Arturia Jupiter-8V
By Francis Preve | June 2007 | Audition

As a teenager, I spent many hours after school at the music store noodling on keyboards that neither I nor my family could dream of affording. The one I most coveted was the Roland Jupiter-8. It was like having an unrequited crush on the cheerleader who was always polite to you, even though it was clear you weren’t a contender. So when I first saw Arturia Jupiter-8V at Winter NAMM, my jaw dropped. Here was that cheerleader again, only much more approachable. [READ MORE...]

Theremins From Space
By Mitchell Sigman | June 2007 | Vintage Sounds

By now, just about every electronic musician aficionado is familiar with the haunting tone of Leon Theremin’s 1920’s era “thereminvox,” better known as the theremin. For those not in the know, the theremin was one of the first electronic instruments. Using a simple “heterodyning” oscillator (basically a variation on radio interference), the instrument had two metal antennae extending vertically and horizontally. By means of proximity, the player’s hands controlled volume with one antenna and pitch with the other. With no concrete pitch reference, performing music that’s in tune on the theremin is a challenge mastered by few. These days, the theremin is still alive and well, most notably those produced by Moog Music and performed upon by virtuosos such as Pamelia Kurstin, a supremely gifted modern-day thereminist. [READ MORE...]

Arturia Jupiter-8V
By Francis Preve | October 2007 | Vintage Sounds

As a teenager, I spent many hours after school at the music store noodling on keyboards that neither I nor my family could dream of affording. The one I most coveted was the Roland Jupiter-8. It was like having an unrequited crush on the cheerleader who was always polite to you, even though it was clear you weren’t a contender. So when I first saw Arturia Jupiter-8V at Winter NAMM, my jaw dropped. Here was that cheerleader again, only much more approachable. [READ MORE...]

Japanese Dancing - How to make Richard Barbieri’s pulsating arpeggios
By Mitchell Sigman | February 2008 | Vintage Sounds

Japan is one of those unique bands that never made a big splash in the U.S., but managed to be big stars just about everywhere else. Beginning as a brash glam-rock outfit, they evolved during the early ’80s to become moody and sophisticated new romantic art-rockers, unquestionably the missing link between early Roxy Music and Duran Duran. Making use of Roland modular synths as well as the de rigueur Prophet-5 and Oberheim OB-X polysynths, keyboardist Richard Barbieri was a master of dark washes and subtly engaging sequences. In fact, he still is: See this month’s feature on Richard here. [READ MORE...]