Synthesizers & Keyboards, Analog & Digital

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OH YEAH!!

As the Nike says, "Just Do It."

An analog synthesizer music classic, the original movie soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" by Wendy (aka Walter) Carlos, played on a Moog Modular Synthesizer

(1971) Wendy Carlos ー A Clockwork Orange Theme (Funeral Of Queen Mary)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI-mDTdeKR8[/youtube]

The Korg POLY synths of the 1980's were Polyphonic Analog Synthesizers with the word "Poly" in their names, and yes they sound very good.

(1981) Polysix
(1981) Mono/Poly
(1982) Poly-61
(1983) Poly-800
(1985) Poly-800 II

Polysix

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc0uMDg_Wyc[/youtube]
Mono/Poly

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ2c2isw124[/youtube]
Poly-61

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9R0bvavfibQ[/youtube]
Poly-800

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrlVJwu14fM[/youtube]
Poly-800 II

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPrp8a23gTE[/youtube]

Roland Jupiter-6, made in 1983, was the Last Real Analog Jupiter synthesizer... Sorry to the new Jupiter-80/50

Jupiter-6 Demonstration

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAI8OFNYJqM[/youtube]
Jupiter-6 Analog Waveforms "seen" by Oscilloscope

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQM8ozRQzI8[/youtube]
Jupiter-6 Remake of (1981) Human League ー Don't You Want Me

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrV58cVohzU[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpQ-9jbU4Kk[/youtube]

Excellent

(2012) Logic System ー Clash (Live at Freedommune)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZijFa4zK1s0[/youtube]

1970--1979
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJGKbFVZsRs[/youtube]
1980--1989
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXzQ4NkmjQ[/youtube]
1990--1996
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKPJbFvUaD4[/youtube]

Those Electrocomps are just FUN!! ! When I studied composition, the electronic composition studio had one of these. Back then, I WANTED to dive into sound design, but unfortunately I went in with ZILCH programming/patching skills. I got some cool sounds out of the Moog synth because it was a much simpler setup, very little external patching to be done. If I'd had a little bit more knowledge of synth patching fundamentals back then, I'd have made sweet love to that Electrocomp. *sigh*

I would like to try more Modular synthesizers too... but that will use much time to focus on.. For now the MiniMoog derived designs of most analog subtractive synthesizers are good for me. Although I dream of a Roland System 100 at least which is semi modular. Maybe one day in future I can try a Buchla.

A very rare and very good VCO analog synth is TEISCO 110F
It has some parts licensed from ARP so it might sound like ARP?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Mv1dFObzc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXN1plsxdyw[/youtube]
Teisco is not famous, but they made guitars and synths the 1980s.
Teisco was later bought and absorbed by famous Kawai Company.

Here's an 8 bit sampling synth that actually sounds like an analog synth.--This was the last word in synths for a good part of the 80's.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOlPCpSmhRM[/youtube]

Cool The Fairlight is one of the iconic great keyboards of the 1980s, along with Roland Jupiter 8 and Yamaha DX7.

Fortunately, the cost of Sampler technology became much cheaper and more compact later in the 1980s.

Here is a small, light, portable, cheap and fun Yamaha VSS30
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY97dhNpPAs[/youtube]

KORG made big news by re-making its old 1978 MS-20 into new 2013 MS-20 Mini.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA-owDEGpac[/youtube]
This year Korg is making more big news with another re-make, but its NOT a Korg synth.

It is re-making the famous ARP ODYSSEY synthesizer of 1972.

It is collaborating with former-ARP engineers on the project.

The KORG-ARP Odyssey will be on sale in September.

Here is the Original ARP Odyssey from 1972.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4SbDBGc2BY[/youtube]

I have a MS-20 Mini story.

So I was in this music store, and this salesman in the keys/synth department clearly had no idea what he was talking about and was trying to explain the MS-20 Mini. He basically said, "Der, ok, so you just plug these thingies in here, trial and error, and make some sound…"

So, me being me, I explained, um, nah, you have to think about where you are in the signal path and you can get specific kinds of FX depending on how you route it, by letting THIS modulate THIS, etc. But you don't need all the fancy cables, just start with the basic signal path, blah blah blah. Well, the thing doesn't power up because the music store hasn't plugged in the power. So we get that done, plug it into the amp and….wait for it…NOTHING.

The customer eventually loses patience, and I end up looking like a big fat loser. The guy really just wanted a simple keyboard he could MIDI up to his guitar, which the MS-20 Mini would NOT be good for anyway, so I explained the awesomeness of a less expensive entry-level Yamaha synth, which was all the guy wanted in the first place.

Not to be outdone by a silly semi-modular synth, and because, well, obvious reasons, I set to work on that MS-20 mini. It TURNS OUT there was an issue of the 1/8th in. => RCA adapter that was causing the audio out to short. Switched to headphones and it worked like magic. But ARGH I was pissed.

I REALLY like the ms-20 mini, and it's awesome for the price tag. If you've got room for a mono synth and you're really into deep sound design, you need one of these.

NOT crazy about the 1/8 in. plugs, but other than that it's a lot of fun.

Hadn't heard about the Korg-ARP. That's exciting news!

And now you can really work on the MS-20 mini. The DIY kit is on sale so you can build one

MS-20 DIY KIT
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cue1LX0jxVg[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzx6Ar8WR90[/youtube]

Or for a more easy kit there is the new LITTLE BITS Synth
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QixV_Hlh2CM[/youtube]

It looks like a good learning experience. Maybe I wish I had gone into engineering