The vinyl resurgence shows no sign of slowing, so here's a great budget turntable for your newly thrifted LPs.
Perhaps it has something to do with Baby Boomer demographics, or maybe people are just looking for something different, but classic analog synthesizers are all the rage at this year's NAMM music industry show in Anaheim, California.
Moog Music takes the crown with some absolutely breathtaking recreations of Bob Moog's groundbreaking modular synthesizer from the 1970s. They range from the suitcase-sized Moog System 15 (150 units at $10,000), the mid-range System 35 (35 units at $22,000) all the way up to the System 55, a massive $35,000 machine featuring 36 handcrafted analog modules in two walnut cases. There are no microprocessors in these monoliths.
Only 55 copies of the System 55 will be built, based on original documentation and design files. Each module is hand soldered and mounted behind photo-etched aluminum panels, just the same way it would have been done when first unveiled in 1973.
If Moog's high-end recreations are a bit much for your pocket book, KORG has created a scaled-down $1000 (street price) version of the ARP Odyssey. This compact instrument went head-to-head with the Minimoog in the 1970s. The new 86% size dual oscillator machine includes modern niceties such as MIDI and USB, along with the classic dual oscillator analog voice that made the Odyssey a mainstay of many bands from 1972 until the company's demise in the early 1980s. There were three different filter designs used by ARP throughout the instrument's production run, and they're all included in this new version. Even the case is a slightly miniaturized version of the final revision (the previous two designs are available as special editions, too).
ARP wasn't the only brand resurrected for the 2015 NAMM Show. After decades of ownership by Yamaha, Sequential Circuits -- one of the creators of the MIDI music interface protocol -- is back in the hands of veteran synthesizer designer Dave Smith. His response to the news is the $2799 Prophet-6, a modernized version of the first massively successful Sequential Circuits polyphonic synthesizer that has appeared on thousands of records and soundtracks since its introduction in 1978.
The show floor is packed with noticeably more synthesizer manufacturers than in years past. Many are tiny operations that make boutique modules for the immensely popular Eurorack modular synthesizer format, while others like newcomer Modal Electronics have created stunningly sophisticated digital/analog hybrid instruments that sell for thousands of dollars.
Perhaps there's more to the resurgence of hardware synthesis than just nostalgia. While it's true that computers are now capable of running software-based instruments that rival even high-end hardware, there's something ephemeral about a virtual instrument. Without the physical controls and physical permanence of hardware, something is missing from the musical experience.
Whether or not the hardware trend continues, it looks like the music industry is in for some very interesting times in years to come.
This newsreel footage of "boffin" Peter Zinovieff gives a bit of insight into how difficult it was to create electronic music in the 1960s. For several years, Zinovieff worked out if his futuristic shed with Delia Derbyshire (who pieced together the original ethereal Doctor Who theme) and Brian Hodgson on an ill-fated project to create and promote electronic music.
Zinovieff's groundbreaking contribution to popular music came a year after this newsreel, when he formed EMS with Tristam Cary and David Cockerell. Together, they produced the the VCS3 'Putney' synthesizer that retailed for the stunningly low price of £330. It was used on recordings by Pink Floyd, the Alan Parsons Project, Jean Michel Jarre, Todd Rundgren, Brian Eno and many others.
Over the next decade EMS released the Synthi range of instruments, culminating with the introduction of the Polysynthi in 1978.
My studio is dotted with some classic microphones. The Shure "Elvis" mic, an old Calrad mic that looks like a cold capsule, and more. I've been lucky to have most of my treasures while thrifting or hitting garage sales, because genuinely vintage mics often come at a price.
Not only are many old mics cool to look at, but they offer a signature sound that's hard to get any other way. Then again, some don't actually sound all that great after all these years, but a handsome mic will always find a home on someone's shelf.
Pyle is an audio gear company known for budget friendly microphones, cables, speakers, and the like. The product that caught my eye is their Retro Dynamic Vocal Microphone. Instead of yet another workaday looking microphone, the Pyle PDMICR40 takes a style cue from classic Shure microphones & other 50s mics.
The microphone comes in three colors - chrome, black, and even a burgundy! The body is plastic, which I've got to think is key in bringing this mic in around $40 - which also includes a mic cable! I'm not brimming with confidence over the XLR jack since it's also entirely plastic, and I fear that one fall would shatter the body of the mic... but at this price you've got to expect some shortcuts.
I bought The Pyle mic simply to use as prop in a video project, but the mic's performance is not bad, not bad at all. Obviously you're not going to get the classic 50s sound of a genuinely retro microphone, but if you like the look of a classic mic in a good day-to-day general purpose microphone, then the Pyle Retro mic is hard to pass up - especially at this price.
