|
|
The Joy Circuit |
|
|
Synthesizers
Review
The S-612 was one of Akai's first professional
rack-mount samplers, released back in 1985. Some of its features included 12-bit
sampling from 4 to 32kHz with loop and truncate functions, an overdub function
and mic or line input jacks. Internal memory is only 128KB which gives a maximum
of 8 seconds sampling time at the lowest sampling rate available. An optional
disk drive that features the quick disk (QD) 2.8 inch format is needed for
permanent storage of samples. Only one sample is stored to each side of the
disk.
You won't be able to do much with the S-612 these days. However it bears some
classic traits that may still be of interest. It features classic high and low
pass filtering and an LFO for modulating and giving your sample an animated
edge. It's also fairly simple and straight forward to operate, responds to
external triggering and is still very well suited to any MIDI studio
applications. It's definitely a limited sampler, but it makes a cheap back-up
instrument that may come in handy for lo-fi sounds or triggered effects.
-Vintage Synth Explorer
My first and only dedicated hardware sampler, totally obsolete now. It could sample at its maximum quality for only 1 second but in its day it supplied a very usable piano sound. Looping samples was a nightmare and data was saved to a 2.8 inch Quick Disk. Try getting one of them nowadays!
Review
The JX-3P is a pretty good synth, best known for a good string sound. It came about at the same time as the Juno series but represents a shift towards digital circuitry, push-buttons and (for the JX-3P) simplified programming. Compared with a Juno, the JX-3P sounds inferior however it is analogue and capable of decent synth sounds for cheap. You will need the PG-200 programmer if you want real control of it. It's a six voice polyphonic with two DCO's per voice which means analogue oscillators and sounds with digital stability and control. The typical assortment of filter, envelope, LFO and oscillator sections are here with easy and straight-forward programming.
Surprisingly, the JX-3P is MIDI equipped, in fact it was Roland's first MIDI synth but was very limited to basic note on/off information only. Synths like the Juno 106 have far better MIDI implementation and sounds. Although the JX-3P may not be as nice or professional as a Juno, it makes a great entry level Vintage synth capable of creating some useful classic analogue sounds. The JX-3P also came in a rack-mount version called the MKS-30.
-Vintage Synth Explorer
Purchased this courtesy of my pay off from Portsmouth Dockyard, cost me a bout £650 in 1985 which was quite a lot then. I believe it was Roland's first MIDI capable synth and it shows in it's implementation which is limited. This replaced the Casio MT-31 as a machine for playing chord's and there was obviously no comparison. Came with an optional programmer which sat over it's own diagram on the right hand side and it was really needed if you wanted to program it. Good sound and was great for strings and pads.
|
The OSCar is a classic mono-synth from
British manufacturer Oxford Synthesiser Company (OSC). It came in 1983 and
though it was in the same class as the Arp Odyssey and Minimoog mono-synths,
its late arrival makes it one of the more advanced programmable mono-synths
of its time! It's got a really cool sound, digitally controlled dual
oscillators with analog filters, and plenty of programmability all packed
into a quirky little plastic case with 37 keys. MIDI also appeared on
later revisions as well. -Vintage Synth Explorer |
 |
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
It's small, it's cheap, and it's good! This is
the pea-size version of the CZ-1000 with a mini-keyboard. The CZ-101 is a
digital synth and although the programming is somewhat limited there are plenty
of analogue-like traits and sounds to interest most anybody. It has a good
8-stage envelope design and uses Phase Distortion (PD) synthesis which gives it
some pretty great sounds. The sounds are very similar to the Yamaha DX
synthesizers, and they're much more affordable. PD is Casio's own take on
digital synthesis from the mid-eighties and is found in all of their CZ series.
You basically modify digital waveforms (sine waves) to create various sounds. It
can create wild new sounds, notably percussive sounds. But it's not too easy to
program if you don't know much about waveform theory and design. -Vintage Synth Explorer |
 |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Review
Yet another FM synthesizer from Yamaha, this one
comes in a compact, multitimbral, 1-unit rack mount module and is basically a
key-less version of the DX-11. It has far more professional features than its
relative, the FB-01. The TX81Z features great FM type synth sounds similar also
to the DX-21 and DX-27. It's still not as good as the classic DX-7, but it's an
inexpensive source of those sounds with lots of programmability. Eight voice
polyphony, 128 preset sounds, 32 user and lots of functions hidden behind 11
push buttons.
