The Sony CHORDMACHINE
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- čas přidán 7. 08. 2024
- A look at Sony's one-off musical oddity from 1982 - The CFS-C7 CHORDMACHINE
Music cassette featured from eox.no
If you want to see a traditional Boombox/synth keyboard combo - the Casio KX-101 is demonstrated here by the 8-Bit Guy. • Casio KX-101 Bizarre B...
00:00 Start
01:49 Fixtures & fittings
04:36 Faults & fixes
12:13 DEMO
19:23 Summary
22:01 Credits
FAQs
Q) Hey you shouldn't use WD40 to clean contacts
A) You must have missed a memo - WD40 is a Brand now, not just a single product. I’m using WD40 branded Contact Cleaner www.wd40.com/products/contact...
Q) Did you forget to put the ground cable back on?
A) No. But you left the gas on.
Q) That’s not how you pronounce Router
A) It is where I live - and anywhere that doesn’t speak Americanised English. • Video
Q) Can you record the synth to the tape
A) Yes - this is covered in the video at thirteen mins in. But to recap, you can record any of the components to the cassette section.
Q) Something about solder
A) OK - Not a topic that holds any interest for me. Soldering only took up approximately one second of the video running time…deliberately. Ideally I’d like to spend even less of my remaining time discussing solder.
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Regularly asked question
Q) Why are there comments from days ago when this video has just gone live today?
A) Patrons / techmoan usually have early access to videos. I'll show the first version of a video on Patreon and often the feedback I get results in a video going through further revisions to improve it. e.g. Fix audio issues, clarify points, add extra footage or cut extraneous things out. The video that goes live on youtube is the final version. - Věda a technologie
That ‘CHORDMACHINE’ logo goes way harder than it needs to, I love it
Isn’t it using the same typeset/font that Microsoft used for it’s original logo during it’s pre-Windows era times? That “M” looked familiar
@@Blood-PawWerewolf : Nah, not the old MS logo (that's a mess, tbh)
It is a font that's been used many times, though. It reminds me of ActiVision.
Looking at that logo, the "MA" is bigger and emphasised... Maybe someone else already said this, but isn't "ma' a concept of simplicity and "lack of complexity" in Japanese culture and philosophy? I'm maybe just seeing something that's not there, or being a bit weird, but that would make perfect sense with this machine. I wonder if that was the concept or just a fluke and someone in marketing went with it?
If it doesn't allow me to actually bend notes then I guess it's not very useful.
It has potential for a band name and logo for sure lmao
Love that you can use a wifi router as an interactive proximity-based audio FX unit. Some seriously forward-looking performance tech.
Sort of a rudimentary Alesis AirFX, and nearly 20 years before that unit. 😄
Even left a panel for circuitbending.
Lmfao
It's a percussion theremin!
I liked the ring modulation it created. Quite an awesome sound.
On wifi vs old sound machines, I spent about 4 hours cleaning and reseating and testing things ony mother's old kimball organ until we realized the noise it made was exactly in rhythm with the LED indicators on the wireless router/modem sitting on top of it 😄
LOL that's great, what a way to realize what the problem was
This is a lot like those organs in the late 1960's & 1970's, where they had preset cords and rhythms to assist the player.
lmao, amazing
is it possible to create a shield inside the machine?
@@Federico84a sheet of aluminum foil would work.
It never fails to amuse me that a key component of music technology in this era was a rubber band.
To this day, most cars' engines depend on a timing belt. If not replaced every 5-6 years, it may snap, which causes pistons to go domestic violence on the valves. That's a catastrophic failure you can't fix with a new belt. Why is it still like this? Because it's still the cheapest to manufacture system.
and older cars actually had gears instead of a belt (or chain which is also common today), but that changed when the camshaft moved upwards to the top of the cylinderhead
goat invention
WHen I was majoring invocal performance (1988-1993), I'd have loved having that.
The 12 keys are the 12 half-steps of the chromatic scale. The normal (Major) scale uses keys 1,3,5,6,7,10,11,12; a chord is 3 notes in key. The three smaller buttons to the left are the quality: major is default, you hit a minor and a diminished chord, and somehow got a 7th chord as well.
