Digital is a hard word, we admit. It carries a negative undertone for sound specialists. Especially today with analog again being the trend. Be that as it is, the PPG 1020 from the second half of the seventies is partly digital. It has digital oscillators, to be exact.
As a matter of fact, a direct sound comparison with its predecessor PPG 1002 (or, to be exact, the “Kompaktsynthesizer”) makes it clear that the oscillators of the 1020 are lacking a little in vitality.
But the PPG 1020 does have its own strengths. Digital modulation (for the oscillators) and – especially – the ring modulator are important technical improvements. And those 6 (!) oscillator waveforms are something very special – first small improvements in the direction of improving timbre, therefore making it a step in the direction of wavetable synthesis.
Here are 15 minutes of audio files that demonstrate the PPG 1020 exclusively. For a little rhythmic pep and triggering we’ve also made use of Roland’s TR-808 drum computer.
Further audio-files – see the Aliens Project website:
http://www.aliens-project.de/t_200206_ppg1020.html