32 VINTAGE DRUM KITS ON YOUR SOLTON PROGRAMMER 24

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video upload by

"We were asked to beta test a new modification for the Solton Programmer 24 - expanding the drum section from a single kit to 32 vintage drum machines.
It adds the classics like the three Linn Drum machines, the Roland TR-808, TR-909, Roland CR78, Korg Mini Pops 7 as well as lesser known machines like the Elka Drummer One, Elka Drum Star 80, EKO Ritmo 20, Siel MDP40, Wersimatic 24, CRB Computer drums and many more 🤩
The additional 31 drum kits will perform just like the original Solton Programmer 24 drum section.

This is a total game changer for more than the obvious reasons - the Solton Programmer 24 has a sequencer, 8 separate drum volume sliders and 8 audio outputs as well as trigger capabilities for the individual drum sounds. It also sends clock and has Midi in/out/thru so it can be easily incorporated to whatever you got cooking with other machines.

It’s a non-invasive modification and fully reversible - no soldering - no drilling holes anywhere - it's installed by simply removing the four original drums eproms inside and hooking up a small additional board in place of two of them.

The modificationis divided in 4 memory banks of 4 drum kits each - you program the banks to your preference - this way you can quickly switch between the drum kits you use the most - or you can of course toggle through all the 32 drum kits sequentially.
Programming the memory banks is easy and sll the instructions you need are provided on Reverb :

https://reverb.com/item/79089448-spec...

The Solton Programmers drum section can accomodate 13 drum sounds per kit.
Some of the drum machines included featured have considerably less sounds and in those cases Andrea, the inventor and seller of the drum chip, has added more drum sounds in the same realm as the drum machine in question.
Due to the architecture of the Solton Programmer 24 the sample rate is 8 bit PCM 22500 Hz which sounds low but is definitely sufficient to maintain character and punchiness - I think it sounds damn good.
This video was made a few months ago and features a trial version that's now been upgraded - clips and smaller issues sometimes heard in the video have been ironed out and fixed on the version that's available for purchase.

Here's the complete list of featured drum machines

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Elka Wilgamat analog drum machine and accompaniment unit SN 1227

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video upload by ohm_studi_ohm

via this auction

Note the listing is for only 1 unit.

"The Elka Wilgamat was an accompaniment unit intended as an add-on to some of Elka's organ line and also as a standalone unit with dedicated 2 octave keyboard. It consists of a rhythm unit, a bass section and a chord section. All sounds are of course fully analog. It is very similar in features and sound to theGodwin Drummaker, Wersi Wersimatic WM24, Elgam Carousel or Böhm Böhmat."

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rare birds: Welson Ritmo / analog drum and accompaniment unit

video upload by ohm_studi_ohm

Also see this one from 2022 with a smaller keyboard controller.

"The Welson Ritmo was a accompaniment unit intended as an add-on to some of Welson's organ line. It consists of a rhythm unit, a bass section, a chord section and an arpeggiato section. All sounds are of course fully analog. It is very similar in features and sound to the Elka Wilgamat, Böhm Böhmat and Wersi Wersimatic CX1. They are actually built around the same chipset family (SGS M2xx), but the Ritmo cannot be programmed.

It was never intended as a standalone unit so I built a custom keyboard to make it so.

Unit is very easy and straightforward to use with some nice features: for instance you can play it in "free chord" or 'one finger chord'. In the first mode you need to make a 3 notes chord to trigger the arp sound. With one or 2 notes you only trigger the bass and chord sounds, this make for some nice performance variations. The bass section can be set to 'walking bass', and in this mode you also need 3 notes to trigger the melody.

In 'one finger chord' you play a major chord with one key. There is a pedal input on the back to make the chords minors. I also added a switch on the keyboard to alternate between major and minor chords when playing in the "one finger chord" mode.

Other nice features are "keystart" (obvious functionnality) and 'memory' which holds the played notes (and rhythm). And like almost all the preset rhythm units you can combine different rhythms together."

Pics via SALES.OHMSTUDIOHM@GMX.FR

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Wersi Wersimatic CX1 / CX2

video upload by ohm_studi_ohm

"Demo of a Wersi CX1 I just serviced. Showcasing the general functionality of the instrument by fiddling with some presets I made.

