MATRIXSYNTH: Search results for Moog couch


Showing posts sorted by date for query Moog couch. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Moog couch. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Wednesday, October 09, 2019

Moog Memorymoog Plus

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

via this auction

"Thanks for checking the listing. I bought this keyboard new in the early 80's at Cintioli Musi in Philly. Initially I gigged with it and eventually when my band got signed, I used it extensively on several albums and live performances. However, as was the case with these synths, over time, it just wouldn't stay in tune. I got so frustrated with my local shop's inability to repair it, I drove to Buffalo NY and dropped it off at the Moog factory, got a hotel room, and waited for it to be restored to new working order. The reality was that by the time I drove home to Philly, It wouldn't tune all 6 oscillators lol...
Over the last 30 some years, It's been kept in the studio or in a road case and basically, I had forgotten about it. Recently I was alerted that there were a few people out there that had the knowledge and ability using new technology to restore it to new, actually better than new. I did some research and learned about Wes Taggert at Analogics .
Wes truly is a memorymoog whisperer. I was skeptical but it's true, he restored it to better than perfect working order. I had forgotten how awesome this keyboard sounds. So rich and wet and round. Frankly, there's no red Swedish synth, Moog 1, whatever, that sounds like this thing. Not even that close! The analog horn pads, strings, killer solo patches, sound effects, direct panel accessible editing. Forget about it, there's nothing that sounds like a Memorymoog period. And the greatest thing is that my memorymoog is rock solid. Since getting it back from Wes, once warmed up (about 10 min), the tuning is impeccable. I had it idling in the studio the other night and was making dinner, forgot it was on, crashed on the couch for several hours and when I played it it some 5 hours later, all 6 voices were rock solid in tune. I've had this keyboard since it was new. It was accepted back then that it had to be auto-tuned after every song! Not anymore.....
Among other things the repairs and upgrades include:
1)Total rebuild and upgrade to the power supply
2) Total rebuild and upgrade to the auto-tune circuit
3) Totally recapped
4) Voice cards re-calibrated and several resistor packs replaced
5) Keyboard contacts cleaned and more."

Monday, April 29, 2019

AION MODULAR Introduces a Mini Model 15 - Legendary Modular Synth in 3H Eurorack Format



Only 16 inches tall!

A Mini classic Moog Model 15 in eurorack format.


"AION MODULAR is introducing the legendary SYNTHESIZER MODEL 15 in 3HE format! It is ready for shipping.

Kind regards from AION MODULAR, CLUB OF THE KNOBS, and Kazike & team!"


Curious how deep it is.

Could make for a great couch / lap synth.

Update:

"The case is 11 cm (4.3 in) deep without front cover, and 14 cm (5.51 in) with front cover closed.

Launch price is 2900 euros (plus VAT, plus shipping)." 2900 euros currently comes out to $3,243.50.

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Yamaha Yamaha SY-1 analog synthesizer 1974

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

via this auction

Man, all those vintage synths gone to fluff... And yes, there are two Yamaha's in the listing title. Made me wonder if a Behringer Yamaha will eventually come...

That's the Moog couch & synth pillows.

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

Atlanta Synthesizer Club "Meat" Meet at Georgia Tech's Under The Couch Sunday April 9th


"There will be a lot socializing, gear spotting, short performances and a raffle that includes significant gear from companies like Moog (Mother 32), Roland (TB-03 signed by DJ Pierre), Malekko (Voltage Block), Synthesis Technology (E330 VCO), DSI/Sequential (poster signed by Tom Oberheim and Dave Smith) and a slew of other donated DIY kits, studio time, stickers, records and other swag.

The response of the local community as well as the manufacturers have been well. Round expectations.

The Atlanta Synthesizer Club is dedicated to all things synth of the software and hardware variety, drum machines, effects, sound design and electronic music in and around Atlanta and the Southeastern US corridor. Our goal is to foster a community and be a resource for musicians, artists and individuals interested in the particulars of sound synthesis through an exchange of ideas, regular meetings, workshops and performances."

