Soviet Pif synth: a cute analog synthesizer for children (+ FREE Sample Library)

You can donate to relief efforts for Ukraine via UNICEF:
www.unicefusa.org/mission/eme...
Or via ALIGHT:
wearealight.org/our-work/ukra...
Download the Free Soviet PIF Synth Sample Library:
www.decentsamples.com/product...
This sample library works with the FREE DecentSampler plug-in. That free plug-in can be downloaded here: www.decentsamples.com/product...
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Find my FILM & INSTRUMENTAL music here: davidhilowitz.bandcamp.com
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[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

Yes, I’ve seen a DIN connector before. I just meant I had never seen one used for audio. 😂

[@monsterislandtales5788]

First

[@AiOinc1]

MIDI? XLR?

[@MarsCapone]

Got one on an old ass Yamaha keys and my Steinberg UR44c no velocity available but it works so good for bass synths. I sometimes fantasize I am gonna use a multi keyboard live situation like Rick Wakeman or something.

[@monsterislandtales5788]

@@MarsCapone that might be good and all, but let’s not forget who was first to comment in this reply section…

[@jukesjointOG]

They were fairly common on lots of gear. They became standardized as “a midi jack” in that specific configuration, and now you only see other varieties on old gear. Like, from my era... ;)

[@elyon2966]

« It’s not a square wave, It’s not a sine wave » It’s sovietwave

[@jpettltd]

Its our wave

[@smithsmithington]

@@jpettltd All your wave belong to us

[@jpettltd]

@@smithsmithington lol

[@elyon2966]

@@smithsmithington More like "all your waves are belong to us" ;)

[@HakujinTrue]

Red wave

[@uis246]

8:10 All soviet manuals(TVs, radios, etc.) contained schematics, so everything can be repaired anywhere by anyone. Manuals also had instructions how to tune if it's tunable. Sometimes even instructions how to make new one. I wish everything in present have such manuals.

[@stoomkracht]

planned obsolescence is instead what we arrived at. Talking Green for Marketing, doing opposite, especially one Giant called Apple.

[@gridgaming_]

thats kinda wild that the USSR had better right to repair than the literal freedom country

[@CarlG84mm]

@@gridgaming_ this used to be the case in the west as well. TVs, radios and other appliances all used to come with schematics especially prior to the 90s/2000s from what I remember

[@clausroquefort9545]

@@gridgaming_ american freedom is the freedom to exploit people as you please and make your products worse if it means that they will generate more profit. not freedom from exploitation. not freedom to use the things you bought. not freedom from being homeless. Just freedom of any accountablity or consequences if you have enough capital.

[@thecringequeen31]

@@clausroquefort9545💯

[@IlyasBoBer]

I'm 29 years old musician from Kazakhstan. We used to sing this song in school. When you started playing it I cried❤

[@Staubbs]

@@gharm9129 what the hells wrong with you?

[@gloverelaxis]

it's a beautiful sentiment

[@antonius4524]

Та же история, брат. Привет из Узбекистана¡

[@OfficerKD4-4.4]

I cried too bro

[@subratvishwas611]

What is the name of the song? Please tell i wan to listen this song too.

[@dudeintrouble]

I'm 38 yo from Russia and when I start to watch this video the last thing I was expected is that I would be crying so much in the end of it... every child in ex USSR grew up in this song in heart.

[@jonassink]

Well, I wasn't expecting a review of a Soviet synth to make me cry.

[@prod.error404]

Facts, as soon as he started playing that damn song my eyes started leaking lmfaooo

[@danyvin]

"No to war" was the slogan of the soviet people after World War II. I heard it everywere all my childhood. It's terrible that the russians have forgotten this now.

[@adamkumpmusic]

yeah this is totally breaking my heart. "may there always be mommy, may there always be me"??? jeeeez :( :(

[@TheRCish]

@@danyvin I would imagine the Russian people have not forgotten, but those in power do not care.

[@bsvenss2]

I didn't understand your comment until 10:45

[@uhhhclem]

ПИФ is how you write "PIF" in Cyrillic. I am charmed by the way that the treble clef symbol serves as the Ф in the logo. Also I love how early-New-Order the little track you recorded sounds.

[@thierryruquier9416]

To me , it sounds more like early OMD but it's really a cool track. Great video by the way.

[@chriswareham]

I was getting early New Order vibes as well - part of me was waiting for a heavily chorused bass guitar part to start!

[@jjosullivan]

Yeah, I thought same about New Order. We’d have been dancing to this ditty a few decades ago! 😎👍

[@rovetri]

I think I recognized some sounds as those present in Yazoo's first album... specially the higher tones... :-)

[@krasteff]

Haha, had all of you bought New Order OMD and Yazoo back in the day those wouldn't have starved to death, but you preferred ABBA and You can ring my bell and video killed the radio star.

