"Rare Neptune II monosynth in excellent condition. This was bought NEW from SA just a few months ago--they still had one in stock and Markus checked over/calibrated before shipping. It's a very dynamic 3 osc synth, does standard vintage analog sounds along with some really tight FM stuff. Snappy envelopes and nice saturation at different points (mixer and output). Also functions as a MIDI-CV/Gate converter."
"You may be wondering why all the knobs are missing on my Poly Evolver. Well, I ripped them off so that I could see what they looked like on my Roland System 8. They looked ok. But the problem with the System 8 really isn't in the knobs, but in the poor keybed (which I even opened up and lubed and it still doesn't feel nice). Well, I decided to keep them off and I think I'm going to upgrade my encoders to the 24-detented versions. That will be a lot of work if I do it.
Anyway, I am sitting with the Poly Evolver and wondering whether it's something I should keep, being only 4 voices. That frustrates me quite a bit actually. I feel like at 6 voices it would have been amazing, and, I suppose it is only at 4 voices, but I find 6 is really the sweet spot. It's such a great synth though. I do have a mono evolver to add a voice, but it has a bug whereby the two won't always sound identical. Plus, you can't use the Audio inputs on the Poly Evolver to take the extra voice of the Mono Evolver. Just don't know what DSI was thinking. Only the PE Rack has that combination. Missed opportunity.
Well, I guess as I played the Poly Evolver, I realized just how crazy this thing gets. I don't know any other synths that really get this crazy. I don't think any that I have really do this sequencing like that. Maybe the Korg Radias, but it doesn't really sound as nice (and doesn't have analog voices and filters).
So - what you have is me going through and just messing around with a patch I made. I started it mid-way through my journey. I added the beginning portion to the end so you're welcome to get there if you want - although I find that people only watch the first few minutes of my videos anyway, so I doubt anyone will even get to that part!
"Please support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jayhosking
A live performance on piano and Sequential Take 5, with a couple of extra "orchestral" layers added afterward.
Despite putting so much time into synthesizers, drum machines, etc., I probably play more piano than anything else these days. I love music arranged for piano and synth, and I watch a ton of it here on YouTube. So it's nice to finally be making some of that on the channel.
Here, I use the Take 5's sequencer with some slow attack to create a backdrop for playing piano over. As the song moves, I progressively open the Take 5's filter to fill more and more of the space.
For bass, I added the Novation AFX Station (aka Bass Station II), not exactly what you might think of when you hear "orchestral", but is amazing for bass and strikes a balance between fitting in and standing out.
To double the melody, I added the Korg MS-20. I've got both its filters tuned into the midrange with a good deal of resonance, so it cuts through the mix without taking up too much room. I've also got a little LFO on the pitch and some noise modulation on the filter cutoff to give the whole thing a warbled, falling-apart feeling.
For piano, I'm playing my Kawai CA49, which has a great keybed and wooden keys, though the sound isn't quite good enough for a recording (great for practicing, though). I'm sending its MIDI to Native Instruments' Noire (for the deeper, richer part of the piano) and also to XLN Audio's Addictive Keys (for more of the percussive/hammer/strike of the piano); I think the two blend really well.
All in all, I'm really happy with this piece and the mood it provokes, both through its melodic choices and its timbral choices. Thanks for listening.
Kawai CA49 into Native Instruments Noire and XLN Audio Addictive Keys - piano
Sequential Take 5 - Pad sequence ambience thing
Novation AFX Station into Valhalla Shimmer - Bass
Korg MS-20 into Synapse Audio Deep Reverb - Melody
Piano and Take 5 recording as a live performance, with bass and melody overdubbed afterward, and the standard EQ/compression/limiting on the master.
"Motor Synth Kick patch I put together. First off, you absolutely get no mechanical noise in the audio output of the Motor Synth. The thing absolutely makes a mechanical noise, but you can't hear it in the audio... So I put a piezo on it so I could capture the racket this glorious thing makes.
Gamechanger probably spent hours trying to make sure those mechanical motors aren't audible, and I just eradicated all that effort and slapped a piezo on the side. Sorry. I really like the noise it makes. But, let's be honest, I just like _noise_."
First Drive of Motor Synth
"It took a year and some, but it's finally here and whirring away. With this sound I was just seeing how well those motors reacted to their speed being modulated by the LFO or quickly turning the scale knob. Both voices are set to the magnetic pickup waveform - the pickups reading the electromagnetic field of those motors. They have a nice biting sound with low end.
It's run through a generous amount of Desmodus Versio reverb. Kick by Basimilus Alter and Plasma Coil. Snare by Kraken and Crucible (Crucible doing the metallic ping).
I love the Motor Synth, not necessarily because it's a great synth, but because it's a piece of art. It's a ridiculous concept, at high speeds it's physically loud, it's just a strange thing. I want to reward people who take on weird things and push boundaries, and Gamechanger Audio really does well at that.