Location:
Under the Couch
350 Ferst Dr NW
Atlanta, GA 30313

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Roland TR-808 with Kenton MIDI

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

via this auction

"Roland TR-808 in very good condition, with Kenton MIDI (in, out & thru). Just serviced, with new PSU capacitors, cleaned and fully calibrated."

On a Moog couch no less.

Saturday, September 03, 2016

You'll Be Fine by Calvin Cardioid


Friend of the site, Calvin Cardioid, has a new single out today on iTunes and Apple Music. It features two synthesizer-drenched tunes. The title track 'You'll Be Fine' has casually thoughtful vocals over steady beats, while the instrumental 'Loud Quiet' is hazy and lazy, sitting on the couch. There is plenty of Korg Arp Odyssey and MS-20 Mini involved, as well as heavy use of the Moog Subphatty and some Roland TR-8.

Check it out here!

Cool portrait! :)

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Moog Werkstatt Guitar


VCG "Live Performance with exStellarator !!!" Published on Feb 20, 2015

"The VCG (Voltage Controlled Guitar) is a Breath-Controlled Synth Guitar based around the Moog Werkstatt.

Built on 15th Feb 2015 for the Moog/Guthman student design challenge at Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology.

Performed at Under The Couch by exStellarator on 18th Feb 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/exstellarator
exstellarator.bandcamp.com"

Moog Werkstatts on eBay

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Synth Kid with Voyager


via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"EPIC SYNTH PARTS! Part one of two featuring Bubba’s picks from REO Speedwagon to Big Star. http://bit.ly/1kVjluS"

Minimoog couch pillow as well!

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Synthesizers.com Box11 Pics & Overview

Update: video here.
Some images of my new Synthesizers.com Box11 System. Click on the pics for the supersize / wallpaper shots.

Three things stood out when unpacking this beauty: build quality, attention to detail, and oddly, how surprisingly svelte the system is. Yes svelte. It's thin, beautiful and sleek. As most of you know Synthesizers.com modular systems are in the larger 5U Moog format which are not typically known for being sleek. The Box11 is and it is beautiful.

As for length and width 5U systems do take up more space, and the Box11 is no exception, but what you get in return is a solid system that feels more substantial in terms of build quality and interface.  You get full size knobs and full size 1/4" jacks with zero cable movement when you patch them. There is no give, no patch wobble, just a rock solid connection. The knobs feel substantial and there is plenty of space not only to see things, but to also feel what you are doing, whether you have larger or smaller hands. Some people swear by the larger 5U/MU format. I understand why. [BTW, if you are confused by the 5U vs. MU format. 5U refers to 5 units of height. Think of a thin rackmount unit like the Yamaha TX81Z, or the various Emu Proteus line of racks. They are 1U, so 5U is the same height as five of them stacked one on top of the other. MU is 5U in height, but the M stands for Moog format which means modules in MU format like Synthesizers.com are compatible. There's also Synthesis Technology/MOTM's 5U format which has the same height but different horizontal spacing for the mounting screw holes. To see them side by side along with other modular formats, click on the image in this post.]

From left to right, the Box11 comes with the following modules:

One Q174 MIDI Interface which includes some interesting advanced functionality for a MIDI module: "Three modes of operation offer a variety of outputs for one or two MIDI channels. Outputs include standard 1V/Octave Pitch outputs with 10-octave ranges, 5V Gates, Trigger pulse, On and Off Velocity, Channel Pressure and several Continuous Controller outputs. Complete control over Note Priority and Gate modes provide virtually any type of keyboard response emulating virtually all vintage and modern keyboards along with some that are unique."

Two Q106 Oscillators which include Sine, Triangle, Saw, Ramp, and Pulse waveforms with pulsewidth modulation from any patchable modulation source. There's Hard Sync to synchronize the oscillator to other sources, not only to have oscillators in sync to prevent beating, but also to produce some interesting effects. There are two frequency mod sections, Linear Frequency with one input jack and level knob, and Exponential Frequency with two 1V/Octave inputs and a third input with level knob. The Q106 will also go into LFO range to act purely as a mod source.

