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ARP 2500 synthesizer

ARP Instruments, Inc.1976

National Music Centre

National Music Centre
Canada

In the 1977 sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind, five electronic-sounding notes allow humanity to communicate with aliens. The source of those notes likely came from the ARP 2500—a modular, analog synthesizer. Designed by former NASA electrical engineer Alan R. Pearlman, the instrument’s most significant innovation is its matrix of patchable sliders. These sliders stand in stark contrast to the loose patch cables found on the more conventional Moog and Buchla systems of the time. The company’s first instrument was not a commercial success however—only selling about 100 units.

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  • Title: ARP 2500 synthesizer
  • Creator: ARP Instruments, Inc.
  • Date created: 1976
  • Location created: United States of America
  • Type: Model 2500, View 9/21
National Music Centre

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