Synthesizer tweaking

[mrdave45]

As there are a lot of audio buffs here. Presumably some like myself are also musicians. Any body had experiennce tweaking analogue synthesizers? I have just taken hold of some ancients thing that im going to fix, but was wondering if any one had any ideas on tweaking filters etc

Hopefully this isnt off topic.
D.

 

[Tony L]

What synth have you found? I love 70s analogue - I used to buy and sell the things before the price sky-rocketed and the supply dried up. I've had most of 'em pass through, but I never did anything in a tweaky electronics way to them - tuning and keyboard-scaling is about my limit, anything more and I got someone else to fix them.

Tony.

(who still deeply regrets selling his near mint EMS Synthi AKS)

 

[imarks]

Not major treaking but, I fitted a filter cutoff control socket to my Roland SH-09 a long while ago, I used this kit from Kenton. It was simple to fit and allows me to do filter sweeps over midi using a ProSolo.

As a side note: is the SH-09 a classic yet and if it's worth anything have I totally spoilt it by adding the filter socket?

 

[MarkW]

The 70s was probably the golden age of synthesis. Everything since the DX7 has been getting asymptotically closer to pure shite (with virtually no exceptions that come to my fuzzy morning mind) (Oberhaim OBX, maybe).

Prices for good kit from the era tend to be silly these days as Tony said, but there must be a few dustly old things in garages and lofts crying out for some tlc. Let us know what you have, whether it works at all, etc. There's probably some good scope for tweaking and generally pratting with its inner workings.

PSU, filters, general updating of the modulation circuitry (long time for components to go out of spec, or just plain old fail). Hours of fun, hours.

Mark
(Getting nostalgic for a proper minimoog or Roland System 100m)

 

[Tony L]

As a side note: is the SH-09 a classic yet and if it's worth anything have I totally spoilt it by adding the filter socket?

The SH-09 is a nice little synth – simple, and easy to use in a very fluent way. It is a very dance / techno friendly machine where it’s clean and bleepy quality fits right in. I’d say a SH-09 would sell more as a ‘user’ rather than a collectable as there are / were so many of the things so your mod may well add value if it has been done neatly.

The 70s was probably the golden age of synthesis. Everything since the DX7 has been getting asymptotically closer to pure shite (with virtually no exceptions that come to my fuzzy morning mind) (Oberhaim OBX, maybe).

It all went to hell in a handcart when presets came in IMHO. The OBX / JP8 / Prophets etc were the last of the good ones to my mind, yes they had a few presets, but they were still easy to program as they were virtually one knob per function. The DX7 killed it and then the sample and synthesis things like the D-50 and M1 just whacked the nail in the coffin. There is so much lazy 80s music using the DX7 Rhodes preset, D-50 ‘Soundtrack’ and the M1 piano – it just stopped people thinking about sound in a creative way.

Thankfully folk eventually realised the error of their ways and there has over the past couple of decades been a rebirth of really decent synths (Waldorf, Nord, Moog etc) plus some wonderful virtual analogue synth plug-ins for PC / Mac. I’d love a shiny new Moog Voyager!

Tony.

 

[mrdave45]

its a powertran transcendent 2000. I believe originaly built form a kit. Theres quite a lot it can do. sadly only single oscilator plus noise and lfo but has s&h etc. The vco is working but the signal is lost shortly after that. The power supply is reading a very respectable +- 11.9v on the suppply rails. Not bad for 28 yeas!

I largely agree with the coments about synths having got somewhat boring, but there are a couple of modern synths i have found really interesting. Anyone remember the wavestation? I had one of these for a while and it was brilliant. Dave Smith who designed that and i believe the prhophet VS and sy77 has started making his own line of evolver synths (and they produce some of the most complex but in a sublte way evolving pad sounds).

Also Absynth is a rather cool soft synth along with the emulator x soft sampler.

Anyway, ramble over.

The powertran is based largely on (gasp!!!!) 741 op amps.
I found schematics on the net so only a matter of time. But am tempted to try a make a moog filter.for it. I found schematics for that as well.
lots of fun.

 

[Tony L]

its a powertran transcendent 2000. I believe originaly built form a kit.

Yes, they were kit jobs, I think in association with one of the main electronics mags of the day. Inevitably this makes them a very variable prospect as, quite literally, no two are the same. Joy Division had one.

Theres quite a lot it can do.

IIRC staying in tune was definitely not one of it’s ‘things’.

Tony.

 

[mrdave45]

but if it stayed in tune it wouldnt be any fun.

 

[Tony L]

Absolutely - it wasn't a criticism!

Tony.

 

[dss]

I made one of those Transcendent 2000 with a student friend!

We used the external audio input to mangle my violin scrapings to great effect! We nearly cleared the venue at our first gig!

You might be able to find the construction / instruction book on teh internets.

I remember it took a few goes to get working properly!

DS

( A fan of virtual analgoue synths, like Access Virus / Nord Modular / Novation Supernova / Waldorf Mirco Q etc.. )

 

[mrdave45]

pmsl. well hopefully ill have time over the next couple of days to have a probe and get it working. I can hear its rather monotonic voice whining "fix me fix me", but not very loud cos its signal has dropped to the level of the noise floor (should i say noise shelve!)

D.