Category: Synthesizers

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Synthesizers

Keyboards of the Seventies part II

Contessa_2Above: What the holy F is this thing?

Today: yet another installment in our ongoing series on Keyboard of the 1970s.  Click here for part one.  As per usual, if you are still using these things today, drop us a line and let us know!  Except for the Rhodes.  There’s nothing new to say about those fkkn things.  So keep yr Rhodes to yrself thanks.

Univox_Compac_piano_1972Above: the Univox Compac Piano.  We had one of these things for a minute in high school.  I think it was $100.  Really terrible sound.  Click here for previous coverage of this atrocity.  

Rhodes_1977 Rhodes_1972Above: the two worst ads Fender ever ran for the Rhodes.  ’77 and ’72.

Novaline_piano_1977Above: The Novaline Piano circa ’77. Never seen one.  Anyone? 

MaxiKorg_1977Above: The KORG Maxi-Korg circa ’77.  Looks pretty cool.  Any of these still working?

Hohner_1977Above: Hohner made many keyboards besides the famous Clavinet.  For instance,,,

Hohner_Contessa_96_1972…The Contessa of 1972.  Farfisa-type organ with accordion chord-buttons in the left hand.  Yikes.

Baldwin_SynthaSound_1972Next time you see one of those shitty old Baldwin living-room-organs at the goodwill, take a 2nd look: it might have the SynthaSound option boards.  Wacky sounds ensue. 

Elka_Stringchoir_1977Above: The ELKA #8609 String Choir.  My K2500 has a bunch of ELKA patches and I kinda like em.  Anyone use the 8609?  How does it compare to other string synths of the era?

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Synthesizers

The Voyetra 8 Analog Polysynth c. 1982

Voyetra8_1984Perhaps the most advanced analog polysynth ever offered, the Octave-Plateau Corp.’s Voyetra 8 was introduced in 1982 and offered incredible digital control over an 8-voice analog synth with a pretty deep sequencer.  I’ve uncovered a few period adverts for this beast and I’ve posted them below.  Anyone using of these nowadays?  How does it compare to (X)?   BTW, I love how the somewhat coarse ‘industrial’ styling of the device is mirrored in the very prosaic graphic design of the adverts; there is no attempt to use any ‘trendy’ or (god-forbid) ‘sexxy’ symbolism to promote this product.  THIS IS A SERIOUS FKKN SYNTHESIZER.

Voyetra8_1984 Voyetra8_1984_2

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Synthesizers

The Resynator pitch-tracking synth c. 1980

Resynator_smHow y’all doing.  Found an odd lil bit from 1980’s synth-land: the Resynator, from “Musico.”  Yup that was the name of the company that created this $2000 device ($5,700 at the pump today, buddy).  Anyhow, the Resynator is a fascinating pitch-and-envelope-tracking synthesizer (monophonic, I am sure) that used digital signal processing (unlike, say, the Korg MS20 of the same era, which could also track pitch and envelope, but was completely analog -and much cheaper).  So, yeah, you could patch any monophonic audio signal into the Resynator and get a synth-sound on the output.  But oh it’s so much more complicated than that.  Read on, in this 1980 review by one John Amaral…

Resynator_review_1 Res_rev_2 Res_rev_3

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Synthesizers

Obscure Synths+Keys of the early 80s, part XIV

ARP_SOLUSToday: just some offbeat keys+synths that caught my eye; i’ve never come across any of these in the shops+stages+studios of my corporeal reality so I think perhaps uncommon items?  Srry, it’s early.  About to head to the LAST FLEA MKT OF THE YR.  Bittersweet times.  Aie, I recall salad-days when April was young and barkers descended on New Milford plain to hawk goods of dubious origin.  Like the sun, the tide, and the pork-belly market, that time will rise again I suppose. Below: the Akai AX-80 synth c. 1985, the Crumar Rhody ‘electronic piano’ of 1980,  the fascinating Casio 8000 modular…casio…system of ’84, the 1980 ARP Solus (also above), and the 360 Systems ‘Digital Keyboard’ of 1984.

Akai_AX80_1985Crumar_Roady_1980Casio_8000_1984ARP_Solus_1980360_DigitalKeyboard_1984

 

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Synthesizers

Electronic Drums of the 1980s

Simmons_SDS8_1984Vintage drum machines, AKA beatboxes, seem to gain value with no end in sight.  When I started buying gear heavily around 2000 to aid my composing work, TR808s seemed outrageously expensive at $800-$1000.  That’s a good laugh, ain’t it; they are now trading in the $3K – $4k range.  Even modest TR606s, CR8000s, Korg KR-55s, etc., are crazy expensive.  The same can’t be said for electronic drum kits of that era.  I’ve had some old Yamaha electro drums in my basement for a year and i literally can’t give em away.  For a brief while, tho, back round 30 years ago, Electronic Drums seemed like maybe the future.  Here’s a quick survey of what that future looked like.

