The E-mu Modular System is an

analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

modular synthesizer Modular synthesizers are synthesizers composed of separate modules for different functions. The modules can be connected together by the user to create a patch. The outputs from the modules may include audio signals, analog control voltages, ...

built by

E-mu Systems E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling musi ...

in 1974. It competed with synthesizers such as the

ARP 2500 The ARP 2500 is a monophonic (synthesizers), monophonic (or duophonic) analog modular synthesizer. It was the first product of ARP Instruments, Inc., built from 1970 to 1981. Although only about 100 units were made, Sound on Sound called it "und ...

ARP 2600 The ARP 2600 is a subtractive synthesizer first produced by ARP Instruments in 1971. History Developed by a design team headed by ARP namesake Alan R. Pearlman and engineer Dennis Colin, the ARP 2600 was introduced in 1971 as the successor to ...

, and

Moog modular synthesizer The Moog synthesizer ( ) is a modular synthesizer invented by the American engineer Robert Moog in 1964. Moog's company, R. A. Moog Co., produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014. It was the first commercial synthesizer a ...

s, although E-mu designed the instruments for mostly universities and notable musicians who submitted custom configuration requests. The Modular System's

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...

keyboard and sequencer are controlled by a

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

. Around 100 units are thought to exist today.

History

E-mu Systems, based in California, began producing the Modular System in 1972, as a competitor to the ARP 2500, ARP 2600, and Moog modular synthesizers of the day. The Modular System was their second production synthesizer, following the E-mu 25 in 1971. The E-mu 25 had been a "front panel" synthesizer, but E-mu developers

Dave Rossum David P. Rossum (born 1948) is an American electronics engineer and inventor best known as the co-founder of synthesizer and sampler manufacturer E-mu Systems. Education and early career Rossum grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attende ...

and Scott Wedge thought it would be more fun to build a modular synthesizer. Custom systems were produced for universities and high-profile musicians, the target markets for the Modular System. The systems were hand-built to the specifications of each customer. While around 100 units are still in circulation, mostly at universities, some sources claim that up to 250 were originally produced.

Construction and operation

E-mu claims the Modular System's

keyboard and sequencer were the first to be controlled by a

, and they patented the technology at the time. The term "modular" in the product name refers to the customizable set of "modules" available for the synthesizer. Each customer would specify which modules they wanted from a list of available modules such as "Quad Inverter", "Sample-and-Hold", "Dual Reverb" and others. Users create sounds by manipulating patch cords to direct the signal through the modules above the keyboard. In other words, different combinations of patch cord connections produced different sounds. Through all of the combinations available, the Modular System could produce any popular synthesizer sound in use at the time. Users could also save favored patch sequences using a "firm-wire" patch that connected to the instrument and could be swapped out at any time, recreating sounds without manipulating the patch cords. The Modular System was known to have a "cleaner" sound that its competitors, although that aspect was not always desired by users. It also had a unique aesthetic, featuring blue-lined modules rather than the traditional black and aluminum panels.

Notable artists

Danny Carey Daniel Edwin Carey (born May 10, 1961) is an American musician who is the drummer for the progressive metal band Tool. He has also contributed to albums by artists such as Zaum, Green Jellö, Pigface, Skinny Puppy, Adrian Belew, Carole Kin ...

Vince Clarke Vincent John Martin (born 3 July 1960), known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously ...

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

Patrick Gleeson Patrick Gleeson (born November 9, 1934) is an American musician, synthesizer pioneer, composer, and producer. Career Gleeson moved to San Francisco in the 1960s to teach in the English Department at San Francisco State. Gleeson began experimentin ...

Hans Zimmer Hans Florian Zimmer (; born 12 September 1957) is a German film score composer and music producer. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Grammy Awards, and has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards and a Tony ...

Meat Beat Manifesto Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers (the only ...

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

Ned Lagin Ned Lagin (born March 17, 1948) is an American artist, photographer, scientist, composer, and keyboardist.Ned Lagin interview with David Gans, August 2001 in: Gans, David. Conversations with the Dead, The Grateful Dead Interview Book, Da Capo Pre ...

Roger Linn Roger Curtis Linn is an American designer of electronic musical instruments and equipment. He is the designer of the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and the MPC sampler, which had a major influence on the development of hip hop ...

Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (abbreviated to YMO) was a Japanese electronic music band formed in Tokyo in 1978 by Haruomi Hosono (bass, keyboards, vocals), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums, lead vocals, occasional keyboards) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards, ...

* Logic System

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:E-Mu Modular System E-mu synthesizers