Some instruments are built to outlast their makers' economics, and the Eightvoice, a large German polysynth that once brought a sense of possibility back to analogue sound, has reached the point where its own craft can no longer be sustained at home. Schmidt-Synthesizer now lets its memory continue in software, developed with the German firm UJAM and shaped by an effort to study every circuit behaviour of the original. A few numbered hardware units remain for those who want the physical object, while the plug-in carries the instrument's character into the studios of the future.
Discontinued Schmidt Eightvoice Synth Returns as Software Plug-in, Schmidt Vi, Priced at Hardware Levels
The way it was built is no longer viable in the long run
Mark
Why does this story matter beyond one synth?
Mimi
Because the hardware is ending for economic reasons, not lack of demand. Building it in Germany, through-hole, repairable, became unviable as costs rose.
Mark
So the plug-in is a rescue of sorts?
Mimi
It's a way to keep the sound alive. They modelled the whole analogue signal path with a new process, and shared it through UJAM.
Luke
Careful with 'authentic.' The claim that it preserves the original's character comes from the maker. The reporting here doesn't include independent comparisons.
Mark
What about the odd details, like the ring modulators?
Mimi
Five ring modulators fed by six pulse waves of different widths. That's what gives the cold, wavetable-like tones, and it's the thing people would most want to hear carried over.
Luke
And whether it's carried over is untested in this piece. The prototype got a good reception at SUPERBOOTH26, but that's an appreciative audience, not a review.
Mark
Anything the software adds?
Mimi
MPE, MIDI Learn, knob values shown as numbers, and a random sound generator.
Luke
One gap: the headline says it's priced at hardware levels, but the source gives no price for Schmidt Vi itself. Only the hardware prices, €18,900 and €17,900, are confirmed.
Il Polso
- The Eightvoice is gone from the factory floor because rising costs and complexity made its German, through-hole craftsmanship unsustainable.
- Schmidt Vi arrives as a plug-in that mirrors the hardware's front panel while adding MPE, MIDI Learn and a random sound generator.
- The maker is working to reproduce the five-ring-modulator, six-pulse-wave signal path that gave the original its cold, wavetable-like voice.
- A final run of 20 Final Series units at €18,900 and remaining Classic units at €17,900 keeps the hardware available for a short window.
- Listeners and producers will soon judge whether the software matches the instrument it recreates.
Some instruments are built to outlast their makers' economics, and the Eightvoice, a large German polysynth that once brought a sense of possibility back to analogue sound, has reached the point where its own craft can no longer be sustained at home. Schmidt-Synthesizer now lets its memory continue in software, developed with the German firm UJAM and shaped by an effort to study every circuit behaviour of the original. A few numbered hardware units remain for those who want the physical object, while the plug-in carries the instrument's character into the studios of the future.
Schmidt-Synthesizer has released Schmidt Vi, a software version of its Eightvoice Analog Synthesizer, the large German polysynth that the company can no longer afford to build. The plug-in arrives while a last batch of the hardware is still on sale, so the old instrument and its digital descendant now exist side by side.
The Eightvoice first appeared at Musikmesse 2012 in Frankfurt and was met with enthusiasm. It was a rare thing: a big analogue polyphonic synth with a great deal of hands-on control. An initial run of 25 units followed after the 2013 NAMM Show, and well over a hundred are now in use around the world. The company had insisted on building it entirely in Germany, using old-school through-hole construction so it could be repaired for years. That commitment became too expensive as manufacturing costs and complexity rose worldwide.
A long friendship with leaders at UJAM, another German company known for sample-based instrument platforms, opened the way to a digital copy. Together they studied the analogue signal path in detail, down to every circuit behaviour and subtle interaction. The result keeps the distinctive chain of five ring modulators fed by six pulse waves, along with the oscillator, the modular-style filter and deep modulation routing.
A prototype impressed listeners at SUPERBOOTH26 in Berlin, and the finished plug-in adds glide, portamento, per-preset realtime modifiers, MPE, MIDI Learn and a random sound generator. Its interface follows the hardware's front panel, though the LCD has become on-screen performance controls. The name no longer says analogue or eight voices, because the plug-in is neither.
The hardware is not quite finished. The numbered all-black Final Series, designed by Axel Hartmann and limited to 20 units, costs €18,900 including VAT, and the last Classic units are €17,900. The open question now is how faithfully the software can carry the instrument's spirit.
Schmidt-Synthesizer has released Schmidt Vi, a software recreation of its Eightvoice Analog Synthesizer, the large German polysynth that the company can no longer afford to build. The plug-in arrives alongside a final run of the hardware, which is still on sale.
The Eightvoice was introduced at Musikmesse 2012 in Frankfurt, and the response was overwhelming. It had been years since an analogue synthesizer of that size had been available, let alone a polyphonic one with so much hands-on control. The company took it to The 2013 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, and decided to build an initial production run of 25 units. That was far from the end of it: today there are well over one hundred Eightvoice synthesizers in the wild.
The company chose to manufacture the instrument entirely in Germany, accepting high production costs. It was built the old-school way, without specialised components and with through-hole construction so that it could be repaired straightforwardly over the long term. That approach is what has now run out of road. Technological developments and the rising cost of manufacturing complex devices worldwide have made building the instrument this way unviable in the long run.
Schmidt-Synthesizer had for some time considered making a digital copy. A longstanding friendship with key members of UJAM's leadership opened the door. UJAM is another German firm, which makes a platform for building sample instruments and counts Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams among its founders. Together they developed Schmidt Vi, for which the Eightvoice's analogue signal path was analysed with an entirely new modelling process. Every circuit behaviour and subtle interaction was studied.
The aim is to carry over what made the hardware distinctive. That includes a chain of five ring modulators fed by six pulse waves of differing pulse widths, which produces colder, wavetable-like sounds that had not previously been done in an analogue synthesizer. It also includes an oscillator section for shaping complex sounds, a filter section likened to a fully programmable modular system, and extensive modulation routings. According to the maker, factory sounds and performance behaviour transfer into any DAW with a high level of authenticity.
An early prototype was shown to an appreciative audience at SUPERBOOTH26 in Berlin earlier this year, which convinced the company it was on the right track. The finished plug-in includes the glide and portamento capabilities and several realtime modifiers, programmable per preset. Its interface mirrors the hardware's front panel, down to an LED Color selector that imitates the multi-colour LEDs. The large LCD with changeable background colour has been replaced by Performance controls across the top of the screen, which keep its function in a form suited to on-screen use.
There are additions too. Knob positions show actual values, and the plug-in supports MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) and MIDI Learn. It also has a random sound generator that the source says often produces surprisingly good results. The name drops "Eightvoice Analog Synthesizer" because the plug-in is neither analogue nor strictly limited to eight voices. The creator bills it as The Virtual Recreation Of A Dream.
The hardware has not vanished yet. The Final Series, a numbered all-black limited edition designed by industrial designer Axel Hartmann, is limited to 20 units at €18,900 including VAT. The last Classic units are also still available at €17,900 including VAT. Both can be ordered from the new Schmidt-Synthesizer website. The question to watch is how closely the software holds up against the instrument it models.
Citazioni salienti
Schmidt Vi is billed by its creator as The Virtual Recreation Of A Dream.— Schmidt-Synthesizer
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