Opening, Documenting and Setting Up the SynthAxe

[@AlecStansfieldMusic]

It’s kinda freaky to see my name on the test sticker inside an instrument that I tested and last saw some 37 years ago! Great video. The reason the cable coatings fell apart was because of a reaction between the foam used in the flight cases and the plasticiser in the cables - which made the cable coverings become very brittle. Oh, and I got your email and will reply shortly. Cheers, Alec S

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you for watching Alec! Sorry for not remembering your name but I'll get it right next time. Looking forward to reading your email!

[@thaddeusfromsonar]

you are a literal treasure to the holdsworth community dude. we love you dude.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Ah thank you! 😁

[@astrorad2000]

A wonderful journey. Thank you for sharing. My wife and I were fortunate enough to see Allan at Shank Hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and at Casio Music for a DW drum clinic with Chad Wackerman, Allan Holdsworth and Jimmy Johnson. Allan didn't use a Synthaxe but was astounding as ever. My favorite tune is Maid Marion and the Synthaxe was an ingenious instrument that should have taken over the as the premier instrument for forward, innovative guitarists like Allan.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

That's great! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

[@ES175jazz]

It felt like watching the unmasking of a recently found ancient mummy on the History channel!! Amazing!

[@LivioLamoneamusic]

😍 Now there must be someone out there who sees this video and embark on the journey of building this dream machine again… come on boy, we’re with you!!! 😊

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I'm hoping!! Haha

[@lex.cordis]

@@TurrigenousOfficial We should crowdfund a project of this sort. I mean, with todays technology, it's got to be more than possible to manufacture the SynthAxe again, with improvements and at a lower cost, right? Am I missing something?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

@@lex.cordis I agree 100%. The guitar design would pretty much have to be the same, but all the internals could be MUCH more efficient.

[@lex.cordis]

@@TurrigenousOfficial Perhaps the only change I would suggest is to perhaps make the fretboard more like a standard guitar, or at least just make the equal-spaced frets a bit closer together. I'm just not sure who to reach out to...

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I disagree a bit. The equal spaced frets are unique. There are some chords impossible to play that high up on a real guitar. Allan wanted a smaller neck because of the opposite reason. There were chords he wanted to play high on the neck but couldn't. With equal spaced frets I can just about play anything Allan could. The frets are about the side of a 12th fret on a fender neck.

[@FededeDiosDrums]

I was thinking "it'd be terryfied to open an instrument i wont know how to fix". Then i saw you had a chip reader. You clearly know what you are doing

[@MonsterMidi]

Everyone of us have ALWAYS wondered and ALWAYS wanted to know what was in this thing! Thank you so much for doing this for ALL of us to enjoy. George from South Carolina

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

My pleasure! Thanks for checking it out 😀

[@chaotemagick3]

youre the only person in the world that this synthaxe was destined to end up with. its been passed down and dirtied through the ages, waiting in a garage for one day, when a young inspired intelligent man would have enough passion and engineering knowledge to take it on as a unique passion project that few if any would have the ability or talent to do. bravo sir, you were this instruments destiny

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you!

[@AdamRobertshaw]

That 50 still working rumour was from about 15 years ago. Given the age, I'd say maybe 50% of those are now dead... it's why I started the owners group on facebook to collect the owners together to find out a) how many there are, and b) collect repair information to keep them running, and finally c) maybe write a book on it all (I live near the original creators of the unit). Had some excellent info so far in the private owners FB group, and this adds greatly. Really appreciated! :) Edit: heads up the lemo connectors vary synthaxe to synthaxe, as does the actual build (each one learning from the last). I notice your bend sensor area looks different to my Synthaxe for instance. If you want new cables talk to Jim Lassen.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Oh thats great! Ive already been in contact with Alec and Mal. Great guys. There used to be another group but it disappeared! Thats why I remembered there were EPROMs in the synthaxe and went to go double check. I think (maybe aside from the bend coils) nothing is 'impossible' to fix but that code if its lost would be virtually impossible to get. So I had to upload it. I also wonder since it gets hot, how many synthaxes would work if the PCBs would be reflowed. With the original Xbox 360s, they would generate a lot of heat but wouldn't disperse it properly. So the solder would melt, then harden. After time you would develop cracks in the solder. You then would put the whole PCB in an oven, melt the solder and have it cool and hopefully that crack would go away.

