Back in 1975, this synth became ARP's all-time bestseller by blending orchestral lushness with raw analog power, delivering full 49-note polyphony when most competitors were still chasing single-voice leads.
Its three-section design lets you layer polyphonic Strings with preset Violin and Viola waveforms, a polyphonic Synthesizer section boasting a 24dB/oct low-pass filter, ADSR envelope, and triangle LFO for cutoff sweeps, plus a monophonic Bass with Cello tones—all mixable and firing simultaneously via dedicated high-level XLR and low-level outputs. Simple sliders handle VCA, VCF, and contouring, while the onboard 3-voice chorus phaser thickens those strings into a massive, swirling ensemble. Housed in a sturdy metal-and-wood cabinet weighing around 33 pounds with a 49-key keyboard, it supports CV/gate, VCF pedal, sustain, and 10V trigger inputs for vintage integration, all powered by a linear supply and tuned via a bottom-access slug.
Players love its huge, authentic string machine vibe—think Tangerine Dream atmospheres or Joy Division gloom—and the retrigger quirk on held chords sparks creative effects, though some note the fixed presets and shared envelope limit deep programming. A true '70s icon for anyone chasing that irreplaceable analog glow.
