Some history on this individual synth via the listing: "Moog Sonic 6 synthesizer, serial # S2072, assembled and inspected on January 9, 1975. Includes original power cord. Can be played monophonically or duophonically. This one was marketed as an educational synth, but it makes an unusually good performance synth because you can turn off the signal going out and turn on the speaker any time you want to make a new sound without it going out to the main system, and it folds up into a suitcase. It includes those classic Moog oscillators and the silky smooth Moog ladder filter for unbeatable sound. Plus extras like a ring modulator and two mixable LFOs. And it is great for processing external signals. I put a combo organ through it and got it to sound just like The Who doing "Won't Get Fooled Again".
There is some moderate wear, the edges are not quite as straight as when it was new, and some minor scuffs. But overall it's in very good shape cosmetically. When I got it, it had mushy action and uneven keys. So I replaced all the key bushings. I verified all the keys play properly and don't stick. While I had it open I went through the entire adjustment procedure outlined in the service manual, and it plays in tune now. The service manual and owner's manual can be downloaded free online, and I highly recommend keeping copies of both. Since it is 40 years old I cannot make any guarantees on adjustments or functionality in the future, and I am selling it as-is. But if you should have any problems with it right away, please contact me first.
On a technical note for if you are planning on using this long-term. The next time it is opened up I recommend replacing all the trimmer pots with 10-turn trimmers for increased accuracy and stability of the adjustments. They will also make it A LOT easier to adjust."
"Sonica Serge Synth Instrument, Frank Evantoff Number 585.
Own a part of synthesizer history. One of very few surviving, fully working Sonica Instruments. One sold at auction for $3,416.00
This example is in excellent condition, no damage other than one small ding (size of a BB) in the base of body. No corrosion on battery connections, original case, unmarked original instructions (even has unused stamp for warranty return). This instrument was bought new and put in a closet and recently found.
You are bidding on an extremely rare FULLY WORKING electronic synthesizer instrument by Frank Evantoff, called the Sonica. Number 585 of only 650 produced. Shaped like small lute with a guitar like neck which fits perfectly into the hand. By touching the frets on the neck the instrument produces notes best often described as between a theremin, sitar and a violin.
Frank invented the force sensing-resistor FSR. "After Mattel had used the concept for the "Magical Music Thing," Frank Evantoff developed a more precise keyboard and incorporated it into this new instrument, which he called The Sonica.
In 1979, the first Sonicas were produced, a collaboration with Larry Heller. There were 650 eventually built, but very few are seen nowadays. Serge Tcherepnin of Serge synthesizers (analog modular) did the oscillator design, and the oscillator inside the Sonica is indeed a Serge oscillator. The bodies have an interesting gourd/phallic shape, and were carved red alder wood with hand rubbed lacquer and covered with brass plates. This instrument is hand made even the circuit boards are hand printed. The neck is incredibly comfortable, and easily fits into the hand, facilitating the sliding action used for playing the Sonica.
The sound of the Sonica can best be described as somewhere between a theremin, 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 boasts 15 keys with additional half step notes.
It also features three buttons. Analog “Slider” which is a tremolo type effect, Analog “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.
Please check out youtube of looping, etc. and history of The Sonica by Frank Eventoff.
Comes with original unmarked/no tears instructions (even has unused stamp for warranty return)."
Some pics and initial details via noystoise. Be sure to click through for more.
"The synth is based off of a Yamaha HS200 that the musician had owned since he was a kid. the keyboard is a regular piece of his performance rig, so the finished product needed to stay compact. i had never had the chance to play an HS200 before it was shipped to me. the keyboard is actually pretty powerful for its size. it has 5 timbres, 4-note polyphony, and sustain. the keyboard had some issues, as most toys of this age usually do, but after a good tare-down and cleaning, the keyboard had a lot of potential. one interesting thing about this keyboard was the auto-power-off function. it was actually a separate dedicated IC made by Yamaha. never seen that before. needless to say, i took it out of the circuit..."
"The HS200 itself has a pitch control circuit that can be modulated manually, by the LFO, by the EG, or by the CV input jack. the range is pretty limited but enough to get some great warping sounds. the keyboard also has a 5-position switch to select the timbre, as well as a single on/off switch that engages the sustain mode...
The LFO is pretty cool. it is the same dual op-amp triangle wave VCO i use a lot, however, this time i added a triangle-to-sine wave-shaper after. the wave-shaper can actually be swept from triangle, to sine, to square-wave gradually. this is a great circuit to have in the toolbox. more fun to play with than a three position switch. might have been cool to add a CV input to control the wave-shape. maybe next time. the frequncy of the LFO can be controlled manually, by the EG, or by the external CV input to the LFO. the LFO has a depth control knob that controls the level to the internal parameter it is set to. the LFO has a CV output, but like the EG CV output, the signal is output at full, and can not be controlled with the depth knob. the LFO has a 5-position slide switch that can be set to modulate either the HS200 pitch, 12db filter cutoff, echo rate, echo HP filter, or echo LP filter..."
"What's New in Version 2.6.0
With added Rack Extensions in 2.6, rsTouch now supports more than 100 devices with customized screens!
