Admin: Update on Auction Posts

Just a heads up, but I will no longer be saving off auction shots in flickr sets. However, I will continue to put auction posts up. Instead of "images via this auction" where images was a link to the flickr set, posts will now read "images at this auction" with this auction being a link to the auction. You can go to the auction to grab the images yourself if interested.

Why am I doing this? Three reasons.

One, it is beginning to consume much more time than I want it to. I post way more now than I used to (30+ posts a day) and I'd like to get some of my time back.

Two, the images have actually become saturated. How many images of a Juno-106 do we really need? Whenever I scrub an auction, if an image looks familiar (they all are beginning to at this point) I'll check my flickr sets to see if I posted them already. This takes a LOT of time and I'm finding that I'm putting up dupes.

Three, I had a seller contact me who said the images I'm capturing are having an adverse effect. People are accusing the seller of grabbing my images for their auctions when the images I have were most likely from that seller's auction! Yep... I was originally capturing the images for two reasons, one for posterity (it would be cool to look back 20 years from now) and two, so people could verify auction images. If you see a questionable auction, you could check the flickr archive and do some research. Well, it looks like that second reason might have backfired. That seller has asked me to remove all of their auction pics. This is the first time that has happened. People are usually thankfull that I put their auction up, but I can understand. The problem with this is that once the Ebay auction link has expired there is no real way to verify who the images came from. Moving forward I'd have to archive and note each seller. That would not only take way too much time, but some sellers might not want me to do this. In short there is no way to keep everyone happy, so I've opted to stop archiving images for now and continue to put up posts for those that want to see and grab them for themselves.

The downside? Once the auction is gone, the images are gone so they are lost. I am still a bit on the fence because of this. I feel like I'm doing an disservice to everyone. If you have an opinion, feel free to comment.

Simmons SDS-1 EPROM Digital/Analog Drum Synth & Huge EPROM Library (60 EPROMs) SN 005758

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

via this auction

According to the listing, this is the one featured in these videos.

"Includes 60 SDS Drum EPROMs, for use with Simmons SDS-1, SDS-7, SDS-9 drum synths.

Up for auction is a white vintage Simmons SDS-1 EPROM-based electronic drum pad in working condition, including 60 different Simmons EPROMs which are also compatible with Simmons SDS-7, and SDS-9 drum synths.

The EPROMs included with this auction are reproductions of original Simmons EPROM chips, almost all of the chips are original Simmons sounds, and is rare to see such an expansive library of Simmons EPROM chips being offered on eBay. I have posted recordings of all of the chips in this auction being performed by the SDS-1 in the link below.

The Simmons SDS-1 is a single voice drum synth that uses 8k or 16k EPROMs to play back 8-bit drum sounds and effects. The drum synth can be triggered by hitting the drum pad or via an external trigger input. There is a modulation section on the drum synth that allows you to set the pitch and pitch bend direction, then a separate runtime generator allows you to dial in a random pitch generator that can range from subtle to extreme. Please check out my link below to some MP3s I made with the SDS1 drum synth as well as YouTube videos (the SDS-1 in the YouTube video is the same one being auctioned here).

The Simmons SDS EPROM drum pad is confirmed 100% working, ZIF, LED, external trigger, output, and knobs are all functioning properly. All 60 drum sound EPROMs included with this auction have been tested/verified and are also confirmed working. Battery functionality has not been tested, as the battery cover is missing and is often missing on these vintage drum synths.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Site Update: A Note on "Auction" Posts

This is just a heads up, in gear for sale posts, new posts will feature "via this listing" instead of "via this auction". If you search for old gear pics be sure to run two searches on the site, one with "listing" and one with "auction" for posts older than today. The reasoning: when the site first launched in 2005, auctions were king. The messaging stuck to make searching for previous posts easier. Since then fixed price listings have taken over and posting via "this auction" when it's not an actual auction no longer feels right. Via this listing is more accurate as it can be either an auction listing or a fixed price listing. I wish I thought of this back in 2005, but again, back then they were auctions. This post is just for regulars on the site who like searching for old pics. Use "auction" for posts prior to today, and use "listing" for newer posts.

