- Dinosaurus Imitation Virtual Analog Synthesizer Free
- Dinosaurus Imitation Virtual Analog Synthesizer Video
The Buchla Music Easel included a number of fader-style controls, switches, patch cord-connected modules, and a keyboard.
An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.
The Arturia origin is a super powerful synthesizer that is a dream come true for me. Having grown up with the world of classic analog synthesizers and now living in the digital age, the Origin marries these worlds for me in a perfectly intuitive, great sounding hardware musical instrument. Roland Juno-106 Analog Synthesizer (1984) Manic Tuesday - 80s synthpop retrowave track. BRAINkILLERmini is a virtual analog synth, including big unison and built-in distortion effect. 2 oscillators with Saw, Pulse and Ramp waveforms, Noise oscillator. Low CPU unison.State-Variable filter with simultaneous Low-Pass, High-Pass, Band-Pass and Band-Reject output.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the Trautonium, were built with a variety of vacuum-tube (thermionic valve) and electro-mechanical technologies. After the 1960s, analog synthesizers were built using operational amplifier (op-amp) integrated circuits, and used potentiometers (pots, or variable resistors) to adjust the sound parameters. Analog synthesizers also use low-pass filters and high-pass filters to modify the sound. While 1960s-era analog synthesizers such as the Moog used a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables, later analog synthesizers such as the Minimoog integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems.
History[edit]
1900-1920[edit]
The earliest mention of a 'synthetic harmoniser' using electricity appears to be in 1906, created by the Scottish physicist James Robert MilneFRSE (d.1961).[1]
1920s–1950s[edit]
Trautonium, 1928
The earliest synthesizers used a variety of thermionic-valve (vacuum tube) and electro-mechanical technologies. While some electric instruments were produced in bulk, such as Georges Jenny's Ondioline, the Hammond organ, and the Trautonium, many of these would not be considered synthesizers by the standards of later instruments. However, some individual studios and instruments achieved a high level of sophistication, such as the Trautonium of Oskar Sala, the Electronium of Raymond Scott, and the ANS synthesizer of Evgeny Murzin.[2] Another notable early instrument is the Hammond Novachord, first produced in 1938, which had many of the same features as later analog synthesizers.
1960s–1970s[edit]
Early analog synthesizers used technology from electronic analog computers and laboratory test equipment. They were generally 'modular' synthesizers, consisting of a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables into a patchbay that resembled the jackfields used by 1940s-era telephone operators. Synthesizer modules in early analog synthesizers included voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), voltage-controlled filters (VCFs), and voltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs). The control voltage varied frequency in VCOs and VCFs, and attenuation (gain) in VCAs. Additionally, they used envelope generators, low-frequency oscillators, and ring modulators.Some synthesizers also had effects devices, such as reverb units, or tools such as sequencers or sound mixers. Because many of these modules took input sound signals and processed them, an analog synthesizer could be used both as a sound-generating and sound-processing system.
Famous modular synthesizer manufacturers included Buchla & Associates, Moog Music, ARP Instruments, Inc., Serge Modular Music Systems, and Electronic Music Studios. Moog established standards recognized worldwide for control interfacing on analog synthesizers, using an exponential 1-volt-per-octave pitch control and a separate pulse triggering signal. These control signals were routed using the same types of connectors and cables that were used for routing the synthesized sound signals. A specialized form of analog synthesizer is the analog vocoder, based on equipment developed for speech synthesis. Vocoders are often used to make a sound that resembles a musical instrument talking or singing.
The ARP 2500 with expansion cabinets.
Patch cords were expensive, could be damaged by use (creating hard-to-find intermittent faults), and made complex patches difficult and time-consuming to recreate. Thus, later analog synthesizers used the same building blocks, but integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems. The most popular of these was the Minimoog. In 1970, Moog designed an innovative synthesizer with a built-in keyboard and without modular design - the analog circuits were retained, but made interconnectable with switches in a simplified arrangement called 'normalization'. Though less flexible than a modular design, normalization made the instrument more portable and easier to use. This first pre-patched synthesizer, the Minimoog, became highly popular, with over 12,000 units sold.[3] The Minimoog also influenced the design of nearly all subsequent synthesizers, with integrated keyboard, pitch wheel and modulation wheel, and a VCO->VCF->VCA signal flow. In the 1970s, miniaturized solid-state components let manufacturers produce self-contained, portable instruments, which musicians soon began to use in live performances. Electronic synthesizers quickly become a standard part of the popular-music repertoire. The first movie to use music made with a (Moog) synthesizer was the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. After the release of the film, composers produced a large number of movie soundtracks that featured synthesizers.
