vintage synthesizer
Articles about vintage synthesizer:
Tom at Waveformless put together a fun post taking a look at going vintage on the cheap.
There are a number of really underrated synths that seem to go for consistently low prices. They’re awesome synths, but nobody seems to know about them, which means you can get a great deal.
Here’s the list of synths that he highlights:
- Casio CZ-101 (typically less than $100)
- Ensoniq ESQ-1 (typically $150-$300)
- Moog (Realistic) Concertmate MG-1 (typically $100-$500)
- Oberheim Matrix-6R (typically $150-$350+)
- Roland HS-10/80 (typically $25-$100)
- Roland HS-60 (typically $200+)
- Roland MKS-7 (typically $200+)
- Yamaha CS-01 (typically $150-$250)
- Yamaha TX81Z (typically $50-$85)
See Tom’s post for his take on each of these synths.
Are these great synths? No – but you can get great deals on them and make some great sounds.
As an alternative to the Casio CZ-101, I’d recommend the CZ-1, which has twice the polyphony plus a velocity + aftertouch sensitive full-size keyboard. And is still dirt cheap.
Got other ideas for cheap vintage synths that don’t suck? Leave a comment!
The Yamaha CS-50
The Yamaha CS-50, a vintage synthesizer from 1976, is a scaled down version of the classic Yamaha CS-80 and CS-60 synths.
It offers 4-voice polyphony, with 1 oscillator per voice.
While it has a much simpler architecture, it offers a relatively inexpensive option for getting the classic Yamaha CS sounds.
If you’ve used the Yamaha CS-50, leave a comment with your thoughts!
Resources:
- Yamaha CS-50 at VSE
- Old Crow’s Synth Shop
- Video via lovesvintagesynth
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.
This is a demo of a vintage Maplin 5600s analog synthesizer.
In the early 70’s, the Australian magazine Electronics Today International published Tervor Marshall’s designs for two partly digital, mostly analog, Electronic Music Synthesisers. the ETI 3600 and ETI 4600.
Both were made available as kits of components. Barry Wilkinson at ETI was responsible for the final packaging and kitting coordination. Maplin Electronics Ltd.(in the UK) subsequently picked up the designs, which they marketed as as the Maplin models 3800 and 5600s Electronic Music Synthesizers. Read more…
