A Rare DIY 70's Magazine Synthesizer You Built Month By Month - P.E Synthesizer
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- čas přidán 8. 04. 2023
- THE PRACTICAL ELECTRONICS PE SYNTHESIZER PART 1 shoutout to steve!
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#repair #synthesizer #history - Věda a technologie
i forgot to mention. the synth and the car are from pretty much the same year! only just realised.
for all intrigues the world radio history website has an amazing archive or nearly all of the magazine's of this ilk including practical electronics
worldradiohistory.com/Practical_Electronics.htm
very cool. my grandpa did a similar thing back in the 70s i think where he built an organ month by month kit with a leslie speaker and everything. my dad and i are going to go through it and see if we can make it sound right and lube up the leslie. you can kinda get a hammond sound out of it. :)
but the synth was state of the art in 1973, your car not. it was already produced for many years before and i dont think it has many crumple zones. i guess the driver is the crumple zone. if you drove a w114/5 mercedes in 1973 then you were state of the art.
@@klaasj7808 you are right, but you wouldn't see me driving a mercedes thats for sure haha. mini is like a lawn mower. its simple, for a simple person like myself its perfect :).
Wire the synthetic to the car.
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER I'd bet the Mini handles corners better than any Merc. And doesn't BMW own Mini now?
I hope the original owner is able to see this video and the love and care you've shown his instrument.
I'll make sure to send him it
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER my favourite part of the video was seeing the original owner/builder. A reaction video from him would have been nice.
While I don't disagree, I suspect them living on opposite ends of the country has much to do with why that wasn't included.
Totally agree! Awesome video, and it would really be a cool end cap to the story if you’re able to get the maker on the line and get his reaction after you’re done! 😁
@@gsparkera1993 maybe when there are fewer closures on the highway.
The trip, your Awesome car, the nostalgia of a DIY synth from 50 years ago, your mastery of circuitry and making it sing the songs of the cosmos... This is one of my favorite videos of yours!
Definitely awesome car. Love the engine and transmission sounds captured they sound amazingly beefy!
Yeah i really dig this orange Rally Mini :D
That thing definitely ended up in the right hands. The seller has got to be happy about this.
When he found out it is going into a museum he was very happy. Told his dad who is 96 and such. I think it's a good outcome as if they want! They can still come see it :D
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER that's lovely! It's great to honor the care people put into their creations!
I know if I put that much time and effort into a project, I would be thrilled that its going to someone who is as passionate about it as I am.
@7:00 do androids dream of electronic sheep 🐑
We need a lot more of this guy around the world to save the art.
Youre right about that, we're going to start losing important technology eventually without the ability to get it back
@@chrism4008 Imagine, you can take this weird looking thing and plug it into that bizarre looking hole in the wall and actually talk to other people! It's like a string and a can I tell ya!
There are thousands, you just need to look ;)
Went to school for this but it just made me a hoarder and fixing obscure objects only I have a fondness for. Glad you guys are enjoying this guy.
I built mine back around the time of that magazine series.
I was a great fan of the EMS VCS3 at the time so mine is like an oversized VCS3 complete with pin matrix patchboard.
Using circuits from Practical Electronics, Wireless World, Electronics Today International and some of my own, it's a bit of a hybrid. Powered it up a couple of weeks ago and it worked!
If you fancy a trip to the Bristol area, you can have it for your collection ...
Very interesting! Does sound funky. Would love to hear more! Always on the hunt. Definitely think long and hard about that though! Get it out again today you might rekindle the love for using it!
Your dedication is off the scale Sam!
Wow!
So that's what you guys actually call a Bristol Sound, huh
The Old Fella had mad skills !
His circuit boards are beautiful 👍
It must have cost a fortune to build in the 70's !
It's sounds AMAZING 😆
Amazing.... another '70s synth builder here. I looked at the PE designs at the time (where did those 50 years go) but stuck with the Moog style vco and filters. Short of cash, I used an old wood and ivory piano keyboard fitted with busbars and gold contact wires. What an inspiration you are. Keep up the good work!
nice one!!
I started building this synth back in the 70's. Sadly never got to finish it. One thing I remember from the articles was the corrections made each month. You would build the circuit for March and in the May edition there would be a modification made or a typo corrected for the text printed back in March! It got a bit frustrating. lol! As the saying goes, "If a jobs worth doing, it's worth doing twice!"
