The WASP - A Very British Synthesizer

[@VeitchyVeitch]

I bought an LP of wasp field recordings once. Took it back to the shop as I thought it didn't really sound right. Imagine my embarrassment when the shop owner pointed out I'd been listening to the Bee side!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Take a bow.

[@iHawke]

Very nice

[@namelessendless5115]

Nice one sir.

[@PocketSunlight]

Hive a feeling he waz joking, honey

[@DeconTheed92]

booooooooooo 🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅 get off the staaaaaaaaaaaaaage

[@Beebo]

Me: Mom, I wanna get a Moog synth! Mom: We have a synth at home. *Synth at home*

[@AlexBallMusic]

🐝🎹

[@axelfiedel3793]

I'm a gen Z who enjoys synthesizers and in the future might actually become a musician.

[@antongracon3345]

I recommend a Yamaha PSR-S970 to you.

[@axelfiedel3793]

@gridsleep Well I plan to be another player against mumble rap.

[@maxhult830]

@@axelfiedel3793 Noble task, you have chosen wisely.

[@KirbyCurbwhy]

RIP the creator of this synthesizer Chris Huggett. An absolute synth legend!

[@olivere5497]

I heard it took 24 police officers to take him down.

[@ComsiCaterpillar]

No, like every synth it's a Behringer. Soon the textbooks will be rewritten and Behringer Cooperation will be the creator of all synth as well the universe at large.

[@Thatkidwithacamera00]

3:45 I was expecting the intro for GTA San Andreas to start playing 😂

[@bmhater1283]

He has to cover the theme song, he does, I will give him a golden medal for that.

[@buttguy]

It's like the synthesizer equivalent of a Sinclair ZX81...except it produces something you don't HAVE to own British rose-tinted glasses to enjoy. Unbelievable sound. I want one!!

[@Twinthumps]

We still use these in our band. Thanks Chris Hugget and RIP for EDP, your genius lives on... You can’t beat the original EDP WASPS... We are lucky to own two original WASPS

[@seanluke3052]

Many synth users don't know it, and it seems Alex may not, but "Q" (for Quality) is in fact the standard unit of measure for resonance in a filter in the electrical engineering world. --- Wait, there's no special discussion at *all* of the Wasp's famous dirty filter? It's *the thing* that makes this synth famous. The filter has been cloned many times (see for example Doepfer module A-124).

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the information. "Q" is the standard term on most EQs I've used, so I assumed it meant the equivalent thing on a filter (which is obviously very closely related to EQ). I demonstrated filter modulation and all three filter modes, I think that speaks for itself but I probably could have made more of it, fair enough. Doepfer - yep, seen those. Along with the Jasper clone and of course the Behringer. Shows how impressive the filter was on such a cheap instrument.

[@seanluke3052]

@@AlexBallMusic Right. EQs are basically banks of bandpass filters, so yes, Q in fact means the same thing there too. As to the filter: it's not normal sounding, as you can hear. It is weird and aggressive and dirty, and this unique sound has made it rather famous.

[@awesomeduder]

I applauded at the "used by these artists" joke, well done.

[@AlexBallMusic]

;)

[@josephwright5921]

Yes, he sounded like he was holding back the laughter on that one!

[@bauhnguefyische667]

Clever, lol

[@danpreston564]

Also used by B-Witched, the Beatles, Beyoncé, the Macabees, the Bee Gees and of course, WASP.

[@quasarulas3968]

That one flew over my head as they say!

[@testohtoby]

"Bzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzz" Alex Ball, 2020 CEO of synths demo

[@AlexBallMusic]

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

[@mikabreto]

Buzz buzz, buzz buzz in the eardrum

[@blahblah606]

All I can think about when I hear this synth is Robert Rental and the Normal, and Thomas Leer. Such a classic and groundbreaking board in the post punk world.

[@mikemnemonic311]

Loved the 3rd oscillator comment. Though not fully intentional, I use my garden shed as a sub-bass resonator. Works quite well .. less than 90% THD

[@Stibsyt]

I got mine new from a music shop actually in Oxford, still have it now. The keyboard as Alex describes was the issue despite the powerful oscillators. I remember doing a few outdoor gigs where the humidity affected it to the extent where the proximity of your finger sounded a note if it got to within an inch or so of the control surface. Trouble was it wouldn't necessarily be the note you were trying to play. We used to cover 'Hymn' by Ultravox and one particular outdoors night that became rather evident in the big solo section. I still wince. But a remarkable little machine and genuinely innovative. In fact I once played it in a folk club resting on my lap using its batteries and the internal speaker. That ruffled a few feathers. Never saw a Caterpillar but nearly bought a Special. Story of my life. Yet another great review from the genius that is Mr Ball.

