Mystic Forest (Final Fantasy VI) by Steven Morris

Published on Jun 25, 2015 Steven Morris

"Mystic Forest (aka Phantom Forest)
Cover by Steven Morris
from Final Fantasy VI
Written by Nobuo Uematsu

Recovery Spring!
A train!?

Instruments/Sounds:
Korg MS2000
DSI MoPho
DSI Tempest

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Wolfgang Flür's E.D.Music Channel…….More Interviews and Synth Demos to come!

Published on Jun 20, 2015 ED電音頻道 E.D.Music Channel

Trailer video for Kraftwerk's Wolfgang Flür's E.D.Music Channel with some synth spotting & some synth greats.

"Stay tuned with E.D. Music Channel
More interviews and gear demos are coming…
Copyright: E.D.Music Co.
Special thanks: Peter Zinovieff, Isao Tomita, Wolfgang Flür, Hideki Matsutake, CEvin Key, Russell Haswell, Hisashi Saito, Galcid, Doravideo, Risa, Dave Skipper, Kenichi Hata"

Still of the Night (Secret of Mana) 聖剣伝説2 浄夜

Published on Feb 20, 2015 Steven Morris

Still of the Night
cover by Steven Morris
from Secret of Mana (SNES) 聖剣伝説２
Written by Hiroki Kikuta (菊田裕樹)
Friday, February 20 2015

Instruments/Sounds:
Rhodes Mark II Piano - Lead (run through pedal effects)
Fender Precision Bass
Epiphone Acoustic Guitar - Rhythm
DSI MoPho - Pad w/ Moog CV Pedal Controlling Filter Cutoff, MIDI Controller for Eurorack
Korg MS2000B - Rhythmic Pad / MIDI Controller for TX81Z
Glockenspiel - Lead
Eurorack Modular Synthesizer - Tomita's Whistle
Yamaha TX81Z - Pad

TX81Z Patches: (Layered with many MS2000B patches)

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Open Music Labs Mixtape Alpha & Sony MX-14 Vintage Portable Mixer

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

These in via the same seller.

Mixtape Alpha via this auction

Sony MX-14 via this auction

"Mixtape Alpha is the smallest synthesizer we could make without a prescription. It has a stylophone style input for continuous note generation, and 6 buttons for discrete notes. With 4 voices, 4 effects, and 5 note polyphony there is quite a range of expression. But, the best part is, you can record the songs you make, and trade mixtapes with your friends! Perhaps even better, it’s based on the ATmega328p, and can be hacked to make even crazier sounds than we came up with."

"Sony MX-14 Vintage Portable Mixer A Vintage Mixer for your Vintage Synths. Comes with adapter and can also run on batteries."

Update: A little trivia according to the seller, Tomita used a similar model mixer in some of his recordings, including "Snowflakes are Dancing". Looking at the back of the album you can see the Sony MX-16 and MX-12 listed. The MX-16 does look similar in design. Not sure about specs though. Regardless, it is an interesting bit of trivia.

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Virgin Korg VC 10 Vocoder - Official Korg Demo Tape from 1980

Published on Aug 19, 2014 baward

"You read about 'mint condition' a lot these days, but although this isn't strictly speaking 'mint' (that would have to have a still-sealed carton in my opinion and I think this was opened by customs), it is in the most remarkable original ‘time-warp’ condition. As far as I know, this instrument has NEVER been out of its plastic bag and box before, let alone been played. That's a long, long time, perhaps as long as 36 years ago, as the VC-10 was released in 1978; the VC-10 was being featured in Korg advertising early in 1983, but that’s still a likely lifespan of over 30 years.

The box is a little battered as you can see, but has worn well in all these years, considering. Also shown is the VC-10’s matching MC-01 microphone, in similarly ‘time-warp’ condition - the MC-01 is still unopened in its cushioning padded foam wrapper and still in its carton. Also included, one single Korg patch lead, in its little plastic bag. Like all the rest, it's never been used. Filmed August 11, 2014. And no, its not for sale! :-)

Music by Tomita - 'Vocoder' from 'Bermuda Triangle' [1978] and the official Korg demo tape from 1980."

