Harald Bode's Warbo Formant Orguel, developed in 1937, was an archetype of a voice allocation polyphonic synthesizer. The earliest polyphonic synthesizers were built in the late-1930s, but the concept did not become popular until the mid-1970s. Monophonic synthesizers with more than one oscillator (such as the ARP 2600) can often be patched to behave in a paraphonic manner, allowing for each oscillator to play an independent pitch which is then routed through a common VCF and VCA.

For example, playing a new note on top of notes already held might retrigger the volume envelope for the entire sound. The result is a synthesizer that can play chords, provided all the notes start and end at the same time ( homophony). Paraphonic synthesizers, such as the Roland RS-202 string machine or Korg Poly-800, were designed to play multiple pitches at the same time by using multiple oscillators, but with a common filter and/or amplifier circuit shared among all the voices. When only one key is pressed, both oscillators are assigned to one note, possibly with a more complex sound. When two or more keys are pressed simultaneously, the lowest- and highest-note will be heard. These synthesizers have at least two oscillators that are separately controllable, and a duophonic keyboard that can generate two control voltage signals for the lowest- and highest-note. Well-known monosynths include the Minimoog, the Roland TB-303, the Korg Prophecy, and the Korg Monologue.ĭuophonic synthesizers, such as the ARP Odyssey and Formanta Polivoks built in the 1970s and 1980s respectively, have a capability to independently play two pitches at a time.

This does not necessarily refer to a synthesizer with a single oscillator The Minimoog, for example, has three oscillators which are settable in arbitrary intervals, but it can play only one note at a time. The technology is currently featured on select Borla systems for popular vehicles.See also: Synthesizer Monophonic Ī monophonic synthesizer or monosynth is a synthesizer that produces only one note at a time, making it smaller and cheaper than a polyphonic synthesizer which can play multiple notes at once. Twin Polyphonic Harmonizers power the intoxicating sound of Borla's exhaust for the new Ford GT. The straight-through design of Polyphonic Harmonizers ensures zero performance loss.īorla's acoustic specialists use the science of Polyphonics to highlight the best notes and harmonics of specific engines. The mufflers then enhance this tone to the character and volume appropriate for our Touring, S-Type and ATAK® systems. These patent-pending units contain pipes of different diameters and lengths to create multiple exhaust notes that harmonize to deliver a clean, rich, full-bodied sound to the Borla mufflers. The exciting result is the Borla Polyphonic Exhaust Harmonizer, which is now featured in select Borla exhaust systems. The mathematical formula that determines the dimensions of pipes forming these harmonically-pleasing chords originated with Pythagoras, and has been adapted by Borla for exhaust applications. When the right notes are played together on a pipe organ, an ethereal effect is created with dramatically more acoustical depth and texture than a single note.