[@ВладимирКруглов-к9о]

>We used to cover 'Hymn' by Ultravox Great story, and what a fine taste! What else did you use to play?

[@fjfrancois]

Владимир Круглов nice cover of Ultravox

[@DaveG207]

One of the first synths I saw in the real world, and wow that thing has a surprisingly good sound!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Guess it's better to look cheap and sound great than the other way around. 😀

[@RedMeansRecording]

Ace. That jam is raw and good.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks Jeremy. :)

[@Mistymisterwisty]

Hard agree

[@klinkske]

RIP Chris Huggett... You are a hero to me.

[@gmarquisuk]

My first synthesizer, that and a Jen SX1000. Man do I wish I still had that little beauty.

[@compucorder64]

Yes! I totally forgot the Jen SX1000. I seem to remember that maybe Future Sound of London used them, amongst others.

[@pat2rome]

That list of artists who used it... I didn't realize what was going on until The Buzzcocks hahahaha

[@Apg002]

It was subtle and wonderful.

[@mattkaz9604]

They sound great - the combination of great mod sources and a squelchy filter make it sound pretty great.

[@arnoriva]

Bass sequence at beginning of "Kids in America" Kim Wilde was made with WASP.

[@NAANsoft]

Got to listen to that now, thx !

[@AdamBorseti]

No shit? I never would have thought that!

[@tranceemerson8325]

but the music video clearly shows it's a Prophet 5. not sure why the bass is at the top of the keyboard, may be because of the OSC tuning though.

[@InFamousProductions]

@@tranceemerson8325 I think it's because the prophet looks big and pro

[@jamesmeeker6933]

Well, it was written using a Wasp. The actual recording? Maybe it is a Wasp. Not verified to my knowledge.

[@EpicSymphonicRock]

"Demo Track" is the best part of the video.

[@moogdome2562]

Wow. I never expected them to sound this Good. Reminds me of an ARP synth. Loving your vids and humor Rumour has it, Kim Wildes 'Kids in America was written on one. Wish I had bought one when I could. Prices have skyrocketed..

[@returnofthenative]

Do yourself a favour, get the Behringer instead.

[@micooms]

The 'cheap build, great functionality' business model is echoed in other companies Sinclair and Amstrad. British indeed!!! You made the WASP shine like a fire-fly, like you always do. Great video!!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes, those products mirror each other somewhat in that regard. Better than 'great build, cheap functionality' for sure.

[@RockSolitude]

Oooooooooooh that intro was just an explosion of retro '80s futurism

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Very intresting mini beast. I didn't realise it was so small. Seems to have enough functionality to keep you busy. Nice one Alex, look forward to more vids.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes, looks and feels like a toy. Certainly doesn't sound like it though...

[@markusfuller]

Hi Adamski. I have a Jasper ( kit build of wasp ) unmade would you like it as you are a budding electronics synth fellow :-) theres 2 boards and a few hard to get components but the rest of components have to be sourced yourself, I think they are easily available. Theres a list of parts and build instructions with it to complete it. I got it years ago and never found time to start it. yours free just message me through my website markusfuller.com if you want it and I will post it to you.

[@jkuebler89]

@@markusfuller all my fav synth diy heads in one spot! Are these boards available anywhere online?

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

@@markusfuller Hey Markus . I would love it .Thanks so much for your generosity. I have contact you via your website. Many thanks Kind regards

[@vinylarchaeologist]

“STING, the BEE Gees, the BUZZcocks, the HIVES” - took me a few seconds to realise you weren‘t being serious.... ...or WERE you? 😱

[@AlexBallMusic]

Think Buzzta Rhymes used it too.

[@ozzy3933]

@@AlexBallMusic oh come on now

[@magicspiral3323]

I believe the Beestie Boys, Mudhoney and even W.A.S.P. used it as well.

[@6581punk]

Duran Duran were a famous user too.

[@WilliamBurnett]

@@AlexBallMusic I heard Yellowjackets too.

[@Error6503]

I remember in '81 the EDP tour bus parked outside my school during the middle of O-levels; I skipped revision to go and play on their synths.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Excellent choice. Amazed they had a tour bus! How cool is that. I guess there wasn't any internet promotion back then.