One Q150 Transistor Ladder Filter which is based on the famous Moog ladder filter. Both 12db and 24db slopes are available via a switch and one pole and three pole settings are available via a jumper internal to the module. What's interesting is there are two audio inputs and two CV inputs with level knobs for each. This allows you to bypass a mixer for the two oscillators on the Box11 and plug each directly into the filter with the ability to adjust the levels for each. In addition to the two CV inputs with controllable level, there is a third input for 1V/OCT. This allows you to use a keyboard to scale the filter while still having two additional modulation sources adjustable by each level knob.

Two Q109 Envelope Generators with standard ADSR (Attack Decay Sustain Release) settings. The release is set for 12 seconds at max value but can be set to 30+ seconds via a jumper internal to the module. Attack and Decay can also be extended to 30+ seconds. A nice added feature to the Q106 is a Gate button which allows you to trigger the Envelope on it's own. This will be great not only for sonic exploration of drones sans MIDI controller, but also for manually triggering envelop effects on things like filter cutoff or pitch. Note the top Gain knob in the VCA will also bring in volume without the need of a trigger.

One Q108 Amplifier with two audio inputs, two CV inputs, and two audio outputs (one inverted). There's a switch for linear vs exponential response curves of the control inputs. The top Gain knob can be used to open the VCA without a trigger for drones.

Finally we have the Desktop Box11 case with two sets of four way multiples. There is also one blank panel where you can install an additional module of the same width.


Note the above is just a high level overview of each module and how you might make use of them out of the box. For a more detailed overview of each module as well as additional modules see Synthesizers.com

BTW, you might notice one of the pics has the system lying flat on a table.  Call me crazy, but one thing I wanted to try is using the Box11 as a lap synth up close while relaxing on the couch/recliner.  With the wood panels attached it was about an inch or two too wide for mine.  When you remove the wood panels the sides are exposed so I used some construction paper to cover them.  One other thing to note is the power cable connects to the back of the unit so you will need the side panels or other for support if you plan to lay it flat on a table (I'll be using a pillow for the recliner).  Synthesizers.com does offer straight panels in addition to the angled panels I have.  Personally I prefer the angled panels as that allows the Box11 to stand upright while patching in the studio.

A few side notes: in one of the pics you can see an iPad.  That's an iPad Mini Retina, not a full blown iPad for scale.  I love the iPad for sequencing on the fly so I was testing out the system with StepPolyArp (a nice feature with the app is it has a built in keyboard you can play with the sequencer off).

In regards to attention to detail, be sure to see the pics of the cables and packaging.  The cables are high quality and have Synthesizers.com logos on them. I thought this was a nice touch and added to the overall cohesiveness and quality of the system.

The packaging included detailed notes on each module.  Many manufacturers would just refer you to the website, so  I thought it was worth calling out as a nice added touch.

Sticky rubber feet to put under the wood panels so you don't scratch them were also included.  Note the panels do ship intact, so you do not need to do anything but plug the Box11 in and patch it up when it arrives.

The Box11 truly is a beautiful system.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Gary Numan & Michelle Moog-Koussa at Mountain Oasis Fesitval


via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"Michelle Moog-Koussa and Gary Numan Official take a photo together tonight at #mtnoasis festival in Asheville, NC."

On the minimoog couch!  Minimoog off to the right as well.

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Walk This Way - Bob Moog Foundation Meets Abbey Road

via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"Walk This Way. http://bit.ly/17mGEvB [raffle for the couch!]

Thanks to BMF Rockstar Volunteer and super photog Paul Lewis Anderson for the image."

Also see The Bob Moog Foundation's Marc Doty Conversing with a Minimoog Couch

Monday, July 01, 2013

The Bob Moog Foundation's Marc Doty Conversing with a Minimoog Couch


I'll have me a pint of what he's having.  Be sure to enter the raffle below!

via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook:

"Marc Doty, BMF Archive and Education Specialist, in deep conversation with the MiniWoouf beanbag chair. You, too, can have intimate conversation with the Mini by entering our raffle to win it here: http://bit.ly/17mGEvB. Enter soon -- the raffle ends on July 10th!

