GS Music e7 - 7 minutes with the GS-E7

video upload by Raw Synthesizer Demos

https://www.gsmusic.com/

"The e7 is a polyphonic analog desktop synthesizer from Argentina by GS Music that sounds lively and rich and looks beautiful. Easy to use, expressively to play.

It reminds me of some of the best synths ever built but has its own character.

Everything was directly recorded from the outs of the synth into the audio interface. No internal effects nor any additional effects, equalizers, compressors or limiters were used to give you a genuine impression of its raw sound. Let me know your thoughts.

© 2023 Blue Lake Music"

GS-E7 Demo Part 2: Overdubs

video upload by Raw Synthesizer Demos

"What happens when you overdub a rich sounding analog synth like the e7 again and again? And with automation of some parameters like filter cutoff and OSC pitch? How does it sound?
No internal effects nor any additional effects, equalizers, compressors or limiters were used.

Let me know your thoughts.

© 2023 Blue Lake Music"

"Draw me a Ship" (Novation Summit jamuary)

video upload by No Lake

“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Headphones recommended

My Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/artist/3MAeb...
My Bandcamp : https://nolake.bandcamp.com/

"Dragonflight" (Dungeon Theme, tribute to Jochen Hippel)

video upload by No Lake

"You've probably never heard of this guy and you've probably never heard the original music either but Mad Max, as we used to call him back then, played a major role in my musical roots, maybe the most impactfull musician before I turned 18 and before I was 100% into my masters Vangelis, JMJ, Klaus Schulze and Harrold Budd. This is just a humble 'Christmas improvised revisited jam-cover blah blah blah' of one of his track. Headphones recommended."

Novation Summit.

"Impassive Mountain" (MOOG Subharmonicon & MPK Mini meditative jam)

video upload by No Lake

"'People are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home, that wilderness is a necessity.' (John Muir)

Just a few lazy improvised notes inspired by the mountain behind the window.
Headphones recommended."

Novation Summit - Generative ambient & FM synthesis

video upload by No Lake

"One thing that I haven't tried with this synth yet is a good old meditative generative ambient (for those who aren't familiar with the concept, it's a piece of music created itself from an initial set of musical elements and by specific rules defined by the composer and his machine).

So, I created three self-generating patches that play simultaneously at 40BPM and several sequences with modulation frequencies. The three LFOs are now playing ping-pong with each other. Of course, everything follows predefined rules to avoid a complete mess. They just "modulate together" in harmony. It's basically FM synthesis. But FM can be hazardous, eventful or even crazy. It takes time to reach something pleasant and relaxing.

The Novation Summit and the Novation Peak do have a strong FM engine and these synths can be turned into a modular synthesizer. Then I just had to add some real-time effects on everything and off we go.

It might sound easy, "you just ask the synth to play music for you", but there is a lot of preparation that goes into making it all work. It's far from easy. I mean, anybody would do it overnight otherwise. In fact, you can't just snap your fingers, it often takes more time than creating a new song from scratch. But the result is totally different as you can hear. It is therefore more of an exercise in style. Something that I've always wanted to try and I've had this synth for three years now (almost to the day).

Although, my cup of tea is more about creating melodies than planting a seed and waiting for it to germinate, hoping for the best and wrapped in some technical demo. But when it works, it can be very soothing. I almost fell asleep the first time I listened to the final result^^

It's so much fun though and I'm still a big fan of the genre. It creates something different than usual. Something fresh and unpredictable. So, for those who have 20 minutes to spare, I invite you to use headphones, close your eyes and meditate with me in the ethereal world of procedural music."

Novation Summit - Generative ambient & FM synthesis (part 02)

video upload by No Lake

"Just another try with something a bit weirder and some floating notes on the Push. I turned the comments off because I don't want to be like "buying your interest" but if you wanna share something, don't hesitate to do it on part 01 and I'll answer to you with great pleasure.

Both attemps are available for free on my Bandcamp : https://nolake.bandcamp.com/album/sum..."

【エレクトーン演奏】みずうみのうた （まつうらようこ）"Mizuumi no Uta (Song Of The Lake)" by Yoko Matsuura ・YAMAHA D85・D800

video upload by adamstan84

"シンガーソングライターのまつうらようこさん（@user-yy1kn5io3q）が作ってくれた素敵な曲をエレクトーンで弾いてみました。
陽子さん、お誕生日おめでとうございます！"

"I played a wonderful song written by singer-songwriter Yoko Matsuura (@user-yy1kn5io3q) on the electric tone.
Happy birthday, Yoko!"

Yamaha EX5 Demos by Snupps

videos upload by Snupps Synth channel

Use the player controls to skip through videos.

1.

A demo of a effect sound i made, Under the Name The Abyss, its a strange sound. And only the EX5 can achieve this type of sounds, I used no external FX for this and there is almost no layered tracks, mostly one continous recorded track. I used the AWM/FDSP engine for this, Cheers!

