The Roland Cube-60 is a 60-watt solid-state modelling combo guitar amplifier introduced in 2004. It uses COSM processing to deliver eight amp models on the drive channel. It has two channels — clean and drive — each with independent gain and volume, sharing a four-band EQ. Built-in effects and a combined headphone/line-out jack support private practice and simple recording. It offers no footswitching, no per-model EQ recall, and no pre-model effects routing.
The Roland D-10 is a 1988 digital synthesizer using LA Synthesis. It has 61 keys and 32-voice polyphony. It is available as both a keyboard and a rack module. Factory sounds are basic and dated. Editing is required to achieve usable tones. It includes built-in sequencing and nine-part multitimbrality. Onboard effects are limited.
The Roland D-110 is a 1988 rackmount sound module — the upgraded rack version of the D-10 and rack counterpart to the D-20. It delivers Linear Arithmetic synthesis, second-generation D-50 style, using tones, partials, and timbres. It has 32-voice polyphony, on-board drum sounds, reverb, internal/external memory, and six individual outputs. It requires external MIDI control. Programming is tricky but yields characteristic LA textures. Its filter resonates but does not self-oscillate. It is a cheaper alternative to the D-50, offering decent acoustic and synthetic sounds — but no keyboard, no sequencer, and no intuitive interface.
The Roland D-20 is a 1988 digital synthesizer using Linear Arithmetic synthesis. It offers 32-voice polyphony, 8-part multitimbrality, a 61-key velocity-sensitive keyboard, an 8-voice sequencer with rhythm track, a built-in arpeggiator, reverb effects, and internal/external memory storage. LAS programming revolves around tones, partials, and timbres—a method that is difficult to learn but capable of unique results when mastered. It was produced from 1988 to 1992.
The Doepfer Dark Time is an analogue sequencer released in 2010. It has no sound module. It controls external gear via CV/Gate, MIDI, and USB. It sequences either 16 steps on one channel or 8 steps across two channels. Real-time knob control covers transposition, note skipping, and playback alternation. Firmware 1.10 resolves bugs present in earlier versions.
The Waves dbx 160 is a software compressor plug-in released in 2015. It delivers fast, aggressive compression with minimal setup. It lacks flexibility and colour but excels at tightening drums and bass. It costs $49 on sale. It belongs in the mix bus, not the mastering chain.
The Korg Delta is a 1979 analog semi-polyphonic string machine and synthesizer. It was built as a slimmed-down, budget alternative to the Korg Trident. It splits into two independent sections—Strings and Synth—with dedicated outputs. The String section uses two pitch sliders and tone/ADSR controls. The Synth section uses four pitch sliders, white noise, a multimode 24dB/oct filter, and full ADSR. A joystick provides pitch bend and modulation. It has CV/gate connectivity but no memory, no MIDI, and no presets. Its 'unlimited polyphony' is inaccurate: pressing multiple keys does not apply independent envelopes to each note. It delivers high-quality layered string-and-synth sounds despite limited range. Its build is robust, but its keyboard is fragile and its filter is bland.
The M-Audio Delta 1010 is a discontinued PCI/ISA + rack-mount soundcard. It delivers 8 analogue I/Os plus SPDIF. It achieves 5ms latency. It runs stably with Cubase and Sonar on legacy desktops. It crashes beyond 24 tracks — due to host computer limits, not the card. It inserts real-time effects during mixdown without issue. It requires a Pentium 4–era PC with a free PCI slot. It has no USB or FireWire support. It is no longer manufactured.
The Roland DEP-5 is a mid-1980s multi-effects processor. It gives you reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, double, and a three-band parametric EQ. Its interface is direct — one button, one function — but some parameters demand layered adjustment. Program 5 delivers a long, arching reverb. Its midrange tone is distinctive and hard to replicate. It does not do clean, neutral processing. It does not offer recallable presets. It does not suit users who need precision over character.
The Pioneer DJM-500 is a 4-channel DJ mixer with RCA, 1/4" jack and XLR connectors. Its EQ is adequate. Its effects section is limited but sufficient. It can be rack-mounted—with a modification. Some users doubt its rack-mountability. Its signal path is transparent. Its build invites daily use—but demands maintenance as it ages.
