Synth Porn Saturday: The Moog Taurus III Bass Pedals in all their glory.

Click on the image to get the full-screen HD surround-sound photo of this droolworthy butt-shaker.

Moog’s selling these for 2K. Check the big photo and you’ll see why it’s going to be worth it.

Preliminary Specifications:

• 100% Analog Sound Engine based entirely on original TAURUS I circuits
• “Taurus I” style
• 2 VCO Oscillators, ADS Contour Generator, 1 VCF Filter, Output VCA
• PRESETS: 16 Banks x 4 presets = 48 Total Programmable Bass Sounds
• BANK 0 will contains the Original Taurus I Presets: VAR, TAURUS, TUBA, BASS
• MIDI: DIN and USB, Merging and Routing
• ARPEGGIATOR: MIDI Sync, TAP TEMPO, Internal
• CV Inputs: VOLUME, FILTER, PITCH, GATE

via Big City Music

Synth Porn Saturday: This video captures an Analogue Systems workshop at 4Sound Stordahl Musikk – or as Audiobersjerk calls it, a giant wall of manly Analogue systems modules.

Ahhhh. You can almost smell the patch cords……

The Bob Moog Foundation has created a calendar celebrating the rich history of the Moog Legacy through vintage photos, memorabilia, quotes and information taken directly from Bob’s archive.

The photos trace pivotal moments in Bob’s early career and highlight musicians and pioneers who inspired his work.

The calendar is $20 in the Foundation shop.

The calendar is comprised of five photos of Moog himself, taken from 1958-1974.

The remaining photos are of:

• Leon Theremin
• Vladimir Ussachevsky
• Herb Deutsch
• Keith Emerson
• Paul Beaver and Bernie Krause
• Isao Tomita
• Joel Chadabe
• Roger Powell

Throughout the calendar, Bob’s thoughts and philosophies about his work are shared.

The calendar was designed by graphics artist Rose Hecht in collaboration with the Bob Moog Foundaton.  Through her designs, Rose pays hommage to the original Moog modular synthesizer as the instrument that spawned an industry and radically changed the face of popular music. The background of every page touts panels of knobs and patchbays — images taken from photos of an early modular that was used in Moog’s shop in the 60s.

Image: Pablo Gregor

Saturday Synth Porn: Electronic music pioneer Michael Hoenig in his dream studio, in 1987.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Image: exoct

Saturday Synth Porn: One of a set of nice shots of a portable Doepfer modular synthesizer.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

You probably already know that synth meetups are a great way to meet and learn from other people that are into synths. This video, from Pacific Northwest Synth  2009, documents five more reasons to go to a synth meetup.

5 Reasons To Go To A Synth Meetup

1. They are the synth geek equivalent of a trip to the Playboy Mansion – everywhere you look, you see something gorgeous.
2. Everybody there thinks that guys rocking out with keytars are cool.
3. Where else are you going to see a giant Mini Modular?
4. Analog IS better than digital. Especially when it’s digitally-controlled analog.
5. Three words: MIDI-controlled skulls

If you made it to Pacific Northwest Synth 2009, leave a comment with your experiences or links to videos and photos from the event!

via redmartian:

Here is a live performance of the MMM demo number four featuring the stack of MMMs behind, the Syntar (the father of the MMM) and the new AcidLab MIAMI in MIDI mode.

The bass line, arpeggio and drums were sequenced in Logic.

The Skulls were triggered via Logic (the percussion tracks) using Division-6’s MIDIFY.

A few weeks ago, I suggested that there are only two colors for serious electronic music gear: black & matte black.

A lot of Synthtopia readers weighed in, pointed out all the holes in my logic, suggested all sorts of exceptions to the rule and basically said I had gone insane.

It’s probably all true – and there’s room for those pink keyboard controllers – but at least the monome guys are on board.

They’ve introduced the monome grayscale – which features grayscale/bright white lighting. black silicone over a strong steel enclosure (wacka-chicka-wacka-chicka) and the same minimalist functionality as the original monome sixty four.

The original monome 64 is a great, influential controller. They’ve been selling as fast as they can be made.

The monome grayscale is sure to be a hit, too.

It’s going to cost $500. It’s going to have 64 buttons. It will be available starting in January – but it will probably be hard to get.

Thomas P Heckmann’s studio is more than just a working studio – it’s a synthesizer museum with a fantastic collection of some of the hottest synths ever made.

This video, in German with subtitles, features Heckmann talking about his music, his amazing synthesizer museum and why he prefers making music with vintage synthesizers.

via robotstv, rebellen

Saturday Synth Porn: This video is a quick demo of the very sexy Moon Modular M569 Step Sequencer.

The M569 is a Moog-style step sequencer, but offering up to 32 positions, arranged in four rows.

