New Cherry Audio Mercury-6 Reveal

video upload by Cherry Audio

Update: user videos added below.

"Cherry Audio's Mercury-6 is a virtual synthesizer instrument that emulates and expands on the renowned Jupiter-6, just in time for its 40th anniversary! Mercury-6 captures all that is exceptional in this treasured polyphonic classic, boosts its extraordinary feature set for today's DAW production and workflow, and celebrates the ground-breaking innovation from the era that changed music forever. If you've long yearned to explore the Jupiter-6, you'll love Mercury-6!"

via Cherry Audio

Mercury-6 is a meticulous recreation of the Jupiter-6 analog synthesizer, just in time for its 40th anniversary! Sandwiched between the earlier Jupiter-4 and Jupiter-8 models in name only, the sophisticated Jupiter-6 has sometimes been considered a sleeper release. These days, it has persevered to become one of Roland's most notable and coveted classic synthesizers due to its distinctive dark and complex character. Mercury-6 captures all that is exceptional in this treasured polyphonic classic, boosts its extraordinary feature set for today's DAW production and workflow, and celebrates the ground-breaking innovation from the era that changed music forever.

If you've long yearned to explore the Jupiter-6, you'll love Mercury-6!

The Year Everything Changed

Released in 1983 as a more affordable alternative to the flagship eight-voice Jupiter-8, the six-voice Jupiter-6 nevertheless staked out an essential position in the history of analog polysynths. Though similar in appearance and feature set, the Jupiter-6 stood apart from the Jupiter-8 in its sound and capabilities. Unlike earlier Roland polysynths with lowpass filters plus a rudimentary non-resonant highpass filter, the Jupiter-6 featured a true multimode filter with 24 dB/oct lowpass, 24 dB/oct highpass, or 12 dB/oct bandpass modes. This versatile filter design lent a more aggressive sound than previous Jupiters, making the Jupiter-6 a natural for cutting-edge techno and electro styles.

Though something of a "hidden feature," the Jupiter-6 VCOs supported multiple simultaneous waveforms, and its two LFOs and oscillator cross mod capabilities provided extensive modulation possibilities. Its earthshaking solo and poly unison modes enabled massive lead and bass sounds, and it was notably one of the first synthesizers to include the then-new MIDI protocol.

Although often praised for its harmonic complexity and ability to cut through a mix, the cost-cutting in the Jupiter-6 design resulted in some disadvantages. Output was mono only and it was limited to six-voice polyphony. The Jupiter-6 had an impressive (for the time) split keyboard and patch preset storage functionality, but this six-voice maximum hampered its potential. And though it was considerably less expensive than the Jupiter-8, its timing was ill-fated when the digital revolution was ignited by the release of Yamaha's revolutionary DX-7 FM digital synth the same year.

Despite its noteworthy character, the Jupiter-6 is not one of those synths immediately identified with recognizable sounds from hit songs. Nevertheless, it was the Jupiter-6 behind the bass line of Ray Parker Jr.'s classic "Ghostbusters," and it found purchase in the work of Human League, Tangerine Dream, Thomas Dolby, Trans-X, Vangelis, and Devo. In a testament to its staying power over the decades, its popularity grew in genres such as big beat, house, and techno through The Chemical Brothers, Moby, and The Crystal Method. Electronic music duo Orbital has been a vocal proponent of the Jupiter-6 and, more recently, it has been a significant part of the sound of Daft Punk and Junkie XL.

Mercury-6: 40 Years in the Making

Cherry Audio's Mercury-6 brings the Jupiter-6 experience into the future and celebrates the invaluable contribution that MIDI itself has made to the music community over the past 40 years. Mercury-6 captures all that is exceptional in this classic and boosts the extraordinary feature set and functionality for today's DAW production and workflow. We've added velocity sensitivity, improved the split mode, and added a layer mode capable of stacking two different sounds simultaneously with per-layer stereo panning, detuning, and sustain. A panel control lets users easily select and navigate between these layers and includes a utility function for exchanging settings between the lower and upper layers, or even between presets. And with polyphony extended to 16 notes, Mercury-6 won't easily run out of voices.

