Roland System 700

[KorgAddict1]

Science...music...beauty...

[janxenjanxen]

I could hang this at my wall as a poster ;-)

[Subtraspect]

Once your arm came into the frame, all I heard was Tarkus by Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

[Intosia]

I made one of these on my breadboard :P

[anbreatnach]

thats what I like to see; a modular that takes up the hallway of a house

[CenyddRos]

It just so happens I AM a fairy unicorn that farts magic glitter - and I want your Roland! Well, maybe not a "fairy" unicorn, but most definately a unicorn. And I fart magic glitter.

[DARKJURNEY]

:o my go d

[TheAmethystScorpion]

The invasion has begun run for your lives -  YOUR LIVES I TELLS YER!!

[AASTRANGE]

OMG! that's a monster, very cool.

[scraperdupieux]

This is the only thing that can kill Chuck Norris ..

[h92o]

ok we can hack and preprogram this mega beast to take over the universe but then what?? OH i know digital jazz pre-improvised programming :P

[getbackgoodtimes]

Wow look at that Sequencer !

[blake100blake]

Oh. My. Word.

[getbackgoodtimes]

Suck ! Why so short ? 

[qtel67]

I'm not sure I understand.

[hellsmaw84]

nothing can ever beat the power and capabilities of a true analog synth/sequencer like this. and like you said, thats a beast!

[turquoisecapricorn]

A beautiful fat beast!! Greetz

[VisceralVoids]

Hell yeah that Roland System 700 sounds sick.

[RockaRollaZombie]

the two best looking backdrops I've ever seen are a wall of blackface Fender amps and this. They both sound great too.

[KinetikPlayground]

How is Piccard flying the enterprise around space withouth that???

[MaeXXXerine]

seems he has 8 neighbours!!

[SernoMusic]

AWESOME

[NJmetal94]

@Synthfool RED cameras man. Way better quality than Panavision or Imax could ever achieve. But that's kinda irrelevant I guess haha

[Director84]

@Synthfool >>Did digital cameras replace Panavision or Imax?

Well, about the first one: Yes, almost completely. Most movies are shot digitally today. About IMAX: They're still working on a digital solution there, but they are probably swithing to a RED System soon...

Still I agree with you about analog synths, it's no comparison to a virtual one, having to be operated by mouse... Maybe one day they will bring out a syhnthie-controller, similar to DJ turntable-controllers for virtual scratching.

[masterhawkyo]

@Director84 U can do this with an midi controller with knobs an assign the controller. But still its way moar cool to have the real deal. I have an Moog Little Phatty, and its like my baby:p

[Paintballboy54]

I bet your neighbors love you haha

[Normhart]

I had one of these back in the 80s. Just the main block and keyboard. Wish I still had it. A lot if not all of the connections could be made w/o the patch cords if I remember correctly -a la Arp 2600 but the patch cord overrides were where all the fun happened.

[NJmetal94]

Awesome machine but I hate it when all I see is people making generic, dissonant melodies on a synth that costs thousands but the sound could easily be reproduced on a free software synth. It just completely defeats the purpose.

[WavyGravyTrain1]

@NJmetal94 It's the nostalgic collectability of the piece in working condition and some of these go for big bucks.

[ytid1vids]

Money, Money, Money

If I had the Money I would spend it all on Analog Synths.

I would build the biggest Synth Museum on the planet.

I would study how to repair, design and build more synths.

I would drown my myself in audio bliss.

I would learn to communicate with the aliens.

I would leave this world.

dreaming in frequencies.

[inkybinky]

@ytid1vids you would never make any music, and then it would be a waste of time because you would deny some talent who would make many people happy.. lets all hope you don't get money to achieve this goal.

[electriccwecozz]

DEAR SANTA...

[cullyvan]

Love it. These minituarisation bastards miss the point completely. If you love the machines themselves, can appreciate the workmanship and the slightly different nuances in sound you can appreciate this. Haul one of these mothers on stage and it will be a little different from yet another Laptop musician. Its like the difference between Vinyl on an old stereo or an mp3 on an ipod. Appreciate it for what it is.

[backindauk]

Obviously there is a reason that people such as Hans Zimmer buy these... They sound phenomenal. I saw one at a well known music store in Toyko a couple of years back and it certainly attracted more interest than any other synth in their store (SC Prophets, Moogs, PPG Waves or any amount of new digi gear)

Thanks Synthfool for uploading.

[AndyElectroMan]

EBM!!!

[HeyLookItsASpah]

very nice synth

[paperpichu]

Tarkus at 0:24.

[TwinVulcan]

I can make these sounds on my Trilian plug-in that cost £179, which has samples of this.

