Yamaha Motif synthesizer

It's not a vintage synthesizer, but it has definitely earned a place in history! Originally released in 2001 by Yamaha, the Motif is a music workstation that really has it all and has grown over the years in polyphony and waveform memory with the ES (2003) and XS (2007) series. Its features include Yamaha's AWM2 tone generators, massive polyphony (62 to 128 notes), an excellent sequencer, a sampler, A/D Audio inputs, AIEB2, mLAN compatibility, and stereo inputs. Between the various models, it has anywhere from 84MB to 355MB of sounds for thousands of waveforms. Its mLAN compatibility works great with Cubase LE (which usually comes included in the package). The Motif Classic, Motif ES, and Motif XS all came in 61, 76, and 88 key versions, and the 88-key models are always balanced hammer-action as well. The Motif is a perfect synthesizer/workstation for studio use as well as live applications.The sounds found on the Motif are conveniently arranged into categories according to their type, such as Piano, Organ, Strings, Leads, Pads, FX, Drums, etc. It has preset voices which are made up of up to 4 of the available waveforms which can be edited individually or all together.

There are plenty of drums kits, and 128 to 384 user voices that you can use to create your own sounds or save edited presets in. The workstation also includes Yamaha's "Megavoice" technology which adds immense realism to its acoustic sounds such as its guitars, basses, pianos, brass, strings, and so on. Megavoice technology provides realistic expressions such as hammer-ons, ghost notes, slides, and fret noises which are all activated depending on how much force you apply to the keys. The quality of the voices will leave you stunned, the acoustic sounds are extremely realistic and of excellent quality and the synthetic sounds are mind-bending. All of the voices can be edited in just about anyway you want as well, such as Cutoff, Resonance, standard Attack/Release. Of course, you also have your Octave Up/Down buttons (not included on the 88-key versions), Pitch Bend wheel, Modulation wheel and a Ribbon controller (ES,XS, MO models), which can be assigned to do different functions. The tone generator is also compatible with Yamaha's Modular Synthesis Plug-In boards which you simply install and you instantly have a vast array of even more new sounds.

The sequencer is just awesome. Once you get passed the user-interface (which we'll come back to shortly) the sequencer has all the great features you need to compose your music without having to get up from your seat. There are 16 tracks which you can record the voices on the synth itself or that you can transfer MIDI data into which is particularly good for percussion tracks if you aren't that good with keeping rhythm, though it does have a built in clicking/flashing metronome. It has multiple sliders which normally act as faders, and there are knobs to adjust different parameters. You can also plug another instrument like a guitar, bass, or another synth into it and use the synth's numerous effects like Chorus, Celeste, Flanger, Phaser, Distortion, Overdrive, and so many more.

The disadvantages: When compared to its rivals (Roland Fantom-X and Korg Triton) the major disadvantage is the user-interface, as mentioned above. The screen was left as a simple LCD screen in order to keep the price a decent amount whereas the Roland Fantom series and Korg Triton series have large color LCD displays. The XS model does, however, have a much improved large LCD screen to address this issue. The Korg Triton's display was also touch screen. Fortunately for Motif users, the controls were easy to learn after a short amount of time.

I'm aware that I'm leaving out a lot of features such as the Arpeggiator and Remote/mLAN features but there's just so much to explain and so many things this workstation is capable of. You'll just have to try it out yourself! There are so many models to choose from, it should not be hard to find one that works for you - in terms of keyboard size, polyphony & waveform memory, or pricing. While on the topic of different Motif models, here are all the different models:
The Motif (as a series) has been used by countless famous artists: Daisuke Asakura, Infected Mushroom, Oliver Palotai from Kamelot, Michael Pinnella from Symphony X, Hip Hop/R&B producer K.O.B.R.A. of The Association and Audio Assassins, Paul Wickens from Paul McCartney's band, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, John Legend, Aryan Nazari, Alicia Keys' band, Elton John, Robert Lamm and Bill Champlin from Chicago, Green Day, Ray Charles, Chick Corea, Die Sektor, Michael McDonald, Clemo of Calif Records, Kenya, Bon Jovi, Mariah Carey's band, David Bowie's band, Justin Timberlake, Barry Manilow, Gary Numan, Beyonc's band, Lonestar, Brian Wilson, Scott Storch, Tim Freedman, Pink's band, and Nick Carter.
Specifications
Polyphony -
Motif: 62 Notes.
Motif ES: 128 Voices.
Motif MO: 64 Voices.
Motif XS: 128 Voices.
All models expandable with Modular Synthesis Plug-in System boards.
Oscillators - AWM2 (sample playback).
Motif: 84MB Waveform ROM (1,309 mutisamples and drum samples).
Motif ES: 175MB Waveform ROM (1,859 mutisamples and drum samples).
Motif MO: 175MB Waveform ROM (1,859 mutisamples and drum samples).
Motif XS: 355MB Waveform ROM (2,670 mutisamples and drum samples).
Sampler - 4MB (expandable to 64MB via 32MB SIMM x 2 Slots); Sample Rates: 5.5125 - 48kHz, 20-bit stereo.
Sequencer - 16-Track, 110,000 notes, 64 songs, 1024 patterns; 128 ROM/256 user phrases; 480 ppqn; SMF import/export. Formats: Akai S1000/3000, Yamaha A3000/4000/5000, AIFF, WAV.
Arpeggiator - 256 Preset Patterns, 128 User Patterns.
Filter - 1 4-pole resonant multi-mode with 21 types.
Effects - Reverb, Chorus, Insertion FX types, Master Effects section, Master Equalizer (5 bands).
Keyboard - 61, 76, and 88 key versions. The 88-key version are weighted/hammer-action. All models feature velocity and aftertouch.
Memory -
Motif: 348 presets + 48 kits, 128 user, 128 performances, 128 master
Motif ES: 768 presets + 64 kits, 384 user + 32 kits, 128 performances, 128 multis
Motif MO: 640 presets + 64 kits, 256 user + 32 kits, 256 performances
Motif XS: 1024 presets + 64 kits, 384 user + 32 kits, 384 performances
Control - MIDI In, Out, Thru (16-parts multitimbral)
Date Produced -
Motif: 2001
Motif ES: 2003
Motif MO: 2006
Motif XS: 2007
Est. Value - $1,000 - $3,000

Roland U-20, Roland U-220

The U-20 is nothing special. It is a digital synthesizer that uses ROM samples of pianos, brass, strings, bass, drums, etc. However it is built for professional use and is truly a quality instrument, even though its sounds may seem like dated-eighties synth pop cheese. It's got nice piano sounds, but they're not the real thing.

The U-20 features 6 part multitimbrality with a 7th drum part, plus 2 direct outputs and 2 stereo outputs. The 30 note polyphony helps if you take advantage of this synths multitimbrality for creating entire performances and ensembles. Digital reverb, chorus and delay effects liven up your sounds. Editing is simple, but there are no filters. With several performance features, the U-20 has a full 61 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch. There's an on-board arpeggiator, a chord-memory feature and the U-20 accepts Roland SNU-110 sound library cards. It has been used by Prodigy and Astral Projection.

The Roland U-220 (pictured above) is simply a rack-mount version of the U-20. It has all the same sound
Specifications
Polyphony - 30 voices
Oscillators - 4MB ROM samples
Multitimbral - 6 parts + 1 drum part
Filter - None
Effects - Reverb, Delay, Chorus; arpeggiator
Memory - 64 patches, expandable to 128 with external RAM card
Keyboard - 61 keys (w/ velocity & aftertouch)
Control - MIDI
Date Produced - 1989
Est. Value - $400

Access Virus

The Access Virus is a very cool, German made desktop synth-module. It quickly became a very popular and favorite synth with its aggressive analog sounds. It's got knobs, analog synth sounds and drums and a whole lot more! The Virus uses physical-modeling to digitally re-create analog sounds. German precision got it right! The Virus has an incredibly punchy and clean analog sound that can give you anything from low sub-woofer blowing basses to overdriven 303-style lead lines! The module is layed out with a very intuitive design that even old-school synthesists will feel right at home with. It has 32 knobs and 27 buttons, all of which allow tweaking in realtime. With 12 note polyphony and 16 multitimbral parts, the Virus is all you need to create complete and vibrant electronic music tracks!
With basic analog waveforms, from sawtooth to pulse with PWM, dual oscillators and filters, two LFO's with sample-and-hold and on-board arpeggiators, you'll find yourself in vintage synth heaven. The Virus can make convincing TB-303, SH-101 and other great bass/lead sounds, as well as a host of analog drum and percussion sounds. You'll also find an advanced ADSTR envelope, effects like chorus, flange, delays, and a very nice Vocoder! Every parameter is MIDI controllable making this a great tool for use in the studio.

In 1999, Access released a next generation model which they called the Virus B (making the original sometimes referred to as the Virus A). Following that came the KB (keyboard version), Indigo (Roadster version) and Rack (rack-mountable sound-module version). In 2002, an even more advanced C series was released including the Virus C, KC, Indigo 2, and Rack XL. A slightly 'hot-rodded' form of the original Virus A was also released in 2000 as the Digidesign Virus TDM plug-in for Pro Tools users, followed in 2002 by an Indigo TDM version. Viruses have been used by Astral Projection, BT, Überzone, The Crystal Method, Cosmosis, and Nine Inch Nails.