The Pioneer DJM-600 is a 4-channel analog DJ mixer with RCA and XLR I/O, non-parametric EQ, integrated non-automatable effects, no sync capability, and clean, distortion-free sound — though perceived as dated by 2010. It is widely used in clubs and praised for reliability, intuitive layout, and ease of installation.
The Pioneer DJM-909 is a 2-channel DJ mixer built for live blending, EQ, and effects. It has no published technical specifications. Pioneer manufactured it. User reviews highlight transparency and effective equalization—but give no data on filter slope, latency, or headroom. It does not integrate with software or offer recallable settings. It belongs in a booth, not a studio rack.
The Drumulator is a fixed-sample, floppy-driven drum machine built to undercut the Linn LM-1 — not match it. It gives you eight gritty 12-bit hits, real-time or step sequencing, and Apple II editing. It withholds sound editing, velocity, swing, and any expansion beyond its ROM.
The Yamaha DX200 is a 2001 desktop sequencer built for DJs and musicians who need FM synthesis and sample playback in one tight hardware unit. It runs a simplified 6-operator FM engine compatible with DX7 patches. It adds a real-time 16-step sequencer with four tracks, a resonant multi-mode filter — absent in all classic DX synths — and bundled software editing tools. It does not offer deep FM programming, internal effects, or flexible voice sharing between FM and AWM2 engines.
The Oberheim/Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro is a 1994 hardware looper built for live performance. It records 16-bit/44.1kHz audio to RAM, ships with 50 seconds of memory (expandable to 200), supports unlimited overdubs per loop, stores up to nine loops, and offers MIDI sync, reverse looping, and multiplay. It has no filtering, time stretching, pitch shifting, stereo effects, or resampling.
The Korg Electribe 2 is a groove machine in the ElecTribe series. It supports up to 250 patterns, each limited to four bars in length. It includes 32 master effects modeled after the Kaos Pad. Each track can have one individual effect selected from 38 available types. It offers 25 groove types that can be applied per track. It includes PCM-based sound sources: 56 kicks, 58 snares, 16 claps, 56 hi-hats/cymbals, 71 percussion/toms, 52 synth hits/FX/instrument hits, 16 voices, and 27 instruments. It uses synth modeling with 55 preset oscillators.
The Korg Electribe EA-1 is a compact groove machine built for quick, tactile analog sound design and live pattern-based performance.
The Electribe is a groovebox. It forces drum, bass and synth into one pattern grid. It launched in 1999. It runs on analogue modelling and sampling. It shares sequencing logic across all sound sources. It has no audio recording. It has no expandable storage on early models. It was Korg’s post-Yamaha statement.
The Korg Electribe ER-1 is an affordable analogue beat unit. It gives bangs, buzzes, blips and spacey weird noises via four synth keys and four sampled percussion sounds. It saves up to 256 patterns, each up to 4 measures. Real-time changes — like jungle delayed drums or scratching sounds — save instantly. Its PCM sounds (Hclap, HiHat, Crash) are uninteresting. It connects via MIDI in/out/thru. Its housing is plastic.
The Korg Electribe ES-1 is a sampling sequencer built for live beat construction and loop manipulation.
The E-mu ESI-32 is a 1994 16-bit desktop sampler. It delivers 32-voice polyphony, stereo sampling at 22.05 or 44.1 kHz, and real-time editing including Doppler, exciter, and transform multiply. Base RAM is 2 MB—11 seconds at 44.1 kHz stereo—but expands to 32 MB (six minutes). Auto-looping, auto-truncate, and auto key placement streamline sampling. It requires SCSI peripherals and Turbo Expansion for digital I/O and extra effects. It does not support variable sampling rates, higher bit depths, or modern connectivity out of the box.
