An analog synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. Analogue electronics (or analog in American English) are those electronic systems with a continuously Variable signal An analog computer (spelt analogue in British English is a form of Computer that uses continuous physical phenomena such as electrical mechanical
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Analog synthesizer circuit composition
A very common circuit component in analog synthesizers is the operational amplifier (op-amp), a kind of integrated circuit; most analog synthesizers contain many of them; earlier models were built using transistors instead of microprocessors. An operational amplifier, often called an op-amp, is a DC - coupled high- Gain electronic voltage amplifier with differential Microchipsjpg|right|thumb|200px|Microchips ( EPROM memory with a transparent window showing the integrated circuit inside In Electronics, a transistor is a Semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals Another common component is a potentiometer (pot, or variable resistor), which is used to adjust the traits of the sound that is produced. A potentiometer is a three-terminal Resistor with a sliding contact that forms an adjustable Voltage divider. |- align = "center"| |width = "25"| | |- align = "center"| || Potentiometer |- align = "center"| | | |- align = "center"| Resistor| | Some common components that consist of multiple parts are low-pass filters and high-pass filters. A low-pass filter is a filter that passes low- Frequency signals but Attenuates (reduces the Amplitude of signals with frequencies A high-pass filter is a filter that passes high frequencies well but attenuates (reduces the amplitude of frequencies lower than the Cutoff frequency
Pioneer synthesizers
The earliest synthesizers used a variety of valve and electro-mechanical technologies. The trautonium is a monophonic electronic Musical instrument invented ca While some electronic instruments were produced in bulk, such as the Ondioline, the Hammond organ, the Trautonium, many of these would not be considered synthesizers by the standards of later instruments. The Ondioline was a Vacuum tube -powered Keyboard instrument, invented in 1941 by the Frenchman Georges Jenny, and was a forerunner of today's The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company The trautonium is a monophonic electronic Musical instrument invented ca However, some individual studios and instruments certainly achieved a high level of sophistication and untapped promise, such as the Mixturtrautonium of Oskar Sala, the Electronium of Raymond Scott, and the ANS synthesizer of Evgeny Murzin. Oskar Sala ( June 18 1910 - February 26 2002) was a 20th century German composer and a pioneer of electronic music Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow, 10 September 1908 &mdash 8 February 1994) was an American composer band leader pianist engineer The ANS synthesizer is a photoelectronic musical instrument created by Russian engineer Evgeny Murzin from 1937 to 1957 Evgeny Murzin or Eugeny Murzin is a Russian audio engineer and inventor of ANS synth
First generation modular synthesizers
Early analog synthesizers used technology derived 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.
Synthesizer modules found in early analog synthesizers included:
- voltage-controlled oscillators
- voltage-controlled filters
- voltage-controlled amplifiers
- envelope generators
- low-frequency oscillators
- ring modulators
- reverb units
- sequencers
- 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. A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an Electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in Oscillation Frequency by a Voltage A Voltage -controlled filter (VCF is an Electronic filter whose operating characteristics can be controlled by means of a control voltage applied to one or more inputs A voltage-controlled amplifier is an Electronic amplifier that varies its Gain depending on a control voltage (often abbreviated CV ADSR envelope is a component of many Synthesizers samplers and other Electronic musical instruments. The term low-frequency oscillation (LFO is an audio signal usually below 20 Hz which creates a pulsating rhythm rather than an audible tone Ring modulation is a signal-processing effect in electronics related to Amplitude modulation or frequency mixing, performed by multiplying two signals where one Reverberation is the persistence of Sound in a particular space after the original sound is removed A music sequencer (also MIDI sequencer or just sequencer) is software or hardware designed to create and manage computer-generated music
Famous modular synthesizer manufacturers included Buchla & Associates, Moog Music, ARP Instruments, Inc., and Electronic Music Studios. The modular synthesizer is a type of Synthesizer consisting of separate specialized modules connected by wires (patch cords to create a so-called patch. Buchla & Associates Inc is a manufacturer of electronic musical instruments notably Synthesizers and unique MIDI controllers Moog Music ARP Instruments Inc was an early Electronic music company founded by Alan Robert Pearlman. Electronic Music Studios (London Ltd (usually abbreviated to EMS is a Synthesizer company formed in 1969 by Dr
Moog established world wide recognized standards for analog synthesizer control interfacing, using a logarithmic 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 very specialized form of analog synthesizer was the analog vocoder, based on equipment developed for speech synthesis. A vocoder, ˈvoʊkoʊdər (a Portmanteau of vox/voc ( voice) and encoder) is an analysis / synthesis system mostly used for speech in which the input is Vocoders could be used to make a sound that resembled a musical instrument talking or singing.
