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Description
Step into the world of vintage synth magic with the EMS VCS 3, a classic synthesizer that has played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of electronic music since its inception in 1969. Known for its unique pin matrix patching system, the VCS 3 allows for an unprecedented level of creativity and sound exploration, making it a favorite among pioneering artists and sound designers alike. Its compact and portable design belies a powerful, versatile instrument capable of producing a vast array of sounds, from haunting drones to intricate, multi-layered textures.
The VCS 3 is revered for its all-analog architecture, providing a warm and rich tonal quality that digital emulations strive to replicate. At the heart of the VCS 3 is its trio of oscillators, each capable of generating multiple waveforms, allowing users to craft anything from simple leads to complex, evolving sounds. The innovative joystick controller offers a tactile and expressive method of manipulating sound parameters in real-time, giving performers a hands-on approach to live sound modulation.
Perfect for both studio and stage, the EMS VCS 3 invites you to delve into the depths of analog synthesis, offering an authentic experience that has captivated musicians for decades.
Key Features:
- Classic analog synthesizer with a unique pin matrix patching system
- Three oscillators with multiple waveform capabilities
- Joystick controller for real-time sound modulation
- Compact and portable design
- Renowned for its warm, rich tonal quality
Videos
Analog Synths
EMS VCS3
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about EMS VCS 3.
Features and functionality
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The EMS VCS3's pin matrix allows for creative patching, resulting in unique, often non-reproducible sounds, contributing to its organic, unpredictable nature.
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The VCS3 includes a joystick for control, adding a human element to sound manipulation, especially during complex or abstract performances.
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The Synthi AKS version of the VCS3 includes a sequencer, enabling programmed melodies, unlike the original VCS3.
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The VCS3 utilizes color-coded pins for the matrix, allowing for variable signal attenuation, which is crucial for nuanced sound design.
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Comparisons
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The VCS3 is described as aggressive and raw compared to more 'polite' sounding synths like Roland, with a distinctive presence in the mid frequencies.
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Build quality
Use cases and applications
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Known for producing sounds on iconic tracks like "Rubycon" and "On the Run," the VCS3 excels in creating organic textures and experimental sounds.
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The VCS3 was designed to create sound components for layering in music production, not as a standalone instrument for complete melodies.
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Users find that understanding modular synthesis enhances the experience with the VCS3, as routing beyond standard paths requires deliberate planning.
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Other
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The VCS3's filter is noted for behaving uniquely, transitioning to a 5-pole filter when resonance is increased, contributing to its distinctive sound.
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User experience
Value and pricing
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VCS3 units can cost nearly £1000, reflecting their rarity and vintage appeal, especially in academic and festival settings.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 9 Ratings
1963
VCS3
A rem,arkable and still very unique synth. Love it to bits.
Artist usage
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At 5:42 in the video. "This is a really early one, 1969 VCS 3. Used this endlessly...Wonder what it's on at the moment, you never know with these things, they're like some weird beast."
You’ve done a lot of synth stuff. On a song like “Breathless,” was that material sequenced?
It was pre-sequencing, as we now know it. You could get a sequencer back then, but sequencers in those days were way different. You’d have a wall of synths, and the way you would get these instruments sequenced would be by patching everything through a trigger device. You’d have rows of devices that would trigger one synth after the other. It was complex, but this was 1972. There was no MIDI. You could only sequence and record a little chunk of music at a time and then you would have to splice it into the piece. I would have been manually sequencing with an EMS “Putney” [VCS3] with a little keyboard.
in an interview for Vice's Noisey blog Carpenter discussed his gear at length starting with his first score:
*Do you remember any of the equipment you used on Dark Star (1974)? *
Oh boy. I don’t remember the exact name of the equipment, but I remember that you had to stick these pins in the thing, like wooden pins that made a sound. You changed the frequency or something like that. I don’t remember the name of it.
the interviewer goes on to identify this early matrix synth as the famed EMS VCS 3
This photo, from this article, shows Gui Boratto's EMS VCS 3, and the quote below it says, "This is one of my favorite pieces of gear. It’s the EMS VCS3, used by Pink Floyd on Dark Side Of The Moon. I bought it from the actor Vincent Gallo. It’s quite expensive but it sounds so unique. Songs like ‘Galuchat’ and ‘Stems From Hell’ were made with a lot of its sounds."
Mark Mothersbaugh uses the EMS VCS 3 synthesizer, as demonstrated in a YouTube video.
... This is the story of Tangerine Dream’s Ricochet.... The array of electronic equipment used by Tangerine Dream on that tour was formidable indeed. For its time it looked nothing short of a futuristic world controlled by machines. For the die hard rig fanatics, an approximate list of the machines used by the three members of the group at the Coventry Cathedral show included:
"In contrast, the huge chord sounds heard on “The Other Side Of Paradise” is the ARP 2600 recorded 30 times playing each note of the chord individually, resulting in 32 tracks, super-stacked, panned off hard left and right, with a little bit of a chorus for the widest chord sound Bayley could create. The Jupiter-6 is what he likes for pad sounds and EMS VCS3 for effects."
"I was at college at the time and we were "studying synthesiser" on that early EMS thing, the VCS3, which Floyd and Roxy were using. But no-one at the college knew how to get a decent sound out of it. We were always experimenting with it, waggling the joystick, but all it made was horrible noises. It's difficult to believe that was only 12 years ago, but that was the leading edge of synthesiser technology."
From December 2022 Guitar World interview, answering what is his favourite piece of gear.
When we started Roxy Music, [Brian] Eno and I had — as part of our setups — a Revox tape recorder that had a thing called Sel-Synch and Varipitch where you could change the pitch and echo repeats by changing the speed. I had it linked to a DeArmond volume pedal that controlled the speed and Sel-Synch functions on the Revox and provided weird echo effects that linked into Eno’s [EMS VCS3] synth. This was a completely different and revolutionary way of working that Eno and I used in 1972 and 1973.
Album Usage
The EMS VCS 3 has been featured on the following albums:
Together/Alone
The Blow Monkeys (2024)
The End (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Marius de Vries (2024)
Black Dog
Gazelle Twin (2023)
Starry Eyes (MIKE DEAN Remix)
The Weeknd & The Real Mike Dean (2022)
Practical Electronics With
Thighpaulsandra (2019)
Chemistry Lessons Volume 1
Chris Carter (2018)
Monsters Exist (Deluxe)
Orbital (2018)
The Golden Communion
Thighpaulsandra (2015)
Scar Tissue (Original Soundtrack)
Mark Ayres (2014)
Second Album
Curved Air (2005)
Air Conditioning
Curved Air (2005)
Air Liquide
Air Liquide (1994)
Low (2017 Remaster)
David Bowie (1977)
"Heroes" (2017 Remaster)
David Bowie (1977)
Physical Graffiti (Remaster)
Led Zeppelin (1975)
Music From Macbeth (2019 Remastered & Expanded Edition)
Third Ear Band (1972)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use EMS VCS 3, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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