Evolver (synthesizer)
| Evolver | |
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| Manufacturer | Dave Smith Instruments |
| Dates | Evolver Desktop 2002-present Poly Evolver Rack 2005-2010 Poly Evolver Keyboard 2005-2014 Evolver Keyboard 2006-2012 |
| Price |
Evolver Desktop - $599 Evolver Keyboard - $1,199 Poly Evolver (4 note polyphonic version) - $2,399 for keyboard version, $1,349 for rack |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 1 voice, monophonic |
| Timbrality | Monotimbral |
| Oscillator | 4 total - 2 analog (saw, saw-triangle, triangle, and pulse waveforms), 2 digital oscillators (95 wavetable waveforms) |
| LFO | 4 total - triangle, saw, reverse saw, pulse (square), and random (S&H) waveforms |
| Synthesis type | Analog/Digital Hybrid: |
| Filter | analog low pass (resonant 4-pole or 2-pole), digital high pass |
| Attenuator | 3 ADSR envelope generators. |
| Storage memory | 512 programs |
| Effects | distortion, delay, hack, feedback, grunge |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 37-note |
The Evolver is an analog-digital hybrid synthesizer designed by Dave Smith and manufactured by Dave Smith Instruments. It was first released as a desktop version in 2002, then later a 37-key keyboard bearing the same synth engine as the Evolver desktop was also released. A polyphonic version of the Evolver, dubbed the Poly Evolver, was released in 2004 as a rackmount version, then a 61-key keyboard version of the Poly Evolver was released in 2005. The Evolvers were replaced by new high end models, the Prophet 12 and the Pro 2, except the early desktop version, still sold as an entry model.
Smith worked on a number of synthesizers in the past, such as the revolutionary Prophet 5, the Korg Wavestation (a direct descendent of the Prophet VS), and the first professional software synthesizer, "Reality". After helping Roger Linn on his line of AdrenaLinn guitar effects pedals, he got interested in hardware again and eventually decided to start producing a new line of hardware synthesizers, partly because of seeing how soft synths are now easily "ripped off.", calling the Evolvers hardware "the ultimate dongle".
The name Evolver is due the fact that the synthesizers sound is constantly changing, subtly or dramatically. Originally, Smith intended for the Evolver to be named "Noise," since he "always wanted to design a synth with that name. While creating sound presets to demonstrate the synthesizer at the NAMM tradeshow, he was impressed by the "organic" nature of the synthesizers sound, his wife, Denise, came up with the more aptly suited name, Evolver.
The Evolver's sound comes from 4 oscillators, 2 of which are analog and 2 of which are digital. The two analog oscillators provide classic waveforms; saw, triangle, saw-triangle, and pulse (which can be turned into a square wave at a value of 50%). The analog oscillators in the Evolver are very stable and accurate unlike some analog oscillators of the past, but drift (oscillators waver in and out of tune) can be applied. The two digital oscillators feature 95 12-bit wavetable waveforms from the Prophet VS but 16-bit user waveforms can also be loaded onto the internal RAM storage. Oscillators 1 and 3 are hardwired to the left channel, oscillators 2 and 4 are hardwired to the right. The two analog oscillators can be hard synced together, and the two digital oscillators can be ring modulated and frequency modulated to each other independently. Each oscillator can be independently tuned over a span of 10 octaves (8 Hz to 8 kHz). There is also white noise that can be used as a sound source, it is sent through the filter and cannot be routed any other way.
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