[Synthfool]

@TwinVulcan That's nice, but apparently you miss the entire point of a modular.

On a 700, I could take a flute or guitar and have it track the pitch, I could make it follow a drum track and advance the sequencer, I could create complex real-time cross modulations complete with stereo panning, flanging and phasing.

I can process external sounds or have it track another analog synth.

Plus a WHOLE lot more. Soft-synths just can't do these things. Try turning two knobs at the same time with a mouse.

[gordongate]

@Synthfool thats easy, you map two knobs to the same slider on your midi mixer

job done, :P

[Synthfool]

@gordongate Yeah, heh. I think you know we're talking about on-the-fly knob changing and with hundreds of possible knobs.

It's *possible* to do it, but it requires premeditation as to what you plan on doing. 

[gordongate]

@Synthfool, yes you are right, it requires some forward planning and yes i love cranking my cs15 till it whimpers, but with my modern gear, sometimes i can come across two knob twiddles that go together perfectly, so i bind both knobs via midi to a single one which frees up one hand

thats why i like to create macro's for all my vst's and digital/ana gear. i have straight forward quick patches and patches that incorporate these random finds,

imagine twiddling 16 knobs at once!!

[imsothemanXD]

@Synthfool you can definitely do it with software, but its not impromptu is what i got from that... all depends on how you like to make your music.. though i think its dumb to check out a modular video then say how you can make the same sounds on a plug in... look at more plug in videos then... lol

[Synthfool]

@imsothemanXD I think many of the things people do with modulars CAN be done with software, but will never respond/sound the same.

For example, many VA filters won't self-oscillate, or at least in the same way.

In the 700, there's so many unique modules that have never been duped well in software that by the time a complex patch is made, the sound and control is completely different. Try putting noise into a P/V conv on a VA, for example.

Otherwise, I agree w/u. Why comment about VAs here? :)

[ThiagoIndioAraujo]

@Synthfool analogic synthetizer rlz.

[Flipjunkie1]

@imsothemanXD Not everyone can pay ten grand for a modular ! i still like to watch the videos with them to see what i like and if i want to get a software version of it ! and despite what people think software is getting better and better ! iv'e seen a lot of side by side demos and some you cant tell the difference ! But people that own modulars and analogs will never agree to that for the fact that they have spent so much on there gear ! There is a lot of good VA synths too ! 

[HolyKatana]

@Flipjunkie1 Ten grand is a little high unless you're talking about Buchla (albeit a small one), larger Serge systems, and vintage stuff. You can get a decent modular system for far less than that. Especially Eurorack and Frac-Rack stuff. Although they're still out of my price range. :(

[Flipjunkie1]

@Synthfool Midi keyboards ! you can assign all those knobs to knobs on the midi keyboard ! No need for a mouse after that . 

[Synthfool]

@Flipjunkie1 Think whatever you'd like, but operating and listening to a system 700 is just simply a different experience than operating a virtual. You can have all the expertise in the world playing with softsynths, but statements like many of these show how few of these posters have actually patched a really nicely designed and huge analog modular. They're very, very different. It's like comparing a Toyota Supra to a Ferrari. Same basic things, only completely different.

[Flipjunkie1]

@Synthfool I would really like to hear a song made with one of these modulars ! every yt user that has one has no music made . That makes me wonder , is it just a hobby or is this something you make music with ? and by the way you are speaking about expertise and such about creating a patch ......With all due respect , is this video showing a well thought out patch made from scratch ? is this all modulars have to offer ? if not please show me something amazing ! If this is it then i wouldn't buy

[Synthfool]

@Flipjunkie1 Perhaps I can explain things better.

You see, I'm not the owner of this synth. I'm not a musician, nor a collector, nor a hobbyist.

I'm a restoration tech. I take in old vintage synths and try to make them as nice as possible again.

This video is simply me testing it. It's not a performance to entertain you.

It's the answer to people that always say "you should video some of these things!"

As to what other people do with them, that's up to them. I fix them and tape the results. :)

[ElasticMinds]

@Flipjunkie1 Meat Beat Manifesto uses some pretty exotic modulars. Arp 2500, EMS Synthi 100, etc. He's a good source to consult on that matter :c)

[digitalbroadcastmk7]

@Flipjunkie1 listen to anything by deadmau5, he has a pretty cool modular :)

[masterhawkyo]

@Synthfool I see ur point an love modulars. But have u heard about automation? It actually gives u the opportunity to turn all the knobs at the same time. The only thing is u got the real thing. Not just an vst remake. an thats way moar cool.

[dreness666]

@Synthfool It's called automation or using a control surface but I do agree partially. There are some things that are still best left to hardware.