Specifications
Polyphony - 12 voices
Oscillators - 2 Osc per voice plus 1 Sub-Osc: Sine, tri, saw, variable width pulse, oscillator sync. 1 FM Mode: 64 digital FM spectral waveforms.
LFO - 2 per voice with tri, saw down, square, sample/hold, sample/glide and more
Filter - 2 independent resonant filters; lowpass, hipass, bandpass, band reject, parallel, split & 2 serial modes with up to 36dB/voice (6-poles), overdrive/saturation.
VCA - 2 ADSTR envelopes per voice
ModMatrix - 3 Sources, 6 Destinations
Effects - Up to 22 simultaneous effects: 4 Chorus effects, Global Reverb/Delay, Vocoder
Keyboard - None
Memory - 256 ROM patches, 256 RAM patches, 128 multi RAM patches
Control - MIDI (16 multitimbral parts)
Date Produced - 1997 - 1999
Est. Value - $1,000

Roland V-Synth

Released in 2003, the V-Synth was a new flagship synthesizer from Roland debuting some of their coolest features of the time, allowing for a new world of sounds full of life and motion. The V-Synth combines multiple oscillator technologies, user sampling and new COSM filtering for incredibly dynamic new sounds. The user has realtime control of a waveform's pitch, time and formant plus a killer arpeggiator and a host of realtime controllers including the revolutionary TimeTrip Pad and twin D-Beam controllers. All this leads to sounds that can move, morph, evolve and sound totally unique.

The V-Synth has dual oscillators that offer a choice of three different synthesis methods: analog modeling, PCM waveforms with user sampling, and external audio input processing--all with up to 24-voice polyphony. The PCM oscillator is powered by VariPhrase for complete sonic control. Choose from over 300 preset waveforms or sample your own. Then use the "TimeTrip" function to manipulate a waveform's time aspect in any way you wish. Slow it down to uncover rich moving harmonic content; speed it up to create high-speed tonal motion; freeze it at your favorite spot; or rewind it backward at any speed without changing pitch and formant, which can also be independently controlled. The Analog modeling offers several fat-sounding analog style waveforms. The third oscillator type is External Audio Processing, which lets you process any signal arriving at the V-Synth's analog inputs. All three oscillator types can be layered and mixed in several ways, or modulated using FM, ring mod and oscillator hard sync.

All programming is achieved via the large LCD Touch Screen plus a bunch of hands-on controls and knobs including the new TimeTrip Pad, twin D Beams and the velocity/aftertouch sensitive 61-note keyboard. While you can independently manipulate the pitch, time and formant of sampled waveforms using VariPhrase technology there is also powerful COSM processing offering analog-style filter modeling, a resonator and Side Band Filter, plus global reverb, chorus and multi-effects. The V-Synth's programmable arpeggiator can modulate sound parameters to provides additional rhythmic and timbral controls.

The V-Synth is fully suited to the modern day studio as well, with analog I/O and MIDI ports supplemented by USB and digital S/PDIF I/O ports. Use the analog or digital inputs to sample your own waveforms to be used in the variable oscillator. You can even exchange .WAV and AIFF files via the built-in USB port, which also works for MIDI. Resampling is also possible, allowing users to capture any performance with the TimeTrip Pad, D Beam or arpeggiator - or even effected sounds - as an entirely new waveform. All Preset Patches are fully re-writeable, giving users plenty of space for their own creations, which can also be saved via USB to a computer or to an optional PC card. With PC card adapters, other media such as CompactFlash, SmartMedia and MicroDrives can also be used.

Additionally, with V-LINK Onboard Video Control users are allowed playback and performance of video clips with music created on the V-Synth via the Roland DV-7PR Digital Video Workstation (sold separately). Use V-LINK to trigger different video clips with V-Synth's keyboard while using the bender to change playback speed. Using the TimeTrip Pad, you can scan a clip forwards or backwards with your finger, or change colors using the Twin D Beams. A totally unique feature perfectly suited for live use.

Specifications
Polyphony - Up to 24 voices (depends on CPU load); 16-part multitimbral (12 when using arhythm kit)
Oscillators - Dual Oscillators: Three types:
1: Analog modeling (14 waves: SAW, SQUARE, TRIANGLE, SINE, RAMP, JUNO, HQ-SAW, HQ-SQUARE, NOISE, LA-SAW, LA-SQUARE, SUPER-SAW, FEEDBACK-OSC, X-MOD-OSC)
2: PCM/Variphrase (Preset waveforms + Sampling waveforms)
3: External Audio.
Sampler - Yes, make your own PCM samples. Sampling Frequency Internal: 44.1 kHz; Digital Audio IN/OUT: 96, 48, 44.1 kHz
Effects - MFX (Multi-effects): 41 sets; Chorus: 8 sets; Reverb: 10 sets; EQ; COSM: 16 types (OD/DS, W-SHAPE, AMP, SPEAKER, RESONATOR, SBF1, SBF2, COMB, DUAL, TVF, DYN-TVF, COMP, LIMITER, F-SHIFT, LO-FI, TB-FILTER).
Memory - 1 Project; 512 Patches; 999 Waves, Wave memory (RAM): 50 MB (When the unit ships from the factory, 32 MB of this is taken up by the preset waves.); PC CARD slot (Microdrive, SmartMedia or CompactFlash can be used with PC card adaptor.)
Keyboard - 61 keys (with velocity and channel aftertouch)
Control - MIDI In/Out/Thru; USB
Date Produced -
V-Synth: 2003
V-Synth XT: 2005
V-Synth GT: 2007
Est. Value - $2,000 - $3,000

Korg Wavestation Synthesizer

When Sequential Circuits finally went belly-up, their research and development into vector synthesis was picked up at Korg. This led to the hugely successful Wavestation Synthesizer which was based on Sequential's ProphetVS. The Wavestation incorporated the 2-dimensional vector joystick of the ProphetVS which allowed the user to alter and animate sounds.

Korg added to this a second break-through form of synthesis: wave sequencing, by which short segments of sampled audio waveforms could be played one after the other and cross-faded into each other for some complex and unusual tones, pads, textures and rhythms. The Wavestation had 2MB of ROM based samples at your disposal. Programming is not exactly easy but this great digital synth is capable of lush ambient sounds and strange effects. It has the obligatory lowpass filter, though it is non-resonant and digital sounding. Also on-board are some multi-effects which are pretty nice. This synth is easily upgraded and expandable with PCM cards too.

In 1991 the Wavestation EX, also called EXK-WS, was released (pictured above). The EX added 150 more waveforms (4MB) including acoustic instruments and drums. The EX also adds 8 multi-effects including: Mod Pitch Shift-Delay, Stereo Compressor-Limiter/Gate, Vocoder, Overdrive and Distortion effects, transposable keyboard and added MIDI implementation and control. Wavestations are used by Orbital, The Future Sound of London, Genesis, Jan Hammer, Depeche Mode, Toto, Vangelis, Legendary Pink Dots, Biosphere and Sin
Specifications
Polyphony - Up to 32 Voices
Oscillators - Digital synth with 2MB ROM samples, Vector Synthesis, Wave Sequencing
Multitimbral - 16 parts
Filter - 1 LowPass filter per voice
Memory - 150 patches
Keyboard - 61 keys (velocity / aftertouch)
Effects - 2 onboard effects
Control - MIDI (up to 8 channels at a time)
Date Produced - 1990-94
Est. Value - $500 - $1,000

Korg X3

The nineties update to the legendary M1. Launched in 1993, it expanded on what made the M1 such a great machine and featured a range of solid, entirely usable sounds. The Strings and Basses are exceptionally good, although truly analog sounding sweeps and pads are not what this machine was about. The X3 (and subsequent X-series models that came after it) was designed as a middle-weight workstation, with the warmer and more powerful 01/W series taking the reins as Korg's premiere ROMpler workstation of the early nineties.

The X3 is based around 6 MB of 16-bit multi-samples, with basses, guitars, strings, drums, pads and much more. You can even add more PCM sounds to the synth, but additional PCM cards are expensive and/or hard to find.

Detailed editing and a flexible sequencer make this machine more than capable of running a MIDI rig if you are averse to PC based sequencing. If you can live without large touch sensitive screens or resonant filters, then you will find the X3 packs more punch than you may imagine. A rewarding synth to own, even 10 years down the line. What it lacks in instant hands-on tweak-ability and cutting edge sounds
Specifications
Polyphony - 32 voices (16-part multitimbral)
Oscillators - 32 Osc: 6MB PCM waveforms
Effects - 47 Digital multi-effects: reverb, delay, overdrive, EQ, chorus, rotary speaker, and more.
LFO - None
Filter - Digital Lowpass Filter, velocity sensitive (non-resonant)
VCA - Digital Amplifier with 4-stage ADSR envelope generators
Keyboard - 61 keys with Velocity, Aftertouch, Multi, Layer, Split modes
Sequencer - 16-Track, 10,000 Notes, 9 Songs.
Memory - 200 user programs, 200 user combis
Control - MIDI In / Out / Through (16-parts)
Date Produced - 1993
Est. Value - $450

Korg X-911

The Korg X-911 is a very underestimated synth. What it was intended to be, was a stand alone guitar synthesizer. What it now represents, in these enlightened times, is an all analog, quite unique, signal processor/effects unit. Whereas a true guitar synth really requires its own dedicated pickup arrangement, this unit simply accepts a standard 1/4" jack input. Just patch your guitar, microphone, or other instrument into the X-911 and play one note at a time. Sporting both CV/Trigger inputs AND outputs, these features alone, make it quite a useful little toy.