[@Infamousuk]

There is a freeware version of this thing called the hornet which is pretty close to the hardware version if you want to fiddle with that

[@adamsmith7058]

Plus it's polyphonic. Not quite the same in terms of sound, but ball park. Used it in a couple of tunes.

[@KozmykJ]

Stinger VSTi plugin from Krakli/IanWebster is based on the Wasp www.krakliplugins.co.uk/Plugins.aspx It's 32bit so depending on your DAW/Host you May need to use a Bridger to Wrap it for 64bit. I do cos I'm using Presonus Studio One. ymmv

[@CS-sf1rz]

@@KozmykJ thx .. damn u 32 bit

[@KozmykJ]

@@CS-sf1rz JBridge is the app I use to run 32bit plugins in Studio One. It works very well, almost perfect. Just rarely a plugin won't work with it. One or two plugins I found to be unstable. For the most part I get rock solid stability. Four or five dogs out of over a thousand isn't bad ...

[@alexmolina115]

Mmmm, such a tasty filter! So many of my heroes have played this badboy. It was their first synthesizer for many of them. I remember Alan Wilder saying that he used it for the bassline on Never Let Me Down Again(aggro mix).🔊🎶

[@LouisSerieusement]

Thank you Alex, your demos are the best of all of them (I really mean it !) I love the architecture and design of this synth, didn't knew it sounded so great and unique...plus the english humor surrounding this synth is a very nice touch :p

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you. Yes, a very peculiar and distinctive bit of synth history. Really sounds great.

[@imothy]

FUN FACT: Did you know that in 2019, Behringer released a remake of the WASP synth called the WASP DELUXE! This has created quite a "BUZZ" in the synthesizer scene and a re-discovery and interest in the synth. Hence people making documentaries about it like this one! WOWEEE YAY BEHRINGER!

[@DouglasRosser]

How can you only have 70K subs??!! OMG you are a treasure.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Wasp related puns are a niche interest. 😉

[@OutNaboutwithSwiift]

You played the brown note about 46 times in this video and that’s how many times I shat myself, great video!

[@AlexBallMusic]

🐝💩

[@lavrentii]

This channel is pure love, 10x!

[@MarshalArnold]

Gotta say, I'm quite impressed with this little bugger 😃

[@AlexBallMusic]

Looks and feels like a toy but sounds fantastic.

[@t55a2]

@@AlexBallMusic Have one here, nice wee thing

[@dukeofpearl]

Trololo Inc ® Bees

[@stevecoscia]

Fun video. I remember the WASP's coarse and raspy sound. Just bought the Behringer WASP.

[@dr.feelicks2051]

If the envelope is looping, is it a nested loop? ... You know like a wasps🤕🗞🏳

[@hArtyTruffle]

Legendary synths and cheesy jokes? Subbed 👌🏼

[@AlexBallMusic]

🎹🧀

[@peikhollander1020]

Amazingly well-produced content, Alex! Been following your stuff ever since seeing the EPIC "Land of the Rising Sound" documentary. Looking forward to educating myself further through your content :)

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thank you

[@olivierrossi5295]

best WASP video, ever best synth video, ever best video ever, in fact what a good job you've done here, THANKS !

[@AdamBorseti]

My God, have you seen his other videos? If you liked this, boy you're in for a treat!

[@remynettheim4918]

that is possibly the best filter I have ever heard

[@charlesfichter68]

I was just thinking it sounded so good

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yeah, pretty tasty.

[@theworldsworstperson]

Just picked up a Microfreak and I thought the keyboard was space age but now I see it's old news.

[@davida5296]

A wonderful combo of history and demo. if all music product videos were like this, the world would be a better place

[@geraldtir]

If I’m not mistaken this was also the first since that Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran also had..

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, his first synth.

[@joshwizinsky1979]

I remember there being an Interview with Devo on were Jerry Casale tried to use one live in the 1981 tour, but the stage lights kept overheating the touch pad and making it glitch out so he had to switch to a different keyboard for the rest of the tour

[@AlexBallMusic]

I've heard the same problems described by others, yes. I think the trick is to get midi installed and just not use the original keyboard.

[@joshwizinsky1979]

@@AlexBallMusic you'd still have to find a way to keep the actual unit's ribbon touch pad cooled down though right??? Just because its midi'd, dosnt mean the touchpad is still active

[@JR-nm3xj]

@@joshwizinsky1979 when you connect via the original DIN interface, the keyboard is disengaged. Can sometimes disengage permanently if you control externally for an extended period (have experienced this with two different Wasps that were being controlled via a Kenton converter).

