Modular Packrat on AnythingNapkin.com

"I'm only kidding about the kitten. Keep those crazy, demanding, gear-filled requests coming... as long as the donations are equally "involved." ;-) AnythingNapkin.com"

Packrat's Juno-106

Playlist:

Packrat's Juno-106 - Part 1 Published on Mar 27, 2013

"I don't normally do repairs for others, but this is a very special case: In this playlist I service and recondition the actual Juno-106 that was the inspiration for one of my fave Packrat comic strips by the infamous artist David C. Lovelace of UMOP dot COM fame.

Don't worry. This is the only time on the Syntegrator channel that I will read a comic out loud to you complete with character voices. That said, it's nice to know those two years I spent at acting school in my youth finally came in handy for something... ;-)"

Packrat's Juno-106 - Part 2 Published on Mar 27, 2013
"A quick once-over of this fairly pristine unit. The reverence shown by Packrat to his 'True Love' definitely applied to the real synthesizer behind the comic strip!"

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The Packrat Meets Star Wars

via The Packrat on Facebook

"Here's a Packrat & 'Star Wars' themed Anything Napkin for Mark! You bet your butt he donated extra for this one! :o)"

http://anythingnapkin.com

Latest Bar Napkin Synth Art from David Lovelace

Details on how to get yours here.

"Here's an Anything Napkin for Hex Inverter! He wanted to see anything 'synthy with robots.' What do YOU want draw for five bucks? Disclaimer: Hex doubled down on his investment for a more complex drawing." via

"Here's one for Jeff Shea, a fellow sci-fi & synth nut! AnythingNapkin.com" via

"The napkins continue! #15 is for a Packrat & Waldorf Wave fan!" Till Kopper no doubt! via

$5 Synth Art From the Creator of The Packrat

David Lovelace of umop.com and creator of The Packrat is doing something really cool.  He came up with the idea of creating one off pieces of art on a bar napkin for 5 bucks!   The way it works is you Paypal $5 to dave at fark dot com with a description of what you want, and he comes up with the drawing.  That's right, you can have him create you your own personal, one of a kind bit of art for $5 on a napkin.  You can find some of what has come in so far on his Facebook page here.  BTW, it doesn't have to be a synth as you'll see in his other creations, but if you do get one with a synth, send it in!  I'll post it!

Pictured here:
"George C Mattson [Mattson Mini Modular] doubled down on his investment to get a more involved Bar Napkin Drawing of my Packrat character standing near his prized modular synthesizer. Would you like me to draw something for you? Paypal $5 to dave at fark dot com!"

BTW, people that have been following MATRIXSYNTH should immediately recognize the giant Mattson EML. See the label below if you haven't seen it in the flesh.

Austin I/O Synth Meet Pics

Some pics of the Austin I/O Synth Meet.

No your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a blow torch. There was glass blowing at the event. I wish I could have been there in person, but I was there in spirit. I captured a few pics below, but be sure to see the full gallery here.

Pictured in order:

The ladies of East Side Glass Studio giving us a demo — at East Side Glass Studio.

MATRIXSYNTH ala The PACKRAT (those of you that have "the PAKRAT sampler" will understand).

I/O Music Technology is back in Austin!
www.io-mt.com — at East Side Glass Studio.

THE MOLECULE SYNTH! Each module connects together like a LEGO. We were totally not expecting them to stop by! very nice surprise

Thomas Fang of Bleeplabs/4ms' Make Noise Shared System

Free Ad Infinitum cables!

Eurorack & a synth T & MATRIXSYNTH Cards

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The PACKRAT Sampler Coming to the MMTA SYNTHFEST Tomorrow

For those going to the MMTA Spring SYNTHFEST tomorrow, there will be ten copies of "the PACKRAT sampler" available at the Mattson Mini Modular & BMF Raffle table.

AHNE 2013 - Saturday May 4 - Awesome Packrat Flyer

via The Packrat on Facebook

"Packrat Facebook fans get first dibs on the ANHE announcement for 2013... Analog Heaven Northeast on Saturday, "May the Fourth" at the 119 Gallery in Lowell, MA. Bring fun analog gear, a stand, headphones, a $10 donation for the gallery, and a bucket for all the drool. Or just bring the donation and bucket... your call! I'll be there with books!"