The Auctions label, however, will remain for all posts featuring "via this auction" and "via this listing". Unfortunately labels aren't included in the site's search functionality.

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You might have also noticed a new statement on top of all auction/listing posts:

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

See the site's privacy policy for more info on that.

Simmons SDS-1 Drum Synth Pad & Huge EPROM Library

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

via this auction

Note the cover for the knobs to prevent damage when striking the page in the pic below.  You'll find the full list of EPROMs at the bottom of this post.

"Simmons SDS-1 Drum Synth Pad & Huge EPROM Library
Includes 66 SDS Drum EPROMs, for use with Simmons SDS-1, SDS-7, SDS-9

Up for auction is a white vintage Simmons SDS-1 EPROM-based electronic drum pad in working condition, including 66 different Simmons EPROMs that are also compatible with Simmons SDS-7, and SDS-9 drum synths.

The EPROMs included with this auction are reproductions of original Simmons EPROM chips, most of the chips are original Simmons sounds, and is rare to see such an expansive library of Simmons EPROM chips being offered on eBay. I have posted recordings of all of the chips in this auction being performed by the SDS-1 in the link below.

The Simmons SDS-1 is a single voice drum synth that uses 8k or 16k EPROMs. The drum synth can be triggered by hitting the drum pad or via an external trigger input. There is a modulation section on the drum synth that allows you to set the pitch and pitch bend direction, then a separate runtime generator allows you to dial in a random pitch generator that can range from subtle to extreme. Please check out my link below to some MP3s I made with the SDS1 drum synth.

The Simmons SDS EPROM drum pad is confirmed 100% working, ZIF, LED, external trigger, output, and knobs are all functioning properly. All 40 drum sound EPROMs included with this auction have been verified and are also confirmed working. Battery functionality has not been tested, and the unit does include the batter cover that is often missing on these vintage drum synths.

PLEASE READ: The SDS-1 is in very good shape for its age, and there are some minor scratches on the Simmons SDS-1, please see pictures posted with this auction for more detail. A 6v power adapter is included with this auction.

This auction includes a Simmons SDS-1 drum synth, 66 EPROMs in 7 protective EPROM cases with non-conductive foam, and a new 6v power adapter. The Simmons SDS-1 User Manual can be downloaded from the link below."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Wiard 300 Series Modules

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

Borg Filters Model 342 via this auction

Dual Woggle Bug Model 371 via this auction

Classic VCO Model 341 via this auction

Waveform City Model 342 via this auction

Dual Envelator Model 331 via this auction

Omni Filter Model 351 via this auction - signed by Cary Grace and Grant Richter on the back.

Controller Model 311 via this auction

Rack Frame by Hinton Instruments via this auction

Portable Power Supply via this auction

CLICK FOR MORE »

Simmons SDS-1 Drum Synth Pad & Huge EPROM Library

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

via this auction

"Includes 66 SDS Drum EPROMs, for use with Simmons SDS-1, SDS-7, SDS-9

Up for auction is a red vintage Simmons SDS-1 EPROM-based electronic drum pad in working condition, including 66 different Simmons EPROMs that are also compatible with Simmons SDS-7, and SDS-9 drum synths.

The EPROMs included with this auction are reproductions of original Simmons EPROM chips, most of the chips are original Simmons EPROM sounds, and is rare to see such an expansive library of Simmons EPROM chips being offered on eBay. I have posted recordings of all of the chips in this auction being performed by the SDS-1 in the link below.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Lupine Systems First Vintage DIY Analog Synthesizer For Sale

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

via this auction

Here's an interesting bit of DIY synthesizer history. The only other post to mention Lupine Systems went up last October here. Below are the details from the auction including a link to an audio demo. Note there is a Lupine Systems website still online.

Details via the auction:

Hello DIY synthesizer fans! Way back in the 1970's I designed a number of synthesizer systems. Many of them were basic but for the time they were quite impressive.