Yamaha EX5 Demo The Abyss 2. Public Transport (Yamaha EX5 Demo)

A ambient track, where i mostly use my Yamaha EX5, and most specifically a sound i made under the name Transporter, which kinda sounds like a bowed string instrument, where i used the FDSP synth engine. I also used my Korg M50 and Kawai K5000s for some more layered sounds. All the sounds were made by me.

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Universal Audio PolyMax - Sound Bank '79 - Vintage Patches

video upload by Polydata

"Drawing from the earliest days of polyphonic synthesizers, Sound Bank ‘79 for the Universal Audio PolyMax finds its inspiration in synthesizer music found in documentaries and library music from the late 70’s and early 80’s.

A bank comprising 35 patches for instant inspiration. The goal was to squeeze as much vintage analog juice out of this plug-in as possible, primarily working within the constraints of classic vintage synthesizers. PolyMax has excellent tone while keeping one of the best parts of using vintage synths: a clear and simple interface.

Sound Bank '79 is a series of vintage tones for different synths and plug-ins, so look out for future releases. Recorded completely dry with no external effects or processing.

Link:
polydata.bigcartel.com

After payment, you will receive the file in your email within 24 hours.

Drop a comment of what other hardware or software sound packs you're interested in.

POLYDATA music
polydata.bandcamp.com

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GForce / Oberheim SEM - Sound Bank '79

video upload by Polydata

"One of the most beloved, unique and musical sounding synthesizers has been perfectly recreated by GForce and endorsed by Oberheim. A classic design with a wonderful sound that just works. This plug-in is a tool that is simple, yet can fit so well in a wide array of productions.

A bank 30 patches for instant inspiration and to help you get working quickly. The goal was to highlight the raw analog tone and musicality of the SEM design, primarily working within the constraints of the original Oberheim module. This is one of my favorite mono plug-ins, and a perfect way to get that sound without spending thousands of dollars.

Link:
polydata.bigcartel.com

After payment, you will receive the file in your email within 24 hours. Recorded with no external processing - what you hear is all from the plug-in.

POLYDATA music
polydata.bandcamp.com

Instagram - @poly.data

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Cherry Audio Mercury-6 - Sound Bank '79

video upload by Polydata

"Drawing from the earliest days of polyphonic synthesizers, Sound Bank ‘79 for the Cherry Audio Mercury-6 finds its inspiration in synthesizer music found in documentaries and library music from the late 70’s and early 80’s.

A bank comprising 30 patches for instant inspiration. The goal was to squeeze as much vintage analog juice out of this plug-in as possible, primarily working within the constraints of the original Roland Jupiter-6 analog poly synth. This plug-in sounds awesome and brings the classic Roland sound and user interface that we all love.

Sound Bank '79 is a series of vintage tones for different synths and plug-ins, so look out for future releases. Recorded completely dry with no external effects or processing."

Link:
polydata.bigcartel.com
00:00 8:00 am Sprinklers
00:12 Cassette Demo '88
00:24 Digital Hand
00:35 Early Computer
00:51 Film Scanner
01:02 Filter IC
01:11 Greater Houston
01:21 Hall of Mirrors
01:39 International Connection
01:49 Jefferson Ave
02:07 Journey South
02:18 Landline
02:29 Linotype
02:39 Made in Japan
02:53 Mar Vista
03:06 Microprocessor
03:17 Midwest Truck Route
03:29 Night Bus
03:47 PBS Animation
03:58 Photosynthesis
04:11 Pop Fizz
04:29 Pre-Midi
04:39 Printing Press
04:50 Production Year 1979
04:59 Program Bumper
05:09 Rainfall
05:19 School Gym
05:29 Trail to Lake
05:40 Vessel Set Sail
05:51 Watershed

Sequential Prophet REV 2 - Sound Bank '79

video upload by Polydata

"Drawing from the earliest days of polyphonic synthesizers, Sound Bank ‘79 for the Dave Smith Instruments / Sequential Prophet Rev 2 finds its inspiration in synthesizer music found in documentaries and library music from the late 70’s and early 80’s.

40 patches for instant inspiration. Sound Bank '79 is a series of vintage tones for different synths and plug-ins, so look out for future releases. Recorded completely dry with no external effects or processing.

Link:
polydata.bigcartel.com

After payment, you will receive the SysEx file in your email within 24 hours. Loads into User Bank 2 by default, slots 1-40.


POLYDATA music
polydata.bandcamp.com

CLICK FOR MORE »

Korg NTS-1 & Liven 8Bit Warps - Boating Lake Ambient - Jamuary 10th 2021

ChrisLody

"The Liven 8Bit Warps in this video was kindly supplied by Sonicware

I'm super late with Jamuary and I suspect I'll be a little busy this year with other music based duties, but I'll try to join in where I can

This jam came about after experimenting with the midi out on the Liven 8Bit warps which sequence external devices, it also accepts audio from external devices though a stereo 3.5mm socket so it seems like a pretty good match for the Korg NTS-1 seeing as it has no sequencer

The 8Bit Warps sends sync, note and CC data from any knob or recorded knob movement, though I couldn't really find any midi CC's that matched up well with the Korg NTS-1 (cutoff for example is a different midi CC) so I stuck to adding a bit of variety by hand to the notes sent from the 8Bit Warps sequencer

The patch playing on the NTS-1 is 'Milk Bottle' from my recent NTS-1 Megademo video. The rest of the audio is synthesized on the 8Bit Warps then recorded and played back from it's built in audio loopers.

