About...
A few
synth milestones
Switched on Bach by Wendy Carlos – first well-known album played enitirely on Moog Synthesizers
In 1970 the MiniMoog is introduced, followed in 1972 by the competition: ARP Odyssey. Both synths were more meant for live performance than the modular systems that had so far been available. Synthesizers as an instrument instead of just an effects machine are getting more into musicians’ budgets. Hans is a regular customer in music stores, playing and testing ARP Axxe, Oberheim synths etc.
Electronics magazine Elektor publishes diagrams for a DIY modular synth that Hans builds with 4 VCOs, 6 VCFs, 4 ADSRs, 6 LFOs, 2 VCAs and Noise/SH
In 1983 the Yamaha DX7 sees the light of day.. Before that there was Synclavier that was created later in the 70s but with a price upto $ 200.000, there were not many people that could get one… Then came DX7, the first affordable FM synthesizer with characteristic FM sound. Hans gets one late 1984..
Later in ’88 the Korg M1 comes out that uses samples as soundsource.
The 90s kick off with Korg Wavestation that uses wavetables as soundsource… and other new use of samples.
A lot of well known synths have not ben named but are created in that ‘golden’ 80s/90s era, the Roland Jupiter series, the Sequential Circuit Prophets and many others..
In the meantime the computer had found its way into music and computers getting faster and faster, they were able to recreate synths in software. Like the whole range of synths that Arturia recreated from Modular Moog to Synclavier, but even Korg itself who have recreated their M1, Wavestation and other succesful synths. So 50+ years after the invention of the synthesizer it now really is an instrument.. but a VERY flexible at that!
After starting to play guitars when he was 12, the first synth album Hans heard was ELPs’ Pictures at an Exhibition. This made it absolutely sure – he needed to play keyboards; synths. Playing lots of them in the local stores before he was able to make his own in 1977. Afterwards followed all the ‘major’ steps.. analog, DX7, M1, Wavestation and now almost only softsynths. And since programming is one of his areas of expertise, he is now able to build software like RFM-R etc, that can add extra features.
And for some time he is also working on creating his own modular softsynth.. an expanded version of the original modular Formant.. watch the videos for preliminary information.