Several years ago, my Crumar Performer started behaving strangely: some keys worked, some didn’t. As the instrument had only cost me 150 Euros, I decided to put it up in the attic instead of having it repaired.

Somewhere in 2006 – in the process of digging out my Chroma Polaris - I came across the Performer again. Curious by nature, I attached it to the mixing console just to see what would happen. Wow, it worked!!! Which was a real miracle moment in this analogue-synthesizer enthusiast's life. Had I found the cheapest recipe for synth repair (put the broken thing away and let a layer of dust gather on it’s case for several years)? Those original technical problems had, in any case, all disapated into the atmosphere.

Reading the signs of the times, I decided to keep the Performer in my studio for a while and work up this review! So here you are - welcome to my assessment of the Crumar Performer Multi Keyboard.

Let's start with a comment from a trusty Bluesynths’ member: User blchrr (hard to pronounce that one!) mentioned the Performer when appraising the ARP / Solina String Ensemble:

I would suggest that these ARE worth £200. NO MORE. There are other BETTER string synths out there if you MUST have that sound. The Crumar Performer would be my first choice, fully polyphonic and a -very- similiar sound. The chorus circuit in the Performer is -very- similiar to the Solina.

Multiiiiiii ...
It seems to be so easy: leave your fat Oberheim OB-whatever at home and leave the ARP solo synth in its box, too. Just grab the cute Crumar Performer and you're ready for the gig. Strings - brass, all there!

Well, it is not that easy, as you know. But, let’s keep in mind that way back in the late 70ies / early 80ies multi-keyboards were very popular. Solina String Ensemble, ARP Omni and Quadra, Moog Opus-3, Korg Delta, Logan Strings, Siel Orchestra, Crumar Multiman and Trilogy (plus dozens of others) and... the Performer. Just to name a few.

The Features
This is a simple electronic keyboard. A very simple one - just 15 sliders and a few buttons. Basically, there are two main sound sections (brass and strings), a single LFO, a four octave keyboard (and no extra controllers), a few rear connections plus a FAT Crumar logo. That's it. All packed in a compact wooden case with altered side panels that save the faders from being damaged. If you're lucky, your Performer comes with the original leather soft-bag - no padding INSIDE, but again a very FAT Crumar logo on the OUTSIDE.

Brass
... is created by a primitive saw wave and a lowpass filter, although in my opinion, the resulting sound isn’t all that bad.

MP3 - Performer Brass
	Dry Brass	Soft solo sound, no effects	Theo Bloderer

There are painful limitations: the Performer features only one filter for all (49) voices (and yes, this instrument is fully polyphonic). That single filter for all voices renders the vast polyphone architecture a little useless. Worst of all, the filter is weak. There's a slider for Range (=frequency) and Resonance. Simple attack and decay sliders control its limited envelope settings as well. But, again, the brass sound isn’t that bad...

Strings
Whereas the brass section contains only one oscillator, the strings are made up of two. The oscillator range is either 16’ or 8’. Is there some chorus inside too? I’m not sure. In any case, the strings are quite noisy - a typical electronic string sound of the late 70ies. Personally, I HATE those strings. They’re dull and too bombastic for my ears. But, well, most musicians choose the Performer especially because (!) of its strings. "The strings on the Crumar are hauntingly cool,” so many people say.

MP3 - Performer Strings
	Dry Strings	Always reminds of an organ ... No effects.	Theo Bloderer

In order to offer at least some little extras, Crumar added a nice equalizer. Sliders for low / mid / high allow for some (small) variety in the string sounds. And there's a separate envelope, too. Again, this is limited: Crescendo (attack) and Sustain is all the choice you get. Volume allows for mixing both the brass- and string sound.

More extras?
Let's see... There's no pitch bend, no mod wheel, no portamento, not any additional controller at all. But at least there's an LFO - enough to give the brass soli some extra warmth. It offers sliders for delay, speed and intensitiy. Modulation possibilities include oscillator frequency (FM) and filter frequency (VCF). This evokes associations with the lovely Korg Delta...

Connections
There are three outputs on the rear: MAIN, BRASS and SIGNAL. I’m not quite sure of the difference between "main" and "signal". The latter might be another main output, this time for external signal processing, hence the "signal"? Ah, yes, and there's a GATE-IN port (using the Moog type S-trigger!). Sadly, no CV-IN (this on a fully polyphonic instrument!).

MP3 - Performer External Processing
	Triple Reso 1	Performer routed through Technosaurus Triple Resonator	Theo Bloderer
	Triple Reso 2	Performer routed through Technosaurus Triple Resonator	"
	Phaser 1	Performer with Ibanez UE400 Phaser	"
	Phaser 2	Performer with Ibanez UE400 Phaser	"

To sum it up...
If you concentrate solely on the Performer’s pure brass and string sounds, the results will probably disappoint you. The brass filter sounds dull and the strings have that typical late-70ies over-chorused pseudo-bombastic character that is definitely worth being drowned at the deepest point of the deepest lake on earth. But there is a simple way to expand that limited sound. Add any tape echo, analogue delay or phaser and see the Performer's innate character grow. This simple multi-keyboard might turn out to be a superior partner for soft pads and vivid soli.

MP3 - Performer MIX Sounds
	Mix 1	Crumar Performer, Elka Synthex, PPG 1002	Theo Bloderer
	Mix 2	Crumar Performer, Korg MiniPops 120 Drums	"
	Mix 3	Crumar Performer (LFO-to-Filter Sound), ARP-2600	"

Another good point is its price. You shouldn't need to pay more than 150 Euros for a fully working Crumar Performer. Although, to be honest, it’s not that easy to find one that’s fully working. The Italian company is well known for its unreliable keyboards, and the Performer is no exception.

In case you’re wondering about the missing (octave) UP / DOWN TRANSPOSE switch on your personal Performer: you've got the early model. Only the second - later - version offers that (simple) transpose feature.

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Review, pictures, sounds: Theo Bloderer
Translation: Joan-Marie Bloderer