Synthesizer that uses analog circuits
An
analog synthesizer
(
British English
:
analogue synthesiser
) is a
synthesizer
that uses
analog circuits
and
analog signals
to generate sound electronically.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as the
Trautonium
, were built with a variety of
vacuum-tube
(thermionic valve) and electro-mechanical technologies. After the 1960s, analog synthesizers were built using
operational amplifier
(op-amp)
integrated circuits
, and used
potentiometers
(pots, or variable
resistors
) to adjust the sound parameters. Analog synthesizers also use
low-pass filters
and
high-pass filters
to modify the sound. While 1960s-era analog synthesizers such as the
Moog
used a number of independent electronic modules connected by
patch cables
, later analog synthesizers such as the
Minimoog
integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems.
History
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]
1900?1920
[
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]
The earliest mention of a "synthetic harmoniser" using electricity appears to be in 1906, created by the Scottish physicist
James Robert Milne
FRSE
(d.1961).
[1]
1920s?1950s
[
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]
The earliest synthesizers used a variety of thermionic-valve (
vacuum tube
) and electro-mechanical technologies. While some electric instruments were produced in bulk, such as
Georges Jenny
's
Ondioline
, the
Hammond organ
, and the
Trautonium
, many of these would not be considered synthesizers by the standards of later instruments. However, some individual studios and instruments achieved a high level of sophistication, such as the
Trautonium
of
Oskar Sala
, the
Electronium
of
Raymond Scott
, and the
ANS synthesizer
of
Evgeny Murzin
.
[2]
Another notable early instrument is the
Hammond Novachord
, first produced in 1938, which had many of the same features as later analog synthesizers.
1960s?1970s
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Early analog synthesizers used technology from electronic analog computers and laboratory test equipment. They were generally "modular" synthesizers, consisting of a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables into a
patchbay
that resembled the jackfields used by 1940s-era telephone operators. Synthesizer modules in early analog synthesizers included
voltage-controlled oscillators
(VCOs),
voltage-controlled filters
(VCFs), and
voltage-controlled amplifiers
(VCAs). The control voltage varied frequency in VCOs and VCFs, and attenuation (gain) in VCAs. Additionally, they used
envelope generators
,
low-frequency oscillators
, and
ring modulators
.
Some synthesizers also had effects devices, such as
reverb
units, or tools such as
sequencers
or sound
mixers
. Because many of these modules took input sound signals and processed them, an analog synthesizer could be used both as a sound-generating and sound-processing system.
Famous
modular synthesizer
manufacturers included
Moog Music
,
ARP Instruments, Inc.
,
Serge Modular Music Systems
, and
Electronic Music Studios
. Moog established standards recognized worldwide for control interfacing on analog synthesizers, using an exponential 1-volt-per-octave pitch control and a separate pulse triggering signal. These control signals were routed using the same types of connectors and cables that were used for routing the synthesized sound signals. A specialized form of analog synthesizer is the analog
vocoder
, based on equipment developed for speech synthesis.
Vocoders
are often used to make a sound that resembles a musical instrument talking or singing.
Patch cords
could be damaged by use (creating hard-to-find intermittent faults) and made complex patches difficult and time-consuming to recreate. Thus, later analog synthesizers used the same building blocks, but integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems. The most popular of these was the
Minimoog
. In 1970, Moog designed an innovative synthesizer with a built-in keyboard and without modular design?the analog circuits were retained, but made interconnectable with switches in a simplified arrangement called "normalization". Though less flexible than a modular design, normalization made the instrument more portable and easier to use. This first pre-patched synthesizer, the
Minimoog
, became highly popular, with over 12,000 units sold.
[3]
The
Minimoog
also influenced the design of nearly all subsequent synthesizers, with integrated keyboard, pitch wheel and modulation wheel, and a
VCO
->
VCF
->
VCA
signal flow. In the 1970s, miniaturized solid-state components let manufacturers produce self-contained, portable instruments, which musicians soon began to use in live performances. Electronic synthesizers quickly become a standard part of the popular-music repertoire. The first movie to use music made with a (Moog) synthesizer was the
James Bond
film
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
in 1969. After the release of the film,
composers
produced a large number of movie soundtracks that featured synthesizers.
