The Crumar Bit 99, released in late 1985 (approximately three months after the Bit 01 expander), represented the keyboard incarnation of the improved Bit 01 technology and served as the ultimate expression of Crumar's Bit synthesizer concept. At a reduced recommended price of just £699, it combined all the enhancements introduced with the Bit 01, added the performance controls and keyboard interface that the expander lacked, and introduced an innovative patch-chaining system that placed it in a unique league for live performance.

Designed by Mario Maggi, the Bit 99 retained the fundamental hybrid digital/analog architecture that had made the Bit series sonically competitive with far more expensive instruments, while finally addressing most of the original Bit One's frustrating limitations. It represented Crumar's last and best effort to establish themselves in the MIDI keyboard market before the company's dissolution just three years later.

Architecture and Core Specifications

The Bit 99 was essentially a Bit 01 with a five-octave, 61-key velocity-sensitive keyboard and comprehensive performance controls. It maintained the six-voice polyphonic architecture with twelve digitally controlled oscillators (two per voice), each offering triangle, sawtooth, and variable pulse width square waveforms across a pitch range of 32', 16', 8', and 4'. The analog signal path featured 24dB/octave low-pass resonant filters with full ADSR envelope control, cutoff, resonance, envelope depth, keyboard tracking, and polarity inversion.

Like the Bit 01, the 99 employed dual LFO systems per voice (sine, square, and sawtooth waveforms) and dual ADSR envelope generators per voice - a specification that remained superior to most competing affordable synthesizers and was more commonly found on instruments costing significantly more.

Enhanced Programmability

The Bit 99 incorporated all of the Bit 01's crucial programmability improvements. The noise generator was now programmable on DCO1 rather than being controlled by a manual slider, allowing noise-based patches to be properly stored and recalled. The detune parameter on DCO2 was fully programmable within each patch, eliminating the workflow-breaking need to manually adjust detuning between sounds. Programmable patch volume and modulation wheel depth parameters provided comprehensive control over sound and expression.

These enhancements transformed the programming experience from the frustrating compromises of the Bit One into a genuinely professional workflow where creative ideas could be captured and recalled reliably.

Comprehensive Touch Sensitivity

The Bit 99's 61-key velocity-sensitive keyboard was no mere afterthought but rather a deeply integrated performance feature. Velocity response could be independently directed to multiple destinations: each of the two LFOs, each DCO's pulse width, and the attack times and envelope depths of both envelope generators. This made both the VCF and VCA comprehensively touch-sensitive, allowing players to control filter brightness, amplitude response, pulse width animation, and modulation intensity through playing dynamics alone.

The basic level of touch sensitivity could be adjusted via a rear-panel control, though this setting applied globally rather than per-patch. The extensive velocity routing options allowed for highly expressive playing that responded to subtle variations in playing technique, making the Bit 99 feel like a true performance instrument rather than a preset player.

Performance Controls and Interface

Unlike the keyboard-less Bit 01 expander, the Bit 99 featured complete performance controls essential for live playing and studio work. Modulation and pitch-bend wheels were positioned on the front control panel (arranged vertically, one above the other - an unusual but space-saving design choice). A release footswitch could be connected via the rear panel for additional performance control during playing.

The programming interface utilized the same digital access control system as the Bit One, with a ten-digit keypad where users pressed an 'address' button, entered parameter numbers, and adjusted values using 'on' (plus) and 'off' (minus) keys. LED display screens showed current parameters and values. While this method required referring to the front-panel block diagram during editing, it provided a logical and organized approach to sound design. The front panel's visual flow chart explained parameter routing clearly, making the synthesis architecture immediately understandable.

Thoughtful programming features included a 'park' function for temporarily holding sounds while finding suitable memory locations, and an edit/compare feature enabling quick A/B comparison between original patches and edited versions - invaluable tools for efficient sound design.

Memory Organization and Patch Chaining

The Bit 99's memory system was organized identically to the Bit 01: 99 total memory locations with 75 dedicated to single patches and 24 reserved for complete performances including split and double configurations. This resolved one of the Bit One's most frustrating limitations by allowing complex keyboard setups to be stored and instantly recalled.

However, the Bit 99's most innovative and overlooked feature was its ability to chain three sets of 33 patches for seamless sequential access during performance. While competing instruments like the Roland JX8P allowed chaining of eight patches, the Bit 99's ability to step through 99 patches during a live performance was genuinely unique and placed it in a league of its own for working musicians who needed to navigate through extensive setlists without breaking musical flow or fumbling through patch banks.

This patch-chaining system was organized logically: three banks of 33 patches could be chained together, allowing a performer to step forward or backward through an entire concert's worth of sounds with simple button presses. For gigging keyboardists, this feature alone could justify choosing the Bit 99 over more famous competitors.