[@Banchev]

I am from Bulgaria, born 1990. When I was a child my grandfather gave me one of those synths as a present for my 6th birthday. I still remember the sound and those electronics inside since my passion was not music but electronics. The first thing I did was to open it to see what is inside. My grandfather passed away and this video made me really sad but I am grateful to remember it again.

[@CrackoKane]

This video is a masterclass in creating an engaging KZbin video. It's concise but the attention to detail is astounding. The clip of the children singing overlayed atop your replaying of the Soviet-era song was the kind of touch that wasn't necessary but really puts this over the top. You're really great at this, man.

[@StanKOhobbies]

Wow! That's insane!) The thing is, I'm from Romny, lived there from my birth 1984 till 2004. My mom worked on this factory ATS, and I had that Piff. Thank you for the memories!)

[@transmutationdotse]

WOW! I'm so happy you got to experience this video 😃❤

[@chelovek-jpeg]

по ")" вместо смайликов сразу понятно, что пишет русскоязычный) На Западе не понимают эти скобки

[@StanKOhobbies]

@@chelovek-jpeg трохи не вгадали, я україномовний користувач...

[@chelovek-jpeg]

@@StanKOhobbies это теперь

[@bingatore]

I love how you went from fixing the synthesizer, making a quick little song to telling us about it's history. Felt like I was watching a documentary

[@avokka]

Almost like a pocket sized documentary. I'm definitely subscribing

[@exoizlyfe6079]

Amazing detail in every way

[@carloslozano2047]

Yea, he did a nice storytelling

[@vonvavilen]

When you played "May there always be sunshine" I legitimately broke down crying. I was born way too late to live in the USSR, but me and all my Russian friends can recite that entire song by heart. It is something all the kids from the ex-Soviet republics grew up with, the Russians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Kazakhs, absolutely everyone. It breaks my heart that some of us have lost its meaning somewhere along the way leading to these horrors. May there always be peace.

[@xyzzyx62]

i am in tears....

[@zaxele]

It's indeed a horror to me, a foreigner who grew up with USSR toys and books. I still have (and collect) books and toys from that era. The first books I had in my life, which were given to me by my mom and late grandfathers, were all published by Mir Publishers. When did things start to go so wrong...

[@user-ow4km5zs5r]

@@zaxele I think when USSR was appiered. Everything was wrong with this country. Holodomor, Polland occupation, crimean tatars deportation, Finland occupation, Stalin's repressions, total deficit of everything, propaganda, etc. There is nothing to feel nostalgic. I wish this countri was never existed.

[@user-id8ll5vt7x]

​@@user-ow4km5zs5r People still lived here, built life here. They had expierences happy or horrific ones. Every person has a right to feel good about things that made them happy back then. It may be a horrible house but it still was a home. Goverment always made shit and will make a lot, but it doesn`t mean that people should quit they expierence. I was born after USSR collapsing (2000`s) but grew up with soviet parents and always`ve been surrounded by toys, films, books and songs from that era. Even with all these horrible things that happened, people still managed to create all of this. These lightheated songs help me to keep hope and faith in future. I also have shitty goverment. But I still love my country and I will be nostalgic about different parts of my life... Not the goverment. Goverment staged fake attack from Fins and started Winter war. Stalin ( The goverment) decided to deport crimean tatars (and also some local germans. I read book "Sugar child" from Olga Gromova and "Wormwood tree" from Olga Kolpakova and these books are telling story of deportet local germans). There also some theories that goverment willingly started hungers while they litterally had wagons of food rotting. I`m a future teacher and I don`t want to grow canon meat for them... Goverment goes, but life stays as art and memories made. Don`t let them take away things that make you stronger.

[@rorepaper]

Такая жиза...

[@prostynick]

10:40. I'm from Poland, and I'm 40. We were singing this song when I was in kindergarten. All love to Ukraine. BTW when I was young my uncle who were doing a doctorate in math in US brought me Casio PT-10 and it's still operational. I've just googled it to make sure I remember the number correctly and there it is - your video about it :D

[@naturalnonsense]

Would be cool to see synths from PRL covered, I'm convinced there were some!

[@rolandmdill]

Pif synths are actually incredibly loud, doesn't seem to be a faulty component. My girlfriend has a Pif (a blue&pink one) and it almost blew my ears off when I tried it first. Its a beast of a bass synth!

