Bob Moog Fondation 2022 - 2023 18 Month Calendar

via Signal Sounds, available here

The Bob Moog Fondation is a charitable organisation, based in Anaheim, North Carolina, just a few streets away from the current Moog factory. It acts both as a archive for Bob's work over the years, a museum to show the timeline of his inventions (and more general synth developement) and an educational resource for schools providing hands on experience for children and adults.

Imgaine you had to do all those things? It's pretty certain you'd quickly lose track of what day it is, what week it is or even what month it is (signs of recognition and enthusiastic ndoding from fellow COVID brain fog peepz at the back of the crowd)?

What you would need in that case is.....a calendar! Obviously you can get calendars with amazing inspritation quotes, beautifull sunsets and cute animals but what if you could get an unbelievalbe nerdy synth related calander featuring 18 of the world's most influential synth designers? That would be pretty freakin' cool, no?

"We are proud to announce the release of our epic 2022 Synthesizer Pioneers 18-month calendar, which honors 18 innovators in the field of synthesis from the past 60 years. This is the fifth calendar released by the Foundation focusing on the rich history of Bob Moog’s legacy and the web of innovation in synthesis to which he was connected.

This calendar is the first to bring to the fore the historic achievements of synthesizer pioneers from all over the world. It features:

Harry Olsen and Herbert Belar (RCA)
Harald Bode
Raymond Scott
Bob Moog
Don Buchla
Peter Zinovieff (EMS)
Alan R. Pearlman (ARP)
Ikutaro Kakehashi (Roland)
Fumio Mieda (KORG)
Tom Oberheim
Dave Smith
Roger Linn
Wolfgang Palm (PPG)
Dave Rossum
Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie (Fairlight)
Ray Kurzweil
Felix Visser (Synton)
Makoto Fukuda (Casio)
Many of the pioneers have contributed historic photos of themselves, with their hallmark inventions from their private archives. Also included within the calendar are scores of dates of particular historic importance provided by the pioneers. A brief narrative is included with each photo.

The 18-month calendar also weaves together connections between Bob Moog and many of the featured pioneers. His relationships with them ranged from inspiration to friends to colleagues to business associates. Secondary photos on many of the pages highlight that connection, showing Bob with his fellow pioneers.

The 18-month calendar is printed on #80 stock paper, making the images suitable for framing after the year is over!

This is the first time any of the Moog Foundation's products have been availabe outside of the USA so we're pretty happy to be able to bring it to you, and a portion of the profits are re-invested in the Bob Moog Foundation so it's a win/win situation.

The calander runs from Jan 2022 until May 2023 (and before you ask, we have no idea why it's an 18 month calendar...maybe they're just relaly indecisive and couldn't cut the list of synth pioneers down from 18 to 12?) and is available right now, right here.

The One of a Kind EMS Synthi KB1

EMS Synthi KB1 by Digitana from portabellabz on Vimeo.

"Wish a nice background music from the Synthi KB1 will come ;)
Thanks for sharing, Steve !
synthi.co.uk/"

This image was spotted and sent my way via @deejayiwan. I've seen it before so I did a quick search on the site, but only found this previous post. A little digging on the web and I found the video above and a post on none other than x0xb0x creator, Adafruit's blog. According to that post:

"ask.audio blogs about the 2017 recovery of a rare, one-of-a-kind EMS Synthi KB1 synthesizer, a model that never made it into production. This one was made for the band YES in 1971. Digitana Electronics obtained the synth and was looking to document some music history.

'We are pleased to announce that Digitana Electronics has acquired an important piece of E.M.S. history…the E.M.S. Synthi KB1 keyboard. Only one prototype was ever made, for the band YES in 1971.

'The synth never went into production. It has remained essentially unused for 46 years though Steve Howe (YES guitarist) did use it on a track in the first of his ‘homebrew’ demo recordings, some of which featured on the bands albums. We plan to release more photos and audio demos of this keyboard in the future so that E.M.S. fans everywhere can finally hear and find out more about this beautiful and historic instrument.'”

EMS Synthi 100 - DEEWEE Sessions Vol.01 (Soulwax)

Published on May 5, 2020 The Vinyl Factory

This one was spotted and sent in via Joshuag.

"David & Stephen Dewaele (aka Soulwax/2manydjs) have always been fascinated by collecting instruments and recording gear. Their passion hasn’t been born by completism: every new item inspires a world of possibilities. The one item that always eluded them was the EMS Synthi 100—a huge and rare analogue synthesizer, of which there were only 31 ever produced, that can create a near infinite array of sounds."

via The Vinyl Factory

* David & Stephen Dewaele’s tribute to the EMS Synthi 100

* 48 page book exploring the background behind the album and the history of the Synthi 100.

