Studio Electronics ATC-1

Not so easy. Stupid, overdesigned text and graphics (Xenolab, what were you smoking to think this would be acceptable? This thing would be a nightmare to use in a low-lighting situation). Likewise, the membrane system can be very frustrating....push here, no there, no push harder, oops it just defaulted back to the patch setting! AAAARRRG! Seriously considering a dedicated knob box like the Drehbank....but at that point, you could get a Prophet 5 or some other vintage analog with dedicated knobs. :( Not to mention no new manual to explain the combos required to access certain things...(such as the OB filter's bandpass mode). I'm very disappointed in SE for this.

Monophonic. Midi is a little sketchy, like the ATC-1. This should've been better from the get-go on a brand new unit, it should still not be so sluggish. This review is for the ATCX Quad system which has all four filters on it (ARP 2600, Moog, TB303, Oberheim SEM). The SEM and 303 are disappointing...really off the mark. The Moog and ARP are good though.
LFOs can be retriggered, but not synced to midi. :( LFOs do not reach audio range, which leads me to believe they were an afterthough...I prefer faster lfos. Just like the ATC-1, unit must be receiving midi for the filter input to even engage...this should've been upgraded. Ring Mod is nice, but doesn't seem to do all that much....very little control over the Ring Mod.

Sounds pretty good. Big bass, plonky pulse sounds, sync leads...

But....

My Mono/Poly killed it in almost every area. A Sequential Pro-One kills it in almost every sound zone you expect from an analog mono....especially in the VCO areas. The VCOs on the ATC's just sound cheap to me, and brittle. If they offered an SSM filter cart, that would be nice, but there's no gaurantee it'd even be close to the original (see SEM and 303).

Pretty solid.

I would trust it.

But don't expect to be able to read any of the parameters in a live setting...once again, the graphic design is whack. Sound on Sound thought so too.

Overall they're good, but almost three years here and still no manual for the ATCX? They've already come out with the ATCXi, does that still use the old ATC-1 manual as well? I deduct 2 points here, because this unit needs its own manual, there's button combos that are different from the ATC-1.

If lost or stolen, I would probably go for an older analog of equal monetary value. The ATC's sound good, but there's just something missing, particularly in the oscillators.

Essentially, the only synth easier to use would be covered in well placed knobs and sliders...I only give it an 8 because, well, membrane buttons hurt my arthritically laden fingers after awhile. It IS quite easy to map everything via cc#s, as I do with my Remote25, but for some people that wouldn't be easy at all, so, it's an 8 ;)

I've never been a preset person myself...in fact I've killed a few synths on accident in the past, attempting to modify them to get as unique of a sound as possible. Lucky for me I'm much better with a soldering iron now. My end point is though, is there are actually some great presets on the ATC...it's, well, hard to get bad sounds out of this thing to be honest!

The only things that would make the ATC more versatile would be hard-wired knobs for everything, and more voices...essentially it would then be an Omega, rofl. I'm certainly not complaining though!

As for fx, there's a cross-mod and an external audio input. It's not the simplest to get it to feedback on its own output via the input, but doable if you have a well endowed mixer or patchbay.

No sequencer or arp or anything, just straight up raw mono-ness and girth. It DOES have a built in midi->cv converter, which, well, rocks. The addition of it's multi-filter ability is top shelf as well, truly a chameleon, I only wish I had more than the moog filter.

Excessively unrealistic, exactly as one would hope. Immense girth when the resonance is dropped to zero...like, ultra sub speaker crackling girth like nothing I've ever heard outside of a classic Moog (the voyager dosn't count, this thing toasts it for sonic depth). I often wonder how all that sound manages to squeeze through a standard 1/4" cable.

"Can you depend on it?" totally...I had a few hanging note issues when I first bought it, but it was an ultra old OS (1.5?) and never came back.

"Would you use it on a gig without a backup?" oh yes...not that I HAVE a backup or anything.

The chasis is solid steel as well, my only fear of future stability lies in the membrane buttons.

Wicked support. If you can't understand MSR's Californian sullied lingo, you may feel differently, but I found it all the more pleasent because of it ;)

I can't imagine coping without it...I try to imagine it, but it just hurts. Maybe I could do without it if I had a loaded Omega 8, but you really never know until it happens. I have a lot of other gear, but the ATC would likely be the last piece I could manage parting with. Shortly there after I'd likely have an anyuerism while trying to get that richness of sound out of anything else I own. I've tried using a dozen other synths, hard and soft, to jam with live, but nothing else comes close...

