Essential Six – Analog Synth

Requires Kontakt 7+ or Decent Sampler 1.30.0 or higher.

Shortly after the pandemic, I was offered a really wonderful opportunity to help with the rebranding of our local NPR affiliate station WLRN. The station had not updated its audio branding for something like 20 years and it serves millions of daily listeners in South Florida. I felt immense pressure to create something that all those listeners could relate to, which is challenging. South Florida is an incredibly diverse place. Everyone knows us for our rich Latin culture, but in addition, there are large communities of European transplants, Miccosukee Indians, Haitians and of course Southern American Floridians.

For help, I turned to my friend Andrew Yeomanson, AKA DJ Le Spam, who has been a fixture in the Miami music scene for 30+ years. He runs an all-analog studio out of his home and is a legendary collector of synth oddities. It was his suggestion to try the Six Trak and I fell in love with it after only 5 minutes. It’s an incredibly frustrating synth to program. All parameters are controlled from a central keypad where you have to first enter the number of the parameter you want to adjust and THEN you can turn a knob. But the SOUND! All analog, six-voice polyphony and a super powerful sequencer. The thing is incredibly full-featured for what was a ‘starter’ synth in its day (also one of the first ever to embrace a new protocol at the time: MIDI). One of the patches I programmed became the signature melodic element in WLRN’s new sonic logo. Its ‘timelessness’ made it perfect for a radio station representing such a diverse and complicated community of people. This free version includes 18 of the custom patches I programmed while exploring.

I tried to replicate the synth’s form and function as much as possible, expanding in areas where sampling offers opportunities previously not possible on the Six Trak itself. The package includes:

• 18 of 55 custom sound patches
• 2 full-featured voice channels
• Customizable filters and FX suite
• An easy to use, extremley flexible arpeggiator
• 26 Kontakt and DS presets to spark your imagination

The UI was a labor of love. I spent a month learning Blender enough to model the device in 3D and I think the resulting graphics are the best I’ve managed yet. If you love this instrument or want to show your appreciation for my output here on Pianobook, a paid version is available over on DecentSamples.com: https://www.decentsamples.com/product/essential-six-analog-synth/

Essential Six is a deceptively powerful virtual instrument. Its soul is analog, but its function is thoroughly digital. It’s ready to add instant vibe and nostalgic flavor to anything you cook up. Spice liberally.