Boy Meets Synth

With the refurbished voice chips installed , and the original factory presets loaded in, I was really enjoying playing my Juno-106. I even decided to use it as the primary source in a synth-pop cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.” But something kept nagging at me. What if it overheats? What if it just dies? What if all my work and expense is for naught? It was time to open her back up and do a little more work before continuing with the music. Of  course, there’s a lot more work to be done—greasing the sliders, changing the tact switches, brightening the buttons—but none of that will mean anything if the power transistors fail. There’s a big heat sink connected to the power supply board, with a number of transistors bolted to it. I’m no electronics expert, so my knowledge here is limited to what I’ve gleaned from the internet, but it seems like these transistors are pretty important. Because of long use, the solder joints connecting these transistors to the PCB can devel...

I freely admit that the main reason I wanted a Roland JX-3P was because of the way that it looks. Those red accents. Those silver buttons. Those rainbow-like racing stripes. The DX7 and Poly-800 might be in a two-way tie for the most '80s-looking synthesizer, but the JX-3P is not far behind. However, unlike the two former synths, I absolutely adore the design of the JX-3P. It also doesn’t hurt that it sounds incredible. It has a shimmer to it, a heat haze glow that is unique among the '80s polys. Aluminum vapor. Summer days and gleaming fiber optics. Holographic alchemy. Magic, in other words. The relative rarity of the machine only adds to its allure. It’s quite possible that I never even saw a JX-3P in person until mine arrived at my door. I remember seeing pictures and thinking how odd it was that it had a separate programmer, the PG-200. Why not save everyone the trouble and just put those controls on the front panel like a Juno-106? It’s not like it saved the consu...

I’m trying to improve my electronics skills. I thought modding might be the logical next step from changing internal batteries and swapping out tactile switches. I’d like to add MIDI to my Korg Poly-61 and maybe improve the MIDI on my Roland JX-3P. These mods require skills above and beyond what I have now, and I certainly don’t want to wreck them in the process, so when a cheap Poly-800 became available on Yahoo Auctions, I snapped it up in the hopes of trying the Moog Slayer Filter Mod. As anyone who’s looked at a Poly-800 knows, there are no knobs on the front panel, just a few buttons and a lot of teal. I couldn’t do much about the teal but I could add two knobs to bring direct control of the filter and cutoff parameters to the fore. Seeing as it’s a Poly-800, and they sell for around $100 in Japan, I wouldn’t be too disappointed if I killed it. I could always sell it for parts and get my money back anyway. Cosmetically, my new Poly-800 wasn’t in terrible shape. There was so...

After much deliberation , I decided to send the voice chips to Synth Spa in America to be refurbished. I like that Allen stands behind his work with an 8-year guarantee. His prices are also reasonable. But mostly, with all there is to do on this restoration, I’m going to need a good sounding synth to keep me motivated in the days ahead. According to their site , Synth Spa only takes in new work via eBay these days. I did a search on eBay for Synth Spa and two entries came up, and both are for the 106 voice chip restoration. One is slightly more expensive. It’s a little hard to tell the difference but the more expensive one seems to be aimed at the gigging musician. Perhaps the ICs are slotted in a more secure way. But really, I’m not sure. I chose the cheaper version and a few hours later, I received instructions via email to remove the board and send it through the mail. The instructions looked easy enough—just disconnect cables and unscrew the board from the base of the synth...

Shibuya, the center of shopping for young people in Japan, is also a major hub for musical instrument shops in Tokyo. My favorite shop for new gear, Music Land Key, is there, so if there’s something new I need, I know they’ll have it for a good price. I’d been wanting an Arturia Beatstep Pro for awhile. Although I have a Korg SQ-1, I liked the idea of having two lanes of sequencing, plus its MIDI to CV functionality was intriguing. And with all the hardware I seem to be amassing, I figured it was time to wean myself off the DAW a little as well. I put on a pair of pants and rode the trains across town. It’s not far in Tokyo terms. I live on the northwestern edge of the metropolitan center, outside of the Yamanote line that defines central Tokyo, but not so far removed either. But considering how big Tokyo is, my fairly short trip still took an hour each way. I rode the elevator to the fifth floor, made a beeline for the Beatstep Pro, saw that it was still white, and turned right a...

Sometimes, for whatever reason, a synth will stay off your radar. It could have nothing to do with the sound of the synth itself. Maybe it’s even (in the parlance of our times) a beast. But for whatever reason you haven’t given it the time of day. This was my history with the Poly-61, Korg’s 1982 polysynth. Sandwiched between the famous and desirable Polysix, and the Poly-800, the synth that everyone loves to hate, the Poly-61 is easily forgotten. Nobody really talks about it, despite it having been used by big names of electronic music like Boards Of Canada and Com Truise. It also looks incredibly synthwave with its gray color scheme and grid-patterned front panel. I’ve been through more Poly-800s than I care to count, I have the Polysix iPad app, and I certainly wouldn’t mind a Mono/Poly, but a Poly-61? I must not be the only person with a blind spot for the 61 because I managed to get one recently in decent shape for $150. And pleased as punch I am. It’s a 6-voice dual DCO ana...