Trilogy
analog synthesizer/string/organ
I like to call this the poor man's Oberheim OB-X :) , because it reminds of it, colors and size.
The sound is no joke, though. This is an impressive instrument, big, large and heavy. The name Trilogy of course (in the same vein were, for example, the Korg Trident, the ARP Omni 1/2, and the Moog Opus 3) comes from the fact that this instrument features three sections: Organ, Strings, and Synthesizer.
These "Multi-Instrument Keyboards", as they were called at the time, were very popular among keyboardists - because back in the early 80s, "proper synthesizers" like the Prophet-5, Oberheim OB-X or Jupiter-8 were much more expensive.
So, the Trilogy doesn't have all the modulation and bells and whistles of the other big of the era... but still manages to sound good, and that's the bottom line! :-)
The String section in particular sounds great.. very retro, and very similar to the classic ARP String Ensemble (Solina).
The Organ section is okay, but there are only four sliders, each one of them acting as a "horizontal drawbar". Four drawbars are not enough for Hammond sounds (not to mention, no percussion, chorus or Leslie emulation..), so the organ sounds you get are more in the Farfisa/Vox/Electric organ vein. Useful to have in the sonic toolbox, though.
The Synthesizer section is big, brassy, and typically 80s-sounding. In all, this is an impressive (not only visually - it's very large and heavy) synthesizer, capable of vintage sounds unavailable anywhere else.
Stream all audio examples below:
| Preset name with audio demo | My comments |
| Presets (note: these are the presets in my current unit, changed by the previous owner - they are not the factory presets..) | |
| preset 1 | assignable preset |
| Preset 2 | Nice, fat staccato synthesizer |
| Preset 3 | Standard rising reso-pad. I added LFO frequency and vca modulation at the end. |
| Preset 4 | Clavi-synth sound. |
| Preset 5 | Trombone/Brass sound. Pure analog. Modulated by the joystick at the end. |
| Preset 6 | Nice retro-sounding flute |
| Preset 7 | Powerful analog synth-bass/polysynth, very '80s. |
| Preset 8 | Evolving (slightly out of phase) double osc synth sound. Added mod at the end. |
| String Ensemble | |
| String Ensemble section | This is a dream sound!!! Gorgeous, vintage super-analog string section sound, that only synth from the '70s/early '80s knew how to do! :-) Definitely holds its own compared to the Solina. Probably the Trilogy's main asset. |
| Organ | |
| Organ 2' | Early Clavioline/Farfisa type sound |
| Organ 4' | '60s transistor organ |
| Organ 8' | Vox-type sound |
| Organ 16' | '70s home organ |
| Organ 16' + 2' | Vox Continental |
| Organ 16' + 4' | Vox Continental variation |
| Organ 16' + 8' + 4' + 2' | '60s lounge organ |
| Synthesizer | |
| Synth 1 - AnaComp | Early poly synth sound |
| Synth 2 - Osc. One slight detune, '80s style | Typical 1980s synth sound |
| Synth 3 - Big Detune + lfo modulation | Full, analog sound |
| Synth 4 - Super Detune, techno style | Awesome detuned synth, very modern-sounding |
| Synth 5 - detuned 5th - Keith Emerson style | Typical ELP style |
| Synth 6 - Octave Synth | Utilizing the Octave Mod. feature, reminds of Fischerspooner's "Emerge" at the beginning, changing to a hypnotic synth at the end. |
| Synth 7 - Filter Sweeps | Classic, powerful, cutoff + resonance filter sweeps (note how powerful the Trilogy's filters are) |
| Solo Synth - Square Wave solo | Utilizing the Oscillator Glide function (a sort of portamento effect) |
| Pad 1 - Hi-Resonance + slow LFO modulation | Gorgeous, moving pad, with plenty of resonance added. |
| Pad 2 - Filtered Sawtooth, long envelope | Peaceful, dreaming analog sawtooth wave synthesizer pad. |
| Brass 1 - Jump Synth Brass | The ubiquitous sound.. |
| Brass 2 - Slide Synth Brass | Reminds a bit of Paul Simon's "Graceland" album. |
| Brass 3 - Synth Brass | Gentler, muted synth brass. |
| Keyboard - Electric Piano with tremolo | Dreamy Rhodes. |
| Bass - Synth Bass | Techno bass, powerful. |
| Special FX - WW2 radio | Again showcasing the power of the Trilogy's filter section. |
| Special FX 2 - Birdies | Plenty of lfo modulation. |
| Reed - Clarinet | Honest clarinet reedy sound |
| String - Violin&Viola&Cello | Very expressive!! |
Trilogy manual in
.pdf , courtesy of the Yahoo Crumar group
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/crumar/
- Review in "Keyboard magazine" Janfebmarch 198___
- great look, with Oberheim-style panel, buttons, and wood end-panels;
- great-sounding string section - very similar to the famous ARP Solina String Ensemble;
- thick, warm analog sound;
- octave mod. effect
| Features at a glance | |
| Year of release: | 1981 |
| Sound generation method: | analog, 2-DCO |
| Polyphony: | full poly (?) |
| Presets: | 7 + 1 assignable |
| Keyboard: | 49 note (4 octaves) |
| Responds to velocity: | no |
| Aftertouch | no |
| MIDI: | no |
| Sound expansion capabilities: | no |
| Arpeggiator: | no |
| Effects: | no |
| Controls: | knobs for synthesizer/strings control, four sliders for the organ section |
| Outputs: | three separate 1/4" (synthesizer, strings, organ). The synthesizer output also acts as main output combining the three sections (three volume knobs available for ease of mixing) |
| Weight: | |
The "Song made only with this instrument" trial: _________ The Trilogy behaves like a champ. Note in particular...
I successfully used Radio Shack part#270-1011 (pkg. of 4 fuses) 5-Amp Fast Acting Fuses - 250-Volt - 1 1/4 x 1/4" - 3AG or AGC Type.
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