Inside The Vintage Synthesizer Museum In Los Angeles

 

Trying to get some posters for the Studio.
Just got outbid on 1981 "Computer World" Tour Japanese Concert Poster. I was at $200, it's now at $2500!
I'll try and get one of those French Man-Machine Posters $300 is my limit.
His Kombi would be cool!!. There are some incredible pieces there. What a stylish man.

 

Kraftwerk Album Kraftwerk Electronic Music Music Love


Kraftwerk Kraftwerk Vintage Music Art Rock Poster Design


Kraftwerk Man Machine Kraftwerk Studio Dream Studio
EDIT: The studio picture is wrong, it is a different studio, not the one from Kraftwerk!

 

Last edited: Oct 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM

I've not yet visited but am planning to next summer. Anybody else in the region that would also like to check it out let me know and perhaps we could all have a day of it together. It might be fun to put mugs to avatars .

 

Again some rubbish from AI
It's an EMS studio London by Peter Zinovief and friends, you can see doubled VCS 3 on the right and PDP-8 computer on the left
Kraftwerk had only one Ems synth and if was Synthi AKS you can read that on the auction page.

check info before posting
Quality is important, not quantity

 

I could definetely travel there next summer for the museum, but I don´t know yet, when my summer vacation is starting. Most likely whole July..

 

Look Mum No Computer built a museum literally out of all kinds of electronic junk in a tiny space. And here we have real working instruments that had a huge impact on the history of music. Could be an easy grant or government support, to create an imitation KlingKlang studio, so visitors could not only watch but also experiment with making sounds. Kids could come try them out, artists rent the studio for themselves.

 

The photos are from this power plant photo blog: Kraftwerk - Thursday, May 12, 2022 - https://danskeriudlandet.blogspot.com/2022/05/kraftwerk.html Sorry, I couldn't verify this.

 

Great news, just lemme know when you have more a firm idea when! We have a wohnwagen thing on that side of Lake Neuchatel and you (and whoever could make it) could camp out there on the lake! I can supply a tent and sleeping bag.

 

What I find strange is that the two sennheiser vocoders have very different prices, they are the same except for the color.
That Syntovox vocoder is very interesting.

Yep I recognized it immediately having purchased in 1992(?) Vintage Synthesizers by Mark Vail, there is a detailed description of the gear.

 

It´s probably cause one of them is prototype as I´ve understand, could be even Florian modified..

 

Sometimes, when Florian was looking for a specific sound or noise, he would simply create or solder his own instruments using a soldering iron.

Here are a few concrete examples of how Florian Schneider (and sometimes Ralf Hütter) at Kraftwerk created or modified their own technology using soldering irons, cables, and components – in the spirit of their “sound workshop” in Düsseldorf:

Spoiler: Source: ChatGPT KI

1. The Vocoder
One of Florian's greatest contributions was the development and use of the vocoder system, which allowed human speech to be electronically distorted.
As early as 1973–1974, Florian built his own vocoder together with engineer Peter Zinovieff (EMS), and later with his own circuitry.
This was used extensively on albums such as Autobahn (1974) and Radio-Aktivität (1975).
Schneider, in particular, was fascinated by how speech could be "dehumanized" and transformed into a machine-like expression.

2. Homemade Filters and Sound Modules
In his early years (before the EMS Synthi and the Minimoog), Florian tinkered with simple analog filters, oscillators, and ring modulators, which he recreated from electronic kits or circuit diagrams.
The goal was always to create "industrial sounds" – metallic, mechanical, rhythmic.
Much of this flowed into songs like "Kling Klang" and "Ruckzuck."

3. Rhythm Machines and Drum Computers
Before commercial drum computers like the Roland TR series existed, Kraftwerk built their own rhythm machines.
The first versions used simple trigger circuits and transistors that generated clicks, pulses, or short electronic "hiss" sounds.
Later, they worked with Wolfgang Flür, who developed electronic drum pads that were connected to these circuits—some of which were soldered with Florian's help.

️ 4. Kling Klang Studio as a Laboratory
The Kling Klang Studio in Düsseldorf was essentially a kind of electronics workshop.
Florian had a workbench there where he tested circuits, resoldered cables, and modified modules.
Visitors often described him as calm, highly focused, with a soldering iron in his hand, and a smile whenever a new sound worked.

5. Experimental Speech and Sound Generators
For pieces like Computerwelt (1981), Florian experimented with speech synthesis and text-to-speech technology.
Parts of these devices were self-soldered interfaces between analog synths and digital controllers – long before MIDI was a standard.

 

Kraftwerk - Kling-Klang-Studio This is the first studio - they then moved away but nobody knows where!

 

Last edited: Oct 27, 2025 at 3:49 PM

Florian Schneider - Stop Plastic Pollution

Florian Schneider R.I.P.

Kraftwerk on BBC's Tomorrow's World 1975

 

Guten Abend Kraftwerk, guten Abend Stuttgart!

A Vocoded Poem by Florian Schneider - A-100 to the Future!

 

well, that settles it. I won't feel bad repurposing a piece or two from the collection into my own diy project. continue the legacy