Viscount (musical instrument manufacturer)

Last updated
Viscount International SpA
Type Public
Founded13 June 1969
Founder Marcello Galanti
Headquarters Mondaino, Italy
Products Musical Instruments
Website www.viscount.it

Viscount International SpA (Viscount) is a musical instrument manufacturer based in Mondaino, Italy. The brand Viscount was registered in 1969 by Marcello Galanti, but the company was established in the late 19th century by his forefather Antonio Galanti. After 1969 Viscount's primary focus has been on classic organs and digital pianos. Several alternative brands were formed in the 2000s to aim at expanding into other markets: VERSE and Voice Systems, respectively, for the high and low-end Pro-Audio markets and Physis for digital organs using Viscount's physical modeling technology. [1] The company also used the Oberheim brand for several years, to market vintage organs, synthesizers and guitar effects. Currently, Viscount's manufacturing and R&D activity is based in Italy. The company has been continuously owned by the Galanti family since its inception.

Contents

History

Twentieth century

The company history begins in the late 19th century when Antonio Galanti, musician and craftsman, founded a small accordion production facility in Mondaino, Italy. This became a family business and in subsequent years was enlarged: in 1917 the first Galanti factory was established in Mondaino [2] and afterwards the activity was inherited by his son Egidio. Along with the accordions, many guitars were produced under the Galanti Electro Music brand. Between 1910 and 1920 Domenico, Egidio and Robusto moved to the US to import accordions to the Americas. During these years some patents were issued in the USA. [3] After 1955 the Galanti brothers returned to Italy to establish their business back in their homeland. With the times changing, the production shifted to new instruments and in 1959 one of Egidio's sons, Marcello, began the production of electronic instruments, starting, in 1969 his own business called Intercontinental Electronics SpA [2] and the Viscount brand name, mainly devoted to electronic organs. As is the case with most of the musical instrument manufacturers of the central Adriatic coast, such as Eko, Farfisa, FBT, the production included a wide variety of instruments through the years - such as electric guitars, home organs, accordions, synthesizers [4] and loudspeakers.

Today

In 1999, Marcello Galanti died, leaving his business to his son Mauro and daughter Loriana, who renewed the product catalogue and expanded their R&D personnel including a new R&D Lab based in Ancona, Italy. [5] During these years Viscount used the Oberheim brand to market new products: the MC master keyboard series, the OB-12 digital synthesizer and the OB-3 vintage organ line (now called DB organs and marketed directly under the Viscount brand) and the GM-1000 guitar processor. New digital pianos were also introduced using the brand Galileo. At the same time, the business over the past two decades has been focused primarily on classic organs. In 2007 Viscount launched a new series of digital amplified loudspeakers, under the VERSE brand, developed by a new R&D team, with the D:SIDER line being the higher-end products and embedding together a class D digital amplifier, a DSP and a remote control system. In 2008 Viscount gave birth to a new brand, Physis, for the production of a new generation of classic organs, based on a new sound synthesis technology, physical modeling, patented in Italy and other countries. [6] This synthesis technology, although common for the emulation of other musical instruments (such as guitars and brass instruments) is at the time of writing the only known implementation for the emulation of organ pipes.

Products

Discontinued products

Most notable instruments among the first half of the 20th century are:

More recently, notable discontinued products are:

Recent products

The company started producing electric organs (home-organs, neon tonewheel organs, church organs, etc.) since the late 1960s. Many of these organs were marketed in the US and UK with different brands, such as Baldwin, Vox and Fujiha. In the 2000s the company launched new products and brands and developed new technologies, some of which are covered by patents. Some of these products are:

Physis

Physis refers to the physical modeling technology developed by Viscount. Two series of organs have been produced with Physis technology at the time of this writing: Unico and Unico CL. The latter being a stripped-down version of the former. Unico organs are based only on physical modeling synthesis, hence they no longer use sampling technology, currently the most common synthesis technology for musical instruments. Unico organs also feature a Linux-powered core controller, hence it is capable of managing USB devices such as USB sticks, and several DSPs for the sound synthesis. With these new products, Viscount seems to have gained back some popularity in the US, after a demo tour featuring Cameron Carpenter as a player.

VERSE

VERSE is a trademark used by Viscount to market a series of loudspeakers meant for sound reinforcement in big halls, theaters, live stages and so on. All VERSE speakers are equipped with an onboard digital amplifier and a DSP. They also feature a remote connection system based on RS-485 meant to create a daisy-chain network to control and set up the speakers. A PC editor software, called D:SP, is needed in order to control the speakers and adjust their parameters. Current VERSE products are:

  • D:SIDER and D:SUB speakers, equipped with a DSP unit and a digital amplifier.
  • INSIDER MkII and SUB speakers, equipped with a digital amplifier.

Voice Systems

Voice Systems was the first of the aforementioned brands to be created, in 2000, and sells products for the low-end market, specifically: small live gigs, light sound reinforcement systems for speeches or small venues. Under this brand many unique products were or are sold: tiny mixers, such as Micropad, quarter-rack reverb units, 8-channel digital mixers, compact all-in-one systems (e.g. Factotum).