Thanks to Paul Lewis Anderson for the great image, and to Wicked Weed Brewing for sharing space and spirits with us."

Update: a little birdy told me there will be a number of these pics promoting the raffle. I'll put up new posts for them as they come in and add them to this master post below.

Walk This Way - Bob Moog Foundation Meets Abbey Road
via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"Walk This Way. http://bit.ly/17mGEvB

Thanks to BMF Rockstar Volunteer and super photog Paul Lewis Anderson for the image."

Red, White & Moog
via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"Red, White & Moog.

In the spirit of independence, BMF super Executive Assistant Molly McQuillan takes the Mini Beanbag for a spin tubing in Asheville's French Broad River. Only eight days left to enter the raffle to win the coolest beanbag chair in sonic history: http://bit.ly/17mGEvB

Thanks to BMF Rockstar Volunteer and super photog Paul Lewis Anderson for the great photo! — with Molly McQuillan at The Bywater."

Worthy of a Stately Reception

via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"Worthy of a stately reception.

You can enter to win the coolest "soft synth" ever here: http://bit.ly/17mGEvB. Don't delay, raffle ends in five days, and is open internationally.

Epic photo, taken at The Biltmore House, by BMF Rockstar Volunteer and super photog Paul Lewis Anderson."

You, Too, Could Hold it High

via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"You, too, could hold it high. Two days left http://bit.ly/17mGEvB

Continued thanks to BMF Rockstar Volunteer and super photog Paul Lewis Anderson for the photo."

Moogology. Michelle Moog-Kousa Gives the Mini Beanbag an Anatomy Lesson

via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"Moogology. Michelle gives the Mini beanbag an anatomy lesson.

Raffle for the Mini beanbag chair ends TOMORROW. Don't miss your chance to school your own sonic student: http://bit.ly/17mGEvB. All proceeds benefit the Bob Moog Foundation.

Thanks to BMF Rockstar Volunteer and super photog Paul Lewis Anderson the image."

The Long Farewell - Last Chance to Win the BMF Minimoog Beanbag

via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook:

"The long farewell. BMF Archive and Education specialist, Marc Doty (aka Automatic Gainsay), says goodbye to the Minimoog beanbag Wicked Weed Brewing before we send it on its way to a new home.

Who is going to win the coolest "soft synth" ever? RAFFLE ENDS TODAY at midnight. Enter here and support the BMF: http://bit.ly/17mGEvB.

A million thanks to photographer Paul Lewis Anderson for the image."

Update: and the lucky winner has been announced here!

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

NAMM 2013: Mini Sofa Conversations at The Bob Moog Foundation Booth


Full gallery on Facebook here.

The Synth Nymph gets the post.  You might remember her from this post with an Adromeda A6 and this Synth Lord post.

"Kelly Marie (aka Synth Nymph) fell in love with the couch -- and of course she knows you can only play it one note at a time. — at Namm 2013."

"The Bob Moog Foundation rocked Winter NAMM in Anaheim from January 24-27. For four days, we exhibited and demonstrated both a massive Moog modular synthesizer belonging to synth maestro Erik Norlander and a very special modified Minimoog, that was donated to us by sessions synthesist Tom Coppola. The Mini couch donated to us by Woouf Barcelona also drew lots of attention. Thanks to everybody who stopped by. We had a blast and we're looking forward to cultivating many new relationships and projects started at NAMM!"

Monday, February 04, 2013

MATRIXSYNTH 2013: Bob Moog Foundation Booth

Marc Doty Presentation at the Bob Moog Foundation Booth

Uploaded on Feb 3, 2013 matrixsynth·256 videos

Bernie Worrell at the Bob Moog Foundation Booth


Two videos at the The Bob Moog Foundation booth. The first is Marc Doty (aka AutomaticGainsay) giving an overview of modular synthesis on Erik Norlander's Moog modular.  I'm not sure how much of the beginning I missed as I dropped by the booth when it was in progress.  The second video is of Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic and Talking Heads checking out a Synthetic Sound Labs modified Moog Minimoog synthesizer with SSL's Doug Slocum.   BTW, if you are into Steampunk be sure to check out SSL's modular systems. Note the mini is duo-phonic and has a joystick rather than wheels. The mini is also capable of different triggering modes. You can hear Doug telling Bernie when he sets it to multi-trigger so each note played re-triggers the envelope. Also at the booth was a "MiniWoouf" couch donated by WOOUF! of Barcelona. And of course Bob Moog's daughter Michelle Moog-Koussa was present.  Be sure to click the pics below for the super size shots.



