Synth Porn Saturday! New on AnalogSuicide.com...
Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 07:19AM Inspired by a lovely photo that was sent to me on my Facebook page (see below), I decided it would be groovy to post a nice, naughty, juicy crop of your favorite synth pics for your synthspotting pleasure each Saturday. Do you agree?
They can be photos you've found (be sure to include the credits &/or source), photos of your studios, machines........whatever makes the patch cords of your heart strings sizzle upon sight (oh yeah - isn't it Valentine's Day tomorrow?) !
If you have some to share, please send them to me using my Twitter page, Facebook Fan Page or the contact form to the left.
The first succulent crop is the result of a Tweet I posted today, requesting favorite synth pics from my 'followers' on Twitter. Let me start by posting the photo that sparked it all - sent to me on Facebook...people seem to think it's an early Keyboard Magazine photo...any thoughts?
Next is from Mark Ty Wharton; this gorgeous creature was apparently used by the Beatles as a synth, the AKAT-1. Previously posted on the gorgeous blog, Retro Thing:
Above pic - via Retrothing.com
Let's get Radiophonic! Here are a few lovely pics sent to me from LaurieLaptop - these succulent Daphne Oram and Delta Unit Plus era Radiophonic Workshop photos. Tell me, do we see the killer EMS Synthi 100, lovingly nicknamed the 'Delaware' in here? By the way, if you know the photo credits, please inform, I couldn't find them.
See the above previously on Matrixsynth
Below - Anyone know what this beautiful beast is? I'm sure you do...do tell (sent from LaurieLaptop)!!
And more from LaurieLaptop - Radiophonic gorgeousness - can you name each delicious machine?
Must..post more! Via Twitter from _alka and some "hardcore synthesizer "patching" via Noiseconformist:
Above, Daphne Oram, 'Wobbulating'! Via SoundonSound.com
Till next time - We'll surely see more naughtiness next week...bring your sense of humour and patch cords!! Again, if anyone knows the above photo credits, please let me know.
Reader Comments (15)
The AKAT-1 looks unreal :) Its an alien translator.
Hi Sammy Taters - I agree, I'd love to know the sounds they pulled out of this lovely creature! It looks like it could just turn its head and ask you for a plate of milk & cookies. Interesting.
the top pic is Klaus Schulze
Hi Dave - ...Klaus Schulze; meant to get into him more - a Tangerine Dream fella, yes?
http://www.multinet.no/~jonarne/Hjemmesia/Favorittartister/alphaville/klaus_schulze.jpg
I'm spending the day with GForce today, BTW!
Great page Tara!! nice pics'
I have to come clean. One of my pictures is from inside a radio telescope and is equipment used to detect Quasars. Can you guess where though.
@ Laurie Laptop: I was going to say before I saw your come clean comment that it would be pretty hard to hear anything out of all of the RF test equipment. Location of these racks? Could be at so many possible locals. I do hope it someplace exotic, or seemingly unlikely, like L.A.
Laurie & Sonic D - What is RF test equipment exactly (before I google it) ? Surely it has a great sound ( could it be like the"machine that goes'BIIIING'?) Or like Mark said, the AKAT 1 was (possibly, rumoured to be) used not for its intended purpose but for its odd sounds.
Where was this? Griffith Observatory? ; )They should record it anyway....
I want to know more about the Radiophonic photo just above the pic of Daphne, anyone??
love this page, tara. please keep doing them.
wishing you all good things.
RF Test Equipment is equipment that allows you to measure and evaluate, or generate Radio Frequency (RF) signals in the systems they are being propagated and received from. The RF frequencies are out of our hearing range, but if you like the sound of fans and motors running, with the clicks of relays and other possible beeps generated from the equipment, I guess it could be used in a creative way with some mics and recording engineering. I'm sure Tara could find a way to intrigue us all with the sound in the room in some interesting way, but I'd rather hear more creations from her syth gear, personally.
Pic #5 is not the Radiophonic Workshop, it's the EMS studio. The Synthi 100 pictured is NOT the Delaware, it's a different one.
The picture above Daphne Oram is a slide used for her "Oramics" synthesizer, which would read waveforms drawn on pieces of celluloid. Kind of like the way an old film projector would read the waveform off the side of the film. You can read all about it in Sound on Sound's Radiophonic Workshop retrospective article.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr08/articles/radiophonic.htm
They also have a picture of Malcolm Clarke at the actual Delaware Synthi 100.
Sonic D - thank you for the explaination! I like the thought of using it as an instrument, nonetheless...sounds very inspiring.
jsd, many thanks for clearing up the Radiophonic boo-boo, and for the links. The Oramics synthesizer, yes - I've read about it a little bit but didnt make the connection as this pic was sent to me w/o description via Twitter. I'm looking for more examples of Daphne Oram's work...any recommendations?
Have you ever played a Synthi 100? I'd love to, if I could wrap my head around it.
Anyway, thanks for the comments everyone! Very nice of you all, as usual , to be so helpful & keen to contribute your thoughts: )
tara x
Hi Tara. In fact, I am working on an album right now with a well known musician who owns one of the few remaining working Synthi 100's in the world. I am going to try to get him to let me make some videos with it. Meanwhile, here's my daughter in front of it.
http://yfrog.com/iyaut2298j
jsd, that is the greatest photo ever!!!