machinedrum sequencing

YouTube via daswesen. Sent my way via manuel.
"making a new pattern from scratch, takes abit of time hehe. I had the instruments done though."

Miscellaneous Audio Experiments - Using the Effector 13 as an Oscillator

via zerosum:

"Ive been using the Effector 13 Truly Beautiful Disaster as an oscillator Smile Yeah its really really cool. Sequencing with the Binary Zone into the TBD in, then fed into the Miniwave,TM-1,TM-7. It does really cool kicks and can do 3 note basslines too."

Title link takes you to the samples and more info on Muff Wiggler's Mindless Chat Space.

Yamaha CX5M Music Computer

Click here for shots via this auction.

Note the connection of this piece and Microsoft? If anyone knows more about the relationship feel free to comment.

"You are looking at a Yamaha CX5M Music Computer. This unit came out in the very early 1980's and was an attempt by Yamaha to marry what was emerging as a very successful exploration of FM Synthesis and a computing platform, in this case the Microsoft MSX. At the time these units were unbelievably expensive and while I am not sure exactly what their true value is today (who is frankly) one thing I do know (and you too if you have read this far) is that they are becoming increasingly rare particularly those still bundled with the all important cartridges as this unit does, more on that later... the unit you are looking at here is in fact the later of the two models that Yamaha came out with. The first shipped with the SFG-01 FM unit which had very limited MIDI support, in fact it was only able to communicate with a DX-7 (again more on that later). For that reason you needed a dedicated keyboard supplied by Yamaha to play it. The unit you are looking at here however is the later version that came with the 4 Operator SFG-05 FM unit. It has much better MIDI support and DOES NOT REQUIRE the additional Yamaha keyboard in case you were wondering. It can be played with any MIDI controller keyboard, I used a JV-30 and it played very well.
Ok so what is on offer, well quite a bit really:

1) The CX5M Unit, apart from one or two very minor scratches it is in excellent condition, no broken keys or anything like that. The unit consists of the MSX computer fitted with the Yamaha 4 Operator SFG-05 FM module;
2) The power supply, as above in excellent condition and works just fine;
3) The manuals, yes I still have them. They include:
a) The Yamaha SFG-05 FM Unit Owners Manual;
b) The original CX5M Owners Manual; and
c) The original CX5M / MSX Service Manual including ALL the schematics (these are like GOLD).
4) The cartridges. These are VERY VERY RARE, they include:
a) YRM-104 - FM Music Macro, provides a basic software language to allow the MSX and the SFG-05 in particular to be programmed, oh what fun!!
b) YRM-101 - FM Music Composer, as the name suggests it provides basic sequencing and composition. You also get the original manual with this;
c) YRM-102 - FM Voicing Program, this allows you to edit the 4 Operator SFG-05 unit sounds just like any other FM style patch editor; and
d) I left this until last simply because you would be hard pressed to get one of these anywhere right now. The YRM-103 - DX-7 Voicing Program, This cartridge will allow a DX-7 to be edited from the CX5M just as Yamaha had originally intended so if you own a DX-7 this may be of particular interest to you. It comes complete with its original packaging (a little worn but intact) and the original manual.
5) The cartridge adapter, The CX5M also comes with a slot at the rear of the unit. I believe it was used for connecting to external floppy drives and the like. Using the cartridge adapter you can also plug a standard MSX cartridge into this slot. Useful I guess if you can get a memory / storage cartridge which you can store your programs and sounds on.

The unit DOES NOT come with a monitor of any kind, it has a composite video output (the yellow kind) which I connected to my PC's capture card in preview mode so that I could switch screens between it and other windows, quite useful when editing actually."

via Loscha.

Update: Two screen shots of the OS via Zam in the comments. Also, more info on the OS and the relation with Microsoft in the comments added below.

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Roland System 100m 181 Keyboard Controller

Click here for shots via this auction.