We've reproduced the arpeggiator, including the hidden Down/Up mode of the original, and augmented it by adding a Random mode and MIDI tempo sync. A chord memory mode enables multiple notes to be stored and played back with a single key. We've improved the functionality of the LFOs with a retrigger for LFO-1 and an always-on option for LFO-2, both syncable to MIDI tempo.

We've also introduced an integrated studio-quality effects panel with brilliant-sounding distortion, phaser, flanger/chorus, delay, and reverb. With additional touches such as per-layer drift control, over 500 expertly designed presets, and flexible MIDI mapping, Mercury-6 will satisfy both vintage synth aficionados and today's music producer.

Cherry Audio Mercury-6: A Detailed Demo and Tutorial

video upload by CatSynth TV

"A detailed look at the new Mercury-6 from Cherry Audio, a recreation of the Roland Jupiter-6 analog polyphonic synthesizer. We look a few of the factory presets then take a deep dive into the various features of the synthesizer including the VCOs, VCF, cross-modulation, effects, and more.

00:17 History of the Jupiter-6
00:57 Introducing the Mercury-6
01:37 A few factory presets
02:58 Oscillators (VCOs)
08:40 Cross Modulation
10:43 Filter (VCF)
16:44 Performance Controls
19:01 Effects
26:46 Using multiple layers
32:14 More factory presets"

Cherry Audio Mercury 6 Dark Jupiter Strings

video upload by Rik Marston Official

Introduction to Cherry Audio's Mercury-6 - Hosted by Tim Shoebridge

video upload by Cherry Audio



Mercury 6 vs Jupiter 6 // Does the Cherry Audio sound like the Roland ...?
video upload by Starsky Carr

"How does the Mercury 6 stack up against the original? Cherry Audio are killing it with these releases, and this one is great. I can't think of another Jupiter 6 emulation out there. It was quite a unique synth in its day with a super fast LFO (100Hz), sync 2-ways, cross mod with modulation, a second LFO and bitimbral. Quite a cool thing.

Here I've not lingered on the more prosaic functions and sound. We all know the Cherry Audio stuff sounds good - so here I've dug into if it's doing those Jupiter 6 specialities like Cross Mod and Sync...

and also because the hardware was dying!! Another good reason for getting thew software :) I had to finish this before it cut out..!

0:00 The Jupiter 6
4:71 Are they the same?
5:00 Filters
8:22 Cross Mod
9:57 Sync
12:15 LFO
13:28 Effects
14:54 Wrapping Up
15:37 A Few Sounds"

Cherry Audio Mercury 6 Sweet Synth FX

video upload by Rik Marston Official

eBook published by the The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music

"In November of 2016 the inaugural ‘The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music’ took place across four days and across three venues. A numbering system was used as a statement of intent - there is the intention that this will continue. It will grow, it will develop.. this is the start of something.

The stellar ‘live’ line-up included highly influential ambient industrialists :zoviet*france:, revered ‘Kraut-rock’ and electronica collective Gnod, Ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür (responsible for inventing the group's electric drums used throughout the 1970’s), DJ Rusty Egan of Visage fame (put simply, without Rusty Egan there would be no Steve Strange) and Richard Barbieri (currently with Porcupine Tree but he cut his teeth as the highly respected synth player for new wave pioneers Japan in the 1980’s).

One of the highlights of the 'first' festival was an all-day conference with keynote speeches from Wolfgang Flür (Ex-Kraftwerk), Andy McCluskey (of multi-million selling synth pop exponents OMD) and DJ Rusty Egan (whose Blitz Club started the New Romantic movement).

Between 2016 and 2022, The Seventh Wave Festival of Electronic Music has worked with Thomas Dolby, Martyn Ware, Fiat Lux, Tim Bowness, Ulrich Schnauss, Thorsten Quaeschning, Banco de Gaia, Test Dept, The Black Dog, Ultramarine and many, many more.. the details of this unique musical experience which traverses the inner and outer reaches of electronic music have been documented in an eBook running to a total of 249 pages.

