I have yet another dead ARP Omni in for repair and decided to take a moment to dispel some myths I see, primarily perpetuated by people trying to sell their broken ARP synthesizers (“powers on, no sound”, “power supply issue”, “probably a quick and easy fix”). So we try to fix this Omni the “quick and easy” way, and in doing so, hopefully demonstrate why there is such a huge price difference between a restored ARP Omni and a parts/repair ARP Omni.
Author: synthchaser
Oberheim OB-8 No Output Repair – Synthchaser #141
This OB-8 was brought to me because it wasn’t outputting any audio. In this video we troubleshoot the problem and then bring the Oberheim back to life with a few cool upgrades like a new Fatar keybed and my Synthchaser Battery Eliminator modules!
ARP Pro Soloist Dead Presets Repair – Synthchaser #140
It’s very common for some of the presets on the ARP Pro Soloist (and Pro/DGX) to be dead or just not sound like they should. It’s also common for people to blame these problems on the Pro Soloist’s ROMs, when they are rarely, if ever, what really has failed. In this video we track down and repair 4 dead/incorrect voices including the ubiquitous Fuzz Guitar I so the customer can get his Tony Banks back on.
Tom Oberheim SEM Pro Repair – Synthchaser #139
In this video we have a look around inside the new Marion Systems Tom Oberheim SEM Pro. And thanks to the kindness and generosity of Tom Oberheim himself, we’re able to repair a problem this one is having with an envelope randomly getting stuck “on”. The birds in my area love Oberheims (remember the OB-Xa Hummingbird?), and a Red-Tailed Hawk comes to check out the repair job.
Roland Jupiter 4 JP-4 Repair – Synthchaser #138
In this video we have a look around inside the mighty Roland JP-4 synthesizer and see how it works. Then we troubleshoot and repair this dead Jupiter 4.
00:39 – The Problem: No Output
01:28 – Tour Inside / Technical Overview
06:10 – Power Suppy Check
07:04 – CPU Check
11:56 – Key Assigner Board Check
13:30 – Main Motherboard Check
16:07 – DAC Troubleshooting
20:25 – Making The Repair
22:46 – Jupiter 4 Repaired!
ARP 2600 Ring Modulator & Sample And Hold Repair – Synthchaser #137
In this video we troubleshoot and repair two ARP 2600 issues–a Sample and Hold that just spits out noise, and a Ring Modulator that isn’t modulating.
Designing Roland TR-808 Mods for Doctor Mix – Synthchaser #136
Claudio from Doctor Mix has been busy repairing and modding his Roland TR-808 drum machine and asked if I could help design some mods for the hand claps. In this video I show you my approach to designing mods, and give a little introduction to RC time constants, which are used in all analog synthesis circuits.
See and hear the mods I came up with in action in the new Doctor Mix video here, and be sure to subscribe to the awesome Doctor Mix channel!
Here are the instructions for the TR-808 Hand Clap mods I designed. I’ll keep this up to date with any feedback received.
Synthchaser Update May 2021
NEW VIDEOS: I’ve got a new video finished up, and I’ll be making a brief appearance on another YouTube channel that’s much more exciting than my own. Both videos go live Friday May 7, will post links then. For now, this screen grab is the only clue.
ARP QUADRA MIDI: Over the last couple of months I’ve spent a lot of time developing a really awesome MIDI adapter for the ARP Quadra. Unfortunately now that the design is done and the prototype has been perfected, we find ourselves in a global microchip shortage and I can’t get it produced! If you’re interested please be sure to let me know. When microcontrollers become available, I’ll try to grab enough for those on the waiting list.
SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES: Besides the Quadra MIDI, the microchip shortage has put my ARP Omni MIDI adapter out of production. I have 1 unit left and no ETA when they can resume production. Also, our replica slide potentiometer manufacturer is having manufacturing delays due to COVID, and we are backordered 2 months on replica ARP sliders.
LED SLIDERS FOR MORE SYNTHESIZERS: Because I’m backordered on regular sliders, I’ve made LED slider sets available for more synthesizers, including the ARP Odyssey and ARP Avatar. These come pre-assembled for less than the cost of “Lumina” which comes unassembled. There are multiple sliders on each assembly so your sliders come out straight and parallel, as opposed to some fiddly hard-to-assemble adapters people have been using.
ARP QUADRA WITH MIDI FOR SALE: I’ve got a very nice, restored ARP Quadra for sale on my website. Besides being meticulously restored by yours truly, it’s equipped with the prototype MIDI adapter, so it may be the only ARP Quadra in the world with MIDI! While at one point not too long ago I had 5 ARP Quadras, this is the last one I’ve got. So if you had been considering a Synthchaser ARP Quadra for your studio–this is your last chance!
Synthchaser Precision LED Slider Upgrade Kit for ARP Odyssey
Evolution of the ARP 2600 – Synthchaser #135
In this video I give you a brief look at the evolution of the ARP 2600 synthesizer, from the Grey Meanie, one of the very first units produced in 1971, to the final black & orange models made through 1981.
ARP Axxe Repair & Restoration – Synthchaser #134
In this video I show you my approach to restoring/repairing a vintage ARP Axxe. The same process can be applied to other ARPs or vintage synths from different manufacturers.