This unit is actually more a CX2 since it was upgraded at some point to a CX2. This was a possibility given by Wersi when they released the CX2 not too long after the CX1. Basically it replaced the full analog drum sounds with 12 bit PCM drum samples. Otherwise the CX1 and CX2 shared the same analog arranger and programming unit. There are still 4 analog drum synthesized sounds in the CX (maracas, claves, tambourine and "synthdrum", the latter being only manually triggered).

The CXs also have 3 SSM2044 filters for the 3 analog parts (bass, chord and arpeggio) and it features a great Wersivoice BBD triple chorus card to give that ensemble sound to the string presets sounds (check my videos about these units if you dont know how they sound).

Both drum and arranger parts are programmable and you can store your own 16 presets, in top of the 48 builtin presets. Instant 80s and italo disco sound with this unit. Very close in philosphy and sound to the mlighty Bohm Digital Drums, with the latter being a much more advanced unit though."

WERSIMATIC CX1

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Here’s some more Wersimatic CX1 for you - a hella stylish auto accompaniment unit made in Germany when the going was good - the early 80s.

The machine looks like a obsolete computer terminal and sports 4 sections :

Analog Drum machine
Bass section
Chord section
Arpeggiator section

We modded this one quite a bit - with separate volumes and outputs for the bass, chords, strings and of course the drum section.
We're routing the separate outs to a ton of different effects:
The Compact Phaser effect is an odd one - it could be a Vermona prototype - it sounds like the Vermona Phaser and looks very nice and stylish for a one off.
It's sitting next to the Compact Schulte Phaser and you can see the resemblance in design."

THE WERSIMATIC CX1

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Introducing the Wersimatic CX1 - a stylish auto accompaniment unit made in Germany in the early 80s.

It sports 4 sections :

Analog Drum machine
Bass section
Chord section
Arpeggiator section (it’s maybe more like a second chord generator)

Each section can be muted, individual drum sounds can be muted.
This specific unit was modified with independent volume control for each section - those are the extra knobs on the front panel - as well as separate outputs for each section in the back.
The drum patterns, the chord and arpeggiator sections are all programmable.

The CX1 was followed by the CX2 - which is basically the same machine but with 12bit sample drums instead of the CX1’s analog drums - it seems the bass, chords and arpeggiator sounds and patterns are all the same on the CX1 and CX2. The CX2 sports an additional row of buttons for programming purposes but those are available on the CX1 as well - the row of buttons on the left has a third submenu."

Additional WERSIMATIC CX1 posts

WERSI WERSIMATIC II / CRB OBERON

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"This is an analog auto-accompaniment machine produced by the German organ manufacturer Wersi sometime in the mid-70s. Originally part of a big, dual manual organ called Helios, this auto-comp section was probably removed from the organ and squeezed into a faux Teak cabinet - literally crammed with circuit boards - all beautifully snug inside - a very good job by whoever built it.
We used a ton of effects of this track - most noticeably the Davoli 2K disc echo - insanely rare unit with a Schaller disc unit mounted inside - the very mounted inside the Lombardi mixing desks.
The Digitech Synth Wah is also going strong - an envelope follower pedal on the cheap side.

We're pairing the Wersimatic II with the glorious CRB Oberon - a unicorn of a dual oscillator monophonic synth made in Italy in the late 70s - one of very few still existing.
Lots of fun features it can really sound huge - there's still lots more to explore here

The grey string machine in the video is also marked CRB - a simple, two sounds (violin and cello) string machine, unusually light weight for the oldie it is - the CRB 709.
It's sound is bright and lush - really not at all bad.

Vintage Audio Institute Italia is a gear vendor and recording studio in the hills of Florence."

Additional CRB Oberon posts

Additional WERSIMATIC II posts

WERSI WERSIMATIC II

video upload by

"It's still here and we love it - so here we go again with new music :
The Wersimatic II - the previous generation of the Wersimatic 24 auto-accompaniment machine and probably familiar to fans of the Elgam Carousel, Böhm Solist 78, Elka Wilgamat and Godwin Drummaker 45 units.

The Wersimatic II has 4 sections on board:
Bass line tone generator
Drum machine with individual mute options
Various chord sounds
Various Arpeggiator sounds (same sounds as chords but with busier patterns)

The bass sounds great - very nice and analog.
Drum sounds are very analog - this is sound generation in its infancy - the hi-hats scare me :)
The chord and arpeggiator sounds were processed through the Digitech Synth Wah - a relatively cheap envelope follower pedal that’s a great bang for the buck.