Normal 4 chord progression (So-called "I-IV-V-I" is 1-6-8-1. a more colorful tone, with more "resolution", you'd charge that 8 button (The V chord, "fifth chord") to 7th-modifier + chord 8.
It's aimed at practicing voice and/or guitar without needing a piano keyboard. (Many vocalists have piano issues...)
Sad songs, the progression changes to I-iv-v-I (capitalization matters), so button 1, minor+6, minor+8, 1. Or I -VI-iv-v-vii°-I, played with 1, 10, min+6, minor+8, diminished+12, 1
If you know what youe edoing, you can shift it into any key by simple addition; the tuning knob is for matching with intonation-invariant instruments (like bugles, recorders/blockflutes, Tin whistles, etc.)
It is VERY approachable to those with elementary chord theory. It also was pretty much superfluous - most decent keyboards (and lots of crappy ones) had the same functionality built in, usually labeled on Yamaha machines as "ABC" (for Auto-Bass-Chord)... you play the root note of the chord, and one or more keys as well, to set the "quality" - Major by default; minor or diminished or 7th with one extra key above the root, minor-seventh with two, diminished 7th with a different 2. Our 1978 or so Yamaha console organ had that functionality on the second manual.
Looks like the modifier keys (H-1 or H-2) allowed you to switch between 'regular' (major) and minor or 7t chords.
If you are creating music using the stuff on the right, can you use the cassette deck on the left to record it? Mr TM might have mentioned it, but if so I missed it. Seems a bit daft if you can't.
Thank you for your explanation
@@fredbloggs8072 im pretty sire he said that you couldnt record the cord side
@@keltar4071 See the caption at 13:00, you can record whatever it outputs, radio, mic, chords, drumbeats.
"Do you know what a twit you are?" Had me choke on my coffee. Well done, mate. That was great.
The method to replace that belt was beautiful in its simplicity. I wish all cassette players were designed that way.
I love the cheesey sounds from these types of "instruments". It's why I buy up all the "toy" keyboards from around the 80s that I can. That whole thing of limitations producing creativity and inspiration is just so much fun to me. Turning something straight cheese into something sweet and groovin' is such a magical experience..
The antenna being unbroken after 40 years is practically a miracle. 17:09 - what are the odds? Another great video Mat!
Don't call him by his first name, he's not your mate
@@AboveEmAllProduction You're a real knob, you know that?
@@AboveEmAllProduction Twonk.
@@Stevie-J any time I see stuff from Japan on eBay and such the items are pretty much all ways in pristine condition. There's definitely truth to the stereotype of the careful japanese owner.
@@AboveEmAllProduction 17:09!
"I doesn't do much." - I find your lack of excitement disturbing. This is basically a personal stereo, synthesizer, drum machine and recording studio in one device aimed at consumers and hobbyists. Back in the 80s! Definitely 11/10 on the amazement scale!
I bet it was a shitload cheaper than a tascam 4 track recorder plus a keyboard and a drum machine too. The sound clearly shows the devices age, but there would have been nothing else like it in the price range at the time, it's really quite amazing.
Yeah, absolutely amazing device.
Absolutely! It looks like exactly the kind of thing that Look Mum No Computer would love. I wonder how hard it would be to replicate (sans cassette and radio) using a single PCB and an Arduino doing the software synthesis heavy lifting --- probably not very... dammit, I already have too many projects on the go as it is!
it is exactly the kind of thing pre teen me would have drooled over. Imagining the possibilities of creating hit records on it and connecting a guitar? wow i just to learn how to play guitar, buy one and imagine the possibilities! Sadly I did buy things like this, not exactly like this but what I like to call today, tat. So much tat was made back then that had no real practical use. Just mashups of one thing with another thing because wow, how zany is that! And when you're young you just see a cool new device.
All I can imagine using that for today is sending to Look Mum No Computer and seeing if he wants to circuit bend the crap out of it and maybe turn the tape into a looper thing and make both parts work together. I could not do any of that.