* 1 x 180g black vinyl

* Vinyl and book housed in a fully art-worked inner sleeve, a perforated ‘patch bay’ outer sleeve and clear PVC bag.

* The book includes a foreword from David and Stephen Dewale, an introduction from 3030, the specific Synthi 100 unit that was used for the album; a history of its creation and an exploration of its sounds; and finally an interview with Ivan Schepers, the IPEM technician who has been 3030’s long-term custodian.

* Art Direction by Ill-Studio.

* Photography by Younes Klouche.

* Written, recorded, produced and mixed at DEEWEE by David & Stephen Dewaele.

* Available for pre-order from 05/05/2020

* Release date: 29/05/2020

CLICK FOR MORE »

Analogue Solutions Announces Colossus #4

I almost skipped posting this as the only news here is there's a 4th production run of the Colossus. I guess it's interesting knowing how many are out there. What's also interesting is I always assumed the Colossus was either built in a limited initial run, or it was built per order only. This is a mammoth endeaver and each one costs 25,000 GBP which comes out to $35,000 US. It is $4500 less than this little Sennheiser VSM201 Vocoder!

Note, the images in this post appear to be stock. You can find demos of the Colossus in previous posts here.

Press release follows:
""Analogue Solutions announces forthcoming fourth run of Colossus supersized synth that trips back to the future of analogue

KINGSWINFORD, UK: following a showstopping showcase during its introduction at SynthFest UK 2019 in Sheffield, British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions is proud to announce a forthcoming fourth run of Colossus — its supersized synth that trips back to the future of analogue, albeit symbolising so much more than a powerful analogue ‘workstation’ with no fewer than 12 VCOs (Voltage-Controlled Oscillators) beating at its monumental musical heart, rather representing art, architecture, and superlative studio furniture at its hand-built best by taking its design cues from the colossal classic that is the EMS Synthi 100, although no Synthi circuit was cloned or copied in making the destined-to-be-classic Colossus fit for a new generation of high-flying owners — as of February 15…

CLICK FOR MORE »

The First EMS VCS3 - SN 001

Apparently, you are looking at the very first EMS VCS3 aka The Putney and sibling to the EMS SYNTHI. Red Bull Music Academy has an excellent post up on White Noise with the history of this particular synth.

"Perched on top of a speaker in another corner sits the synthesizer used on the early White Noise albums, The EMS VCS3, serial number 001.

'That was the very first one he ever made,' Vorhaus says. 'He turned up with a bottle of Dom Pérignon, which cost probably more than the synthesizer.” The ‘he’ in question is Peter Zinovieff, who created the VCS3 with Tristram Cary and David Cockerell in 1969. If it wasn’t for Zinovieff, Vorhaus might never have met his two principal collaborators on An Electric Storm, Brian Hodgson and Delia Derbyshire, of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. 'Delia Derbyshire was my girlfriend. She showed me everything that was known about electronic music in a couple of weeks,' Vorhaus explains, adding, 'There wasn’t much more to know than that then.'"

On a separate note, one of my biggest regrets was missing the opportunity to purchase Delia Derbyshires' VCS3 several years back. Sonic Boom of Spectrum was selling it along with a Synton Syrinx. Two dream synths I would have loved to own.

EMS Rehberg

Title link takes you to the EMS Rehberg site. I knew about the UK EMS site, but not this site. According to Dennis Verschoor: "The German EMS was a european distribiteur and technican. Later on he was allowed to design/build ems stuff. Some people say the German ones are even build better. Good German quality (volkwagen, bmw, mercedess etc) : )"

According to their pricelist here, you can pick up a refurbished Synthi 100 for 55.000 Euros or roughly $66,184 US compared to this Synthi 100 with a minimum starting bid of $60,000 US.

Update: Notes from Malte:
"Some years ago where I had some cash I emailed Rehberg about the
possibility to purchase a Synthi A and he answerd rather quick that they
indeed are available. The website has never changed, like the EMS UK
one, but I guess its still valid. As a service you can borrow equipment
from EMS too, although not the 100 I guess :)

This picture shows the 100 that is now in small town Lueneburg

http://www.emsrehberg.de/SYNTHI__s/L_neburg1_web.jpg

Here is the history of another famous of the first importers of synths
in germany (but only in german), Synthesizer Studio Bonn Matten +
Wiechers, who are credited on nearly every Kraftwerk CD and responsible
for the Synthanorma sequencer and Banana synth, an Oberheim clone.