I used to build small devices while in school to impress my friends. I often gave away copies of the diagrams, many of which I have seen online in one form or another -- many are very simple in nature and have survived the many years. This design is a hybrid -- the keyboard is digitally scanned but the audio is generated by analog circuits. This combo allows for the use of a matrixed keyboard. The heart of the system is the M50240 Top Octave Generator chip for which the output is divided down to lower frequencies and blended to form the sound to be processed by the filters.

Up for auction is a copy of one of my original synthesizers. The original was built using pad-per-hole and point-to-point wiring. I decided a while back to draft a set of printed circuits for this design "just for the heck of it". Up for auction are the results.

The PC board had a few drafting errors which have been professionally corrected with jumpers (a corrected version is now available but not yet up for auction).

All controls are fully functional and since the photos were taken I have added knobs to all of the rotating controls. I have also added a 1/4" phone jack for the audio output mounted on the rear (not shown).

PLEASE NOTE: THE AUCTION IS FOR THE SYNTHESIZER PC BOARD SET, NOT THE KEYBOARD SHOWN. The keyboard IS HOWEVER INCLUDED. The keyboard is CHEAP and is not of high quality so it is being TOSSED IN WITH THE AUCTION to get you started. Note in the photos that one key has been replaced and does not truly match the rest but plays OK. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU REPLACE THE KEYBOARD WITH A DECENT ONE rather than rely on this toss-in.

Schematics are included with this auction.

If you would like to hear some of the sounds this keyboard makes you can Click Here for a wav file of the sounds."

CLICK FOR MORE »

KORG Charity Auctions - Hancock, Emerson, Winter, Rudess

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated. "Korg USA Charitable Auction of Autographed Korg M50 Keyboards in Limited Edition Colors To Benefit MusiCares® and The VH1 Save The Music Foundation

MELVILLE, NY, October 29, 2012––Korg USA is holding an eBay charity auction to benefit our friends at MusiCares® and The VH1 Save the Music Foundation. Five collectible, one-of-a-kind, M50 Music Workstations in limited-edition colors have been autographed by various artists and are up for grabs from the highest bidder:

Brand new Korg M50 Music Workstation in limited-edition blue, autographed by Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater before he performed live at the Korg USA booth during a music convention: [auction link]

Brand new Korg M50 in limited-edition yellow, autographed by Jazz legend Herbie Hancock during his appearance at the Korg USA Booth at a music convention where Korg presented him with a lifetime achievement award: [auction link]

Brand new Korg M50 in limited-edition dark green, autographed by the legendary Keith Emerson during his appearance at the Korg USA Booth at a music convention where Korg presented him with a lifetime achievement award: [auction link]

Brand new Korg M50 in limited-edition red, autographed by Iconic rocker Edgar Winter before he performed live at the Korg USA booth during a music convention: [auction link]

Brand new Korg M50 in limited-edition white, dually autographed by Herbie Hancock and Keith Emerson [auction link]

The auction starts on Tuesday, October 29th (8am pacific), and run for ten days. Each keyboard includes the owner’s manual, accessory disc, power supply, and a full warranty. Autograph authenticity guaranteed by Korg USA. The keyboards will ship directly from Korg USA in New York (shipping within the USA only).

Visit eBay and bid to become the owner of one of these collectible instruments!

For detailed product information on the M50, please visit our site at www.korg.com/m50.

About MusiCares:

Established in 1989 by The Recording Academy®, MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community.

For more information, please visit www.musicares.org. For breaking news and exclusive content, please like "MusiCares" on Facebook at www.facebook.com/musicares and follow MusiCares on Twitter @MusiCares at www.twitter.com/musicares.

About The VH1 Save the Music Foundation:

The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America’s public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child’s complete education. To date, VH1 Save The Music has provided more than $48 million in new musical instruments to 1,800 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.8 million children. For more information on VH1 Save The Music Foundation please visit: http://www.vh1savethemusic.org."

