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A Hammond-emulating drawbar organ of the second-latest generation (ca. 1992). In module form factor, thus basically a Viscount D9 without the keyboard. Identical (except for the colour of the casing) to the Oberheim OB3, which is the predecessor to the way cool Oberheim OB32. This beastie is also available in a stage-organ version with a keyboard, called the Viscount D9, which is again identical to the Oberheim OB3O, predecessor of the OB32O.

The D9e is essentially a solid metal box with wooden side panels and a full set of nine drawbars on top. At the back, there are MIDI In and Thru connectors, mono output and headphone jacks and connectors for two foot switches and an expression pedal. You simply plug a MIDI-capable keyboard into MIDI in, hook up the output to your amplifier and there you are, roaring away Booker T. style.

There's more, however. Solid, LED-studded buttons on top provide access to six sensible preset registrations; you can use a foot switch to switch between the currently selected preset and the current drawbar setting. Other settings include: percussion 2nd/3rd/off; percussion loud/soft; percussion slow/fast; keyclick on/off; vibrato 1/2/3/off; Intersound on/off; Intersound slow/fast. Intersound is a bad, though footswitchable, Leslie simulation; use not recommended.

The Lowrey L-2, also known as the Wandering Genie is a portable home organ from the late 70's. It has colorful light up tone switches, auto accompaniment with an analog drum rhythm.

A completely transistorized self-contained home spinet organ with two 44-note keyboards and 13-note pedal keyboard. One 35-watt high-fidelity amplifier. Three ultra high-fidelity speakers: one extra heavy-duty 12-inch low-range speaker; one 8-inch main speaker; one 8-inch Leslie speaker. Earphone jack for playing in privacy. Dimensions: 35” high x 44 1/2” wide x 22 1/2” deep. Available in Transitional Mahogany, Walnut, and Fruitwood (Cherry); Early American Fruitwood (Cherry); Italian Provincial Fruitwood (Cherry); and Danish Modern Walnut.

The Apollo polyphonic synthesizer is at the heart of the ensemble - a true polyphonic synthesizer and electronic piano. The Apollo will play all the notes and produce a wide spectrum of synthesizer or electronic piano sounds. The design of the Apollo - preset voices with variable controls - combines ease of playing with true synthesizer versatility. One new feature will remember and sustain every note played - "superchords" over four octaves can be played: individual articulators and voicing circuits for each key create subtle tonal effects. The Apollo supplies what performers are asking for: synthesizer control over sound with polyphonic capability.

The Moog Apollo with a 48-note keyboard and full polyphony which would have been the core of the Constellation. It was designed by Dave Luce and after many modifications like a longer keyboard and a second VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) for each voice, the Apollo was commercially released as the Polymoog (the 'Polly'). The Apollo was an instrument that created only percussive sounds, because a sustain-level recorder was not planned in the envelopes. Per voice only one oscillator was available. It didn't have the ability to sustain tones.

The Yamaha CP-30 Electric Piano was released in 1978. It is sturdy with its case-that-turns-into-legs and heavy at around 100 pounds. Despite the CP-30's "CP" name, the CP-30 has relatively little to do with the Yamaha CP-70/CP-70b/CP-70m/CP-80/CP-80m pianos. It has neither the mechanical keys nor the electro-mechanical harp and strings. The CP-30's sound is electrically generated with analog components (namely divide-down technology common in combo organs in the late 1960's and early 1970's). Most of the "piano" sounds are mellow like a Rhodes or a Wurlitzer, while the "Harpsichord" sounds are reminiscent of a Clavinet.

The piano has 2 voices with 4 presets tabs (which can be mixed together), an adjustable tremolo effect on each voice (speed, intensity), and a pitch for each voice (chorus).

The Roland MP-600 was developed after the Roland MP-700. The MP-600 simplified the technology of the MP-700 and offered a 6-band EQ.

Released by Roland in 1977, the VK9 dual-manual “clonewheel” organ was designed to reasonably imitate the “Hammond B3 + Leslie rotating speaker” combination that was in use with numerous music groups in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The VK9 had send and receive jacks for applying external effects individually to the upper, lower, and bass tones. Additionally, the VK9 could trigger a control voltage (CV) synthesizer with the upper manual gate and CV outputs. The VK9 organ had 4 sets of drawbars along with bass pedal drawbars. The 25 note bass pedalboard and a master volume pedal were options that Roland also sold alongside the VK9.

