Synthesizers and
String Machines
One of the biggest collections of Italian synthesizers in the world.
Photography : Marina Denisova Location : C/O Bardi
Antonelli Syntorgan 2445
Antonelli Syntorgan 2445 - 1985. A modest item to start off the collection - this is basically a toy - but this pretty little thing can actually emit some sweet sounds, believe it or not, it was built on commission by Siel, of Opera 6 fame.
A whopping 4 individual sections crowd the small control panel : a monophonic synthesizer, a polyphonic organ-type section, an analog drum machine as well as an auto-accompaniment section with chords and bass lines.
There are a few extra parameters usually not found on toy keyboards on board here, the monophonic synthesizer has 2 octave settings and controls for LFO, Vibrato, VCF / VCA, Low pass and band pass filter, and a Cut Off - filter - the synth voice can be layered and modulated with the polyphonic section.
Busilacchio Amplipiano
Wait, this is not a synth!
Busilacchio Amplipiano - 1968 - it's definitely not a synthesizer but it start with the letter B and we like to shake things up, so is it alright if squeeze this in here? This is an Italian version of the Wurlitzer electric piano - the American, compact, electro-acoustic piano that was sold in large numbers and distributed to every decent school with music classes throughout the USA in the 50s and 60s.
Opposed to the Wurltizer, the Busilacchio Amplipiano did not have a wide distribtution - this is one of a handful in existence. There was also a Vibrapiano model with a slightly different look but the same mechanism inside, as well as a small, two-octave model called Minibasso.
Busilacchio was an old-fashioned company manufacturing accordions and cheap "ventilation organs" for the Italian market. In the late 1960s they introduced this very limited number of high-quality Electric pianos.
The keys work similarly to a grand piano - a long rod attached to each key strikes another vertical lever with a hammer - tilting it to strike a tuned, metal “reed” or bar.
The sound is amplified like a Wurlitzer or Rhodes piano - or like an electric guitar, with each reed or bar having its own pick-up that sends audio to the quarter inch jack output.
Beautifully designed and compact with legs that fold out and a sturdy lid - this thing is ready for the road.
CRB Diamond 709
CRB DIAMOND 709 - 1978. A practice in minimalism, this simple but great sounding string machine has two hardwired preset sounds. And a sustain and attack dial - less is more.
It produces perfectly lush strings and has a particular sound and component layout compared to other stringers of the era.
The two presets are actually the same string sound but generate notes an octave apart. You can play both simultaneously.
The unit is surprisingly lightweight for a string machine of the era, clocking in at less than 10 kilos.
The minimalist approach extends to the power cable as well - measuring roughly 20 Centimeters. Something provoked the previous owner to apply the scissors to it and it could be a bit longer frankly.
Minimalism is applied in the back as well, output and expression pedal.
CRB Oberon
CRB OBERON - 1979 - Amazingly rare and powerful, this dual, but actually triple, oscillator monophonic synth is the very apex of Italian synthesizer engineering and the crown jewel in the V.A.I. instrument collection.
Quite heavy for it's modest size it's crammed with double sided circuitboards. One of a handful still in existence this is a complex synth with lots of sound sculpting and modulation capabilities.
Many European synths of the 70s mimicked the Mini Moog but the CRB Oberon is a quite different instrument. The filter section is unique for an Italian synth, with a separate High, and Low Pass Filters, as well as an All Pass Filter. On board are special parameters such as Duty Cycle and Pulse Width with a Pulse Height control.
The noise generator offers either white or pink noise. The CRB Oberon oscillator signal path is hands on and made easy with on/off dip switches.
A.M. synthesis is the before mentioned third oscillator with simplified controls, located on the panel on the left side. Great for fattening up and adding a third octave to leads and basses. The Oberon is stable in performance and pitch thanks to its digitally controlled oscillators.
On the back the view is pure minimalism - there's no MIDI or CV Gate implementation - instead we find a quarter inch, jack audio output only.
CRB Voco-Strings
CRB VOCO-STRINGS - 1979 The only Italian Vocoder ever produced, this is another rare gem from the limited CRB synthesizer production run - not many are still in circulation.
The on-board string machine is very lush sounding - on its own or as a so-called carrier signal to the modulator, which is usually a voice but you can vocode anything really.
Based on the Electro Harmonix EH-03000 vocoder from around the same time it's also clearly inspired by the Roland VP-330
And just like on those two there's an input for an external carrier signal - a great, classic feature.
