Casio’s answer to digital synthesis arrived in 1984 with the CZ-101, an affordable synth based around phase distortion. Yamaha’s FM synthesis method rocketed onto the mass market with the release of the DX7 in 1983 and establishing itself as the signature sound of mid-’80s pop music. As a bonus, they were much easier to program too. Generally seen as a cheaper alternative to Yamaha’s DX range of FM synths, the CZs could do similarly crystalline pads and dirty bass sounds, but could also sound closer to traditional subtractive analogue synthesis. Highly recommended to anyone looking to explore weird and wonderful sounds.ĬZ V is an all-new phase distortion synth, modelled on the Casio CZ range of the early ’80s (the CZ-101 and CZ-1000 are the specific reference points here, but the synthesis architecture and sound were broadly similar across all the models).

The modulation routing certainly takes some getting used to compared to most approaches, but that’s part of the joy of this unique synth, along with exploring the potential of the joystick modulation (which is automatable, unlike the original) and step sequencer (a substantially more powerful intuitive affair than you’d find on the original hardware). That’s not to say it won’t do simple basslines and leads, but it excels when you start getting freaky.Īrturia has also chosen to give it the option of polyphony (the original was monophonic), which works surprisingly well. His approach to music should give a hint of the kind of sounds to expect from Synthi V: experimental, innovative and leftfield.

If we had to pick an artist most closely associated with the Synthi, Brian Eno would probably top the shortlist. Since then it’s found its niche in experimental rock and psychedelic music and when bands want an endearing lo-fi keyboard sound. It’s best known as that woozy, warbling flute intro to the Beatles’ Strawberry Fields, or the keyboard backing ’60s hits like David Bowie’s Space Oddity and Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale. Vaguely similar to a modern sampler but using a strip of magnetic tape for each key instead of digital storage, the Mellotron allowed rough approximations of things, like string sounds, brass and choirs, to be played back polyphonically, years before the first samplers hit the market. First released in 1963, the Mellotron remains a unique keyboard instrument.

Arturia synth collection 2020