Note on Ebay Auction Links

All Ebay auctions on this site are affiliate links. What are affiliate links? In short paid links. The way it works is Ebay charges you to put an item up for auction. That's how they make money. They keep 100% of that charge if the buyer comes to the auction directly. If a buyer comes to an auction through an affiliate link like the ones on this site, then they give a percentage of that 100% to the owner of the affiliate link. That would be me. I figure if I'm going to put a link up to an auction, why let Ebay keep 100%. They are a big company and they can afford to help support this site. I do all of this on my own free time and I believe sites like this should be free and supported by ads that are useful and relevant. Never buy anything you do not want to. Also, note that the affiliate fee comes out of that 100%, it is not an additional charge, so it does not cost the buyer or seller of the auction more. Why is Ebay willing to do this? Because they figure it will drive more traffic to them. In my case it would probably be the same as I do not put up posts for the sake of the affiliate links. If I did you would see a whole lot more going up. I was actually a bit uncomfortable with the amount I put up so I created MATRIXSYNTH-B to cut the noise down. I only put the most interesting items up here - either the best shots, the rarest and most unique items, or interesting bits of synth history found in the details of auctions - I only put up posts if they merit a post regardless of the source, whether that be Ebay, Flickr, or other. Why am I putting up this note here? Because I do not want to put it up with every single auction post that goes up. I don't think most would appreciate having to read this in every single post. Why not just say it's an affiliate link in the post and be done with it? Because affiliate links mean different things to different people and I want to explain exactly what it is on this site. Note that there is still a bar for MATRIXSYNTH-B. I frequently post auctions people send me on both MATRIXSYNTH and MATRIXSYNTH-B, and I respect anonymity, although on MATRIXSYNTH I will only put auction posts that meet the bar above. If I posted everything on Ebay, you would see everything here go up. Note saving and posting all of this stuff does take a lot of my time, and it doesn't cost you (buyer or seller) anything. I spend 3-6 hours every single day, Monday through Sunday, on the blog. What I do get from Ebay helps with the sanity.

The Crazy Ass Auction Contest!

Update: And we have a winner! The Cyclone went for $202.50. Matthew came in closest guessing $175. He'll be receiving a free Native Instruments Audio 2 DJ. Thanks everyone, and thanks again to Native Instruments.

Native Instruments wrote in to let me know they would be interested in giving away a free Audio 2 DJ [previously posted] to one of MATRIXSYNTH's lucky readers. Way cool Native Instruments!

Obviously this means we must have some sort of contest. I was trying to think of some ideas including having people send in their music or vids made with Native Instruments gear, but then I thought this might not be fair to those that like to tinker more than compose. I didn't want to go with a "first person to email me wins" contest as that would obviously not be fair to those of us who have to step away to work now and then.

So... I thought, "what would be easy, fair, and something everyone could participate in?..." Also, what could I make a series of, should other manufacturers want to offer free gear through the site. One of the staples of this site have become auction posts and us sometimes scratching our heads at what gear eventually goes for. It's frequently a guessing game.

With that, I present to you The Crazy Ass Auction Contest #1! Here's how it will work. Guess the final price of this fantastically blue circuit bent modular synth. The auction ends on Aug 23, 2009. On Aug 22, send me an email with your guess on how much you think it will end for. I will only accept entries timestamped on the 23rd or earlier. The closest person to the winning bid wins the Audio 2 DJ! If there is a tie, I will list the tied submitters and we will have a second auction contest for the final winner. [And that auction ended early - new one via brian c guaranteed to stay up follows].

Update: we have a new item! A footless Oberheim Cyclone! This should be interesting. How much is it worth?! How much will it actually go for?! What the hell is it?!!!

"The Cyclone is probably the best standalone arpeggiator around, it has a lot more than the standard up down stuff you find elsewhere. There are 16 presets and 16 user definable patches, 8 transposition stages per recursion each with its own number of repeats, inversions or programmable recursions, 2 independent keyboard ranges , it will do chords as well as single notes, and it will respond to tap tempo as well as midi clock. Unit is in great shape for being 21 years old, minimal normal scuffing, has bright display , the only 'defect' is that the 4 rubber feet underneath are gone.... an easy cheap fix."

