Cherry Audio Releases VM2500 Collection for Voltage Modular!
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 298 posts since 1 Oct, 2018
Cherry Audio and MRB are thrilled to announce the release of the VM2500 Collection, an incredible set of 21 modules for Voltage Modular virtual modular synthesizer platform that painstakingly recreates the coveted, and incredibly rare, vintage ARP 2500 modular synthesizer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR4KauOwtyM
[YouTube]eR4KauOwtyM[/YouTube]
An Early Innovator
Tonus Systems was founded in 1968 by engineer and businessman Alan R. Pearlman, with the “ARP” brand taken from his initials. At the time, Moog was the only other company producing voltage-controller analog synthesizers. Using cutting-edge space-race technology, Pearlman set out to improve upon existing Moog designs with the release of the massive 2500 series modular synths in 1970.
Because of their inherent temperature sensitivity, the tuning stability of early Moog oscillators wasn’t especially good. ARP was able to greatly increase tuning stability by encasing the oscillator modules in blocks of epoxy (with the added bonus of concealing the design from competitors and making servicing next-to-impossible). ARP also sought to eliminate the maze of panel-concealing patch cables inherent to Moog modulars. They accomplished this via a “matrix-patching” system - all module control and audio connections were internally connected to numerous twenty-position (!) slide switches above and below the single row of modules. Though the matrix switch system succeeded in eliminating cable-clutter, it was subject to crosstalk issues as the number of interconnected module signals increased, as well as additional issues as the switch contact surfaces wore out.
In its day, the 2500 was conceived as an innovative, price-is-no-object technological tour-de-force. Its designers used the very best components available to them, including high-fidelity op-amps for superior sound quality, cutting-edge logic chips for the sequencer modules, and more. As a result, the 2500 remains one of the fattest, punchiest analog synths ever made, but as a result of its sky-high price, only about 100 were produced during its roughly ten-year production run.
A Rarity Lives On
Cherry Audio and MRB have collaborated to deliver the 2500’s unique module features, stunning sound quality, and overall user experience to the Voltage Modular platform. All 18 modules originally produced for the ARP 2500 system have been recreated in perfect detail, plus a couple that were planned but never produced (including a full-function oscilloscope and a spring reverb) and a mixer module that never existed, but should have! We’ve eliminated the matrix-switch I/O scheme and replaced all connections with standard CV jacks, and added bi-polar CV attenuators to all modulation inputs for full compatibility with all Voltage Modular modules. But most importantly, the tremendous analog sound and unique features of the original modules have been retained in their entirety, with a few small tweaks to improve the practicality of these 50-year-old designs.
The recreation of the 2500 modules was a team effort, combining Cherry Audio’s extensive design experience with award-winning synth designer Mark Barton’s (MRB) DSP coding sorcery. The result is a virtual time machine of fat, impactful early electronic music history for the ears!
An Incredibly Affordable Legend
It has been estimated that there are roughly 50 functional ARP 2500 instruments remaining in the world, and these currently trade in the six-figure area (if you can ever find one for sale). The Cherry Audio/MRB VM2500 Collection for Voltage Modular includes all 21 modules, plus hundreds of presets and variations, for the crazy-affordable price of just $49, and it’s available now at the Cherry Audio store! A 7-day free trial for the VM2500 Collection is also available.
If you’re not already a Voltage Modular user, the Voltage Modular Nucleus bundle is available free for Windows and macOS, in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and in standalone formats.
- Dan @ Cherry Audio
P.S. Join us for a Live Stream on Friday, April 16th, at 1PM PDT to learn more about the VM2500 Collection. We'll explore some creative, awe-inspiring ways to wire up our new VM2500 Collection modules!
https://youtu.be/-yjWlnc1BHM
- KVRAF
- 8826 posts since 6 Jan, 2017 from Outer Space
Good move, as there is only one modeled 2500 on the market yet... A standalone/vst version could have the matrix, is it planned as well?
- KVRAF
- 35276 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
Is there - do you mean the Behringer? (which appears also to have ditched the matrix - I presume so as to integrate it into Eurorack)Tj Shredder wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:39 am Good move, as there is only one modeled 2500 on the market yet
- KVRAF
- 8826 posts since 6 Jan, 2017 from Outer Space
- KVRAF
- 7745 posts since 13 Jan, 2003 from Darkest Kent, UK
I hope there was a little sarcasm intended there.
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- KVRian
- 778 posts since 17 Nov, 2015 from Yuma
i recently heard a demonstration of an arp2500 on youtube and imo it sounded more pleasant for my ears than the arp2600, but i still have no clue why so...
hope this set will be able to translate that pleasence
hope this set will be able to translate that pleasence
[aˈtoːm] [aːl] [ˈa(ː)tonaːl] III + II
https://soundcloud.com/atonalatomiceel https://soundcloud.com/user-628555238
https://soundcloud.com/atonalatomiceel https://soundcloud.com/user-628555238
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gentleclockdivider gentleclockdivider https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=203660
- KVRAF
- 6103 posts since 22 Mar, 2009 from gent
Let me know if the synced osc's alias ?
Eyeball exchanging
Soul calibrating ..frequencies
Soul calibrating ..frequencies
- KVRian
- 1166 posts since 11 Jan, 2006 from Pittsburgh
Funny you should mention that. I remember reading a little Moog newsletter back around 1976, and Bob Moog mentioned checking out a synth from one of their competitors that had a pretty good sounding filter. When they opened it up, the filter circuit was encased in...you guessed it, epoxy. They managed to cut away the epoxy, and lo and behold, inside was the Moog ladder filter. It's not hard to figure out which competitor Dr. Bob was talking about.
Oddly, ARP steadfastly refused to do anything else the way Moog did it, which shows in the really poor attempts at pitchbend and modulation. Even the PPC on later instruments really didn't seem all that great, at least I don't remember it being all that good on the instruments I worked with.
ARP's instruments did sound good, though. I hope to try out these modules this weekend.
- KVRAF
- 35276 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
Thanks - that one was new to meTj Shredder wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 11:44 amNo, Behringer is hardware. I mean this:
http://niclasen.name/G2500/G2500.html
- KVRAF
- 35276 posts since 14 Sep, 2002 from In teh net
SneakyDocAtlas wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:36 pmFunny you should mention that. I remember reading a little Moog newsletter back around 1976, and Bob Moog mentioned checking out a synth from one of their competitors that had a pretty good sounding filter. When they opened it up, the filter circuit was encased in...you guessed it, epoxy. They managed to cut away the epoxy, and lo and behold, inside was the Moog ladder filter. It's not hard to figure out which competitor Dr. Bob was talking about.
- KVRAF
- 7745 posts since 13 Jan, 2003 from Darkest Kent, UK
This still happens in the 'boutique' guitar pedal world. People reverse engineer (ie. chip away the goop) a pedal to just find another tube screamer with maybe tiny variations in component values.
- KVRAF
- 8826 posts since 6 Jan, 2017 from Outer Space
I bet a tube (screamer) in epoxy sounds better than it smells...
- KVRian
- 710 posts since 9 Apr, 2005 from Japan
Given how rare the originals are, I'm curious whether Cherry actually had access to the real hardware for this. If not, is this sort of an approximation based on the schematics?
Stormchild
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- KVRAF
- 3735 posts since 17 Sep, 2016
As far as I know, schematics should never be "approximate".
Windows 10 and too many plugins