MOTM / Synthesis Technology's Paul Schreiber Has Passed Away

Paul Schreiber at CONTROL in 2018


It has come to my attention that Paul Schreiber has passed away.

Pictured: Paul Schreiber at the 2006 NAMM show. Top from this previous post (pic by fr1zz), and bottom from this post (pic by Synthtopia) - this is the first image of Paul on the site. There is one comment in that post: "He's a good guy." Indeed.

Readers of the site should be familiar with his work. He was the man behind MOTM and Synthesis Technology.

To say Paul was one of the greats to influence the synth community would be an understatement. He was pivital to the rebirth of modular synthesizers. He started when modular as we know it today was in its infancy, as one of a very small group of large format DIY modular manufacturers along with Blacet, Modcan, Cynthia, Wiard, Oakley, STG, Catgirl/CGS, Tellun/Lower West Side Studio YuSynth, Jurgen Haible, and of course DIY staples like Thomas Henry/ MFOS, Ray Wilson and PAiA (see this post for some modular formats back in 2007). I focused mainly on those offering DIY. There were other manufacturers including Synthesizers.com, Club of the Knobs, MOS-LAB, Moon Modular, MacBeth, CMS, and more. Feel free to mention others in the comments. This post is about Paul, but I think it's important to reflect on some of the large format modular manufactures he was amongst at the time.

Paul created the MOTM format of 5U modules in 1998. MOTM stood for Module of the Month offering monthly DIY kits. From Wikipedia: "MOTM was created by Paul Schreiber in 1998. The system was created in part due to the renewed interest in large-format analog modular systems that occurred in the late 1990s. Between 1998 and 2021, over 8000 modules were sold. The company, Synthesis Technology, also offered a limited number of modules in Eurorack[2] and Frac[3] format."

He was also helped design the Moog/Realistic MG-1. From Wikipedia: "In 1980, Moog Music was seeking to contract manufacture a mass-marketable synthesizer which could be sold via a large retailer. Moog representatives secured an appointment at the Radio Shack corporate offices for a 5-minute demonstration. Radio Shack approved the concept, and Paul Schreiber (then employed by Tandy Systems Development) worked together with Moog on the synthesizer's design to achieve Radio Shack's price requirements.[2][3]"

He later joined the eurorack scene with Synthesis Technology branded modules. FYI, his site for MOTM was always http://www.synthtech.com/, short for Synthesis Technology. The first post to mention Paul and MOTM was posted just under twenty years ago here on MATRIXSYNTH back on August 26, 2005. If you click through you will see it was a post announcing the MOTM/synthtech.com site was going down for the weekend. He announced he was retiring from the synthesizer business in August of 2023.

I beleive the first synthtech eurorack module was the MOTM E340 Cloud Generator. The first demos were posted on July 14, 2009, followed by a mockup of the front panel on July 20. The first post to mention Synthesis Technology was an Epic Son track by John L Rice in August of 2011. Since then there has been approximately 845 posts to feature MOTM, and at least 398 Synthtech.

You can find a number of interviews with Paul in previous posts here.

It's worth repeating, Paul Schreiber was one of the key figures that brought modular back to the masses. He was both respected and loved by the synth community. It's impossible to overstate his influence. He will be missed.

The following are the first the last video interviews with Paul to be featured on the site:

The SynthSummitShow Episode 2: Paul Schreiber (Synthesis Technology) and A.Dapt (music producer) ...

Streamed live on Oct 2, 2015 Flux302 of Fluxwithit.com. Details previously posted here.

SysEx Dumpster - Episode 44 - a conversation with Paul Schreiber
video upload by Sysex Dumpster on Jul 30, 2023. Details previously posted here.

The first videos to feature Paul presenting a module was back on January 3, 2010, and the first interview on SoundCloud in 2013, and he was of course featured in the modular documentary film I Dream of Wires.

SysEx Dumpster - Episode 44 - a conversation with Paul Schreiber

video upload by Sysex Dumpster

via SysEx Dumpster

"In episode 44 of the SysEx Dumpster podcast, Paul Schreiber of Synthesis Technology and MOTM fame reluctantly joins us in the dumpster to discuss stealing aircraft grade aluminum, jamming out to Synergy, restoring vintage audio test equipment, reverse engineering the Midiverb, and life after eurorack.

This episode was recorded in July 2023. SysEx Dumpster is hosted by Dave 8cylinder, Nick Vasculator, and Greg VanEck. Intro and outro music by Greg VanEck and Dave 8cylinder."

