Post Rearrangement Modular Synth Test

video upload by John L Rice

"Seems like I can never commit for very long on what modules I have in this case. Currently it’s mostly modules from Synthrotek, Division6, and George Mattson. #modularsynth #eurorackmodular #eurorackmodular"

Performance Music Systems SYNTAR Turns 40

it’s been 40 years since the Performance Music Systems SYNTAR was introduced at the #namm show in #1980 by george mattson - bob #moog even got to try it out #keytar #namm2020 #eml #analog #synthesizer #ymo #rydeen #cover pic.twitter.com/mXVY8ypfP8

— sdf (@sdf_pubnix) January 19, 2020

via @sdf_pubnix

"it’s been 40 years since the Performance Music Systems SYNTAR was introduced at the #namm show in #1980 by george mattson - bob #moog even got to try it out #keytar #namm2020 #eml #analog #synthesizer #ymo #rydeen #cover"

Check out previous posts featuring the Syntar here.

The Syntar was the first self-contained synthesizer keytar. Before the Syntar, keytars were controllers. The Syntar was created by George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular. There was a keyboardless version of the Syntar called the SWAN, or Syntar Without a Neck. A SWAN II was announced back in 2018, under development with Division 6.

Update: you can find a great article on the Syntar at Carbon111.com here, and an interview I did with George Mattson way back in 2006 here.

SYNTAR Synthesized Guitar w/ Build in Mini Keyboard

This one is in via @BuckRemus, who was curious if there was any relation to George Mattson's PMS Syntar, the first synthesizer keytar. I reached out to George and he said he didn't know what it is, so there is no relation.

If you know what this is, feel free to leave a comment.

There appears to be 16 buttons (presets?), and three colored buttons, one blue, one orange, and one grey.  Note there are six mini keys, so they could be the equivalent of the six strings on a guitar and meant to be strummed rather than pressed like traditional keys.  There are three knobs, or possibly four if the one on the right is just missing a knob cap.  There are a number of holes as you can see (tuning/calibration points?).

Update: Two more pics added below, and via @BuckRemus: "it didn't come with a power supply so we're hoping to find someone who knows something so we don't fry it (if it hasn't been already). If it helps, it was purchased in Maine."

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George Mattson Announces His Retirement and the Division 6 SWAN II Eurorack System

This one is in via George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular. Back on September 15, 2007, I posted a little teaser that would eventually launch Mattson back into the synth manufacturing world. He is the man behind the Syntar - the original keytar synthesizer, and the SWAN (Syntar Without A Neck) was the follow-up non-keytar version. It's fitting and an honor that George Mattson is announcing his retirement and a new SWAN here on MATRIXSYNTH.

"Hello to all of my dear synth friends, customers, and associates.

After 45 years of involvement in the synthesizer community, it is time for me to retire.

The community is on the right track with some extremely talented, enthusiastic people that can carry on the vision while I step back and focus on actually learning to play the gear I have acquired throughout the years. What a concept…

I thank all of you for the support and friendship that you have provided to me throughout the years. It has been very humbling and I bow to all of you.

I am currently working on my last system design along with my little brother Scott Rise of Division 6. He will be the “manufacturer” and sales point for the S.W.A.N. II.

It’s basically a 60HP 3U complete system. It has 3 VCOs and two separate voice chains. It contains a sequencer, arpeggiator, and the VCOs can be split to upper/lower priority for duophonic operations.

The main 60HP unit has Basic I/O.

For patching ability, there will be a 24HP expander that provides access to more I/O. It will also have sequencer program save/recall functions and the ability to set MIDI channels via the control panel. The two VCF notch outputs will also be accessible.

The main system VCOs will have continuously variable waveform mixing between triangle, square, and saw outputs similar to the EML 101 style of mixing. Both VCFs will also have continuously variable mode mixing between LP, BP, and HP, also like the EML 101.

There will be a 20HP expander panel that will allow for VC control of the VCO waveform mixing and the VCF mode mixing, along with a couple of cascaded buffered multiples and a couple of cascaded clock dividers/square wave sub generators.

That’s it in a nutshell. I’ve been working on this since May of last year and have been trying to balance my time between this design and getting ready to retire.

