Going rate for a VL1m synth module?

Image from Windsynth.net

As we sometimes do, here’s a letter we got that seems excellent to toss out there.  Posted with permission of the original author.  Name witheld on request.  Please post comments with your thoughts on value, or if you are interested in communicating with the author.  We moderate all comments, so give us a day or two for your comment to show up.

I have been googling all day, and cannot seem to find out what Yamaha VL1-m synths are selling for these days.  I remember having paid about $2600 for it while working on a Batman movie in the mid 90′s.  Since I haven’t used any of my rack hardware for 15 years, and have been avoiding the DAW and softsynths for the last 4 years, I’ve been thinking I might sell off most of the rack stuff, and free up some space around here.
I’ve got all the manuals that came with it,  2 floppies (unopened), and a BC1, but don’t have the box it came in.  I don’t remember using it on any of my music, and never toured with it, so it’s quite clean, having lived in a covered rack in my home.  One of the document packages that came with it had the “version 2″ stickers still in it, and v2 manuals, which was worrying since I have tons of chips around the house (retired designer).   So.. I plugged the VL1-m in to make sure the ver2 chips were in there, and version 2 came up on the display (quicker than looking through old parts bins for the proms)…..  so it is a v2.
Any help you can provide regarding the going rate for the VL1-m would be greatly appreciated.
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High Speed Camera Captures at the Speed of Light

Kathy offers this interesting article from The New York Times:

Speed of Light Lingers in Face of New Camera

M.I.T. researchers have built a camera that can take images at intervals of a trillionth of a second.

http://nyti.ms/rtpW45

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Book review: Musical Instrument Design by Bart Hopkin

Over the Christmas period I’ve been reading the excellent book by Bart Hopkin, Musical Instrument Design. It contains a wealth of information, ranging from the theoretical foundations to the most practical instructions for building your own inventive instruments. The book has chapters covering the way we perceive sound, the principles of acoustics, various chapters dedicated to specific families of instruments, and effects. There are appendices on which tools and materials you’d need to build your own instruments, and places to shop for them. There’s also an appendix detailing the peculiarities of wind instruments, which for me as a reed player was an eye-opener.

Mr. Hopkin’s writing style is wonderful, very knowledgeable and witty and sometimes outright hilarious. He has the ability to explain even the most fundamental and dry concepts in a way that keeps you fascinated. And he always keeps the practical aspects in mind. To quote a random passage that illustrates this:

“First, some considerations of a utilitarian nature for anyone with an instrument-making habit:
There are big instruments, and there are small instruments. Big instruments take up a lot of space. If you persist in making big instruments, you will have storage problems. The closet fills up; the living room fills up; the kitchen fills up; etc. There is no cure for this, but there are a few things you can do for symptomatic relief: 1) Try very hard to build small instruments only. 2) If you have yard space, build instruments of weather-proof materials and keep them outdoors. 3) Make instruments that can be dismantled into storable parts, and reassembled. 4) Rent a warehouse.”

Sound advice, and funny too! Throughout the book, there are many sketches and diagrams, and amusing little drawings, all by the author himself. One of my favourites is this one explaining one of the ways to find the best place for toneholes in your wind instrument:

drawing used with kind permission of the author, Bart Hopkin

Anyone with an interest in knowing how musical instruments work should get a lot out of this book. And if you’re interested in building your own instruments, you should definitely read it! You’ll probably find the book such an inspiration that you can hardly wait to start building your very own masterpiece.

Bart Hopkin is also the editor of the magazine Experimental Musical Instruments. It has a website where you can find some imaginative examples in the Gallery, many times including a sound clip of the actual instrument as it’s being played. Some of these instruments also feature in the book.

So: buy the book and start building!

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Lighting Initiative in Lower Manhattan

KathyW found this from The New York Times:

CITY ROOM: In Lower Manhattan, a Light Show Looms The city is now accepting bids for a lighting initiative that aims to “transform the experience of Lower Manhattan at night.”

http://nyti.ms/sAvxlT

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Slinky hovers in mid-air when dropped…

Our friend MatthewZ found this from PhysOrg.com:

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-secrets-levitating-slinky-viral-web.html

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“Tintin” movie created with the help of KevinW.

Have you seen the movie “The Adventures of Tintin – The Secret of the Unicorn“?  Did you know that KevinW, designer of the WindWorks Design website, Visio Lighting Stencils and 3D CAD models worked on the movie?  In his current assignment at Weta Digital in New Zealand, Kevin was a Lighting Technical Director for “The Adventures of Tinin”.  It’s a great movie, packed with adventure and action, and of course the digital visuals are outstanding.  The photo above was lit by Kevin.

Yep, we are really proud of Kevin’s first big budget movie, and hope you enjoy the movie too!

 

 

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Happy Holiday Wishes from WindWorks Design

image courtesy Guy Zumpetta at Sunday Oldies Jukebox

 

Our best holiday wishes to all from WindWorks Design. Thanks for you support this past year. We hope you have a great holiday season, and a happy new year.

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“Goodnight iPad” Bedtime Story

Kathy offers this from The New York Times:

MEDIA DECODER BLOG: A New Children’s Book Parodies a Beloved Classic “Goodnight iPad” is a bedtime tour of our electronic lives, mimicking the tone of the classic “Goodnight Moon.”

http://nyti.ms/sBWD6r

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Using Old Technology to Make Music

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“Did I Miss Anything” by Tom Wayman

“Did I Miss Anything” by Tom Wayman is a poem centered on the titled question often asked by students after missing a class.  This gem was shared by one of my son’s teachers during “Parent Night” this week.  I’m grateful she shared it.

Did I Miss Anything?
Tom Wayman

Nothing. When we realized you weren’t here
we sat with our hands folded on our desks
in silence, for the full two hours

Everything. I gave an exam worth
40 percent of the grade for this term
and assigned some reading due today
on which I’m about to hand out a quiz
worth 50 percent

Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning
Take as many days off as you like:
any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
and are without purpose

Everything. A few minutes after we began last time
a shaft of light suddenly descended and an angel
or other heavenly being appeared
and revealed to us what each woman or man must do
to attain divine wisdom in this life and
the hereafter
This is the last time the class will meet
before we disperse to bring the good news to all people
on earth.

Nothing. When you are not present
how could something significant occur?

Everything. Contained in this classroom
is a microcosm of human experience
assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
This is not the only place such an opportunity has been
gathered

but it was one place

And you weren’t here

 

(from The Astonishing Weight of the Dead.  Vancouver: Polestar, 1994)

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