Surprisingly, I hear no noise out of the speakers - it's clean. Which one would think is a good thing, but I'm actually kinda missing the whirring mechanical sound from the recording - so much that I've ordered a piezo contact mic to slap on the side to see if I can actually pick up some of that noise intentionally."
"I used this Jamuary as a chance to experiment and find some samples that I can use in a soundtrack. So I've connected the Soma Ether which can turn radio waves and electrical interference into audio. Firstly I found an energy saving bulb with a nice shape-able pulse sound and my keyboard makes an interesting cloud of harmonics which turned out to be more useful than I first thought, it's used here as a drone. To add another element I pitched down a drum break until it just became a series of static like clicks.
There is a whole world of interesting noises to be found using the Soma and I knew it would be an interesting sample source. The Lofi-12 has made it nice and easy to test different things really quickly to see if they are useful."
"The folks at Lekato sent me another item to unbox and review. This time, it's the Drum Buddy, a drum machine/looper pedal. It's got some really nice features and sells for a very affordable price.
Intro - 0:00
Unboxing & Overview - 0:25
How Does it Work? - 1:53
Sound Clip (direct audio) - 5:11
Final Thoughts - 6:05"
4 loop storage locations, with a total recording time of no more than 11 minutes. The maximum recording time of a single storage location is 5 minutes. Each song can be recorded with unlimited superimposed tracks.
It contains 30 types of drums and common type of rhythm, 4/4,3/4,6/8 etc. Support customizing drum, editing drum and saving drum by APP in real time.
The looper is 44.1k/24bit sampling rate, lossless, uncompressed, professional tone quality.
【3 in 1 Looper&Drum&Tuner】This drum looper is equipped with 44.1kHz, 24bit high-quality looper and drum machine. Built-in high quality tuner, for the note names with sharp or flat signs.
【30 Drum Rhythms】LEKATO Drum Buddy is built in preset 30 drums, support app to customize, edit and save drums. Players using the same product can also share each other's drum codes through the App"Cube Suite".
【4 Memory&SYNC Recording】Drum loop has 4 slots for saving loop tracks and each track can store 5 minutes recording,lossless, uncompressed, professional tone quality.
【Different Modes】Individual looper and drum machine modules can be controlled separately, and they can also work simultaneously.
【Data Transmittion】It can Import/Export the music to/from PC easily with USB for uploading/downloading wav loop files.
【Power Supply】Please notice: there is not power adapter included in the package, you need to buy one.
"In this video I "unpatch" a little Acid Techno modular rack I've been rocking for a few months. Truth is, I didn't really unpatch, more of a "how I patch" — I walk through and explain how I use modules and their sound/function. This channel is supported by my Patreons, become a member here: https://www.patreon.com/honeysmack
🎛 Focused modular voices 🎛
🔸 Cwejman BLD2 making the 303ish sound
🔸 Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas Alter - mad percussion sounds
🔸 Noise Engineering Loquelic Iteritas - lead, bass or rip your head off!
🔸Michigan Synth Works SY0.5 - Pearl Syncussion clone, analog percussion secret weapon.
🔸Endorphines Queen of Pentacles - 909 inspired multi-drum voice module with effects.
🔸Moog DFAM - killer percussion and synth module with onboard 8-step sequencer.
Merely scratching the surface in this video. So strap in and grab a nice coffee or tea. It gets a little long, so perhaps my next unpatching video will dive deeper how I specifically use certain modules. Please feel free to ask!
🕹 The jam I unpatch is available here, with no talking, straight up jam: [posted here]
My modular gear and set-up is in a constant state of flux and I change up my rack every 3 months, thereabouts. That is the beauty of modular synths, you design your own synth. There are no, right or wrong ways to do this, it is all very subjective. Hence, you get an insight to my way of thinking about how I make Techno."
00:00 Intro to the gear, my improvisational approach and sequences 02:04 Audio and MIDI routings 04:09 Module overview 08:21 Intellijel Metropolis - and how I'm not a traditionally trained musician. 12:04 BLD2 focus, that's Bass -Lead & Drum Generator to earth people. 13:54 Add that 909 and jamming 15:05 Basimilus Iteritas Alter - hard to pronounce, best percussion all-rounder 18:10 Loquelic Iteritas - a tale of 2 pitches 22:52 Continue the jam, that's what we came for 24:37 Cockpit2 - mixer module with that sweet side-chain pump 27:33 SY0.5 and Queen of Pentacles, serious percussion investments, shhhhhh don't tell everyone 32:15 Queen of Pentacles, the Queen is very much alive 35:29 I do like to jam, no seriously, I do ask anyone who doesn't know me 36:06 Drummer from another mother or DFAM to you and me! 37:37 Please add 909 to that DFAM, thanks maaaaaaate 39:13 Versio - reverb from the versatile vampire 41:56 Get a little crazy jamming with the reverb 43:43 Outro and thank you
"In this video I demonstrate a wide range of uses of MOONWALKER, a very unique and interesting slope generator by Metabolic Devices.
