Solton Polyvox

Click here for shots via this auction

Details:

"This is an odd stereo analog synth from Italy, looks like early to mid 80's. On the back tag it says Ketron Anacona Italy. Polyvox by Ketron Lab., and serial # 12xx/85. It is polyphonic, and all keys can play at once.

It has two sections, a large controller with voice banks, a footpedal with two switches, hookup wires,and a keyboard that has it's own voice banks. The keyboard has a 120 bass for the left hand. Before you roll your eyes (like I did ten years ago when I took this in trade!), the 120 bass controls a complex string, choir , organ, and bass guitar with a cool sequencer ! The strings/choir/organ sound is very lush and reminded me a lot of my K*rg Polysix when you had the effects switched to ensemble. The amazing thing about the voices is that there is a lot of flexibility and adjustments.

When I first started playing with this last year ( I had hoped to list it here before thanksgiving), I got lost in the mesmerizing grooves you could quickly make with the left hand (and I can't play accordian!) . Now it is 6 months later and I feel that I have explored this enough to describe it! I wrote 2 songs with it just this week! The phrase I keep thinking of is "This is not a cookie cutter instrument". Although similar in many ways to the basic concepts of the cheap Yam*ha's and Cas*o's (on board rhythym, drums, basic song arrangement, ala one man band), this has different arrangements, more dark new wave, kind of reminding me of the english new wave of '79-'82 . No polka madness here! And none of the aforementioned cheapies can lay down lush strings like this.

As for the right hand, you get the basic analog imitations of instruments, plus 3 mo*g-like synth sounds. The only adjustments are brilliance and modulation, and you do get a decent 'mo*g sound. Analog does make a difference, as I did not feel that I had to alter any of the instruments, like I usually do when recording the cheapie digital synths.

There's more. There is a stereo section that has the instrument moving in(or is it out?) when a key is hit. It does not continue to move if you hold the key down.. There are many adjustments for the strings, choir, organ brass, piano, percussion. Plus there are many ways to make up the sequencer for the arranger. As far as I can tell from playing it the last 6 months, you can not alter the arrangement/sequencer, but you can adjust what is in the mix.

The drums are decent sounding, and you can switch off the individual instruments. There is a tone slide that was pretty effective.

All works good, sliders work clean, leds light up, things go on and off as they should (at least as I think I should, I had no luck finding a manual online) except for two things.For some reason each time you hit one of the sequencer programs (pre-set) the drum tempo goes to the top speed 90, and you have to adjust it down to a more normal speed (40) and I could not figure out the bass program with 2 stops and a sustain (like an organ pedal). The bass guitar and double bass work fine, so I am not sure why I can't bring that section up.

This is not for everyone looking fo an analog synth, and I understand the desire to create your own voice (I'll be listing my mini-mo*g in a couple of days). But as a former synth freak, that had over 50 analog synths (and the same number of digtal ones!), I have found that the voice you spend a lot of time creating is similar enough to presets, that you could have saved a lot of time using a preset and simply modify it with outboard gear!

Anyway the point I want to make here is that this is not for someone that will be building a patch from a sawtooth oscillator , the strength of this unit is in it's songwriting/one-man band arranging. If you like your music on the odd and dark side (Resid*nts?), you will love this unit. If you think Abba and the Eagles are where it's at, do not bid! If I wasn't retired from the biz, I would keep this over the Mo*g, even though this is worth less. I have yet to find another one through go*gle searches. If you do end up getting this, and writing a hit song with it, only you and I would know how you did it!"

RIP Doug Curtis

I just got word (from Joe), that word on the Synth DIY list is that Doug Curtis passed away today from cancer. I just searched the archives and the posts are coming in. Nothing on AH yet. I see it posted on Sequencer.de. I should note that I do not have confirmation that this is true.

If you don't know who Doug Curtis is, he was the man that formed Curtis Electromusic Specialties, makers of the CEM chips. CEM chips were used in a ton of synths including the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, MOOG Memorymoog, Oberheim OB and Matrix range and a ton of other analog synths. For a full list check out this page and this page. The list of manufacturers include Akai, Banana, Cheetah, CMI Fairlight, Crumar, Elka, Ensoniq, Kawai, KeyTek, Korg, Linn, MOOG, Oberheim, PAiA, PPG, Fender/Rhodes (Chroma), Roland, RSF, Sequential Circuits, Siel, Simmons, Solton, Steiner, Synton, Waldorf, Yamaha (CS80), and most recently, Dave Smith Instruments.

