To save on weight and cost, the Farfisa used one transistor-based square wave generator for each note in the top octave. Then, divide-down circuits converted that waveform into lower octaves, which was pretty simple to do using analog components.

The versatility of the more full-featured models (such as the Compact DeLuxe we modeled for Farfisa V) attracted bands like the Beach Boys on one hand, Pink Floyd on the other, and electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk on yet another. This is partly owed to features that synthesizers would later make familiar, including a rudimentary envelope and the ability to split the keyboard with a bass part in the left hand.

Farfisa's main competitor was Vox, whose Continental series of combo organs is forever associated with The Doors. Vox actually got an earlier start, but Farfisa enjoyed better promotion in the USA. Fast forward to the late '70s and early '80s, when post-punk experimenters such as Blondie, Devo, The B-52s, and Talking Heads were in search of interesting sounds. Polyphonic synths and orchestra/ensemble keyboards were a known quantity by then, which made the Farfisa an enticing outlier. What may well have begun as an ironic statement became an unironic staple of New Wave.

Its decidedly different character than either the Vox or the hallowed Hamond helped it migrate into disco, dub, reggae, and even electronica. Wherever a balance of whimsy and attitude is called for, the Farfisa fits. That's why we took such great pains to give you a modeled version that reproduces the original with uncanny accuracy, yet also includes synthesis features that can make it the only keyboard virtual instrument you need on some tracks.