1970's DIY ANALOG SYNTH MAGAZINE KIT - The POWERTRAN Transcendent 2000

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

What do you think to this synth? i've gotta be honest i like it quite a lot! But like i said on the secondhand market be warned! these were DIY kits and nearly all built by hobbyists, so make sure you get pics of the insides etc, as build quality varies massively. As for the resistor! im getting a lot of comments like "why not put a bunch of resistors together to get the value" this copper wound resistor is in the temperature compensation circuit in series with a 130 ohm resistor, both together make a 1k resistor. This is because the temperature coefficient of copper isnt quite right for the temperature compensation so only 87% of the resistor (870ohms) is copper. I just got as close as i could, and to be honest! because its just a lighthearted sit and play machine i could have just taken out both resistors and plomped in any old 1k resistor. but i may aswell keep atleast a little close to the originally intended circuit

[@qrdnk]

It´s fantastic that you´ve made it to fix this quiet interesting DIY synth, good job!!

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

@@qrdnk yep! well there will be a number of vids like this in the coming months! i have a big backlog of broken synths i need to fix for the museum interactive bit! so keep an eye out

[@MostlyPennyCat]

Reminds me of the synths we were taught synthesis on at school.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

@@MostlyPennyCat yeah! bread and butter basics, even though more knobs than some other mono's!

[@MostlyPennyCat]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER We had an EMS VCS3 and a Roland System 100. And a tascam 8 track and desk. Good times.

[@ThaddeusBigsby]

It's amazing how the strangest sounds can be so calming.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

damn straight!

[@stickyfingazz2103]

because reality sucks

[@MrDuncl]

One of my retirement projects will be to finish building mine. I started in 1990 with just the magazine articles, long after any kits were available. Drew out a PCB using Letraset and Dalo pen and etched it in a plant trough. Back then, all the electronic parts, even that pesky resistor, were available from Farnell. I assembled the PCB and got it working. Where I got stuck was the front panel which on mine remains as a blank sheet of PCB. p.s. Powertran didn't just do synths. My college project was building a Texan stereo amp using one of their PCBs.

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

Used to have one of these 20 years ago my mate found literally in a skip on our street Just needed a plug and it worked . Nasty little beast

[@mschorer]

Nice little synth! I built a Formant Modular back in the day. Still have it now, 40 years later and it still works 🤞

[@FearLoathing7777]

I just love it when sam's tired, sunken eyes betray his upbeat display and hint at a state of internal conflict

[@elmariachi5133]

This is about the most conventional instrument I have seen on this channel, yet.

[@KevinNapper1]

Keyboard player in our band had one of these in the 70s, a real sythesiser which could be afforded by teenagers ... at a stretch. I remember it sounding great and bringing a new dimention to our sound.

[@AlexBallMusic]

So damn satisfying when you troubleshot the problem and solved the tracking issue. Quite a gnarly sounding mono once it was running. Been interested in these but the "who the hell built this" thing has always put me off. Hats off to you.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

yeah!!! glad to finally have it up and running :D. got a few synths i need to work through this month that i have procrastinated from repairing! yeah definitely a bit of a risky synth to go looking for! but sometimes the factory built ones turn up! they have much lighter wood cases. :O

[@6pin66]

Bernard Sumner had one of these in Joy Division . Pretty wicked for a magazine order synth . Vastly superior to Sea Monkeys or x-ray glasses .

[@mgscheue]

I don't know, those x-ray glasses were pretty great!

[@simoncardie9371]

His didn't work properly either.

[@jacobbrown1690]

sea monkeys were so cool...

[@6pin66]

@@simoncardie9371 I should hope not . If it did ....he'd be Vince Clark and the music of the world would've happenend 4 years early . we'd have had dogs making out with cats and kangaroo budgees . Near miss there man .

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Yeah wasn't Bernard also pissed that after spending so much time building it and at the end, the damn thing didn't even work? :P

[@ParedCheese]

Helped a friend with the difficult bits of soldering one up back when they were new. 😆 They were damned good. ♥️

[@TempleOfUtopia]

Holy shit, this synth sounds amazing

[@muzikman2008]

I always dreamed about building one of these in the 80's but never earned enough on my paper round to afford one lol. It cost nothing to dream though, now I have a studio full of fun synths.

