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Analog synthesizer

An analog or analogue synthesizer (or analog synth) is a synthesizer that uses analog
circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest
analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were uilt with a
!ariety o" !al!e and electro#mechanical technologies. A"ter the 19$0s% analog
synthesizers were uilt with a !ariety o" operational ampli"ier (op#amp) integrated
circuits% along with potentiometer (pot% or !ariale resistor) to ad&ust the traits o" the
sound that is produced. Analog synthesizers also use low#pass "ilters and high#pass "ilters
to modi"y the sound. 'hile 19$0s#era analog synthesizers such as the (oog used a
numer o" independent electronic modules connected y patch cales% later analog
synthesizers such as the (inimoog integrated them into single units% eliminating patch
cords in "a!our o" integrated signal routing systems.
Contents
1 )istory
o 1.1 1920s#19*0s
o 1.2 19$0s#19+0s
o 1.3 19,0s#2000s
2 -.ternal lin/s
3 0e"erences
[edit] History
[edit] 1920s-1950s
Trautonium% 192,
The earliest synthesizers used a !ariety o" !al!e and electro#mechanical technologies.
'hile some electric instruments were produced in ul/% such as the 1ndioline% the
)ammond organ% and the Trautonium% many o" these would not e considered
synthesizers y the standards o" later instruments. )owe!er% some indi!idual studios and
instruments achie!ed a high le!el o" sophistication% such as the Trautonium o" 1s/ar
2ala% the -lectronium o" 0aymond 2cott% and the A32 synthesizer o" -!geny (urzin
415
.
[edit] 1960s-1970s
The 6uchla (usic -asel included a numer o" "ader#style controls% switches% patch cord#
connected modules% and a /eyoard.
-arly analog synthesizers used technology deri!ed "rom electronic analog computers and
laoratory test equipment. They were generally 7modular7 synthesizers% consisting o" a
numer o" independent electronic modules connected y patch cales into a patchay
which resemled the &ac/"ields used y 1980s#era telephone operators. 2ynthesizer
modules "ound in early analog synthesizers included !oltage#controlled oscillators%
!oltage#controlled "ilters% and !oltage#controlled ampli"iers. As well% they used en!elope
generators% low#"requency oscillators% and ring modulators. 2ome synthesizers also had
e""ects de!ices such as re!er units% or tools such as sequencers or sound mi.ers. 6ecause
many o" these modules too/ input sound signals and processed them% an analog
synthesizer could e used oth as a sound#generating and sound#processing system.
9amous modular synthesizer manu"acturers included 6uchla : Associates% (oog (usic%
A0; <nstruments% <nc.% and -lectronic (usic 2tudios. (oog estalished standards
recognized worldwide "or control inter"acing on analog synthesizers% using a logarithmic
1#!olt#per#octa!e pitch control and a separate pulse triggering signal. These control
signals were routed using the same types o" connectors and cales that were used "or
routing the synthesized sound signals. A specialized "orm o" analog synthesizer is the
analog !ocoder% ased on equipment de!eloped "or speech synthesis. =ocoders are o"ten
used to ma/e a sound that resemles a musical instrument tal/ing or singing.
The A0; 2*00.
;atch cords were e.pensi!e% could e damaged y use (creating hard#to#"ind intermittent
"aults)% and made comple. patches di""icult and time#consuming to recreate. Thus% later
analog synthesizers used the same uilding loc/s% ut integrated them into single units%
eliminating patch cords in "a!our o" integrated signal routing systems. The most popular
o" these was the (inimoog. <n 19+0% (oog designed an inno!ati!e synthesizer with a
uilt#in /eyoard and without modular design # the analog circuits were retained% ut
made interconnectale with switches in a simpli"ied arrangement called 7normalization7.
Though less "le.ile than a modular design% normalization made the instrument more
portale and easier to use. This "irst pre#patched synthesizer% the (inimoog% ecame
highly popular% with o!er 12%000 units sold.
425
The (inimoog also in"luenced the design
o" nearly all susequent synthesizers% with integrated /eyoard% pitch wheel and
modulation wheel% and a =>1#?=>9#?=>A signal "low. <n the 19+0s miniaturized solid#
state components allowed synthesizers to ecome sel"#contained% portale instruments%
which soon egan to e used in li!e per"ormances. -lectronic synthesizers had quic/ly
ecome a standard part o" the popular#music repertoire. The "irst mo!ie to use music
made with a ((oog) synthesizer was the @ames 6ond "ilm On Her Majesty's Secret
Service in 19$9. A"ter the release o" the "ilm% a large numer o" mo!ies were made with
synthesizer music.