[@ifly65]

How much did the author pay? How much are they going for working?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I can't give that up but it was a price I couldn't say no to 😁

[@ifly65]

Ive owned over 50 synthesizers (pro musician since age 14). I totally understand and can take a good guess how much it was. I have the Allan book and VHS from NEW and I never understood it until your videos! Thanks. Please go watch my solo attempts. ifly65@@TurrigenousOfficial

[@CharlieShaughnessy]

Sounds like you are open-sourcing the SynthAxe in a way. Love to see it. Maybe this can lead to bigger things. Great work JV

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I hope so too! Thanks 😀

[@luigi1mario]

my excitement is immeasurable

[@user-bl3si3kq6x]

The stuff you cover is very interesting. Guitar nerds remember this kind of thing.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

This video is unbelievable, John. Great job.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you so much!

[@RICKYVSP]

Awesome, this really takes me back on time when I discover Aldsworths music just after school. It was the excitement of new sounds in music and everyone talking about Midi and I was so anxious to know about it. Thanks so much for this video man. Congrats for your Synthaxe . Cheers

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@satchice9102]

Forces in the universe have come together to find the rightful owner for this SynthAxe.😃 I noticed that there are quite a lot of electrolytic capacitors (@ 19:25) on the SynthAxe circuit boards (the black cylindrical components with 2 terminals +ve & -ve). It seems you know quite a bit about electronics (as anyone who owns an EPROM reader to dump the ROM code probably does) so you probably know electrolytic capacitors degrade over time and drift out of their rated capacitance value or specification and cause faults, so you might look at getting them replaced with modern equivalents if your SynthAxe becomes unreliable. There's loads of videos on KZbin of people replacing the electrolytic capacitors in similar vintage digital electronics equipment like old Commodore 64 home computers. It's not that difficult for someone with a decent de-soldering station and a good temp controlled soldering iron to replace all the electrolytic capacitors on a circuit board. You have to make sure you get the +ve and -ve connections correct because electrolytics are usually (>90% of the time) polarised - take photos of them before replacing them because sometimes the silk screen printing on PCBs doesn't always reliably inform you which is the +ve and which is the -ve terminal. [I wonder if dodgy electrolytic capacitors is the reason one of Allan's SynthAxe's reportedly only worked for 10-20 mins - as it warmed up with use, the heat tipped one of the capacitors far enough out of its rated value to cause a fault]. The other thing I noticed (bottom right @ 40:52) is that there's a lithium battery in the Console. It doesn't looked like it has leaked, so that's lucky. Some types of battery, especially NiCd, are notoroius for leaking their chemicals and then corroding the copper tracks of PCBs. You might look at replacing the battery before this happens.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! Yeah I know about the caps. I don't seem to have any issues but it's possible it may worked a bit better if they were replaced. Also I did test the battery and it's still 3.3V.

[@unfrostedpoptart]

@@TurrigenousOfficial First thing - amazing video and work on your part! However, on the big caps, I think you'd only see the aging as AC ripple on the DC supply if you looked at it with an oscilloscope. Good louck in the future with this!

[@Michael-wr2mz]

I have a feeling this video is going to blow up soon

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

That would be cool hah. Any reason what makes you think that?

[@Michael-wr2mz]

Theres an 80s demo video of the guitar that just got recommended to me and then I came across your video, came across your video organically.

[@Hulloder]

Love the Dominant Plague playthrough at the end! That's such a strange tune! Thanks for documenting all of this and sharing what you learned :)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Of course! Thanks for watching 🙂

[@planetpjr]

Allan would be jazzed that you got that thing. Nice christmas movie.

[@BPJJohn]

According to Wikipedia Fewer than 100 SynthAxes were made, that makes you very lucky to get one.

[@schultzdigital1]

love what you're doing here...thx

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@planetpjr]

To me Allan's music had already defined the entire 21st century by 1982 but there are still 888 years to go til the next gen can arrive. If people and music are still around in the year 3000, hopefully this video will be an archeological document for musicologists and historians. Back to the atavachron!

