CAPLUGINS-13161037
Cherry Audio Elka-X Synthesizer is based upon the legendary Synthex a rare Italian analog synthesizer designed by Mario Maggi and manufactured by ELKA in the early eighties. Elka-X replicates the extraordinary character of the original synth without compromising sound or functionality thoughtfully expanding its feature set and delivering the authentic Synthex experience at a price anyone can afford.
The Synthex included a combination of uncommon and forward-looking features that made it stand out from other contemporary synthesizers including highly stable digitally-controlled analog oscillators and a flexible four-pole multimode filter. Unlike most other popular synths that utilized CEM3320 filter chips in a lowpass-only configuration the Synthex filter featured a 24 dB/oct lowpass mode 6 and 12 dB/oct bandpass modes and a 12 dB/oct highpass mode.
Along with a powerful onboard analog chorus effect this gave the Synthex a distinct and powerful tonality. It was multitimbral with the ability to play two different patches simultaneously in either split or layer mode. It even included an innovative four-track monophonic step-sequencer with real-time recording and transposition.
By the mid-80s ELKA made the last Synthex for Stevie Wonder who used it for the distinctive bass tone on his single "Skeletons" from the 1987 album Characters.