http://www.elektropolis.de/index.htm

BTW: this is Ludwig
http://www.elektropolis.de/images/rehberg.jpg"
Cheers,

Malte

RIP Tristram Cary

Tristram Cary passed away this week at the age of 82.
Pictured: In Tristram's studio
http://www.tristramcary.com/
"While serving as a wartime naval radar officer in 1945, he independently conceived the idea of electronic and tape music, and is thus a world pioneer in this field. His contribution to concert and entertainment musical repertoire in every genre from pure electronic music to instrumental solos and orchestral and choral works covers the entire second half of the 20th century, and is now moving actively into the 21st."

via wikipedia:
"Cary was educated at Westminster School in London, England and is the son of a pianist and the novelist, Joyce Cary, author of Mister Johnson. While working as a radar engineer for the Royal Navy during World War II, he independently developed his own conception of electronic and tape music, and is regarded as amongst the earliest pioneers of these musical forms. Following the war he created one of the first electronic music studios, later travelling around Europe to meet the small numbers of other early pioneers of electronic music and composition.
His concert works of note include a Sonata for guitar (1959), Continuum for tape (1969), a cantata Peccata Mundi (1972), Contours and Densities at First Hill for orchestra (1972), a Nonet (1979), String Quartet No. 2 (1985) and The Dancing Girls for orchestra (1991).
Cary is also particularly well known for his film and television music. He has written music for the science fiction television series Doctor Who, as well as the score for the Ealing comedy The Ladykillers (1955). Later film scores included Quatermass and the Pit (1967) and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971), both for Hammer.
Cary was one of the first British composers to work in musique concrète. In 1967 he created the first electronic music studio of the Royal College of Music.

He provided the visual design for the EMS VCS3 synthesizer, the first portable synthesizer, though not the first to be attached to a keyboard, designed by Bob Moog a year later in 1970.
Cary received the 2005 lifetime achievement award from the Adelaide Critics' Circle for his contribution to music in England and Australia."

WHAT THE FUTURE SOUNDED LIKE

YouTube via VCS3DOCO.


"Film teaser for the documentary What The Future Sounded Like - the story of the Electronic Music Studios and their impact on music history. www.myspace.com/whatthefuturesoundedlike"
"Tristram Cary (Director: 1969 - 1973) Pioneer of classical electronic music during 1960s and composer for film and broadcast with musical credits on the first Dr.Who & the Daleks series, later scored the Ealing comedy The Ladykillers as well as a few Hammer films. Pipe smoker, tune writer, gun-for-hire, classical composer, navy man. Role at EMS was as resident composer and artist and as the most musically experienced. Co-designed VCS3. Built wooden cabinet, wrote hand-book. Left to become Professor of Electronic Music at the Royal College of Music. Since became Professor of Music at the University of Adelade. Retirement is not an option." Alos see CDM and Califaudio. This post will remain on top for the rest of the day out of respect. New posts if any will be below.

Synth Rorschach #19: Hubble Space Telescope Control System

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

What do you see?

"NASA ARTIFACT VPI Vehicle Power Interface Rack & Console Hubble Space Telescope

Being offered is one of the most important pieces of hardware associated with the Hubble Space Telescope that will ever be offered for public sale.

This is the Vehicle Power Interface (VPI) Equipment Rack and 2 Person Control Console for the Hubble Space Telescope.

It was the heart and soul of the HST during it's testing phase at the Space Telescope Assembly/Verification Facility and the Thermal Vacuum Chamber Facility at the Goddard Flight Center.

The VPI Console provided power to the HST and performed tests to it's batteries and solar panels as it was undergoing final testing before it's planned launch in September of 1986

There are two log of operation books that come with the VPI, chronicling it's history from it's first entry of "initial power on" 6/7/84, through it's Validation Test on 6, June 1986, to it's final entry date of 3/19/90, just a few weeks before STS 31 launched on 4/24/1990 to deploy the most famous telescope in world history!!!

The more prominent features of the VPI Equipment Rack are:

Six (6) HP 6012B DC Power Supplies,
Two (2) Lambda Power Supplies
Two (2) Battery Loads
Two (2) Remote and Command Monitor Modules
One (1) Vehicle Power Control Module
One (1) Vehicle Power Conditioning Module
One (1) Vehicle Battery Control & Monitor Module
One (1) Vehicle Power Conditioning Solar Array Input Module
One (1) AC Power Distribution Module
One (1) Clear-Com Intercom System Remote Station

Everything is housed in a very substantial 3 rack metal cabinet with lockable 3 door access in the back.

Cabinet is completely hand wired, as only NASA can do, it's a thing of beauty!