The front panel is divided conveniently into semi-preset traditional sounds, called "Instrument", and more adventurous sounds with the nomenclature "Synthe". The Instrument sounds are named Electric Bass, Tuba, Trumpet, Dist. Guitar, Violin and Flute. The Synthe sounds are designated as graphical waveform icons (Pulse, Ramp, Square). Every voicing has adjustable parameters, with most of the Instrument sounds having a filter control, bar the Violin, which has an envelope control. The Synthe sounds all have envelope controls, namely Attack and Decay.

The two sections may be overlaid or used separately, with control via the central balance slider. Many features such as Portamento, Interval, Hold etc. are foot switchable via inputs on the front panel. Naturally, the all important Voltage Controlled Filter is in residence, as is a Portamento control. Velocity Response/Touch Sensitivity is controlled by a 3 way switch. All in all, this unit is ideal for those Soundmeisters seeking to distance themselves from the all too common sameness of the modern digital era.
Specifications
Polyphony - Monophonic
Oscillators - 2 (Instrument and Synthe)
Effects - Distortion
Filter - 1; Tone, VCF cutoff
VCA - 1; Attack, Decay
LFO - None
Keyboard - None
Memory - 6 Instrument patches: Electric Bass, Tuba, Trumpet, Dist. Guitar, Violin and Flute
Control - Cv/Hz in/out; Trig in/out; FM in; VCF in; 4 fx input
Date Produced - 1981
Est. Value - $200 - $350

Roland XP-10

The XP-10 was an entry-level Workstation synthesizer. It's a digital synthesizer that uses sampled sounds and waveforms stored on ROM chips. Basic envelope and filter settings can be manipulated to tweak the sounds, but that's it. The sounds themselves are preset and not very tweakable. Though its filter is digital, it is resonant and sounds ok. There is also basic reverb and chorus effects. However, the LCD display is narrow and programming can become tedious, if not boring and the interface is often reported as being 'buggy'.

However, its sounds can be anything but boring at times! Standard GM-set and SR-JV80 type sounds include great acoustic instruments (pianos, strings, winds, percussion and brass) and a lot of nice synth-type sounds (303 lines, sub bass, noise, leads, pads). It is quite capable of creating dance music or symphonic performances.

As a workstation, the XP-10 provides at least a starting point. It has an arpeggiator with several preset patterns (but no user patterns). There are two programmable sliders for real-time control of some of the editable parameters like the filter cutoff. Another feature called "X-Dual" mode layers two sounds which can be panned and mixed independently to create a new sound. Today, the XP-10 makes an ok back-up synth for quality but basic sounds, but it still leaves much to be desired.
Specifications
Polyphony - 28 Voices
Oscillators - Digital Acoustic simulation
LFO - Yes
Filter - Resonant Digital Filter
Effects - 2 Effects units with up to 10 different effect types
Memory - 338 Preset, 256 User patches; 64 Preset, 64 User performances; 16 Preset, 20 User Drumkits
Keyboard - 61 keys (responds to velocity and aftertouch)
Control - MIDI (16-parts; can send on 2 simultaneous channels); PC/Mac port
Date Produced - 1994
Est. Value - $400

Roland XP-30

The XP-30 is a 64-voice Expandable Synthesizer that offered all of the great sounds of the XP and JV series at a more affordable price tag than previous XP-synths. Roland's XP-80 was a flagship workstation in its time, but by reducing the keyboard down to a standard 61 key (with velocity and aftertouch), elimination of the on-board sequencer, and fewer expansion card slots, the XP-30 was able to offer the XP-experience at a price within reach of serious musicians at any level.

The XP-30 does retain the XP-series synthesis architecture and all the world-renowned sound sets of the acclaimed XP-80 workstation, plus all the waveforms from the "Session", "Orchestral", and "Techno" expansion cards. It adds, however, a boat-load more patch storage than its more famous predecessors: there are 1,406 patches and 28 drum kits. Fortunately there is a Patch Finder and Phrase Preview for quick navigation and sound selection. Besides the two expansion slots for installing the SR-JV80-Series expansion boards, a SmartMedia card slot provides additional storage capability. Plenty of controls and four assignable Sound Palette sliders let you get deep into editing and programming its sounds.

Specifications
Polyphony - 64 Voices
Oscillators - 4 per voice ( 4 x 64 voices), 32 bit custom RISC chips for Digital Acoustic simulation; 512 on-board waveforms (plus up to two 8MB SRJV80 series expansion boards)
LFO - 2 MIDI syncable LFOs
Filter - TVF (lowpass, bandpass, high pass) with cutoff, resonance, key follow and velocity sensitivity
Effects - Reverb, Chorus and 40 multi-EFX
Memory - 1,406 patches, including all sounds from the "Session", "Orchestral" and "Techno" wave expansion boards, 28 Rhythm kits.
Keyboard - 61 keys with velocity and aftertouch sensitivity
Arpeg/Seq - Advanced Arpeggiator capabilities derived from the XP-60/80
Control - MIDI In/Out/Thru (16-parts)
Date Produced - 1999-2002
Est. Value - $750

Roland XP-50

The XP-50 is not just another synthesizer workstation, it's basically a JV-1080 with a built-in keyboard and a 16-track sequencer! It is a digital synthesizer using sampled ROM waveforms. Superb sound quality capable of emulating most any instrument imaginable plus totally fat analog synth type sounds and loads of percussion! It has 64 voices of polyphony and is 16-part multitimbral. The XP-50 makes a great beginner's pro-quality workstation.

It has 8MB of sounds and it also offers a lot of expandability with 4 expansion slots and 2 data card memory slots. You can get up to 42MB of sounds by adding any of the popular SR-JV80 expansion cards suited for Techno, World Instruments, Orchestral or Synthesizers. There's also plenty of multi-effects, reverbs, choruses and filters for creative flexibility, motion control and extensive MIDI implementation.

Some of the features the XP-50 brings (to the JV-1080) are a standard 61-note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch. The MRC-PRO 16-track sequencer which features 60,000 note capacity and can hold 100 patterns and 1 song. Several recording features (loop, step, realtime), quantization and editing features are available too. A built-in 3.5 inch disk drive facilitates storage of your sequences and MIDI data. With a 'bang for your buck' value the XP-50 still makes a great keyboard alternative to the JV-1080. That means you get some of Roland's best sounds in a performance workstation that is as affordable as 'pro-quality' can get (beyond which come the XP-60 and XP-80 mega-synths). It has been used by The Cure.
Specifications
Polyphony - 64 Voices
Oscillators - 32 bit custom RISC chips for Digital Acoustic simulation; 512 on-board waveforms (plus up to four 8MB SRJV80 series expansion boards)
LFO - Up to 8 MIDI syncable LFOs
Filter - TVF (lowpass, bandpass, high pass, peak) with cutoff, resonance, key follow and velocity sensitivity
Effects - 40 multi-effects, reverb, chorus
Memory - 640 Patches, 128 performances
Keyboard - 61 keys (responds to velocity and aftertouch)
Control - MIDI (16-parts)
Date Produced - 1995
Est. Value - $500 - $1,000

Roland XP-80

The XP-80 was one of Roland's flagship digital Workstation Synthesizers. With extensive professional features, superb quality PCM sounds, sequencing, effects and more, the XP-80 could be the only synth you may ever need! Compared with earlier XP-series synths, the XP-80 adds a great 76-note semi-weighted keyboard for a realistic playing experience. A bright and large 320 by 80 pixel backlit display gives easy readability to any programming and sequencing you may do on the XP-80.

The XP-80 offers up 64 voices of polyphony and can send on up to 16 MIDI channels simultaneously. The sounds are all digital in nature and sound pretty good too! Though its strengths are the emulation of acoustic instruments, it can create synth-type sounds too. It comes with 16MB of ROM sounds, but there's room for up to four 8MB expansion boards that add Orchestral, Techno, Vintage Synths, World, Bass & Drums and other instrument sets (from the SR-JV80 expansion series).

Bringing up the 'Workstation' end of the XP-80 is a full-fledged on-board MRC Pro sequencer. With a 60,000 note capacity, 100 patterns, and 1 song position - you can create songs, patterns, loops or phrases with relative ease. Other features of the sequencer include Grid, Groove or Shuffle quantization and a built-in disk-drive. The XP-80 also excels as a Master Keyboard controller used to control other synthesizers and MIDI gear. A great Arpeggiator is also available. High quality internal effects are provided such as Reverbs, Chorus, Delays and Roland's EFX multi-effects technology. There are also digital filters (4-pole, 12dB/oct, HP, LP, BP, Peak) and a ring-modulator for analog-synth type effects, perfect for dance and techno music! A Modulation-Matrix provides up to two LFO-effects for adding motion and life to the sounds. In addition, there are 6 sliders for real-time control.

In a nutshell, the XP-80 is a pure digital synth. Its sounds are virtually the same as the JV-1080, JV-2080, XP-60 and XP-50 synthesizers. And the XP-80 makes a great all-in-one Workstation or Master Keyboard controller for any musical application. For a digital instrument, the sounds can be surprisingly expressive and the XP-80 is not reserved for any particular musical genre, other than top-quality music! From Carnegie Hall to warehouse Raves, the XP-80 has been used. If you don't require such an elegant keyboard, the XP-60 is the next best alternative. And if you don't need any keyboard, the JV-2080 or JV-1080 make the next best alternatives to this flagship workstation.

