The Quadra was one of those unfortunate synths which led to the demise of ARP. It was a synth of compremises which was drafted to keep the company ticking along until a better, more sophisticated product could be developed. Unfortunately for ARP, the R&D was slow and misguided and the company went bust. The Quadra was basically a re-hash of existing technology and was effectively three synths in one. It comprised an Omni an Axxe and a bass line synth. There was also a useful phase shifter effects section. The sections could be layered and mixed to make some often inspirational sounds. The keyboard had aftertouch and there was a simple arpeggiator.
The front panel included 16 touch pad 'memories'. These were not patches as we have come to expect now, and which were present on its contemporaries such as the Prophet 5, which remember all of the front panal parameter settings. Rather, they simply remembered which other front panal touch pad switches(waveform etc) were live at the time of programming. This synth was quickly superceded by its rivals and became very unpopular. Its number of outs and its interface possibilities are very good. One other thing, the colour scheme is revolting. Red, green, blue, orange, white and black. Awful. It looks great in the studio, though.
Comments About the Sounds:
Strings and leads are a strength.
(Thanks to Keith for this info.) and Bobby92 for the pic
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Released: 1978 | 