iVCS3 vs Zeeon synth

iVCS3 Official EMS VCS3 emulator The VCS3 was created in 1969 by Peter Zinovieff's EMS company. The electronics were largely designed by David Cockerell and the machine's distinctive visual appearance was the work of electronic composer Tristram Cary. The VCS3 was more or less the first portable commercially available synthesizer—portable in the sense that the VCS 3 was housed entirely in a small, wooden case. The VCS3 was quite popular among progressive rock bands and was used on recordings by The Alan Parsons Project, Jean Michel Jarre, Hawkwind, Brian Eno (with Roxy Music), King Crimson, The Who, Gong, and Pink Floyd, among many others. Well-known examples of its use are on The Who track "Won't Get Fooled Again" (as an external sound processor, in this case with Pete Townshend running the signal of a Lowrey Organ through the VCS3's filter and low frequency oscillators) on Who's Next. Pink Floyd's "On the Run" (from The Dark Side of the Moon) made use of its oscillators, filter and noise generator, as well as the sequencer. Their song Welcome to the Machine also used the VCS3. The bassy throb at the beginning of the recording formed the foundation of the song, with the other parts being recorded in response. The VCS3 was also a staple at the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, and was a regular (and most frightening) sound generator for the Dr Who TV series. Many fo the monsters and atmoshere;s created for the show came directly from the VCS3. Description The VCS3 has three oscillators (in reality, the first 2 oscillators are normal oscillators and the 3rd an LFO or Low Frequency Oscillator), a noise generator, two input amplifiers, a ring modulator, a 18dB/octave (pre-1974) or 24dB/octave (after 1974) voltage controlled low pass filter (VCF), a trapezoid envelope generator, joy-stick controller, voltage controlled spring reverb unit and 2 stereo output amplifiers. Unlike most modular synthesizer systems which use cables to link components together, the VCS3 uses a distinctive patch board matrix into which pins are inserted in order to connect its components together. Keyboards controller DK1 keyboard controller Although the VCS3 is often used for generating sound effects due to lack of built-in keyboard, there were external keyboard controllers for melodic play. The DK1 in 1969 was an early velocity sensitive monophonic keyboard for VCS3 with an extra VCO and VCA. Later it was extended for duophonic play, as DK2, in 1972. Also in 1972, Synthi AKS was released, and its digital sequencer with a touch-sensitive flat keyboard, KS sequencer, and its mechanical keyboard version, DKS, were also released. (See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCS3)

Zeeon is a virtual-analog synthesizer built on a deeply detailed circuit-modeling engine. We’ve studied classic and modern analog synths to uncover what gives them their unmistakable character and recreated that essence with precision. The result is a unique instrument that delivers the warmth, movement, and organic depth of true hardware. While many emulations sound flat, Zeeon breathes. Every note is alive, with tight lows and shimmering highs. All audio and modulation are processed at 176 kHz (4× oversampling) for uncompromised quality across the entire spectrum. “Desktop-class sound engine … fidelity of this analog emulation goes beyond everything else on iOS.” – App Store review Features • Audio Unit v3 and standalone application with a simple polyphonic step sequencer • Powerful modulation matrix offering self-modulation and cross-layer modulation, 8 modulation slots, 17 signal sources and 41 targets available, both from modulation modules and audio signal path. This takes Zeeon into semi-modular territory. Imagine oscillator waveform, panning, filter cutoff, resonance or LP-HP mode modulated by oscillators or another layer! • 2 oscillators with continuously variable waveforms, hard-sync and sub-oscillator. Carefully simulated analog drift and PSU influence. • Filter: 3 models available: Transistor ladder low pass, OTA cascade low pass and State Variable Filter with continuously variable LP-HP + BP mode. • 2 low frequency oscillators and envelope generators per voice. • Overdrive: diode clipper, transistor saturation, wave folder, pre and post filter. • Up to 2 layers per voice. Layers can modulate each other. • Effects unit: Circuit modelled BBD chorus, bass booster, zero-delay Phaser, Stereo delay and Reverb. • 280 presets and Tutorials bank. 3 additional banks available as IAPs. Full manual and audio demos available at the BeepStreet website.