The Pianet T has a rectangular case profile with rounded corners and a hinged integral lid with central handle. With the lid latched closed the instrument forms its own carry case. The body of the case is covered with black vinyl leathercloth and the ends are padded with vinyl-skinned urethane foam. There are no legs supplied as standard. An optional stand can be fixed to threaded mounting points on the ends of the case. The keys are injection-moulded plastic over pressed metal frames. The words 'Pianet T' are screen printed in silver on the rear of the case and on the inside surface of the lid.

The Horner Pianet T has a rectangular case profile with rounded corners and a hinged integral lid with central handle. With the lid latched closed the instrument forms its own carry case. The body of the case is covered with black vinyl leathercloth and the ends are padded with vinyl-skinned urethane foam. There are no legs supplied as standard. An optional stand can be fixed to threaded mounting points on the ends of the case. The keys are injection-moulded plastic over pressed metal frames. The words 'Pianet T' are screen printed in silver on the rear of the case and on the inside surface of the lid.

Part of Roland’s RSS line of studio rack effects, the Roland Graphic Equalizer GE-820 came out in 1979 and featured 10 frequency equalizer bands at 1 octave intervals. It is a stereo graphic equalizer, unlike the Roland Graphic Equalizer GE-810.

Part of Roland’s RSS line of studio rack effects, the Roland Graphic Equalizer GE-810 came out in 1979 and featured 21 frequency equalizer bands at 1/2 octave intervals.

Studio quality spring reverb from Roland. Made in the 1970’s as part of Roland’s RSS line of studio rack effects.

Roland's PH-830 stereo analog phase shifter was part of their late 1970s "Roland Studio System" (RSS), consisting of several hefty rackmount devices, including the classic RV-800 spring reverb and two very large graphic equalizers. All were equipped with chunky metal rack handles, a bulletproof front panel, big toggle switches, multiple front and rear panel inputs and outputs, and excellent specs. In 1979, the list price for the PH-830 was $795 US.

Although perhaps not as quirky or bizarre as some phasers, the PH-830 might in some ways be considered an analog "reference phaser," with a classic phasing tone, very low distortion and silky smooth sweeps, even at extreme settings. The stereo signal path consists of two eight stage phase shifters in parallel, with independent inputs, outputs, and CV inputs. Each channel has controls for intensity (LFO depth), shift frequency (30 Hz - 10 kHz), and resonance (feedback). If the intensity controls are set to 0, the shift frequency controls can be used to manually set the phase shift for each channel.

As the intensity controls are turned up, both channels are modulated by a single LFO, although an invert switch inverts the phase of the LFO waveform on the second channel, for panning stereo phasing effects - it's very tempting to leave it enabled permanently. It would be nice if the PH-830 had independent LFOs for each channel, although it can be driven by external LFOs. But the PH-830's single LFO is well specified, with a choice of sine, triangle, and sawtooth (ramp) waveforms, and rates from 1 cycle per minute up to 10 Hz. There is also an LFO trigger (sync) input, and in general the i/o is what you would expect of a piece of gear meant to be used with a modular synth.

Internally, the PH-830 is typical of late 70s / early 80s Roland products: very solid both mechanically and electronically, with beautiful large circuit boards, beefy components and immaculate assembly quality. The phaser allpass stages use optocouplers, like the Mu-Tron Bi-Phase and some other phasers, but the Roland uses additional circuitry to obtain a 1V / octave control voltage response, while maintaining the low distortion and smooth modulation response of an opto design. As a result, the LFO sweep sounds natural and musical at all speeds. Although the Vactrols don't completely tame the edges of the sawtooth LFO waveform at low rates, at faster LFO speeds the Vactrols' smoothing effect is just right, enabling asymmetric vibratos and raygun noises.

Launched in 1980 as part of the RSS Series, the Roland SPH-323 offers twin LFO (low frequency oscillators), and 4 and 8 stage phasing. To allow connection with a synth, CV control for depth and rate, Mod Out jacks on the front – inverted and non inverted – are provided. There is also a remote switch jack and a front-panel guitar input jack. The rear panel offers XLR and 1/4 inch inputs outputs and a 1/4 inch output for a guitar amp. A grounding lug allows the unit to be connected to a complete system ground.