[@o72oo4sanya3]

Достаточно забавно смотреть как иностранец разбирается в, родной для меня, технике, особо в момент замены din-5 на джек Хочу заметить, что разъём din был придуман и стандартизирован в Германии

[@doomguyofficial3314]

Ооо хоть кто-то из СНГ)

[@Garberfly]

Всем скорейшего мира

[@crystalfaith4662]

@@ReketSquad1 Ну синт доставлялся из города,который сейчас на линии фронта Было бы странно ничего об этом не говорить

[@crystalfaith4662]

@@ReketSquad1 Это всё же его личное дело,раз хочет,то пусть оставляет ссылки для поддержки Это всё же личный канал

[@mrnemo204]

Translation Via Google translate: "It's quite funny to watch how a foreigner understands my native technology, especially at the time of replacing din-5 with a jack. I want to note that the din connector was invented and standardized in Germany"

[@endlesstime9532]

Hello, I am from Ukraine myself and stumbled upon this video by accident. But it was very nice for me to learn about such a synthesizer from my childhood, unfortunately it was not widely known. Thank you for the video, it was enjoyable and intriguing to see your work and curiosity about the instrument's homeland

[@alexrozin7669]

💛💙

[@_hypermafia]

Укрпошта рулит

[@_Adie]

I'm Polish, and during my mom's time they were still learning Russian in schools. "May there always be sunshine" is one of the songs they learned. Damn

[@user-gt2gy8wo3h]

10:20 my mom used to sing this song to me and my brother when we were little kids in late 70s early 80s. She got her medical degree from Moscow university in the 60s. Although I don't speak Russian, but I still remember this song, it has beautiful melody.

[@Twiddle_things]

Hah, my dad is around your age; give or take a few years.

[@FilFPS228]

Вот это история😢

[@ohnose4455]

Back in elementary school, I had a music teacher who was born in Ukraine and taught us songs that I never heard before or since. When you played "May There Always Be Sunshine", I immediately recognized it as one of those songs.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

Okay, that made me cry

[@mistakesregretsandimperfec7740]

I remember singing this in a choir back in my music school. I finished it back in 2015, I think. Each year we would sing this song: students who are finishing the school, starting it and anything in between. It feels strange. This war feels like a really awful fight between very close siblings. Hell, we have some relatives in Ukraine! And my sister has a close friend in Ukraine and every time they call eachother and talk to eachother I fear that it might be the last time she'll hear his voice. I am scared.

[@wladjarosz345]

look at first seconds of this video and you see a logo of Ukrainian Post! (down left)

[@mburdiyan]

I was born in Kazakhstan in 1991 and lived there until 17 y/o. My family still lives there. Seeing you doing all this research and hearing you play this song got me emotional! Thank you, David!

[@alexprokhorov407]

4:10 The "archaic connector" is actually called 5-pin DIN connector. It was introduced in early 70s in Germany and later on spread throughout Europe for analog audio, midi, and later computer connector standard. It has its roots in connectors used in military aircraft. As a matter of fact early personal computers such as IBM, Apple, etc, used those types of connectors for interface (keyboard, serial, etc) which later on became a more familiar mini-din keyboard/mouse connector which you can still find on modern computers. So, by far, that connector wasn't just a USSR thing.

[@minmogrovingstrongandhealthy]

I would say it's even older. I am from Serbia and my grandfather had a Tesla (Serbian electronics institute and manufacturer) radio from 60s with such connectors. It had input and output options, we use to hook up record players onto it and bunch of other stuff through the years. Decades later devices still had those as connections. Mostly found on high end stuff.

[@Rachaellittlephotography]

I remember them from volunteering at our local tv station. They were used to attach the zoom arm controls to the camera. I’m sure there were other uses too….i think my audio recorder as well but it’s hard to say it was awhile ago 😂

[@whois1137]

DIN-5 socket is used also in MIDI-standard musical equipment.

[@anmishel]

В СССР был еще журнал, который назывался радио, в одном из выпусков была дана принципиальная схема этого синтезатора и каждый желающий мог собрать его дома (да в те времена мы дома и платы сами травили)

[@vabka-7708]

@@Talla2XXL ну детали можно было достать из других приборов, например. Ещё вроде как были всякие кружки юных радиолюбителей, где, по идее, всё можно было достать. Не буду утверждать, ибо я в СССР не жил

[@user-se2bk4nf1n]

@@Talla2XXL а зачем с работы , были радио свалки .. там добра было не меренное количество .. первые радио детали мы там и набрали … далее что было совсем редкое покупали в магазине ,, Юнный Техник ,, …

[@dlr759]

@@Talla2XXL в гайдаевском фильме ученый искал в магазине нужную деталь, в итоге достал у "барыги" . Вспомнилось. "Иван Васильевич меняет профессию"

[@dlr759]

@@Talla2XXL угу

[@user-se2bk4nf1n]

@@Talla2XXL вообще-то Гайдай снимал комедию .. а как было в Реале история умалчивает .. на радио рынке можно было купить ,, черта лысого ,, … когда у меня выгорел блок в плазме , я был согласен продать душу .. хотя все оказалось гораздо проще .. ( купил разбитую плазму на авито ) ..

