The
Case for Vintage Electronic Drums,
by
Michael Render
[
originally published in Not So Modern Drummer Magazine,
]
Syndrum
CSM
Duraline
Superheads. That's right, Kevlar heads! The available
models were the Quad, the Twin and the Single. The only
difference being the number of pads each unit could
handle. There were no patches, no memory, just sliders
and knobs. The manual even came with diagrams showing
how to quickly achieve such standard sounds as Spacesound...Laser,
Bird Call and Backwards Tom.
A
cheaper Syndrum called the CSM was also produced.
It
was an all-in-one unit that was less feature rich than the
others and had the sound module in the same case as the
pad. In 1977, Star Instruments introduced the Synare. Many
people have confused the Syndrum with the Synare, but they
were made by two distinct companies.
Although
they share the same basic concepts, the Synare added a
few of it's own unique features, including a fully adjustable
filter, ring modulator and pink noise.
It
quickly became a mainstay of the disco and early electronic
crowd and can be heard on numerous recordings.
The
sound is so pervasive that Synare emulators for modern
DAWs are popping up even today.
The
Synare models all had the pads built into the sound module.
The Synare 1 had four pads, whereas the
Synare 2 had 12.
Synare
1
The
Synare 2 was striving to be the percussion equivalent
of a keyboard synthesizer and even included a sequencer.
That
is dangerously close to violating our definition of
electronic drum, but it was meant to be played by a
drummer with sticks, so it still fits.
The
Synare 3 was the affordable model,
much like the Syndrum CSM. It was a
single, UFO shaped pad with all the electronics inside.
This is probably the model most people will recognize.
Synare
3
The
configurations of the Syndrum and Synare models seems
to confirm the idea that they were originally intended
as a supplement for acoustic kits, not as a replacement.
And the recordings also bear this out. Electronic drums
were used for emphasis and accent.
Even
with the incessant playing of the Synare on the first
beat of every measure on Anita Baker's “Ring My
Bell,” (ouch) there were still acoustic drums
holding down the beat. Then along came Simmons.
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