Thursday, January 24, 2013

NAMM 2013: The Minimoog Couch at the BMF Booth

Top via The Bob Moog Foundation on Facebook

"BMF synth guru Marc Doty at our NAMM booth enjoying our brand new Mini couch, donated to us by our friends at Woouf Barcelona. If you're at NAMM this weekend, come strike a pose on this very cool analog couch. We're in booth 5307B."

Bottom via Stephen Fortner of Keyboard Magazine: "Already NAMMing at The Bob Moog Foundation booth. Sitting on the Woouf Minimoog sofa with Erik Norlander's wall of doom synth behind me."

Friday, June 04, 2010

Professor William Hoskins and His Mystery Moog


Pictured to the left is Professor William Hoskins (via). What you see there is not the mystery Moog, but his Moog modular system. This post is about another Moog synth, one most likely based on the Sonic VI. If you have any information on what this synth might be after reading this, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. My contact info is on the bottom right of the site. I have already contacted Michelle Moog-Koussa and Brian Kehew author of Kaleidoscope Eyes A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper, as well as Trevor Pinch, author of Analog Days [Amazon hardcover & paperback, preview on Google books], and featured in this exclusive post. I also contacted James Husted of Synthwerks, George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular, Steven Jones of Synthwood, and Carbon111, all of whom know their synth history. None were familiar with what the synth might be.

The story: I was recently contacted by a Paul Rego with the following:

"I've been searching the Internet for over a year now and have not been able find a specific synth. Since you seem to know and work with every type of synth known, I thought I'd ask you...

Around 1973 - 1974, I took private synthesizer lessons at Jacksonville University (Florida). The instructor was Professor William Hoskins and the synth was a custom Studio Moog assembled by Professor Hoskins.

One day, Professor Hoskins showed me his personal, portable synthesizer. He brought out what looked like a brown suitcase. When he opened it, I saw a Moog Sonic VI.

This is nothing new. I've seen lots of images of this synth on the Internet. The one aspect of this particular synth, that I cannot find anywhere, is that it had a touch-sensitive keyboard. The keyboard was made of plastic and had a gray / brown color. Outlining the keys (showing the location of the 'white' and 'black' keys) was an almost medium blue color (about an eighth-inch thick). (He and I tinkered with this synth for about a half-hour to an hour.)

Professor Hoskins passed away several years ago, so I can't ask him about it. I did contact his family but they don't remember anything about this synth.

I do remember Professor Hoskins telling me that he and Bob Moog had 'gone to school together'. I think he was referring to electronics school but I never asked him more about it. I thought I had read somewhere that Professor Hoskins and Bob Moog had briefly worked together on a Sonic VI prototype but I don't know if that's true. (Even if what I saw was a prototype, someone has to own it now and should be proud enough of it to post some photos somewhere.)

I thought the background story might help in your own research on this.

Basically, I'd just like to know if this synth ever existed or am I just not remembering it correctly.

Thank you for your time and attention."

My first obvious guess considering the blue was the Buchla Music Easel or separate Buchla touchplate keyboard modded into the case of a Sonic VI. I sent Paul a couple of links to various images.

Paul replied: "the synth I saw didn't look like the Buchla Easel. Good call though.

The 'blue', which outlined the keys on the Sonic VI I saw was a bit lighter in color than the blue in your photos and maybe had a bit of green in it (closer to turquoise). There was no red or other color on the keyboard (that I can remember) and the entire keyboard seemed to be one piece of plastic with only the blue / green outlines separating the 'keys'.