For a mere £7.99 you not only get the eBook but have the option to access a companion publication ('Sounds of The Seventh Wave' : Music, Video and Audio from the Festival) for 'free'

Full details of both publications can be found here:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-seventh-wave-festival-of-electronic-music/id6445570213?ls=1

INSPIRE THE MUSIC - 50 YEARS OF ROLAND HISTORY

via Bjooks

"More Than 70 Interviews with Music Makers

INSPIRE THE MUSIC gets up close and personal with world-famous artists and their relationship with Roland products, production and performing. The book shows the tools in the hands of the creators — tools that have been created by visionary product designers and engineers who’ve sought to design the future.

In this celebration of innovation and creativity, readers are introduced to a world of artists, DJs and producers through insightful stories and interviews, including: Thomas Dolby, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Ali Stone, Omar Hakim, Sister Bliss, Howard Jones, Orbital, Richie Hawtin, Peaches, Culture Club producer Steve Levine, Guy Fletcher of Dire Straits, Clive Deamer of Radiohead, Gingger Shankar, Swizz Beatz, Rachel Z, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, Nita Strauss, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Steve Stevens, Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Buffy Sainte-Marie, electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre, Yana Reznik, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of the Doobie Brothers, Rance Dopson, Bonnie McIntosh, Egyptian Lover and many more.

Insights, Instruments & Innovators

Going beyond just products alone, INSPIRE THE MUSIC is a visual story of the Roland brand and the world it created, with exciting new insights on every page, including a rare glimpse into the world of the innovators who helped design the gear that made Roland what it is today.

Multiple chapters examine the evolving world in which Roland products came to be, and how their inventive and innovative approach to the art and craft of music led to machines that the world often didn’t know they needed until they had them. INSPIRE THE MUSIC tells the story of how Roland gear helped inspire entire musical genres, from 1980s New Wave to today’s EDM and hip-hop scenes.

Beyond the obvious icons — such as the Jupiter-8 that helped redefine pop music, the TR-808 and TB-303 that became the rhythmic voice of everything from rap to acid house, and the BOSS Compact Pedals that forever changed the sound of electric guitar — readers will get to know the context and history of uncommon yet influential technologies. They’ll be introduced to guitar synthesizers and electronic percussion like the V-Drums. They’ll learn how the Octapad became a mainstay of modern music in India and be introduced to the Grooveboxes that added new dimensions to beat making.

'We’re extremely excited to launch INSPIRE THE MUSIC this summer, with the blessing and enthusiastic cooperation of Roland itself,' said Kim Bjørn, founder and CEO of Bjooks. 'We’ve been privileged to gain access to the company’s vast archive of interviews and technical information, interview the quiet geniuses that design the musical future, and connect with the worldwide Roland community. Dozens of enthusiastic creators have helped put together this monument of music tech history, documenting decades of tech innovation and artistry, told by the people who used the instruments and the engineers who made them come alive.'

'Roland is thrilled to collaborate with acclaimed music tech publisher Bjooks to create a special book that honors the culture, people, and technology of Roland as we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year. It is exciting to see such a diverse group of artists share their experiences with our products,' said Gordon Raison, CEO and representative director of Roland Corporation.

INSPIRE THE MUSIC will be available through authorized resellers, and here at bjooks.com this summer."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Cherry Audio Introduces Mercury-4 - Detailed Roland Jupiter-4 Emulation

Mercury-4 🌌 | Cherry Audio video upload by Cherry Audio

"The new Cherry Audio Mercury-4 is a detailed emulation of one of the best-sounding and quirkiest polyphonic synthesizers of the late 1970's, the Roland Jupiter-4.

It’s the rarest and most sonically unique of the fabled Jupiter series, and we’ve gone to great lengths to recreate the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nuances and character of this beloved classic.