All pieces of equipment have wire seals that have not been tampered with

There are three large Heat Vent Stacks with internal fans on the top of the cabinet.

This rack is large, and has quite an impressive Presentation!

Overall size is 79" wide by 48" deep by 82" tall

Weight of the VPI Console is 2750 lbs.

The more prominent features of the Dual Control Console are as follows:

PSSP Simulator Panel
HUBBLE PSSP Simulator Panel
(2) Ball CRT Monitors
(2) ADDS Keyboards
T-O Control Panel
Telemetry and Command Panel
Auxiliary Monitor Panel
NorthStar Computer
Battery Trickle Charge Panel
(2) ADDS Panels

Control Console measures 7' long and weighs about 800 lbs.

This was a multi-million dollar piece of sophisticated electronic equipment with a remarkable place in history.

It is an Investment Quality NASA Hubble Space Telescope Artifact!"

Rorschach: I'm seeing Fairlight racks, Roland MSQ-700 buttons, Movement MCS Percussion Computer, EMS meets ARP 2500, & Akai samplers.



I'm thinking this one belongs in Bernee's Aliens Project SynxsS studio.

CLICK FOR MORE »

XILS-lab Releases Ring’X Virtual Effects

Press release follows.

XILS-lab releases Ring’X representing latest addition to lengthening line of virtual effects as inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in par excellence


GRENOBLE, FRANCE: audio software company XILS-lab is proud to release Ring’X — readily representing the latest addition to its lengthening line of virtual effects as an inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in par excellence — as of September 28…

Duly developed as an inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in for seriously satisfying anyone’s needs, Ring’X is certainly worthy of the oft- overused French phrase par excellence — literally translated into English as ‘by excellence’ — as evidenced by its feature-packed GUI (Graphical User Interface) that is as easy on the eye as it is easy to use.

Ultimately, it is anchored around a six-slot so-called ‘Effect Ring’ that allows anyone to insert the effects they need in the order they want, choosing from a selection of deeply-modifiable classic analogue effect emulations: ANALOG FILTER — modelled from the CMS 3320 chip, used in the exciting-sounding (early-Eighties-era) Elka Synthex subtractive synthesis-based polytimbral powerhouse (much loved by the likes of famous French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, who still uses it to this day to create the distinctive sound of his onstage laser harp), providing five (LP24 — 24db Low-Pass, LP12 — 12db Low-Pass, HP12 —12db High-Pass, BP12 — 12db Band-Pass, or BP6 — 6db Band-Pass) self- oscillating filter types; ANALOG 18db FILTER — modelling the specific sound and behaviour of an 18db self-oscillating filter from the breakthrough British EMS VCS3, which made musical history upon its introduction in 1969 by being the first commercially portable synthesiser available anywhere in the world, thanks to its innovative modular matrix-based patchboard dispensing with the telephone exchange-like cabling of other (much larger) modular systems in favour of making space-saving connections with (removable) coloured pegs; CHORUS (BUCKET BRIGADE DELAY); DELAY — stereo delay that copies the input signal to the left and right channel; DISTORTION; PARAMETRIC EQ — a three-band affair with each band type selectable from six standard filter types; PHASER; and REVERB — with three (L — Large, M — Medium, and S — Small) algorithms. Each effect provides four MODULATION points with a SOURCE and DESTINATION menu associated with an AMOUNT knob.

Standard STEP and specific LOC locator sequencers for modulating effects are also available — the loop goes through a defined number of steps and each time the internal clock is fired the next step is triggered, in the case of the former, while the latter is designed to be synchronised to the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) with the loop being synchronised to the DAW bar (or a multiple of the bar).

But that’s not all. Another area well worth highlighting here features four input followers; a TRANSIENT tracker ‘module’ — detects the transients present in the input sound, each transient triggering a simple envelope without attack and release controlled by the RELEASE knob; S- DETECTION ‘module’ — detects sibilance present in the input sound, and also useful for separating high-frequency parts from those with more middle and bass frequencies; GATE ‘module’ — removes all the parts from the input sound that are below a specified threshold; and a STEREO SPACE ‘module’ — powerful stereo processing that allows users to dynamically position their audio signal into a true stereo space.

By being so flexible in both operation and resulting effects, it stands to reason, therefore, that Ring’X should come complete with a raft of presets. All are accessible via an integrated (single-window) Preset Manager, making it easy to find the right patch in seconds, manage presets, sound banks, and create custom tags. That being said, then, inspiring and musical multi-effects are only a click away, but those wishing to dig deeper to seriously satisfy their needs are always free to do just that! After all, as the latest addition to XILS-lab’s lengthening line of virtual effects, Ring’X is, indeed, an inspiring and musical multi-effect plug-in par excellence — in the literal sense of those (French- originating) words.