The Voco-Strings is especially good with drum machines and percussive sounds - you can of course mix in the string machine section for extra lushness.
Input signal has a dedicated gain control and there's an on-board compressor as well.
Crumar Composer
Crumar Composer - 1982 - King of the Italian combo synthesizers, this is also the V.A.I. desert island synth : 4 independent sections with all the classic 1970s and early 1980s sounds dialled in instantly.
On offer is a single oscillator monophonic synth, a double octave String machine, an Organ section with 4 presets and percussion and decay controls, a Polyphonic synthesizer with 3 presets and a free mode that routes it to the filter section shared with the Monophonic synth.
The Crumar Composer filter section sports the lovely Curtis CEM filter and is shared between the polyphonic and monohponic sections, with ADSR controls, envelope amount, cut-off and resonance.
The monophonic section has 7 hardwired presets as well as a free mode which utilises the filter section for sound sculpting, a 4 octave transpose dial, 5 different wave forms, portamento and can be split split to be playable above or below the mid split point of the keyboard.
The two jog wheels are for vibrato depth for all sections except the monophonic synth, while the other jog wheel is for pitch bending affecting the mono synth. The Crumar Composer is also equipped with an expressive key bed : "jiggle" a key sideways to engage a vibrato affect.
The separate output are key to get the most out of your Crumar Composer - route each section to individual effects, echoes and reverbs and you get massive soundscapes. There's also a breath tube input for opening or closing the filter.
Crumar DS2
CRUMAR DS2 - 1978 This is possibly the first synth with digitally controlled oscillators (DCO) - the DS in DS2 stands for Digital Synthesizer - a great leap forward towards pitch stability of course but don't be fooled - it utilises the same analog filter and signal path as traditional voltage controlled oscillator synths.
The Crumar DS2 is a monster : 2 completely separate oscillators with an added divide down based, polyphonic synth added for extra fatness. The control panel uses every inch so buttons and knobs are nice and chunky and the font is large.
The DS2 was another hit for Crumar and was and is widely used by a wide array of artists such as Sun Ra, the Cardigans and Legowelt. The excellent modulation capabilities and lack of preset sounds make it a complex but perfect instrument for sound experiments and noodling but can with some twiddling of course generate great synth leads, basses and chord sounds.
Eqipped with 2 LFOs, one with Sample &Hold and staircase waveforms, it allows us to apply them for separate modulations of the 2 oscillators, VCF and the VCA. Pulse-width can be set manually or modulated by either LFO.
The back sports High and Low impedance quarter inch jack audio outputs, a headphone output and separate Polyphonic synth output. There's also a cool external audio input to the filter section and separate Gate in and out mini jack connectors.
The Crumar DS2 lives in a heavy duty wooden road case with a gorgeously huge plastic logo on the side of it.
Crumar Multiman S2
CRUMAR MULTIMAN S/2 - 1977 - Massive both in sound and weight, this is a 61 key strings and brass machine with separate outputs, piano sounds and a sub bass section for that earthquake-provoking low end.
The S/2 is successor to the Multiman S, also branded Orchestrator, the control panel layout and sounds are exactly the same - with the focus on the splittable keyboard - to play a different set of sounds on the lower part of the keyboard than the higher one.
On offer are 5 preset sounds (Brass, Piano, Clavichord, Cello and Violin) and a bonus sub-bass sound assigned to the lower 27 notes of the keyboard. All sounds are divide down generated so we get full polyphony here. The Brass section has a SSM based filter giving it a nice range from brass-y to more synthesizer-like sounds.
The S/2 has the same great characteristics as it predecessor, with presets that sound little like the instrument they're named after. Each preset sound can be played simultaneously and has 2 volume controls - one for the bottom half of the keyboard and one for the upper half.
The Multiman S/2 is very sturdy and surprisingly heavy. Unlike the previous model it comes without a lid but is instead protected by a black faux leather bag.
The separate outputs are great for modulating the individual sounds further by using effect pedals, echoes and reverb. The big round connector is for a 12 note foot pedal for the bass section.
Crumar Multiman S3
Crumar Multiman S3 - 1985 - A Multiman to rule them all - this is the most advanced of the three models, with added modulation for the strings. The 4 sections are playable simultaneously : String machine, Piano and Polyphonic synthesizer, and lastly, a hardwired sub bass.
Although released in the mid 1980s you'll recognise the classic 1970s Multiman sounds when you hook this up - the fantastic string machine sound is there but unlike its predecessors, the synth section is unique to the S3.
