Seven Deadly Synths

Sep 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Geary Yelton

At the heart of most recording studios, alongside the multitrack recorder, mixer, mics, and monitors, you'll find a synthesizer — often more than one. It might be an 88-note weighted keyboard controlling a stack of MIDI modules or a portable USB keyboard linked to a laptop stuffed with the latest soft synths, but the ultimate in prestige and convenience is a top-of-the-line synthesizer. Many studio owners aspire to own pro-level recording gear that will attract well-heeled clients to book time at their facilities, and one object that's sure to impress potential customers is a first-rate synth with all the bells and whistles.

The premise for this article was simple: to select and evaluate the most desirable, drool-worthy electronic instruments, synthesizers that are undeniably objects of technolust. Coming up with a list wasn't difficult; all I had to do was look around and see what excited me. The first hurdle was narrowing the field to just seven candidates.

When I discussed the idea with the other EM editors, we decided to exclude instruments that we'd already covered more than once in the magazine. We've published several reviews and a Master Class on the Korg Triton and its various manifestations, and the Yamaha Motif and Kurzweil 2600 are also in danger of overexposure. Last year, we ran a review of the Swedish-made Clavia Nord Lead 3, and I wrote about its rackmount counterpart, the Nord Rack 3 module, in the August 2002 synth roundup, “Analog Supermodels.” We considered the monophonic Moog Voyager but decided that it warrants a full review (stay tuned). Thus, my initial list was whittled down to seven.

THEN THERE WERE SEVEN

The next challenge was acquiring all seven instruments at the same time. A few were very scarce but nonetheless very sought after. In some cases, their manufacturers simply hadn't caught up with demand, much less produced spare units to send to reviewers. Weeks into my quest for the seven deadly synths, I began to fear that I would need to revise my list. But with patience, perseverance, and persistence, I finally got my hands on every synth on my A-list — even two rare, rackmountable, analog boutique models, the Jomox SunSyn and the Studio Electronics Omega 8. The remainder reads like a wealthy rock star's shopping list: the Hartmann Neuron, the Waldorf Q+, the Novation Supernova II Pro-X, the Access Virus kc, and the Roland V-Synth.

The seven synths I chose have plenty of similarities. The five that aren't true-analog modules employ subtractive synthesis with a combination of analog modeling and sampled wavetables. Most have multi-effects processing, at least one arpeggiator, a vocoder, and the ability to process external audio. All but the two modules have five-octave keyboards. All seven have front panels studded with knobs and buttons, multimode filters, extensive modulation routing, and a price tag over $2,500. Four are German-made, one is British, one is Japanese, and one was designed and manufactured in the United States.

ACCESS VIRUS KC

FIG. 1: With a five-octave keyboard, the Virus kc is at the top of Access's synthesizer line. Like all the current virus models, it's a virtual-analog synth with frequent operating system upgrades.

Access Music manufactures four synthesizers with virtually identical sound engines and capabilities. All are descendants of the Virus A and subsequent Virus B analog-modeling synths. The series now comprises the five-octave keyboard Virus kc ($2,595), the three-octave keyboard Indigo 2 ($2,595), the tabletop Virus C ($1,995, reviewed in the August 2003 issue), and the Virus Rack XL ($1,495). The Virus Rack Classic ($945), yet another variation, has half the polyphony of the others, and Indigo TDM ($795) is a plug-in version for Pro Tools users. I chose the top-of-the-line kc model as the deadliest Virus.

The Virus kc is lovely to look at, with 32 high-quality knobs, 35 square buttons, and 69 indicator LEDs (see Fig. 1). All the controls are grouped onto just less than half the front panel, all within easy reach of your left hand. The Virus's liquid crystal display shows 32 hard-to-read black characters on a dark red background. Like that of all the other keyboards I tested, the Virus's action is semiweighted, but it feels like the best of the bunch. On the rear panel are ¼-inch jacks for six assignable outputs, two audio inputs, a sustain switch, an assignable footpedal, and stereo headphones, as well as MIDI In, Out, and Thru ports. Digital audio I/O is not an option.

In addition to the external audio inputs, the Virus's sound sources are three oscillators, a suboscillator, and a noise generator with three colors. Each of the three oscillators produces a waveform that's continuously variable from sawtooth through pulse, and 64 other waveshapes are available, including sine and triangle. Sync, FM, and ring modulation are provided. The Virus's polyphony maxes out at 32 dynamically allocated notes, but any Program that uses the third oscillator reduces polyphony by about one-third. Consequently, most sounds use only two oscillators.

The Virus has two versatile resonant filters, each offering lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and bandstop response. Four routing modes determine their slopes and whether they're in series or parallel. In Split mode, for example, oscillator 1 is routed to filter 1 and the others to filter 2, and both filters have a 12 dB-per-octave slope. The filter section's Saturation stage is always downstream from filter 1. It imparts a sound, ranging from warm overdrive to hard clipping, to each voice individually. In addition to altering any sound's harmonic spectra, it's capable of reducing bit depth and sampling rate. Certain Virus sounds owe their particular character in large part to Saturation.

The two envelope generators (EGs) are standard ADSR, but the sustain stage has an additional Time parameter that you access from the Edit menu or by using a shortcut. A mixer combines signals from the oscillators, noise generator, and ring modulator. Two soft knobs located below the LCD change the values of whatever parameters appear in the display; most factory Programs provide one or two different real-time parameters for the soft knobs.

The LFOs/Mod section offers extensive modulation routing, and you can morph LFO waveforms from one shape to another. The three LFOs can sync to the master clock or to MIDI Clock, either of which also drives the arpeggiator. The arpeggiator supplies 64 factory patterns, most of which are oriented for 4/4 time. For additional time signatures, you can divide the arpeggiator's clock into subdivisions of the master tempo. In either Single or Multi mode, you can play as many as 16 arpeggiators at the same time.