Who better, then, to put Ring’X in its rightful place than the Frenchman primarily responsible for bringing it into existence — namely, XILS-lab CEO Xavier Oudin (credited in the multi-effect plug-in in question’s user manual with: Concept of Ring’X and original UI design; Digital Signal Processing and plug-in coding; [and] the graphical user interface). “For a number of years, customers have been regularly asking me to create an effect featuring filters extracted from our synthesizers,” he begins, before adding: “This idea grew into providing a sort of Swiss army knife-style tool capable of sculpting audio with modulation fully independent of its content, and also able to create any kind of de-esser and transient shaper with far more possibilities than standard such effects. Eventually, Ring’X was born.”


Ring’X is available to purchase as an iLok-protected virtual effect plug-in (installable in up to two independent locations) at an introductory promo price of only €69.00 EUR until October 31, 2023 — rising thereafter to an MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price) of €179.00 EUR — directly from XILS-lab via its dedicated webpage, which also includes more in-depth information and several must-see video demonstrations, here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/ringx-p-172.html#

A time-limited full version of Ring’X can be requested for pre-purchase evaluation purposes here: https://www.xils-lab.com/products/ringx-p-172/download.html#AskDemo

Ring’X is downloadable in 64-bit AAX (native)-, AU-, VST2.4-, and VST3-compatible formats for macOS (10.9+) and 64-bit AAX (native)-, VST2.4-, and VST3-compatible formats for Windows (7/8/10) directly from XILS-lab.

EMS Synthi Sequencer 256

Click here for shots pulled via this auction.

Details:
"You are bidding monstrous EMS Synthi Sequencer 256 (formerly known as Synthi Moog Sequencer), very rare separate version of the Synthi 100 sequencer . Very few of them were produced back in the very early 70's. Designed by David Cockerell. Features the following options:

-Layers with 2 Control Voltages plus Key Parameters
-Fourth Key only Layer
-Five Octave Velocity Sensistive Keyboard
-256 Event x 42 bit Memory
-Each event comprises 2 x 6-bit Control Voltages and 13-bit Start & Stop times
-Internal (0.1 - 200 Hz) or External Clock
-Plays Forwards and Backwards
-Editing

Classic piece of electronic music history, it was surely the most sophisticated sequencer of the early synth years. List price in 1974 was $6500 in the States or 2500 pounds in UK. Looking incredibly cool. Every picnic would need a Synthi like that. The world would be different. I would not sell it I have not to. Cosmetic condition is very good (some traces of being used in the studio during the years, see the pictures; never on the road), working condition should be very good either , however sold as is because of the age. It was originally part of the one of the few modern electronic music studios fully based on EMS equipment founded in 1973. Serial number 6023, what means it is probably 23-rd unit ever produced. I guess not many more than 50 units were produced in general. Power plug included. To be picked up from Hayes, London or I will ship everywhere, however it might be expensive as the unit is quite big and heavy (more than 40 lbs)."

More info:
http://www.ems-synthi.demon.co.uk/emsprods.html#seq256
http://members.tripod.com/werdav/vosyn100.htm
http://www.obsolete.com/120_years/machines/ems/index.html


Sent my way via Johan.

Arturia Synthi V Demo and Tutorial (Part 1)

CatSynth TV

"We present a the first of a two-part demo and tutorial on the Arturia Synthi V, a recreation of the infamous EMS Synthi A. We discuss the history of the original, present the basic functionality of the Synthi V, explore some of the factory presents, and look at how to create your own sounds with the main interface.

00:30 History of the EMS Synthi
01:12 Presenting the Arturia Synthi V
02:28 Factory preset demos
04:36 Creating your own sounds
10:58 More factory preset demos

In part 2 we will be covering more advanced editing, including Arturia's extended features.

Please also consider supporting this channel to help us bring you more synthesizer tutorials and other content.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/catsynth
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/catsynth"

Buchla Touché (1980) – Hybrid Analog Keyboard Instrument

The following was sent in by Anastasia Chernysheva, a Ph.D. student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"In 1979, Donald Buchla invited experimental composer and his friend, David Rosenboom to collaborate on the design of a new, keyboard instrument with digital sound generation and hybrid, computer-controlled, analog outputs. The result was the Touché, released in the spring of 1980.