(where was the drum machine feature? at 19:19 he was lamenting it missing in action)
one of my favorite things I still own is like the Chordmachine's grandson: a My First Sony tape deck with a built-in drumpad which can be switched to animal sounds. you can "drum" over your favorite cassettes!! it's very well put together, colored bright red, and actually quite awesome!
Sounds cool!
I remember that
That sounds awesome!
I'm here because of PlayStation Stars. The ChordMachine is one of the displayable rewards. The device looks fun!
I cracked up when you switched on the radio and the DJ says "What a twit you are". Excellent timing.
As well
The music video at the start was brilliant! It was like a real life late 80s, early 90s PC adventure game... _Techmoan Quest III: Quest for the Divine Tape Deck Belt_
I had a friend who had one of these. Back in the 80's. Back then, this was the pinnacle of technology and really impressed me. This is what you spent money on if you had it back in the 80's. All this stuff was brand new tech, and I happily integrated it into my life. Only really well off people had these, I had a grey Sanyo M2820 the kind with one speaker.
"pinnacle of technology" indeed. Music wasn't even invented yet - we had to create it ourselves back then.
As a collector of weird retro tech I was happy to learn of this and just purchased one. Thanks so much for the video.
Definitely cannot call it boombox. Sony just missed another opportunity to call it tape re-chorder.
"Tape rechorder" - comedy gold! But yeah, what a missed riff not being able to tape itself!
It's like an ancient Teenage Engineering product. haha
I actually quite like the sound of the drum machine. Reminds me of the early Roland drum machines like the CR78. They're not the fullest sounds, so it strikes me as something purely for accompaniment, either for practicing musicians or storytelling. Would be interesting to see what a circuitbender like Look Mum No Computer could do with this machine.
Nice one for AudioPilz, Bad Gear series.
Hey man, you are just the best. I've been watching your videos for years and not only have I learned so much from you but your videos are also incredibly interesting and entertaining. Thanks for all the captivating moments over the years.
As an old Sony fanboy that’s a thing of beauty. It might ultimately have been a little bit crap as a musical device but that’s not the point here, it’s a great piece of Sony history with some solid industrial design and attention to detail such as the user controls. Casio’s KX-101 was a vastly superior and more impressive-looking take on the idea of a boom box for musicians but from a design point of view the Sony is the one I’d choose as a museum piece. Very cool.
Seperate latches, cable secure once latched closed, antennae, powered by AC/DC D cell, its incredible.
In 50 years this thing will be a rare antique and well worth the investment financially at least. But the cool factor is explained well by the kid on the box. Kids the definition of being totally rad!!
i can imagine japanese B boys rappin to beats made on this.
what better way to record vocals or guitar without having a whole studio
Lots of focus on user control. zero focus on usability. Nielsen/Norman would have a field day on this and it would be used as an exam essay question for all of time.
"Use heuristics to make this thing usable - use sketches if needed"
This is hot bit gear 💥💥💥
I have a Casio keyboard from a few years later that has many of those same functions (with a very similar sound) as "auto-accompaniment" options. Nothing says I Am A Serious Musician quite like playing along to a tinny bossa nova drum-and-cymbal line with some rinky-tink arpeggios running in the background. :)
What I love about those basic/kiddy type instruments is that you’re not under pressure for it to sound awesome so you can play whatever for fun :)
Oh god how I miss my casio, I think someone threw it out..
Had the"same" Casio.
I still weave my Casio VL-Tone VL-1 into songs sometimes.
@@trailg19c Casio has made hundreds of different toy keyboard models that fit this description.
@@robob3ar If any consolation, I have my Casio keyboard from when I was in grade 5 in a box somewhere. Though my Atari 800XL was indeed thrown out. :(
that time when completely by accident Techmoan invented wifi circuit-bending without realizing it..BTW that middle variable control is tuning/transpose so you can tune it to the guitar or change the pitch to better fit your vocal range
Haha, that mic feedback at 17:30 is just adorable. You go, fierce little synth!
This thing is incredible - chord section is kind of a simplified version of the Omnichord by Suzuki. Particularly the chord sounds are very similar. Thank you so much for showcasing it!