[@Auntystatic]

took me just over 48 hours to build one of them in 1981, bought the kit from powertran for around £189 had it for many years but wanted a polysynth so sold it in the end to a friend, now there is a free vst reproduction of it doing the rounds its quite good

[@andrebartels1690]

I love that thing. The filter is a blast, and the sample and hold and noise open up dimensions. A real treasure.

[@misruler9370]

The Transcendent 2000 was the beginning of Thomas Dolby's adventures in using synthesizers. He found one in a rubbish bin in 1979 and it was in some disrepair, but he was able to use it enough to extract some musical textures.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Holy cow, wish I could find one of these in a rubbish bin somewhere.

[@INDUSTRIAL_WOLF]

@@KRAFTWERK2K6 I at one point found an EMS VCS3 in a bin in Oslo.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@INDUSTRIAL_WOLF that'sstupid sexy lucky, Fox x3 Nice!!!

[@nyyu01]

@@INDUSTRIAL_WOLF did it work?

[@INDUSTRIAL_WOLF]

@@nyyu01 after a ton of restoration, yes.

[@Stoneman06660]

Cracking into a modular synth from scrap and junk, with only things like jacks and pots bought. Great fun. Thanks for getting me on the road!

[@TheJohnEKeys]

Very similar to a MicroMoog... just fixed mine up (again!). Sam, I did some videos a few years back last time I fixed it up, just messing on it... I think you would would like them (Most other people probably not!). I do enjoy your enthusiasm. Thanks for sharing your obsession:-)

[@WonkeyWabbit]

I fitted thicker aluminium L braces (20mm x 10mm x 2mm) to the circuit board on mine. The standard ones that came with the kit aren't that stiff and the board bends in the middle when you use those middle controls and switches. The thicker braces stop any movement, which help to keep those solder joints from being flexed.

[@iqi616]

Nice synth, glad you got it going. Reminds me I've not finished refurbishing the Clef B30 Microsynth (another monosynth) that I built from a kit in 1985.

[@whatshisfacemcwhatnot9550]

That "I've cleaned all the pots" picture is still making me laugh every time I think back on it.

[@audiodood]

It's sound is absolutely massive for what it is. Very cool machine

[@dpallant]

I built one of these when it first came out in my teens. Probably gave it away a few years later. I also built the Transcendant DPX "String Thing". That had a five octave keyboard and was based on an octave generator and dividers (like an organ) rather than a VCO so was fully polyphonic. However it only had simple rough piano, organ and string sounds. The company also produced a vocoder in about 1983 which was a 4u case packed full of electronics.

[@robyoink]

I love old synths like this, all the basics you need to make some solid sounds.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

yeah!!! bread and butter, tbh all thats needed :D imo

[@pastoelio]

looks like uve done it again, well done

[@chloedevereaux1801]

it was a magazine kit... you bought the parts every week. ended up costing as much as a moog... :D

[@Sandelec-gm2cl]

Obviously..I have bought a telescope ever week and I hand made It. A worst quality..for a cost of 800€. If I buy It quality in an optic shop..i spend less of half.

[@James-fe7wd]

But you learned how to build an analogue synth in the process so if that's the aim, not such a terrible deal

[@akkudakkupl]

But its in nice, small, affordable payments!

[@MarkJenkinsMusic]

It wasn't really that sort of kit. ETI wasn't trying to sell you all the parts in 98 episodes. They published it as fast as they could, it was just a case of handling the main circuit board in one issue, the keyboard wiring in another, the case assembly in a third. In fact one of the main designs points of the T2000 was that it was all on one huge PCB (except power) which was supposed to simplify life - though as LMNC found, that meant problems could be hiding anywhere...

[@SpaceLifeMo]

Took a while to assemble the kit, my dad is raving mad cos of it lol 😂

[@Art-zs6sl]

It sounds pretty great to me. Especially the envelope

[@MahlenMorris]

7:06: "So all of the knobs are, well, they're knobs. Whuoh!" I can relate.