Specifications
Polyphony - 64 Voices
Oscillators - 4 osc. per voice; Digital PCM subtractive with 16MB of ROM (expandable to 80MB)
Sequencer - 60,000 notes, 100 patterns, 1 song
Filter - Resonant 4-pole, 12dB/oct, High pass, LowPass, BandPass, Peak filtering
Effects - 3 processors: EFX (w/ 40 effects), reverb, chorus, delay, ring modulation, distortion, etc.
Memory - 512 Preset, 128 User patches; 64 Preset, 32 User performances; 8 Preset, 2 User Drumkits
Keyboard - 76 semi-weighted keys (responds to velocity and aftertouch)
Control - MIDI (16-parts)
Date Produced - 1996
Est. Value - $1,500

Korg Z1

Could this be Korg's masterpiece? The Z1 is like a polyphonic Prophecy! It does all the analog sounds and more. This is a great analog modeling synth with 12-voice polyphony, thirteen waveforms, four LFOs, two resonant filters, two effects units and more. The ability to create unique sounds is endless. The factory patches could use some help, but overall the sound is very nice! It has a fully polyphonic arpeggiator that blows all others away. It has five preset arpeggio patterns and fifteen user patterns. Unfortunately there is no on-board sequencer. There is incredible real-time control available with knobs to control the two resonant filters, and a touch controlled 'XY' pad for tweaking patches in real-time. The Z1 is used by KMFDM, Gary Numan, LTJ Bukem and Orbital.

Specifications
Polyphony - 12 voices (expandable to 18)
Oscillators - 2 osc (13 types including pulse, saw, tri, sine, organ, electric piano, piano, brass, reeds, strings, more) 1sub-osc, noise
LFO - 4 LFOs; 18 waveforms including sine, tri, saw, square, sample/hold, stepped
Filter - Resonant low, hi, dual band pass
Effects - 2 effect units with 15 effects including Reverb, Parametric EQ, chorus, phaser, flanger, rotating speaker, overdrive, auto-wah, talkbox, decimator, compressor
Keyboard - 61 keys with velocity and aftertouch
Memory - 256 patches, 32 multis
Control - MIDI (6 parts)
Date Produced - 1997
Est. Value - $1,500 - $2,000

Korg Triton

The Triton is Korg's latest flagship workstation synthesizer for professional music production! It looks and sounds beautiful, and hiding under the hood is an extremely souped-up synth-engine ready to tear up your tracks! Literally! It is a digital 62-voice synthesizer with built-in sequencing and arpeggiators and an ultra-large touch-screen control panel at the center of its face-plate.

The Triton is in-fact an evolved Trinity...Korg's previous flagship workstation. Whereas the Trinity was capable of 32-note polyphony, the Triton now boasts 62! Waveform ROM has been expanded as well, now with 32MB of multi-sample sounds that sound crystal clear and quite warm. With these samples and the Triton's in-depth programmability you can create pretty much any sounds, from an orchestral flute with life-like vibrato to all-out chord-stabs with filtering for dance-floor house music, complete with beats and cool arpeggio patterns and phrases.

Also on-board is a stereo-sampler. With 16MB RAM and space for up to 1,000 samples there's nothing you can't create with this synth. There are plenty of on-board digital effects as well for sprucing up your samples or the Triton's own internal multi-samples. Controllers include a Joystick, 2 assignable switches, 4 assignable knobs, 3 arpeggiator control knobs and inputs for a damper pedal, PC Interface Host and 2 audio-ins for the sampler section. There are also stereo outputs plus 4 individual outputs. A dedicated 16-track sequencer with a 100,000 note capacity, Real-Time Pattern Play functions and an Arpeggiator with several patterns round this beast out as a truly all-in-one music workstation. The Triton is rivalled by the likes of Yamaha's EX-5, Kurzweil K2500 and the Roland XP-80 comes close. But Triton makes for a professional, versatile, elegant and superb synthesizer. It has been used by The Orb, Orbital, Depeche Mode, BT, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Keith Emerson, Vangelis, Saga, Aqua, Royksopp and Apollo 440.



The Triton Rack, released in 2000, has all of its keyboard counterparts' sonic power, sampling functionality, intuitive operation, and expandability. In addition, this two space, rack-mountable unit dramatically expands the possible number of sounds by allowing for a total of eight EXB-PCM expansion sound boards to be installed. It also provides digital output and features numerous other functions that make it the ideal choice for the musician looking for a no-compromise sound!
Also in 2000, the Triton LE was released to give virtually all the same great sounds and power of the original Triton at a much lower price. Its major changes include the lack of the touch-screen interface (replaced by a smaller LCD only screen), no more ribbon controller, and only one (instead of five) insert effects. There is only one expansion slot for the Korg EXB-SMPL sampling board. Internally, the sounds and synthesis engine remain virtually the same, but a lot of the "workstation" features have been side-lined to make the LE a cheaper and more standard type of keyboard for less demanding entry-level or budget-challenged musicians. The LE was offered in 61, 76 and a weighted 88 note keyboard models. Note that the 88-key model added a 16-MB Piano ROM to the standard 32 MB of waveform memory.
2002 saw the introduction of the Triton Studio. This model made the 16 MB paino ROM waveforms standard on all of its 61, 76 and 88 key models. Polyphony was essentially doubled to 120 voices (2 banks of 60 voices). The Triton Studio also added built-in S/PDIF input and output and could be fitted with an optional hard drive, CD-R/W drive or a "Digital Interface" board providing ADAT output and Word Clock.
The Triton Extreme was released in 2005. The most extreme model, it quintupled waveform memory up to 160 MB with 120 voices of polyphony. Most of the Triton series expansion boards have been pre-installed as standard in the Extreme, while many sounds from the older Tritons have been improved as well. Sample memory is also upgraded (up to 96 MB of sample RAM). And in addition to its new "paint-job" a major feature was the addition of a genuine 12AU7 "Russian Bullet" vacuum tube which could be used as either an insert or master effect, or simply by itself to allow for warmer, guitar amp-like sounds and for more extreme analog overdriven/distorted sounds. USB connectevity has also been added for direct computer interfacing to allow exchange of samples, sound programs, sequences, and other Triton-compatible files through an installable Compact Flash card, as well as for connection of a USB Hard Drive or CD-R. Unlike the Classic, Studio, and Rack Tritons, the Extreme can not be fitted with sample expansion boards due to the expansion ROMs having been pre-installed. However, it is compatible with the MOSS board.

Additional Expansion Options for the Triton Series:
EXB-MOSS - the ultimate 6-voice DSP tone generator
EXB-SCSI - for external SCSI storage devices
EXB-mLan - digital audio and midi transfer for rack model
EXB-DI - optical ADAT output with 48kHz word clock in for rack model


Specifications
Polyphony -
Triton & LE - 62 voices (68 with MOSS)
Triton Rack - 60 voices
Triton Studio & Extreme - 120 voices
Tone Generator - HI synthesis system; 48 kHz sampling frequency, 32 Mbyte PCM ROM, 425 multi-samples + 413 drum samples
Sound Source - 62 oscillators in single mode/ 31 voices, 62 oscillators in double mode. (60 and 30 osc. in Rack module)
Sampler - 16 bit, 48 kHz stereo/mono sampling, 16 MB memory standard, expandable to 64 MB. Maximum of 1,000 multi-samples / 4,000 samples. Up to 128 samples can be assigned to a multi-sample. AIFF, WAVE, AKAI (S1000/S3000) and Trinity sample data can be loaded. (Triton cannot load Trinity format data from TFD-1S, TFD-2S, TFD-3S and TFD-4S , since they use data-compressed data.)
Memory - 640 programs, 512 combinations, 64 drum programs, GM Level 2 - 256 programs + 9 drum set; External Floppy Disk Drive: 3.5 inch 2DD/2HD
Keyboard - All models offered: 88 weighted keys, 76 key or 61 key models. All have velocity and aftertouch sensitivity
Effects - 102 (insert effects/ 89 for master effects); Stereo digital multi-effect system - 2 master effects (mono in, stereo out), 5 insert effects (stereo in / out), and 1 master EQ (stereo in / out) simultaneously
Sequencer - 16 timbres, 16 tracks, 1/192 resolutions, 100 preset / 100 user pattern per a song, 200 songs, 20 cues, 200,000 notes, reads and writes Standard MIDI File (Format 0 and 1)
Arpeggiator - RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play / Recording): 1 set with 72 patterns available per song; Arpeggiator: 5 preset patterns and 232 patterns (approx. 180 preset)
Control - MIDI (16-part), PC-Host input
Date Produced
Triton - 1999
Rack, LE - 2000
Triton Studio - 2002
Triton Extreme - 2005
Est. Value - $1,500 - $2,500

Korg Trinity

The Trinity was a major break-through synthesizer for Korg. It is a beautiful, state of the art and superb sounding music workstation which first appeared in 1995. Its most notable new feature to the synthesizer industry is the super-cool 320 x 240 TouchView Graphical User Interface....which is also the heart of the instrument! This workstation seamlessly combines excellent digital sounds, in-depth yet intuitive programming, real-time controllers, upward expandability and elegant design to create the perfect all-around synthesizer.

The Trinity's sounds come out of a 24MB ROM chip with 48kHz multi-samples of about 375 sounds and 258 drums. You can even add an expansion board of Prophecy sounds and Z1 sounds! There's a good digital multi-mode filter with hi/low/band pass, band reject, resonance and more. There's also 110 effects for adding life to your sounds...up to 8 simultaneous insert effects and 2 master effects.

