Paul Bertone wrote:

   Hello,

   Your Synclavier site is awesome. I'm so glad someone finally took the time
   to devote a good web site to this machine. I have a few questions about the
   various Synclavier configurations, and I thought I would write to you and
   ask.

Thank you so much for your kind words.  It really means a lot to me.

   I'm a keyboard player, and I once had the opportunity to play a Synclavier;
   it was an earlier model with a VT100 terminal, but not the Synclavier II.
   It had the usual black velocity and pressure keyboard, and a tall black
   tower, with FM voices and sampling. I seem to recall the operating system
   being "L". I really loved the system, and have wanted a Synclavier ever
   since. But since NED isn't around, I'm a bit confused about the various
   options. I guess I'll just start firing off questions now...

A company called DEMAS now owns all the rights to the hardware and software.  Manufacturing new
machines is still *very* expensive.  The trick is to find a used machine and either upgrade or refurbish.

   1) I would really like to find a Synclavier system with the black velocity
   & pressure keyboard, FM synth engine, and stereo sampling. I don't need any
   direct-to-disk features, but some additional drives would be necessary for
   sample libraries and data storage. About how much is a reasonable asking
   price for such a system?

If you are looking for:
32  Poly Voices (sampling)
32  FM Voices
32  Meg of Ram
12"  Optical drive w/library
Hard drive (don't worry about what it comes with, you can put in a 9 gig for as little as $249 used)
V/P Keyboard in good shape
Stereo Sampling at 50khz/100khz mono.  If you want stereo 100khz, add $7-800.
Model D processor

You could pay between $12,000 to $17,000.  This depends on the kind of voice output cards the unit
has, how well the machine has been treated throughout the years and the motivation of the seller.

   2) Is PostPro a completely separate entity than the keyboard synth/sampler?
   I know that PostPro is a direct-to-disk recorder, but is it an add-on to
   the keyboard system, or is it a stand-alone machine? (Should I steer clear
   from PostPro if I wanted the above configuration?)

The PostPro/Direct to Disk is either stand-alone, an add-on or a stand-alone that can be added-on.
(oohhhh, did 'ja like that?).  Or in other words the permutations would be:

1)  Stand-alone tower
2)  Tower which requires a Synclavier (a.k.a. "Tapeless Studio")
3)  Stand-alone tower controlled by the Synclavier
4)  Stand-alone tower with 32 poly voices built inside (a.k.a. "PostPro SD")

You either want DtoD or you don't.  It is your choice (unless it is a "package deal").

   3) Was the FM synth engine a component of every keyboard-based Synclavier
   system? I really liked the FM voices on the machine I played, and would
   want that to be included as part of a Synclavier I purchased.

The FM voices were generally a "throw-in" with the PSMT machines.  These are the black towers that
came after the Synclavier II (you are probably familiar with this model).  The newer machines (3200,
6400, 9600) did not have them except as an external add-on.  FM tends to muck-up the outputs so they
tend to have their own audio connections.  Anyway, it was no longer being produced in the late
eighties.  Personnel were instructed by the then-president of NED to throw all the cards in the garbage.

   4) Were there any improvements to the FM synth over the years? I swear the
   one I played sounded better than 8-bit. For a reference, the intro sound on
   Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' was one of the presets.

It is very good 8-bit.  NED didn't generally sluff around with audio quality (not to say they didn't
screw everything else up...)   There have been no improvements to date.  You *will* notice noise with
the FM/Additive sounds.  This is especially true with re-synthesized presets.

   4) What's the deal with the stereo panning option?

All machines can play stereo samples ("left" and "right" not combined into mono - unless you want
to).  Stereo panning means you can have the sound of a man gurgling carrot juice continuously panned
left and right (for instance) by the Synclavier's LFO.  The 3200 is the only machine without "panning
voices".

   Thanks so much for your time. Any information would be extremely helpful.

    - Paul
 

No problem!

Brandon Amison
Yaking Cat Music Studios
and Synclavier Information