Video description:

"Paul Schreiber of MOTM and Synthesis Technology fame reluctantly joins us in the dumpster to discuss stealing aircraft grade aluminum, jamming out to Synergy, restoring vintage audio test equipment, reverse engineering the Midiverb, and life after Eurorack.

💗 Support our podcast and dive in the dumpster: https://www.patreon.com/sysexdumpster

👀 Peep our social media and podcast platforms: https://linktr.ee/sysexdumpster

This episode was recorded in July 2023.

SysEx Dumpster is hosted by Dave 8cylinder, Nick Vasculator, and Greg VanEck.

Intro and outro music by Greg VanEck and Dave 8cylinder."

Oberheim Matrix-6 w/ Wood Side Panels

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

via this auction

"This is probably my favorite analog subtractive synth of all time.
The Matrix series descended directly from the OB-8, which signaled Oberheim's move away from raw voltage power toward more precise dependability & vast programming possibilities. The Matrix 6 is the perfect compromise of heavenly analog sound & modern control, for under $3k. What it lacked in knobs it more than made up for in features: 2 completely independently-controllable digitally-regulated analog oscillators with the rare ability to use 2 independently shapeable waveforms simultaneously for EACH, a juicy low pass filter capable of self-oscillation, 3 envelopes, 3 LFO's (plus another global vibrato LFO), a multitude of modulation configurations, osc sync, unison, portamento, filter FM, velocity, aftertouch, and the ability to stack two presets. All this and it still sounds so unbelievably good. It was sort of held back by poor MIDI implementation, but synthhacker heroes Gligli & Bob Grieb re-coded the operating system so you could tweak every parameter with a SYSEX controller in real time. Now, Stereoping makes a rack unit with a knob for every function to unleash the almost endless power of the Matrix synths.

This Matrix 6 was rescued from a dumpster sometime in the 90's. It was given a new lease on life by a wiz techno producer, who also happened to be a carpenter during the day, so it was given new wooden endcheeks too. I bought it from him a few years ago when he was downsizing his studio. It wasn't in the best place. 2 of the keys were cracked, the volume pot was broken, the firmware was outdated, the waveforms weren't calibrating right, the filters weren't staying in tune, and sometimes, it just wouldn't turn on. I rebuilt the power supply, fixed up some frayed wire connections, bought a new DAC chip, replaced a broken trimmer, bought a new volume pot, sourced 2 replacement keys from a guy who 3D-prints replicas in Croatia (everywhere else in the world has long been out of original Matrix 6 keys), calibrated the DAC, recalibrated the 3 oscillators that handle tuning for all the voices, updated the firmware to the latest OS that fixes all the bugs, restored full aftertouch sensitivity, and installed a memory battery holder for ease of future replacement. I've been fixing up Matrix series synths for years now and they all suffer from instability in the CEM3396 voice chips that leads to carefully constructed patches melting into muck. Users tend to just replace the CEM's instead of fixing the root problems, so there's a now dire shortage of these chips. I've done work to ensure the synth will soldier on and never give you any hell, as long as you're nice to it. You can trust that all the usual reliability issues that plague Oberheims won't bother this Matrix.

This listing comes with the synth, a power cord, a huge ZIP file of 30+ years worth of patches, and my guarantee as a trained tech."

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Tom Oberheim Coming to Knobcon Number Six

via Knobcon

Knobcon Number Six
September 8-10, 2017
Chicagoland
www.knobcon.com

"We are pleased to announce Tom Oberheim as guest of honour for Knobcon Number Six.

Mr Oberheim is the progenitor of the American polyphonic analogue synthesiser and designer of electronic music devices ranging from the Maestro Phase Shifter to the Oberheim DX drum machine. If you have listened to the radio in the past 40 years, it is impossible for you not to have heard sounds he had a hand in.

Tom will be speaking at the annual Knobcon Banquet as well as taking part in a live question-and-answer session hosted by Knobcon organiser Suit & Tie Guy.

Knobcon is a one-of-a-kind synthesizer convention now in it's sixth year. Complete with live music, workshops exhibitors and vendors, Knobcon allows for a fully immersive experience. Held just outside Chicago IL at the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, the entire event takes place under one roof. If you are interested in electronic-based or experimental music and the tools used to create it, Knobcon is the place for you. The diversity and passion of the Knobcon experience make it enjoyable for all experience levels.

Admission for all 3 days is $50 at the door, $40 online during the month of August.
The Knobcon Banquet featuring Tom Oberheim’s keynote address is an add on to the standard admission. $50 per person, limited seating available.

Knobcon Exhibitors (as of 8/9/2017):

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