[@GrumpyTim]

Brilliant video - I bought an Electro Harmonix Mini Synthesizer in the 1980s which has a similar membrane keyboard - the keyboard was always a bit of a problem on mine and time definitely hasn't been good to it - got it out recently to shoot a video and spent so much time fighting the bad contacts on the keyboard that I gave up. Love the sounds from the Wasp, that thing is streets ahead of the Electro Harmonix.

[@modularmountain3910]

I was hoping there would be a sample pack of this. Your sample packs are amazing.

[@andrewperry6225]

A friend, who was in the junior army, bought one of this off another guy in his section for £15 in ‘82. He didn’t get on with it so sold it for the same amount to our keyboard player (the great Darren Tansley of Moonhare Studio) for what he paid for it. As Darren already had a Mini Moog and a Roland SH2 the wasp was put on the floor and played barefoot for white noise swooshing sounds. Darren also used a set of wooden salad servers to wedge down chords.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Haha. That's a great story, thanks for sharing. Could imagine that scenario. Might have to try that. Now, where did I leave my salad servers?

[@timtrzepacz3452]

I really liked your demo track! It makes me totally want to sing synthpop!

[@meowcula]

Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran mentioned this in an interview... seems it was the starter synth for everyone back then. Not too shabby either.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yep, was his first synth. Dave Stewart too I believe.

[@Ronno4691]

Nick Bates

[@synth4ever]

Thanks for the demo Alex, really like the sound of the Wasp as it has its own "gnatty" retro tone I haven't heard from other synths. :) Have never seen one pop up locally in all my years, seems pretty rare these days. If you have a chance to compare it to the Behringer Wasp, would be interested to hear your thoughts!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Think they're quite rare outside of the UK. A curious bit of Brit synth history really. Same with the OSCar that my US friends say they never see. Yep, would definitely be interested to compare with the Behringer clone, particularly the filter.

[@themetamorph]

Absolute genius demo of a fascinating instrument!

[@rars0n]

Now THIS is what I've been looking for to hear from the Wasp! Thank you!

[@xdumpstrspunionx902]

I only know this synth because of Whitehouse. Legendary band.

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

"Sting, The Wings, The Bee Gees, The Buzzcocks and The Hives"... Ah, I see what you did there...

[@grahamphillips3099]

Wasn't expecting a little electropop treat this Sunday morning, nice one as always

[@richardalldredge9129]

Great to see a new vid on this pleasant Sunday afternoon! I’m always surprised! Thanks for researching and sharing your knowledge on all these synths and giving some of the best demos! You could’ve been one of the best synth salesman back in the day with your ability to make grooves and music with all this gear! Never disappoints!!

[@AlexBallMusic]

I'd have lost a lot of sales due to weak puns though. 😉

[@richardalldredge9129]

Alex Ball 😂😂

[@criqdekuyper9259]

A very Anglo-Saxon synth. Possibly even White-Protestant

[@reytunezbz]

They had money.... THEY HAD CULTURE!!

[@ryananthony4840]

😂😂

[@འབྲུག-ན2ཅ]

Filfy britz

[@minchmoorramblers6856]

Certainly not a filthy Scottish synth as none exist. My mate went to uni up their and all he heard was bagpipes or the occasional pisshead busking with a banjo. Yuck ! No culture.

[@xdumpstrspunionx902]

SASANACH AMACH lol

[@fender97]

Unbelievable sounds from that thing.

[@adamsmith7058]

They had a bunch of these at my old school in the music block. My first introduction to synthesis. Never looked back. Love these weird little freaks.

[@AlexBallMusic]

We just had Casios and beat up classical guitars in ours.

[@lundsweden]

Great sounding synth! Osc/Filters sound so gritty!

[@dyjjy]

3:44 If you think the GTA San Andreas melody is coming right away

[@davidhughes1461]

It’s shares a design aesthetic with the Sinclair ZX80. It definitely embodies electronic gear from that time 👌🇬🇧.... itching to make a Jasper now!

[@chadwixom]

Alex Killah Bees Ball in tha house. Sick color profile on this. I've always love the design of the WASP. I so badly want to animate those bees flying around you playing.

[@bobz1736]

Awesome as always. Thanks for sharing. I remember seeing one in a shop window in the late 70s and dreaming...

[@nynexman4464]

Man I saw that keyboard and thought "this thing's gotta be junk" but it actually sounds pretty mean!

[@cancer4cure483]

This sounds very Claudio Simonetti, at least for me, for some reason. I can totally imagine Italian horror movie with the sound of this synthesizer.