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

This badboy looks wonderful. I just love the look very military and demanding. Thanks for sharing this vid.

[@stevemayne9305]

Big fan of Moog from back in the day and a synth that I'd love to hear more from - the sound is rich and full! Not naff or cheap at all.

[@leemkuny]

I'm in the process of fixing one myself. All the pots replaced (five were physically broken plus at least three were electriacally not working). The front panel switches replaced. And I also spent a while before finding the 820 ohm wirewound resistor in the VCF (like your 870 in the VCO) was also open circuit. I'm struggling getting all the keys to work, but I have a plan. As it is an oldie I found it hard to track down the components or currently available equivalents. I also have plans for a few modifications, including MIDI. Why not, it is a kit not a treasured antique.

[@toddspeck9415]

Awesome fix. That thing sounds so cool.

[@superotterboy7937]

Ever the crazy genius! Nice detective work on that resistor fix! I'm terrible at debugging circuits! I have a Function gen from Maplin I soldered years ago and the volume doesn't work; still haven't found why. This synth sounds great! I'd rather play with one of these than a vst any day.

[@jimmatheson9125]

I'm old enough that i built one when it was new. Last time i saw it decades ago it was working perfectly except the release or something on the envelope.

[@cjlvossen]

Love these kind of projects..

[@honey1honey116]

Your so intelligent . Gifted at working out problem. Must have felt great when it came too life. .

[@smegulate9826]

What a cool piece of kit.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

its nice aint ittt!!!!!

[@crunchyfrog555]

Oh wow. A Transcendent 2000. I still have the copy of Elctronics today they serialised this in, and I idolised over it for years as an impressionable kid. The filter sounds a bit MS-20 ish. But that Noise oscillator - oh wow. I love that.

[@MarkJenkinsMusic]

The T2000 was my first synth (after playing electric organs and things, like Terry Riley). I didn't build it myself, there were always mistakes and corrections in the design, but it worked well in the end and stayed in tune. I sold my original but got another some years later and used it for effects noises - sample and hold, white noise etc. It was a little thin for melody or bass parts, even thickening up the oscillator sound with pulse width modulation, but no worse off than the ARP Axxe, Moog Satellite, Korg Micro Preset etc etc etc I would like to modularise mine now but it doesn't really compete with recent products like the MicroBrute. The T2000 does feature in my book "Analog Synthesizers 2nd Edition" (2019) but I'll probably sell mine now, once I've checked it can be tuned up correctly...

[@constantinefour6193]

i remember when these came out always wanted one .bought a jen synthtone sx 2000 in 1978 , still have it most of it works

[@MrDuncl]

Can you remember how much that was ? I just found the SX1000 in a 1982 Kays catalogue at £250.

[@20windfisch11]

9:45 Wenn Wellen schwingen, ferne Stimmen singen! When airwaves swing, distant voices sing!

[@GadgetUK164]

Awesome =D Pretty nice for the 70's hobbyist stuff!

[@macronencer]

Watching your videos is often weird for me, because I'm much older than you but you're into stuff from my childhood/teens. I was 13 when this synth came out and I remember seeing it on the magazine cover. It's amazing to see how all these things are having a renaissance now :) One kit synth that really got me fired up when I was young was the Maplin 5600S. I've always wanted one, but I've never wanted to risk getting a dud that's been built poorly, so I've never risked it. My construction skills aren't up to the job, sadly.

[@MrDuncl]

I had a play with one of those back in the early 1980s. It was the type of synth that took ten minutes patching to get a sound from it. The person who owned it also had a a Roland SH1000. Given the choice of the two I wouldn't have hesitated to choose the Roland.

[@macronencer]

@@MrDuncl I can imagine what the 5600S was like to use, with that 900-hole patch panel! I'd love to see a VST version of it though. It would be a great project for someone like Arturia, but perhaps there wouldn't be enough demand. I have a Roland SH101 myself, but it's currently faulty and needs repair. I might attempt it, as I gather it's a common fault and has a known solution. I love the SH101 and I had one previously when I was at uni in the 1980s. So much fun!

