(1/18/21)
Today begins “NAMM 2021”. NAMM is the “National Association of Music Merchants”. Each year they hold two Expos — “Winter NAMM” in January and “Summer NAMM” around June or July. The Winter version is typically held in California and the Summer version in Tennessee. Each Event occupies the Meeting Rooms of several very large Hotels. This year’s “Winter NAMM”, however, is “virtual” / online-only.

Both NAMM Events are aimed at Music Manufacturers and Music Retailers. This particular NAMM-happening is also open to the General Public and it’s free. Simply visit the NAMM website (link below) and Register.

Music gear manufacturers should be releasing new products all this week and will probably be dripped-out over the next few days. Today, though, two Synthesizers caught my attention. Both are from Korg:

• The "miniKORG 700FS” (over $2,000). This one’s interesting for two reasons… 1) Korg went back to this one… they’re first mono-synth and 2) This was the very first Synthesizer I ever purchased. At that time, it was known as the “miniKORG 700” (without the “FS” in its name). This was in the early 70s. I was 16 or 17 and still in High School. I don’t remember what I paid for it but it was no where near $2,000. Probably around $200 brand new at that time.

Here’s the link to an article about the new version:
https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2021/01/17/korg-reissues-classic-minikorg-700-synthesizer/

The other Synthesizer that caught my attention today is the “ARP 2600 M”.

Although I’m a Drummer, I also consider myself a “Synthesist”. I enjoy creating all types of sounds and I was attracted to Synthesizers shortly after they were widely available to the General Public, in the early 70s.

I like exploring all the possibilities a Synthesizer has to offer and, even though the miniKORG 700 was my first synth, I quickly discovered its limitations. As I started thinking about replacing it, I kept hearing a fantasticly-rich sound, in the many Rock, Heavy Metal and Progressive Rock songs I listened to every day. Doing some research (with no “Internet” at that time), I learned that this wonderful Synthesizer was the “MiniMoog”. So I saved up my money once again, sold the miniKORG 700 and purchased a MiniMoog. At that time, it cost me $1,495.

It took me quite a bit longer to feel the limitations of the MiniMoog but its sounds were some of the richest I have ever interacted with. Even today.

Many months later, I saw a photo of an “ARP 2600”. It was love at first sight. I just saw a sea of Sliders. Lots and lots of Sliders. It’s potential looked limitless. Especially compared to the MiniMoog. Ring Modulation, Sample & Hold and Patch Points were the biggest attractions for me.

So I saved my money once again, sold the MiniMoog and bought a used ARP 2600. It was the "all-black, with white markings" version. I think I paid about $600 for it at that time (mid 70s).

• Shortly after this purchase, I became the Drummer for a Top-40 Band in the town I lived in — Jacksonville, Florida. I used that Synthesizer with my acoustic Drums for most of those Gigs. I actually invented a Switch Box so both could be used when I wanted to combine them. I would setup a Patch (sound) on the 2600 before starting the Song. I made sure the Synthesizer setting on the Switch Box was OFF. Then, while playing the Song on my acoustic Drums, I would use a Drumstick to hit a rubberized arm that I created and the Switches I placed under the Drumheads would send their Signals to the Synth. This would allow me to play a sweeping-down sound along “with” the sound of my acoustic Drums. (Hit each Drum and get both sounds.) Of course, I could also Trigger many other ARP 2600 sounds this way.
• I met my first wife while playing with that Band. After we got married, I quit the Band, sold my Drums and my ARP 2600. At the time, I thought I was doing the “right thing” by “settling down”. It was my own mindset that did me in. That was a big mistake on my part because: 1) My wife married a “Musician” but I turned into an “every day guy” / a “non-Musician” and 2) That was a real working Band. Although we were only a “local” Band at that point, we were good. Very good and just starting to get a foothold to better and bigger opportunities.
• Just before Sylvia and I got Married, we had heard (still not “Internet”) that the ARP company had just gone out of business. I told Sylvia: “They make the ARP 2600. That’s probably the most important Synthesizer we should have in our set up." She agreed and we immediately called the ARP company. A man answered the phone and to “me” I always felt as through it was Mr. Pearlman himself. What an honor… not only to be talking to a Synthesizer Engineer “Legend” but to also be purchasing one of the last (or maybe it “was” the last) Synthesizers left in that company. The one we bought was the "all-black with orange lettering” version.

