3-Oscillator Per Voice Polysynths??

[Bitexion]

What good are free-running DCOs if they're all perfectly in tune? Being digitally out of phase isn't as good as being slightly out of tune!

That's what sucked about the Juno-106 unison mode. Just made the sound alot louder, not fatter since they were all perfectly in tune. A tiny bit of drift would have changed it into something awesome.

[HideawayStudio]

What good are free-running DCOs if they're all perfectly in tune? Being digitally out of phase isn't as good as being slightly out of tune!

Don't forget that the high frequency (typ. 500KHz,1MHz or 2MHz) master oscillators in most DCO synths are analog at the end of the day which means they free run and are slightly unstable. The reason for this is that in most cases any frequency modulation effects such as vibrato or even FM or cross modulation can be relatively easily implemented with a high degree of fluidity by using a VCO based HF master oscillator with its own modulation source mixer taking CV channels from analog pitch bend, LFO as well as the outputs of other oscillators for cross modulation.

If you have multiple HF master oscillators then even when the digital counters are set to the same period there will still be a natural beating effect because its impossible to set the HF oscillators to precisely the same frequency unless there is a mode to deliberately lock to one master oscillator (which is implemented in the better DCO designs in patches were phase accuracy is important) - however- sadly so many cut corners by sharing the same master oscillator for every counter-timer. Thankfully some didn't go this far and implemented multiple HF oscillators knowing that the result would be more musical.

For example - Mario Maggi used four independent VCO based HF oscillators each with their own analog modulation CV sources in the Synthex and the early Oberheim DCOs had multiple master oscillators too.

Sadly, many didn't go this extra step and the Juno-106 is such an example where all the counter-timer channels were phase locked to the same master oscillator.

[nathanscribe]

A side-note about the Lambda's implementation: not only does it have three independent oscillators providing clocks for its three separate divide-down circuits, each oscillator receives differently-phased modulation from a multiple-output LFO. The vibrato on this thing is thick.

[HideawayStudio]

A side-note about the Lambda's implementation: not only does it have three independent oscillators providing clocks for its three separate divide-down circuits, each oscillator receives differently-phased modulation from a multiple-output LFO. The vibrato on this thing is thick.

The PE-2000 and PS-3300 did something similar and even the PE-1000 with its crazy oscillator per key architecture has a very clever trick up its sleeve which I've never seen before whereby the keyboard is split into three and not only variably detuned across the three splits but three separate free-running vibrato channels drive them to create an ensemble effect which is particularly effective with the variable octave layering control. Its quite simply the most bizarre and wonderfully unique polysynth Korg ever made in my opinion.

So it seems Korg took ideas from both the PS and PE series when they came up with the Lambda.

Out all the big name synth manufacturers I think Korg was the one making by far the most quirky and characterful instruments during that era.

[nathanscribe]

Compromised as it is in some ways, the Lambda uses some clever design. I particularly like how the 3 oscillators are assigned depending on which sounds are selected. Nicely thought out stuff.

I've not really looked into the PE models, but that sounds intriguing...

[Automatic Gainsay]

"Compromised?"
How? How is this a "compromised" string synth?
Come on, Nathanscribe.

[Walter Ego]

Out all the big name synth manufacturers I think Korg was the one making by far the most quirky and characterful instruments during that era.

I think that goes for Korg in general during that era!

[nathanscribe]

"Compromised?"
How? How is this a "compromised" string synth?
Come on, Nathanscribe.

Only in ways you'd ecxpect a stringer to be compromised. Single 'paraphonic' (dare I even say that word? :p) retriggering Brass filter envelope, awkward panning of chorussed/non-chorussed audio outputs, presets per side on/off only with no individual mix controls... overall the Lambda is pretty damn great, and I don't consider it 'compromised' as a whole, but being a stringer there are a couple of the usual workarounds, that's all I meant.