German synthesist Hainbach – in his latest video – takes a look at the Sennheiser VSM201 Vocoder, a very rare ’70s audio effect.
While the number of VSM201 Vocoders sold is thought to be in the very low double-digits, it was notably used by bands like Kraftwerk, Daft Punk and Herbie Hancock.
Hainbach talks with Sennheiser Archivist Gritta Gramm, who shares the history of this device. Then demos the original prototype for the VSM201.
Here’s what he has to say about the video:
Ever since jumping around to “Wir Sind Die Roboter” by Kraftwerk I wondered how to sound like them. The VSM201 Vocoder is by all accounts responsible, and I finally got to play with it at the Sennheiser factory a few weeks back. Since their production unit had been salvaged for parts, they let me work with a prototype. After some struggle I managed to coax “We are the robots” out of it. My 8 year old self smiled upon me that day.
It is truly a fantastic instrument, but maybe even more interesting is its secret service history. It was developed from speech encryption technology used to disguise voices for diplomatic messages. Funny to imagine that the classic movie trope “Is this line secure?” would have sounded like a robot in the 1960s.
In the video I go into detail on its function, try recommended patches from the manual, tell the historic background and finally, against all odds (there was a big hum I had to noise cancel) make a track with it.
Body Synths has introduced firmware v2.0 for their Metal Fetishist percussion synthesizer.
Metal Fetishist v2.0 introduces a new Settings Menu, letting you customize the Metal Fetishist, and introduces new performance and sound design options.
New in v2.0:
Added ability to play the instrument via MIDI-enabled devices, including pitch-bend, limited MIDI CC, and MIDI channel selection.
Improved MIDI Clock Sync with separate handling of MIDI Start and MIDI Continue.
Added optional second oscillator.
Added alternative effects: Phaser, Flanger, and Chorus.
Added Dry/Wet Mixer for the Distortion & Effects section.
Added new step-modulation parameters: Volume Decay Time, Pitch Decay Amount, Cutoff Decay Amount, Volume, and Effect Parameter.
Added alternative step sequencer lengths: 3, 5, 7, 12, 18, and 24.
Added option to disable sequencer auto-start when using external clock sources.
Added sequencer mode that always starts from the first step.
Introduced a new Settings Menu to manage all new features.
Updated Manual, available for download on the Support page.
At Knobcon 2025, held Sept 5-7 in the Chicagoland area, Weston Precision Audio introduced the PRO2021 mkII, described as “the best Pro-One clone you’ll ever play.”
The PRO2021 mkII clones the original Sequential Pro-One, but with much better build quality. Where the original had a plastic panel, cheap pots and a problematic keyboard, the PRO2021 mkII features heavy-duty build quality, a metal panel, upgraded pots and switches and a modern keyboard.
Features:
Updated clone of the Sequential Pro-One features
Music Technologies Group Turbo CPU offers enhanced capabilities
DIY project designed to be easier to build, with no hand wiring
Fatar keyboard with aftertouch, with controls for filter and pitch modulation
Improved PC layouts for lower noise
Improved metal-shaft pots and high-quality switches
Details on pricing and availability are still to come. They plan to make it available as a kit through synthCube.