The TX81Z features a new ability to use waveforms other than just a sine wave.
There are eight voices that can be split, layered and detuned. Also onboard are
pseudo-effects including delay and reverb. These features can be stored as
performance set-ups. The effects are simply envelope and re-triggering effects.
The TX81Z works great as a sound-module for any live or studio production. It's
got a wider range of sounds than the DX-7, may not be quite as warm or 'classic'
sounding, but at its low price and with the excellent MIDI implementation it
makes a great alternative or backup synth for percussive, punchy FM synth
sounds.
-Vintage Synth Explorer
I always wanted an FM synth to complement my range of analogue gear and at the time this was the most cost effective version to buy. It was another good sounding unit but FM synthesis was beyond me as a programming technique so it was really only used as a preset instrument. Another synthesizer I recently dug out of storage but being unable to find the manual at the moment has not encouraged me to explore its programmability. I probably appreciate the sound of this instrument more now than I did when I purchased it, terrible for thick pads but has a lovely clean and clear sound that sits with well with traditional analogues.
Review
Take Korg's first digitally controlled analogue synth hybrid (DW-6000) two steps higher and you get the more popular DW-8000. Sound is digitally generated from the DWGS (Digital Waveform Generator System) and has been doubled from 8 sampled digital waveforms to 16 simple analogue to complex digital waveforms. The DW-8000 has 8 voice polyphony in two modes, or one monophonic mode with all eight voices stacked. The analogue VCF resonant filter and VCA both have independent ADBSSR envelopes. Parameters can be altered in real time via a single programmable slider. There are 64 presets that can be reprogrammed by the user.
When the DW-8000 succeeded the DW-6000, it expanded it to 8 notes polyphony, 16 sampled waveforms, a velocity sensitive keyboard with programmable aftertouch, auto-bend, a simple arpeggiator and a digital delay unit. The Digital Delay was an astonishing goody for the time, offering up to 512ms delay, phasing, flanging, chorusing and other time effects. Both the Arpeggiator, Auto-Bend and Digital Delay make this synth an inspiring and great sounding machine to use for great 303 basslines, techno and house bass and synth sounds and more! The EX-8000 is a rackmount version of the DW-8000. Several 3rd-party developers offered expansion boards for the DW-8000 providing up to 1024 presets, layered sounds, keyboard splits and Sample+Hold for the LFO.
-Vintage Synth Explorer
I think I got this by trading in my CS-15 and Moog Prodigy. A traditional analogue in many ways with the addition of a large choice of basic waveforms and a built in digital delay. Still searching for a usable PC editor to go with this.
Review
The Proteus 2000 is a reincarnation of the
economic Proteus rack module series of the early nineties. While its synthesis
architecture is virtually the same as the original Proteus, the Proteus 2000 is
packed with major new features, sounds and expandability for the most demanding
professionals!
It features 128-voice polyphony and 32 MIDI channels allowing it to handle even
your most complex MIDI sequences. It ships with a whopping 32 MB of sample ROM
memory which is expandable up to 128 MB using four internal ROM slots! The
sounds it ships with are called the "Composer" soundset, offering you
1,536 presets (1,024 ROM, 512 user). The sounds cover the whole spectrum of
synthesizer type sounds, from real instruments to bizarre sounds and effects.
As seen on previous Proteus modules, there are six individual polyphonic
outputs. But unlike its predecessors there are now multi-mode resonant filters.
Plus four real-time controls allow you to access any of up to 12 parameters,
giving you instant control over your sounds right from the front-face of the
module. The Proteus 2000 is a light, compact module designed for use with
sequencers. It can be your main sound module, or one of many. Either way there's
an immense amount of great sounds at your fingertips for any music application!
A 64-voice keyboard version is available too, the PK-6 Proteus Keys.
