0 Hz and freeze the levels at their present state Each output has its own attenuator
"MIDI 2.0 is set to revolutionize music technology in the coming years. AmeNote's Mike Kent told us about the four years of prototyping by the MIDI Association, which has been using a hardware development tool for Mini 2.0 called the ProtoZOA from AmeNote. Apple OS and Google Android already have MIDI 2.0 integrated into their operating systems and Mike showed us the MIDI 2.0 driver which is being developed by AmeNote for windows in operation.
According to Kent, MIDI 2.0 is expected to grow gradually over the next five years, with more products being released in 2024 and beyond. Kent emphasized that this gradual change is essential to ensure a smooth transition for users, and to account for the fact that not all manufacturers will be able to release MIDI 2.0 products instantly.
AmeNote will make ProtoZOA available to all non-member developers after the MIDI Association publishes MIDI 2.0 specification updates expected in June 2023 and then makes the github public.
Non-Member Developer Price: Standard ProtoZOA hardware with permissive license to source code for USB MIDI 2.0, MIDI-CI, MIDI 1.0/2.0 Translation, Universal MIDI Packet, UMP Endpoint, Function Blocks, and more: $290. With Ethernet expansion: $320. With Ethernet expansion and display: $350.
It’s feature rich! (12 VCAs, syncable & offset-capable LFOs of various waveforms, 4 optical clippers: 3 x each osc and one on Mix Out, 3 sub-oscillators, multi-waveform oscillator sync, and so much more.)
It’s the Northern Light Modular Model 2AT Animated Tricillator. https://northernlightmodular.com/prod...
This thing is nuts but also very well thought out. The master stroke is adding their Electric Dompteur H-Series module ( https://northernlightmodular.com/prod... )right on board. With so many modulation destinations, it makes perfect sense to add 8 syncable, freezable, offset-capable, and multi-waveform LFOs to complete the package and animate the entire show. Each LFO output also features its own attenuator, thus providing subtle movement as heard in this video.
I’m planning to do a full walkthrough of the module as soon as time allows."
The oscillators are built on the classic circuit used in the 80s by Roland, Sequential and others. The new AS3340-HYP VCOs give us that silky smooth 80s feeling back again and take care of the pitch drift the classic CEM shows It tracks fine over all 8 octaves.. All four waveform levels are CV controllable There is a rotary switch for selecting the octaves, a 3-stage sub oscillator and a front panel jumper selectable Mod CV (0-10V) out , scalable FM and CV control and of course full PWM control , all attenuverted The 2AT has the FM inputs normalled to the outputs of the other oscillators and the order can be changed on the back The sync inputs can be connected with shorting bars to the adjacent mod outputs conveniently The 3 separate oscillator outputs are mixed internally and are preset at the MIX OUT if no single out is used. Optical clipping stages are present at OSC and MAIN stage
The left side of the module is a swarm LFO One master frequency, set by a knob or an external input, is re-used 7 times with variations The 8 frequencies can be offset in phase or frequency, always based on the master frequency. It can go down to 0 Hz and freeze the levels at their present state And every output can be adjusted directly at the output without the need for attenuators
There is also a shared pitch input with a 4 octave offset and level LED on the lower left side. The upper left corner is the collective clipping and gain control.
8 linked true zero LFOs Sine, triangle, rising and falling ramps , square , pulsing and frozen random available
V2 offers new Midi clock sync multipliers and a MCU controlled phase/spread button
Offset in phase up to 180 degree Offset in spread based on sub harmonics of the master frequency Frequency range from 0 to 300 hz 8 Outputs can be adjusted from 0-10V individually Cv controlled frequency up to 2x and down to 0hz
The h series modules require a h bracket to be mounted in a 1U space
"Music Technology Discussion with Rob Puricelli, Ben Simpson, Kent Spong and our very special guests, Dan Goldstein & Mitchell Sigman of Cherry Audio!
This week we're delighted to welcome back Dan & Mitchell of Cherry Audio, a company that in the last few years has grown its reputation for quality, affordable and quite excellent software synths that emulate some of the more quirky synthesizer classics such as the ARP Quadra, Jupiter 4 and Realistic MG-1, as well as classics like the Memorymoog, Synthex and Polymoog, their own Dreamsynth and their latest instrument GX-80!
Join us to hear the story behind the creation of GX-80, an instrument that fuses together two giants from Yamaha!
"I have taken the last 3 live takes I recorded & play them simultaneously to show an exciting interaction of 3 CS80s jamming together!
Since the release of my video - “Yamaha CS80: The Most Iconic Sound Machine of All Time”, I’ve had requests for specific videos including: Famous tracks using the CS80 How to program a CS80 CS80 vs the Jupiter 8 Could you demo the bass line from the 1980 Doctor Who theme? Have you recorded any of your performances where you (a) demonstrate technique on the instrument??
