Really awesome showcase that nicely supports what I keep saying over years... Moog Laddder filter isnt really the best choice for polyphonic instruments, its usable for monophonic synths and absolutely amazing for modular systems, but for proper polyphonic sounds / chords.. OTA or even diode designs sounds and blends much nicer. Thank you for the showcase, awesome!
@@vintageaudioinstitue Absolutely! Its highly subjective thing. When I have a moment I will look at service manuals how it is technically handled. It might be even a thing on your example (if it is unserviced) where capacitor responsible for release time had aged badly and is not holding current for expected time.
Logan String Melody II is sitting on its throne and looking unamused about such herecy you just wrote. ;-) (Anyways yeah, Performer/Multiman sounds really fabulous)
To my ears the SSM sounds more musical and mellow, in a good way. Could it be that the ladder filter is not calibrated right (too much resonance)? It's a cool effect, but too much for what I'd use the Performer for. I can say my (uncalibrated) Performer doesn't go that far into resonance.
They’re both calibrated to Crumar specs - there are instructions exactly how to do that - so this is as good as they can sound without further modifications. It’s not only the sound that’s different - it’s the attack and sustain of the notes and filters. Notice the Moog Ladder has a great release that the SSM version doesn’t.
Although the upper one has more overtones on the brass that also make it “quack” a bit too much for my taste. So if that cannot be taken down to a comparable depth as on the lower one I’d prefer the SSM version. But then I am a bombastic proghead so what do I know? 🤪 Any idea what is in the Crumar 2003 organ?
It's not only the quack and the psieuuu of the modulation - it's also the attack and release that are different - the SSM have a nice long attack but a very short release, while the Moog filter have a nice long tail but the attack is only applied to the filter. Architecture....
I think I have the earlier version ... but it's in storage until I can find someone who can service it in the Maryland, USA area. My poor baby doesn't work anymore. 😥
Hi, I haven’t been able to find the specifications of the Crumar Performer, if you or anybody could provide them to me I would really appreciate it (Weight, height, deep and width). Anyway, thanks for this video!
@@vintageaudioinstitue Well now I am very embarrassed. You wrote a very thorough explanation right there in the video description. Thank you! That's what I get for watching videos on my phone late at night. It sounds like they had a pile of boards with moog filters and a pile of boards with ssm filters and they grabbed from these piles randomly until the moog filter boards were all used up. Thanks for all of your excellent work!
@@MonkeyUnit thanks! It’s tough to tell without looking inside or hearing the instrument. I’ve had 6 of these and I always thought it was the B in the serial number that indicated that they had the SSM filter - but here we have an early serial marked B with the Moog ladder filter that proves me wrong. There’s probably a serial number cut-off point when they switched over to SSM but I don’t know when. The Moog filter version seems more rare - at least here in Italy - this is my first.
Really awesome showcase that nicely supports what I keep saying over years... Moog Laddder filter isnt really the best choice for polyphonic instruments, its usable for monophonic synths and absolutely amazing for modular systems, but for proper polyphonic sounds / chords.. OTA or even diode designs sounds and blends much nicer.
Thank you for the showcase, awesome!
Thanks! It’s a matter of opinion - I like them both. The release of the Moog ladder Performer is def more natural and musical.
@@vintageaudioinstitue Absolutely! Its highly subjective thing. When I have a moment I will look at service manuals how it is technically handled. It might be even a thing on your example (if it is unserviced) where capacitor responsible for release time had aged badly and is not holding current for expected time.
@@DestroyER82 Maybe you missed this - they’re both serviced and calibrated to Crumar specifications 😉
@@vintageaudioinstitue Oh, yes I indeed did! Thank you for mentioning.
Filter sections have matched pair transistors etc - we kind of went all the way to get them to original specs@@DestroyER82
i love this channel so much!
Thanks! 😘
I prefer the SSM version which I have too. It also has the octave transpose.
Best string machine ever. Looking forward to the video! 😄
Logan String Melody II is sitting on its throne and looking unamused about such herecy you just wrote. ;-) (Anyways yeah, Performer/Multiman sounds really fabulous)
Some people might even prefer that stringer which is as Dutch as me! 😉@@DestroyER82
@@DestroyER82the Logan is great but there’s no brass section on that one tho
@@vintageaudioinstitue One trick pony, but what a gorgeous pony.. :)
To my ears the SSM sounds more musical and mellow, in a good way. Could it be that the ladder filter is not calibrated right (too much resonance)? It's a cool effect, but too much for what I'd use the Performer for. I can say my (uncalibrated) Performer doesn't go that far into resonance.
They’re both calibrated to Crumar specs - there are instructions exactly how to do that - so this is as good as they can sound without further modifications.
It’s not only the sound that’s different - it’s the attack and sustain of the notes and filters.
Notice the Moog Ladder has a great release that the SSM version doesn’t.
I‘ll have to dig out my Performer and compare them. At any rate, if you’re asking for which one to keep: I‘d go with the SSM one :)
PS: String and brass machine off course. The magic is in the mix.
Although the upper one has more overtones on the brass that also make it “quack” a bit too much for my taste. So if that cannot be taken down to a comparable depth as on the lower one I’d prefer the SSM version. But then I am a bombastic proghead so what do I know? 🤪 Any idea what is in the Crumar 2003 organ?
It's not only the quack and the psieuuu of the modulation - it's also the attack and release that are different - the SSM have a nice long attack but a very short release, while the Moog filter have a nice long tail but the attack is only applied to the filter. Architecture....
Well, then to be sure I’d take the SSM version.@@vintageaudioinstitue
I have the version beneath the top one, SSM filter
I think I have the earlier version ... but it's in storage until I can find someone who can service it in the Maryland, USA area. My poor baby doesn't work anymore. 😥
I have MIDI kit for this synth on reverb
Which is currently not working, string section is
Hi, I haven’t been able to find the specifications of the Crumar Performer, if you or anybody could provide them to me I would really appreciate it (Weight, height, deep and width). Anyway, thanks for this video!
Hi,.How can I aesthetically understand which version is rev a and which is rev b with the ssm filter? Thank you
Use your ears. Usually the octave switch means SSM filter tho.
The switch in the middle is v2. I have v2.
Is there any way to tell which filter is in a Performer just from the outside appearance. A serial number range perhaps?
Please read the text you’re commenting on 🤙
@@vintageaudioinstitue Well now I am very embarrassed. You wrote a very thorough explanation right there in the video description. Thank you! That's what I get for watching videos on my phone late at night. It sounds like they had a pile of boards with moog filters and a pile of boards with ssm filters and they grabbed from these piles randomly until the moog filter boards were all used up. Thanks for all of your excellent work!
@@MonkeyUnit thanks! It’s tough to tell without looking inside or hearing the instrument.
I’ve had 6 of these and I always thought it was the B in the serial number that indicated that they had the SSM filter - but here we have an early serial marked B with the Moog ladder filter that proves me wrong.
There’s probably a serial number cut-off point when they switched over to SSM but I don’t know when.
The Moog filter version seems more rare - at least here in Italy - this is my first.