Saftey pins in the ear lobes brings back memories ! What an awsome noise boxen you have restored...sounds like the sound track to the movie forbidden planet.
I instantly recognized this as soon as I saw the thumbnail. I was 10 when these articles came out in PE and sooooo wanted to build it - but it was way to expensive for my dad's budget (!). I did read the print off the magazines though, and I learned so much about the principles behind synthesizers by reading the articles. A little later ETI did a synthesizer in conjunction with Maplin Electronics (the 4600?) which extended my knowledge, as it was a little more advanced and less non-standard, and I was lucky enough at the time to be living only a few miles away from Maplin's shop in Southend and used to go there from time to time to have a play with the demo model - the shop staff tolerated it if they weren't too busy and I didn't make too much of a pest of myself, and they recognized me and dad as people that bought components from them :) I've never actually heard the PE synthesizer so this video and the ones coming up are going to be really interesting! I always thought the keyboard unit looked really great.
Such fun "riding along" on another road trip in your cool car and watching another unique instrument come together. The voiceover while showing the magazine articles is PRICELESS as always!
As a teenager I went mad for analogue synths after seeing "A Clockwork Orange" with Wendy Carlos' fantastic Moog soundtrack, so you can imagine my amazement on seeing this project in PE - here was a chance to make one for myself! Sadly, a lack of cash and electronics knowledge prevented me from completing it, but it did spur me on to other synth projects like the Minisonic (also by Mr. Shaw), and later Tim Orr's Transcendent 2000.
Your mastery of gizmology is Jedi level. Must be a buzz and a half to make old busted things work properly, or even better than originally expected.
This guy is off the charts. Congratulations on restoring the synthesizer
It always makes me smile, when you repair this old stuff and give them a new life. Great❤
What a great build. Back then, many of us loved these magazines, and the projects.
You keep the spirit of all us techy kids alive Sam, and i'm sure you inspire kids to carry on this great hobby.
I love cars, and synthesizers. So far this is the only channel that did both
The fact you really drive THIS on long journeys is the most insane thing I know about you Sam. You are mad masochist my boi.
if you do summit you gotta do it properly haha
Brian Eno and the BBC radiophonic workshop would be so very proud of the work you have done here. Brilliant! 👽👾💯
Well done.. glad to see another old synth bringing joy to people again. Am I the only one who wants an album with all these old synths on it? An elektor track? A PE track? Etc...
I think we'd all love that!
When I see this, I get reminded that Suzanne Ciani once said in an interview that her original Buchla that she got from Don Buchla when she worked for him in the 70s, died on her and no one was ever able to fix it. You should totally get in touch with her and fly to Nothern California to repair her synth for her, she's such a lovely lady and this would probably mean the world to her. Or at least talk with her when she does her concert in London's King's Place on June 11th, ,I think you too are both a little crazy and would get along really well!
Buchla schematic's are unlike anything else.
Kinda confusing.
In 1972 I built a PE Organ for a neighbor and in the 80s a Digisound 80 for a friend. Modified so many circuits to work with the few components I had. Paper round bought in about a quid week. : (
woop nice one peter!
quid a week tho! looking at inflation, but then again yeah looking at the prices in these maga, some would be tough to get on that@
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER In spring 76, while looks at uni I may apply for, went to an Electronics conf at Leeds. Got info on the Signetics 2650 CPU and parents bought one for my birthday. Had been playing with video since the first articles on Pong came out. Ended up going to Imperial College for Comp Sci. Start of a career in computing. Todays teens can start with AI and see where that goes : )
I like 'em when a road trip is involved. And the trip through the 70's electronics magazine experience was great!
Also your twisted Furbee video twisted my head in more ways than one last night when I watched it!!!
Man that was a beautiful humble moment seeing you bring out his back in the day moment 🎉
i just love the fact that your driving a old mini
you are the pinical of british.
its a minty lookin mini too
I was an extremely naïve 14 year old when I picked up that copy of Practical Electronics in early 1973. I was into synth music, but not a musician nor handy at electronics, and I was thinking I could cannibalise our B&o telly from Denmark for parts! I should have gotten the rest of the issues and just built the bloody thing, as later in ‘73 I started weekend/after school jobs and thus the dosh to invest. So good to see one actually built and working - brilliant job on the restoration!