Roman Bayou's Cinq: SE80 Beats 'n Band in a Boom* Box, in 5 (or so) Movements

Published on Jul 15, 2014 StudioElectronics

"Studio Electronics' SoundCloud (http://tinyurl.com/oq6c5sd) Copy:

What happens when one disappears into the wilderness road of one's mind (and mighty-mighty DP8) with a Boomstar SE80, a little help from its friends: Boom*s 4075, 5089, SEM, 3003, no fixed deadlines, the power and elegance of Kontakt, and a desire to inspire and be inspired? This piece "right there"—my two and a half year old daughters' go to phrase.

The Boomstar SE80 got the party started early with its remarkable capacity to generate very warm, acoustic sounding drum sounds, in addition to the emblematic, voltage-flavored fare. Hundreds of samples later—some put through "Waves" paces—I dragged my favs into a new sequence window at bar 1, with a fixed tempo, sans bar lines, and no particular key signature in mind.

Very non-random, if avant garde sounding patterns and melodies emerged, preparing me for an immersion headlong into West African rhythms, and demanding an extended vacay to the Isle of Dub. Once those pillars were in place all of the Stevie, Gino, Duke, Cameo, Zap, Monte Moir, and St. Regis (the band yo) chords, leads, and turns—produced by both the 4075 and SE80 Boomstars—colored and kept pushing until the Roger "vocalisms" of the dual resonant SE80 filters sat atop the throne, playing the solo diva, wowing the key Dub backbeats, and hitting the combo-organy voicing stretches. It was with great difficulty that I backed away the '80s knobs and switches, because of that intoxicating "vocality and warmth."

The drums, excepting one distorted fill which I enjoyed complimenting and co-opting with synthiness, the triangle (Drew Nuemann's brilliant 3003 creation recorded at 3% of unity—it's true Drew!), a crisp D. Neumann tom design (4075), a very Mike Neuble-ish 16th note triplet figure (SEM), an open hi hat (SEM), the crash cymbal (SEM), and the "Bonham" room mic kick drum from "Boomstar the Beguine" (SEM), were generated by the SE80; I made far more samples than I could press into service, but it was most enjoyable slipping and sliding them in whenever I could.

All of the leads are single sample stretches in Kontakt, or sampled performances (some of which went under the knife and tune); the chords are a mix of the same and individually tracked single note performances, which were in turn repurposed/retuned in various places spectrally in DP. The more percussive and filter driven polys represent the latter. It was amazing how good the "stretches" sounded—kind of reminded me of working with valve instruments and their gradually lower register, longer and slower envelopes ramps.

A bit of Boomstar 5089 begins supporting the last half of the Dub groove with a bass double, figure, and slide or two, snapping once in the 1st Movement (a pull from the "Shootout at the Boomstar Corral" YouTube vid for those still awake). The B* Moog filter also supplies the sub in the rejected "Simon Says" soundtrack moodiness in Movement 5. The piano and synth patches are from GarageBand, ported in via that .aiff stripping trick.

Boomstar 4075 gets its Gary Wright/Rene and Angela 2600 bass groove on, above the 5089 sub fray, yet under it's own classic lead sound; a bony redux of Movement 3's "Moir-ish" charm brings the effort to a conclusion.

Boomstar 5089 boomed both the intro bass and 1:53 breakdown.

Lest I forget, the SE80 freeform synth jazz dance of the 4th Movement (3:03), grinds into "that perfect machine voice like ELP's, "I am perfect are you!" Directly following it is my friend Dan's "kind of atmospheric, distorted, Tomita-esque mood till 4:51 whence come the mysterious morse code signals from the nether reaches of outer space." All of which follows the sub movement (small m) of the SE80 Beat/Glitch Boxing: the punctuation for the preceding micro Glam Synth beatdown.

Final Note: The ambient, "spooky sound starting at 0:43 which weaves underneath awhile," following the 1st Movement (really another sub movement...), is an SEM lead subjected to generous Paulstretching in Audacity.

And do c.f. tinyurl.com/nmk7rfx for your purest listening pleasure!

Special Thanks to David Bowie whose fascinating, multimbral life and entertainment genius distracted and reinvigorated me near project's end; throw Gino Vannelli into that motivational kettle as well—THAT VOICE! Well, as my beloved mother Maria Therezia was wont to say without undue emphasis: "He's an Italian."

Enjoy near responsibly, preferably over some worthy Genelecs or Audix speaks,
Marc Alexandre Theriot St. Regis 6-24-14

(Quoted commentary by Peri O'Meri)"

Isao Tomita Checking out Eurorack

via Isao Tomita on Facebook

"TOMITA met the latest-model modular synthesizer."