The MXR M126 Flanger/Doubler is a two-space analog rack unit with front-panel 1/4" TRS I/O. It gives players manual, sweep width, sweep speed, mix, and regen knobs plus mode and bypass/invert buttons. It delivers a thick flanging sound and fulfils its synthetic doubling function as advertised. It has no stereo I/O, no expression input, no tap tempo, and no presets. No verified recordings or users are cited. Studio engineers needing fixed, tactile analog flanging or doubling should consider it. Live performers, modular users, and those requiring stereo or foot control should not.
The Shin-ei Fuzz-Wah is a 1968 analog pedal that merges wah and fuzz into one foot-controlled unit. Rocking controls wah. Sliding left-right controls fuzz gain. Two switches activate effects independently. A third switch sets order. A knob adjusts fuzz volume. Powered by 9V battery or adapter. It remained in production, in some form, until 1984. Fender reissued it in 2008.
The Marshall Guv'nor is a no-compromise analog distortion/overdrive pedal. It gives guitarists direct, unmediated access to Marshall-style grit through five physical controls. It refuses modern conveniences: no USB, no rack ears, no presets. It was discontinued in 2023.
The Eventide H3000 Ultra Harmonizer is one of the first analog harmonizers. It is an all-analog, rack-mountable unit occupying two rack spaces. Its layout is sometimes hard to follow. It has few parameters. Its configuration isn't the easiest to follow. Its sound quality is pretty good for its age.
The Publison Infernal Machine 90 is a 3U rackmount analog/digital multi-effects processor built for video post-production. It delivers delay, echo, harmonizer, sampler, reverb, transposition, time compression/expansion, and DVR-style long-sample playback — all synchronised to SMPTE timecode. All programs are editable on-device; no external editor exists. It excels at frame-accurate effect triggering in film dubbing. It fails for anyone needing patch libraries, remote editing, or non-video workflows.
The Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Plug-In is a software amp simulator released by Roland in January 2025. It models the JC-120’s sound for use inside a DAW. Nothing in the source describes its controls, signal path, tone-shaping options, or how closely it matches the hardware. It offers convenience and consistency — not physicality or unpredictability.
The Marshall JCM900 is a series of valve guitar amplifiers produced between 1990 and 1999, with some models reissued from 2003 onward. It was built for guitarists needing high-gain distortion and built-in reverb in a professional touring and studio context.
The Softube Marshall JMP 2203 is a software amp simulator in the Amp Room series. Softube made it. It carries the Marshall JMP 2203 name. It belongs to the Software Amp Simulators category.
The Ibanez JS1 is Joe Satriani’s first signature model — a basswood STC-shaped guitar with a custom neck profile, DiMarzio PAF Pro and FRED humbuckers, master volume and tone controls, and a 3-way pickup selector. Early versions used the original Edge tremolo. It delivers a focused, expressive lead voice — but offers no tonal expansion, limited tuning stability under stress, and zero ergonomic adaptation.
The KM 54 is a rare, discontinued large-diaphragm tube condenser microphone. It has a fixed cardioid pattern and requires its own unique power supply. It is fragile and unsuitable for live use. It delivers a warm, wide vocal tone — ideal for capturing subtlety — but lacks the clarity of newer Neumann tube mics. A reviewer used it successfully on vocals for themselves and a client. It resembles the AKG C12 in sound and appearance.
The KM 86 is not a KM 84 variant. It is a dual-capsule small-diaphragm condenser that delivers three virtual polar patterns — and a sound described as 'more pais'. It was sold with XLR or Tuchel connectors. That is all the source tells us.
The Fender Lead III is a discontinued STC-shaped electric guitar with a smaller body and small-size neck designed for lead playing. Its pickup configuration delivers a wide tonal range: crunchy distortion from the bridge pickup and smooth clean tones from the neck pickup.
The Focusrite Liquid Channel is a rack-mounted channel strip that uses convolution to deliver 80 preamp and compressor presets — but only with mandatory software and a steep learning curve.
The Korg M50 61 is a 2008 sampling workstation built for real-time layering and editing. It delivers 80-voice polyphony, 1077 samples across 608 editable programs, and up to 896 combinations — all controlled via an angled panel and full-size TouchView interface. It includes one GM2-compatible sound bank. It was reviewed as industry-ready but criticised for weak electro/lead sounds and lack of built-in sampler compared to the M3.
