Year/Date of Issue: 11/25/23
Developer: Cherry Audio.
Developer website: Cherry Audio
Format: SAL, VSTi, VST3i, AAX.
Bit depth: 64bit
Tablet: Cured [R2R]
System requirements: WIN 7+
Description:
Pro Soloist is the latest in Cherry Audio’s “what if?” series of virtual instruments.
Featuring high-precision DSP designs designed by award-winning designer Mark Barton, Cherry Audio’s Pro Soloist goes far beyond emulating the legendary preset-mono analog synthesizer originally released by ARP in 1972. Pro Soloist not only faithfully reproduces the expressive controls, 30 presets and unique architecture of this prog-rock classic,
but also breaks it out of its cage, making it fully programmable and expanding it with full polyphony, splits and layers, a mode matrix, integrated studio-quality effects and much more.
In the early 1970s, analog synthesizers were just making their way into the hands of working musicians, and how they worked remained a mystery to most people outside of college music labs. To prevent possible user intimidation and bring synthesis to the masses, manufacturers introduced simple monophonic synthesizers with presets that were designed to be placed on an organ. ARP led the way in 1970 with the release of the Soloist, the first commercial synthesizer with 18 presets and basic controls.
In 1972, ARP released the Pro Soloist, which updated the analog preset knob with revolutionary read-readable digital memory chips (improving tuning stability) and expanded the preset selection to 30. Most impressive was the introduction of an innovative “touch sensor” keyboard. (today known as aftertouch), where pressing harder after playing a note changes the sound, allowing you to play very expressively. Specifically, the Pro Soloist touch keyboard allows you to change pitch, wow, growl, sparkle, volume, and vibrato. In the early 1970s, Pro Soloist was very popular among musicians due to its ability to quickly emulate the sounds of leading instruments such as horns, strings, woodwinds, etc.
Although Pro Soloist was associated with progressive rock, it was popular among bands such as Tangerine Dream, Gary Numan, Kansas, Herbie Hancock, Patrick Moraz, Styx, John Entwistle, Parliament, Billy Preston, Vangelis, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, the Ohio Players, Chick Corea, Prince, Josef Zawinul. Most notable was Tony Banks of Genesis, for whom the Pro Soloist was his first synthesizer. “The Cinema Show” on the 1973 album Selling England by the Pound features many of the Pro Soloist presets, followed by an epic solo using the “Fuzz Guitar 1” preset.
