ARP Solina String Ensemble
The ARP Solina String Ensemble is a string keyboard that was introduced in 1974. It was able to produce polyphonic string sounds for the first time .
technology
Strictly speaking, the Solina String Ensemble is not a synthesizer. The electronic structure of the instrument is more of a hybrid of an electron organ and a synthesizer . A sawtooth-like oscillation obtained by a frequency divider circuit is sent through three analog delays connected in parallel , which are modulated by two LFOs . The mixture of these three vibratos leads to a rich sound with a high recognition value . The tone signals of the individual keys, which are phase-locked by a frequency divider circuit, in conjunction with the chorus effect result in a highly complex and always synchronous sound modulation when playing chords. Raspy vigorously in low registers, floating silky in high registers, this special chorus effect has been copied and varied by many other instrument manufacturers. It was used in various string keyboards (string machines) but mainly in electronic organs.
history
The Solina String Ensemble was an independent product from the Eminent factory in Bodegraven , Netherlands. Research Solina AG was also the name of a Swiss company that produced in cooperation with Eminent . The name Solina was a trademark of the cheaper organ series from the manufacturer Eminent . In 1972 the Eminent 310 Unique organ was presented, which had this sound for the first time. The string ensemble was basically just the string register of this organ in mono version. It was provided with ARP stickers, also sold by the American company ARP . From 1974 there were various series of the String Ensemble. The last series, recognizable by LEDs in the switches and a stereo output, dates from the first half of the 1980s. It has an almost completely changed, highly miniaturized circuit structure and a sound that is significantly more centered in direct comparison. The lack of a steel frame inside and the considerably lighter keyboard design ensure that it is comparatively light.
In the second half of the 1970s, polyphonic synthesizers from Oberheim and SCI - such as the Prophet 5 - gradually replaced the Solina String Ensemble. Individual Solina competitors were produced well into the era of digital synthesizers, including the Moog Opus3 until 1983. The sound was so formative and characteristic that even the first generations of digital synthesizers often had presets with a Solina sound, as was the case with Yamaha DX7 . Later synthesizers also have a “Solina preset”. Some sample-based synthesizers contain samples from the Solina, including the Yamaha Motif , Korg Triton, and Alesis Fusion . The Solina String Ensemble is also included in the list of samples in the GForce String Machine , in this case every single key of the original instrument has been sampled.
Sample-based reproductions are suitable for playing single tones, but they blur the raspy sound when playing chords due to the principle involved, as the decisive sound features here (synchronous modulation of all tones) only result from the phase-locked coupling of the single tones using the frequency divider principle and the common passage of all tones through the modulation unit are attainable. Digital replicas of a frequency divider circuit such as in the VST plug-in Cromina represent recent attempts to come close to the original sound.
user
- Don Airey et al. a. at Colosseum II
- George Duke
- Jean Michel Jarre (used the string ensemble of the Eminent 310 unique in connection with a modified Small Stone Phaser from Electro-Harmonix to create the well-known floating sound of his album Oxygene, among others )
- Jean Ven Robert Hal
- Jon Lord ( Deep Purple )
- Mike Oldfield et al. a. on the album Ommadawn
- Lutz Rahn ( Novalis ) on several albums
- Ann and Nancy Wilson ( Heart )
- Bernie Worrell created the typical P-Funk string sound on numerous Parliament / Funkadelic albums
- Richard Wright ( Pink Floyd ) on several albums (featured on Shine On You Crazy Diamond on Wish You Were Here )
- OB_LLIE / Willie Fruit
- Rick van der Linden ( Ekseption / Trace )
- Wolly Wolstenholme (Barclay James Harvest)