I also read a story recently about the time when Musonics bought Moog and had a synth ('Sonic V'?) of their own, at that time, but I haven't research this too much yet. One thought I had was the synth I saw was something from Musonics but was never officially released (until it had the 'Moog' name placed on it). I'm pretty sure the synth I saw had the 'Moog' logo and the word 'Sonic VI'. (Not 100% sure but it seems clear in my memory.)"

I also sent Paul images of the EMS Synthi AKS. Paul replied it was the closest, but definitely not it.

I contacted Michelle Moog-Koussa and Brian Kehew to see if they knew of anything. Michelle replied: "...I can tell you that we have several of William Hoskins reel-to-reel tapes in the archives, so there was obviously a significant professional relationship between he and Bob.

I don't ever remember reading anything about the Sonic VI, but maybe Brian does. One thing I can tell you for sure is that Dad began working with John Eaton in 1970 on the Multi-Touch Sensitive keyboard [left via]. The main component of the MTS was the touch-sensitive keyboard, of course. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Dad would have used his work with John to push boundaries on another project."

Brian replied: "Bob didn't design or build the original Sonic V (from Musonics before they bought Moog) that was Gene Zumchak: The Sonic V did have a brown wood style. It's even unlikely Bob did much on the Sonic Six as it was the same thing with a new outer case.

The Sonic VI was the version Moog made in 1972 and later, in a plastic suitcase version. Many of these were made vs the very few Sonic V's. So one might think they saw a Sonic VI when it was the V (same front panel and features). But the brown suitcase and colored keys and touch sensitive thing are ALL unusual. I know a little about Prof Hoskins from the paperwork of the past, but no mention of this synth. Definitely unusual to have keys like that anywhere, anytime!" Followed by: "And there IS touch (velocity) sensitivity on Wendy Carlos' synth by 1971 for Clockwork Orange, but it's used under the normal keyboard. THIS velocity was very possible, but would not make the keys look different. Again - maybe a Sonic V was retrofitted with a cooler keyboard later in the 80s, but why not do so on a BETTER synth!?" :)

On a separate thread, Trevor Pinch got back to me with the following: "Bill Hoskins was important in that he was one of the first people David VanKouvering approached about minimoog reiail sales etc. I have a good album of his somewhere! I think he may have been Bob's favorite composer for a while.

I have no idea about the touch key board but I'm in touch with Gene Zumchak the guy who designed the Sonic Six, so I'll ask him. (I guess you know the joke that the Sonic Six was known by Moog engineers as the Chronic Sick!)

Actually its story might be kinda interesting - Zummy (as he is known) told me that it was made with 741 op amps and in many ways was more advanced than the minimoog.
Maybe it has had an unfair press. I never heard one or saw one for real."

James Husted sent me the image of Professor Hoskins at the top of this post. I sent it to Paul to see if maybe it brought back any memories that might help.

He replied: "The custom Moog modular in that photo is the same one I took lessons on. However, this is an early photo and when I saw that Moog modular, Professor Hoskins had already added a top layer to that cabinet — which included a Moog sequencer. (I have a photo of it, that I took around 1990, but the top part of the photo, showing the upper section, is cut off.)

The reason you didn't see Professor Hoskins' 'Sonic VI' is... I'm guessing that he didn't bring it to the university very often. When I saw it, I was at his home. He had invited me over one Saturday afternoon to see HIS custom Moog modular. It was in his garage, which he had made-over into a nice studio. It also had a two-manual organ, at least two reel-to-reel tape decks and LOTS of recording tape. Later, during that same session, he said 'There's something else I want to show you. Come inside.' We went into the living room and I sat on the couch. He said 'I'll be right back.' After about a minute, he came back carrying a brown 'suitcase'. He set it on the coffee table in front of me and sat down on the couch. He opened it up and... Whoa! I had never seen one of these and it was the first time I had seen a Ring Modulator!

---

I remember seeing Professor Hoskins play his Sonic VI during a live performance of his album 'Galactic Fantasy / Eastern Reflections'. The Jacksonville University orchestra played most of his composition but at one point his Sonic VI was brought out and he played it while at center stage. I could see it clearly from my seat but, of course, I could only see the back of it, which simply looked like the back of a brown suitcase.

