Control Voltage

Fuck yea!
Only rivaled by Analogue Haven on the West Coast that I know of. Friendly staff, great gear, great location, just YEA!

Fantastic store with a broad range of modules, all on show and available to try.
Jason (owner) and his staff are knowledgable and helpful.
Highly recommend.

I have a Korg drum machine at a certified Korg repair shop in town, but there have been issues with the order and the techs gave me very loose answers about it. I visited Control Voltage to get a second opinion, and one of their staff provided all the details I needed. He didn’t try to sell me anything and showed a courteous rather than condescending manner towards someone who clearly isn’t knowledgeable about all things synths. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

Bar none, the coolest music store I have ever visited. Where else are you going to have a chance to demo a theremin? This place is unparalleled in their selection, and the staff is friendly and helpful. They also have a corner devoted to selling some local music which is awesome. Highly recommend.

Stepping into the Disneyland of synthesizers, I have yet to experience such complete collection of modern shelf instruments. If you love synthesizers as much as we do you owe it to yourself to walk into this place.
This place has available eurorack modules and all the major.
Everything is available for display and to try it out. Furthermore, they seem to have most things on stock which seems to be an issue with
Synthesizer community.
My only criticism of this place is the current employee/​owner? Who in many cases came out sounding condescending. I am sure he gets a lot of beginners walking into the store. I am hardly a beginner. I am sure other customers will pick up on his demeanor. I recommend him to be more patient and open minded.

great shop! tons of modular gear, new synth, drum machine. midi controller and fx stuff and a smattering of used, vintage classics and video modular. Jason is super knowledgeable and always happy to demo stuff for you and offer suggestions for working it into your current rig. They also hold workshops and classes for modular and DAW stuff.

When I first moved to Portland from Los Angeles, this was one of the first places I went to. Being a synth nerd myself, this was like being a kid in a candy store! An absolute great collection of synths, both fixed and modular, all displayed nicely with a very aesthetically clean layout to the store, and everything can be demoed as there are headphones setup at each synth station.
The owner, Jason, is very knowledgable and helpful. Definitely a breath of fresh air from the big chain music stores I’m use to in Los Angeles (e.g. Guitar Center, Sam Ash)
If I had a choice, and was allowed… I would live at Control Voltage!

One of the best music stores I have ever been to. It’s a specialty shop and doesn’t pretend not to be. The staff are helpful and the store is well stocked and maintained. A music store that really seems to be set up for musical purposes, which is a rarity.

Thanks guys. Super knowledgable and great guys. A lot of fun stuff to play with in here. Bought Korg Volcabeats and am having so much fun playing w it.

I have to pinch myself every time I walk into this place. It’s that great. If you are into creating electronic music, or even just curious what all the «buzz» is about, you have to stop by and check out this store! Also, do not be intimidated by all the gear. Everything, including the keyboards, are set up with a pair of headphones so you can play/​experiment at your leisure. Jason is also extremely helpful if you have any questions about a specific piece of gear. CV also offer classes that are a way to introduce someone into the world of electronic music production (without having to spend a ton of money on gear). I even built my first Eurorack case there. How cool is that?!

Best music store I’ve ever been to. The end. Oh, and fuck MIDI.

Great selection of eurorack modules that are appropriately priced. If you are looking for Eurorack models or musical gear in the Portland area, or even an online order, this is your place. On top of that they have honest, friendly and patient service (Jason) that was willing to work on a complicated and confusing order.

I came in to see what sort of toys this place has to offer and Jason has great taste in his selections. I picked up a korg monotron and a buddha sound player. Immediately, I went to the studio and made some music.
Great store with a nice selection of new and used gear for the synth enthusiasts.

Jason is the man.
It took me a year to find somebody to do a repair job on a 90’s digital synth (which Jason will tell you is not his area of expertise!) that I had already half-​started, but needed someone else to finish for lack of proper equipment. Btw: This is where most techs will stop you and say «NOPE». He said he is always open to the possibility of «collaboration» and will at least hear anyone out regarding a job. He agreed to do the repair, and I gave him all the parts and an online «instructable» and he told me it will be ready in a couple of weeks.
He called me the next day to say it was ready, and he charged me about half what I’d expect a technician would charge.
The shop is set up so that you can play with EVERYTHING before you buy. This is a most important service for this kind of equipment! It’s not every day you get to test drive a rare 70’s analog before committing to purchase. After finally getting to play with a synth that I’ve lusted after for years, I decided it actually wasn’t for me! But then I played with three more that are!
This place is an amazing resource. Jason will take the time to talk with you and answer all your questions. Give CV your business so they stick around!
Update: In the two years I’ve been coming here, Jason has always been great. I bought an Ableton Push controller from him and he gave me a SICK free Ableton laptop bag for FREE. He had gotten a stash from them and wanted to pass along the swag.
I also bought my Moog Sub-​37 here, specifically to give him (deserved) business. When there was a firmware update and it turned my Moog into a useless brick for a couple of days, he reached out to help. He is really good to his customers. Don’t ever be afraid to ask him anything, he’ll do the best he can. Much love!

You are either a physical musician or a virtual musician.
The virtual musician works in Ableton, Logic, Reason or the like. Time line. But to control that software you may need a physical control surface, with buttons, a keyboard or even a drum pad; mouses, Wii, maybe Kinect.
The physical musician is hands on. If you were in band, you were doing this. Real time. Today it is maybe waving hands at a theremin, playing a keyboard, twiddling knobs or fingering a trackpad. We are not ready for mind control (yet!).
Control voltage is Portland’s only specialty store for both time line and real time.
They have analog synths, theremins, control surfaces, keyboards, cables and accessories. Need a little touchpad synth for bus rides? They have it! They have Moog too.
The store also hosts demonstrations and visiting artists, often free, and workshops.
I know a little about gadgets, but I learned a lot from a brief conversation with the owner that I did not know. They are supporters of local synth builders, believe it or not, there are several. They have a large selection of Doepfer Eurorack modules you can play. And any store that has a soldering iron on the counter is A-​OK by me too!
There are some terms in this review that you might need to search to find. Forget that and just stop by this shop and experiment with some sound making instruments, including the hand held items at the counter.
If you are a musician, and each and every one of us are, stop by Control Voltage and lay your hands on their music machines, all are equipped with headphones. Play, play, play!

Way cool — can’t believe we have a shop like this in Portland. Lot’s of opportunity for hands on experience with the machines. Go there.

Control Voltage has a nice selection of new and vintage analog gear, consignment items, and more. I’ve purchased several new eurorack modules here and couldn’t be happier with the service.