17:10 BRILLIANT timing with the radio broadcast!
Wasn't it good.
Sooo Techmoan. Magic moment!
17:09 "You know what a twit you are..." That made me howl! Great video as always.
Look up the Omnichord - a similar style of "accompaniment instrument." With this machine, you could work out a song with chords that sound good with it, record the chords/singing onto a tape, and then with another instrument maybe played along to your new song. I could see people using this for coming up with the structure and sound of a song.
A little too early for that - that would have taken a more sophisticated microcomputer than would have been in the right price range in the 80s. Even today these are meant for professionals, as evidenced by the $500 price tag.
@@BrightBlueJim Maybe I misunderstood - it sounded like the ChordMachine could only mix the mic input on top of any of the other input signals (cassette, radio, chord part) - and could then record what you're playing on the chordmachine, and therefore the mixed mic signal, at the same time to cassette (mixed down.) Then, the savvy musician might listen back to that cassette recording (of chords and vocals) and try playing, not recording, their instrument alongside it. That's what I means in terms of a rudimentary music-composing device.
@@JakeLionsWorld I agree with @BrightBlueJim . Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see an omnichord in a future episode though.
@@pissmilker2313 Maybe I confused things by bringing up the omnichord. I just mentioned that as a instrument of a similar function, since Techmoan seemed to be confused about an instrument that's primarily chords. Then I was talking about the full potential of the chordmachine, if you can indeed record chords and vocals to cassette on it at the same time. Two separate thoughts, maybe they got jumbled.
@@JakeLionsWorld No, that's reasonable. Almost all home keyboards from the 80s (and on) included auto-accompaniment stuff with rhythms and chords, and included the regular keyboard for the player to play along with it. But very few of them included an internal recorder to record what was played. You'd usually have to plug it into a separate cassette recorder, or if you could afford it, one of those fancy multi-track cassette recorders. I didn't get a multi-track recorder until the early 90s. Before that, I was using 2 cassette recorders to bounce tracks and build up songs with multiple parts.
I love that despite all the features, Sony still called it a FM/AM Stereo Cassette-corder
I was amused by the warning, Matt. In my house lives an eight year old child whose sadistic teachers decided he should learn to play the violin. The sound of a cat being turned inside-out has ruined several weekend lie-ins. Shrill sounds? No problem.
A friend had a Casio machine that looked like a boom box, but with a keyboard on the front - a very peculiar machine. I've looked, and it was the Casio KX-101. It looks even cooler/barking mad than I remember.
I love that metallic drum sound caused by your router. It's the sort of thing that one of my favourite electronic groups, Cabaret Voltaire (Richard H. Kirk, RIP.), would have used.
Lol!! I have been there with the violin !!
At least it wasn't a recorder . . .
@@TheFarSideOfNj - He was given the choice of the violin or the tuba. I think with the violin, we got off lucky. To hear the same 'Oompah, oompah' noises reprated ad infinitum would have been too much. As it is, I can forsee the violin getting 'accidentally' trodden or sat upon. The little lad doesn't like practising it, or is vaguely interested in learning to play, but the school said the children had to learn an instrument. The Triangle makes a pleasant noise, so I'm led to believe.
@@brianartillery That depends on the triangle lol. The snare drum and certainly the cheap "bell" kits floating around schools these days are decidedly NOT pleasant. But a drum pad would be okay. Violins are tough for a variety of reason. Did they put little "dots" or stickers where the notes are to help? For a lot of young students that can get them going well enough so they can enjoy it.
Ah, the joys of PARENTHOOD...😉
I think this is an "Entertainer" machine. I can imagine them using something like that. We had a lot oft them in the 80s. Men between 40 and 70 having small shows in the local towns hall for three days and then moving on. They would sing and do magic tricks, telling jokes and funny stories. They collected the money directly at the entrance. That stopped in the middle of 90s.
Entertainment sadly ended in the middle of the '90s.
@@YearsOfLeadPoisoning Now we have the internet.
@@andreasu.3546 The what?