The video is some found footage of a boating lake I found on some mini DV tapes in an auction lot"

Oops They Did it Again - Behringer Introduces the Swing USB MIDI Controller Keyboard

Update: see Arturia's & interface designer Axel Hartman's response further below.

Look familiar?

"32-Key USB MIDI Controller Keyboard with 64 Step Polyphonic Sequencing, Chord and Arpeggiator Modes

The Behringer SWING gives you full control over any synthesizer or virtual instrument in your DAW via USB or MIDI. Featuring a 64-step sequencer with an 8-note polyphonic sequence combined with 32 compact-sized keys and pitch and modulation touch-strips provide unlimited ways to express yourself in a compact and portable package.

The SWING’s 32-compact-sized keys create a perfect balance between size and playability. The keys give you the ability to create more nuanced and colorful passages with velocity and after-touch functionality. Use the Pitch and Modulation touch-strips to add even more character to your music. Chord Play Mode allows you to play a chord with up to 16 notes with one single key for some really enchanting Trance music. The SWING also features a 64-step polyphonic sequencer so you can create any progression imaginable and even play over it. Switch to Arpeggiator mode and create an amazing string of notes that can sync to the clock of any device the SWING is connected to.

The Mode knob on the SWING can select up to 8 saved programs in Sequencer mode, while in Arpeggiator mode, you can select different playing orders such as up, down, inclusive, exclusive, random, note order, double up and double down modes. Select from 8 different time signatures with the Scale knob and adjust the tempo with the Tempo knob or the Tap button. Press the Record button to start recording a sequence. This also doubles as an Append button when holding down Shift. Use this along with the Stop/Clear Last button and you can edit your sequences and arpeggios on the fly.

Update: And a response from Arturia followed by Axel Hartman who designed the physical look of the Keystep:

Arturia:

"Hello everyone,

We have been informed on Sunday November the 22nd of the upcoming release of a new product called Swing, by Behringer. This product is in no way the result of a partnership between Arturia and Behringer.

We have worked hard to create the _Step range. We have invested time and money to imagine, specify, develop, test and market the KeyStep. Along our distributors we have been evangelizing this product, placing it in stores, explaining it, servicing it.

Of course we accept competition, and would absolutely understand that Berhinger give their own interpretation of a small and smart controller that would also be a sequencer. Others do, we have no problem with that and see good for the customer, as well as for the industry, in fair competition.

But this is not fair competition here.

Coco Chanel once said: “If you want to be original, be ready to be copied”. So we could in a way consider the Swing as a compliment.


We could.

In any case, thank you, everyone who came out and supported us these past 36 hours! It's been very helpful, very much appreciated.

Frédéric Brun
Co-founder and CEO, Arturia"

Axel Hartman:

"I do feel the need to comment on the many postings I can find here @ Facebook in several places regarding my thoughts, feelings, but also the truth about the blunt Behringer copy of the Arturia key step.

Arturia and myself, aka my company design box are designing instruments, synthesizers, controllers, interfaces since many years. As industrial designer, I contribute mostly my services on the asthetical side of a product. This is true for almost all hardware products that you know from Arturia. In all cases, Arturia is buying my services - I never licensed any of the designs. Arturia always pays, and naturally owns the output of my work, that - by the way - is alway the result of an in-depth cooperation with their internal team of specialists.

Arturia and myself are working together since many years, and we share the deep desire of designing innovative products. I could never share any of the designs, that came out of that cooperation with any body else, legally not, and not from my personal high attitude in that regards. So anything, pointing in that direction is simply fake information. Neither the company Behringer, nor Uli himself have ever approached me with a request like that. And I would also never ever do something like that - I can not license anything that is not in my possession.

Personally, I feel sad, and am also upset about that sheer copy of a design, that I once created for, and together with Arturia, the team around Frederic Brun. These people have spent lots of efforts and great energy in building a brand and all that belongs to a brands assets. It is simply not right, somebody else is taking advantage of that hard work (which is not only true for Arturia, but for all great brands, that must see their most successful products being copied) I do not understand (Uli) Behringer - with his huge company and the power of many great R&D teams - some of the best and most respected and innovative companies we know in our business, that Uli was able to simply buy in the past with his money. A product like that copy simply can not represent the core values of the people, he could convince to be part of his company. It is simply sad, and I can not understand that move (like many, it seems)."

And then there's the following mock-up from Atomic Shadow that pretty much sums it up:

Update via Wikipedia: "Music Tribe, formerly Music Group, is a holding company based in the City of Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.[2] It is chaired by Uli Behringer, founder of Behringer. Music Group rebranded to Music Tribe in December 2017.[3]...