[@OfficialREVENGEMusic]

Does this have any relation to the wasp VST from FL Studio?

[@georgeray3492]

Loved the WASP. The negative and positive modulation depth to the filter are another unique aspect of the voice. Has a sound all it's own. Unfortunately, no PWM. You can manually change the pulse width, but it isn't a destination for the control oscillator or envelope. Well done!

[@Musicalmane]

Theres a story I heard from Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo where they used these for a short while during live shows, but something about the stage lights would trigger the keys randomly so they had to retire them from live use

[@jamesbtex58]

Very cool video, playing and humor! It amazes me that even now Behringer continues to produce excellent products at much lower costs then other manufacturers both in keyboards and Eurorack modules.

[@VintageMusicGearTV]

On the fly swat!! Brilliant love your vids

[@riffzifnab9254]

That "Rule Britannia" sting at the start was so fun it might leave a welt.

[@teknozem23]

Another great one Alex!! Really enjoy your vid's; keep them coming :)

[@smatchimo645]

Wasp VST in fruity loops gave me my first real delve into how a synth works. It's simple layout was a big help with that, just had to contextually put together what all the symbols meant. I feel like my generations simultaneous discovery with this DAW and VST in particular is the only reason dubstep exists, as that version had defaulted to 140bpm. Change my mind!

[@tedmuss]

I didn't realise wasps could roar! Great video man, keep them coming! 🙂

[@supersteveworld]

Played one in a shop in Rochdale in about 1980! I was out with my dad…we’d just early been to Oldham and played on an MS20 (which was perched on top of a Fender Rhodes). The WASP is brutal. It kind of scared me back then, so in your face. Makes me think that this should be the sound of Judge Dredd…don’t know if that makes sense, but it does to me! 😂 Sounds great.

[@tomfenn7149]

Surprised you didn’t mention The Stranglers, whose keyboard player, the late great Dave Greenfield, used the Wasp extensively on the Meniinblack LP.

[@incandescentconker6193]

EDP (Electronic Dream Plant) was the epitome of a cottage industry - it was literally based in a cottage

[@AlexBallMusic]

Was it? Haha!

[@maxmatson1578]

Don't forget Duran Duran use it too! I think it was their first synthesizer?🎹

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes, that's in the video description. Dave Stewart used it too.

[@jamescarter6071]

Reminds me of how much fun was to be a teen discovering synthesisers in the late 80's :)

[@abrasionequation4632]

Like your shirt! I live in Portland, Oregon. Love your videos too!

[@sea-saw2654]

This video is brilliant, visuals are excellent but the voice over seems like the equivalent of late night eBay shopping after coming back from the pub ..in the best way possible made me chuckle ....👍

[@martinheath5947]

Sounds amazing - and with midi - Wowee! Brilliant demo 👍 👍

[@kaiwetronic]

Very very funny and informative at the same time... You've got the perfect formula and, of course, the mojo to produce the perfect synth review videos... Thanx for sharing your talent...!!

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks :)

[@mudsh4rk]

The oscillators aren't DCOs, they're actually fully digital. It was one of the earliest mass produced digital synths, and I'm pretty sure it was literally the first commercial hybrid synth. Big part of why it sounds the way it does.

[@AlexBallMusic]

The description I found was here: modularsynthesis.com/wasp/wasp.htm Starts with a VCO and then uses digital timers, dividers and then waveshaping to control frequency and glide. It doesn't sound dissimilar to Jeremy Hill's ARP Pro Soloist design from 1972 that also started with an analogue VCO but then used a digital setup to error correct tuning and divide the signal to the keyboard, add glide, waveshape etc. My understanding that that would be better described as digital control rather than entirely digital as that implies the oscillator itself is DSP or PCM.

[@willfomes406]

This synth featured in a scene in the movie Xanadu alongside an Oberheim 8-voice synth.

[@glgsgr1333]

I remember this little/big dude!!!Was very agressive!!!Good for the ELECTRONIC-WAVE about the Beginning of the 80's!KRISMA were playing that in CATHODE MAMA album!The real analogic power about those great good-times!Those were the days!

[@MythicalVigilante]

Once again, fantastic video. Never heard of this synth before. Quirky little thing.

[@natbvm1880]

That song was so dope dude! Also great video. Subscribed

[@jayweb702]

There's a free VST version called Da Hornet and it's a really good emulation.

[@bluedot21]

My WASP was not that clean when it was new. Thanks for the great video.