The Trinity has an excellent on-board sequencer allowing it to be the center of your music studio...it's that good! And it's fun to use the touch-screen. It's a 16-track sequencer with an 80,000 note capacity, 100 patterns and 20 songs. With the 32 voices and plenty of drum sounds, you can use the Trinity as your all-in-one music studio! Great in the studio, or live there are plenty of real-time controllers including a Joystick, Ribbon controller and 2 assignable knobs and multiple sound outputs. Expandability includes a SCSI port, Internal Hard Disk Recording, 8Mb Flash Rom Playback-Sampler Option (which reads all Korg and Akai sound libraries), Digital ADAT I/O option and the SOLO-TRI Prophecy expansion board.


And now for the history... The original Trinity was released in 1995 and had a hefty 24 MB sample ROM though it lacked some of the features described above. Then, in 1996 the Prophecy sounds were included in the Trinity Plus model. Following that came the Trinity Pro which is basically the same as the Plus but has a full 76 note keyboard. And if that wasn't enough there's always the Trinity ProX which has 88 keys! And then came the V3 series in 1998 (with its own entourage of Pro and ProX keyboards). The Trinity V3 (pictured above) added all the guts and glory of the Korg Z1 for even more outstanding musical sounds! The benefit of the Prophecy and Z1 features is MOSS, Korg's physical-modeling technique that made the Prophecy famous! The V3 or Z1 MOSS board can be added to the older Trinity models. At last it can be said that the final Trinity is the new Triton, released in 1999.

The Trinity(s) has been used by Juno Reactor, David Holmes, Antiloop, Dream Theater, A-Ha, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Mike Oldfield, Kitaro, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Vangelis, Yesterdays, Spocks Beard, Alphaville, and Max Martin.


Specifications
Polyphony - 32 voices
Tone Generator - ACCESS (Advanced Combined Control Synthesis System): 24 Mbyte PCM ROM, with 375 different PCM multi-samples and 258 drum samples; 128 Z1 sounds in V3 models
Sound Source - ACCESS (Advanced Combined Control Synthesis System): 32 voices, 32 oscillators (single mode); 16 voices, 32 oscillators (double mode)
Sampler - Optional Add-On: 8MB Sample Playback, reads Akai and Korg sample libraries.
Memory - 56 programs/256 combinations for ACCESS, 64 programs for MOSS, additional 256 programs/256 combinations for ACCESS plus 64 programs for MOSS are available when PBS-TRI optional board is installed
Sequencer - 20 songs, 100 patterns, 1/192 resolutions, 80,000 notes, 16 tracks, reads and writes Standard MIDI File
Arpeggiator - None
Keyboard - 61 notes; Pro models: 76 notes; ProX models: 88 notes; All keyboards are sensitive to velocity and aftertouch
Effects - Stereo digital multi-effect system - 2 master effects and 8 insert effects simultaneously. 14 effects algorithms for master effect and 100 effects algorithms for insert effect
Control - MIDI (16-parts)
Date Produced - 1995-1998
Est. Value - Trinity (various models): $1,000 - $2,500
SOLO-TRI Prophecy Board: $600
PBS-TRI Playback Sampler: $800
HDR-TRI Hard Disk Recorder: (up to 4GB) $800
SCSI: $600
DI-TRI ADAT Optical Interface: $300

Korg MS-10

The MS-10 is a cool & classic analog synth known for its great bass and percussive sounds. It was released by Korg in 1978 as an entry-level, simple monophonic single-VCO analog synthesizer. With the authentic look of a mini-modular its single VCO is patchable using standard 1/4 inch patch cords to the VCF and VCA. It really is a powerful little mono-synth with plenty of knobs and a compact 32-note keyboard. It is CV/Gate controllable. A very cool feature is its external input to filter which allows you to filter external sound sources! Following the MS-10 came the double-oscillator version, the MS-20. The MS-10 is used by The Orb, SkyLab, the Chemical Brothers, Astral Projection, Autechre, Juan Atkins, Underworld, Sneaker Pimps, Luke Vibert, JunkieXL, and Add N to (X).

Specifications
Polyphony - Monophonic
Oscillators - 1 VCO with mixable white/pink noise generator
LFO - One LFO w/ multiple waveforms
Filter - One lowpass VCF
VCA - ADSR with Hold
Keyboard - 32 keys
Arpeg/Seq - None
Control - CV/GATE
Date Produced - 1978
Est. Value - $200 - $700

Korg MS-20

The MS-20 was one of Korg's first major successful portable analog monosynths and even today it is still a great little machine! The MS-20 is the big brother to the MS-10. It is an analog two-oscillator monophonic lead and bass synth with hard wired and patchable connections. The hard-wiring can be overridden however, using patch-cords. This type of hard-wired but patchable design was similar to the ARP 2600 of the late seventies. Of course the 2600 was much bigger and better. But the MS-20 offered a lot of flexible control and great sounds at a more affordable price.

In addition to two analog oscillators, the MS-20 featured two resonant VCF filters, two VCAs, sample and hold, a noise generator, an assignable mod-wheel and lots of knobs! The VCF filter section is capable of high-pass, low-pass, notch and band-reject which is unique and different than your basic lowpass style filter. External sound sources can be routed through the filter section as well. In fact William Ørbit uses the filter in his MS-20 relentlessly to filter and tweak his samples, beats, delay returns, vocals, etc.

There's also a Pitch-CV converter for triggering sounds from external sources. Aphex Twin makes quite a bit of use of this, feeding the input stage of his MS-20s with drum sounds and other untrackable audio to get the synth to make a wide variety of crunch/squawp/screech noises by mistracking the filters, etc.

As for its sounds, the MS-20 sounds great! It makes a great alternative for Minimoog-seekers. The MS-20 is great for just about any type of analog synth sound you could want! Fat round bass sounds, percussive bass or sounds, noise effects, squiggly-bubbly sounds or sinuous-worm leads are all waiting to be unleashed from inside this classic beast. The MS-20 is not only a great sounding instrument, but a great learning-synth. It is fairly easy and intuitive to operate but in doing so you can learn and understand more about synthesis and signal-flow. It is used by William Ørbit, Aphex Twin, Hardfloor, Air, SkyLab, Stereolab, Vince Clarke, Astral Projection, Biosphere, Apollo 440, Mr. Oizo, Jimi Tenor, The Prodigy, OMD, Freddy Fresh, Luke Vibert, Einstuerzende Neubauten, Add N to (X), Daft Punk, Coldcut, Die Krupps, Skinny Puppy, Electronic Dream Planet, Jimmy Edgar, Front 242, Front Line Assembly, The Legendary Pink Dots, KMFDM, Severed Heads, Royksopp, The Faint, The Shamen, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Portishead.
Specifications
Polyphony - Monophonic
Oscillators - 2 VCO's + noise
LFO - One LFO w/ multiple waveforms
Filter - 2 MultiMode VCFs: Lowpass, Highpass, Notch, BandReject; with ADSR
VCA - 2 VCAs: ADSR + Sample and Hold with an envelope follower
Keyboard - 36 keys
Arpeg/Seq - None
Control - CV/GATE
Date Produced - 1978-83
Est. Value - $400 - $900

Korg M1

The M1 was and still is a popular and widely used digital synthesizer and music workstation. The M1 features built-in AI Synthesis for full digital generation and processing using 4MB of PCM sampled and synthesized waveforms which can be shaped using analog-style editing. The M1 is capable of creating acoustic instruments with clarity, nice digital sounds and good buzzy techno sounds. The M1 is sort of like a workstation-version of the Roland D-50.

In addition to its acclaimed sound, it has a somewhat sophisticated 8-track sequencer. It holds 10 songs and 100 patterns and up to 7,700 notes, and offers full quantizing and editing. Full MIDI implementation suites the M1 ideally for studio production and MIDI system use. Up to 8 parts of multitimbrality with the 8 track sequencer makes for a powerful machine. Add to that a host of digital multi-effects and you've got one of the most widely and professionally used Korg synthesizers around.

UPGRADES: The EXK-M1 optional ROM expansion kit doubles the PCM waveform memory to 8MB (275 multisampled sounds) for even greater sonic possibilities. The M1R-EX is the same upgrade but designed for the M1R (rack version). That's right, there's a rack version of the M1 available as the M1R as well. The M1 has been used by 808 State, Banco De Gaia, Ken Ishii, Depeche Mode, Fluke, The Cure, The Orb, The KLF, Plastikman, Bomb The Bass, Gary Numan, Robert Miles, Mike Oldfield, Kitaro, Rick Wakeman, Rod Argent, Joe Zawinul, Patrick Moraz, Pet Shop Boys, Vangelis, the Cranberries, Sin and Jellyfish.

Specifications
Polyphony - 16 voices
Oscillators - 4MB PCM waveforms (144 multisampled sounds)
Effects - Digital multi-effects: reverb, delay, overdrive, EQ, chorus, rotary speaker, and more.
Filter - VDF: Variable Digital Lowpass Filter, velocity sensitive (non-resonant)
VCA - VDA: Variable Digital Amplifier; 3 independent 4-stage ADSR envelope generators
Keyboard - 61 keys with Velocity, Aftertouch, Multi, Layer, Split modes
Memory - 100 patches
Control - MIDI (8 parts)
Date Produced - 1988-94
Est. Value - $600

Native Instruments Kontakt

Native Instruments have been leaders in the production of software synthesizer plug-ins for some time now. With the release of software samplers such as IK Multimedia SampleTank and Steinberg HALion, NI offers KONTAKT - the ultimate sampler plug-in for your computer! KONTAKT works on both Mac and PC platforms in Stand-Alone or plug-in compatible applications, supporting ASIO 2.0, DirectSound, MME, SoundManager, VST 2.0, Audio Units, Core Audio, RTAS, DXi, DirectConnect, and MAS/FreeMIDI formats.

