Odyessey Problems

[Don Tillman]

   From: "Stopp,Gene" <gene.stopp at telematics.com>
   Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 15:30:00 -0400

   I have never even considered adding patch points to an Odyssey,
   because there is not much you can't do with it in the stock
   configuration. The multiple slider input attenuator format with the
   slide switch to choose the modulation sources for each circuit
   section allows a huge amount of flexibility for such a simple
   machine, without having to resort to patch cords. The ARP guys
   deserve a lot of credit for creating a synthesizer with such a high
   cheap-hardware-to-feature ratio. Either a flash of brilliance, or a
   happy fluke.

I agree; it's a amazingly elegant design.  The switches, the extra
signal path via the S/H mixer, just the right number of
controls for a live instrument... it's very impressive.

And I might be alone on this one, but I think the pressure pads are a
refereshing alternative for pitch bend and vibrato.  Obviously I've
never had one of the pads fail.

There are problems with the Odyssey of course (slide pots were way hip
in 1972 or whenever but they're not very practical in terms of dirt
and controllablity, there's no easy way to jump one of the VCOs an
octave or two, etc.) but it's a classic machine for very good reasons.

  -- Don