Among particular traits of the instrument are:
• flexibility in use – highly programmable, (64 programmable function parameters available), Touché offers a library of “instrument” structures that could be stored as “presets”;
• responsiveness – a user of Touché would enjoy a broad ability to program multiple stimuli and response structures in performance;
• non-linear waveshaping – Touché permits to produce an enormous range of sound with efficient means of control, i.e. using a small number of knobs

The guiding idea of the instrument design was to optimize it for live performance. The hybrid, digital-analog nature of Touché assumes the following.
• On the digital side: a sound-generating engine produced a wide range of timbre of sound possibilities with non-linear wave shaping techniques.
• On the analog side: a programmable analog circuit called Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator (MARF) enabled extensive control of all sound synthesis parameters.

Rosenboom’s recordings Future Travel (1981) and Daytime Viewing (1983) offer extensive exposure to some particular sound worlds created with the Touché. Other than being used for these recordings and in the recent release by Richard Smith a.k.a. Shusta Cults, (the current owner of Rosenboom’s Touché), the instrument barely may be heard in any other recording. Only 4 instruments exist today but just one of them is in the functional condition.

To learn more about the history and design of the instrument check out the lecture about Buchla Touché given at University of Illinois (2022). Technical parameters of the instrument may be found in the brochure for the instrument. Download the PDF here."

Circuits and Fingers – Composer-Performer Convergence in Electronic Instrument Designs, Oct 5th
video upload by Illinois Music

"Guest lecture at EMS Forum: Circuits and Fingers – Composer-Performer Convergence in Electronic Instrument Designs, Oct 5th

With the director of Experimental Music Studios – Eli Fieldsteel.

Learn more: https://davidrosenboom.com/miller-res..."

Also see Brainwave Music with Buchla 200 at Western Front.

BRIGHT SPARKS: New Synth Documentary Ignites Funding for Bob Moog Foundation

Follow-up to the Something's Coming teaser.

"Help Bright Sparks Synth Documentary Ignite Funding for Bob Moog Foundation Projects

'An engrossing and fascinating documentary that pays tribute to the modest but amazing innovators who changed the face of electronic music' - Vince Clarke

Last week Bright Sparks, a film project which documents the stories of a number of iconic electronic music pioneers and companies, was released in conjunction with the I Monster album of the same name.

Featuring eight of the most influential companies, Moog, Buchla, ARP, Chamberlin, Mellotron, EMS, EDP, and Freeman, the feature length documentary includes interviews with many of the legendary personnel involved in the development of the instruments including Peter Zinovieff (EMS), Ken Freeman (Freeman), Herb Deutsch (Moog), Alan Robert Pearlman (ARP), John Bradley (Mellotron).

The film is available via download only.

The creators of Bright Sparks, recognizing Bob Moog's seminal contribution to modern synthesis, are generously supporting the Bob Moog Foundation with 100 downloads of their movie as a means of raising funding for our educational project, Dr. Bob's SoundSchool, and our Archive Preservation Initiative.

Make a $25 (or more) donation to the Bob Moog Foundation by December 31, 2015 and receive a download code for Bright Sparks as a thank you for your support!

Exploring the human stories of success and adversity behind these early companies and instruments, the film captures the passion of these engineers who were driven to design something in much the same way as any artist or musician is driven to create.

You can see a trailer to the movie here. [embed above]

Join Bright Sparks in supporting our important work and get rare insights into the world of synthesizer and keyboard innovators that won't get anywhere else. Donate $25 or more here. We will send you a download code with simple instructions when you make your donation.

Many thanks to Dave Spiers, Chris McLeod, and I Monster, the team behind the Bright Sparks project, for your wonderful support of our projects and for your excellent documentation of electronic music history.

'Electronic music has been around for long enough to deserve its own historians and archaeologists. Dave Spiers is right at the top of the list: this loving and exhaustive study sets a new standard in instrument research, unravelling the tangled webs that lead to innovations' - Brian Eno"

Modular Tracks by Joseph Raglani - SYNTH-R Modular EMS SYNTHI Clone

Making an album pt.1 "Girl Dot You". from joseph raglani on Vimeo.

"Decided to chronicle the making of the follow up to Of Sirens Born. We'll see if I can keep it up. I'm just in the demo stage and getting some ideas down. What you see here is all played live (well with a few sequencers). I've found that long hair and funny hats help with this process.
I'm playing a Dave Smith Mopho keybord with a Tetra in tow. Doepfer A-100, Synthi-R, Moog Voyager Old School (sequenced by the MFB Step64) and the Tip Top Audio Z8000 is doing some modulation sequencing. Left hand is playing the melodic part, right hand is tweaking. I only say that because it's a little hard to see what's going on from this angle. Recorded Dec 6th, 2010."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Peter Grogono's EMS Page and MUSYS