@@YearsOfLeadPoisoning Never mind, it's not gonna catch on anyway.
@@mycosys Not sure if the word is "practice" but it definitely begins with a 'P'.
Ah, another Saturday treat from our favourite consumer tech archaeologist!
I really, really want on of these!! It's has some similarities to the Omnichord and a couple classic Casio Keyboards from the same era. I can immediately see it being a useful tool for songwriting and contemporary lo-fi music.
no
@@WaldoFindsYo No? No, I don't really want one? No, it doesn't remind me of my other old Casio and Suzuki instruments? No, I wouldn't enjoy making music with it? How could I be so wrong about all three of my thoughts? Thank you for setting me straight.
@@lo-firobotboy7112 you will immensely regret the purchase
an EG-5 casio guitar would probably be better for lo fi vibes
@@WaldoFindsYo I disagree. I collect and play oddball, obscure, and weird electronic instruments and musical toys. I instantly regretted buying a Dave Smith MoPho but have cherished my Fisher-Price Music Maker and Realistic Rhythm Box.
Right now I'm on the hunt for a couple cheesy old organs like the Baldwin Discoverer or Bontempi POP3
Sting famously wrote ‘Message in a Bottle’ (1979) while on a bus, using a combination cassette recorder and drum machine.
Techmoan, you should remake your "we're up all night to get lucky karaoke" on this device
I'm a keyboard player and I would dearly love to have a play around with this! I like the pitch-bend on the arpeggios, reminiscent of early Frank Zappa. The "finale" button to end your chord sequence is a nice touch. Can you record your voice whilst playing your chosen rhythm and chords as backing? There you have your melody, provided by your voice, together with the accompaniment, could be a lot of fun!
Ilove the you come up with weird and wonderful tech from the past. Please keep it coming.
I guess they were going for the "accompaniment" angle which was super popular on home keyboards, and probably why it's pictured with a guitar. With enough patience you could map out a whole song's worth of chords and drums (to tape) and then jam and sing over it. Pretty niche approach though with those big pads.
It's kind of like a musical "notebook" to get down ideas quickly. I couldn't imagine anyone trying to make a finished track with it but I could see it being useful.
Exactly. It seems to be aimed at the vocalist or guitarist who wanted something for backing - not something to do the melody. I'd hope you could use the tape recorder to record the synth to make it a simple/poor man's sequencer.
I have known simmilar machines as "rhythm machines". You choose a rhythm, background melody, whatever to help you play your guitar or singing. Not sure if the machine can then record your playing, but that way you could make simple demo tapes. Sometimes street musicians use such machines. Of course there are way more advanced machines with different instruments, etc. but sometimes something simple is just enough.
I agree 100%.
I remember these times and it seemed like everyone had a side gig accompanying people at some point lol
I also agree. Back in the day many guitarists kind of just focused on guitar and not so much keyboards. Something like this would enable someone to lay down a chord progression and then work out their own ideas on a bass or guitar. I also remember my first keyboard being a mini keyboard Casio that had a similar function for making chords... these items were great for wetting your appetite for music and getting your foot in the door so to speak.
Its looks limited nowadays, but if you had one of these and siblings/mate with a casio keyboard....then you could convince yourselves that you were a "Drawing Room Depeche mode" waiting for a breakthrough.
Always a pleasure watching Techmoan on Saturday afternoon..
The scenes from the street are pretty nice. Should have more of that. People from the whole world watch this and it's always good to know what surrounds their favourite blogger.
That is actually a fantastic songwriting tool - the chord pattern you've played is quite sophisticated. An amazing retro tool and fun for songwriters !
Nothing can emulate better than the real thing.
I was just going to write that. If there is anything on the market today that resembles this device, either hardware or software I would buy it right away.
LOL no its not! Its terrible no one would use one...
@@NathanChisholm041 unless you wanted to emulate a specific 80's sound. So someone, would.
@@Siarawaszympanemjest I mean I'd say midi MPC pads can do all of this and more. The Korg nanokeystudio for example. I use the Nanokey plugged into my phone running flstudio mobile. Very mobile and not expensive way to do these things.
