MATRIXSYNTH

Moog's Halloween Theremin Video Contest

"Get Your Freak on and Win Some Moog Gear: Enter the Moog Halloween Theremin Video Contest

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (October 14, 2009) – The call of the Theremin has been haunting the science fiction and horror movie genres for decades. It was there when aliens came to earth in The Day The Earth Stood Still and when monsters came to life in The Bride of Frankenstein.

Now it’s your turn. Moog Music is sponsoring a Halloween Theremin Video Contest. Prizes include an MF-104Z Analog Delay and a MF-102 Ring Modulator.

To participate, grab your video camera and put together your best Halloween-themed theremin video, but first go to www.moogmusic.com/theremin for a link to the complete contest information. Prizes will be awarded based on a poll of Moog Forum members and on the highest number of YouTube views.

Here’s your chance to keep us as Spellbound as Hitchcock did!

About Moog Music: Moog Music and its customers carry on the legacy of Bob Moog. Moog designs and manufactures electronic musical instruments, including Little Phatty® and Minimoog® Voyager® synthesizers, Moogerfooger® effects modules, Etherwave® theremins and The Moog Guitar. Founded by Bob Moog, Moog Music designs and manufactures its products in Asheville, N.C."

Harald Bode's 100th Birthday

via John Levin:
"October 19th will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Harald Bode.

Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Radio) is presenting a radio broadcast on Saturday the 17th at 11:00 am GMT/UTC (7:00 am EDT) about his life and work:

http://www.br-online.de/bayern2/radiofeature/harald-bode-melochord-musik-ID1255513211989.xml

Through a friend of a friend, I was sent an English translation about the broadcast:

'Ein Leben für den Klang - Der Erfinder Harald Bode und die Elektronische Musik" ("Living For Sound - The Inventor Harald Bode and the Evolution of Electronic Music") is a radio documentary by Caspar Abocab, which is based on an intense journey through the times and life of a man, who contributed musical devices to the world of electronic sound, as we know it today longer than hardly anybody else. A montage of passages from notebooks, letters, publications and European radio programs from the early fifties documents the struggles and debates about music through electronic means. Also documented are personal struggles including not wanting to be a starving martyr, who couldn´t support his family properly, which finally led to Harald Bode’s immigration to the United States. Besides daytime jobs as a developing engineer, which lead to the introduction of new technologies into electronic instruments, he found the time and energy to develop new instruments, as well as for his own compositions. Even as a retired engineer, he built instruments that were widely used. He was proud and happy to have become a well renowned player in this field again, happy to hear his instruments in popular tunes as well as in avant-garde music. He also continued with his own compositions and also with lectures on the history of electronic music.'

Looks like you can stream the show off Bavarian Radio's web site while it's broadcast. It's an early Saturday rise for those of us on the east coast :) but I think I'll get up to try to catch it.

Cheers, and happy Bode-day!
John"

How to Build a Synthesizer: Video Series

Understand How an Oscillator Functions in a Homemade Synthesizer

Learn About the Different Types of Oscillator for Homemade Synthesizers

Learn About the Voltage for Homemade Synthesizers

See the rest of the series here on eHow. via Michael aka KickRaTT

Note: I originally had the three videos above embedded, but they aren't coming up for me on either Firefox on a Mac or IE on Windows. At eHow, they do play but only on IE for me.

1976 ARP Family Ad

via Retro Synth Ads were you'll find the write-up.

it's my electribe now

flickr by shistec ra

"this is a cat. it likes my electribe."

via CatSynth

Sega Master System (YM2413) Controlled by MIDI Keyboard

YouTube via littlescale. follow-up to this post
"Sega Master System (YM2413) Controlled by MIDI Keyboard
---
http://www.little-scale.blo..."

Update:

Sega Master System (SN76489) Controlled by MIDI Keyboard

Roland Jupiter 4 vintage analog synthesizer and flightcase

via this auction

"The sound of four VCOs in Unison mode is impressive. In addition, the Jupiter-4 has eight user memories and 10 presets. Features: 4 votes, 49 keys, a total of 18 presets, chorus, Arpeggiator (up, down, up & down, random), portamento, 1 VCO per voice, 1 LFO, ADSR, pulse width modulation, stereo output, headphone jack, Damper pedal input, VCF pedal input, expression pedal input, Ext Clock Input (to synch the arpeggiator example of CR 68 / 78)"

CLICK FOR MORE »

Vintage Blue Monster DIY Analog Modular Synth

via this auction

"The modules in the upper cabinet:
Noise, 1x processor, multiple, CV-gate output, 3x VCO, 2x VCF, VCA 2x, 2x CV Processor, 3x DADSR, external input, Output Module

The modules in the central cabinet:
Frequency shifter, 1x AR (ENV), multi-VCF (partially functional), 16-step sequencer, flanger without board with controls so no function, Phaser (phaser similar sound comes out, otherwise not fully tested), Filter bank, 3 x ADSR, LFO, mixer

The modules in the lower cabinet:
Digital Counter, Memory, Logic Modules 5-octave keyboard, unfortunately, without proper function."

Sonica vintage synthesizer analog synth by Serge

UPDATE: the original auction link for this post appears to have been harvested from another auction which has ended for $1200. Thanks to the world of next tuesday in the comments for catching it. Be careful out there.

"Up for auction is the extremely rare Sonica, built by Frank Eventoff. Only 650 of these were ever produced, making it a highly collectible electronic device. Very few are now known to exist, even fewer in working condition.

In 1979, the first Sonicas were produced, a collaboration with Larry Heller. There were 650 built, but very few are seen nowadays. Serge Tcherepnin of Serge synthesizers (producer of high-end modular synths!) did the oscillator design, and the oscillator inside the Sonica is indeed a Serge oscillator. The neck is incredibly comfortable, and easily fits into the hand, facilitating the sliding action used for playing the Sonica. Creator Frank Eventoff's neighbor in Silverlake was a modelmaker and carved the bodies - they produced them in runs of 24 at a time. The body is made from finely hand-carved mahogany. Donna Summer bought one of the runs of 24 and created a Sonica Orchestra.

The sound of the Sonica can best be described as somewhere between a sitar and violin. When run through a simple delay, an amazing array of soundscapes are derived. The front panel features a Key/Pitch Knob, and an On/Off Volume Knob. It also features three buttons. "Slider," which is a tremolo type effect, "Tone," which is actually a tonal boost, and "Half-Step," which raises the note an octave. It features a built-in speaker, with an 1/8 inch output to connect to an amplifier or recording device. It runs on one 9-volt battery which is installed by accessing a plate on the backside of the device. The Sonica really shines when sent through a tube amplifier, producing a crystalline sound unlike anything I've heard before.

This unit for auction is in very good shape cosmetically and works as it should. Very conservatively, there are probably a couple hundred of these in working condition today, most of which have been abused in one way or another.

A link to the history of the Sonica:
http://www.alsrecordsandtapes.com/sw.story.htm

see the Sonica label below as well for more posts.