You'll find a great piece of EMS history an MUSYS here.
"I worked at Electronic Music Studios Ltd (EMS) in London, England from 1969 until 1973. (The web pages for EMS are now maintained by Graham Hinton.) My principal contribution to the studio was the MUSYS system for the composition and performance of electronic music. EMS was owned and controlled by Peter Zinovieff. David Cockerell built hardware for the studio and I wrote software. One of my rewards was to become an early owner of a VCS-3 (at left). I sold mine cheaply, not realizing that, after more than 30 years, VCS-3s would become valuable again."
via fabio

ACE TONE CANARY S-3 One of the few remaining units on the planet

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

via this auction

This appears to be the same one listed back in September. You can find a small handful of posts mentioning the Canary here. "One of the very few remaining Ace Tone Canary S-3 on the planet. Despite being a 60 years old machine, this unit works like a charm and it's in spectacular cosmetic conditions -- it looks much better than the unit exhibited at the Roland Museum, actually.

History Designed and built by Ikutaro Kakehashi (founder of Ace Tone, Roland and Boss) in 1962 during the Pre-Roland era, the Ace Tone Canary S-3 is an early monophonic synthesizer inspired by the Clavioline, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer invented in 1947, but implementing several technical improvements and revisions that make it a unique instrument. In 1964, Ikutaro Kakehashi decided to take the Canary S-3 along to the NAMM show in Chicago but, despite receiving interest, he did not receive any distribution deals. So the Canary S-3 ended up being distributed in Japan only and quickly became a rare instrument even at that time.

Sound When you listen to this machine, the reason of that unsuccessful mission at NAMM quickly stands out: the sound of the Canary S-3 had nothing to do with 60's music, it was not a simulation of classical instruments. The Canary S-3 sound was quite agressive, warm and extremely rich in armonics, totally in line with nowadays electronic music standards and so far away from the 60's vibes. It's pure electricity generated by military-grade germanium transistor oscillators and filters, a machine that can easily be used as main/only instrument in modern music productions.

Germanium Instead of using a vacuum tube oscillator as the Clavioline, the Canary S-3 implements a solid state circuitry totally based on germanium transistors. Widely implemented in vintage guitar fuzzboxes and amplification and exceptionally in synthesizer circuitry (such as the VCA section of the EMS VCS3/Synthi A), these transistors have a warmth and a granulity as pleasant as the tube sound, without being the same. The sonic grain of germanium is generally a bit rougher than the tube grain, and radically less flat and plain than classic silicon transistors. -- As far as I know the Canary S-3 is the only synthesizer ever built using germanium transistors as sound generators.

Architecture The Canary S-3 can be organized in 3 main sections: Sound Generator - Tone Color - Controls. The Sound Generator features 4 parallel octave dividers that output super fat saw waveforms in 4 different octaves (Bass - Tenor - Alto - Soprano) ranging from F0 to F4. Then the resulting waveform is passed through a germanium filter bank that separates the input signal into 5 components, each one carrying a frequency sub-band of the original signal. The 5 bands (obtained using HP and LP filters) are controlled by 5 combinable switches under the Tone Control section (1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5). The mix of the 4 Sound Generators and the 5 Tone Colors delivers a total of 496 different settings/sounds ranging from fat basses to rich organ and raw lead sounds. In addition to the main sounds the Canary S-3 features also two noise generators controlled by two unusual momentary push buttons designed to perform abstract rhythms in real time. The sounds can be modified using the knobs and the bizarre knee lever designed to perform volume variations in real time. The Control Section includes also two knobs for (pitch) Vibrato Speed and Depth, the global Tuning knob (+/- 2 semitones) and a master Volume knob used also tu on/off the instrument. Lastly there is the Rhythm Volume knob to set the volume of the two noises.

The Ace Tone Canary S-3 is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind instrument, an amazing piece of retro tecnology, an avant-garde machine born six decades ago that still has something exclusive and unique to say."

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ANALOG SOVIET SYNTHESIZER. FORMANTA EMS-01

video upload by Alexander Obukhov

"Formanta EMS-01 is a historical artifact in the world of electronic music. This analog synthesizer, created in the Soviet Union, embodies the craftsmanship of engineers and sonic explorers of its time. It represents an amazing blend of creative possibilities and unique sonic heritage.

The EMS-01 possesses an unusual, sometimes unpredictable sonic character that has become the hallmark of this synthesizer. This platform, although crafted over half a century ago, still captivates musicians with its unique capabilities and sonic versatility.

EMS-01 is not just a musical instrument. It's a fragment of history captured in analog circuits and keys. Its sonic capabilities have no parallels in modern synthesizers, making it a collector's item for any music enthusiast or aficionado of electronic music."

