iVCS3 vs SpectralLab

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)

SpectralLab is a hands-on toolkit for spectral harmony in the Grisey/Murail tradition. Explore the harmonic series as a playable drone, record or import real sound and decompose it into its partials with on-device FFT analysis, then sculpt spectral chords with breathing LFOs and a Hammond-style drawbar interface — sounded either through a pure additive synth or a 16-band EQ run through your own recording. Chain chords into step sequences, export MIDI with microtonal pitch bend preserved, and study the technique through interactive references to the composers who pioneered it — tap "Try it" on Stockhausen, Grisey, Scelsi, or throat-singing tradition and hear the idea instantly, not just read about it. Whether you're a composition student studying spectral music or a sound designer who wants to hear harmonic ratios instead of just reading about them, SpectralLab turns the math of the overtone series into something you can see, hear, and play. • Harmonic series visualizer with true-pitch playback against a drone • Record/import audio, analyzed via on-device FFT — no data ever leaves your device • Drawbar chord builder: True Harmonic vs. Equal Temperament A/B toggle • Per-partial LFOs, pencil-draw mode, and a live harmonograph-style visualization • Step sequencer for chord progressions, synth or real-audio EQ playback • Standard MIDI export with pitch bend preserving true tuning • Theory tab: interactive references to Stockhausen, Grisey, Murail, Scelsi, Harvey, Partch, and more