A series of live improvisations by D.A.Wilson recorded in front of some of the myriad of cherished and rare vintage synths returned to life over the past few years in The Lab at Hideaway Studio.

All Recordings are Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio.

The Secret World of Vintage Synths

The Böhm Dynamic 12/24 (and its rebranded counterpart, the ORLA DSE-24) along with the Dynamic 4x9 were somewhat unusual and very much overlooked synth expanders from mid 80's...

Originally sold in self-build kit form from the Germany organ manufacturer Böhm, both variants featured as many as 12 Yamaha YM2203 4OP FM tone generator ICs fed into a genuine BBD based triple ensemble generator with two modulating free-running LFOs.   Originally designed for use in games machines and home computers the YM2203 offered 3 channels of classic sine-only based 4-operator FM synthesis in a chip.

This unique combination produced up to 24 note polyphony in the 1U racks or up to 4 layers of 9 note polyphony in the 2U versions.

What sets these instruments aside from the more conventional 4OP FM offerings such as the DX9 is that not only does the triple ensemble generator add a whole new dimension to the sound it starts to make you view the FM side as a starting point to the final found rather than the sound itself.  With this way of thinking it is possible to generate everything from remarkably analog sounding Solina style strings to warm complex evolving pads.

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24 & 4x9 In Action...

Having a go firing the little Orla DSE-24 (a rebranded Böhm Dynamic 12/24 from 1986) through a wobbly reverb patch on my Klockwerks system.  I've grown to love these little 4OP FM synths - I think it was a moment of genius to bolt on a discrete Solina strings style triple analog chorus generator to the YM2203 based synth section - the result is a wonderful complex soup of unusually organic sound for an FM synth.  It doesn't work for all timbres but over time I've had a go making some patches of my own on this thing (this being one of them) and its sometimes really surprised me what has emerged from its outputs!

Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studo, 2022.

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24:  A Klockwerked Orla...

A brief live improvisation I recorded using the first voice patch I managed to program into the 1979 Crumar GDS shortly after I undertook the major restoration (previously owned by the late Klaus Schulze) of this extremely rare groundbreaking early digital synthesizer.   It is named in memory of the late Max Mathews who played a major role in developing the software routines and concepts behind key parts of the GDS as well as in many other areas of pioneering computer based music technology.

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2014.

1979 General Development System: The Max Factor

A live improvisation by D.A.Wilson shortly following restoration of 1982 Digital Keyboards Synergy number 1032 at Hideaway Studio running in conjunction with the SynHCS host editor on a Kaypro II CP/M computer under HxC disk emulation.  

In this recording you can hear the Synergy's unusual continuously variable random vibrato in action.  The Synergy is an all digital synthesizer with 32 oscillators featuring both FM and additive synthesis.  It is a direct relative of the 1979 Crumar GDS.

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2015.

1982 DK Synergy 1032 Awakens: Evolutions

A live improvisation by D.A.Wilson on an extremely rare 1982 Buchla 400-T computer controlled 6-voice hybrid synth (digital "arbitrary" oscillators into analog filters) running MIDAS-III complete with flat pressure sensitive Touch Controller housed in a custom Teak solid wood cabinet awakens during return to operation and overhaul and Lotharek Rev.F HxC virtual floppy disk retrofit at Hideaway Studio.

The touch keyboard was a nightmare to get used and it took a great deal of my concentration to perform this as the pressure-to-pitch modulation was pretty intense on the patch I'd dialled in that day but it certainly resulted in something from the heart.  The highly responsive playing surface opens up some interesting possibilites for expressive patch design and playing!

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2015.

1982 Buchla 400 Awakens: Haute Tension

A live test improvisation recorded in front of a 1982 Rhodes Chroma analog polysynth after finally springing into life during a particularly arduous debug session to determine the root cause of a failed auto-tuning system during major overhaul at Hideaway Studio. 

Easily one of my favourite vintage polysynths (even over Prophet 5 and OB-X) and one I consider to be extremely underrated - a complex and remarkably flexible 16 oscillator beast with a warm but biting character all of its own!!

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2017.

1982 Rhodes (ARP) Chroma: Autotune-ONE

Having a play with my first patch programmed into a 1987 Bohm Dynamic 4x9 during overhaul at Hideaway Studio.

