ARP String Ensemble

Probably the easiest to use synthesizer out there. This of course also means that it's one of the most limited. Has a few pushbutton tone controls, a few sliders, and not much else. Not a ARP 2600 that's for sure!

The features are pretty limited. You get some pushbutton tone changers. Some attack and decay sliders (which have orchestral names like chreshendo) and a slider for controlling the monophonic bass tone that can be engaged on the lower half of the keyboard. And let's not forget about that modulation button (which is really a chorus effect).

Let's just put it this way: nothing sounds like an ARP String Ensemble! You can get really close with a Juno 6 or a 60 but it's just not quite the same. This keyboard definately favors the higher registers. Those lower notes come out sounding way too cheesy (which can be good for certain sounds) but that classic string ensemble sound that's on all the old Rick James tracks and a lot of disco stuff can be found by playing in the higer registers with the modulation button on. When you take the modulation button off the string ensemble sounds more like an organ, which isn't all that suprising considering it uses the same divide-down circuitry of the old vox and farfisa organs of the 60's. However with the mod button off you can get some totally gothic, kings and dragons, type of sounds: mad gangster!!! Really the ARP string ensemble is incredibly limited but it's absolutely perfect for certain sounds and they cannot be replicated by any digital device.

I bought mine at a garage sale and it looked like a dog had chewed on it. The keyboard is completely messed up: some keys higher than others. And also the monophonic bass section sometimes has trouble being triggered on some of the notes on the lower register. But hey, some plusses are that it still works even after all the obvious abuse it has taken...really suprising!

Yeah right, ARP went out of buisness how many years ago?

The mighty arp string ensemble. It's funky, it's old, and it's sounds so much like a realy orchestra of strings....sike!!! This thing sounds nothing like what it's intended to but fortunately it does sound really really cool and very unique. Sure you can grab a roland juno and get a fraily similar sound with a lot more control but there's just something about the ARP that's so unique. It's an incredibly psychedelic sounding thing that just has that "X" factor going for it. Oh, did I emtion that this thing is unbelievably heavy?!?! I mean for what it does you would think it would weigh three pounds but nooooo...it's more like a 100!!! You don't see these things around all that often so if you ever stumble across one I suggest you buy it because nothing else comes close to the warm, liquid sound of the ARP string ensemble.

Very easy to use. It has six red push buttons that turn on different voices: Contra Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin, Trumpet and Horn. You can have different voices on at the same time. The synth also has two sliders: Volume and Sustain Length. There is no control for envelope attack. There is also a tuning knob on the front panel. I was able to get the synth in tune without trouble. There is no filter.

Full Polyphony. Keyboard action was fine - no issues. No midi, no velocity sensitive. It has two output jacks on the back. One is very quiet and does not seem to do much. I'm not sure what it's used for. The other works fine. You will need some sort of direct box or preamp to get the output up to optimum levels. There is a metal tag on the back that indicates that the unit was made in Holland by Eminent. Above that, it says "Solina".

I own several classic string synths: an Arp Omni 2, Arp quartet, Moog Opus 3, Crumar Performer and an Elka Rhapsody. The String ensemble has a sound that is different from all these. I have heard people say that it's close to an Omni. Not so. It really has its own sound. When I fired it up for the first time, I thought it definitely had the oldest sound compared to my other string synths. It's not refined sounding like a Moog Opus, it's pretty raw. I know it's considered a classic '70 synth but it really sounds much older to me, like 50's Sci-Fi. It's from another time, that's for sure. The two basses in particular. The four other patches have a very bright top -- Like crushed glass. The midrange has a very distinct and unique nasal quality -- Very familiar. I've heard it on lots of albums. It sits in a rock track very nicely.
When you record this thing, it?s best to use analog tape -- There is a nice interaction that goes on. Hi resolution digital is not your friend. Ouch! Too bright...grab that high shelf!

It's got it's own thing going on. It's not as plug 'n play as the rest of them. You'll have to find a way to tame that high end. If you are using digital, there are better analog string synths out there. This one actually is not as usable or versatile as some of the others I've mentioned. It seems like it was developed to sound good with vinyl, bad 70's electronics and analog tape. If you're not using tape, It's still possible to capture it's vibe with some creative eq or tape emulation, however.