Here's an article I wrote about about digital synthesizers (with larger version of timeline below):
Modern Digital Synthesizers


Last edited by vmachine on Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:16 am; edited 1 time in total

So you include the Fizmo but skip all of its predecessors? (VFX, VFX/SD, SD-1, TS-10/12) You also completely skipped how early digital synths either didn't have filters at all, or used analog filters because digital filters required too much processing power.

Yeah, lots to correct there. If you include the ESQ-1 (digital synths with analogue filter) then you should also include the OSCar. Also you include some samplers but not Fairlight.

Also please look up how to use "its" correctly, I found its (sic) misuse throughout the article quite irritating.

This is a general overview of digital synthesizers. It would've been endless to include every detail.

@Mr Ashe37
Regarding the VFX, I own it and it's unremarkable. It doesn't add anything interesting on top of the ESQ. I choose to put only landmark synthesizers on the timeline.

That's an interesting point you make about digital filters being too expensive early on.

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About the Oscar, it's DCO while the ESQ is wavetable. Different technologies. There are no DCO synthesizers on the timeline because DCO is closer to analog than digital. Since this article is focused on digital synthesis, it's the oscillator that's important, not whether the filter is analog or digital.

Also not sure which samplers you are talking about. There are no straight-up samplers on the timeline. Samplers are just an extension of sample playback (which is covered). From a technological standpoint, basic sampling doesn't add much to the development of digital synthesis. Granular synthesis and variphrase are a different story, but I don't think that's the type of sampler you are talking about.
Last edited by vmachine on Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:58 am; edited 1 time in total

Then I guess you haven't used the wavetables, which an ESQ cannot do. If the VFX is unremarkable, then why is the Fizmo, considering it is *all* wavetable synthesis?

Digital hardware synthesisers are definitely not endless in numbers and variety and so a greater attention to detail would be very welcome. For example you start with Synclavier as the first digital synth, but in fact RMI Harmonic Synthesizer got there first (and there may have been others - I'm not up to speed with my digital synth history). Is the RMI Harmonic Synthesizer insignificant? Not at all. Produced from 1974 - beating Synclavier by a few years - it was probably the first additive digital synth. Used by none other than Jarre Michele Jarre, so people do know about it.

I would love to see a more detailed account of digital synth history and development.
Last edited by himalaya on Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:07 am; edited 1 time in total

By the way. That timeline graphic can not be enlarged sufficiently to read the text, and all synth images are too blurred too see (or rather drool) comfortably.

If I am ever to update the timeline, it will probably include the RMI Harmonic Synth, DK Synergy, SID chip, and Kurzweil VAST. Maybe some soft synths as well.

This starts to become endless with the addition of DCO's, samplers, workstations, early supercomputers, soft synths, etc. By then, might as well include analog gear and make it complete.

There's a large version in the article that the link goes to.

Yes, that's the one I mean. It's too small.

Try viewing on a larger screen, or zooming. The resolution of the graphic is pretty high.

Just make a thorough timeline of digital hardware synths. It won't be endless, especially as DCO using synths like Juno 6/60 can be easily omitted.

I understand why you'd want to include landmark instruments only, but even with your current list you can't start with a sentence like : "Digital synthesizers got their commercial start in the late 70′s with the release of the Synclavier by New England Digital" because it is plainly not true.

Ah yes, sorry. I had my browser minimised a bit. Expanded fully now and it's ok.

I can read "Hartmann Nueron" and I'm not so sure it was called like that

Thanks George for catching that. Great soft synths by the way.