SOUND ON SOUND
In the final part of our two-part Retrozone, Gordon Reid charts EMS's further achievements, the reasons for their decline in...
Gordon Reid tries out Philips' updated dual-deck CD recorder, and finds that a number of improvements have now made the machine more useable in the studio.
In the first part of a two-part series, Gordon Reid charts the rise of EMS and their creation of the world's first self-...
In their eagerly-awaited new flagship synth, Roland have harked back to the sampling technology of their respected S-series samplers, as well as adding some contemporary touches to equip it for the 21st century. Gordon Reid assesses past, present and future.
![Figure 3: [top] Creating a. Figure 4: [bottom] The chromatic scale generated by the configuration in.](https://dt7v1i9vyp3mf.cloudfront.net/styles/teaser_large/s3/imagelibrary/s/synth7_8-9-1100-.g2YuyNMEcoE4NEQGZlUQfrubZowD_Co.gif)
![Figure 3: [top] Creating a. Figure 4: [bottom] The chromatic scale generated by the configuration in.](https://dt7v1i9vyp3mf.cloudfront.net/styles/teaser_large/s3/imagelibrary/s/synth6_7-1000-vKJbimsIirZB2IjPodseBZkNla8G0DVZ.gif)
In these days of 64-note polyphony and 32-part multitimbrality, it's easy to forget the importance of note-priority systems in analogue monosynths — yet they can have a drastic effect on what you hear when you play or trigger an old synth. Gordon Reid provides a refresher course.
Legend has it that Sir Alec Guiness's character in Star Wars was named after Oberheim's original OB1 synthesizer; and, like that character, the OB-series has now overcome death to reappear in virtual form. Gordon Reid finds the new OB12 more powerful than he could possibly have imagined - at the price, at least...
Sample & Hold modules, as explained last month, convert a continuously varying signal into a stepped series of fixed pitches. And this, as we shall see, is the basis of what we know as 'digital audio'...
![Figure 1: [top] The output from an envelope follower. Figure 2: [bottom] A more sophisticated envelope follower.](https://dt7v1i9vyp3mf.cloudfront.net/styles/teaser_large/s3/imagelibrary/s/synth1_2-0800-0C0zNIUAttbB6Ff8M6IKO1uI8Z34UeVi.gif)
Gordon Reid introduces the synthesis modules that allow you to create a number of commonly used 'random' effects, and their close relatives — analogue sequencers.
Martin Newcomb opened his vast collection of rare electronic instruments to the public, but the public stayed at home. Now, therefore, he's changed his plans and built a studio — but some amazing vintage synths still feature prominently. Gordon Reid finds out more from Martin and studio designer Kevin Van Green.