What it is and what it was built for
A monophonic analog synthesizer released in 1975. Built in Salt Lake City to compete with the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey on price and character—not features or stability.
How it works, in terms a player would use
It is monophonic. It has a 12dB/octave multimode filter with low-pass, high-pass and band-pass modes. The filter self-oscillates. Resonance increases without cutting output volume, thanks to positive feedback.
What it does better than anything else
Its filter maintains amplitude at all resonance levels. That makes it uniquely suited for sustained, singing leads and aggressive, unattenuated filter sweeps—something the Minimoog and ARP Odyssey cannot do without external compensation.
What it does badly
It offers no voltage-controlled envelope for the filter. It lacks a dedicated LFO. It has no built-in sequencer or patch memory. Tuning drifts. Only several hundred were made, so service and parts are scarce.
What people made with it
The document does not state what people made with it.
Who should use it, and who should not
Use it if you value hands-on, immediate filter control and accept its limitations: monophony, tuning instability, and no modulation routing beyond the basic VCA and VCF envelopes. Avoid it if you rely on reliability, polyphony, or modern workflow integration.
Is it worth your time
Yes—if you want a raw, resonant, monophonic analog voice that behaves unlike the Minimoog or ARP Odyssey. No—if you need polyphony, presets, or stable tuning over long sessions.