Help out Retro Thing when you pick up a Pyle Retro Styled Microphone on Amazon
Korg and NYC electronics kit startup LittleBits have teamed up to create a $159 snap-together analog synthesizer kit. It includes 12 modules including a pair of oscillators, classic 1970s-style filter, envelope generator, mini switch keyboard and essentials such as a power regulator and speaker.
LittleBits modules feature magnetic snap-together connectors that make it easy to quickly rearrange electronic modules in countless different ways. The system is expandable, so you can borrow a couple of modules from a friend and easily create a multi-oscillator monster synthesizer.
LittleBits founder Ayah Bdeir has worked tirelessly in recent years to pull together a framework for licensing open source hardware that anyone is free to modify, make and use. While we don't yet know the details, I strongly hope that she continues that trend with this product by making schematics and design files available for everyone to study and use.
Modules include:
The instruction manual includes 10 example projects including Percussion Party, Keytar, Spooky Sounds and Synthesizer With The Works (the first one I'll build!). For users who aren't afraid to modify their modules, LittleBits and Korg include instructions for creating sound-altering circuit designs such as pitch sweeps, white noise, key player, sequencer control, frequency modulation, random voltage, filtering noise and echo and delay.
This kit looks like a great frustration-free way to introduce youngsters to the wonders of analog synthesis and I'm pretty sure these modules will be hacked and mangled by the grown-up DIY crowd in a matter of days.
The LittleBits Korg Synth Kit will be available the first week of December for $159.
For more information, visit the LittleBits site and check out the Synth Kit product page.
I got my first keytar a while back, and pretty much everyone thought (thinks) I was (am) the biggest dork. Even other keyboard guys. I'm not saying that I haven't earned that title many times over (this existence of Retro Thing is testimony of that!), but over a keytar? When I got mine, it was a decidedly out thing... and it didn't help my case any that the instrument was large (full size keys, go figure.), blazing white, and had "Casio" written on it in a huge font.
We seem to be in a place now where there are new models of keytar every week. So when I wanted to hot dog on some blazin' keyboard solos I was weird, but when some smug ironic hipster straps into a keytar he's "totally meta"? Sorry dude - you're just a dork with moustache wax.
Maybe it's the wanna-be guitar shape of most keytars that cemented their role in the annals of music history as a peculiarity. Except for showboating, there's little real need for a keytar. You can only play one handed with your left mitt just swinging around whatever passes for a guitar-style neck. I'll bet the synth history books would tell a different story if we were all rocking the Roland SH-101.
First of all, you're talking about an excellent analog synth. Monophonic, I grant you... but that's perfect for soloing. All the knobs and tweaks are right there. It's small and square, so no phallic posturing here. An SH-101 player is clearly comfortable with himself as a person. Available in cheerful read, blue and silver. You can even bolt on a tiny guitar-ish handle for pitch & mod wheels, or just to more fully bring the rock. And of course it's the 80s you can be dressed like you're ready to go skiing at pretty much any time.
The first time I saw one of these in action was on a TV interview with John Tesh. The internet was there and remembered to put a tape in the VCR.
Oh wait. I'm a dork again.
We first mentioned KORG's new mini version of the classic MS-20 synthesizer last month. Here's a hands-on look by Peter Kirn at Create Digital Music.
Peter comes away impressed; KORG has managed to cram the essence of the 1978 original into a somewhat modernized package. It still only plays one note at a time, there are no patch memories and you can only control notes via MIDI -- don't expect to tweak knob settings from the comfort of your computer desktop.
That said, this little synth is a great value for $599, although public response has been polarized. Some electronic musicians absolutely love it, while others question the need for yet another standalone analog monosynth with limited MIDI capability. Personally, I'm sold.
[photo by Pea Hicks]
We're fans of the Stylophone, an oddball British instrument from the 60s. it strikes a dear bleepy chord within many hearts since for many it was their first ever electronic instrument, or even their first musical instrument! Monophonic, buzzy, and played with a little plastic stylus seems like an unlikely combination of ideas to become a cherished object, but for decades the Stylophone has stood the test of time by remaining resolutely true to its 60s origins.
A few years ago the Stylophone re-entered production by the same outfit who put out the original. they added such luxuries as a volume control and an output jack, but it was the same analog bleepiness as ever. More recently, the Stylophone Beatbox morphed the shape into a circle, and triggered a whole mess of samples, and even had a sequencer of sorts built in. We had the first Stylophone Beatbox in the USA, and have since wondered what was next for the proto analog synth.