MOONWALKER has two distinct outputs, that have an adjustable phase relation, one of them can be set to unipolar or bipolar behaviour. These outputs can be used for just about everything that you'd use a regular envelope/looping envelope/LFO for: modulating filters, CV controlled panning, pitch modulation, opening VCAs, ... The 'not decay' output sends out 5V gates that you can use as an audio rate PWM wave, as a sync source or - at slower rates - to trigger/gate other stuff around your rack. The power of MOONWALKER lies in it's modulation inputs and according attenuverters. You'll see in the video that by just modulating one parameter you can create (not so) subtle changes to the output waves. When you start modulating several parameters you can really change the behaviour of MOONWALKER drastically (my personal favourite is modulating EVERTHING when using MOONWALKER at audio rates, synced to another VCO, using feedback to curve the slopes and alternating the order of the A/D slopes - especially when MOONWALKER is set to not re-trigger it creates really nice and evolving subharmonics)."
"In this video about Schlappi Engineering's ANGLE GRINDER I demonstrate the different aspects of the module seperately, before throwing it all together in a gritty mayhem of waveshaping and feedback.
ANGLE GRINDER is a versatile piece of gear that can be used to create, shape and mangle audio as well as CV signals. The filter sounds really nice and clean if you back off all the feedback and modulation, but once you start adding the GRIND section to the mix it can produce rich CV controllable distortion. If you use ANGLE GRINDER as a VCO or LFO the linear and exponential FM inputs provide plenty of modulation options. The quadrature LFO outputs can bring life to patches and by adding feedback you can change the shape of the generated sine waves drastically. You can even use ANGLE GRINDER as a make-shift sequencer."
"One complete Folktek Mescaline with frame power supply and collection of duPont patch cables. This is a hybrid of V2 Channel and V1 Motion and V1 Mental.
This unit is in great shape. The only blemish of note is 1 patch point that shows some wear but is fully functional. See pics for detail.
The power supply has a 3 part pigtail that powers all three modules from a single wallwart rated at 1500ma.
Includes original manual and some other info.
Mescaline is one of the finest times you'll have. It might seem intimidating at first but ultimately once you dive in, you realize there was nothing to fear and it's only here to help open you to extreme possibilities. It's capable of creating entire compositions and the possibilities are vast. -
Each of the 3 boards are eurorack compatible and can be installed in a eurorack system individually or all together. Each has its own eurorack power plug on the back. Each module is 44HP Each of these boards is capable of being powered on a standard 12v adapter. Each has a 2.1mm jack on the back. When used together, all power can be jumped to power all three boards off the same 12v power source or eurorack power source. A 12VDC power supply and 3 way jumper is included in this sale.
CHANNEL A 10 note polyphonic synthesizer with a sweet, warm sound and a huge custom designed reverb which also has an audio input and can be used to process external sound. Channel becomes a powerful effects processor with some very nice DSP designs we've been working on for the past year. -A touch-based synth which provides a sweet sounding 10 key oscillation based 10 filtered and reshaped analog square wave oscillators, each with a decay on the amp. -Each key is tuned individually and can be tuned to specific notes on the back via tuning trim pots so you can create intervals or pitch arrangements as you like. -Master pitch control (with control voltage) lets you change the tuning of all notes simultaneously. -10 note polyphony and all notes can be triggered. -Synthesis passes through any of 4 selectable custom DSP effects - reverb which is huge and near infinite, notated tight delay, pitch shifter delay and palindrome reverse delay. Each effect has mix, two controls over effect changes and a low pass filter or damping.
V2 has Gain stage adjustments on Channel V2 Noise filtering on Channel V2 pitch range trim pot added to allow for great control of the master frequency
-3.5mm jacks represent audio in, audio out (x2 = right and left), cv in. -Jumpable headers for all functions as well as power.
MOTION Motion is made up of two sequencers with simple but fully-capable function and some added function that other things don't/can't perform that help Mental to really shine. Both sequencers have clock division to break the rhythm but perhaps most important is how the trigger sequencer works - using opto-couplers (switches) to trigger parts within Mental to create sounds, textures and rhythms that voltage sources simply can't. It does this by directly connecting multiple parts within Mental. The CV does a great job of synching Channel.
Motion also has sine modulation (vactrol or cv), gate triggers, resets for the sequencers to determine sequence length, and can got into chaotic territory but jumping voltages into the clock inputs. -8 part CV Sequencer -8 part trigger sequencer with multi-add functionality -5 part clock division for each sequencer -vactrol-based sine modulation -3.5mm jacks represent clock in, cv sequencer clock out, cv sequencer cv out, modulation out, trigger sequencer clock out. -Jumpable headers for all functions as well as power.
