Roland RS-101 String Synthesizer

via this auction

"Roland RS-101s are rather basic string ensemble synths, but they deliver a lush analogue string sound! They are fully polyphonic, using divide-down circuitry...

RS-101s are nice vintage analog string machines. They are budget string synths… certainly compared to Arp Solinas and others, but they are lightweight and well-constructed… being perfect for gigs. They have split controls for the lower and upper halves of the keyboard. In addition to the two string sounds per half, they also have a brass sound. In my opinion, the brass sound is less impressive by itself and really is most useful to add richness and/or punch to the strings, although it has almost a solo-worthy quality when used with lots of vibrato. Brass’s tone control slider has a “filtery” effect, too, which is cool when using just that sound. There are tone controls for both strings and brass, and each half of the keyboard has both an attack and a soft volume control switch. The RS-101 also features a vibrato control slider, and it also has sustain control sliders for both the upper and lower halves of the keyboard separately."