[@artellis]

This is great. Good work. Always been fascinated by that instrument too. That and the Lyricon

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

Well, I must be a tremendous Allan Holdsworth and technology nerd because I enjoyed every minute of this video.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks for watching!

[@MusicMindset]

12:54 Haha! Thanks for this video man. Very interesting stuff. Never seen one so upclose. Those are awesome instruments.

[@malchaps]

Hi My name is Mal Chapman, I was the guy that sold all those Synthaxes. I have spares, step ons , cables ( made up from new ) a Synthaxe logo for your head stock .I think I have the original 5.2 eprom. Love to make contact,

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Hi Mal, thanks for the comment! Got your message and responded. I'll email you soon!

[@freewaybullit]

How amazing!! Thankyou so much for producing this awesome content. For all AH boffs.. enthralling stuff! I love guitar synths and still have an original Roland VG8 ex

[@99beatmonster]

Such an incredible instrument. thanks for the video.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks for watching!

[@stemforeal9987]

John, thank you so much for doing this! You Rock! When I was a child (we are the same age) my dad got LR's Earth Run record and I was absolutely mesmerized by the SynthAxe and I've always been curious about it. The NES Power Glove also blew my mind in the same way, hahaha. I think AH would be stoked to know you do what you do regarding his music. On a side note: I bought your book on AH's chords a while back and I had a blast going through it, and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about his view of the fretboard. You're a true gem! SynthAxe-on my man! P.S. If you really want to hit peak radness levels, you're going to have to do a vid where you play the SynthAxe while wearing the NES Power Glove. I'll be waiting!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Haha I didn't have the power glove as a kid so I never got one again. Plus they don't work very well because I think it used fluid and its dried up. But using that with the Synthaxe would be peak 80s! Thank you so much for buying the book! Im glad you're enjoying it and learning cool stuff! :D

[@enricoarielrusso]

Oh man I was hoping for someone to go all Atavachron like you're doing right now! It's amazing! I'd love If you could share the tabs/voicings for the dominant plague, it would be amazing to try them out on an actual keyboard synth. Thanks!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I'm still iffy on it. What I have SOUNDS right but I dunno if it IS right 🤣

[@pranavphx]

+1 on dominant plague, one of my all time favourite and probably an under rated Allan Tune

[@rockstarjazzcat]

@@TurrigenousOfficial the transcriber’s dilemma. there’s always some correction, point of contention to be resolved in the wild… start the negotiation with the proposal? 😉

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I originally intended to do Looking Glass but changed it last minute cuz it's one I remember a lot if people asking about

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

After I recorded it double checked it and I thought I got something wrong. But I went back and checked it and it's too tough to really tell cuz of the patches. The one chord I was concerned with was one of the few that was clear so I said to hell with it, sounds close enough haha

[@erictripton]

My, God. So much intricacies. No wonder so expensive. Every fret is a trigger...amazing. Phewww

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Yeah! Def a bit troublesome to devote so much of your material to this, then it goes down. Then what? A major reason why Allan kinda abandoned it. If it did well enough, I bet he may have never had played a real guitar again.

[@erictripton]

@TurrigenousOfficial WOW, that's good stuff, John. Well never say never, I reckon. My hopes before I leave this earth, is someone makes UD Stomp design and Synthaxe again. The Fishman/midi pickup thing still aggrevating to attempt legato anything on. Thanks John 😊

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Interesting! Never tried the Fishman and thought it was pretty good for what it does. Of course again it's not possible with AH cuz you still need those frets the distance apart haha. So attaching it to a real guitar would still be tough

[@paulczech]

I'm happy for you...enjoy it!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@ichikaba]

Very Interesting! Keeping the memory of Allan alive. Thanks, John!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@Simeon_Harris]

thanks for taking the time to film all this, john! absolutely fascinating to see it close up, let alone all the insides. so how does it feel to play? do the evenly spaced frets feel strange? what do the action and the neck feel like? looking forward to more videos where you could answer some of these questions for us. we're all experiencing this vicariously though you!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

My pleasure! As far as playing it you gotta get comfortable with it. The frets aren't a problem for me, its the length. Like finding the 1st fret or 15th fret because they're not where I think they are. Plus there are different parameters to adjust that prevent errant notes from being played. So it takes some time to adjust

[@RORGuitars]

So great to see the synth axe up close. Thanks for sharing!!

