Electronic Music Studios - Synthi 100

Synthi 100

EMS moved into direct competition with Moog in 1971 with the development of its first large-scale modular synthesiser, the "Synthi 100", which originally retailed for UK£6,500. This unit was first known as the "Digitana" but was later dubbed "The Delaware", after Delaware Rd, Maida Vale, the location of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. This system, mounted in a free-standing console cabinet, used the same technology as the VCS3, being in essence three VCS3 units combined. It was driven by twelve VCOs and featured a built-in oscilliscope, two 60 x 60 patchbays, two joystick controllers, dual five-octave velocity-sensitive keyboard controllers and a 3-track, 256-step digital sequencer. Between 30 and 40 units were built, and these enjoyed wide use in the 1970s and beyond; one model was sold to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop and was used extensively on BBC productions including Doctor Who, Blake's 7 and the original radio version of The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy. The sequencer module of the Synthi 100 was also made available as a separate unit, the Synthi Sequencer 256, which originally retailed for UK£1,100.