Every aspect of Mercury-4 has been expertly modeled upon a vintage Jupiter-4 originally owned by Greg Hawkes of the legendary 80’s new wave band The Cars, and played on their double-platinum 1981 album Shake It Up.

In Greg’s own words, Mercury-4 'sounds just like my old Jupiter! It’s nice to have it back.'"

Update: user video by Starsky Carr:

Cherry Audio Mercury 4 // Jupiter 4 plugin // review demo and walkthrough

video upload by Starsky Carr

via Cherry Audio:

Mercury-4 Features:

Authentically modeled oscillator with sub oscillator
All filter characteristics modeled, including powerful low-frequency resonance
Up to 16-voice polyphony
Over 400 presets, programmed by industry veterans
Exactingly replicated unique arpeggio section w/tempo sync
Carefully modeled wide-range LFO modulation with "inverted" mod characteristics
Drift control for increased analog realism
Precisely replicated stereo ensemble effect
Warm and organic tape echo with multiple reverb modes
Tempo-syncable LFO
Detunable unison mode
Single-key chord memory mode
Highly optimized coding for high performance with ultra-low CPU load
User-adjustable oversampling control
Advanced one-click UI magnification
Comprehensive MPE support
Full MIDI control and DAW automation for all controls
Mercury-4 is available in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats.

A free 30-day demo of Mercury-4 is available. This demo will play white noise periodically, but is otherwise unlimited.

macOS Requirements: macOS 10.9 or above (including macOS 12), 64-bit required. M1 processor compatible (via Rosetta 2). Quad-core computer with 8GB of RAM recommended.

Windows Requirements: Windows 7 or above, 64-bit required. Quad-core computer with 8GB of RAM recommended.

History:

Left: Greg Hawkes’s Jupiter-4, atop the Prophet-5 in the center, at The Cars’ Syncro Sound Studio, during the Shake It Up sessions, 1981. (Photo courtesy of Greg Hawkes)

Originally released in 1978, the Roland Jupiter-4 synthesizer was one of the earliest instruments to combine voice-assign polyphony with digital patch storage - that is, the ability to store and recall sounds to a digital memory and recall them at the touch of a button.

The Jupiter-4 rapidly became the go-to polysynth for numerous English and European acts in the 80's including Duran Duran, Thomas Dolby, The Human League, Simple Minds, and more, and for good reason: the Jupiter-4 sounded fantastic, with a raw, raunchy tone not found in any of the other beloved Juno and Jupiter synths. Its analog oscillators have a uniquely aggressive tone quality, the built-in sub oscillator adds girth, its oddly fast and deep LFO modulation capabilities allow it to create uniquely whacked-out modular synth-like tones, and Roland's famous stereo chorus "ensemble" circuit is beautifully implemented, adding a boatload of width and dimension.

Bottom Left: Greg Hawkes’s Jupiter-4 in the Cherry Audio lab, modeled for Mercury-4.

https://cherryaudio.com/instruments/mercury-4

PPG wave 2.2 Wavetable Synthesizer (1982) The Pure Sound (no fx)

video upload by RetroSound

"(c)2007-21 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

❤️ Support #RetroSound​ channel: https://retrosound.creator-spring.com

PPG wave 2.2 Synthesizer from the year 1982
8 minutes across the wavetables with the Wave.
A single sound program that I continuously change with the help of the wave envelope, wavetable, wave amount, upper wave, sub wave, aftertouch etc. So there are always new timbres.

Recorded directly in stereo without any external effects, EQ or anything else.
The pure sound. And a lot of digital dirt.

The PPG Wave 2.2 is the direct successor of the Wave 2 but with 2 oscillators. Only 500 Wave 2.2 were manufactured.
The sound character is different to the later Waldorf Microwave synths and different to the Wave 2.3.

- 8 Voices
- 2 to 16 Oscillators per voice
- 30 Wavetables with 64 waves per wavetable
- analog 24 dB/oct lowpass SSM 2044 VCF
- Curtis CEM 3360 VCAs
- micro processor (6809)
- 8Bit DACs

Used by: Trevor Horn (Propaganda, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones), Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears, Thomas Dolby, The Fixx, Thompson Twins, Tangerine Dream, Gary Numan and much more."