The Oberheim Matrix-1000 is a 1987 rackmount analog synthesizer. It contains 1,000 Matrix 6 patches. Each voice has two DCOs, one low-pass filter, two VCAs, three envelope generators, two LFOs and two ramp generators. Editing requires external MIDI tools. It is optimised for pads, textures and ambient sound design.
The Roland MC-09 PhraseLab is a compact sampling sequencer built as a simplified, budget counterpart to the MC-909. It integrates monophonic synthesis, a TB-303–style 2×16-step sequencer, and a 4-track looper/sampler. Its sampler sounds like an 8bit unit and introduces audible crackle when tempo changes. It supports only four independent audio loops. Its monophonic synth produces FAT acid bass and lead tones. It is suited for live phrase capture but limited by low screen clarity, slow sample loading, and constrained user memory.
The Mellotron M4000D Mini is a digital sampling synthesizer released in 2013. It uses a Fatar keybed and delivers 24-voice polyphony. It replaces tape mechanics with sample playback. It offers consistency, portability, and reliability — at the cost of mechanical character.
The MPC2500 upgrades the MPC2000 with 16-bit/44.1 kHz sampling, individually adjustable pad sensitivity, and the Grid editor — but keeps 64-track sequencing, 32-voice polyphony, and no automated effects sends.
The MPC500 is Akai’s entry-level sampling sequencer—a portable, self-contained beat-making station built for quick capture, arrangement, and performance.
The Korg MS-50 is a 1978 keyboard-less analog expander module. It has one VCO, two VCFs (highpass and lowpass), two ADSRs, an LFO, pink and white noise, ring modulator, voltmeter, and sample & hold. It uses Hz/V CV/Gate control and was designed to complement the SQ-10 sequencer.
The Roland MSQ-700 is an 8-track MIDI sequencer with lithium battery-backed memory, step-time and real-time recording, punch-in, merge, quantization, chaining, and analog tape sync. It stores 6500 notes per track. It has no screen, no file export, no velocity editing, and no USB.
The Roland MV-8000 is a 2004 sampling sequencer built for producers who want to record, edit, sequence, and master full tracks without a computer.
The Roland MV-8800 is a sampling sequencer. It hosts VSTs internally. It requires external video monitoring. It accepts a USB mouse. It is complex. Its hard drive is slow. Its manual is poor. One user tested it for three hours in a retail store and found it capable of handling many music production tasks.
The Otari MX-5050 is an 8-track analog multitrack cassette recorder introduced in 1987. It records at 3.75 ips. Its recording head is superior to that of the Otari 488 and 488 mkII. dbx Type II noise reduction applies separately to tracks 1–4 and 5–8. A pitch/speed wheel allows ±15% variation. Its digitally controlled transport enables automated punch-in between memory points. It uses direct-drive mechanics — no capstan belt required. It records all eight tracks simultaneously, unlike the 488 models.
The TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay is a digital guitar effects pedal offering six studio-quality delay types—including Delay line, Dynamic, Reverse, Ping-pong, Pan, and Slap-back—with up to 2290 ms delay time, audio-generated tap tempo, delay spillover, true stereo I/O, true bypass, and nine user-programmable presets; it operates in manual or preset mode and includes analog-tone emulation via a tone knob.
The Vestax PDX-2000 is a DJ turntable built for scratching and mixing. It delivers high torque and stable tracking. Its straight tone arm, pop-up light, and adjustable brake serve functional roles in performance. Pitch control is imprecise. The start button and pitch fader are fragile. Road cases are hard to find due to its length.
The Vestax PMC-05 Pro III VCA is a 2-channel DJ mixer with RCA inputs and outputs, a headphone output jack, post-fader effect send with level control, and a 2-band EQ. It delivers a warm and generous low-end sound. Users find it super easy to use and effective. Its EQ limitation makes it unsuitable for genres like DnB and Dubstep.
