Wednesday, March 16, 2011

My first synth

In 1989 I took a class in electronic music. It was my first exposure to synthesizers. My school had a very good collection of hardware, though at the time I didn't recognize the importance. I was busy using the tools I personally owned. 10 years went by before I revisited electronic music and the use of hardware and software as musical tools. I don't remember exactly when it was but sometime around 2001-2002 I bought my first synth, the Roland PMA-5.

A friend introduced me to the PMA-5. He and his band mates had discovered them and were using them all the time. The PMA-5 was designed as an all in one tool. It had synth sounds, drum sounds, guitar sounds, as well as a sequencer and effects. It could also be used with other synths as a sound source.

I sold it a few years back in the rush to buy something else, I don't remember exactly what, but I do remember it fondly.