History and Development

• All About EMS – Part 2 – Sound on Sound (2000)
  A two-part retrospective by Gordon Reid, with Part 2 focusing on the Synthi 100. It charts EMS’s achievements in the early 1970s, the development of the massive Synthi 100 (originally called “Digitana” or the “Delaware”), and the reasons for the company’s decline. This article also discusses the Synthi 100’s £6,500 cost and its placement in academic and institutional studios.

• British Giants – The History of EMS – Gearnews (2021)
  An overview of Electronic Music Studios’ legacy, including a section on the Synthi 100. It describes it as “one of the biggest synthesisers ever made,” with 12 oscillators and a 6-foot-wide console. The article also notes its famous use at the BBC for Doctor Who and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and the fact that no modern clone exists.

• EMS Synthi 100 – Wikipedia
  A summary of the Synthi 100’s design (analogue/digital hybrid with dual 60×60 patch matrices), development history (custom-built first for Radio Belgrade in 1971), and notable variants (the optional Computer Synthi module, Vocoder 5000, etc.). It’s a good reference with citations and technical context.

Technical Specifications and Documentation

• EMS Synthi 100 Product Page – EMS Official Website
  A page from EMS (Electronic Music Studios) detailing the Synthi 100’s specifications. It lists the full module complement – 12 VCOs, 8 filters (lowpass/highpass), 3 ring modulators, 3 envelope generators, dual reverb, etc. – and describes the dual 60×60 patchboard system. It notes that fewer than 40 units were built, mainly for universities and studios, and highlights its famous use at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

• Original Synthi 100 Specification Sheet (1971, PDF)
  A scanned EMS Synthi 100 Professional Electronic Music Studio spec sheet outlining the instrument’s design philosophy and capabilities. It describes the built-in 3-track, 256-step digital sequencer (with then-impressive 10,240-bit memory), the dual five-octave keyboards, and the array of modules. The document highlights the VCO stability within 0.3% accuracy, various filter types, and EMS's goal of delivering a “complete studio in itself.”

• Powerhouse Museum Collection – Synthi 100 Brochure (c.1980)
  A digitised scan of the EMS promotional brochure for the Synthi 100, from the Powerhouse Museum’s Don Banks collection. The brochure gives a product overview of the Synthi 100 as it was marketed in the late 1970s/early 1980s. Includes specifications, marketing language, and design philosophy.

Restoration and Preservation Projects

• Science Museum Journal – “From Obsolete Technology to Performance Instrument” (Frances Morgan, 2018)
  An academic article detailing efforts to restore and reactivate Synthi 100 units worldwide. It covers projects in Greece, Serbia, Belgium, Australia, and Spain, and explores how these restorations have brought the Synthi 100 back into public performance.
  Link:

• Repairing Radio Belgrade’s EMS Synthi 100 – Svetlana Maraš (2016)
  A first-person narrative by composer Svetlana Maraš about restoring the Synthi 100 at Radio Belgrade’s Electronic Studio. It recounts the instrument’s long dormancy and the collaboration with Swedish engineers to revive it after 20 years.

• ABC News (Australia) – ‘Doctor Who’ Synthesiser Restored in Melbourne (2015)
  A news article on the restoration of the University of Melbourne's Synthi 100. Features quotes from technician Leslie Craythorn and details the synth’s original 1973 installation and reactivation after decades of silence.

• Engineering Heritage Australia – Synthi 100 Heritage Nomination (PDF, 2016)
  A 60-page document submitted to Engineers Australia to recognise the Melbourne Synthi 100 as an important engineering artefact. Includes detailed restoration info, historical context, photos, and testimonials.

• Documenta 14 / Megaron – CMRC & EMS Synthi 100 Collaboration (Athens, 2017)
  The Contemporary Music Research Center (KSYME) in Athens restored their Synthi 100 in partnership with Documenta 14. This performance event featured new works composed for the restored instrument.

• Ghent University IPEM – EMS Synthi 100 Project
  The Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music at UGent provides a project page on their Synthi 100, restored and still used after over 40 years. Features background on the instrument and a tribute project by Soulwax.

• Synthtopia – EMS Synthi 100 Restored by Melbourne University (2015)
  A blog post summarising the University of Melbourne's Synthi 100 restoration, with images and a short demo. Based on the ABC article, this post emphasises the rarity of the instrument and the significance of its revival.

Artists, Notable Usage and Interviews

• Soulwax and the Synthi 100 – Interviews and Features
  The Belgian duo Soulwax (David and Stephen Dewaele) created the album EMS Synthi 100 – DEEWEE Sessions Vol.1 entirely on a Synthi 100 at IPEM in Ghent. Several media outlets covered this project.

• The Russian Synthi 100 Used for Cult-classic Film Stalker (1979)
  Eduard Artemyev, a famed Soviet composer, used the Synthi 100 in Moscow to score films like Stalker (1979).

Video & Audio Demonstrations

• BBC Documentary – “The New Sound of Music” (1979)
  In this BBC TV documentary, Radiophonic Workshop composer Malcolm Clarke demonstrates the EMS Synthi 100. He walks the viewer through its digital sequencer and vast pin matrix, creating complex patterns live on screen. This is one of the only video documents of the Synthi 100 in action during its prime.

• University of Melbourne – Synthi 100 Live in Concert (2018)
  A recorded concert featuring new works composed for the recently restored Melbourne Synthi 100. Composers David Haberfeld, Anthony Lyons, and Mark Pollard perform using the synth as the centrepiece, showcasing everything from ambient sweeps to sequenced rhythms.

• Hack Modular – “Fixing a Real EMS Synthi 100” (2025)
  A hands-on YouTube video by Hack Modular documenting the process of inspecting, powering up, and testing The Leicester Synthi 100. The video shows detailed shots of the internal electronics, panel functions, and first sound tests after decades of inactivity.

• BBC Documentary – “Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes” (2020)
  A semi-dramatised documentary about electronic pioneer Delia Derbyshire. While no original Synthi 100 was available for filming, the producers created a life-sized cardboard replica of the machine to represent its importance in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop era.

• Documentary – “What the Future Sounded Like” (2006)
  A short Australian documentary that charts the rise of electronic music in the 1960s–70s through EMS and other pioneering synth companies. It includes interviews with EMS engineers and composers, and features footage of the Synthi 100 in educational and performance settings.

• Documentary – “Bright Sparks” (2015, by I Monster / GForce Software)
  A documentary accompanying the Bright Sparks concept album by I Monster, exploring the stories of groundbreaking synth makers, including EMS. Features interviews with Peter Zinovieff, footage of the Synthi 100, and historical context around its development.

Museum and Exhibition References

• Museum of Synthesiser Technology (UK, 1990s)
  This now-closed private museum (run by Richard Lawson) housed a range of rare synthesisers, including the EMS Synthi 100. A 1994 Sound on Sound article confirms that a Synthi 100 was available to visitors.

Academic Research and Further Reading

• Frances Morgan’s PhD Thesis – Royal College of Art (2020)
  “Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd and the Synthi 100: An Electronic Music Instrument’s Invention, Use and Afterlife”. A groundbreaking 300+ page doctoral thesis that explores the origin, use, and cultural impact of the Synthi 100. Covers EMS history, restoration narratives, and musician interviews.