The Virus's sound is rather distinctive and very flexible, evolving from ethereal to punchy at the twist of a knob. I'd never mistake it for a real analog synth, but it's one of the finest-sounding virtual analogs. Although its subtractive-synthesis architecture is similar to analog, a handful of extra features contribute to the Virus's characteristic flavor. The Virus holds as many as 1,024 Programs. All Program locations are user-programmable, but only two of the eight Banks are RAM-based. The remaining six, like the operating system, are programmed into flash ROM. As it ships from the factory, four Banks are filled with factory Programs; the remaining memory contains a demo song, which you can delete. You can easily replace what's in memory by playing a Standard MIDI File (supplied on CD-ROM) into the Virus and pressing the Store button. The CD-ROM also contains a Virus-specific version of Emagic SoundDiver (Mac/Win). Plenty of Virus Programs to suit almost any style of music are also available from the Access Music Web site and many other online sources.

You can update the Virus's operating system the same way you replace Program Banks: by playing a MIDI sequence. The latest version, OS6, adds a feature called Pure Tuning, Access's adaptive tuning technology that analyzes chords in real time and retunes each note for perfect intonation. By overcoming some the compromises of equal-tempered tuning to eliminate beating between notes, the Virus can play distorted sounds in chords that ring out with unusual clarity. OS6 also bestows dozens of new command shortcuts and the latest arpeggiator patterns. Access Music has an admirable history of providing free system updates that extend the Virus's capabilities. Any buyer of a Virus can be pretty sure that it will do more in a couple years than it could when it was new; you have to like that!

HARTMANN NEURON

FIG. 2: The Hartmann Neuron is this year's darling of the electronic-music world. It features a unique user interface and unprecedented hands-on control of instrument modeling parameters.

High on the desirability scale is the most expensive synth on the list, the Hartmann Neuron ($4,995). It's also the most unconventional design, as evidenced by its outward appearance (see Fig. 2). Its striking elegance invites you to sit down and play. The Neuron has only 9 traditional knobs, but it has dozens of buttons and indicator LEDs, 5 joysticks, 13 backlit LCDs, and 14 wheels with LED ladder displays. All knobs and wheels are of the infinite-rotation variety. You switch on the power by pressing a huge illuminated orange button on the rear panel, which is otherwise unoccupied. When the power is on, you hear the whisper of fans cooling the internal 20 GB hard drive.

A beautiful pale wood panel covers the Neuron's right side. All its connections to the outside world are grouped on the left panel: six analog outputs, two analog inputs, a pair of coaxial S/PDIF ports, a stereo headphone jack, three control-pedal ports, three MIDI ports, USB, and an IEC power socket. The USB port enables connection to external hard drives and CD burners as well as computers. The six unbalanced ¼-inch outputs are assignable, and they're labeled as outputs for 5.1 surround sound.

You control pitch bend and modulation with a self-centering, translucent orange plastic joystick, which feels just a bit fragile for such duties. Additional left-hand controllers are the Master Volume knob, an assignable Control knob, and an assignable wheel. You can easily reach all four without lifting your hand.

The Neuron's appearance isn't its only remarkable feature; its sound and architecture are likewise out of the ordinary. The Neuron resynthesizes sampled sounds and then lets you select from a list of Models. You sculpt the sound by manipulating whatever parameters appear most suitable for it; exactly what parameters are available depends on the Model you select. Because the choice of parameters depends on the nature of the sound itself, many of the front-panel controls are, by necessity, reconfigurable.

The Neuron is organized into sections that correspond to traditional synthesizer modules. Nonetheless, Neuron users will need to learn a new nomenclature that reflects Hartmann's fresh approach to sound synthesis. Instead of oscillators, the Neuron has Resynators, and the filter and insert effects are lumped together in a section called Silver (because, Hartmann says, they add “a lustrous shine”). Some of the name changes seem unnecessary: the LFO is called Mod, and ADSR EGs are called Shapers — so much for standardization. Your first stumbling block in learning the Neuron, then, is acquiring a new vocabulary.

Changing the name of the oscillators makes the most sense, because the Resynators do much more than simple oscillators. They are the sound source and its environment, as well as direct access to parameters you use to change their various characteristics. The modeled sound source is called the Scape, which corresponds to resonating strings or vocal chords, for example. Controlling the Scape allows you to govern the attributes that form a sound. The environment from which the sound originates is the Sphere; this might be a violin body, a singer's chest and throat, or the room in which a sound occurs. Because using computer modeling to re-create a stringed instrument is so different from using it to re-create, say, wind and rain, each Model's Scape and Sphere have a different set of parameters.

The Neuron allows you to manipulate the characteristics of the Scape and Sphere in real time, using buttons and joystick controllers, called simply sticks. The sticks are shaped so that you can grab them either with your forefinger and thumb or with only a fingertip. In the corners surrounding the sticks are four LCDs that show a parameter name and its three-digit value. The parameters at opposing corners are opposite characteristics, such as Simple and Complex, SmallBdy and LargeBdy, or MtrSoft and MtrHard. They can also be opposite ends of the same spectrum, such as 000StrTensn and 127StrTensn.

You can record your stick movements to modify parameters in real time and then play them back as a sequence. More often, you'll use an ADSR envelope to modulate parameter values. A button press quickly switches the four displays from Scape to Sphere parameters, and a Parameter Level button switches among three parameter sets for each. Located between the two Resynators is the Blender, which lets you fade from one Model to another, so you can morph from a Hammond B-3 to a bell, for instance, or even from crickets to fire. You can control the transition manually with the Blend wheel or automate it with a Shaper.