[TheAmethystScorpion]

@Synthfool I don't usually get involved with responses to troll's but this one made me laugh. Jolly bloody good show!!

[drumsdrumdrumdrum]

@TwinVulcan Bahahahaha!!!

I think you mean to say "I can kind of emulate these sounds on a VST but I really can't tell the difference anyway and if I shut my mouth I'd probably seem a lot more intelligent"

[zodiacloveteam]

I'd love to try one of these, but I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. What is the typical learning curve like when it comes to modular synths? It's just such a totally different world from my guitars and amps.

[moogguy]

Hey Kevin,

I am taking a break from playing my little Minimoogs and found this video. I have seen pics of the 700 but never realized how BIG it is. The staircase really puts it in perspective. HUGE and AWESOME! I am going to have to settle for Minis, however, which isn't so bad.

Why the incredibly massive size? I am guessing that the modules have lots of empty interior space, similar to a Moog modular. Could the size of this have been scaled back even a bit?

Thanks for posting.

[Synthfool]

@moogguy It could have been made smaller, but this was Roland's "moog modular."

They wanted a system roughly the same size.

Also, these sort of systems were made with universities in mind.

The 4 volume set of textbooks entitled "The Synthesizer" went along with the 700 usually.

So a larger system is better for classroom instruction.

There IS a lot of air inside the machine.

Just like a Moog, Arp 2500, Polyfusion and most other big modulars have.

[SuperWestSider]

Pretty beutifull my friend, im only 15 and i dont get all the sintetizer functions

Could you recomend me a book or anything?

[r5t6y12]

With some exceptions (that I could name if I had a picture of each instrument that I wish to single out) I'd rather have any 5 instruments introduced and manufactured before 1984 (with a few exceptions) than ANYTHING introduced any manufactured since then (though I do love the look of the Korg MS2000 and any modular system by anybody).

[r5t6y12]

It's the phono jacks on the front panel like the Korg MS series.

It's the white buttons on the front of the Moog Micromoog and Multimoog.

It's the ease of operation right out of the box like the Roland SH anything.

It's the lack of a glass window on the faceplate staring you right in the face.

[r5t6y12]

Wow,

Some of you don't get it.

It's like a 57 Chevy or a 62 Corvette.

It's like a Chateaunuef du Pape from 1876.

It's the nostalgia.

[pomfrit93]

that sound!.... wow

[PhotoAnimationGuy]

I make these sounds on my microkorgue

[Synthfool]

@PhotoAnimationGuy

So you're announcing that you're not clever enough to understand the power of a big modular or that you're a snotty brat who loves his little Korg?

Or perhaps you just don't understand that not everyone has a huge ego and lives to impress others with their videos? C'mon son.. let me know what you're sayin' here. Us simpletons just don't get it.

[PhotoAnimationGuy]

@Synthfool it was a joke...

[digitalbroadcastmk7]

@Synthfool he might be talking shit here but he is the guy who made banananana and kitty say wha? songs :) respect to a big youtuber

[plungerdrum]

@PhotoAnimationGuy I have a microKorg, and it was my first synth. Yes, it's a nice little synth, but, as soon as I got my 1975 ARP Axxe, and then my dream synth, the Odyssey (MKII), these synths just wipe the floor with the Korg, and then vigorously eat it. Nothing is better than analog. ^______^

[plinianguy]

TARKUS :D

[nilsand]

Yeah, it's big (and heavy) but really nice.

[SlunkLord57]

Call me crazy, but was that the bassline from a part of 'Tarkus'?

[sadconsumer]

i want this

[turntapzap]

It's gorgeous.

[inbetweenmovements]

nice little beast!!! I think it bytes!

[zedster911]

that it? thats the best you can do with a kit I have lusted after for over 20yrs???? I have a Roland System 100 which my parents bought for me for my 21st birthday...and I lusted after one of these beasts for so many years......

[Synthfool]

It's not the best I can do.

It's what I do after I've serviced a dozen previous systems just like it.

I'm sure there are gynecologists with the same attitude. ;-)

[sborges433]

@Synthfool Brilliant reply!

[Billysrocketnards]

He's right. The digital emulations (the chip you're talking about) just don't sound near as good as the real thing. Maybe some day.

[filmmakingjoe]

Just think. 30 years later, all that shit got squeezed into a 1" chip. No wires or cables. Just a fuckin chip. LOL.

[solar7]

@filmmakingjoe GO STAND IN THE FUCKIN' CORNER ! ! ! ! ! !

