Hey alex. Finally got around to watching ur daft punk tutorial. Very cool stuff reminded me of ur "metal" song 😃 Would be very interested on ur take/tutorial for white zombies "more human than human". I found korgs faily disappointing.
Rather than going the Moog route these Italian manufacturers seem to specialise in instruments based around the technology of existing polyphonic keyboard instruments and this really comes out in the character and texture of the sound. There's a fair amount of organ in Uranus.
I could never have imagined when Elka hired me to voice and demo the Synthex 40 years ago that people would still be talking about it today. Of course all they could say back then was "But it's not a Prophet or an Oberheim!!!" to which I would reply "absolutely, it's so much better than those! To start with it stays in fucking tune! But I'm so grateful that this synth fell into my hands at the Frankfurt Musikmesse and Elka had no one to demo it! It led me to work with Geoff Downes, Jean-Michel Jarre, Stevie Wonder and many more
Paul! Your ears must have been burning as I was doing some synth trading with your old friend Simon Forsyth recently. I'd seen a video of you demonstrating the Synthex but he filled me in on the rest of it. So awesome.
Paul, thank you for all your work in the industry and also excellent writing for SOS over the years. Alex, thank you for a great channel that is not only informative, but entertaining and deeply musical.
Italy has a rich history of electronic instrument manufacturing probably starting with their electric accordions and on into transistor organs and guitar effects industry of the 1960s. Italy having such a preeminence in international graphic arts and industrial design, it’s no surprise that these instruments were created with such striking character and style.
Mario Maggi (the designer of the Elka Synthex) also deserves recognition for making one of the first synthesizers with proper, non-volatile patch memory, the MCS-70. The synth was very capable, with three oscillators, two filters and two envelopes, and its patch recall was instantaneous. The 1978 album "Automat" is a fantastic display of its versatility, being the only synth used to record it. Maggi never managed to put the MCS into production due to the Prophet 5 setting the standard, but he was inspired by it and moved on to create the now-classic Synthex.
He also made a one only monosynth for his high school mate who was later the keyboard player for the fantastic prog rock band Metamorfosi "Inferno" concept album. Highly recommend masterpiece from early '70s. I managed to see the synth years ago in a concert in Rome.
Man this place is like the island of misfit toys! So cool to see the menagerie of designs, controls, typography and colors. The visual language of synthesis was still being formalized and they were taking inspiration from organs, computers, automobiles, office machines, and toys.
The machines with typography in italian are so nostalgic. We are so used to the english typo, that it looks so strange to us when a snare is being called „rullante“! Just beautiful!
Bro, take me back to the days! I can still hear the purity of the soul of those inventions/instruments!!! And trust me, these modern plugins can't get that "phat... smooth" vibe! Oh, well, keep on truckiin'. 😎🎶💥🌎♥️✔️💪
You’re still the gold standard when it comes to TH-cam synth channels. I never roll my eyes on any of your presentations and we hope you continue for many years. Thank you
@@AlexBallMusic also the grid matrix layout (led?) for each sound in the sequencer made me do a double take, that's an SDS6 feature (also ultra rare) and about 10 years later!
I got to play with a Crumar GDS once. It was at Bell Labs in Murray Hill. Apparently, AT&T purchased it to replace the Alles Synthesizer which had been donated to Oberlin. Max Mathews gave me access. It used 8” floppy drives Lots of fun!
Having just picked up a Gem S2 Turbo from the recent Gary Moore guitar auction, I can say "YES" these Italian synths were built like tanks. The keyboard/action on this thing is beyond exquisite (poly AT/release velocity etc. etc), but it's the build quality/screen and spec (for 1992) which just blew my mind. It's usurped my TS-10 into a sound source now, and replaced it as the master keyboard in le-studio. Great video as always Alex, and a timely reminder (as Paul says below) to not just think of the "big guns" when it comes to great synths
Some of these synth have amazing sounding capabilities! I wasn't aware there was so much italian synths. Thank you very much for the video, much appreciated!
They made a lot of electric organs back in the day as well. Which correct me if I'm wrong but they're just pretty much synthesizers with less control over the sound.
It's such a joy getting to hear all this gear played so musically. I have a Crumar Multiman S2 that I need to restore as most registers aren't working at all, only a couple of them do and they sound very similar to the CRB Voco Strings, stunningly beautiful and angelic.
I used my Multiman-S for the music heard in the intro. Those Italian strings are quite something, absolutely. Hope you get your S2 back up and running again.
The second I saw and HEARD the Elka Synthex I knew Alex would love to have it in his studio. Not that other synths in the video would be undeserving of that category, but that seemed instantly obvious to me with the Synthex.
Really interesting. Thanks Alex. I’m now going to get on with fixing up a MK1 Performer which will have a custom front panel as the sliders are impossible to find. Watch this space.
My god, I almost died at the CRB Voco Strings - that's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. I've been eyeing up stringers for about 6 years without buying one, I fear I've missed that boat. Wonderful video - thank you!