For those attending the MMTA SYNTHFEST in Seattle, there's a slight chance there will be a few copies for sale there as well.

And for those that can't make either event, you can find the book here.

April 2013 Packrat

via The Packrat on Facebook

Don't forget The Packrat Sampler book on  http://umop.com!

MMTA Spring SYNTHFEST 2013 Event Details

MMTA SYNTHFEST on Facebook

Update: Mark Vail, author of Vintage Synthesizers and former Editor of Keyboard Magazine will be in attendance at the Mattson Mini Modular Booth.  If you have a copy of his book, bring it in to get it signed. Also I added London Bridge Studios to the list.

As announced on February 7th, the MMTA Spring Synth Fest is coming to Shoreline Community College just north of Seattle on March 16th! You can find a map of the campus here (building 800).  The event is completely free so if you are in the area, do drop by.  It's a great chance to see gear you might not otherwise and a chance to sync up and converse with others that share your interests.  Note you do not have to bring any gear to attend, so if you can only make an hour or two, drop by.  The festival runs from 10AM - 5PM PST, but if you plan to bring gear you can start setting up at 8AM. There will be four rooms this year.  The Petting Zoo Room will be where people can bring their gear and mingle.  For those who attended previous events at the PNW Synth Gatherings at Renton Technical college, this is your room.  Along with The Petting Zoo, there will be a Jam Session room where you can jam along with others,  a Presentation room where dedicated lectures and performances will be given throughout the day (see the schedule below for some interesting talks lined up), and finally there will be a "Tradeshow Room" where manufactures will showcase their latest gear.

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The Packrat Sampler Arrives

My copy of The Packrat Sampler  has arrived!  I thought I'd post some pics up along with a note on why this book is extremely special to me.  I started MATRIXSYNTH in blog format back on July 20th of 2005. The first post on The Packrat went up on Halloween of that year  (with two prior references here and here).   The Packrat was with me on year one and has been a staple on the site ever since.  The MATRIXSYNTH Packrat image pictured on the right of the site went up on August 2, 2006, and to my surprise and complete honor it graces the cover of the book!

The Packrat pretty much symbolizes the true inner synth obsessed in all of us.  He took a little hiatus in 2006 and came back in 2007 and has been going strong since.  He brought us synth dreams and Buchla Christmas wishes.  He has a significant place in synth history as the longest running, if not the only running, true synthesizer based comic strip.  Because of that, and because of the awesome coolness of the man behind the strip, Mr. Dave C. Lovelace, who brought us much of the artwork behind Metasonix products as well as his other comic strips, and plays ripping keys in his band Parallax, I highly recommend this book.  Check out that Tron keytar (more here)!

In all seriousness, The Packrat, also featured in Keyboard Magazine, is part of synth history.  Not only does the book feature each episode of the comic, you get the history behind each including interesting tidbits you might miss in the comic otherwise, and you get a 12-page adventure never seen anywhere else (which includes another MATRIXSYNTH appearance).

Seriously, get this book now!  It's dirt cheap, it's synth history, and it is AWESOME!

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Limited Edition "The Packrat Sampler" Book Now Available

Our favorite synth comic, The Packrat, is now available in book format. It includes all episodes of The Packrat plus a few extras.  You can pick up a copy here.  Don't miss out!

"Since 2005, The Packrat has been a favorite of synthesizer and rodent fans alike. This potentially brilliant comic strip has been running in Keyboard Magazine monthly since August, 2010 (as well as for a few months back in 2005 - 2006). Now those comics, along with a few surprises, are all collected in one book which you might just cherish more than your whole keyboard collection.

