The VCS 3 (an initialism 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 synthesiser...
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The VCS 3 (an initialism 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 synthesiser—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 alleged by many (including synthesizer enthusiast Gordon Reid in his articles on the EMS company for Sound on Sound magazine in 2000) to be somewhat hopeless as a melodic instrument due to its unusual method of tuning and inherent...
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