Price Paid: US $499
Ease of Use: 8
Software version 0.7x (rapid updates though)
This synthesizer is not really about preset sounds, however there are some presets in there for the user to fiddle about with in order to get used to the machine.
You will find fat pulse wave modulated lead sounds, squelchy TB-ish bass sounds, mean ringmodulated acid stuff as well as the traditional Commodore C64 blip-blop computer game'ish sounds.
Editing a patch is very easy, compared to a lot of complex analogue synthesizers. Once you get around the system, it is darn quick to edit. With the system being very logical in layout, it doesn't take long to grasp how to navigate. You have a 2x16 character backlit (very bright!) LCD display for the menu, four wonderfully fat knobs to tweak for each parameter on display, as well as a gigantic jog-wheel with a distinct 'click' feel for each increment or decrement whenever you need to finetune a parameter somewhere. Also, there is a touchpad consisting of the numbers 0-9, characters *, #, A, B, C and D. These double as cursor keys, enter and escape (stepping back to the previous position) to navigate around the system.
The manual is excellent, with easy overviews, large and airy pages without tons of dense text, schematics describing each and every parameter and/or the particular effect's behaviour (i.e. LFO, ADSR ENV and such).
Features: 8
The heard of the SidStation is the mos 6581 SID-chip, which is the sound-chip once used within the old Commodore C64 computer back in the 80's. Looking at SidStation as an analogue synth, it has the following specifications:
3 OSCillators with waveforms pulse (with modulation), triangle, sawtooth, variable noise and a combination waveform
Sync + Ringmodulation, available across all OSCillators
Detune individually on each OSCillator
Transpose individually on each OSCillator
Portamento individually on each OSCillator
Arpeggio individually on each OSCillator (very unique C64 stylish arpeggiator)
Keyboard tracking or fixed note pitch individually on each OSCillator
3 ENVelopes (ADSR)
1 Special ENVelope for the VCF (filter)
1 VCF resonant analogue filter with lowpass, highpass, bandpass, notch, and every combination (!)
4 LFOs positive or negative with waveforms pulse, triangle and sawtooth
1 External Audio Input (running through the filter)
100 memory places for your patches
With the SidStation really being a mono synthesizer boasting three OSCillators, the polyphony is down to one (1) most of the time. However, there is a single OSCillator mode where you get thinner sounds but three notes of polyphony. This is great for playing all those old Commodore C64 classic's live. The keyboard action is none, since this is a midi sound module (i.e. no keyboard). There are no effects built in, once again, due to the fact that this is really just an analogue mono synthesizer. You can not expand the SidStation in terms of hardware, although the OS is being updated constantly adding a plethoral of new functions. On the other hand, you couldn't really expand the MiniMoog without that hazardous fubar-approach. The SidStation receive on one midi channel (1-16), but will be able to work in a multi-timbral mode in the future as well as transmitting SysEx/Control Change data from all the beautiful knobs. This is great for tweaking the rest of your gear, since the knobs and the humongous jog-wheel feels better than most older synthesizers. There is no on-board sequencer at the time being. However, Elektron are said to update the SidStation with a "Roland TB-303" styled sequencer soon.
Expressiveness/Sounds: 10
Forget all there is to forget about realistic piano patches, lush ensemble strings or clarinet's. This is an analogue synth, darn it! :) For realism, what about all the good old computer game sounds? For such a task, this synthesizer is THE one to use, period. Many of us grew up listening to all the old Commodore C64 computer songs, and thus this very unique sound etched itself into our hearts. For such a person, using the SidStation is a dream come true. This is the first synthesizer in years that just had me playing for several hours through the night, instead of tweaking and tweaking. It gives great inspiration.
I've mostly used the SidStation in modern commercial music, such as pop, dance, techno, ambient, drum'n'bass and such. However, I have friends using it in the studio for popular rock music productions as well.
