WHILE WE LOVE to hear from owners of Casio CZ and Yamaha DX synths, we think it's about time some of the older machines got a look in. So if you consider you own one of the all-time classic synths - such as the Minimoog, Prophet 5, Yamaha CS80, Oberheim OBX, ARP Odyssey, and Roland Jupiter 8 - then we'd like to hear from you, too. And if you're still waiting to see your particular synth featured in these pages, then why not be the first to submit some sounds?

Many readers are now supplementing their patch charts with a short demo cassette of the sounds in question, and this is really good news for our over-worked (and generally hungover) editorial team. Don't worry too much about classic performances and impeccable recording quality; just present your sounds simply and concisely - and convince us you're the best of the bunch. If you can't lay your hands on a cassette player, don't let that put you off submitting some patches - an interesting description is a good substitute.

Don't forget that if your patch gets published, you'll receive a free year's subscription to MUSIC TECHNOLOGY with our compliments - and that goes for overseas readers too. So send us your favourite sounds on a photocopy of an owner's manual chart where one is supplied (coupled with a blank one for artwork purposes if you think your synth hasn't been featured previously). Include a decent-length description of your sound and its musical purpose in life, and write your full name and address on each chart. And remember, edited presets are all very well, but an original masterpiece is always preferable. OK?

The address to send sounds to: (Contact Details).

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KORG MS20 - Gated Snare

Ole H Overli, Norway

And now, just when you thought it was safe to bury the ole MS20 under the stairs...

'Gated Snare' is more of a production technique than a sound, as it's basically about using the MS20 as a gate. You simply route the output of your drum machine's snare voice through a reverb (if one's available), and route the treated snare sound through the envelope shaper of the MS20 as indicated: the decay time is now determined by the attack set on EG2. For a novel effect, Ole suggests "turning the Hold on EG2 to about 01, and increasing the decay time (attack knob)".

Which just goes to show what you can do with so-called obsolete tools (the Publisher's still wondering what to do with his).

(Click image for higher resolution version)

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ENSONIQ ESQ1 - Vostr

Tony Otyehel, Bradford

Following the ESQ1's debut in last month's MT, Tony felt that anything 'Tubes' could do, he could do better - and 'Vostr' is designed to show off the "warmer" characteristics of the digital ESQ1.

If you've created two sounds for the ESQ1 that complement each other when they're layered, then we'd especially like to hear from you. So why not drop Patchwork a line?

(Click image for higher resolution version)

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CASIO CZ101/1000 - Nasi Goreng

Peter Bruselid, Sweden

No, we didn't understand the title either... 'Nasi Goreng' is a mixture of a distorted timpani sound at the bottom end and a Japanese stringed instrument higher up the keyboard. There's plenty of movement too, thanks to some tasteful detuning and vibrato effects, and though 'Nasi Goreng' has a strong Oriental flavour, it's still a pretty versatile sound.

(Click image for higher resolution version)

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YAMAHA DX7 - Marvin

Steve Clark, London SE6

Steve titled his DX7 patch after Hank Marvin (well, we all have our problems), as he reckons it resembles Hank's guitar sound. While we wouldn't totally agree with him, we did find 'Marvin' a good sound for both solo and chordal work, which comes to life with some subtle pitch-bend and modulation. Steve suggests adding a touch of chorus or reverb to improve the sound further.

(Click image for higher resolution version)