The Vestax PMC-25 is a 2-channel DJ mixer designed for house music. It is 3U tall and rack mountable. It features PGM vs. Master LED VU metering, split cue, a third cueable aux input, and EQ kill switches implemented as mini faders to avoid clicks and achieve -85 dB attenuation. The crossfader has a fixed curve. Faders and crossfader are replaceable. Sound quality is perceived as superior to a cheap Numark mixer.
The Boss PN-2 Tremolo/Pan is an analog stomp box released in May 1990 and discontinued in March 1995. It delivers tremolo and stereo panning via rate, depth, and a 4-way mode switch. It needs two amps for panning and runs on 9V DC. It was replaced by the mono TR-2.
The Electro-Harmonix Polychorus Mk2 is a stereo analog stomp-box modulation pedal for guitar. It offers chorus, flanger, double track, and filter matrix modes via toggle switches. It has one input and two outputs. It requires 24V power. It has no preset memory.
The Tascam Portastudio 144 is a four-track analog cassette recorder. It was used by adolescents for home multitrack recording in 1981. It lacked dBX noise reduction but functioned effectively. It enabled users to record and mix music at home, creating a personal musical environment.
The Tascam Portastudio 244 is a 1984 four-track cassette recorder. It gives immediate, portable multitrack recording with EQ, gain, and switchable input impedance per track. DBX noise reduction works. Analog saturation stays musical. But signal degrades horribly at each bounce. Cassette transport is fragile. Preamps sound thin and harsh. No phantom power. Unbalanced inputs only. It was bought in Paris in 1984 for nearly 5,000 francs.
The Prophet-10 is two Prophet-5s stacked into one instrument. It delivers ten-voice analog thickness no other 1980 synth matches. But it overheats, detunes, and demands physical and technical concessions. Version 3 fixes stability with CEM chips — at the cost of low-end weight.
The Prophet-600 is a 1982 6-voice analogue synth. It introduced MIDI to commercial instruments. It gives players two oscillators per voice with sync, variable pulse, and triangle/saw waveforms. Its VCF, VCA, and Poly-Mod come from the Prophet-5. It includes an arpeggiator and 2-track sequencer. It glides. It modulates flexibly. It does not track reliably over time. It has no velocity or aftertouch. It is not expandable. It belongs in rooms where history and immediacy matter more than precision.
The Korg PS-3200 is the final model in Korg's PS series. It integrates two PS-3100 units into a single chassis. It provides 16 memory locations that can be individually addressed and recalled. It was regarded as remarkable in its era due to having two oscillators per key and 48-note polyphony. Each voltage-controlled oscillator module includes a dedicated voltage-controlled filter and low-frequency oscillator. Its patching and signal routing capabilities were comparatively restricted versus other modular systems. Its envelope generator design was constrained. It was considered sonically rich for its era, and its 16-patch memory was highly valued.
The Alesis Quadraverb is a rack-mount digital multi-effects processor introduced in the early 1990s. It focuses on reverb and delay but also offers pitch, EQ, and 'Change' effects. It runs up to four effects simultaneously in stereo or mono, covers 20 Hz–20 kHz, and connects via 1/4" stereo I/O and MIDI. Users value its lo-fi character—not its fidelity—for feedback loops and textural layering.
The Yamaha QY70 is a 16-track MIDI sequencer with AWM2 synthesis, 519 voices, 20 drum kits, and XG editing for ADSR, cutoff, and resonance. It runs two hours on batteries. Its screen is Game Boy–sized. It is portable, self-contained, and limited to MIDI — no audio I/O, no extended runtime, no large interface.
The Roland R-70 is a 1992 full-sized, sample-playback drum machine from Roland’s R series. It offers up to 210 drum sounds across Rock, Jazz, Electronic, and Ethnic kits. It stores 100 programmable patterns and chains them into 20 songs. Its positional pad changes sound by strike location. It includes reverb, flanger, delay, chorus, and humanization. Sound editing is limited to attack, sustain, and pan. Its built-in sequencer is complex—users prefer external sequencing. Kick and cymbal sounds emulate the TR-808. It is a popular, all-purpose drum machine.
