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....
Odyssey
The Odyssey is first duophonic (ability to play two notes at the same time)
synthesizer. This 37-note synthesizer was used as an educational tool in ARP's
"Learning Music with Synthesizers" book. A very popular keyboard for ARP, it
was almost as popular with musical groups as the Minimoog.
The Odyssey was made in three versions. The first version was off-white, the
second (in 1977) was black with gold markings on its front panel (see photo
above). The third (1977 and later), and more common, version was black with
orange markings. The third version has an external audio input, a steel frame,
and "is also equipped with Proportional Pitch Control (PPC), ARP's latest
contribution to more expressive synthesizer performance. The triple-pad,
pressure-sensitive controller lets you bend notes sharp and flat, and add vibrato,
all without moving a single slider or switch."----[from the ARP Odyssey
promotional brochure courtesy of Kevin Lightner]
The PPC is basically three rubber pads underneath the keys. One to the left of
the key for flattening the pitch, one in the middle for vibrato, and one to the right
for sharpening the pitch. The pads were pressure gradient from back to front. If
you pressed hard on the front, you get a semi-tone change, but if you press hard
on the back you get up to a fifth change.
Later models have good CV/gate interface. Later Mark I's have mini-jack sockets
squeezed in on the right of the back panel. Some Mark II do not come with
CV/gate interface, though they do have the PPC. Mark II Odysseys have XLR
outputs. Also some of the earlier models have some of their circuitry encased in
resin, a trick ARP used often in their earlier years to maintain temperature
stability (or as some say, to guard trade secrets). For whatever reason they did it,
having their sockets enclosed in resin makes it difficult, if not imposible, to repair
some units.
Both VCOs are switchable between sawtooth, square, and pulse waveforms with
oscillator sync, a ring modulator, and pink or white noise. Pulse-width can be
modulated manually or with the LFO or the ADSR envelope generator. There is a
high-pass filter, as well as a low-pass self-oscillating VCF. The filter can be
controlled by either of the two envelope generators, an ADSR (attack, decay,
sustain or "delay", release) and a simple AR (attack, release) and modulated by
the LFO, sample-and-hold, the keyboard, or a separate CV (pedal) input on the
back panel.