KONTAKT comes with five CD's full of samples ranging from basic drums, guitar, piano, bass, and samples from each of NI's own line of outstanding synth plug-ins to get you started. At the left of KONTAKT's window is a file browser for searching your disks for samples to drag and drop into KONTAKT's editing windows. Samples are loaded entirely into available RAM which means if you want to use a 200 MB sample, you need at least 200 MB of RAM available to KONTAKT. This is not like HALion which loads only the attack of a sample into RAM and streams the rest from hard disk. The result is KONTAKT has a heavy RAM requirement but is guaranteed to have quick and responsive playback of your samples with no clicks, errors or audible latency.

When you open KONTAKT you have an empty 'instance' which can support up to 16 instruments. Each instrument can be assigned to any MIDI channel. They each have their own key range, velocity range, and polyphony settings. It also displays the instrument name and RAM usage with global Tune, Pan, Solo, Mute and Volume controls. Samples can be freely assigned to key and velocity zones in the Mapping editor by simple drag and drop. Samples can also be layered over the same keys or at various velocity zones on the same key. Crossfades between samples assigned to neighboring keys or velocity crossfades can be set automatically with a drop-down menu or manually with small handles in the Mapping editor. The Loop Editor lets you quickly and easily assign in/out points for up to 8 different loops per sample. Multiple loops lets you create stuttering effects and other wacky stuff. There's a Zero-X mode for tweaking the loop's crossfade point, auto-find loop start/end points, resynthesis and timestretching functions.

KONTAKT has a lot of tricks available to mangle samples into something new. It operates in one of three modes: Sampler, Tone Machine or Time Machine. Sampler mode is the basic mode where your intent is to play-back samples such as those from libraries. KONTAKT supports Akai S1000 and S3000, SoundFont2, GigaStudio, HALion, EXS24, SND, WAV, SDII, AIFF, and NI Battery files. Tuning and Reverse can be used to alter the source sample. The Tone and Time Machines offer interesting sample mangling features based on granular resynthesis. The Time Machine does real-time time stretching and pitch shifting. Assign a sample to a range of keys, for example, and each key can play the sample at a different tempo but maintain the same pitch. Tone Machine gives the sample the pitch of any key played. The Granular Synthesis process here can yield some strange results too.
KONTAKT offers a bunch of lowpass, highpass, bandpass, and notch filters with 6 to 36 dB/oct slopes and resonance, and they sound great. There's also 1-, 2-, and 3-band EQ's, a phaser, and two vocal formant filters. Nearly every parameter of KONTAKT can be modulated from sources like the LFOs, envelopes, step modulators, envelope followers and controllers. All relevant modulators can be synchronized to MIDI clock. Control- or right-click on any control or knob to assign a modulation source or MIDI controller number to it. You can even assign several knobs to the same controller. And it can 'learn' an incoming MIDI controller number from your MIDI controller for quickly and easily assigning knobs on your controller to the parameters of your choice. KONTAKT also offers three types of envelopes: a DBD (Decay 1, Breakpoint, Decay 2) for pitch sweeps, a basic AHDSR envelope, and a flexible 32 point envelope as seen in Absynth and FM7 (pictured below), which allows you to create very rhythmic and looped effects. The cool Step Modulator is an analog style sequencer with up to 32 steps and is used to rhythmically modulate any modulatable destination like the filter cutoff, pitch, etc.In addition there are insert and send effects for each instrument which include EQ, reverb, chorus, delay, lowfi, stereo enhancer, distortion, flanger, phaser, compressor, chorus, or any of KONTAKT's 14 filters. The File Browser window can also be switched to a structure view, in which all the actual modules, zones, groups, instruments, etc. that are being used by the sampler appear so you can easily navigate your way around all he modules in your instrument. And each plug-in instance can support up to 32 outputs in supporting host applications, and 16 outputs in stand-alone mode with an appropriate soundcardAs of this writing, KONTAKT is yet another leading plug-in from Native Instruments! It offers superior sample manipulation with synth-like filtering and modulation that goes beyond what other soft- and hard-ware samplers offer. The user interface is awkward and takes getting used to, but it is very streamlined, efficient, and everything is done graphically within one window. The samples that come with KONTAKT (developed by Yellow Tools) are not the greatest but show you how realistic and creative you can get with sample mapping, layering, modulating, etc. If you were looking to go virtual with your studio, KONTAKT is the affordable sampler that will replace your hardware sampler!

Famous user BT says, "Kontakt is the most comprehensive and elaborate sample engine I've ever worked with. The only software sampler you'll ever need." Paul Hartnoll of Orbital says "Kontakt is the best software sampler that we have ever seen, very simple and easy to use. Yet with it's modular structure it can be as complex as you want. It's an incredible creative device..."
Specifications
Polyphony - Hardware Dependent (Up to 256 per instrument)
Sampler - Sample Formats: Akai S1000 and S3000, SoundFont2, GigaStudio, HALion, EXS24, SND, WAV, SDII, AIFF, Battery and Reaktor files
Interfaces: ASIO 2.0, DirectSound, MME, SoundManager, VST 2.0, DXi, DirectConnect, and MAS/FreeMIDI
LFO - Sine, Triangle, Rectangle, Sawtooth, Random, Multi waveforms
Filter - Sampler filters: Lowpass 1-, 2-, 4-, 6-pole; Highpass 1-, 2-, 4-pole, Bandpass 1+1, 2+2 pole; Notch 2+2 pole; Multimode 3x2 pole.
Equalizers: Parametric 1-, 2-, 3-band EQ.
Effect Filters: Phaser, Vowel A, Vowel B.
Effects - Send Effects: Panning Delay, Stereo Chorus, Stereo Flanger, Stereo Phaser, Reverb
Insert Effects: Distortion, Saturation, LowFi, Compressor, Stereo Enhancer, Filter/EQ
Keyboard - Virtual in Mapping Editor from C-2 to C8 (10 octave range), Velocity (range 1-127)
Macintosh - Minimum: Mac OS 9.2 or higher, G3 500 MHz, 256 MB RAM
Recommended: Mac OS 9.2 or higher, G4 733, 512 MB
VST 2, Audio Units, Core Audio, RTAS, Direct Connect, MAS, Sound Manager, FreeMidi, OMS
Windows/PC - Minimum: Windows XP, Pentium III/ Athlon 500 MHz, 256 MB RAM
Recommended: Windows XP, Pentium III/ Athlon 700 MHz, 512 MB
VST 2, DXi, ASIO, DirectSound, RTAS (XP only)
Date Produced - 2002
Est. Value - $399

Korg KARMA

The KARMA represents seven years in the making. It's a synthesizer based on the engines and effects of the Triton series. KARMA is a music workstation with a revolutionary new phrase technology. Generate grooves, arpeggios, effects and more, all in realtime with plenty of knobs, switches and joysticks for hands-on control. You can control the rhythmic complexity, harmony, melodic repeat, phrasing, panning, effects and more from these knobs! KARMA is designed to create techno arpeggios and effects, natural sounding glissandos, and many other animated sounds and dynamic effects. KARMA lets you play complex moving synth parts that could normally take hours of programming. Just play some chords and twiddle the control knobs to vary the KARMA patterns, and let KARMA do the rest.

Like the Triton, KARMA features 62 voice polyphony and HI (Hyper Integrated) synthesis with 425 PCM multi-samples and 413 drum sounds. Patch memory consists of 640 user programs, plus 256 programs and 9 drum programs, 64 drum kits and 9 GM drum kits. Up to 8 patches can be combined, split, layered, etc. There is, however, no on-board sampler as there is in the Triton. But the KARMA technology more than makes up for this limitation with its revolutionary ability to generate totally random or fully controllable animated sounds, grooves, phrases, etc. which can't be found in comparable synthesizers. A splendid, studio-quality effects section offers 102 effects to sweeten your KARMA creations. In addition to an LFO, Alternate Modulation and Effect Dynamic Modulation enable you to further modulate the pitch, filter, amp, EG, LFO, etc. All modulation and KARMA functions can be synced to tempo or MIDI clock.

A built-in and powerful 16-track sequencer is all you need to generate complete music tracks with the KARMA. It can hold up to 200 songs, with up to 999 measures per song! Phrases generated by the KARMA function can be recorded into your sequences. Songs are created using a Cue List function to arrange up to 99 different sequences. The RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play/Recording) function lets you play phrases back by pressing a single key. And there are 150 drum and percussion patterns provided. You can jam along with the RPPR function or the Song Play function, using KARMA effects in realtime and in sync! Excellent for live use as well as in the studio.