The Multiman S3 differs quite a bit from the earlier Multiman iterations by sporting extra modulation controls, affecting the chorus of the strings and general vibrato.
The Modulation section has a wider range and can actually be made to sound like a proper, polyphonic synth instead of the earlier Multiman models' brassier tones. The filter on the S3 is SSM based.
All sections are Divide Down generated, resulting in full polyphony, and are splittable : assignable to either the full, or only the upper or lower part of the keyboard
There are 3 separate audio outputs, great for recording the sounds separately or routing them to external effects such as phasers, flangers, echoes and reverbs.
Crumar Performer
CRUMAR PERFORMER - 1979 A lightweight and compact string and brass synth that was a great success for Crumar. It was used on various recordings and is seen in live footage from back in the day, Duran Duran toured with one for example.
Despite its minimal layout - this is essentially a slimmed down Crumar Multiman - without the piano sounds or sub bass. We get hands-on modulation controls, the 2 sections have separate volume controls and full polyphony.
The strings section has its own dedicated Bass, Mid and Treble controls and offers 2 stackable octaves to simulate Violin and Cello, underneath which buttons we find the octave switch on this model, to make up for the loss of range due to the reduced, 4 octave keyboard.
The Crumar Performers brass section is equipped with a filter and LFO, and it was produced in two versions : the early production run usually has an A on the serial number plate and mounts a Moog Ladder filter, while the 2nd generation, Performer B, mounts an SSM 2044 - based filter.
Generally the Performer B with the SSM filter is in higher demand, since it seems the Moog ladder filter doesn't behave great with polyphony. There was also a later Crumar Performer 2, with a similar design and layout.
The back mounts a mysterious Gate mini jack output, and separate outputs for Brass and Signal, which is the unmodulated brass section. The regular Brass output excludes the audio signal from the main output, effectively giving you a strings only output.
Crumar Trilogy
Crumar Trilogy - 1983 - With added filter controls and fantastic presets - is this Crumars flagship Polyphonic synthesizer? It's definitely a different beast from the Multiman S (Multimen?) models.
The focus of the Trilogy is a polyphonic Divide Down synth - with two additional sections : an organ with a few presets and basic controls as well as the classic iteration of the Crumar string machine.
The low pass 24 dB filter utilising SSM chips is powerful - and makes the Trilogy bat above its already impressive weight, with full polyphony its actually paraphonic with double oscillators per voice.
The front panel is almost entirely dedicated to the Polyphonic synth, compared to the other Crumar models released such as the Multiman or Performer, the Trilogy might be closer to the almighty Crumar Composer, but lacking the monophonic synth section.
The 7 presets are hardwired but can be "programmed" or rather altered by opening up the Trilogy and adjusting the internal trim pots that correspond to the parameters of each preset sound.
The back sports separate outputs for each instrument section and some great expression pedal control inputs, as well as some mystery connectors marked "Interface" and "T.M. imput".
Eko Stradivarius
EKO Stradivarius 1975 - The only String Machine to come out of the EKO factory, it's on par with the best in our opinion, generating the perfect 70s strings reminiscent of a certain Dutch stringer that starts with a S.
This was Eko's answer to the Solina String Ensemble and it gets close: bass, cello and horn sounds are literally spot on while the strings and trumpet sound a bit different.
The control panel features 6 sections with individual volume controls, actually making it more versatile than the Solina String Ensemble - which sections can only be switched or or off.
Just like woth the Solina String Ensemble the Bass and Cello sounds are monohponic and are playable only in the lower two octaves.
The two outputs also mimic the Dutch string machine of fame by offering a lower volume impedance output possibly for running through effects pedals, with a second brighter, louder volume audio output.
The Stradivarius is not light but it comes road-ready with a lid and a convenient handle.
Ekosynth
Ekosynth - 1975 - EKOs very first synthesizer - a monophonic, single oscillator unit with a great filter section and perfect presets that sound nothing like the instruments they're supposed to emulate. In free mode this compact synth can generate a surprising variety of sounds and textures.
A small and compact, three octave, monophonic synth with 12 presets and a manual mode that offers three waveforms, a low pass envelope filter with ADSR controls. Manual mode can produce varied sounds from howling and distorsions to sweet flute leads.
The Ekosynth sports a set of four octave switches for transposition and the LFO has three waveforms and can control the VCO, VCF and VCA individually or simultaneously.
The Ekosynth is an instantly old school and vintage-sounding monophonic synth with a quite aggressive filter section.