It’s great to see a young guy like yourself with such an enthusiasm for old fashioned electronics. I used to spend all my pocket money on electronic parts. I used to go to a shop in Liverpool called PRS Electronics in Dale Street. It’s long gone but back in the 70s there was so much reason to make your own stuff as everything was so expensive
Reminds me of Mazel Radio in Manchester also sadly long gone. A real emporium to old electronics!
Luvin' the re-appearance of the Mini! 🧡 Woo-hoo, road trip!
I love that you have the magazines for this project. It really completes this project.
Been in the museum today loved it!!! Thanks for doing a quick demo of the organ. Ended up showing my mum you vid on the furby organ and she loved it!!
Awesome! Nice one!
Awesome! Nice one!
Fantastic episode. I remember waiting for each PE Mag. to arrive when I was around 13. I was in New Zealand so they were usually hitting the book shop about 5 months latter. I did build some of the modules but things like the Vero case was way out of my price range, I could barely afford the magazine. The circuits were just the right level of sophistication that I could pull out the bits I could build, and use parts I had, but not have to follow the schematic 100%. Just seeing the magazine covers after 50 years is a trip.
In '73 I was 14 and remember being as excited as the owner (Steve) was about this synth and so many other projects in PE that year, and years following. Sadly on a paper round 'wages' this project was way out of my league. Great to see someone built this and in the as written format of Vero cage and keyboard.
In ‘73, I still had an ETA of one year, give or take, so I missed this one. I managed to be part of the computer revolution though.
I built that synth when I was a teenager. Still got the oscillator board. The keyboard is now in another synth I built in the late 70's
I have learned that "obsolete" only means that somebody has figured out a cheaper way to manufacture something, and not necessarily to the same quality.
I remember watching this video last year, cant beat a bit of mini clubman action.
If you fancy doing a synthesiser show using an electric mini gide us a shout
I loved this video. I have no idea why this video struck home but it reminds me of when I first started watching you create circuits - dials, buttons and all. This is definitely late 60's and all of the 70's electronic music in movies.
It all sounds very Radiophonic Workshop! Some excellent rave-worthy risers here too!
I adore that the indicators are little tiny neons as well, instead of LEDs like would be 10 years later.
(4:36) Oh, wow... I wish we could see more of his board work... Pausing at this point you can see how he arranged the individual circuits and bundled the wires of one..."module", I guess you'd call it? At any rate, It's always a treat to see someone's work, especially when it's good. 😊😎🤘☮
Loved the "Heart of Glass" groove.
This synth is very, very cool. Can't wait to see how the keyboard gets repaired.
Just awesome Sam! The kids these days would never understand the struggles one had to master a craft back in the days!
why not. i hate those feeling superior to younger generations
@@klaasj7808 Because you have the Internet now. It didn't exist at all in the 70's. Internet was a thing in 83 and honestly wasn't a normal thing until the mid 2000's. Learning this type of thing back then was very niche and not much available to just start cracking on with. Over the decades it's more widely known and thus more easily available for the younger generations to be apart of. Idon't think the original commenter meant any harm by it.. If anything it says to me the commenter wishes they were young so they could have all that you have now but wouldn't change there already loved experience for the world. Again I do beleive no harm was meant from this post.
@@hamhotpocket3788 in 83? 1994 baby
@@klaasj7808 web, yes, but USENET and even inter-BBS communication via internet prior. Those were a huge wealth of information. Tho the general public didn't start getting on board in a big way until the early 90's.
@@EmilyTestAccount someone started about internet in 1983 and said it became big in 2005. wtf 2005, no man 1994. thats what i reply. sure there was bbs and other crap before. sure. i even dialled in to universities in the early 1970s before bbs became big. but no way it was internet. 1994 man nothing else.
So nice to see the man who was selling it be happy to see it in a new owners hand who will appreciate it
The Synthi/VCS3 work off of negative voltages like this. Wouldn't be surprised to see other similarities. Love this machine.Vero cage, collet knobs, gold plated McMurdo ribbon connectors, all hand wired; incredible.
It always amazing to me how you can make things like this sound so dang good. You are the best man, never stop doing what you do; it's magic for real brother.
