Solina V

How it works

Divide-down from the highest octave

The Solina uses twelve generators for the notes of the highest octave (or a master oscillator with a circuit that derives them) and a chain of dividers that halves the frequencies to obtain all the lower octaves. This way every key always has its note available: total polyphony (49 notes), but all notes with the same name are perfectly in phase and in tune with each other, and an 'ensemble' of identical oscillators sounds surprisingly flat.

Filtered voices and a single envelope

The voices (Contrabass, Cello, Viola, Violin, Trumpet, Horn) are sawtooth waveforms passed through different fixed filters and taken at different octaves. On the original there is only one envelope for the whole instrument (paraphony): Crescendo controls the attack and Sustain the release, but notes added while others are already held have no attack of their own.

The Ensemble effect

The secret of the sound is the Ensemble: the signal passes through three analog 'bucket-brigade' (BBD) delay lines, each with a slightly different delay time modulated by LFOs (one slow and one faster, combined with different phases). The three copies are summed with no direct signal: the continuous micro-shifts in timing and pitch imitate the differences between the players of a string section. Mono and stereo versions existed, with different characters.

Solina V

Arturia uses physical modeling to model oscillators, dividers, voice filters and Ensemble, and adds a polyphonic mode with an envelope for each note, the Humana voice inspired by the Polymoog, an LFO, a monophonic bass with resonant filter and arpeggiator, a three-band resonator and an effects section.

Character and tone

A clearly synthetic but very warm string sound: without effects it is a flat, slightly 'organ-like' sawtooth; with the Ensemble on it becomes a soft, swaying wall, rich in beating, that fills the 200 Hz–4 kHz range with no obvious attack. The Violin and Viola voices are bright, Contrabass and Cello warm and round, Trumpet and Horn have a more nasal filter for a 'soft' brass, and Humana adds a synthetic choir that is already thick on its own. Strengths: an immediate, enveloping pad, infinite sustain, a perfect blend with electric pianos and guitars, an unmistakable 1970s character. Limits: little articulation in paraphonic mode (single envelope), no dynamics on the original, a slow attack that is hard to make 'staccato', and it can get muddy when played in low registers with many notes. Compared with the Mellotron it is synthetic and endless instead of acoustic and limited to 8 seconds; compared with the pads of a polyphonic synth (Jup-8 V, Prophet-5 V) it has less filter control but a much denser chorused movement 'for free'.

Architecture

Original (Solina / ARP String Ensemble)

• 49 keys, total polyphony (divide-down), Bass section (Contrabass, Cello) and Upper section (Viola, Violin, Trumpet, Horn); Violin an octave above the other upper voices, Cello an octave above Contrabass.
• Single AR envelope: Crescendo (attack) and Sustain (release).
• Ensemble with three BBDs modulated by two LFOs, no direct signal (always on in the earliest units; mono and stereo versions).
• Controls: voice switches, Bass and Upper volumes, Crescendo, Sustain, fine tuning; no dynamics.
• Path: top-octave generators → dividers → voice filters (Bass and Upper) → single envelope → Ensemble → output.

What Arturia adds (Solina V2)

• Humana voice (inspired by the Polymoog's Vox Humana), Ensemble On/Off and Mono/Stereo switch, pitch bend and mod wheel with Bend Amt and Mod Amt, Master Volume.
• Poly mode (envelope for each note) or the original paraphonic behavior; Split/Layer, split point, MIDI channels and ±2 octave transposition separate for Upper and Bass.
• Advanced panel: Master (Vel and AT on Level and Brightness), LFO (5 shapes, free Rate 0.01–13 Hz or synced, Vibrato, Tremolo, Bass Cut, Delay, Fade, Retrig, Sync), Bass Section (resonant filter 20 Hz–20 kHz with AR envelope, Bass Sustain, Off/On/Hold arpeggiator with Up, Down, Excl, Random modes), Upper Resonator (3 filters/bands 60–300 Hz, 300 Hz–1.5 kHz, 1.5–7.5 kHz in Lowpass, Bandpass, Highpass or Bypass mode), Effects (FX1 Phaser or Analog Chorus, FX2 Analog or Digital Delay, Convolution Reverb with 24 responses from five units).
• Macros, MIDI Learn, presets.

The controls, one by one

Left of the keyboard

Bend Amt

Pitch bend range from 0 to 1200 cents (one octave).

Mod Amt

How much the mod wheel affects Vibrato, Tremolo and Bass Cut (0–100%); at zero the mod wheel does nothing and the modulations stay fixed at the programmed values.

Pitch Bend

Spring-return wheel, dedicated to MIDI pitch bend.

Mod wheel

Introduces vibrato and/or tremolo (CC1 by default, reassignable).

Above the keyboard

Master Volume

Overall level of Upper and Bass.

Contrabass / Cello

Bass section voices (Cello an octave higher); can be engaged together by dragging across the buttons.

Bass Volume

Level of the Bass section, independent of the Upper.

Crescendo

Initial level of the note on key press, from 0 dB (immediate attack) to -60 dB (starts almost from silence): the equivalent of the VCA attack. The response differs between Bass and Upper and between Poly on/off.

Sustain Length

Upper release time from 0 to 4 s (the Bass has its own Bass Sustain in the advanced panel).

Upper Volume

Level of the Upper section.

Viola / Violin / Trumpet / Horn / Humana

Upper section voices (Violin an octave above the others). Trumpet and Horn do not play together: if both are on, you hear Horn. Humana is the Polymoog-style synthetic choir, often already 'thick' without Ensemble.

Ensemble (On/Off) and Mono/Stereo

Turns on the Ensemble effect; Mono is more present and 'in your face', Stereo wider but less incisive.

Right of the keyboard

FX1

Mix of the modulation effect (Phaser or Analog Chorus).

FX2

Mix of the delay (Analog or Digital).

Rev

Mix of the convolution reverb.

Settings (side panel)

Poly

Off = paraphonic Upper (one envelope for all notes, like the original: added notes enter without their own attack and a new key can cut off the previous release); On = every note has its own envelope. The Bass is always monophonic.

MIDI Channels

Separate receive channels, or 'All', for Upper and Bass.

Split Mode and Split Point

Layer = Upper across the whole keyboard; Split = sections divided at the split point.

Octave Shift

Octave transposition of each section (±2 octaves).

Advanced — Master Section

Vel Level

How much velocity reduces the level when playing softly: at 0 there are no dynamics, at 50% you have to play hard for the full level.

Vel Brightness

How much velocity controls brightness (filter).

AT Level

Aftertouch on volume: the only exception that increases the level, from 0 to +9 dB.

AT Brightness

Aftertouch on brightness: pressing harder opens up the sound.

Advanced — LFO

Rate

Speed: 0.01–13 Hz free or from 1/64 to 8/1 with Sync.

Waveform

Random, Square, Saw Down, Saw Up, Triangle.

Vibrato

Pitch modulation depth, 0–50 cents.

Tremolo

Depth on volume, from 0 to -12 dB.

Bass Cut

Modulation of the Bass filter (0–100%), audible only if the bass Cutoff is closed enough.

Delay

Delay before the modulation starts, 0–3000 ms.

Fade

Fade-in time of the modulation, 0–3000 ms (often equal to Delay).

Retrig

LFO free-running or restarted on the first note (applies to the first held note).

Sync

Locks the LFO to the MIDI clock.

Advanced — Bass Section (filter and envelope)

Cutoff

Bass filter frequency, 20 Hz–20 kHz.

Resonance

Emphasis around the cutoff, up to self-oscillation.

Env Amount

How much attack and release move the cutoff.

Attack

Filter rise from 0 to 3000 ms.

Release

Filter return from 0 to 4000 ms.

Bass Sustain

Bass volume release, 0–4000 ms.

Advanced — Bass Arpeggiator

Bass Arp (Off / On / Hold)

On arpeggiates the held notes; Hold keeps going even after you release, as long as at least one note stays pressed.

Mode

Up, Down, Excl (up and down without repeating the extreme notes), Random.

Rate

0.01–50 Hz free, or from 2 bars to 1/256 synced.

Sync

Locks the arpeggiator to the MIDI clock together with the LFO and effects.

Advanced — Upper Resonator

Mode

Lowpass, Bandpass, Highpass or Bypass for the three filters; Bypass truly takes the resonator out of the signal path (otherwise it colors the sound even at neutral values).

Band 1 (60–300 Hz) — Cutoff, Resonance, Gain

Body and warmth; Resonance from Q 0.5 to Q 10; Gain from +6 to -72 dB.

Band 2 (300 Hz–1.5 kHz) — Cutoff, Resonance, Gain

The main formant region: this is where the 'vocal' or nasal character is created.

Band 3 (1.5–7.5 kHz) — Cutoff, Resonance, Gain

Brightness and 'air' of the bow.