First generation all-in-one synthesizers
Later analog synthesizers used the same building blocks, but integrated them in a single unit, eliminating the patch cords in favour of an integrated signal routing system. The most popular of these was the Minimoog. The Minimoog is a monophonic Analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog.
Famous makers of all-in-one analog synthesizers included Moog, Arp, Roland, Korg and Yamaha. is a Japanese manufacturer of Electronic musical instruments electronic equipment and Software. is a Japanese Multinational corporation that manufactures electronic Musical instruments and Electronic tuners The company is one of the Because of the complexity of generating even a single note using analog synthesis, most synthesizers remained monophonic. Monophonic, with respect to synthesizers refers to the ability to only sound one Note, or voice at a time
Second generation all-in-one synthesizers
A second generation of analog synthesizers emerged later, with limited polyphony, typically supporting four voices. Oberheim was a notable manufacturer of analog polyphonic synthesizers. Oberheim Electronics is a company founded in 1973 by Tom Oberheim (a former design engineer at Maestro which manufactured audio Synthesizers and a variety of other
The Polymoog was an attempt to create a truly polyphonic analog synthesizer, with sound generation circuitry for every key on the keyboard. The Polymoog is a polyphonic Analog synthesizer that was manufactured by Moog Music from 1975 to 1980. However, its architecture resembled an electronic organ more than a traditional analog synthesizer, and the Polymoog was not widely imitated. An electronic organ is an Electronic keyboard instrument originally designed to imitate the sound of a Pipe organ.
Third generation all-in-one synthesizers
In 1978, the first microprocessor-controlled analog synthesizers were created by Sequential Circuits. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) A microprocessor incorporates most or all of the functions of a Central processing unit (CPU on a single Integrated Sequential Circuits Inc (SCI was a California -based Synthesizer company that was founded in the early 1970s by Dave Smith and sold to Yamaha Corporation 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. MIDI ( Musical Instrument Digital Interface, ˈmɪdi is an industry-standard protocol that enables Electronic musical instruments Computers 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). The Korg DW-8000 Synthesizer was released to the buying public in late 1985 along with its cheaper stable mate the DW-6000 synthesizer
With the falling cost of microprocessors, this architecture became the standard architecture for high-end analog synthesizers.
The fall and rebirth of analog synthesis
Analog synthesizers were mostly replaced by digital synthesizers and samplers over the middle to late 1980s. A digital synthesizer is a Synthesizer that uses Digital signal processing (DSP techniques to make musical sounds A sampler is an electronic musical instrument closely related to a Synthesizer. In the early 1990's however, musicians interested in producing electronic music, but without the budget for large digital systems, began to take an interest in the then cheap second hand analog equipment available. This led to an increase in demand for "retro" analog synthesizers towards the mid 1990's, as larger numbers of musicians also gradually rediscovered their qualities , and the sounds associated with them also became more prevalent once again. Fundamental differences between analog and digital technology mean some of the characteristics of analogue synthesizers cannot be wholly replicated by samplers or digital synthesizers. This has led to increased demand for used analogs (such as the Roland TR-808 drum machine and Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer), the development of a variety of analog modeling synthesizers which emulate analog VCOs and VCFs using samples, software, or specialized digital circuitry, and also the construction of new analog keyboard synths such as the Alesis Andromeda, Prophet 08 and Little Phatty, as well as some modular units. The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable Drum machines ("TR" serving as an Initialism for Transistor Rhythm The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a Synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from 1982 to 1984 An Analog Modeling Synthesizer is a Synthesizer that emulates the sounds of traditional Analog synthesizers using Digital signal processing components A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an Electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in Oscillation Frequency by a Voltage A Voltage -controlled filter (VCF is an Electronic filter whose operating characteristics can be controlled by means of a control voltage applied to one or more inputs The Alesis Andromeda A6 is a 16-voice 16-channel multitimbral analog synthesizer by Alesis which was released in 2000 and remains in production The Dave Smith Prophet '08 is a Polyphonic Analog synthesizer created by Dave Smith of St The Little Phatty is a monophonic Synthesizer manufactured by Moog Music since 2006.
The lapse of patents in recent years, such as for the Moog synthesizer transistor ladder filter, has led to a small resurgence in DIY or kit synthesizer modules, as well as an increase in the number of commercial companies selling analog modules. The term Moog (ˈmoʊg as in 'vogue' Synthesizer can refer to any number of Analog synthesizers designed by Dr Reverse engineering has also revealed the secrets of some synthesizer components, such as those from ARP Instruments, Inc, which are believed by some to have been potted in epoxy cases to prevent inspections (although the official reason was to maintain temperature stability within the circuit to avoid drifting).
External links
- ARP synthesizer patents
- Modular Analog Synthesizers Return! - a discussion of modern modular equipment with links to major manufacturers.
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