Solina String Ensemble | |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Eminent BV |
Dates | 1974–1981 |
Technical specifications | |
Polyphony | Full |
Timbrality | Six tones: violin, viola, trumpet, horn, cello, contrabass |
Oscillator | Sub-octave divider network |
LFO | Two |
Synthesis type | Analog Subtractive |
Filter | None |
Attenuator | AR |
Storage memory | None |
Effects | Chorus |
Input/output | |
Keyboard | 49 keys |
Left-hand control | None |
External control | Gate out |
The Solina String Ensemble, also marketed as the ARP String Ensemble, is a fully polyphonic multi-orchestral string synthesizer with a 49-key keyboard, produced by Eminent BV (known for their Solina brand). It was distributed in the United States by ARP Instruments from 1974 to 1981. The sounds it incorporates are violin, viola, trumpet, horn, cello, and contrabass. The keyboard uses 'organ style' divide-down technology to make it polyphonic. The built-in chorus effect gives the instrument its distinctive sound.
The core technology is based on the string ensemble section of the Eminent 310 Unique electronic organ in 1972, manufactured by the Dutch company Eminent BV. [1] The main oscillator consists of twelve discrete tone generators with octave divide-down to provide full polyphony; and the built-in triple chorus effect utilizes bucket-brigade devices (BBDs) controlled by two LFOs to create the characteristic vibrato.
Four versions have been released: [2]
The Solina String Ensemble was extensively used by pop, rock, jazz and disco artists of the 1970s, including Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, on albums such as Wish You Were Here (most notably on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond") and Animals, Herbie Hancock, Bernie Worrell, Billy Beck (of Ohio Players), Kerry Livgren (of Kansas), Dennis DeYoung and Eumir Deodato. Parliament used the Solina on several tracks, particularly as a solo instrument on songs such as "Chocolate City", “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” and "Flash Light". Elton John used a String Ensemble on his hit song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", the Rolling Stones in their hit "Fool to Cry", KC & the Sunshine Band in their hit "Please Don't Go", the Buggles in "Video Killed the Radio Star", Hall & Oates in their cover version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", and Rick James in "Mary Jane".
In 1975, George Harrison used the ARP on his song "You", and the same year the Bee Gees played it on their hit "Nights on Broadway". Stevie Wonder played the famous string line on Peter Frampton's 1977 ballad "I'm in You". The Solina string sound has also been used by Kim and Ricky Wilde, Brian Eno, Fun Lovin' Criminals, the Cure, Gorillaz, the Chameleons, Carpenters, Joy Division, Neil Young, Air, Anthony Cedric Vuagniaux and Rikk Agnew. Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie used it on the band's Heroes Are Hard to Find album, most notably on her song "Come a Little Bit Closer." Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys used it on 15 Big Ones and The Beach Boys Love You , Charly Garcia on Pequeñas anécdotas sobre las instituciones , Porsuigieco, La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros, and with Serú Girán. Regional Mexican band Grupo Yndio had used a Solina in their Spanish-language cover of Leo Sayer's hit "When I Need You" ("Me Haces Falta").David Stone 1977 Rainbow live in Munich. German Band 1976 - Birth Control -Backdoor Possibilities
Various virtual plugins and VSTs of the Solina String Ensemble exists, such the Solina V by Arturia. Behringer has released an analog hardware clone. [3]
An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument based on keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs and digital audio workstations. In technical terms, an electronic keyboard is a rompler-based synthesizer with a low-wattage power amplifier and small loudspeakers.
ARP Instruments, Inc. was a Lexington, Massachusetts manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. It created a popular and commercially successful range of synthesizers throughout the 1970s before declaring bankruptcy in 1981. The company earned a reputation for producing excellent sounding, innovative instruments and was granted several patents for the technology it developed.
An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since developed into several types of instruments:
Monotimbral is usually used in reference to electronic synthesizers which can produce a single timbre at a given pitch when pressing one key or multiple keys.
The Roland Jupiter-4 (JP-4) was an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1978 and 1981. It was notable as the company's first self-contained polyphonic synthesizer, and for employing digital control of analog circuits, allowing for such features as programmable memory, voice assignment modes, an arpeggiator, polyphonic portamento and others.
The microKORG is a MIDI-capable digital synthesizer/vocoder from Korg featuring DSP-based analog modelling. The synthesizer is built in such a way that it is essentially a Korg MS-2000 with a programmable step arpeggiator, a less advanced vocoder, lack of motion sequencing, lack of an XLR microphone input, and in a smaller case with fewer real-time control knobs.
