Synth Glossary

Granular Synthesis:: The sound is split into small chunks called granules. These may then be processed in various ways to acheive various effects - for example, to stretch a sound (timestreching) the granules will be played back so as to overlap each other. An interesting effect can also be obtained by playing the granules backwards....

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Unveiled in 1970 under the name, Tonus, Inc., this was ARP's first synthesizer. Modular in design, it uses [color-coded] sliders for patching, doing away with other modulars' messy cords. However, the sliders introduced problems with cross-talk. [Where patch cords are necessary, and they are for some things, the 2600 uses mini-jacks, not 1/4-inch] It was available in custom configurations. Along with Philip Dodds [ARP vice-president of engineering], the 2500 made a cameo appearance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977,1980), where it helped man communicate with the visitors from outer space through music and mathematics.