"49-Key Keyboard Controller for System 100M cabinets. This is quite a rare offering.. its a 49-Key Controller for the Roland System 100M modular systems. Very rare to find for sale individually. There are many System 100M cabinets out there with no matching keyboard, here is your chance to complete your system. There are obviously 49 Keys, a bender, controls for tuning and portamento, three position transpose switch, portamento on/off switch, mini-jack and standard phono jacks for control voltage, gate, trigger and bender, and the 6 PIN DIN plug."

via Loscha.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Oberheim Xpander

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.
"Vintage 6 Voice Analogue Polysynth (1984) The Xpander is an amazing synth.. few question its reputation as the most versatile and powerful analogue synth from the 80s. Programming possibilites are endless, the internal modulation matrix allows for sound design simply not possible in any other analogue synth of its time. It has a very unique sound, somewhat more mature and refined than the older Oberheim synths, but still having the signature Oberheim tone, in a somewhat more subdued way. In some ways it can also be more aggressive than the older oberheims, the 1pole filter is a killer.. have a listen to Sasha's "Xpander" track and you will hear immediately the character of the 1pole filter in this machine..

So many more features, 6 individual outs for each voice, individual cv/gate inputs to each voice, excellent midi specs, 5 LFOs, 5 envelopes, 3 tracking generators, 4 ramp generators, lag processors, 15 filter types.. too much stuff to mention, there is nothing else like it.
I suggest reading this soundonsound article for a thorough breakdown of this synth.

via Loscha.

Roland Jupiter-8

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

"Vintage 8 Voice Polyphonic Analogue Synthesizer. The Jupiter 8.. Roland's flagship professional polysynth from the early 80s.. yet to be surpassed. This is a beautiful and magical synthesizer like no other. Play a just a few notes and nostalgia from countless recordings of the past comes flooding to mind. Such joyous and amazing sounds emit from this machine..."

via Loscha.

Roland MC-4

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

"Roland MC-4
Vintage 4 Channel CV/Gate Sequencer MC-4A

This is a quite rare and hard to find CV/Gate sequencer from the late 70s early 80s..
If you are sequencing with vintage analog gear this is the cream of sequencers, ask anyone who has one and they will tell you it has the tightest timing and most flexible advanced programming features.
This is the A version, MC-4A. Internal Memory is 16Kbytes. It has not been upgraded.
Please note this is a 100V unit, in Australia and Europe you will require a stepdown transformer. It draws 25W so a relatively cheap transformer will be fine.
US may also require a small stepdown transformer to go down to 100V.."

via Loscha.

Nobukazu Takemura Interview (from Salon Magazine)

YouTube via likeafatrat. Sent my way via Loscha.
"play at his studio place: kyoto/Japan"
Spot the synths. Be sure to watch the gear pan towards the end.

Polyvox (Polivoks) CV/Gate Mod

Title link takes you to more info and shots of the mod.

Plan B Model 25 Now Available

"A quick note to announce that the Model 25 Multi-tasking Audio Processors will be at Analogue Haven tomorrow - Friday, August 3.

The M25 is the second swiss-army knife module in our range, the basic idea behind it to provide a series of useful synthesis functions without a hefty investment of real estate. Consisting of a Manual Attenuator (this was Tim Johnston's idea, and a great one), a dynamic VC Waveshaper, White/Pink analog Noise Generator, a Linear VCA with a separate velocity input, and a high-quality Ring Modulator which boasts over 65 dB of carrier suppression and a unique x-feedback function - all comfortably crammed into only 10HP of panel space.

More information can be found at the link below, replete with sound samples which I think are worth checking out."

Kokoro Scan

Cool video for an upcoming SEGA game for the Nintendo DS, featuring a Minimoog lead and some vocoder.
Sent my way via Kitsunexus. MP3 here.

明和電機 「一番素敵な体で行こう！」

YouTube via musica95. Sent my way via Chris Muir.

"The robotic vocalist, dubbed “Seamoons,” is a combination of mechanical bellows and a computer controlled rubber vocal chord that’s monitored and modified in real time, sounding something like a tiny electric Yma Sumac."

Note the robot with a mic. The above quote is a snip from here, where you will find more info on the artist, Maywa Denki, and the tools they use. BTW, if anyone knows/finds more info on the "guitar" like devices feel free to comment.

Waldorf Pulse Demo

via zerosum of zerosuminertia via the comments of this post.
You can download the mp3 here.