Bi-timbral Performance Modes

The Bit 99 offered four distinct performance modes inherited from the Bit One and refined in the Bit 01. In standard six-voice polyphonic mode, full polyphony was available across the entire keyboard. Split mode allowed two different sounds to be assigned to user-defined upper and lower keyboard sections with three voices per zone, and these configurations could now be stored as complete performances. The split point was infinitely adjustable, providing maximum flexibility.

Double mode superimposed two patches across the entire keyboard with independent volume controls for each, reducing polyphony to three notes but creating rich, complex layered textures. The depth and complexity of combined sounds in Double mode could rival instruments costing significantly more.

Unison mode, which had been removed from the Bit 01, was restored in the Bit 99 (though details of its implementation suggest it may have been a duophonic mode stacking voices one to three under one key and voices four to six under another, placing six oscillators under two fingers simultaneously). The return of Unison mode made the 99 more suitable for creating massive lead and bass sounds.

Audio Outputs and Stereo Capabilities

The Bit 99 featured stereo outputs with an interesting voice allocation system. In normal playing modes, individual notes were distributed between hard left and hard right positions, creating a wide stereo field (seemingly random, though creating organic stereo movement). When operating in Split mode, the stereo outputs logically became dedicated upper and lower voice outputs, allowing each keyboard section to be independently EQ'd or processed through separate effects chains - a powerful feature for live performance and studio work.

For situations where stereo operation wasn't practical, the instrument functioned perfectly well in mono by using only the upper output. A headphone output on the rear panel allowed for private monitoring and practice.

MIDI Implementation

The Bit 99's MIDI specification matched the Bit 01's dramatically improved implementation while adding the additional MIDI commands that a keyboard instrument required (commands unnecessary on the keyboard-less expander). The 99 recognized all 16 MIDI channels (users could exit Omni mode), received note numbers, velocity, patch changes, and performance controller data including modulation and pitch-bend. This made the Bit 99 properly integrable into expanding MIDI setups and suitable for sophisticated multi-keyboard rigs.

MIDI connections included In, Out, and Thru sockets, though the Out socket's capabilities remained limited - the instrument still couldn't transmit patch data over MIDI for backup purposes, relegating users to cassette tape storage for maintaining patch libraries. This was an increasingly archaic limitation in late 1985, particularly frustrating given the comprehensive improvements elsewhere in the design.

Sonic Character and Capabilities

The Bit 99 produced the same remarkable sounds that had distinguished the entire Bit series. Lead synth patches and synth pads were genuinely competitive with Sequential Prophets and Oberheims costing far more. The instrument excelled at punchy brass sounds and warm polysynth patches, while also proving surprisingly capable of FM-style timbres including DX-series electric pianos and harp sounds - versatility that belied its analog/digital hybrid architecture.

The hybrid design produced crisp, clean sounds with generous oscillator presence while retaining the warmth and character of analog filtering. Strange summing differences between DCO1 and DCO2 could create unpredictable tonal variations - an organic, CS80-like quality that added character to many sounds, though the non-cycling nature of these variations meant they couldn't always be predicted or controlled. Some users found this organic variability musically appealing while others found it frustrating.

Minor sonic artifacts included occasionally audible LFO stepping, but these deficiencies were negligible compared to the overall warmth and versatility. Processed through contemporary digital effects like chorus and reverb, the Bit 99 could produce stunning results. Layering two Bit 99s (or any combination of Bit series instruments) through stereo effects could create particularly impressive textures that competed with vintage synthesizers costing many times more.

The Tragedy of Timing

Despite offering exceptional value at £699, comprehensive features, innovative patch-chaining capabilities, and sound quality rivaling far more expensive instruments, the Bit 99 arrived at precisely the wrong moment in synthesizer history. Released in late 1985, it appeared during the absolute peak of FM synthesis dominance when digital technology was worshipped across every aspect of music production - instruments, effects, recording formats, and media. The analog synthesis that the Bit 99 represented so capably was temporarily deeply unfashionable.

The timing was particularly unfortunate for those who had recently purchased competing instruments. The Bit 99 appeared just three months after some players had invested in alternatives like the Roland JX8P (which offered comparable specifications but with oscillator sync, an oscillator mixer, Roland's famous chorus effect, and pressure sensitivity at a higher price point). Had Crumar released the Bit 99 as their first MIDI keyboard rather than following the flawed Bit One with the keyboard-less Bit 01, the market reception might have been dramatically different.

Additional factors hampered the Bit 99's success. The lack of tweakable knobs and switches made it feel less immediate than competitors with more tactile interfaces. The absence of software support (patch editors, librarians) meant users were stuck with the front-panel programming interface and cassette tape storage. In the UK, exclusive distribution through Chase Musicians' single London location severely limited market penetration and prevented the instrument from reaching potential buyers outside the capital.

