page_title: EMS VCS 3
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: EMS VCS 3 / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Routing matrix of an EMS VCS3 synthesizer, taken at the Musikinstrumentenmuseum in Berlin
context_page_description: The VCS 3 is a portable analog synthesiser with a flexible semi-modular voice architecture, introduced by Electronic Music Studios Limited in 1969.
  EMS released the product under various names. Logos printed at the console's front left say "V.C.S. 3" on the most widely sold version; "The Putney" on the earlier version; and "The Synthi II" on the later version.
context_section_description: The VCS 3 was created in 1969 by Peter Zinovieff's EMS company. The electronics were designed largely by David Cockerell, and its distinctive appearance was the work of electronic composer Tristram Cary. It was one of the first portable commercially available synthesizers, in the sense that it was housed entirely in a small wooden case, unlike synths from American manufacturers such as Moog Music, ARP and Buchla, which had large cabinets and could take up entire rooms.
  The VCS 3 cost just under £330 in 1969. Some people found it unsatisfactory as a melodic instrument due to its inherent tuning instability. This arose from the instrument's reliance on the then-current method of exponential conversion of voltage to oscillator frequency—an approach that other companies also implemented with fewer tuning issues. However, the VCS 3 was renowned as an extremely powerful generator of electronic effects and processor of external sounds for its cost.
  The VCS 3 found popularity among artists seeking to create exotic synthesised sounds. As a result, remaining examples sell for far more than their original asking prices.
  The first album recorded using only the VCS 3 was The Unusual Classical Synthesizer on Westminster Gold.
  The VCS3 was popular among progressive rock bands, and was used on recordings by The Alan Parsons Project, Jean-Michel Jarre, Todd Rundgren, Hawkwind, Brian Eno (with Roxy Music and as a solo artist or collaborator), King Crimson, The Who, Gong, and Pink Floyd, and many others. The VCS3-generated bass sound at the beginning of Pink Floyd's "Welcome to the Machine" forms the foundation of the song, with its other parts heard in response. The Who famously used a VCS3 on "Won't Get Fooled Again" from Who's Next, where Pete Townshend used it as an external sound processor by running the signal of a Lowrey organ through the VCS3's filter and low frequency oscillators. It was also notably used by John Paul Jones in the song "Four Sticks" on the untitled fourth album by Led Zeppelin.
caption: The routing matrix on the VCS3
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 600D", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.5 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2012:09:29 11:37:49", "Image ExifOffset": "208", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "872", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "26397", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/13", "EXIF FNumber": "28/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "800", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2012:09:19 16:08:58", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2012:09:19 16:08:58", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "92511/25000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2485427/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "-2/3", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "37/8", "EXIF SubjectDistance": "18/25", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "52", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "69", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "69", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1036800/181", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "691200/119", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "103063043139", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[18, 135, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000258e52"}