MENTAL Capable of so many things. It's an incredibly unique drum synth that will create odd and beautiful beats for days. It's a Drone synth that's generates some incredibly rich drone with multi-oscillation and in-circuit filtering. It's an audio processor that can take any incoming audio and chop it into place, filter it, distort it and screw it in ways that nothing else does. -Based on the root synthesis of other Folktek instruments Materia, Mentalis and Matter. -17 input points to control synthesis and filtering via the sequencer trigger or cv points as well as the clock division points. -removable breadboard to allow for development and experimentation. -4 patchable pots to attenuate signals and gain more control *and/or* create direct patches to create drone scapes or use Mental as an audio processor. -volume control -3.5mm jacks represent audio out and two vacant with representative headers to input voltage or audio signals from external modules or audio sources. -send Mental to the input of Channel to add reverb to the signal. -Jumpable headers for all functions as well as power."
Update: module details and pic added further below.
"On Friday July 15th at 7pm PST, Make Noise founder Tony Rolando will show off his newest Eurorack module design, alongside long-time modular artist Rodent.
Make Noise has a long history of shaking up the modular synth world with fresh, forward-thinking, and downright fun new modules and standalone instruments.
This marks Make Noise's first new release since 2021's Strega, and their first new Eurorack module since 2019's Mimeophon.
The stream will feature a module overview, Q+A, and live examples of the new design."
Initial post/details:
Make Noise will be presenting a new module at Perfect Circuit tonight at 7 PM. It's my understanding tickets for the event are full, however Perfect Circuit will be live streaming the event. I will be sharing the stream on top of the site at 7PM sharp so tune back in for the event.
Details follow:
Live Event: Make Noise First Look to New Eurorack Module
Where: Perfect Circuit Showroom 2405 Empire Ave Burbank, CA 91504
Event date: July 15th, 2022, 7 PM
About the Friday Make Noise Event
Make Noise is heading to Perfect Circuit for an exclusive first look at their latest creation. On Perfect Circuit's YouTube channel at 7 PM PST this Friday, July 15th, Make Noise founder Tony Rolando is showing off their newest Eurorack module design. Long-time modular artist Rodent will join Tony in the announcement. Tune in live for the first look at what Make Noise has cookin'. The stream will feature a module overview, Q+A, and live examples of the new design.
What Will They Reveal?
Make Noise has a long history of shaking up the modular synth world with fresh, forward-thinking, and downright fun new modules and standalone instruments. Be sure to tune in for Make Noise's first release since 2021's Strega and their first new Eurorack module since 2019's Mimeophon. This new module is top secret, so we can't share any details except we know you will love it.
"Make Noise is proud to announce our newest module, the XPO!
The XPO, or Stereo Prismatic Oscillator, is a Voltage Controlled Analog Oscillator designed for generating Sine waves, Triangle waves, Sawtooth and Spike waves, Sub-Octaves, Stereo Timbre Modulations (including Pulse Width Modulation and Wavefolding), Oscillator SYNC, Linear FM and more in the analog domain.
The XPO is designed to be the Stereo VCO complement to our Stereo Filter, the QPAS. The two modules share the core idea of complex circuits being controlled in multiple dimensions in the stereo field by a few powerful parameters. The Stereo Prismatic Oscillator also makes a particularly useful patch buddy for the STO, Mimeophon, and X-PAN.
The XPO was announced on Friday, July 15th by Make Noise founder Tony Rolando and our Sales Specialist Eric "Rodent" Cheslak at an event at Perfect Circuit."
The XPO or Stereo Prismatic Oscillator is a Voltage Controlled Analog Oscillator designed for generating Sine waves, Triangle waves, Sawtooth and Spike waves, Sub- Octaves, Stereo Timbre Modulations (including Pulse Width Modulation and Wavefolding), Oscillator SYNC, Linear FM and more in the analog domain.
The XPO is designed to be the Stereo VCO complement to our Stereo Filter, the QPAS. The two modules share the core idea of complex circuits being controlled in multiple dimensions in the stereo field by a few powerful parameters. The Stereo Prismatic Oscillator also makes a particularly useful patch buddy for the STO, Mimeophon, and X- PAN.
The Story of the XPO by Tony Rolando
I was lying awake in bed at 3 am thinking about music and synthesizers, on this early morning specifically, the voice panning of the OB8. So simple, so effective. A bank of 8 analog pan-pots is tucked into the side of the instrument to let the musician choose the exact placement of each voice in the stereo field. As you play the instrument, notes may dance around your head. This led me to think about how Oberheim and most other synthesizer designers through the 70s and early 80s primarily used Pulse Width Modulation for waveform animation. Don Buchla's wavefolding techniques had not caught on. PWM has been more or less the same for decades and there is not a whole lot of difference between PWM in one instrument to another. Some allow you to modulate further than others. A few even allow you to go all the way to 0% or 100% Width. PWM was usually generated from a Saw or Triangle core, and while I tend to prefer PWM generated from a Tri-Core, the difference is subtle. The bigger difference is the filter that follows. PWM has a way of tickling the resonance of a filter that can really make the sound come alive.