Watching you demonstrate the controls, it looks pretty versatile to me for a synth of that era. You can have single notes, straight chords or arpeggios, and it seems like one of the red buttons changes the chords from major to minor. Weird device but definitely looks like fun to play with.
Agreed. It's a portable accompanist/recorder doubled as a stereo, probably aimed at hobbyist musicians.
Indeed, it a pretty capable little (big) box.
As a hobbyist musician at the time, I'd have struggled to find a use for this. All but the most basic Casio or Yamaha keyboards are more versatile and intuitive.
versatile? It has only one sound!
It looks like the synth chord functions are similar to the left hand buttons on a standard accordion. If so, think of what an accordion player can do with admittedly limited musical options, like playing polkas. And if you can play polkas, what else is there in the world to worry about?
This gadget also reminds me of my full-size Wurlitzer theater organ, built in the 1980's. It has a similar rhythm section and some features like "magic fingers", an arpeggiating option. Such add-ons were common in the era, marketed to semi-musicians. The Sony would be more convenient to carry around than my 500-lb Wurlitzer, you bet.
Those labels for clock location and expander placement, is a circuit bender's dream! I looked for this online and it must be quite rare! Another great video, thank you!
Go on sendico. Seeing how it's Japan only you'll have to hit up yahoo auctions and the like. Best of luck... and get me one!
Nice to see you out on location. I never noticed the delightful old bank building at Parbold before.
You really should try to some high quality recordings of the varies drumloops and sounds this thing makes and release them as a sample pack for producers. The fact it comes from a device like this is enough to make it super awesome.
yeah, i’d definitely buy this sample pack!
I'm not sure it would have been useful, but as a musician I would have loved one to play around with. I could certainly see using it for a very basic song sketching tool. Could be useful for lofi or vaporwave music as well.
You can play around with MIDI ^_^
It'd be great to have the sounds of this as a sample pack. Especially the drums.
It feels like they missed a trick really. If it had a proper sequencer, better integration with the tape (eg for a tape loop) and some way to change that sound a bit, even just a high/low pass filter, this thing could have ended up a techno classic. Maybe adjust the tempo range towards the higher end as well.
I really like the intro and the music from the machine to it. Great work!
This is such a great piece of technology for reminding us the kind of crazy built-for-one-job machines that people made back before they would have just ended up as phone apps. I don't know why, but when you opened the compartment on the speakers and started pulling the cable out I lost it. There was just something delightfully retro about that whole scene.
From a fairly accomplished classical musician...you stuck the landing at around 15:26. If you ended the "song" that way on accident, then it was a happy accident. If you chose that sequence on purpose, you've got a pretty good ear. Either way, it was quite satisfying.
I also can't believe some big-name producer hasn't caught onto this thing. Someone who practiced at it could make some neat music.
It was deliberate, but I’m not sure there was much skill involved.
It's surprising how few instruments can play chords. Guitars and keyboards, that's about it as far as getting someone to play chords in a band. There aren't too many jazz autoharpists around, or three-bore clarinets. You'd think someone would've invented some more options by now.
@@edmatzenik9858 *angry ukulele playing*
@@ps5hasnogames55 im sure hawaii will be very pleased with that assessment of an instrument that has become part of their culture
@@ps5hasnogames55 I don't live in America either? It was introduced to the island in the late 1870s, which seems like it would be before your time, so I'm not sure how your nationality would affect the ukulele's cultural impact. I'm curious what you think separates a "kids toy" from a "real instrument"
This reminds me of the electronic organs sold by Thomas and Bontempi, in the 1960s-80s. My grandma had a Thomas organ with a 2-octave keyboard and 3 banks of chord buttons: Major, Minor, and 7th. Your right hand played the melody on the keyboard, while your left hand played the chord buttons. This made it much easier to play than a standard keyboard.
Didn't they used to give those away as prizes in The Price is Right during Bob Barker's long reign?
This belongs in Look Mum No Computer's museum! Great job as always!
I love your videos. Thank you for creating this awesome series!!