Jerry Lewis y el theremin

YouTube via pertinazmente. Sent my way via Vectorsynth.

ASM2-Wizard Etched

via Mark Pulver on AH.

"I got the etched panel for the ASM2-Wizard last night (thank you Laurie!) and I thought I'd share how it looks in the custom cabinet. This is a BIG box. I dunno that's its final location. Time to get the soldering iron out and get to this thing!

ref:
asm2.htm
asm2-wizard-about
nice-racks"

Hammond Novachords #117, #132, and #1431

via jonesalley:

"Here's an unusual grouping for you. From left to right, Hammond Novachords #117, #132, and #1431. They have recently been joined by their older brother, #61, but I don't have a current photograph. All four are complete and intact, except for a few missing or broken tubes, and all four will be undergoing a slow restoration process. Don't hold your breath..."

Tenori-On Ships Sep 4

Remember the Tenori-On? Looks like it will actually ship on September 4th. Title link takes you to more info on pixelsumo.

MOOG Model 15

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

(1)907a fixed filter bank,
(1) 995 group of 3 attenuators
(1) 904=A Voltage control low pass filter,
(2) 902 VCAs,
(2) 911 envelope generators,
(1) 921 VCO,
(1) 923 Hi pass & low pass filter bank with pink and white noise source.
(2) 921B slave oscilators,
(1) 921A oscillator driver,
(1) bottom section includes mixer, mults, reversable attenuators, trigger outputs, control outs.

As always be careful. This one's from a (0) seller. Might be new to Ebay, might not...

MOOG Prodigy 336A

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Sequential Circuits Fugue

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Running out of Space

via seen-da-sizer on Gearslutz. Sent my way via Magnus.

"I am so jealous of everyone’s space. My room is way too small. What's next for me? Guess I have to nail my synths to the ceiling…"

Hmm... A modular ceiling...

Have fun spotting the synths.

Goldsmith's College - The old Control Room

Spot the synths. Some answers after the hop. via sequencer.de.

Sci-Fi Guys

OK, first off I am stretching this one a little on synth content so consider yourself warned. Dave, creator of one of our favorite and only synth toons, The Packrat, sent me and a few others a link to an old toon he did called Sci-Fi Guys. I wanted to put up a post on it, so of course I asked if any of the toons featured any synths. Duh. Turns out they did for audio. The following are Dave's words on the toon followed by the synths. Note Randal of redshiftdigitalaudio and the On The Bench posts also worked on this.

"For about a year and a half, my old Sci-Fi Guys toons haven't been available online at all, after Camp Chaos shut down it's 'Other Shows' section. At a rate of about one per week, since May, I've uploaded them all to Newgrounds. The eleventh and final episode (the Christmas one) will get shoved up there in November sometime.

The title song for Sci-Fi Guys is called 'Ryu' off my Parallax CD 'visit the entropics.'

There are other very synthesized sound cues and transitions in the films also, taken directly from the album.

This music was sequenced by me at home, all on a rickety Korg 01/W, but the exported general MIDI files were painstakingly re-mapped & produced by Randel at redshiftdigitalaudio (the tech guy behind the "On the Bench" posts linked from your blog from time to time). A few overdubs, samples and leads were added later. Synths I definitely know that were used: Waldorf Pulse & Microwave, Clavia Nord rack, Korg MS2000R & Wavestation, a couple of Oberheim Matrix-6R's, Roland JD-800 & three JD-990's, and Yamaha VL1-m.

--D"

Audio Damage Dr. Device and Replicant Demos via Brian Comnes

Audio Damage Dr. Device demos via brian comnes:
"this is one Ableton clip processed 5 ways

organ is Kjaerhaus Spectra pre-set
drums are microtonic
all clips run thru kjaerhaus MPL master limiter

clips are
clean - organ and drums no plugs
dr device on organ only
dr device on drums only
dr device on both drum and organ

last but not least I put Audiu Damages other plug in Replicant on the organ and dr device on drums and let it run for 64 bars so you could hear replicant pusnhing the organ clip around

have fun

Peace
Brian "

CLICK FOR MORE »

KORG RADIAS DEMO "Endorphins"

YouTube via gattobus.
"The song played in this video is a remake of the Access Virus b factory demo, "Endorphins". All played with Korg Radias in real time."