Now we know. The NAMM show rolled out the newest member of the Stylophone family, the S2. it's a larger road-worth successor to the original Stylophone, with some surprisingly advanced tweaks built in. The keyboard is much larger and can be played either with stylus or fingertip. The sound is also tweakable and filterable, all built in. You can even patch external sounds through it and apply analog filtering through the S2 itself. There's more to it, but even this short list is an amazing start.
The past few years have seen a resurgence in interest in analog synth technology, and the original Stylophone represents one of the simplest and earliest expressions of electronic sound. A huge part of the fun of the original stylophone is how cheap and odd it is. For example, the 60s version didn't have a volume - the manual helpfully suggests that you cup your hand over the built in speaker! This new version seems like it has tremendous potential to combine the oddball likability of the old instrument, with the sorts of new features that a modern synth freak might look for. We'll have to keep our eyes on YouTube for the first squeaky tunes to come out of the thing.
Until then, ostensibly famous synth duo "The Bret Domino Trio" have cut a demo song with the S2. It's a Justin Bieber song, so I'm very very sorry. Just do your best to listen solely to the cool Stylophone bits.
Thirty five years after its initial unveiling, the MS-20 synthesizer is back. This time around, it comes with a USB port and MIDI IN.
The new MS-20 Mini is reduced to 86% the size of the original, with 1/8" plug jacks instead of the original 1/4" phone plugs. The same engineers who worked on the original have reworked it for the 21st century using modern components.It includes a classic 2VCO / 2VCA / 2VCF / 2EG / 1LFO design, along with a self-oscillating high/low pass filter, a highly flexible patching system and a complete reproduction of the original analog circuit.
We're expecting the instrument to retail for around $595, although we'll have to wait for official word from KORG at this week's massive NAMM show in Anaheim, California.
Each generation, there are only a few lucky/brilliant/sufficiently eccentric people who manage to dramatically inspire the world. Dr. Bob Moog was one such character. He wasn't the first to build electronic instruments, nor was he the most successful. However, no one can deny that a classic early 1970s Minimoog Model D has a personality and unique sound unlike anything else.
Although Bob passed away in 2005, his namesake company continues to release successful new instruments from their factory in Ashville, North Carolina. In many ways, Moog Music is the Harley-Davidson of the electronic music industry. Their devices are distinctly analog, encased in metal and wood, with knobs and switches taking precedence over digital displays and blinking LEDs.
Hans Fjellestad released this 70 minute documentary in 2004. It highlights Moog's obsession with sound and artistic creation, drawing from his wisdom with commentary from the likes of Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson and Herb Deutsch. If you're a synthesizer aficionado, it is definitely worth watching.
Moog: A film by Hans Fjellestad [official site]
Stop reading this post. Watch the video first. You'll feel giddy, glowy, and laugh out loud happy. I guarantee it. Watched it? Good. It's a fake.
The 1926 Fotoplayer is a real instrument, and Joe Rinaudo really plays it with the vim you see. YouTube user "adnmusic" added the very credible sounding cacophony that could have backed an old timey version of "Sweet Child O' Mine". The Fotoplayer uses perforated rolls like a player piano, but with tons of extra (wait for it...) bells and whistles.
Movie theaters of the silent era installed Fotoplayers so that a non-musician (remember the piano rolls provided the main music "track") with a minimum of four hands could accompany the mute movies of the times. When I used to teach film history, I thought it was important to make clear that silent movies were never really silent movies. There was always some kind of accompaniment (sometimes live, sometimes on records) to liven up the flickers. It is only in an academic atmosphere like film school that we watch these movies in clinical silence.
Rinaudo painstakingly restored his Fotoplayer, taking thousands of hours to repair and fine tune the many, many moving parts. You can glimpse the drums, xylophone, and the many pull-cord sound effects in action with Joe's real performance in the genuine video below. Fewer than 50 Fotoplayers survive today, with only 12 in working condition. It's a privilege to see one in action, and it can still bring a smile to the face... even if it's not playing Guns N' Roses.
[thanks, Pea!]
I have no idea why this vintage Russian toy synthesizer features French cartoon character "Pif le chien," but I suspect it has something to do with his adorably socialist outlook on life. Or perhaps it is to disguise the fact that the front panel of this little analog synth is embarrassingly sparse.
It features a built-in speaker and line out. No MIDI, no programs, no display, and a mere 24 keys. It runs off 9VDC. How does it sound, you ask? Awful [mp3], but in a very cool way.
eBay: VINTAGE SOVIET ANALOG SYNTHESIZER "PIF" [Thanks for the heads up, William!]
Classic Retro Thing |