This seems to be a beginners version of an Roland Pro-E, or an Elka Wilgamat or OMB-3, or a Böhm Böhmat, or a Wersi Wersimatic - all keyboards that do nothing but automatic accompaniment. They are all meant for using with another instrument to play the melody or to sing to.
The Pro-E does a lot more than auto accompaniment. At least I have used mine for more than that. I don't use it at all in that manner.
This device is CRAZY, so many possibilities, I would have loved it as a kid. Thanks for sharing as usual
I would have loved this thing as a kid hours and hours of fun. I am still trying to find my old Casio keyboard with the beats.
@@matthewhilty4209 I'd love to have one now!
Those opening shots are Parbold! Didn't know you were so close to where I grew up. Thanks for another very enjoyable video mate 👍
It seems like a cool jamming machine. I would use it to record a sketch of a song, or practice with a pre-recorded backing track. I could also record the chords from the chord machine, then plug my guitar, and then do some vocals. Very nice device!
This is a very interesting device, it's amazing how you keep coming up with completely random stuff I had no idea existed. One thing I immediately noticed was the proximity of the speaker and the tape deck when closed. I would not leave a tape in the deck!
And I guess they are not magnetically shielded speakers 😁 😁
well spotted, the tape head probably doesn't like it much either, I wonder if that's why it sounds so dull (I assumed it was just out of alignment)
I can't help but feel there are a lot more features of this synth that you missed, which is obviously through no fault of your own.
I'm definitely going to go out and buy one and have a play round. It looks like so much fun!
Thanks for posting!
@@mycosys yes, this. Seems like a portable practice space in one handy case
like the electric guitar, this is made for it.
Love the site scenes at the beginning of the video! Please do more.
That intro was almost as good as the Tape Cleaner Commercial. This one is more on the eerie side, still pretty cool tho. I also love the puppets whenever they are featured! Thanks for making these videos :)
Thanks for this video! I enjoy watching you repair and demonstrate old tech like this. I miss the early 80's when manufacturers seemed to experiment by releasing rather odd units like this.
I recommend Teenage Engineering for this sort of whimsical experimentation in tech these days
That’s outstanding!!
There’s no better way to bring out creativity than to introduce limitations on the creation. I bet some crazy good stuff has come out of those things.
I have gotten into synths. At first glance I thought it would be cool to have a Chordmachine. But given how limited the synth section is; it wouldn't be worth it. That said; if I stumbled across one for cheap; I would buy it. But I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to look for it.
Thanks again Matt for introducing me unusual tech I never knew existed.
The sort of video that deserves 10 million views just for the effort.
"Warning: This video contains annoying shrill sounds"
no worries, I've been watching a lot of Netflix stand-up comedy lately
This is the most "un-Sony" thing I've ever seen from Sony...
The construction, the functionality--everything
Simon the magpie would have a field day with this one. Great video as usual and keep up the great work!
So this is how it works! My brother in law has one of these tucked away at the parents house in Japan, and I've always been curious about it. Will need to pull it out of storage and see how well it works on the next visit.
You walking by the canal, holding an unidentified red box, made my day
I LOVE these vids about obscure electronics like this, especially when they are from mega companies like Sony. It's as if they said 'Let's try this. If it doesn't fly who cares.'
Not gonna lie, I love these videos, they're so educational.
The ‘chord’ bit is a band in a box type thing, for making your own accompaniment which you could use live or record to tape, either with own compositions, common chord progressions that musicians find useful or creating backing tracks to any number of different songs without having to pay for expensive custom made songs. This kind of feature is found in many keyboards. Then you can listen to the radio to find your latest inspiration, saves a lot of space compared to having a separate keyboard and guitar amp and hifi. Quite neat really. Obviously for kids beginner level sophistication.
Man: Desperately seeks to review every music format on earth.
Also Man: "I'm not musically minded."
I know what he means though. He's obviously a big fan of music and audio.
Interesting! Looks like another pretty good quality made Sony product. I remember in the 1980's a lot of different digital keyboard type sound machines like this. I had some different lower quality ones as a kid. My friends and I had different ones we would play around with. I could imagine a younger me in awe if I seen one of these. Thanks for sharing!