The SidStation is very neat when it comes to expressing yourself while playing, since you can program each individual OSCillator to react in different ways according to the pitch-wheel, arpeggiator etc. For instance, one OSCillator can play slow arpeggios, a second OSCillator is playing a note sliding slowly while the third and last OSCillator does the ringmodulating effect which you control using the pitch-wheel. With this setup, you get instant ambient music! The analogue filter has a way of distorting just slightly when you manage to hit that "sweet spot". Especially when overloading it using all three OSCillators. This is more than great. People thought I used a vintage distortion unit on some sounds and a fierce resonant filter, when in fact all I used was the raw output coming from the SidStation. And the filter wasn't even turned on. It's called ringmodulation, and the way this baby does the "sweeping" sounds using sync and ringmodulation can often be way more effectful than a resonant lowpass filter.
Being an analogue synthesizer, the SidStation does not react to velocity or aftertouch. However, it is said to receive these controllers in order to tweak individual parameters in a sound.
Of course, being a fairly "vintage" analogue unit (and quite a low-fi one compared to the latest hi-tech gear)it will output some background noise. (The 6581 SID soundchip has an s/n ratio of 48 dB, but the SidStation is better than that. However, this causes the OSCillators sometimes to leak at this level whenever it's quiet) Consider using a noisegate for any professional purpose. I run my SidStation through a dBX 166XL gate/compressor/limiter and it works just fine.
Reliability: 7
The inside looks really great. Everything is done just the way they do it in the most expensive, modern, branded units. Also, the potentiometers are ceramic so you will never ever wear them out.
It's got a rugged metallic casing, and the jacks and switches are very solid.
The SidStation is built to last. Since I own and use two SidStations I always have a backup, but I wouldn't mind touring with one unit only.
The unit feels a tad bit light though, but I guess that wouldn't make it fragile.
Customer Support: 10
With Elektron ESI being a small company, the feedback is great. You are actually in touch with the guys making the unit, meaning you're all the way down to the core of it all whenever asking questions, no matter how advanced they may be.
These guys seem to be doing this out of sheer and genuine interest, not even thinking of profit, and you can tell. Very enthusiastic and friendly, indeed.
They are always willing to listen to user feedback and ideas on how to improve the machine. I caught this unit at a very early stage, and nowadays I can actually see several of my requests having been implemented in the unit.
You can upgrade the SidStation either by replacing a ROM chip in a socket, quite easily, or by getting the upgrade over the Internet and transfer it from your computer into the RAM of SidStation.
Elektron ESI gives you a constant stream of upgrades as they implement new functions.
Overall Rating: 9
I've had my first SidStation for half a year by now and got a second unit a few weeks ago. I would never want to part with this machine. I've sold all my Roland x0x gear (except for the 909, that is), but I will never sell my two SidStations. Naturally, I'd replace a stolen unit.
Considering the units specifications on the analogue synthesizer side, as well as it being very rare (only less than a hundred units made so far)and hand built I think the price is really low.
I love the sound of the SidStation. It's characteristics really makes the mix come out fresh. No cliche's in my songs these days (oh well, except for the 909 I guess). I love the way my SidStation makes me explore new sounds in notime. I've been using way more complex machines before, but sometimes they were too complex in order to render me any useful sounds.
I miss not having a full midi-implementation just yet, and I can't wait for the rest of the missing functions to show up. But I guess that's life these days.
I've been doing music for over 20 years by now and I've owned a lot of gear, as well as having the average home-studio. Technically, I've compared the SidStation with the MiniMoog, Waldorf Pulse and Novation BassStation and it's pretty much similar in terms of specifications. However, with the inner core of the SidStation being the 6581 SID soundchip from the old Commodore C64 computer there is really no comparison with other synthesizers. Since I'm one of those guys who grew up on the Commodore 64, I just had to have this baby.
Since I got my first SidStation unit, my music really took off into new places. I ended up tweaking a sound, playing around with it, causing me to play something really fantastic so that I just *had* to turn it into a full song. Eventually, the first tune I did this way got accepted by my record company. Go figure. SidStation gives great inspiration.
One last thing would be that I think the SidStation will become a collectors item, which is sad in a way. Being hand made, and only some 100 units coming out at first (unless it turns into a huge success, that is), it's already starting to gain reputation as a rare bird.
Submitted by: Tomas Danko <danko@censor.net>
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.