[@pablofurnace]

💕 “May there always be mommy. May there always be me.” 😭 This is the most wholesome, yet somber mashup of a vibe ever. Thank you for this review.

[@akemimcflyclips7130]

Came for the synth, stayed for the feels

[@chanwfat2]

Thank you Mr Hilowitz, I ordered the Pif synth after watching your video, and it arrives to Hong Kong today in good shape. Your research and story behind this synth is valuable. This is not just an instrument review but human education. Best wishes to all people Ukraine.

[@urwholefamilydied]

9:20 how satisfying to buy this old toy synth from USSR and be able to find a google image of the actual factory it was manufactured in. (I'm 44 and shit like this I never take for granted... the fact I can street view my old hometown from when I was only a little boy when we moved is crazy. Or just stroll through the streets of a city I've always wanted to visit. freaking mind blowing)

[@user-om2kk5sz2y]

Wow. very funny, because I am from Ukraine and my relatives live in the city of Romny. Thank you for the work done, it's very nice to hear about hometowns)

[@epochatlantic4591]

did he say it right?

[@georgevyslobokov3538]

@@epochatlantic4591 he did:)

[@thescotsmantechnologyrevie2138]

Lol you dead now

[@geloyn6685]

хах действительно крутой синт)

[@simondaberooni6483]

slava ukraini!!

[@Ost2316]

Hello, David! I am from Ukraine and have been watching your videos for a while now. This is incredible; thank you for this joyful experience and for supporting our country!

[@KarleonBR]

Imagine the dad getting a piano toy for his kid. I'm sure he would have never expected that same piano to be playing for a million of viewers all over the world almost half a century later

[@ihshoo3139]

1:02 in russian and most other cyrilic based languages В is the english V and Б is the english B

[@porsl11n]

вы проделали колоссальную работу в процессе создания этого видео, спасибо за то, что отнеслись к части моей культуры с таким трепетом. когда вы сыграли песню в конце, меня пробрала дрожь. спасибо за видео, спасибо за дань уважения этому синтезатору и частице истории, которую он с собой пронес через годы. настанет день, и больше не будет войны. спасибо. ❤❤❤

[@user-ok8xx8wf2c]

Вы правы, когда-нибудь запад проиграет многовековую войну против Руси и сгинет на обочине истории... Но это - не в ближайшем будущем.

[@lunarmodule6419]

Best of luck to Ukrainians!

[@broken_toy]

Пусть всегда будет водка! Колбаса и селедка... Огурци и помидоры... Вот такие ми обжоры! 😎

[@desatta]

да, пора эту войну заканчивать. 9й год уже.

[@user-fm3hb2bd6m]

@@desatta база

[@spoutnik7703]

"Pif" is still a famous charcter here in France. Especially for "Pif Gadget", which was a kind of newspaper for young people that mixes comics (like Corto Maltes and Rahan) and educational articles about nature, science and many other subjects. Each new publication included a toy with educational value (that you had to build yourself). I did not know that the character was popular in the USSR.

[@protonfox1669]

Yeah, Pif is a classic character here in France. If I'm not wrong, Pif Gadget had been created by the PCF (French Communist Party), so it may be the reason why there was a Soviet Pif synthesizer.

[@vladislava_sim]

I just clicked on this video to watch something about this synth. I couldnt expect how deep it could be. The part about Ukraine is so touching. Thank you.

[@LouieTaylorMusic]

The way you went down a mega rabbit hole there, amazing.... you're like a conspiracy crackpot but for synthesisers and I absolutely love it hahaha EDIT: made this comment before the end of the video and I was touched by your rendition of the song from the manual and i appreciate all you do! Thank you

[@MrXHCx]

yeah and actual information instead of Robert Anton Wilson fanfic 😉

[@LouieTaylorMusic]

@@MrXHCx lol true

[@sealion375]

I am Russian and man how I cried to this video…. The song you played from that little songbook is actually well known by every single person of 20+. I guess not everybody quite understood the message behind it…

[@azalvam]

what is the message behind it?

[@sealion375]

@@azalvam it’s an anti war song.

[@Awoo-]

Someone sealioning with the literal username Sea Lion getting 200+ votes fml.

[@sealion375]

@@Awoo- well your response made me Google sealioning on Urban Dictionary. My comment was sincere though.

[@yanikkunitsin1466]

@@sealion375 yea, full poem even features a 35 y.o. advising a soldier to see how explosions (presumably from bombs falling from aforementioned 'clear skies') frighten people. Interesting that the chorus is from a verse written by a 4 y.o. kid who just learned the meaning of the word 'always' and probably laments about rainy days, when you can't get outside, and lack of attention from fully employed mother.