The Eko Computerrythm is a masterpiece. Far in advance of its time as you said, thank you. There are not enough drum machines with visual sequence for each percussion like the Computerrythm had... Amazing. As your imitation of Jean-Michel Jarre and the Uranus joke: you're the best Alex, please never stop! Love from France ❤
well, dang! I hope this is a first volume of a series? with your visit of that unique museum, hopefully you captured more video! thanks for sharing, Alex!
Please.... more vintage synth covers...70's synth sound is what started the rest... and I am an old geek who saw, and heard it!!! Took me from guitar,bass, piano... bravo ✔️🎶
What a lovely video I have a Davolisint, a Jen Piano 73 and a Jen DT Piano. Jen Pianos formed the basis for a number of the Crumar pianos. If you want phasing, the Piano 73 phaser is AMAZING. Piano 73 is a kind of poor man's RMI, but put all the options on and hit some bass octave octaves with the phaser and it's one of the best sounds ever
You're just a synth-nerd's best buddy Alex! Such a warmly and beautifully presented (as always) Synthopia! Brilliant stuff, and I'm SO glad that Cherry Audio have made such an amazing recreation of the fabulous Synthex! :)
Absolutely brilliant video!! Great history lesson with loads of examples. As I am from that era, some of these I came across way back in the old days. Thanks for doing this Alex. Really enjoyed it (except for the bad bum "jokes"!)!!!!
Hugely enjoyable! And some unusual synths there…….I always remember Elka and Crumar synths lingering under dust in ‘Modern Music’ a repair shop in Dudley (Dud-lay as they say around here) which I used to visit once in a while with my dad, usually when his bass pedals had packed up and needed attention……one of them had a cardboard sign with ‘Fairlight CMI’ written on it in felt-tip…….
What a joyous exploration! It's interesting how many of these synths never really made it into mainstream because they didn't nescessarily sound like an x or y. Now one can appreciate the quirkiness and they find their own space. I was guilty of that "it's not a Prophet" or whatever back in the earlier days, but realise I was missing the point! Some of these deserve a lot of love and can only imagine the feeling of being let loose in the sweetshop there. I recently scanned some of my old Crumar brochures and spec-sheets, but I need to get around to uploading some more soon on my bigbluewave site.
Walking into that museum must feel like you're visitng an abandoned planet that was once inhabited only by... Italians? What an immensely cool collection of unique gear. So glad people are preserving an almost lost and forgotten history. I want to visit! Now!
Unequalled for 40 years (but then I was the demonstrator and did the factory presets). Recently Black Corporation made the Xerxes which faithfully reproduced 8 voices of a single Synthex timbre. I have been using that in the studio and will use it in my noonday presentation 40 Years Of Sound Design in Sheffield at Synthfest this coming Saturday (Oct 8th). More recently I was sent the ELKA-X softsynth by Americans Cherry Audio and that does up to 16 voices of Synthex voice architecture with two timbres available at once for Split/Double or with the Sequencer which it also faithfully reproduces. I'll be using that at the repeat presentation at Synthplex in Burbank California on Oct 29th to save taking the Xerxes on a plane with attendant customs problems.
With a limited budget I had to choose between a CS-80 and the Synthex. The Yamaha was 1000 DM cheaper, - And I took the ELKA. (Three decades plus ago.) I won‘t regret ever. Btw it is the only synth I had in use, which performs over the full range of 10 (ten!) MIDI octaves. THEN it sounds crazy... :D
I know it's not the same, but Cherry Audio's VST recreation is probably about as close as us non-Wiffenesque mortals will ever get to owning one. I'm enjoying mine, despite the lack of anything tactile.
Viva la Italia ! I got my self a GENERAL MUSIC / GEM wX2 16 track sequencer workstation or a music processor , a partially a synthesizer ... It was the world first 16 track karaoke keyboard in 90's. Italians know what they are doing. ❤️
This is closest most of us will get to those machines. Thank you. It always makes me think when I hear how so many of these, now very old, synths still sound better/more interesting than a lot of new stuff. I'd love to see a clone of Uranus and many others.
I love all of this. The Elka Synthex is of course the shining star of the show - and yes, it is absolulety right there with the mentioned Oberheims, Prophets and Jupiters of its era. But what strikes me - apart from hearing all those lovely, very European sounds of the 60s, 70s and 80s, from Krautrock and Cosmic all the way to Italo Disco - is the range of weird and wonderful designs. What's with all those knobs on the front, under the keyboards? And all those weird knobs and buttons in the strangest, oddest colours and sizes? The Italians clearly went much further out there than the British, American and Japanese designers at the time!
The knobs on the front is usually because they were hoping to sell them to organ owners to put them on the top. Korg also did that with their first synth, the 700S but the Italians kept going for longer as they were more wedded to the organ market.
Thanks for that review of italian synth engineering, triggered some memories. Had one of the Crumar DP-50s in for repair and I can surely say it was the most elaborated approach towards velocity I have ever seen. They have magnetic pickups with integrating envelopes instead of force sensors (so TRUE velocity) , and the weighting of the keys is really nice. Synthex' Elka remembers me of its brutal power supply design, brutal in sense of having no overvoltage protection for the voice cards when the regulator transistor dies because of overheating, but man, the user interface is soo nice in design and super comprehensible...