The section labeled Silver comprises a resonant multimode filter and two multi-effects processors. As with the Resynators, you control four reassignable Silver parameters with a stick. At least the filter parameters are familiar: cutoff, resonance, mix, and feedback. Accessing the filter menu lets you specify whether the filter type is lowpass (with a choice of three slopes), highpass, or bandpass. Silver's effects are divided into Frequency and Time types. Frequency effects include EQ, compression, distortion, ring modulation, and the like. Time-based effects are stereo spread, delay, phaser, flanger, and chorus. You can use Silver's stick to control an effect's two most important parameters in real time. You can also use it to control panning when the Neuron is in Surround mode.

As I mentioned previously, the three Shapers are ADSR EGs. As with other synths, one envelope normally controls filtering, another controls amplitude, and the third is assignable. For more complex contours, you can combine two Shapers to create an envelope with four levels and four time values. You control each stage's value with wheels on the control panel. Although fine-tuning envelope values with the wheel is easy, I usually prefer sliders; I seldom need to tweak attack time, for instance, by only a millisecond. (Envelope times aren't calibrated in milliseconds, though, but in a range of values from 0 to 127.) Flanking each Shaper wheel is an LED ladder that lets you conveniently view envelope values at a glance. You can control envelope depth with Velocity or Aftertouch.

The section labeled Effects applies delay and reverb to the Neuron's outputs. The stereo delay has a tempo tap function for matching delay time with tempo. The reverb is definitely of the highest quality I've ever heard in a synthesizer, and it's in large part responsible for the sumptuousness of many of the Neuron's factory sounds.

The Neuron ships with 286 included Models, with enough locations for 512. They run the gamut from Ambientpad and Tapestring to Paper and Exhaust; instrumental Models range from Tuba to Telecastr. As I mentioned, each Model has a different set of parameters; one level of the B-3 organ Model, for example, provides the parameters Warm or Cold and Planar or Tubular for the Scape. You can also create your own Model using the included ModelMaker software (Mac/Win). The selected Model also determines the Neuron's polyphony, which maxes out at 24 notes.

The Neuron is 4-part multitimbral and has memory locations for 1,000 sounds, though it currently ships with only 190. Whenever you select a sound, it takes about a second to load — sometimes more and sometimes less, depending on its length and complexity. Many of the sounds are steeped in atmosphere — unidentifiable sources with gradual attacks, awash in heavy reverb. Other than a few acoustic guitars, synth basses, electric pianos, brass instruments, and string ensembles, emulative sounds are in short supply, but I don't mind leaving those duties to other synthesizers. Most of the Neuron's sounds are subtly beautiful and even awe-inspiring. They sound electronic, yet very organic in nature. The Neuron really is like no other instrument I've ever heard.

JOMOX SUNSYN

FIG. 3: The Jomox SunSyn is a true-analog synth module with extras such as external audio processing, digital wavetables, and four independent filter poles.

The SunSyn ($3,495) is an authentic analog synth module from German manufacturer Jomox. With wooden side panels attached, it's a tabletop model, but you can remove the panels to mount it as a 6-rackspace device (see Fig. 3). The SunSyn is 8-note polyphonic and 8-part multitimbral, so each voice can act as an independent monosynth. Each completely programmable voice has two analog voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs), two digital Ramp-Controlled Oscillators (RCOs), a pink- and white-noise generator, a multimode voltage-controlled filter (VCF), a stereo voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA), two discrete analog ADSR EGs, and two digital LFOs. The SunSyn's analog routing matrix allows you to repatch the signal flow by simply pressing buttons.

All connectors are located on the rear panel (or on top when it's rackmounted). The SunSyn has two inputs, eight individual outputs, two main outputs, and a stereo output for headphones. Except for the three MIDI ports, PC Card slot, and IEC power socket, all are balanced ¼-inch jacks. The inputs accept both audio signals and control voltages.

As it should on any synth worth its salt, the front panel's logical layout makes the SunSyn's architecture easy to grasp. A backlit, yellow green, 2-line-by-24-character LCD reveals program and parameter names and data, and a large three-digit LED shows program numbers and parameter values when you turn any of the 40 knobs. Most of the parameters hidden in menu pages pertain to the arpeggiator, MIDI, and global setup (though the arpeggiator is not yet implemented). You can easily access those with the Page and Menu buttons, four soft buttons, and four corresponding soft knobs. All of the other section have dedicated knobs, buttons, and indicator LEDs.

The VCOs generate either sawtooth or variable-width pulse waves, but not both simultaneously. Knobs tune the VCOs in semitones and cents, and Range buttons quickly transpose frequency by octaves. Pressing the Sync button hard-syncs VCO 2 to VCO 1. If you press Restart, VCO 1 always begins at a zero crossing when it's triggered — an important feature for synthesizing percussive sounds. When you initiate the auto-tune procedure by pressing the Sync and Restart buttons simultaneously, its progress is detailed in the main display.

The RCOs play short samples stored in flash ROM, each exactly 256 samples long, contained in one of seven tables called Wavesets. Each Waveset is a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV file comprising 248 consecutive waves. You can choose individual waves or several consecutive waves from the RCO menu and play them in a loop, either forward or in reverse, to create distinctly digital timbres. You can play the RCOs either with or without the VCOs, and you can sync the RCOs to the VCOs to increase their timbral complexity. (That gets especially interesting when you modulate one audio oscillator with another.)

