 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Analog synthesizer" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ananalog synthesizer (British English:analogue synthesiser) is asynthesizer that usesanalog circuits andanalog signals to generate sound electronically.
The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s, such as theTrautonium, were built with a variety ofvacuum-tube (thermionic valve) and electro-mechanical technologies. After the 1960s, analog synthesizers were built usingoperational amplifier (op-amp)integrated circuits, and usedpotentiometers (pots, or variableresistors) to adjust the sound parameters. Analog synthesizers also uselow-pass filters andhigh-pass filters to modify the sound. While 1960s-era analog synthesizers such as theMoog used a number of independent electronic modules connected bypatch cables, later analog synthesizers such as theMinimoog integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems.
The earliest mention of a "synthetic harmoniser" using electricity appears to be in 1906, created by the Scottish physicistJames Robert MilneFRSE (d.1961).[1]
The earliest synthesizers used a variety of thermionic-valve (vacuum tube) and electro-mechanical technologies. While some electric instruments were produced in bulk, such asGeorges Jenny'sOndioline, theHammond organ, and theTrautonium, many of these would not be considered synthesizers by the standards of later instruments. However, some of these synthesizers achieved a high level of sophistication, such as theTrautonium ofOskar Sala, theElectronium ofRaymond Scott, and theANS synthesizer ofEvgeny Murzin.[2] Another notable early instrument is theHammond Novachord, first produced in 1938.
Early analog synthesizers used technology from electronic analog computers and laboratory test equipment. They were generally "modular" synthesizers, consisting of a number of independent electronic modules connected by patch cables into apatchbay that resembled the jackfields used by 1940s-era telephone operators. Synthesizer modules in early analog synthesizers includedvoltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs),voltage-controlled filters (VCFs), andvoltage-controlled amplifiers (VCAs). The control voltage varied frequency in VCOs and VCFs, and attenuation (gain) in VCAs. Additionally, they usedenvelope generators,low-frequency oscillators, andring modulators.Some synthesizers also had effects devices, such asreverb units, or tools such assequencers or soundmixers. Because many of these modules took input sound signals and processed them, an analog synthesizer could be used both as a sound-generating and sound-processing system.
Famousmodular synthesizer manufacturers includedMoog Music,ARP Instruments, Inc.,Serge Modular Music Systems, andElectronic Music Studios. Moog established standards recognized worldwide for control interfacing on analog synthesizers, using an exponential 1-volt-per-octave pitch control and a separate pulse triggering signal. These control signals were routed using the same types of connectors and cables that were used for routing the synthesized sound signals. A specialized form of analog synthesizer is the analogvocoder, based on equipment developed for speech synthesis.Vocoders are often used to make a sound that resembles a musical instrument talking or singing.
Patch cords could be damaged by use (creating hard-to-find intermittent faults) and made complex patches difficult and time-consuming to recreate. Thus, later analog synthesizers used the same building blocks, but integrated them into single units, eliminating patch cords in favour of integrated signal routing systems. The most popular of these was theMinimoog. In 1970, Moog designed an innovative synthesizer with a built-in keyboard and without modular design—the analog circuits were retained, but made interconnectable with switches in a simplified arrangement called "normalization". Though less flexible than a modular design, normalization made the instrument more portable and easier to use. This first pre-patched synthesizer, theMinimoog, became highly popular, with over 12,000 units sold.[3] TheMinimoog also influenced the design of nearly all subsequent synthesizers, with integrated keyboard, pitch wheel and modulation wheel, and aVCO->VCF->VCA signal flow. In the 1970s, miniaturized solid-state components let manufacturers produce self-contained, portable instruments, which musicians soon began to use in live performances. Electronic synthesizers quickly become a standard part of the popular-music repertoire. The first movie to use music made with a (Moog) synthesizer was theJames Bond filmOn Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. After the release of the film,composers produced a large number of movie soundtracks that featured synthesizers.
