Exploring Cherry Audio’s Crumar Spirit with TimShoebridge

The story of the Crumar Spirit begins in 1983, a time when synthesizers were arcane machines, whispering tales of sound amidst a world captivated by their enigmatic tones. TimShoebridge invites us to explore Cherry Audio’s virtual resurrection of this rare instrument. Less than 100 originals were ever crafted, making the Spirit a true relic of synthesis history. Designed by Santi Crucinelli alongside Moog maestros Jim Scott, Tom Rea, and Bob Moog, the Spirit echoes with their legacy. This fusion of minds births a narrative deeply etched into each filter sweep, every oscillator’s hum, and every modulation’s dance.

Here, in the heart of the Spirit’s synthesis, we encounter its dual oscillators, where sound is woven with both simplicity and depth. TimShoebridge paints a vivid picture of these oscillatory realms: Oscillator A, with its elemental waveforms, serves as a tapestry’s foundation, while Oscillator B weaves complexity with its unique pulse widths and detached drone mode. Tim, inspired by the legendary Tim Blake, lets these sounds cascade and intertwine, revealing the Spirit’s texture-rich storytelling. Together, these oscillators unleash potential that transcends the mono world, inviting the listener to drift through soundscapes both minimalist and vast. Each adjustment, whether detuning or selecting a waveform, is a brushstroke on the canvas of sonic art, reverberating with the resonance of space and time.

Beyond the oscillators lay the filters, spectral guardians sculpting the harmonic landscape. The upper and lower filters act in tandem, much like celestial bodies influencing tides. TimShoebridge delves into their distinctive qualities: the upper filter’s self-resonating low-pass whispers like ancient winds through canyons, while the lower filter adjusts to deliver high-pass and band-pass possibilities. The arrangement of these filters is not mere circuitry but a storyline of tonal balance and tension. Here, Cherry Audio’s meticulous emulation shines, offering a filter experience that ranges from subtly enhancing harmonic profiles to invoking profound aural metamorphoses. It is in these processes where sound becomes spirit, and the Spirit becomes sound.

The Spirit’s arpeggiator is a marvel—an engine of rhythm and possibility, a poetic mechanism through which sound can express itself with fluidity and charm. Tim guides us through its historical modes, each a unique cadential phrase in the symphony of the Spirit. With settings like Ripple and Leap, the arpeggiator takes on the role of the conductor, dictating the flow and intensity of the performance. Cherry Audio’s enhancements are subtle yet profound, adding layers of unpredictability and human-like variations with functionalities such as swing and feel. The arpeggiator thus becomes a living organism within the Spirit, a pulse that connects each note in a delicate dance, crafting melodies that waver between the ethereal and the tangible, acting as both storyteller and listener.