You can't sample audio though the SunSyn's inputs, but Jomox sells a CompactFlash card with a PC Card adapter (approximately $67) on which you can copy monophonic WAV files from your computer. When you place the card/adapter combination in the SunSyn's card slot, it converts your audio data to Wavesets. The company also has plans to post downloadable Wavesets on its Web site. The SunSyn accepts cards as large as 64 MB that contain any number of Wavesets.

The SunSyn's filter offers a unique, fully configurable design with four cascaded poles. You can specify the number of poles to produce a 6, 12, 18, or 24 dB-per-octave slope. By changing the cutoff frequency of each pole independently, you can even produce responses in between those settings. No matter how many poles you select, resonance is always applied to all four poles, so it self-oscillates as it would on a 24 dB-per-octave filter. You can switch any pole from lowpass to highpass and combine them for bandpass response. You can also manually transpose from one set of filter parameters to another by programming two filter Scenes and turning the Morph knob. The sound and flexibility of the SunSyn's filter are quite remarkable.

One unique aspect of the SunSyn is its Routing System, which lets you push buttons to quickly redirect signals as if you were repatching a modular synthesizer. New routings are stored as part of a program. Two sources, from a selection of 16, are sent to a choice of 8 destinations. The depth of the signal is controlled by one of eight Modifiers. One Modifier, called the Control Element, is an assignable MIDI controller, such as the mod wheel or Aftertouch. The Routing System serves as the SunSyn's modulation matrix, and it allows you to reroute oscillator signals for frequency, amplitude, pulse-width, cross-, and ring modulation.

External audio inputs are normally routed to the VCF and the VCA for processing, but you can also insert them into the Routing System to modulate internal audio or control signals. An envelope follower converts audio signals to control voltages. The filter's flexibility makes it ideal for processing audio signals in the studio.

Several planned features haven't been implemented yet. The arpeggiator is under construction, and voice allocation in Multi mode needs work. In addition, a few MIDI settings are still missing, so a number of enhancements are forthcoming. Jomox plans to address these concerns by the time you read this.

The SunSyn stores 256 Single Sounds and 128 Multi Programs, all of them user-programmable. From the factory, over two dozen Single Sounds and all of the Multi Programs are blank. I also noticed that some of them have identical names, even though they're obviously different sounds; apparently, no one bothered to rename them when they were edited.

I was very impressed by the quality, utility, and versatility of the factory programs. Thanks to its well-implemented architecture and the efforts of some obviously talented programmers, the SunSyn sounds awesome. Because I often prefer the sound of analog modeling to the real thing (heretic that I am), I consider that to be no small accomplishment. Pads, leads, basses, electronic effects — the SunSyn puts a great collection of malleable analog sounds at your disposal. In fact, the SunSyn is the best-sounding polyphonic analog synth I've heard in years.

NOVATION SUPERNOVA II PRO-X

FIG. 4: The Supernoval II Pro-X is Novation's flagship analog modeling synth. It offers a profusion of front-panel controls, including 136 buttons that light up when they're active.

The only British entrant in the lineup, the Supernova II is Novation's flagship synth. It comes in three keyboard models that vary only in polyphony: the standard 24-note Supernova II ($2,999), 36-note Supernova II Pro ($3,299), and 48-note Supernova II Pro-X ($3,499). All three are also available in rackmount models, and all but the Pro-X model can be upgraded for additional polyphony. The Pro-X, of course, is the deadliest of all.

The Supernova II is an analog-modeling synth all the way — very straightforward and very powerful. It's an 8-part multitimbral instrument with seven simultaneous effects per part, and all 56 effects remain active in multitimbral mode. The arpeggiator is one of the most sophisticated you'll find, and matrix modulation offers 130 possible routings for extreme flexibility. Onboard memory is sufficient to store 1,024 user-rewritable Programs, 512 multitimbral Performances, and 400 Drum Programs. For quick access, you can store 128 Programs, Performances, and arpeggiator patterns as Favourites. Featuring a 42-band vocoder, versatile filters, and extensive tempo synchronization, the Supernova II is a top-notch performance instrument.

With 43 knobs, 8 sliders, and 136 illuminating buttons, the Supernova's front panel wins the prize for supplying so much immediate, hands-on, real-time control (see Fig. 4). Whenever you turn a knob or move a slider, the complete parameter name and its value are shown in bright blue letters on the 2-line-by-20-character fluorescent display, which is easy to read from any angle. The Supernova has another convenience I was pleased to see on a five-octave keyboard: a pair of octave buttons that light up when they're engaged, located exactly where they should be, just above the pitch-bend and mod wheels.

FIG. 5: Analog audio I/O, MIDI ports, control jacks, and a power connection populate the back of the Supernova II. If only digital audio I/O were available!

On the rear panel are two master outputs and six assignable outputs arranged in pairs (see Fig. 5). All are unbalanced ¼-inch jacks that handle +4 dB signals. Two balanced ¼-inch audio inputs double as control inputs, and a third control input is also present. When you aren't processing external audio through the Supernova, that gives you enough control inputs for three footswitches or pedals for additional real-time control. Alongside the three usual MIDI ports and an IEC socket is an unused expansion port.

Each voice provides three oscillators and a noise generator. Each oscillator offers variable-width pulse, sawtooth, and double sawtooth waves, and you can select external audio as an oscillator source. A unique Hardness parameter has the effect of smoothing the waveforms to emphasize the fundamental frequency, and you can modulate Hardness with two of the three ADSR generators, the two LFOs, the mod wheel, or any simultaneous combination. When you engage the double sawtooth, a single voice can produce the sound of six oscillators. With full 48-note polyphony, then, the Supernova II Pro-X has all the impact of 288 simultaneous oscillators. Oscillator sync, ring modulation, and FM are always available at the touch of a button.

