EMS Synthi A
The Synthi -A is a monophonic analog synthesizer, which was introduced in 1971 by the company Electronic Music Studios (EMS ), London. It is essentially a VCS 3 synthesizer.
In contrast to this the synth -A was installed instead of the L-shaped housing timber in a plastic briefcase. Thus, the device was still compact and lightweight and safe to transport. On live and studio photographs of the 1970s almost exclusively synth A and Synthi - AKS (see below ) to see what can be close to their widespread use. As the synth -A is still almost always referred to albums or in captions as "VCS 3", his name is hardly known.
Synthi AKS
The Synthi A was next to it also available as a ' KS' version. This contained in the lid, a keyboard and a sequencer. Both, however, are not comparable with today's equipment and were quite rudimentary, even after former standards.
The keyboard consisted of only a few notes and consisted of a conductor surface, on the blue and black film, the " keys" suggested. The conductor surface responded to touch and produced an electrical signal that could trigger sequencer and synthesizer. The keyboard so had no mechanical buttons, and also the size of the PCB fields not up to par, which limited the use of the keyboard. An adequate control of the sequencer on the other hand was quite possible.
EMS led shortly thereafter a higher mechanical external keyboard; In addition, both models could be used over the control voltage input with other keyboards. Today, EMS offers even MIDI converter, so that synth -A have become limited MIDI -compatible and can be driven by modern synthesizers and personal computers with Studio software.
The sequencer allowed only " real-time recording " a play on the keyboard melody, and this only with a limited time frame: these supplied by the keyboard voltage values were measured at discrete time points and stored; the sampling frequency could be controlled continuously and had to be well above the maximum number of notes per time interval for rhythmically accurate reproduction. A total of 256 locations were available, so that the maximum recording time directed by the sampling frequency. As well as the playback speed was regulated continuously, it offered itself slowly einzuspielen fast melodies with lower sampling frequency to ensure the playful precision.
Although the synth AKS at that time represented a breakthrough technical innovation and in his capacity as measured by the space requirements of almost any other synthesizer analog era is reached, an ordinary synth -A from today's perspective much more effective, if the control voltage inputs and one MIDI converter modern keyboards, sequencers and computers can be connected. This allows much more comfortable arrangements, flexible use, unlimited long sequences and especially synchronization to other sequencers or play on click production.
A prominent example of the characteristic throb of synth AKS is the song On the Run by British rock group Pink Floyd on their album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973 ), in which several synth AKS were linked. These are partially visible in the Pink Floyd live at Pompeii documentation, but on the album as " VCS 3" - referred to.
Jean Michel Jarre used the Synthi AKS - equal in a variety of his productions, so at Oxygène, Oxygene 7-13, Equinoxe, Zoolook, Rendez -Vous, Revolutions and live on stage.