Notable users of Viscount products

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital synthesizer</span> Synthesizer that uses digital signal processing to make sounds

A digital synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to make musical sounds. This in contrast to older analog synthesizers, which produce music using analog electronics, and samplers, which play back digital recordings of acoustic, electric, or electronic instruments. Some digital synthesizers emulate analog synthesizers; others include sampling capability in addition to digital synthesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vox (company)</span> Musical equipment manufacturer

Vox is a British musical equipment manufacturer founded in 1957 by Thomas Walter Jennings in Dartford, Kent, England. The company is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, used by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Queen, Dire Straits, U2, and Radiohead; the Vox Continental electric organ, the Vox wah-wah pedal used by Jimi Hendrix, and a series of innovative electric guitars and bass guitars. Since 1992, Vox has been owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analog synthesizer</span> Synthesizer that uses analog circuits

An analogsynthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound Blaster</span> Family of sound cards by Creative Technology

Sound Blaster is a family of sound cards and audio peripherals designed by Singaporean technology company Creative Technology. The first Sound Blaster card was introduced in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korg</span> Japanese musical instrument company

KORG Inc., founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, they also manufacture guitar amplifiers and electric guitars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instrument amplifier</span> Speaker and anplifier for use with musical instruments

An instrument amplifier is an electronic device that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal of a musical instrument into a larger electronic signal to feed to a loudspeaker. An instrument amplifier is used with musical instruments such as an electric guitar, an electric bass, electric organ, electric piano, synthesizers and drum machine to convert the signal from the pickup or other sound source into an electronic signal that has enough power, due to being routed through a power amplifier, capable of driving one or more loudspeaker that can be heard by the performers and audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic keyboard</span> Musical instrument

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 synthesizer with a low-wattage power amplifier and small loudspeakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oberheim Electronics</span> American synthesizer company

Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric organ</span> Electronic keyboard instrument

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:

Alesis is an American company that designs and markets electronic musical instruments, audio processors, mixers, amplifiers, audio interfaces, recording equipment, drum machines, professional audio, and electronic percussion products. Based in Cumberland, Rhode Island, Alesis is an inMusic Brands company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clonewheel organ</span> Electronic musical instrument

A clonewheel organ is an electronic musical instrument that emulates the sound of the electromechanical tonewheel-based organs formerly manufactured by Hammond from the 1930s to the 1970s. Clonewheel organs generate sounds using solid-state circuitry or computer chips, rather than with heavy mechanical tonewheels, making clonewheel organs much lighter-weight and smaller than vintage Hammonds, and easier to transport to live performances and recording sessions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Generalmusic</span> Italian musical instrument manufacturing company

Generalmusic was an Italian musical instrument manufacturing company focusing on digital and acoustic pianos, synthesizers and music workstations. The company produced three lines: a musical instrument series called GEM, a various studio equipment series called LEM and electric organs/synthesizers called ELKA. It was founded in 1987 and ceased business in 2009 before becoming bankrupt in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E-mu Systems</span> American music technology company

E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling music workstations.

Technics is a Japanese brand name of Panasonic for audio equipment. Since 1965, Panasonic has produced a variety of hi-fi and audio products under the brand name, such as turntables, amplifiers, radio receivers, tape recorders, CD players, speakers, and digital pianos. Technics products were available for sale in various countries. The brand was originally conceived as a line of high-end audio equipment to compete against brands such as Nakamichi.

Kenneth L. Kantor is an audio designer and businessman who co-founded the Now Hear This (NHT) speaker company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galanti</span>

Galanti Electro Music was an accordion and guitar manufacturer from 1917 until the late 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of jazz and popular music</span> List of definitions of terms and jargon used in jazz and popular music

This is a glossary of jazz and popular music terms that are likely to be encountered in printed popular music songbooks, fake books and vocal scores, big band scores, jazz, and rock concert reviews, and album liner notes. This glossary includes terms for musical instruments, playing or singing techniques, amplifiers, effects units, sound reinforcement equipment, and recording gear and techniques which are widely used in jazz and popular music. Most of the terms are in English, but in some cases, terms from other languages are encountered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCF audio</span> Italian audio equipment manufacturer

RCF S.p.A. is a widely recognized Italian manufacturer of high performance audio products including power amplifiers, loudspeakers, digital mixers and digital signal processors (DSP).

The history of home keyboards lies in mechanical musical instrument keyboards, electrified keyboards and 1960s and 1970s synthesizer technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital accordion</span> Musical instrument

A digital accordion is an electronic musical instrument that uses the control features of a traditional accordion to trigger a digital sound module that produces synthesized or digitally sampled accordion sounds or, in most instruments, a range of non-accordion sounds, such as orchestral instruments, pipe organ, piano, guitar, and so on. Digital accordions typically encode and transmit key presses and other input as Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) messages. Most digital accordions need to be plugged into a keyboard amplifier or PA system to hear their sounds.

References

  1. ↑ "Viscount International: The Art of Sound". Viscount.it. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  2. 1 2 "Viscount International: The Art of Sound". Viscount.it. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  3. ↑ "Patent Images". Patimg2.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  4. ↑ "Italian Synthesizers Siel, Elka, Crumar, Jen, GRS, EKO, Kiwi, Solton and now GRP also | Synthesizer Database, Sequencer & Drummachines, News & Forum Community". Sequencer.de. 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  5. ↑ "Business News & Strategy For Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneur.com". entrepreneur.com. Retrieved 2014-01-25.
  6. ↑ "United States Patent: 7442869". Patft.uspto.gov. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  7. ↑ Hendrix, Steve, "," washingtonpost.com, October 5, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.