As a driver of a rally car with straight pipe exhaust, stripped interior, and just the most NVH of a vehicle I've ever driven, I can appreciate driving with ear plugs in, despite having never done it myself. Used to drive 2.5-3 hours to and from races back in the day and by the time I got there my ears would be ringing
haha yeah definitely. nice one. its the straight cut gear whine that make my ears wanna cry after an hour or two, so figured since im a musician i should probably pop ear plugs in :D
@TyCrawford, really strongly recommend ear defenders of some sort. Hearing loss sneaks up on you until one day you keep asking people to repeat themselves because you cannot make out what they are saying. Plus no more hearing birdsong.
Also there is a correlation between hearing loss and dementia. Not causation (yet) but definite association. So it is worth protecting your hearing.
This was a really fun journey start to finish, thanks for posting Sam!
Yes, logarithmic control voltages, especially for the oscillators, is THE way to go. Bob Moog had the right idea from the start. It makes the synth more musically friendly/useful because the oscillator frequency's response to the control voltage exactly matches the way we perceive pitch, so things just respond and track better, pitch alterations 'scale' properly, etc.
A series plus straight cut gearbox- music. Oh and the synth was cool as well.
KUDOS for this channel & your love for synthesisers and all things techno: very very entertaining and educational!
I remember my dad building one of these when i was a little chidler. Still have a few photo's left of him building it. Long gone now, mores the pity.
My Da used to buy me that mag in the hopes I would get into electronics. I used to dream of building my own synth but had no money! Ended up doing Electronic Engineering at Uni and got a job in computers. 40 years later and I am slowly getting back into practical electronics as a hobby! Miss the creativity and excitement! No smoke this time!!!
I was taken straight back to 70s Sci fi film effects. Cool build/resto.
Love the Mini.... especially the classic "Twat Light" on the back.
why is it called a twat light? curious
@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER Because if some twat is inconsiderately driving behind you at night and they have their headlights on full-beam... blinding you, you turn on the twat-light and they are blinded and have to stop. Or crash.
Lol creaking door fart sounds are top. Good score Sam. I enjoyed it so much I'm watching it again!
That is an amazing car and a kickass synth. You couldn't ask for more.
Very nice, I remember drooling over the design back in the day, but a lack of money (and musical ability) prevented me doing more!
Got to be honest, for this video I'm here totally for the Mini!🥰🥰
Getting some real BBC radiophonic workshop vibes. Paddy Kingsland did sound for the hitch hikers guide radio series I bet he had one!
road trippin w sam and the synthesizers! 🚙 🐑 🎹 living vicariously has never been better! ✨ 🎶
This guy wears an “Aeroflot” cap) LOVELY!😄
I love it! Nice restoration, Sam. I'm as old as Stephen. I remember the excitement from that time. Looks like he created a very clean build.
Thanks for this. I've waited 50 years to find out what this would have sounded like!
I was surprised when I re-visited the articles about 15 years ago that the filter was not voltage-controlled, but was more like the Pultec studio equalizer architecture.
Thing sounds pretty sweet though. Almost some formant sounds
I love everything about this.
This device sounds like every classic sci fi movie, fantastic. It makes me think of "Barbarella" almost continuously. What an amazing synth!
A brilliant find, more than a little bit jealous. This is the synth that got me interested in electronics and started my magazine collection.
It's definitely a cool synth! An awful lot of work compared to its counterparts in the latter part of the 70's. It's of it's time. I wouldn't recommend anyone build it over other diy synths of the era however. But can appreciate it for what it is and the point in the diy synthesizer magazine series timeline
I still have a goal to make a Wireless World synthesiser, which is if a similar vintage.
If you haven’t got one already, you could do with picking up an ESR meter, like the one from Peak. It allows you to check electrolytic caps without having to desolder them quite often.
@@mikegorman8558 i have one! but its a convoluted story why i havent put a video out yet
That is the one disadvantage with driving at night, that's when they like to do all the annoying diversions. The lack of traffic is a major advantage.
I'll have to give that a play when I pop up tomorrow Finnish fixing that Apple keyboard to.
Sam is like a real life Mr bean, I’m loving the content
Awesome video, thank you! It's great to see that someone followed along with all of the articles and actually finished it! I can imagine an awful lot of people starting with good intentions and falling off after the first couple of modules.
How random - I'm from Clitheroe (ish) and Steve was someone my dad knew when I was a kid! Amazing.
Very lost in space sounds. Love these kinds of uploads and hope to check out the museum when we holiday to the UK.
