Start your week off right with this awesomely strange music video – Gelbart’s Mass hypnosis by magnets (WORM studio version).

It appears to have something to do with alien sweet potato mind control – but you can’t be sure with these things.

Recorded at the WORM CEM studios in Rotterdam on the Arp 2500, VCS-3 and Korg MS-20.

Music and video by Gelbart.

via defektrecords

Torley does his thing with Camel Audio Alchemy, demonstrating some extreme arpeggiator pattern programming.

via Torley:

GET ALCHEMY @ http://www.camelaudio.comI conjure magic and show you how to cook up a wickedly gorgeous, crazy-spinning arpeggiated sound in just a few minutes… from scratch! This makes a lovely foundation for more complex sounds you can achieve within the single synth powerhouse, Alchemy. Let’s dive into the arp settings, stacked sources, a touch of modulation, and even layered effects for spice.Yes, the opening ditty was made entirely with Alchemy in about 5 min.DISCLAIMER: I’m not professionally affiliated with Camel Audio. I just reckon they rock (both product and service-wise). I’m one of those people that uses CamelPhat like salt.

Sunday Synth Jam: This Berlin School style sequenced synth jam takes a few minutes to take off – but then the hypnotic synth sequences and guitar work really kick in.

via angelometz:

I started patching it when the power went down. I finished patching in the dark!

The Haunted Spaceship – or – How an Arp Axxe sounds with my modular synth for Halloween sounds.

via nathanielscott:

Any analogue synth with a noise generator and a semi-decent filter is great for making spaceship noises. The AXXE is no exception.

My friend Stephen has had an idea about doing a short sci-fi film about ghosts in space (no not Space Ghost). If he an I ever get the film made I hope it has campy sounds like this.

This is part 2 of Mitchell Sigman’s interview with analog synthesis legend Tom Oberheim about the new Oberheim SEM (Synthesizer Expander Module) analog synth module.

See this previous post for part 1 of the Tom Oberheim interview.

The new SEM is available via audioMIDI.com.

This is a demo video for the Arppe2600va, a free Windows software synth designed to emulate the ARP 2600 vintage synthesizer.

Based on ARP’s legendary semi-modular analog monosynth! This amazing softsynth sounds very close to the original ARP 2600. Like the original, it’s a monosynth (no polyphony). But, also like the original, it has a multitude of Frequency Modulation options which enable it to create some truly awesome sound effects. PWM, Sample & Hold, virtual Spring Reverb, Ring Modulation, and a dedicated Noise Generator are all there! Also, there are some things even the original Arp 2600 didn’t have, like Oscillator Sync and Filter Color (to adjust between LowPass and HiPass filter types). Most important of all, beginning with version 2.0 the Arppe2600va is now completely patchable via a cleverly designed Mod Matrix! You can have up to 12 patch routings with a very user-friendly (and visible!) drop-down menu interface, instead of messy virtual patch cables cluttering up the screen. All controls are mapped to MIDI CC#’s, and you can override the default settings by using the MIDI Learn feature. Use as a simple stand-alone synth (.exe file included), or copy the DLL into your favorite DAW or sequencer’s plugin folder.

If you’ve used Arppe2600va, leave a comment with your thoughts!

via buenasideasde

via MacbethSynthesizers

This video captures A J McCluskey playing around with one of the last M5Ns that went to that famous French guy!

Recorded neat into a Nikon D90 cam using a 50mm F1.4 lens and a 18~105mm VR Nikkor lens. Some of the vid is shaky. Basic editing on Windows Movie maker…

Sunday Synth Jam: This synth jam comes courtesy of Ken MacBeth – the designer behind the MacBeth Studio Systems line of analog synth gear.

via macbethsynthesizers:

Ken MacBeth plays two X-Series Dual Oscillator modules with two of the ‘Backend’ Filter combo module prototypes. Used here are a Korg Prophecy being utilsed as a controller keyboard with a Kenton Pro4- this is doing the octaving arpeggio. The main lead stuff is being played via the first X-Series Keyboard 1 prototype- this is a totally analogue keyboard assembly! Recorded on a Fostex FD-8, ART LTX processor and filmed on a Nikon D90 camera using a Nikkor 18~150 VR lens on manual…enjoy!

This is a sneak preview/teaser, via moonmodular, of “the last analog moon module you´ll ever need…”

When it comes to teaser, there’s usually a little steak to go along with the sizzle.

If you’re a Moon Modular user and you have any ideas on this, leave a comment!

Image: jobenbelgium

Saturday Synth Porn: This is a pretty sweet room corner, featuring an ARP 2500 with the Analogue Systems TH48 Analogue Sequencer:

Check the same knobs used on the sequencer as on the ARP 2500 modular synthesizer. Knobs should still be for sale at Analogue Systems.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Sunday Synth Jam: French sound engineer and musician Oliver Grall demos his unique & bizarre BBQ Theremin.

Leave a comment if you can translate Grall’s introduction!

via polyvoks

This is nice Jarre-style audiovisual demo of classic synth gear, via retrosound72:

analog strings: Logan (Hohner) String Melody 2 (1977)
drums: Keio (Korg) MiniPops Junior analog preset drumbox (1972)
FX: Electro Harmonix Small Stone phase shifter (Original from the 70ies)

Mr Dithers demos creating percussion sounds with a Doepfer and LiveWire modular synthesizer.

via Analogger:

Doepfer / Livewire modulesI just stuck a bunch of patch cables together to see what would happen. The bass drum sound came from the A105 24db lowpass filter (very fat)Osillators and noise was used as perccussion sounds and were processed thu the Livewire 105 ssm VFC – I used the hp ouput – very gnarley sounding

Synthtopia regular, blogger, remixer and synth geek chanteuse Tara Busch sends word about a very cool limited edition box set of her debut album, Pilfershire Lane:

Maf (Lewis) & I were given the freedom to fill the box with whatever our hearts could dream up.