[@josephfilipow]

This is amazing! I’m so jealous but glad it went to someone so deserving

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you 😁

[@dimitri2576]

Fantastic video. A treasure. Thanks John.

[@aliensporebomb]

Fascinating video - I was hoping someone would do something like this someday documenting the Synthaxe. I'm a guy who has been using guitar synthesizers and/or hex guitar units since 1979-ish. Today I've got 3 working units (13-pin Roland and Boss) and 2 guitars suitable for controlling (neck thru shred machines with carbon graphite stabilizer bars work very well for this). I use them in a way that Roland probably thought they would NOT get used. So I never run into tracking issues. I've got a lot of weird videos on my youtube page showing me using these live with loopers to simulate full band type sounds. Anyway, so cool to see a video on this rare item! The Holdsworth connection is cool, but others used it too and any documentation is kind of amazing.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! I'm way more into Allan so thats where the interest came from and is always is gonna come from. Besides, aside from perhaps Future Man, he's easily the most well known person to use it. Still got a few ideas for some videos on it!

[@seanpurdy2450]

I once set up a Tele to have 6 x B strings with a Roland synth pickup, and just transposed each string on the synth. Interesting experience.

[@martintayler23]

Wonderful story John and thank you for creating this video. It is a great insight into the workings of the Synthaxe and a piece of musical history.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you for watching and listening 🙂

[@brandenrobinson9411]

Finished the video, so now my comments won't risk being even lamer than normal. ;-) My _guess_ as to why they still had socketed chips for the EPROMs is because they were still in the beta test phase with less than 100 units sold and in the field. If there was a problem in any of the programs in those 6+ (?) EPROMs they'd need a field upgrade. The EPROMs would be reprogrammed in a unit much like your modern USB one. As you noted, it's not practical to pull and replace the surface-mounted chips. (It _can_ be done, but it's not the kind of thing you want to do routinely.) I'll wager that the plan was to go surface-mounted, mask-programmed ROMs if the instrument was a hit and moved a lot of units. Also I can see why the SynthAxe was so expensive. That's a HUGE part count in logic chips. Over time, with a successful product, they would have been able to increase the scale of integration, which would be way cheaper for them, and some of the cost savings could be passed on to the consumer, driving more sales. If only, huh? Also I don't _think_ a broken pin on a socketed IC is a total disaster. They can be replaced. But as with desoldering and resoldering surface-mount parts, it's bespoke work. There's no margin in that sort of labor. Just my thoughts as a software guy who'd love to play with hardware more but is intimidated by anything that requires more fiddling than a JTAG port. :P Moving to something nearer my competency, I saw ASCII-encoded strings in that 64kB EPROM dump you did. A closer study of those dumps could be really educational. For instance, if you see large repeating byte patterns (particularly at boundaries of powers of two), then the EPROM is smaller than you think, and the same addresses are being decoded repeatedly. On top of the juicy bits of seeing what sorts of diagnostic messages the things produce, if the company was more concerned with getting a working product out than concealing things and frustrating third-party hackers (you're a Nintendo guy, you know what I mean), and especially since this is 1985/6, the instructions in the EPROMs are not encrypted in any way, and anyone familiar with the instruction formats of micro(processors/controllers) of the era could likely tell you which one was used...and then disassemble the code. And that could be really good stuff for a SynthAxe resurrection project undertaken by hobbyists.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Lots to respond here, i'll do my best! 1.) I don't think it was so much for a test phase, but just to update. I know when Allan used it in 1986, it had older firmware and Allan was given a new syntahxe and console. Ill mention this in the next video. This made performing live much easier. 2.) Good point about the parts count making it expensive. I totally forgot to mention that when I talked to Alec about the 14 pin cable, I saw that each pin was heat strinked and then set in glue. I asked if they had to hand solder them and they did! So thats a LOT of work just for the cables! I bet the bought the wire and plugs separately and then did the work themselves. 3.) With the broken IC, it would be WAY beyond my scope to fix it, but I would imagine as long as the metal was exposed, there would be a way to attach something to it and extract the data. 4.) Yeah, I learned all about JDEC pinouts and Nintendo switching the address lines to prevent piracy haha. If you look in the description, I uploaded the .bin files for all the code I extracted on the internet archive. No need to keep it all to myself. So if you want you can download it, check it out in an hex editor and figure it out. I know it has some basic text in there. I could even burn a chip so when it turns on I can give myself a little message :).