& more.
So today – as requested – I have built an instrumental from scratch & recorded exclusively the CS80 to do all the parts.
I have split the video into 4 separate videos
The making of “Colourful Mountains”
1 How To Make A Track With The Famous Yamaha CS80
Here I take a basic drum pattern from Splice, then lay a bass sound using 3 different sounds from the CS80 including a sine wave for the bottom end. I lay the chords & a CS80 brass part referenced from Rosanna by Toto. I then lay a Vangelis inspired sequence part Wind fx inspired by CS80 wizard – Kent Spong Then I lay 3 live takes of CS80 which work together to complete the production 2 This Yamaha CS80 Live Multitrack Recording is Stunning After recording the bass & pad, I record 5 takes down. In this video, you see the 5 takes - unedited from the beginning of the track to the end - complete as they are recorded. 3 Three Yamaha CS80s – Live in Action! I have taken the last 3 live takes I recorded & play them simultaneously to show an exciting interaction of 3 CS80s jamming together! 4 Yamaha CS80 dissected – how does it sound? Hear the dry takes in solo that made up “Coloured Mountains”. I have taken CS80 dry stems, so that you can hear the synth on its own in solo.
Thanks for watching & remember to subscribe so that I can keep these videos coming.
"After recording the bass & pad, I record 5 takes down. In this video, you see the 5 takes - unedited from the beginning of the track to the end - complete as they are recorded.''Since the release of my video - 'Yamaha CS80: The Most Iconic Sound Machine of All Time', I’ve had requests for specific videos including: 'Famous tracks using the CS80'How to program a CS80'CS80 vs the Jupiter 8'Could you demo the bass line from the 1980 Doctor Who theme? 'Have you recorded any of your performances where you (a) demonstrate technique on the instrument??''& more.''So today – as requested – I have built an instrumental from scratch & recorded exclusively the CS80 to do all the parts.''I have split the video into 4 separate videos''The making of 'Colourful Mountains'''1'How To Make A Track With The Famous Yamaha CS80''Here I take a basic drum pattern from Splice, then lay a bass sound using 3 different sounds from the CS80 including a sine wave for the bottom end.'I lay the chords & a CS80 brass part referenced from Rosanna by Toto.'I then lay a Vangelis inspired sequence part'Wind fx inspired by CS80 wizard – Kent Spong'Then I lay 3 live takes of CS80 which work together to complete the production'2'This Yamaha CS80 Live Multitrack Recording is Stunning'After recording the bass & pad, I record 5 takes down. In this video, you see the 5 takes - unedited from the beginning of the track to the end - complete as they are recorded.'3'Three Yamaha CS80s – Live in Action!'I have taken the last 3 live takes I recorded & play them simultaneously to show an exciting interaction of 3 CS80s jamming together! '4'Yamaha CS80 dissected – how does it sound?'Hear the dry takes in solo that made up 'Coloured Mountains'. I have taken CS80 dry stems, so that you can hear the synth on its own in solo.''Thanks for watching''Andy Whitmore''https://greystokestudio.com/ 'https://www.andywhitmore.com/"
"Since the release of my video - “Yamaha CS80: The Most Iconic Sound Machine of All Time”, I’ve had requests for specific videos including: Famous tracks using the CS80 How to program a CS80 CS80 vs the Jupiter 8 Could you demo the bass line from the 1980 Doctor Who theme? Have you recorded any of your performances where you (a) demonstrate technique on the instrument??
& more.
So today – as requested – I have built an instrumental from scratch & recorded exclusively the CS80 to do all the parts.
I have split the video into 4 separate videos
The making of “Colourful Mountains”
1 How To Make A Track With The Famous Yamaha CS80
Here I take a basic drum pattern from Splice, then lay a bass sound using 3 different sounds from the CS80 including a sine wave for the bottom end. I lay the chords & a CS80 brass part referenced from Rosanna by Toto. I then lay a Vangelis inspired sequence part Wind fx inspired by CS80 wizard – Kent Spong Then I lay 3 live takes of CS80 which work together to complete the production 2 This Yamaha CS80 Live Multitrack Recording is Stunning After recording the bass & pad, I record 5 takes down. In this video, you see the 5 takes - unedited from the beginning of the track to the end - complete as they are recorded. 3 Three Yamaha CS80s – Live in Action! I have taken the last 3 live takes I recorded & play them simultaneously to show an exciting interaction of 3 CS80s jamming together! 4 Yamaha CS80 dissected – how does it sound? Hear the dry takes in solo that made up “Coloured Mountains”. I have taken CS80 dry stems, so that you can hear the synth on its own in solo."