The Gibson RD Artist is a 1978 solid-body electric guitar with active Moog electronics, all-maple construction, a 25.5-inch scale, two humbuckers, and no vibrato. Its controls enable compressor (bridge), expander (neck), bright mode, or neutral, plus bass/treble boost/cut. Stock humbuckers are weak for rock. It was built for precise, processed tone — not vintage warmth or expressive pitch play.
The Mesa Boogie Rectifier Recording Preamp is a 2U rack-mount tube preamp with two channels and six voicings. It prioritises high-output direct recording but includes I/O for live use. Its six 12AX7 tubes deliver raw gain capable of overdriving mixers. It lacks speaker emulation and falls short when compared to miked cabinet tone.
The Yamaha REV7 is a fixed-architecture digital reverb unit from 1985. It occupies two rack spaces. It offers four reverb types — hall, room, flat, and voice — plus chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, and delay. All effects layer over reverb. It has XLR and 1/4-inch audio connections and 5-pin DIN MIDI ports. It has no patch memory, no real-time MIDI parameter control, and no stereo-in/stereo-out routing.
The KR-55 is a fixed-rhythm drum machine from 1979. It plays 48 preset patterns across genres including Waltz, Samba, Rhumba, Bossa Nova, Tango, Slow Rock, Swing, and Rock. It uses sample-based synthesis for 12 drum tones. It has individual level controls per drum sound per pattern. A dedicated swing knob alters groove feel. A footswitch jack enables external Start/Stop and Intro/Fill control. It has no keyboard, no pattern editing, no MIDI, no sync outputs beyond footswitch, and no individual drum outputs.
The Lovetone Ring Stinger is an all-analog octave and ring modulator pedal with switchable LFO modulation. It delivers distinctive Hendrix- and Jeff Beck–style tones but requires its manual for calibration and stable power for consistent operation.
Rings is an 'other module for modular synthesizer' made by Mutable Instruments. That is all the source confirms. It is not described as a resonator, a physical modeller, or a filter. It is not assigned a year, format, or synthesis method. Its role is defined solely by its category and manufacturer.
The Orange Rockerverb 50 is a discontinued dual-channel tube head built around four 6V6 power tubes. It delivers 50 watts of British rock tone — immediate, mid-forward, compressed — with minimal controls and shared EQ. It was succeeded by the MKIII. It does not offer channel-specific EQ, master volume, or tight high-gain definition.
The Yamaha RS7000 is a 2001 groove production workstation. It combines sampling, sequencing, and AWM2 synthesis. It embeds sound and sample edits into patterns. It supports auto-beat slicing, pattern- and linear-based sequencing, and ROM-based sounds only.
The Yamaha RX21 is a fixed-function drum machine. It plays 100 preset patterns and 5 song sequences. It has stereo and headset outputs, plus a footswitch input. Its operation is intuitive and manual-free. Its sound is basic, loop-based, and dynamically flat—characteristic of early 1980s beatboxes.
The Yamaha RX7 is a sample-based drum machine built for live trigger-based rhythm programming and studio sketching in the mid-1980s.
The Casio RZ-1 is a 1986 drum machine built for fast, physical beat-making — not pristine sound. It gives you twelve basic PCM drums, four lo-fi sample slots (0.2 seconds each at 20kHz), tone-only editing, 100 patterns, 20 songs, and ten discrete outputs with volume sliders. It does not do fidelity, flexibility, or effects. It does do immediacy, separation, and constraint-as-creative-tool.
The Roland S-750 is a 1992 hardware sampler built for deep, routed, real-time sampling work—not convenience or compatibility.
The Roland S-760 is a 1990 rackmount sampler. It samples at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz with 16-bit stereo resolution. It supports 24-voice polyphony across 32 multitimbral parts. It uses no synthesis method beyond sampling. It has built-in filters but no effects.
The Akai S6000 is a 1999 rack sampler. It supports up to 256 MB RAM, optional SCSI hard drives, virtual hard disk sampling, and remote operation via detachable RS-232 screen. Its 26 filter types and extensive modulation routing enable synthesis from single-cycle waveforms. OS 2.14 resolved major bugs in OS 1.0. It includes a large built-in sound library.
