Synthmas '21 w/ Synthfluencer

Door #6: Lasst uns froh und munter sein (Let us be happy and cheerful) - Synthmas '21
video upload by Synthfluencer

"The gear:
This song is played on the Casio CZ-5000 digital synthesizer. With the CZ series Casio stepped into the professional music market after getting famous with the VL-1, PT-1 and other casual instruments. All CZ synths used a synthesis technology called phase distortion. Some preferred PD before FM synthesis, since it can create bell-like sounds as well as warm analog sounding pads. Even though missing velocity and aftertouch as built in the CZ-1, the CZ-5000 was the second best equipped synth of the family. The two DCOs are capable of playing 8 different wave forms, can be ring modulated and formed by 3 envelopes for each DCO (DCA = VCA, DCW = VCF, DCO = VCO). The envelopes can have up to 8 stages what gives huge possibilities for sound design. Key split, layer sounds, a sequencer - not really easy to operate but unique in the price range at the time - and a really good sounding chorus made the CZ-5000 a dream synth for many electronic music enthusiasts.

Because operating the internal sequencer is a fiddly job I used a Korg-SQD1 for sequencing the song. The simple multi track sequencer was very popular in the 80s Detroit techno scene.

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #5: Morgen, Kinder, wird’s was geben (Tomorrow, Children, Something Will Be) - Synthmas '21
video upload by

The song:
Originally named "Die Weihnachtsfreude" (The Joy of Christmas) the song occured first in the 18th century. It describes the childrens thrill of anticipation awaiting Christmas Eve.

The gear:
For this song I used the Yamaha MODX. The modern digital synth is basically using two synthesis engines: AWM2 is a sample based engine while the FM part is an enhanced version of legendary DX-7 engine that shaped 80s pop fundamentally. As the AWM2 synthesis allows an instrumentation in any thinkable fashion, the song's version presented here makes use of original DX-7 factory patches only. That gives the desired retro touch.

FM synthesis was a giant leap in synth architecture. Not only that digital synthesis was available for a broad customer base; the DX-7 put cutting edge expression technologys into play like breath control and MIDI and made upper class features like after touch available for the ordinary synthesist. The (then) unique e-piano patch defined a new standard and became a mandatory element of 80s synth ballads. The possibility of adding a (digital) filter and effects to the FM engine's sounds makes the MODX kind of a 'super DX7'. Hence the name MOreDX?

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

Door #4: Es ist für uns eine Zeit angekommen (Unto us a time has come) - Synthmas '21


"The song:
The melody came up in the 19th century as a traditional Swiss star boys' singers Christmas carol. From it's origin, the Wiggertal in the Canton of Lucerne it found it's way to Germany. While first sung with the original lyrics, under the reign of the Nazis a secular version was created. Like years later the communist GDR regime, the Nazis tried to remove the christian aspects from Christmas - our celebration of commerce we all love so much today. Nevertheless, this version is the most common used for the song today.

The gear:
The song is played by a Roland JV-1010. Sometimes derided as a "ROMpler", this multi-timbral digital synth is equipped - like it's bigger brother the JV-1080 - with many legendary sounds of Roland's 80s flagship D-series (10/20/50). Like Roland D-synths the JV-1010 creates it's sounds using LA-Synthesis. Therefore calling it "ROMpler" is simply wrong. LA-Synthesis was Roland's bold move to finally break the success of Yamaha's FM-Synthesis intruduced in early 80s with the legendary DX-7. The idea behind LA-Synthesis is that real instrument sounds (back then synths aimed most notably to imitate real instruments) are recognized by the very first parts of a sound. So LA or linear arythmethic synthesis using very short samples at the beginning of a sound continued with subtractive synthesis.

For this song I only used factory presets. I think the JV-1010/1080 has a wonderful warm sound. A Roland D-10 was my very first synth that broke a few years ago and I always thought about replacing it by another one or a D-50. But the JV-1010 turned out to be much more than a makeshift. Love it!

