Synthsizers and drum machines... Watchu got???

Lol, I enjoyed that quip.
Yeah, it's the most apt description I've yet come up with for the contraption. A home organ designed by Mattel (really!), meant to be used for playing songs as a one-man band, but sorely lacking in quality in more ways than one. On a good day, its "program discs" sound like playing a badly-worn LP; on a bad day, the drive mechanism on mine wobbles like it's three sheets to the wind. Even so, its various faults give it some unique qualities, and allows for fun tricks like putting discs in upside-down, or inserting two at once. Here are some examples of things I've recorded using my Optigan (nicknamed the "Fuglytron"), ranging from 'normal' to, well, 'not so normal':

E-Z Listening Dead
Trap-eez
The Santa Variations
Tornado Waltz
Noise Rally
The Cure for Randomnia
Wedding In A War Zone
The Remainder Of This Song Won't Be Heard
 
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I don't own these (yet), but have always found them interesting. The Akai EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) is still being made. In the past it used to consist of two parts--a controller that is played like a woodwind, tethered to the synthesizer that created the sound. Today, the electronics are all built into the controller, and a sound editor lets you load new sounds into memory via USB.

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More rare is the EVI--Electronic Valve Instrument. Same principle, but the controller has three "valves" like a trumpet. One musician I know plays it, and calls it a "bug sprayer" due to its somewhat unique shape. :D (A video of him playing it is below.) The bug sprayer/controller (EVI1000) is below the synthesizer here.

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Some (or all?) of the current EWI controllers have an "EVI mode" for fingering like a trumpet or brass instrument.
 
I'm new around these parts so I'll probably end up digging into a few old threads. Ha. I've had a number of vintage and newer analog synths over the years. The MK3 Arp Odyssey might have been my favorite. The only synth I have right now is a Sequential Pro 3.6B01773B-D0EB-48AB-BC2B-02565E1B200D.JPG
 
Figured I oughta post pictures of some of my recent-ish acquisitions, starting with a Behringer Model D analog synthesizer module:
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And here it is shown with a couple of Casio keyboards (MT-240 for MIDI, MT-68 for rhythm) I used with it to record a crude cover of the synth line from Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?":
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Next, a Baldwin Discoverer, which is probably another contender for the "Pre--Historic Casio" title:
baldwin.jpg
Next up, a Casio WK-6600 workstation keyboard, which is definitely NOT prehistoric:
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Next, another Farfisa Compact, though a somewhat newer variant than my red one:
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Next up, a Korg Microstation, which is a nice compact workstation keyboard, as the name implies:
microstation2.jpg
Next, another Mattel Optigan, this time a 35002 which is in much better shape than my 35012. and has been chopped for extra portability:
choptigan_front1a.jpg
Next, a Moog Grandmother, which is one of their modern semi-modular offerings, and likely inspired by the Realistic Concertmate MG-1. Like the Behringer above, it has also been used by me for a synth line cover, this time of Pink Floyd's "On The Run":
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Last but probably not least, a Yamaha MP-1, which seems to be a PS-400 with an added score plotter:
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A late arrival to this thread, here is my current inventory:

Keyboard synths
Roland JX-10
Korg DW-8000
Alesis QS8.1
Kurzweil K2000S
Casio CZ-1
Casio CZ-101 (was a basket case given to me, I cleaned up and repaired it).

Modules

Korg EX-8000
Kawai K1r
Roland JV-880
Roland D-110

"Toys"

Casio CT-6000
Casio CT-6500
Casio CT-510

Other stuff

Korg DDD-1 drum machine with a load of patch ROM cards
Rodgers 750B classical specification organ, 2 manuals, 3 divisions with 9 bell zimbelstern. Also has a custom digital reverb and upgraded capture action, both of which I added myself.

Various departed gear (at least what I remember)

Casio HT-700
Hammond Model D organ. Died, and parted out years ago.
Casio MT-40, my childhood first electronic keyboard.
Yamaha DD-5 drum pads
Lowery Micro Genie (full size keyboard, forget the model #) was a freebie I repaired, then resold a year or so later. Very 80's.
Roland PianoPlus HPM-400 recently parted after it died. Pre-digital stage piano from circa 1983-84 (which did have MIDI). Another freebie I repaired a couple of years ago, but not worth doing more work on after a PSU burn out.
 