In 2015, Music Group's portfolio included Midas, Klark Teknik, Behringer, Bugera, Eurocom, Turbosound, TC Electronic, TC-Helicon, Lake, Lab.gruppen, Tannoy, TC Applied Technologies and CoolAudio[6]"

Update: And Behringer's response via Musictribe:

"Since various magazines and Arturia have publicly called us out over the launch of our Swing MIDI Controller, we would like to respond and share some facts around the principles of competition and clear up some misconceptions.


Competition is a highly effective tool to drive innovation by empowering Customers to make their best choices and force manufacturers to constantly reinvent themselves. Innovation means progress and this happens on many levels, whether it relates to customer experience, functionality or cost efficiencies etc.
There are 4 established marketing strategies: market leader, market challenger, market follower and market nichers. Here is a great article: https://aytm.com/blog/brand-positioning-for-a-competitive-edge-part-3/


The competition law was designed to avoid companies creating a market monopoly and stifle innovation, which would be detrimental to the rights of the Customers to expect better offerings. The law was specifically designed to encourage everyone to fiercely compete, even when it means over the same functionality and design, provided intellectual property such as utility (functional) and design patents as well as trademarks etc. are respected.


How many Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul clones are out there in the guitar world and how many SM58 clones are available? How many cars or mobile phones look alike? It is not surprising that Gibson recently lost a substantial legal case trying to prevent others from making V-shape guitars or Fender, who lost all trademark cases related to their Stratocaster design.
The reason is simple: the law encourages competition and provides maximum freedom for companies to engage head-on, all for the benefit of the Customer.


We are spending large amounts of resources on innovation, which is reflected in products such as X32, XR18, Flow, DDM4000, etc. This made us the global market leader for analog and digital mixers and over the years we have built an extensive patent portfolio:
https://community.musictribe.com/pages/intellectual-property
However, we also clearly choose to follow successful brands and products, while adding more features and/or competing on price. Much of our innovation is invisible to the Customer as it relates to our highly advanced and automated design and manufacturing processes and for that we are spending hundreds of millions of US$.
For this reason, we have become strategic partners with Microsoft, Siemens, Adobe and many other Tier 1 companies as we are pushing for extreme digitization and automation.


The follower marketing strategy is a very common business model in any industry, which is enabled by law to encourage competition. With our new Swing MIDI Controller, we followed an established concept, but of course wrote our own firmware with added functionality. However, these unique features will only come to life when we launch our free DAW.


The free Music Tribe DAW will form the heart of an incredible eco-system, where all our controllers, synthesizers and drum machines etc. will integrate seamlessly, thus dramatically improve connectivity and workflow. This will make it incredibly easy for our Customers to create, edit and share their music.
Only our upcoming controllers will feature total integration with our synthesizers, drum machines, digital mixers and other Music Tribe equipment, while also offering standard functionality with all 3rd party products.


For anyone familiar with the industry landscape, Arturia has been cloned for years (Worlde MiniMidi, etc.), while the company has also been “borrowing” from others with their VST replicas of legendary hardware synths, open-source code from Mutable Instruments, the “Expressive Touche” controller or the registration of known “DX7” and “Synthi” marks. Equally, our own analog Xenyx mixers and many other products have been widely cloned.
¬We will absolutely continue to deliver innovative products but also follow our competitors as we expect our products to be cloned - fair play.


We are very cautious when it comes to our follower approach and employ expert intellectual property firms to ensure our products stay within the boundaries of the law; we are committed to never intentionally infringe on other companies’ intellectual property.


Many years ago, we were entangled in bitter lawsuits with Mackie and Pioneer, which we all won. But we also recently lost a case against Yamaha in China related to a simple fader knob design that involved a design patent we were unfortunately not aware of. We changed the design, we will pay the fees and move on. Notably, Yamaha themselves were sued by Dr. Dre over their headphone designs (https://www.cnet.com/news/dr-dre-sues-yamaha-over-headphones/) or entangled in other legal matters (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/musical-instrument-firms-to-pay-millions-after-breaking-competition-law), which clearly shows how competitive business is. The heated Apple versus Samsung disputes are a prime example.


It is our Purpose and Mission to empower Customers who don’t have deep pockets and provide them with the best possible equipment at fair prices. We do understand that we are a fierce competitor and at times controversial as we’re relentlessly push the envelope.


We would like to thank all our Customers who have supported us over the past 30 years. We are absolutely committed to continue to deliver the best possible products at the lowest possible cost."

Quasimidi GIGA-Card

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

This one was spotted here and sent in via M Me.

Never seen one of these before. The following is the description in Dutch followed by Googlish:

"Voordat Quasimidi legendarische synthesizers uitbracht, maakten ze sound expansions voor een aantal duur segment keyboards van onder andere Roland.

Deze expansion is daar een toppunt van. 512 styles en begeleiding patches voor de E-serie keyboards van Roland. Roland heeft zelf een reeks kaartjes uitgebracht onder de types TN-SCx-xx waar maximaal 8 styles op zijn opgeslagen. Dit kastje heeft er dus 512. Deze 512 zijn opgeslagen in blokken van 8, waar via het menu telkens een andere 'kaart' kan worden ingeladen.