Dedicated buttons in the filter section offer three resonant responses — lowpass, bandpass, or highpass — each with a choice of three slopes: 12, 18, or 24 dB-per-octave. When you press the Menu button, however, you'll discover that nine dual filter types are also on hand, each producing the effect of a pair of filters in series or parallel. You can modulate the cutoff frequency or resonance depth with the mod wheel, LFOs, or EGs, but when you enable dual-filter types, they modulate the spacing between the two cutoff frequencies instead of resonance. Overdrive provides a warm saturation effect.

The Supernova's arpeggiator is one of the most comprehensive I've seen. Going way beyond the typically limited palette of patterns, it offers 384 user patterns and 256 factory patterns, half of them monophonic and half polyphonic. Patterns have a maximum length of 64 steps, and because you can vary each step's gate time and tie steps together, the Velocity-sensitive arpeggiator functions very much like an analog sequencer. For instant Tangerine Dream, just set up a complex pattern and modulate it by triggering notes on the keyboard.

Effects are another area where the Supernova really shines, if only for the sheer number that you can use at the same time. You can turn on seven simultaneous effects (including EQ) for each Program. All but one effect has a dedicated section on the front panel with enough knobs and buttons for meaningful real-time control: 2-band EQ (simple Bass and Treble knobs), distortion, pan, delay, reverb, and chorus/flanger/phaser. Pressing the effects section's Special button accesses various menus for setting the comb filter effect.

The Supernova II's sound is like that of all Novation synthesizers: wonderful. So many oscillators in combination with a proprietary filter design results in obscenely lush, fat timbres. The quality and variety of the factory Programs is most impressive. The onboard sounds are an excellent balance of leads, pads, basses, and electronic effects. Acoustic emulations are scarce, but if you're searching for analog-like sounds with a digital edge, the Supernova II will do the job admirably. One final note: as this article was going to press, Novation informed EM that it was discontinuing production of the Supernova II.

ROLAND V-SYNTH

FIG. 6: The Roland V-Synth has a touch-sensitive pad and a touchscreen display that provide ample tactile control. This V-Synth harnesses VariPhrase technology to manipulate samples in real time.

You can always count on Roland to advance the state of electronic music technology. The V-Synth ($2,695) is the latest in a long line of inventive designs that have kept the company close to the forefront for decades. The V-Synth is Roland's first fully DSP-based synth, and it incorporates some of Roland's best ideas into an instrument with groundbreaking sound creation and performance capabilities. Outstanding features include user sampling, a user-programmable arpeggiator, and unique controllers for real-time expression.

The V-Synth is an analog-modeling and sample-playback synthesizer. It offers 16 multitimbral parts (under external sequencer control) and a maximum 24 notes of polyphony, a number that varies with the load placed on the sound engine. You can reconfigure the V-Synth's architecture by selecting among three Structure types that define the routing of two oscillators, two COSM (Composite Object Sound Modeling) processors, a modulator (a mixer that provides oscillator sync, FM, and ring modulation), and a time-variant amplifier (TVA). Reconfiguring synth voices is nothing new, but this is the first time that Roland has dedicated so many front-panel buttons to rearranging the building blocks of sound.

All the basics are covered, but their organization is a little unorthodox. For example, each oscillator encompasses four EGs and an LFO, and you can replace any of the 300 factory waveforms with user samples. The COSM processors provide various filters — lowpass, highpass, bandpass, notch, peak, sideband, and comb — as well as waveshapers, effects, and dynamics. The reverb, chorus, and multi-effects are separate from the effects provided by the COSM processors.

The V-Synth's front panel isn't particularly dense, but it is well organized. The first two things you'll notice about the V-Synth are its large touchscreen and its bull's-eye-like Time Trip pad (see Fig. 6). All the performance controls are to the left of the display, and Patch-programming controls are to its right. All analog and digital audio ins and outs are located on the back panel, along with a PC Card slot, IEC power socket, and ports for MIDI, USB, two footpedals, and a sustain switch (see Fig. 7).

FIG. 7: The V-synth's audio ports include two 1/4-inch inputs with a mic/line switch, two 1/4-inch main outputs, a 1/4-inch stereo headphone output, and both optical and coaxial S/PDIF. In addition, two 1/4-inch Direct Outs carry the same signals as the two Main Out jacks, though untouched by the internal effects processor.

The V-Synth's backlit, 320-by-240-pixel display responds to the slightest touch (Roland recommends that you use only your finger). Whenever possible, V-Synth parameters are presented graphically. You can point to an onscreen object to select it and drag to change its value. If you'd rather, of course, you can use the front-panel cursor buttons and Value dial.

Like any x-y controller, the Time Trip pad can control a variety of assignable destinations. When you press its Time Trip button, you can use it to modify VariPhrase time parameters without affecting pitch. Press your finger on the pad to freeze a sound's playback in time, looping the portion you've selected, and then manually scrub backward or forward through its content. The effect of such manual control over wave content is hard to describe; suffice it to say that Time Trip is great for warping sounds as you play them.

Another noteworthy controller is the twin D Beam, which detects up, down, left, and right movements when you wave your hand over it. You can use the D Beam to control all the same parameters you can control with the Time Trip pad. In addition, two Assignable Control knobs are conveniently placed on the control panel's left side.

