In 1974 ARP decided to enlarge its target audience: ARP2600, PRO-Soloist and of course Odyssey were intended for the professional market segment, but there were no models for home, church and educational institutions. And ARP decided not to reinvent the wheel, but to appeal to those who already had a bicycle. The owner of the bike was chosen to be the Netherlands company Eminent, which specialized in the production of electric organs. Solina String Ensemble was part of Eminent 310U Organ.
String Ensemble is a fully polyphonic instrument based on divide-down technology. This technology was widely used in the electric organs of that period: essentially, it’s about twelve basic generators installed in the unit for producing notes of the higher octave, and notes of the lower octave are shaped and produced by dividing the basic generators.
The basic sounds (Violin, Viola, Trumpet, Horn, Cello and Contra-Bass) can be altered by setting the time of attack and release, and also processed by the built-in chorus effect.
Chorus is built using BBD technology (Bucket Brigade Device - a delay line on switched capacitors), which was widely used in guitar gadgets (still used today) and synthesizers of the 70s and 80s.
The sound of ARP String Ensemble can be heard in the works of Air, the Bee Gees, the Cure, the Chameleons, the Carpenters, Elton John, Gorillaz, Herbie Hancock, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, Joy Division.