The Simmons Drum Book

via this auction.

"This is 104 great pages of great pictures and information about all the unique drums and products by Simmons!"

Slemar Clavioline Concertmaster

via this auction. BTW, if you are even considering picking this up, read this post including the comments, and be careful with those caps! Also more info here.

Oberheim 2 Voice

Title link takes you to shots via this auction. BTW, this appears to be a re-listing with new shots.
"Oberheim 2 Voice, Serial # 0404. This very rare synth was built in 1975, I purchased it a few months ago, and had just been professionally serviced, everything works and sounds great. See for yourself in the links below. 2 voice means that this synth is polyphonic, 2 VCO's per SEM module, the modules can be triggered together for 4 oscillators at once, or split so that either the left or right module will trigger first. Each oscillator has 2 knobs, one stacked on top of the other allowing for a qick or fine tune of the frequencies. There is some cosmetic wear on the exterior of the case, slight rust on the corner guards and some light scratches typical of an antique such as this."


Oberheim 2 Voice demo 1 Oberheim 2 Voice Sequencer Demo Oberheim 2 voice test part 2 YouTubes via Hobbs360.

1973 Univox Mini-Korg

Click here for shots via this auction. Be sure to check them out full size. These are some nice shots.

"This Synthesizer is one of the first monophonic keyboards from the early 70's. It was made by Keio Electronic Laboratories (KORG) and was distributed in the United States by Unicord under the Univox name. This is a 3 octave keyboard, single oscillator unit with controls for volume, attack, percussion, depth, wave shape, chorus, in addition to switches for expand, bright, sustain, bender, and repeat. There are additional controls for the repeat circuit, the vibrato, depth and speed, and the portamento as well as overall pitch. There is also a modulator called traveler with 2 slide controls. The rear panel has 2 outputs designated low and high, and the power cord tucks away behind a panel on the rear of the unit."

MOOG Minimoog

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

"On the back it reads Mini Moog Synthesizer Model D, Moog Music Inc. Buffalo NY. Assy. JB 8-28-78 / Insp. 31/8/5 S/N/ M-10677."

Sequential Circuits Prophet 5

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

Prophet-5 (Serial # 4985)

Yamaha DD-14 Digital Drum Machine

via this auction. I love the look of this.
"The drums have a variety of beats and patterns are fully programable and have full midi so they can be incorporated into almost any set up and remotely trigger sounds via midi. There are eight individual pads and a sliding scrapper function that creates a unique ribbon control like synthesizer."

Splice 404 Page

Title link takes you to the best 404 page ever. via Music Thing.
For the archives: spoiler: here's an image of what was on it when I put this post up.

tapete

YouTube via BoiaUniversallis.
"música pelos pés / music through feet smartjoy interface; dance mat; junxion; live 6"

Sacré bleu!... TD live in Paris in 1973

via The Archive Plus where you will find everything Tangerine Dream.

EMS Synthi

Model 15 Calibration procedure

YouTube via petergrenader.
"A step by step audio/visual guideline which details the proper procedure for calibrating your M15' to 1V/oct tracking."

Mighty Boosh Season 2 Episode 2 Priest and the Beast 1 of 3

YouTube via pradera. Sent my way via Ben Shannon.

worrydream - Bret Victor's website

Title link takes you to worrydream, Bret Victor's website. Bret created the synthesis engine for the ION, Micron and Fusion.

via mhz

Triadex Muse Sample

Sample of the Triadex Muse sent into AH via Scott. Posted here with permission. Big thanks to Scott. This is the first time I've heard one. Note the Triadex Muse is considered to be the first digital synth. It was produced in 1972. One is also featured as a prop in the movie Brainstorm staring Christopher Walken. You can find more info on the Muse via the Triadex (Muse) link below as with all posts. You can download the mp3 of the above here or here.


Click on the MORE Triadex (Muse) link directly below for more posts on the Triadex Muse.

