Synth music pioneer Klaus Schulze discusses and demonstrates his first synth, an EMS Synthi A analog synthesizer.

via Synthasy2000:

Klaus talks about, and demonstrates, his first synth.

This video takes a look at UK electronic music pioneer Peter Zinovieff and Electronic Music Studios (EMS).

via JeffreyPlaide:

Peter Zinovieff’s pioneering work into the fields of electronic music production and research led to many innovative electronic music instrument developments that were outstanding for the time. Peter was fascinated by electronic music and used his financial resources to develop a huge voltage-controlled studio that occupied an entire room in his home premises

There was a time when EMS (Electronic Music Studios) stood as equal to Moog and Arp.

In many ways, EMS was more advanced with several pioneering ideas being investigated. Peter used two PDP8 minicomputers in the late 1960s to control the voltage-controlled analogue modules for research into electronic music exploration. Twenty years before affordable computing and sequencing packages, Zinovieff’s computers could store and replay compositions, complete with sound shaping parameters even inventing a form of spectral or additive synthesis.

Excerpts are edited from the television documentaries “What the Future Sounded Like” and “The New Sound of Music” featuring the first public performance of music by a computer in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1967.

The spirit of EMS continues, and Peter’s synthesizer innovations like the VCS3 and Synthi 100 have become outstanding analogue classics.

KX77FREE’s KX-Synth-X16 is a free virtual analog modular synth plug-in based on the EMS VCS3 structure, but with some additional features.

KX-Synth-X16 Common features:

• Three variable shape oscillators.
• Noise generator.
• Ring modulation.
• Two external inputs.
• LP filter; 18 db per octave with self oscillating.
• Same structure of the matrix (16*16).
• XY joystick.

Added features:

• Modern skin with notepad and variable color background.
• Keyboard controls to the oscillators and filter; -10 volts to 10 volts; useful for keyboard scaling.
• You can adjust the response curve of the oscillators.
• 256 mini knobs to adjust the plot modulation (0 to 1).
• The original ASR (trapezoid) is extended to 2 ADSR with Host synchronization.
• Delay fx with Host synchronization.
• MIDI controllers.

KX-Synth-X16 is available for Windows as a VST instrument plug-in.

via VSTCafe

Pioneering UK synth company EMS has announced the Synthi Control Console – a new prototype of a console to control 2 EMS Synthi’s (either 2 Synthi AKS, 2 VCS3 mk2 or a mixture).

Features:

• 36×48 Matrix patching capability using standard EMS patch pins.
• Connects to Synthi prestosockets via special umbilical cables.
• External CV and Gate inputs to Synthi 1 and 2 via 6.35mm Jack sockets.
• Connects to Synthi Jones sockets on Synthi 1 and 2 for switching control between either external CV/Gat or DK1/DK2/KS control via toggle switches. Connection via custom cables.
• 4 Inverter Input/Output channels on Matrix
• Synthi 1+2 Envelope Shapers triggered by +ve/-ve signals from Matrix.
• 8 Output channels (6.35mm Jack sockets) via the Matrix.

EMS has enough original 1970’s Sealectro Matrix panels to make at most 7 units. They may be offered for sale on a build to order basis.

Approximate cost around £1500 + shipping (user supplied pins).

David Brans – Docks [Ems synthi A]

via zaphid:

Multitrack soundscape. All done with the Ems Synthi A.

Noise vocoder and bottle sounds are from a Triton. Ems KS and Ems R2VG not used.

Saturday Synth Porn: This synth porn video features a veritable orgy of synths – one of the finest collections of analog synthesisers in the world.

Dig the funky 70’s style soundtrack, featuring Tonto’s Expanding Headband’s Cybernaut and  Jean Jacques Perry’s E.V.A.

Give this a look, in the privacy of your own home, and let me know if it doesn’t fill your heart with desire….for synth gear!

via Sharpblue

A small tutorial, with a commentary in French, explaining how to program the basic functions of the EMS Synthi AKS: use three oscillators modulate OSC1 and OSC2 by the oscillator 3 as LFO, insert them in the envelope.

Un petit tutorial avec un commentaire en français expliquant comment programmer les fonctions de base de l’Ems Synthi Aks : utiliser les trois oscillateurs, moduler l’osc1 et l’osc2 par l’oscillateur 3 en tant que LFO, les insérer dans l’enveloppe.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A short video on the release of the first two oscillators Ems Avs. The patch is a basic simplicity, just the sort with the sinusoidal and the sawtooth in A3 and C3 oscillator 1, the square and the triangle oscillator 2 A4 and C4.  Note that the Shape button that controls the level of harmonics added.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Second patch simply on the envelope Ems Avs. The OSC1 and OSC2 are inserted in the envelope is in D3 and D4, the output is in A12 and C12.
A note is the small meter at the top left of the Avs is on A13. It provides up-cycle of the envelope. Precision, setting “off” is the gap between the end of one cycle and the new of the envelope.
A 1minute 57, noise is inserted in the filter H7, the filter is controlled by the OSC3, as in Lfo N6.

Deuxième patch tout simple concernant l’enveloppe de l’Ems Avs. L’osc1 et l’Osc2 sont insérés dans l’enveloppe soit en D3 et D4, la sortie étant en A12 et C12. A noter qu’A13 correspond au petit vu-mètre situé tout en haut à gauche de l’Avs. Il permet de suivre le cycle de l’enveloppe. Précision, le paramètre « off » correspond à l’écart entre la fin d’un cycle et le nouveau de l’enveloppe.
A 1minute 57, le noise est inséré dans le filtre en H7, le filtre étant contrôlé par l’Osc3, en tant que Lfo en N6.

via deb76, via Califaudio

Says cinnamonjuly: “I plugged up my Bleeplabs Thingamagoop to my EMS Synthi and it immediately started using the Synthi as some kind of weird transmitter to contact home.”

Image: Heath Finnie

Heath Finnie has uploaded a great set of photos to flickr that include this EMS Synthi AKS, in great condition, and a variety of other synths.