100 Years Of The Theremin | Podcast

video by Sound On Sound magazine

"An Illustrated Podcast.

Still Making Waves In The 21st Century

Theremin at 100. A special podcast in honour of the 100th birthday. We speak to Cyril Lance (Chief Engineer, Moog), Dorit Chrysler (composer/New York Theremin Society), Bruce Woolley (songwriter/Radio Science Orchestra) and Katia Isakoff (singer/songwriter and producer).

Show Notes

Chapters
00:32​ - Introduction
02:11​ - Cyril Lance / The Claravox
16:44​ - Dorit Chrysler
25:26​ - Bruce Woolley
32:08​ - Katia Isakoff
45:40​ - Ending

CLICK FOR MORE »

PPG wave 2.2 Wavetable Synthesizer (1982) RetroSound Soundscapes II - sound demo

RetroSound

"(c)2007-20 by RetroSound
supported by UVI: http://bit.ly/retrosound-uvi

PPG wave 2.2 Synthesizer from the year 1982

The PPG Wave 2.2 is the direct successor of the Wave 2 but with 2 oscillators. Only 500 Wave 2.2 were manufactured.

The sound character is different to the later Waldorf Microwave synths and different to the Wave 2.3.

- 8 Voices
- 2 to 16 Oscillators per voice
- 30 Wavetables with 64 waves per table
- analog 24 dB/oct lowpass SSM 2044 VCF
- Curtis CEM 3360 VCAs
- micro processor (6809)
- 8Bit DACs

Used by: Trevor Horn (Propaganda, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones), Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears, Thomas Dolby, The Fixx, Thompson Twins, Tangerine Dream, Gary Numan and much more


RetroSound synthesizer demo videos since january 2007.
All is for free. If you like my work, so can you support me with a donation or a purchase of my music albums. Thank you!

Donations: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr..."

PPG's Wolfgang Palm to Retire - Brainworx Audio GmbH to Take Over Product Line

via http://www.wolfgangpalm.com

Important announcement

Dear Customer,

after 50 years of creative work in the field of sound synthesis I decided to stop doing business. I've been thinking about this step for some time now, especially since I've turned 70 this year. Therefore, I am very happy to have found a competent company in Brainworx Audio GmbH that will take over and continue my products and ideas.

I would like to thank you for the support I've received over the last six years. PPG VST plug-ins and iOS apps are no longer available for purchase. We will continue to provide downloads of your previous plugin purchases until end of 2020.

However, we do not recommend updating the hosts or the operating systems, as we cannot guarantee that our products will still run perfectly.

Customers of PPG plugins will receive a mail from SendOwl, which gives more infos on how to connect to Brainworx.

The future of the iOS apps has not been decided yet.

Thank you again for your support.
March 2020, Wolfgang Palm"

Update: and the official press release:

"Plugin Alliance announces acquisition of Wolfgang Palm’s prestigious PPG synthesizer brand by Brainworx Audio


“I am very glad to have found Brainworx and Plugin Alliance, who appreciate my work from the past and want to continue my legacy.”
- Wolfgang Palm, originator of wavetable synthesis and founder/owner of PPG, 2020


SANTA CRUZ, CA, USA: Plugin Alliance, supporting all major plugin formats and uniting some of the best- known international audio companies under one virtual roof, is proud to announce founding partner Brainworx Audio’s acquisition of the assets of Wolfgang Palm’s prestigious PPG synthesizer brand. The trailblazing Hamburg-based company founded by Wolfgang Palm first found fame and fortune in its initial incarnation throughout the Eighties and beyond by bringing the distinctive sound of wavetable synthesis to the musical masses and also impacting the MI industry with its innovative PPG Wave hybrid digital/ analogue synthesizer series and associated advances. These included the unique (unreleased) Realizer — quite possibly the world’s first virtual instrument (in 1986), albeit as a proprietary hardware hybrid! Software seriously came calling from 2012 onwards when Wolfgang Palm returned to prominence, producing new PPG products.

