The Böhm Dynamic 12/24 (and its rebranded counterpart, the ORLA DSE-24) along with the Dynamic 4x9 were somewhat unusual and very much overlooked synth expanders from mid 80's...

Originally sold in self-build kit form from the Germany organ manufacturer Böhm, both variants featured as many as 12 Yamaha YM2203 4OP FM tone generator ICs fed into a genuine BBD based triple ensemble generator with two modulating free-running LFOs.   Originally designed for use in games machines and home computers the YM2203 offered 3 channels of classic sine-only based 4-operator FM synthesis in a chip.

This unique combination produced up to 24 note polyphony in the 1U racks or up to 4 layers of 9 note polyphony in the 2U versions.

What sets these instruments aside from the more conventional 4OP FM offerings such as the DX9 is that not only does the triple ensemble generator add a whole new dimension to the sound it starts to make you view the FM side as a starting point to the final found rather than the sound itself.  With this way of thinking it is possible to generate everything from remarkably analog sounding Solina style strings to warm complex evolving pads.

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24 & 4x9 In Action...

Having a go firing the little Orla DSE-24 (a rebranded Böhm Dynamic 12/24 from 1986) through a wobbly reverb patch on my Klockwerks system.  I've grown to love these little 4OP FM synths - I think it was a moment of genius to bolt on a discrete Solina strings style triple analog chorus generator to the YM2203 based synth section - the result is a wonderful complex soup of unusually organic sound for an FM synth.  It doesn't work for all timbres but over time I've had a go making some patches of my own on this thing (this being one of them) and its sometimes really surprised me what has emerged from its outputs!

Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studo, 2022.

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24:  A Klockwerked Orla...

A pad from a Roland D-50 first send dry into reverb and then via the stereo triple chorus ensemble generator built into a Orla DSE-24 and into reverb...

It turns out to be be simple to add an external input to the ensemble generator which is very effective but it turns out it is only enabled on patches requiring it so you need to switch it on first by selecting a patch with chorus enabled :-)

1987 Orla DSE-24 (aka Böhm 12/24): Ext Ensemble In Retrofit A-B Test

Testing out Factory patch 90 on the curious little Orla DSE-24 FM synth module shortly after revival...

This rather unusual little module is basically a 24-voice FM 4-OP synth based on Yamaha FM Tone Generator chips fed into a genuine Solina style triple analog chorus ensemble generator.  This somewhat weird combination allows Solina style strings to be generated with ease as well as a load of other timbres perhaps not so often associated with FM synthesis... naturally, with the chorus switched off, it does all the usual bells and bass timbres too.

Probably the closest in terms of sonic palette is the KORG DS-8 but the bolted on FX are analog in the case of the Orla.

Recording by D.A.Wilson, Copyright, Hideaway Studio 2018

1987 Orla DSE-24 (aka Böhm 12/24): Factory Patch 90

A little 1987 1U rackmount Orla DSE-24 (actually a rebranded Böhm 12/24) doing a remarkably effective Eminent 301U / Solina String emulation.

This rather unusual synth module consists of up to 24 voices worth of 4OP sine only FM synthesis (using a Yamaha YM2203 FM synth chip per 3-voices) directly routed to a genuine discrete triple BBD based analog chorus generator very similar to that found in the Solina/Eminent/ARP string synths.

This highly unusual combination of synth technologies helps to present classic FM in a rather different light!

Amazingly these synths were originally sold in kit form by the German company, Böhm.

Böhm were better known as primarily an organ manufacturer in the 1980s.

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2019

1987 Orla DSE-24 (aka Böhm 12/24) doing Eminent/Solina Strings!

Having a play with my first patch programmed into a 1987 Bohm Dynamic 4x9 during overhaul at Hideaway Studio.

The Dynamic 4x9 was basically the big brother version of the Böhm 12-24 / Orla DSE-24 featuring the same FM based synthesis fed into a genuine Solina style analog BBD based triple ensemble generator but also included a BBD based phaser and individual audio outputs.  The FM section featured a whopping 12 YM2203 triple FM generator chips allowing 4 layered channels of 9 voice polyphony or up to 36 voices.

Unlike the 1U versions (which used the same FM chips) the 4x9 permits front panel patch editing using a rather more user friendly method with an LCD screen and data value controls.

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio 2018.

1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9: First Test

Having a play with my first 4-layer patch programmed into a 1987 Bohm Dynamic 4x9 during overhaul at Hideaway Studio.

The Dynamic 4x9 was basically the big brother version of the Böhm 12-24 / Orla DSE-24 featuring the same FM based synthesis fed into a genuine Solina style analog BBD based triple ensemble generator but also included a BBD based phaser and individual audio outputs. The FM section featured a whapping 12 YM2203 triple FM generator chips allowing 4 layered channels of 9 voice polyphony or up to 36 voices.