Can I suggest that you invest in the $39 softsynth from Cherry Audio $39, the ELKA-X, which really faithfully reproduces the Synthex with 16 voices of polyphony and two timbres simultaneously to use for Split/Layer or with the sequencer? I am using this for my 40 Years Of Sound Design talk this Saturday at Synthfest this Saturday Oct 8th in Sheffield and at Synthplex in Burbank California on Oct 29th, where I go into how I met Elka at Frankfurt in 1982 and was hired to demo the Synthex and create the factory presets which led to me working for Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre and Stevie Wonder.
Fantastic vid as always Alex. Wonderful synths, I'm surprised they managed to get you out of there. I'd wager the Synket wasn't the only thing fizzing in that room.
Omg Jon Brion’s soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine was seminal in my influence as a musician. I had no idea the background of his arrangements, let alone you had previously done a video breakdown. Thrilled.
Thanks for sharing Alex, could nearly smell all that vintage electronics. Given all that Italy has to offer plus a vintage synth museum I'm surprised you made it home. Set phasers to stun, last one to Uranus gets the synthofood pills in.
“Finished??? …ok.” I WAS enjoying my morning coffee whilst watching this one… now I need a fresh shirt. I knew better than to be actively attempting to eat or drink something while watching one of your videos, but alas here I am, all soggy (but well entertained and a bit of a better synthesist now!). Thank you, Alex.
Oh my, that Polychrome demo really gripped me. I was a wee bit sad you didn’t have anything to say about it :) These are ALL awesome, of course. The industrial design of the CRB ones is especially nice, those backlit circular toggle buttons for instance.
@@RiccardoPietroni they reminded me of the Synclavier buttons, but were clearly also very different to them! The coloured paper (or whatever they used for gels) gives such an interesting array of hues, especially with some being pastel while others attempt brighter tones. The pastel ones are definitely my favourite though :)
I was trying to cut down the talky bits as the video was getting very long, so I amalgamated it with the Logan. The Polychrome was a favourite of mine however. Such a nostalgic sound.
@@AlexBallMusic totally understandable! ~30 minutes can feel like a slog sometimes on TH-cam. In this case the pace and formatting made it breeze by and I’d hoped for a bit of elaboration on that one, but I can certainly understand why you skipped it - despite its wonderful sound it’s probably the most “normal” analogue poly synth of the bunch!
@@kaitlyn__L Thanks for understanding. Yes, always a balance of too little or too much with TH-cam videos. I'd love to revisit the Polychrome at some point, it was very cool.
What a lovely video. I "liked" it, but that doesn't seem enough. Especially enjoyed the opening music, but loved hearing all of the synths throughout. Thanks for publishing it!
Wow, you must have felt like you were in heaven in that museum! 😃 I love that Chilton Talentmaker AKA Optigan. I'd never heard of it before. Great method for an instrument to produce sounds. It's got me thinking about a track by Blur. On their album 13, there's a track called Optigan 1. The prominent instrument in that sounds JUST like this one you played here; 8:01. Same accompaniment & lead sound too! 😲 All of a sudden, the title of the track makes sense to me.
That second demo you did on the synthex the one called "Everlasting City" is absolutely gorgeous!🎹🎧💫😵😎👌 I would love to hear you do a whole track with just that sound✌
I think that AM is something like a ring modulator, an effect you can currently often find in modular synths and in VST plugins. A ring modulator multiplies the signals from the two inputs, resulting in sum and difference frequencies. But an AM modulator is probably more limited, in that one signal can be plain audio (with positive and negative values), but the control voltage may only be positive. You achieve that by adding a constant voltage to the audio. In the output that results in a mix of the ring modulator output (sum and difference frequencies) plus the original first input. Technically an AM modulator is simpler than a real ring modulator, thus easier to build.
Thanks for the breakdown. So it could be ring mod + amplitude modulation summed? It definitely didn't sound like typical ring mod, even where the X and Y are at a fixed interval, rather than modulated.
Great when you watch a rare synth demo and they DON'T play sounds that you easily could get out of a kid's Casio or spend 20 minutes on an INIT patch demo-ing raw oscillators.
You’re right, AM is indeed amplitude modulation, it’s a thing most often done with modular gear. It rarely makes it as a feature onto keyboard synths for whatever reason. Set it up on your System 100, you’ll get some cool sounds. I’ve found it useful for percussion.
Thank you for filming Uranus, for pounding it hard, digging deep, and letting loose just to see what falls out. Seriously, though, many of the timbres achievable on these vintage Italian synths would be nearly impossible to replicate on modern non-sampler equipment. Hearing them in this video gave me ideas of how I would use them musically if I had access today.
