Viscount (musical instrument manufacturer)
Encyclopedia
Viscount International SpA (Viscount) is a musical instrument manufacturer based in Mondaino
, Italy. The brand Viscount was registered in 1969 by Marcello Galanti, but the company was established in the late 19th century by his forefather Antonio Galanti. After 1969 Viscount’s primary focus has been on classic organs and digital pianos. Several alternative brands were formed in the 2000s to aim at expanding into other markets: VERSE
and Voice Systems, respectively, for the high and low-end Pro-Audio
markets and Physis for digital organs using Viscount’s physical modeling technology. The company also used the Oberheim
brand for several years, to market vintage organs, synthesizer
s and guitar effects. Currently, Viscount’s manufacturing and R&D activity is based in Italy. The company has been continuously owned by the Galanti family since its inception.
production facility in Mondaino, Italy. This became a family business and in subsequent years was enlarged: in 1917 the first Galanti factory was established in Mondaino
and afterwards the activity was inherited by his son Egidio. Along with the accordions, many guitars were produced under the Galanti Electro Music
brand. Between 1910 and 1920 Domenico, Egidio and Robusto moved to the USA to import accordions to the Americas. During these years some patents were issued in the USA. After 1955 the Galanti brothers returned to Italy to establish their business back in their homeland. With the times changing, the production shifted to new instruments and in 1959 one of Egidio's sons, Marcello, began the production of electronic instruments, starting, in 1969 his own business called Intercontinental Electronics SpA and the Viscount brand name, mainly devoted to electronic organs. As is the case with most of the musical instrument manufacturers of the central Adriatic coast, such as Eko
, Farfisa
, FBT
, the production included a wide variety of instruments through the years - such as electric guitars, home organs, accordions, synthesizers and loudspeakers.
, Italy . During these years Viscount used the Oberheim brand to market new products: the MC master keyboard series, the OB-12
digital synthesizer and the OB-3 vintage organ line (now called DB organs and marketed directly under the Viscount brand) and the GM-1000 guitar processor. New digital pianos were also introduced using the brand Galileo. At the same time, the business over the past two decades has been focused primarily on classic organs. In 2007 Viscount launched a new series of digital amplified loudspeakers, under the VERSE brand, developed by a new R&D team, with the D:SIDER line being the higher-end products and embedding together a class D digital amplifier, a DSP
and a remote control system. In 2008 Viscount gave birth to a new brand, Physis, for the production of a new generation of classic organs, based on a new sound synthesis technology, physical modeling, patented in Italy and other countries. This synthesis technology, although common for the emulation of other musical instruments (such as guitars and brass instruments) is at the time of writing the only known implementation for the emulation of organ pipes.
More recently, notable discontinued products are:
(home-organs, neon tonewheel organs, church organs, etc.) since the late 60s. Many of these organs were marketed in the USA and UK with different brands, such as Baldwin
, Vox
and Fujiha. In the 2000s the company launched new products and brands and developed new technologies, some of which are covered by patents. Some of these products are:
-powered core controller, hence it is capable of managing USB devices such as USB sticks, and several DSPs for the sound synthesis.
With these new products, Viscount seems to have gained back some popularity in the USA, after a demo tour featuring Cameron Carpenter
as a player.
to control and setup the speakers. A PC editor software, called D:SP, is needed in order to control the speakers and adjust their parameters.
Current VERSE products are:
Mondaino
Mondaino is a comune in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km southeast of Bologna and approximately 25 km southeast of Rimini...
, Italy. The brand Viscount was registered in 1969 by Marcello Galanti, but the company was established in the late 19th century by his forefather Antonio Galanti. After 1969 Viscount’s primary focus has been on classic organs and digital pianos. Several alternative brands were formed in the 2000s to aim at expanding into other markets: VERSE
Verse
- Poetry :* Verse , a metrical structure, a stanza* Blank verse is a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme* Free verse is a type of poetry written without the use of strict meter or rhyme, but is still recognized as poetry...
and Voice Systems, respectively, for the high and low-end Pro-Audio
Professional audio
Professional audio, also 'pro audio', refers to both an activity and a type of audio equipment. Typically it encompasses the production or reproduction of sound for an audience, by individuals who do such work as an occupation like live event support, using sound reinforcement systems designed for...
markets and Physis for digital organs using Viscount’s physical modeling technology. The company also used the Oberheim
Oberheim
Oberheim Electronics is an American company, founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim , which manufactured audio synthesizers and a variety of other electronic musical instruments.-Oberheim Electronics:...
brand for several years, to market vintage organs, synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s and guitar effects. Currently, Viscount’s manufacturing and R&D activity is based in Italy. The company has been continuously owned by the Galanti family since its inception.
