InMusic – the parent company of Moog Music – has donated an extensive collection of vintage synthesizers, prototype models, schematics and letters to the Bob Moog Foundation Archives.

The vast collection of 4,489 items includes a Fairlight CMI, a Synton System 3000 modular system, and a bench-model Minimoog Voyager prototype.

There are also letters and schematics from legendary synth pioneer Bob Moog's personal office files and effects, alongside rare product catalogues and industry magazines dating back decades.

The donation shines a light on Moog's personal and professional life, revealing thoughts, ideas, and providing fascinating insights into his relationships with other visionaries like Wendy Carlos and Herb Deutsch through letters of correspondence.

The Bob Moog Foundation was established in 2005 to pay tribute to the godfather of subtractive synthesis and an icon of electronic music. Moog's 1970 analogue synthesiser Minimoog is widely hailed as the most influential synth in history, sparking inspiration for a wide range of pioneering artists including Kraftwerk, Gary Numan and Parliament-Funkadelic.

The collection now consists of over 15,000 materials, preserved at the so-called 'Moogseum' in Asheville, North Carolina, where Moog lived for the final 25 years of his life.

"The Bob Moog Foundation serves as an essential steward of one of the most important legacies in electronic music," said Joe Richardson, President of Moog Music and Executive Vice President of inMusic. "We are proud to contribute these materials so they can be preserved and made accessible to researchers, educators, musicians, and fans."

The foundation's executive director Michelle Moog-Koussa added: "This donation helps solidify the Bob Moog Foundation Archives as a world-class repository for Moog and electronic music history. Every donated piece helps us tell the story of Bob's complex, indelible legacy."

Visit the Moogseum's website.

A listing has appeared on music gear marketplace Reverb for a Yamaha CS-80 that the seller claims belonged to legendary Greek composer and producer Vangelis, priced at a whopping £400,000 – more than $534,000 in US dollars. (And that's with a 10% discount.)

"This is Vangelis' very first Yamaha CS-80," the product description reads. The seller Synthesizerman describes the synth as "fully functional with its original stand and lid", and says it's in "excellent condition", aside from small cosmetic blemishes and a cigarette burn on one of its keys.

"This is the real deal. Early prototype no serial number. It can demolish a whole block of flats. This is the 'Spiral' CS-80, historic. Priced accordingly."

If this is a legitimate claim — and it's important to note that there's no evidence provided that this synth actually belonged to Vangelis, other than the seller's word — then this would be a "holy grail" synth and a collectors' item of historical significance.

The CS-80 is one of the most sought-after vintage synthesizers and regularly fetches five-figure sums on the second-hand market. A well-maintained example that was verifiably owned by Vangelis (the musical figure most closely associated with the instrument) would represent a rare, museum-grade piece of musical history.

What's more, if someone forks out the asking price for this CS-80, this could well be the highest price ever paid for a celebrity-owned synth, far surpassing the $115,200 paid at auction last year for Florian Schneider of Kraftwerk's EMS Synthi A. (Interestingly, Schneider's Sennheiser VSM-201 vocoder fetched more than double that, selling for $256,000.)

Though this CS-80 has the potential to smash that record, the fact that it’s been casually listed on Reverb rather than sold through a professional auction house with independent authentication is likely to dissuade buyers from parting with their cash.

The seller claims that the CS-80 was used by Vangelis on Spiral, widely regarded as a landmark release in electronic music history, and an album that laid the groundwork for the vastly influential Blade Runner soundtrack and demonstrated the power of Yamaha’s then-innovative CS-80.

The CS-series instruments were some of the first fully integrated polyphonic synthesizers and some of the earliest commercial synths to feature preset memory. In a 1984 interview, Vangelis himself called the CS-80 “the most important synthesizer in my career", describing it as "the best analogue synthesizer design there has ever been.”

This iconic instrument was pivotal in shaping the futuristic, ethereal soundscape of Vangelis’ score for 1982 classic Blade Runner, but even if this CS-80 was indeed used on Spiral, there’s no guarantee that Vangelis – who recorded with multiple CS-80 synths – reprised it for later projects.

Whether the listing is genuine or not remains to be seen – we've reached out to the seller for comment.

Korg turned up to Superbooth in a rather coquettish mood this year, teasing attendees with a new synth displayed proudly at the centre of its booth, albeit covered with a blue tarp to mask its identity.

