Argentina based boutique synth company GS Music is showing a new vintage-looking 4-part multi-timbral analog poly Synthesizer
The Synthesizer community is big and it lives not only from the power of the big players (Roland, Yamaha, Korg, Behringer …) but also from many small companies. These differ from the large ones in many ways. Often they offer very personal support, few employees, limited financial resources (production, marketing…)… They also take greater risks by bringing new concepts to market. So no risk, no fun.
My goal is to give both worlds an equal place, the big but also the small, indie developers with their very own ideas. This is how GS Music from Argentina found its way to the Synth Anatomy website. A relatively unknown developer who builds exciting analog synthesizers.
I already reported about the Apollo in 2018 and the Zeus in 2019. How the time flies. The latter is a multi-timbral, polyphonic analog Synthesizer. Zeus is not yet out but there are numerous lovely sound demos on YouTube.
Today GS Music is showing another new polyphonic Synthesizer that will be shipped this year.
GS Music GS-e7
The GS-e7 is a new polyphonic analog Synthesizer with a subtractive synthesis core. Its design as well as the built-in features are strongly reminiscent of the Zeus from 2019. It may be that this is the production model minus the keyboard.
GS-e7 has a 4-part multi-timbral analog engine with up to 7 voice of polyphony. Each voice has two voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO) with classic waveforms. You get triangular, saw-tr, sawtooth, and pulse with PWM. Nice, you can mix the pulse with other waveforms. There are also sub-oscillators, a noise source, and the main oscillator has a hard-sync functionality. No other shaping functions are onboard, so it’s a very classic engine.
Then you get a 24dB/oct (4-pole) lowpass filter with resonance control and a VCA per voice.
The signal flow, i.e. VCO, VCF, and VCA, is fully analog, while the modulations are digital and controlled by a microcontroller. Here, you get three LFOs with multiple waveforms (triangular, ascending ramp, descending ramp, square, sample, and hold) and two ADSR envelopes. Further, it features a digital effect processor with chorus and delay.
Interface
Like the Apollo mono synth, it has a one-knob per function “moogish” interface. It’s very hands-on and easy to understand. Looks like a Minimoog on steroids. There also blue buttons for presets, and functions with multiple options.
Presets & Connectivity
Yes, the GS-e7 also has a preset memory. You save up to 512 programs and 128 multis. How these multinationals can be set up is not certain. But I think you can make a combination of three patches, one with a single voice (ARP), one with two (lead), and one with 4 voices for pads. An arpeggiator or sequencer is completely missing. For something like that you have to use a KeyStep or other MIDI controller.
On the backside, you have a MIDI interface with in/out/thru connections, USB for MIDI, CV inputs for the pitch, cutoff, as well as gain. Plus, you a stereo output /L/Mono, R, 1/4″ TRS balanced), headphones input, and an external input.
At first glance a nice polyphonic analog Synthesizer with a vintage charm. Sure, the GS-e7 is not a groundbreaking innovative synth, it’s another vintage-inspired subtractive analog synth. However, every new poly analog release is a nice addition to the still thin poly market. I wish all the best GS Music with the GS-e9, it is definitely an eye-catching instrument with a solid sound.
GS Music GS-e7 is available now for pre-order for $1400 USD. The first batch is limited to 10 units and shipping starts in December 2021.
More information here: GS Music
Sounds great!!!!
Beautiful! Wow, really incredible sounding.
Rumor is this will have an MPE implementation by delivery or shortly thereafter via firmware update. That will put this synth in rarefied air.
Wow yeah , multitimbral analogue monster , yummy .may sell to get this .
Sold out , oh who cares , roll back over and jamm into the night