Like many synths of the era the word Digital is flaunted on the front panel but this machines signal path is analog all the way - digital refers to the preset sounds storage technology only.
No CV gate inputs here unfortunately - Instead we get a High and a Low impedance output as well as a swell pedal input.
Eko P-15
EKO P15 - 1979 - Reliable and straight forward, this is a useful monophonic synthesizer with the classic, analog synth leads and bass sounds. Compared to its predecessor the tones it generates are sweeter and softer on the ears.
It's a single oscillator instrument that's easy to use and delivers classic leads and basses as well as woody filter sweeps and space drums sounds.
Named P15 after the 15 presets - it says digital but make no mistake - it's analog all the way apart from a few micro processors for the storage of the preset sounds.
In manual mode the presets can be engaged and modified with the VCA and VCF sections.
The preset section offers an original palette of sounds ranging from Fuzz Guitar and Pan Pipes to the Vihulea. Quite possibly the only synth with a Vihuela preset - the Vihuela is a Spanish guitar from the renaissance.
Perfect for the touring musician it comes with a lid and swell pedal.
Elka Elkatwin 61
ELKA ELKATWIN 61 - 1980 - A hybrid digital and analog string machine and preset synth from Elka that offers two identical sections that can be engaged simultaneously plus a monophonic bass section. Stay for the built-in phaser.
Fully Polyphonic String and brass machine as well as hard-wired, polyphonic preset keyboard with a unique architecture. The strings and the on-board phaser is where this machine excels but the other preset sounds, like vibraphone, guitar and organ for example, definitely add to its uniqueness.
Both main preset sections of the Elkatwin 61 are completely independent and can sound massive together when detuned and modulated diversely. Added to the B preset sounds is the octave switch, with 3 settings : lower, normal or higher. The Leslie effect and phaser can be applied to sections A and B freely.
The Bass section is located on the right and serves up a choice of 4 preset sounds, has its own cut-off and volume control and can be applied to the lower octaves in two ways.
The Phasing parameters are simple - Speed and Depth - and the sweep is reminiscent of the Small Stone phaser.
On the back we find a few separate outputs for running sounds through effects or echoes, and a dedicated output connector for the Elkatone Leslie cabinet as well. The unit comes with a lid that makes it look like a suitcase.
Elka Solist 505
Elka Solist 505 - 1976. The mono synth you didn't know you wanted, why does it sound so good?Could it be the 2 Moog filters on board? This odd looking bird is actually great for sticky leads and sound effects.
The presets can be modulated by the sliders on the left, Attack, Decay, Wow (combined bandpass filter and resonance), cut-off, vibrato depth and auto bend that adds a short bend in the beginning of the note.
The Solist is a single oscillator synthesizer made to sit on top of an organ for playing synth solos so all the controls are located on the front of the unit.
Clearly inspired by the Roland SH1000 and other compact mono synths from the mid 70s, the 11 presets offer a variety of wave forms and octaves that do a great job at sounding like a synth but less so imitating the instruments they're named after.
The sound of the Solist is as unique as its design - the easy controls, varied presets and a slim chassi makes this a great instrument to bring on the road.
No fuss - we find a swell pedal input and audio output connector in the back.
Farfisa Clavioline
Farfisa Clavioline - 1960s. Was this the first mass produced synthesizer in Italy? Or was it manufactured in Germany by Selmer? This is a single oscillator, monophonic, 3-octave synthesizer powered by tubes that will take you straight back into time.
This Italian iteration comes with an expanded selection of preset voices. The lever you see on top gets attached underneath the keyboard for controlling the volume level with the knee to add expression to your playing.
The keyboard is powered by the tube amplifier below via a big connector cable. This is out for service so we don't have the real specifics of it yet but the sounds and textures generated by the Clavioline are definitely rooted in the 1950s and 1960s horror and Sci-Fi soundscapes.
The black push buttons are octave transposers while the white ones starting at 0 are different vibrato settings. Underneath is a long row of presets - or rather the same monophonic oscillator treated by clever equalizer settings to produce different instrument sounds that range from very nasal, similar to a Turkish Zurna, to organ and flute-like tones.
Although using a simple technique, these sounds are quite hard to replicate with regular analog or modern synthesizers and they have a great, organic character and a capability to cut through well in a busy mix.
The whole shebang is neatly contained in a suitcase and almost looks like an old radio. We're very much looking forward to experimenting further with this instrument and will update the description then.