KARMA - Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture, developed by Stephen Kay, Karma Lab LLC. The KARMA function separates every aspect of a musical phrase into independently controllable parts. It features over 1000 Generated Effects (1 GE per Program, 4 GEs per Combi or Song). A GE contains over 400 parameters to generate notes, control synth and effects parameters, and provide randomization of these events. There are eight knobs and two switches to control up to 10 of the 16 KARMA parameters in realtime. Two Scene memories store current knob settings to recall them instantly. MIDI control messages can be used to control KARMA too. One KARMA module is available in Program mode, four modules can be used in Combi/Sequencer/Song Play modes. Classic Chord Memory is also available for playing entire chords with just a single key...Trance heaven! KARMA is an exciting new synthesizer technology that adds a whole new level of interactivity and variability suitable for just about any genre of music.

The new Version 2.0 operating system for the Karma Music Workstation is a free of download to all Karma owners and users. It works with the new KARMA MW, a computer software program (Mac/Windows) that allows in-depth access to all of KARMA's creative features. Version 2.0 adds 320 new locations for saving and storing User GEs. These can be loaded in via floppy disk or MIDI dump, and can be created externally using the KARMA MW Computer Software. Other new features packed into Version 2.0 include time signature and tap tempo control, intuitive real-time control, improved sequencing, true swing quantization, improved performance with external sequencers, and much more; all of which are mostly the result of user input and ideas. This upgrade to 2.0 and the KARMA MW software is a must have for all Karma users! Current famous users include Rick Wakeman, Phil Collins, Adam Holzman, Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, Vangelis, Yes, Greg Phillenganes, Pete Townshend, and Keith Emerson.

Additional Expansion Options for the Karma:
EXB-PCM01 - Pianos/Classic Kybds
EXB-PCM02 - Studio Essentials
EXB-PCM03 - Future Loop Construction
EXB-PCM04 - Dance Extreme
EXB-PCM05 - Vintage Archives
EXB-MOSS - the ultimate 6-voice DSP tone generator

Specifications
Polyphony - 62 voices in single mode, 31 voices in double mode
Tone Generator - HI synthesis system; 48 kHz sampling frequency, 32 Mbyte PCM ROM, 425 multi-samples, 413 drum samples. Expandable to 64 Mbyte via PCM ROM options.
Sound Source - 62 oscillators
Filter - Resonant 24dB/oct lowpass, 12dB/oct lowpass and highpass
Memory - 640 user programs (768 with EXB-MOSS installed), 256 drum ROM programs, 768 user drum combinations, 64 user drum kits, 16 preset kits, 9 ROM GM drum kits. 3.5inch 2DD/2HD floppy disk drive
Keyboard - 61 keys (velocity and aftertouch sensitivity)
Effects - Stereo digital multi-effect system - 2 master effects (mono in, stereo out), 5 insert effects (stereo in / out), and 1 master EQ (stereo in / out), all usable simultaneously, 102 effect types, Effect Dynamic Modulation Function.
Sequencer - 16 timbres, 16 tracks, 1 master track, 1/192 ppq resolution, 150 preset patters/100 user patterns per song, 200 songs, 20 cue lists, up to 200,000 notes, 16 preset/16 user template songs, reads and writes Standard MIDI File (Format 0 and 1) and Triton and Karma formats.
Arpeggiator - RPPR (Realtime Pattern Play/Recording): 1 set with 72 patterns available per song; over 1000 patterns with lots of controllers
Control - MIDI (16-part), PC-Host input
Date Produced - 2001
Est. Value - $1,800 - $2,250

Roland JV-2080

The JV-2080 is everything you could expect from a modern sound module, but more! A massive 64 voice multitimbral performance module that strives to offer the best all-around features for creating new and vintage sounds for any musical style. Excellent acoustic sounds of all instruments both common and ethnic. A massive amount of techno sounds complete with pulses, blips, sweeps, and the ever popular LFO, VCF and VCA type controls for patch editing and real-time editing. The 2080 is extremely expandable with room for 8 sound cartridges from the JV-80 series, as well as a data card slot. The 2080 has 5 excellent effects processors too, including the new EFX processors. Verb, delay, panning effects, chorus, flange, etc... It is used by many artists from all styles including Todd Terry, Max Graham, Richard Barbieri, Mike Oldfield, LTJ Bukem, ATB, and Hardfloor.


Specifications
Polyphony - 64 voices
Oscillators - 8MB of sample ROM and acoustic simulation. Expandable with SR-JV80 expansion boards
LFO - 2 LFO's (sine, saw, square, triangle, trapezoid, sample&hold, random and chaos) w/ key or external sync. Can modulate the pitch, filter, pan, or level
Filter - TVF (lowpass, bandpass, highpass, peak) with cutoff, resonance, key follow and velocity sensitivity
VCA - TVA ADSR (tone level, pan, key follow)
Memory - 128 user, 640 presets, 2 user rhythm kits, 10 preset rhythm kits, 32 user performances, 64 preset performances and 8 expansion board slots
Keyboard - None
Control - MIDI (16 channels)
Date Produced - 1997
Est. Value - $1,200

Roland JV-80

The JV-80 was an excellent mid-nineties digital synthesizer in its time. It helped lay the foundation for the later JV-1080, JV-2080 and XP-series synths. It featured a full 61-note keyboard and several sliders above the keyboard with assignable parameters for fast hands-on editing. Though its stock sounds are nothing great, it can take any of the SR-JV80 expansion boards for 8MB of great new sounds from any of the Orchestral, Vintage Synths, Techno, etc. sets.

Unfortunately, the JV-80 is no workstation like the XP-synths that followed it. With only 28 voice polyphony and no built-in sequencer, its likely that this won't be your ONLY synth. The JV-90 is basically the same as this, except that it has an excellent 76-note semi-weighted keyboard for a great feel, more memory and sounds. The JV-80 also came in a 1-space rack-mount form as the JV-880. The JV-80 has been used by Eat Static and Vangelis.
Specifications
Polyphony - 28 voices
Oscillators - 4 per voice; Digital 4 MB of ROM sampled sounds
Arpeg/Seq - None
Filter - Digital TVF filters
LFO - 2 LFOs routable to pitch, TVA amps, or TVF filters
Effects - 2 Effects units
Memory - 192 Patches (64 user), 48 Performances (16 user) - expandable via 8mb expansion boards
Keyboard - 61 keys (responds to velocity and aftertouch)
Control - MIDI IN/OUT/THRU (8-parts)
Date Produced - 1992 - 1994
Est. Value - $750

Arturia Jupiter-8V

The Jupiter-8V is one of the sweetest synthesizers to come from soft-synth maker, Arturia. It is the first virtual analog replica of Roland's venerable Jupiter 8, a truly classic and highly sought after flagship polysynth from Roland's analog era, circa 1981-84. Arturia has faithfully and beautifully recreated the look, feel and sound of the original while at the same time adding many modern features and all at a very reasonable price.

The Jupiter-8V is a stand-alone, VST, RTAS and Audio Unit compatible software synthesizer utilizing Arturia's trademark TAE (True Analog Emulation) algorithm as the underlying architecture for its sound and synthesis. Visually, you see an almost picture perfect replica of the original Jupiter 8, with its fairly basic but surprisingly flexible and sophisticated layout. Along the top of the panel you have instantly familiar LFO, VCO, VCF, VCA and Envelope controls. Below that, a row of colorful buttons allow selection of Arpeggiators, Solo/Poly modes, keyboard modes, and patch selection - all very similar to the classic original.

So we know it looks the part, but does it sound the part? In a word, YES! The original Jupiter 8 was made famous by countless 80's musicians and superstars for its incredibly fat, sweet, lush, and clear synth sounds that rivaled the competition of its time from other polysynths like the Prophets and Oberheims. The Jupiter-8V proudly serves up over 400 high quality sounds right out of the box, many of which were programmed by talented sound designers & programmers. With so many sounds, Arturia have thankfully implemented a filtering system allowing you to narrow searches for sounds by Designer, Preset Type, Characteristics, Keyboard Mode, and more. Right away you'll find awesome Bass, Brass, EFX, FM, Guitar, Lead, Organ, Pad, Perc, Piano, Strings and more. The presets cover a wide range from boring to awesome - it's all about personal taste. But the real fun begins when you start to tweak your own sounds. All controls can be set to "Learn" any MIDI control source so you can tweak your favorite controls right from your MIDI controller.
Synthesis starts as a fairly basic affair, akin to the original synth. There are two VCOs, each with independent waveform selectors (saw, ramp, pulse or square) and range and tuning controls. A VCO Modulator lets you modulate the PWM and VCO 1 or 2 (or both simultaneously) via the LFO and Envelope 1 settings. The LFO offers four waves (sine, saw, square, random). There's a VCF filter switchable between 12 or 24 dB/oct with cutoff, resonance, Env mod, LFO mod and Kybd follow. There's also a separate Hipass Filter with cutoff control. The two ADSR envelopes can be used to shape and modulate the Oscillators and Filter. The Arpeggiator offers Up, Down, Up/Down and Random modes over 4 octaves. And the keyboard can be split or used in a Dual mode which is sort of like having two presets in one! The Pitch Bender can be adjusted to bend and modulate VCO pitch and/or VCF cutoff.Now, unlike the original Jup 8, the Jup 8V offers many new and welcome modern features that take the sound possibilities to the next level. For starters, patch storage is unlimited and instead of the 8 voices for which the Jupiter is named, polyphony is increased to 32 voices. But the biggest differences come from the new modulations and effects features. Among the new effects, there are two Voice effects available within the synthesis path including Chorus, Distortion, EQ, Phaser and Ring Mod. This lets you run the VCO straight through some distortion, for example, before the VCF filter, and after the filter you can add another effect like EQ before the signal reaches the VCA. Additionally there are another two Patch effects that can be placed on the whole patch which includes Chorus/Flanger, Delay, Dual Phaser and Reverb. All the available effects have surprisingly flexible and complete parameters and settings for creating very flexible effects that go miles beyond the original capabilities of the original Jupiter.

