The VCS 3 (an acronym for Voltage Controlled Studio with 3 oscillators) is a portable analog synthesiser with a flexible semi-modular voice architecture, initially made in 1969 by Peter Zinovieff's EMS company. The electronics were largely designed by David Cockerell and the machine's distinctive visual appearance was the work of electronic composer Tristram Cary. The VCS 3 was more or less the first portable commercially available synthesizer—portable in the sense that the VCS 3 was housed entirely in a small, wooden case, unlike previous machines from American manufacturers such as Moog Music, ARP and Buchla which were housed in large cabinets and were known to take up entire rooms. Significantly, it retailed for just under £1000 in the UK. It was fondly acknowledged to be somewhat hopeless as a melodic instrument (due to its unreliable tuning); however, it is renowned as an extremely powerful generator of electronic effects and processor of external sounds. An analog or analogue signal is any continuously variable signal. ... The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ... Peter Zinovieff is a British inventor, most notable for his EMS company, which made the famous VCS3 synthesiser in the late 60s. ... Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd. ... Tristram Cary (born 14th May 1925) is a British composer living in Australia. ... The Moog Music logo Moog Music Inc. ... ARP can stand for: Address Resolution Protocol, a layer 3 computer network address discovery protocol Air Raid Precautions, in particular in the United Kingdom during World War II ARP Instruments, Inc. ... Buchla & Associates is a manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, notably synthesizers. ...

The VCS 3 has three Oscillators, a Noise Generator, two Input Amplifiers, a Ring Modulator, a 24dB/octave Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter (VCF), a Trapezoid Envelope Generator, Joy-Stick Controller, Voltage Controlled Spring Reverb unit and 2 Stereo Output Amplifiers. Unlike most modular synthesiser systems which use cables to link components together, the VCS 3 uses a distinctive patch board matrix into which pins are inserted in order to connect its components together. The term synthesiser is also used to mean frequency synthesiser, an electronic system found in communications. ...

The VCS 3 was quite popular among the progressive rock bands of the day and was used on recordings by Hawkwind, Brian Eno (when he was with Roxy Music), King Crimson, The Who, and Gong, among many others. A well-known example of its use is on The Who's single Won't Get Fooled Again from Who's Next. For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Brian Eno (born Brian Peter George St. ... Roxy Music are an English art rock group founded in the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry (vocals and keyboards). ... King Crimson are an English musical group founded by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles in 1969. ... The Who is an English rock band formed in 1964. ... Gong is a progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. ... The Who is an English rock band formed in 1964. ... Wont Get Fooled Again is a rock song by the British rock band The Who, composed by band member Pete Townshend. ... Whos Next is an album by The Who. ...

The VCS 3, in spite of the fact that it is a monophonic synthesizer, underwent something of a renaissance in the late 1990s and early 2000s, both in popularity and in price. Artists looking to evoke a quaint, synthesized sound began to make the VCS 3 popular, and thus, prices for the synthesizer reached as much as £3000—higher even than when they were first released. Monophonic can mean: In rrded audio, a monaural recording with only one channel. ... A synthesizer (or synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sound, using techniques such as additive, subtractive, FM, physical modelling synthesis, phase distortion, or Scanned synthesis. ... Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ...

The VCS 3's basic design was reused by EMS in many other of their own products, most notably in the EMS Synthi 100 and the Synthi A (essentially a VCS 3 housed in a plastic briefcase). The EMS Synthi 100 was a large synthesizer made by Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd. ... The EMS Synthi A was a portable analog synthesizer (electronic musical instrument) made by Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd (EMS) in 1971. ...

External links

• An advertisement for the company, "every nun needs a Synthi"
  
• EMS' homepage (last updated August 1998)
  
• VCS3 Modifications
  
• A (commercial) VST simulation of a VCS3/Synthi A
• THE EMS SYNTHI BLOG