The Mutronics Mutator

Niall on AH put up a shot of the inside of his Mutronics Mutator. I realized I haven't put up a post on the Mutator, so why not. Title link takes you to the Mutator site with samples and more.


"The Mutator is a stereo analogue filter and envelope follower with full control facilities. It contains two independent voltage controlled filters similar to those found in analogue synthesizers, which can be used to treat any external sound source. Each filter can be controlled from its own associated low frequency oscillator (LFO) and/or its own envelope follower section, which extracts the envelope contour of an input signal and applies it to control the cut-off frequency of the filter."

Note that chip in the middle is an SSM2045. I checked Synthech and Sequencer.de to see what other synths might have used the chip. I only found it on Sequencer.de for the Solton SM100 used as a VCA/VCF. If you know what else the chip was used on, feel free to comment. Click here for a full shot of the above.

Update via the comments:
"Someone who was there at the time said...

Little-known fact:
Contrary to the information given by the Mutronics website, the Mutator was conceived, designed, and the first production runs hand-built and tested by a British guy called Nigel Bradbury who started Mutronics with London-based studio-owner Mark Lusardi in the mid 1990s.

With his partner and their new-born daughter remaining in their home-town of Oxford, Nigel worked on the Mutator in London for £50 a week, almost all of which was taken up by the rent for his grimy week-day accommodation and bus transport back home at the weekends. Eventually it became uneconomic and uncomfortable for him to continue spending so much time away from his family, and Nigel parted company with Mutronics with nothing but a second-hand Mutator (previously owned by Duran Duran, no less) to show for his hard work and creativity.

His part in conceiving and creating what is probably the best analog filter unit available remains unmentioned on the Mutronics website and promotional materials, and some people feel he was unfairly treated by his business partners. To this day he refuses to discuss this period of his life.

Nigel currently designs medical electronic equipment in Oxfordshire."

Update: more updates in the comments.

Hillwood SY-1800

Update: From Mikael Lindgren via AH:
"Hi there,

It's a dual-voice synthesizer that dates from 1979 or 1980.
The same synth was also released as the Multivox MX-75 dual-voice synthesizer.
I'd say with 99% certainty that these were made by the Hillwood company in Japan.

here's a couple of pics. Aside from the different logos they look pretty much identical.

This example says Multivox on the front panel but "Pulser" on the backpanel:
(the ID plate reads "Model: MX-75")
http://hem.bredband.net/linmik/multivox-pulser_MX-75.jpg

and the front panel on this says "Pulser":
http://hem.bredband.net/linmik/Pulser_M-75.jpg
"

Update: Via slabman in the comments below. More on Hillwood featured in this Sound on Sound article titled A Tale of Two String Synths.

From the article:
"Flipping the lid on the [Multivox] MX202 provides a bit of a shock. I expected to see either the Roland or Multivox name on the circuit boards -- but I was disappointed. Instead, I found the name Hillwood, a little-known Japanese manufacturer who were active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. This was a company founded by a Japanese gentleman called Kazuo Morioka, whose name translates as First Man Wood Hill. Morioka thus gave his name to the Hillwood synths and keyboards released throughout the mid-to-late '70s, as well as the short-lived manufacturer Firstman. Furthermore, Morioka was working in partnership with other manufacturers, rebadging some Hillwood products as Pulsar, and developing yet more for another Italian company, Solton. But where did Roland fit into all of this?"

I checked my image stash for the Hillwood M-75 posted below. I didn't find any, but I did find some shots of the Hillwood SY-1800:

CLICK FOR MORE »

Solton SM100

Another from Pinkus. The Solton SM100. This was a 12 DCO polysynth. More info at Synth Museum. Title link takes you to a bigger picture. I've never heard one before. I didn't realize Solton made full blown synths like this. In Pinkus' opinion this is one of the top 5 synths ever made. I've never heard one. It's interesting, when I think of Solton I think of auto-accompaniment systems. The color scheme completely reminds me of a Korg Poly 61. The resemblence is uncanny. I wonder if one influenced the design of the other.

Update: Some comments from Pinkus
"this and the keyboard version is the only analog they
made...it has dcos but 18 ssm chips! same ones in p5...it has a knob
thats labeled "brilliance" that is...should i say brilliant? it pushed
the filters hard and definitely goes to 11...the lowest setting makes
the sound significantly different from the highest...nothing like
resonance though...simply briliant
-pinkus bigblackarc on aim
"