This mystery forthcoming instrument wasn’t the company’s only surprise though, as the Korg also used the show to quietly soft-launch a new addition to its DIY Nu:Tekt range, the NTS-4 – which is now getting a proper release.

The NTS-4 is a six-channel analogue performance mixer. It ships in DIY kit form, like other products in Korg’s Nu:Tekt range, but building the device requires no soldering or electronics experience and according to Korg the build should only take a matter of minutes.

Its six channels are fed via four stereo and two mono minijack inputs. These latter two are equipped with attenuator switches that can flip the inputs between line and Eurorack level operation. There are also stereo send and return minijacks on the mixer’s top panel that can be used to integrate external effects.

The NTS-4 also has internal effects of its own though, in the form of both Send FX and master Total FX. The former can select between delay, ping pong delay, two types of hall reverb, two slap reverbs and chorus. The Total FX has low- and high-pass filters, along with isolator, flanger, phaser, decimator, drive, distortion, compressor and limiter modes.

Each of the six mixer channels is equipped with mute and cue buttons – the latter routed to the top panel headphone output – along with a send level control. The two mono channels also have pan position controls.

The NTS-4 has a pair of unbalanced ¼-inch main outputs on its rear panel. It can also act as an audio interface to stream to Mac, PC or mobile devices via its USB-C port, which is also used for power. The top panel also features a minijack MIDI output that can be used to route MIDI from a DAW or USB device to external hardware.

The NTS-4 isn’t Korg’s first attempt at a desktop mixer. Back in 2018 the brand released the Volca Mix, a mixer companion for its popular collection of compact synths and drum machiners. We were fairly underwhelmed by the Volca Mix, however, due to its fiddly controls and lack of MIDI or USB connectivity.

The NTS-4 looks like it fixes many of the Mix’s failings though, and as a result it has the potential to be a far more competent hub for a Volca setup – or any collection of mini synths you might have to hand.

The NTS-4 is available now priced at $249/€219/£189. Head to the Korg website for more information.

SUPERBOOTH 2026: US brand Buchla is closely associated with West Coast synthesis; an approach to modular instrument design with an emphasis on complex oscillators, which lends itself to adventurous, experimental music making.

Buchla gear is also known for being expensive – often almost prohibitively so. The company’s iconic, suitcase-housed Easel synths retail for around £/$5000, while its full Skylab modular system is priced at an eye-watering $15,000. So the arrival of a new, self-contained Buchla synth with a retail price (just) below £/$1000 is something worth getting seriously excited about.

Ziggy is a desktop monosynth that brings the look and character of classic Buchla synths to a self-contained and relatively accessible instrument.

At the heart of its sound engine is a complex oscillator, a sine wave generator that can be shaped via audio-rate modulation of either its amplitude or frequency. This is paired with a second modulation oscillator with a wide frequency range that allows it to function like both an LFO and audio source.

The oscillator section also includes a wavefolder for further shaping the output – a feature typical of Buchla synth designs.

The oscillators are shaped using a low-pass gate, another classic feature of West Coast synth design, which is based around a Sallen-Key filter and combines the functionality of both an amp envelope and low-pass filter.

Ziggy also has a modulation generator labelled Cycler. This can function in a variety of ways, from producing punchy percussive envelopes to cycling like a classic LFO, and can also be triggered for single-cycle modulation via MIDI or CV. It also has an ‘uncertainty’ parameter, for creating randomised modulation variations. A further XLFO provides an additional triangle wave modulation source.

READ MORE: East Coast vs West Coast synthesis: what's the difference?

One of the most notable aspects of Ziggy’s design is that, unlike the vast majority of Buchla gear, it’s not a modular instrument, meaning there’s no need to physically patch one element to another in order to produce sound. Instead the instrument is equipped with a flexible modulation system that allows users to route one element to another by adjusting the front panel dials or sliders.

Ziggy’s design combines elements of both analogue and digital. Its complex oscillator, modulation sources and low-pass gate are all analogue, but are digitally controlled, allowing the synth to save and recall patches. The sound engine is also complimented by a digital effects module, capable of applying processes including reverb, delay and distortion.

According to Buchla, “Ziggy incorporates many of the Buchla innovations that have long been taken for granted: digital control over the analogue audio, additive synthesis, unique and musical interactions, and the focus on making an ‘instrument’ rather than a ‘synthesizer.’”