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Oh I wanted to add one more thing. The body does heat up a bit after about a half hour. I wonder if most of the issues that come from it are like the old xbox 360s. It heats up and isn't ventilated properly, so it causes cracks in the solder. I have a feeling if you reflowed some of those PCBs it would work again. Not a permanent solution, as long as they're not on a very long time. My two cents.

[@opstellar]

I've been wanting to reproduce the synthaxe for several years

[@quinntaylor7985]

Really fascinating and perfect soundtrack choice! Looking forward to future videos!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! Not normally something I do but figured it would be a nice backdrop 😁

[@alienfretboy]

Awesome!!! Congrats and thank you for your invaluable contribution to the Holdsworth universe of knowledge and information.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

My pleasure!

[@loamguitar]

The Dominant Plague is no joke one of my favourite Holdsworth tunes, I can't really explain why in a comment, it's too much to unpack hahah good job man, we

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@chris407x]

Fantastic history lesson. I am not an accountant, but I would recommend working with a really good one because you can write a lot of what you are doing off your taxes.

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Nice score. I like the color of yours. Very interesting to see the details of the whole system. I can see why they were so expensive... there is quite a lot going between the three main components! As an engineer type, I can see that lot of engineering went into the SynthAxe.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you! Yeah a lot of work went into it that was bogged down by tech that wasn't as advanced. Now it would be a breeze

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

@@TurrigenousOfficial Yeah it's kinda like the old Seymour Duncan Convertible amp from the 80s... that could be so much better today.

[@donnadie8854]

Great job man. Highly appreciated. Keep goin !

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@pa4tim]

Those Lemo connectors are very expensive. If you can find the correct cable you can solder them yourself. You can take the connector appart and then remove the pins to solder new wires. I do not have a synthaxe but I have worked with those connectors (I have a bunch and use them for test/measurement gear I build because I got them for free and they are one of the best)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I actually just bought a second set of cables this morning as a backup

[@mexistratman1]

I’ve recently got into Allan’s music in a big way and have enjoyed your videos, just used your Atavachron video to learn the song. So excited to see the Synthaxe videos :-)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Awesome!! Looking back on it I think I got it almost perfect. The Synthaxe has stuff about it that allows the chords to bleed over each other to create more complicated chords with simpler shapes

[@mexistratman1]

@@TurrigenousOfficial sounds great to me and the instructionals are really appreciated! It’s hard with a Strat and ham fists but your vids make it nearly possible to learn 😁

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Haha well thanks again then 😄

[@cassionobre9475]

No one can construct a midi instrument like this in 2023, unbeliaveble

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I think they can if they tried! I just don't know if the demand is there for anyone to attempt haha. Hey maybe these videos will drum some up

[@visog]

Interesting if stressful documentary. So worried those boards and ROMs would break. You're obviously comfortable with electronics. Nice to hear, 'The Dominant Plaguie' solo'd.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Had a lot of experience removing chips esp EPROMs. If I didn't I'd never do it haha

[@voronOsphere]

@@TurrigenousOfficial I, too, was nervous, watching the dissection process. I'm glad you're unafraid to move forward with it!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I bought it and intend on using it. So I gotta figure out how it works and understand it haha. It's electronics. It can be replaced or fixed in some way

[@gernblenstein1541]

It’s gods work you’re doing brother! Really an incredible tribute that you done over the series of videos. You will have many many appreciative viewers out here once things get rolling. STELLAR content with the Holdsworth study too! Love your tone on the end notes on the dominant plague! Wahh wahhh!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks so much!! Actually I re-vamped Dominant because I figured out another way it was played. Shows how tough those SA tunes can be because there are so many options! 😅

[@sergeysmyshlyaev9716]

