Rediscover the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Highland Park
Rediscover the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Highland Park
February 9, 2022
Elise Mills
Lance Hill, founder and curator of the Vintage Synthesizer Museum, has moved his beloved collection and studio to Los Angeles. Fault friends in LA and local Bay Area synth admirers alike: book your visit today to support this amazing project!
Photo courtesy of Dor Wand
For the synth-devotees and the synth-curious, the Vintage Synthesizer Museum is the ideal experimental playground. Many of us in the Bay have already acquainted ourselves with this well-beloved, hidden gem. Located in the North Oakland/Emeryville area for almost eight years, Lance Hill uprooted his one-of-a-kind synth studio and moved to the Highland Park neighborhood in Los Angeles this past fall. While the move has no doubt deprived our local scene’s easy access to a myriad of rare and vintage synthesizers, moving to LA was a natural choice. What was already a near-perfect setup for musical inspiration and creative play now comes with a highly anticipated upgrade, fated with fantastic timing. While the “bones” and spirit of the VSM remain the same, the studio can now be enjoyed with beautiful natural light and a general sense of spaciousness the previous Oakland warehouse space could only dream of.
Photo courtesy of Dor Wand
This space has a magic about it, and it comes from the spirit of the work behind it and the people who come back to support it, again and again. Lance has had over 8 years to evolve this space into something that goes beyond his own collection of favorites just for himself into something that directly serves the music and synth-nerd community who love it so much. Despite the fact that much of the patronage in the Oakland space came from out-of-towners, Lance reflects that “People come in with a spirit of reverence and respect and to have a good time and to be creative. All that energy is put into that physical space… it’s built a holy vibe just by the virtue of the people who are coming there.”
Peep VSM in all its Highland Park glory! Photo courtesy of Dor Wand
I had two opportunities to visit VSM after moving back to the Bay in 2020. For a synth admirer such as myself, having a space like VSM so close by was a game changer for my tangible familiarity with the history of synth technology. Decades of notorious synthesizers and drum machines, both common and hard-to-come-by, can be found among Lance’s collection. Noise-making machines with all kinds of interfaces, from the classic Roland TR-808 drum machine to the EMS Synthi and Buchla Music Easel, these machines are ready to inspire. In my December 2021 conversation with Lance, I asked if there were any synthesizers that have grown on him over the years: If he wasn’t excited to have it in the collection at first, he has it now, such as the Minimoog and the TB-303, both of which “underwhelmed him” at first. “The deeper you get into something the richer your appreciation for it becomes.” Synthesizers are of course tools for composing, each one offering a different foundation for spawning any number of genres or styles for even the most unsuspecting composer-at-heart. As Lance tells me, “It’s not just the complexity or sound of a synth that makes it great. There are so many things that make synths super endearing for you and your ears.”
Lance Hill, Founder and Curator of VSM. Photo courtesy of Dor Wand
The origins of VSM emerged out of a personal project in the ‘90s and early 2000s. At first, Lance collected primarily broken and rare synthesizers, which evolved into a kind of “synth dealership” on the early internet. He recalls that at that time, buying broken synthesizers and investing in synth repairs was much cheaper than they would be in today’s revived vintage analog market. Over time, though, it became clearer that Lance wanted to provide a service, one that would be centered on accessibility to a rather expensive collecting-hobby. Synthesizers are a bit too pricey to just try out on a whim; that’s where the VSM experience comes in. For the cost of $60/hr per reservation (+$20 per person you add to that appointment)*, you and your friends can rent the studio all to yourselves to sample (and record!) just about any vintage synthesizer you can think of, judgement-free. Most everything (about 95%) is plugged in and routed to 6 different mixers, which are then routed to a central recording interface. Everything is equipped to record as long as you bring a flash drive with you. Logic and Ableton are all set up and ready to go on his in-house computer, though of course, customers are welcome to provide their own computer.
Photo courtesy of Dor Wand
While talking about synthesizers can easily become a gearhead discussion, VSM is entirely removed from that discourse. In fact, you don’t need to know anything about synthesizers to feel welcomed here and use the space. VSM exists intentionally as a playground for any ability level. It’s taken nearly 20 years for Lance to develop the knowledge and understanding of how the synths in his collection work, and much of that knowledge has been spurred by the people who come in and ask questions about the studio. He by no means expects anyone who comes in to be an expert. It is highly encouraged that if you have a question, just ask! Lance also provides a handy FAQ on his website to help subside any further doubts and intimidations about using the space for the first time.
Anytime you’re in LA, be sure to check out this amazing space. VSM’s existence is entirely dependent on our patronage. To keep such an accessible music-making space alive and thriving is so essential to keeping synthesizer and electronic music culture down-to-earth and undefiled by needless gatekeeping and the whims of gearhead consumerism. All information about booking is available on the VSM website, including an entire list of what’s available to sample during your visit so that you can plan ahead. As Lance continues to settle into the new space, stay tuned for future community events and possible workshops!
Photo courtesy of Dor Wand
*Post updated to reflect accurate booking pricing
Elise is a recovering 2020 graduate, sound artist, and noise lover born and raised in San Francisco. Especially interested in the metaphysicality of sound, she spends her time attempting to prototype DIY synthesizers and experimenting with (and lamenting!) the whims of magnetic tape, among other experimental electronic projects.