The V in V-Synth refers to Roland's VariPhrase technology. In 1999, Roland introduced VariPhrase with the VP-9000, an innovative sampler and sound processor that could manipulate audio data in new and exciting ways. Although the VP-9000 was a disappointment in the marketplace (owing to its high price), Roland knew the technology was a winner. Luckily, VariPhrase was passed down to subsequent instruments such as the V-Synth. VariPhrase lets you change any sound's pitch, time, and formant, independently and in real time. With the time-expansion and -compression capabilities of VariPhrase, you can easily adjust a sampled sound to fit tempo. Transposing formants lets you extend a sample's pitch range much farther than normal, without unwanted artifacts such as munchkinization.

The V-Synth can work its VariPhrase magic on your original samples, too. To that end, the V-Synth contains 50 MB of RAM, which is not user-expandable. You can delete any or all of the 30 MB of factory samples to make room for your own. If you store your samples in the 10 MB of onboard flash RAM, they can load instantly. The PC Card slot allows additional storage; with a CompactFlash adapter, you can store gigabytes of data.

The V-Synth's arpeggiator lets you create original patterns with a maximum length of 32 steps. You enter notes by step-time or real-time recording or by dragging your finger in the Pattern Edit window, in which you can also specify each note's duration and Velocity. Each Patch can store its own arpeggiator pattern.

Much like the Korg Karma, the V-Synth's Patch presets make good use of its unique real-time capabilities. All Patches and wave data are rewritable, but you can always restore the original data — even the preset waveforms — with the Factory Reset command. The largest chunk of memory is called a Project; it contains all the Patches, waves, and settings. Only one Project resides in the V-Synth at a time, but you can store additional Projects on PC cards. In addition, you can exchange data with your computer by means of the V-Synth's USB port.

The Roland V-Synth is one of the two most flexible synthesizers in the lineup. Most of the factory sounds are designed to show off its performance capabilities, and the V-Synth is all about real-time expression. As with most of the synthesizers in this article, acoustic emulations are in the minority; however, I was tremendously impressed by many of the V-Synth's electronic timbres. To download additional Patches, or just to check out the V-Synth in greater detail, visit www.v-synth.com.

STUDIO ELECTRONICS OMEGA 8

FIG. 8: The Studio Electronics Omega 8 provides a 1/4-inch stereo output and a 1/4-inch trigger input for each voice.

The American-made Omega 8 is the most straightforward and traditional synthesizer of the bunch. That's no surprise considering its lineage: Studio Electronics got its start modifying Minimoogs, Prophet-5s, and Oberheim SEMs, retrofitting them for MIDI and stuffing them into rackmount modules. Ten years ago, Studio Electronics turned to making its own synthesizers using the same circuit designs as classic analog models.

The Omega 8 comes in four built-to-order models that vary in their polyphony: 2-voice ($2,295), 4-voice ($2,995), 6-voice ($3,795), and the standard 8-voice ($4,495). For the purposes of this article, only the 8-voice model would do. The Omega 8 offers true analog sound generation and processing, including discrete integrated oscillator and filter circuits.

The Omega 8 is a 4U rackmount module that has a ¼-inch stereo output and a ¼-inch trigger input for each voice, as well as ¼-inch left, right, and mono master outputs (see Fig. 8). It doesn't have a separate output for headphones, and because the three master outputs are mono, you'll need an adapter to use stereo headphones with those. Although any of the individual outputs will drive headphones in stereo, you can hear only one voice.

FIG. 9: The Omega 8 is a true-analog, 4-rackspace synth module with eight independent voices and multitimbral capabilities.

The Omega 8's front panel contains a 2-line-by-16-character backlit LCD, 33 knobs, and 35 round buttons, most of which illuminate to indicate their status. Controls are divided into logical sections that reveal the instrument's traditional orientation: Oscillators, Filter, Envelopes, Modulation, Arpeggiator, Programmer, and Multi/MIDI (see Fig. 9). For deeper timbre-shaping capabilities, most sections have an Edit button that accesses appropriate pages in the Programmer section. The same infinite-rotation encoder that changes displayed parameter values selects Patches. When you turn any other knobs, however, their values are not reflected in the display, so you must rely on your ears and their positions.

The Omega 8 is classic analog in almost every respect. Each voice has two VCOs, a suboscillator, a noise generator, three EGs, two LFOs, a stereo VCA, and a choice of two VCFs. The VCOs generate sawtooth, triangle, and variable-width pulse waves, all of which you can turn on at the same time for a really huge sound. You can sync the two oscillators or route VCO 2's signal to modulate VCO 1, filter cutoff, or both.

Because the VCOs are analog circuits, they're subject to frequency drift. An auto-tune routine, initiated with a button labeled Accu-Tune, is mercifully quick. However, several times I encountered an irritating bug: one or two of the voices consistently tuned a half-step low. To solve the problem, I put the synth in 8-voice Unison mode and played a low note before engaging auto-tune — a solution suggested by the extremely sparse operation manual. Incidentally, you can apply Unison mode to play two, four, six, or eight voices with each note.

Although each voice of the Omega 8 has two filters (expandable to four), you can select only one filter at a time, so you can't place them in series or parallel. The standard complement is one 24 dB-per-octave Minimoog-style lowpass filter and another that re-creates the 12 dB-per-octave multimode filter found in the Oberheim OB-X. The original Oberheim filter let you sweep continuously from one response to the next; the Omega 8's OB filter gives you a discrete choice of lowpass, highpass, bandpass, or band-reject modes.

The first two EGs are hardwired to control the VCF and VCA, and the third is assignable to 1 of 19 destinations. They look like simple ADSR generators, but you can access two additional decay stages in their corresponding Edit page, where you also set their Velocity response and initial delay times. Either LFO can modulate 3 of 14 destinations and generate 6 basic waveforms. The arpeggiator is very basic, offering up, down, up-and-down, and random modes.