"Shut up and play"
01:19 - DEMO 1 - "GENESI" - SYNKET
04:41 - DEMO 2 - "PUNCH CARD" - EKO COMPUTERHYTHM
07:26 - DEMO 3 - "TAKE CINQUE" - EKO COMPUTERHYTHM
08:01 - DEMO 4 - "JOYFUL NOISE" - CHILTON TALENTMAKER
10:47 - DEMO 5 - "OPTICIAN" - CHILTON TALENTMAKER
12:07 - DEMO 6 - "BABY COMPAC" - CRUMAR COMPAC SYNTH
13:41 - DEMO 7 - "DUAL'S GOLD" - CRUMAR DP-50
15:08 - DEMO 8 - "FOLDING GOWN" - ELKA ELKATWIN 61
15:51 - DEMO 9 - "PHASE OF GLORY" - ELKA ELKATWIN 61
16:29 - DEMO 10 - "FRACTURAL HORIZON" - ELKA SYNTHEX
17:05 - DEMO 11 - "EVERLASTING CITY" - ELKA SYNTHEX
18:30 - DEMO 12 - "BACK IN CHIME" - ELKA SYNTHEX
18:50 - DEMO 13 - "EUTOPIA" - ELKA SYNTHEX
19:39 - DEMO 14 - "MOON MUSIC" - CRB OBERON
19:55 - DEMO 15 - "PARALLELOGRAM" - CRB OBERON
21:13 - DEMO 16 - "MS ITALIANO" - CRB OBERON
21:28 - DEMO 17 - "CURTAIN CALL" - CRB VOCO STRINGS
22:53 - DEMO 18 - "DIFFERENT ORBIT" - CRB URANUS 2.0
23:45 - DEMO 19 - "HERSCHEL" - CRB URANUS 2.0
24:34 - DEMO 20 - "LAST WALTZ" - FARFISA POLYCHROME
25:08 - DEMO 21 - "FRATELLI CHIMICI" - FARFISA POLYCHROME
25:24 - DEMO 22 - "LOGAN'S RUN" - LOGAN PIANO STRINGS SYNTHESIZER
26:00 - DEMO 23 - "DUST AND ECHOES" - LOGAN PIANO STRINGS SYNTHESIZER
27:10 - DEMO 24 - "SYNTHEX SYNTAX" - WELSON SYNTEX
28:10 - DEMO 25 - "RANDOM MUSIC" - WELSON SYNTEX
28:28 - DEMO 26 - "DATA NIGHT" - KEYTEK CTS 2000
28:57 - DEMO 27 - "BRASS HOLIO" - KEYTEK CTS 2000
29:47 - DEMO 28 - "MARCHES MARCH" - BALEANI SOLISTA
31:26 - OUTRO - BALEANI SOLISTA
No Siel DK-600? :)
demo 7 reminded me of aphex twins ambient stuff
Hey alex. Finally got around to watching ur daft punk tutorial. Very cool stuff reminded me of ur "metal" song 😃 Would be very interested on ur take/tutorial for white zombies "more human than human". I found korgs faily disappointing.
Rather than going the Moog route these Italian manufacturers seem to specialise in instruments based around the technology of existing polyphonic keyboard instruments and this really comes out in the character and texture of the sound.
There's a fair amount of organ in Uranus.
This video makes me angry that we do not have access to any of this 😢. But I truly appreciate the info!!!!
I could never have imagined when Elka hired me to voice and demo the Synthex 40 years ago that people would still be talking about it today. Of course all they could say back then was "But it's not a Prophet or an Oberheim!!!" to which I would reply "absolutely, it's so much better than those! To start with it stays in fucking tune! But I'm so grateful that this synth fell into my hands at the Frankfurt Musikmesse and Elka had no one to demo it! It led me to work with Geoff Downes, Jean-Michel Jarre, Stevie Wonder and many more
What a life. You are blessed 🙏🏽
Paul! Your ears must have been burning as I was doing some synth trading with your old friend Simon Forsyth recently. I'd seen a video of you demonstrating the Synthex but he filled me in on the rest of it.
So awesome.
Oh, that's amazing! Especially the part about the synth staying in tune.
Nice one, Paul. 👍👍👍
Paul, thank you for all your work in the industry and also excellent writing for SOS over the years. Alex, thank you for a great channel that is not only informative, but entertaining and deeply musical.
Italy has a rich history of electronic instrument manufacturing probably starting with their electric accordions and on into transistor organs and guitar effects industry of the 1960s. Italy having such a preeminence in international graphic arts and industrial design, it’s no surprise that these instruments were created with such striking character and style.
Crumar DP50 and Elka Synthex sound is amazing!
Mario Maggi (the designer of the Elka Synthex) also deserves recognition for making one of the first synthesizers with proper, non-volatile patch memory, the MCS-70. The synth was very capable, with three oscillators, two filters and two envelopes, and its patch recall was instantaneous. The 1978 album "Automat" is a fantastic display of its versatility, being the only synth used to record it. Maggi never managed to put the MCS into production due to the Prophet 5 setting the standard, but he was inspired by it and moved on to create the now-classic Synthex.
So glad i read this, now i know the synth used in Automat :) Cheers !
Maggic 😊
Synthex, one of the greatest poly synths ever made!
He also made a one only monosynth for his high school mate who was later the keyboard player for the fantastic prog rock band Metamorfosi "Inferno" concept album. Highly recommend masterpiece from early '70s.
I managed to see the synth years ago in a concert in Rome.
Let’s goooooo!
Yeah baby!
