Elka • Synthex
The Synthex is a very lush sounding classic analog 8 voice synthesizer. Later versions implemented basic MIDI functions. It has 30 knobs, 6 sliders, 80 switches and a joystick. Powerful sounds with 2 oscillators per note, separate envelope generators, chorus and even a sequencer! The use of stable DCO's (digitally controlled analog oscillators) and oscillator cross modulation of Pulse Width and a multimode filter made it unique in its time.
There is a cool joystick that replaces traditional pitch/mod wheels and allows for greater variable real-time control over the two LFOs, oscillator and filter modulation. The 6 sliders beside the joystick assign what (LFO, osc and filter) goes to the joystick. Voices can also be layered or split across the keyboard. Other great features include the onboard digital Ring-Modulator, Chorus effect and Dual or Layer modes available. And also a four-track sequencer rounds out this synths host of features. Two of it's tracks can output MIDI data.
This is just an extremely good analog and unique synth excellent for pads, drones and glistening lead sounds. They're a bit of a pain to service and find parts for. However many famous artists such as Tangerine Dream have used one, and Jean Michel Jarre swears by it. One last Synthex was made just for Stevie Wonder after their production run eventually ended.
Those days (1988?) Elka had the name of middle-of-the-road electronic organs, so nobody expected a quality like this and the machine didn't sell. Original price these days was about Hfl 9000. I bought it for Hfl 2000! By the time I arrived at home my back was almost broken. But the sound, wow!
Wow man !! Your father gave you one Helluva 14th birthday present :D
If my dad would have given me Synthex, I would polish his car every day
til this very day, move the lawn and do many things for him just to show my gratitude of the most WonDeRFuL present ever :D
Major boomer that it went broken and you traded it away =( Surely
the synth would have been fixed just Ok for you to play Rendez-Vous =P
I totally agree with 'sergeeo' a truely outstanding polysynth, better than any Jupiter, memorymoog, Matrix/expander, any OB series, any sequntial instrument period.
I would say only KORG PS 3200/3300, Oberheim 8 voice and Yamaha CS80 are musicaly more interesting.
One of the most astounding keyboards I've ever played. The negative point is it's weight...