The sounds and controls are across the board identical to the Wersimatic 24 unit as far as we can tell but the difference being the Wersimatic II was never made as a stand-alone unit - it was part of a large, double manual organ called Wersi Helios.
This particular one is unique : it has been transplanted from that organ into a smaller box with a twelve buttons acting as chord control instead of the two bottom octaves of the organ.

Special thanks to Organfairy for the rare schematics that were necessary to complete the repair : dude you f-ing rock

Vintage Audio Institute is a gear vendor and recording studio in the hills of Florence"

Additional Wersimatic II posts

WERSI WERSIMATIC WM24 & WM24b (1972) & BÖHM BÖHMAT SOLIST S (Keyboard Version)

video upload by Synthesizer Home

Update:

BÖHM BÖHMAT SOLIST S (Keyboard Version)

video upload by Synthesizer Home

Wersi Wersimatic II 1973 - Analog Drum / Bass / Chord / Arpeggiator Machine

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

via this auction

Demo video posted here.

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Exploring the Wersimatic II

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Another take with the Wersimatic II, the older sister / brother of the Wersimatic 24 auto-accompaniment machine and distant cousin to the Elgam Carousel, Böhm Solist 78, Elka Wilgamat and Godwin Drummaker 45.

The sounds and controls are across the board identical to the Wersimatic 24 unit as far as we can tell.
The Wersimatic II was never made as a stand-alone unit but was part of a large, double manual organ called Wersi Helios in the mid 70s.
This particular one has been transplanted from an organ into a smaller box with a twelve buttons acting as chord control instead of the bottom keys of the organ.

Special thanks to Organfairy for the rare schematics : dude you f-ing rock

The Wersimatic II has sections on board:
Bass
Drum machine
Various chord sounds"

Additional Wersimatic II posts

Exploring the Wersimatic WM 24

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"We thought there wasn't really anything decent info out there on this rarity so here's a video that sheds some light on the Wersi Wersimatic 24 A & B units.

Wersimatic 24 is an analog drum machine, bass / chord arpeggiator generator similar to the Elgam Carousel, Elka Wilgamat, Godwin Drummaker 45 and Böhm Solist units, The Wersimatic 24 was manufactured in Germany in the early 1970s.
These were also part of various model Wersi organs of the era, such as the Helios that featured the "Wersimatic II" auto-comp section and they seem to be identical in controls and sounds.
The Wersimatic 24 is a bit different than your regular auto-accompaniment machine since the keyboard is a separate instrument: it holds the circuit boards and sound generators for the melodic section and sports its own volume slider and audio jack output.
The keyboard is powered by the drum machine unit via a DIN cable though, and the tempo is regulated on the drum machine as well.

24 drum patterns with 8 mutable sounds
12 rhythmic chord/bass/arpeggiator patterns
Bass section with one sound
3 chord sounds
2 arpeggiator sounds (the second arpeggiator sound is not functioning at the moment)

The bass covers two octaves, which is rare for this type of machine (the Elgam Carousel, Elka Wilgamat has a one octave bass section only) and can generate almost synth like arpeggiator patterns.

We like this machine a lot, especially the bass section and the drum sounds are really raw and industrial sounding.

Sorry for dirty fingernails, it's black paint residue - not dirt - promise.

Vintage Audio Institute is a gear vendor and studio in the hills of Florence."

Wersimatic posts

VAI 35 : Wersimatic II / Farfisa Syntorchestra

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Another take with the Wersimatic II, the younger sister / brother of the Wersimatic 24 auto accompaniment machine. The sounds and controls are across the board identical as far as we can tell.

It was never made as a standalone unit but part of a large, double manual organ called Wersi Helios in the mid 70s.

This particular one has been transplanted from an organ into a smaller box with a twelve buttons acting as chord control instead of the bottom keys of the organ.

Special thanks to Organfairy for the rare schematics : dude you f-ing rock

The Wersimatic II has sections on board:
Bass
Drum machine
Various chord sounds

Melody played on the Farfisa Syntorchestra String machine and Mono synth."

VAI 36 : Wersimatic II / Farfisa Syntorchestra

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Another take with the Wersimatic II, the younger sister / brother of the Wersimatic 24 auto accompaniment machine.
It was never made as a standalone unit but part of a large, double manual organ manufactured in Germany by Wersi in the mid 70s.
This particular one has been transplanted from an organ into a smaller box with a twelve buttons acting as chord control instead of the bottom keys of the organ.
The sounds are across the board identical to the Wersimatic 24 machines as far as we can tell."