The two knights of Italian synthesizers.
Ahahah :D
Hainbach ! Love your vids ! Great stuff 🎉❤!
Man this place is like the island of misfit toys! So cool to see the menagerie of designs, controls, typography and colors. The visual language of synthesis was still being formalized and they were taking inspiration from organs, computers, automobiles, office machines, and toys.
Absolutely this!
The machines with typography in italian are so nostalgic. We are so used to the english typo, that it looks so strange to us when a snare is being called „rullante“! Just beautiful!
🏎️ｻｲｷｯｸﾌｨｰﾊﾞｰ🇯🇵TV
Bro, take me back to the days! I can still hear the purity of the soul of those inventions/instruments!!! And trust me, these modern plugins can't get that "phat... smooth" vibe! Oh, well, keep on truckiin'. 😎🎶💥🌎♥️✔️💪
every town should have a museum like this.
very well said sir!
You’re still the gold standard when it comes to TH-cam synth channels. I never roll my eyes on any of your presentations and we hope you continue for many years. Thank you
Thank you, much appreciated.
that eko computerythmn is SO sick. blown away by how advanced it was and aesthetically it's perfect??
Amazing thing for 1972, absolutely.
Gorgeous looks and workflow, definitely.
same!
@@AlexBallMusic also the grid matrix layout (led?) for each sound in the sequencer made me do a double take, that's an SDS6 feature (also ultra rare) and about 10 years later!
@@aidanknight Didn't know that was on the SDS6. Yes, it seems out of place in time given its features.
@@aidanknight might’ve been neon lamps judging by the colour and size!
Made my day! Love the Crumar DP-50 in particular.
I got to play with a Crumar GDS once. It was at Bell Labs in Murray Hill. Apparently, AT&T purchased it to replace the Alles Synthesizer which had been donated to Oberlin. Max Mathews gave me access. It used 8” floppy drives Lots of fun!
Having just picked up a Gem S2 Turbo from the recent Gary Moore guitar auction, I can say "YES" these Italian synths were built like tanks. The keyboard/action on this thing is beyond exquisite (poly AT/release velocity etc. etc), but it's the build quality/screen and spec (for 1992) which just blew my mind. It's usurped my TS-10 into a sound source now, and replaced it as the master keyboard in le-studio. Great video as always Alex, and a timely reminder (as Paul says below) to not just think of the "big guns" when it comes to great synths
That last Baleani Solista demo sounds like a Dan Deacon chiptune dream 🙌
Damn, that Crumar DP-50 is beautiful. That e-piano edge with the filter control and the really subtle playing made a wonderful sound.
Yeah, that's quiet special isn't it!
i cant believe nobody is talking about that polychrome. it sounds amazing
Oh, people are talking about it alright. Yeah, quite the sound!
It's VERY famous from some TH-cam videos but more rare than almost any synth made! Everyone wants one. Behringer ought to be looking into it!
Some of these synth have amazing sounding capabilities! I wasn't aware there was so much italian synths. Thank you very much for the video, much appreciated!
Yep, sounds and textures that I've never heard before. The Synthex and Polychrome in particular. Then there's that Synket... 😍
They made a lot of electric organs back in the day as well. Which correct me if I'm wrong but they're just pretty much synthesizers with less control over the sound.
It's such a joy getting to hear all this gear played so musically. I have a Crumar Multiman S2 that I need to restore as most registers aren't working at all, only a couple of them do and they sound very similar to the CRB Voco Strings, stunningly beautiful and angelic.
I used my Multiman-S for the music heard in the intro. Those Italian strings are quite something, absolutely.
Hope you get your S2 back up and running again.
@@AlexBallMusic Multiman S was my first keyboard in 1978
The second I saw and HEARD the Elka Synthex I knew Alex would love to have it in his studio. Not that other synths in the video would be undeserving of that category, but that seemed instantly obvious to me with the Synthex.
and now I've visited the Italian Synth Museum. Thanks!! Would love a Logan Piano Strings Synth VST 😍😍
I do miss my synth collection. But they all went to good homes. Lovely to relive them in these videos.
Amusing video thank you very much Alex, i have to say that the guys Riccardo Pietroni end Paolo Bragaglia are two Genious !!!
Really interesting. Thanks Alex. I’m now going to get on with fixing up a MK1 Performer which will have a custom front panel as the sliders are impossible to find. Watch this space.
My god, I almost died at the CRB Voco Strings - that's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. I've been eyeing up stringers for about 6 years without buying one, I fear I've missed that boat. Wonderful video - thank you!
Gorgeous isn't it!
The Eko Computerrythm is a masterpiece. Far in advance of its time as you said, thank you. There are not enough drum machines with visual sequence for each percussion like the Computerrythm had... Amazing. As your imitation of Jean-Michel Jarre and the Uranus joke: you're the best Alex, please never stop! Love from France ❤
well, dang! I hope this is a first volume of a series? with your visit of that unique museum, hopefully you captured more video! thanks for sharing, Alex!
Beautiful. Thanks, Alex.
Wow!! What a fantastic video, thanks Alex. It's so good to see (and hear) these important and interesting contributions to synth history.
