# Electronic Music Laboratories

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American synthesizer company

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EML ElectroComp modular synthesizer with sequencer. Custom built by [George Mattson](/source/George_Mattson_(synthesizer_inventor)).

- EML 400 analog sequencer ×4
- EML 401 & EML-200 expander
- George Mattson's modules & [MIDI](/source/MIDI) I/F
- EML-300 manual controller[1]×2
- 37key keyboard ×2 & MIDI keyboard

**Electronic Music Laboratories**, commonly abbreviated to **EML**, was a [synthesizer](/source/Synthesizer) company founded in 1968 in [Vernon, Connecticut](/source/Vernon%2C_Connecticut), United States. It manufactured and designed a variety of synthesizers sharing the same basic design principles.

The company was founded by [Gerber Scientific](/source/Gerber_Scientific) employees Dale Blake, Norman Millard, Dennis Daugherty, and Jeff Murray, who were due to be laid off from the company. Following the schematics of a fellow audio engineer, Fred Locke, the four made synthesizers that directly competed with those of [Moog](/source/Moog_Music) and [ARP](/source/ARP_Instruments%2C_Inc.). Although their synthesizers were not as sophisticated as those of their competitors, they were marketed as being much more reliable, in part due to their use of [op-amps](/source/Operational_amplifier) instead of discrete transistors.

The company's original EML-200 was designed in part for Connecticut's "Pilot Electronic Project" as an educational tool for secondary school students.[2] The program was created by then-State Music Consultant Lloyd Schmidt.[3][4]

Although the company stopped manufacturing synthesizers in 1976 following the departure of two of their employees to found Star Instruments (makers of the [Synare](/source/Synare) line of drum synthesizers), EML continued to operate until 1984, designing and manufacturing products for others and repairing their synthesizers.

## Products

ElectroComp EML-200
on electronic music classroom

- 1969: The **ElectroComp 200** - monophonic, modular 2-VCO "expansion" module.

- 1970: The **ElectroComp 100** - duophonic. a portable, "suitcase" synthesizer which was produced one year before the better known [semi-modular](/source/Semi-modular_synthesizer) [ARP 2600](/source/ARP_2600). The ElectroComp 100 was followed by the similar **ElectroComp 101**.

- 1972: The **ElectroComp 101** - duophonic

- The **ElectroComp 300** - a "controller" unit initially intended as an option for the EML 200. It consists of a voltage source (with knobs & numeric keys), oscillator, envelope generator, and manual routing switches.[5]

- The **ElectroComp 301** - a “controller” unit similar to the 300. The manual routing switches of the 300 were replaced by a joystick, and the synthesizer section gained a [low-frequency oscillator](/source/Low-frequency_oscillation) and a [sample and hold](/source/Sample_and_hold).

- The **ElectroComp 400** [Sequencer](/source/Music_sequencer) & **401** Synthesizer - a sophisticated portable sequencer and a simple synthesizer. A typical 400 system consisted of a 400 16 step programming panel, a 416 programming panel and a 401 synth module. Innovative features included a voltage [quantizer](/source/Quantization_(signal_processing)) and voltage-controlled envelope generators.

- The **ElectroComp 500** - Followed a trend among musicians and manufacturers towards more portable, "performance" synthesizers. Was essentially a 401 with a keyboard. Competed directly with the [Minimoog](/source/Minimoog) and the [ARP Odyssey](/source/ARP_Odyssey).

- The **PolyBox** - a small module designed to add polyphony to monophonic analog synthesizers, featuring a 13-key keyboard. Only around 150 were made.

- The **SynKey** - EML's last major product, used organ-style divide-down oscillators and interval select buttons to give a basic paraphonic/chord function. Unique in its storage of patches on plastic [punched cards](/source/Punched_card). Released in both programmable (2001) and non-programmable (1500) versions.

EML also produced a few custom-built units which used their standard modules in new configurations. ynthesizer modules were also available, giving musicians the ability to build their own modular synthesizers at a lower cost than a Moog, EMS, or ARP. Note that another company, I.W.Turner, produced a series of “Electronic Music Lab” modules which are often mistaken for EML products.

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-jondent2015_1-0)** JonDent (2015-08-04). ["EML 300 - 301 Manual Controller"](https://djjondent.blogspot.com/2015/08/eml-300-301-manual-controller.html?m=1). *(djjondent.blogspot.com)*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["EML-200"](http://www.philipnauman.com/EML-200.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Modugno, Anne (1968). "Electronic Composition in the Senior High School". *Music Educators Journal*. **55** (3): 87–90. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/3392384](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F3392384). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [3392384](https://www.jstor.org/stable/3392384).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Document Resume"](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED108572.pdf) (PDF).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["EML Electro Comp 200, Electro Comp 300 Modular Synthesizer"](http://www.sequencer.de/syns/eml/ElectroComp200_ElectroComp300.html). *sequencer.de*.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Electronic Music Laboratories](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Music_Laboratories) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Music_Laboratories?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.