This led me to think about Stereo filtering. How could a synth sound more stereo? At Make Noise we have voice panning with the XPAN, stereo filtering with the QPAS, and stereo echo verb with the Mimeophon. Surely, this was enough stereo modulation.
Then it occurred to me, why couldn't PWM be stereo? It would be very effective at creating a stereo image since the amplitude of both Left and Right would be almost identical, while still offering dramatic stereo timbral shifts. I thought to myself, surely somebody has done Stereo PWM already. I needed to research this idea. So I wrote about it in the notepad I keep on the nightstand and I eventually fell back asleep.
I woke up the next day and I immediately saw the note, I tried to read it...
"Another spin with these twooddbalss: The Elka Wilgamat and Multivox MX-3000. The Elka Wilgamat is probably a bit familiar to our viewers by now - an Italian auto-accompaniment machine with three sections:
1. Analog drum machine section 2. Bass section with 2 sounds and variations 3. Chord section with 3 sounds
Harmonically controlled by a two-octave keyboard with a fill-in bar on top, it has a great warm sound that's unmistakably mid-1970s to our ears, the drum machine alone sounds great.
The Multivox MX-3000 is a pretty rare Japanese string machine and monophonic synth combo. A bit similar to the Farfisa Soundmaker or maybe Solina String Synthesizer (the BIG one - not the regular String Ensemble) or the Crumar Composer but with a more complex polyphonic - or rather Divide Down - section. Lots bells and whistles here.
It basically has three separate sections:
1. A bass synth section with multiple preset sounds and attack, decay and tone controls.
2. A polyphonic section with preset sounds that are modifiable in quite a few ways with a very nice and aggressive filter section, attack/decay, two different choruses, two glide modes and more.
3. Single Oscillator monophonic section. No presets but a few different wave forms, a very nice filter, portamento and the usual mono stuff for great leads, basses and even some space effects.
The Polyphonic filter and choruses are very cool on these, maybe that's what we got it for initially but it's turning in to our desert island machine, there's really a lot going on here, it's a versatile instrument with quite a unique and somewhat rustic sound.
They're famously hard to service due to lack of a good set of schematics. The build-quality is strangely bad for late 1970s Japanese keyboards so they somehow always break down. Vintage Audio Institute is a studio and gear vendor in the hills of Florence, Italy."
"These two machines match up quite well to our ears so we made a bunch of videos - more coming soon.
The Elka Wilgamat is probably a bit familiar to our viewers by now - an Italian auto-accompaniment machine with three sections:
1. Analog drum machine section
2. Bass section with 2 sounds and variations
3. Chord section with 3 sounds
Harmonically controlled by a two-octave keyboard with a fill-in bar on top, it has a great warm sound that's unmistakably mid-1970s to our ears, the drum machine alone sounds great.
The Multivox MX-3000 is a pretty rare Japanese string machine and monophonic synth combo.
A bit similar to the Farfisa Soundmaker or maybe Solina String Synthesizer (the BIG one - not the regular String Ensemble) or the Crumar Composer but with a more complex polyphonic - or rather Divide Down - section.
Lots bells and whistles here.
It basically has three separate sections:
1. A bass synth section with multiple preset sounds and attack, decay and tone controls.
2. A polyphonic section with preset sounds that are modifiable in quite a few ways with a very nice and aggressive filter section, attack/decay, two different choruses, two glide modes and more.
3. Single Oscillator monophonic section. No presets but a few different wave forms, a very nice filter, portamento and the usual mono stuff for great leads, basses and even some space effects.
The Polyphonic filter and choruses are very cool on these, maybe that's what we got it for initially but it's turning in to our desert island machine, there's really a lot going on here, it's a versatile instrument with quite a unique and somewhat rustic sound.
They're famously hard to service due to lack of a good set of schematics.
The build-quality is strangely bad for late 1970s Japanese keyboards so they somehow always break down.
"Hello Guys.
Weston B2 is Kick module And also synth voice,
After the last demo kick, today I added the sequencing to show the Synth voice how it sounds - for me it's wonderful. I added some reverb in the last sequence and raised the pitch to get a nice melody
Earlier, I showed sequences and playing with Decay and sometimes adding Sub and some waves.
It's a self-contained synth voice from Kick, so I really like it.
More about module :
B2 contains everything you need to create deep, thumping kick drums or cutting bass lines in one compact 14HP unit: A 1 V/Oct VCO with 4 waveforms, a 3-way waveform mixer with sub-octave sine wave, 2 fast, switchable AR/AD envelope generators, a high quality VCA, and a multi-mode VCF for additional tone shaping!