Great video! I wonder, if SynthAxe is patent-protected and when the patents expire? I assume, if somebody would re-make the same instrument from scratch today the electronics would be much more compact.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I believe they've expired but the rights are owned by a company that doesn't seem to care because they manufacture track lighting, or something along those lines

[@ZoomRmc]

Holy sh*t! Mickey Newbury is one of the greatest songwriters of all time, and probably the greatest one in Country! His solo albums are a treasure trove of beauty and sadness. Didn't expect that in a SynthAxe video!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Neither did I! I wasn't familiar with him but I was sure surprised he owned it

[@ZoomRmc]

@@TurrigenousOfficial even if this music is not your cup of tea, it's hard to deny Frisco Mabel Joy and Winter Winds are something special. Recommended. Late congrats on your new toy!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@edelcorrallira]

Such an awesome piece of history, such a unique instrument. I recently got my hands on a Lineage midi guitar, and don't deny I'm really tempted to do the same. I've found very little info on this instrument and a few comments of people saying that their touchscreen died or other issues. Have to admit, the idea of getting an image dump does scare me quite a bit. Oh one thing, as for the little legs on those chips I remember seeing certain people solder a piece wire to them just to get a connection (never underestimate the need for a starving student to not flunk). For the most part they worked when they didn't burn to a crisp but were prone to all sorts of issues. Dunno about their longevity but let's just say I doubt those chips had a comparable lifespan to their un-tainted brethren (but hey as long as it held long enough to get a passing grade). Also, I remember people clinging on to win98 precisely because the EEPROM reader/writer was incompatible with newer versions of Windows... Then again, my phone has more power than those computing centers from back then.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I have a decent amount of experience with the EPROMs. So I'm pretty comfortable with them, esp from old video games from the 80s and haven't heard too many issues with them, even on old prototypes. You def should try and document that midi guitar! If you don't, who will? 😀

[@edelcorrallira]

@@TurrigenousOfficial sounds like I have a bit of homework ahead of me :)

[@rossknowles5608]

still think it looks like a dinner tray... but what an amazing find! so glad it found its way into appropriate hands.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Haha, thanks!!

[@Kevin-dw6tz]

Dominant Plague sounds great!!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks!

[@bdhay02]

Great video. Thanks for documenting the journey. Have you tried using an Oberheim Matrix 6 or 12 VST to nail the patch sounds Allan used?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! Not yet, just using presets now. I've been learning more about the electric side of the Synthaxe now

[@bdhay02]

Thanks for taking on the documentation effort. I look forward to the next chapter when you start exploring synth sounds. I saw Allan play his Synthaxe live with an Oberheim Matrix 12 back in the mid-80s. I think he might have also used an Ensoniq ESQ-M as some of the patches sound like what he used on Atavachron, Sand, and Wardenclyffe Tower among other albums. Perhaps there are VST soft synths of the Oberheim and Ensoniq. Here’s a guitarist playing around with a Holdsworth tune using an Ensoniq ESQ-M. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXq8ZGOGdq6shJI

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Oh awesome! There is an artura Matrix 12 which really can handle anything the Xpander could. But the EQS-M thing is new to me. Never heard about it!

[@bdhay02]

Is there a breath controller input? I noticed you didn’t cover that in your vid.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

No, the breath controller is used in a different way. I don't think the one Allan used had any midi inputs/outputs.

[@derrylgabel]

Wow John, super cool dude!!!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you!

[@tonyevans9999]

I'll never complain about setting up a strat tremelo ever again

[@RISCGames]

Now here’s a guy with good taste, Synthaxe, Allan Holdsworth and MESHHUGGAH!!! 🤘🏻

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

😁 I agree!

[@timcummiskey1178]

Woah!

[@basileus1966]

I can hardly breathe (of excitement)... please hand me over the breath controller.. Great video !! Thanks.

[@brandenrobinson9411]

I had no idea you had a background in digital logic, too...your hands are _definitely_ the right ones! I'm less than halfway through, and wondering what the voltage level for this logic is. 1986...TTL still? Also if there is a CPU or microcontroller on that board, even the surface-mounted ROM chips might be dumpable if you can get it booted with an alternate program to read the right portions of the address space. Interested to know what the ISA was. (I'm a software guy. Hardware tends to fail randomly around me when I get too close.)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

My knowledge is limited haha. You know way more!