Farfisa Polychrome
FARFISA POLYCHROME - 1978 - A gigantic instrument with an equally huge sound - was this the flagship Farfisa string machine? With 4 independent sections of Divide Down based instruments with lots of modulation capabilities our bets are in.
The Polychrome uses octave-divider technology to achieve full polyphony meaning you can effectively play a 61 note chord. It's a big-boned piece of gear, wide and surprisingly deep - this to comfortably fit all the circuit boards inside. The keyboard is equipped with after-touch, controlling volume and / or brilliance.
There are four main instrument groups with individual preset sounds that are selectable one at a time : 1. Percussive - Piano, Harpsichord, Clavichord and the latest in modern piano emulation - Honky Tonk. This section is equipped with a dedicated filter with Brilliance, Decay and Emphasis parameters. 2. Strings - 1 single preset with 3 octaves selectable simultaneously to form a big string section.
3. Ensemble - 3 Brass preset sounds with an expanded filter section of brilliance and emphasis filter as well as attack and decay controls. You can get a wide variety of sounds here, from synth leads brass chords. 4. Vocal Chorus - Now this is special : 3 haunting choir preset sounds with a free mode gaining access to Resonance and Cutoff parameters.
The on-board phaser and tremolo effects are rare additions but do sound fantastic and gives the Polychrome that distinctive, vintage edge over other stringers and synth contemporaries. The phaser has volume, emphasis and speed controls and it can be applied to modulate individual sections or all of them except the Vocal Chorus. There's also a Modulation bank that acts as a Chorus effect complete with Slow and Fast options to emulate a Leslie.
A few more audio outputs would have been sweet but for now we get a general output of all sections unless the Vocal Chorus jack output is connected which separates it from the others. We then have a Headphone and input connector as well an expression pedal connector.
Farfisa Syntorchestra
FARFISA SYNTORCHESTRA - 1975. An iconic string machine and monophonic synthesizer with a distinct character you recognise from your favorite Kraut Rock or Turkish Funk records. Nothing else really sounds like this. A quite popular synth back in the day it's championed by a slew of artists still relevant.
The polyphonic sections limited modulation capabilities apart - there are no attack or release controls here, only piano has fixed release - its 4 presets can sound great with some external help from a phaser pedal such as the often used, German Schulte Compact Phasing A.
The polyphonic presets do have separate brilliance and vibrato controls while the monophonic presets have attack and decay as well as a filter section with LFO applicable to the VCA or VCF - the speed is set with the vibrato control. Speaking of the vibrato, it's really quite unique, same goes for the filter, you recognise them instantly.
For the mono section there's portamento and a unique temporary portamento touch-bar to more easily turn on and off the portamento while playing.
Separate outputs for poly and mono - perfect for running the 2 sections through separate effects.
The Farfisa Syntorchestra comes with a lid and closes to become a silver monolith with a handle. There is also a wooden version with the same guts and controls released around the same time.
Farfisa Soundmaker
FARFISA SOUNDMAKER - 1979 - A multi-section instrument composed of a polyphonic preset synth, a string machine and a monophonic synth with a fantastic filter and voltage controlled oscillator modulation.
The three sections consist of a polyphonic section of four preset sounds, a separate string machine section with two footages and at last a single oscillator monophonic synthesizer with its dedicated LFO and VCO section.
All three sections are playable simultaneously, each with individual volume and cut-off filter controls, the string section adds attack and decay controls. The aftertouch modulates the brass and monophonic brilliance as well as the monophonic oscillator (LFO VCO) and glide, a bend-type portamento.
The monophonic synthesizer has a great range of presets that can be modified in Free mode as well as with the oscillator section applying LFO to the VCF and VCA for modulation. There's also a subtle vibrato and portamento on board.
Plenty of outputs in the back is great for running signals wherever you feel like, the Mono-Poli output can be modified to a dedicated monophonic section output - strongly recommended.
The Case is an imposing affair that holds the foot pedal, music stand as well the actual synth, clocking in at a whopping 28 kilos total.
Farfisa Syntorchestra 4
FARFISA SYNTORCHESTRA 4 - 1982. A gorgeous and compact polyphonic and monophonic combo machine with strings and brass presets and a synth section armed with delicate flute leads.
This brown and bulky piece of delicate plastic does a fantastic job at instantly creating 1970s leads and pads. Applying the LFO to the filter and vibrato you get that swaying synth sound championed by Boards of Canada.
