Super Rare Minimoog Prototypes on Display, an App to Make Your Own Synths, MoreSynth Journal
The best of the rest of this week’s synth news.
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See the ultra-rare Moog Minimoog prototypes, make your own software synths, win an ARP signed by Tony Banks, and more.
Synth Journal
Minimoog Prototypes at Moogseum
Moog fans, take a memo! The Moogseum will host the four Minimoog prototypes for one weekend only in November. If you don’t know the Moogseum, it’s a fabulous place in Asheville, North Carolina, where you can learn about the life and work of Bob Moog as well as synthesis and synthesizers in general. And, thanks to a partnership with the Museum of Music Technology (MMT), it’ll be exhibiting those one-of-a-kind Minimoog prototypes.
Comprising four stages (or models, hence the name Minimoog Model D), these Minimoog prototypes represent the thinking process made physical of how to distill a modular synthesizer down into a playable and portable self-contained instrument with keys, the first of its kind. It started with Model A, a five-module unit designed to provide easy demonstrations for the larger-famed Moog modular systems. Favorable reaction from customers prompted the company to further refine the design into models B, C, and D, eventually arriving at the production model that we’re all familiar with today.
“The Bob Moog Foundation is thrilled to be sharing the storied history of the legendary Minimoog through this weekend-long exhibit,” said Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation. “This will mark the first time that all four prototypes are exhibited together at a museum outside of the Museum of Music Technology. The exhibit will trace the rich history of this seminal instrument that helped bring synthesis to the gigging musician, and through them to a world of music enthusiasts.”
The Minimoog prototypes will be on exhibit at the Moogseum from November 14 to 16. They recommend buying tickets in advance as they expect it will sell out. You can secure tickets here.
While the Moog Minimoog prototypes are one of a kind, new Minimoogs are available at Thomann*.
Synth Picnic
Former Gearnews.com writer and current Molten Music Technology head honcho Robin Vincent had a great idea. With the demise of brick-and-mortar shops, people don’t really have anywhere to go to try out instruments before they buy. YouTube demos and online reviews are great, but they can’t give you hands-on experience. That’s where Synth Picnic comes in.
A free pop-up event where people can play with synthesizers, the first Synth Picnic will be held in Norwich in the UK on Saturday, 11 October. A monthly event at the Honesty Library, attendees will be able to try out a variety of instruments to their heart’s content. If you want to buy, you can do so through an associated retailer. If you’d rather rent, that’s an option too for modular synths.
“Synth Picnic is the front end, the shop floor, the demo room for synths that you can buy,” said Robin. “You can drop in, have a look, and talk to me about what you’re looking for, and I’ll do my best to help. Maybe this is a model for music tech retail going forward.”
It sounds like a great idea to me. Hopefully, the concept will spread to other countries.
Alan R Pearlman Foundation Raffling an ARP Pro Soloist Signed by Tony Banks
The Odyssey and 2600 tend to get the lion’s share of attention when talking about classic ARP instruments, but the Pro Soloist, released in 1972, was one of the legendary company’s biggest sellers. A preset lead and bass synth, it found its way onto records by David Bowie, Parliament, the Ohio Players, and, of course, Genesis.
Tony Banks, the man who made the Pro Soloist come alive for Genesis, has signed a fully restored model, and you can win it courtesy of the Alan R Pearlman Foundation. The foundation is raffling off the amazing synth (valued at $4900 no less!) this weekend, 27 to 28 September, at Machina Bristonica in Bristol, UK. Raffle tickets are £20 GBP each, and bundled options will apparently be available as well.
Visit the Alan R Pearlman Foundation homepage (link below) for more information.
You can get a new Korg-built ARP 2600 M from Thomann* if you can’t make it to Bristol.
DSTRTD Malleable
Ever wanted to make your own software synthesizer or effects? Me too, but I don’t know anything about coding. Malleable, the first product from new developer DSTRTD, solves this problem by being an app that you code in real time using a custom language called Cursive.
“Malleable is powered by Cursive, a new programming language developed in-house by DSTRTD to facilitate the creation and manipulation of audio, MIDI, and control voltage data,” the company says on its website. “Cursive was designed for musical performance: it is continuously interpreted in real-time, enabling you to modify your code without disrupting your flow. It’s powerful and flexible yet can be learned easily in just a few minutes.”
Malleable comes with presets so you can dive in and see how everything works. The website (link below) also has lots of tutorial videos to get you started. It looks like a lot of fun.
DSTRTD Malleable is available for macOS and iPad and costs $179. There’s a free version too.
Korg London Synth Show
Wow, a lot of events to mention this week. If you happen to be in London on 4 October, take yourself over to the Musical Museum for the Korg London Synth Show. A free event, the show will reportedly bring together Europe’s largest collection of vintage Korg synths and keyboards along with the latest Korg and ARP instruments, including the KRONOS and the brand new PS-3300!
There will also be talks and performances from Dina Pearlman-Ifil of ARP Foundation, Spike Edney of Queen, YouTuber and soundtrack composer Alex Ball, and Korg representative Luke Edwards.
Entry is free, but the organizers are encouraging people to register ahead of time. Find out more on the event page (link below).
Korg products are available at Thomann*.
More Information
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