REVIEW: Synthesizers.com QSS44 (Arrick) BY: John Mitchell DATE: Jan 11, 2001. Let me start this on a negative note: I'm not crazy about the name Synthesizers.com. First, "dot com" is almost a dirty word to anyone who took a hit in NASDAQ (guess who?). Second, while it's brilliant from a marketing standpoint--see the modules, know instantly where to find them--the name sounds kind of...um...dorky. So, in keeping with the time-honored analog synthesizer tradition of naming modulars after their creators or purveyors, I prefer simply to call the Synthesizers.com synthesizer the Arrick (as in Roger). After all, Synthesizers.com is a division of Arrick Robotics, and which sounds more cool to you, "Synthesizers.com QSS44," or "Arrick Robotics QSS44"? So, in this review and ever after, it's "Arrick". Also, if you're expecting an in-depth review, stop reading now. This long-winded article is more of a personalized overview than a technical exploration. That's because you can find excellent descriptions of the modules and systems at guess-which-website, and I haven't owned this beast long enough to really put it through its paces. But I can tell you this much so far: if you're really serious about analog synthesis and want an investment quality gimmick-free studio synth in the best modular tradition, you know where to find it. FINDING THE GRAIL I was carpooling to work in a friend's yuppiewaggon one day when he pointed to this hot looking four-wheeled thang and started to drool so much we almost skidded off the freeway on the road slick he created. "Oh man, a PT Cruiser!" he exclaimed. "I gotta get one of those. It's like the 'rod I never had!" "Sure, whatever," I thought. "Can we talk synths now? Oh, that's right, you don't." (Not to worry--all this automotive exposition will make sense in a minute.) So there I was at the office, going through the wake-up ritual of coffee and Analogue Heaven before doing any real work when I decided to check out somebody's tangential reference to "synthesizers.com." Now, I had been looking for a new synth for quite some time--one with big, solid 1/4" panel-mounted jacks because they last way beyond PC-mounted jacks, which aren't designed for longevity. That's why I had been seriously checking out another respected line of modules that boast 1/4" jacks and are as big as a Texas rabbit (size obviously matters in the Lone Star State). Oh, the quality was there to be sure, but the modules were designed to be rack mounted, and that calls for an enclosure that is just too deep and too vertical for my tastes. I also wanted a wider selection. When the synthesizers.com page popped up, I knew my search was ended. This was the synth I had been looking for. Here was a tempting array of really useful modules with a serious attitude. There were man-sized panels with well-executed graphics and room to twiddle and fiddle with knobs for days. There were prized 1/4" panel jacks. There were big, fat pushbuttons and LEDs. And there were studio and portable tabletop cabinets for everything! (Rack mounting is supported too.) Best of all, the modules and systems were deliciously, unabashedly, even blatantly Moogy. Being a poor teenager in the Moog's heyday, I had to rely on modules from PAIA (long may they reign!), a SWTPC "Psychtone" and a legion of modules of my own design to create music with. This Frankenstein of a system served me well for many years, but it wasn't my fantasy Moog IIIC. And by the time I finally could afford a Moog IIIC, there were none to be had. Nowadays you can get 'em on ebay, but who wants to pay top dollar for parts that are 30 years old? Yes, folks, electronic components age just like the rest of us, and all the glucosamine and chondroitin in the world won't restore the knee on your filter's response curve if the electrolytic caps are dried out (though a competent technician can restore it). Roger Arrick obviously figured this out and decided to create a modular synth for people who couldn't afford a full-blown studio system in the 60s, 70s and 80s, and who wanted a fresh one now. That's when it dawned on me: The Arrick is the PT Cruiser of the synthesizer world. GOING FOR IT I ordered the QSS44 Studio Synthesizer with the addition of an extra filter, pedal interface and multiples module. Then I waited for months. Roger Arrick apparently hadn't anticipated the deluge of orders he received, so things got backed up. Finally the order was completed and the synth was sent on its way. Keep in mind that this is a BIG system that requires a custom wooden crate and other expensive shipping measures, so sending it back almost wasn't an option, even though Synthesizers.com promises a 10-day free trial. If this thing didn't meet expectations, I'd give them a trial all right! My wrath would reach its full extent on every analog Web forum, with enough raging bile left over to level the Synthesizers.com factory, the city and county in which it resides, the entire state of Texas and selected portions of Oklahoma. All are still standing, so obviously I was pleased. Let me tell you, the pictures at Synthesizers.com don't do the Arrick justice. The thing was freakin' huge. It was like unwrapping the cockpit of a 747, encased in gorgeous walnut with not a scratch on it. A friend who helped me unwrap "Black Beauty," as I am wont to call it, stepped back after admiring the finish and said, "Wow. How retro." "Retro?" I exclaimed in mock horror. "RETRO? Dude, analog isn't retro to those of us who never left it!" But that's when I realized that the only modular analog synth he had ever seen was the Moog, and the Arrick looked like The Bride of