Ik heb zelf de E-70 gehad en er best lol van gehad. Vooral de Peter Gunn style waar dat bekende intro van Emerson, Lake and Palmer perfect wordt nagebootst en je heerlijk op kan varieren.

Dus als je nog een Roland Intelligent Synthesizer E-nogwat hebt die TN kaartjes slikt, ik raad 'm 100% aan!

De Giga-card is bij voorkeur op te halen in Zaandam, daar het een wat ouder stukje techniek is. Testen kan helaas niet want ik heb geen E keyboard meer. Verzenden is uiteraard mogelijk, maar zijn alle risico's voor de koper."

Googlish:

"Before Quasimidi released legendary synthesizers, they made sound expansions for a number of expensive segment keyboards from Roland, among others.

This expansion is the pinnacle of that. 512 styles and accompaniment patches for Roland's E-series keyboards. Roland has released a series of cards under the types TN-SCx-xx where a maximum of 8 styles are stored. This box therefore has 512. These 512 are stored in blocks of 8, where a different 'card' can be loaded each time via the menu.

I have had the E-70 myself and had quite a bit of fun. Especially the Peter Gunn style where that famous intro of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is perfectly simulated and you can vary wonderfully.

So if you have another Roland Intelligent Synthesizer E-something that swallows TN cards, I recommend it 100%!

The Giga-card can preferably be picked up in Zaandam, as it is a somewhat older piece of technology. Unfortunately, testing is not possible because I no longer have an E keyboard. Shipping is of course possible, but all risks are for the buyer."

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Metasonix TM 7 Scrotum Smasher Ultra Distortion SN TM7-103 w/ Original Box

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

via this auction

Nice box. The pedal art is by Dave, creator of The Packrat.

"This was purchased new and put away for over a decade. Recently found amongst a bunch of other pedals and random bits of gear wile moving. I own 3 of them along side other Metasonix gear. I had money back then and kinda went nuts on spending.

It is truly as new as it was the day it arrived from Lake Port CA, home of Metasonix. The tubes are fresh and barely even warmed up.

I tried posting it on reverb.com but was blocked from doing so because reverb.com has band the sale of products with 'explicit or offensive content'.

Essentially banning this unit and others from being sold

This unit is loud and extremely aggressive. There is no by pass switch and the knob settings are very sensitive. If you give it time and attention you'll find the sweet spots. The TM 7 is all about those edges. You'll know what im talking about when you plug in a heavy kick drum from a drum machine such as a Roland 808, 909 or JoMoX 888, 999 and JoMox Alpha Base, just to name a few.

Though the real magic happens when you plug a Control Voltage source from a CV sequencer.
Thats right! It also a synth module."

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Abbey Road Institute: The Moog session - The synth that shaped musical history

Streamed live on Dec 1, 2017 Abbey Road Institute

"On the 1st of December we are featuring another historic instrument that shaped musical history: The MiniMoog!

How did it become such an icon?
What makes it so special?
And why does it sound so massive?!

We got you covered. Tune in on the 1st of December.

Shaping musical history:
The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of synthesizers in rock/pop music.
Jazz composer Sun Ra was the first to use a prototype of the Minimoog in his music and Keith Emerson (musician and composer) was the first musician touring with a Minimoog, demonstrating some amazing pitch-bending techniques for the first time with many keyboard players following his example afterwards. Just like the Hammond organ (as shown in our previous event) the Moog became a serious competitor to the electric guitar, making guitarist looking for eleven on their volume control as the only way to compete. Because of its fantastic and cosmic sound, it soon was embraced by the gods of the new progressive rock with bands like Yes and Emerson Lake & Palmer.

As keyboardist of Yes, Rick Wakeman said the instrument 'absolutely changed the face of music.'

Besides progressive rock, Jazz legends like Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock added the Minimoog to their arsenal, delivering devastating jazz solos and Bob Marley introduced the Minimoog when the band first played in the UK on the BBC.

After taking the progressive rock and jazz world by storm, it made its way back towards the synthesizer’s roots, in electronic pop and experimental music. One of the most well-know band using the Minimoog for this purpose was Kraftwerk on their albums Autobahn and The Man-Machine. Shortly after that, the characteristic sound of the Minimoog became an important part of the synth-pop era and inspired an entire generation of electronic musicians like Brian Eno and Ultravox.

Since then the Minimoog transformed the music landscape of every musical genre, from the R&B/Soul of Earth Wind & Fire and the most successful recorded album of all time, Thriller from Michael Jackson, till the West-Coast sound of Dr. Dré and the industrial music of Trent Reznor.

But a major transition occurred when electronic music was slightly forced back into the underground and analog synthesizer started shaping the sound of House Music, Techno and all other genres of electronic music. This is where the Minimoog found a new homebase in the hands of producers and bands like Carl Craig, 808-state, Portishead and many more leading to the iconic sound in today’s electronic music and the production of new Moog synthesizers and soundalikes.