I think I'm on OS 1.5 or under. Fast 16th note midi information sounds a bit sluggish, but it might be my imagination. I just sample it in that case! Editing reminds me of my Alpha Juno or the old Moog Source, it's not as nice as having a knob per function, but it's pretty easy, and hey, 500+ presets to start off of!

One of the best manuals...no engrish or overuse of jargon and company-specific terms. It's actually pretty witty in spots.

It's a fairly simple mono, but some of the most valued synths out there are not very heavy on features. More cross mod options and better (faster) lfos would've been appreciated. The noise generator isn't one of the best either. Like I said, it's fairly basic, but I'll take sound quality over featuritis anyday. I only have the moog filter on mine, but it sounds fine indeed, and running drumloops through it is alot of fun, especially if you midi sequence it. NIN city. It cooperates well with my Edirol keyboard controller. No effects, this ain't no all singing/dancing workstation and doesn't need to hide behind effects.

Excellent.

Bernie Worrell/Pfunk basses.

Squirrelly Ghetto leads.

Can do some mean kick drums.

Fire up your sampler or Soundforge and start grabbing things.

Bought it used. Never had a problem. It was dropped a few feet...not a hiccup. Solid manufacturing, something America is sorely lacking in nowadays.

Never really needed them. I did ask them about external controllers and they were fairly quick and responsive with an informative answer via email. These guys ain't Roland.

I've used quite a few analogs...Korg Mono/Poly, SCI Split 8, Junos, Sherman FB, etc.
I love the ATC1...so much that I'm trying to score an ATCx Quad...I also like knowing that there'll be some support in the future as it's a modern analog. Dealing with a progressively ailing Juno106 was an eye-opening experience for me (even though that's a great basic synth as well).
Plus, although the old analog synths have a sound quality and uniqueness that still can't be %100 duplicated, having patch memories is a handy thing. I love going on sonic journeys with my Korg Mono/Poly, but once you commit it to Hardisk, DAT, whatever, you'll probably never get that sound again. The Studio Electronics stuff is worth the minor tradeoffs.

Very easy to use. I use Sounddiver for editing sounds. Through Sounddiver the knobs of my midi controler are connected to the ATC's functions. Never use the presets. It's too much fun making my own sounds.

I believe it has all the features one could wish for in an analogue mono. Except, perhaps, a third ocilator. However, as the three waveforms of each ocilator can be used simultaniously, one can have 6 waves wunning at the same time: 6 ocilators - in a way. Midi implementation is extensive. The lfo can even be sinced to a sequencer.

Of course, the added filters are the biggest bonus. They all (I have all four - and the external filter selector, which saves the hassle of switching filters on the back of the machine) have their own sound.

BTW, I have the ATC-1, not the newer X.

I luv it! One huge sweet spot. I didn't succeed in making it sound bad yet. Highs, lows, basses, leads and, what I got into lately, percussive electronic bleeps, hits and bassdrums all sound great - and punchy if needed.

Bought mine second hand. It still runs. Seems sturdy.

Haven't dealt with it yet. There's a reasonably active "studio electronics" yahoo user group where the SE people show up and answer questions. Beware, however, their Californian slang is not always easily understandable for non natives, like me.

It's great. It's my best synth, and I have (had) a few others. I paid 550 euro for the synth + one filter and have been scavaging the net and auctions for the other ones. Surely great value.

ATC-1 (OS 2.3) with internal filter selector system. Currently with Moog and 303 filters and planning to add the 2600-filter and the midiminiafy modification (see the SE website for more info on this).

I've hooked up a Behringer BCR2000 to my ATC-1. The controller has 32 knobs and some with multiple functions within a patch and currently my ATC-1 preset use 38 knobs! (It's easy to switch between the two sets) and 14 buttons! Still there's a few functions on the ATC-1 that needs to be adressed from it's membrane switches. So - if you think the ATC-1 is a versatile monophonic synth - you've got it right.

It's easy to tweak even without a controller - but you gain a lot of adding knobs to this beast of a synth. You don't want a patch editor for this synth... BUT - you'd want some librarian to store patches... because this baby will encourage SHITLOADS of tweakin'

The manual is... err funny. Make sure you know something about analouge subtractive synthesis before you start complaining about it.

The preset sounds were ok... but they didn't last long before I'd changed them... again - because here you're in tweaker heaven and you want to use your OWN stuff.

