Akai AX80

No title link, just the shot pulled via this auction.

Guess the other synths.

Resting Heads

No title link, just the shot via this auction. Roland Juno-106 and TR-909.

Yamaha DX-200

Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction.

Details:
"From the Manufacturer- Combining a 6-operator 16-note polyphonic FM synthesizer with over one hundred rhythm sounds & a 16-step analog-style sequencer, the DX200 is one of the most unique "groove boxes" available today. Thanks to its realtime control knobs, you can easily get inside this once-forbidden FM architecture & effortlessly tweak the voice parameters to come up with totally bizarre sounds that have never been heard before. Many hip-hop and techno producers are already hip to the punchy bass sounds & radical metallic textures that can be created with FM, and now you can, too! If you've been looking for some fresh new electronic sounds for your dance tracks, the DX200 is your new secret weapon.

SPECS:
Main Synthesizer:
Method- FM
TG Specs- DX7 compatible, 6 Operator FM, Filter (FEG), Noise
Max. Polyphony- 16
Multi Timbre- 1

Sub Synthesizer:
Method- AWM2
Max. Polyphony- 32
Multi Timbre- 3

Effects: 13 types

Step Sequencer:
Type- 16 steps x 4 parts per pattern
MIDI CLOCK- Internal/External
Preset Pattern (Voice)- 256
User Pattern- 128 (Selection taken from preset patterns)
Song- 10

Other Features:
Free EG- 4 tracks per pattern
Scene Memory- 2 scenes per pattern

Hardware:
Display- 4-digit, 7-segment LED
Connectors- PHONES, STEREO OUTPUT (L/MONO & R), MIDI IN/OUT, DC IN
Controllers- Knob x 16, Switch x 51, Encoder x 1
Yamaha AC Power Supply Included"

More Details
Owners Manual
Review on emusician

ALISA 1387 Soviet Russian Analog Synth

No title link, just the shot and samples via this auction. Samples mirrored here.

system100-lastthroes

download here
"13-minute dry recording of the system 100 sequenced by the mobius. this should give some an idea of what the system 100 sounds like."
Demo via YouFeel.

Mike Hankinson - The Unusual Classical Synthesizer

"This record is the first L.P. ever recorded using only the Electronic Music Studios "Synthi" VCS-3. This instrument has the capability of producing virtually any sound, but was used purely as a straight musical instrument on this L.P. The only modification - a potentiometer control was added, which gave a sliding octave up or down, by rotating the control, thus extending the keyboard to 5 octaves."

Title link takes you to more info, shots and a stream of the album. Via both J of Schematic Music Company and swissdoc.

Beaterator

Details here. A PSP version is coming as well. Via John of Toho Monster.

Ignition

flickr by vishan.

Title link takes you to more.

Update via Tom Bugs of BugBrand in the comments:

"Hey, that's the Buchla at EMS studio Stockholm (Electroacoustic Music of Sweden studio) - I got to play on it last month and it was really fantastic - total subotnick!

If you check my photos page you'll see a more detailed picture and also the Serge system that sits next to it..."

MOOG Minimoog Model E

Note Model E, not D. This is "The Welsh Minimoog" manufactured by Alex Winter's MOOG Music in the UK, referred to in the previous post. The other "non-MOOG" Minimoog E was Don Martin's Minimoog often referred to as the Donimoog (previous posts). Don Martin owned the rights to the name in the US until Bob Moog won the name back in time for the Voyager, however in the UK the Voyager was released as the Voyager by Bob Moog (more info in the previous post).

Image and details pulled via this auction

Details:
"You're looking at a Minimoog Model 204E Analogue Synthesiser - the 'Welsh' Minimoog!

It is in mint condition - I am the sole owner from new, when I bought it in 1999. It has never left the house. It is also fully functional - all controls, switches and keys work perfectly. It comes with the original manual and power cable.

There are one or two 'gremlins' in the system, which were present when I bought it, but they didn't concern me enough to address. I feel I should mention these so as to make the buyer aware!

- there is a slight 'tick' noise which can be heard periodically whilst playing. The below sound demo shows it at its worst. I've no idea what causes it - I know that Moog Music Ltd. had a number of 'bugs' to iron out, so I suspect this is one of them. It's never really bothered me.

- plugging in a set of headphones and lowering the headphone volume to minimum will result in a humming sound. This sound is only audible in the headphones and does not occur with the main outputs (high or low).

My reason for selling is because I've had it eight years and feel like a change.

So what is a 'Welsh Minimoog' then? Moog Music Ltd., based in Caerphilly, Wales was set up in the 90's to reissue Moog Modular parts before setting out to recreate the classic Minimoog... with a few enhancements! From what I understand, only five Minimoog Model 204Es were made before the company went under. I was lucky enough to acquire one (cost £1500 at the time!).

The improvements are as follows:

- Ultra-stable oscillators - these have yet to go out of tune in eight years.
- Transpose switch - the range of the keyboard has now been increased by +/- 1 octave.
- Digitally-scanned keyboard
- PWM on Oscillators 1 & 2 when they are set to Square/Pulse waves. Osc 3 in LFO duties provides modulation.
- Multiple Triggering - the envelopes can be set to multiple triggering, in addition to the original's single triggering.
- MIDI - the Minimoog Model 204E features MIDI built-in (not a retrofit).

The picture below is of the actual synth and by following the link below to my 'music' page, a set of demos that I recorded can be found at the bottom of the list.

http://www.soundclick.com/greenalsatian

Here are some other demos that I recorded, including the 'tick' - this was from a test in which I taped down a note for half an hour - the 'tick' only occurred once, but the frequency of it can vary.

http://media.putfile.com/Minimoog-Tick
http://media.putfile.com/Camel-esque-Lead-Noise-Filter-Mod
http://media.putfile.com/Minimoog-Stranglers-esque
http://media.putfile.com/Minimoog-Devo-ish-Bass
(if the links go down, they are mirrored here)

Here is a link to the review of a pre-production model on Sound on Sound. The issues mentioned in the review were resolved on the production model.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct98/articles/minimoog204e.html"

MOOG Gets It's Name Back in the UK

Peter Forrest of the A-Z of Analog Synthesizers (see link on the right book section of the site if you want to pick up a copy), and Spheremusic (Vemia), sent the following into AH. I asked him if I could put it up and he gave the thumbs up.

"Just looking through the latest Sound On Sound, I saw a Turnkey store ad for the Little Phatty stage edition and Voyager Fire. The intriguing thing is that the Little Phatty is being sold under the Moog brand, while the Voyager is still 'by Bob Moog'. Did I miss some change in the legal situation? Secondly, the ad claims that the Little Phatty is one of the fastest selling synths in living memory. I wondered how much of that is ad hyperbole (after all, it could be one of the, um, 500 fastest selling synths...). Amos or anyone, can you fill me in?
Little Peter Phorrest (sic)"

And sure enough Amos replied:
"Hi Peter, AH'ers,

I am not 100% informed on this, but I know that Moog Music has regained the right to do business in the UK under their proper name. This means no more "censored" manuals and logo-less synths! :-) However, it may be that the rights to the product name "Minimoog" are still in dispute, which could explain why the Voyager is still Voyager by Bob Moog and not Minimoog Voyager as it is known elsewhere in the world.

Cheers,

Amos"

I wonder what happened to Alex Winter who owned the MOOG name in the UK. (BTW, for those that care an update to the Vemia site is finally in the works and should address the script errors and other issues).