The Akai S700 is a 1987 rack-mount 12-bit sampler derived from the X7000 keyboard model. It samples mono at 4–32 kHz, holds up to 8 seconds, but at 16 kHz allows only six 0.8-second samples. It offers 6-voice polyphony, non-resonant low-pass filtering, and QuickDisk storage. It is user-friendly but rigid: no stereo, no resonance, no modern file support, no workarounds.
The TC Electronic SCF Stereo Chorus Flanger is an analog guitar pedal introduced in the mid-1980s. It offers Chorus, Pitch Mod, and Flanger modes via a 3-way switch. Controls include Speed, Width, and Intensity knobs, independent input gain, and a momentary footswitch. It has mono/stereo outputs, an overload LED, an external bypass jack, and draws power directly from AC mains. Its chorus mode is widely praised for its clean, studio-grade sound — but its flanger and pitch mod modes are less consistent. It is discontinued, replaced by the SCF Gold.
The Roland SDE-1000 is one of the first digital delay rack units. It delivers up to 1.5 seconds of breathless, crystal-clear delay. Four front-panel keys store delay time and on/off state. Modulation knobs do not memorise—but their activation does. A footswitch controls global on/off. It was bought in 1983 or 1984.
The SH-2000 is a 1973 monophonic analog preset synthesizer. It is Roland’s second synth and a simplified version of the SH-1000. It was built for home organists needing expressive, portable tone colour without synthesis theory.
The Roland SH-5 is a monophonic analog synthesizer introduced in 1976. It has two VCOs, two LFOs, two multi-mode filters, two VCAs, a 5-source mixer, stereo panning, portamento and ring modulation. It is no longer manufactured. No technical specifications are available.
The Danelectro Silvertone 1448 is a 1963 masonite-bodied guitar built by Danelectro, designed by Nat Daniels, and sold by Sears as part of an 'Amp in Case' set. It has a rosewood fretboard, shorter scale, six-in-line tuners, wooden-saddle bridge, and typically one neck-position lipstick pickup. It does not intonate or stay in tune for very long.
The Technics SL-1100 is an 88-key MIDI controller keyboard built for studio and stage use by performers who need precise, multi-channel keyboard zoning without onboard synthesis.
The Technics SL-1300 is a Hi-Fi turntable made by Technics. It has no stated technical specifications, no DJ features, and no digital functionality. Its design prioritises mechanical stability over versatility.
The Manley SLAM! is a stereo microphone preamp and limiter. It uses lamp-based preamplification and two analog limiting circuits — optical (ELOP) and FET — in a fixed signal path. It mounts in 2U of rack space. It does not offer variable routing, metering, or sidechain control.
The Yamaha SPX90 is a 1985 digital multi-effects processor in a 1U rack. It offers discrete or combinable effects — reverb, echo, chorus, flanger, phaser, compression, pitch shifting, distortion, tremolo, and delay — but no concurrent processing. Audio is 12-bit, sampled at 31.25 kHz, with a maximum frequency response of 12 kHz. MIDI supports program recall only, not editing. Front-panel controls are simple and direct. It delivers character, not clarity.
The Yamaha SPX900 is a 1U digital multi-effects processor with analog-only I/O, 16-bit/44.1 kHz processing, and 99 fixed presets. It delivers studio-ready reverb, delay and modulation in a compact, MIDI-controllable package — but offers no digital connectivity and no on-the-fly parameter editing.
The Roland SRV-2000 is a 1984 digital reverb unit with pseudo-stereo I/O, 16-bit resolution, and 10 kHz bandwidth. It offers 32 programs — including hall and room — with editable reverb time, pre-delay up to 160 ms, high-frequency attenuation, and a 3-band parametric EQ (+12 dB to −24 dB). It delivers coherent, homogeneous stereo imaging and eliminates breath, snap, and flutter even at high signal levels. It is rated sonically between the Yamaha REV 7 and Lexicon PCM 60 — less refined than the latter, more universal.