[@phildxyz]

Still have one of these - I bought the parts new from Powertran in Andover. Need to get it out and give it an overhaul...

[@pecne]

Sic filter. I love that! Quite like a steiner parker filter.

[@AdmanMVR]

Tickling ivories and twisting knobs sounds like a great time!

[@zaugitude]

Excellent! Congrats on fixing it. Too bad for the pots as it does seem to be versatile and nicely laid out. That pitch bend pot totally needs some retrofitted springage. CheerZ!

[@matthewlister3755]

I'm trying to make an older synth and I also can't find the parts. I started with minimal knowledge so when I saw that the schematic called for polystyrene capacitors I thought "Ha! Easy!" 5 minutes of trying to find polystyrene capacitors on Digikey changed that attitude pretty quickly. Hats off on a job well done. This synth sounds badass!

[@ianbcnp]

Always worth trying ebay for odds and sods. I'm in the UK and get normal stuff from Rapid but odd values or odd components or small numbers I usually get from ebay.

[@matthewlister3755]

@@ianbcnp excuse my ignorance, I'm new to this, but are old capacitors reliable? I saw some polystyrene capacitors on eBay but I ended up not going with them because they looked pretty old. I checked some forums and ended up going with mica and it worked, but I would get the polystyrene if I can somehow confirm that they'd be reliable.

[@iqi616]

@@matthewlister3755 Not sure about polystyrene ones but IMO you can swap in just about any non-electrolytic with the right value.

[@matthewlister3755]

@@iqi616 I went with mica and it worked. I wonder why polystyrene? It's an arduino synth hooked up to a SID chip from a Commodore 64 so maybe the guy who made it was going for an 80's vibe.

[@BWPT.]

​@@matthewlister3755 Polystyrene caps are 'supposed' to be better in the audio path, utterly pointless for power supplies and the like though.

[@reggiep75]

It's a pretty versatile synth for being a single osc kit that benefits from being features heavier than most monosynths allowing you to make quite a lot of sounds. It's a good little synth and it's good that you got it in good working condition. Make a similar rackmount version and gig it.

[@newsles2]

Loved mine. It didn't have the knobs, only the knob posts. It was the only synth I owned with a BP filter and an audio input. I disgraced myself by accidentally dropping it on the platform at B'ham New Street station when I was heading back to Scotland. Not being of a technical bent I could never get it working well again. Anyway, I agree with you about it. A great wee synth with some unique quirks.

[@BertGrink]

It's pretty good going for a single-oscillator, DIY synth.

[@djantix1200]

Siick! Glad you were able to get it sorted. That thing is pretty cool. Ebay has one for sale currently that was used by Martin Hannett from none other than Joy Division!!!! It's Red with flight case included! Wish I had some money to burn. $3000........

[@debbie09090]

Damn I couldn’t even afford the KIT back in the day. I would have had a lot of fun with this.

[@x5132]

i believe you can use multiple resistors in-line, basically adding their ohm values

[@sharonlee4773]

I remember these kits,they were sold by Maplins in the very early 80s.

[@shauncollins5029]

Sounds fab...

[@xx-bg2dj]

I built a few of the ETI synths like this back in the late 70s for people. That resistor you changed needs to be close to original value if you want to get the octave span of the keyboard correct, but if it's just going to be an exhibit then it probably doesn't matter much.

[@fiddlestickzmuzik]

Always loved this synth and wanted all my life but have never seen one anywhere in Australia..

[@2112jonr]

Awesome work Sam. I'd just started comprehensive school and remember seeing this on the front cover of ETI, which I bought whenever pocket money allowed! Brilliant to see you bring one back to life 42 years later, especially as I'm now a synth nerd too. Sounds great! Well done :-))

[@toi_techno]

Sounds great

[@krytenfivetwothreep2485]

Where even is the museum? I'd love to pay a visit when it opens, but I'm in Wales and travel can be an issue

[@bridgetmccallum]

Hadn't noticed before that you use a ts100 iron. They're so handy!

