I was shopping for for a virtual analog synthesizer a while ago, and was seriously considering buying an ASB. I felll in the love with the concept, and the ease of use seemed perfect for a first time synthesist like me. Unfortunately the band I play in (which does mostly Progressive rock, in the vein of early Genesis) feared that it wouldn't be flexible enough to meet our needs. Grudgingly I purchased an Alesis Ion instead. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fine instrument, but it really is a cold digital machine. I kept thinking about how much more enjoyable playing with an ASB would be. So I got to thinking about ASBs that would have the flexibility to compete in the modern music scene while still maintaing the charm of vintage gear (stable, polyphonic vintage gear with patch storage, that is
. This thought soon morphed into a list of ASBs I'd love to see produced (and I'm quite sure other people would as well). I’ve posted this list around several of the music forums on which I am active, and they've gotten a very good response. Their is a high demand for ASBs, and I think that given time they will become classics. I hoped that by posting these ideas here, I might inspire Sonic Core to put new ASBs into production , and also to make some ASKs (Accurate Sounding Keyboards) 
. After all, the Olde School wood paneling on looks great but controlling it with a Novation X-Station sort of removes some of the charm. With no further ado, here is my list.1) an ARP 2600 ASB. This synth is a classic, and is famous for its brilliant semi-modular design. 2600s are in huge demand but finding one in good condition with all the desirable filters/sequencers is nearly impossible. An ASB, on the other hand, could have the best oscillators without the stability issues, the best filter without the copyright issues, and that elusive sequencer. The polyphony would also be a real plus. Best of all, it would even be possible to use REAL patch cables, something that would undoubtedly make this an instant success. This would be any hobbyists dream come true (as well as all of those musicians who want the tactile pleasure of creating an analog patch without the cost of a custom Synthesizers.com modular system). Patch storage would still be possible as well! Once you have the patch cables all set up your liking could save your sound to the user bank. When you recall the preset in the future the ASB would recall your patch cable settings, allowing you to get the sound again without having to rearrange the cables. You could, of course, and then overwrite your own internal connections with real patch cables if further editing was needed. If one of these was made available, I would buy it instantly. Before my other synth even sold. I imagine it would be priced around same as a System 1200, which seems more than fair. An ASK version of this would be terrific, and I’d be quite willing to pay extra for that original looking keyboard controller. Also, if you think you could pull it off nothing would top a fully modular synth turned into an ASB, such as the ARP 2500 or Korg PS3300. I’ve got a schematic of how this might work (and still be space efficient), if you are interested.
2) an EMS ASB: either a VCS3, or Synthi A. Or maybe even a VCS4: http://www.ems-synthi.demon.co.uk/vcs4.gif (which would also satisfy my desire for a full fledged modular synth in an ASB package). Either way, I'd hope that the awesome sequencer would be included. With good polyphony and some patch storage this has tons of potential. Patch storage would be possible in the same way I mentioned on the System 2600 I mentioned above (feel free to change the name if you like
). I recently polled a generic synthesist forum on what their top ten ‘dream synthesizers’ would be. Well over half included an EMS product on their list (and this includes hardened workstation users). The last one I saw on eBay fetched well over $6,000 dollars. I dare you to do better.3) a Minimax ASK (accurate sounding keyboard). A man who owned a Minimax ASB built one himself out of spare wood, and I must admit it looks/sounds awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r682QbZgv-Q
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~steve_m ... index.html
Hopefully the keyboard would also feature aftertouch, for highly expressive playing on an already very expressive instrument. If a guy can build this in his basement, I’m sure Sonic Core could as well, probably without increasing the price more than $200 or so (well worth it. I’m sure if the MiniMax came encased with a keyboard like that my bandmates would have been much more receptive to it.
4) a Prophet 5 ASK. C'mon, I'm sure everyone would want one of these. No joke, you could not keep these stocked on the shelves. The hobbyist crowd alone would empty your inventory, before the studios, vintage gear collectors and musicians could even get their hands on one.
5) a Mellotron ASB/ASK. For those of us who are sick of the overpriced Memotron and its 12 presets but still want Mellotron sounds. The way I imagined it, it would have the same 256 memory slots as all of the other ASBs. However each of the slots would actually be a tape bank, containing three separate sounds which can be changed/layered in a manner similar to the original Mellotron. The built in librarian software would allow you to combine the different presets to create dream tape racks for easy real time use. Built in effects could include tape flutter. Epic polyphony would be welcome. Sure, most people can find some good Mellotron sounds in their workstation. But when you buy a workstation you are also paying for recording features, excess piano sounds and other superfluous features. If you could bring back the Mellotron’s classy white casing and powerful sounds, you would definitely have yourself a real winner here.
I would buy any or all of these, should they be produced. I can virtually guarantee you they would be massively successful, each in their own right. Since you already have the design for the original ASBs you’d be crazy not to at least try keyboard editions, but be prepared- they might sell off a lot faster than you think. As for the 2600 or VCS3, you know as well as I do how popular they are. If you could tap into so much as a fraction of the demand out there and you will be retired in no time. As for the Mellotron… don’t underestimate how much people would want a dedicated Mellotron synths, especially if it didn’t cost several thousand dollars like the Memotron. Please, please, please consider my recommendations. I would be the happiest person on the planet (and I suspect many more would as well, once they got their hands on an ARP or VCS3
). If you have any questions, comments or recommendations please feel free to PM me or post a comment here. I’d be happy to work on these ideas in more depth, post schematics for the UI, etc. if you want. Thank you so, so much for considering these new products.All the Best,
Kyle
P.S. I’m not asking for any royalty or anything on these products, they are simply here as ideas. Feel free to do whatever you like with them (though if the product becomes successful I'd very appreciate getting an evaluation version, if it isn’t too much to ask). It really would mean the world to me to hold a dream instrument of mine in my own hands. Thank you very much, Sonic Core. I look forward to hearing from you.
