Powertran Transcendent Polysynth

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated. Powertran Transcendent Polysynth / Tim Orr / Vintage Synth / Synthesizer 1980's

Published on Jan 20, 2018 Emily Anne

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"Excellent immaculate condition, has been sitting up in the loft untouched for 30 years. Only used a couple of times from new. Recently had the power updated and a few parts inside changed, to ensure it’s working beautifully. Found a detailed manual for it online: [PDF]"

"The Transcendent Polysynth was a 4 voice, polyphonic synthesizer. Based on CEM ICs the design by Tim Orr was published in ETI from December 1980 to March 1982. It was available as a kit or fully assembled from Powertran"

Two advert scans below.

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Synthmaster

Trip. When I had severe GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome), I used to have these dreams where I'd walk into a pawn shop and see all these bizarre and obscure synths. Sometimes they were rare models of Oberheims and Rolands, etc, but usually they were obscure synths from manufacturers I've never seen before. Right before I was waking from the dream, I'd think if I only grab one I might be able to take it to the other side. : ) If you ever had dreams like this you probably know what I'm talking about.

Well, when I saw the Synthmaster post on sequencer.de, I had that same feeling, like I just walked into a pawn shop of obscure synths in dream land. There are a ton of bizarre and obscure synths I've never seen or heard of before. Looks like he brought them over from the other side. Click here for more.

Pictured above top down: E-Pro Minisynth, Firstman FS-4V       Polysynth, and Antares 1.

Synths on Synthmaster:
Antares 1
E-Pro Minisynth and Spirit - this looks like the Crumar Spirit to me.
CRB Daimond Vocostrings Ser.1, Ser. 2
Crumar Spirit, Compac Synth
Conn Electrik Band
Elka Accordion Synth Soloist 505
Excelsior Digital Synth, EK 4
Excelsior EK 4
Firstman SQ-01, FS-4V Polysynth
Jen Synx 508
Keytek CTS 5000, 2000, 1000, 400
Paia System 4700
Powertran Transcendent Polysynth, Transcendent 2000, Transcendent Variation
Pulser M 75
Salamander SMS 400
Skyline Orchestra
Steelphon S 900
Stramp Synchanger 2
Welson Syntex

THE ONLY DIY POLY SYNTH KIT OF THE 80's - POWERTRAN TRANSCENDENT POLYSYNTH

video upload by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER

"Lets take a look at the Only Poly Synth Kit Of The 1980's. the Powertran Transcendent POLYSYNTH
Download the wav of jams and samples to use and much much more :- https://www.patreon.com/lookmumnocomp... it also makes @THIS MUSEUM IS (NOT) OBSOLETE get bigger and better."

Powertran Transcendent Polysynth

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"This analog monophonic synthesizer was designed in the UK in 1978 by Tim Orr of EMS and made by Powertran, Hampshire in the early 1980s, either as a fully built synth or as a self assembly kit through the publication Electronics Today International. The synthesizer produces a distinctive sound and is believed to have been used by Thomas Dolby, New Order, Joy Division. The Transcendent seems to be quite rare and collectable now.

The synth features CEM chips (as used in Prophet 5, Pro-1, Korg polysynths etc) and has been described as "the kit-builder's Jupiter 8 without the memories".

See:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan00/articles/netnotes.htm

for more details."

Powertran Transcendent Polysynth Parts

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Additional pics here.

Inside a Powertran Transcendent.

SynthFest UK 2017 Round-Up by Sound on Sound

Published on Oct 9, 2017 Sound On Sound magazine

Check out the Powertran Transcendent Polysynth at :21.

"Saturday 7 October saw the UK’s biggest synthesizer event return to Sheffield for its second year. Organised by Sound On Sound magazine, Synthfest UK is a celebration of all things synth, with an exhibition hosting manufacturers, retailers and universities, as well as a seminar programme with big names in the synth world and a Modular Meet where people could show off their own rigs."

Final Set of A-Z of Analogue Synthesisers

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The listing is from the author Peter Forrest who states this is likely the last set.  These are great books and imo the most comprehensive.  Click on the pics to get an idea of what they are like.  Peter also has other items listed including The Museum of Synthesizer Technology and Synthesizer von Gestern II.

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Powertran Transcendent DPX

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"Up for sale is my Powertran Transcendent DPX polysynth. Originally sold in kit form in 1979 for the princely sum of £375 plus VAT (so about £1500 today then, if you take a bit of Ted Heath style inflation into account). I bought mine around 20 yrs ago and it worked perfectly and sounded fantastic, especially through a bit of outboard, although it did occasionally get a bit temperamental when you played the lowest octave. The electric piano, which you can play in unison with honkytonk, and the strings were quite special and it made for some decent Ray Manzarek emulation, if you're into that sort of things. Since then, it's been sitting on a stand in my home studio not being played and the time has come to let somebody else enjoy this piece of synth history.

Unfortunately, upon testing it ahead of listing, it appears to have developed an issue which may or may not be an easy fix and I don't have the time to delve into this further, hence it is sold as parts or not working with no returns offered. On the piano side of things, some of the keys don't produce a sound and one or two occasionally play a cacophony of noises, which I assume is the brass/strings kicking in. When you switch to the voice section, you get a lot of sounds playing at once without being triggered. The volume control also appears to have stopped working, although I probably only every changed the volume with my desk so it may never have worked. It did get marginally less awful after I had left it powered on for a couple of hours.

On a more positive note, these are as rare as hen's teeth if being unique and distinctive is your thing, it's in very nice cosmetic condition with only minor marks to the solid teak end cheeks and all the keys are clean and white with no chips. I've opened the lid so you can see the condition of the internal circuitry. I can't see any rust or signs of anything horrible going on in there, but be your own judge. As you probably know, this was sold as a DIY kit and as such the circuits are (allegedly, I haven't tried) easily accessible and easy to work on. Google doesn't offer up much on this, but I found a full set of articles online that talk through building one, show schematics and an overview of what it does (see below). There is also a parts list so, should you need to replace any electronic components that may have given up the ghost in the past 40 years, you can check whether they are likely to be available and how easy they are to swap out prior to bidding. My assumption is that the original DIY-er had more in the way of ambition than talent." Magazine scans via the Wayback Machine.

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