Autah-cs.193
net.music
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!duke!chico!harpo!utah-cs!pjd
Tue Feb 16 11:31:23 1982
Inexpensive synthesizers.

I've joined "net.music" just recently and noticed a review of some
low cost synthesizers. Since my grad student stipend keeps me in the
low end of the synthesizer market, I thought I would send along some
of my experiences.

PAIA 1550 Stringz'n'Thingz. A three octave string synthesizer with
mixable slab piano, violin and cello voices. Variable sustain, chorus
depth and speed. The slab piano was pretty much worthless. A little EQ
on the string voices, however, produced some nice strings. Construction
was tedious since there are several hundred diodes and resistors to be
soldered! Debugging the keying electronics was not difficult. The
chorus board was another matter, however. I eventually sent the unit
to PAIA, who repaired the unit at NO CHARGE! (Nice guys.)

KORG MS-10. 1-VCO, 1-VCF, 1-VCA, 1-EG, 1-LFO, 1-etc. Although this is
a one of everything machine, it is amazing what you can do with it.
It is possible to produce some rather remarkable sounds, especially
through the patch panel. Musically, the MS-10 is still confining. The
single VCO is thin unless it is fattened-up with a chorus effect.
Since the VCO is a linear response oscillator, it would be somewhat
difficult to expand the MS-10 with a home-brew VCO module or using the
exponential response CEM or SSM chips. The envelope generator
is routed to both the VCF and VCA. The LFO can be routed to the VCO,
VCF and VCA. This tends to "synch up" the various control parameters
losing the kinds of asynchronous effects that make a synthesized sound
more interesting. If you can absolutely live with these limitations
forever, the MS-10 is the best unit for the money.

Sequential Circuits Pro-one. Since there have been several reviews
published on the Pro-one lately (eg. Keyboard, Polyphony, etc.) I'll
just add to the already written word. Musically, I'm very pleased with
this instrument. The flexibility of the modulation section is very
helpful in producing subtle sound texture and is worth the extra time
it requires for experimentation and learning. The sequencer is fairly
handy for practice as well as performance. (It's much nicer to practice
comp'ing to a bass line than a metronome or cheap rhythm box.)
Now for the disadvantages. Yes, the front panel and controls are cheap.
Next, this is a difficult ax to program. There are a lot of knobs to
turn when setting up a patch and can be a real hassle during performance.
It is also somewhat difficult to learn the in's and out's of the
filter - I don't really feel comfortable with the VCF controls after
6 months with the Pro-one. The digital control feature, as advertised,
is misleading. You have to REMOVE the internal microcomputer in order
to scan the keyboard yourself and cram bits into the D/A.

This is an ax for the professional, although a good, solid road case
is a must for travel. Early units (serial numbers before #1860) have had
problems with the power transformer breaking loose and trashing the
insides. This has been fixed, but if you are buying a used Pro-one you
might want to check the serial number.

All in all, the Pro-one is hot. I would buy it again.

I've had some other experiences which are not directly related to
synthesizers that may be of interest:
       Slab pianos: "Put them all in a heap and burn them."
       Yamaha CP-30 electronic piano: "Good Housekeeping seal of approval."
       Various effects devices: "The cosmic hum and the sounds of silence."
       Atari 400/800 sound generation: "What mother didn't tell you."
but, I've probably overstayed my welcome already.

paul j "pj" drongowski at utah

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