Trailer material: Pexels.com (image @seurafrancis99, video @cottonbro)"

CLICK FOR MORE »

[Kawai S-100F] 40 yo japanese beauty gets intense cleanup & service

video upload by Synthfluencer

"In this video I show how I cleaned and serviced the Kawai Synthesizer-100F. The 100F is a mono synth from the late 70s. It has one oscillator with sawtooth and square waveform, white noise (that can't be mixed), two envelopes and a LFO speeding up to audio rate, a lowpass and a highpass filter. The lowpass filter can be modulated by LFO, envelope and waveforms that gives pretty unique sound design possibilities.

The unit was very dirty when I purchased it. Almost all faders were banged, resonance didn't work at all. I decided to give it a deep clean-up and a fresh calibration. I didn't want to do a makeover but rather bring back the vintage beauty of this wonderful synth without removing all of its patina.

Background music was made usind the 100F among the Vermona Synthesizer, Yamaha CS-5, Waldorf Streichfett, Behringer Deepmind, Model D & Neutron and Elektron Model:Samples.

See the first review of the synth before cleanup: [posted here] See the 100f in action: [Dr. Who theme posted here]"

Theme from Doctor Who (1963) - Synthfluencer

video upload by Synthfluencer

"I made the "Doctor Who" theme from the first season using analog gear only (plus digital effects)."

Kawai Synthesizer-100F for the lead.

Kawai S-100F: First check up of basic functions

video upload by Synthfluencer

"I recently purchased a new friend for the Synthcave: The Kawai Synthesizer 100F. This gem was born around 1980 and for many synthesists it is an instrument they would never give away because of its unique sound. Basically my device is in a good overall condition but it desperately needs a service. Many faders don't work as they should and I'm not sure if I want to know what I'm going to find when I open it up 😳 In this video I'm checking some basic features and try to figure out how the signal flow works."

Muzio Clementi: Sonatina C major, op. 36 No. 1 "Spiritoso" (Synthsunday 24-10-21)

video upload by Synthfluencer

"I play the Clementi sonatina in C major on my Vermona Piano Strings using the so called 'Piano' section. Audio output goes through Vermona Phaser 80 and TC Flashback."

Vermona Piano-Strings (1978) - How does it sound?

video upload by Synthfluencer

"I play around with my Vermona Piano-Strings and some effect units. The Vermona Piano-Strings was produced in the GDR by 'VEB Klingenthaler Harmonikawerke' and one of the very few string machines produced in the late Eastern Bloc. Sound manipulation is sort of limited. There is a string and a "piano" section but you can use only one section at a time. For the string section you can mix three kinds of string instruments (Cello, Viola, Violine) and add two different choruses. Decay can be changed but no other envelope control. I pass the signal through a Vermona Phaser 80, a legendary effects unit built with discrete circuitry and compare it to some Small Stone phaser simulation by using the ingenious Zoom MS70 CDR multi effect unit. You may find some 'Jarrism' in this video ;-)"

Johann Sebastian Bach: Invention No. 1 (Synthsunday 2020-12-20)

Synthfluencer

"I play Bach's Invention No. 1 on two analog synthesizers: 1979 Yamaha CS-5 (lead voice) & 1983 Vermona Synthesizer (bass accompaniment). Some effects added by Yamaha MODX."

The Vermona Synthesizer. Part 2 VCOs, VCA, VCF and other features

Synthfluencer

Part 1 calibration below.

"The Vermona Synthesizer is one of only two synthesizer models developed and officially produced in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In my video series I want to intruduce this rare synth. Second part dives into the VCOs, comparing the wave forms of the Vermona Synthesizer with a Behringer Model D.

0:24 VCO1 Wave forms demo and comparison
2:30 VCO2 Wave forms
2:58 VCO1 + VCO2, "PWM", tuning, octave range
4:52 "Hacks", combining octaves and wave forms
6:23 LFO
7:32 Pitch wheel and glide function
8:36 VCF
11:12 Envelope (VCA/VCF), playing around"

The Vermona Synthesizer. Part 1 calibration


"The Vermona Synthesizer is one of only two synthesizer models developed and officially produced in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). In my video series I want to intruduce this rare synth. First part shows the VCO calibration process. The complete process (VCA, Envelopes, base voltage etc.) needs soldering and an oscilloscope. VCO calibration should be applicable to 90% of all calibration work so we focus on that."