Although Ziggy isn’t a modular synth, it does include CV inputs for gate, pitch and modulation, allowing it to be integrated into Eurorack setups. As well as these analogue control inputs, the instrument also has both MIDI and USB connections, along with an auxiliary audio input. Ziggy has a stereo pair of main outputs, joined by a 3.5mm headphone output port.

Ziggy is available to preorder now priced at $999/£915. The first units are estimated to start shipping in August or September of this year.

Ziggy is also designed to pair with Buchla’s own LEM218 touch keyboard, and can be ordered as a bundle for $1,999.

Head to the official Buchla site for more information, where you can also hear audio examples of it in action.

What is it?

The musical landscape in the ’70s was pretty unrecognisable when compared to today's heavily produced musical constructs. The DAW du jour was the home organ, being marketed as a more orchestral form of piano, equipped with bossanova rhythms and the original one-finger auto accompaniment. From violins to trombones, it was an orchestra in your lounge!

But what of those newfangled synthesizer sounds? Korg had your back with the initial 1973 release of the miniKorg 700. A single oscillator synth with a basic set of controls, culled from more elaborate synthesizer designs. Many of these controls were along the front, making it an ideal bedfellow for the home organist, inviting a placement on top of an organ console.

One year later, Korg released the similarly styled 700S, adding a second oscillator along with a little more control over sound. For a mere £499, it was far cheaper than anything from America, although its lack of overall control meant that it didn’t trouble professionals too heavily. That is, until the post-punk generation realised its potential, buying them up as secondhand bargains. With users as diverse as Hawkwind and the Human League, it's no surprise that it's on Korg’s hit list for instruments, inviting a revisit.

Performance

In 2021, Korg revived the 700S in a full-sized form. It was universally applauded as a beautiful reincarnation of the original, with hefty controls and a beautiful keybed, along with all the bells and whistles of the modern age that one might expect.

Fast forward a few years, Korg now offers the 700Sm; the ‘m’ denotes the slightly smaller scale of the instrument, which according to Korg, is 86% of its original size. But how does this affect its usability? Before we get to that, let's consider what we have as a package.

The unit itself is a beautifully put-together piece of kit. It is very well built, with some exceptionally chunky switches. Some of the faders offer a degree of wiggle room, but by modern standards still feel at the upper end of quality. The keyboard itself offers three octaves, but with range selection at the oscillator level, there is capacity to embrace a range up to seven octaves. The included keybed is one of Korg’s slim-key designs, which resides somewhere between fully sized and miniature keys. It is certainly playable, but this feels like one of the weaker components of the instrument, particularly when compared to the full-sized keyboard which was included on the previous 700FS, which was excellent. The metal casing is finished with obligatory wooden end cheeks – nice!

The 700Sm does not employ an internal power supply, instead relying on an included external PSU. More noticeably, though, Korg includes a very nice padded case for the synth, which also provides room for the external power supply and a cable or two.

There are also some other notable software additions to the bundle, which not only includes Korg’s software 700S, but also iZotope’s Ozone Elements mastering software. This is a basic-level suite, but it is perfectly usable and acts as a springboard to an upgrade path, should you want to extend to something more capable.

In use

As the 700Sm adopts a strikingly similar layout to the original ’70s design, this includes a multitude of switches and chunky selectors, which are assembled along the very front of the instrument, below the keyboard, and also to the left of the upper panel. This can make the control usage more challenging if you are standing above the keyboard, and it is definitely easier to use while seated in front of it.

However, the moment you press down a key, you can hear the quality of the instrument. Despite its analogue make-up, tuning is incredibly stable, and for such a simplistic synthesizer, the diverse nature of its sonic output is incredibly surprising. With 14 patch memories, Korg supplies an incredibly impressive demonstration of its capabilities to get you going.

There is no doubt that the 700Sm is a quirky beast, and these quirks infiltrate the signal flow considerably. The primary oscillator (VCO1) is mostly controlled from the front panel, where you begin by selecting from three subtractive waveforms (triangle, pulse and saw) or an additional two chorused iterations of the wave. These latter waves provide a thicker texture, with added movement, and sound very nice indeed!

