The instability and distortion characteristics of analogue electronics are proving attractive to many in the music business. By David Boothroyd.

Analogue strikes a

hen it comes to to match – the , the launching the analogue Minimoog consumer electronics, , the and the Voyager in 2002. It took the name of we seem to live in a . Then there was the the frst portable synthesiser, the Wwholly digital world. Yet, Voder, which while not strictly a Minimoog, created around 40 years in the world of music, analogue , had an effect on ago. Since then, several other units electronics is staging a comeback, the human voice that has been used have been produced, including a range with products like decades-old successfully in pop music, notably of ‘Phatty’ models, the most recent synthesisers being reintroduced and Cher’s hit, Believe. being the Sub Phatty. recording studios incorporating To an extent, they were curiosities, A name that almost equals Moog’s analogue elements into a previously but several were used in flms to in the synthesiser world is , based totally digital process. create moody, other worldly sounds. in Tokyo. Korg started again with The synthesiser is the archetypal Most notably, the was used analogue products a couple of years electronic instrument and dates back in Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and in ago with a small handheld synthesiser to the 1930s, when they were naturally the flm Gone With the Wind. called the Monotron, followed since by all analogue and used valves. The frst But it is the resurgence of analogue the MS-20, a classic instrument of the commercial unit is regarded as the electronics in today’s digital world that The Novachord 1970s. It has recently launched Novachord, manufactured by the is particularly surprising. In fact, the features more than another low cost range, the Volca. Hammond company, famous for its resurgence started several years ago, 160 vacuum tubes “The Monotron was something of a organs. It contained more than 160 with the most famous name in the and 1000 custom test to see how people would react to vacuum tubes, 1000 custom built world of synthesisers – Moog – built capacitors analogue products”, says Ian capacitors, miles of hand soldered Bradshaw, product manager for Korg wiring and weighed nearly 500lb. More Hitech. “It was an incredible success than 1000 were built between 1939 globally and we designed it in such a and 1942, when World War II stopped way that the ‘circuit bending’ production due to a lack of electronic community could easily get inside it components. and modify it. There are certain points on the circuit board that are key to Radically different sounds what they want to do. Users make Several other analogue electronic break out boxes so it can be instruments had similarities with connected to other modular modern synthesisers, at least in terms synthesisers, then control them.” of the radically different sounds they Why the resurgence of analogue? could produce. They were extraordinary Bradshaw thinks it is possibly the devices and had extraordinary names desire to have a physical object to

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almost everyone agrees, is different to “The Minimoog analogue tradition is Dan Wilson, a UK digital. model D was a electronic engineer specialising in tube “When you compare our soft synth classic hybrid studio gear designs and vintage versions of the MS-20 (that is, digital example of synthesiser restoration. He has emulations) they are very accurate. how subtle produced custom designs for major But when you start listening to the artists and has returned a 1938 tuning sound, it is different. One Novachord to playable order. instability and manufacturer, Doepfer, has done He says that, despite digital nothing but produce analogue distortion becoming mainstream, there is still a synthesisers (it has recently launched resulted in a huge demand for the type of sound a new version, the Dark Energy II, a much more made by analogue synths, with dance monophonic standalone organic genres still very popular and newer with USB and Midi interface). I asked sound.” styles, such as dubstep, very much in why it never did anything using digital Dan Wilson the analogue domain. software and the answer was that “It’s all about warmth, smoothness, software does not work as quickly as imperfection, movement and analogue for certain things, like the interaction,” he says. “Analogue

Photography: Charlie Milligan Charlie Photography: way the envelopes respond, and this synths, signal processing and has been demonstrated. recording media have a number of Another thing is that when you qualities that have proven surprisingly change a parameter on a digital unit, it diffcult to emulate in the digital chord happens in separate steps – typically domain. Analogue synths can often 128. With analogue, that range of produce very smooth, powerful and variation is pretty much infnite.” focused deep bass: important in Recreating an electronic product – today’s music. especially an analogue one frst made “Secondly, they often sport user decades ago – raises the question of interfaces that encourage fuid whether the same components are changes in timbre, ideal for used. progressive music styles. And their “Inevitably, there are differences,” tuning stability and tracking from Bradshaw says. “The main difference octave to octave is never perfect is that the new MS-20 is all surface which, much like a brass ensemble, mount technology. One of the things leads to increased movement and crucial to the MS-20 sound was the depth of sound, making it more transistors, which are no longer engaging sonically.” available. Our engineers looked in Left: Dan Wilson detail at the behaviour of the original with his rebuilt Significant distortion is welcomed transistors and then found units that Novachord. The most complex aspect of their behave in pretty much the same way. Below: Analogue difference from digital is in the nature Also, some original components used components allow of the electronics – with analogue materials now banned, like cadmium, musicians to take typically exhibiting signifcant distortion so again we had to fnd replacements advantage of and intermodulation characteristics. that behaved similarly.” distortion and “Engineers would normally classify One person steeped in the intermodulation this as a bad thing, but when such anomalies are interacting sympathetically with the source interact with, rather than pushing a oscillators, the resulting sound can mouse around, diving through menus often be shaped and coloured in a very and selecting presets just by clicking. musical manner,” Wilson explains. “A device like the MS-20 can be “The late Bob Moog’s wonderful more rewarding to operate than simply Minimoog model D (arguably the most selecting presets from a software famous synthesiser of all time) was a synth; it makes for a more immediate classic example of how subtle tuning and creative process. It is the instability and distortion resulted in a difference between playing a musical much more organic sound.” instrument and interfacing with a Such interactions have been well computer.” understood by electric guitarists for And the sound analogue produces, many years and, today, this