In October 1975 P.E. published my design for a full ADSR Envelope generator , or Envelope Shaper as they titled it
This reminds me when I bought Sinclair Spectrum programming magazines in the 80s. It took me about the time you took to drive up to th'a north to make a crappy game. I was so proud to show my sister's friend what took me so long that day, they she tripped and kicked out the adapter. All gone 😅😂🤣
I built this! I corresponded with Geoff Shaw and he sent me a mod to make it more thermally stable. The linear nature was an issue. The reverb was based on a massive spring in a can. It was awesome.
Sam you are the coolest guy watching your videos is such a treat
Brilliant!!! Wonderful that it's found its way to the museum and your uber-capable hands. Can't wait for the next instalment!
I remember back in the 90's a friend gave me a DIY synth. Probably a 4/5 octave keyboard. From what i remember the boards were all etched. No idea what it was but must of been out of a magazine, definitely 70's.
Wasn't working, didn't have enough spare time to get stuck in with it. I gave it back in the end as had to move and didn't have the space, i wonder what happened to it. It was well built as well.
The ear plugs made me laugh 🤣
You are mad as a balloon my friend! You make me laugh, amaze me and inspire me all at the same time! Great episode man
I built a Gnome Micro Synth kit from PAiA when I was in High School back in the mid 70's. I wish I still had it, but it didn't survive a rather heavy toolbox falling on it in the 80's during a move. R.I.P. little Synth.
7:58 perfect sounds for psychedelic trance music
Amazing video! I find it amazing that you find the time to dive so deep into a instrument and really get to know it. Thanks for sharing!
HE FINALLY FOUND ONE ! Cheers from Paris.
800 mile drive in your race car is pretty mental, you are an entertaining man sam battle
Dude, your enthusiasm is infectious! Great to see the whole journey with this synth. So well presented, bravo! 🤘
That sounds awesome!!! Pairing it up with the Roland was perfect!!! Nice job on the repairs. Epic.
Wow, this thing was before even my time - I was 8 in 1973 and was probably totally (or almost totally) unaware of synthesizers. By 1978 I'd discovered Gary Numan and the Maplin kit synths came along around then as well. This thing is from what feels like "prehistoric times" to me :D Really cool to see what you managed to do with it, and I look forward to watching you get the keyboard working.
i wonder if any of those (finished) Maplin kits are still about?
@@kathrynwhitby9799 Well I only ever saw one old 5600S in real life - some guy was repairing it near where I used to live, and let me take a look. It was quite a mess at the time but I hope he managed to finish the job because I really liked the idea of that synth. I keep wishing someone would make a VST emulation.
Excellent to see a PE synth doing its thing ! I knew a bloke back in the 80's that had one but sadly it had parts robbed out of it and was a non runner just looked funky on a shelf. I tried to buy it but he would not let it go. Top Job there Sam. Kepp doing what You do so well & Keep on Modulatin' ! All the best from Boos__ModulaR in Scotland.
Man I can't tell you how much I love this series! When I finally have space for a home workshop, I'll be building some modules like this and like Kosmo for sure!
I love how dedicated you are to this stuff. That was some drive just to get it!
Fab story, Sam! Wonderful!
Very enjoyable to watch. I'm a fan of old analog synthesizers. I wish I had one of those things!
I bought every issue as a kid. It was my dream synth. But I couldn't afford the kit so it remained a dream. If I could get the back issues I'd probably build one now.
What a great find. Nice to see something that was built correctly, by a true enthusiast.
You truly are a master of sound, synth, soldering and design..atleast.. not many people can check all those boxes that you do 👍
Awesome score there Sam!
I have (some of) the magazines that featured this project from back in the day but I never got around to building it. Fantastic work getting this old beat up and running - can't wait to see the video covering the keyboard!
I built the PE Minisonic syth from a kit which used a Stylophone type keyboard. Couldn't afford a proper keyboard as a BT apprentice. I never managed to get the noise generator working but everything else did - all those 741 op amps. The ring modulator was very good. I've just been looking at some synths using the Pi Pico microcontroller and others using Euroracks. All very tempting.
I love seeing your positive attitude and creative problem solving with all the videos you do. Your enthusiasm is really infectious, and brightened my day!
Love how you sound like John McCririck when you're testing the unit. Like the commentator of a Tron horserace. Top video, well done .
That space sounds demo sounded honestly like your typical random non-musical early synth album from the late 60s. Very _Silver Apples of the Moon._