QUARTZ-8 – JaySys Electronics

QUARTZ-1 Programmable Polyphonic Synthesizer

QUARTZ-8 Programmable Polyphonic Synthesizer

The synth I’ve always wanted

The QUART-8 is an 8 voice polyphonic programmable keyboard synthesizer greatly inspired on the classic analogue polysynths of the late seventies and early eighties. It falls in the category of hybrid synthesizers: the audio signal path is fully analogue, but it’s digitally controlled. The oscillators, filters and amplifiers are analogue, whereas the LFO’s, envelopes and modulation are generated digitally. This allows for up to 128 programs to be stored and recalled from memory at any given moment. Each program consists of 2 different sounds, which can be split or layered. It can be played via its 5-octave full size keyboard with velocity and aftertouch or via MIDI.

8 Voice polyphony

Each voice of the QUARTZ-8 consists of 2 VCO’s, a mixer, a multimode filter and a VCA. The oscillators offer triangle, sawtooth and variable pulse waves. VCO 1 even adds a sine wave option. VCO 2 can be synced to and/or modulated by VCO 1. Audio FM is fully analogue. The VCF actually consists of 2 VCF’s with a total of 4 different filter outputs: 4-pole lowpass, 2-pole lowpass, 2-pole bandpass and 2-pole highpass. The filter resonance is capable of self-resonation. One of these outputs can be selected as input for the final VCA. Each voice also has it’s own 2 individual envelope generators.

2 Part Multitibral

Each program consists of 2 sounds. These 2 different sounds can be arranged in a variety of split and layer combinations. Each of these 2 parts has a stereo output allowing for some immersive stereo sounds.

In addition there are different key modes such as monophonic, unison and a chord mode. There also a latchable arpeggiator with individual settings for each part so you can run 2 different arpeggios with 2 different sounds simultaneously.