New features of B2 from B1:
+ New reset/trigger circuit and faster minimum attack times (~25uS) without artifacts
+ Sub-octave sine
+ Wave select saw or 2x saw
+ New VCF with LP/BP/HP selection"
B2 Kick Drum/Bass
B2 contains everything you need to create deep, thumping kick drums or cutting bass lines in one compact 14HP unit: A 1 V/Oct VCO with 4 waveforms, a 3-way waveform mixer with sub-octave sine wave, 2 fast, switchable AR/AD envelope generators, a high quality VCA, and a multi-mode VCF for additional tone shaping!
New features of B2 from B1:
+ New reset/trigger circuit and faster minimum attack times (~25uS) without artifacts
+ Sub-octave sine
+ Wave select saw or 2x saw
+ New VCF with LP/BP/HP selection
+ Stable voltage references for VCO stability under power supply fluctuations
+ All OTAs are LM13700 for easy parts sourcing
Unit has Two Analog Synth Modules and was customized by Marion Systems
This auction is for one of the most powerful 1 unit
analog synthesizers ever made. Two MIDI inputs and a 25 pin
connector on each module to access all sorts of advanced features.
Full MIDI implementation with velocity and aftertouch
This MSR-2 comes with Original Manual and Original Power Supply
Main unit 1.09 O.S. and 1.13 O.S. for each of the two ASM modules
A new Energizer battery was installed 3 years ago so should be good
for another 15-20 years, but back up your stuff if you create great sounds.
Customized by Tom Oberheim and Marion Systems
In 1998 I sent the unit back to Marion Systems for an upgrade.
They added a second Analog Synth Module (ASM) and upgraded the O.S.
I was working as a tech at E-mu Systems and Tom Oberheim called me
at work and we talked about my love for all synths Oberheim. He told me
he could disable the EQ in the MSR-2 and get an addition al 3 DB of gain.
I told him that would be great, they removed EQ, and the volume gain is significant.
Tom was really nice and it was an honor, as an EE myself, to talk to him.
So yes this is a customized MSR-2 by Tom Oberheim and his Marion Techs.
The Eq section screen is still there in software, but has no effect since disabled
Custom programmed SuperPatch sounds
I have created several Super Patches as shown in video below to show the power
of this synth. The Super Patches are organized in groups
10 Bass Super Patches
10 Pad Super Patches
10 Lead Patches
and Sound Effect Super Patches
The factory patches are installed in the first 200 patches on each
Analog Synth Module.
Search three words Silicon Breakdown Oberheim to see my love for the
Oberheim synths. I have a picture of Tom Oberheim hanging in my studio.
I have owned the website Silicon Breakdown since 1999, which is devoted
to American analog synths.
This MSR-2 has been used in many songs by Mad Science Lab,
search Spotify, Apple Music or my music site MadScienceLab(.)com
I only sell one or 2 synths a year from my collection.
The unit has never had any mechanical or audio issues and is 100% working."
"High-level take: 1) Sound: System 8 sounds VERY close to the Juno 6. Fairly equivalent, but differences can be heard. 2) Feel: No contest. The Juno 6 has the feel of a luxury synth, the sliders are lovely, the keys are lovely. The System 8 feels like an M-Audio midi controller from the mid 2000's. 3) Look: No contest. The Juno 6 looks incredible. The design is just up there. It is iconic. The System 8? It would not look out of place in a gamer's den with an Alienware computer and Mountain Dew strewn about.
Overall experience: Based on the above, I can't help but just FEEL differently about the two instruments. Roland did an excellent job on the System 8, there's no doubt about it. It sounds very good and does a LOT more than the Juno 6, that is clear. The sound IS there. The problem isn't how it sounds, but how it is experienced.
Sure, I can 'play' a Juno 60, or Juno 106, or JX3P, Jupiter 8, System 8, or any number of other plug-outs. They sound very good (although my experience with the JX3P is that the Plug out is not quite there). I believe the Juno 60 plug out sounds better either because it is newer, or because it is simpler than the JX3P. This makes me suspect the Jupiter 8 plug out might not really get there either (as it is a 2 oscillator synth). There only exists one comparison out there on Reddit, and I don't think the person owned both.
The biggest difference in the sound to me was when I threw the resonance to max and the cutoff to zero with envelope amount and decay and sustain to max. The Juno 6 was much darker (i.e., more closed filter) than the System 8. I would have close down the envelope amount on the System 8 to match. You hear that in the demo. The chorus 1+2 is pretty different too.
Where the sound ends, you are met with a blast of the rest of the experience. The look could not be any further from the Juno 6. We go from classic to garrish. That is a hard pill to swallow. Some seem to like it - and that's great. There's nothing wrong with liking how it looks. I personally do not like how it looks (although if I change the green to mint green on my videos, it does look cooler).
I don't really like the fact that the upper chassis is made up of one plastic mould. I prefer the upper part of the panel to be separated from the mod wheel area. On the System 8, you just see this long panel reaching down from the top to the bottom by the mod wheel and I personally don't like how that looks. It looks cheap.