Here’s the link to an article on today’s release of the “ARP 2600 M”:
https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2021/01/17/korg-intros-arp-2600-m-the-genuine-arp-2600-in-a-more-convenient-size/

Here’s the direct link to the NAMM website, to learn more about what’s happening this week:
www.namm.org
​

Here's a link to a 21-minute video where Synthesist, Lisa Bella Donna, compares 6 Moog Synthesizer models:

• Minimoog Model D,
• Subsequent 37
• Grandmother
• Matriarch
• DFAM,
• and Mother-32

www.synthtopia.com/content/2019/11/09/6-moog-synthesizers-compared/

The more I immersed myself in the world of Pop Rock, Progressive Rock, Heavy Metal, Funk, etc., I kept hearing those sweeping Filter sounds as well as other textures that I just couldn't create with the Univox K1.

Then I learned about the existence of the Synthesizer which changed Rock Music forever, the "Minimoog". Of course, I HAD to have one!

Because I was still in High School and living at home with my Parents, I had LOTS of time to explore everything the Minimoog had to offer.

After a time, I found myself continually creating the same Patches (Sounds) with the Minimoog. I was getting increasingly frustrated with its limitations. Then I heard about a Synthesizer called the "ARP 2600". When I saw photos of it in magazines, I was instantly caught in its Spell. I could see that it had unlimited potential for Sound creation.

Sylvia and I don't really like to buy "used" equipment, for different reasons. The main reason is that we can sometimes feel the old energies which may still be attached to them. However, even though I was now in College, I still couldn't afford the price of a "new" ARP 2600. So I bought one, used, from a nearby store. It was the Black & White one, seen above. After getting Married, for the first time, I had to sell it. However, many years later, afterMarrying Sylvia, we heard that the ARP company was going out of business. I explained to Sylvia that the ARP 2600 was the most complete and versatile Synthesizer of its time. She agreed. So we immediately phoned the ARP company. A man with a broken English voice answered the phone. My guess is that this was the "man" himself, Alan R. Pearlman. He actually took the order. Because we had read about the bankruptcy in a "magazine" (which meant this news was already old), Sylvia and I feel that the ARP 2600 we currently own is "probably" "the last" or, at least, "one" of the last ones ever sold by that company. (We bought the one with the orange "blocks" describing the functions.)

Here's a great web page showing the many versions of this incredible Synthesizer:
​www.vintagesynth.com/arp/arp.php

This first link will take you to a very short article titled: "The Women Who Pioneered Electronic Music".

https://blog.zzounds.com/2019/07/01/the-women-who-pioneered-electronic-music/?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=zzounds_newsletterzZounds%20NWAY%5B2%5D%20Active&utm_campaign=C2450900%20070719%20zZounds%20Best%20of%20the%20Week&_wcsid=BDC223BAB069FA152B64F236AE790454BB54BB9037BCE7C6

This second link is to a 1-hour video which contains a couple of interviews of Electronic Music Pioneers. One of them is Walter Carlos. This was recorded before the above article, which interview the same person, this time going by the name "Walter" Carlos.
​
http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2019/08/09/a-vintage-look-at-the-moog-synthesizer-switched-on-bach-with-glenn-gould/

I'm sure there are LOTS of "free" and "pay" websites where you can learn what "Synthesizers" are and how to use them. The following two links are websites that I recently found.

This first web page allows you to learn about Synthesizers by interacting with some of their main components. Sure, this "interaction" is simply on a computer screen and not turning Knobs, flipping Switches or moving Sliders like you would in a typical "Hardware" Synth… and it's not the same as interacting with an on-screen "Soft Synth". However, the confusing aspects of Synthesizers is removed, allowing you to focus on the one, two or more parameters you're learning about.

