Cracking the Code
lovely old Korg DP-80 digital piano from 1986 sandwiched into a trap rhythm and a custom arp built from its short, blippy FM sound “Pop 1”. Rhythm by prodbyDELTA (looperman.com) SFX by CMUSoundDesign (freesound.org) Watch these tunes being created live every Saturday between 5pm-7pm EST.
Duophonic Membrane
In this up-tempo ditty, I managed to sandwich in several sounds from an old Yamaha PortaSound PSS-130 keyboard. This compact little music maker has a unique sound, all generated by a square wave generator. Don’t forget, you can download all of these songs for free at TransistorSandwich.com.
Sixteen Candles
A poppy little tune featuring a consumer portable keyboard from the 80’s, the Yamaha PSR-16. This little gem is a consumer-grade FM synth from the same family of synthesizers as the Yamaha DX-7 (actually, it has more in common with the DX-11). Sandwiched in are a couple of rhthym patterns, a bass sound, piano sound and bell sound.
Catch the Square Wave
This song grew out of a “getting-to-know-you” session with a new thrift store find, the Yamaha PSR-225. This music education-focused Portatone keyboard from 1998 has many sounds and styles which hold up surprisingly well after all this time.
Pipes & Silver Clouds
This tune was a spotlight on one of my vintage synth modules, a Yamaha TG-33 tabletop unit from 1990. Airy bell pads and breathy flutes held up by a strong EDM rhythm from Garageband and a slap bass from the Korg i3, all wrapped in a popcorn-ish arpeggiator.
Elkaseltzer
Recently my partner discovered this delightfully cheezy early 80s synth console, and I was quite happy to help haul the monstrosity up four stories and into the TranSan studio! This tune is a blend of modern with some sprinkling of Elka E-19 classic synth.