What a legacy. PPG synthesizers have musically made their mark onstage and in the studio with an array of notable artists such as a-Ha, Alphaville, David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Thomas Dolby, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Jean-Michel Jarre, Mike & The Mechanics, Gary Numan, Pet Shop Boys, Rush, Talk Talk, Tangerine Dream, Tears For Fears, Ultravox, Stevie Wonder, and many more. Thanks to Brainworx Audio’s acquisition of the assets of Wolfgang Palm’s prestigious PPG synthesizer brand, that legacy is all set to thrive.

Plans are already afoot by Brainworx Audio to update Wolfgang Palm’s PPG products in close collaboration with the man himself, universally recognized as the originator of wavetable synthesis! Together they will take the PPG brand and advance its digital products into the future, following Wolfgang Palm’s planned retirement at the end of March 2020 — after 50 years in the creative field of sound synthesis! Signing an agreement with Plugin Alliance and Brainworx Audio owner Dirk Ulrich ultimately lets Wolfgang Palm put his (well- deserved) retirement plan into action, happy in the knowledge that his ‘baby’ will be in good hands.

Wolfgang Palm puts it this way: “I am very glad to have found Brainworx and Plugin Alliance, who appreciate my work from the past and want to continue my legacy. They have a great team of competent developers, product specialists, marketing, and all that is needed to make a company successful. I support their work to make the transition as smooth as possible, and it will be exciting to see how this evolves. Also, I think that this collaboration will result in a much wider audience than before.”

Indeed, it is a great honor for Brainworx Audio to be joining forces with Wolfgang Palm — truly a legend in his own right, and continue to break boundaries in the world of virtual instruments. “We are proud that Wolfgang Palm put his brand and product into our hands,” declares Dirk Ulrich, ending on a high note: “We will make sure to carry on his legacy with the respect it deserves and we are looking forward to evolving the brand and products for years to come.”


For more in-depth information about the trailblazing work of Wolfgang Palm and the prestigious PPG’s past, present, and future, feel free to check out Plugin Alliance’s interview with the man himself here."

Waldorf PPG Wave 2.V Wavetable Synthesizer VST in Original Box

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

via this auction

"Waldorf PPG Wave 2.V Wavetable Synthesizer VST Steinberg PC Mac

The original PPG Wave was used by artists such as Depeche Mode, A-Ha, Alphaville, David Bowie,
Gary Numan, Psychedelic Furs, Tangerine Dream, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears, and Thomas Dolby, but to name a few. This software enables those vintage tones at a scant fraction of the price!"

Just be sure it's compatible with your OS/system.

CLICK FOR MORE »

THE SYNTHESIZER & ELECTONIC KEYBOARD HANDBOOK David Crombie, Forward by Thomas Dolby

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

via this auction

"Vintage 1984 THE SYNTHESIZER & ELECTONIC KEYBOARD HANDBOOK David Crombie."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Synthplex 2020 Set for March 26-29 in Burbank, CA

via https://www.synthplex.com

"Exhibits + Seminars + Live Electronic Music + Pop-Up Synth Museum + DIY Synth Build + Gala Banquet

Synthplex® 2020 is back! Come and join the fun in Burbank at Synthplex, the “All Things Synthesizer” festival/ expo. Synthplex has it all; Trade Show Exhibits (Open Friday thru Sunday), Educational, Technology & Product Seminars, Synthesizer History Seminars, Master Sessions & Key Note speeches with Industry Legends (2019 we had Thomas Dolby, Tom Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL), Brian Transeau (aka BT), Harold Faltermeyer and Dave Smith of Sequential), DIY synth building workshops, Live Synth Concerts all weekend long (Thursday night thru Sunday night), the Synthplex Pop-up Synth Museum and the Saturday night Gala Dinner Banquet with a live performance TBA. Last year we had Thomas Dolby give an intimate performance at the Gala Dinner Banquet.

