ARP Solina String Synthesizer

The Solina String Synthesizer is the rare brother of the String Ensemble. Only about 100 were made, so they are very hard to find. The String Synthesizer pictured above is painted white, but they originally have a standard wood case like the Ensemble models. The String Synthesizer is basically a combination of the String Ensemble and the Arp Explorer 1. You can select between Preset sounds (trumpets, flutes, and clarinets) or make your own using the added VCO, courtesy of the Explorer. It offered way more sound editing than the String Ensemble, and was capable of more diverse sounds.
- Specifications
- Polyphony - 16 Voices
- Oscillators - One VCO plus viola / violin / cello / contrabass / horn / trumpet
- LFO - Yes, One
- Filter - Yes, 24dB/oct self-resonant
- VCA - Yes, One with Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release controls
- Keyboard - 49 keys
- Arpeg/Seq - None
- Control - CV/GATE
- Date Produced - 1975
- Resources & Credits
Images from ARP Odyssey web page
Errors or Corrections? Send them here.


It is a MK1 Solina string ensemble married to a Arp explorer with the option of routing sounds thru the Arp filter.
Many great sounds can be produced and i am not shure if i loved the strings going thru the Arp filter but on its own both parts are great.
The "Arp Explorer" panel has the same VCO as the 2600 and has some simular functions as the Little Brother.
Beware of the famous Arp sliders, they are dead 9 out of 10 times and must be recoverd by spe [beep] t.
The white colour on the machine pictured above is not factory standard and must have been done by its owner.
The Explorer panel can be found in Solina C112 Explorer organ as well.