OMG The faq is gold! Lovely video as always sir.
This device is now a trophy for PlayStation star members lol
Loved the walkin intro and it's tunage, brilliant :)
there was something very "John Shuttleworth" about the start of this video
I truly appreciate this channel Techmoan, I enjoy your puppets, the gadgets, and overall your a great host. Surprised I hadn't subbed til today my bad.
One of your fellow CZcamsrs Look Mum No Computer.... That dude would just love the opportunity to retro re rock the world with this beautiful obscure tech! X
This definitely feels like something meant for singer songwriters to use for making demos. There's a ton of software nowadays that is basically a somewhat more advanaced version of this.
God you know it’s well made when after 40 years, some minor servicing is all that’s needed to fix it. This is on crappy paper type PCBs as well, so it’s always surprised me.
I bet it was barely used.
come back a couple times for that intro just gold.
for the time this seems like an awesome device to quickly record song ideas, get the general vibe of the chords and the song in order to do a proper version later in the studio. Well done sony.
Yeah plugging in a guitar and play along the chords seems like a great idea, I wouldn’t mind using one
Btw loving this channel more and more, interesting documentary type and I feel I’m learning something :) great job overall
Oh yeah loved the intro, intriguing and calming :) - is the box the thing you are gonna talk about, or are you just carrying a random box
That drum sound was lovely!
Love every gadget from that era. Never heard of this specific machine. I stopped retro collecting, when I ran out of storage space, so I rely on Techmoan giving me my fix, for what I've been missing out on.
Good find! This will be an antique before you know it, it almost is! Never seen it before but I love the kid on the box, totally radical!!
This was certainly for a type of karaoke where you don't need to buy karaoke tapes. If you had a chord book or new some chords to your favourite song you could easily auto accompany yourself. I mean you could just use a guitar or a piano for the same purpose but I guess this has a bit of a beat at least.
One correction is that you say it only plays one note at a time when it actually seems to be capable of playing chords with multiple notes voiced together. Which may have made it somewhat cutting edge at the type compared to monophonic synths.
That Radio timing killed me xD very apt indeed xD
This thing I awesome. As a musician I could totally find great applications for this device.
oh wow, I REALLY love the sounds this thing makes, and I would LOVE to hear it coming off that cassette recorder. I wonder if someone could get the cassette and radio output tied back into that mic input
It is obviously for jamming or karaoke. I presume you can record a sequence of chords and let it be played back in a loop (not from the tape, but from memory). That way you can play or sing along the melody along with the chords that are being played.
7:16 - you really need to add a little new solder to get a decent joint. And reflow all 3 joints as if one is fractured there's a good chance the others will be
And preferably with leaded solder just for longevity, as long as you take care to not breathe it
@@app0the Most the smoke from solder is the flux, regardless of type (still not great for you, but not a heavy metal). It's not like the lead is turning into gas when you heat it with an iron.
and with solder blessed by the Pope
…on Mars
@@AaronSmart.online Makes sense. I'm just trying to make up a reason for myself to not go into another rant about how RoHS is just another conspiracy to make everything last just a little bit and then have all the joints crack or develop whiskers :p
@@Techmoan praise the Omnissiah.
you gotta love the 80's !! that really is the oddest machine ive ever seen! what a combo tape/radio/drum machine /keyboard / !!!! i love it
It may be an unusual device but It's a gorgeous looking piece of classic sony kit ❤
In traditional Indian Music, there is a musical instrument called "shruti box" which do something very similar (playing chords). There are also modern electronic shruti boxes.
I recognize that IC702 - that is from Texas Instruments and is a precursor of their TMS320 DSP (digital signal processor). There is a Wikipedia page for the TMS320 that explains what it is. It makes sense that this made its way into this device. Around the same time as this the TMS320 also gained popularity due to its adoption into the Yamaha DX7? Synthesizer.
17:08 right timing as the chordmachine fights talks back through a radio station like a spirit box.
Very good Matt - thank you - I've never seen or heard of the Chord machine b4 - Looks very fun thou!!!🙂🚂🚂🚂