Chorus is an audio effect that occurs when individual sounds with approximately the same time, and very similar pitches, converge. While similar sounds coming from multiple sources can occur naturally, as in the case of a choir or string orchestra, it can also be simulated using an electronic effects unit or signal processing device.
Polyphony is a property of musical instruments that means that they can play multiple independent melody lines simultaneously. Instruments featuring polyphony are said to be polyphonic. Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic or paraphonic.
The Solina String Synthesizer, also erroneously known as the ARP Solina String Synthesizer or sometimes the ARP String Synthesizer, is a combination of a string synthesizer and synthesizer. It is a hybrid model which combined both the Solina String Ensemble string synthesizer and the ARP Explorer monophonic synthesizer. It was built in Bodegraven, Netherlands by Eminent B.V. Supposedly only about 100 were ever produced. The addition of the ARP Explorer to the Solina string sounds made for a very powerful combination.
The ARP Quadra was a 61-key analog synthesizer produced by ARP Instruments, Inc. from 1978 to 1981. The machine combined pre-existing products: the Omni, Odyssey, a Solina-esque string synthesizer unit, a phaser and a divide-down organ with ADSR envelope, and a 4075 24 db low pass filter into one box. It has four sections. Bass is on the bottom two octaves, has two unison bass circuits, with AR and a single pole low pass filter and a related AD envelope for cutoff. A string section is similar to the ARP Omni. Poly Synth, and a two voice Lead Synth similar to the Odyssey and a five way mixer with four unit outputs, a stereo pair, a line mono and an XLR out.
The ARP Omni was a polyphonic analog synthesizer manufactured by ARP Instruments, Inc.
The Freeman String Symphonizer was a 5-octave synthesizer of the 1970s. It was finally manufactured by the Chicago Musical Instrument Co. and was also known as the Cordovox CSS. Its sound was related to that of the ARP String Ensemble – cool, glassy-sounding strings. Eventually, its inventor Ken Freeman tried to strike a deal with the company Ling but they abandoned their interest in it. Lowrey a division of CMI finally struck a deal after some deliberation.
The Eminent 310 Unique is a home electronic organ that was built and introduced in 1972 by the Dutch organ manufacturer Eminent, at the time based in Bodegraven, the Netherlands. It was the first organ to include a string section, making it the first commercial polyphonic string synthesizer on the market. It is prominently featured on Jean Michel Jarre's albums Oxygène (1977) and Équinoxe (1978).
Eminent digital organs is a brand of electronic organ for use in churches, halls and homes. The company is headquartered in Lelystad (Flevoland), The Netherlands.
The Roland RS-202 was a polyphonic string synthesizer, introduced by Roland in 1976. It was the successor to the Roland RS-101, released in 1975.
A string synthesizer or string machine is a synthesizer designed to make sounds similar to those of a string section. Dedicated string synthesizers occupied a specific musical instrument niche between electronic organs and general-purpose synthesizers in the 1970s and early 1980s, until advances in digital signal processing technology allowed the production of inexpensive general-purpose polyphonic synthesizers and samplers, which made the existence of a separate type of instrument unnecessary.
The Yamaha DX21 is a digital controlled bi-timbral programmable digital FM synthesizer with a four operator synth voice generator which was released in 1985. It uses sine wave-based frequency modulation (FM) synthesis. It has two FM tone generators and a 32-voice random-access memory (RAM), 32 user voices and 128 read-only memory (ROM) factory preset sounds. As a programmable synth, it enables users to create their own unique synthesized tones and sound effects by using the algorithms and oscillators. The instrument weighs 8 kg (17.6 lbs). On its release, it sold for $795.
The history of home keyboards lies in mechanical musical instrument keyboards, electrified keyboards and 1960s and 1970s synthesizer technologies.
The Korg PE-1000(Polyphonic Ensemble) is a preset-based polyphonic analog synthesizer released by Korg in 1976. It was Korg's first polyphonic synthesizer and was marketed in the US as the Univox K4.
The Korg Collection is a suite of virtual instruments and effects that emulate Korg's various hardware synthesizers. The original release included virtual versions of the MS-20, Polysix and Wavestation. Subsequent additions have expanded the collection to feature emulations of the Mono/Poly, M1, ARP Odyssey, Triton, miniKORG 700S, Prophecy and microKORG. These plugins utilize Korg's Component Modeling Technology (CMT) to simulate the analog characteristics of the original instruments. The collection is compatible with VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats and includes standalone versions for use outside a digital audio workstation (DAW).