[@kkygeek]

Absolutely love the sound of this!

[@AndyFerguson]

I ordered one as soon as I heard about it. Was hugely into synths but couldn’t afford any. When they finally did get them out my one arrived not working. Sent it back waited ages. The next one worked and was fantastic. A year or so later I was playing with guys with various of the cheaper Korg, Yamaha and ARP synths and one guy with a Minimoog. Only the Moog sounded as rich. I guess at the time we all wanted that beefy phat Moog tone which the WASP was great at. Of course we moved on and people found out that all synths shouldn’t sound the same and started to use the Yamahas and Korg to their strengths. Still I always loved the fact that the WASP could just about blow anything else, at the time, off the stage. I’ll buy the BWASP soon and relive my youth. Sixty year old guy trying to be sixteen again. Sad.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Thanks for the story, that's the same impression I'm getting. It was the first synth a lot of people could afford and yet it punched well above its weight. Interesting that the Moog was what everyone wanted, but then moved on and embraced other approaches.

[@AndyFerguson]

Alex I remember laughing at the “weedy” sounds of the Yamahas in particular. When I was in college, probably the only one in the U.K. with synths at the time, we farted about with VCS3s, ARP Axxe, Transendent 2000, some early Casio, preset Moogs, Maplin kits, we even had Tim Orr who designed the Transcendent and EMS Vocoders as a lecturer and he had contacts so we got a hold of an early Prophet and none sounded as powerful as a MiniMoog. Remember though synths weren’t really mainstream at the time. They were either a novelty or used by soloists to cut through the other band members. As a “featured” instrument the Moog was brilliant. And the WASP was really good in that department too. But once people like OMD Human League etc started having a mix of synths in a band then the different flavours that the other makers offered came in to their own. You know what I’ve just realised .... no one I knew used a Roland at that stage. I saw them in the shops but no one I came across was using one. How strange. God that is so weird. OP Cat? Check! Kawai? Check! Crumar ? Check. London Synthesiser Company “rebadged” Italian synths, God we even had a Fairlight but never Roland. How strange.

[@peter-utrblk]

Wow, what a monophonic beast, or beest. A+ demonstration and cool track as well. Thank you Alex.

[@AlexBallMusic]

"beest" - stealing that.

[@rodmorrison47]

This is awesome. I have an ancient Wasp Special (from Wasp Synthesisers, the company Wagner founded after parting ways with Huggett) and a Spider sequencer. The Special looks particularly dull in its wooden case. Unfortunately neither are working anymore but I remember the synth sounded awesome, and I used to just multitrack it on my old four track to make chords. As the circuitry isn't devilishly complex it should be an easy repair when I eventually get around to it.

[@angaudlinn]

One of the best synths ever built! Great demo and neat to see another cameo of my Deluxe there too. (@9:23) :D

[@AlexBallMusic]

Is that your Deluxe? The only decent photo I could find of one. Very rare. Do you still have it?

[@angaudlinn]

@@AlexBallMusic Yes, it's mine and it's still here. :) I recognized it because of the modifications (speaker kill switch) and factory installed joystick (with kill switch). I bought it from a former employee of EDP.

[@ricjenner1120]

Something about “sting” using the “wasp” made me chuckle

[@trevord9811]

That sounded sooooo good. I want, I want.....Another one to add to my ever growing wishlist. Is the Behringer Wasp a decent option? Thanks for another great video BTW.

[@PWMaarten]

‘The oscillators are digitally controlled’ while technically correct they are as digitally controlled as the ARP Odyssey’s ring mod (or the MS-20’s, for that matter) are digital. It is all CMOS but there is no code or software.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Yes, it uses NE-555s which have a digital output. My understanding was that was digitally controlled. The description I found said: _The VCOs are analog designed around a pair of 555 timers. The analog VCOs allow voltage controlled modulation. These VCOs are then converted to digital to divide down to note frequencies as controlled by the keyboard. The note frequencies are then run through a phase lock loop so that glide can be added. The output of the phase lock loop is then waveshaped for the final oscillator output. What a lot of work but it kept the circuitry very inexpensive._

[@atarkus8]

@@AlexBallMusic Interesting, the Paia Fatman used 555s as well, but sounded very different. Clearly implementation is everything. There was a simple way to sync them together just by adding a switch wired to the same pin on both chips.

[@Beaufort-Wes]

Nice Track ant the end, gave me flashbacks to LCD Soundsystem's "Dance Yourself Clean" used in that Ski movie, with the dude skiing through a small town.