Hey! Yes, a whole other world I knew little about!
Please.... more vintage synth covers...70's synth sound is what started the rest... and I am an old geek who saw, and heard it!!! Took me from guitar,bass, piano... bravo ✔️🎶
Awesome video Alex, I fantasized about some of those Italian synths when I was a kid.
What a lovely video
I have a Davolisint, a Jen Piano 73 and a Jen DT Piano. Jen Pianos formed the basis for a number of the Crumar pianos.
If you want phasing, the Piano 73 phaser is AMAZING. Piano 73 is a kind of poor man's RMI, but put all the options on and hit some bass octave octaves with the phaser and it's one of the best sounds ever
Great video. 90% of these synths I'd never heard of.
This video is destined for a follow-up... Make it so Alex
Yep. Most of my time was spent asking "what's this one?"
Please, sir...can we have some more 🤪😎👆
That was awesome dude, a thoroughly enjoyable watch!
You're just a synth-nerd's best buddy Alex! Such a warmly and beautifully presented (as always) Synthopia! Brilliant stuff, and I'm SO glad that Cherry Audio have made such an amazing recreation of the fabulous Synthex! :)
Thanks very much! Yes, an absolute pleasure.
Cherry Audio - that made a lot of people happy, yep. 😀
One of the most interesting and friendly channels about synths ! greetings Alex, well job.
Gorgeous tones! Thanks Alex, those were perfect late night vibes.
Lovely things aren't they. So other worldly.
Absolutely brilliant video!! Great history lesson with loads of examples. As I am from that era, some of these I came across way back in the old days. Thanks for doing this Alex. Really enjoyed it (except for the bad bum "jokes"!)!!!!
Brilliant and really interesting , love that Baleani!
Alex, you’re a card. Lovely playing as usual! Fascinating look at a non-Japanese synth pioneer, lovely stuff! ❤
Every single synth was living and breathing here... every one. Awesome video Alex!
Yes, all so alive and ready to take you away to some new place.
I once owned a Logan String Melody which was also marketed as Hohner strings. Quite nice actually!
Now that's my kind of museum, too friggin' cool. Thanks for an excellent tour, Alex, I never knew Uranus could sound so good. LOL
Cheers. Yes, Uranus is surprisingly flexible....sonically.
Thanks so much for this unknown journey into forgotten musical instruments ❤
Hugely enjoyable! And some unusual synths there…….I always remember Elka and Crumar synths lingering under dust in ‘Modern Music’ a repair shop in Dudley (Dud-lay as they say around here) which I used to visit once in a while with my dad, usually when his bass pedals had packed up and needed attention……one of them had a cardboard sign with ‘Fairlight CMI’ written on it in felt-tip…….
I read this in a brummie accent.
I wonder if that Fairlight was brought back to life.
Who would have thought Uranus could make such wonderful sounds? Great video and you can't beat a Phaser on synthesizers.
In Italy, even Uranus has a phaser.
It does sound a bit farty. In a good way
What a joyous exploration! It's interesting how many of these synths never really made it into mainstream because they didn't nescessarily sound like an x or y. Now one can appreciate the quirkiness and they find their own space.
I was guilty of that "it's not a Prophet" or whatever back in the earlier days, but realise I was missing the point!
Some of these deserve a lot of love and can only imagine the feeling of being let loose in the sweetshop there.
I recently scanned some of my old Crumar brochures and spec-sheets, but I need to get around to uploading some more soon on my bigbluewave site.
Walking into that museum must feel like you're visitng an abandoned planet that was once inhabited only by... Italians?
What an immensely cool collection of unique gear. So glad people are preserving an almost lost and forgotten history. I want to visit! Now!
Sounds like the opening monologue to a Sci-fi film I now want to watch.
Thanks Xavier.
We appreciate a lot your beautiful words, Xavier!
....Italiens ?
I'm lying in bed with a bad cold rn. This video has made my day significantly better!
Glad to hear. Get better soon.
That Synthex is to die for! What a machine
Unequalled for 40 years (but then I was the demonstrator and did the factory presets). Recently Black Corporation made the Xerxes which faithfully reproduced 8 voices of a single Synthex timbre. I have been using that in the studio and will use it in my noonday presentation 40 Years Of Sound Design in Sheffield at Synthfest this coming Saturday (Oct 8th). More recently I was sent the ELKA-X softsynth by Americans Cherry Audio and that does up to 16 voices of Synthex voice architecture with two timbres available at once for Split/Double or with the Sequencer which it also faithfully reproduces. I'll be using that at the repeat presentation at Synthplex in Burbank California on Oct 29th to save taking the Xerxes on a plane with attendant customs problems.
With a limited budget I had to choose between a CS-80 and the Synthex. The Yamaha was 1000 DM cheaper, -
And I took the ELKA. (Three decades plus ago.) I won‘t regret ever. Btw it is the only synth I had in use, which performs over the full range of 10 (ten!) MIDI octaves.
THEN it sounds crazy... :D
I know it's not the same, but Cherry Audio's VST recreation is probably about as close as us non-Wiffenesque mortals will ever get to owning one. I'm enjoying mine, despite the lack of anything tactile.
