Argentina-based GS Music has introduced the Apollo I analog monophonic synthesizer.
It features an analog audio path, offering two VCO’s, a mixer, VCF and VCA. The control signals are digitally-created, including three LFO’s and dual ADSR envelope generators.
The GS Apollo I interface is designed to be immediate and intuitive, offering 18 knobs and 3 buttons.
Specifications:
- Polyphony: Monophonic, last-note priority
- Oscillators: 2 voltage-controlled analog oscillators (VCO) with sub-oscillators.
- Oscillator Waveforms: Triangular, Saw-Tri, Sawtooth, Pulse
- Filter (VCF): 24dB Low pass filter / Oct (4 poles) with resonance control.
- Envelopes: 2 * (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release)
- LFO: 3 **
- LFO waveforms: Triangular, Ramp up, Down ramp, Square
- Presets: 8
- Connections: MIDI IN, MIDI OUT, MIDI Thru, Audio Output (Plug 1/4 “TRS balanced)
- Power: DC 12V 1A
- Dimensions: 280mm x 140mm x 81mm
- Weight: 1.6 kg
- Dimensions (with packaging): 330mm x 220mm x 135mm
- Weight (with packaging): 2.0 kg
Video Preview:
The GS Music Apollo 1 is available to pre-order now for about US $520. Note that GS’s site is currently Spanish-only.
why should i choose a no name product if i can have a pretty similar product from an established company for less money!?
Everyone was ‘no name’ at some point.
If everyone thought like this, we’d all be driving beige Corollas.
True that. You should pay more for the 1 oscillator, 1 lfo, 1 envelope Pittsburgh or Mother-32, because they have a bunch of extra holes to plug your other gear that you spent thousands on but still complain about price.
The same reason if you have a Eurorack you may have 3 or 4 different filters all sounding different.
I love my Mother 32 … but the Apollo does not sound like my Moog.
I’m quite impressed with that 70s solo sound on this unit.
Does anyone know if it will rack with a Mother 32?
Too expensive!!! Behringer D all the way!!!
the sound is good
it sounds very nice to me.
Sounds good
No sync. No FM. No noise.
When bringing the 25th mono semi-analog synth to the market, shouldn’t there be something that makes it standing out, especially if it cost more than most others?
Like presets, which it has, and mostly none of the competitors have
Great, I was just thinking “oh, I need a 46th dual-oscillator desktop monosynth with moog design filter to fill that small remaining space at the corner of my desk”…
Argentina and Mercosul countries are a very big market with insane taxes on products from Europe or the USA. It makes sense in this perspective.
The voice of reason…
You’re right… I’m from Argentina and here costs less than USD 300, is cheaper by far than the Behringer Model D or the Mother 32, or anyone. To us is the inverse sense, all instruments are almost impossible to buy, with expensive taxes and a disadvantage with the dollar conversion… So this Unit let us obtain something good in terms of sound (it sounds very good, I’ve tested it and compared with a boog and I prefer the Apollo by far) and cheap, accesible… It’s a shame that some people can’t access to some instruments, depending in which country you are…
“New” small east coast analog synths have been thrown at us for the last two years. What are we supposed to do with this tidal wave of look- and sound- alikes?
Complain over them on synthtopia, apparently
@Erik: Yes, I do complain!
Expect to see something new / innovating on synthopia, not piles of old dust …
I hope that people that complain about a new musical instrument at least took the time to listen to the demo.
This thing sounds really good. It’s a two osc. synth but if it has a sub osc for each of them, it can get pretty seriously fat. It’s not the cheapest mono synth out there but here’s why I think it’s worth being positive about it:
1) Two oscs with two sub oscs? Big sound. Like owning two Micromoogs almost.
2) More expensive than a Behringer D, but also looks much better built. Reminds me of the Minitaur.
3) It has eight more presets than a D.
4) Unlike the Minitaur, it won’t have that frustrating note limit.
5) The basic sound quality was really good.
6) Ease of use – certainly every function seems to be right there on the panel. Even a Minitaur makes use of a few button combinations, etc.
Possible downsides:
1) Pretty basic voice structure. Is there any AM, FM? The basic tone is good but as mentioned above, it’s competing in a pretty saturated part of the market.
2) As per the point above, it isn’t the cheapest monosynth around.
3) This demo was pretty nice to listen to, but it would benefit them to make a second video perhaps showing a greater range of sounds.
I think it’s cool that we’re starting to see manufacturers emerge from other parts of the world. Dreadbox is another good example of this. I hope that there’s enough special mojo from this unit that they are somehow able to differentiate themselves from this crowded part of the market. If I were looking for a basic mono synth, I’m not yet sure why I should choose this over, say, the Dark Energy, the D, the Neutron, a Minibrute, or even a DCO based synth like the excellent Bass Station II.
Sounds Great!
It costs more than MFB Dominion Club, but how does it have advantages over it?
At least it has two ADSR envelopes. Not everything in this price range can say that.
I don’t think there is anyone else in the region doing this kind of things (please correct me if I’m wrong) which by itself is a great thing.
In a global world it is difficult to compete with established companies but you have to start somewhere. One of the reasons Southamerica is underdeveloped is because of lack of technological development. We buy foreign not because it is cheap (as someone said before, it is quite the opposite) but because we don’t produce such things.
I say congratulations to GS music for the initiative.
If the value of wooden pages is 350$, then this module worth 520$ ..
Hi. I am the designer of this synth. Thanks for the comments (good and bad). It’s good to hear so many different opinions.
It is true that there are a lot of analog monophonic synths in the market. By the time I started the project (two years ago), there were not so many analog monophonic synths.
There are some special features of this synth that I may have omitted:
1) It has a completely new temperature compensation on the oscillators, which seems to be very stable.
2) It has an autotuning algorithm that can tune the oscillators in about 1 second.
3) I am still doing some final modifications and now 32 presets can be stored.
4) Oscillators can be synced.
5) LFO can be synced to note on and/or midi clock.
6) There are a lot of parameters that can be controlled with Midi CC, for example: VCF or VCA keyboard tracking, VCF or VCA velocity modulation and many more.
7) You can do a poly chain. (I will try to make a video in the next days)
Some mentioned the price as quite expensive. There is no mass production in this synth, it is handcrafted in Argentina. The costs in Argentina are quite high and other synths may cost 2x the price in USA. As you see, the price is a lot more competitive within the country.
If you are interested in this synth, you can follow us on Facebook and YouTube, the links are in our website: http://www.gsmusic.com.ar
Thanks Synthotopia for sharing our product!
Thank you for the explanation. The sound of your creation is very pleasant to the ear. I wish you creative breakthroughs in the future.