If you're new to Synthesizers, going through these pages can help you gain an understanding of how they create and modify various sounds. Most of what you are changing on each page is explained. However, see if you actually "understand" the difference between a "Pitch" and a "Filter" change… a Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) controlling a sound and an Envelope Generator controlling a sound, etc.

Don't take this too seriously, though. Synthesizers are a lot of fun to experiment with.

https://learningsynths.ableton.com

This next web page builds on "what Synthesizers can do" and shows how they can be used to modify sound created with other Instruments, such as Guitar, Violin and Saxophone. The three short videos on the following page provide examples of this.

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2019/07/31/using-a-eurorack-modular-synthesizer-as-an-effects-processor/

I just wanted to pass along a few more resources which provide helpful information on "what" Synthesizers are and "how" the various components can be used.

Before I do that, I want to mention something I haven't heard anyone talk about… "Patch Cables" and, specifically, "how many" Patch Cables should you buy?

There is no mathematical formula to this question. However, the rule-of-thumb would be "more is better". My very loose guideline for "how many" to buy would be:

• 5-Cables for your first Module
• Then 2 Cables for each Module you purchase after that.

Again, this is not a locked-in-stone way of approaching this.

Yes, you can count the "Patch Points" (Cable-connection "holes" / "sockets") on each Module, and buy THAT MANY Cables, but that doesn't really work. In most cases, buying that many Cables would simply give you a LOT more Cables than your Synthesizer would ever be able to use. ​

• For example, Sylvia and I have the "A-143-2 Quad ADSR" by Doeper. It contains 24-Patch Points (jacks) — 8 "Input" Points and 16 "Output" Points. If you purchased 24-Patch Cables you'd have way more Cables than this Module can possibly use. (Remember, a "Patch Cable" contains 2-Jacks [connectors] — one on each end.) With 24-Patch Cables, you'd have 48-Jacks. If you only purchased "8" Cables, to cover the number of "Inputs", there may be times when you'd want 4 or more Cables to create a more complex Patch.
• Here's the link for more information about this Doepfer Module:
• www.modulargrid.net/e/doepfer-a-143-2

Right now, we have 61-Patch Cables… BUT, combined, our 3 Synthesizers (ARP 2600, Behringer Neutron and a partially completed Eurorack Synth) contain 280-Patch Points. So, of course, we still have "Patch Cables" on our "buy more Eurorack items" list.

• We've been buying the "LMNTL" brand Cables.
• Here's the link:
• www.perfectcircuit.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=lmntl%20cables
• (Sylvia and I aren't associated with "Perfect Circuit" or "LMNTL" in any way. I've only linked to the Perfect Circuit website because that's the only place we've been able to find these Cables.)

Patch Cable Length
In a previous Post, I included a link to a "helpful tips" video by Robin Vincent.
Here's that link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7LFURMEs8Q

One of the things he learned, when performing Live with his Eurorack Synthesizer, is that he used short Cables whenever possible. The downside to this, he discovered, was that these Cables not only blocked the Modules they crossed (which they always do) but their tightness made it difficult for him to easily get his fingers through to the Knobs and Switches.

Instead, it may sometimes be a good idea to use longer Cables and have them droop down and away from most of the Modules you'll be using in that Patch.

Patch Cable Colors
When I took Synthesizer Lessons in the 70s, Patch Cables were only available in "gray". (That's all "I" saw, anyway.) Today, there are LOTS of colors to choose from and there are 2 types of Synthesists, regarding which colors to buy:

• Some people use only 1-color, because it looks good when you're Patching, or
• Use multiple colors because it's much easier to trace the signal-flow in your Patch.

This really comes down to "personal preference". For "us", even though Sylvia loves "Purple", we do our best to select as many different colors for each Patch as we can.

When using a single color for an entire Patch, it can be continually frustrating, when you have to keep following and re-finding where each Cable goes, just to tweak something "quickly".

