ARTURIA V COLLECTION 6

Retro synth lovers, prepare to get excited – Arturia’s vault of vintage synth emulations gets four new additions to the roster. Get up to speed with our history lesson and hands-on tutorials

Get up to speed with VC6’s awesome new synths

In their ongoing quest to provide us with every cool keyboard we could never afford, Arturia have added a killer quartet to their ever- expanding V Collection. Version 6 of the Gallic grab bag adds bang- on interpretations of four legendary digital, analogue and electromagnetic keyboards. From the far- out funk tones of the snappy Hohner Clavinet and a brain-bending Buchla brainchild to a digital duo that defined the 80s, this update spans three full decades.

The Hohner Clavinet first hit the scene in 1964, but it didn’t make a big splash until the end of the decade, when it was used by such disparate artists as Garth Hudson ( The Band) and, of course, Stevie Wonder.

Similarly, Don Buchla’s unusual all- in- one analogue Music Easel didn’t exactly threaten Minimoog sales when it was released in 1973. Nevertheless, it would be cherished by a few outsiders before being rediscovered by analogue aficionados, and eventually re-issued by the company that bears Buchla’s name. Expressive and expensive, Arturia’s Easel V truly brings this awesome oddity to the masses.

All- but- unobtainable upon its release – unless, of course, you were backed by a major label – the Fairlight CMI was one of the very first dedicated computer music systems. Featuring what was then- cuttingedge synthesis and sequencing, it shook up the industry with its ability to record and play back samples. Elegant white cabinetry and a glowing CRT (with a light pen!) made this awesome Aussie export a true icon of the MTV age.

The Fairlight CMI came at a ghastly price of $ 40,000 – and that was just to start! A more down- to- earth digital option came courtesy of Yamaha, whose FM- based DX7 became the first synthesiser to experience what might be called ‘ blockbuster’ sales figures. A truly massive success, its chiming electric piano patches and sharp, spiky basses were the perfect antidote to a decade of nothin’ but analogue electronics.

Each and every one of these instruments were unusual for their time, and went about things in an individual way. As such, they can be real head- scratchers for the uninitiated. With all of that in mind, then, what better time to take you step- by- step through the basics.

Let’s turn the page, and begin with the exquisitely experimental Easel V.