The Minimoog was one of the most popular synthesizers ever built
Notable makers of all-in-one analog synthesizers included Moog, ARP, Roland, Korg and Yamaha. Because of the complexity of generating even a single note using analog synthesis, most synthesizers remained monophonic. Polyphonic analog synthesizers featured limited polyphony, typically supporting four voices. Oberheim was a notable manufacturer of analog polyphonic synthesizers. The Polymoog was an attempt to create a truly polyphonic analog synthesizer, with sound generation circuitry for every key on the keyboard. However, its architecture resembled an electronic organ more than a traditional analog synthesizer, and the Polymoog was not widely imitated.
In 1978, the first microprocessor-controlled analog synthesizers were created by Sequential Circuits. These used microprocessors for system control and control voltage generation, including envelope trigger generation, but the main sound generating path remained analog. The MIDI interface standard was developed for these systems. This generation of synthesizers often featured six or eight voice polyphony. Also during this period, a number of analog/digital hybrid synthesizers were introduced, which replaced certain sound-producing functions with digital equivalents, for example the digital oscillators in synthesizers like the Korg DW-8000 (which played back PCM samples of various waveforms) and the Kawai K5 (waveforms constructed via additive synthesis). With the falling cost of microprocessors, this architecture became the standard architecture for high-end analog synthesizers.
1980s–present[edit]
During the middle to late 1980s, digital synthesizers and samplers largely replaced analog synthesizers. By the early 1990s, however, musicians from the techno, rave and DJ scenes who wanted to produce electronic music but lacked the budget for large digital systems created a market for the then cheap second hand analog equipment. This increased demand for analog synthesizers towards the mid-1990s, as larger numbers of musicians gradually rediscovered the analog qualities. As a result, sounds associated with analog synths became popular again.
Over time, this increased demand for used units (such as the 1980 Roland TR-808 drum machine and Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer). Late 1970s-era drum machines used tuned resonance voice circuits for pitched drum sounds and shaped white noise for others. The TR-808 improves on these designs, by using detuned square wave oscillators (for the cow bell and cymbal sounds) and analogue reverberation (for the handclap sound). The demand for the analog synth sound led to development of a variety of analog modeling synthesizers—which emulate analog VCOs and VCFs using samples, software, or specialized digital circuitry, and the construction of new analog keyboard synths such as the Alesis Andromeda, Prophet '08, and Little Phatty, as well as semi-modular and modular units.
The lapse of patents in recent years, such as for the Moog synthesizer transistor ladder filter, has spurred a return of DIY and kit synthesizer modules, as well as an increase in the number of commercial companies selling analog modules. Reverse engineering has also revealed the secrets of some synthesizer components, such as those from ARP Instruments, Inc. In addition, despite the widespread availability during the 2000s of relatively inexpensive digital synthesizers that offered complex synthesis algorithms and envelopes, some musicians are attracted to the sounds of monophonic and polyphonic analog synths. While some musicians embrace analog synthesizers as preferable, others counter that analog and digital synthesis simply represent different sonic generation processes that both reproduce characteristics the other misses.[4] Another factor considered to have increased use of analog synths since the 1990s is weariness with the complex screen-based navigation systems of digital synths, with the 'hands-on', practical controls of analog synths—potentiometer knobs, faders, and other features—offering a strong appeal.[citation needed]
Use in the modern music scene[edit]
Usage in EDM track composition and performance[edit]
Unlike in the past, electronic music production now centers more around the use of MIDI controlled software synths (VST plugins for example). Because of this advancement the industry has for a while turned its attention away from analog synthesizers to digital and virtual synths. The nature of that main focus on digital has resulted in the lack of investment in the study of experimental methods of audio synthesis and sound design from a physical point of view.[5]
When production software was first developed, producers were very excited to work with it because of all various effects that were available. After a while, the sole use of the software alone didn't give some producers the same feeling as using a physical instrument, prompting some to draw toward using analog synthesizers.[6]
Due to technology advancements, analog synthesizers are now being developed to integrate with production software (such as the rig that is used by EDM artist Deadmau5), thus both re-sparking interest from producers and providing a market for suppliers. This allows for features such as MIDI note and automation control from within the users Digital Audio Workstation.[7]
Modern EDM star Deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman), used analog synthesizers in his track 'For Lack of a Better Name'. Zimmerman, noted that there is a quality difference between digital and analog. He commented that, while a passive listener may not hear a difference, he believes that true analog provides a more subconsciously appealing tonal quality.[8]
Even more than the tonality though, Zimmerman values analog for its hands-on structure and physical controls because of the advanced degree of precision he can get while doing sound design because of the nature of the transistors.[9]
References[edit]
- ^Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1906
- ^1957 Evgeny Murzin ANS synthesizer, Kom. Musik, September 6, 2006, retrieved 15 February 2006
- ^1970 Robert Moog Moog Music Minimoog Synthesizer, Mix Magazine, September 1, 2006, archived from the original on 28 March 2008, retrieved 10 April 2008
- ^Kirn, Peter (2013-07-29). 'Video Explains Why Difference Between Analog, Digital Isn't What Most People Think'. Create Digital Media, GmbH. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^'Portability and the Limits of MIDI'. ccrma.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
- ^Parish, Matt (May 2014). 'Inside the Analog Resurgence'. Musical Merchandise Review. 173: 31 – via ProQuest.