The Syntorchestra 4 could be considered a slimmed down Farfisa Soundmaker rather than a successor to the original Farfisa Syntorchestra. There was no Syntorchestra 2 or 3 to our knowledge.
The 6 polyphonic presets include subtle brass and string presets with cut-off and strings decay control but are also modifiable by routing them to the monophonic sections' filter controls by engaging the Poly in Mono button.
The Mono Synthesizer section has 8 presets with modifiable LFO depth and speed, Vibrato, VCF, Brilliance (cutoff filter), Emphasis (resonance filter) as well as portamento.
The back sport separate audio outputs for each of the two sections - great for routing them to external effects.
FBT Synther 2000
FBT Synther 2000 - 1973. This is an extremely rare, triple oscillator monophonic synthesizer with its own distinctive architecture, layout and a plane crash button. The FBT Synther 2000 has a unique look, layout and internal architecture.
The 3 oscillators are actually subtractive which result in thin, low bit, organ-like tones. Engaging the modulation of pitch and filter adding the noise section and it can generate thick walls of sound and texture as well though.
This is early Italian attempt at building a synthesizer, the filter is minimalist cut off dial with individual volume for each oscillator while the envelope has three modes, attack and decay, attack and continious.
The continuous envelope is interesting, creating a rhythmic, tremolo pulse. The two noise generators are another great feature - as they follow the pitch, ultimately making them playable as notes on the keyboard.
The left panel mounts the Q1 Cont. Freq which controls the LFO speed of Oscillator 1. The button marked Keyboard Sweep is just that - generating a portamento effect of an incoming missile in a computer game.
A jack output only on the back, the bigger connector is a pedal board input most likely added by the previous owner.
GEM PK 4900
GEM PK4900 - 1980. Monotron and Polytron - take the fast lane to classic synth and pad sounds of the 70s and 80s. This is a polyphonic brass and string machine as well as a monophonic synth, all playable simultaneously.
GEM renamed the sections creatively: Polytron, Monotron and Instastrings. The 2 polyphonic sections are tunable and together with the monophonic synth this little keyboard can generate some nice, big textures.
The Instastrings section has 2 presets and dedicated sustain and attack control while the Polytron section has 3 brass presets, a chorus modulation and Vibrato delay option. The two share a single volume control.
This was GEMs response to the Farfisa Syntorchestra and although it says Digital on the manual the signal path is fully analog. The Monotron presets are creatively named synthesizer leads and basses, 8 in total, with essential modulation capabilities of bend, portamento and chorus.
The GEM PK4900 might offer limited sound sculpting possibilities but makes up for it by how easy it is to instantly access great 1970s leads, pads and string sounds.
The back presents 3 dedicated audio outputs making it easy to counter the lack of on-board modulation with external effects.
Logan String Melody
LOGAN STRING MELODY - 1973 - The first generation String Melody is one of the very best string machines out there. An indispensable keyboard in any modern or vintage studio it was featured on a slew of cool records across multiple genres in the 70s.
To musicians playing everything from Disco and Soul to Prog rock, to have the sound of a full orchestra in a compact little keyboard with a handle on it was revolutionary. There weren't many options, except recording the real thing or using the bulky Mellotron.
The Logan String Melody actually does a decent job at imitating an orchestra - with the help of some echo, reverb and imagination. It's of course the imitation sound that it does even better - it has a lot of character and sounds great in the mix.
There are three preset sounds on board: ‘Violin’, ‘Viola’ and ‘Cello’. They're actually the very same sound generated by a single top oscillator divided into 3 separate octave ranges applied to either the lower or upper part of the keyboard. The lower half is named Bass and the upper is called Treble and they both have separate volume controls for each octave.
The design is very slim and compact - this was made to be taken on the road and thrown in the back of a car. The look is a bit deceiving though - its weight is fairly substantial.
With the lid in place the machine is well protected and easy to transport.
Logan Piano Strings Synthesizer
Logan Piano Strings Synthesizer - 1975 - A rare bird that sounds like nothing else and has its sliders upside down. This was the dawn of polyphonic string machine and synthesizer technology and all three section instrument has that distinct, rich sound.
The 3 sections are : Strings, Piano and Synthesizer and are all playable simultaneously. All sounds are generated utilising standard, divide down engineering and we're rewarded with particularly eerie timbres quite unlike other stringers of the era : earthy and organic and quite unlike the sounds we commonly find on Italian stringers.