Simmons_ClapTrap_1984 Simmons_SDS7_1984 Tama_TechStar_1984 MPC_Drums_1984 Pearl_SyncussionX_1986 Simmons_1985above: Simmons ClapTrap, SDS7, Tama TechStar, MPC (endorsed by Bernard Purdie!!!!) Pearl SynCussionX, and Simmons SDS8 (top)

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Synthesizers Uncategorized

Polyfusion Advert c. 1979

Polyfusion_1979Several years ago I posted some of my collection of vintage Polyfusion documentation.  Although Polyfusion did frequently run small adverts in trade publications, I had never seen this full-page advert before.  Apparently, P/F also made guitar and bass preamps.  Wild, man.  Any Polyfusion users out there?  Drop us a line!

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Synthesizers

The Wells Floor Bass by TMB Canada (1977)

TMB_Wells_Floor_Bass_1977How y’all doin out there in the internets…  had a pretty good AM at the F.M., having a George Crumb marathon on the ole’ 1500 right now, man is my wife ever patient.  Anyhow, managed to find a pile of old 70’s musician mags that I was lacking, here are some weird+wild highlights of those that faded, those who never made the grade…

Starting out with: the TMB “Wells floor bass.”  Holy shit this is cool.  Unlike a Moog Taurus or the dozens of other ‘bass pedal synths’ out there, this unit was made with gtr-player-logic in mind.  fkkn hell.  Want it.  Read more here! 

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Synthesizers

Keyboard Pluralism: 1980-1982

Yamaha_CS70M_1982Above: The Yamaha CS70m (1982)

Today on PS dot com: some oddball keyboards from 1980-1982.  Check out the incredible heterogeneity of the offerings here: analog monosynths,  analog polysynths, electric organs, electro-acoustic pianos, analog “electronic pianos,” and super-high-end digital workstations.  In just one year, Yamaha would release the world’s first affordable digital synth, the DX7, and this would soon lead to the overwhelming popularity of the dreaded “Rompler” (Korg M1 anyone?): keyboards which were difficult for the player to easily program.  The result was two decades of generic, predictable synthesizer sounds appearing in much pop and rock music.  Luckily, we now have affordable, easy-to-use analog synths again (most notably from KORG); and those shitty old romplers?  Personally, I run mine (a Kawai K-1) through a whole string of guitar pedals, chop+slice,  and sometimes that’s just the sound the track needs…

Below: Synclavier II, one of the two ‘popular’ early digital super-synths, introduces control software (1981) to allow easier programming; Rhodes Mark III EK-10, one of the last of the original mechanical Rhodes pianos (1980); Oberheim polyphonic sequencer for CV/Gate synths (1981); Moog THE SOURCE analog monosynth with digital patch memory (1981); The Kustom 88 ‘electronic piano’ (1981); Hohner Pianet T Electric ‘Piano’ (more like an electric glockenspiel IMHO) (1981); The Fairlight CMI digital workstation, the other early digital monster (1982); EKO bass pedal board (1981); The Crumar Toccata electric organ (1981) and DP-50 electronic piano (1982).

SynclavierII_TerminalSupport_1981 Rhodes_MArk_III_EK10_1980 Oberheim_DSX_Sequencer_1981 Moog_TheSource_1981 Kustom_88_piano_1981 Hohner_Pianet_T_1981 Fairlight_CMI_1982 EKO_BassPedalBoard_1981 Crumar_Toccata_1981 Crumar_DP50_1982*************

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We had a SOURCE when I was a kid (around 1993, JR?) and it was impossible to get it to play in tune; I briefly had a Pianet T and WOW do I regret selling it: i’ve had just about every model of Pianet and I can say with total confidence that the T is the one to get.  Smaller, less hassle, passive electronics…  I really wouldn’t advise fkkn around with the earlier models.  Besides those two, I’ve never used any of these. Anyone using ’em these days?  Shit, anyone using an M-1 these days?  Send us some modern tracks with fresh use of the M-1?  There’s a zillion of those things out there, someone’s gotta bring em back…

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Synthesizers

Sequential Circuits Synths of the early 80’s

Sequential_Circuits_1982Above: Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Remote Prophet, and Poly Sequencer c.1982.  Below: period adverts for the Pro-One and Prophet 5.  We have a slightly later Sequential Six-Trak at Gold Coast Recorders; it’s sorta SC’s Juno-106, and it’s one of the best deals in vintage analog synths – if you don’t mind the clumsy digital interface.  I’ve never used a Prophet-5; they are extremely expensive these days.  Anyone?

Seq_Cir_ProOne_1981 Prophet5_1981 Prophet5_1980

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Synthesizers

The Conbrio ADS 200, Most Ambitious Synth Ever Made

Conbrio_ADS_200Wanna talk about rare?  How about a keyboard synth of which only two were ever made, and only one has survived; the price was $30K (in today’s bread: $85,000).  The only person to buy it?  Beck‘s old man.  The guy who currently owns it?  This dude.    I ended up with two copies of the original sales lit for this thing; I offer to you all here as a HQ scan:

DOWNLOAD: ConBrio_ADS_200

You can read the story of the Conbrio ADS 200 at this Wiki page.  I really don’t need two copies of the catalog, so Kehew, if yr reading this… drop me a line and its yrs.