NAMM 2008 Spotlight: John Bowen Synth Design

NAMM 2008 Spotlight: John Bowen Synth Design

20 January, 2008 | 12.27PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Technology
• Written by: francispreve

Invariably, the most interesting gear is tucked away - almost hidden - in the convention center.

Case in point: John Bowen — who has worked on the design and/or voicing of the Multimoog, original Prophet syntesizers, Prophet VS, Korg WaveStation, Korg Z1, and various Creamware products — was showing a prototype of his übersynth for his own John Bowen Synth Design, the Solaris, upstairs in a corner far away from the bustle.

The Solaris, in John’s words, is the culmination of his thirty-five years in the synth industry.

This is his first NAMM show as a “solo artist” representing a company that is uniquely his own.

Sporting four oscillators, four filters, five LFOs, six DADSR envelopes, two looping eight-stage envelopes, four part multitimbrality, and a front panel to die for, the Solaris is going to make some serious waves…

…when it ships this summer.

The attention to detail is incredible, with exact recreations of the Prophet VS wavetable, filter feedback that truly screams, and a real richness that most virtual synths will never touch.

MSRP: $3999

Start saving your pennies.

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