Notable makers of all-in-one analog synthesizers included Moog, ARP,
Roland
,
Korg
and
Yamaha
. Because of the complexity of generating even a single note using analog synthesis, most synthesizers remained
monophonic
. Polyphonic analog synthesizers featured limited polyphony, typically supporting four voices.
Oberheim
was a notable manufacturer of analog polyphonic synthesizers. The
Polymoog
was an attempt to create a truly polyphonic analog synthesizer, with sound generation circuitry for every key on the keyboard. However, its architecture resembled an
electronic organ
more than a traditional analog synthesizer, and the Polymoog was not widely imitated.
In 1978, the first
microprocessor
-controlled analog synthesizers were created by
Sequential Circuits
. These used microprocessors for system control and control voltage generation, including envelope trigger generation, but the main sound generating path remained analog. The
MIDI
interface standard was developed for these systems. This generation of synthesizers often featured six or eight voice polyphony. Also during this period, a number of analog/digital hybrid synthesizers were introduced, which replaced certain sound-producing functions with digital equivalents, for example the digital oscillators in synthesizers like the
Korg DW-8000
(which played back PCM samples of various waveforms) and the
Kawai K5
(waveforms constructed via additive synthesis). With the falling cost of microprocessors, this architecture became the standard architecture for high-end analog synthesizers.
1980s?present
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]
During the middle to late 1980s,
digital synthesizers
and
samplers
largely replaced analog synthesizers. By the early 1990s, however, musicians from the
techno
, rave and
DJ
scenes who wanted to produce electronic music but lacked the budget for large digital systems created a market for the then cheap second hand analog equipment. This increased demand for analog synthesizers towards the mid-1990s, as larger numbers of musicians gradually rediscovered the analog qualities. As a result, sounds associated with analog synths became popular again.
Over time, this increased demand for used units (such as the 1980
Roland TR-808
drum machine and
Roland TB-303
bass synthesizer). Late 1970s-era drum machines used
tuned resonance
voice circuits for pitched drum sounds and shaped
white noise
for others. The TR-808 improves on these designs, by using detuned
square wave
oscillators (for the cow bell and cymbal sounds) and analogue
reverberation
(for the handclap sound). The demand for the analog synth sound led to development of a variety of
analog modeling synthesizers
?which emulate analog
VCOs
and
VCFs
using samples, software, or specialized digital circuitry, and the construction of new analog keyboard synths such as the
Alesis Andromeda
,
Prophet '08
, and Moog's
Little Phatty
, as well as semi-modular and modular units.
Use in modern music
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]
The lapse of patents in recent years, such as for the
Moog synthesizer
transistor ladder filter, has spurred a return of
DIY
and kit synthesizer modules, as well as an increase in the number of commercial companies selling analog modules. Reverse engineering has also revealed the secrets of some synthesizer components, such as those from
ARP Instruments, Inc.
In addition, despite the widespread availability during the 2000s of relatively inexpensive digital synthesizers that offered complex synthesis algorithms and envelopes, some musicians are attracted to the sounds of monophonic and polyphonic analog synths. While some musicians embrace analog synthesizers as preferable, others counter that analog and digital synthesis simply represent different sonic generation processes that both reproduce characteristics the other misses.
[4]
Another factor considered to have increased use of analog synths since the 1990s is weariness with the complex screen-based navigation systems of digital synths, with the "hands-on", practical controls of analog synths ? potentiometer knobs, faders, and other features ? offering a strong appeal.
[
citation needed
]
See also
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References
[
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]
- ^
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1906
- ^
1957 Evgeny Murzin ANS synthesizer
, Kom. Musik, September 6, 2006
, retrieved
15 February
2006
- ^
1970 Robert Moog Moog Music Minimoog Synthesizer
, Mix Magazine, September 1, 2006, archived from
the original
on 28 March 2008
, retrieved
10 April
2008
- ^
Kirn, Peter (2013-07-29).
"Video Explains Why Difference Between Analog, Digital Isn't What Most People Think"
. Create Digital Media, GmbH
. Retrieved
2015-05-24
.
External links
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]