Twentieth century
The company history begins in the late 19th century when Antonio Galanti, musician and craftsman, founded a small accordionAccordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
production facility in Mondaino, Italy. This became a family business and in subsequent years was enlarged: in 1917 the first Galanti factory was established in Mondaino
Mondaino
Mondaino is a comune in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 130 km southeast of Bologna and approximately 25 km southeast of Rimini...
and afterwards the activity was inherited by his son Egidio. Along with the accordions, many guitars were produced under the Galanti Electro Music
Galanti
Galanti Electro Music was an accordion and guitar manufacturer from 1917 until the late 1970s.- History :Antonio Galanti started the Galanti accordion factory with his three sons in the small village of Mondaino Italy. Galanti earned his living by traveling throughout Italy showcasing his...
brand. Between 1910 and 1920 Domenico, Egidio and Robusto moved to the USA to import accordions to the Americas. During these years some patents were issued in the USA. After 1955 the Galanti brothers returned to Italy to establish their business back in their homeland. With the times changing, the production shifted to new instruments and in 1959 one of Egidio's sons, Marcello, began the production of electronic instruments, starting, in 1969 his own business called Intercontinental Electronics SpA and the Viscount brand name, mainly devoted to electronic organs. As is the case with most of the musical instrument manufacturers of the central Adriatic coast, such as Eko
Eko
Eko or EKO may refer to:* Mr. Eko, a character from the TV series Lost* EKOenergy, an ecolabel for energy* Eko guitars, an Italian guitar company, a German military term* Elko Regional Airport, an airport which has IATA airport code EKO...
, Farfisa
Farfisa
Farfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in...
, FBT
FBT
The abbreviation FBT may refer to one of the following:*Fringe Benefits Tax*Flyback transformer*FBT - A sport apparel brand in Thailand*Greg Mueller, a Canadian poker player nicknamed "FBT".*The Fame Ball Tour 2009 Lady GaGa tour...
, the production included a wide variety of instruments through the years - such as electric guitars, home organs, accordions, synthesizers and loudspeakers.
Today
In 1999, Marcello Galanti died, leaving his business to his son Mauro and daughter Loriana, who renewed the product catalogue and expanded their R&D personnel including a new R&D Lab based in AnconaAncona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, Italy . During these years Viscount used the Oberheim brand to market new products: the MC master keyboard series, the OB-12
Oberheim OB12
The Oberheim OB•12 is a Virtual Analog synthesizer, designed and realised by the italian musical instrument manufacturer Viscount, in production between 2000 and 2005....
digital synthesizer and the OB-3 vintage organ line (now called DB organs and marketed directly under the Viscount brand) and the GM-1000 guitar processor. New digital pianos were also introduced using the brand Galileo. At the same time, the business over the past two decades has been focused primarily on classic organs. In 2007 Viscount launched a new series of digital amplified loudspeakers, under the VERSE brand, developed by a new R&D team, with the D:SIDER line being the higher-end products and embedding together a class D digital amplifier, a DSP
Digital signal processor
A digital signal processor is a specialized microprocessor with an architecture optimized for the fast operational needs of digital signal processing.-Typical characteristics:...
and a remote control system. In 2008 Viscount gave birth to a new brand, Physis, for the production of a new generation of classic organs, based on a new sound synthesis technology, physical modeling, patented in Italy and other countries. This synthesis technology, although common for the emulation of other musical instruments (such as guitars and brass instruments) is at the time of writing the only known implementation for the emulation of organ pipes.
Discontinued products
Most notable instruments among the first half of 20th century are:- Dominator accordion series
- Super Classic accordions
- Galanti Electro MusicGalantiGalanti Electro Music was an accordion and guitar manufacturer from 1917 until the late 1970s.- History :Antonio Galanti started the Galanti accordion factory with his three sons in the small village of Mondaino Italy. Galanti earned his living by traveling throughout Italy showcasing his...
guitars (such as the Grand-Prix series)
More recently, notable discontinued products are:
- the Oberheim OB12Oberheim OB12The Oberheim OB•12 is a Virtual Analog synthesizer, designed and realised by the italian musical instrument manufacturer Viscount, in production between 2000 and 2005....