-Vintage Synth Explorer
Bewildering number of presets ranging from the dull to brilliant, initially confusing selection process but I eventually got the hang of it. Not had chance to explore its programmability yet but love the 4 "real time" edit knobs for adjusting 12 different parameters, something all synthesizers should have.
Review
The K4 from Kawai can be thought of as a warm and
fuzzy digital synthesizer. A sample-based digital synth, its sounds are those
typically weird industrial type sounds that can still be useful in lo-fi,
big-beat and trip hop music styles. The sounds are 16-bit preset PCM samples of
acoustic instruments. However, unlike its predecessor the K1, the K4 adds a
welcomed digital filter section. This truly makes the K4 more flexible, fun and
useful for today's filter tweaking music effects!
The K4r is the eight output rackmount version which has all the same features
except for the effects processor. Both feature 8-part multitimbrality which is
great for stacking, splitting and layering sounds. The K4 will give you strange,
new and unique sounds with plenty of flexibility and analog-style sound shaping
and control at an affordable price.
-Vintage Synth Explorer
Difficult synthesizer to describe, it certainly has a sound of it's own and I can best describe it as a specialist instrument. Most of it's sounds are dead and non-descript, and it's not an easy machine to program, then you come across the breathy and atmospheric sounds in which it's a winner, kind of reminds me of the old classic Mellotron sound.
 |
Review
British synth makers Novation take their now classic BassStation Rack to the next level. The A-Station is polyphonic, adding 8 voices of polyphony to their 1-unit rack-mount synth. Unlike the original BassStation and Super BassStation which were real analog synths, the A-Station gets its voice architecture from the SuperNova synths, which use analog sound modelling. The A-Station has the layout and shape of the famous Bass Stations, but its guts are basically a slimmed down SuperNova.
It has 25 knobs for real-time control, and all knobs transmit MIDI controller messages. The A-Station has three oscillators which provide sawtooth, triangle, sine and pulse width modulation. There's even a simple FM synth engine which can be dialed in for sharpening the sound. Oscillators may be set to Unison or Sync'd operation and a Noise source is also included in the waveform engine. There is a nice lowpass resonant filter with switchable 12 or 24dB/oct slopes and ADSR controls. A second ADSR envelope is available for the oscillators, as well as two LFOs with sample-and-hold and MIDI sync.
On-board effects include reverb and delay. Their send levels can be controlled by the Mod wheel which is a nice effect. A 12-band vocoder is also on-board for processing external mono sounds such as drum loops or vocals. The A-Station's pads sound great when vocoded with external sounds. External sounds can also be used as an oscillator, run through the filters, envelopes, etc. with much better results than were possible on the original Bass Station. There's even a built-in Arpeggiator whose speed synchronization and sweep range can be stored with the program for instant recall. Unfortunately, some of the older Bass Station's problems still have not been addressed in the A-Station. Namely, the lack of a power switch, a puny 2-digit LCD screen, and it's still not multitimbral. But for clean analog sounding synth bass, punchy leads, pads, filter sweeps and more - the A-Station is certainly a great piece of kit to have around
-Vintage Synth Explorer
This has been the complete opposite to the D-110, a few minutes after getting it out the box I had it connected and going through the presets. As it's fundamentally an analogue synth it's also easy to program. The sounds themselves are very powerful, similar in my thinking to a polyphonic OSCar. This is certainly going to be a well used instrument
 |
With its hundreds of Voices and Performances and comprehensive editing capabilities, the MU90R sports a complete range of instruments and sound-shaping features which make it suitable for literally any music situation. Additionally, six digital multi-effects blocks provide practically unlimited sonic enhancement through multiple Reverb, Chorus, Variation, Insertion 1 and 2, and Multi-type EQ effects. Two A/D Inputs permit direct connection of an external audio source for increased utility, while two assignable Individual outputs provide additional flexibility in an expanded system. A convenient TO HOST connector also makes the MU90R powerful as a stand-alone tone generator for multimedia and other computer-related applications.
