Description
EMS Synthis have been used by Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Yes, Roxy Music, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin. Both the A and AKS models are virtually the same electronic instrument as the EMS VCS3, except that the Synthi models are housed in a thin plastic briefcase for easy portability.
Like the VCS3, the Synthi A and AKS feature three oscillators and a unique patch system. Instead of patch wires, they use a patchbay grid wherein the synth components are laid out and signal routing is accomplished by placing small pins into the appropriate slots. There’s a Noise Generator, two Input Amplifiers, one Ring Modulator, one Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter (VCF), one Trapezoid Envelope Generator, a Joy-Stick Controller, a Voltage Controlled Spring Reverb unit and two Stereo Output Amplifiers.
The AKS model adds a 256-step on-board monophonic digital sequencer and a 30-note touchplate keyboard (activated by the 50 Hz-hum in our fingers). The first 30 Synthi AKS featured a black and silver Touch pad, Spin-and-touch random note selector and an unplayable resistive touch sensitive keyboard. This was replaced by the familiar blue capacitive touch sensitive keyboard with integrated sequencer.