The original Minimoog is a true classic. But what makes the sound so special?
On the 1st of December, MarcoAntonio Spaventi (music producers, mastering engineer, analog synth evangelist and Abbey Road Institute lecturer) will give a Masterclass about the Minimoog and it’s unique sound at Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam. In order to share his love for the Moog, this masterclass will be live streamed through Facebook Live.

MarcoAntonio will talk about the differences between the original Minimoog Model D and the Minimoog Voyager, the unique features of both instruments and the technical aspects that makes it sound so special. But most important, you can hear them live including a jam with an hardware sequencer at the end of the session!

Next to the above mentioned synths, we will have a variety of other Moogs to explore the different sounds and flavours of Robert Moog’s legacy. With one very special model…

The Memorymoog!
Many say the Memorymoog is like having 6 Minimoogs stacked in one machine! While thats not entirely true it does sound like no other poly synth with a very specific and massive character. Just like the Minimoog, the Memorymoog gets his monumental sound due to certain imperfections of the instrument. A perfect example of finding perfection in imperfection! MarcoAntonio will explain you all about the different features that makes this synth so unique."

Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 & Korg M1 - 80's Synths Compared

Published on May 5, 2017 Power DX7

Playlist:
Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 & Korg M1 - 80's synth Demo, Miami Vice, Pink Floyd and Yes, Part 1
Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 & Korg M1 - 80's synth Demo, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd Part 2

"Want to know how capable Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 and Korg M1 synthesisers are ? Can the DX7 keep up with the mighty D-50 and M1? Watch this video to find out!!!

This is a demo of Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50 and Korg M1 synthesisers, the 80’s 3 iconic digital sysnthesizers showcased side by side. Part 1 will compare e.piano, piano and pipe organ sounds.

Yamaha DX7 Synthesizer – The first commercially successful digital synthesizer with Frequency Modulation synthesis
a. Released in 1983
b. FM synthesis based on 32 algorithms to design a particular sound
c. A sinewave generating oscillator with an envelope is called operator
d. No filters, you create all necessary harmonics/ inharmonics from a sine wave

Roland D-50 Linear Synthesizer – The first commercially successful digital synthesizer with a fully digital subtractive synthesis, a virtual analog synthesizer and 8 bit sampled waveforms
a. Released in 1987
b. Digitally emulated subtractive synthesis with typical waveforms such as sawtooth, square etc
c. PCM section includes 8 bit sampled waveforms
d. Each unit is called partial
e. Structures to combine different partial
f. Digital filter with resonance

Korg M1 Work Station – The first commercially successful digital workstation with 16 bit sampled waveforms for acoustic sounds and drum kits, as well as an 8 track sequencer
a. Subtractive synthesis with 16 bit waveforms
b. Digital filter without resonance
c. 1 oscillator mode for 16 polyphony (2 oscillator per voice for 8 polyphony)
d. A well-designed workstation for music creation

Electric Piano
Korg M1 – Softer with a bit of sharp attack
Roland D-50 – Softer and mellow
Yamaha DX7 – Power DX7 Signature E.Piano patch with solid and sharp attack and a smooth chorusing effect

Piano
Korg M1 – Modified piano patch with amazing realism due to its 16 bit waveforms
Roland D-50 – No compared
Yamaha DX7 – Power DX7 Signature Grand Piano patch with amazing realism at lower and mid notes

Pipe Organ
Korg M1 – Factory Patch Pipe Organ with realism
Roland D-50 – Factory Patch, Cathedral with realism
Yamaha DX7 – Power DX7 Signature Soft Cathedral patch with realism
Yamaha DX7 – Power DX7 Signature Cathedral patch that faithfully emulates the pipe organ sound from Yes, Close To The Edge"

RIP David Alan Luce - Former President of Moog Music & Creator of the Polymoog

News is in that Dave Luce passed away yesterday, April 15, at the age of 80.  That's him working on the Polymoog back in the day.   I spotted the image and news in this tweet by @casadistortion.

"RIP David Luce, designer of the groundbreaking Polymoog."

You can find a video interview with Dave Luce in NAMM's Oral Histories site here.

See here for a polymoog promotional film featuring David Luce.

via The Buffalo News:

"After a brief stint at Sperry Rand, where he worked on high-speed digital circuitry, Mr. Luce joined Moog Music in 1972 and invented the first commercial polyphonic synthesizer, the Polymoog.

He became head of engineering, was promoted to president of Moog in 1981, and became a co-owner in 1984. He oversaw and contributed directly to the development of Moog synthesizers and other products.

In developing those instruments, he worked with Keith Emerson of Emerson Lake & Palmer and many other artists on whose music his innovations had a significant impact.

After Moog closed in 1987, Mr. Luce embarked on a new career, helping to develop and refine ophthalmic diagnostic instruments at Reichert Technologies. In 2000 he made an important discovery relating to properties of the cornea, and in 2005 he published a now widely cited paper that earned him recognition as the 'Father of Corneal Biomechanics.'"

And via Marc Doty, aka Automatic Gainsay:

"Dave Luce has passed away.

Bill Waytena, the guy who bought R.A. Moog and turned it into Moog Music in the early part of the 70s, hired Dave to create a polyphonic synthesizer. The synthesizer he created was the Polymoog.