In Multi mode, you can assign each voice to play a different Patch. Voices can be layered or split and played on the same or different MIDI channels. One uncommon Multi mode is called Prepared, which plays sounds either in unison or alternately on the same MIDI channel; that is, every note can play a different Patch. The Omega 8 doesn't save the edits you make to single Patches in Multi mode.

The Omega 8's raison d'être is its sound, filling the soundscape with thick, luxurious analog timbres. Although most of the Patches are best suited for conventional keyboard duties (especially if they're funk-oriented), the Omega 8 supplies several interesting electronic timbres and effects. If real analog sounds are what you crave, the Omega 8 shouldn't disappoint. Two banks of 128 factory Patches in ROM and two banks of 128 user Patches in RAM add up to 512 memory locations, but Studio Electronics usually leaves the user banks blank. The Omega 8 also stores 128 user-programmable Multis. One nice feature is that sounds load instantly when you turn the rotary encoder. The Omega 8 is unusually quiet for an analog polysynth, too.

Being a built-to-order item, the Omega 8 can be customized to suit your needs and pocketbook. In addition to choosing the number of voices, you can specify the color and even order specialized front-panel graphics — for a price. Two additional filters are available, either for one voice at a time or in packs of eight. One design duplicates the lowpass filter on the Roland TB-303 ($119 each, $900 for eight), and the other is a re-creation of the ARP 2600's multimode filter ($129 each, $975 for eight). If you want an old-fashioned analog synthesizer that's tailored to your needs, Studio Electronics can build one for you.

WALDORF Q+

FIG. 10: The Waldorf Q+ differs from the original Q in that it has 16 real analog lowpass filters and dynamic voice management, which produces as much as 100-note polyphony.

The Waldorf Q+ ($4,500) certainly qualifies as one of the world's most desirable synths. Its respectable lineage can be traced to Wolfgang Palm's legendary PPG Wave, and its designer is the same Axel Hartmann who designed the Hartmann Neuron. The ruby-red Q+ is a top-of-the-line instrument that combines analog-modeling synthesis with wavetable scanning. Its outstanding features include a 25-band vocoder; a 32-step, analog-style sequencer; a 16-slot modulation matrix; and a user-programmable arpeggiator.

The rear panel has two main audio outputs, four assignable suboutputs, a stereo input, two footpedal inputs, and a control input that accommodates one or two footswitches, all on ¼-inch jacks. One of the main outputs works with stereo headphones. An RCA jack provides coaxial S/PDIF out. Three MIDI jacks, a RAM card slot, and a two-prong socket for an AC cable are also around back.

On the front panel, 58 dedicated knobs are augmented by 39 buttons, a data wheel, a 2-line-by-20-character LCD, and dozens of indicator LEDs (see Fig. 10). The only knob that isn't of the infinite-rotation variety is the Volume control. Two assignable buttons are conveniently located just above the pitch-bend and mod wheels. The Power/Panic button isn't a simple on/off switch; instead of merely pressing it, you hold it for two seconds to power down.

Because each section has dedicated knobs and buttons, the front panel's layout illustrates the Q+'s architecture: three oscillators, a noise generator, two filters, three LFOs, four EGs, and two effects processors per voice. In addition to sawtooth, variable-width pulse, triangle, and sine waveforms, two of the oscillators provide wavetables containing 128 Alt waves. You can sync the oscillators, which can also produce frequency and ring modulation. Like the Access Virus, the Q+ features its own brand of adaptive tuning technology called HMT, which retunes chords in real time for improved intonation.

As the maker of the Microwave series of synths, Waldorf has considerable experience at wavetable synthesis. You can assign the mod wheel or an LFO to modulate the Alt wavetables, or specify that each note play a different wave. If you prefer, you can trigger different waves from the same note by varying Velocity values. You can also supplement each wavetable with a square-wave suboscillator.

Two identical multimode filters offer a variety of resonant response types. In addition to its normal 12 and 24 dB-per-octave slopes, the lowpass type can emulate the unique character of the 24 dB-per-octave PPG Wave filter. You can also select 12 and 24 dB-per-octave slopes for the bandpass, highpass, and notch (band-reject) types. Yet another type, comb filtering, passes all frequencies to create special effects such as polyphonic flanging or emulating certain acoustic sounds.

In most respects, the Q+ is identical to the much less expensive Waldorf Q ($2,995). The plus refers to two significant features: real analog filters and dynamic voice management. Among the filter types, two choices are analog 12 dB lowpass and analog 24 dB lowpass. Because the Q+ has only 16 such filters, polyphony is reduced when you select them — to either 16 notes for one filter or 8 notes for both filters. When you put the filters in series, you can achieve a remarkable 48 dB-per-octave filter slope to produce sounds that most synths just can't. When the Q+ is in Multi mode, you can regain lost polyphony by mixing in Instruments (individual programs) that don't use the analog filters.

Real analog filters give Q+ timbres an opulent presence that just isn't possible with analog modeling, because they're physical hardware rather than emulations modeled in software. (The Utility menu even contains a Tune Filters command.) Considering that the filter is the circuit most responsible for an analog synth's warmth and character, that plus is a big one.

Dynamic voice allocation is a scheme for increasing polyphony by using the instrument's CPU efficiently. When any part of the sound engine — whether it's an oscillator, filter, effects, or whatever — is unused by an Instrument, the processor recovers the cycles that it would have consumed and uses them to increase polyphony. Consequently, less complex sounds yield as many as 100 simultaneous notes, according to Waldorf.

