Used it once to noise gate, with no other equipment, so a group of people in a studio, individually miked and wearing headphones, could have a "talk show" conversation with phone guests.

Used the Arp to gate the telephone line being recorded, whenever someone in the studio spoke; they'd get recorded in full fidelity on the other track, so the phone only added distortion.

Then, when the phone caller spoke back, Arp turned up the input and even compressed it a few dB. Could have also filtered out 60 Hz hum if it was a problem.

Also used it to generate 67 kHz carrier, modulated by audio (both AM and FM) to test FM SCA receivers.

Even used it as intrusion alarm. When we'd leave the house (or the wife sleeping alone while I worked late), I'd set the 2600 so it sounded like the end of the world! Fast warbling alarm sirens, huge slow air raid sirens, klaxons, explosions! Then I'd pot up the internal amp voltage, with most of ten volts positive into the final mixer amp, which would turn it up loud (Silvertone amp with two twelves, like the Velvet Underground used to use). Put a plug in that hole, and the synthesizer is muted. Attach that plug to a ten foot patch cord, looped around the knob on the front door. Open the door, pull the plug, hell rains down. Unless you know to open it a few inches, reach in and unhook the wire loop from the knob.

Just my way of saying the versatility of this wonderful machine is limited only by what you need it to do.

The main problem is that people judge it by the SPEAKER sound. Turn them off and listen to the real output! Even patch an output EARLIER in the chain (after VCA, before mixer) and hear it get better still... The mods for decoupling the filter and increased filter range are good and clarify the sound a lot.

I have played MANY (around 40-50) 2600's in my life. I honelsty can say the latest ones (orange panel) are far stronger, meatier and clearer than the early ones. I know "older is better" but this was true also for Odysseys (older ones are much weaker and softer sounding) so maybe there is an ARP exception to that adage.

BrianK

They don´t come cheap these days , but trust me they´re worth it no matter what style of music you´re into. The 2600 begs you to do experimental stuff with it , but you can also patch up a classic lead/bass/whathaveyou in no time. Or without patchcords for that matter since it´s semimodular. Like any modular of this size you can surprise yourself every day with a new sound and a new dimension that you didn´t know about before. Modulate everything with anything to get sounds that vibrate and live. I have yet to hear any virtual (like the Nordmod) sound like this. To my ears they´re just flat and clinical , but I won´t go there...

My only gripes would be the sometimes clicking filter in high resonant positions , and also the envelopes are a bit...well , I could have used two ADSR´s instead of one of them being just an AR , but that´s ARP for you.

The older 2600´s with the 4012 filter are supposed to sound beefier than the later ones. I myself have never tried out the newer ones , so I can´t be the judge of that. I´m just happy I got a 4012 one...except for the fact that its modules are epoxied.

The 2600 is the ultimate modular to start out with , as it´s so logically laid out both visually and technically. As someone pointed out , there´s the Devarahi book with the 2600 section. However , he doesn´t actually dig too deep into its possibilites. A nice book it is though. Make sure you get the manuals and patchbook if you want to fully understand what´s going on. I had a constantly frowned forehead before I got some copies from the netking of manuals-Mark Glinsky. Having the 1v/oct makes it easy to expand the 2600 with whatever you feel the need for as time goes by. Doepfers , MOTM modules or older systems like the Roland 100m. Anyway , make no mistake , this is one of the true classics in both sound and flexibility.

of the "analog wanna-be" synths built today. The key

elements are flexibilty and sound quality. I use this

extensively for dance/pop tracks, as well as post fx. My machine was one of the first 100 ever built - white

silk screen on dark grey. THIS MAKES IT AN

EPOXY-FREE MACHINE ! !

one again some day. A wonderful synth, but not without some faults. Oscilator

one has only saw and square waves, oscilator three has saw and variable-width

(though not voltage-controled) pulse waves. Only oscilator 2 had saw, VC pulse,

triangle and sine waves and none had sync. In typical ARP fashion, one of the

envelope generators was ADSR, the other being the much less usefull AR. That said, the rest of the machine was divine. The ring-modulator was very

usefull (and not just for bell sounds). I especially enjoyed the lag processor,

electronic switch and sample-and-hold modules. The full patchability of the

unit made it possible to feed the signal back on itself in usefull ways and

some non-standard signal routinings. Some favorite tricks:

* In a two oscilator patch, run the kybd CV through the lag processor for one of

the oscilators - wonderfull wailing banshee sound.

* the LFO square wave and the square wave from the electronic switch to control

several oscilators - great psuedo-sequencer.

* run the filter output through the (overdriven) instrument preamp - Instant

ARP VanHalen.

Stays in tune, is usable live - a good all rounder.

Nothing comes close to this for wallop. Fat, Warm, Evil.