The Polymoog was a complicated design that tried to cope with the issues involved in creating an articulated polyphonic design. Polyphonic electronic keyboards had been created for years, going back to 1937, when Harald Bode created the Warbo Formant Organ. But the problem with applying Bob Moog's synthesis concept to polyphony was that the user was probably going to want each voice to be fully articulated... and that was complex and expensive.

Dave's design essentially addressed the challenge by creating an IC chip for each key that gave each key a synthesizer.

The Polymoog was riddled with challenges and failings, but overall, it was a huge success... being the first, and most effective, application of voltage control to polyphony.

Of course, it couldn't have a ladder filter per key, which meant that the Polymoog had great presets, but fell short when it came to polyphonic synthesis.

Bob described Dave as pursuing overly-complicated designs. Anyone who has ever owned or repaired a Polymoog, should probably agree.

But still... the Polymoog got us started in the modern age, and it was a popular and useful design. Dave Luce worked hard for Moog Music, and is responsible for a lot in regard to that which was created by that company in the 1970s.

Thank you, Dave, for all of your great work.

http://buffalonews.com/…/david-alan-luce-moog-president-pi…/

P.S. We should also thank Keith Emerson... because his input on the Apollo design led to the improved Polymoog."

You can check out the Moog Apollo in the Bob Moog Foundation Archives videos posted here.

Update via Ben Luce in the comments:

"This is Ben Luce, Dave Luce's son. I appreciate the commentary above very much.
Thank you for posting it. I would like to comment though that I have never agreed
with Bob Moog's characterization of my father as pursuing overly-complicated designs.
As your good commentary above notes, my Dad was struggling with very complicated design issues
with the polymoog, and was doing so in era where integrated circuits and instruments of the complexity
of the polymoog were quite new and unexplored.

But perhaps more to the point, to my understanding the primary failing of the poly was that the individual
circuit cards for each key were not soldered down: They were intentionally left removable because
there was some well grounded concern that voltage spikes from bad power on the grid
could cause the special chips that each carried to fail occasionally, necessitating
occasional replacements. As it turned out, these chips almost never failed, which I think is a testament to
the careful design of the chips in terms of component tolerances and such, and of the circuitry
that supported them. So in fact, the failure was really an engineering problem, not
a failure of my Dad's design work per se. Moreover, my Dad worked on all sorts of synthesizers for
Moog Music after that, and created some before that, and in no way were these generally plagued by some
tendency towards over complicated design. The same holds for his subsequent work on
ophthalmic instruments, which led to him finally to be recognized widely as "The Father
of Corneal Biomechanics".

In truth, my father actually loved and sought simplicity in
his work wherever it could be found. He was a true physicist, and physicists are steeped in the
virtues of simplicity and symmetry and mathematical beauty from the get-go.

Finally, it should be mentioned in this context that Bog Moog only worked directly with my
father for a few years, and I don't believe he worked very directly with him on
detailed circuit design issues, except perhaps when my Dad was first involved with improving
some of Bob's older designs. Bog also made those comments long after having left the company for
reasons that had little to do with my father, and that these may reflect some overall bitterness
about that not related to my Dad. For my Dad's part, I never heard him say an ill word about Bog.
He greatly admired Bob's work, and was proud to worked for him and for Moog Music in general."

Update: see this post for a recent restoration of David Alan Laces Polymoog.

8 Voice Oberheim OB-x with 4 Pole Filter Mod

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

via this auction

"Up for sale is an 8 voice Oberheim Obx with a 4 pole filter mod in place of the noise. It is in good condition having some tape residue left from where the logo "OBX" (on top) and "Oberheim" (back) were taped for a gig, at some point it was subjected to heat because a few of the upper octave black keys have apparently melted some. I am the second owner having bought it from a man named Virgil Weber who bought it new and used it in a Lake Tahoe show for Laura Brannigan. It also comes with an anvil case, and although the case has no padding inside, it reads the words "Obx Laura Branningan" therefore confirming the fact that it was in fact used in the show. This keyboard functions as it should and has been more stable than the OB8 I used to have!"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Arturia introduces MicroBrute SE Limited Edition - Promo Video & Demo

Published on Oct 15, 2014

MicroBrute SEs on eBay

"MicroBrute SE synthesizer is a limited edition of a pure analog sonic powerhouse . Small in size but loaded with features. This special edition is produced in limited quantity, 1500 units for each color, so make sure you don’t miss out!!"

Arturia MicroBrute SE Demo - 15th anniv.

Published on Oct 15, 2014 keyboardmag1

"Arturia MicroBrute SE Demo - 15th anniv."

Update and the official press release:

"Arturia makes colourful analogue waves with massive-sounding SE edition of miniature MicroBrute

'This mighty little machine runs the gamut from metallic, brutal bass to velvety bleepy, bloopy goodness — sheer joy to play. The single oscillator is wildly diverse — wait ’til you meet the Metalizer and Ultrasaw, and I love the SEQUENCER and MOD MATRIX — very inspiring!'

