First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Discussions about anything analog, digital, MIDI, synth technology, techniques, theories and more.
Forum rules
READ: VSE Board-Wide Rules and Guidelines
Post Reply
User avatar
Synthaholic
Expert Member
Expert Member
Posts: 1206
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:43 pm
Gear: Motif XS6, TX802, D-550, A6
Location: NH

First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Synthaholic » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:32 am

Another one of my silly, trivial questions that pops into my head from time to time...

What was the first synth to have an alphanumeric display and allowed you to enter/store a name with the patch?

I know the DX7 was an early one, but were there any others before it? Fairlight probably. How about Memorymoog? It had an alpha display. Any others?
Two VCO: thanks to the push rods, one can choose several forms of waves at the same time!
(from a Babelfish translation of a Jupiter-6 site)

Yamaha: Motif XS6, TX802 Roland: D-550 Alesis: A6 Andromeda
Top
User avatar
Z
Synth Explorer
Synth Explorer
Posts: 3545
Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:08 am
Gear: Bubble wrap, Styrofoam, boxes, packing tape
Location: Docking Bay 94 (Dallas, TX)
Contact:
Contact Z

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Z » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:44 am

No patch naming on the MemMoog.

What year did the Kawai SX210 come out? YOu could name patches on it.
Top
User avatar
Alex E
Synth Explorer
Synth Explorer
Posts: 2239
Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 12:07 am
Gear: Jupiter-6, Juno-60, Polysix, Emulator II, DX7, QX1, Arp Odyssey MKII, ESQ-1, Miami, M1r, Live 9, iMac MC309XX/A
Location: Anaheim, CA

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Alex E » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:54 am

1983. So I guess that would be the first.
soundcloud.com/vectron

Top
alfadawg01
Junior Member
Junior Member
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:14 pm
Gear: Ensoniq SD1, Alesis Ion, iPad2 (running Animoog, Galileo Organ, iM1, iWavestation, Mellotronics M3000HD, & ThumbJam), Roland VR-09b.
Band: The Journey Worship Band
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Contact:
Contact alfadawg01

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by alfadawg01 » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:42 am

Oberheim Xpander, perhaps? 1984
Top
User avatar
Stab Frenzy
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 9723
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:41 pm
Gear: Eurorack, RYTM, Ultranova, many FX
Location: monster island*
Contact:
Contact Stab Frenzy

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Stab Frenzy » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:46 am

Alex E wrote:1983. So I guess that would be the first.
alfadawg01 wrote:Oberheim Xpander, perhaps? 1984
I'm pretty sure 1983 came before 1984.
Top
Cosmosis
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 22
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 4:21 am
Gear: Access Virus A - Roland JX-8P - Korg K25 controller - Korg EX800 - Kaysound controller - Roland TR-707.
Band: TASHA-YAR/R. Mötte/Agrabatti

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Cosmosis » Wed Feb 10, 2010 4:59 am

Stab Frenzy wrote:
Alex E wrote:1983. So I guess that would be the first.
alfadawg01 wrote:Oberheim Xpander, perhaps? 1984
I'm pretty sure 1983 came before 1984.
Are you sure????? :?

I do think it was the SX210.
Top
User avatar
soundxplorer
Active Member
Active Member
Posts: 280
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:48 am
Location: PA

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by soundxplorer » Wed Feb 10, 2010 5:59 am

The PPG Wave was a few years before that and it had a huge LCD screen. But I don't know if you could name patches on it. Never played one.
Top
User avatar
EmptySet
VSE Review Contributor
VSE Review Contributor
Posts: 474
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:33 am
Gear: MS20, x0xb0x, JV-1080, JX-3P, JX-8P(PG800), Juno Stage, VFX-SD, VL-1, ARP Omni I, D-50, DW6000
Location: Illinois, USA

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by EmptySet » Wed Feb 10, 2010 6:02 am

The DX7 was 1983 too, right?
Top
User avatar
Z
Synth Explorer
Synth Explorer
Posts: 3545
Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:08 am
Gear: Bubble wrap, Styrofoam, boxes, packing tape
Location: Docking Bay 94 (Dallas, TX)
Contact:
Contact Z

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Z » Wed Feb 10, 2010 10:56 am

soundxplorer wrote:The PPG Wave was a few years before that and it had a huge LCD screen. But I don't know if you could name patches on it. Never played one.
No patch naming on Wave 2.3. Not sure about its predecessors, but I'd guess no.
Top
User avatar
madtheory
Supporting Member!
Supporting Member!
Posts: 5399
Joined: Mon May 01, 2006 12:45 pm
Real name: Tomas Mulcahy
Gear: Wurlitzer Opus 1536, Model F, Morovdis Arpeggiator, Maplin My First EQ, Jeff Wayne Thunderchild rack, Thermostat, Buck Owens' Moog.
Location: Cork, Ireland
Contact:
Contact madtheory

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by madtheory » Wed Feb 10, 2010 11:36 am

Interesting question! I'd be very surprised if the Kawai was the first. Discounting synths with VDU terminals attached (synclavier, Fairlight etc.) it would have to be the DX1, because that came out before the DX7, didn't it?
Top
chowning87
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2006 12:02 am
Location: UK

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by chowning87 » Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:07 pm

The DX1 was released in 1984 one year after the DX7. I read in an old SOS article that the DX7/DX9 were the first synths to name patches. I think that the Kawai SX240 and the Obie Matrix weren't released till 84.
Top
User avatar
meatballfulton
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 6096
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2005 9:29 pm
Gear: Logic Pro X

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by meatballfulton » Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:23 am

Ok, which was the first to allow upper and lower case? ;)
I listened to Hatfield and the North at Rainbow. They were very wonderful and they made my heart a prisoner.
Top
User avatar
clusterchord
Active Member
Active Member
Posts: 742
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2005 8:35 pm
Real name: Tomislav
Band: Nimbus Dei
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Contact:
Contact clusterchord

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by clusterchord » Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:37 am

AFAIK it was original PPG Wave2, that came out in 1981:


Image
Image

jupiter · oberheim · prophet · sh · moog · andromeda · ppg wave · vs · waldorf · yamaha · eii · casio
rhodes · solina · acetone · eurorack · system100 · förster · lexicon · eventide · space echo · svc350 etc
Top
User avatar
Synthaholic
Expert Member
Expert Member
Posts: 1206
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:43 pm
Gear: Motif XS6, TX802, D-550, A6
Location: NH

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by Synthaholic » Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:53 am

meatballfulton wrote:Ok, which was the first to allow upper and lower case? ;)
The DX7 did but not from the panel. If you edited patches on a 'puter you could put in lower case. That changed with the DX7 II.

The D-50 let you enter lower-case. Don't know if it was the first.
Stab Frenzy wrote:I'm pretty sure 1983 came before 1984.
It did. I was there...
Two VCO: thanks to the push rods, one can choose several forms of waves at the same time!
(from a Babelfish translation of a Jupiter-6 site)

Yamaha: Motif XS6, TX802 Roland: D-550 Alesis: A6 Andromeda
Top
User avatar
soundxplorer
Active Member
Active Member
Posts: 280
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2007 4:48 am
Location: PA

Re: First synth to allow "naming" of patches?

Post by soundxplorer » Thu Feb 11, 2010 5:27 am

clusterchord wrote:AFAIK it was original PPG Wave2, that came out in 1981:
I thought we determined you couldn't name patches on the Wave.
It has a nice big display (for its time), and it certainly COULD have done it if they had wanted it to. But I think the screen is only for parameter display.

Image
Top
Post Reply

Return to “General Synthesizers”