The Synths of Jodorowsky's Dune (2014)

Jodorowsky's Dune (2014) - HD Trailer Published on Feb 14, 2014 Giles Thomas·70 videos

Update: please see this post for some unfortunate news regarding Kurt Stenzel.

Many of you I am sure are familiar with Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel Dune as well as the film adaptation by David Lynch in 1984 and the 2000 miniseries by John Harrison.  If you are not, see this article on Wikipedia and then head back.  Unknown to many, there was a planned film adaptation in 1973 by Alejandro Jodorowsky. It was to feature art by H. R. Giger (Aliens) and Jean Giraud, possibly music from Pink Floyd and Magma; the cast of actors was to include Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, and Gloria Swanson.   The adaptation never made it due to financial reasons.  Jodorowsky's Dune (2014) is a documentary on the undertaking of the film that never was.

The film launches in the US today. You'll find the cities and dates and additional details on the film's website here: http://sonyclassics.com/jodorowskysdune/dates.html

As for the synth connection, the soundtrack was composed by Kurt Stenzel who reached out to me. I asked him if he could give us more info on the synths used in the soundtrack and particularly what we hear in the trailer. The following is what he had to say (scroll down to Specifically for this Trailer in red if you want to jump to what you are hearing in the trailer):

"I did this soundtrack using a rig that I have used for years in Cookin With Kurt, Beyond-o-Matic and SpacEKrafT.  Since I play out at events in San Francisco I go for as much analog goodness as I can carry- so these synths are throughout the movie.

I have an original Novation Bass Station with keys (it has a really unique filter in my opinion), a Dave Smith Tetra (HEAVY!), an Oberheim Matrix 1000 (god-like), and for the sake of portability, I do get into some of the more recent analog modellers that all have some merit- I have a MicroKorg 2, a Novation Xio 25, and a Quasimidi Sirius.

 In the 'digital that's special' I have TWO CZ101s (the synth I learned on when it was new) and a Yamaha TG-33 vector synth.

Larger analogs that are hard to gig with, include a Moog Source (don't cry, I got this for $40 on the street when analog was uncool) and a rather GRITTY MicroMoog, and the 'head' part of a Moog Taurus 2, and a very handy Roland Juno 6. I also used a Korg Poly 61 and a Korg Poly 800, as well as one studio session with a real Rhodes, a real Celeste (no joke it was the one you see Susan Dey play in Partridge Family episodes-- the studio owns THE one) and they also had a Roland String Machine. The Celeste and Rhodes didn't make it to the film though--Director Frank Pavich though they were 'too normal' Ha! .

I also use Casiotones quite a bit--an original MT-60 my Dad bought in Japan when they were really novel, and a Concertmate from Radio Shack. I mention the Conccertmate as I realized that sucker has appeared on EVERY recording I have ever done--some of the low bit string sounds are ethereal and I run that through effects. It's very beat up from 20 years of gigs. God bless Radio Shack.

I also have lots of effects and toys like the Bliptronic, the Buddha Box, old school Kaos pad, and I use my kids Nintendo DS's to sync up 3 programs on 3 DS devices. I also got a Korg Monotribe and the Korg Monotron. Toys are good.

I used some very low fi techniques for sound design too. Oh, and my buddy Dave Miranda recorded me on his Dave Smith Poly Evolver keyboard as a last minute thing in NY and it wound up being a crucial scene-- that required no overdubs or any treatments-- that thing sounds amazing.

Also noteworthy, I am a hardcore user of the Roland SP-808 for sound design. That has been a platform for me since it came out, so my zip discs were flying on this project.

There's about 9 minutes of SpacEKrafT music in this film as well- that is my duo with Edward Dahl here in San Francisco. Ed uses Ableton and plays guitar and we have lots of toys--Alesis Air Synth and Air Effects. I use my aforementioned rig in various settings with SpacEKrafT. I also played a fair amount of guitar on the soundtrack, as well as some vocalizations. Some screaming, which came natural as I am also the singer in NY band "Six and Violence". When I am not tinkling on the keys.

