2007 Winter NAMM Show: Arturia, a company known for its software emulations of classic synths, has announced Origin, a hardware synth that features their software emulations of classic synth hardware.
It sounds a little confusing, but what Arturia has done is put the flexibility of their software synths into a hardware package.
Origin is loaded with modules based on some of the best synthesizers of all time (Moog
Modular, ARP 2600, CS-80, Minimoog and Prophet VS). Origin lets you combine these modules and benefit from the additional possibilities put onboard. The result, according to the company, is a new type of sound accessible through an extremely intuitive interface.
Origin is not a simple Hardware synthesizer, it is an integrated system offering the best out of the hardware and software worlds. Origin can be used stand alone to play live on stage and also as a plug-in with your sequencer in the studio environment.
“For us, the Origin project has been extremely challenging and exciting” said Frédéric Brun, President of Arturia. “We set a very high goal to bring a solution that would offer the best of everything we have today: ergonomics, stability and performances of the hardware; efficient integration within the sequencer programs, extensibility and evolutionary of the software.
From our preview at NAMM, we were impressed. Here’s the details on Origin:
Origin uses two Analog Devices TigerSHARC DSP processors that have more audio power than even the newest multi core PC processors.
“We are thrilled that the innovative company Arturia is using our TigerSHARC processor to power its first hardware synthesizer,” said John Croteau, General Manager, Convergent Platforms and Services Group, Analog Devices, Inc. “Whether live on stage or in studio recording, professional musicians and their fans will hear the results that TigerSHARC audio performance brings to this amazing new standalone synth design.”
Origin takes the concept of the analog modular systems of the past to a new level using cutting edge digital technology. You can pick the oscillators from the Prophet VS, the filters from the Minimoog and the Bode shifter from the Moog Modular V to create your own synth. But, while you can design synthesizers that have never existed before, Origin also lets you open existing templates that can be….well… a Minimoog, a CS-80, a Moog Modular or an ARP 2600.
The Multi mode lets you play up to 4 synthesizers at the same time. You can layer them to create amazing sounds, split a keyboard or use Origin as a source for 4 different tracks in your sequencer. In addition, the Macro mode allows you to control the 4 synths at the same time, making Origin one single instrument. When you know that each of these synths can be as big as the Moog Modular V, you get a glimpse at the power beneath this beast.
Features
- Create your own patch or use an existing audio structure: an Origin patch made by connecting independent modules, or the minimoog V, the ARP 2600, the CS-80, the Moog Modular.
- Up to 32 voices of polyphony for a typical patch
- More than 500 presets created by talented musicians and synthesizer specialists
- Superb audio quality with TAE® engine. 24 bits/96 kHz supported.
- Compatibility with most of the presets from the Arturia classic virtual analog synthesizers.
- Origin lets you open dedicated software on your Mac and PC and use it as an AU or VST plug-in. All the sounds are calculated on the machine while you work on your computer, as you would do with a native application.
- Analog: 2 audio ins, 10 audio outs. Digital: SPDIF out, USB 2.0
- Large selection of effects: Phaser, Chorus, Delay, FX Reverbs, Distortion, Param Eq, Compressor,Bitcrusher,…
- 16/32 step sequencer
- Innovative Macro, Advanced LFO, Advanced modulation modes, Advanced Joysick modes,…
- MIDI : In, Out, Thru or USB 2
Pricing/Availability
- MSRP : $2999 / € 2299
- MAP : $2499 / €1999
- Available September 2007
