Synthi Hi-fli EMS - What Is It?!

[Paul Marossy]

Anyone ever see one of these?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Synthi-Hi-fli-EMS-dual-white-pedals-1972-Rarest-f-x-pedal-world-25-/270833442907?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item3f0eee605b

Just wondering if this something totally unique or not. I have never seen of one of these things...

[frequencycentral]

Very unique and sought after. Designed by Dave C-o-ckerall, who then moved to EHX. I believe the phaser part is the parent of the Small Stone. there's a guy doing a redux version too: http://www.synthi.co.uk/hifli.html

[Paul Marossy]

Very unique and sought after. Designed by Dave C-o-ckerall, who then moved to EHX. I believe the phaser part is the parent of the Small Stone. there's a guy doing a redux version too: http://www.synthi.co.uk/hifli.html

Huh, interesting. Looks like it may be one of the first ever multi-effect units...

[Mark Hammer]

It falls into the same general category as the Ludwig Phase II or the Maestro Universal Synthesizer System: one of those things where a bunch of effects are harnessed together in a unique configuration to produce fairly unique sounds.  David Gilmour used one.

Internally, there may be some similarities between it and the EHX Microsynth, since both are David %^&*erell designs.

I thought I had seen a schematic somewhere, but I may be mistaken.  Certainly Stephen Giles would be the point man as to whether one is floating around.

[frequencycentral]

I thought I had seen a schematic somewhere, but I may be mistaken.  Certainly Stephen Giles would be the point man as to whether one is floating around.

....or me  

http://jbemond.free.fr/SDIY/EMS/EMS_Hifli.pdf

[digi2t]

I haven't seen one "in the flesh", but I believe that they are back in... ahem... production. http://www.synthi.co.uk/hifli.html

I did manage to download the supposed schematics, and test notes, compiled in a 20 page pdf. Some of it is hard to read though, since it's scanned pages. The phaser part of it alone is comprised of over 200 diodes!

I've read that Gilmore was one of the first to get one, and that maybe he still has it.

Here's another thread on it; http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=73726.0

There's also videos on Youtube of it, although, it sounds like my Ludwig Phase II for the most part. I bet if you run the Luddy through a Korg Mr. Multi, you'll probably be able to achieve 99% of what this "place where diodes go to die" can do. The Luddy clone project is already, and I'm working on the Mr. Multi clone right now.

Cheers,
Dino

[Paul Marossy]

The phaser part of it alone is comprised of over 200 diodes!

Wow. 

[Gurner]

Nice thread ...enjoyed it - it took me on a journey (of the best kind, ie where I don't even get off my sofa), first to the guy reproducing these ...and in turn to the EMS website (I can recommend it), there can't be many synth manafacturers based on a road such as this...

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=TR2+4NW&hl=en-GB&ll=50.334395,-4.96331&spn=0.000027,0.022638&hnear=Truro+TR2+4NW,+United+Kingdom&gl=uk&t=m&z=16&vpsrc=0&layer=c&cbll=50.334377,-4.963162&panoid=Wsb_2R8HMaZr8_yjPos3ug&cbp=12,313.59,,0,6.14

[slacker]

....or me  

http://jbemond.free.fr/SDIY/EMS/EMS_Hifli.pdf

That's those long winter nights taken care off

[digi2t]

That's those long winter nights taken care off 

The EMS Synthi clone project....

Kills marriage dead! 

[Paul Marossy]

The EMS Synthi clone project....

Kills marriage dead! 

Kind of like the marital version of Raid! 

[frequencycentral]

....or me  

http://jbemond.free.fr/SDIY/EMS/EMS_Hifli.pdf

That's those long winter nights taken care off

Could be a long winter I hear - you want the VCS3 service manual PDF I got too? 

[Mark Hammer]

Um, what the hell is a "bowstring" that gets referred to in the manual?

[newperson]

"Could be a long winter I hear - you want the VCS3 service manual PDF I got too? "

I would like a copy of that to read if you would share?

[jessetrbo]

If you haven't seen this, I found it very entertaining, even informative:

http://www.networkawesome.com/show/doc-what-the-future-sounded-like-ems-studios/

Hopefully...enjoy.

-Jesse Trbovich

[Paul Marossy]

If you haven't seen this, I found it very entertaining, even informative:

http://www.networkawesome.com/show/doc-what-the-future-sounded-like-ems-studios/

Hopefully...enjoy.

-Jesse Trbovich

Watching the first video now! Interesting stuff!

[StephenGiles]

I found the phasing samples for the reissue unit to be awful - who uses that hideous bubbling sound, much better to have a slow phase.

[Ronan]

Um, what the hell is a "bowstring" that gets referred to in the manual?

I *think* but not sure, it is the string of 6 stages in each phase block.

[Ronan]

I did a bit more reading - "bow-string" refers to a string of 20 diodes connected to each all-pass filter, the amount of phase shifting is varied by the modulation waveforms applied to this string.

Edit - anyone know exactly how this works? As in how the diodes transfer the modulation to each stage?

[frequencycentral]

I'm clueless but curious....