Do you think we'll ever see a return or at least a one off of an analog string machine again? I know Waldorf brought out a digital module emulating the sounds of it but I mean Korg's ARP department bringing out a new Solina or something.
There's something really interesting about those Crumar, Elka and Logan string/orchestra machines. They have a really strange sound to them that I really dig.
The Streichfett is not perfect (e.g., octave notes duplicate the underlying pitches, unlike a true divide-down network might), but it sure sounds pretty good. With external effects, it hits well above its price point.
My word, do they ever! I bought one recently and it's almost put the Blofeld out of work. Bung it though a 4Pole with some analogue drums behind it and it's 808State sans the rainforest samples and sax-e-mo-sizer. I've yet to put it through any of my synth's external ins, though it should be a bit of fun through an Evolver. I'm not too sure how nicely a band-pass would go over it but a high-pass should work well.
The onboard reverb and phaser are nice though can be too much together but Waldorf mention this in the manual, the strange people they are.
After passing it thought the 4Pole I started pining for an analogue machine but then remembered, I have no room for one.....
They have some idiosyncrasies that some won't like, such as this odd aliasing in the release which seems might be Waldorf's idea of replicating the noise inherent in old (and some new) electronics. I like it much better than hiss. If I have to criticise, the wavetable could be wider so sweeping was smoother.
I've often wondered about, and wished for, the same thing. I'd really like to have again one of those classic string synthesizers. But their outstanding weakness is that they're basically one-trick-ponies. Today, a synthesizer has to offer a bit of everything. Perhaps a stringer with a few other decent-quality sounds could make it in this age of re-issues. A Korg ARP Omni or a Korg Elka Rhapsody would be wonderful, though quite limited in appeal.
I like having a small device that does one thing well, so that wouldn't phase me if it was a small device (anything without a keyboard really).
Korg seem to be following the crowd with their neo-analogue range. We might get lucky, but if they make a Volca Strings, just remember to budget for a gate also
Akai abandoned their analogues it would appear, which is unfortunate. I could imagine them doing something quirky like a string machine, given the disco drums box they made that was so unsuccessful, I missed-out on getting one new before it as discontinued. Now have to wait for them to appear 2nd for a bit less than 50 bucks off retail, like the few that are about are going for (I'll need another gate when I do get one).
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