This auction ends on 8/21, so entries are due by midnight 8/20! Anything after that will be discarded. Guess away! And yes, you can guess multiple times. I'll be looking at numbers vs. email addresses. The closest number wins.

Big thanks to Native Instruments and brian c for the auction item!

Note they can only ship to the US and no PO Boxes.

Admin: Auction Posts Update

I'm killing the BIN:s for auction posts mentioned in this prior post. Instead I will have a Sold For: added to the bottom each auction post description as I have time. That's more of an if I have time. I just went through all auction posts back to September 26. Auctions before then appear to be gone from Ebay. You will see the following at the end of each auction description in posts moving forward:

Sold For: the price an item sold for
Sold For: 0 bids
Sold For: check back

Check back is a note for myself. It means the auction hadn't ended when I checked, and it makes it easier for me to find them later. You can always check the auction link for the current bid.

It's kind of fun looking back at what some items went for:
The Mint ARP 2500
The Moog Sonic V Serial #74
The NIN Auction Items - scroll past the first one. I should have bid on the Electrix boxes!

Have fun...

Admin: Winning Bids

Just a heads up, selectivepressure is posting the winning bids for old auction posts in the comments as he has time. If you search for "this auction" on the top left and scroll down to older posts, you will see some. He's been a bit more active on MATRIXSYNTH-B, so be sure to check there as well. The B site is auction only, so obviously you don't need to search on "this auction" however you can search on specific gear if you are curious. Also, if the winning bid is not in the comments, you can try clicking on the auction link to see if it is still up. When you click on an auction link and it states it has ended, just scroll down on that page to see the winning bid. Unfortunately Ebay does remove listings all together in time. BTW, feel free to send in your auction listings if you like. The best pics and rare items go up here, everything else goes up on MATRIXSYNTH-B.

Modded Wasp Synthesizer Demo

YouTube via eidco | September 17, 2008 - [previously posted - new post for the auction below]

"This is a demonstration of the Wasp Synthesizer I sold on eBay. The auction ran from Sep. 24 to Oct. 4, 2008.

I originally had a link to the auction item here, but it is too old now and the item has been removed.

My Wasp sold for a disappointing $687 dollars. Congratulations to the lucky winner of the auction. The timing of my auction coincided with the tanking of the US economy and I'm afraid that scared off a lot of potential bidders. I've seen other Wasp synths sell on eBay for over $1200 even in a non-operating condition.

Thanks for listening, rating, commenting, and subscribing to my videos."


via this auction

"ORIGINAL 1979 EDP WASP SYNTHESISER"

Note this is not the one in the video above, but is a new listing. I spotted the video in this auction. The seller does note the video is not the one listed.

Vintage Doepfer VMS - Voice Modular System for Auction

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

via eBay Germany

Note this would be the third Doepfer product according to the timeline here. It is from 1982 and it predates the Sound Sampler recently posted here by two years.

Another one spotted by Florian Anwander who had the following to say:

"This is an auction on ebay Germany. The VMS - Voice Modular System' was a Curtis based synth, that provided
* a voice card with two VCOs, VCF, VCA, and two ADSR,
* an addon card with two LFOs and Noise for each card, and may be some other functions
* an interface card to controll the synths parameters from a C64
* a 32 x S&H card, where the voltages from the interface where distributed to the voices.
* a memory card, where presets could be stored
One system could consist of 8 Voices.

In this auction also a Sound Sampler Card,a MIDI-CV-interface, and a card for a polyphonic CV/Gate-Keyboard is included.

Unfortunately the auction the seller does not ship to other countries than germany.

