Ionic Performer

via this auction

"Ionic Performer Synth. Only 50-100 made."

See the previous posts via the MORE label below for more info on the Ionic Performer. In short it was a clone of the EMS Synthi with a push button modulation matrix vs. the Synthi's pin matrix.

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Ionic_Performer_1971

flickr by Al Q.

click here for the full size shot.

"This was a very early synth that I'd never heard of until I saw this promo piece. A web search brought up this amazing page...which not only has a pile of data and photos, but also features a downloadable, playable emulation! Cool!"

Ionic Performer

Looks like the Ionic Performer I previously posted about is now up on the bay. Click here for the shots saved for posterity. Funny, I didn't realize it was that big. For some reason I always pictured them thinner. Not much in the details aside from the following links. You can see my previous posts here.

Update: note OSC 2 does not appear to be working on this unit.
Links via auction:
Matrixsynth
Maltedmedia
Music Thing
PaulSop 1
PaulSop 2

Ionic Performer on Craigslist

$10,000 listed on Craigslist while it's up. The post refers to Matrixsynth and Paulsop.com (aka Doktor Future) for more info. Hmm... I wonder if Doktor Future is giving his up. : )

via Brian Comnes.

Ionic Performer Shots

Paul Sop, aka Doktor Future, got his Ionic Performer back. Click here for some shots he added to his gallery. The Ionic Performer has gone down in synth history as a Synthi clone. You can find more on the Ionic Performer here.

According to Paul Sop:
"It's totally Dr. Who and Blakes Seven. It's totally Synthi like, but in a whole new package, with some other odd controls."

Update via the comments: Apparently this is the same Ionic Performer listed in this Music Thing post. Doktor Future picked it up from that auction. Kind like we are keeping it in the family folks. : )

Ionic Performer - New Shots

Remember the Ionic Performer Synthi AKS clone? Click here for some shots posted by Paul Sop. BTW, he is looking for someone to repair it. If you know of anyone that can tackle something like this feel free to comment.

Also, turns out Paul Sop is none other than Doktor Future! : )

"Hi Matrix. Ionic Performer is Mine. (Doktorfuture = Paul Sop). BTW. Title takes you somewhere else. Pictures are: here

It is a really great synth. Just like an EMS. I'm gonna mod it up to the hilt with lots of madness. Probably change its effect section to be a few pedals.

Check the Ionic Performer page by: Dennis Bathory-Kitsz. It has MP3's.

Another SH-3 Shot & Early Synth Clones

The SH-3 with Moog filter, not the SH-3a. Roland Polyphonic - 505 and Yamaha CS01.

It's interesting, I never knew the original SH-3 had a Moog filter. Now I'm wondering what the SH-1000 had before it. I also wonder how many synths had cloned features from other manufacturers in the early days.

So far I am aware of the following:

- Ionic Performer - clone of the EMS Synthi
- ARP 2600 with Moog Ladder filter clone
- Octave CAT - said to be an Arp Oddyssey clone
- SH3 with Moog Ladder filter clone

I'm sure I've heard of others, but I don't remember. : ) If you know of any, feel free to share and I'll put them up.

Update via the comments:

Almost everything Multivox put out for several years was a complete Roland ripoff. I had the MX-202 string synth for a while, and it was a part-for-part copy...it sounded very good, too.

Image via http://www.ph.k12.in.us/~drew/ahmw/pics/2001/P1010217.gif

Ionic Performer - Synthi AKS clone

Many know the EMS Synthi AKS as THE synth used in Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. The low bass sequence loop in "On The Run" is the Synthi. The Synthi AKS is one of the most coveted, rare and expensive analogs of yore. Few know of the Ionic Performer. The title link will take you to a great site on the synth with pictures, samples, and some great email threads on the history and relation to the Synthi. From the site:

"Somewhere in my collection of EMS material I have a lurid photo of the Ionic Performer you mention. I remember attending a NAMM show in Chicago in the early seventies where Ionic Industries had a small booth and were exhibiting the Performer. You are correct that it was a repackaged VCS3 with an integral keyboard. Instead of the pin matrix it had rows of rectangular push-button switches - like an early ryhthm box. What really struck me about it was the publicity leaflet which brazenly announced 'No skill required' in its operation, before expanding further on this theme. It still had the familiar vernier dials for tuning the oscillators. I spoke to Steve Mayer on the stand but no Alfred. Dealings with Ionic were soon curtailed and from about 1972 the US side of the business was handled by Dr. Everett Hafner and his company EMSA from Amherst, Mass."

Pic of Synthi AKS from an Engadget post (absolute beauty):


Pic of Ionic Performer from Ionic site:


There is also a VSTi of the synth on the Ionic site: