GEM S2 Turbo Performances

This, the precursor to GEM's Equinox, is a big synth with some big sounds - lots of evolving, panning soundscapes. Released in 1992, it also has a couple of nice features that are not common to many synths even today - in particular, polyphonic aftertouch which lets you affect the qualities of, for example, just one note in a held chord by pressing harder on that key. The GEM S2 was 61 key, and the S3 (with identical soundset) 73 key.

It has at its core a set of rather nondescript samples (pianos, organs, etc.,) which are all rather weak by today's standards but, when put together in these combinations, produce a set of pretty vast soundscapes that are certainly more than the sum of their parts. There are also some very usable "single patch" combinations (organs, brass, wind, strings, etc) but, as usual in my explorations, I have focused on the more atmospheric offerings.

00:00 1-1 Europe
00:34 1-2 Toy Land
01:03 1-3 Developmnt
01:36 1-5 More
02:06 1-6 Undergrnd
02:36 1-7 Mega Track
03:51 1-10 LOCAL OFF

04:11 2-1 GreatXpect
04:42 2-3 SummrJrney
05:02 2-5 Deep Quiet
06:08 2-7 Loom Voice
07:06 2-8 Lone Voice
07:33 2-9 Lunar Sea
08:12 2-10 BlackEvent

08:46 3-2 PinkSunris (demonstrating polyphonic aftertouch)
09:58 3-4 DoomBallad
10:39 3-5 UHMM Keys
11:37 3-6 Glass Vibe
12:11 3-8 Bad Pad
12:54 3-10 TwlighTale

14:03 4-1 Ouverture
14:51 4-3 Unstable (pitch bend on aftertouch)
15:32 4-5 Fat Butrfl

16:09 5-1 Soloist
16:42 5-2 Aliens
17:10 5-3 Monolith
18:31 5-4 Odyssey
19:18 5-5 SoundTrack
20:01 5-9 Ambient

20:47 6-1 Maneater
21:01 6-2 OldGdTimes
21:38 6-10 Planets

22:24 7-1 Solar Wind
22:45 7-5 Sea Wake
23:20 7-8 Blue Pass
23:51 7-9 Pad Sound
24:15 7-10 New City

24:27 8-1 George
24:47 8-7 Solo PanFl (pitch bend on initial velocity)
25:02 8-8 TheRealVib
25:31 8-9 OldCentury
26:41 8-10 Church

26:49 9-1 Ana_Brass
27:30 9-3 Fall Intld
28:29 9-5 Pleyades
28:59 9-7 Trop_Night (demonstrating alternative tuning)
30:32 9-8 Let's Solo
31:10 9-9 Equinox
31:34 9-10 Dark Quack

33:03 10-1 Steps
34:02 10-2 Warm Ice
34:49 10-3 Assembly
35:30 10-7 Deeper
35:54 10-10 Crisp Ends

Recorded direct to Roland R-05 digital recorder.