"Music Technology Discussion with Rob Puricelli, Kent Spong & Ben Simpson and our special guest, Marcus Ryle!
Every now and again, we are able to persuade legends to join our show and share their stories with us. This Friday is one of those times. We are honoured to be joined by Marcus Ryle, a name so revered in synthesizer and music technology that he really needs no introduction.
Marcus will be telling us all about his history in the business, his time with Oberheim, both then and now and all the other pies he has had his finger in. Sit back and enjoy!
We appreciate your help! All donations go directly toward making the show run smoothly. If you'd like to help support our streaming platform, you can make a donation via PayPal here:
"Music Technology Discussion with Ben Simpson, Kent Spong & Rob Puricelli!
This week, we're hoping to bring you some live coverage of Synthplex 2022 in Burbank, CA with roving reporters, Dr. Manny Fernandez and Andy 'Synthaddict'! Plenty of synths and carpet! ;-)"
Pro Synth Network LIVE! - Episode 132 with Special Guests, GPU Audio! video upload by Pro Synth Network
Some initial pics and specs below. The above is talk with GPU Audio mentioning the upcoming software synth.
"Music Technology Discussion with Rob Puricelli, Ben Simpson & Kent Spong and our special guests, GPU Audio!
This week we're joined by Jonathan & Sasha from GPU Audio, a company that is shaking up the performance of computer-based music making with their Digital Sound Processing platform that unlocks a standard GPU to handle audio production with next-gen performance capabilities. Compatible with the VST3 standard, as well as custom software, GPU Audio dramatically enhances performance by offloading processing from a computer's CPU to its GPU.
And they will be showing a WORLD EXCLUSIVE of something very new and very exciting that has been made possible by their innovative technology. DON'T MISS IT!!!
Grab the GPU Beta Plugin Suite here... https://www.gpu.audio/prosynthnetwork
0:00 - Intros and welcomes
08:30 - GPU Audio Interview
47:08 - WORLD EXCLUSIVE Reveal of 'Major', the first GPU Synth!
1:09:10 - AcousticSamples V-Horns Saxophones - https://www.acousticsamples.net/vhorn...
1:33:25 - The Rise of Akai Professional Book Kickstarter - ttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1135238327/the-rise-of-akai-professional
1:36:57 - LABS Electronic Antique - https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/electr...
1:39:22 - Future Retro are back under new management! - https://future-retro.com/home/
1:42:23 - Guk AI Sistema Synth - https://guk.ai/sistema-ai-synthesizer
1:46:19 - UVI Falcon updates to 2.8 - https://www.uvi.net/falcon
1:52:41 - Arturia Rendez-vous Event - https://youtu.be/lw7Mj_9STYQ
1:53:38 - Synthfest U.K. 2022 Retrospective/Thoughts
2:09:22 - Thank yous and goodbyes!"
Major’s hybrid synth engine provides you with the best of both worlds - 8 synthesizer oscillators and 8 sample based oscillators, 8 independent layers with uniquer effects chains, envelopes and independent output routing. Built-in editable plugin chains save your resources and insert slots for the library of other GPU Audio powered effects. From rich, multi-layered textures to independent bass and synth lines all within a single patch - Major makes a statement as the world’s first GPU-powered synthesizer.
-Multi Layer Hybrid Synthesizer Virtual Instrument - 8 Independent layers with mixed audio/midi routing. - Flexible automation for most parameters using MIDI controllers, internal modulators or host automation - MPE enabled - Up to 4x oversampling and up to 64 bit length for real-time or individual "bounce mode" - Per layer: - 8 Synth-based + 8 sample-based oscillators - 16 voices per oscillator - OSC: 5 Alias-free waveforms incl White Noise - OSC: Up to 128 voices per note - OSC: PWM for all waveforms - OSC: Detune, Stereo Spread, Panning and Filter Routing balance - OSC: FM modulation between oscillators - WaveOSC: Attack and Loop Wave players - WaveOSC: Stereo Spread, Panning and Filter Routing balance - Two 12,18, 24db/oct HP, LP and BP filters with resonance - Two Host-Sync LFO with 5 waveforms - 8 Envelopes with different curves - Internal cascade of Distortion, Chorus, EQ, Delay and Reverb with variable order - Up to 32-step Arpeggiator with swing - Up to 32-step Gater with swing - Two StepLFO with up to 32 steps and swing - Two MultiControls for easy automation - Spectrum analyzer - 16 modulation lines per each modulation panel - Legato, Polyphonic and Polyphonic Legato modes - Incredible Mass-Preset for Random Patching across all parameters, effects, layers, oscillators etc.