[mrbilken]

Somehow my life is less complete now that I don't have one of these

[kingaldo71]

Ok now I can go and fucking kill myself!!! That shit is sick!!!!

[MichaelJHuman]

Is that some mini Boss cube providing the only amp/speaker for that? Upgrade! :)

[Synthfool]

Yep! Though it's custom modified with a built in tuner.

Don't worry. There's 400 watts RMS of Carver power and JBL sound (15" woofers w/ horns) in the actual shop. :)

[noizy4]

There is one of these packed away above the theatre I used to work in. It was dusty and buried under a load of old props and junk.

[filtersweeperVCO]

hmmmm, maybe tell me where that is so I can do what any smart person would do: go and get it now!!!

[plungerdrum]

@noizy4 Shoulda took that shit my friend.

[TheDaddyCokes]

BEAST!

[pazleen]

Wow. That thing is fucking awesome.

[sampleandhold]

now I see why nitzer ebb had one of these buggers!

[pulsekreator303]

I would almost do anything to get my hands on one of those. What a beaut!

[Synthfool]

Sorry, but I'm a tech and that instrument belonged to a client. It's long gone now.

It's one of about 11 I've worked on though, so maybe one day there will be another one here.

[thrcman]

I admire your skill.

[quartersines]

This is awesome.

Wonderful programming. Is that sequence the theme riff to "Tarkus"?.

Use to have the System 100. Wonderful sounding synths!

[nudist0885]

Hey Kevin,

Do you know any of the other guys from "VINTAGE SYNTHESIZERS" (that book that Mark Vail put out)?

How much longer do you think that any vintage synths will be around?

Could you and some of the other guys keep 'em going for the next 20 years or more?

Posted March 14th 2009

[Eeprom]

lol:D

[deadvolvo1]

Terminator soundtrack!!!

[fishybishbash]

Tarkus -

[ddmnd]

Yeah!! it reminded me of that too, these synths...anything you do sounds fantastic,endless possibilities!

[lordoid]

Voltage controlled Arm? Were is the Synth gone? have you sold it or was it borrowed?

[Synthfool]

Neither sold nor borrowed.

I'm a technician. I repair and restore synths.

This synth is owned by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins.

[lordoid]

Ahh Billys big toys....Nice. :) Thanx a lot. Interesting!

[discothief]

Nice gear and nice test but please can you make a nice couple of demo's with it?

Thanks.

[Synthfool]

This synth has left here since the video was posted. :(

[littleims10]

LOL at the random arm coming in and hitting a button.

[destruktobot]

The size of this didn't click with me until 26s, and when the penny dropped, I totally understood why these things cost more than, say, a new VW Beetle.

[jonathan401]

I'd call this piece "Step Away From the Dome, Squirrel"

[Drummelskrudd]

Please donate it to me. Now.

[Synthfool]

If it was mine, I would.

YOU know how to play. :)

[eddie23a]

drool!

[Synthfool]

Always asking kwestchuns, huh? ;-)

[armalyte]

ahh...this has got to be kevin lightner.

do i win £5? ;-)

[zepromz]

Haha, thats the main theme from ELP "Tarkus"! glad to see the oldies are still remembered!

[hypervisionaryrealm]

Dude, you REALLY should have made this about 3 or 4 minutes long and really tweeked that system 700! The sequencer appeiggeo is astounding. So many layers, so much DEPTH! SO TWEEKING COOL for SO short of a vid!

[Synthfool]

Thanks. But I'm not really much of a performance artist. After spending 40-60 working on them technically, I can get kind of jaded about playing with 'em.

I have two of the Chemical's Bros Buchlas here though, so I'll do a longer video of them sequencing when I'm done with restoration.

Good? :)

[hypervisionaryrealm]

You are ONR Super COLL AWESOME person, To be able to work with such incredible art work and the skill that you have to restore this gear. You are a Piccaso!!!

[hypervisionaryrealm]

You are so INCREDIBLE! So COOL, So AWESOME! To be able to be around such art work. To have the skill to restore such ART WORK!! YOU are a Piet MONDRIAN!!!

[hypervisionaryrealm]

OhMyGOSH!!This is TRUE art work!! Totally incredible!

[armalyte]

for a second i thought it was kent....you must be kevinb lightner :-D

[ipnoteca]

damn!

Mr. Corgan own also a monster moog...

when we say that money don't do happiness...

:D

[Beatprisoner]

Where did you found this monster? Or do you own it for ages?

Can you put in some more demos of the system700?

[Synthfool]

It's not mine. I'm a synth tech.

The instrument is owned by Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins.

Not sure if I can do more demos.

It's awaiting pick up.

[Synrom]

Man thats illness. I'd love to see more.