You already know from the above that this is two unit rack mount monophonic 100% ANALOGUE! synth with no internal effects generator.

The ATC-1 can currently be expanded with the following features:

1. Extra filters: ARP2600, TB303 and Oberheim SEM (in addition to the standard 24db Moog filter.
2. Midiminafy. This is a modification that adds a pure sinewave to one of the oscillators AND a discrete VCA (making the transient of the VCA more prominent (like the Minimoog)). The mod comes in both kit and factory install form.
3. External and internal filterselector. The first version of the ATC-1 needs separate filtercartridges to be swapped physically if you want to access more filters. ATC-1 with a filterselector system installed (like mine) lets you access sounds with different filters with program change (either via MIDI or the knob controller.

Mind you: you can only use ONE filter per patch.. (one could almost whish that the ATC-1 was equipped with modular patch points... - two oscillators where all waveforms can be used simoultaneously, extensive modulation capabilites, two lfo's, three envelopes (all ADSR), various osc sync and much more... ) It could rival a LARGE MODULAR!

You can also route velocity to enevelopes... there's single and multiple triggering...

AND the ATC-1 have a GATE and CV interface that enables you to patch u p with older analogue gear. NOTICE: The newer ATC-X does not come with this feature.

The ATC-1 is one of the BIG monophonic analogues in this world. Make no mistake about that! It's as expressive as it's player/programmer.

It's virtually indestructible.

You WILL want the latest OS (currently 2.3 - available for a small fee from SE) because it enables you to store tweaks made via external MIDI-controller like the BCR2000.

I had a minor accident when installing the OS2.3.. ruined a couple of plastic standoffs... SE sent me new ones free of charge. SE support is famous! They're utter weird guys AND they're the best. You will love them.

... but hey - the ATC-1 is made like a tank. You may need support when planning modifications... otherwise it's a doodle.

I got mine in Norway where everything's insanely expensive. In that respect it was a steal. I got mine VERY cheap and consider myself to be very lucky.

As I stated above... with a different frontpanel with patch jacks and stuff... there's enough goodies in it to make a large modular synth. However - it still has lots to offer.

Also - it's a synth for people who cares about sound. It may be the UGLIIEST synth ever produced... (very intuitive the panel - but oh so ugly)... but you want earcandy yes?? Close your eyes and play it!

I have "original model" with version 2.xx and all four filters with the selector. It's easy to use. Presets are great and I mostly tweak them before using. Patch editor is not needed. Never even opened the manual. Programming is easy with one knob but real time editing (which I mostly do) is a bit pain. So you have to record each parameter at time. Just add knobby MIDI-controller to solve that problem.

At first specs fooled me a bit. I just thought it has "only 2oscs". I find them fat and different than in SE-1 (which is xtra-fat and also own). ATC-1 also has faster and snappier attack so I usually use it for bass sounds. Specs are just right for my needs.

Great sounds, just what I need: awesome bass. Before I used Waldorf Pulse for bass sounds (still in setup after 7 years now) and never found VA's good enough for basses/leads for my tastes.

Never had a problem.

I'd get ATC back if losted it. Downside is the price but I don't know better mono than this for the price.

the data dial is tough but pick up a phatboy and your way ahead of the game.

it has a great amount of options,as far as filters like the x-mod, and mixing the modes in....very nice....definitely mind your speakers with this machine.

it gets almost as crazy as you want it to.it's obviously very ,very phat!!!

so far so good , only that the display may freak out a little when i'm really pushing all of my equipment at the same time and bassically abusing the sonic soundscapes.

incredibly nice people there!!!!

i have the atc-1,juno-106,audity 2000,qsr,korg es-1,jomox xbase 09,sherman filter bank,dbx delay system 2( for the extremely trippy stuff),an1-x,zoom 234,ect.......the other gear is great but what can i say ....ANALOG RULES!!!!!

Very easy and seeing as this was 1st synth/module into the world of making music it caused no headaches. The manual is very old school with a little bit of good old hunor thrown in.

Being a monosynth it had to have some wicked sounds to take my money and it done that no worries. Midi works well.

I produce hard techno and for me this is the daddy of them all. I have had other synths come and go but this one I use in everything I produce.

In the early days it did used to crash but that was due to my old fridge freezer kickin in but now with new freezer everything is great.