The Dynamic 4x9 was basically the big brother version of the Böhm 12-24 / Orla DSE-24 featuring the same FM based synthesis fed into a genuine Solina style analog BBD based triple ensemble generator but also included a BBD based phaser and individual audio outputs.  The FM section featured a whopping 12 YM2203 triple FM generator chips allowing 4 layered channels of 9 voice polyphony or up to 36 voices.

Unlike the 1U versions (which used the same FM chips) the 4x9 permits front panel patch editing using a rather more user friendly method with an LCD screen and data value controls.

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2018.

1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9: First Test

Having a play with my first 4-layer patch programmed into a 1987 Bohm Dynamic 4x9 during overhaul at Hideaway Studio.

The Dynamic 4x9 was basically the big brother version of the Böhm 12-24 / Orla DSE-24 featuring the same FM based synthesis fed into a genuine Solina style analog BBD based triple ensemble generator but also included a BBD based phaser and individual audio outputs. The FM section featured a whapping 12 YM2203 triple FM generator chips allowing 4 layered channels of 9 voice polyphony or up to 36 voices.

Unlike the 1U versions (which used the same FM chips) the 4x9 permits front panel patch editing using a rather more user friendly method with an LCD screen and data value controls.

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2019

1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9: Layer Test

A quick live improv with a newly created evolving patch on a 1987 Böhm Dynamic 12/24 recently overhauled and upgraded to 24-voice.

The 12/24 is an unusual combination of classic 4-OP FM fed into a lovely on-board triple BBD based analog ensemble generator...

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2018.

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24: Evolution 24V

The more I play with these old Böhm Dynamic 12/24 (and rebranded ORLA DSE-24) rackmount synths the more I love them!!

Many of the factory presets are a bit weak but with some trivial editing they can really come alive like this one.

What other little rackmount offers classic 4OP FM with 24 note polyphony bolted to a genuine triple BBD based analog ensemble generator!?

This unique combo really does present FM in a different light - the result is much more organic, warm and complex in nature and its interesting because you find yourself building FM patches in a different way to more conventional FM synths in that you start to view the FM generator as an element of the sound rather than its entirety sending you down different creative paths than the usual bass and bell timbres!

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24: A Diamond in the Rough...

An improvised montage of sounds recorded live from 1938 Hammond Novachord No.346 shortly after partial restoration to working order by vintage synth specialist D.A.Wilson in the UK in 2009.  It is very rare to hear a direct modern recording (non-acoustic through chorus/delay/reverb directly from the generator chassis)of one of these instruments in action as less than 50 remain in known working order.

The Novachord is generally accepted to be world's first commercial all electronic polyphonic instrument featuring dynamics control and specifically designed to emulate timbres beyond those of an organ such as strings, harpsichord and piano.

See more on this extremely rare beast at www.novachord.co.uk

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2009.

1938 Novachord #346: Creepy Montage (87 Year Old Tube Polysynth!)

D.A.Wilson is an Electronic Engineer, Sound Designer & Vintage Synth Specialist with a particular interest in combining vintage tube, classic analog and modern digital technologies working as a synth engineer looking after a very considerable amount of vintage studio equipment for Will Gregory (Goldfrapp / Moog Ensemble) and a number of other internationally celebrated electronic musicians and producers.  Having undertaken several major restorations and produced custom electronic designs for a number of major artists including Jean-Michel Jarre, Dani is also known for fully restoring two out of the world's four remaining 1979 Crumar GDS and partially restoring 1938 Novachord 346 (the only known operational Novachord in the UK) to playable order along with developing and producing the new Elfin family of 8-bit polysynths and the popular MIDI Front Panel Animator (FPA), Filter Defeat Module (FDM) and XD-280 Drive Emulator upgrades for the AKAI S612 sampler.

Demos of the S612 Upgrades in Action: 

https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/sets/hideaway-studios-s612-front


Hideaway Studio Kontakt Sound libraries may be purchased directly from: 
https://www.lootaudio.com/category/kontakt-instruments/hideaway-studios
 

..and a nice introduction by Cory Pelizzari to the Hideaway Studio Kontakt Libraries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-C7a3ChC9U&feature=emb_title


For more on releases from Hideaway Studio for Kontakt please visit the blog at:  www.hideawaystudio.net