-Synthony Music
An external source of XG Sounds which means I don't have to muck around getting my daughter board to work anymore. A large selection of ready to use sounds and effects.
 |
|
|
This brand new beauty from Korg combines
state of the art Analog Physical Modelling synth sounds with a very
vintage Korg appearance. Yes, this sounds as good as it looks! Remember
Korg's MS-series (the MS-10, MS-20 and MS-50)? That's right, the MS or
MonoSynth series are some of Korg's most sought after analog synths. They
were some of the only compact Patchable monosynths of their time, and had
a great Korg sound too. While the MS2000 is somewhat
"hard-wired", it offers just as much and more flexibility while
maintaining a straight forward and hands-on approach towards old-fashioned
editing via dedicated knobs, buttons and flashy lights. In place of actual
patch cables and input jacks, the MS2000 features a cool "Virtual
Patch" mode in which signal can be routed to various sections of the
synth (ie: LFO, Filter or Keyboard Velocity) using the LCD display and
paging through various screens. -Vintage Synth Explorer |
 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 |
New purchase. review to follow shortly
|
Following up on the success of the popular Virus, Access unleashed an upgraded model in 1999, the Virus B. The original Virus A had 12-voice polyphony, but the new OS in the Virus B doubles the polyphony from 12- to 24-voices and the oscillators, from 2 to 3 per voice. The new OS also added an enhanced programmable 32-band vocoder. There are now up to 82 simultaneous effects, a retro-phaser (6-stage stereo phaser with 24 filter-poles), chorus/flanger, ring modulator, multiple forms of distortion, an analog boost algorithm, and an envelope follower. Up to five FM (Frequency Modulation) modes are also on-board now and many new sounds have been created for this bigger and better version of the Virus. -Vintage Synth Explorer |
 |
||
|
|||
|
|
This is the first true TR-808 / 909
clone! Unlike the rest which use only samples, the DrumStation employs
analog Sound Modeling - digitally synthesized models of the original
waveforms which can be shaped, just like analog. This means you can
adjust the tone, attack, decay, tuning, snap, and distortion of its drum
tones. It includes all of the sounds found in the original 808 and
909's, the same tone controls for each drum part, and my favorite is the
DIN Sync output which will allow you to sync a TB-303, 909, or 808 to
it, just like the original boxes. -Vintage Synth Explorer |
 |
||
|
|||
 |
|
This is a very capable and clean sounding "virtual analog" synth module with the added bonus of drum samples to allow "all-in-one" dance song creation (there is no sequencer but the arpeggiations can have up to 32 steps). There is quite simply nothing at this price level that can compete - or even at twice as much. Highly recommended! -Music Gear Review |
 |
||
|
|
|||
|
|||
 |
|
The RT-323's best feature perhaps is being able to create my own drumkits. I also own the RT-123 and the most annoying thing ever is not being able to have a splash cymbal in place of a crappy hand clap. I like being able to save my data on smart media cards too. Battery operation also eliminated many problems of finding an electrical outlet to plug in at when i go to friends houses to jam with them. Anyone looking to purchase an inexpensive (although for what it is, it should be more) drum machine packed with features, this RT-323 would be the one. With the breakthrough of the Zoom drum
machine sound quality at the price it is, never again does someone have
to spend 1000 dollars for excellent sound. The reverb is well done even
though it isn't programmable. I give this a 9 only due to the fact that
you don't have more control over reverb. -ZZ Sounds Review |
 |
||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
 |
 |
| Amdek PHK-100 Phaser | Boss RDD-20 Digital Delay | Boss CE-2 Chorus |
 |
||
| Behringer Virtualizer Pro DSP2024P | ||
| Got this to replace a very disappointing Zoom effects unit I got cheap off of eBay. Despite Behringers sometimes dodgy reputation I am very pleased with it | ||
MIXERS
 |
 |
|
|
RECORDING EQUIPMENT
Before the wonderful day's of PC based sequencers and hard disk recorders everything had to go down on tape and for the budget conscious musician that meant the "portastudio". I don't think anyone actually makes cassette tape based machines anymore but I have owned a couple.
I still own this although it would probably only ever get used again as a mixer. At the time Sansui introduced some very innovative recording equipment but then just as quickly disappeared from the scene. This had more inputs than the 244 and was also a 6 track. Another benefit was a built in reverb unit.