Buchla 200e-12

The inside of a Buchla 200e case. Title link takes you to more shots. Looks like it and a Neuron VS are for sale.

Dr. Device

Dr. Device is now available.

"Dr. Device is two (two! two!) hi-octane analog-style effects in one. First in the chain is a multi-mode filter, featuring our own private reserve 4-pole lowpass, along with 5 other tasty musical modes. Then, your audio takes a trip through our true-stereo analog delay. Couple these effects with a two-node XYZ pad, motion recording, and kinetics (you have to see it to believe it) and you've got an effect well-suited for both live performance and studio tweaking.

Dr. Device is available as a VST effect for Windows, and as an AudioUnit/VST effect bundle for OSX Universal Binary. Note that you must have OSX 10.3.9 or greater to use the Macintosh version of this plugin."

Title link takes you there. You'll find samples and more.

Synths in TV and Film

Note: some of the videos below have been pulled from YouTube, but I'm keeping mention of them up as a reference that they are out there.

Let the page load before scrolling - it's a long one.
Be sure to see the Synth Movies list and see the Synth Movies and Synth TV and Film labels for more.

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Synths: ARP 2500 played by Phillip Dodds, head of ARP Engineering, Yamaha CS-?.


2. Fame Synths: ARP 2600, MOOG Minimoog

CLICK FOR MORE »

Breakin' - Turbo's Broom-Dance

YouTube via retropunk.
"Turbo's famous broom-dance to Tour de France by Kraftwerk
Trivia - Turbo has been credited for teaching Michael Jackson the 'Moonwalk'"

Synth content? A while back I heard synths were featured in the film Breakin' and/or Breakin2' Electric Boogaloo. I think it was mentioned on a gas-station thread. I was wondering if anyone out there has seen the movies and can comment on any synth content. These along with Fame are on my list of movies with synth cameos I must see one day. Hmm... Synth movie list post coming up...

Solar Powered Modular

via bugbrand on electro-music:

"I had some old posts mentioning synths on batteries and with a view to solar. Well, through developments I've worked some things out and really should post some ideas/findings up -- I've found it interesting working out a system and how things work (or don't) and now I'm looking forward to doing some more shows with such a system (hint - it chucks out ever evolving techno-wobbles!).

So, here's a picture of my latest frame (..and the frames have been changing a lot over the last months - but this one was built from scratch so finally made to measure)

Finally outside! ..I just need to build a power amp into this frame.!. &, actually, this pic is a little faked --> the solar panels (big'uns!) feed into external charge controllers & SLA batteries before powering the frame.

52 frac unit space! & it should be possible to take it on a flight tomorrow as a carry on musical instrument!"

Latinsizer / live at Sunrise

YouTube via pepemogt.

Be sure to check out this post followed by these for more.

"playing live at sunrise, Rosarito beach, Mexico.

playing the song TRISINE followed by a jam with 303 bass lines and linndrum beats(more info about 303 and linn below).

Latinsizer
Pepe Mogt In this project Pepe Mogt works with a very synthetic and basic set of musical tools to create a quirky approach to electronic music exemplified by "Ritmo 55", the first track released by Latinsizer which appeared on the Nortec Experimental CD. This approach could be described as a combination of the melodic work of early synth Pop classics such as Eno-era Roxy Music and Switched on Bach, modular synth based artists like Tangerine Dream and the grit of urban Tijuana, Latinsizer "live at MUtek CD" has a more noise dance oriented aproach without loosing his analog roots

Latinsizer becomes an alternate project to Nortec, and particularly, to Fussible, recently playing at experimental and dance music festivals like Mutek or Decibel, currently is working on his new album and EP, Celofán is a video of his latest works.

The TB-303 is THE sound of acid and techno house music! It's a monophonic analog bass synthesizer married to a pattern-based step sequencer released in 1982. It features a single analog oscillator with two waveforms (ramp or square) and has a simple but excellent VCF filter with resonance, cut-off, and envelope controls. There are also knobs to adjust tuning, envelope decay, tempo and accent amount.