What to Expect at Synthplex

Even in this age of online social media, with myriad synthesizer-related social groups, YouTube performances and tutorials, there is still no substitute for having a physical location where like-minded, synth people can come together and meet face to face/ear to ear. The West Coast has an amazing (and LARGE) community of synthesizer enthusiasts, who all look forward to the times when we can meet up, hang out, break bread and learn new things about synthesis. Enter Synthplex®.

Hands-on Experiences

There will be many opportunities at Synthplex® to get hands-on with a lot of synthesizer gear and much more. In the exhibit halls you will discover new products and you will get to dive deep into these products and experience them for yourself. All weekend long there will be equipment vendors giving demonstrations, and there will be daily DIY synthesizer building workshops (modular and other formats) going on in the morning and the afternoon.

Furthermore, Synthplex® has an extremely special Pop-Up Synth Museum, where you can experience firsthand many rare and valuable synthesizers with the guidance of museum docents. You don’t just get to listen and see these instruments, you actually get to tweak some knobs and play them! Note: Admission into the Pop-UP Synth Museum is a separate pass from the Synth Expo pass, as all profits from the Pop-Up Synth Museum will benefit the Bob Moog Foundation. Each year we will feature a new recipient for this donation..."

You can find full details at https://www.synthplex.com

Keyboard Mag. Aug '83 | What Was In It?

Published on Feb 17, 2020 Espen Kraft

"One of my favorite issues of Keyboard Magazine ever. Colorful ads of many synths and drum machines we now consider classics.
In-depth interviews with Thomas Dolby and Lee Curreri (Fame) as well as clinics on different topics."

Note 8:12 on the Jupiter-6 being marketed as a 6 voice Jupiter-8 by Roland.

Espen Kraft Magazine posts

OP-X PRO-II: Retrotone Bank - Alphaville, Madonna, Marillion, Steve Winwood...

Published on Sep 12, 2019 virtualoberheim

"http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/d...

Demo of the new "Retrotone" bank for OP-X PRO-II. The bank can be downloaded for free on this site:
http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/u...

The video features the "Rack Edition Huge" interface version of the synth within Logic Pro X in an iMac 21 mid 2011.

Learn More about the synth's available interfaces on this site:
http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/i...

The midi keyboard's two knobs at the right are learned to the increment/decrement buttons which allows to switch patches remotely. Learn more about in on page 85 of the synth's manual.

The heard audio comes directly from the stereo outputs of OP-X PRO-II. No external effects or any other treatments of any kind involved.

The featured patches:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Martin Gore To Receive 2019 Moog Innovation Award

"Moog Music is proud to announce Martin Gore as the recipient of the 2019 Moog Innovation Award

Award Will Be Presented Following Martin Gore’s Keynote Conversation During Moogfest, Friday April 26, 2019

Gore joins past honorees Devo, Brian Eno, Suzanne Ciani, and Gary Numan.

Asheville, N.C. [April 23, 2019] - Musical pioneer Martin Gore’s masterful electronic meditations on the human condition have illuminated the connection between transformative sound and pure emotion for decades. A founding member of the band Depeche Mode, Gore’s sensual electronic compositions and introspective lyrics have resonated with faithful audiences around the world and impacted the direction of countless visionary artists from Trent Reznor to Johnny Cash.

Gore’s enduring ability to connect the rawest aspects of the human experience to the dance floor defined an era and perpetually reminds us what it means to be human through the emotional power of electronic sound. For his contributions we are honored to name Martin Gore as the recipient of the 2019 Moog Innovation Award.

Martin will be presented with the award during Moogfest on Friday, April 26 at 3:30 p.m. (ET) at the Carolina Theatre immediately following his keynote conversation with Mute Records founder Daniel Miller, which begins at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

The Moog Innovation Award recognizes artists who have contributed to the exploration of sound in popular music and beyond for the past 50 years, exemplifying the bold, innovative spirit of Bob Moog. Past recipients include visionary artists Gary Numan, Devo, Suzanne Ciani, Brian Eno, Bernie Worrell, synth designers like Herb Deutsch, last year’s recipient Bernie Krause, and Thomas Dolby, who will also be performing and presenting this year.

