World's First Digital Synth Revived For Reason

US Hear the JPS Harmonic Synthesizer recreate Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene Part IV 17/02/16

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The JPS Harmonic Synthesizer by Jiggery-Pokery Sound is a new Rack Extension for Reason based on the RMI Harmonic Synthesizer. Here's the story direct from Propellerheads...

With an all-analog audio path, and rock-solid digital harmonic oscillators, the RMI Harmonic Synthesizer was the world's first digital synthesizer.

Produced in very limited quantities for a very short period in the mid-1970s, at long last here is your opportunity to own a loving recreation of this beautiful, and exceptionally ultra-rare, classic American synthesizer.

Best known for its prominent role in Oxygéne, where it was used extensively (and usually through an Electric Mistress flanger) for basses (Parts II and IV), leads (Parts IV and V) and sequences (Part V), the RMI was almost a decade ahead of its time.

With surprisingly deep but clean and harmonically rich basses and cutting leads, this restored version improves on the original by adding extra features such as a 4-stage envelope and polyphony, it's slightly lo-fi waveform will add a unique character and texture to your tracks.

The video is a recreation of Jean Michel Jarre's seminal Oxygene Part IV, solely in Reason, using virtual recreations to replace the original RMI Harmonic Synthesizer, Eminent 310U and Korg Minipops used. The main saw lead is provided by Thor. The aim here was not to create a literal copy of the original sound (otherwise one might as well just play the original recording!) but it's more a demonstration in the spirit. However near-accurate recreation of the Harmonic Synthesizer should be possible with some patient adjustments and a similar effects chain. The chorus lead settings used here are taken from video footage of Jarre playing the RMI, but note that since the exact volume curve of the JPS harmonic sliders may not match the RMI (as we had to guess and therefore chose to create a nice, sensible curve that works) additional tweaking by ear would be necessary.