legoluft - Circuit Bending and Synths

Jason posted a link on the Analog Heaven list to this Dr. Bohm Digital Drums image. Of course I had to check it out. I backtracked to the root of the site and I found legoluft. The site is in German, but of course you can use Google translator to browse the site in English. There's some pretty cool stuff there worth checking out. Gotta love Google translation - informative and humorous at the same time.

The description for the Boehm Digital Drums Google translated:
"Dr. Boehm Digital Drums can perhaps as German Linn drums, since they sound similar, and very high quality. Neben den eigentlichen grossen und programmierbaren Digital Drums gab es 2 Preset-Versionen, die für Alleinunterhalter als kleines Zusatzgerät benutzt werden konnten. Besides the actual big and programmable digital drums were 2 preset versions, the entertainer as a small device could be used. Sie bieten je nach Typ die besten Presets des grossen Bruders mit einigen Variationen. They offer depending on the type presets of the best big brother with a few variations.

Der Sound dieser kleinen Drummachine ist wirklich fett und die Pattern sind solide programmiert. The sound of those little drum machine is really bold and solid patterns are programmed. Die Chip-Architektur ist, typisch für die Zeit, sehr offen und leicht nachvollziehbar. The chip architecture is typical of the time, very open and easy to understand. So sind z.B. For example, die einzelnen Drumsamples in einem Rom-Baustein gespeichert und lassen sich relativ leicht manipulieren, so dass interessante Effekte möglich werden. Each drum samples in a Rom-Baustein stored and can be relatively easy to manipulate, so interesting effects. Bei meinem Exemplar habe ich bisher eine 8 Schalter-Matrix eingebaut, die für schöne Noise-Effekte sorgt. In my copy, I have been an 8 switch matrix built, the fine for noise effects by itself."

Synth Restore ARP Sliders

Bookmarking this one for the day I need it. Synth Restore. They also have tons of other synth repair items.

MB808

Roland TR-808 clone with MidiBox sequencer. This is hardware.

"As of October 2007, the first batch (of 15?) has shipped and the second batch (of 50) is on its way. Jeff is currently counting transistors and packing things up for shipment. There is plenty of discussion on the forum about the front panel and the case. I'll be taking requests for the switch group buy up until November 1st."

click here for more info including samples. via philip.

Update: another link via philip the comments. What's odd is the links are different along with the images but the text and layout of the rest of the site look identical. Anyone know what's up with this?

Blip Festival 2007

"Are You Ready for Blip Festival?

Manhattan art space The Tank and New York artist collective 8bitpeoples announce the Blip Festival 2007, a four-day music and multimedia event taking place in New York City November 29 - December 2, 2007. Focusing on the modern artistic exploration of primitive video game and home computer technology and featuring 40 musicians and visualists from around the world, the Blip Festival showcases artists adopting and repurposing familiar but forgotten hardware - such as the Commodore 64, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Atari game console and home computer line, and the Nintendo Game Boy - exploring their untapped potential and unique aesthetic character. The festival's nightly concerts and daytime screenings, workshops, and presentations are supplemented by B I T M A P : as good as new, an adjunct visual art exhibition, held at acclaimed Brooklyn gallery vertexList. The Blip Festival 2007 offers a fascinating cross-section of the chiptune musical aesthetic and related low-bit visual art, in an explosive event taking place at the epicenter of the creative world.

The festival will host evening concerts on all 4 nights. Each night's concert will cost $10 and include 8 musical acts and a variety of live visualists. Tickets will be available online starting in early November and will also be available at the door. Festival passes will also be available for sale in early November.

In addition to concerts there will also be daytime workshops and screenings on Saturday and Sunday. A complete schedule of those events is forthcoming."

click here for more info. via brian c.

Novation Supernova 2 sounds

YouTube via shaft9000.
"More sounds from the Novation Supernova 2 digital synthesizer. All videos posted by Shaft9000 on YouTube are for demonstration purposes only. I have no affiliation with Novation or any other synthesizer manufacturer."

Roland Jupiter-6

images via this auction.

POLIVOKS Soviet Analog Synth

images via this auction.

"Great sound. Very fat lows, crystall mids, icy highs. Very good for agressive bass, weird modulations, cool FXs & agressive sounds. Impressive fat saw & cool glidings. Killer 2-Voice mode.

2 VCO with classic waveforms, Noise oscillator and external source. Very strong sounding Analog LP/BP filter with ADSR Envelope, which can play in loop (retrig). You can process external sound through it, such as guitar, vocal, drums or another synthesizer. Amplifier Envelope is ADSR with loop function.

Modulator section is a low frequency oscillator with multiple waveforms and changable rate. LFO roots to amplifier, filter, VCO-1, VCO-2. Polivoks can play like a classic monophonic synth or in 2-voice mode. And also You can modulate VCO-1 with VCO-2 (ringmodulator).

No pitchbend & modulation wheel.

There is a custom made CV/gate modification on the board (1 voice).
Now You can connect analog sequencer (1 volt per octave)
This is very usefull function. Feel free to use it with Your analog sequencer.
I had use it with my Roland TB-303 sequencer.

CV/Gate - is the first step to MIDI
You can find in the web how to do that.
Of course You can play with keyboard.
There is a tumbler. You can see it at the photo.
Choose CV/gate or Keyboard.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roland GR-700 Pedals

images via this auction

"The most common problem with the GR-700 are broken foot pedals. Hey, you stomp on them all the time!

Below is a video clip of replacing a GR-700 pedal. All you need is a soldering iron, some solder, and a large, flat tip (standard) screwdriver. First you will remove the twelve 3x15 mm self-tapping screws that hold the side panels on the GR-700, and then remove the 3 4x6 mm screws along the front of the unit. You can now open the GR-700 up. Carefully lift the lid. I placed the unit on the side for my repairs.

You will reheat the solder that holds the wires to the switches with a soldering iron. You may need some fresh solder to help the joint to soften.

After you have the wires off, you need to remove the pedal itself. This is the hardest part. Start with one of the plastic tabs and gently push the tab in. You do not need to push the tab in all the way. While holding the pedal in position with your free hand, do the same with the opposite tab as shown in the video. By alternating between the tabs you can gently work the pedal out. After you remove the existing pedal, the replacement pedal will snap into place. When you press the new pedal in, make certain that the four plastic clips "click" into place. Then resolder the wires and you are done.

Here is a video clip of one pedal replacement: link"

The video is from the excellent Roland Guitar Synth site. Do check it out if you haven't before.

Motif XS6

images via this auction. Some of these shots are so clean they look rendered. Be sure to check them out full size.

Update: scam alert in the comments.

ARP 2600

images via this auction

"Arp 2600 (serial # 261324) with 3604P keyboard (serial # 361324)... you can go here to listen to a demo made using only this 2600"