Notable makers of all-in-one analog synthesizers included Moog, ARP,Roland,Korg andYamaha. Because of the complexity of generating even a single note using analog synthesis, most synthesizers remainedmonophonic. Polyphonic analog synthesizers featured limited polyphony, typically supporting four voices.Oberheim was a notable manufacturer of analog polyphonic synthesizers. ThePolymoog was an attempt to create a truly polyphonic analog synthesizer, with sound generation circuitry for every key on the keyboard. However, its architecture resembled anelectronic organ more than a traditional analog synthesizer, and the Polymoog was not widely imitated.
In 1978, the firstmicroprocessor-controlled analog synthesizers were created bySequential Circuits. These used microprocessors for system control and control voltage generation, including envelope trigger generation, but the main sound generating path remained analog. TheMIDI interface standard was developed for these systems. This generation of synthesizers often featured six or eight voice polyphony. Also during this period, a number of analog/digital hybrid synthesizers were introduced, which replaced certain sound-producing functions with digital equivalents, for example the digital oscillators in synthesizers like theKorg DW-8000 (which played back PCM samples of various waveforms) and theKawai K5 (waveforms constructed via additive synthesis). With the falling cost of microprocessors, this architecture became the standard architecture for high-end analog synthesizers.
During the middle to late 1980s,digital synthesizers andsamplers largely replaced analog synthesizers. By the early 1990s, however, musicians from thetechno, rave andDJ scenes who wanted to produce electronic music but lacked the budget for large digital systems created a market for the then cheap second hand analog equipment. This increased demand for analog synthesizers towards the mid-1990s, as larger numbers of musicians gradually rediscovered the analog qualities. As a result, sounds associated with analog synths became popular again.
Over time, this increased demand for used units (such as the 1980Roland TR-808 drum machine andRoland TB-303 bass synthesizer). Late 1970s-era drum machines usedtuned resonance voice circuits for pitched drum sounds and shapedwhite noise for others. The TR-808 improves on these designs, by using detunedsquare wave oscillators (for the cow bell and cymbal sounds) and analoguereverberation (for the handclap sound). The demand for the analog synth sound led to development of a variety ofanalog modeling synthesizers—which emulate analogVCOs andVCFs using samples, software, or specialized digital circuitry, and the construction of new analog keyboard synths such as theAlesis Andromeda,Prophet '08, and Moog'sLittle Phatty, as well as semi-modular and modular units.
More recently, the resurgence has been supported by analog modeling synthesizers, new analog hardware from companies like Moog, Korg, and Behringer, and the boomingEurorack modular format, which reintroduced the appeal of customizable modular synthesis to a new generation of users.
The lapse of patents in recent years, such as for theMoog synthesizer transistor ladder filter, has spurred a return ofDIY and kit synthesizer modules, as well as an increase in the number of commercial companies selling analog modules. Reverse engineering has also revealed the secrets of some synthesizer components, such as those fromARP Instruments, Inc. In addition, despite the widespread availability during the 2000s of relatively inexpensive digital synthesizers that offered complex synthesis algorithms and envelopes, some musicians are attracted to the sounds of monophonic and polyphonic analog synths. While some musicians embrace analog synthesizers as preferable, others counter that analog and digital synthesis simply represent different sonic generation processes that both reproduce characteristics the other misses.[4]
Another factor contributing to the resurgence of analog synthesizers is a renewed appreciation for the hands-on, tactile experience they provide. Unlike digital software synthesizers, which rely on screen-based interfaces, analog synths allow musicians to physically manipulate knobs, faders, and patch cables, enabling real-time interaction and creative experimentation. This direct control over sound-shaping has led many producers and performers to integrate analog synthesizers into their workflow.[5]
The revival of analog technology has also been fueled by a wave of reissues and recreations of classic synthesizers by major manufacturers. Companies such as Moog, Roland, and Korg have reintroduced vintage models, while new analog synths continue to be developed, bringing analog synthesis to a new generation of musicians. Some of the most iconic synthesizers of past decades have been digitally recorded and made available as sample packs for use in computer-based music production, further highlighting their enduring influence.[6]
Hybrid approaches to music production have also gained popularity, with artists combining analog hardware with digital audio workstations (DAWs) to achieve the warmth and depth of analog sound while maintaining the flexibility of modern digital tools. The distinct sonic character of analog synthesizers remains a defining feature of many electronic and pop music productions, as well as film scores and experimental compositions.[7]
See also