[@synthshoot1026]

Awesome. You could connect a few resistors in parallel or series to get the right value.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

indeed. but like i mention its parts of the temperature compensation section relying on the temperature coefficient of copper.

[@SOAR-OF-AVEM]

11:42 How wonderful!

[@rdm5190]

Cool box... got a vst of it,pretty cool but id love to get my hands on a real one...

[@thecluff]

I can't wait for the museum!!

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

same!

[@tabriff3832]

Watched the vid earlier, then found myself looking at the thumbnail in disbelief. ‘Powertran’, why didn’t it register before? 40 flippin years ago, I built a POWERTRAN Chromatheque 5000, ETI 5 CHANNEL LIGHTING EFFECTS SYSTEM. Woohoo! This might be sad, but I still have it...

[@MrDuncl]

Powertran did some really cool kits. A shame they were all more than I earned a week back then.

[@ONE.MILLION.MEGA.HERTZ.]

I have one. Found it at a Goodwill in the late 90s for 50 bucks.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Is there any way to get one of these again these days? Like.. a DIY kit re-build Kit with new parts? I would LOVE to put together such a Mono synth myself. But sadly i can't find anything like that here in Germany.

[@witeshade]

Is it possible the circuit has DC going across the pots? That would cause them to be scratchy as heck.

[@Dogboy73]

Nice and RAW!! love it. Dirty and nasty but very beautiful as well, although they probably didn't think that when they finished building it back in the 70's :D

[@Nonpartisanmusic]

That fkn thing looks awesome better than most synths out there, just lots of large knobs and youre good to go....

[@vape647]

You are a genius Man! ☺️👍

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

im not at all haha! but ill take the compliment lol :D

[@BertGrink]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER Hey you're certainly smarter than the average bear!

[@iamthetinkerman]

What would be the closest thing to this instrument if I were to buy an already made good value one? I'm still learning about the hardware! Thanks ❤️

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

jen sx1000 is sorta similar you can get em for 200 quid

[@MrDuncl]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER Which is £50 less than they cost new in 1982 :-) With people commenting about prices I just looked that up in an old Kays catalogue.

[@jirioto6089]

ahh, sound of real electronic potentials, i love it

[@RothmanHarv]

Reminds me of the Wasp a bit. Now onto Tim Orr's Transcendent Polysynth, lol.

[@AndyFerguson]

I studied (electronic musical instrument design) at the London College of Furniture where Tim came in to lecture. Great guy, a bit mad perhaps. Anyway we played with the Poly and it sounded great ... and then someone brought in a Prophet 5. Oops. I played in a college band with a WASP, MiniMoog (not mine) and an Axxe going through a vocoder Tim let us borrow. Ah those were the days.

[@pianokeyjoe]

This thing is ALL ME! I love building my own(rebuilding more rather)keyboards! I wish there were synth keyboard kits now in 2020 but for actual cheap prices, not the stupid high prices you be better off buying a fully assembled brand synth instead of..

[@6pin66]

closest is NTS-1 , but really ...not the same .

[@MrDuncl]

This wasn't cheap when it came out in 1978. £189 for the kit. Back then I had just started as an Apprentice on £25 a week. The brand new Honda motorbike I bought in 1979 was £500 on the road. I haven't looked at Eurorack stuff but is it that expensive ? Of course the modern Korg reissues of the MS20 etc benefit from economies of scale and automated assembly using SMT components.

[@chrishyslop1]

built mine in the early 70's used it alot in 10 bands i played in at the time. Now it needs repair and I am struggling to get the keyboard contact switches any idea where i get them???

