Elta Music has shared new photos and details for their Solar 50 Big Ambient Machine, a new 10-voice, 50 oscillator synthesizer.
Elta Music describes the Solar 50 as a “performance oriented analogue electronic music instrument”, inspired by early electronic musical developments of the last century, particularly Leon Theremin’s Harmonium.
The Solar 50’s design is not designed to be used like a regular polysynth, but to explore more electroacoutic/experimental territory.
You play the Solar 50 via touch pad controllers. It also offers a variety of CV inputs, which can can connect to modular gear.
The Solar 50 features 10 voices. Each voice consists of 5 simple saw oscillators (2 low, 2 middle, 1 high) with a pitch controller and a mute button.
The Solar 50’s Effector Block supports effects cartridges, each of which offers 3 effects. 12 cartridges are available, which offer delay, pitch delay, reverb, shimmer, tremolo, chorus, flanger, phaser and filter effects. These are based on the popular Spin Semiconductor FV-1 platform, so programmers can also create their own custom effects.
Features:
- 120 control pot’s
- 114 switches
- 50 CV – minijack’s
- 10 photo sensor modulation blocks
- 10 voices per 5 oscillators inch voice
- 50 saw oscillators
- CV – effects cartridge processor
- 12 dB analog CV-Filter
- Envelope follower/ gate detector
- Two independent LFO’s
- Contact microphone
- Headphones amp
- 12 sensor keys
- AUDIO connectors 6,3 mm JACK’s
- External audio input
- External guitar/mic input
- Two DRY outputs
- Wet output
The photos are of the final Solar 50 engineering prototype.
A video demo of the final prototype is in the works. In the meantime, here is a video demo of an earlier prototype:
Pricing and Availability
The Elta Music Solar 50 is expected to be available starting in June. It’s available to pre-order for 990 Euro (or dollar equivalent).
WOW!!! Some really fantastic designs are coming out of Russia, these days. First from Soma, now this one. I’m looking forward to more videos!
Great to see something different.
new levels of GAS…
The video would be better without the voice over that only repeats what is printed in the specs above. Not bad for $1070.
I GOTTA get me one of these!
Im impressed by the sound…also nice playing with 4 hands when ur wife is sitting naked at ur lap :p
i hope she has GAS
People yell for “new” & “innovative” a lot. Here’s a great example for a mere $1000 or so. Its only IMO, but the feel says Elta Music has some real passion for the odd fringe of design, so it comes across as a serious tool. The mini connectors are worrisome- it IS an MS-20-like semi-modular- but that sound has the right authority. Arturia Microfreak fans will be GASing over it for sure.