SPECIFICALLY on the TRAILER: Zero to :40 is a relatively rare Yamaha SS-30 which I think has become fetishized since Sigur Ros uses one. That thing is way fun, and I have to thank Peter Fuhry from Beyond-o-Matic for loaning me that and the MicroMoog for many years.

In the trailer, when you hear the arpeggiation kick in at :40, that's one of my favorite synths ever, the Matrix 1000. That thing is my secret weapon. I love it. I am using the arpeggiator on the Quasimidi Sirius (and playing) to drive and alter the pattern. I know Sirius keyboards are rare nowadays, glad I never got rid of it. I mean, it has real Kraftwerk demoss in it straight from Germany!

The loud "blast" at 1:37, no joke, is a 'thunder tube' which is basically a tube with a drum head and a reverb spring--I banged it and slid the whole tube over an omnidirectional mic running through pitch shifting and all kinds of stuff. Don't tell Hollywood!

Next in the trailer, the brass at 1:55 is the Quasimidi Sirius which has an amazing factory patch named 'Shine On' (Floyd was supposed to do the original Dune) so it was a great coincidence, as I feel that patch is very cinematic--I have been using it for years--sounds great in a club (or now a movie theater). I probably ran some analog under it, the Matrix 1000 and the Tetra just via MIDI. 

This whole project was done largely with a MIDI 8x splitter as I improvise and play, so to get the multiple textures and voices at once, I fire the whole rig up and play my mixer faders live to weave textures. I did NOT use any computer based sequencing, almost no overdubs-- the synths sound beautiful as their own voices.

I played and mostly recorded myself. I pulled all-nighters as I had a full time day job, 2 kids, a lovely fiancee and band gigs the whole time this was happening. Frank Pavich essentially typecast me as he knew I was such a fan of Jodorowsky, all things 70's and analog, etc. This was not just a soundtrack, it was already my own personal and spiritual journey with or without the movie.

One last story of gratitude- I was very intent on getting my hands on a REAL Yamaha CS-80 -- granted that was a little later than the 1975 time period of the documentary, but I love Eddie Jobson's 'Alaska' solo, and obviously Vangelis used it so well on Blade Runner. I was very envious that Daft Punk seemed to have one on the Tron soundtrack. I asked all around-I know synth people- I know the guys in Devo a little and their crew is really cool- they almost got me one. NO ONE had a working CS-80, not even in Los Angeles. One night I came on a YouTube Tutorial called 'Vangelis Bladerunner sound JUNO 60' and followed it and dialed up such a great sound from my good old Juno 6. So I want to THANK "magevers" whoever you are on YouTube. That to me is what the synth community is all about-- people who really have a keen interest and are WAY INTO THE SYNTHS. Like you Matrix Synth Jones, THANKS BROTHER- hope you get to see this movie-- Jodorowsky will blow your mind and you will want to go and CREATE ART!"

Can't wait.  Thank you Kurt!

Update: some links via Edward W. Dahl in the comments:

"I am co-captain of SpacEKrafT and you might have seen this video posted here on Matrixsynth a little over a year ago."

Music: www.soundcloud.com/spacekraft
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/myspacekraft

Update 4/13/2014:

Q&A with Dune Composer Kurt Stenzel

Published on Apr 8, 2014 hellspreetube·39 videos

"Q&A with Kurt Stenzel, soundtrack composer for "Jodorowsky's Dune," after a showing at One Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA, April 5, 2014.

http://www.kurtstenzel.com/
http://www.jodorowskysdune.com/"

via David Wilson-Okamura on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Yamaha SS-30 analog string synthesizer

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via this auction

"If you want classic analog strings ,this is what the Yamaha SS-30 excels at.All this machine does is make superlative string sounds - there's no Brass or Organ settings here. If you won't take my word for it , just look at the following Youtube link of Ultravox's 1982 Monument tour where two Yamaha SS-30s were used by Billy Currie and Midge Ure. [video here] This synth is all over the first 3 post-Foxx albums - Vienna , Rage in Eden and Quartet.Opening chords on The Voice , Reap the Wild Wind, Vienna,Hymn Also used a lot by John Foxx on Metamatic