Everytime i watch one of your videos i have to stop and open up fl studio and start jamming. Inspiring stuff Alex! Thank you for doing what you do!
Ah, nice to know. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing these with us! I absolutely love the sounds of these old synths.
Must have been a magical experience.
Very, very interesting video Alex!! Thanks for that GREAT stuff! I love it..
Viva la Italia !
I got my self a GENERAL MUSIC / GEM wX2 16 track sequencer workstation or a music processor
, a partially a synthesizer ...
It was the world first 16 track karaoke keyboard in 90's.
Italians know what they are doing. ❤️
Beautiful well sounding machines with a good editing!
This is closest most of us will get to those machines. Thank you. It always makes me think when I hear how so many of these, now very old, synths still sound better/more interesting than a lot of new stuff. I'd love to see a clone of Uranus and many others.
A clone of Uranus? Sounds like the life size replica of Warren Cuccurullo's manhood you could get
The phaser on the Crumar Roadrunner is glorious too.
What a beautiful sound that DP has
I love all of this. The Elka Synthex is of course the shining star of the show - and yes, it is absolulety right there with the mentioned Oberheims, Prophets and Jupiters of its era. But what strikes me - apart from hearing all those lovely, very European sounds of the 60s, 70s and 80s, from Krautrock and Cosmic all the way to Italo Disco - is the range of weird and wonderful designs. What's with all those knobs on the front, under the keyboards? And all those weird knobs and buttons in the strangest, oddest colours and sizes? The Italians clearly went much further out there than the British, American and Japanese designers at the time!
The knobs on the front is usually because they were hoping to sell them to organ owners to put them on the top. Korg also did that with their first synth, the 700S but the Italians kept going for longer as they were more wedded to the organ market.
Very interesting, thanks for inviting us ❤️
I can hear many Italo Disco hits in between 🍻
A dream place to visit if you want to be Moroder.
Very interesting, Alex! Thanks for the Italian history lesson. 👍
Thanks for that review of italian synth engineering, triggered some memories. Had one of the Crumar DP-50s in for repair and I can surely say it was the most elaborated approach towards velocity I have ever seen. They have magnetic pickups with integrating envelopes instead of force sensors (so TRUE velocity) , and the weighting of the keys is really nice. Synthex' Elka remembers me of its brutal power supply design, brutal in sense of having no overvoltage protection for the voice cards when the regulator transistor dies because of overheating, but man, the user interface is soo nice in design and super comprehensible...
Wow,
Thank you so much, Alex, for this magical tour! I didn't know the Synthex had a VST, going to take a look at that one.
It's actually available not only as a VST but also Mac OSX Audio Unit, Digidesign AAX and a standalone version
I saw Heinbach visit this museum. You both have your own touch. Nice!
Nothing gets me more amped to record music than your videos. That Synthex is absolutely gorgeous
Ah great to hear.
Yes, Synthex was my favourite I think.
Can I suggest that you invest in the $39 softsynth from Cherry Audio $39, the ELKA-X, which really faithfully reproduces the Synthex with 16 voices of polyphony and two timbres simultaneously to use for Split/Layer or with the sequencer? I am using this for my 40 Years Of Sound Design talk this Saturday at Synthfest this Saturday Oct 8th in Sheffield and at Synthplex in Burbank California on Oct 29th, where I go into how I met Elka at Frankfurt in 1982 and was hired to demo the Synthex and create the factory presets which led to me working for Vangelis, Jean-Michel Jarre and Stevie Wonder.
If they let me play with these, I'd be forever thinking "please lord, don't break!" ...Great episode Alex! Gosh, I really enjoyed this!
Most things were in incredible condition. There were some faults here and there, but they're surprisingly robust for their age.
It's always good to see a new video from you!
Cheers!
That Random button is better than 95% of synthtubers' music.
Edit: Better than 99.99% of Eurorack modular synthtuber music.
fantastic episode !! ❤
As an Italian, I'm so happy to watch this !
I didn't even know about the museum !! thank you !! 🙏
Fantastic vid as always Alex. Wonderful synths, I'm surprised they managed to get you out of there.
I'd wager the Synket wasn't the only thing fizzing in that room.
I could have stayed in there for months easily, yes. What a collection!
Omg Jon Brion’s soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine was seminal in my influence as a musician. I had no idea the background of his arrangements, let alone you had previously done a video breakdown. Thrilled.
This video made me smile so much! Thank you Alex! 😄⭐️
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing Alex, could nearly smell all that vintage electronics. Given all that Italy has to offer plus a vintage synth museum I'm surprised you made it home. Set phasers to stun, last one to Uranus gets the synthofood pills in.
Love this type of gear! Great demos! Thanks :)
That would certainly be a great place for Paolo from Synth Mania
Excellent video! - incredible demos and awesome sounds. Well done and thanks a lot :)
Thanks David.
“Finished??? …ok.”
I WAS enjoying my morning coffee whilst watching this one… now I need a fresh shirt. I knew better than to be actively attempting to eat or drink something while watching one of your videos, but alas here I am, all soggy (but well entertained and a bit of a better synthesist now!).
