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Why the Shaper?

In 1977, the designer was working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Synthesisers were exotic new musical instruments. This was six years before the MIDI interface was established, so the idea of a stand-alone keyboard being able to control any other synthesiser or sound-generating rack through a connecting lead was just a fantasy.

The designer composed and produced music and special sound effects for radio, television and film projects using a variety of early synthesisers including:

an ARP Odyssey:

a Polymoog:

and an EMS Synthi 100:

In spring 2026, Google’s Gemini AI machine returned the following opinion of the EMS Synthi 100:

“The EMS Synthi 100, nicknamed the "Delaware" after the BBC's Delaware Road studio (the BBC Radiophonic Workshop) where the first unit was installed, was arguably one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated synthesizers of its time. Released in 1971, it was an incredibly powerful, floor-standing, hybrid modular system designed for professional, studio-level composition, rather than live performance.”

The picture above shows Malcolm Clarke, the designer’s ex-colleague, at work on the EMS Synthi 100 (Delaware) in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Delaware Road, Maida Vale, in the 1970s. This picture was taken a few years before the designer’s time at the Radiophonic Workshop.

The designer is not a keyboard player. He is a guitar player, and he found it very frustrating to have such advanced electronic music capabilities at his disposal - but only controllable through a piano-style keyboard. During this period, the designer also saw something else. It was called a Kaleidophon, designed by David Vorhaus.

click on the pic below to see a demo:

In spring 2026, Google’s Gemini AI machine returned the following opinion of the EMS Synthi 100:

The picture above shows Malcolm Clarke, the designer’s ex-colleague, at work on the EMS Synthi 100 (the Delaware) in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Delaware Road, Maida Vale, in the 1970s. This picture was taken a few years before the designer’s time at the Radiophonic Workshop.

click on the pic below to see a demo:

NB: the link to the above clip was active at the time of publishing the website. If the link becomes broken, please Google 'Kaleidophon, David Vorhaus, BBC Blue Peter' and you should find it.

The particular feature of the Kaleidophon that caught the designer’s ear - and imagination - was the way David Vorhaus was able to run his finger up and down a string, continuously sliding the pitch of a note in portamento fashion, and then, while sustaining the same note, at the flick of a switch, to continue running his finger up and down the string, but this time switching the pitch of the note up and down in semitone increments – in a chromatic scale – like a fretted instrument.

Musical effects like string bending (on a guitar), sliding (on slide guitar, pedal steel guitar and fretless bass) - and their orchestral equivalents: glissando / portamento / vibrato - could now be applied to synthesised sounds by using strings rather than a keyboard. This demonstration inspired the designer’s imagination, but he did not get the opportunity to do anything with his ideas until a few years later.

By this time, he was the Sales and Marketing boss of Solid State Logic (SSL), who, at that time, was the world leader in the design and manufacture of computer controlled audio mixing consoles for record, broadcast and film production.

SSL 4000E Series (below)

One of SSL’s customers was Richard Branson, and in 1982, the designer persuaded Richard to finance the development of an adventurous new musical instrument which was marketed as the SynthAxe – a synthesiser controller with strings.

Chris Currell (below) on stage playing a SynthAxe, controlling a Synclavier

(Michael Jackson's 'Bad' Tour - 1987-1989)

On the 'Bad' Tour Michael Jackson wanted all the synth overdubs on his records played live on stage. That gave Chris Currell a problem:

‘My biggest worry was how to play the Synclavier live. I am not a keyboard player. I am a guitar player. I needed to search for the latest technology that would allow a guitar player to play an instrument with a guitar-like technique but would output digital information reliably to a computer to trigger the Synclavier. I tried everything! In the end, I chose an instrument called the SynthAxe. After playing it for 5 minutes, I knew this instrument could do the job. It was $12,000! (allowing for inflation - the equivalent of $36,000 in 2026). I bought one for myself and I had TTC buy two for the tour. Now I just had to learn to play it in a few weeks!’

The Bad Tour was a success, and so was the SynthAxe - musically and technically. However, the company which made and marketed the SynthAxe was not a commercial success.

The technology in those days was very expensive and the instrument was aimed at the top end of the market. There were many keen young players who wanted to buy a SynthAxe, but who didn’t have the money. Many of those who could afford to buy one - famous guitar players - were interested in the SynthAxe, but, with a few notable exceptions, their expectation was that they should get one free, in return for product endorsement. You don’t have to be a financial genius to spot the flaw in that business model.

Since then, the designer has put a lot of thought into creating a new musical instrument. The Shaper. It is a lot less like a guitar in playing style and ‘feel’ than the SynthAxe, but it can control a synthesiser in ways that the SynthAxe never could. The designer has also worked hard to get the cost of the Shaper down to as low a level as possible, given the resources available to him. The initial production model is expected to market around the $2,000 to $3,000 mark. While that price is unquestionably expensive, it is much lower than $36,000 - the equivalent in today’s money of what a SynthAxe cost back in the ‘80s!

Also, the Shaper is a brand new idea. It will take time to build sales volume. But as sales volume grows, economies of scale will make it possible to manufacture and market at lower prices. With additional investment, it will be possible to develop a more streamlined product at a lower cost, as well as hybrid instruments combining the Shaper synth controller with its own, on-board synthesiser.

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Owner:

The Shaper is designed and manufactured by Rush Systems Ltd in Oxford, UK.

Website:

www.rushsystemsltd.com

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