Introduced in 1979, this Italian analog beast packs a rare combo of monophonic lead synth, polyphonic presets, and dedicated strings into one hefty 61-key keyboard—perfect for splitting at middle F to layer lush pads below with screaming leads above.
At its core, dual VCOs deliver saw and square waves with hard sync, feeding a resonant Moog-style low-pass filter (20-20kHz) and a versatile ADSR envelope that shapes both filter and VCA. The mono section offers 12 presets like tuba, trumpet, sax, violin, and electric bass/guitar, plus a free mode for tweaking LFO vibrato, glide, and brilliance via sliders. Poly side brings piano, electric piano, honky tonk, and brass with volume/brightness controls, while strings switch between 8' and 4' footage, complete with attack, sustain, and built-in reverb for surprising depth. Aftertouch adds expression, routing to mono pitch, glide, vibrato, or brass/strings brilliance, all from a velocity-sensitive board weighing in at 28kg with mono/poly outputs, pedal input, and external line in.
Vintage hunters prize its bold, characterful tones that stand apart from typical string machines, though its bulk, occasional unreliability, and fixed split have collectors noting the trade-offs alongside that irresistible rarity.