• Our "partial" Eurorack Synthesizer currently contains 10-Modules. Even so, any Patch we create could easily use 10-to 20 or more Patch Cables… and if we connect that Patch to an external Synth, like our ARP 2600 or Behringer Neutron, we'll use several MORE Cables.

It's "sometimes" possible to use one color for "Modulation" (Envelopes, LFOs, etc.) and another color for "Audio". Let's say "Red" for Modulation and "Green" for Audio. However, there are 2 problems with this approach:

• Even with "2" colors of Patch Cables, it's still going to be VERY difficult to "quickly" locate the Module, and the "Knob" on that Module, that you'll need to turn in order to change the sound the way you want. (For example: Should you be changing an "LFO" or the "Envelope"?)
• Let's say you've connect a Red "Modulation" Cable from an LFO to a Multiple — so it can be split to more than 1 destination. You then connect another Red Cable to an Oscillator, in order to Modulate its Frequency — giving it a moving "wow" affect. Then you change your mind and decide to use another Oscillator's audio output to Modulate that 1st Oscillator — now giving it a distorted sound. Under your "Red-Green guidelines", you'll have to remove those Red Cables and replace them with Green ones, when you could have simply moved 1-end of 1-Cable to the Oscillator's audio output.

Synthesizer Resources
Here are a few articles and videos where you can find a lot of helpful information on understanding Synthesizers (in no particular order):

​This article is titled: "What are CV, Gate and Triggers, and how do they relate to semi-modular synthesis?"
www.musicradar.com/how-to/what-are-cv-gate-and-triggers-and-how-do-they-relate-to-semi-modular-synthesis

The following article is titled: "Synth Terminology And Basics for Beginners". It covers:

• Subtractive Synthesis
• The "Oscillator"
• Analog versus Digital versus Hybrids
• Filters and Cutoff
• Envelopes
• Modulation
• FM Synthesis

​Here's the link to that article:
ask.audio/articles/synth-terminology-and-basics-for-beginners

Here's the link to a Robin Vincent video titled: "Molten Modular 15 - Discovering oscillators with the Make Noise STO".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrtCf5i7ng

Here's another good video by Robin Vincent. This one's titled: "Molten Modular 24 - Discovering Envelopes featuring TINRS Edgecutter".
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KOP1HqNbtY

Here's Robin Vincent's main YouTube Channel:
www.youtube.com/user/MoltenMusicTech/videos

Modular Grid: The best place to go for "all things Eurorack related".
www.modulargrid.net/e/modules/browser?SearchName=&SearchVendor=&SearchFunction=&SearchSecondaryfunction=&SearchTe=&SearchTemethod=max&SearchBuildtype=&SearchLifecycle=&SearchSet=&SearchMarketplace=&SearchIsmodeled=0&SearchShowothers=0&SearchShow1u=0&order=newest&direction=asc

Of course there are LOTS of other sources of information online. Even with all the information and links I've provided here, there are still a few facets of Synthesizers which were not mentioned in the above articles and videos, such as:

• Granular Synthesis,
• Wavetables,
• Formants,
• Karplus Strong,
• Sequencers,
• Logic Modules, etc.

I simply listed them, in case you'd like to explore these subjects further on your own.

A couple months ago, the company Sylvia and I work for was throwing out some old Retail Display Cases. Some of them had Plexiglass (Acrylic) sides.
​

• Some were 3-foot by 4-foot. Others were 2-foot by 4-foot. All were 3/8-inch thick.

They were also throwing out some other Display Cases, which had thinner sheets of Plexiglass. Some of those pieces were "corners" (right-angles).

So we took home a few sheets and some smaller pieces.

We didn't know what we were going to use these materials for but we've always liked the clear, revealing state of Plexiglass.

After we got everything home, Sylvia mentioned that I've never like our current Synthesizer setup. Although it's a simple, "3-boards held up by some bricks" arrangement, we keep everything covered with a bedsheet, in order to keep the dust off of our music gear. So Sylvia suggested we build a clear, Synthesizer shelving unit.