---

Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Since I think this is important, I thought I'd try to recreate the 'Sonic VI' I think I saw. I 'Photoshopped' a production Sonic VI and attached it to this message. It's the best image of what I think I saw.

Modifying the image forced my memory to go into more detail. Here's what I'm fairly certain of:
• The outer color of the "suitcase" was almost dark brown.
• The outer shape was more square than the production Sonic VI.
• The thickness of the top and bottom sections was thicker than the production Sonic VI model.
• The keyboard was made of slightly textured plastic, otherwise completely flat, was brown / gray in color and had a vibrant blue outline between the keys. (I'm not 100% sure if the "black" keys were outlined or solid blue.)
• The background color of the back panel and the area surrounding the keyboard was almost dark brown. It looked like it was made out of either pressed cardboard or thin wood. It really reminded me more of the thin 'wood' used in old, tube televisions and radios (during the 1960s).

What I'm not 'fairly sure' of:
• I can't remember if it had a Mod Wheel.
• I think there was more space between the modules.
• I think it had two speakers (placed on the left and right side of the back panel). Each might have been the size of the center speaker-grill in my photo.
• I can't remember if there were any connectors, switches or knobs on the keyboard section."





Update: via Aaron aka theglyph in the comments: "Holy shit! That's the guy from JU. There was an electronics repair/pawn shop here in Jacksonville called Active Electronics that had a bunch of synths back in 90's. The owner had a sign in the store explicitly stating that the synths were not for sale and that customers were not allowed to walk up and look at them or touch them. I walked in day and walked close enough to notice that the MiniMoogs had very low serial #'s. It wasn't until I read Analog Days that I found out that the earliest Mini were sold here in Jacksonville. There so much more to this story that I don't know where to begin but I can say that I did an obscure Moog at the store that I've never seen photographed since and I simply thought I was loosing my mind recollecting it. WOW!

Cheers,
theglyph"

Update: Above, Brian originally mentioned Bill Hemsath as the person that designed the Sonic V. He meant to say Gene Zumchak. This has been updated.

Updates: via Dorothy in the comments:
"HI, as a Hoskins kid, I watched Dad perform on the synthesizer and I know we had the Sonic but I thought it was a "V". Dad had several custom modules built for him by Bob Moog. They were friends but didn't go to school together -- Dad went to Trumansburg NY to work with Bob on the synthesizer that they got for Jacksonville University (in 1969, I think). I will have to go digging in the Will Hoskins letters that I have. Those of you who knew Dad know that he was very meticulous about writing up the components that he bought and what they were for.
Late in Dad's life, when he was basically letting go of most composing effort except for revising existing scores, Bob helped Dad find a collector (in Germany, as I recall), who bought all of Dad's big home synthesizer. I think some of the smaller units were in the hands of Steve Smith, who was Dad's right-hand man at the JU studio for some years. Whatever happened to them, I don't think Dad would have cared as long as someone was using them to create music. He wouldn't have collected synthesizers as museum pieces, he actively used everything he got from Moog until he was ready to let it go."

Followed by: "BTW, that last time I spoke to Bob Moog was after Dad died, when Bob came to Rochester NY http://www.esm.rochester.edu/news/?id=132 which is near where I live now. Bob spoke very fondly of working with Dad, because Dad cared as much about the science of music synthesis as any composer Bob knew. Dad did some work with him on modulators and other components for JU and the Hoskins home studio."

Followed by: "Hoskins synth photo --not a Sonic -- in news article 1970 [link]"

Update 6/6/2010:

Some more interesting bits of Moog history:

Trevor Pinch checked with Gene Zumchak who had the following to say:

"I am not aware of a touch sensitive keyboard on the Sonic V or 6. It did have a two-note keyboard and the highest key pressed and lowest pressed could be routed to Osc 1 and Osc 2.

