The Synclavier is a digital synthesizer, a device that can play multiple notes at once and record sounds digitally, and a tool used for creating and playing music. It was made by New England Digital Corporation in Norwich, Vermont. The Synclavier was produced in different versions from the late 1970s until the early 1990s. Many famous musicians used it. In 2004, it was added to the TECnology Hall of Fame, an award given to "products and innovations that have had a lasting impact on the development of audio technology."

History

The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype took place at Dartmouth College with the help of Jon Appleton, a professor of Digital Electronics, Sydney A. Alonso, and Cameron Jones, a software programmer and student at Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering.

First released in 1977–78, the Synclavier became very important to electronic music composers and music producers, including Mike Thorne, who used it early in the commercial music industry. This was because of its ability to do many different things, its advanced technology, and its unique sounds.

The Synclavier used a method called additive synthesis. This involved combining the outputs of many digital sine wave oscillators to create complex sounds. These oscillators produced the main pitch and its related harmonic tones. Controls on the front panel allowed users to adjust the volume and shape of each oscillator's sound. New England Digital Corporation (NED) created a special 16-bit central processor called Able, which acted like a small computer. This was needed because additive synthesis required a lot of computing power. The sounds created by additive synthesis were somewhat thin and best suited for steady sounds like vibrating strings (such as violin, harp, or guitar). It was not good for making sounds with quick, sharp starts, like percussion. To solve this, NED added a feature called "timbre frame synthesis" and allowed an optional FM synthesis module. The sampler recorded outside sounds and stored them as files. Most standard Synclavier sounds were made by recording real instruments or human voices. Four layers of sound files or partial tones could be mixed to create more complex sounds, such as combining a percussion sample with three brass instrument samples to make a sharper start. If the FM synthesis module was added, a separate harmonic envelope feature was used, allowing for more dynamic sounds.

Only about 20 Synclavier I models were made. These were mostly sold to universities. Early models included only a computer and synthesis modules; later models added a musical keyboard and control panel.

The system improved in its next version, the Synclavier II, released in early 1980. Music producer Denny Jaeger of Oakland, California, greatly influenced this version. Jaeger suggested expanding the FM synthesis concept to allow four separate sound channels to be triggered by pressing one key, which made the final sound richer in harmonics. This change greatly improved the system's sound quality and was easily noticed. In 1982, 16-bit user sampling (originally only in mono) became an option. This model was later replaced by the ABLE Model C computer-based PSMT in 1984, followed by the Mac-based 3200, 6400, and 9600 models, all of which used the VPK keyboard.

Synclavier II models used a simple on/off keyboard (later called the ORK). Later models, labeled simply as Synclavier, used a weighted keyboard (called the VPK) that responded to how hard or softly keys were pressed. This keyboard was licensed from Sequential Circuits and used in their Prophet-T8 synthesizer.

The company continued improving the system in the early 1980s by adding the first 16-bit digital sampling system to magnetic disks and later a 16-bit polyphonic sampling system to memory. The company's product was the only digital sampling system that could record sounds at speeds as high as 100 kHz.

Eventually, the system was called the Synclavier Digital Recording Tapeless Studio system by many professionals. It helped change how movie and television sound effects and Foley effects were created, starting at Glen Glenn Sound. Although the high cost made it unavailable for most musicians (ranging from $25,000 to $200,000), it was widely used by producers and professional studios, competing with systems like the Fairlight CMI.

When the company developed its technology, there were no ready-made computers, software, or sound cards available. Therefore, all hardware, including the main real-time CPU, input/output cards, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog cards, and memory cards, were created internally. All software was also developed by the company. This technology was used in areas unrelated to music, such as Dartmouth College's campus-wide computing network and medical research projects.

New England Digital stopped operating in 1993. According to Jones, "The intellectual property was bought by a bank—then it was owned by a Canadian company called Airworks—and I bought the intellectual property and the trademark back from a second bank, which had taken control of it from Airworks."

In 2019, Jones released an iOS version of the Synclavier called Synclavier Go! using much of the original code. Jones also worked with Arturia to create a software version of the Synclavier, called Synclavier V, for the Arturia V Collection plugin suite.

In 2022, Synclavier Digital began producing the Regen, a desktop FM synthesizer.

Models and options

• Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer (1973)

• ABLE computer (1975): an early product from New England Digital, was a 16-bit minicomputer built on two cards. It used a version of XPL called Scientific XPL for programming. The ABLE computer was first used for laboratory automation, data collection, and controlling devices. The commercial version of the Dartmouth Digital Synthesizer, called the Synclavier, was built using this processor.

• The waveforms are created by the Synclavier Synthesizer cards (named SS1 through SS5). Each group of these five cards produced 8 mono voices (later versions supported stereo). The processor sends commands such as start, stop, setPitch, and setParameter to the SS card set(s). It also handles keyboard and control panel scanning. Public information about these cards is limited because their design was a special feature of the Synclavier. However, their structure was similar to other digital synthesizers from the mid- to late-1970s that used Medium Scale Integration (MSI) hardware, like the Bell Labs Digital Synthesizer.

• Synclavier I (1977) Hand Operated Processor (HOP box): a tool for fixing problems in the Synclavier system, connected to the ABLE computer through a D01 Front Panel Interface Card.

• HOP box and D01 card (for interface)
• Terminal: ADM-3A (1975)

• Synclavier II (1980): used 8-bit additive synthesis, sampling, and FM synthesis. It had a 32-track memory recorder and an ORK keyboard. Earlier models were controlled only by the ORK keyboard with buttons and a wheel. Later, a VT100 terminal was added for editing performances. Some models included a VT640 graphic terminal for analyzing audio visually. Original Keyboard (ORK, c.1979): the first musical keyboard controller, made of wood, with buttons and a silver control wheel. Sample-to-Disk (STD, c.1982): the first commercial hard disk sampler, capable of 16-bit sampling up to 50 kHz. Sample-to-Memory (STM): an option to record and edit sounds in computer memory. Direct-to-Disk (DTD, c.1984): an early commercial hard disk recording system. Signal File Manager: a software program used with the VT640 graphic terminal, allowing additive resynthesis and detailed audio analysis. Digital Guitar Interface, SMPTE timecode tracking, MIDI interface.

• Rear panel of Synclavier II
• ORK: Original Keyboard (c.1980)
• Terminal: DEC VT100 (1978) / VT640

• Synclavier PSMT (1984): a faster system based on the ABLE Model C processor, featuring real-time digitally controlled analog signal routing and a 16-bit RAM-based stereo sampling subsystem. The monaural FM voice card was upgraded, and software panning for stereo output was added. Velocity/Pressure Keyboard (VPK, c.1984): a keyboard with weighted keys and pressure sensitivity, made of black piano lacquer, with a larger display, extra buttons, and a silver control wheel.

• Synclavier PSMT rack
• VPK panel (2 of 6)
• VPK: Velocity Pressure Keyboard (1984)

From about 1987 to 1993: operated using a Macintosh II as a terminal.

• Synclavier 3200 (1985)
• Synclavier 6400 (1987?)
• Synclavier 9600 (1988)
• Synclavier TS (Tapeless Studio): includes the Synclavier and Direct-to-Disk
• Synclavier Post Pro: includes Direct-to-Disk
• Synclavier Post Pro SD (Sound Design): includes a smaller Synclavier and Direct-to-Disk