MATRIXSYNTH

Yamaha QX1 - The Mothership Sequencer From 1984

video by Espen Kraft

"With a price tag of nearly $3000 in 1984, this was the mothership of sequencers. The first MIDI sequencer from Yamaha. Totally overengineered and prop full of features.

Internally it has a PPQ of 384, absolutely unheard of in 1984, note ny note editing and with a 5¼" floppy drive for saved data, a totally pro sequencer.
What you must be aware of though, is that the QX1 was meant and MADE to be used with the TX816 rack. Some strange quirks like not being able to pass the incoming MIDI data to its MIDI out ports, only to the THRU port means that if you want to use this with other midi gear, you have to use a massive MIDI merger or patch bay and it will still be cumbersome. Today this almost unusable for anyone not wanting to pray at the alter of selv hurting, as the workflow of the QX1 is also insane, arcane and so utterly cumbersome that half of the time on this machine is waiting. Waiting for it to compute your commands, and only if you input the right commands, in the right order. One wrong press of a button and it will erase your last recording, with no undo.
Luckily it has some redeeming qualities as well, as we shall see.
I find this utterly fascinating, inspiring and a true DeLorean time machine!"

Scritti Politti track.

Building a Fairlight CMI: Episode 7

video by Syntaur

"Cris Blyth is a brave man. He has a dream of taking a Fairlight MFX and upgrading it to a Fairlight CMI Series III. In this episode, Cris fights to the finish with the digital cage, discovers that he shouldn't have removed those blue tabs, and has some success - and some defeat - hooking up the keyboard."

Building a Fairlight CMI episodes

Percussa SSP - Most powerful Eurorack module?

video by TheTechnobear

"I bought the Percussa SSP over a year ago now...
what do I think about it? was it worth the investment?

Here's my intro to the SSP, What I think about it and what Ive done with it!

0:00 Intro
0:25 What is the Percussa SSP?
2:18 Let's Patch
5:45 Connecting more friends
8:10 Look Mum I want a computer
9:15 How many plates can you spin?
10:10 Can it do more?
11:30 It's Large & Expensive - no?
13:28 Elephant in the room!
14:00 How I tame the Elephant
16:45 Roundup"

https://www.percussa.com

Also see Quick Clouds demo on Percussa SSP, followed by the Percussa label below for additional posts.

1996 Novation Drum Station Brochure

via Retro Synth Ads where you'll find the rest of the scans and a full write-up.

"Novation Drum Station four page colour brochure from approximately 1996."

Kurzweil K250 88 Weighted Keys Digital Sampler Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

Some pics of the inside below.

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Korg Mono/Poly Analog Synthesizer

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Excellent condition Korg Mono/Poly! Recently serviced in LA. Fully functional with new side wood panels!"

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Buchla 284 Casual Overview

video by Todd Barton

"Just beginning this exploration of the Buchla 284 Voltage Controlled Envelope Generator. Thanks to Adam Scramstad (@adam_scramstad on instagram) for the loan and beautiful build!
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/synthtodd"

Soundtoys Little PrimalTap - Further Out

Note these videos are from 2014, but I haven't posted them before and Soundtoys is currently having an up to 80% off sale. Click through for details.

P.S. You can find additional posts from various users featuring Soundtoys here.

Some details on the Little PrimalTap, also see the fuller blown PrimalTap.

"Unique retro delay lets you echo, loop, warp, distort and mangle.

Inspired by the classic Prime Time* from 1978, Little PrimalTap captures the highly distinctive sonic imprint of this quirky, and well-loved (by those in the know) vintage digital delay. Don’t be fooled by its simple interface, Little PrimalTap lets you unleash your creative urges to echo, loop, warp, distort, mangle, or create cacophonous cascades of otherworldly sounds.

The Primal Sound

The Prime Time was used by a wide variety of artists back in the 80’s for rich guitar delay, chorus, flange and such, and it did a great job with those things. But the really unique character of its sound came from one of its limitations.

In an attempt to get more out of the technology (and probably stay under budget) it had a feature called Multiply that halved the sample rate each time the delay time was doubled. Sound weird? It does indeed. And it’s just the kind of weird that we love.

Twist And Shout

On this little beast, turning knobs is where it’s at, and that’s how to reveal all the oddities it can create. The Multiply knob supplies extra delay time that has drastic tonal changes with each increase. The Adjust knob creates pitch shift, chorus, or flange when moved. The Feedback and Input drive tie it all together to allow for sounds just not found on any of the “normal” delay plug-ins.

Feedback Loop

Yes, the Feedback can go infinite, and do everything from classic delay style looping to old school sci-fi space noise. Oh, and we doubled the massive 256 milliseconds of delay time from the original (128 if you had the non-expanded one) to 512 milliseconds, so you’ve got some serious looping power if you need it. It’s ok to let it get out of control, unlike the old days where you could blow your speakers (or your ears) if you didn’t stay on top of the feedback. Little PrimalTap lets you use it as another layer of sonic color, and even opens the door for synth-like sounds.

PrimalTap

Want even more creative tweakability? Check out the deluxe version, PrimalTap. You’ll get that same quirky PrimalTap sound with two independent delay lines, an LFO for automated pitch shifting, a menu of different delay algorithms, and the awesome Freeze effect. Log in to your account to view all available upgrade options..."