VAI 34 Wersimatic II / Farfisa Syntorchestra

video upload by Vintage Audio Institute Italia

"Analog auto-accompaniment machine produced by the German organ manufacturer Wersi sometime in the mid-70s. Originally part of a big, dual manual organ called Helios, this auto-comp section was probably removed from the organ and squeezed into a Teak cabinet, crammed with circuit boards, all beautifully snug inside - a very good job by whoever built it.

You control the harmony and key with the black 12 buttons on the front replacing the one octave that was probably at the bottom 12 keys of the organ.

The Wersimatic II has sections on board: Bass
Drum machine
Various chord sounds

Melody played on the Farfisa Syntorchestra String machine and Mono synth.

Big thanks to Organfairy who helped us find the right schematics to repair it.

Vintage Audio Institute Italia is a gear vendor and recording studio in the hills of Florence."

You can find additional posts featuring the Wersimatic II here, and additional Vintage Audio Institute Italia posts here.

WERSI CX2 WERSIMATIC Analog Groove Box 1985 | HD DEMO

video by AnalogAudio1

"(c) 2021 by AnalogAudio1

In the beginning of the video I added a little reverb from a Lexicon MPX500 on the drums, all other sounds came directly dry from the CX2.

Wersi WERSI MATIC CX2 is a programmable rhythm machine / accompaniment from Germany.

The CX2 has preset rhythms and is also programmable. The drums are digital 8-bit samples of real drums. The CX2 It's micro processor controlled, but it has analog sound generation for the accompaniment. A kind of "solina string ensemble" is also on board. Tape interface for storing own patterns onto tape - like on analog synths as Korg Polysix or Roland Juno-60. The Wersi CX2 is the successor of the CX1, which is essentially the same, except the drums. The earlier CX1 has fully analog drum sounds, whereas the CX2 uses digital samples.

The CX2 was also included in Wersi organs of the day. It's similar to the 'Böhm Digital Drums'."

Additonal WERSI CX2 posts

WERSI CX-2 (1984)

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video by Synthesizer Home

"Ultra rare analog accompaniment unit with digital 8-bit drum machine mande in Germany."

via this auction

"Extremely rare Wersi Wersimatic CX2. The CX2 is a combination of a digital drumcomputer and preset synthesizer/organ. The drumcomputer section consists of 54 preset rhytms, but it is also possible to compose your own rhytms by using its composer (static/real time composing) and the 14 different drum sounds available. It also has accent.

The accompaniment section has a bass (guitar, synth, tuba), chord (e-piano, guitar, wah guitar, strings, organ), and arpeggio section (brass, clarinet, banjo, bells, strings, single notes). When the drumsection plays the accompaniment section can be triggered by pressing keys. It automatically follows the rhythms. However, you can also make your own BASS solo, chords, and arpeggio patterns !!

This is a great instrument for modding. SSM2044 chips are installed on two of the cards, and a filter/resonance function can be easily added. Other possible modifications my be separate outs and volume pots for drum sounds and accompaniment, clock synq, etc. I prefered to leave it in original condition and let the next owner do this if preferred.

The Wersi CX2 comes as seen on the pictures with technical documents in German.

Condition: Great condition with light traces of use (see the original pics and video)."

Cool overhead light on top for playing in the dark. I was wondering how many synths had something similar and the Moog Voyager came to mind. It has a gooseneck lamp you can connect on top.

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Wersimatic WM 24b

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

via this auction

You can find a demo of one here.

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Wersi CX1 Wersimatic

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

via this auction

Service:
Recap of PSU
Voltage regulators (7815/7915) are replaced by new ones.
The keyboard contacts were serviced.
Push switches were serviced with IPA.
Several suspicious looking solder joints were reflown.
A better power cable was installed.
220V/50 Hz.

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Wersi CX-1 based 19" midi drum expander

Published on Mar 1, 2020 Stereoping

"Test- and demosong for a little DIY project - an analogue rack #midi drum expander based on some soundcards of the #Wersi #Wersimatic #CX-1. Together the 3 PCBs supply 14 different sounds, some quite interesting. One is called "Synthedrum", an oscillator with 3080 VCA allowing several interesting mods, they are demoed at 1:20. The video also shows some pictures of the building process. All drums in the song - except the tabla - coming from this unit. Other gear: #Waldorf #Pulse, Deep Bass 9, Roland #Integra7, #Boehm Dynamic 12/24 and a beautiful Flute from the #Akai #S900 through a Roland #DEP-5."