A3

Synclavier PSMT

  • Year of manufacture
    1977
  • Production period
    16
    (1977-92)
  • Polyphony
    128
  • Oscillators
    12
    (12 Operators)
  • Waveforms
    80
    (Additive/FM-Synthesis: 5 Sampling-Cards, à 2×8 FM-Voices)
  • Modulation
    1
    (1 LFO)
  • Filters
    1
    (Slope, Low-, High- & Band-pass -24db/octave)
  • Keys
    76
  • Features
    13
    (Sampler, Ribbon Controller, 16-Track Recording, Sequencer, Chorus, Glide, Velocity, Aftertouch, Vibrato, Tremolo, Pan-LFO, MIDI, FM)
  • Sound-Memory
    32MB

The New England Digital Synclavier PSMT

The Synclavier PSMT from New England Digital (NED) is more of a computer than an instrument. PSMT means Poly Sampling Medium Tower – which is a very figurative term, because the Synclavier PSMT is a real colossus in terms of weight with 150 kg.

The very interesting part of the Synclavier history is certainly the genesis. It starts with a high performance 16-bit processor, which was developed by two students in the 1970s. 

That processor was so powerful that it was first used in universities, in space research and in the military. With the collaboration of a composer, the system was developed into an electronic musical instrument, but it was only one direction in which the system was developed. However, emphasis was placed on seeing the instrument as a convertible high-performance computer system, with musical applications being only one of many options.

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