[@thebedroomshow9010]

Wasn’t sure why tears crept to my eyes as I watched this, felt better when I saw the other comments mention the same reaction. I’m not sure why it made me cry. Maybe because it reminds me of my mother who was a piano teacher in the Soviet Union and still is in the US. Seeing something directly from her time being connected to a world she grew up in that no longer exists made me feel for her. A whisper from her past I guess. Then I thought about the children who sang this song and fortunately knew nothing of war. And how that ironically doesn’t apply to the kids in Ukraine now. I dunno. But I was overcome with emotion and had no idea where it came from or what to do with while watching this

[@bloomer.musicuk]

Wow... the end of this got me quite emotional. This is the second video I've come across on your channel and I'm loving the content your doing buddy 🙏👌

[@emma.grunwald]

This is soooo cute. Greetings from Kyiv. I'm originally from Baku (Azerbaijan), we were also part of USSR and the song you were playing, is the song from my childhood, that my grandma was singing 💜 thank you for such a warm video

[@kensukefan47]

But you hate yourself yourself for it.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

@@kensukefan47 ?

[@kensukefan47]

@@bacicinvatteneaca Ukrainians hate the USSR with all their heart, until it's a positive thing.

[@badartxd]

I’m Russian-Ukrainian, and while I wasn’t alive back when those synthesizers were widely used, I remember the song very vividly and it brought me to tears. Thank you for this video, and thank you for putting such care into the instrument and the research ❤️

[@zvirb]

Як це? У сенсі русин-українець, але не московит?

[@badartxd]

@@zvirb Наполовину росіянка(руська?), наполовину українка. Виросла у Канаді. Що означає московит? Google says it means someone from Moscovia, is it the same as Russian? (My Ukrainian is atrocious, I’m sorry.)

[@mmozg365]

@@zvirb 404.

[@pimas11]

@@zvirb У людей может быть один родитель украинец один русский?? Not that hard of a concept

[@user-pz8rb5od7e]

@@zvirb ты просто - зомби

[@RocktheProject]

On the list of things I expected out of today, getting teary-eyed while watching a vintage synth video with my morning coffee wasn’t one of them. This is an exceptional video, thank you! I love the original composition you made in the video with this awesome little synth. Budmo!

[@user-yb1xv3xy3s]

As a child of the Soviet People. Seeing how you dig into the context awakes so many emotions. Literally inhaling a new life in to this forgotten, and, as many people would say (unnecessary past)... "May there always be sunshine"- is a song that even I had to sing as a kid in school. It would be extremely interesting to see more videos like this))).. Considering that "Jazz was illegal in USSR, yet still made a lot of musical instruments and music, you can indeed find a lot of interesting stuff)

[@NemoO4567]

Я такое "чудо" построил сам в 80х в 15лет,схему взял из Юного техника или Радио,не помню))Сосед попросил подарить своим детям,те были рады))Правда без генератора вибрато.Но звук точно такой же,клавиши самодельные и такие же подстроечники))

[@GourlieRecords]

I saw this eBay listing! I'm glad you were the one that won this auction. There's actually been quite a few Soviet synths on there. I often do the same thing of browsing eBay for weird instruments in the name of making DS libraries. Just launched my first one earlier this month with a few more already lined up!!

[@NewMateo]

How much was the synth? Im curious how expensive an old soviet synth will run you. Edit: Nvm got to the end of the video. About 100 bucks!

[@ChumleyYT]

Same I was kept debating on bidding

[@SynGirl32]

The Polivoks is a great soviet synth.

[@ligametis]

@@NewMateo This one seems to be in a quite worse condition. Probably 60 bucks.

[@PheelACCD]

You have a fantastic channel. When you played the last song it felt emotional. Then I read the comments. Thank you for giving people a window to their childhood!

[@JayKaufman]

I love how you went to dig into the providence of this machine. Amazing that you were able to get that much from so little. I applaud your willingness to document and research where this came from. Seeing as it's so simple, it's probably screaming to be modded.

[@sadyakubovich]

This song in the end is so sweet, made me feel nostalgic, we used to sing it in the kindergarten choir

[@christopherh4653]

I would have been a child when this was produced. I remember the drills we had in school in case we were attacked by the USSR. Most of the 80's was like that. There was no internet, so I always wondered why they would want to attack us? Why did we dislike each other so much? Well, based on that song, it seems like a lot of them probably felt the same way. Now the internet exists and we're still doing the same stupid shit. We all need to reel in our governments because no one actually wants war. No one ever wins.

[@PetroUralov]

войну хочет " Капитал "

[@made.online2149]

The rich elite who run the war machines and oppress all people across the globe win. But humanity never does.

[@VOVAN781000]

@@PetroUralov Да. Все разборки всегда про деньги. В данном случае, как и во всех остальных 90% случаев, разборки нужны штатам, ибо гос.долг...

