Posted on 17/05/2017
A different creature If you believe that a Roland Jupiter-6 is simply a boiled down version of the Jupiter-8, think again. The Jupiter-6 has got a different filter and synth engine. The addition of a true multimode filter (LPF/BPF/HPF) expands the sonic possibilities of the single synth engine. But the Jupiter-8’s ability to layer 2 different patches gives […]
Posted on 01/10/1986
Posted on 01/04/1986
The Oberheim Xpander was a very ambitious synth for the time (1984). It features a very flexible analog subtractive engine, and adds a Modulation Matrix that gives it a lot of extra flexibility compared to fixed signal path synths prevalent of the period. It’s 6 voice can be split in 6 fully independent monophonic synths, […]
Posted on 02/02/1985
Thud-tick-whack-tick… The LM-2 drum machine from Roger Linn is an absolute classic, and the model you probably refer to when mentioning “LinnDrum”. Incidentally this is also printed in large letters on the front. When first launched it was considered to be one of the most realistic sounding drum machines. Countless classic hit records have been made with – or […]
Posted on 01/01/1985
Akais first serious shot at a MIDI controlled digital sampler. The S-612 is really simple to operate: It is basically Record, Set Start/End and Play. It records at 12bit, 32Khz, and has a recording time of 8 seconds total. The resulting sample can be player with 6-voice polyphony. It offers a Sound-on-Sound function where you […]
Posted on 30/09/1984
Since the early days of electronic music, the Vocoder has always had it’s place. Originally invented to reinforce intelligibility of telephone calls, the vocoder was soon abused by electronic musicians to make synthetic voices and other spectral processing. Early albums such as Wendy Carlos’ “A clockwork orange”, “Tales of Mysery and Imagination” by Alan Parsons […]
Posted on 29/08/1984
Memory relief The trouble of saving your MIDI sequences onto a standard cassette tape and loading back again, was a real nightmare – especially in a live situation. WIth the MSQ-700 and MSQ-100 Sequencers from Roland there was an audio interface, to record digital information onto analog tape. And it actually worked – when the […]
Posted on 12/05/1984
Handling a new standard In 1983 a new technology swept across the musical landscape, and in very short time sent the CV/Gate based synthesizer gear to the corner. A common standard for exchange of musical data between electronic instruments, first agreed upon between Roland, Sequential and Yamaha. This new standard was called MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital […]
Posted on 13/06/1983
A worthy substitute? In 1982 during rehearsals for the DeFilm project, my main synth -the notoriously flaky PPG Wave 2.0 – needed a break for firmware updates and fixes. I needed a poly synth, so I was offered to borrow the Yamaha CS-60 during the repair period. So I took the rather heavy unit to […]
Posted on 01/01/1983