Ionic Performer - Synthi AKS clone

Many know the EMS Synthi AKS as THE synth used in Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The low bass sequence loop in "On The Run" is the Synthi. The Synthi AKS is one of the most coveted, rare and expensive analogs of yore. Few know of the Ionic Performer. The title link will take you to a great site on the synth with pictures, samples, and some great email threads on the history and relation to the Synthi. From the site:

"Somewhere in my collection of EMS material I have a lurid photo of the Ionic Performer you mention. I remember attending a NAMM show in Chicago in the early seventies where Ionic Industries had a small booth and were exhibiting the Performer. You are correct that it was a repackaged VCS3 with an integral keyboard. Instead of the pin matrix it had rows of rectangular push-button switches - like an early ryhthm box. What really struck me about it was the publicity leaflet which brazenly announced 'No skill required' in its operation, before expanding further on this theme. It still had the familiar vernier dials for tuning the oscillators. I spoke to Steve Mayer on the stand but no Alfred. Dealings with Ionic were soon curtailed and from about 1972 the US side of the business was handled by Dr. Everett Hafner and his company EMSA from Amherst, Mass."

Pic of Synthi AKS from an Engadget post (absolute beauty):


Pic of Ionic Performer from Ionic site:


There is also a VSTi of the synth on the Ionic site:

TMP-03 Vintage Synth TV Series from Benge

video upload by zack dagoba

Additional Vintage Synth TV episodes by Benge

"The Memetune Programme Episode 03

00:00 Opening Titles
00:35 Introduction
01:31 Switched On - Polysynths Part Two
19:38 Synthesiser Club - Roland SH101, VCS3, 100M and Moog Modular
22:03 Commercial Break
23:42 Patching Today - ARP2500
38:43 Video Lab - Video Feedback
41:45 Outro/Coming Up Next Time


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Third episode in the new six part series of programmes from Benge made at his Memetune Electronic Music Studio

The series explores his passion for vintage synthesiser instruments and studio gear and how he uses it on his productions and collaborations

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It is divided into the following sections:

SWITCHED ON - Featuring in-depth discussions about the history and development of the synthesiser over the years, including demonstrations and feature guides of many classic and iconic instruments

SYNTHESISER CLUB - A short musical demonstration of a synthesiser classic or three

PATCHING TODAY - A deep-dive into vintage modular systems and how to set up a patch on them, starting from scratch

VIDEO LAB - A look at old video equipment and how to create experimental visuals

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In THIS episode:

SWITCHED ON POLYSYNTHS (PART TWO) - Continuing the history of Polysynths, from paraphonic instruments (EMS Polysynthi) through hybrid Polys (Polymoog, Korg PS3100) to polyphonic classics of the 70s and into the 80s (Yamaha CS80, ARP/Rhodes Chroma, Sequential T8, Roland Jupiter 6)

SYNTHESISER CLUB - Roland Sh101 sequencing the EMS VCS3, Roland 100M and Moog Modular 3C

PATCHING TODAY - on a vintage ARP 2500

VIDEO LAB - Self-generating abstract images using simple video feedback

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Referenced in this episode:

Twenty Systems album by Benge
https://open.spotify.com/album/28u6Te...

Fader album: https://townsendmusic.store/products/...

The Dreamer by BENGE"

Synthi AKS Ableton Library by Soniccouture

"The EMS Synthi AKS is a legendary instrument with an illustrious history. First manufactured in 1972 by EMS in Putney, southwest London, the Synthi A was basically a portable version of EMS's famous VCS3 synthesizer, and the KS keyboard (an unplayable thirty-note touchplate) was added to make the Synthi AKS. It cost £420, and it was quickly adopted by the likes of Brian Eno and Pink Floyd, and has been used by experimental musicians ever since.

Our Synthi AKS is a surprisingly versatile library, giving you horror klangs and snappy zaps, snarling ring-mod leads and basses, and fat, rubbery mellow textures ready to slot into your productions. You'll be astounded at the sheer size and sense of life in the sounds. With complete control over filters, envelopes, and the spring reverb convolution impulse, you'll be able to tame the beast. Well, almost.

To capture the raw, unstable sound of the Synthi, we sequenced it using a CV-MIDI converter. This really shows the unique analog behavior of this incredible unit as the loops push and tear at your speakers. The loops are divided into a mid-tempo set (acid loops), and a down-tempo set. There is also a set of oddities that didn't fit into either category."

You'll find it and others at http://www.ableton.com/library/tags/synths/

Also see: Soniccouture Synthi AKS analog synth library review