Machines

The rise of electronic music and synthesizers are inextricably linked.

While the Theremin, invented in the 1920s by the Russian Lev Sergeyevich Termen, was the world’s first electronic musical instrument, it was in the 1960s that an American electronics engineer, Robert ‘Bob’ Moog, created the first synthesiser.
The first machines took up an entire room, and later were the size of a wardrobe.

It wasn’t until 1971 that the Moog company marketed a reasonably-sized synthesiser at an affordable price: the MiniMoog.
It was an immediate commercial success, and Moog synthesizers can be heard on many recordings of the time.

Although its capabilities are ridiculous by today’s standards, some consider the Minimoog, on the right in the photo, to be the best-sounding synth of all time.

The 1970s saw Moog and its main competitor ARP (also American) engage in fierce competition, with the release of the ARP Odyssey in 1972, and between accusations of plagiarism and lawsuits.

The machines became more complex, and new features such as polyphony (the ability to play several notes simultaneously) and synthesis techniques were introduced.

The late 70s saw the arrival on the market of the ‘Big Threes’, Korg, Roland and Yamaha, three Japanese companies whose high-performance, low-cost models would soon drive ARP, Moog and others into bankruptcy.

The Korg MS20, for example, can be seen as a better, cheaper Minimoog.

The TB-303 (TB for Transistor Bass), a bassline synthesiser manufactured by Roland between ‘82 and “83, enjoyed great success from the mid-”80s onwards, but was used for quite different purposes from those originally intended.

This instrument, considered to be the basis of the so-called ‘acid’ sound, can be found on countless techno, house and trance tracks.

Roland also developed a range of drum machines, the TR series (for Transistor Rhythm), which were and still are massively used throughout dance music and hip-hop. These include the 707, 808 and 909, shown here with a TR-808.

Today there are many brands and models on the market, including Clavia from Sweden with their Nord Lead (red) and Acces Music from Germany, whose Virus synths – here a Ti Snow – are used by virtually all Trance and Drum’N’Bass artists.
More info on our composition page.

At the same time, the continuing development of computer functions and capabilities has led to the creation of numerous software instruments, also known as virtual instruments.

Virtually all ‘vintage’ physical machines are emulated by software ‘clones’ that can sound almost identical to the original.

Here, for example, is the Rebirth RB-338, which offers nothing less than two TB-303s coupled to a TR-808.

There’s also a wide range of ‘original’ software synthesizers (that don’t try to reproduce a machine) offering a variety of functions, with immense possibilities and, in particular, new methods of sound synthesis made possible by computers.

So ‘hard’ machines or virtual machines?
Here too, our composition page is here to help you make up your own mind.