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‘sympathetic’ distortion and Halstead colouration is leading attributes much of to the use of analogue analogue’s signal processing in difference from digital to recording studios. voltage controlled sound “This is a particularly generators, processors and interesting modulators, which sound less development,” Wilson says. precise and clinical than virtual “After years of 24bit/96kHz analogues/software plug ins and, digital signal paths, many consequently, more interesting as musicians, producers and studio pleasant imperfections affect the engineers have discovered that signal. placing at least some analogue “That said, modern digital synths equipment – often 1960s tube based are very good at emulating the Bass Station II is technology – in the recording chain imperfections that make analogue redesign of original can add some magic that had synths sound good. Some of Bass Station. The curiously been lacking. Novation’s VA synths include features pure analogue “For most, the use of analogue such as ‘VCO drift’, which simulates signal path includes compressors or tube preamps is as far tuning inconsistencies that emerge as two filters, two as it goes, but studios are increasingly “What is likely to emerge is an voltage controlled oscillators warm up.” oscillators and a rediscovering the benefts of mastering increasing number of hybrid solutions Another way of combining digital third sub oscillator, to analogue tape and even vinyl is that permit certain analogue elements with analogue is illustrated along with a fully making its way back in some circles. processing elements to be inserted by Dave Smith Instruments of San analogue effects Again, it’s all down to subtle, yet directly into the digital path, Francisco, which produces the Mopho, section.e musically desirable, distortion and potentially in more interactive and a desktop synthesiser module with a colouration which often interacts with integrated ways than we have seen of 100% analogue signal path but which the musician’s playing style.” late. For example, analogue and even is controllable via MIDI. It also has a Wilson admits digital will win when tube gear may be combined with built free editor for use with pcs. it comes to repeatability, the in codecs and digital front panel convenience of total session recall, control. No ‘Swiss Army knife’ solutions lossless editing/duplication, “There is now much R&D going into Andrew McGowan, an engineer at Dave transparency and cost: look inside a the deep emulation of various tube Smith, sees analogue retaining its synthesiser today, he says, and you will and analogue processing elements in niche, despite continuing typically fnd a dsp, a processor and a software and dsp and maybe one day enhancements to digital synths. few passive components. A genuine these might displace the use of “Digital is still getting cheaper and analogue polyphonic synthesiser analogue electronics in modern will continue to improve sonically. It features thousands of op amps, recordings entirely – but not for now.” also allows for a degree of fexibility comparators, multiplexers and Another company reentering the that is not really possible in the passives, with a price tag ten times analogue world is Novation, part of analogue realm or, at the very least, larger. An analogue unit may also Focusrite Audio Engineering, which would not be cost effective. Digital require component matching, heat made the Bass Station; a famous makes it possible to design ‘Swiss soaking and lengthy calibration synthesiser in the 1990s. To celebrate Army knife’ instruments like many of procedures. its 21st birthday, it has developed the “If consistency today’s keyboards that do analogue Bass Station II – an analogue synth and synth emulations, drawbar organ Demand for analogue is growing made for bass, but also suitable for repeatability emulations, sample playback, effects Even so, the increasing demand for leads. are the goals, processing and whatever else can be analogue processing in professional “Bass Station II has been then digital is crammed into them. The downside of recording is clearly being taken completely reworked for the 21st probably the that approach is there’s a seriously. Century, with two flters, two oscillators best way to go. homogeneity to the sound and the “Many recording studios and artists plus a sub oscillator, patch save and a But if instruments can be viewed more as are now using at least some analogue fully analogue effects section,” says character is playback devices than as musical technology in their music production,” Novation’s Simon Halstead. “Plus instruments with a character of their important, Wilson asserts. “This is not restricted there’s a step sequencer, arpeggiator, own. then analogue to . Many acoustic a two octave (25 note) velocity “If consistency and repeatability are recording artists and even orchestral sensitive keyboard with full sized keys is hard to the goals, then digital is probably the music producers are introducing and a powerful modulation section. beat.” best way to go. But if character is analogue elements to their recording There’s also MIDI I/O and USB Andrew important, then analogue is hard to process. connectivity.” McGowan beat.”

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