This synth totally blows away the Moog Opus 3 , Korg Delta , Roland RS-09 , RS-202 and it's only competitor is the Roland RS-505 Many people looking at this auction will also have Peter Forrest's excellent A to Z of analog synths book and i would urge you to read his review of the SS-30:- "played in a realistic manner,sounds very good.Even without the Orchestra modulation on,it sounds very good.And through a classy hall room reverb setting it sounds very,very good.It just goes to show that it's better to do one thing well,than three things to a so-so standard" i think this was a little dig at the Moog Opus and Korg Delta and some of Yamaha's own SK range. The real beauty of this machine is the phasey string sounds which come from Detuning the oscillators and swithching on the ensemble mode. The Decay is fully variable and the whole thing is built like a tank and weighs a ton.."

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ultravox monument mkv

Published on Aug 21, 2013 jenner4265·8 videos

"fully remastered sound and picture"

I almost skipped this one as per the site guidelines all posts are supposed to be synth demos only, meaning the focus is on the individual synths themselves. Yes you can see a bit of synth spotting, but let's face it, what spotting there is is somewhat obscure unless you know what's going on here.  What I realized was that three classic bits of gear dominate the entire performance and much of the sound of Ultravox at the time. The Yamaha SS-30, the ARP Odyssey and classic Simmons synthetic drum sounds.  It's as if this thirty minute video is a tribute to them.  Enjoy.

Update: I originally noted Solinas were used. Turns out it was the Yamaha SS30. What threw me off was the custom stands they are using. Take a look at 4:23 in the video. That's the SS30 on top. Now look at these pics. Note the difference.

via Pete in the comments: "The string synths used by Ultravox were not Solinas. They were the much rarer Yamaha SS-30. They sound quite different to the Solina, but are very much 'the sound' of Ultravox, along with the ARP Odyssey, Yamaha CP-80, PPG Wave 2.2"

You can clearly see the SS-30 on top of Billy Currie's setup, and you can see Midge playing the SS-30 at 5:38.

And via Billy Currie on the GForce Software website: "It was amazing to hear the Elka Rhapsody again and the Yamaha SS-30 but it is also good to hear all the other ones that are in there. I always loved the Oberheim sound so I have utilised the Xpander sounds.

The Solina was an instrument I didn't really get on with in the seventies, too silky, but interesting to go back to now!

I do admit though that I did not have a great relationship with the Yamaha SS-30 initially. Yamaha gave the gear to Ultravox in 1979-80 so I didn't say "No thanks". I must admit it does sound flipping brilliant in the VSM though - Nice One!"

Yamaha SS-30 Analog String Synth SN 2207

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via this auction

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Yamaha SS-30 SN 1782

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via this auction

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YAMAHA SS-30 Analog String Synth SN 1555

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via this auction

"Very rare yamaha ss 30 vintage string synth , never released in the US. Probably one of the lushest sounding string synths around. It uses divide down for its tone generation but there are two tones for each note so you can detune one against the other for a wide sound. Add in the ensemble and vibrato and it all adds up to some very lush sounds..."

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Yamaha SS 30 String Synthesizer

via this auction

"This baby is Ultravox in a box!!! Listen to "Reap The Wild Wind" or other tracks from Vienna or Rage in Eden to hear the SS 30 in all its glory; or check it out on Youtube as mentioned later.

I have several string synthesizers including the ARP String Ensemble, Korg Lambda and Delta, and Crumar Multiman (very underated btw!), and I've owned several more and I can truly say that the SS 30 is unique!!! It has a shimmering quality which the chorus and vibrato can emphasize like no other stringer I've played. I've also had a Yamaha SK30 and these strings are MUCH BETTER, so don't judge this lovely Yamaha on the quality of those SK models. These are more like the string presets built into the Yamaha home organ E50/70 series which also had the CS 50/60/80 voices on it... full of character and a top end that really cuts through a mix. Cleaner than the ARP String Ensemble, more like a Roland RS 505 but better ;-) Peter Forrest raved about it in The A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers and it has many fans on the net. They are super rare in the USA, as they were not sold here when new.

