Pearl Syncussion SY1

Released in 1979 by drum manufacturers, Pearl, the SY-1 was the forerunner to the Simmons SDSV.

It offered two completely independent (and identical) channels which were typically triggered from two bongo-like drums fitted with transducers. However, they can be triggered from almost anything including an old synth with a gate output, or indeed, the trigger outputs of something like a TR606 or TR808.

Each channel has an oscillator that can produce different basic waveforms which can be shaped with its own simple envelope generator. Oscillator pitch can be swept with SWEEP control either positively or negatively (the pitch rises with the sweep). Each channel also has an LFO with variable speed and depth and a choice of square and sawtooth waveforms. There’s also a noise generator and a sample/hold function and so, with some adventurous programming, a very wide range of sounds is possible.