Breaking down the architecture of the LPSS the strings section consists of 2 presets that are generated by the same top oscillator but an octave apart with individual volumes sharing attack and decay controls. The Piano section has 2 sounds with two footages - all available at the same time. The synthesizer section has one polyphonic voice.
The filter sections VCO generates two wave forms and the filter has a great bite to it. We can get a wide variety of sounds here, with two filter modes; Phasing Color and Wha wha which regulate the LFO intensity. The LFO also has additional depth and speed controls.
The small gate circuit boards for each key are covered in a protective, brown resin to hide the layout of the components to potential competitors - basically making cloning or copying impossible or at least harder - you sometimes find this in synths of the era. Luckily we have now been successful at removing the resin and recovering the layout for future repairs.
An oddity on the Logan Piano Strings Synthesizer is the sliders : inspired by organ drawbars, they're are reversed, with maximum value at the bottom and minimum or 0 at the top. This takes a bit of practice to get used to.
Siel Cruise
Siel Cruise - 1981. One of Italys most successful Mono Poly combo-keyboards is a must for analog synth heads. Combining a versatile and hands-on, monophonic synthesizer with a polyphonic preset section we get a great, light weight instrument with its signal path printed onto the control panel. Stay for the cozy brown paint job.
The Cruise is really two of Siel synths slapped together : the polyphonic Siel Orchestra II and the monophonic Siel Mono - duh - with slightly slimmed down sound sculpting options from the originals. We don't know why it's called Cruise - Tom Cruise was not yet famous and it's hard to pronounce in Italian.
Maybe since native english speakers thought Cruise was a bewildering name, it was re-badged in the US. With a black and white control panel, Sequential Circuits released it as the Fugue, but it was actually the very same insides still manufactured in Italy.
The polyphonic part offers a whopping 4 separate sections, each with a choice of 2 to 3 hardwired preset sounds each : Brass, Strings, Reed and lastly piano section. Only some of the polyphonic sound groups can be layered, this takes some trial and error by pressing down the buttons simultaneously.
Moving on to the lovely, single oscillator, Mono section, it has a clear overview and reveals 11 instruments that are really sets of various square, saw tooth shapes and octaves to modulate with the ADSR envelope, VCF, cutoff, resonance, and Vibrato depth and speed.
Separate audio outputs for the mono and poly section come in handy, as well as a few pedal inputs.
Siel Opera 6
SIEL OPERA 6 - 1983. This hands-on and user-friendly 6-voice, polyphonic synthesizer with touch sensitivity, a 88-slot memory bank and MIDI might make your Juno jealous.
Each of the 6 voices has its own independent filter and envelope generator. Unlike other polyphonic Korgs and Rolands of the era the Siel Opera 6 has a velocity sensitive keyboard, giving it quite an edge in terms of expression.
The result is a colourful and organic synth with easy, hands-on controls. The 88 presets ranging from Rhodes-like tones to space sounds, thick basses, synth pads and strong leads are easily tweak-able or simply modified beyond recognition thanks to the wide range of the modulation parameters.
Apart from being instantly modifiable, the preset sounds are saveable either to the same, or assigned to a new, slot. It's an intuitively laid out synth with direct access to every parameter when tweaking sounds.
Experienced players might notice that the key bed is quite nice for such a lightweight synthesizer while making good use of the velocity sensitivity to add dynamics to their playing.
The back sports a Midi input with MIDI upgraded to Tauntek specs. One single jack output and actually really cool swell and filter pedal inputs are on hand too.
Solton Project 100
Solton Project 100 - 1983. A deceivingly light weight, polyphonic, 6-voice synthesizer with a whopping 12 digitally controlled oscillators, SSM filters and a heavenly Chorus with the push of a button, this synth can generate massive soundscapes with or without a few menu dives.
The sleek, Miami Vice-inspired design mimics that of the Solton Programmer 24 and houses top of the line components of the era and comes with a nice big memory of 40 pre-programmed presets and 60 empty slots dedicated to user saves.
The synth offers few directly accessible controls - it's mainly a digital user interface: to edit a sound, dive in to the menu, select a parameter and change the value using the push buttons. You can however control the parameters using MIDI CC commands.
The Project 100 delivers plenty, with two DCOs per voice (square, sawtooth, pulse, pulse with variable pulse width) and two envelopes (VCA and VCF), a 4-pole filter with resonance and an LFO (with square, sine and delay functions) for modulating DCO, VCA and VCF, the sound sculpting is really off the chart.
The bucket brigade analog Chorus effect is fantastic and adds to the Project 100s character and lushness - it doesn't sound like a Juno 60 or 106 at all, rather it's in a category of its own.