Moog. But the Arrick isn't a Moog copycat so much as a Moog homage. After all, why mess with a successful classic design? Violins look pretty much the same as they did 200 years ago, don't they? Thus one might consider the Arrick's Moogitude to be a truly shrewd stylistic choice. Being the same dimensions as Moog modules and having the same general look, Arrick modules can be used to replace or fill-out the modules in a Moog system. And don't forget that they satisfy the unrequited analog love of the PT Cruiser crowd! ENOUGH OF AUTOMOTIVE ANALOGIES Performance is where the PT Cruiser and the Arrick part company. Although the PT Cruiser is really an SUV in a stylish hotrod body, the Arrick is every bit the serious studio synthesizer it promises to be. There are drawbacks to be sure, but the benefits far outweigh them. One of the best things about the Arrick is that it is an analog synthesizer for analog purists. When you think about it, an analog synthesizer is a lot like an analog computer (that is, if you even remember analog computers). They can add, subtract, integrate and perform other functions on voltages. That's why the Arrick contains modules like the simple, yet incredibly useful Q125 Signal Processor, which can amplify, attenuate, offset, or invert any audio or control signal. It's about the best bias voltage source I have seen on an analog synth. You will want to get more than one so you can rule the world. You will also want to get more than one Q141 Oscillator Aid module, which adds soft sync, a wave selector and +/- amplitude control to the already terrific Q106 Oscillator. If you want some real fun, try running the Q106 in VC LFO mode--which it does very well--and use an Oscillator Aid to soft-synch the Q106 to another LFO or even an ADSR. Or use a mixer to pit a waveform from an oscillator against its inverted Evil Twin from the Oscillator Aid, with a little alteration thrown into the loop. NOW FOR THE BAD STUFF This brings us to the drawbacks of the Arrick. Hey, I started this review on a negative note, so why not be consistent and end on one? Anyway, if I were to list all of the virtues of this synthesizer, you would be reading for the next six days and resting on the seventh. So here goes: I have never heard the oscillators on any modular analog synthesizer generate a pure sine wave and the Arrick oscillators are no exception. Despite the supposed purity of the Q106 sine, my ear says there are harmonics riding on it. I know that the sine-cum-triangle wave distortion I'm hearing isn't a product of faulty amplification or recording equipment, because a test sine through the same system still sounds like a sine. Judging from the way it modulates, however, the Q106 sine remains pure in the LFO range. Usually I employ a filter in regeneration mode to generate a true audio sine on an analog synth, but the Arrick's Q107 State Variable Filter isn't up to the task. It runs into overdrive and clips. Very annoying for my style of synthesis. The filter should also track better than it does. Mind you, the Q107 is by no means a bad filter, just not a great one. That could be the reason the mighty QSS44 synthesizer comes with only a single filter, which is ridiculous for a studio system. Hopefully, the soon-to-be-released LPF ladder filter will pick up the slack left by the Q107. A fixed filter bank is also on the way. What else can I bitch about? Well, the two bottom jacks on the Oscillator Aid are askew. This will be easily rectified by filing the holes and shifting each jack up or down a bit (an old trick), but this bit of sloppy panel punching is odd, given that the modules on the whole are well-constructed and professional looking. Hmmmm.... What else? The noise source sounds "dirty" unless you turn the knob virtually to zero. I suspect an internal voltage adjustment could be misaligned and is causing the overdriving. It will be odd if this turns out NOT to be the case, because levels on the Arrick modules are extremely consistent. Zero is nothing, half is half, and max is max in every case. Not all analog modulars have that kind of consistency, believe it or not. BACK TO THE GOOD STUFF Guess this review won't end on a negative note after all because I forgot to mention the keyboard! Remember when keyboards were housed in wood? Well, this one is a solidly constructed beauty. The action is of the typical unweighted variety, which I have always preferred. You get several kinds of split keyboard functions as well as velocity sensitivity. The velocity sensitivity feature isn't stellar, but it's a function I don't have much use for anyway. What really rocks on this keyboard is the MIDI-to-CV conversion. The scanning method used makes the keyboard extremely responsive. You can play an ocean of rapid trills and arpeggios with nary a clam in it. BUILT FOR THE LONG HAUL If your goal is to imitate the sound of a supermarket toy or an 80s arcade game, this isn't the system for you. Of course, you could tailor your Arrick to do just that (ah, the beauty of modular!), but it would be kind of like buying a professional gas range when all you really want to do is reheat burritos. Moreover, the modules come with technical descriptions, but no "how to" manual (like the Doepfer and some others have), so those unfamiliar with analog signal processing might want to read up on the subject before investing. Once you start your system, though, you'll have the urge to expand it almost immediately. And thanks to the Arrick's quality construction and prudent avoidance of gimmickry, your synthesizer will probably outlast the current analog revival by decades. John Mitchell