The FEEL or experience is so largely different. The System 8 just feels cheap to me. The keys don't have a nice feel, sometimes sort of sticking too. I want to open mine up and use white lithium grease on the keys, maybe that would help. The Juno 6 feels like playing a nice instrument. The metal panel, the sliders, the keys - oh the keys feel so nice. Apparently they're the same as the JX3P and D50 based on that "Ultimate Keybed Thread" but I have all three and the Juno 6 feels MUCH nicer.
Conclusion: I know I'm complaining a lot about the System 8. The truth is it does in fact sound very good. When I first got the Juno 6 I said to myself that it was a huge mistake because the System 8 sounds identical. The differences are not big enough for me to prefer the Juno (unlike the JX3P, which DOES sound better than the plug out). The Juno has a much better 'sweet spot' but only because it's range does not go as wide/far as the System 8. Is that a good thing that the Juno 6 has more sweet spots because it limits its ranges more? I don't know.
One intangible thing. I cannot explain this, but when I play a System 8, even if it sounds good, I wonder "Is this really how the real thing sounds/feels?" My brain just doesn't accept the System 8 as the proper surrogate. I think I'd have the same thought regarding the Jupiter X. Or with a VST for something that I care about. It's probably like chasing goblins in my head. There is no answer. If you want a Juno or a Jupiter, you will likely never be satisfied with the System 8 or Jupiter X...
The answer is likely something greater than your desires. It is probably related to mindfulness and acceptance that we can't have everything. I'm still working through these thoughts myself.
"This is my Jamuary 2022 finale! This track was inspired by the Glass Piano by Spitfire audio which was sampled from the personal piano of Philip Glass. I tried to pay tribute in the contrasting duple/triple piano rhythms, the swelling 'pipe organ' (here played on my Alpha Juno synth), and the tuned percussion (here a kids bell set). I wish I could have performed the string part for the video, but I'm sans violin right now, so I used another Spitfire sample instrument. I didn't nail the moodiness of Glass but I'm feeling pretty triumphant about finishing Jamuary, so that was unavoidable.
At the beginning of January I had thought I might bow out mid-month but I'm glad I stuck it out for all 31 and I REALLY appreciate all of you who followed along. Definitely had fun and learned a lot, but it'll be nice to take a break ✌️
"ARP Solus, monophonic synthesizer from the 70's, made in USA.
Really nice condition, face plate is near mint. Everything works. The design is kind of unique as the case is part of the synth (cover is removable), very portable.
Everybody knows the quality and the massive sound you get from 70's ARPs.
Two Fat oscillators, filter and audio in, ring modulator, great in/outs to deal with other modular gear."
Those of you who have been coming to the site over the years should be familiar with the ultra rare Con Brio ADS. There was a keyboard version and a remote, or rather desktop, version. They are identical in function and sound. There is only one known ADS 200R in existance and that is it in the videos above (and farther below). Note the placeholder image is the ADS 200 keyboard version but you will see the videos feature the 200R. Brian Kehew wrote in to let us know he is working on a website that will cover the history of this rare synth. He also made the set of functional and audio demos. Above are the functional demos and farther below are the audio demos. You will find video titles and descriptions for each video in the playlistbelow, but before that, here's what Brian had to say:
"I've been making a website for the Con Brio synth history. Will be ready in a few more months. But meanwhile I've uploaded some video of how the thing worked. Primitive now, especially to younger musicians. But for anyone who lived through the days of floppy discs and early digital synthesis will see how advanced the Con Brio's design was.
We still don't know much about the workings, as all known manuals are gone, and the designers can't recall everything of how it did work. Here are some simple explanations and demonstrations of the main functions.
It's also a true 16-bit synthesizer, which was rare and expensive at the time. It also used an iron output transformer (like good studio consoles) which somehow also helps it sound (in my opinion) better than the Fairlight, DKS and Synclavier designs.
The two instruments I had are now at the EMEAPP Archive Project in PA, they may be able to make better headway figuring out more of the system and it's operations..."
Be sure to see the Con Brio label for various bits of info that have come in over the years. Also see the exclusive label for the rare of the rare in the synth world.
Playlist:
1. Con Brio Synthesizer Instructional #1: Loading the O.S. and Light Show
This is the basic beginning, to load an Operating System for the Con Brio synthesizer from an 8" floppy disc. First, the Light Show disc is used, then the standard OS disc that allows for music synthesis.
2. Con Brio Synthesizer Instructional #2; Panel lights show relevance.
One of the most-brilliant and unique aspects of the Con Brio design is the implementation of panel lights; they guide you to work much faster and more accurately.
3. Con Brio Synthesizer Instructional #3: Loading Sounds onto the keyboard zones.
Finding sounds on the 8" floppy disc directories, and then assigning them to the two keyboards in various combinations.