松武秀樹＆MMO on Stage2 @ Synth Festa Osaka 2013

Published on Dec 3, 2013 nicolai maruhama·95 videos

"We had a special stage on Synth Festa Osaka 2013.　（２３rd Nov. Dee Hall）
Our synth Master Hideki Matsutake joined this event and moog IIIc was operated.
Worth to see!

1.Tong Poo / YMO
2. Rydeen

Applied JASRAC

nicolai maruhama"

Part 1 here.

Update:

That's Hideki Matsutake on Moog modular. Via Wikipedia:

"Hideki Matsutake (born August 12, 1951 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese composer, arranger, and computer programmer. He is known for his pioneering work in electronic music and particularly music programming, as the assistant of Isao Tomita during the early 1970s and as the "fourth member" of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra during the late 1970s to early 1980s.[1]

Through his participation in the session recording of Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1978 album Thousand Knives, he joined the recordings of Yellow Magic Orchestra during 1978-1982 as their sound programmer, to become known as "the fourth member" of the group. In 1981, he formed a unit of his own under the name Logic System, which released its latest album in 2008. He also continued to take part in solo activities by YMO members such as Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi beyond the group's breakup in 1983. He was also a member of the video game music group Akihabara Electric Circus in 1988[2] and composed music for the 1996 video game Guardian Heroes.[3] Today, Matsutake is also Chairman of Japan Synthesizer Programmers Association (JSPA)..."

Synthesizers Documentary by Katey Dawson

Published on Nov 30, 2013 Katey Dawson·1 video

"How has the development of the Synthesizer changed the traditional way of making music?"

Featured: Theremin, Ondes Martenot, Moog, Korg, Roland, Yamaha, Emu, & soft synths.

You can't cover everything in just under 24 minutes of course.  That said, there's no mention of Don Buchla, who gets as much credit as Bob Moog for starting the synthesizer revolution.  Some of the second wave including Arp, Oberheim, Sequential Circuits, EML, etc... aren't mentioned.  John Cage gets a mention for his use of raw oscillators, Wendy Carlos for her work on Switched on Bach with the Moog modular. Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Tangerine Dream get a mention for the 70s. Zap gets a mention for the use of the vocoder. Jean Michel Jarre and Mike Oldfield & Tubular Bells get a mention, but not Kraftwerk (although Autobahn gets a clip). Human League's Don't You Want Me gets credit for the first all sequenced synth track to hit number 1 on the charts. Paul Hardcastle's 19 gets a mention for its use of sampling. No mention of Morton Subotnick, YMO, ELP, Synergy, Isao Tomita, Laurie Spiegel, Suzanne Ciani, musique concrete, etc.  Still pretty cool seeing a documentary on synthesis at a high level like this.

松武秀樹＆MMO on Stage1 @ Synth Festa Osaka 2013

Published on Nov 30, 2013 nicolai maruhama·94 videos

"We had a special stage on Synth Festa Osaka 2013.　（２３rd Nov. Dee Hall）
Our synth Master Hideki Matsutake joined this event and moog IIIc was operated.
Worth to see!

1. Behind the Mask / YMO
2. Technopolis / YMO

Applied JASRAC

nicolai maruhama

* The priest in the middle of the song Technopolis : Gotoh Showgen."

松武秀樹＆MMO on Stage2 @ Synth Festa Osaka 2013

Published on Dec 3, 2013 nicolai maruhama·95 videos

1.Tong Poo / YMO
2. Rydeen

---

Hideki Matsutake on Moog modular. Via Wikipedia:

"Hideki Matsutake (born August 12, 1951 in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese composer, arranger, and computer programmer. He is known for his pioneering work in electronic music and particularly music programming, as the assistant of Isao Tomita during the early 1970s and as the "fourth member" of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra during the late 1970s to early 1980s.[1]

Through his participation in the session recording of Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1978 album Thousand Knives, he joined the recordings of Yellow Magic Orchestra during 1978-1982 as their sound programmer, to become known as "the fourth member" of the group. In 1981, he formed a unit of his own under the name Logic System, which released its latest album in 2008. He also continued to take part in solo activities by YMO members such as Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi beyond the group's breakup in 1983. He was also a member of the video game music group Akihabara Electric Circus in 1988[2] and composed music for the 1996 video game Guardian Heroes.[3] Today, Matsutake is also Chairman of Japan Synthesizer Programmers Association (JSPA)..."