After seeing Adam’s list, I don’t feel so insane. Been finding some good ones the past couple years. Off the top of my head:

Casio
VL-1, the Da Da Da keyboard
SK-1 (found one almost new in the box for $9.99 with batteries a few months ago!)
SK-5 that’s barely holding together
Rapman
VA-10 Voice Arranger with all sorts of noisy DSP effects and a mic input
CT-6500, a 61-key monster with a lid, Precursor to the Tone Bank series
MT-100, which has a graphic EQ
CK-500, a boom box in keyboard form - has a double tape deck and AM-FM radio. Same sounds as the MT-100
HT-700, which has an actual synthesizer, albeit a weird one
MT-520, with the yellow drum pads. Also a pair of Sound Sticks to plug into it
MT-240 with 210-sound Tone Bank I reunited with after having one going into high school
CTK-611, a favorite rompler that I also reunited with
CT-S195, one of the new-gen Casiotones that works with the Chordana app

Yamaha
PS-55, rough but ready. First Yamaha with PCM rhythm
PSR-60, an update to the PS-55 that adds MIDI, keyboard percussion and cassette jacks for loading settings. $10 Goodwill win with music stand, stand and AC
SHS-10, the red keytar everyone wants
PSS-680, a baby DX with 2-op FM synth, drum pads, MIDI. Largely regarded as the king of all Portasounds
PSR-730, top-of-the-line 1997-vintage arranger I’m proud to have only spent $25 on. Sounds hold up well and the floppy drive still works - even has the demo disk!
DX-21, my only true synth
Original DJX, which most agree is best DJX
PSS-14, a cute kids’ board with some fun songs built in
DGX-660, the dining room piano
Incoming is the PSS-795, younger sibling to the 680 which replaces the FM synth with a vector joystick that mixes 4 of its 100 voices
DD20 and DD55 drums

Should also mention my Kawai organ, which I should fire up more often
 
^ you've just dislodged a couple of long lost memories. First, I also had an MT-240 at one point. Was a neat little keyboard with an additional 10 tones (for 30 versus 20) accesible only by sending MIDI program changes to it from an external controller. Only had buttons on board to select 20, but had the same tone source as the larger models of the same series, so they were in there and could be played with a little trickery.

Also had a CT-670, which was a full size tone/beat bank model. Pretty cheesy sounding, but had a ton of auto rhythms with multiple selectable parts (arpeggio, obligato, plus bass and chord parts could be indiviudally keyed in or out.

Also had a very rudimentary "synth " function on board to tweak attack, decay and a couple of other basic parameters. Not very useful, more of a gimmick. Oh, and featured a built in demo of a Paula Abdul song if memory serves. Didn't like tbe song, but willl admit the programming on the demo was quite well done to showcase its capabilities.

One last note in case you didn't know: the CT-6500 is Phase Distortion Synthesis as on the CZ series, just sans any patch programmability. It was kind of a step backwards from the CT-6000 since the 6500 had no touch sensitivity on the keybed, and was built cheaply more lilke a toy casio than the 6000 which had a mostly steel case and a slick membrane control panel (an idea obviously copped from the DX-7, and also featured on the CZ-1000).
 
I've been doing some groovin' on a Roland DJ-xi I traded an old Kay guitar for... and really like the drum section of it. Makes for a fantastic groove box...

I also got an Arturia Microfreak, and bang for the buck, they are super hard to beat...

However, I've discovered VCV and WOW, that's some pretty insane modular playing... If you haven't seen VCV and are into synths, a person should really check it out. Strictly software based and you'll need a midi keyboard for it. Be prepared to look up from the screen and see hours and hours have passed.. Oh, and it's FREE...

In the early 80's my first interaction with a synth was an ARP 2600 we had for our music department in the HS, and I'd spend all my free time between classes and lunch playing with it.... I never learned how to play keyboards, but I sure can could up with some pretty crazy sounds, and still do manage to test my wife and pets patients :D
 
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