Original text of the auction in Googlish:
'Mid-80s, I have several times different special assemblies by Dipl. Phys. Dieter Doepfer purchased to build me a synthesizer module system. I once 1,032.50 DM for all these parts paid (the old invoices I send with). From the construction project unfortunately did not work out. The various boards, partially equipped with plenty Curtis CEM ICs and other were not built by me, the boards were therefore not connected to power supply voltages. While these are all modules of the early Doepfer devices series, but it would be a shame to dispose of these boards as hazardous waste. Even if only the Curtis ICs into account, then this package is still some value is, therefore, the starting price of the auction of EUR 150, -. Because I can not verify the circuit boards and assemblies, sell everything as defective goods. I'm still on the assumption that the ICs work.

There are the following modules with the corresponding assembled boards:

1 Voice Card
1 expansion card
1 analog output interface based card
2 analog output interface 32 channel S & H Cards
1 analog memory bank
1 half-Europe microcomputer board
1 analog memory bank backplane

The matching of the modules front panels, potentiometers, switches and jacks are not there. A few existing external components (front panels, mounting, etc. s. Photos) I deliver to.

At Curtis CEM ICs are installed on Voice Card and expansion card into the following number:
2x CEM 3340 VCO
1x CEM 3320 VCF
4x CEM 3330 Dual VCA
2x CEM 3360 Dual VCA
2x CEM 3310 ADSR

Full-linked blueprints for different modules with copies of the original CEM IC documentation (in English) are for the following modules in the Appendix:

Voice-Card
Expansion-card
Analog output interface (ASB)
Analog memory bank
Midi-CV interface (v. Peter Fischer)
Polyphonic computer keyboard (v. Peter Fischer)
Sound sampling unit (natural sound memory (SSE)

Furthermore, the scope of the auction include several brochures and price lists from Doepfer from 1983-84 and 1984-85, as well as a multi-page copy of a Elrad article about Curtis CEM CEM ICs and documentaries about other ICs.

This offer is valid only within Germany. This offer is valid for Germany only - no shipping to other countries.'"

CLICK FOR MORE »

MATRIXSYNTH-B

Update: I decided to not include the Matrixsynth posts on Matrixsynth-B after all. I looks like crap and you end up having to weed between them, so... All auction posts will be different between the two.

In light of me wanting to capture both the jaw droppers and to some, the mundane that comes across the bay, I've decided to create Matrixsynth-B for the "b-sides" of auction posts here. The "B" is also a take on "the Bay." The site will be limited to auction posts only, so if that's not your "schtick," you can skip it. I will continue to put up auction posts here as usual, however, anything I am on the fence with will go up on Matrixsynth-B. Note that the criteria for an auction to go up here are any combination of great shots, interesting details, or the rarest of the rare. So, if you are into the auction posts, do check out the B-sides now and then as some interesting items will come up that might not meet the three criteria. I will not link to auctions here, on Matrixsynth-B just to reduce redundancy.

I'm also going to open B up to submissions, so if you have something listed that you want me to post, send it my way, but.... send it at the start of your auction so it's not too late. The turn around times might be slower as my main focus is MATRIXSYNTH. And the new site... it's B-lue.

Roland CMU-800R for Sale

Remember the Roland CMU-800R demoed by James Gallant at this year's Pacific Northwest Synth Meeting? Well, at the meeting James mentioned he purchased one brand new from a school that was going to auction off another one. Well here it is. Note these are extremely hard to find with interface card and software. This one is brand new. If you ever wanted one of these, here is your chance. Note that the proceeds will go to the school, so this is also for a good cause. No title link as there are just these two shots.
Here's a link to the auction.

Details:
"This is the second of two extremely rare units from the same source (described below). There is a very cool blog [Matrixsynth! :)] devoted to synthesizers. You can see videos of the first unit we listed in operation and being demonstrated by the successful bidder at the following link.

Up for auction is an all original (and very very rare) Roland CMU 800R in ABSOUTELY NEW condition. This unit is in original Roland packaging, and has never even been unbagged until now (we opened the shipping bag to take a picture of the back of the unit.) It includes the original box, original manual, Apple interface card, interface cable, power cord, and a copy of the original Apple format 5.25” floppy disc with Apple software. The disk copy was made by the gentleman in the above mentioned video, and is an exact copy of the original software (The disk in the picture is the original disk, not included in this auction.) Several Roland brochures are included as well. The Apple interface card has the original metal foil around it used for ESD protection (we will add a modern ESD bag for the card – but we will leave the metal foil intact.) It appears this is exactly what Roland shipped – Box, manual, cable, interface card, power cord, and the unit itself. The original Styrofoam inserts for the box are missing – we will use bubble wrap to pad the unit.

