Cherry Audio’s latest synth recreation continues its trend of exploring the quirkier synths of history with the Pentaphonic, a rare synth from the Gleeman brothers!
If you only like one thing about Cherry Audio’s extensive range of synth plugins, it has to be the fact that they rarely go for recreations of the biggest, most popular synths in history, rather preferring to explore those hidden gems, the unsung heroes and the downright oddball instruments that often fly under people’s radars. The Pentaphonic ticks all of those boxes!
The Gleeman Pentaphonic
Brothers Al and Bob Gleeman came up with the idea for their synthesizer as the 70s gave way to the 80s, wanting to create a synth that stayed in tune, a noble ambition sought by many at the time. To achieve such stability, they used a pair of Intel 80186 microprocessors to keep all fifteen DCOs in tune and avoid the inevitable drifting of VCOs, particularly under the glare of stage lighting.
This 5-voice synth used 3 oscillators per voice, with each oscillator having eight waveforms to choose from. These were then sent through Curtis 3320 4-pole, 24db/oct filters and Curtis 3360 dual VCAs. There was also a 300-note polyphonic sequencer, a chorus effect and a joystick for pitch bending. All of this was packed into a 37-key keyboard and case, along with a built-in speaker and carrying handle and sold for just under $3,000.
But the Gleeman Pentaphonic that would spring to mind for most people is the version made with clear perspex! This model, of which less than 20 were made, also had internal lighting and plexiglass knobs! Estimates on the total number of Pentaphonics built vary between 50 and 70 units, the majority of which were in the regular black case.
Cherry Audio Pentaphonic
But now, through the wonders of modern technology, you can have all the varieties right on your desktop with the new Cherry Audio Pentaphonic. As you might expect, Cherry Audio have faithfully recreated the original synth, including optional UI themes for clear and solid cases, but they have also greatly expanded the capabilities for today’s modern user, as per usual.
Polyphony has gone from 5 to anything between 2 and 16 voices, benefiting from a unison mode with detune, and you can also drop it into monophonic mode, too. Those powerful oscillators have been further boosted by the addition of PWM, oscillator sync and a noise generator. A second LFO has been added, which offers the same waveform shapes as the oscillators themselves.
The filter has expanded to add a 2-pole 12db/oct mode with keyboard tracking, and the performance features have been enhanced as well. This means that the Pentaphonic now supports velocity as well as mono and poly aftertouch and sports a powerful polyphonic sequencer and parameter animator, which can be routed to certain filter and oscillator parameters. And, as with all the latest Cherry Audio synths, Pentaphonic comes with a powerful FX section.
More Information
Cherry Audio’s Pentaphonic is available for both macOS and Windows in standalone, VST2, VST3, AU and AAX formats and will cost $59. It’s available now, along with an additional 100-preset pack by James Dyson entitled “Translucent” for $9.99. A 30-day demo version is also available.
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