Studio Electronics ATC-1

the atc-1 has a colorful membrane and a smooth data wheel but that's it. the presets sound pretty good but it's a lot more fun to make your own patches. editing isn't quick, but it isn't that bad. it really forces you to learn how a synth works. i found the manual to explain everything i needed and then some. (i love when manufacturers like studio electronics and mackie write their manuals in laymen's english and not technical jargon.)

the atc-1 is strictly monophonic. there is no sequencer or arpeggiator but you can sync the 2nd lfo to midi. there is also no keyboard because it comes in rack version only. however, you can assign the controllers on your master keyboard to control the pitch bend and mod wheel via midi. studio electronics is marketing this piece as the "analog tone chameleon". they offer 4 different atari-style cartridges (303, mini-moog, arp 2600, and ob expander) that emulate the real piece. it's a nice feature that i haven't taken advantage of. i just use the mini filter to create my own patches. (i heard that they all sound the same anyway.)

this is a fat analog synth. (i hate using the adjective "fat" but i really think it applies in this case.) when you play, it almost seems like you can hear the gate opening on the vca and letting a flood of squishy, chunky electronic love spill through your studio. the vco, vcf, vca, and both lfos all stew nicely to make a prime audio soup. you can even route your 3rd envelope and both lfos to the oscillators, vcf, resonance, etc. this pony's hard to handle. giddyup!

i don't gig but i wouldn't doubt the reliability of this piece. it seems light and flimsy but i think it's solid as a rock. it's built in the u.s.a. what else do you want?

i haven't had to deal with studio electronics yet. i did hear that service line was operated by the owner's mom. it seems like a tight-knit, small business who takes care of their customers. i leave it at no opinion because i really have no basis to form one yet, (knock on wood).

i would definitely buy from studio electronics again if i had the money. i believe the atc-1 is their low-end model and usually retails at around $700. if you like real analog, you're going to have a hard time finding a piece that sounds this warm. i recommend getting an se-1 or even an omega series from s.e., (if you have money to burn). you will not be disappointed!

The ATC-1 has a full colorful panel of parameters including all the classic analog VCF, VCA, Envelopes, etc. However there is but one Data wheel where each parameter must be called up one at a time. Not your best choice for real-time analog tweeking. A breeze to program if you are already familiar with analog synth paramters. The presets will have you playing Bernie Worrell P-Funk lines in no time!! The manual is great, but hey, who need an manual anyway? Just start playing!

This is a classic monophonic synth featuring two very fat oscillators. The seeling point of the ATC-1 Tone Chameleon, was its ability to use multiple filters via filter cartridges in the back (get a Tone Selector if you can:this moves all filters upfront and lets you select on the fly). they include MiniMoog(included), 303, ARP2600, and Oberheim S.E.M. - I have a MiniMoog and 303. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. I have heard that the S.E.M. filter is pretty much the same. i was very dissapointed with the lack of distinguishable flavors in the filters. midi IN and shares a MIDI Out/Thru. Also, the filter cutoff is continuous, unlike the really obnoxious stair-stepping that the older brother SE-1 has. No sequencer but does have some neat LFO arpeggios. LFO has MIDI sync, though i've never been able to lock them up. All changes made on data wheel are recorded as MIDI events (very cool).

This is a pure analog signal from top to bottom. Make no mistake this little guy is fat. Very nice synth basses for techno, great hip-hop sub-basses, weird edgy analog noises for industrial, and very crisp prog rock leads. They even have that groovy lead line from the theme of the TV show CHiP's. The Mini filter is very smooth, fat and creamy. Same for the 303 filter. No problem creating room shaking bottom end. Don't expect the ATC-1 to have evvery Analog sound you've ever wanted. But it comes damn close to it.

I've never had a problem with it. Solid as a rock. Remember though, it's completely analog so that means, yep, it will detune after some time, no problem though, after 5 years, I've only had to tune it once.

Studio Electonics has a great mailing list (http://www.egroups.com/group/studioelectronics/) that offers tips and often has contributions from the Mark and Gres St. Regis (the owners). Though I've never had to service it once in five years, comments on the list show that Studio Electronics has a sincere commtiment to customer service.

I love my ATC-1 Tone Chameleon. If for no othere reason, becasue it's just so damn colorful! I even got the white background to make the colorful buttons stand out more. A great addition to my studio. I don't think I'd get another if it were lost or stolen though; I would save up for an Omega. I am a producer of manily commercial and dance music as well as a keyboardist in a gigging bar band. I own a Waldorf Pulse, ATC-1, Juno 106, Korg Trinity, JV1080, Roland D-50, Korg Prophecy, and Kurzweil K2VX. The main point of getting the ATC-1 was to be able to interchange filters so that I could have many differnt flavors in one unit. I just didn't see that in this case. Though a tasteful analog machine, i was left wanting more from this colorful two-space dual-oscillating whipper-snapper. I actually had an SE-1 before, but I returned it because I couldn't tweak the filters in real-time like you could with the ATC-1. In hindsight, I sometimes miss the SE-1's third oscillator that I now hear in every hip-hop record's sub-bassline. I would definitely recommend the ATC-1 though if you're looking for a solid analog monosynth that can pretty up your bland studio rack.