4. Con Brio Synthesizer Instructional #4 - Speed of Disc Access
One of the notable aspects of the Con Brio systems is a custom-written code to make disc access practically instantaneous. This demonstration shows the rapid access speed when loading from the floppy drive.
5.
Further demonstration of loading sounds from disc and sequences to play them.
Con Brio Synthesizer Instructional #5 - Basic Loading
6. Con Brio Synthesizer Instruction #6 - Ensemble
Loading and using the Ensemble feature; the Con Brio could store a combination of sounds, layers, outputs, and sequences - and then save the whole set as an "Ensemble" preset - which loads nearly instantaneously.
7. Con Brio Synthesizer Instruction #7 - Loading and Stacking
Bringing in two sounds and layering them together.
8. Con Brio Synthesizers #8 - String Sequence with Tempo change
Basic Tempo control of a string sequence with the panel Tempo knob.
9. Con Brio Synthesizer Instructional #9 - Tuning and Synthesis modes experiment
As none of the Con Brio Owner's Manuals survived, it's very difficult to understand how they were supposed to operate. With a little guidance and help from the inventors, some methods produce results. This video is an experiment with saved alternate Tuning Tables and the Synthesis modes.
1 Con Brio Audio Demo One
A really nice wide-ranging set of sounds, changing across time, yet just a beginning demonstration of what the instrument could have done with more time and exploration.
2 Con Brio - String Section
Some string section sounds, very detailed and shimmering timbres.
3 Con Brio - Pipe Organ
Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition using a basic pipe organ program.
4 Con Brio - Wine Glasses
Digital synthesizers excel at this kind of crystalline ringing sound.
5 Con Brio - Sound 67
Playback of a sound with glitching, jittery elements; a fairly complex layered tone with some noise components, too.
6 Custom Con Brio Sounds
These tones are quite ahead of their time for 1980, and still sound quite modern. Easy enough to do them today, but back then, these were exceptional tones.
7 Random Number demo
Very similar to the randomness of a Sample/Hold on an analog synthesizer, but quickly becomes more layered and deep, a complexity that would take many analog synths to generate.
Con Brio Synthesizers #8 - String Sequence with Tempo change
Basic Tempo control of a string sequence with the panel Tempo knob.
9 Con Brio - Clear and Bright sequence
Demonstrates the sharp and detailed sound of these instruments.
"In this video Nick Bigelow of Patchwerks sits down with Lenny Helton of After Later Audio to discuss Eurorack development and one of their newest modules, Dirty Laundry.
Dirty Laundry is a destructive harmonic generator. The FOLD side can function as a standard Buchla-inspired wave folder but then extend into chaos when you engage the “pre-fold” PRESS section. The Press section creates all kinds of initial harmonics that really give the Fold section something to sink its teeth into. This results in a nice range of controlled harmonics from simple fold activity to anarchy.
The Press and Fold sections can function either as two parallel sections or as single serial unit. There are crossfaders between the sections and at the end of chain to help with blending between these two distinct sections. In development I mainly use it as a serial unit as I think it’s most fun that way. But I found the need to control the mixes to get what I was after, so I added some extra patch points to make it parallel capable.
The module will work well with all waveforms (speech is fun) but I often stick with sine and triangle waves as I find them the most pleasing starting point. While most folders won’t work well with square waves, the RES/DRIVE circuit will cause some rippling and make the FOLD much more interesting.
"Rare Neptune II monosynth in excellent condition. This was bought NEW from SA just a few months ago--they still had one in stock and Markus checked over/calibrated before shipping. It's a very dynamic 3 osc synth, does standard vintage analog sounds along with some really tight FM stuff. Snappy envelopes and nice saturation at different points (mixer and output). Also functions as a MIDI-CV/Gate converter."
4 loop storage locations, with a total recording time of no more than 11 minutes. The maximum recording time of a single storage location is 5 minutes. Each song can be recorded with unlimited superimposed tracks.
"One complete Folktek Mescaline with frame power supply and collection of duPont patch cables. 
Live Event: Make Noise First Look to New Eurorack Module
The XPO or Stereo Prismatic Oscillator is a Voltage Controlled Analog Oscillator designed for generating Sine waves, Triangle waves, Sawtooth and Spike waves, Sub- Octaves, Stereo Timbre Modulations (including Pulse Width Modulation and Wavefolding), Oscillator SYNC, Linear FM and more in the analog domain.
"Marion Systems MSR-2 16 Voice Analog Synthesizer
This auction is for one of the most powerful 1 unit
analog synthesizers ever made. Two MIDI inputs and a 25 pin
connector on each module to access all sorts of advanced features.
Full MIDI implementation with velocity and aftertouch
This MSR-2 comes with Original Manual and Original Power Supply
Main unit 1.09 O.S. and 1.13 O.S. for each of the two ASM modules