[@patriziomameli9812]

You are da man! Instant legend!!!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks buddy! :)

[@wesleylakemusic]

Hey man, this is absolutely amazing, you totally deserve a Synthaxe for all your hard work! Honestly, I would love to see you just post some covers with it because it just sounds so beautiful. Would love to see Clown played on it at some point lol!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you so much! Clowns a weird one. Its mostly like a sound collage haha. Would be really difficult to replicate, esp with all those different patches.

[@wesleylakemusic]

@@TurrigenousOfficial Yeah true, now that you say it lol. Sand is one of my most favorite albums so I've been on the lookout for arrangements/covers of the songs. Anyways man, would love to hear more from the Synthaxe, really appreciate your work and all the best to you

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you so much! Expect a bunch of it in the future!!

[@zZAPp-fi]

Hi John, have you tried to drive software synth like OB-Xd or Cherry Audio Elka-X with this marvelous piece of tech-art?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Not those exactly but just the DX7 one and the Matrix 12

[@zZAPp-fi]

@@TurrigenousOfficial do you mean Arturia's Matrix-12 V? Well, hardw or softw you are already there, considering that Allan worked with the Xpander if i recall correctly. Those synth were/are Beasts!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Yea all vsts. I have no room or wallet for all of them haha. Allan had both M12 and Xpander.

[@zZAPp-fi]

@@TurrigenousOfficial ahaha, me too. Considering that they could needs repairs one day and that some of the softw replica are really close there's no need to sell my car 🤣. I own an SY77 but the lowest octave stopped working some years ago... i was thinking to drive it with my old gr-50 + the GK2 🤔...😂i don't know if it'll works, furthermore the cable isn't in good "shape"

[@andresludmer]

wow, amazing video! finally we get to learn a little bit more about that heavy machinery!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! Still have 2 videos planned. Allan's history with it and how to use it. Hopefully, I'll put out the history one in a couple of weeks

[@andresludmer]

@@TurrigenousOfficial great! will be looking foward to it! also, you should try to get the breath controller thingy

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Haha maybe if I come across one!

[@unfrostedpoptart]

Again, amazing work and video! Question (actually dozens, but I'll be nice...): are the six trigger keys velocity and / or pressure sensitive? I can see them being great with a synth/VST that responds to poly aftertouch.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you! And they do! All the keys do actually. Individual, group and master keys

[@opstellar]

If you look up the patent documents on it, it's got a lot of the blueprints.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I have those too, but they're just general schematics and not entirely accurate

[@luigi1mario]

Incredbile to see someone playing The Dominant Plague

[@MrThomas1958]

very interesting, John. Thanks for your documentary.

[@sarpvulas]

Hi! Do you consider to do the The Dominant Plague or do you know a resource where I can find the chord chart? That is one of my fav tune. Thanks in advance!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I'm iffy on it cuz it sound right to me but I'm unsure if it IS right. It's all in standard. I'm gonna go and give it another look in a few months and decide from there

[@sarpvulas]

@@TurrigenousOfficial thanks man!

[@seanpurdy2450]

This is so awesome!

[@dudeeronomy3805]

Brilliant - weirdly, this is almost as good as getting to own one myself! I notice that the left hand trigger switches look different to all other pictures I've seen and the head cover does not have the "Synthaxe" logo. Is this from an earlier or later production run perhaps?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Good observation! I noticed that myself. In the manual it says that production models made before a certain time have a different way of adjusting the trigger strings. So with that, the switches and also the wang bar being completely straight are little clues to tell if its an early model or not. I think the Synthaxe logo was probably just a magnet that fell off or something. Would be weird not to have it on the headstock. I actually want to write that guy Alec an email with a few Qs I have to help clear the air on certain things.

