Soviet Synth on Ebay

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:15 pm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALTAIR-231-SOVIET-3 ... dZViewItem

Man this thing is awesome looking.....especially the panel being in Russian script, man onlookers woudl not know where to start and think that you were a genius for knowing which pot to tweak.

ColorForm2113 · Post by **ColorForm2113** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:01 am

I think I'm begining to understand... "Atack" seems to means attack, and I'm pretty sure "Kohtyp" is some sorta spaceship.

misterhemi · Post by **misterhemi** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:25 am

I read and understand some Russian (being that my wife is Russian)

"Kohtyp" (cyrillic alpahbet) literally (letter to letter) translates as "Kontur" (contour).

I will try to translate some of that for you.. I will use "7" in place of the alphabet that looks similar but is reversed... That is the same as "G" in out alphabet... and the backwards "N" is actually an "I" in out alphabet.

So, "7EHEPATOPbl" is "Generatory" (Generator/Oscillator). The "bl" is actually ONE letter.. it is pronounced like either "ee", "ii" or better like a "Y" at the END of a word.

I can read the block next to the oscillator section but I kinda think it says mixer.

Next I can see the filter(s) "%N^bTP" ... i don't think any here has their computer set to display things in cyrillic if so it would be the section labelled "ФИЛЬТР"......

Finally (on the right) is the section labelled "KOHTYP" (Contour).

"A^bTANP" is A-L-(the "b" is a silent character that preserves the hard consonant sound of the letter before it)-T-A-I-R.....AL'TAIR-231.

misterhemi · Post by **misterhemi** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:26 am

EricK wrote:http://cgi.ebay.com/ALTAIR-231-SOVIET-3 ... dZViewItem

Man this thing is awesome looking.....especially the panel being in Russian script, man onlookers woudl not know where to start and think that you were a genius for knowing which pot to tweak.

I know which pots to tweek!

LOL

misterhemi · Post by **misterhemi** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:36 am

Hey, there is a link on the auction page with a translation of the panel.

It is here:http://www.geocities.com/rusynth/foto/altpanel.jpg

nicholas d. kent · Post by **nicholas d. kent** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:18 am

That's one of the more Minimoog like Soviet synths, though I've not played one to see how close it comes. Some but not all Soviet synths copied the Moog filter. I have played an East German Vermona that contained a Moog clone filter and the Aelita, which is quite a bit different from Moogs in details but the filter is quite Moog-like. The Polivoks though has a very original filter design.

Jauntimus Prime · Post by **Jauntimus Prime** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:17 pm

Wow! This is one I haven't seen before. But for some reason, like one or two sellers have been able to lace Ebay with these Russian synths for several years now -- The Polivoks, Aelita, Faemi-1, etc. -- which is surprising considering how rare they're purported to be. So either these folks have found a secret warehouse full of these things, or they're still being built...

...does look pretty sinister, though. ;]

misterhemi · Post by **misterhemi** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:30 pm

Jauntimus Prime wrote:Wow! This is one I haven't seen before. But for some reason, like one or two sellers have been able to lace Ebay with these Russian synths for several years now -- The Polivoks, Aelita, Faemi-1, etc. -- which is surprising considering how rare they're purported to be. So either these folks have found a secret warehouse full of these things, or they're still being built...

...does look pretty sinister, though. ;]

I looked up the seller on eBay and it seems he is based in Russia.

nicholas d. kent · Post by **nicholas d. kent** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 9:17 pm

misterhemi wrote:
Jauntimus Prime wrote:Wow! This is one I haven't seen before. But for some reason, like one or two sellers have been able to lace Ebay with these Russian synths for several years now -- The Polivoks, Aelita, Faemi-1, etc. -- which is surprising considering how rare they're purported to be. So either these folks have found a secret warehouse full of these things, or they're still being built...

...does look pretty sinister, though. ;]
I looked up the seller on eBay and it seems he is based in Russia.

I'm sure a few models are rare and many are clearly more common than others but I'd say some seeming rareness is they weren't being exported when they were new and even now that it's possible to ship these things out internationally it's expensive and troublesome. So I mean these things aren't littering the ground, but good numbers got made and of course Russia is huge.

No there is no warehouse. I'm sure the couple people who try to make money reselling them do things like offer friends and family who travel in Russia money to pick them up as well as likely placing newspaper and BBS ads offering to buy them locally.

Basti · Post by **Basti** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:09 pm

nicholas d. kent wrote:That's one of the more Minimoog like Soviet synths, though I've not played one to see how close it comes.

I have one and it comes much closer than my Voyager! Except the envelopes maybe. The VCOs put my Voyager to shame

The Altair 231 even has the saw up waveform on the third VCO

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:39 pm

From what I understand, everything in those soviet synths are Mil Spec and they still make the componants today. I could be wrong though.

Have you heard or ever heard a comparison with the polivoks?

Eric

Basti · Post by **Basti** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:12 pm

Most soviet parts were cloned from western parts. No, not all parts are still made today.

I know the Polivoks very well (worked on several of them as a tech) and I wouldn´t want one for the price they go for. The PWM on the Polivoks is good but the triangle is weak.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:36 pm

Im going to get this Polivocks filter clone made by the harvestman, with the blessings of the Polivocks designer. The guy told me that all the parts were still made today, could very well be that not all are made today, as I don't know squat about that sort of thing.

What do you think about the filter? Do you think it sounds like a Taurus I on steroids?

Eric

Basti · Post by **Basti** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:53 pm

There are almost 40 different models of full-blown soviet synths, more than 50 keyboards/ analogue keyboards/ organs and almost 20 different drum machines and e-drum devices I am aware of. Some of them are extremely rare, some of them are unique (e.g. one even uses photo-optical additive synthesis). If he really was making that statement he must at least have gotten into the 40 full blown synths. And into thousands of parts and their western equivalents! I only got deeper into the electronics of 4 models. While three of them were based on a few components only within each model (often using the same type of opamp for almost all of the circuits) and while those components can be replaced by western equivalents or by newer parts that are used as an "improved" replacement for older parts the Altair uses way more different parts. AFAIK the soviets even had some own double-transistors that might be replaced by newer western double-transistors but with different characteristics. However there still seems to be new old stock of those parts but AFAIK some of those "special" parts were made in the days of the USSR and are not made today any more. The situation is similar to the situation of older revisions of Minimoog VCO boards - while replacement parts exist or at least a replacement circuit can be build to replace a faulty one, not all parts that were available in the 70s are still made today. Maybe he just was talking about the Polivoks?

The Polivoks filter is good, I think it´s the best part of the Polivoks.

EricK · Post by **EricK** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 7:51 pm

Yeah he was, at least JUST the filter too. Thanks.

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Soviet Synth on Ebay

Soviet Synth on Ebay

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