MATRIXSYNTH

Waldorf Blofeld - Perspective on Size

This should give you an idea of how big (or small) the Waldorf Blofeld is. Click the image for a larger shots.

via Boele of SCD.

You might notice the PPG Wave 2 it is sitting on top of previously featured here.

Apple II alphaSyntauri Music System

images via this auction

"Apple ][
Alpha Syntauri
Mountain Computer Music System

Complete Apple //e based setup
Fully working, with lightpen, monitor, disk drive, manuals

This auction is a genuinely rare chance (I hate the phrase, but I haven't seen one of these on auction for a year at least) to obtain a Mountain Computer Music System based AlphaSyntauri. This is a digital synthesizer and sequencer package dating from 1979-1982 in terms of hardware - they went out of production in 1985 or so. It is very similar to the Passport Soundchaser system. The complete setup consists of:

AlphaSyntauri "Pratt & Reed" based 61-key velocity sensitive keyboard, which I have rebuilt and cleaned with new bushes. It would benefit from replacement of the foam damper strip along the base below the keys which has disintegrated with age, but this is largely a cosmetic component. This is the same key mechanism used by many classic synthesizers. There is also an interface card for the keyboard.

AlphaSyntauri's preferred bundle of the "Mountain Computer Music System" voice cards - 8-voice (technically 16 oscillators) stereo sound generator and interface board with lightpen, with wavetable synthesis. This has the original box, in poor condition, and manual (no original disks). The system was also available with three-voice square wave cards from A.L.F, which are very limited.

An Apple //e unenhanced system. To be chronologically correct, this should have a ][+ or //e, this is the nearest I can get to a ][+. Enhanced //e models have timing issues. This is equipped with a duodisk disk drive and interface card, and a Philips monitor of suitable persistence for the lightpen to work. It is also equipped with a higher-output, better cooled AE PSU which should make it rather more reliable despite being 25 years old. In the picture, an 80 column card is visible - this is included in the auction but will not be fitted, as it appears to cause minor timing issues with the synthesizer (I added it to the system to include with the auction then remembered why I removed it!).

Software, including the B3 wavetable generator. This is quite complicated to use, but the results are impressive. To be fully useful, the software needs Apple II paddle controllers - either the later, 9-pin D-sub connector type or earlier ones that connect internally. I no longer have a set of these, but will attempt to locate some before the auction ends. They sell for a few bucks on eBay US when they come up.

It's hard to really fully explain how main "MetaTrak" system works, but it features a sixteen track sequencer, is multi-timbral, and quite flexible. By 1979 standards, it was absolutely stunning. Rather than try and explain what it sounds like, here's a link to a recording of a demo track provided with the system called Galaxy Gap [player above] - this has been played back directly from the system for sale, recorded by myself. It is not multitracked or processed in any way. During playback, the notes are represented on screen in a similar style to the panels on "Close Encounters" - when using other software modules, they are bar-graphs showing velocity.

You can play live over an existing track in MetaTrak. Other software has different features; documentation for the Mountain Computer Music System is included but I had to dig around the internet to find out how to use a lot"

Also see this post.

Firstman SQ01 Analog Synthesizer

via this auction. via Inteliko.

"Firstman SQ01 Analog Synthesizer which is a Multivox company.

This rare mono synth does some really deep, very analog bass. Somewhere between a Moog bass and an TB 303. You can enter notes into sequences with the one octave of membrane keys, ala EDP Wasp. There are 4 banks or 4 sequences of memory that can be written and recalled.

ALSO, you have CV in and out and clock in and out for control. With using the same CV converter I use for my Roland TB 303 and modular synth it plays just fine. Also I have stepped the sequencer in sync with my TR 606. So both sync of sequencer and CV playability are possible. This is a very rare item."

Vince Clarke's Fairlight CMI

images via this auction

"This piece of equipment was owned and used by Vince Clarke FROM ERASURE. It has been regularly serviced. The equipment was part of his studio that has been relocated to the USA. There is no reserve on this item. The Fairlight CMI (Computer Musical Instrument) was the first polyphonic digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1978 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia. It rose to prominence in the early 1980s. This particular unit unfortunately was in a flood and got a bit wet.... It is being sold as untested."

Vince Clarke Demonstrating his Fairlight CMI (mp3) courtesy of Chris Strellis.

via DVDBorn

Vintage Soviet analog drum machine Lell UDS

YouTube via Vtolus.
"vintage Soviet Analog drum machine Lell UDS triggered by Korg ESX. Modulated noises on the back made with Polivix, pad with Casio Cz-101"

Yamaha DX7 MKII FD (Pad Visions)

YouTube via DIGITALSCREAMS.
"Some say the DX7 is crap at making pad sounds - I say the problem lies with the user, not the synth. But you be the judge! Here is a collection of pad sounds I recently programmed that cannot be made on anything but an FM synth! Enjoy."

Roland GR-100

images via this auction.

"the GR100 is one of the rarest and least known of the Roland GR synths, it's the predecessor to the GR-300."

More info including the manual on http://www.joness.com/gr300/

Something for Christmas...

The White Roland SH-101

Two more images here (previously posted here).

via CustomSynth

CLICK FOR MORE »

Roland SH-101

via this auction
"The SH-101 is very cool, especially for techno, drum&bass and ACID! It's a monophonic bass synthesizer. Its sound lies somewhere between the TB-303 and a Juno bass sound. It has a lot of simple but cool features. You can control the VCF, pitch, LFO or all from the pitch bender. It has a white noise generator, arpeggiator with up, down and up/down patterns and a simple real-time sequencer. The LFO offers random, sine, square or noise waveforms. And normal or auto portamento effects give

you that elastic bass sound. There are external clock inputs for the sequencer and arpeggiator, CV/GATE inputs and outputs and a CV hold pedal. Unfortunately there is no patch memory storage and although it has no MIDI there are upgrades available for it from many analog service companies that will allow you to incorporate it into any MIDI studio environment. It can also be controlled by MIDI using a CV/MIDI converter. It's great for bass sounds or bubbly analog effects. They come in three different flavors - gray, blue or red (there was a VERY rare white version too)!"