[@Pteromandias]

@@VOVAN781000 Это зависит от того, что вы подразумеваете под «капиталом». Частные компании не хотят войны. Это нехорошо для бизнеса. Рабочих уводят. Люди перестают покупать продукты. Есть нормирование. Компании банкротятся. Может быть, некоторые из них занимаются производством оружия, которое приносит выгоду от войны. Но это не большинство предприятий.

[@vovavak8959]

@@Pteromandias Ну если посмотреть на подъем экономики США в золотые 50-е можно запросто усомниться в пагубном влиянии войны на экономику. Тут кому как. Европа понятное дело в руинах, а США в шоколаде

[@lucassalomon3144]

I came across your channel about a week ago and I'm loving every video. Your presentation is really relaxing and insightful. This video wasn't any different, your investigation was both great and a bit sad. really puts in perspective how much history repeats itself. Keep it up man!

[@MarcosRavena]

Man what a work of art. How many people in this world could produce a piece of work like this? The research, the composed music and everything else. Thank you so much!

[@afk4lyf]

I normally don't take too much interest in toy synths, but I'm glad I watched this. The level of research you put into this and the way you explained everything really brought it to life. Great video!

[@DmytroShapovalovUA]

Whoa, man! I accidentally ran into the video while chilling on KZbin at night. And then I saw this great analysis of the manufacturer in the middle of the video, I do appreciate your interest in my culture. And then you asked to support Ukraine. That means a lot to me, as I was born here and I'm still living here. Thank you so much!

[@jamesonmcripfist5584]

8:07 technical data and operating instructions 8:14 "May there always be sunshine" by A. Ostrovsky "Moscow nights" B. Solovyov-Sedogo 8:18 Product Warranty

[@georgezoric6953]

I've been casually watching clips from your channel for a bit now and it's really fascinating to see how you restore and play these rare musical wonders. So I was completely surprised to find myself suddenly tearing up near the end of this randomly chosen clip as you played a bit of one of the childrens' songs from the manual. Thanks very much for what you're doing and thanks for the unexpected feels on this one. 😊

[@user-ib9wv5js3p]

Listening to this song from childhood with these Pif-synth instrumentals feels so nostalgic and a bit melancholic, I like it. I don't speak and understand English so well but this video was very interesting and cute for me. Thanks.

[@BadValOfficial]

I am from Ukraine, now I am in Germany because of the situation in the world. When I saw this video in the recommendations, I involuntarily smiled. You treated this instrument with such love, you even tried to translate a lot of things from Russian into English. I have great respect for you. Thanks for the video David Hilowitz!

[@user-jr9vp8dq8k]

Смотался от военкомата?

[@BadValOfficial]

@@user-jr9vp8dq8k Я не годен по состоянию здоровья.

[@user-to6rf7ll9q]

Z

[@BadValOfficial]

@@user-to6rf7ll9q ...a Warudo, toki wo tomare!

[@lens2760]

@@BadValOfficial :D

[@louiemalgre2797]

there are so many videos of people picking up an old synth or something like it, play around with it a little and then go on to record one sound of it, modify it heavily and make some crappy edm out of it. you on the other hand told us the story of this instrument. this was great!

[@GeorgeMilkasIgore]

You are a brilliant mind .. ! That's a huge dig !! I started following you. The content you are creating is beautiful. Thank you for your hard work!!

[@abhikhasnain3263]

David is such an amazing personality to watch when you're anxious and need to calm down.

[@work4synths]

This!

[@Vehshya]

I mean this in the nicest way possible. Between your name, voice, style and the background music, your videos give off a very strong "Radiolab" or "This American Life" vibe. Love when you make these styles of videos.

[@hermanpearl1430]

That was lovely, the bit at the end was really touching. So looking forward to going thru your channel, thank you!

[@MoonSt0n3]

My dad is french and grew up with Pif the dog comics, so seeing this little dog show up here made me so happy! I had never seen it anywhere outside of my dad's old belongings and his stories :,) Thank you

[@Xyjail]

Пусть всегда будет... мир.....

[@sandakureva]

Considering Sovietwave is a pretty popular genre, I imagine something like this would be quite popular in musicians who make that type of music.

[@79keydet]

"sovietwave" is not a genre, genre's name is Vaporwave. "sovietwave" and "fashwave" are failed attempts to poison the Vaporwave genre with politics, producing few Vaporwave tracks sampled from Soviet/Nazi Germany music.

[@JustinAngeloSS]

Dude your videos are insane! Been watching now for a little bit and being someone who loves vintage gear and historical backround of it. Your videos are killer and they make me laugh they are so crazy and fun! Thanks so much for this content! Can't wait to see more!

[@MrSquare]

Wow, you are making some of the best and most interesting 'weird gear' style videos ive seen in a while, knowing that sometimes the context and backstory of an instrument is as important as the noises it can make. Great job man.

[@brainformer2007]

Greetings from Ukraine! WOW, I'm amazed what a terrific job you have done: I understand that everyone can translate somehow, but to locate the correct factory it's really not the easiest task for non-russian speaking guy.