Why, you ask? Because for a limited time this book will be one of 100 signed "Early Bird Editions." The $11.95 price goes up a buck afterward, with signed copies being $2 extra due to potential fulfillment-related logistics. SO GET IT NOW; SAVING THREE BUCKS LIKE A FREE BEER! And here is what you'll get for your twelve bucks:

• Around 50 comic strips which appeared in Keyboard Magazine.
• A few extra drawings & comics only seen only in a few blogs by an inner circle of cool people including probably yourself.
• A MASSIVE 12-page adventure never seen anywhere else, 'Synthesizer Pugilistic Exposition Goes Nuts.'
• 'Early Bird' editions: A signature of David C. Lovelace, me, the guy writing this. The guy who draws a synth-collecting rat for some occasional grocery money. For an extra donated amount of fundage (your call; choose wisely!), I can add a quick drawing to this signature... of whatever you want... I suppose... provided it isn't hateful or too complicated."

The Packrat March 2013

via The Packrat on Facebook. More episodes here: http://www.umop.com/packrat.htm

Vintage Analogue Synth Drum Humdrum One + Case

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

via this auction

Anyone know more about this one? I only found one prior mention by Dave of umop.com (The Packrat)  in the comments of this post.   I'll see if I can get a hold of him.  Until then, via the listing:

"Another old bit of kit from my loft clear out. Vintage Synth Drum 'Humdrum One', as far as I can tell this is all working but I am not an expert on these things so it may need a service, it comes with it's drum box and a drum clamp which is attached to the back. This is a cool old bit of kit which can generate some groovey synth sounds, far more than just drum sound"

The Packrat November 2012 - February 2013

More episodes: http://www.umop.com/packrat.htm
https://www.facebook.com/keyboardpackrat

A Little Noodling Around on a Moog Voyager XL at the Moog Factory

A little noodling around on a Moog Voyager XL at the Moog factory SOUND LAB!

YouTube Published on Sep 18, 2012 by hamsterdunce

"More music at umop.com/parallax.htm

The wife and I were lucky enough to get a tour of the Moog factory in Asheville, NC recently, and while there I spent a little while in the sound lab making spacey noises. It was like being inside my own brain. I could have set up a tent in there."

Dave aka hamsterdunce is the author of The Packrat series and the man responsible for much of the artwork on Metasonix products.

The Packrat: August - October 2012

More episodes here.

Be sure to check out the rest of Dave's excellent umop.com.

David C Lovelace & His Better Half Wanders Into The Moog Sound Lab

via David Lovelace on Facebook:

"We actually wandered into this room off the street accidentally. The door was supposed to be locked (there's video surveillance, so don't try it, Asheville interlopers!), but my connection with this company charged the building itself to become self-aware and allow my entry into its secret, twinkling synthmeats."

Dave of course is the author of The Packrat (August 2012 strip below), and he created the MATRIXSYNTH Packrat on the right of this site way back in 2006. Thank you Dave! Be sure to check out his site http://www.umop.com/ for tons more including music, tron keytar, and his lovely mother-in-law.
He also did the unforgettable artwork for a number of Metasonix products.




Update via Dave in the comments:

"Aw, thanks! Lee-Ann and I had a great time there with Jason Daniello, Moog's AR Manager. She showed us around the factory (more pics of that coming today) and basically let me be a 12-year-old in a music store, making a lot of noise and wondering how much of this stuff I'll get to own when I grow up. While I was there I drew a Packrat comic for them on a big 18x30 pad, mounted on an easel, with Sharpies. They took a video of the process which should end up on their YouTube channel or maybe just their website, not sure... anyway here's the best shot I was able to get of that drawing... as is apparent I got pretty hammered on mai tais at Trader Vics in Atlanta the night before..."

The Keytar Master

Dave, author of The Packrat and master of umop.com gets dethroned by the mother-in-law. With the Tron keytar no less.


YouTubeUploaded by MotherInLOL on Sep 15, 2011

2:15
"Mary Jane lives very much up to her name this time around. Watch what happens when she eats a forbidden, pharmaceutically enhanced brownie! It's mind-expanding goodness (with the return of the keytar!) in this diagonally time-traveling episode."

Huun-Huur-Tu - Live

YouTube Uploaded by JaroMedienGmbH on Jul 15, 2011

"Huun-Huur-Tu at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California November 18, 2008"

Resonant filter sweeps with the human voice starting shortly after the 5:50 mark.

via @hamsterdunce aka Dave of http://umop.com/, home of the Packrat and more.

Tuvan throat singing.