Unlike the 1U versions (which used the same FM chips) the 4x9 permits front panel patch editing using a rather more user friendly method with an LCD screen and data value controls.

Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2019

1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9: Layer Test

A quick live improv with a newly created evolving patch on a 1987 Böhm Dynamic 12/24 recently overhauled and upgraded to 24-voice.

The 12/24 is an unusual combination of classic 4-OP FM fed into a lovely on-board triple BBD based analog ensemble generator...

Original Composition & Recording Copyright D.A.Wilson 2018.

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24: Evolution 24V

The more I play with these old Böhm Dynamic 12/24 (and rebranded ORLA DSE-24) rackmount synths the more I love them!!

Many of the factory presets are a bit weak but with some trivial editing they can really come alive like this one.

What other little rackmount offers classic 4OP FM with 24 note polyphony bolted to a genuine triple BBD based analog ensemble generator!?

This unique combo really does present FM in a different light - the result is much more organic, warm and complex in nature and its interesting because you find yourself building FM patches in a different way to more conventional FM synths in that you start to view the FM generator as an element of the sound rather than its entirety sending you down different creative paths than the usual bass and bell timbres!

1986 Böhm Dynamic 12/24: A Diamond in the Rough...

Returning a second Böhm Dynamic 4x9 to life after suffering from rather nasty corrosion to the pcb from a leaking backup battery.

This is a bell from a factory patch layered with a sustained evolving sound I dialled into the beast...

The Böhm Dynamic 4x9 was a somewhat unusual and very much overlooked synth expander from mid 80's...

Originally sold in self-build kit form from the Germany organ manufacturer Böhm, it featured 12 Yamaha YM2203 4OP FM tone generator ICs fed into a genuine BBD based triple ensemble generator with two modulating free-running LFOs. Originally designed for use in games machines and home computers the YM2203 offered 3 channels of classic sine-only based 4-operator FM synthesis in a chip.

This unique combination produced up to 36 note polyphony or up to 4 layers of 9 note polyphony.

What sets these instruments aside from the more conventional 4OP FM offerings such as the DX9 is that not only does the triple ensemble generator add a whole new dimension to the sound it starts to make you view the FM side as a starting point to the final found rather than the sound itself. With this way of thinking it is possible to generate everything from remarkably analog sounding Solina style strings to warm complex evolving pads.

1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9 No.2 Awakens...

A series of live improvs whilst trying out three new patches made with the superb StereoPing Controller hooked up to a newly overhauled 1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9.

The Böhm dynamic is turning out to be one of my favourite classic sine-only 4OP FM synths - an amazing 12 YM2203 voice generator chips lurk inside this beast giving up to 36 voices fed into a genuine BBD based analog triple chorus ensemble generator circuit resulting in a textures and colours not so commonly attributed to FM synthesis.

The new StereoPing Controller for the Böhm Dynamic has really opened up this little synth - these three patches popped out of the box in no time at all.  The second patch makes use of the rather unusual Repeat function that automatically retriggers sounds when in sustain at a user defined rate which I have found came make for some interesting evolving/cyclical effects.

Recording & Composition Copyright D.A.Wilson, Hideaway Studio, 2020.

1987 Böhm Dynamic 4x9: StereoPinger

D.A.Wilson is an Electronic Engineer, Sound Designer & Vintage Synth Specialist with a particular interest in combining vintage tube, classic analog and modern digital technologies working as a synth engineer looking after a very considerable amount of vintage studio equipment for Will Gregory (Goldfrapp / Moog Ensemble) and a number of other internationally celebrated electronic musicians and producers.  Having undertaken several major restorations and produced custom electronic designs for a number of major artists including Jean-Michel Jarre, Dani is also known for fully restoring two out of the world's four remaining 1979 Crumar GDS and partially restoring 1938 Novachord 346 (the only known operational Novachord in the UK) to playable order along with developing and producing the new Elfin family of 8-bit polysynths and the popular MIDI Front Panel Animator (FPA), Filter Defeat Module (FDM) and XD-280 Drive Emulator upgrades for the AKAI S612 sampler.

Demos of the S612 Upgrades in Action: 

https://soundcloud.com/hideaway-studio/sets/hideaway-studios-s612-front


Hideaway Studio Kontakt Sound libraries may be purchased directly from: 
https://www.lootaudio.com/category/kontakt-instruments/hideaway-studios
 

..and a nice introduction by Cory Pelizzari to the Hideaway Studio Kontakt Libraries:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-C7a3ChC9U&feature=emb_title


For more on releases from Hideaway Studio for Kontakt please visit the blog at:  www.hideawaystudio.net