New ARP 2600 Clone In the Works - TheWarp Analogue Synthesizer

"TheWarp is a modern reinterpretation of the legendary ARP 2600 semimodular synthesizer produced by ARP Intruments from 1970 to 1981."

Website to come at http://www.thewarpsynth.com/

Update: "TheWarp is a modern reinterpretation of the legendary ARP 2600 semimodular synthesizer produced by ARP Intruments from 1970 to 1981. It is based on the original schematics and interely built with analogue components in traditional THT mounting and soldering process. Redesigned to fit within the standard 19" rack size, the actual instrument retains the graphic design, the size of the sections and feel of the original. Series productions will start in January 2015, the sale price will be CHF 3'400 (equals approx. 3'600 US $ / 2800 Euro depending on the exchange rate).

TheWarp is the result of a teamwork between Neil Otupacca, electronic engineer and former keyboardist of the swiss rock band Gotthard, well known in the swiss Prog-scene for his skills on the Minimoog and the Hammond organ, and Roberto (Bob) Raineri-Seith, electronic music composer, vintage synth collector and "analogue synthesizer guru" since 1984 atcontrolvoltage.org . Neil was responsible for the whole technical work, Bob supervised the project, acted as a consultant and is now responsible for marketing and sales. Both were assisted by Claudio Alge, proud owner of two ARP 2600 and a model 1613 sequencer since the mid-70s, who acted as an experienced advisor and by the graphic designer Shanti Maffioli, who redesigned the front panel. All four live in the same area in southern Switzerland and have long relations, so the contact was easy and constant throughout the entire developing and testing phase of the instrument.

TheWarp's main features and what's different compared to the original instrument:

• Traditional electronic components mounting and soldering technique (THT) as in the original instrument

• Same electronic parts as in the original, with only a few modern equivalents for discontinued or obsolete components. Notably, we replaced all LM301 with the newer TL071, TL072 and TL074 op amps.

• The entire electronic is now mounted on a single PCB, thus avoiding a lot of wiring between the different sections. The PCB is mounted directly to the front panel by means of the jacks and switches without additional "mounting holes"

• The PCB is a 4-layer design; the top and bottom layers use completely solid areas of copper pour connected to ground. The metallic chassis with the sliders is also connected to the ground for better shielding against electrical interferences.

• The original design, exact size of the sections, aesthetic appeal and feel were retained but adapted to the 19" format.

• The most complete oscillator design (VCO 2 on the original 2600) was adopted for all 3 VCO's

• The VCF is based on the first design, aka the 2012 submodule (I think they meant 4012, right?)

• No Voltage Processors, Envelope Follower and Preamplifier? Yes, to fit the new instrument within the 19" format we had to sacrifice some functions; we've choosen to retain only the Ring Modulator and the S&H instead of functions that we considered less important and not directly related to the specific timbre of the original instrument.

• No spring reverb and no speakers? Yes again, for the same reasons. On-board speakers also add weight, and a reverb unit can be added separately to the audio chain if needed. To match the original reverb on the ARP 2600 we recommend an analogue tank spring reverb from Accutronics

• As an important improvement, TheWarp features multi-turn trimmers for easy and precise adjustment. All the trimmers for fine adjustement of the oscillators and the filter are located on the rear of the panel and easily accessible

• Gate and Trig work within the range from 5V to 15V instead of the fixed 10V of the original instrument

• Can TheWarp be considered as a clone of the ARP 2600? Concerning the electronics, definitely yes except only the sections and functions mentioned above.

TheWarp is 19" wide, 12 U high (480 x 520 mm) and 13 cm (approx. 5 inch) deep.

Detailed infos about the instrument will be published soon here and on a specific website, stay tuned ;-)"