[@alextheukrainianguy]

Also greetings from ukraine, hope youre doing alright too, considering whats happening rn

[@guest8116]

@@alextheukrainianguy What's going on?

[@alextheukrainianguy]

@@guest8116 the war with russia, they invaded us hoping they get zelenski and make putin become our president, they failed and now they are non stop attacking us destroying our culture #SaveUkraine

[@AldoArellanoYcaza]

I've just discover you channel, this is the fourth video I've seen today. Thank you David, your content is kinda magical.

[@hayleykalmer9108]

This video was absolutely incredible. Thank you for all the hard work and time you put into it!!

[@olenjon89]

Впервые поймал себя на том, что готов расплакаться, размышляя, казалось бы, над судьбой советского синтезатора. Дэвид, спасибо вам! Миру мир! Нет войне!

[@AlxG0r]

просрали все полимеры... но песня хорошая

[@vladimirbabitsky5639]

Песня хорошая. Но если выйти сейчас с ней на улицу - легко посадят в тюрьму.

[@Ermakov_TV]

@@vladimirbabitsky5639не болтайте ерунду

[@antikovt]

@@Ermakov_TV людей с плакатом "война это плохо" арестовывают, штрафуют и отправляют на принудительные работы за "Дискредитацию армии РФ". О какой ерунде речь? Морали нет больше.

[@godericvpadinsky4716]

@@Ermakov_TV за год розовые очки можно было бы и снять.

[@MaxGavrilov]

Hey! I'm a Ukrainian and I can tell you for sure that you've pronounced Romny correctly!👍🏻 And thank you for this cool research about the history of this cool synth. I had the same when I was a kid but unfortunately I've no idea about where is it now.

[@MaxGavrilov]

@@bekerashes because it's a common thing in Ukraine. People from east regions of Ukraine are mostly russian speaking, which means that some of their ancestors were russians, which means russian surnames are the part of it.

[@MyPsycholog]

@@bekerashes russian and ukrainian surnames are the same. And a lot of slavic too.

[@user-hb1tt9fq3x]

@@bekerashes There are about 20% of Russians in Ukraine, however, unlike democratic states, they are not allowed to receive education in their native language.

[@Pavelkozhin]

@@MyPsycholog можно было просто указать, что народ в обоих странах проживает плюс-минус один. И одинаковые фамилии тут как само собой разумеещееся

[@kirixoto]

@@MaxGavrilov ahahaha you use google translate?

[@ProjetHomeStudio]

Very nice video, I also love the fact that you went into the backstory, looking for the building etc... it's really deep & interestign

[@pavelvashenko2204]

What a beautiful video, thanks a lot man for a dose of good vibes! This is just fantastic. You even made a music library, loved it

[@cellokid5104]

This was surprisingly genuine and nice. Some twists and turns! Great video

[@philmarsh5593]

I can't like this video enough. From resurrecting this old toy keyboard and making an instrument out of it, to the detective work involved in finding the factory (with all clues in Cyrillic) to the song included in the instruction manual. Poignant or what. Wonderful.

[@andrewneehall5664]

Fascinating video, I loved the deep dive you did into the origin of the synth. Subscribed!

[@Left2See]

What a beautiful video. I was touched by the approach and the last minute was very heartfelt yet melancholic.

[@FLH3official]

Pif Le Chien (Pif the dog) was released in "Pif Gadget" which was a weekly comic magazine edited in France by the French Communist party. This magazine had the particularity to be sold with a little object, the gadget, ence its name. This little synth was not, unfortunately, released as a gadget in the magazine. If it was I would have maybe strongly insisted toward my parents to get the exceptional authorisation to buy the magazine this week! (It was a communist magazine and my parents weren't communists at all, so...) The wiki page about this magazine fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pif_Gadget (I've found it only in French, not sure a wiki page exists in English, sorry) and the page, in French too, about Pif : fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pif_le_chien

[@Miniclash]

My parents were definitely not commies, but Pif was deemed more than OK in the house. ;)

[@FLH3official]

@@Miniclash 😉 Your parents weren't commies, mines were anti-commies and it could have made a difference 😄

[@Miniclash]

@@FLH3official hahaa probably!

[@martinsirois3770]

The magazine was sold in Québec, like many French magazines. And while Canada, and especially Québec, are known for it’s social security net, it’s not a communist country.

[@insertaverygenericnamehere]

The German version was "YPS mit Gimmick": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yps_(comics)

[@colinwhitehurst6751]

Wow, I didn't expect to get hit in the feels when watching a video about a synth! Great vid man.

[@THTSound]

Your channel retro and psychedelic feel is amazing. And the care for details makes it even better.