- ^Parish, Matt (March 2014). 'Inside the Analog Resurgence'. Musical Merchandise Review. 173: 32 – via ProQuest.
- ^Fortner, Stephen (April 2010). 'deadmau5: Keeping 'Em Guessing'. Keyboard. 36: 19 – via ProQuest.
- ^Micallef, Ken (December 2009). 'REVENGE OF THE NERD'. EQ. 20: 32 – via ProQuest.
External links[edit]
- Modular Analog Synthesizers Return! – a discussion of modern modular equipment with links to major manufacturers.
- Comparison table of modern analog synthesizers - a freely editable document, in construction.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Analog_synthesizer&oldid=937818934'
G.W. Childs has been playing hardware synths for longer than he'll care to mention. But, on the plus side he's used some incredibly beautiful vintage synths. Here's 12 of his favorites.
If you consider how much the variety in terms of synthesizers has expanded since the 1970s, it really will blow your mind. Where there was once only a couple of companies out there soldering, gluing and bolting synths together, now there are several. But, have all of them held up, in terms of delivering a timeless instrument? After all, if you pick up a Roland D-20, you’re going to be delighted with a sound palette that really does sound similar to a Barney and Friends kid commercial. But, if you come across an Access Virus, then you’ll hear banks of sounds that still hold up quite well, over time. In this article, I’d like to mention my 12 favorite synths (some digital, some analog, but all vintage) that never, in my opinion, get old.
Roland JP-8000
If there was ever one synth that I felt I could be left alone with, on a deserted island (some strange island that has a power generator of course!), it would be the JP-8000 virtual analog synthesizer from Roland. These keyboards, and rack units (JP-8080) still command a decent price online and offer some amazing functionality. But, the sound that they are most known for is that incredible super saw, being moved rapidly by the built-in arpeggiator. It’s the stuff of trance... and dreams.
Nord Lead
The Nord Lead really has become the GTO, Corvette Stingray of the synthesizer world. Be it either the Nord Lead 1, 2, or 3, they all sport the slick, and fashionable, red enclosure that has graced the stage filled with performers like The Killers and many more. But, don’t think that they are all looks. The Nord Lead series, from Clavia, sports limited multi-timbral capabilities, a huge user group, and a sound that really does deserve a place in Rock History. I know it has my salute!
Minimoog
Of course, Moog in the last decade, or two has stirred the electronic music marketplace again, with well-built, expressive instruments, with an amazing sound, designed by the guy that really started it all, Robert Moog. I mean his name is literally right next to the term synthesizer in the dictionary! At this point, in history, be it either a Minimoog Voyager, or an original Minimoog, you’re always going to get some points in sound, as well as in pleasing aesthetics when you employ a Moog onstage, and off. My personal favorite, the Little Fatty line of synths, really can step in as a great first-time synth, and continue to grow as a highly useful device all the way up in to live performance, studio recording, or wherever you want your career to take you. Bottom line: Moog= Electronic Musician’s Stradivarius.
Access Virus Indigo
Though you don’t hear as much about the Virus line of keyboards from Access as much as you used to, they still appear on stage, and off, as highly formidable in both the sound, and aesthetics departments. And, because so many of the different Virus synths, from the A, all the way to the Indigo 2, have patches from badass sounds designers like Rob Papen. Well, you can bet that the presets, included will still hold up on the modern dance floor, and off. And, just let me reiterate: these keyboards look and sound amazing. Great eye candy for the stage, and for your ears. The version of the line that I think I loved the most was the original Virus Indigo. It was a solid, little keyboard, that really delivered in the studio, where other synths couldn’t even come close. And, believe me, I tried to find a better sound!