The Rockman Stereo Chorus is a fixed-function stereo chorus pedal for guitar. It has no tempo sync, no expression input, no adjustable delay or feedback. It spreads the signal across two amps or channels. It is not made by TC Electronic. Its only controls are rate and depth. It is usable, but inflexible.
The Sequential Circuits TOM is a 1985 drum machine that treats eight digitally recorded drum sounds as raw material—not fixed instruments, but malleable elements. It excels at per-voice tuning, layering, reversal, and spatial placement. It falls short on sonic range, documentation, and acoustic verisimilitude. It belongs in the studio of someone who composes with constraints, not presets.
The TR-626 is a 1987 digital drum machine. It upgrades the TR-606 and TR-505 with 12-bit sampled sounds, individual tuning and mixing, eight outputs, a basic sequencer (48 preset + 48 user patterns), a TR-505–style matrix display, and strong MIDI implementation. Its samples are drab and low-quality. Its routing and MIDI are its strengths.
The Yamaha TX816 is a 1984 rack-mount FM digital synthesizer system composed of up to eight TF1 modules. Each TF1 is a 16-voice, 6-operator FM engine. Together they provide up to 128 voices and 48 operators, with 8-part multitimbrality. It has independent audio and MIDI I/O per module. It has no built-in stereo mix output. It was designed for live performance requiring portability, high polyphony, and multiple discrete outputs. It is fully compatible with other DX synthesizers and the FM7 software plug-in.
The Focusrite VoiceMaster Pro is a vocal-optimised channel strip with a discrete Class A preamp, optical compressor, de-esser, and tube simulation. Its preamp is soft in the highs. Its compressor is transparent. Its EQ is functional but unmusical. All controls are front-panel only. It delivers what vocal tracking needs—not what mixing demands.
The Allen & Heath Xone:62 (Old Design) is a rack-mountable analog DJ mixer with twelve inputs, six channels, four balanced XLR outputs, per-channel analog high-pass/band-pass/low-pass filters, six channel sends, a four-band EQ whose knobs do not fully cut the signal, and a crossfader that does not fully cut the signal.
The Allen & Heath Xone:92 (Old Design) is a discontinued 4+ channel DJ mixer. It features dual voltage-controlled filters and low-frequency oscillators. You assign either filter to any channel using switches — including to the cross fader. A tap button sets LFO speed to match tempo or lock in a custom rate. It includes a semi-parametric equalizer. Rackmount is optional. It was replaced by the Xone:92 MK2. It is no longer sold.
The Waldorf MicroWave XTk is a 1998 wavetable synthesizer. It has 10-voice polyphony. It uses a 44-key semi-weighted keyboard. It includes a built-in arpeggiator. It is multitimbral.
The Yamaha YC-45D is a 1976–1980 hybrid organ-synthesizer. It combines drawbar organ, transistor organ, piano, harpsichord, distortion and a 3-octave ribbon synth. Its lateral per-note vibrato/bend is unmatched for its time. Its preset system is rudimentary. Its ribbon lacks visual pitch reference. Its emulations are shallow. It belongs in a room where articulation matters more than fidelity.
The Alesis Andromeda A6 is a 16-voice, 16-channel multitimbral analog synthesizer released in 2000. It combines a pure analog audio path with digital control. Its VCOs include pitch correction—a feature missing on older synths. Alesis developed a custom ASIC for it. Axel Hartmann designed it. It is high-end, innovative gear from Alesis, a company known for budget equipment. Alesis developed studio equipment during the 1990s.
The Epiphone Crestwood is a solid-body electric guitar introduced in 1958. It has no Gibson equivalent. It evolved through named variants—Crestwood Custom, Crestwood DeLuxe—before ending production in 1970. Its construction is mahogany. Its pickups are New Yorker. Its headstock changed from three-on-a-side to six-on-a-side. Its pickguard changed design and lost the Epiphone logo. Its fretboard markers changed from dots to ovals. Its plating changed from gold to nickel. Its upper horn lengthened slightly by 1963. The Crestwood DeLuxe added a third pickup and an ebony fretboard with block inlays.