Each row can be controlled independent from each other, so that the user has practically up to four separate sequencers at his disposal, each with its own clock- and reset-input jacks, and – at the same time – different running directions (up, down, random and “ping-pong“).

via JohnLRice:

I just couldn’t resist playing around a bit with my new Moon M569 sequencer! It has so much great potential for doing interesting sequencing it’s really exciting!

Saturday Synth Porn: Imogen Heap discusses her live performance setup.

She discusses the sensuality and aesthetics of her rig and how that is an important part of both her connecting with the instruments and the audience getting into the music.

Image: brotherloco

Saturday Synth Porn: This is the first in a series of unboxing shots of the new Oberheim SEM.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Image: Brättli Airböurne 2

Saturday Synth Porn: Martin Hollinger in his Music Studio at Synthorama, Luterbach (Switzerland). The Synthesizer Museum is usually open the first Saturday each month (January only upon request).

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

This video captures some images of an early synth built by Bob Moog for Austrian composer Max Brand (1886-1980).

Moog designed electronic sound equipment for Brand starting in the late 50’s. This modular is believed to be from around 1967-1969.

via klubmoozak:

Please note that this video is intended to show the machine – the included audio track does NOT demonstrate it’s capabilities – most of the audio being heard on this video is not even from this machine!

Sorry synth fans, but this Saturday Synth Porn entry is a little less synthy than usual and a little more porn-y.

The image above is from a performance of Technosexual, from Micha Cardenas and Elle Mehrmand’s Mixed Relations.

Mixed Relations consists of a series of performances and workshops that explore the relations between bodies and technology within mixed realities.

If you can handle avant garde lesbian erotic multi-reality performance art, with motion sensors & a Nintendo Wii, see the details below.

Otherwise, here are the kitties and synthesizers.

The project involves two people performing in actual and virtual space. Live audio synthesis is achieved using Puredata to respond to body movements. These movements are detected through various technologies including marker based motion capture, flex sensors, pressure sensors, light sensors, accelerometers and the Nintendo Wii.

The performers’ movements are mirrored into Second Life, which is projected into the physical performance space. Live realtime video is also streamed into the virtual performance space, from cameras that are attached to the performers’ bodies. Scaled projections, scale models in virtual space and the projection of virtual instruments onto actual objects are used to create a mixing of the actual and virtual, blurring the lines between the two.

Technesexual consists of the performers engaging in playful erotic acts in physical and virtual space, while using handmade electronic stethoscopes to play the sound of their heartbeats in both spaces, blurring the lines between the two. The stethoscopes consisted of analog stethoscopes connected to piezo sensors wired to 1/8″ audio jacks.

The perfomance captured above was part of the Trasnocheo performance space curated by Susana Cook as part of the Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics 7th Encuentro at Mapa Teatro in Bogota, Colombia.

Noone feat. Nekochan- Just because of a little water.

Images : Arthur Chays, Simon Gras, Raphael Sylvestre /
Sound Design: Thibault Duperrier /
Editing : Camille Geoffray /

Noone on myspace : myspace.com/nooneroom

This is a teaser video for the Eigenlabs Eigenharp.

The teaser video showcases the sexy construction; the video below shows the bizarre Eigenharp in action on a cover of Moby’s take on the classic James Bond Theme:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’ve seen the Eigenharp in action or had some hands-on time, leave a comment with your thoughts on it!

According to Eigenlabs:

Eigenlabs has spent the last seven years developing a revolutionary new electronic musical instrument, the Eigenharp. A musical instrument more advanced, more expressive and more flexible than anything you have ever seen.

Image: Nova Musik

Saturday Synth Porn: Close-up detail on a Minimoog Voyager Electric NE.

The Voyager Electric NE is a custom edition of the Moog Minimoog Voyager that features:

• White-washed cabinet
• Electric Blue back lighting
• All Blue rocker switches
• Blue capped jack panel

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Image: eskimo_jo

Saturday Synth Porn: Little Boots (& the malfunctioning Tenori-On!) at the Wrongbar, Toronto, September 14, 2009.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Image: Nova Musik

This is a nice shot of the Minimoog Voyager Lunar LE,  from Moog Music and Nova Musik, a custom version of the Minimoog Voyager.

Features of the Minimoog Voyager Lunar LE:

• White-washed cabinet
• White back lighting
• All White rocker switches
• Black capped jack panel

From a great set of Moog Voyager Select shots.

More details at the Nova Musik site.

via the Synthtopia Flickr Group

Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) has a new Mattson Mini Modular synthesizer, named Ichabod, and here’s a little footage of it getting broken in.

In my book, Ichabod is more monster synth than mini modular.

“Monster Synth” Defined

A monster synth is a large synthesizer that could potentially kill you, if it fell over on you. Monster synths also are named, ie., Tonto or The Synth of Doom.

“Ichabod”, for example, looks like it could easily take out a Smashing Pumpkin or two.

See the Mattson site for info on their synth modules.

via redmartian:

ICHABOD’s first day and patching at the studio.