Price point? Not enough info yet to determine. Probably under $1K for the main unit.
Release date? June/July? As soon as we can. We may crowdfund manufacturing, but we need to accumulate more data first.

Once I have retired, I will still be doing custom system builds. I can’t totally pull away from this art.

Again, thank all of you for your support, and I’ll see you at Knobcon.

George Mattson"

MST '07 Buffered Multiple "How does it work?" Synthrotek Eurorack

Published on Jun 9, 2017 synthrotek

http://store.synthrotek.com/search.as...

"The MST ’07 Buffered Multiple is the original buffered mult design invented by George Mattson in 2007. It’s a precision mult that is perfect for 1V/O CV sources. A signal plugged into Input 1 will be available from all 14 outputs. Break the chain by adding a second signal into input 2; signal 1 comes out 4 outputs and signal 2 is available at the remaining 10. Plug in as many as 4 inputs, each split 3 or 4 times. What you put in you GET OUT!

Features:
4 Channels
Channels 1 and 2 are 1 to 4
Channels 3 and 4 are 1 to 3
Cascaded inputs: CH 1 - CH 2 - CH 3 - CH 4

Specifications:
Current draw: V+ max 42mA, V- max 42mA
Depth: 33mm
Width: 4HP"

Morpheum VCA / Ring Modulator Demo

Published on Mar 17, 2017 Division6Labs

"George Mattson demonstrates the Morpheum VCA / Ring Modulator Eurorack Module from Division 6. He talks about how amplitude and ring modulation work, and even a bit about what they have to do with radio.

More about the module here: http://division-6.com/products/morphe...

Video by John L. Rice"

http://division-6.com

New Images of the Performance Music Systems S.W.A.N.

A few new images of the one and only Performance Music Systems S.W.A.N., aka Syntar Without A Neck! If you are not familiar with this synth, see here. You can find additional posts on Performance Music Systems here, including an interview with the creator of the S.W.A.N, George Mattson. Mattson of course, is the man behind Mattson Mini Modular and the M in Synthrotek's MST line of eurorack modules. The S.W.A.N was his second synth, after the Syntar, the world's first stand-alone synthesizer keytar.

Note this is the one and only S.W.A.N. in existence.

The bottom image further below was taken in celebration of the Syntar's 38th birthday on October 4th of last year!

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Buchla Format Mattson Filter Demo

Published on Dec 13, 2016 legionhwp

"Buchla format 4-Pole, 24dB/Octave State Variable Filter jointly designed by Synth DIY guru Jim Patchell and George Mattson.

The filter design is based off the now-obsolete SSM 2040 filter and has simultaneous Low pass, Band pass and High pass outputs.


PS: Yes I know Buchla uses Banana cables for CV only and Tinijax for audio. That's what I meant :)"

ARP 2600 Synthesizer

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

via this auction

"ARP 2600 - SN 2601-0613

Lovely example of pure analog synthesis. Famous examples of its signature sounds are abundant.

This system lineage:

Casey Young: Bought new. Designed keyboard setup for Rick Wakeman of YES. Toured with YES as off-stage fill-in keyboardist. Later, Casey taught synthesizers in Portland Oregon. Michael Garrison was one of his students, and bought the instrument from him.

Michael Garrison: Electronic musician and performing artist. Met fellow electronic musician Craig Padilla at a performance in Mt Shasta California where the two exchanged notes about performing electronic music live, and became friends. Sadly, Michael passed away much too young.

Craig Padilla: Arranged to purchase this instrument from the estate of Michael Garrison. This instrument was then used by Skip Murphy and Craig Padilla in their studio, and can be seen on some YouTube videos.

Skip Murphy: Well, we now have 2 of these ARP 2600’s, so it is somewhat redundant. Now is time to sell this one so that somebody else can enjoy it, and add to its lineage.

Recently cleaned and calibrated by George Mattson, of Mattson Modular. It is in full working order but missing one slider cap on Sample and Hold Rate. That doesn’t affect performance, and you could get a matching cap online if you like. No keyboard, just the synth. It was most recently used with various analog step sequencers, but any 1 volt per octave keyboard or source will run it. Will throw in some patch cords too, but it plays without any patch cords required, due to the unique normalization design. This unit is absolutely stock, with no modifications I am aware of.