Virtual Analog synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - the MC series of master keyboards
- the OB-3, D9, OB3² vintage organ series (now superseded by the DB series)
- the first Prestige series of classic organs (now superseded by a new Prestige series)
- the Eclipse Digital amplified loudspeakers, an early attempt to the digital amplified loudspeaker concept
Recent products
The company started producing electric organsElectronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
(home-organs, neon tonewheel organs, church organs, etc.) since the late 60s. Many of these organs were marketed in the USA and UK with different brands, such as Baldwin
Baldwin
- United States of America :* Baldwin, Florida* Baldwin, Georgia* Baldwin, Illinois* Baldwin, Iowa* Baldwin, Louisiana* Baldwin, Maine* Baldwin, Maryland* Baldwin, Michigan* Baldwin, Chemung County, New York* Baldwin, Nassau County, New York...
, Vox
Vox
Vox is Latin for Voice. It may refer to:* Vocals, a common abbreviation, especially in pro audio-Music:* "Vox" , a song by Sarah McLachlan* Vox Records, an American record label* Vox Records , a German record label...
and Fujiha. In the 2000s the company launched new products and brands and developed new technologies, some of which are covered by patents. Some of these products are:
- the Unico line of physical modeling organs, using Physis technology
- VERSE digital loudspeakers
- Alpha digital mixers, an attempt to bring digital mixers to the low-end market
Physis
Physis refers to the physical modeling technology developed by Viscount. Two series of organs have been produced with Physis technology at the time of this writing: Unico and Unico CL. The latter being a stripped-down version of the former. Unico organs are based only on physical modeling synthesis, hence they no longer use sampling technology, currently the most common synthesis technology for musical instruments. Unico organs also feature a LinuxLinux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
-powered core controller, hence it is capable of managing USB devices such as USB sticks, and several DSPs for the sound synthesis.
With these new products, Viscount seems to have gained back some popularity in the USA, after a demo tour featuring Cameron Carpenter
Cameron Carpenter
Cameron Carpenter is an American organist known for his virtuosity, showmanship, technique and arrangements for the organ.-Biography:...
as a player.
VERSE
VERSE is a trademark used by Viscount to market a series of loudspeakers meant for sound reinforcement in big halls, theaters, live stages and so on. All VERSE speakers are equipped with an onboard digital amplifier and a DSP. They also feature a remote connection system based on RS-485 meant to create a daisy-chain networkDaisy chain (electrical engineering)
In electrical and electronic engineering a daisy chain is a wiring scheme in which multiple devices are wired together in sequence or in a ring...
to control and setup the speakers. A PC editor software, called D:SP, is needed in order to control the speakers and adjust their parameters.
Current VERSE products are:
- D:SIDER and D:SUB speakers, equipped with a DSP unit and a digital amplifier.
- INSIDER MkII and SUB speakers, equipped with a digital amplifier.
Voice Systems
Voice Systems was the first of the aforementioned brands to be created, in 2000, and sells products for the low-end market, specifically: small live gigs, light sound reinforcement systems for speeches or small venues. Under this brand many unique products were or are sold: tiny mixers, such as Micropad, quarter-rack reverb units, 8-channel digital mixers, compact all-in-one systems (e.g. Factotum).Notable users of Viscount products
- Cameron CarpenterCameron CarpenterCameron Carpenter is an American organist known for his virtuosity, showmanship, technique and arrangements for the organ.-Biography:...
(who plays Physis organs) - Martin Maans (who plays Physis organs)
- Rick WakemanRick WakemanRichard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
(who played Viscount pianos) - Christian LorenzChristian LorenzChristian "Flake" Lorenz is a German musician, notable as the keyboardist for the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. He is also known for his role in the band Feeling B.-Early years:...
, RammsteinRammsteinRammstein is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994. The band consists of members Till Lindemann , Richard Z. Kruspe , Paul H. Landers , Oliver "Ollie" Riedel , Christoph "Doom" Schneider and Christian "Flake" Lorenz...
(who played Oberheim MC 1000 in Reise, ReiseReise, ReiseReise, Reise is Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein's fourth studio album. It was released on 27 September 2004 in Germany and followed shortly by its release across Europe. It was released in North America on 16 November 2004...
tour) - Anneke van GiersbergenAnneke van GiersbergenAnneke van Giersbergen is the former lead singer of the Dutch progressive/alternative rock band The Gathering which she departed in August 2007. Since then, she has been involved in a solo project called Agua de Annique which also included her husband & drummer of the band, Rob Snijders...
, former singer of The GatheringThe Gathering (band)The Gathering is a Dutch alternative rock band, founded in 1989 by brothers Hans and René Rutten and vocalist Bart Smits in the small city of Oss, North Brabant....
(who uses Oberheim MC 3000 in her home studio) - Jay Metarri, (collaborations with Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, Justin Bieber)