Octavarium - JR Continuum Solo

YouTube via weirdjade27. Sent my way via frederic. More on the Haken Continuum.

Moog Sonic 6

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

via Loscha.

Soviet Analog Synth Altair 231

images via this auction.

Details:
"ALTAIR-231 is a monophonic 3'osc synth, it has 4-oct keyboard (F-C) with velocity sensitivity assign to vibrato effect. Sound control is performed with round knobs and switchers. For live performance there is a wheel which provides pitch shift (called glissando).

Synthesizer is based on 3 VCO (any can work as the modulator), 1 VCF (lowpass 24dB/oct) with ADSR, 1 VCA, 3 LFO, noise generator (white/pink), portamento. Consist of 5 main sections - MODULATION, OSC'S, MIXER, FILTER and AMP (called Contour).

MOD section:
- portamento on/off, rate;
- mod mixer knob: balance between modulated by OSC3 and noise, depth amount;
- vibrato on/off, octave shift to 1/2
- pitch wheel (glissando)

OSCILLATORS section:
- osc 1,2,3 registers - 2", 4", 8", 16", 32", LF
- osc 1,2,3 waveshape select - triangle, saw, square, pulse, sine
- osc frequency - freq 1..3, freq 2, freq 3 -linked to keyboard pitch on/off
- modulation on/off switch

MIXER:
- osc 1,2,3 on/off, level
- ext input level, on/off
- noise generator level, on/off
- noise mode switch: white/pink

FILTER:
- mod on/off
- cutoff, resonance, brightness
- attack, decay, sustain
- keytrack on/off

AMPLIFIER:

- attack, decay, sustain
- key hold memory on/off

Next - global section: main volume, phones volume, phones out (5din), A-440Hz tone on/off, power.

Connection 1/4 jacks: input, output, pedal input (5din), ground.
Power supply: 220V/50Hz, fuze 0,125A"

Serge Analog Modular Synth

Title link takes you to shots pulled from this auction.

Details:
"This panel was mainly designed as a control voltage generation /modification source and is the perfect companion to a TKB touch keyboard sequencer. It is a slightly modified version of the "Red CV 1" shop panel shown here: http://serge-fans.com/newpics/panel_red_cv1_150dpi.jpg I replaced the Random Source, CV Processor and SSG with modules that fit better in my system at the time, namely the Active Processor, Pulse Divider, CV Mixer and Dual Scaling Processor. I no longer have a TKB and am slimming back my system so I'm passing this on to a loving home."

Clef Analog Mono Synth

via this auction

Update via Georg in the comments: "This is the B30 Microsynth from a company called CLEF PRODUCTS LIMITED from Bramhall, UK. It was sold as a kit as well in 1982.
I first thought the design looks like an BME, but I was wrong...

Georg."

Update via Hodgheg in the comments: "I used to sell these! Clef Products was a seriously weird place to work, I was there in the early 80's & left before they went bust. The Microsynth was the only instrument not designed in house; the designer was Allan Bradford MSc, at the time a lecturer in electronics at B'ham Uni. Good synth for the money, (£129 in kit form, £199 built) amazing variety of sounds but 1/3rd volt per octave meant tuning problems so bad that we used to put silica gel in the demo model to keep the humidity stable! I sold 30 bare pcb's to GCHQ (the listening spies) who wanted them for 30 new apprentices, presumably to teach them about soldering and/or interaction of waveforms. So I imagine somewhere there are a few Microsynths that stay in tune due to using military grade components:-)

If anyone wants to sell me one, contact me at hodgheg hotmail.com"

Waldorf Micro Q Keyboard

Title link takes you to shots pulled via this auction. I always wanted one of these.

Vintage Rolf Harris Stylophone Synth

No title link. Just two shots from this auction.

Doesn't that mug shot make you want it? : )

Casio MT 400V with Analog Filters?

No title link, just a few shots and details pulled from this auction. I've never seen one of these before. Anyone know if it actually does have analog filters and how it sounds?

Gotta love the descriptions you find on the bay. : )

"What a freak machine! Casio sometimes pull gems out of the bag, and this is one of them (model MT 400V) - has all the usual suspects i.e. cheesy presets and bop-a-long drums - where it all goes "ping" is with the awsomely funky analogue filter section at the end - you can send either the drums or the key sounds through this thing which has a swept filter with cutoff e.t.c. plus a bunch of other cool spacewarp additions to texture and shape your sounds to taste (see pictures). Pretty Hot Damn Thrilling ! Adds the cool juice to any track - in excellent working order, missing the tops to 5 of the sliders - doesn`t impair its` workability at all."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Andromeda Goes Juno?

Another via Tuomas of Quandace:

"I just purchased a second hand Boss CE-300 chorus and tried it with my A6. So, I made a short demo. Earlier I played the Terminator Theme alot with my Juno-106 and I've been trying to imitate that sound with my andy. The CE-300 helps alot I think. Here's the link.

I turn the chorus on at 1:10. Before that I only tweak the A6's filter cutoff. All tweaks after 1:10 are from the CE-300 apart from the rising filter cutoff from Andy."

Also mirrored here for posterity.

Synthesizers Shop in Tokyo

Click here for a flickr set by mosram of 5G (FiveG) in Tokyo, titled "Synthesizers Shop in Tokyo."

via Francois P.

Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting

"The Pacific Northwest Synthesizer Meeting is next Saturday.

Bring your analog or other synthesizers for show or to play. Come see and
hear what others have brought. Additional information is available on my web
site.

Saturday, October 21, 2006
10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Renton Technical College
Building C, Room 110
3000 NE 4th St
Renton, WA 98056

Take care,
John
www.sound-photo.com"

imogen heap on letterman

I almost didn't put this up as I try to keep post specifically about the synths rather than just artists using synths. You can imagine how out of control the site would get if I opened the flood gates. But... Since I've been on a bit of a looping kick lately I figure why not. I've heard of Imogen Heap before but I never made the time to listen to her music. Brian Comnes sent me a link to this video as Imogen Heap is becoming the looping artist. This video shows how she is able to create a full piece of music all by herself using loops and most importantly building them live. Pretty cool, and Letterman seemed to like it. : ) This song is really growing on me. Anyone know what synth she's playing?

Mark Shreeve (Live At Emma '94)

YouTube via Kenzoid27. Sent my way via frederic. Title link takes you to more.

SpiralSynth Modular

"SpiralSynth Modular is an object orientated music studio with an emphasis on live use. You can use it in a fairly straight forward way to make tracks with, or get very experimental. Audio or control data can be freely passed between the plugins. Data can also be fed back on itself for chaotic effects."

Title link takes you there. via SoNiCbRaT.