The late 1980s and early 1990s were a time of great technological change, ushering in the digital era and bringing with it exciting new opportunities. Over the years, many digital synthesizers have emerged around the world that have changed the very idea of what a keyboard can do. Equipped with new and innovative synthesis techniques, these machines will forever change our soundscape and lay the foundation for the modern software instruments and effects we use today. Digital Synsations Volume 2 is the next step on our path to revisiting and retaining these revolutionaries, exploring the possibilities and uniqueness of three digital synthesizers from the 90s.
The influx of new synthesis techniques has given way to a multitude of phenomenal and unique synthesizers. In fact, so many have been released in such a short time that many really great keyboards have been lost sight of. We are passionate about discovering and exploring these gems as each one has a truly unique signature and many of them are lost in time. We are both proud and excited to share these sonic treasures with you. For some they will be a reunion, for others they will be completely new, in both cases we are looking forward to when their voices will again become alive like music.
With a deep understanding of the unique qualities of these machines, both their synthesis methods and signal paths, our sound engineers were able to identify the sound signatures of each synthesizer, developing a library of patches that clearly reflect the soul of each keyboard. These sounds are the basis for DS Volume 2. Over 20,000 professionally recorded samples used in 500 presets capture the authentic sounds and age-old digital character of these synthesizers. Now you can explore, tune and edit these classic synthesizers with all the comforts of a modern software instrument in your DAW of choice.
to work with the bank, the UVI Falcon tool is required
installation: copy the R2RUVI file from the R2R folder to C: \ ProgramData \ UVI \ R2R
A true dark horse, this synthesizer exclusively uses so-called “trans-wave synthesis”. With this synthesizer, the craftsmanship of its creators reached their climax – in fact, it was their last attempt before the American company went out of business. While it was heavily criticized when it was released for obvious flaws that did not match its competitors, a small group of savvy users accepted them. With an initial production of less than 2,000 units, they have acquired some kind of cult status. For DZmo, we’ve pushed the boundaries of this keyboard, delving into deep and highly personal tones and taking it a step further with the UVI engine, creating arousing and hypnotic patches that capture the soul of the original equipment.
One of the very few machines of the time that used additive synthesis, and to combine it with PCM streams, this keyboard was and remains a unique device. Perhaps due to the fact that this synthesizer is not sold for its luxurious sound quality, but for its workstation capabilities, production of this synthesizer was sadly limited before it was discontinued by Japanese manufacturers. By deeply immersing ourselves in the digital engine of this machine, we were able to create truly wild tones, from crisp and sharp notes to rich pads and surreal harmonic transitions.
This instrument – a Jedi synthesizer from the 90s – is in fact an alliance of two famous Japanese sister machines. Here, we combine the best of both worlds, using both the keyboard and its modular counterpart. These synthesizers have been used on countless hit records and have been embraced by artists such as Emerson Lake & Palmer, Depeche Mode, Laurent Garnier, The Prodigy and others. The original equipment was one of the first digital synthesizers to reintroduce multimode filters, and its ability to fold and tune patches and samples gave these machines a level of flexibility rarely seen. Capturing rich analog warmth, the DS-890 offers a fresh palette of powerful sounds – from thick and meaty bass to sparkling solos.