Stereo outputs and Midi In and Out is the take-away looking in the back, with pedal connectors for volume and release. There's also a trigger input and a Phones output.
Steelphon S900
Steelphon S900 - 1973. Is this the only yellow vintage synthesizer? Amplifier producer Steelphon from Turin developed this very well-built and punchy, dual oscillator monophonic synthesizer with great modulation capabilities and 6 modifiable presets.
This is a specimen of the very early production run - a handful of yellow units with metal control panels - much more rare than the wooden version. The synths are identical electronically but use different key beds.
The layout of the controls is the same as the wood units but the finish of the front panel is silver metal instead of black.
2 completely separate oscillators with 6 footages (6 octaves that can be engaged at the same time). Oscillator one is Saw tooth while the second is a closer to a square wave.
The Steelphon S900 was perhaps the most forward thinking of the European synths at the time of 1973, with many features that just a year or two later became standard - the 6 programmable presets, the CV Gate inputs especially.
Here you see the separate CV inputs are an example of that; one for each oscillator, and a trigger input for both, few European synths incorporated this feature in 1973.
Steelphon S900
STEELPHON S900 - 1973. The powerful, dual oscillator Mono Synth that paved the way, is this the very first synth with programmable pre-sets?
2 completely separate oscillators with 6 footages (6 octaves) per oscillator. Oscillator one is Saw tooth while the second is a closer to a square wave.
The LFO is called Low Osc. has a wide range and is equipped with 4 wave forms. The filter is Moog Ladder with a punched up resonance and can also be controlled by routing the 2 noise generators to it, a unique feature.
The signal path of the two oscillators and the two noise generators (white and red) is clearly mapped out for easy use. The left panel hides the 6 presets, modifiable by regulating the trim pots hidden underneath.
The 6 presets can be engaged in any combination to create matrix of sounds as well as the individual ones. In general the Steelphon S900 is reliable and doesn't drift too much in pitch once warmed up.
Another ground-breaking feature of the Steelphon S900 is the two separate CV inputs, one for each oscillator, and a trigger input for both, hardly any other synths of the era incorporated this feature.
Welson Stereo Symphony
WELSON STEREO SYMPHONY - 1976 - This is definitely one of the more unique string machines to have come out of Italy at the time.
Like other string machines from the 1970s the Welson Stereo Symphony has separate volume, attack and decay controls for the lower and upper half of the keyboard.
What makes it unique is the stereo audio output with separate volume pedals for each one. The "Concert" effect - or chorus effect - is also pan-able to the right or left.
The 5 polyphonic preset sounds are terrific 1970s string machine sounds and are all playable simultaneously : Cello, Violin, Horn / Brass, Piano and harpsichord.
The possibilities of sculpting the presets are different than your regular string machine - by panning the "Concert" slider (Chorus) or the preset sound sliders you get phaser or chorus-like effects. You can also choose which sounds to add chorus to.
The design is clearly inspired by the Farfisa Syntorchestra. In the back there are two outputs - left and right - with separate volume controls as well as separate expression pedal inputs.
Welson Syntex
WELSON SYNTEX - 1975. A versatile and user friendly, dual oscillator, monophonic synthesizer with the powerful Moog Ladder filter and 15 presets that just sound fantastic - was this the apex of Italian synth engineering?
This rather slim, elongated synthesizer growls and howls and screams - but can also generate gentle and sweet flute and whistle sounds.
Featuring 15 versatile presets, a dedicated filter and LFO section and equipped with White and Pink noise generation there's plenty of modulation capabilities here. The Syntex was made to put on top of your organ with easy access to the presets below the keybaord and it was incorporated in the massive Welson Privilege home organ.
Two digitally controlled oscillators with a Moog Ladder based filter section, 4 footages (4 octaves engagable at the same time) for both oscillators and a wide range of modulation capabilities, this is the desert island, work horse of Italian monophonic synths. The oscillators can be de-tuned to intervals and have individual routing possibilites to the VCF as well as separate vibrato controls.
The presets range from huge dual oscillator bass sounds to a single oscillator whistle with portamento, the presets are mostly single oscillator based and hard-wired, no tweaking except for the vibrato, portamento and master tune.
The Random Music button triggers random notes but can also be routed to control the LFO of the noise and filter sections to create rhythmic, drum-like patterns - here that snappy filter comes to good use. What seems like a goofy novelty is actually quite neat.