Back in the DDR days, before Vermona were reinvented as a purveyor of cool synthesiser and effects gear, they (or at least the brand) had already been a purveyor of moothies, organs, amps and effects to the people for decades, so far as the people were allowed such. But in the early 1980s they came up with an all-in-one synth, simply named the Vermona Synthesizer. (References to Vermonas below are to this model unless otherwise specified.) They were manufactured from 1983 to possibly as late as 1990, though I’ve not seen a definitive end date. ^[1] This page begins with me getting one. And recovering a few square feet of usable working space. Up on the table with it:

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Hey, got a Polivoks.

First, some points of nomenclature. I’ve had no occasion hitherto to consider it, but I now realise the correct English plural of Polivoks is Polivoksen. With that established, on the Polivoks:

• Generator (Генератор) = tone generator = (audio frequency) oscillator = VCO.
• Modulator (Модулятор) is mainly an LFO. (The control can select noise as well as periodic functions, so LFO would be incorrect . . . a less cumbersome term than Korg’s ‘modulation generator’.)
• Glissando (Глиссандо) = portamento (a.k.a. ‘glide’).
• Pedestal (Пьедестал) = sustain level.

I’ll use the Polivoks terms here, mostly.

This Polivoks was made in 1987, and came with lid, pedal and cables (5-pin and 3-pin DIN; don’t know what the 3-pin one was for . . . ). No power cable but has an IEC C-14 power socket mod. ^[1]

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(There will be a stage 2, as I’m not currently in a position to do the whole refurb. No decent working space for soldering right now.)

Jen#2 (not a “Jenny”, thanks) is a newly-arrived Jen Synthetone SX 1000, s/n3326, later-type keyboard, with veneer ends, in moderately poor condition.

After unpacking & supply lead check — 13A plug fuse replaced with 2A here   — external condition and basic audio function were checked. Minor issues: some knobs are scratchy, some are loose. This should be resolvable, but will require checks at stage 2.

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