How does it work? Well, it's not a performance synthesizer because you have to program a pattern of notes and timing info into it (sort of like a drum machine). Patterns can then be linked into songs. It was originally made to accompany a drum machine, the TR-606 specifically, and provide bass-line accompaniment to guitarists, keyboard players, etc. It was not a successful product in its time. As a result, creative DJs and aspiring electronic musicians found them for next to no money and began using them for techno and acid music. Usually a single pattern is continuously played while the performer tweaks the knobs creating an exciting and expressive musical event.

The TB-303 has become one of the most sought after vintage synths ever! It has helped develop and stylize many forms of electronic music including House, Acid, Trance and Ambient. If ever there was a need for a repetitive bassline/groove or an extremely resonant and bubbly sound, the 303 is KING. Truly a unique machine with a very identifiable sound! It has spun off several imitators as well: Novation BassStation, ReBirth, Doepfer MS-404, MAM MB-33, Syntecno TeeBee, and more (see Related & Alternative Gear sidebar).

Ironically, these days it's become trendy to dislike the 303 again, now because of over-use. But I don't and you shouldn't either because it is one-of-a-kind and it's just got that sound that everyone loves! Fatboy Slim says it best in his song "Everybody Needs A 303".

The LinnDrum was the second machine from Linn Electronics. It's basically an upgraded version of the original LM-1 with added crash and ride cymbals to the kit. The LinnDrum uses samples of acoustic drum sounds. At the time, they sounded great and much more realistic and they were a fresh alternative to the analog drum sounds of the '80's drum machines. The LinnDrum also had a handy upgrade option, a well designed layout and interface, and live drum trigger inputs.

The LinnDrum had beefed up the sampled sounds from 28 to a 35kHz sample rate. It features 15 sounds including bass, snare, rimshot, hihat, crash, ride, three toms, cabasa, tambourine, high and low congas, cowbell, and clap. Up to 12 sounds are available simultaneously. Individual controls are available to tune, pan, and mix each drum sound via dedicated knobs and sliders. An Accent is available for the kick, snare and hats. The handy upgrade options involve inserting new chips containing new sets of sampled drum sounds created by many session drummers of the time.

The sequencer had some innovative features (for the time) such as swing, quantizing and memory storage! Two-bar patterns can be recorded in real or step time, with or without quantizing. There are 56 user patterns for storing your drum patterns. There are also 42 preset drum patterns. Patterns can be arranged into Songs for which there are 49 memory locations. Old songs and patterns can be off-loaded to cassette tape for storage. Designed for the studio, there are 15 individual outputs for each sound around the back as well as external sync and trigger but no MIDI (unless modified by a 3rd party). The LinnDrum's features made it the most professional drum machine of its time. It was widely used throughout the 1980s and there are about 5,000 of them which have been used by professionals (such as Sting, Prince, Jean-Michel Jarre, Sheila E., Todd Rundgren, Jimmy Edgar, Jan Hammer, Peter Gabriel), hobbyists, and educators alike!"

TB-303 sequencing an OB-SX

YouTube via zamisers7k.
"Hooked up through CV/Gate, don't know if hooked up properly or not, my first time trying cv/gate, but seemed to work OK. Towels under TB cause I've repainted OBs top, pretty again, don't want scratches. Enjoy it or not screwballs!"

Going for a walk with ER-1

YouTube via Denkitribe.
"Summer is coming. Do it outside."

Anne Moo at the WORM - CEM Studio in Rotterdam

YouTube via diekleinekuh. Sent my way via Kris.
"The Lonesomes' keyboard player Anne Moo playing the Arp 2500, Korg MS20 and Ems Synth in her session at the WORM - CEM studio in Rotterdam."

The Lonesomes' Anne Moo working her Yamaha CS40m

YouTube via diekleinekuh.

"The Lonesomes' keyboardist Anne Moo going at it with her Yamaha CS40m."

ARP Odyssey 2810

Title link takes you to shots via this auction.

"Arp Odyssey synthesizer model 2810, also known as the type II. This perticular Odyssey was purchased by myself over 8 years ago from an arp representative who traveled around the country with it, lugging it about to trade shows in the 1970's showing off its fantastic analog capabilities... very low serial number odyssey. #0018 to be exact."