They removed the keyswitch bus and superimposed a highpitch (100KHz?) tone on the voltage string. This might have been the source of a whine that some users complained about that wasn't present in the Sonic V."

via Josh Brandt: 'Okay, I did hear back from David Mash [VP of IT at Berklee and friend of Bob Moog], who says that the story he was telling me several years ago was about a keyboard Bob was building for John Eaton. I asked about the story he'd told me and if the pictures you posted could be of the instrument he'd been talking about, and he said:

"The story I was no doubt telling was definitely about the keyboard Bob built for John Eaton [middle pic above]. Bob was going to show us the completed instrument (which my friends Jeff Tripp and Paul Derocco helped complete), but we never got to see it due to the way the conversation turned over dinner. I did see the instrument several times during the design/build stages and again later after it was complete.

The keyboard was simply a controller and not a synth, so definitely not the portable synth the blog is referring to. I know Brian, and was involved briefly with him and a bit more with Michelle Moog on the NAMM Museum exhibit, and they used a couple of my photos for the exhibit. They're great people and working hard to preserve Bob's legacy.'"

Update via WmJHeart in the comments:

"Thanks Matrix, for hosting this page. I own a copy of Will's Galactic Fantasy & Eastern Reflections (my personal favorite) recording on vinyl. But I also discovered and listened to the entire album on YouTube recently! Here:"

Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections (1979)[Full Album]

video upload by

Published on Jul 12, 2017 TheHomecoming

"Rare electronic/synth/moog private pressing LP

TITLE 'Galactic Fantasy - Eastern Reflections'

William Hoskins, "Galactic Fantasy, Eastern Reflections" [CP-158]
TRACK 01 AUDIO TITLE "Overture : Stars Are Suns" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 00:00
TRACK 02 AUDIO TITLE "Intermezzo : Interplanetary Communique" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 06:39
TRACK 03 AUDIO TITLE "Star Nocturne" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 08:11
TRACK 04 AUDIO TITLE "Scherzo : Comets" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 16:35
TRACK 05 AUDIO TITLE "Beyond Beyond" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 18:54
TRACK 06 AUDIO TITLE "Prolog : Theme and Variation" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 23:40
TRACK 07 AUDIO TITLE "Lower Heterophonie" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 27:55
TRACK 08 AUDIO TITLE "Song : Open Skies" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 31:22
TRACK 09 AUDIO TITLE "Drum Chime" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 35:28
TRACK 10 AUDIO TITLE "Upper Heterophonie" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 39:41
TRACK 11 AUDIO TITLE "Epilog : Processional" PERFORMER "William Hoskins" INDEX 01 41:30

A1
Overture: Stars Are Suns
A2
Intermezzo: Interplanetary Communique
A3
Star Nocturne
A4
Scherzo: Comets
A5
Beyond Beyond: An Entropy Study
A6
Eastern Reflections
Eastern Reflections
B1
Prolog: Theme and Variation
B2
Lower Heterophonie
B3
Song: Open Skies
B4
Drum Chime
B5
Upper Heterophonie
B6
Epilog: Processional

Criminally under-rated set of Early American Moog Modular Synthesizer Music - the sole release by composer William Hoskins, the 'Director of Electronic Music and Composer-in-Residence at Jacksonville University in Florida.' Issued in 1979 by the Harriman, NY-based Spectrum - a 'Division of UNI-PRO Recordings, Inc.' the LP consists of a pair of discrete pieces, with each taking up a side of its own."



Update via Kimberly S Beasley in the comments:

"Hello, everyone. I am the current chair of the Department of Music at Jacksonville University and I have the original Sonic VI manuals and one of Hoskin's Moogs....happy to share photos tomorrow."

Kimberly sent in the images with the following:

"This has been in the possession of our Professor Emeritus Dr. William Schirmer as it was given to him by Hoskins. Hoskins' granddaughter Dorothy is also aware of the instrument. We also have a large collection of manuscripts of Hoskins.

There is also a mini-Moog we just refurbished in our recording studio."

You can see WM. Hoskins written on the top right of the manual. Note "Home Copy" on the blue cover. It's kind of neat to think of him perusing through the manual in the comfort of his home.

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