iVCS3 vs Chamberlin

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)

This is the official and the only Chamberlin app with sounds from the original library. It contains 8 sounds from both the Chamberlin library and an emulation of the sound characteristics of the M1 Chamberlin. This instrument supports Core Midi, Audiobus output (Audiobus 2 & 3) and midi input (Audiobus 3 only). The Chamberlin is a keyboard instrument that, like the Mellotron, uses magnetic tape to play back recordings where each key has one tape. When you press a key, the tape starts and the corresponding pre-recorded note or sound is played back. When you release the key the tape is quickly rewound back to the start point. Invented in 1950 by the American, Harry Chamberlin, it became popular among recording musicians when it was manufactured in the UK as the Mellotron (a hyphenation of "melody-electronics"). Before the introduction of digital samplers, this was the only way for keyboardists to play real instrument sounds like strings, flutes, rhythm ensembles and sound effects from a keyboard instrument. Few people know about Chamberlins and Mellotrons, but almost everybody has heard the sounds they produce. Among the most well-known tracks are BeatIes "Strawberry Fields Forewer" (Mellotron flute), Moody Blues "Nights in White Satin" (Mellotron 3 violins), Oasis "Wonderwall" (Mellotron cello), Radiohead "Exit Music for a Film" (Mellotron choir), Lana del Rey "Ride" (Chamberlin flute), Air Soundtrack to "Virgin Suicides" (Chamberlin Female Voice), GOTYE "Somebody That I Used to Know" (Chamberlin flute). We at Mellotron.com have collected, conserved and improved Mellotrons since 1989, and have been making tape Mellotrons since 1999 (the MkVI and MkVII). Please check out our websites www.mellotron.com and www.digitalmellotron.com for a more complete history, real hardware instruments, our new digital M4000D series of instruments and the Mellotron Micro, tapes from the original masters, parts, service and lots of more info.