It took about 5-weeks, a LOT of work and a handful of trips to our local Hardware Store, to buy some tools that we needed.

• ​Two of the things we purchased were "power tools" — a cordless drill and a cordless "multi-tool". A few decades ago, my Dad, who's been a Carpenter for most of his life, gave me an old Jigsaw. That was my 1st "power tool". I did try to cut this Plexiglass with it but its speed was WAY too fast and the Acrylic simply melted.

That was 1 of the 1st things we learned… Cutting Plexiglass too fast will melt it. We also learned that if you cut it while too much vibration is being created, by "hand tools" or "power tools", it will crack.

After spending about $230 for the following tools, our "free" Plexiglass turned out to be not so "free"… and that's not counting our Time and labor:

• Cordless drill
• Cordless multi-tool
• a set of standard drill bits
• a special, diamond drill bit for cutting the 1-inch holes into the back panel
• a set of special drill bits for cutting holes in Acrylic
• nail polish remover. Used to "chemically weld" pieces of Plexiglass together. (Actually, we used this on the "Drumstick Painting Box" we made out of a rotating Display Case. This stuff wasn't as good as it could have been. We should have bought the better product, which was "Acetone".)
• A special, thin-blade, "full contact with the cutting surface" saw. (I used this when the multi-tool's battery was charging… which was a lot.
• a Scoring Tool, used to "scratch" or "etch" the cutting-edge into the Plexiglass. Score the Acrylic at least halfway through and it will snap-off with a very clean edge. The problem for us was the thickness of these particular sheets.
• 2 "C" clamps. These were probably the best $10 we spent on this project. They came in handy for lots things… clamping 2-pieces together for cutting or drilling, etc.
• nuts and bolts for holding everything together.

While designing and building everything, I did remember the Saying:

• Measure twice. Cut once.

In my case, though, this didn't help a lot. My Dad still laughs at me (in a good way) for not being able to cut a straight line or hammer a nail properly.

So after everything was cut, drilled, filed (for large sharp edges), sanded (for smaller rough edges), we disassembled the old shelves from the top of my desk and disconnected the 60 or more cables.

• ​Most of our Synthesizers have 5 CABLES coming out of them!
• 1 is for electricity
• 2 are for "MIDI" ("MIDI Out" and "MIDI In") (MIDI sends and receives computer-music information between computers and music gear which have this feature.
• 2 are for "Audio" (1 for the left side of Stereo and the other for the right)

So, after the new shelving unit was assembled and ALL the cables reconnected… the shelving unit is about a quarter-inch off. The top of the back-right corner of the back panel is about a quarter-inch higher than the side it's connected to. (I just checked and the back of the side-piece is not touching the desk.)

We didn't discover this until everything was finished. Since it took over 6-hours to assemble everything, we're not about to take it all apart, just to fix a quarter-inch slant. (If you look carefully, you can see the curve in the center shelf, just under the black & green Synth that's sitting on a purple board.)
​

• My "guess" is that this entire shelving unit, with nothing on it, weighs about 50-pounds!

The top shelf has a large empty area on its left side. This is where our new Modular Synthesizer will be placed. (Sylvia and I went to our local Guitar Center last week and ordered the "case" for the Modules but it's on back-order.) The case we bought is the "Structure 270", made by "Pittsburgh Modular". Here's the link:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Pittsburgh-Modular-Synthesizers/STRUCTURE-EP-270-ENCLOSURE.gc

These are the pieces of music gear we currently have in this new shelving unit:

• (top-center) Korg Volca FM
• (top-right) Roland Cube 30 (CM-30) amp
• (middle shelf, left) Arturia BeatStep Pro
• (middle shelf, right) Roland System-1m
• (bottom shelf, left) Samson "SM10": 10-channel, stereo mixer
• (bottom shelf, right) iConnectivity "MIO 10": 10-channel MIDI Router
• (sitting on my desk, "under" the shelving unit) Roland SH-201 Synthesizer

Anyway, for those of you interested in this, here are some photos of what Sylvia and I created and how we're using it: