Aelita
Aelita
Also known as: Аэлита, Aelita Synthesizer
UnclaimedAelita (Аэлита) is a vintage monophonic analog synthesizer produced by the Murom Radio Plant in the Soviet Union, with manufacturing beginning in 1980 and a revised electronics version appearing in 1986. Named after the 1923 Russian science-fiction novel, it was one of a small family of Soviet-era synthesizers aimed at professional musicians behind the Iron Curtain at a time when Western instru...
Aelita (Аэлита) is a vintage monophonic analog synthesizer produced by the Murom Radio Plant in the Soviet Union, with manufacturing beginning in 1980 and a revised electronics version appearing in 1986. Named after the 1923 Russian science-fiction novel, it was one of a small family of Soviet-era synthesizers aimed at professional musicians behind the Iron Curtain at a time when Western instruments were difficult or impossible to obtain.
The instrument is built around three VCOs — each offering sawtooth, pulse, and square waveforms — plus a fourth oscillator active in unison mode, a resonant low-pass filter, a single LFO, and two envelope generators in a fixed subtractive architecture. Housed in a heavy aluminum chassis with large colored plastic sliders and rounded push-buttons in place of knobs and flip switches, its layout draws loose inspiration from American and Japanese monosynths of the 1970s while retaining a distinctly Eastern Bloc industrial aesthetic. Standard-issue units shipped without velocity response, portamento, pitch or mod wheels, patch memory, or MIDI, though MIDI retrofits became a common aftermarket modification.
Produced in relatively small numbers and rarely exported, the Aelita is now a collector's item sought out for its thick, aggressive three-oscillator tone and unusual amplitude cross-modulation. It is frequently discussed alongside other Soviet synthesizers such as the Polivoks and the Altair in vintage-gear communities and sample libraries dedicated to USSR-era electronic instruments.
Aelita has 3 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Solid Body Electric Guitars and Synthesizers. Their gear is featured by 2 artists, with the strongest followings in Electronic, Rock, and Stage & Screen. Notable users include Mick Gordon and Luis Dubuc.
Artists Who Use Aelita
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