Timeline of Synthesis, Part 2

ARP Instruments founder Alan R. Pearlman created a more portable alternative to their 2500 modular system called the ARP 2600. The 2600 is semimodular, meaning that patch cords can override internally wired preset connections. Its monophonic 49-note keyboard is housed in a separate unit for controlling its three-oscillator system, which has sliders as front-panel controls. The 2600 also features an onboard amplifier with two built-in speakers. Edgar Winter’s #1 hit “Frankenstein” brought its unique sound to rock audiences, while Hollywood sound designer Ben Burtt brought it to the kids by using one to create R2D2’s voice in Star Wars.

Computer engineer and former West Coast ARP dealer Tom Oberheim invented one of the first digital sequencers, the DS-1. In 1974, he created the Synthesizer Expander Module (or SEM), designed to be driven by a sequencer or connected to other primary instruments. One of the few synths with no keyboard, it has two VCOs, two 3-stage envelopes, an LFO and a resonant, 2-pole, state-variable filter with knobs and switches to facilitate signal routing and mixing. In 1975, Oberheim paired multiple SEMs with digitally scanned keyboards to produce the Oberheim Two-Voice and Four-Voice Synthesizers.

In 1975, Moog Music created the closest thing to a polyphonic keyboard-driven synthesizer that the world had seen until that time. Designed mostly by Moog engineer Dr. Dave Luce, this 82-pound synth has 71 velocity-sensitive, weighted keys. Each key has its own integrated circuit containing a VCF, a VCA, and two envelope generators. You can split the keyboard into two zones and choose from eight preset modes: Strings, Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Funk, Clavi, Vibes, and Brass. The Polymoog was played on Top 40 hits by Prince, Cliff Richard, and the New Wave classic, “Cars” by Gary Numan.

Yamaha took one step closer to true polyphony with this 220-pound instrument. It features a 61-note velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive keyboard made of wood. This 8-note polyphonic instrument has 16 voices, each with a single VCO. It also has 22 pre-programmed patches and four user patches that you can manually set with tiny sliders. Electronic composer Vangelis used a CS-80 extensively on the film scores for Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire. Its glissando effect is prominently on display during the keyboard solo on Toto’s song “Rosanna.”

In 1978, Sequential Circuits launched the first truly polyphonic synthesizer, the Prophet-5, designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen. Its revolutionary Poly-Mod section, along with unison mode and automatic tuning, makes it ideal for live performance. The synth features five independent sound cards, each with two VCOs, a VCF, and two ADSRs, as well as a digitally scanned keyboard and all-analog sound production combined with digital patch storage. Sequential built and sold more than 6,000 Prophet-5s. From Daryl Hall to Tom Petty to John Carpenter, it became an artist’s favorite throughout the 1980s.

Talk about a game-changer! The Fairlight CMI was the world's first digital sampler and an early audio workstation. The founders of this Australian company, Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel, licensed Tony Furse’s development of the Qasar Mulitmode 8, while improving and expanding on that technology to create an instrument that could sample, resynthesize, and then immediately display the waveform’s harmonics in three dimensions on a monochrome computer screen. The Fairlight included an extensive sample library in stereo featuring orchestral and acoustic instruments, choirs, and sound effects. Its five-figure price tag did not stop it from becoming a must-purchase item for Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. And when Bob Moog endorses it, which he did, you know you’ve done something spectacular.

This may be the only synthesizer that began as a college student project. Dartmouth attendees Cameron Jones and Sydney Alonso created the prototype for Professor Jon Appleton’s electronic music class. The three teamed up to release the first Synclavier in 1977. Further development and increased technologies led to the Synclavier II, which stores its files on 5.25-inch diskettes and Winchester hard drives. By combining a velocity-sensitive keyboard controller with a minicomputer, software, and a monochrome monitor, users have access to digital sampling, multitrack sequencing, graphic waveform analysis, and music-notation printing.

Two years after introducing the Wavecomputer 360, the first synth to feature wavetable synthesis, Wolfgang Palm’s company PPG launched the 8-note polyphonic Wave in 1981. Each voice on that model (which retailed for $10,000) has an 8-bit oscillator and an analog 4-pole filter. Two later models, the Wave 2.2 (with two oscillators per voice) and the 8-part multitimbral Wave 2.3 (with MIDI), became coveted synths for artists such as Steve Winwood, David Bowie, and Tangerine Dream.

Roland, founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi, has been a leader in quality and well-loved synthesizers since its beginning in the early ‘70s. Their first worldwide smash was the Jupiter-8, an 8-voice, 16-oscillator synth that allows performers to split the keyboard, one sound for the left hand and one for the right, with four voices on each side. You can also layer voices so that each key can play two timbres. Many New Wave bands, from Frankie Goes to Hollywood to Duran Duran, employed its sound on innumerable ‘80s hits.

No other keyboard instrument defined ‘80s music like the DX7, the first popular synth that relied on FM (frequency modulation) synthesis. Whether it was a tender ballad from Whitney Houston, something smooth from Sade or a boisterous rocker from Dire Straits, the synth’s sound was ubiquitous. There were many reasons that seemingly every keyboardist owned one. It has a bright, clear tone that excels at emulating acoustic and brass instruments. The list price was under $2,000. And it was one of the first instruments with MIDI. Yamaha sold more than 100,000 units after its 1983 release.