Posted on 17/02/2018
Posted on 12/06/2016
The EML Synkey is an analog monophonic synthesizer from Electronic Music Labs, launched in the late 1970s and branded as “the first synthesizer you could program”. The synth featured basic synth parameters, and sounded … well, alright, without being a Moog/Arp killer. But it’s big and innovative thing was the Punch Card interface, that could […]
Posted on 31/03/2016
Posted on 21/03/2012
A powerhouse engine The Virus TI synth engine is very well equipped, and enables a wide range of sounds – from classic analog emulations, to dazzling, distorted arpeggios. The synth based on Virtual Analog technology with its 3 oscillators, dual multimode filters, generous modulations and beefy effects. The keyboard feels heavy and reassuring, and a […]
Posted on 08/11/2006
2006: A sudden urge to nurse a poor little orphan baby keyboard, while its sinister synth grannies observe from behind. A quasi-rockstar pose, holding a Korg Microcontrol in a setting with the Oberheim Xpander analog polysynth, and the custom Moog Sonix VI rising in the background. The Sonic Six was signed by Robert Moog personally […]
Posted on 01/04/1986
The Oberheim Xpander was a very ambitious synth for the time (1984). It features a very flexible analog subtractive engine, and adds a Modulation Matrix that gives it a lot of extra flexibility compared to fixed signal path synths prevalent of the period. It’s 6 voice can be split in 6 fully independent monophonic synths, […]
Posted on 06/08/1985
The Roland MKS-70 is a rack mount version of the quite well-specified Roland JX-10 Keyboard. The JX series has a somewhat different architecture from the Juno and Jupiter series. It started with the JX-3P keyboard which had a different sound and approach. The JX-3P was followed by the JX-8P which expanded the feature set, and features a […]
Posted on 13/06/1983
A worthy substitute? In 1982 during rehearsals for the DeFilm project, my main synth -the notoriously flaky PPG Wave 2.0 – needed a break for firmware updates and fixes. I needed a poly synth, so I was offered to borrow the Yamaha CS-60 during the repair period. So I took the rather heavy unit to […]
Posted on 10/05/1980
A sound innovator Wolfgang Palm is a leading synthesizer hardware designer from Germany, who started out building custom accessories and modular synthesizers under the name “PPG”. The product were originally custom made for professional users, like the German “Berlin-school” electronic band Tangerine Dream . The wavetable synths But Palms real innovation was probably his work with Wavetables – […]
Posted on 26/07/1978
Affordable modular. I had been enviously looking at the modular synthesizers used by my musical heroes, and stalking the music stores to find a system like the ARP-2600. But it was very far between them in Denmark in the late 70s. So when Korg launched a new range of synthesizers in 1978, it came in the […]