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POLYGENE II is an all analog polyphonic synthesizer with two halves. One half is all-transistor class A from signal source through audio path to output, the other half is identical except it uses analog chips to generate dynamic customisable waveforms.
Inspired by the earliest polysynths of the 1970s, it is fully polyphonic
(all 24 notes can be played at the same time), can be tuned to any scale or tuning,
is multi-timbral and completely touch sensitive.
Touching any part of the synthesizer bridges connections in the circuitry and creates a unique sound.
Every area of the instrument's gold plated circuitry can change its tone.
At the top, oscillator transistors can be synchronised by touching them,
while lower down there are 24 pressure sensitive polyphonic pads and at the bottom a 24 note keyboard triggers more familiar polyphonic synthesizer voices.
All of these can be played simultaneously and there are many more effects of the circuitry to be discovered, as each of the traces react differently to the touch.
12 tuning controls allow you to tune the 12 pairs of oscillators to any scale, from a standard equal tuning to any microtonal, non-western or even unison tuning.
8 harmonic controls allow you to design you own analog waveforms and choose the register of that half of the keyboard (32',16' or 8'). The lower half has it's own release control (so that bass notes don't have to overlap for example).
By using transistors for nearly all of the circuits in the instrument, each oscillator passes through only a handful of sound shaping components before reaching your ears. Instruments that rely heavily on transistors (like the Minimoog and EMS Synthi for example) are famous for their raw, untamed sound that has much to do with this circuit topology.
The synthesizer is built into a hand-made cedar wood case.
Specifications
- 24 note polyphonic, multi-timbral
- 24 oscillators (12 tunable + 12 harmonic sub oscillators)
- All analog. Class A audio path
- 8 waveform shaping controls
- 24 VC Envelope Generators (separate release control for each octave of keyboard)
- 24 VC Amplifiers
- Unique transistor filter with cutoff, resonance, attack (env mod +/-), lfo controls
- Oscillator LFO modulation
- Oscillator Noise modulation
- Touch-sensitive pitch bend
- 2x 24 note gold touch sensitive keyboards
- 2.1mm 9v centre negative power input
- Can run on an external standard type 9v battery (please ask for a special adaptor cable if required)
- 6.35mm (1/4 inch) audio output
- 27 x 22 x 5 cm
