PMS Performance Music Systems SYNTAR 1980 - STANDARD

This is the very rare 1980 Performance Music Systems (PMS) SYNTAR. The SYNTAR licensed the Electronic Music Laboratories EML designs made famous in the ElectroComp EML 101 and arranged them as a two oscillator synth with a multimode filter, Sample/Track & Hold, LFO, two EGs: ADSR and AD. All of the pots are sealed Type-J and some of them use the unique center 0 style for mixing in LFO or ENV. The oscillator wave forms are selected using a pot rather than a switch, which allows for a full range of shapes and you can go through low pass, bypass and highpass modes in the same linear fashion.

Sonically the SYNTAR is its own beast though most similar to the EML ElectroComp 101 and capable of growly moog style bass and leads with colorful resonant filter sweeps to very subtle pure tones thanks to how wave forms are variably dialed. The two printed pages are excerpts keyboard magazine's analog synthesizers features some details and pictures of the SYNTAR being shown at NAMM.

The left hand controls feature 9 wood blocks that control pots to allow for:

pitch up, pitch down

pitch modulation

sustain

filter up, filter down

filter modulation

amplitude modulation

nose.

Portamento control can be set to be directional and has a linear or exponential glide.

The power was rebuilt and includes a few modifications for CV and GATE out so that the SYNTAR could be used to drive modular analogue synthesizer. The Pratt-Reed keyboard has new bushings.

The original ATA flight case and a one off custom vinyl gig bag are included as well as a 50' and a 25' cable and stack of original patch sheets. The cable handles power, audio, external audio in, CV and gate so that you only plug in the 10 pin milspec cable to the SYNTAR.

The flightcase foam is collapsing, but fortunately the velvet covering is intact over it. The flight case is solid. This synth is now 45 years old with components from the mid 1970s. The original type-J sealed pots are all working, but are scratchy.