EMT

Explore EMT vintage synthesizer equipment in the Vintage Technology Archive.

Effects

• 250 (1976-1985) — A pioneering digital reverb processor, released in 1976, known for launching the era of digital studio reverb. Covers the complete spec table.

Effects Processor

• BX-20 — The EMT BX-20-inch is actually an AKG BX20 stereo spring reverb — 2–4.5s decay, 60dB+ separation, £975 in 1972. Identity unresolved.

Microphone

• RE-20 — The Electro-Voice RE-20 dynamic cardioid mic: Variable-D design, 45 Hz–18 kHz, $454 list, a broadcast and studio standard.

Unknown

• 13 — EMT 13, a little-documented synthesizer from the German pro-audio manufacturer. No specifications or period sources have been found.
• 140-ST — EMT 140-ST stereo plate reverb — the world-standard steel plate in its stereo variant. Tube electronics, remote option, scarce documentation, and a market with no published prices.
• 140-TS — EMT 140-TS stereo plate reverberation unit, manual-control variant of the classic EMT 140. Weighs 170 kg, dimensions 2.4 x 0.34 x 1.3 m. Little else documented.
• 162 — EMT 162 solid-state stereo compressor/limiter with true RMS detection, threshold 10 mV–3 V, LED indicators, and channel-strapping capability.
• 240 — EMT 240 plate reverb, a compact successor to the EMT 140 with reduced coloration and vibration immunity. Roughly one-eighth the size, 60 kg, 1–4 s reverb.
• 251 — EMT 251 digital reverberator released in 1980. Second-generation successor to the EMT 250 with LCD display, 32.75 kHz sampling, 16-bit resolution.
• 256 — EMT 256 compressor module. Plug-in design with expander, £119 in 1972, noise 67 dB rms. Used in professional studios. Includes production dates.
• 257 — EMT 257 compact limiter from the mid-1970s. Adjustable attack to 50 µs, loudness-dependent release, selectable pre-emphasis.
• 260 — EMT 260 filter-limiter / de-esser from EMT. Known from studio inventories and a single period review; little else documented.
• 261 — EMT 261 compressor/limiter, German broadcast origin used in 1980s pro studios. Specs include 24V DC power, 40dB gain, 20ms–100ms attack.
• 420 — The EMT 420 is a solid-state wow and flutter meter, described in period catalogs as a “Messgerät für Frequenzschwankungen” — a frequency-fluctuation
• 422 — EMT 422 wow-and-flutter meter, 1977. Features five ranges, three filters, adjustable threshold. Little documented beyond specs and one period review.
• 927-DST — EMT 927-DST broadcast turntable — rare, station-installed, buyback priced at 1,860,000 yen. The scarce EMT deck with almost no surviving documentation.
• 970 — EMT 970, an obscure late-1960s tape delay device using a two-speed magnetic disc, distributed by Gotham Audio Corp. Only a single period listing survives.
• XSD-15 — EMT XSD-15 professional moving-iron phono cartridge. Period specs include elliptical stylus, 1–1.5 g tracking force, 15–25 kHz response. Little documented.

Other Models

• 140 — The first artificial reverb unit, a massive electromechanical plate system introduced in 1957. With the complete spec table and when it was made.
• 250/251 — EMT 250 (1976) and 251 (1980) digital reverbs — the first of their kind, 12-bit then 16-bit, ~$20k new, now ~$10k and climbing.
• MODEL-250 — EMT Model 250 (1976) — the first commercial digital reverb, ~$20,000 and nearly three feet tall. A landmark restoration project for studio historians.
• MODEL-252 — EMT MODEL-252 digital reverb — third-gen 250/251 successor, 16-bit A/D with 20-bit processing, 7 programs, 62 lb 4U mainframe. Mixed 1987 reviews.
• TSD-15 — EMT TSD-15 stereo moving-coil cartridge — low 0.15 mV output, 15µm diamond stylus, flat resonance-free response for EMT 155/153 preamps.