For more information on Moogfest, visit www.moogfest.com."

Thomas Dolby at Synthplex 2019

Published on Apr 5, 2019 Sound On Sound magazine

"Synth pioneer Thomas Dolby was the star attraction at Synthplex 2019, LA's inaugural 'Everything Synthesizer' exhibition/conference in late March. Prior to his seminar and evening performance, SOS contributor Julian Colbeck sat down over breakfast with Thomas for an exclusive interview in which TD reveals his current interest with new media technologies and their application in music."

PPG wave 2.2 Wavetable Synthesizer (1982) Elektroplankton

Published on Nov 29, 2018 RetroSound

"(c) 2018 vintage synthesizer demo by RetroSound

all sounds: PPG wave 2.2 Synthesizer from the year 1982

The PPG Wave 2.2 is the direct successor of the Wave 2 but with 2 oscillators. Only 500 Wave 2.2 were manufactured.

- 8 Voices
- 2 to 16 Oscillators per voice
- 30 Wavetables with 64 waves per table
- analog 24 dB/oct lowpass SSM 2044 VCF
- Curtis CEM 3360 VCAs
- micro processor (6809)
- 8Bit DACs

Used by: Trevor Horn (Propaganda, Art Of Noise, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones), Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Robert Palmer, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears, Thomas Dolby, The Fixx, Thompson Twins, Tangerine Dream, Gary Numan and much more"

JX-3P Now Available on Roland Cloud

As you know the JX-3P "Plugout" for the Roland System-8 was released back on 808 day (8/8/18). It is now available on Roland Cloud.

"JX-3P Now Available!

JX-3P UNVEILED AS PART OF ROLAND CLOUD'S LEGENDARY SERIES

Originally released in 1983, the JX-3P was one of the earliest programmable preset polyphonic synthesizers and Roland’s first MIDI-equipped machine. In the decades since, artists like The Future Sound of London, Astral Projection, Vince Clarke, Orbital, and Thomas Dolby have utilized the JX-3P.

VINTAGE '80s SOUNDS REIMAGINED
In the early ‘80s, the synthesizer market was in flux. Spurred by trends in contemporary music, synths began to creep into popular culture. Roland, in lieu of complicated controls, shifted towards inclusive designs. Why not create a keyboard with Roland’s iconic analog warmth but make it accessible? Thus the dawn of the pushbutton interface and the introduction of the JX-3P. The JX-3P condensed the signature Roland sound users had come to expect into 64 stunning presets.

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Roland TR-808: From Music Legends to the New Generation

Published on Aug 7, 2018 RolandChannel

"Originators, Producers and DJs including DJ Jazzy Jeff, Juan Atkins, Marley Marl, Nadus, and Shy Boogs all share personal memories and stories of the Roland TR-808 and what the 808 sound means to them."

2nd video: Thomas Dolby Remembers the Roland TR-808
"808 The Movie Executive Producer Alex Noyer reflects on making the critically acclaimed film which documents the musical and cultural impact of the Roland TR-808."

Thomas Dolby Live in Roland Cloud

Streamed live on Jul 26, 2018 Roland Cloud

"Roland is pleased to announce 'Thomas Dolby Live in Roland Cloud,' a historic first-ever concert streamed live in Roland Cloud. Free and open to all, the performance by electronic music icon and Roland Lifetime Achievement Award winner Thomas Dolby will take place on Thursday, July 26, at 4:00 P.M. PDT, in Roland Cloud.

As part of an enhanced experience, you will have the opportunity to try the same synthesizers and sounds used by Thomas Dolby in concert by signing up for a 30-day Free Trial to Roland Cloud."

Thomas Dolby "Airwaves" Cover

Published on Aug 18, 2017 cnagorka

"I did this on request from a high school pal. As usual the sequenced part is coming from the Roland and I'm playing the Paia modular stuff live."

Love this song.