The (inimoog was one o" the most popular synthesizers e!er uilt
3otale ma/ers o" all#in#one analog synthesizers included (oog% A0;% 0oland% Aorg and
Bamaha. 6ecause o" the comple.ity o" generating e!en a single note using analog
synthesis% most synthesizers remained monophonic. ;olyphonic analog synthesizers had
with limited polyphony% typically supporting "our !oices. 1erheim was a notale
manu"acturer o" analog polyphonic synthesizers. The ;olymoog was an attempt to create
a truly polyphonic analog synthesizer% with sound generation circuitry "or e!ery /ey on
the /eyoard. )owe!er% its architecture resemled an electronic organ more than a
traditional analog synthesizer% and the ;olymoog was not widely imitated.
<n 19+,% the "irst microprocessor#controlled analog synthesizers were created y
2equential >ircuits. These used microprocessors "or system control and control !oltage
generation% including en!elope trigger generation% ut the main sound generating path
remained analog. The (<C< inter"ace standard was de!eloped "or these systems. This
generation o" synthesizers o"ten "eatured si. or eight !oice polyphony. Also during this
period% a numer o" analogDdigital hyrid synthesizers were introduced% which replaced
certain sound#producing "unctions with digital equi!alents% "or e.ample the digital
oscillators in synthesizers li/e the Aorg C'#,000 (which played ac/ ;>( samples o"
!arious wa!e"orms) and the Aawai A* (wa!e"orms constructed !ia additi!e synthesis).
'ith the "alling cost o" microprocessors% this architecture ecame the standard
architecture "or high#end analog synthesizers.
[edit] 1980s-2000s
Analog synthesizers were mostly replaced y digital synthesizers and samplers o!er the
middle to late 19,0s. <n the early 1990s howe!er% musicians "rom the techno% ra!e and C@
scenes who were interested in producing electronic music% ut without the udget "or
large digital systems% egan to ta/e an interest in the then cheap second hand analog
equipment a!ailale. This led to an increase in demand "or analog synthesizers towards
the mid#1990s% as larger numers o" musicians also gradually redisco!ered their qualities.
Thus the sounds associated with analog synths ecame more pre!alent once again.
9undamental di""erences etween analog and digital technology mean some o" the
characteristics o" analog synthesizers cannot e wholly replicated y samplers or digital
synthesizers.
This has led to increased demand "or used units (such as the 19,0 0oland T0#,0, drum
machine and 0oland T6#303 ass synthesizer). The T0#,0, uilt on late 19+0s#era drum
machines% which used tuned resonance !oice circuits "or pitched drum sounds and shaped
white noise "or others. The T0#,0, impro!es on these designs% y using detuned square
wa!e oscillators ("or the cow ell and cymal sounds) and analogue re!ereration ("or the
handclap sound). The demand "or the analog synth sound led to the de!elopment o" a
!ariety o" analog modeling synthesizers which emulate analog =>1s and =>9s using
samples% so"tware% or specialized digital circuitry% and the construction o" new analog
/eyoard synths such as the Alesis Andromeda% ;rophet 0, and Eittle ;hatty% as well as
some modular units.
The lapse o" patents in recent years% such as "or the (oog synthesizer transistor ladder
"ilter% has led to a small resurgence in C<B or /it synthesizer modules% as well as an
increase in the numer o" commercial companies selling analog modules. 0e!erse
engineering has also re!ealed the secrets o" some synthesizer components% such as those
"rom A0; <nstruments% <nc. <n addition% despite the widespread a!ailaility during the
2000s o" relati!ely ine.pensi!e digital synthesizers o""ering comple. synthesis
algorithms and en!elopes% some musicians ha!e een attracted to the sounds o"
monophonic analog synths. Another "actor considered to ha!e increased use o" analog
synths since the 1990s is weariness with the comple. screen#ased na!igation systems o"
digital synths% with the 7hands#on7% practical controls o" analog synths##potentiometer
/nos% "aders% and other "eatures## o""ering a strong appeal.
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