Special Feature: The winning bidder of the first unit spent a fair amount of time figuring out how to get it to work. He has written a wonderful 1 page document to help guide you through that first power-up. This invaluable “Setup Tips” document is included with this sale! It includes a color photo of how to orient pin 1 on the interface cable – a very valuable piece of information.

The winner of the first auction has suggested I include a couple additional interesting facts about these units:

First, they require an Apple II e with at least one floppy disk drive to operate. These are available on Ebay for reasonable prices.

Second, all the eight channels of control voltage and gate outputs on the back of the 800R can be used to control both vintage and modern analog synthesizers that work on the 1V/octave standard. That's pretty much every analog synth out there except for those by Korg and Yamaha.

A history of these units can be found at: link

Scroll on down a little over half way at the above link, or search for the heading “Milestone: The Roland DG CMU 800R CompuMusic”. This unit is a piece of history. Well, maybe a small one. The Sound on Sound page says it all. These were way way ahead of their time, and almost none remain in operating condition.

This unit was donated to a local school decades ago, and sat untouched for years. Unfortunately the original Roland box has “Sound Mixer” written on it in black felt pen by confused band director. To the best of our knowledge, this unit is exactly what was shipped from Roland. We have no way to test it, so it is sold as is, with our belief that it is exactly as shipped by Roland in its day, a couple decades ago. Check out the matrixsynth link for details on how the first unit ran.

All proceeds from this auction will be donated to the local public school instrumental music program. Bid with the assurance you’re helping a small town music program!"

Again, here's a link to the auction.

Update: Note that this seller has been known to sell the software.

Quintron Drum Buddy

Remember this post on the Drumbuddy going up for auction? It looks like the time has finally come.