I could not live without this baby.....NO WAY !!!!! I Have a XP30 / Emu Audity 2000 / Yamaha A4000 and I would drop 2 of them to keep the ATC-1. I chose this because it was the only synth that didn't sound like all the other analogue wannabe's. Since buying it for #565 5 years ago the shop price has gone upto #899 which is crazy but i'm not complaining.

Upgraded the OS to 2.1 the other day. It seems to fix some 'stuck-note' problems I used to have, and finally makes the LFO2 Midi-sync work (I love that feature by the way).

Editing is pretty straight forward. The limitation of only being able to edit one parameter at a time is probably the only negative point about this synth.

The manual is funny, covers all the details.. but is not up to par with the quality of the synth. I would definitely recommend a make-over (wouldn't mind doing that myself.. )

It is a true monosynth. Response to Midi is superb. No effects.. only the great interchangeable filter system (I want that selector!).

No expansion.. except for the beforementioned filter cartridges. Midi implementation is superb. All parameters have a dedicated Midi Controller assigned to them. I use a Doepfer pocket control for direct acces to those that are most important to me... and yes Sir.. it works like a charm.

This is the meanest monosynth on the planet. Although the different filters (2600/SEM/Mini/303) may fool you into believing that this is a clone for either of these vintage classics.. it has a sound of its own.. and I love it to death.

This machine is rock-solid. Period. Wherever I go.. this baby goes with me.

Greg and the others are fantastic..

Wouldn't miss the ATC for the world. It is dearer to me than my TB-303. And that means a LOT !!

This is a GREAT synth and is a whole lotta fun to play,
especially in Live Situations. Presets range from dead on moog bass to wacky bizarre patches that show off the unit's capability. This is big, fat analog and will eat the virtual synths for lunch !

Has exchangeable filter carts,and usually comes bundled with Moog and SEM (Oberheim). Can purchase the ARP2600 and 303 from factory or drumMachine.com.

Presets are in banks of 128 - First set is for Moog filter, second or third is for the SEM, etc. Editing patches is pretty simple, and works remarkably well considering there is only an alphanum display.
Manual is pretty simple, but usable.

I'd give it a ten, but it gets a nine because it has one knob. (You have to choose the function, then turn the knob.) It does work VERY well with an external MIDI controller (sliders, knobs, etc)

Features are limited, but the box is VERY musical.
Polyphony = 1, does have the swappable filter cartridges
(I only use the Moog.)

No Effects, other than typical synth-shaping capabilities (Filters, Res, LFO, etc).

Expandable - yes, if you count you can use the external filter carts.

MIDI implementation is VERY good - you can map MIDI messages to sweep the filter, or sync the LFO to midi clock (in several note increments).

I suggest an outboard controller such as a PC88 (with four midi -capable sliders) or maybe the Knobby, Slider or PhatBoy.

Definitely a 10 here. Unit does the two-oscillator synth very well, with excellent MIDI implementation. Factory describes the ATC-1 as the geeky little brother to the SE-1, and they compliment each other well. The ATC-1 can be described as fast, wormy, smooth, and smart, where the SE-1 is BIG, fat, and a little slower. Supposedly, they used all their learning experiences from building the SE-1 and put them into the ATC-1. Even though it's two oscillators, it's fatter than anything else I've used, save a real MOOG.

I use mine in a 70's funk/disco band - and it rocks the house with a fat, smooth, almost greasy sound. Filter sweeps w/the moog filter are just incredible.

For comparison, I bought my K2500R at the same time I bought my ATC-1.
The K2500R has 48 voices, effects, sampling, and just about everything you could ever want. The ATC-1 has ONE voice, and is
more expressive and fun to play than any preset on the K2500.

So far no problems - I wouldn't take it on the road w/o a shock rack though. External power supply. Been gigging live for about a year now.

I love these guys, and just wish I had more moola to help keep them in business. They are very helpful answering any questions, and you can tell they love their work.

Yeah, I'd buy another.
Now that I've learned how this unit dominates in live shows,
I use it all the time. It's fat enough to rise above my nine-piece band, though it takes some thought to integrate it with your rig (you'll want some type of controller).

When I bought mine, the only VA synth was the original Nord. Great sounding unit, but the ATC-1 totally dominated when placed side-by-side. Now that there are other VA synths out there, the choice would be tougher, except that I'm sure you could find a killer deal on a new one sitting in a music store gathering dust (Corner Music, Nashville TN has one....)

I think SE succeeded in their objective to build a low-cost, two-osc, midi-smart synth at a price point under $1k. Get one for yourself and see if you like it.

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.