The Q+ provides four EGs per voice, each with four rather interesting and useful modes in addition to the standard ADSR. ADS1DS2R has an adjustable attack level, as well as a second decay and sustain that follows the first. Loop S1S2 is identical, but it loops between the first and second sustain as long as you hold a note. Loop All is also identical, but it loops through all stages when you hold a note. In One Shot mode, which is intended for percussive sounds, it doesn't matter how long you hold a note; the sustain stage is simply a breakpoint between the decay and release.

Although the Q+ has eight effects processors, each Instrument is limited to just two simultaneous effects. The first four Instruments determine the effects in Multi mode. The variety of effects, though not terribly extensive, includes the usual reverb, phaser, flanger, and the like. One type, called Five FX, is a combination of sample and hold, overdrive, ring mod, chorus, and delay.

An unusual feature of the Q+ is Xphorm, which morphs between two sounds by interpolating between all continuous parameters. You can manually control the Xphormation using either the mod wheel or Aftertouch. Other synth designers have implemented similar capabilities with varying degrees of success, but Waldorf had the wisdom to limit morphing to a sensible set of parameters, including mixer levels and pan; filter routing, cutoff, resonance, drive, pan, and modulation depth; LFO speed, delay, and fade; envelope rates and levels; and oscillator pitch, pulse width, glide, and modulation depth.

The Q+ stores 300 single Programs and 100 Multis, as well as 20 Drum Maps and 100 step-sequencer patterns. Q+ sounds are rich, widely varied and wonderfully animated. Most of them lean toward electronic timbres, as they do in most analog-modeling synthesizers. Plenty of sounds are available from various sources, and the Q+ can receive sound dumps from the Waldorf MicroQ. With so many programming and performance possibilities, I can't imagine anyone ever growing tired of the Q+.

THE SEVEN-SYNTH ITCH

Variety will always be the spice of life, and all seven synths have their own personalities. Still, they have more similarities than differences. Every keyboard in the lineup has a semiweighted action; I've played a lot more synthesizer than piano, so that's what I'm most accustomed to. Although all of them are perfectly fine, the Virus kc's keyboard was my favorite overall. I realize that keyboard preference is purely subjective, but I liked the action on the Virus and the V-Synth better than the others. The Virus and the Supernova also have the advantage of textured black keys.

The Q+ had my favorite pitch-bend and modulation wheels; they have a responsive feel and assignable buttons conveniently located just above them. I wish that every MIDI keyboard had other controls you could reach with your left hand while still touching the pitch-bend and mod controllers. The left-hand controls on the Hartmann are convenient, but the joystick feels too lightweight. I've always loved Roland's expressive left-hand lever, though I wish you could pull it toward you for negative modulation; still, it provides all the functionality of a pair of wheels. I was disappointed that none of the synths have ribbon controllers, but the V-Synth's Time Trip pad is in a class by itself.

In terms of real-time, front-panel control, every instrument is outstanding. The Waldorf's infinite-rotation knobs take some getting used to, as do the Hartmann's sticks and wheels. The Roland's huge, touch-sensitive LCD puts it way out front in the display department, though the Hartmann's many displays give you almost as much information at a glance.

The most important criterion for judging any musical instrument, of course, is its sound. There's no surprise here: all seven sound excellent. Without exception, any one of them would be a valuable asset in any sound designer's or musician's arsenal, even if it's the only synth you own.

THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE

I could happily spend months playing and programming any of these instruments. My favorites, however, were the Hartmann Neuron and the Roland V-Synth. Both offer a flexibility and depth of expression that are unprecedented in electronic instruments. The real-time control capabilities of the Neuron's sticks and the V-Synth's pad, combined with such sophisticated means to make sounds you've never heard, catapult those synths into the realm of instruments you can play with finesse and nuance. If you can afford it, you can't go wrong with the Neuron, though the V-Synth is an amazing value.

I also fell in love with the Jomox SunSyn. It's versatile, well designed, and easy to use. It's well worth the price, and it sounds fantastic. If I were shopping for an old-fashioned analog synth with modern conveniences, I'd look no further.

In describing my experience with these synths, I've only touched the surface. Any one of them is so deep that it would take thousands of words to describe in detail. All are worthy of a complete review, as well as your consideration.

All seven synths are stars for many good reasons: they offer great programming depth, abundant real-time performance features, and spectacular sound. If you find yourself within arm's reach of any of them, you owe it to yourself to open your ears and give it a try. You'll hear exactly how far electronic musical instruments have come. Each of them is a wonder of 21st-century technology, and all of them should be considered deadly.

To see the Seven Deadly Synths Specifications Chart (in printable Adobe Acrobat format), click here.

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Associate editor Geary Yelton lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has been playing and programming synthesizers for 30 years and reviewing them for EM for 18 years.

CONTACT SHEET

Access Music Electronics GmbH/GSF Agency/TSI International Sales (distributor) tel. (310) 452-6216; e-mail gsf.agency@gte.net; Web www.access-music.de

Hartmann/GSF Agency/TSI International Sales (distributor) tel. (310) 452-6216; e-mail hartmann@hartmann-music.com; Web www.hartmann-music.com

Jomox/Soundbox (distributor) tel. (323) 769-5510; e-mail soundboxla@earthlink.net; Web www.soundbox.net

Novation E.M.S. Ltd./eblitz Audio Labs (distributor) tel. (805) 258-1465; e-mail eblitzaudiolabs@cox.net; Web www.novationmusic.com

Roland Corporation U.S. tel. (323) 890-3700; Web www.rolandus.com

Studio Electronics tel. (818) 776-8104; e-mail analogia@studioelectronics.com; Web www.studioelectronics.com

Waldorf Electronics/GSF Agency/TSI International Sales (distributor) tel. (310) 452-6216; e-mail info@waldorf-music.com; Web www.waldorf-music.com