Clean and no noticeable flaws, except for the missing slider cap mentioned. Minor scuff marks on the Tolex, as one would expect for an instrument of this vintage. Will be professionally packed and shipped UPS, as they have a good history with shipping this synth.

The EBay listing wants it to say it has 49 keys and an AC Adapter for a power supply, and an arppegiator/sequencer which is not true. I can't seem to figure out how to correct that in the listing. It has no keyboard and the power supply is built in."

Classic Syntar T-shirt and Hoodie Designs at Synthrotek

via Synthrotek, available here.

"No classic synth t-shirt collection is complete without the original SYNTAR marketing material graphics which were HAND DRAWN by George Mattson himself!!!. This shirt also comes as a hoodie. Limited edition. Click on the image above to check out the garment selection on the Synthrotek store."

Patchwerks Seattle Synth Meet August 2016 Pics

Above are a few pics I took at the event. It's a Flickr slide show, so mouse over for the controls. As always it was a great event filled with synth enthusiasts. Huge thanks to Patchwerks and Melrose Market Studios for hosting.

Some highlights this time around included some great talks from MØFFENZEEF Modular, Syntegrator representing KiwiTechnics & Vyzor, and Korg. Also present were Scott Jaeger of Industrial Music Electronics, Joe Grisso of Detachment 3 Engineering & STG, with an Archangel sequencer and expander and 5U system, George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular, Synthrotek and DinSync. On the hardware front, aside from various eurorack and 5U systems, there was a small Bugbrand modular, a new Minimoog Model D, Mother 32 & a Brother From Another Mother, a DSI Prophet 12, an EML 100, MFB Dominion 1, and more as you can see in the pics. A cool surprise was that Theremin World was also present. The best part of events like these of course are meeting likeminded people, familiar faces, and people you only knew online prior to the event. To everyone I met that complimented my work on the site, thank you for the support! It is appreciated.

Be sure to see the Patchwerks channel for previous posts for this event as well as the one back in April.

Mattson Mini Modular System for Sale

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

via this auction

"For sale a Mattson Mini Modular, hand made by master synth builder George Mattson. The MMM circuitry is 99% based on the classic EML 100
It has a very "vintage" analog tone...unlike a lot of modern eurorack modulars. This synth plays well with most eurorack modular gear that I've used. The MMM comes with:
2x vco
2x filter
16 step sequencer, and sequencer expander
2mixers
MIDI to cv
2x envelope generators
2x vca
LFO
Sample and hold
Utility 1 modual
Cv mixer
Noise generator
Cv buffer mixer
Vca /ring modulator
All in a beautiful walnut case."

CLICK FOR MORE »

SYNTAR Hoodies & T-Shirts from Synthrotek

You'll find them at Synthrotek.

Note there are two versions for each.

"Long before anyone had coined the word 'keytar' and before anyone else thought of putting the guts of a synthesizer into a wearable performance keyboard, George Mattson created such an animal and dubbed it the Syntar. The front of the hoodie says 'Syntar...' The back shows the large graphic of the Syntar.

Now you can celebrate the Syntar in a whole new form!

There are two options for the graphics:
1. The front shows the large graphic of the Syntar (Large graphic on front, none on back).
2. The front of the t-shirt says 'Syntar...' The back shows the large graphic of the Syntar (Small graphic on front, large graphic on back)."


Click here for everything Syntar on MATRIXSYNTH.

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In the Mattson Dungeon with the Monster Mattson EML System

Doug Lynner, Stephen Golovnin & George Mattson in the sonic dungeon of Mattson Mini Modular studios.

The massive system they are playing is the mighty Mattson EML modular. It consists of vintage EML components and new designs from George Mattson. You can find a ton of pics and info on the Mattson EML channel label here.

George Mattson of course is the man behind Mattson Mini Modular as well as being responsible for the "M" in the Synthrotek MST line.

http://www.synthrotek.com
http://mattsonminimodular.com

Doug Lynner is a Serge maestro and has been featured here on MATRIXSYNTH numerous times with his Mystery Serge.