Advanced — Effects

FX1 Phaser — Rate, Feedback, Depth (×2), MIDI Sync, Dual Mode

Two independent phasers: in Dual Mode they work together in mono (more intense), otherwise one on the left and one on the right (wider).

FX1 Analog Chorus — Type, Stereo Width, Stereo Rate, Chorus Rate, Chorus Amount, Chorus Delay

Three types; width 0–100%, stereo rate 0–1.5 Hz, rate 0.04–8.5 Hz, delay 0–25 ms.

FX2 Analog Delay — Time, Feedback Tone, Feedback Amount, LFO Rate, LFO Depth

Mono, 12–1000 ms, filter on the feedback (dark on the left, thin on the right), modulation 0.5–10 Hz.

FX2 Digital Delay — Time and Feedback L/R, Link, Pi-Po, Damping, MIDI Sync

Stereo delay 9 ms–1 s (or 1/128–1 bar), ping-pong, high-frequency damping; the feedback can go into self-oscillation.

Convolution Reverb

24 impulse responses from five units (some historically paired with string machines); the amount is set with Rev.

Sound design tips

• Always use the Ensemble: the Solina without Ensemble is flat; the Ensemble should be considered part of the oscillator. Mono for a pad that sits more present in the center of the mix, Stereo for a wide bed behind the other instruments.
• Register: play chords between C3 and C6; below C3, with many notes, the sawtooth gets muddy. Leave the low register to the Bass section or to the song's bass.
• Crescendo and Sustain: a Crescendo at -20/-30 dB with Sustain 1–2 s gives the classic swell; for rhythmic or staccato pads keep Crescendo at 0 dB and a short Sustain, preferably with Poly On.
• Poly or paraphonic: in paraphonic mode, legato chords do not retrigger and the sound 'flows' like the original; with Poly On every note has its own attack, which suits rhythmic patterns and fast passages better.
• Frequencies: high-pass at 150–250 Hz when the Solina is a pad under vocals and guitars; to sit it further back, cut 2–3 kHz by 2–3 dB instead of turning it down too much. The Violin voices have a lot of energy above 3 kHz: a gentle low-pass at 8–10 kHz makes it more vintage.
• Upper Resonator: in Bandpass with band 2 between 600 and 900 Hz and medium Resonance you get 'talking' strings; in Lowpass with all the bands low it becomes a dark ambient pad.
• Space music phaser: slow rate (0.1–0.3 Hz), high Depth, moderate Feedback; in Dual Mode the phaser is deeper, split in stereo it is wider.
• Velocity and aftertouch: Vel Level 20–40% gives dynamics without losing the character; AT Brightness lets you open the strings only on long notes.
• Vibrato with Delay and Fade: vibrato of 10–20 cents with Delay 500 ms and Fade 800 ms imitates a player's vibrato that arrives after the attack.
• Common mistakes: long reverb on top of the Ensemble (already very diffuse), too many voices together in the low-mid register, Ensemble switched off 'for cleanliness'.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• 1970s rock and pop: Richard Wright uses it with Pink Floyd on Wish You Were Here (especially Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and on Welcome to the Machine) and on Animals; Elton John on Someone Saved My Life Tonight, the Rolling Stones on Fool to Cry, George Harrison on You, the Bee Gees on Nights on Broadway; Stevie Wonder plays the string line on Peter Frampton's I'm in You; Christine McVie uses it with Fleetwood Mac on Heroes Are Hard to Find; Brian Wilson on 15 Big Ones and The Beach Boys Love You.
• Funk, P-funk and disco: Bernie Worrell and Parliament also use it as a solo instrument, on Chocolate City, Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker) and Flash Light; KC & the Sunshine Band on Please Don't Go, Rick James on Mary Jane; Billy Beck (Ohio Players), Herbie Hancock and Eumir Deodato are among its users.
• Progressive rock and AOR: Kerry Livgren (Kansas), Dennis DeYoung (Styx); Hall & Oates in their version of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.
• New wave, post-punk and synthpop: The Buggles on Video Killed the Radio Star; Joy Division, The Cure, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Brian Eno.
• Indie and modern electronic: Air, Gorillaz, Fun Lovin' Criminals.
• Space music and vintage electronic: strings with deep phaser.
• Synthwave, retrowave, dream pop, indie-electro: nostalgic pads with ensemble and phaser.
• Hip hop and lo-fi: warm sampled or recreated pads.
• Ambient and soundtracks: Upper Resonator, long reverbs, slow strings.