Power 33 @ Japan Saitama

via パワー サンジュウサン on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

"We are waiting in 10/26(sat) Power 33 @ Japan Saitama 県民活動総合センター
http://iflyer.tv/ja/event/147722/"

Binglish translation:
"We are waiting in 10 / 26 (sat) Power 33 @ Japan Saitama prefectural activities Research Center http://iflyer.tv/ja/event/147722/ "

Roland System 500 modular, EMS VC3S & more.

Update: the vintage looking box under the TR-606: "is Vocoder Made by Isao Tomita's synth Manipulator ;) It was manufactured in 1970"

1984 The Art of Electronic Music Featuring Bob Moog, Don Buchla, ARP & More

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

via this auction

"Scarce title! The instruments, designers, and musicians behind the artistic and popular explosion of electronic music. Compiled by Tom Darter and Edited by Greg Armbruster, with a foreword by Robert Moog. Covers many synthesizer brand names and their designers, both analog and digital: Yamaha (DX7/FM), Bob Moog, Tom Oberheim, Dave Smith, John Chowing, Don Buchla and many famous musicians like Keith Emerson, Isao Tomita, Larry Fast, Wendy Carlos, Vangelis, and many more. Apart from some moderate cover wear, the book is in very good condition. 315 pages. First edition, copyright 1984. This item ships WORLDWIDE..."

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In the Studio with Isao Tomita

『未知へのサウンド冨田勲』 600こちら情報部

Published on Nov 25, 2012 senmojib·33 videos

"NHK 600こちら情報部 特集『これがシンセサイザーだ』 より

アルバム『バミューダトライアングル』が発表された頃の冨田勲氏の"アトリエ"でのイ­ンタビュー。MOOGモジュラーの他に、ROLAND MC-8、POLYMOOG、KORGボコーダー、YAMAHAのコンボオルガン等が­見えます。神戸大学附属明石中学校に入学したかったなぁ。

以下、エンディングの字幕を、転載します。

冨田勲（46歳） 『 生まれて初めて手にした楽器は笛、少年時代 家の周りの竹を切ってきては笛を作った。かなり不完全なものだったけれど、自分の手で­作った音なんだなぁ、という喜びがった。個々の音そのものに自分の心が存在してはじめ­て一つの音楽が感じられると思う。シンセサイザーはパレットであって、色を作り出し、­絵を描き上げるのは自分自身。 』"

Googlish: "This is a synthesizer" from "NHK 600 More Information section feature

Interview in "Atelier" of Tomita Isao time of the album "Bermuda Triangle" was announced. In addition to the MOOG modular, combo organ, such as ROLAND MC-8, POLYMOOG, KORG vocoder, the YAMAHA is visible. I wonder I wanted to enroll in Kobe University Akashi junior high school.

Following, I will reprint, the subtitle of ending.

Isao Tomita (46 years old) made ​​a whistle to come off the bamboo flute around, the boyhood home instrument when I had it in my hand for the first time in my life ". It was quite incomplete, but I wanted that joy, So there a sound which I made with their own hands. I think that it is felt music of one the first time my heart is present in the sound itself of the individual. Synthesizer is a palette, creating a color, raise painting myself. ""

Logic System - YMO's Hideki Matsutake

via Sleeping Thrills where you'll find the full post including audio.

Vintage DIY on his right?

"Logic System is the musical project of Hideki Matsutake who was the sequencer and synth programmer for Yellow Magic Orchestra between 1978-1982, often referred to as their fourth member. Before this he was the apprentice and later assistant to electronic 'space music' composer Isao Tomita."

"LULLABY FOR TOMITA" ARP2600 PATCH TUTORIAL BY KIP KUBIN

"LULLABY FOR TOMITA" ARP2600 PATCH TUTORIAL BY KIP KUBIN from Kip Kubin on Vimeo.

"I've always loved Tomita...most do. To me one of the hardest sounds to emulate is voice and choir of which he is master.

So I set out to create a solo voice that could be 'played' on the ARP with no keyboard or sequencer and this is what I came up with."

"When You Wish Upon A Star", played by Dana Countryman

Published on Jan 14, 2013 Dana Countryman·38 videos

"Dana Countryman plays the classic 'When You Wish Upon A Star' on his homemade 'Martenot Controller for Modular Synthesizer'. Easier to play than a Theremin! For more information about the Martenot Controller, please visit www.danacountryman.com"

I believe that is a synthesizers.com modular.