[@leemkuny]

Chris. Finished my repair now. Mine was missing one keyboard switch so I took another apart to see how it works, as you do, and put a tinkercad design together for the plastic bit that a friend kidly 3D printed for me. A bit of trial and error needed to find the right material for the contact wires. 0.4mm brass wires, from a railway modelling site, didn't work as they tarnished within a week. But who knew that you can get 24 carat gold plated guitar strings! The 0.016 inch strings are perfect. You get about four switches from one string. I ended up putting new wires in all the switches. I've also done a few mods that fix some of the shortcomings including one that stops self oscillation of the VCF at 20kHz, sure to kill your tweeters. some links you might find useful... www.tinkercad.com/things/6GOqQf04fAJ optima-strings.com/shop/en/electric-guitar/single-strings/24k-gold-plain/11/gps016-24k-gold-strings-einzelsaite.016

[@Truthorshit]

BrUh, you made it sound wicked.

[@andyfraser5876]

I bought the kit and collected from the Powertran factory in Andover. Maybe it's the one you have now.

[@ChrissV234]

Synth sounds so good. What’s your snare drum module Sam? Is it based on any existing module or sound? Sounds fantastic. Really cuts.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

its a mix of a linn drum sample module i made, and a hexinverter mutant snare module. both triggered at same time

[@ChrissV234]

Oh cool, it sounds great :) thanks Sam!

[@davewoolcock8904]

Mine's been bust for 40 years. The VCO won't oscillate since I lent it someone. Nothing obviously wrong - any ideas?

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Check the repair vid I did on this. Usually the precision timing cap

[@BillOdyssey]

Kinda Korg-y, I like it!

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Wow . Want want want want 300% . I've seen one somewhere , but didn't realise it was a self assembly kit . This and a Paia fatman would do nicely.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

its cool aint it :D

[@Reliquancy]

Is that one dial working backwards like that in all of them or just the way this particular one is built?

[@gasolineandwine]

10:37 Seems to me like the VCFAD is bipolar! Knob to the left gives you positive envelope modulation, knob to the right gives you negative. Center is nothing. Btw, there's a VST emulation of this synth that does an incredible job at recreating that fat and ballsy sound, Transcendental 2000. It also includes a second VCO and a bunch of other stuff.

[@angaudlinn]

Used to own one. Bought it as a kind of Behemoth-mad-scientist-evil-doctor-combo on Ebay UK where it was bolted together with a ARP Solus and both had been stripped of the keyboards. I separated them and turned them into table top units and sold both a few years later. I remember how vicious that resonance could be on headphones. Nothing can beat that squeeeeeling siren sound except the Octave Cat. Always nice to see a dead synth coming back to life. :D

[@Sierraman59]

Cool synth :)

[@fumutohru9251]

The Tuss - [S770/SCI 3000,powertran] beautiful Japanese people is an old Aphex Twin track with some really phexy sounds from this synthesizer. Check it out.

[@EquestrianSport]

That thing is RAW . I likes it. I've actually been going back to the on Osc sound. It really cuts through the mix. That thing is dope as hell. I'm surprised you haven't put some matrix patch points in it

[@ThelemicMagick]

Appearantly Martin Hannett has his Powertran for sale. Unfortunately it's almost $ 3000. Can't seem to find another one for sale.

[@2112jonr]

Probably due to the Joy Division connection and him being dead, what 30 years? Never sure if that was Barney's or his own, would love to know.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

This is cool. Here's a question for you or anyone who knows synths. I have some stuff already. Keyboards, guitars and stuff. But there's one thing I'm lacking. Also my budget is very low. If I wanted one real synth. A real monophonic, analog synth with knobs but I didn't have a lot of $$$, what suggestions would you guys ... well, suggest? Or is their currently a kit like this? I've done a little soldering.

[@birdfacemd]

Well now I HAVE to come to the UK at some point

[@baddriddimworkshop]

i'de be interested into getting hands on that users manual

[@baddriddimworkshop]

oh, found it

[@hubzcaps]

i do like the that res

[@ChrisLeeW00]

I heard that moog put the schematics up for the werkstatt, think you might make one from scratch?

[@chimeraantero8127]

KIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLING OHHHHHH GOD, so coooool

[@RobRymill]

You should do a whole vid on Tim Orr and his designs

[@rydelldark]

You should do the Terminator soundtrack, thanks for your videos and dedication!

[@Superman-x6c]

Genius!