Thank you, Alex.
Sorry. 😉
Oh my, that Polychrome demo really gripped me. I was a wee bit sad you didn’t have anything to say about it :)
These are ALL awesome, of course. The industrial design of the CRB ones is especially nice, those backlit circular toggle buttons for instance.
Yes, very peculiar to crb synths.
@@RiccardoPietroni they reminded me of the Synclavier buttons, but were clearly also very different to them!
The coloured paper (or whatever they used for gels) gives such an interesting array of hues, especially with some being pastel while others attempt brighter tones. The pastel ones are definitely my favourite though :)
I was trying to cut down the talky bits as the video was getting very long, so I amalgamated it with the Logan. The Polychrome was a favourite of mine however. Such a nostalgic sound.
@@AlexBallMusic totally understandable! ~30 minutes can feel like a slog sometimes on TH-cam. In this case the pace and formatting made it breeze by and I’d hoped for a bit of elaboration on that one, but I can certainly understand why you skipped it - despite its wonderful sound it’s probably the most “normal” analogue poly synth of the bunch!
@@kaitlyn__L Thanks for understanding. Yes, always a balance of too little or too much with TH-cam videos.
I'd love to revisit the Polychrome at some point, it was very cool.
Wow that Synthex sounds lovely, awesome demoing!
That Crumar DP-50 sounds beautiful
Yeah, one of the many surprises in that place.
Mind-blowing, these rich sounds teleport you to outer space, ep50 and polychrome were incredibly psychedelic!
I know jealousy is a bad thing but im absolutely jealous that you got to visit the museum. You are living the dream dude!
The DP-50 just sounds lovely!
It does indeed.
@@AlexBallMusic sounds lovely, any recommendation for a vst or library that captures this?
Wonderful Alex. Love this ancient stuff!!
I have a working Crumar Orchestrator! Besides a unique sound it keeps the house from blowing away in strong winds.
Haha, yeah. I had a comment on the video I did about it that was something like: "I used to own one of those, just seeing it again and my back hurts".
I've been feeling glum of late but this has cheered me right up.
Thanks!
😀
What a lovely video. I "liked" it, but that doesn't seem enough. Especially enjoyed the opening music, but loved hearing all of the synths throughout. Thanks for publishing it!
Thanks Craig, much appreciated.
Tremendous amount of work, Alex! This is so inspiring! Thank you so much
Nice tour in the alternate universe. Ciao !
awesome ! Thanks for sharing !
Wow, you must have felt like you were in heaven in that museum! 😃 I love that Chilton Talentmaker AKA Optigan. I'd never heard of it before. Great method for an instrument to produce sounds. It's got me thinking about a track by Blur. On their album 13, there's a track called Optigan 1. The prominent instrument in that sounds JUST like this one you played here; 8:01. Same accompaniment & lead sound too! 😲 All of a sudden, the title of the track makes sense to me.
How marvellous!
Some unreal fantastic sounds!!!
A different flavour of vintage isn't it. Really satisfying to explore.
That second demo you did on the synthex the one called "Everlasting City" is absolutely gorgeous!🎹🎧💫😵😎👌 I would love to hear you do a whole track with just that sound✌
I think that AM is something like a ring modulator, an effect you can currently often find in modular synths and in VST plugins. A ring modulator multiplies the signals from the two inputs, resulting in sum and difference frequencies. But an AM modulator is probably more limited, in that one signal can be plain audio (with positive and negative values), but the control voltage may only be positive. You achieve that by adding a constant voltage to the audio. In the output that results in a mix of the ring modulator output (sum and difference frequencies) plus the original first input.
Technically an AM modulator is simpler than a real ring modulator, thus easier to build.
Thanks for the breakdown.
So it could be ring mod + amplitude modulation summed?
It definitely didn't sound like typical ring mod, even where the X and Y are at a fixed interval, rather than modulated.
Amazing and delightful, thank you so much!
Fantastic! Many thanks, Mr Ball. May all future synths include a random music button.
A must have feature. Better name than "sample and hold with the sample source being white noise".
Won't deal my Welson with nothing else similar.. Good video Mr. Ball 👏👏👏
Great when you watch a rare synth demo and they DON'T play sounds that you easily could get out of a kid's Casio or spend 20 minutes on an INIT patch demo-ing raw oscillators.
All the fun is in finding sounds. 🙂
@@AlexBallMusic Indeed.
You’re right, AM is indeed amplitude modulation, it’s a thing most often done with modular gear. It rarely makes it as a feature onto keyboard synths for whatever reason. Set it up on your System 100, you’ll get some cool sounds. I’ve found it useful for percussion.
Ensoniq ESQ and SQ-80 have AM.
Awesome video bro, thanks for sharing. ✌🏼🎹
Thank you Justin.
Thank you for filming Uranus, for pounding it hard, digging deep, and letting loose just to see what falls out.
Seriously, though, many of the timbres achievable on these vintage Italian synths would be nearly impossible to replicate on modern non-sampler equipment. Hearing them in this video gave me ideas of how I would use them musically if I had access today.
You missed the bum note!