Some of the best uses are applying chorus and or vibrato to the violins and not the cellos with the different keyboard splits and using the cellos as a bass synth sound. This is one of the only string synths where the sounds are just as good without chorus as with. EVERYTHING WORKS on this well-maintained unit which has been in my smoke free studio since 2006. The veneer has a cut or two and some scratches... this is probably a 7 out of 10 cosmetically but all the knobs and logos are complete and legible. These do not come up for sale often!!!

You can apply vibrato and chorus in weak and strong amounts with variable rates, delay etc to either cellos or violins independently; there are two "oscillators" or ranks so the vibrato comes from varying their pitch slightly. Attack and release for envelopes is also independent and each key has its own VCA like the Korg Lambda or the Moog Polymoog, you never get voice stealing on long sustains. Two cello voices, a viola voice and two violin voices.

The only negative I will admit to is that it's mono... if it were stereo it would rule the world, or most of the good parts. It has inputs for a volume pedal and sustain switch, these both work and the volume pedal helps with dynamics as it has no velocity.

Hear for yourself on Youtube, I'm not linking to any vids but they're easy to find. This board loves effects too... throw some phasing on it and you get stereo delight."

YAMAHA SS-30 rare vintage analog string synth

via this auction

SN 314

"A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.
This example is 100% working and cosmetically in fair condition with general wear and tear.

Control section running from left to right
pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel
Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

YAMAHA SS 30 rare vintage analog string synth

via this auction

SN 1381

"Very rare yamaha ss 30 vintage string synth , never released in the US
- often compared to the ARP Solina String Synth .

This one in near mint condition . There are a few small marks and scratches.

A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.
This example is 100% working and cosmetically in excellent condition except for some small chips to the veneer.

Control section running from left to right: pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel
Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

YAMAHA SS-30 rare vintage analog string synth

via this auction
"Very rare yamaha ss 30 vintage string synth , never released in the US
- often compared to the ARP Solina String Synth .

A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.

Control section running from left to right
pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel

Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

The Dark - Marty The Vampire

"Cheery (not) little ditty written as its Halloween this weekend. Enjoy.
Main Bass Synth/Strings are from a Technics WSA1 (all in a single patch), Scream at the intro is from a Fairlight with Audio Damage Discord 2, SSL's X-Orcism plugin is used (I had to use it somewhere on this one) on the waterphone again from the Fairlight. Drums are a combination of BFD, Kore and an Akai XE-8 drum module. Choirs are an Orchestron sample from an Akai S5000, this is doubled up with the clasic Fairlight Sarah sound. Piano is Korg SG-1D with the chorus on, Wierd sounds under the vocals is a mixture of Camel Audio Cameleon 5000 and a Technics WSA1. This is all underpinned by the fabulous Hahaha CS33 playing the distorted bass and later on the echo distorted synth at the end. Lastly, the strings are from a Yamaha SS-30 String Synth with extra processing. Vocals use my secret weapon.
The track is available as a free download.
Copyright 2010."
The Dark - Marty The Vampire by Marty The Vampire

See the Halloween label below for all posts.

YAMAHA SS 30

via this auction
"A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.
This example is 100% working and cosmetically in excellent condition except for some small chips to the veneer.

Control section running from left to right pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel
Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

YAMAHA SS 30

via this auction

"A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.

Control section running from left to right
pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel
Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

YAMAHA SS 30

via this auction
"Very rare yamaha ss 30 vintage string synth , never released in the US
- often compared to the ARP Solina String Synth .

A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.
This example is 100% working and cosmetically in excellent condition except for some small chips to the veneer.

Control section running from left to right
pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel
Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

YAMAHA SS 30 rare vintage analog string synth

via this auction

Spec previously posted here.

YAMAHA SS30

via this auction
"A chunky (its heavy, 20kg!!) wood veneered string synth from the 70's. Its a dedicated string synth with all the control needed to make those 70's string sounds. It really has a rich and lush sound , wonderfully simple and effective controls.

Control section running from left to right

pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. It uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)

Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )

Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.

Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .

Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel

Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.

Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.

Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."
Yamaha SS 30

YAMAHA SS 30

via this auction
"Control section running from left to right
pitch/ detune - The outer pot adjusts the overall tuning and the inner pot detunes the voices against the pitch which can produce a wonderful thickening effect ( some sources describe this synth as a duphonic/ multiphonic ,others describe it as a 4 voice polyphonic. I have a feeling it is a 4 voice polyphonic but the 4 voices are split between cello (two tones) and violin (2 tones) . It then uses divide down chips enabling all keys to be played at once)
Orchestra -Depth ( Speed 1/2 ,cello ,violin ) A great ensemble effect with 2 different effect types (speed) and the ability to separate the effect between cello and violin ( so you can have ,for example cello effect and violins dry )
Vibrato ,Delay/Depth- Very nice vibrato effect.
Sustain, Cello /Violin - sustain 1 control each for cello and violin giving again the ability to have separate amount of sustain for cello and violin sections . Very short to very long .
Keyboard split 0/1/2/3 .0 setting is no split and just the violin sound over the whole range. 1 gives a split with the lowest octave for cellos the rest strings. 2 setting gives 1 and a half octaves to the cello . 3 gives 2 octaves to the cello. The splits are indicated by a white dot above the note on the control panel
Cello ,Volume, attack/slow ,cello1/cello2 - control section for cellos giving control over attack fast/slow. Choice of 2 cello sounds.
Violin Attack/Slow, Viola/violin1/Violin2 /Volume - Same as cello control section though the volume is at the far right.
Brilliance Cello/Violin Very usable low pass filter for cello and violin."

Yamaha SS-30

via this auction

You can see some videos of the SS30 here. Remember to use the search box on the top left corner of the site. For vids search for the synth and YouTube and or Vimeo. Search by the YouTube alias, etc. To compare auction prices, or to see what your synth is going for, search on the synth and auction.

Always click on images in posts to see the larger version.

yamaha ss30 rare string synth

YouTube via abertronic. "demo of ss 30 string synth for ebay"
Yamaha ss30 on Ebay

Virtual String Machine Review and Samples on Cafe 80

See the full review with samples on khoral's Cafe 80.
snip:
"The VSM is a sample-based software synthesizer from Gforce Software, recreating those beloved old-fashioned string machines from the 70’s and early 80’s (pictured below, the Eminent 310, which famously provided the atmospheric strings of Oxygène and Equinoxe).

It is sample-based, in that the VSM don’t emulate these instruments from scratch, but starts with recordings, which you can then retune, pan and modify with filters (lowpass, highpass and bandpass) and LFO."

Also be sure to check out the demos section on the official Gforce site.


List of users from the Gforce site for the archives:
"Essential String Machine
* Jean Michel Jarre: Oxygene (Eminent 310 [pictured]), Equinoxe (Elka Rhapsody)
* Duran Duran: Rio (Crumar Multiman)
* John Foxx: Metamatic (Elka Rhapsody)
* Beck: Midnight Vultures (Opus 3)
* Morrisey: You are the Quarry (Opus 3)
* Jeff Wayne: War Of The Worlds (Freeman String Symphonizer)
* David Bowie: Sound & Vision (ARP Omni)
* Roy Ayres: My Life in the Sunshine (Solina)
* Herbie Hancock: Chameleon (Solina)
* Steve Hackett: Spectral Mornings (Logan String Melody), Voyage of the Acolyte (Elka Rhapsody)
* Genesis: Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album (Elka Rhapsody layered with Mellotron®)
* Air: Moon Safari album (Solina)
* Ultravox: Vienna (Elka Rhapsody & Yamaha SS-30), Artificial Life - (Elka Rhapsody)
* Lonnie Liston Smith: Expansions (Solina)
* Gary Wright: Dreamweaver (Solina)
* Goldfrapp: Number One (Roland RS505)
* Vangelis: Heaven & Hell (Elka Rhapsody)
* Joy Division: Love Will Tear Us Apart (ARP Omni)
* New Order: Blue Monday (ARP Omni)
* The Cure: In Between Days (Solina)
* Pink Floyd: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Solina)
* Kraftwerk: Trans Europe Express (ARP Omni)"