Also see:
Isao Tomita - When you wish upon a Star

Erik Satie Gymnopedie 3 (1) - Yamaha CS-80

Published on Dec 26, 2012 by schokokontrol

"Debussy's orchestration of Satie's Gymnopedie 1 performed on a Yamaha CS-80. A little hommage to Satie, Debussy, Tomita and the immortal CS-80."

Bob Moog Foundation Announces "Moog Is Now" at Moogfest 2012

Bob Moog Foundation Announces “Moog Is Now” Exhibit and Sale At Moogfest 2012

October 19, 2010 - For Immediate Release (Asheville, NC) - The Bob Moog Foundation and David VanKoevering have joined forces to bring “Moog Is Now”, an exhibit and sale of vintage Moog inspired albums, to Moogfest 2012. The event will celebrate the early use of Moog synthesizers in popular music, with recordings from as early as 1967 to the late 1970s. "Moog Is Now" will be presented throughout the weekend in the Diana Wortham Theatre lobby in downtown Asheville. It is open to Moogfest attendees and to the general public

Over 300 albums will be for sale from VanKoevering’s private collection, some signed by Bob Moog. The signed albums will be part of an exclusive silent auction. More than 70 additional albums will be displayed in an exhibit created by the Foundation. Part of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Bob Moog Foundation.

The title of the event originates from a slogan that VanKoevering used in his marketing effort for the Minimoog in the 1970s, emphasizing the synergy of the 1970s cultural revolution and innovative Moog technology.

Acquired over decades, the collection on display and for sale will include recordings from such artists as: Wendy Carlos, Jean-Jacques Perry, Gershon Kingsley, Mort Garson, Isao Tomita, Keith Emerson, the Beatles, Kraftwerk, Michael Iceberg, Harry Brewer, Ralph Carmichael, Chick Corea, Paul Beaver, Bernie Krause and Jan Hammer. Each album will be sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.

David VanKoevering is a lifelong colleague and friend of Bob Moog. He began working with R.A. Moog, Co. shortly before the Minimoog was first developed. When the Minimoog was released, and met with initial mild success, VanKoevering pioneered the sale of the instrument, opening the market from a few hundred instruments to several thousand. His marketing saavy, legendary within the industry, has led him to be referred to as the man who brought the Minimoog to the world.

In his later career, Music Trades and other industry publications heralded VanKoevering’s collaboration with Bob Moog on an innovative interactive piano stating “Synth pioneers Bob Moog and David VanKoevering team up on interactive CD based piano.” Bob Moog is quoted as stating “Never before has so much technology been introduced in a single instrument” about the piano.

"Moog Is Now" will be open in the Diana Wortham Theater lobby from 12-6 on Friday and Saturday of Moogfest and Sunday from 1-5.. VanKoevering will be present during those hours. The Bob Moog Foundation will also be hosting Dr. Bob's Interactive Sonic Experience and SYNTH: A Group Art Show Inspired By Bob Moog, in the Theatre lobby throughout the weekend."

TRAX RetroWave R-1 MIDI-Controlled Analogue Synthesizer

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

via this auction

"The TRAX RetroWave desktop monosynth was designed for musicians who want the immediacy and warmth of classic analogue sound, created by a real analogue instrument, as opposed to a digital system or computer emulation. This compact unit is great for use in studios, with your home computer, in live performances, and for creating sound effects for film, TV and theatre.

Features

True analogue oscillators, filter, sample and hold, noise generator, VCA and signal path
Easily recreate classic analogue synth sounds using knobs and switches
Built-in MIDI to CV, 5V gate and velocity converter, 1V/octave CV response
Inputs and outputs via robust 1/4" jack sockets
Built-in overdrive circuit for grungy distortion effects
No menus, no software, just switch on and play
Unique retro styling

Patching

The comprehensive "pot and switch" patching system allows you to set up sounds without recourse to endless menu screens. This way, you create electronic music the way Carlos, Tomita, Jarre, Perrey and all the other pioneers did in the early days of sound synthesis.

Extra patches can be easily achieved if needed, using the supplied short patch leads.

Connect any keyboard or sequencer with a 5-pin DIN MIDI out socket to the R-1's MIDI input socket, and you have an complete analogue synthesizer system for live gigs and recording. Add a USB to MIDI lead for computer control, and the possibilities are endless - live performance play-along with recorded music, complex and rapid sequences, etc.