- Tara Busch (I Speak Machine, 2014)


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: music software and hardware company Arturia is proud to announce availability of MicroBrute SE — a ‘special edition’ of its widely-acclaimed MicroBrute Analog Synthesizer, available in a choice of three tempting colours to suit whatever playful mood might make anyone’s musical day, be it Christmas or otherwise — as of October 15...

Arturia’s award-winning MiniBrute Analog Synthesizer rapidly reset the price/performance ratio benchmark when soaring through the subtractive synthesis sound barrier upon being launched in 2012 to much critical acclaim and subsequent success. Afterwards, Arturia built upon that success last year when introducing a ‘special edition’ of its namesake sibling, the MiniBrute SE, sharing the same physical footprint, but building upon this amazingly compact and bijou analogue monosynth in both looks and features. That same year, Arturia adventurously took the ‘shrinking synth’ concept one step further with its equally big-sounding little-brother, the MicroBrute Analog Synthesizer, an even smaller semi-modular monosynth with inbuilt step sequencer, boasting MIDI, USB, and CV connectivity with a whole host of unique features — guaranteed to bring big smiles to go with those massive sounds! Similarly, today the MicroBrute has been given the ‘special edition’ treatment to become the MicroBrute SE — same physical footprint and full feature set! So what’s with those colours? Blue, orange, or white, they all sound the same... that is to say, sounds massive. But who’s to say you can’t make a bold style statement with a massive-sounding synthesizer, however small it may be? Thanks to the colourful MicroBrute SE, now you can!

But beneath those colourful, compact and bijou bonnets resides a living and breathing, fully-fledged analogue synthesizer that belies its diminutive dimensions and is actually anything but basic. For starters, just like its MiniBrute SE bigger brother, the OSCILLATOR that beats at its musical heart features SAW, TRIANGLE, and SQUARE waveforms that are all mixable to help shape the resulting sound without the limitations imposed by comparable contemporary and vintage synths alike. Additionally, the new Overtone oscillator generates additional harmonic content, ranging from one octave down to a fifth above the base OSCILLATOR pitch, while the Sub > Fifth control can continuously sweep spectrum. Moreover, Metalizer adds complex harmonics to the TRIANGLE waveform for creating harsh, harmonically-rich sounds, while Ultrasaw adds a lively and bright ensemble effect to the SAWTOOTH waveform — perfect for crafting sounds suited to dance anthems. And let’s not forget the all-important Pulse Width control for creating nasal-thin tones or rich square sounds. Simply speaking, never before has such a small, single-oscillator synth sounded so big... or looked so good!

Of course, filtering helps shape any analogue synth’s sound — be it big or small, and here the MicroBrute SE definitely does not disappoint. Indeed, its distinctive-sounding Steiner-Parker FILTER plays a big part in helping give the MicroBrute SE a unique sound — again, just like its big brother. This filter design dates back to the Steiner-Parker Synthacon, an analogue monosynth built by the namesake Salt Lake City-based synth manufacturer between 1975 and 1979. Its HP (high-pass), BP (bandpass), and LP (lowpass) modes make for far more filtering flexibility than that found in synths many times the price! And that’s before factoring Arturia’s acclaimed Brute FactorTM into the musical equation, adding anything from subtle overdrive to full-blown intermodulation havoc — choose your settings, and let the fun begin!

Speaking of having fun, the eight-Pattern step SEQUENCER is an almost endless source of inspiration and rhythmic creativity — step input notes and rests to create storable sequences that can be played back and switched between on the fly at a variable Rate or synchronised to external MIDI clock. Meanwhile, MIDI, USB, and CV GATE connectivity, of course, combine to ensure that the MicroBrute SE is ready and willing to talk to the outside electronic musical instrument world, wherever it may find itself. It’s even blessed with an external audio Input with an adjustable Input Level control, so why not use it to process whatever you feel like sticking into its 1/4-inch socket — within reason, of course!

The front panel-mounted MOD MATRIX moreover allows adventurous users to control many aspects of the MicroBrute SE’s massive-sounding single voice for different internal sources, as well as controlling them via external synths and modules. MicroBrute SE comes complete with two stackable jack cables for that very purpose. Preset sheets also come as standard, so no need to worry about forgetting those adventurous sound settings!

With a space-saving 25-note mini-keyboard and weighing in at only 1.75kg, the MicroBrute SE is as compact as it is colourful, yet positively punches well above its weight with a rip-roaring analogue sound spanning woofer-flapping bass, screaming leads, ear-opening effects, wave-folded growls, punchy drum sounds galore, and much in-between and beyond. Pick one — or even all three — up from an authorised Arturia dealer or retailer today! To make this perfectly portable package even more portable, Arturia has helpfully included a stylish carry bag guaranteed to turn heads wherever the stylish synth goes. Go ahead. Make a bold style statement while making a massive sound!


A ‘limited’ run of 4,000 MicroBrute SE units are available for purchase in a choice of three tempting colours through Arturia’s global network of dealers and retailers for €329.00 EUR/$329.00 USD.

For more detailed information, please visit the MicroBrute SE product webpage here: http://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/microbrute-se"