But the Jup-8V's flexibility goes even further with the Modulations section which offers a Galaxy module, a live Step Sequencer module (sort of like Reason's Matrix sequencer) and an advanced Keyboard module for programming Velocity and Aftertouch effects.
The Galaxy module is fascinating. It lets you create a sort of evolving motion based on two LFOs (free running or synced) moving in 2-D, the effect of which can be assigned to up to 6 destinations (VCO pitches, PWM, VCF cutoffs, resonance and VCA). With this you can create glistening pads and textures and effects that move like no other Jupiter can do. The Sequencer module offers 32 steps per measure, and you can enter (or draw) which steps play certain notes, and you can add accent and glide effects and the sequencer can trigger up to 3 sources (VCO pitches, PWM, VCF cutoff, resonance or the VCAThe Keyboard module lets you adjust Velocity and Aftertouch curves and assign them to up to 3 sources each (VCO pitches, PWM, VCF cutoff, resonance or the VCA) for incredibly lively sounds at each press of the key!Playing with the Jupiter-8V right out of the box, it instantly captures the nostalgia and sonic history of the original Jupiter in a way that is both exciting and inspiring. It is undoubtedly the cheaper and smarter way to get your mitts on a Jupiter if those are the sounds you desire. But delving deeper into Arturia's advanced modulation and effects functions and all the other advanced features that make this a truly modern software synthesizer make the Jupiter-8V a clear choice for today's synth geeks looking for yesterdays sounds. But even those who are not so desperate for an analog replica, the Jupiter-8V is so flexible and sounds so wonderful that it will surely be a very useful and effective tool in any software-based musician's arsenal. This is definitely one of the best replicas and all around poly synths available in the software synthesizer format.

Specifications
Polyphony - Up to 32 voices of polyphony, and a Unison mode
Oscillators - 2 VCOs per voice (saw, ramp, pulse-width, square)
Modulation - 2 LFOs (sine, saw, square, random waveforms)
Filter - Highpass with cutoff
Lowpass 12 or 24dB/oct with cutoff, resonance, ENV mod, kybd follow
VCA/Envelopes - 2 ADSR envelopes
Arpeg/Seq - Arpeg: Up, Down, Up/Down, Random
Step Sequencer: 32 step with glide & accent, multiple destinations
Keyboard - Virtual 61-note keyboard with Dual, split and layer modes
Effects - Two Voice Effects: Chorus, Distortion, Param EQ, Phaser, RIng Mod
Two Patch Effects: Chorus/Flanger, Delay, Dual Phaser, Reverb.
Memory - Ships with over 400 presets. Unlimited patch memory.
Interfaces - Stand-Alone: ASIO, Core Audio.
Plug-In: VST, RTAS, Audio Units.
Macintosh - OS X 10.3.9 or higher, 1.5 GHz, 512MB RAM
Windows/PC - Windows 2000/XP, 1.5 GHz, 512MB RAM
Date Produced - 2007
Est. Value - $249

Roland JUPITER 8

The Jupiter 8 was Roland's first truly professional analog synthesizer. The Jupiter 8 features 16 rich analog oscillators at 2 per voice, eight voice polyphony and easy programming! At eight voices you can get some pretty thick analog sounds. Easy and intuitive programming via front panel sliders, knobs and buttons for all your tweaking needs. The legacy of the Jupiter synthesizers is due to their unique voice architecture and design, creating sounds that were so unreal and amazing that they have to be heard! No other synths in the world can create analog sounds as cool and authentic as these.

The Jupiter 8 was the biggest and fattest of them all (Jupiters and Junos)! It was one of the first synths to allow its keyboard to be split and layered - it's eight voices of trance heaven! Cross-mod, oscillator sync, a great LFO and a classic arpeggiator are also on-board. (The arpeggiator can be heard all over the Duran Duran classic, "Rio".) There's also two killer resonant analog 24dB/oct filters with 2-pole and 4-pole settings as well as low- and high-pass filtering methods. Unfortunately for the earlier models, tuning was very unstable but that seemed to be resolved in later models. Unlike its smaller counterpart, the Jupiter 6, the Jup 8 does not feature MIDI, only Roland's DCB sync can be found on some models. However, MIDI retro-kit's are available from various companies. Patch presets can store keyboard splits, arpeggiator settings, voice assign mode, hold, portamento and modulation settings
The Jupiter 8 has been used by Tangerine Dream, Orbital, Future Sound of London, Moby, Duran Duran, Underworld, Vince Clarke, Überzone, Jean Michel Jarre, Roxy Music, OMD, A Flock Of Seagulls, Depeche Mode, Rush, Meat Beat Manifesto, Banco De Gaia, Josh Wink, Thomas Dolby, Howard Jones, The Cars, Prince, Gary Wright, Jan Hammer, BT, Adrian Lee, Heaven 17, Kitaro, Elvis Costello, Tears for Fears, Huey Lewis and the News, Journey, Moog Cookbook, Toto, Yes, Devo, Freddy Fresh, George Duke, Greg Phillanganes, Jonathan Cain of Journey, Greg Johnson & Kevin Kendrick of Cameo, Stevie Wonder and Simple Minds.

Specifications
Polyphony - 8 voices
Oscillators - 2 VCO's per voice (16 oscillators's!) switchable between triangle, sawtooth, pulse, and square waves plus noise on OSC 2
LFO - 4-waveform (sine, tri, ramp, random) LFO
Filter - 24 dB/oct lowpass/high pass, 12 dB/oct bandpass, 6dB high pass with their own ADSR envelope. 2-pole and 4-pole settings
VCA - Standard ADSR and mixer to balance oscillator levels
Memory - 64 patches and 8 patch presets
Keyboard - 61 note keyboard
Control - DCB Roland to Roland sync/interface on some models
Date Produced - 1981 - 1984
Est. Value - $500 - $1,500

Roland JUNO-G Workstation Keyboard

Is the JUNO back? Maybe. The JUNO-G is a full-sized Workstation Keyboard from Roland featuring much of Roland's current state-of-the-art synthesis technologies, putting a studio's worth of sound, sequencing, and audio recording into one complete instrument. It shares the same high-powered processor as Roland's Fantom-X series but packages it in a synth that looks very reminiscent of the old JUNO-synths, and also puts many of the controls at your finger tips. Not to mention, considering what you get, the JUNO-G is a very affordable synth.

Roland's powerful Fantom-X sound engine offers up to 128 voices of polyphony (a quantum leap from the 6 voices offered by the original JUNOs). The sounds of the Fantom-X engine are typical of Roland's most current sonic palette. This is no analog wannabe synth, its sounds are purely digital although many analog modeled sounds are available. You also get Roland's 88-note multi-sampled grand piano, and a wide range of sounds that span from classical to cutting-edge. You can further expand your JUNO-G sound library with one of Roland's optional SRX expansion boards.

True to its workstation capability, the JUNO-G features an onboard audio/MIDI recorder for programming and recording your own music sequences. There is a 16-part MIDI sequencer with dedicated transport controls and mixer. There are also four companion stereo audio tracks which allow you to lay down live parts from external audio sources (like vocals, guitar parts, etc.). Both the MIDI sequencing and audio recording memory is ample, allowing room for plenty of recorded ideas, performances, songs and parts.

The JUNO-G has a fairly user-friendly interface featuring a very large back-lit LCD display (not a touch screen), clearly labeled buttons, six knobs to modify sounds, five sliders for the audio section, a data wheel, a D-Beam controller, and a pitch/mod lever. Additional performance controls and features include the on-board Arpeggiator, Chord Memory and built-in multi-effects. The JUNO-G really has everything you need to perform, compose, record and create your music. Of course it offers MIDI in/out as well as USB connectivity for interfacing with computers (all MIDI communications can be handled over USB, which can also be used to send and receive WAV/AIF files and patch data). There's also a PC Card slot (which accepts CompactFlash or SmartMedia cards via adapter) for external memory storage.
Specifications
Polyphony - 128 voices (16-part multitimbral)
Oscillators - 64 MB Waveform memory
Sequencer - MIDI: 16 tracks, 400,000 note capacity, 9,998 measures, Realtime recording, Step recording.
Audio: 4 stereo tracks, 16-bit linear, Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz, Recording Time: memory not expanded (4 M bytes): approx. stereo 23.5 seconds, memory fully expanded (516 M bytes): approx. stereo 51 minutes
Arpeggiator - Arpeggio - Preset: 128, User: 128
Rhythms Pattern - Preset: 256 (32 groups), User: 256 (32 groups)
Chord Memory - Preset: 64, User: 64
Effects - Multi-Effects: 3 systems, 78 types, Reverb: 5 types, Chorus: 3 types, Mastering Effects: 3-band compressor, Input Effects: 6 types
Memory - Preset Patches: 768 + 256 (GM2), Rhythm Sets: 36 + 9 (GM2), Performances: 64.
User Patches: 256, Rhythm Sets: 36, Performances: 64.
Keyboard - 61 keys (velocity sensitive)
Control - MIDI (In/Out), USB (supports file transfer and MIDI)
Date Produced - 2007
Est. Value - $1,000