Korg MS-20
Know that when I mention the MS-20, I also mean the mini-version, the old version, and the new version. Of all the keyboard manufacturers out there, I feel, Korg has their fingers on the pulse of their audience. It was almost a decade ago when they surprised us with the USB, MS-20 controller. Then, nearly 10 years later, they are actually really releasing them again! But, if the vintage price isn’t right, for a brand new, full analog MS-20 is too much for you. It wouldn’t hurt to look around for an MS-2000, used. There’s power there, too!
Prophet VS
Of course, Dave Smith would have an entry in here! I had an amazing several year love affair with a Prophet VS. Granted, this is back from Dave’s Sequential Circuits days. But, it’s still one of his babies! This is probably one of the moodiest synths I’ve ever used. The pads, basses, leads and strings all have that classic, '80s sound, with the Blade Runner twist. And, when you score one of these bad boys, you’re even getting a keyboard that was used a lot on the Tron soundtrack, by Wendy Carlos. Note: Programmability is not the easiest! But, the look and sound is right!
ARP Odyssey
Vintage fans of all sorts got a big surprise, this year, as Korg announced that it would be reissuing the ARP Odyssey. While I was at NAMM, David Friend, the original designer/creator of the ARP was honored by the NAMM committee. It was truly an honor to see a synth that has had such a profound impact on our industry given it’s just desserts. Just so you know, these synths do not grow on trees. In fact, they are scarce, outside of exorbitant auctions that occur on eBay. Regardless, if you can get one, get one!
New England Digital Synclavier
Want to get your hands on a piece of gear that’s known, not only for music history, but also for movie history? The Synclavier, just so you know, is in every office at Skywalker Ranch, that belongs to a sound designer. Ben Burtt, when creating the sound FX for the entire Star Wars library used the Synclavier extensively for R2 sounds, ring modulating crashes, blasts and so many other unique sounds from the classic films. But, it doesn’t end there. If you look at the list of famous artists who have employed the legendary workstation, your head might spin. Granted, they are big, and bulky. And, they will cost some money. But, if you can find one, you won’t be disappointed!
Alesis Andromeda
Sure, these synths aren’t that old. But, oh my, are they rare! When Alesis put these out, 8–10 years ago, there wasn’t much out there, in terms of real, analog, synthesizers. They were still, all virtual analog. Alesis bucked the trend and made a monolithic, robust, and beautiful synthesizer, with more route-ability than any of us knew what to do with. I actually had one in my possession for a few months, as a kind friend let me borrow it. What a great time! That’s all I can say. If you can get your hands on one, grab it!
Roland SH-101
Dinosaurus Imitation Virtual Analog Synthesizer Free
I told myself this page would not be filled with Roland. But, unfortunately, I have a few more to add to the list... As I love them!! The Roland SH-101 was one of the first mini-synths with an optional guitar neck, that could be added on the top. Not only does it sound awesome. But, it has limited sequencing capability and can be perfectly paired with other vintage instruments of all sorts. But, especially, my constant companion, the MC-202. Which I have right here. It also comes in grey. But, keep an eye out. There are other colors, allegedly, floating around out there!
Casio CZ-101
Remember phase synthesis? Well, Casio does! And, a lot of synthesists from the '80s can tell you... It wasn’t that bad. Good enough for Propellerhead to incorporate the technology in Thor. And, if you can score one of these synths, good enough for you. I had a great practice with one of these, in an abandoned home, still pumping power, during the '80s. The sound is crisp. And, if you like dreamy leads, plucks, and pads, this is a great synth to get your hands on!
Hartmann Neuron
I always wanted one of these synths! This synth, in my opinion, is still ahead of its time. With the ability to actually model sounds that you bring as recorded audio, the Hartmann Neuron can replicate many things, with eerie clarity. And, because it’s modelling technology, it can even tell you what that modeled sound might sound like in many other ways that you might not even think of. Granted, a software version was released, a few years ago. But, if you see one, and can afford it, this synth literally might change the way you hear and experience sound, forever.
And, that’s what I’ve got. Granted, you may have a very different list. But, this one is mine! These devices all come from different eras. And, they all come from a different mindset. But, they all have one thing in common... They sound great... Still!
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