As the album was complete, Maf let rip his exquisite design sensibilities to come up with 3 more luscious gems with which to fill the box:

• a one off Polaroid 600 photo
• a beautiful 16mm film and, last but not least
• a stainless steel pop- up model of my stage set-up with interchangeable face plates for the synths. This also includes a recordable mini sampler circuit for the model, complete with a microphone and speaker..

The pop up model is presented in the box as a kit that you get to assemble (And of course we encourage all the circuit bending & hot rodding & modding to your hearts content!)!

This thing looks like $50 of cool.

Busch has put together some great music on Pilfershire Lane and, with Lewis, has come up with fun artifacts for the box set. Putting a Polaroid and the film segment in the box makes each set unique. And the pop-up model lets you complete a process that Lewis and Busch started.

Details on the box set below. And, if you’re not familiar with Busch’s music , check out her video for This Is Love.

Here’s what’s in Busch’s box set:

• CD Copy of Tara Busch’s debut solo album, Pilfershire Lane, with deluxe digipack cover.
• A 7″ × 7″ stainless steel mini popup stage set. This includes working microphone, speaker and circuit with record and play feature. The set comes with popup Korg MS-20 and Minimoog, but also included are interchangeable stainless steel face plates for the Buchla 200e, MacBeth M5, Analogue Solutions Vostok, ARP Odyssey, Micromoog and Moog Etherwave Theremin.
• A 100th cut strip of a 16MM B&W film created specifically for the box set. This 16mm movie is the only copy that will ever exist and is cut equally between the 100 boxes.
• An original one-off Polaroid 600 picture of Tara taken at her studio in Los Angeles.
• Certificate Of Authenticity signed and numbered by the artist
• All in a beautifully made 7″ × 7″ × 2″ rigid cardboard box.

The box set is limited to 100, and is available at Tummy Touch records for £29.99, which includes shipping any where in the world.

Tracks:

• Over The Radio
• Pilfershire Lane
• Third Speed
• Imaginary Audience
• Superfriends
• Get Drunk & Fuck
• Pour The Bottle
• Tag
• This is Love
• We Can See Mars

1978 Arp Avatar Demo Record – this video documents a vintage 1978 demonstration flexidisc promoting the ARP Avatar.

The ARP Avatar was a guitar-controlled synthesizer manufactured by ARP Instruments, Inc. beginning in 1977. While innovative, being one of the first commercial guitar-controlled synthesizers, it was a commercial flop for ARP, and is widely credited with causing the financial collapse of the company.

via jafafah0ts, wikipedia

The AM Music Technology Pro SoloVst virtual instrument reproduces the sound of the classic monophonic analog synthesizer from the early 1970’s, the ARP Pro Soloist.

According to the develoeprs, the sound engine of the Pro SoloVst is a software emulation of the real analog algorithms implemented inside the original instrument: VCO, resonators, filters, VCF, VCA and analog effects.

Price: 24,99 EUR A demo version is available, but it plays boring beeps every twenty seconds.

This video is a quick demo of some old-school style Moog modular synth step sequencing.

via polyvoks

This is a preview of a DVD portrait of synth pioneer Eliane Radique.

Summary:

Her life journey has been remarkable. At the end of the fifties, she studied in Paris with musique concrète pioneers Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Henry, whom she also assisted, notably for the premiere of L’Apocalypse de Jean. During the sixties she began composing with primitive electronics (feedback and asynchronous tape loops), but found little recognition for her research in France.

In New York in the early seventies, she found understanding and emulation, exploring emerging minimalism with James Tenney, Charlemagne Palestine, Phillip Glass, John Gibson, and Steve Reich. Her absolute allegiance to electronic sounds began during this period. Since then she has composed on the best synthesizers of the time: Buchla, Moog, Serge, and then ARP, which would become her fetish instrument. She collaborated with Robert Ashley, who sang on Les Chants de Milarepa. She has composed about two dozen works, which she has presented and continues to present at numerous prestigious venues and festivals in the United States and Europe.

In 2004, upon Kasper Toeplitz´s request, she started instrumental compositions for one or more performers, with whom she works in a close collaboration during the compositional process. This work gets quickly focused on pure acoustic sounds, in an incredibly delicate timbral way, which extends, without aesthetic rupture, her electronic work. Notably between 2004 and 2009, she completed a cycle in three parts “Naldjorlak”, for Charles Curtis on cello, Carol Robinson and Bruno Martinez on basset horns. She has now stopped her electronic work.

Emmanuel Holterbach
(Translation Leslie Stuck)

This is the audio from a 1971 ARP synthesizers demo record.

Side A lays it on pretty thick, but Side B has some choice vintage synth music demos.

Click here to view the embedded video.

via jafafah0ts:

1971 promo demo disc from Arp Synthesizers featuring Pete Townshend from The Who, among others.

Second side of a 1971 promo demo disc from Arp Synthesizers, featuring the following tracks:
1. Dave Fredericks – Stinger
2. Roger Powell – Queene Enfineska
3. Roger Powell – Hermatic Enigma
4. Dave Fredericks – Mockingbird Hill

This synth porn video captures the mind-exploding room full of synthesizers & modulars at AHNE’09.

Better than the gear porn, though, may be the random eavesdropping on conversations.

via hamsterdunce:

Annual gathering of ANHE (Analog Heaven Northeast) in Bolton, MA.

Best turnout yet with a wide variety of electronic music industry cornerstone products (both new and vintage) on display.