[@krma1970]

Man, what a journey. I'm really happy for you. And thank you for all upcoming videos about playing and discovering this unique piece of gear. Ps : if some rich guy is interested in producing an affordable reissue... Just saying :p)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you! 🙂

[@bassmania84]

my guy.. nice

[@drtone]

You are so cool !!!! Where is Allan's ? Do you play Roland VG 13 pin instruments with GK-2/3 pick-up ? Keep on exploring ;)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! Dunno where Allan's is. I know at least 2 people had the 5 he owned. I do have that Roland GP10 system I used for 16 men of tain but I'm selling it

[@Majmune123]

I was always wondering why this thing needed trigger strings, and if theres a better way to this with the technology we have now ?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

The trigger strings are good for more percussive sounds you'd want to use. Depends on the part and sound. Also there def a better and easier way to do it now, just not a lot of demand for it to be improved unfortunately

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Bravo! 🙌🏼

[@pasthomas]

fantastic video! i'm a big AH fan, this channel and video are a great resource, thank you. subscribed.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thank you!!

[@piynubbunyip]

40.49 that Lithium battery looks ready to leak everywhere.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I've tested it and it's still good. 3.3V

[@geevee7823]

I heard Fairlight were involved with the SynthAxe, but I don't remember in what shape or form?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I know next to nothing about the Fairlight but you are right. It was developed for it. I was told it directly

[@williamwinn948]

I was 5 years old when that passed inspection lol

[@grantasticbeats]

Love seeing the workings of this beats! What tuning app do you use?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Thanks! I dunno which one I use but I know it's free haha

[@grantasticbeats]

@@TurrigenousOfficialHa! I saw a few different free ones but reviews are always bad that its never accurate, so always curious when someone finds a good one

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I really don't use my app tuner much. I can mostly do it by ear but for something like this I needed some assistance. Plus the amps I use have built in tuners

[@grantasticbeats]

@@TurrigenousOfficial Very true, on the go i know there is a yt vid of each string being played and you can tune to that. But yea at home my spark40 amp is built in and d'addario tuner works great. For sax and flute I use a small korg tuner

[@rafaelcastillo8126]

heatsrink is a good idea, there is also a plastic cloth wraping called techflex I think that would work too. good that you did not use electrical tape all arround. it would have been a sticky nightmare in the near future.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

That's exactly what Danny said that it would get all sticky. I'll look into techflex. Thank you!

[@rafaelcastillo8126]

@@TurrigenousOfficial i´m electronic engineer and I love the history of the synthaxe. I bet today you would be able to build it in an arduino. but there is a lot of engineering over it. yamaha have a patent for one of their midi guitars. they send a supersonic pulse over the string and it flies over the string and back that way they can measure the length of the string and find the note you played. crazy stuff.

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Interesting. I know the people that own the Synthaxe patent don't really care about it. So if someone made something it would prob go under the radar

[@rafaelcastillo8126]

@@TurrigenousOfficial the patent provably expired. I don´t remember the whole mechanism but there are other instruments with divided frets. by example the wal midi bass that I think is from ´89.

[@harpyking171]

i really hope cheaper recreations can be made. one day. i'd love to own one!

[@voronOsphere]

Thank you for doing this!!!! Your channel is so awesome! Just be careful with that treasure...!

[@claymationwaves]

i feel like i owe you money wow man thank you

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I'll take anything anyone wants to donate 🤣

[@bobmander7886]

"The next one will be about how to use it, once I really understand it thoroughly." - See you again in about 6 months? 😄😄

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Haha it isn't too bad. I got the hang of the basics but I wanna see if there's anything really neat I may have missed!

[@mckinleymorton]

Rad!

[@ES175jazz]

do you have a transcription of the dominant plague? thanks!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I do but before I do a vid I'm gonna double check it. Sound right but unsure if it IS right

[@Bobobo-bo-bo-bobobo]

Dude that's my dream piece of gear. My One Piece if you will 😂 Maybe one day... Much love bro 💖🔥

[@zyraxnl85]

Meshuggah !!!!! 🤟👍

[@_6581_]

I am so so jealous, I mean really a Synth axe!!!!! (leave it to me in your will!!) ;-)

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Hahah, cool right?!

[@wallyjezus6499]

Nice tshirt

[@mentoneman]

very cool! mahalo from Oahu🤙

[@alainberset8978]

Allen keys to open it and Allans keys to play it

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

Haha

[@Poparad]

I have the same shirt!

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

You've got great taste then 😁

[@RyanAmplification]

Do you do Meshuggah content too!?

[@TurrigenousOfficial]

I do! I plan on doing a few more from their earlier works.