Synclavier Q&A and Patch Creation 

I owned 4 Synclaviers including a full 9600 and D2D. I was very lucky to have been part of a great group of amazing people who really used these machines at their highest level. FM synthesis was just a small part of the overall but I appreciate you posting this. My memory of the Synclav is the ease with which complexity and detail came together. The fluidity of the keyboard interface that was doing things with access to as little as 64mg of ram and 32 voices and then later using D2d for tracking. I loved the years I spent working with these machines and am still convinced there is still nothing comparable.

It didn’t just help me to learn more about the Synclavier. It also helped me to learn more about additive synthesis. It is 6 June 2024 as a comment. Tomorrow, I am set to take delivery of an ASM Hydrasynth Explorer. I hope that its FM features will be comprehensive to me after watching videos like this one.

Synclavier stuff is always more than welcome!

According to Wolfgang from Kraftwerk the Synclavier pretty much spelt the end of Kraftwerk because it was so complicated that it took them years to learn how to use it in which time no music was being recorded and released. He says he got fed up waiting and left.

Appreciate the Synclavier content, your patches really bring out the unique character of that amazing machine.

we had one in college and couldn’t believe how clear it could sound…..also pretty sure I recognized a bit of Doctor Who incidental music at 12 minutes in. Full circle indeed!

It sounds a lot like the budget FM synths from Yamaha like the DX27 or DX100.

Thank you for sharing! Sounds wonderful and great demo. I have one of these I have been unable to get running. I completely restored the keybed (feels great!) and cleaned inside and out. I may be listing on Reverb soon for someone who may be able to fix.

Such a beautiful sounding synth. I would LOVE to own one. All I have is the UVI and Arturia VSTs.

I understand now why NED is selling "the knob". :-)

Been waiting for you to bring this back out, I have the Arturia version and lust over this synth often

It's amazing to consider how much these cost when they were released! Obviously things have moved on a lot since then, and even I can hear the slight noise in the DACs - and I'm not known for razor ears. But it was revolutionary in its day, for sure. What's the maximum number of voices the system can support, just out of interest?

Question, is the black bar on top of the Synclavier a pitch bend like the CS-80?

Would love it if the ORK could act as a direct controller for the Arturia Synclavier V. It’s just so beautiful to look at.

Hello Mike Thanks so much for your new Synclavier video ❤

Such a beautiful instrument! Wish I could afford one…

Now I understand where "The Fires Of Ork" title came from 🙂

Fascinating synth. Always wondered what exactly it is: sample player or FM synth...

Interesting, was that reverb from the synclav? Have you tried REGEN lately, if you have may i ask for your appreciation compared to an original? i mean soundwise not regarding options... thx

Fascinating - never really understood the Synclavier - have the Arturia which I love BUT this is so interesting….love to catch up sometime - are you on Oz? (I’m in NZ but work in Sydney a lot)… JPMusic

When trying to hunt down a vintage unit, how do you know what, of the man flavors and variations, you are looking at? I lusted after that system ever since I was a teen back in the early 80s. That, and the original Moog modular are the two synths that I wished I could have had access to. Nowadays, I have a virtual version form Arturia running in my DAW, and a standalone version running on my iPad. As fun as they are, there really is no substitution for the original hardware that these plugins, by virtue of being software, just don't have.

I wonder if all those eBay ORKs came from people buying systems for the voice cards to beef up their own system? Sacrilege I know, but it would be cool to gut a keyboard, turn it into a MIDI controller, and use the LEDs for a light show of sorts.

I love how the Synclavier just has one very large knob on it.

Hey and where to get a synclavier today ? And its Sound great 👌👍😎

Did they ever release Midi for this particular system? Do you have the sampling option as well?

Why don't you showcase the frame envelope where it crossfades between the different frames of a partial ,

Is there any chance you can show what the back panel connectors can do? How could pedals alter the sound etc? I cant find anything on this. Someone needs to show that bit of history!

Great video!

Thank you!!!! More on main frame and accessories SVP!!!

Wow never knew you could hit the same button multiple times to changes things

I’ve been watching the Anthony Marinelli Music channel on the Synclavier (by the way did you realize you spelled it wrong in the title … forgot the “i”) and this video just got recommended. I’m starting to think this synth needs a re-release (I would want a few analog filter options), stereo panning, and some really nice built in effects … ok that’s my wish list, but it would be mostly all digital but the filters and probably wouldn’t need to be too expensive. It is mostly digital and the CPU needed to run it I’m sure is super cheap nowadays.

3:53 I thought it was my Skype :)

Thanks a lot for that!

Is the massive reverb from the Synclavier?

The only synth i regret selling

its heavy