Quasimidi
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Quasimidi Musikelektronik GmbH was a German synthesiser manufacturer. It was founded in 1987 by Friedhelm Haar and Jörg Reichstein. It was originally based in Kirchhain, but moved to Rauschenberg in 1998. The company folded in 2000.
During the early part of its life the company produced MIDI master keyboards, and later the Quasimidi Styledrive, which could store and replay MIDI sequence and system exclusive control codes. The company became notable for its range of synthesisers, which were aimed at the dance music market. Their first popular product was the Quasimidi Quasar, a rackmounted digital synthesiser module which was released in 1993. The presets and drum sounds eschewed the typical General Midi specification, which was in vogue at the time, in favour of electronic and trance techno styles. The Quasar included an arpeggiator, which was an unusual feature in 1993.
Whereas the Quasar was a simple one-unit rackmounted box, Quasimidi's subsequent equipment was visually adventurous. Quasimidi was one of the first modern synthesiser companies to re-introduce knobs, lit buttons, and dials to synthesiser control interfaces, notably with the Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution 309 of 1997. This was a module which combined a pattern-based sequencer with a drum section and a synthesiser section. It competed in the "groovebox" market segment against Roland's popular MC-303. Quasimidi released a keyboard version of the Rave-O-Lution, as the Quasimidi Sirius, which included a built-in vocoder. The machine was conceptually very similar to the later Korg MicroKorg.
Quasimidi's final product was the PolyMorph, a successor of the Rave-O-Lution. Although the company's products were popular, Quasimidi went out of business in 2000.
[edit] Partial Product Listing
- Quasimidi Quasar (1993)
- Quasimidi Raven (1995)
- Quasimidi Rave-O-Lution 309 (1996)
- Quasimidi Sirius (1997)
- Quasimidi Polymorph (1997)
