A quest to rescue synthesizers. Man vs. Keyboard. This is Syntaur's new web series on resurrecting vintage synthesizers: Synth Wizards.
Syntaur's Sam and Cody make a 3600-mile journey across the country to rescue synthesizers.
The Syntaur team takes several beat-up Roland Juno-106's and creates an amazing customized and modded Juno-107.
At the Syntaur shop in New Braunfels, Texas, Sam Mims and the Synth Wizards team add sub-oscillators to a vintage Arp Odyssey to really fatten up the sound.
The Syntaur team takes the Ensoniq SQ-80 from an all-around mainstay to an absolute essential, and gains a synth wizard in the process. Featuring a rare interview (well, sort of...) with Ensoniq founder Bob Yannes, and music by Quincas Moreira and Jeffrey Koepper.
It’s the biggest bite we’ve ever taken – Syntaur puts it all on the line to exhibit at NAMM for the first time. To attract the eyeballs, we brought the Arp Odyssey with sub-oscillators, and embarked on a build of our second Juno-107 – this one even more amped up than the first. Hang with the Syntaur crew as we race the clock to build a unique synthesizer and get it to California on time.
With NO COLLUSION, the Syntaur team gets a Jupiter 4 from Russia. Sneakin' Sam Mims and crew build a hot-rodded classic - and Mexico's gonna pay for it! Covfefe.
Keyboardists have wanted to go portable for way longer than you might have thought! Come along with Syntaur’s Sam Mims as he chases the fascinating history of the keytar, or strap-on synthesizer, and talks to some of the people who made these inventions happen. And watch the Syntaur crew bring a smashed Roland keytar back to life!
Sam and Eddie show you how the Strawberry Fields Forever audio for Synth Wizards Episode 7 was created.
The Wizards were challenged to find an ultra-rare synthesizer for a client who has been on the search for one for decades. It took a year, and a cross-country adventure - and in the end (spoiler alert!), everyone was smiling.
In this first installment in a new Synth Wizards Interviews series, Sam Mims chats with Alan Palomo about what synthesizers he uses on stage and on record with Neon Indian.
Howard Jones was a synth pop icon in the 1980's, and in 2019, he's still killin' it! Syntaur's Sam and Carlos were excited to spend some time talking synths with him at the Brauntex Theatre in New Braunfels, Texas.
Robbie Bronnimann has played keyboards alongside Howard Jones for years, and Syntaur's Sam and Carlos spent some time with him just prior to a concert at the Brauntex Theatre in New Braunfels, Texas.
Michael Boddicker has performed and composed on an insane number of hit records, television shows, and feature films, from Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to 'Fatal Attraction'. He graciously spent an afternoon showing us his scoring studio, his amazing modular synths, and even his attic.
The Synth Wizards located the holy grail of polyphonic keyboards: a Yamaha CS-80. But the last time it was turned on, it smoked instead of made music. Did we pay thousands of dollars for a pile of parts, or will we end up with a magical music machine?
Filmmaker Lucas Fowler (@lucasfowler75) has created a short documentary on Syntaur, a company devoted to keeping old synthesizers alive, and on and Sam Mims, its founder.
In the synthy underbelly of the internet, there are ways to find just about anything - even an Octave Cat synthesizer. Join Sam Mims and the Syntaur crew as we track down and refurbish this unique little beast.
The Synth Wizards chase down and compare a crazy number of string machines, including the groundbreaking Freeman String Symphonizer and an extremely rare Elkatwin 61, and take a look at the fascinating history of these instruments. But, the Freeman needs some restoration work before it can be delivered to an interesting buyer in Los Angeles.
Some three years in the making - thanks to COVID - the Synth Wizards custom-build a special Korg Polysix for a high-profile client, and get it delivered to Los Angeles. It's an opportunity to take a look at the leaking-battery problems that plagued some older synthesizers, and explore how to repair that damage.
The Synth Wizards have been asked to find rare synthesizers before. But none quite so rare as this one. Oh, and could it please be delivered to a snowy mountaintop? In December, just following a blizzard? Join us in the hunt for a Moog System 55 modular synth, and watch the drama unfold.
The Sequential Prophet 5 is one of the most iconic of all vintage synthesizers, and it's rare sibling, the Prophet 10, packs two Prophet 5's into one incredible instrument. Join the Syntaur team as we hear the history of these synths - told by their creators - and then hotrod a Prophet 10 to make the ultimate polysynth!
Dave Smith - the founder of Sequential Circuits, designer of the Prophet 5, and creator of MIDI - passed away suddenly just prior to the 2022 NAMM show. We at Syntaur had just interviewed him a few weeks prior, for an upcoming Synth Wizards episode. Here are portions of that interview, along with tributes from some of his friends and colleagues.