Solton TS4K & TS4
Arranger by Ketron Lab (1989)

 

Simple arranger with digital PCM drums and some analog sections like bass especially designed for real-time arranger performance.

The ts4k is the keyboard version and TS4 is a 2 units rackmount version, project derived from previous model Programmer 24.

KEYBOARD 49 velocity keys. Main panel features a 16 x 2 LCD display, 48 buttons and 13 sliders for mixing parts control. Quite oddly the pitchbender is located on top left.

Back panel terminal connectors:
- Midi interface
- headphones + main analog out + bass individual out
- 7 outs for drum section
- 2 custom connectors for pedal controls (bass foot controller +volume)
- 2 pedalswitch inputs for start/stop and fill-in PIC (from ebay)

Power supply is a custom model PSU with AC-AC weird pinout!

VOICE machine based on a 8031 INTEL 8-bits CPU.
The machine is organized into 3 melodic parts + 1 drum one:

- monophonic bass - chord 1 melody - chord 2 melody - PCM drums (8-12? bits sounds on EPROM).

-> TO EBAY SELLERS: stop copying my text at random in your F## auction! Thanks!

 

TECH the polyphonic section is technically interesting based on a SGS Thompson M114S IC digital "sound tone generator" which read data off an eprom. This chip is used for the so-called "crosswaves" also implemented on other more famous machines e.g Amstrad Fidelity CKX1000, Keytek CTS-2000/1000.

LEFT - SGS Thompson M114S IC -

 

 

SOUND sections description:

- BASS is monophonic and features 16 different presets e.g slap, picked, sixties, fingered. Not much else but BASS BRILLANCE which is a kind of filter EQ. - CHORD 1 there are 32 patches e.g strings, EP, grand piano, fiddle, organ, choir, brass, pads... You can filter it with CHORD BRILLANCE function - CHORD 2 another wave of 32 patches: marimba, piano, funky, mellow, clarinet, flute, harmonica, guitar, bell ... - DRUMS 7 channels with individual gain and outs for a total of 43 percussions sounds samples.Some drum functions like ROLL and FLAME. Drums includes: kick, snare, Hihat, ride, tambourine, toms, shaker-maracas.

ARRANGER classic fingered playing with styles and auto-accompaniment but also recording with quantizes from 4 to 96 resolution and variable time signature.
There are several preset functions for live play:

- auto bass - custom arranger - patch change - manual drums (triggers with notes) - odd bass 16/8 feet - tempo change - memory save - custom variation - intro fill in-end. TIP machine can be slaved to external MIDI clock.

 

EFFECT there is a chorus board based on TDA lines

MIDI each section is assignable to a different channel.
Midi Sysex dump enabled.

MEMORY:

- 32 style (tango, waltz, twist, rock, slow, beguine, mambo, disco, beat, foxtrot, march, polka ...) - 32 slot RAM, 64 extra slots can be added using custom RAM cartridge.

SPOT THE CHIP t Did you say cannibalisation? The analog section with some interesting chips including:

- dual VCA CEM 3360 amplifier (used in some PPG, Crumar Spirit, Ensoniq ESQ-1, Linn drum and even holy grail Synton Syrinx). -SSM-2300 as multiplexer sample and hold same found on the Ensoniq SQ-80. - Bunch of useful eprom

 

RELATED FAMILY:

SOLTON TS3 : another accompaniment rack mount unit, should be really close to TS4 series. Not much info about it. THE TS3K is the module rackmount version