[@TheMarkEH]

I've only just discovered this channel and it is..., interesting, informative, adventurous, quirky and dare I say wholesome. Anyway, it's way better than most KZbin channels, or of TV programmes where I live, so I have subscribed. And I'm now looking forward to checking out the back catalogue of videos. Thank you David Hilowitz for creating this channel.

[@JorbLovesGear]

Interesting piece of kit, and excellent video about its origins. The journey of individual instruments excites me, and you've done an excellent job of tracing that and bringing it into a touching narrative. Well done, all around

[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

Thanks!

[@maxmeier532]

@@DavidHilowitzMusic We come today to mourn the loss of David. His last words will not be forgotten: "I am assuming", "hopefully", "bare wires".

[@gustavoberocan]

It’s not a square wave, it’s not a saw wave, it’s a beautiful soviet shark fin!

[@austinmillerrr]

Dude. Well done. Please keep making videos like this. And thank you for sampling everything 😊

[@aramdavid]

What a beautiful video. Your videos are always fascinating but this had such history and such heart. Thank you.

[@buckycore]

This is so beautiful. The whole journey and the final bit about the relevancy of the song with the current horrors in the Ukraine

[@derekfernandez7701]

10:44 Wow, this was so moving David. Thank you for the amazing video, I thought it was so cool you found the factory it was made! 💙

[@millfreedom]

Surprisingly, you’re pronouncing Romny pretty much accurately! Also, thanks for your support of Ukraine! Cheers!

[@peterlepahin]

Wow, such a great video. I wanted to check it out for so long but only got to it today. And... man! All the research you did, as well as the reparation and tuning process... I watched it with as much excitement as if I was the buyer... but I couldn't even power it on probably. Thank you for the valuable content you create!!!

[@bryanmartin_]

You're great with music, so is with electronics, and with researching? Damn, that's insane!!! Very nice video again! I never expected the ending to made me teary like this :((

[@dopetag]

As a Russian native, I was blown away by how you made your research on the place where the synth was originally produced! 🤯

[@prodboyyy]

лол ничего необычного0

[@morbid.curiosity]

Absolutely amazing video.. heck of an ending.. I wasn't expecting but fully appreciated the history and teleporting to the original factory. Why am I tearing up...

[@jackykang1984]

I like how you tried to dig the origin of the instrument you bought, and making it meaningful. Great video, tks for sharing

[@pashayk]

Hi David! Thank you so much for this video! I am Russian, and when i was a kid (around 1994-1995) i DEFINITELY saw this synth and played with it. it probably belonged to some family friends kids or relatives... You did a pretty good research here! felt like i am watching a whole documentary on Soviet Synths haha.

[@TheAtomstrike]

В 1989 году мне досталась клавиатура с резисторами от такого инструмента и я сделал из нее свой первый аналоговый синтезатор. Помню что генератор был на однопереходном транзисторе Кт117.

[@Giguv05]

Офигенно! Сейчас продолжаете изготовлением инструментов заниматься?

[@TheAtomstrike]

@КУЯНИС звучок был так себе. Фильтры то я не умел делать

[@TheAtomstrike]

@КУЯНИСтолько одна волна

[@joshroolf1966]

@@TheAtomstrike One wave is a good beginning..::: That's more than I've built! Respect🎶

[@TheAtomstrike]

@@Giguv05 Сейчас я уже не молод и не бодр, так что хватает сил починить что-то созданное другими.Уже довольно много времени пытаюсь разобраться с чужим орпен-сорс проектом,но пока безуспешно kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWKWc6GJYtOhlaM

[@glassychords]

the song lyrics being just as relevant in this day and age as they were in the past really made my eyes well up. thank you for providing us with such great content.

[@pixelmethworld]

Your video and the passion you put into it = ❤!

[@88Spint]

The more I discover music the more I realize that everything can make it, all you need is a way to listen to and record it. So cool!

[@TheShimming]

I am 42 y.o. male born in USSR. Before Internet era have encountered Pif only once. I had a book with texts in easy English, some of the texts were illustrated with comic strips with Pif. I had no idea that it was some known character of French origin.

[@mberger1212]

This is everything I want in a youtube video. Thank you for making such great and well thought out content!

[@raphaellerouxzielinski1731]

I'm French, and as a fan of vintage things, I immediatly recognize the logo and the name Pif, Actually, it was originally a famous and independant french youthness magazine, born after the WWII and created by members of French Communst Party and pas collaborator to famous french newspaper "l'humanité", their wish was to create a magazine for children wich was better with young and really creative comic authors such as Hugo Pratt. It was a weekly magazine and every week, the magazine was selling with a toy, often a creative toy which goal was to led french children to discover scientific stuff. My dad was a huge reader of it when he was a kid, so i showed him the video and he said to me he had one. Pif was such great for french kids, and communist lmao, USSR wanted to addapt Pif for the country and it was also a huge success down there.