Analog Poly Synths w/ Analog Controls (no presets)

MythMaker · 2023-02-27T20:42:04.175Z

Excellent info. Thanks!

I’ve avoided the world of modular, it’s still a bit over my head. But every year I get closer and closer to entering that world. It’s really an amazing music-making universe. One day it’s gonna happen haha.

HBIII · 2023-02-27T20:57:07.443Z

Vermona perfourmer is entirely analog.

comradecry · 2023-02-27T21:06:49.216Z

eurorack case akin to Cre8audio NiftyKEYZ can probably hold 4 voice amount of poly
its going to be a more expensive version of grandmother, but you can pick and choose pure cv components + have more optons for routings + true poly if you stack filters, envelopes and lfos

but also vermona perfourmer rocks

Microtribe · 2023-02-27T21:13:00.077Z

Korg Mono/Poly. I had one. Enormous monster of a thing.

Blehringer made a version of it.

Bunker · 2023-02-28T08:36:01.342Z

Crumar Stratus or the more generously equipped Trilogy (which had a string section and ‘presets’ as well as the organ and synth sections shared with the Stratus). They were both a bit of an oddity in that they used divide down oscillators which fed into 6 synth voices based around CEM 3310/3320/3330 chips tied to pairs of notes across the keyboard. This was because the synth didn’t have any voice allocation as it didn’t run under digital control (no CPU etc).

Likewise the presets on the Trilogy weren’t stored digitally; each preset accessed a bank of trimmer pots under the hood that mirrored the front panel controls. The good news is that because the oscillators used were divide down you got full 49 note polyphony but the filter allocation meant retriggering of notes occurred if that VCF was already ‘in use’. Osc mod is limited (being TOS based) although there was glide, ‘sync’ and the ability to switch between saw and square waves per key press or by the LFO.

Its big, dated, limited and fairly scarce but it fills your criteria. Similar in many ways to the Korg Delta but with a more comprehensive and better sounding synth section.

Bunker · 2023-02-28T09:12:39.072Z

trackerjack:

Jupiter 4

The JP 4 had 8 user presets as well as the fixed factory presets. The front panel controls were scanned by the CPU and stored in memory so it’s a very early digitally controlled analogue synth

zollenz · 2023-02-28T09:38:54.131Z

Dreadbox Abyss?

trackerjack · 2023-02-28T09:53:35.804Z

I stand corrected.
Thought I read somewhere there were only fixed presets.
Never played one, sadly, nor the Promars.
They’re some of the coolest looking synths imo.

Bunker · 2023-02-28T10:15:27.242Z

Yeah, the Jupiter is an interesting synth with a certain rawness. That said it can do more polished sounds and it’s deffo ‘still relevant’. I love mine dearly

MythMaker · 2023-02-28T15:24:44.806Z

Wow! That’s a very interesting analog design.

MythMaker · 2023-02-28T15:26:05.131Z

Ah yes! The Abyss. Essentially perfectly encapsulates what I’m talking about. Hopefully Dreadbox decides to make something like this again. I didn’t jive with their Nymphes.

Bunker · 2023-02-28T15:37:04.643Z

The Trilogy was one of my first synths, I found it in a second hand shop with various faults. Anyway I got it going and then picked up a second one (masochist I know) in a better cosmetic condition

MythMaker · 2023-03-07T20:24:02.538Z

I think it would be worthwhile to try and figure out how to make a polyphonic modular set up. Does anyone have any resources (blogs, websites, books, videos, etc.) that could help me study making something like this? Paraphonic is acceptable, not sure if getting multiple filters and VCAs to work together is easy or even economically sane. I’d just like to be able to sequence or play chords.

Every time I begin studying modular synthesis, the actual generation of voices and sequences seems to be designed with monophonic music in mind. Not many modular teaching sources that I’ve found mention polyphony. It’s been a real hurdle.

Thanks for your time.

P.S. Am I wrong for trying to do this? Is poly/paraphonic modular a pipe dream?

lesstalkmoredisco · 2023-03-07T20:42:12.260Z

Especially the poly part will make things more complicated (expensive, large) when going modular

lesstalkmoredisco · 2023-03-07T20:51:07.845Z

If paraphonic is acceptable enough to you, a Moog Matriarch might be way more easy / small / great sounding option.

In modular, some brands including Doepfer have started offering some more polyphonic ranges/modules than before. You could search some modwiggler threads, I’m sure they are there. But to start with some examples:

ModularGrid

Doepfer A-130-8v

Doepfer A-130-8v - Eurorack Module - Octal linear VCA vintage edition

ModularGrid

Doepfer A-149-4

Doepfer A-149-4 - Eurorack Module - Polyphonic Random Voltage Source (Slim Line Series)

ModularGrid

Doepfer A-111-4v

Doepfer A-111-4v - Eurorack Module - Quad Precision VCO (Vintage Edition)

ModularGrid

Doepfer A-105-4

Doepfer A-105-4 - Eurorack Module - Quad Poly VCF

Or any quad/dual stuff like:

ModularGrid

Doepfer A-135-2v

Doepfer A-135-2v - Eurorack Module - Quad VCA / VC Mixer (Vintage Edition)

ModularGrid

Doepfer A-145-4V

Doepfer A-145-4V - Eurorack Module - Quad Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) - Vintage Edition

PS here’s someone’s modulargrid rack/concept:

ModularGrid

Doepfer Polyphonic MPE

Doepfer Polyphonic MPE - Eurorack Modular System from rickyalan

MythMaker · 2023-03-07T21:46:46.633Z

Awesome! Thanks so much.

Bunker · 2023-03-07T21:47:39.547Z

I’ve been having lots of paraphonic fun with my Blue Marvin lately. I use a Minibrute 2S which has 3 separate CV channels for pitch and a gate channel. However I’m using a DN to gate the BM over Midi.

MythMaker · 2023-03-07T21:49:10.477Z

The 2S is really cool. It definitely has my eye.

m0ld · 2023-03-07T22:01:41.253Z

It’s a lot of fun and extremely versatile. The only bad thing I could really say about it is it it made me want to build a modular system. In the end I discovered that I need presets/ patch memory but if I could commit to not having it the 2s would be on my list of things to buy again.

Bunker · 2023-03-07T22:07:46.147Z

Yeah it’s cool to use to sequence other gear. No external sync for the LFO or electronic switch on the BM so I can use the 2 LFO’s (BPM synced and key synced) of the 2S to modulate stuff on the BM as well as being able to use the 2S envelopes for other stuff too. It’s a great tool for someone like myself who’s only really got semi modular stuff

It’s worth saying I like it’s own internal synth section too. The Steiner filter isn’t to everyone’s taste but the oscillator section it pretty cool with wave folding etc