Martinic AX73 (DOWNLOAD)

General

The Akai brand has had periods when it was mainly known for a very specific product. Currently, it is the MIDI keyboards and the new generation of MPC workstations. In the 1990s, it was mainly the big samplers, resulting in the well-known AKAI CDs. In the 1980s, however, Akai - besides very early samplers - also made analogue synthesisers, and so in between the other big brands, those Akai synthesisers may have been somewhat forgotten. Dutch company Martinic is bringing new virtual life to one of those synthesisers: the AX73. This is a virtual analogue synthesiser, but there has been a lot of tinkering by Martinic, which means there are now many more possibilities.

Capabilities of the Martinic AX73

The subtractive synthesiser model will be familiar; oscillators, a noise generator, filter, envelopes, LFOs, arpeggiator. Martinic has added an effects section with compressor, phaser, flanger, chorus, delay, reverb, distortion and equaliser. In terms of modulation, much more is also possible than with the original. It is possible to layer two sounds, both on top of each other and with a split, with each layer having its own arpeggiator. All in all, a very comprehensive synthesiser, and of course a piece of unloved history!