images via this auction
"Up for auction is a brand new Quintronics DRUM BUDDY, a one of a kind light activated analog synthesizer / rhythm machine hand crafted by New Orleans musician and inventor Quintron. The basic principal of operation is that there are cadmium sulfide light sensors hidden inside the colored tubes around the rotating black can and as the light holes pass them by, the various oscillator sounds are charged, filtered, bleeped and blooped in a variety of different ways. Each of the 4 oscillators is represented by a different color and each has been designed to complete a total rhythm kit, much the same way that the different elements of an acoustic trap set go together. The Blue pipe is the “kick drum”, the red is the “snare drum”, and the green is the “organ oscillator”. This green oscillator is raw VCO melodic organ tone controlled by “general” and “fine” tuning knobs for playing songs in a whole new way - no chromatic scales on this instrument. The yellow is the “space” or “scratch” oscillator which is plain un-effected, eerie sine wave tone which increases and decreases directly depending on the amount of light that is shed upon it. There is a 10 turn / 10K potentiometer wired to control the spinning can motor speed. This allows the player to precisely beat match DRUM BUDDY rhythms to DJ records, drum machines, railroad crossing signals...whatever. There are also various oscillator filters, on / off switches, and momentary buttons on the top panel and a general volume mixer on the front. There is also a light dimmer on the top panel which is a way to uniformly change the overall sound of all oscillators together. At its core the DRUM BUDDY is a straight up old school analog synth (built from scratch with the finest components) with a VERY unusual activation system which allows the player to create a variety of different fixed rhythms or to “scratch” the different sounds by using the momentary switches and spinning the can by hand. In addition to the sound synthesizing capabilities of the DRUM BUDDY, it is also a signal processor and can filter any instrument THROUGH to produce a strange ethereal bubbling effect onto the original signal. This is called the “WOBBLE FEATURE”. There is a bypass on the top panel for this feature and the best thing about this new 2008 addition is that the wobble feature is a totally separate circuit from the DRUM BUDDY synthesizer sounds so that you can play BOTH at the same time and they will be in perfect rhythmic tandem....the possibilities for new sounds and rhythms are endless. ABOUT THE CABINET: The cabinet was built by New Orleans furniture maker Marvin Hirsch out of 100% virgin pecky cypress. The wood for this particular one came from the original Cypress harvest (sometime between 1880 and 1930) and the tree itself could have been hundreds of years old when it was cut. The pecky dark streaking is quite rare and is the result of a fungus that only effects older cypress trees. This special swampy wood is a living antique and most certainly predates the purchase of Louisiana by the United States in the early 1800s. Only 10 cypress Line Drum Buddies were built and there are no plans to build any more ever. The Drum Buddy up for auction here is serial #1 and was originally intended to belong to Quintron (he decided to keep serial #6 with a strange cracked knot in the back as well as #10 - a green sinker cypress cabinet). All Drum Buddies in the world (less than 50 total and only 10 Cypress-Line) except this one here have found homes. This is it for a long long time....possibly ever. The cabinet is truly one of the most beautiful ever made and very unique. Profffits from this sale will go to the New Orleans Musician’s clinic. Please visit http://www.neworleansmusiciansclinic.org to learn about their tireless effort to provide health care to noninsured New Orleans musicians. This Drum Buddy comes with two different cans - a “TWO STEP” can and a “SLOW RIDE” can as well as a manual, power cord, and a static DRUM BUDDY DUSTER for cleaning the instrument. Also included will be a special kit for instructing how to cut your own cans! You will also receive the original broadcast version DRUM BUDDY INFOMERCIAL on Vhs tape and a rare signed test pressing of the original DRUM BUDDY DEMO lp. We understand that this price is very high for your average musician but please keep in mind that the many duties of this auction are being handled by a third party furniture store in Brooklyn called FRESH KILLS and that part of the auction profffffits will go to the New Orleans Musician’s clinic. Fred and John at FRESH KILLS are old childhood friends of Quintron and are very friendly. Don’t hesitate to stop in and see the Drum Buddy in real life and take a test drive or PLEASE don’t hesitate to email me thru this auction with any questions. SEE DRUM BUDDY DEMO VIDEO. VISIT FRESH KILLS: 50 North 6th Street, Brooklyn NY 11211 (718) 388-8081"

Audio Industry Charity Auction for MusiCares COVID-19 Relief

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https://go.rallyup.com/musicares

This one is in via supporting member Starthief

"For the past ten years, Luftrum has organized a charity auction each October, asking companies in the audio industry for software and hardware donations for a good cause. This year's auction benefits MusiCares COVID-19 Relief.

As of October 12 the auction has already raised more than $10,000, with dozens of software and soundware developers participating. On the hardware front, Mutable Instruments has kindly donated two NOS Clouds modules, but we'd like more developers to step up!

The auction runs through midnight (CET) on October 31."

You can find the auction here: https://go.rallyup.com/musicares

EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR Original Modules & PSU Unit

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All items here.

EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR - Ring Modulator ( rare original module) via this auction


EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR - Dual Reverb Driver ( rare original module) via this auction

EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR - Sample & Hold ( rare original module) 1410 SN 046 via this auction

EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR - Dual PREAMP module ( rare original module) via this auction

EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR - VCO + VCF PANEL + VCO SUB module ( rare original module) via this auction

EMU SYSTEMS MODULAR - Complete PSU unit & distribution ( rare original module) via this auction

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Roland System-100M Modules & Keyboard w/ Original Boxes

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via this auction

Roland System-100M 150 Ring Mod, Noise and LFO SN 921000 via this auction

Roland System-100M 140 dual Envelope and LFO SN 921194 via this auction

Roland System-100M 110 VCO/VCF/VCA module SN 940838 via this auction

Roland System 100m 180 32-key Controller Keyboard SN 780345 via this auction

Roland Studio System-100m 190 Rare three-module rack SN 760446 via this auction

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