Stephen Golovnin aka Vsyevolod used to work at Serge back in the early days when they were based out of Los Angeles (above the wig shop here). He performs live with his massive eight panel Serge system and has been present at a number of synth meets.

Moogfest 2016: Mattson Mini Modular & Synthrotek

Published on Jun 6, 2016 sonicstate

"George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular shows us the new kits he has designed which will be built and supplied by Synthrotek - report by Katie Kilobyte"

Moogfest 2016: Synthrotek

Published on Jun 6, 2016 sonicstate

"Steve from kit and module specialists Synthrotek gives us the lowdown on his range of kits and modules from the Modular Market Place. - report by Katie Kilobyte"

http://www.synthrotek.com/
http://mattsonminimodular.com

Mattson Mini Modular System for Sale

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

via this auction

"For sale are two panels of Mattson Mini Modular, made by the man himself, George Mattson. Included are:
Two Oscillators
Two filters
The sq816 sequencer and expander
Two envelope generators
Two 4x mixers
One quad vca
One quad asr
One noise source
One vc mixer
One VCA
One sample and hold
One dual vc LFO
One utility one
One four channel buffer
One midi in voltage and gate out
One power/midi set module.
All contained in a beautiful hardwood easy to carry case. The MMM has never left the home studio, and was never exposed to smoke. It's in perfect functioning condition and cosmetic shape. What's great about this system is that it interacts with eurorack seamlessly."

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Craig Padilla on his Synthrotek MST Eurorack Modular Synthesizer

Published on Feb 5, 2016 Synthtopia

"At the Winter NAMM Show, synthesist Craig Padilla was helping staff the Synthrotek booth.

Padilla gave us an overview and demo of his custom Synthrotek MST Eurorack modular synthesizer, and described some of the customizations that designer George Mattson has made for him."

http://synthrotek.com

NAMM 2016: Tiptop Audio New Cards, New Cases New Modules!

Published on Jan 21, 2016 sonicstate

"New Cards, New Cases New Modules!"

New SD909 & RS909 modules. Drum machine eurorack synth systems. I spy George Mattson of Mattson Mini Modular in the background.

http://www.tiptopaudio.com

Mattson Mini Modular Modular Synthesizer

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

via this auction

Dalek in the background.

"For sale are two panels of Mattson Mini Modular, made by the man himself, George Mattson. Included are:
Two Oscillators
Two filters
The sq816 sequencer and expander
Two envelope generators
Two 4x mixers
One quad vca
One quad asr
One noise source
One vc mixer
One VCA
One sample and hold
One dual vc LFO
One utility one
One four channel buffer
One midi in voltage and gate out
One power/midi set module.
All contained in a beautiful hardwood easy to carry case. The MMM has never left the home studio, and was never exposed to smoke. It's in perfect functioning condition and cosmetic shape. What's great about this system is that it interacts with eurorack seamlessly."

CLICK FOR MORE »

RED MARTIAN: RETRAILING (Featuring Ichabod) - Release Event in Seattle Tomorrow!

Published on Sep 18, 2015 Redmartian

Red Martian is having their album release event at the Seattle Living Computer Museum this Saturday. You might remember their recent performance there where they covered Kraftwerk. The track above was composed on Ichabod when Stephen Jones of Red Martian was helping George Mattson test Ichabod during its construction. Note Ichabod will not be at the event as it currently resides with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, but you are sure to see a great live performance with synths.

Video Description:
"A new album of 13 electronic pieces. The first 100 will be given away as gifts at SRGE: Arcade Armageddon September 19th, 2015 at the Living Computer Museum. Red Martian performs at 8:30pm on the main stage.

Track listing:
[Tracks 09 and 10 were composed on Ichabod, 03 on the Syntar, 04 on the MMM, and 07 on the Solaris.]

01 cowboy and the vocoder [see this post - great track with a sad story]
02 nedan omloppsbana
03 närmar snöblandat regn
04 av död (delorean)
05 retrailing
06 flytta hav av is
07 känner mig så låg
08 風の谷のナウシカ
09 utan hjärta *
10 bedövande en översvämning *
11 ひょろり
12 se io m'accorgo
13 ett vykort

improvised live on the custom Mattson Mini Modular named Ichabod."