* New device panel support for 26 RE’s from: AudioRealism (3), Blamsoft (15), Lab:One Recordings (3), Normen Hansen (1), Pitchblende (1) and Robotic Bean (3)
* Removed unnecessary patch display in Audiomatic RE
* Minor bug fixes"
"iPad control surface for Reason! Now with customized support for > 100 devices and Rack Extensions! (PLEASE READ THE REQUIREMENTS BEFORE PURCHASING)
rsTouch provides hands-on control for the Propellerhead Reason MIXER & TRANSPORT functions. In DEVICE mode, control 108 Reason devices from dedicated iPad screens.
Tired of trying to manipulate tiny controls with a mouse? Need more computer screen space? With rsTouch and a MIDI connection (USB MIDI or Wi-Fi network MIDI), you can record, playback, and mix Reason songs from anywhere in your studio using your iPad. Control Reason's main mixer in banks of 8 channels. Use transport controls or the "jog strip" to navigate; set loop range and location markers. View current playback position on timecode and bar-beat displays.
rsTouch's mixer and device displays offer large, color coded multi-touch faders and rotary controls. Dedicated "control panels" for 108 Reason synthesizers, mixers, effects & utility devices puts Reason device control at your fingertips. Control Reason's main mixer's channel level, pan, send effects, inserts, compressor and gate dynamics, and EQ. Channel fader meters, master volume meter, and the "Big Meter" provide visual feedback to monitor audio levels.
rsTouch also includes a music keyboard and drum pads to play Reason synths and drum machines, or record into a sequencer track.
OSX and Windows installers for the required Reason control surface support files are available as a free download from www.delora.com. YOU MUST INSTALL THESE FILES TO USE RSTOUCH.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT ALL SETUP STEPS BE DONE AS DIRECTED. See "Requirements & Setup" and read the user manual on the rsTouch product page at www.delora.com. Please contact us at support@delora.com if you have any problems or questions and we will be happy to assist you.
REQUIREMENTS
* iPad running iOS 5.1.1 or greater
* Propellerhead Reason 6.5.0 (or higher, including Reason 8) or Reason Essentials 1.5 (or higher) running on your Mac or Windows PC
* rsTouch Reason support files installed on your Mac or PC. DOWNLOAD FREE INSTALLER AT www.delora.com
* Dedicated iPad MIDI input and output connection to computer (wired or network MIDI)
-- wired MIDI interfaces must reliably support MIDI SYSEX commands!
-- Network MIDI requires Wi-Fi access to computer running Reason
-- PC NETWORK MIDI USERS: You must have a CoreMIDI compatible network MIDI driver installed (see user manual).
-- Set iPad Bluetooth OFF if using network MIDI
FEATURES
* Control Reason's Main Mixer, Master Section & Rack devices using multitouch rotaries, faders, and buttons
* Always available Transport controls, including "jog strip" & 5 programmable location markers
* "Big Meter" display
* Timecode & bar-beat "LCD"
* Tempo setting & display
* Undo, Redo
* Device Rack mode: control 108 Reason instruments, effects and utilities from customized device screens
* Main Mixer mode:
-- Channel names and numbers
-- 8 mixer channels at a time
-- Bank buttons (by 1 or 8)
-- Bank change swipe gesture
-- Four programmable bank buttons + last/busses bank
-- Long-throw channel faders; levels shown in dB; extended length faders available
-- Link channels for “gang” fader operation
-- Mute and solo; clear all mutes or solos
-- Channel VU and Peak meters
-- Channel pan; value displayed
-- Channel effects sends & enables (8 per channel) - patch name for each send bus displayed
-- Channel insert: Bypass, 4 rotaries, 4 buttons
-- Channel EQ; controls on 3 switchable/scrollable views
-- Channel compressor and gate; controls on 2 views
* Master mode:
-- 8 Master sends and returns
-- Master insert: bypass, 4 rotaries & buttons
-- Master bus compressor
-- Long-throw master level fader; level shown in dB
-- Master level VU and Peak meter
-- Control Room settings popup
* Perform mode: keyboard and drum pads for playing and recording Reason synths and drum machines from the iPad"
via the seller: "I had my friend who works with switched on (Austin Texas) comb through this bad boy and tune her up and get every key in perfect condition. It really sounds great and has no hiss or extra noise. It's honestly been one of my cleanest synths. All knobs work perfectly, the mod wheel works great, and the pitch finger slider is in great condition! Superb synth here!!"
Some history on this individual synth via the listing: "Moog Sonic 6 synthesizer, serial # S2072, assembled and inspected on January 9, 1975. Includes original power cord. Can be played monophonically or duophonically. This one was marketed as an educational synth, but it makes an unusually good performance synth because you can turn off the signal going out and turn on the speaker any time you want to make a new sound without it going out to the main system, and it folds up into a suitcase. It includes those classic Moog oscillators and the silky smooth Moog ladder filter for unbeatable sound. Plus extras like a ring modulator and two mixable LFOs. And it is great for processing external signals. I put a combo organ through it and got it to sound just like The Who doing "Won't Get Fooled Again".
There is some moderate wear, the edges are not quite as straight as when it was new, and some minor scuffs. But overall it's in very good shape cosmetically. When I got it, it had mushy action and uneven keys. So I replaced all the key bushings. I verified all the keys play properly and don't stick. While I had it open I went through the entire adjustment procedure outlined in the service manual, and it plays in tune now. The service manual and owner's manual can be downloaded free online, and I highly recommend keeping copies of both. Since it is 40 years old I cannot make any guarantees on adjustments or functionality in the future, and I am selling it as-is. But if you should have any problems with it right away, please contact me first.