The Internal Modules

1 x Voltage-Controlled Oscillator (VCO), true analogue, with 1 volt/octave response. Features square, ramp, triangle and sine outputs. The square wave may be pulse-width modulated by other internal modules (low frequency oscillator 2, ADSR sweep), or the wave shape can be altered by hand or an external source, for dynamic searing leads and amazingly fat bass lines.

Frequency modulation comes from 2 x LFO's, sample and hold, ADSR sweep or external source, either separately or all together. An octave selector switch and master tune control give you flexibility when playing along with other instruments, and can be used to give pitch shifting effects while playing.

1 x MIDI/CV and Gate Converter. 12 channels to choose from, instantly selectable via an easy-to-use rotary switch. CV, gate (+5V), and velocity output jacks are provided, so that the R-1 can drive other analogue equipment. Glide control for "Rick Wakeman" style blurring of one note into the next.

1 x 24dB/octave, Four-pole Voltage-Controlled Filter (VCF), low-pass, with 1 volt/octave response. Create all those classic dynamic filter sounds, including auto-wah, ADSR sweeps and keyboard CV tracking. Cut-off frequency can be modulated by LFO 2, ADSR, sample & hold, MIDI velocity, or external signal, together or separately.

The filter can also be put into oscillation mode to track the MIDI CV output, effectively acting as a second VCO. Comprehensive signal input mixing combines VCO, sub-octave 1, sub-octave 2, noise and external input to give a composite filter signal.

2 x Low-Frequency Oscillators (LFO), with triangle and square outputs. Wave shape controls to give ramp, sawtooth, and pulse variations - great for sirens, sci-fi sounds, trills and vibrato effects. Low (sub-audio) and high speed (audio) range switches give effects that vary from a subtle vibrato, through to a dirty hyper-modulation that will send the cat running for cover!

Each LFO has a clear, high-brightness yellow LED monitor, so you can see at a glance the running speed and approximate shape of the output waveform.

2 x Sub-Octave Generators, each with a square wave output. One octave below, and two octaves below VCO frequency. Fatten up the VCO output to give deep bass and organ-like sounds, with full level control of each sub-octave.

1 x Sample and Hold Circuit. Supplies random voltages, for programming the VCO and VCF. The random note effect is just the thing for creating a "psychotic" lead line, and the random VCF modulation will add some sparkle to any performance.

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Isao Tomita & Hideki Matsutake of YMO Interview on RA

via Resident Advisor where you will find the full interview. A couple of excerpts:

Isao Tomita on picking up the Moog synthesizer:

"How did you come to buy one?

Isao Tomita: At first, I had no idea where to buy it. Back in 1970, when we didn't even have a fax machine, I used a telex machine to contact people in Hong Kong. I found out that the Moog company was located in Buffalo, New York. I flew over there, and was shocked to see that the main office of a cutting-edge company like Moog was located in a simple, storage-shed-type building, in the middle of nowhere. I said to myself, "They make intricate machinery in a place like this!?"

So you went there and asked to buy the Moog III P directly. How much did it cost?

Isao Tomita: Back then, one dollar was 360 yen, and the Moog synthesizer was considered a luxury item, such as a foreign car, so the tariff rate was over 200%. It cost somewhere around 10 million yen (roughly $125,000) in today's value. Also, in those days we didn't have customs brokers like we do now, and if goods had problems clearing customs, the person importing the goods had to actually be there. So at customs, they asked me what this machine was. I told them that it was an instrument, and they didn't believe me. They said, "Then, play it." [laughs]..."

On Isao Tomita meeting Hideki Matsutake:

"And around that time you met Hideki Matsutake?

Isao Tomita: Yes. I was becoming increasingly busy around then, so I had Matsutake manage me at a music production company he was working for back then. When I started to understand which cords to connect to create the right sounds I decided I'd let some younger guys try it, so I invited Matsutake. With Moog, you have to keep the power on all day for it to work properly, so when I wasn't using it, I'd let others use it. I would use it from 8 PM to 4 AM, and then there would be a group using it from 4 AM to noon, and then another group would come in and play around with it until 8 PM.

Hideki Matsutake: I worked during the day, so I would come in and play the Moog at night, and I remember falling asleep under it. Tomita never taught us how to use the thing, so I had to learn it on my own. I've always liked playing with machines since I was a kid, so I understood the functions of the device fairly quickly, but knowing where to connect the cords to render sounds that are listenable was a completely different story..."

Full interview on RA here. via I Dream of Wires on Facebook