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10 synths that defined the '80s
The machines that gave the stars their sounds
Scot Solida, Fri 17 Jul 2009, 2:44 pm UTC
Stevie Wonder and his amazing collection of levitating '80s synths. Image: © Aaron Rapoport/Corbis
For a while, it seemed like the '80s was the decade that music revivalists had chosen to ignore. Conventional wisdom had it that its records were typified by overblown production and digital sounds, but all of a sudden, guitars are out and synths are back in.
The likes of La Roux, Ladyhawke and Empire Of The Sun have all released albums that sound like they could have been released 25 years ago. Even Spandau Ballet have made a comeback.
In celebration, MusicRadar presents a rundown of the machines that gave us the sounds that defined a decade. If you want to take your music back to the '80s, these are the instruments (whether in real or software form) that you need to seek out.
10. Oberheim DX/DMX Drum Machine
The DMX was Oberheim's answer to the Linn LM-1 Drum Computer, and although it didn't have quite as high a profile as Roger Linn's seminal sampled beatbox, it carved its own swathe through the era's new wave, hip-hop and pop charts.
Like the Linn, the DMX featured samples of real drums. 24 of 'em to be exact. Though the selection was anaemic by today's standards, users could wring a lot of variety out of the included samples with such sophisticated features as tunable samples and eight separate outputs for individual processing.
Better still, alternate sounds were made available on EPROM chips, and you could even burn your own with Oberheim's Prommer. Part of the Oberheim 'System', the machine was available in three incarnations: the DMX; the pared down DX; and the beefed up Stretch DX.
Hear it on
The Sisters of Mercy: First and Last and Always
New Order: Blue Monday
9. Roland D-50 Synthesizer
A little reverb goes a long, long way. It'd be hard to find better proof of that fact than the D-50, Roland's chart-topping blockbuster synth from 1987. Combining 8-bit sampled attacks, loops and synthesized waveforms, the D-50 was the instrument that really sparked the industry's love affair with sample-based synthesizers.
It was, and remains, an impressive-sounding instrument, chocked to the brim with tinkling bells, chiffy echoes and moody atmospheres. The programmers did a magnificent job, creating sounds that instantly inspire, partially thanks to the included reverb effects, often generously applied to hide some dubious loops ad artifacts.
Today, these same limitations might be seen as 'characterful' and they certainly didn't affect Roland's bottom line. There were (take a breath) over 200,000 of the things sold worldwide.
Hear it on
Prince: Lovesexy
Sting: Dream of the Blue Turtles
Michael Jackson: Bad