Legacy and Retrospective Assessment

The Bit 99 represented the right synthesizer at the right price, but at catastrophically wrong time. It should have been a winner - and in purely technical and musical terms, it was. Players fortunate enough to experience a Bit 99 through quality effects processing discovered a warm, versatile, and powerful instrument capable of outperforming many more illustrious competitors. Its innovative 99-patch chaining system alone represented forward thinking that wouldn't be commonly found on competing instruments for years.

The Bit 99's failure in the marketplace, along with the entire Bit series, contributed to Crumar's dissolution just three years after the Bit One's introduction. This was tragic, as the instruments themselves were fundamentally sound, well-designed by a master synthesizer architect (Mario Maggi), and represented genuine value and innovation. The brief three-year existence of the Bit series (1984-1987) wasn't due to inherent flaws in the instruments but rather to the unfortunate collision of analog synthesis with an industry temporarily obsessed with digital everything.

For those fortunate enough to acquire a Bit 99 today, it remains a rewarding instrument capable of producing professional-quality sounds that justify its place alongside far more expensive and sought-after vintage synthesizers. Its unique combination of features, playability, and sonic character make it a hidden gem of 1980s synthesizer design - an underappreciated masterpiece that deserved far better than its brief moment in an unreceptive market.

Technical Specifications

Polyphony: 6 voices

Oscillators:

• 2 DCOs per voice (12 total)
• Waveforms: Triangle, Sawtooth, Variable Pulse Width Square
• Pitch Range: 32', 16', 8', 4'
• Modulation Sources: ADSR, LFO, Velocity
• Programmable detune on DCO2
• Programmable noise on DCO1
• NEW: Programmable patch volume

Low-Frequency Oscillators:

• 2 LFOs per voice
• Waveforms: Sine (Triangle), Square, Sawtooth (Ramp)
• Modulation Destinations: DCO1, DCO2, VCF, VCA
• Controls: Depth, Rate, Delay
• LFO Rate: Velocity-controllable
• Programmable modulation wheel depth

Filter:

• Type: Resonant low-pass filter
• Slope: 24dB/octave
• 1 VCF per voice
• Envelope: ADSR
• Controls: Cutoff, Resonance, Envelope Depth, Keyboard Tracking, Polarity Inverter
• Velocity-Sensitive Parameters: Attack Time, Envelope Depth

Amplifier:

• 1 VCA per voice
• Envelope: ADSR
• Parameter Range: 0-63
• Velocity-Sensitive Parameters: Attack Time, Amount

Keyboard:

• 61 keys (5 octaves)
• Velocity-sensitive (touch-sensitive)
• Adjustable sensitivity (rear panel control)

Velocity-Sensitive Parameters:

• Filter Attack Time
• Filter Envelope Depth
• DCO Pulse Width (both oscillators)
• VCA Attack Time
• LFO Rate (both LFOs)

Memory:

• 99 total memory locations
• 75 single patches
• 24 performance memories (splits/doubles)
• INNOVATIVE: Patch chaining - 3 sets of 33 patches (99 total) for sequential access
• Split and Double modes storable

Performance Modes:

• Polyphonic: 6-voice polyphony
• Split: Dual sounds with user-defined split point (3 voices per section) - storable
• Double: Two sounds layered (3-note polyphony) - storable
• Unison: Duophonic mode (voices 1-3 under one key, 4-6 under another)

Controls:

• Programming: 10-digit keypad with Address button
• Parameter adjustment: On/Off (Plus/Minus) buttons
• LED display screens
• Modulation wheel (front panel, vertical arrangement)
• Pitch bend wheel (front panel, vertical arrangement)
• Volume controls for Upper/Lower in Split/Double modes
• Park feature (temporary sound hold)
• Edit/Compare function

Audio Outputs:

• Stereo outputs (Left/Right)
• Mono operation (Upper output only)
• Random voice distribution in normal mode
• Upper/Lower distribution in Split mode
• Headphone output (rear panel)

MIDI:

• MIDI In
• MIDI Out
• MIDI Thru
• All 16 MIDI channels recognized (Omni mode can be disabled)
• Receives: Note numbers, Velocity, Patch changes, Modulation, Pitch-bend
• Additional keyboard-specific MIDI commands
• Limited patch data transmission
• Cassette tape storage for patch libraries

Additional Connections:

• Tape In/Out (cassette program dump)
• Release Pedal input
• Headphone socket

Rear Panel Controls:

• Master Pitch control
• Dynamic Sensitivity adjustment

Architecture:

• Hybrid Digital/Analog design
• Digital control system
• Analog filters and signal path

Production Year: Late 1985 - 1987

Designer: Mario Maggi (Elka Synthex)