VCO2 is less obvious to locate, in line with the quirkiness of the instrument. Activated by flicking the Effects button on the upper panel, the oscillator is fixed to a saw waveform and is blended with VCO1 through the balance fader, located on the upper panel. A coarse control allows tuning up to a full octave above or below the pitch of VCO1, with a further fine-tuning control, for greater detailing.

Right next door to these controls is a mode selector, which dictates the behaviour of VCO2. In Duet mode, it functions as a standard second oscillator, allowing unison or sub-oscillator style usage, but the fun really starts when you begin to invoke the modulation settings. These are styled upon ring modulation, in three different forms. The tones that can be created at this stage can be beautiful, metallic or gnarly, and highly engaging. You can also select noise generation instead, before the signal heads in the direction of the filter.

Versatile Traveller

When you go hunting for the filter, you need to remember that you're in the land of the quirky! On the one hand, you do have a fantastic filter available, but on the other, it is described as the Traveller.

Located on the lower-front panel, the two faders that make up the Traveller section essentially provide a high and low-pass filter, which work in tandem. This means that you get the best of both worlds, with the added bonus of a form of notch filtering. With both filters wide open, the sound is resoundingly crisp. Move the two cutoff points together and you can create some great wha-style effects. The two controls are prevented from passing each other via the use of a protruding cap, although in a bygone age, users were known to remove the caps and file them down, to allow the cutoff points to pass each other. By way of acknowledgement, Korg also includes two replacement caps with the protrusions removed, so you can swap them out without the need to grind down metal (or plastic, in this case!).

Despite the absence of a resonance control, there is an engaging wispiness to the colour of the filter at the cutoff location. It really does sound incredibly impressive; detailed and with depth to the output, and despite a lack of velocity, there are a few settings that can influence the Traveller’s behaviour. Basic AD envelope control is applied through the Attack and Percussion faders, which do an acceptable job of adding bite or swell to the Traveller’s settings. You can also apply a subtle amount of vibrato, which again helps to add movement.

LFO is described as vibrato, across the instrument, and this extends to a pulsing form of LFO modulation, which can be used to trigger an envelope gate. Perfect for creating repeating bass notes, without needing to continually attack the keyboard.

New guise

In its purist form, the 700Sm is a very faithful reincarnation of the original instrument, albeit with up-to-date circuit technology, but Korg has added a number of new enhancements, some of which are rooted in old-school charm.

The starting point for this is a spring reverb, which is represented via a simple volume/balance control. We shouldn't be surprised by this, particularly as Korg maintained a spring reverb on its miniature 2600, but it still oozes vintage charm and sounds incredibly beautiful. There is no control of the reverb beyond its volume, but this underlines the confidence of its quality, and if you need to be persuaded, a gentle thump to the side of the instrument provides a spring rattle!

Adding to the synth’s performance credentials, a small joystick provides pitch and modulation control, although it is very much a joystick, as opposed to a larger modulation lever. Its size is in keeping with the overall unit, but it does feel a little small, particularly when manoeuvring while playing.

The USB B port provides two-way MIDI communication, or you can use a conventional five-pin MIDI input. The synth is also equipped with Sync in and out, and CV/Gate input, should you wish to play with other vintage equipment, modular or Korg Volcas. There is also an onboard arpeggiator, although you will need to refer to the manual, as engagement and mode selection rely on various secondary button presses. This feels like a little bit of an oversight, as having more immediate and obvious access would invite another layer of creativity, without having to reach for a manual.

The keyboard also reacts to aftertouch (despite the lack of velocity control) which works pretty effectively, albeit within the confines of the slim keyboard.

Verdict

The miniKORG 700Sm is a stunningly creative and beautiful-sounding synthesiser. Being monophonic, its ultimate usage could be regarded as somewhat limited, but with the capacity to tune VCO2, you can create simple two-note chords, albeit without the wonders of the modulation section.

It excels in the bass department, where it can sound thunderous and subdued, in equal amounts. It is also perfect for those Zawinul or Vangelis-style leads, where ring modulation and spring reverberation can sound utterly amazing as a couplet. Even in more common lead settings, it's quite a heavyweight, although riding the crest of a synth solo using the smaller keys could sometimes be a challenge, but then this possibly has more to do with what you are used to.

The new additions to the instrument are incredibly welcome, and as a package, it has the capacity to extend way beyond the more obvious. The modulation section offers a wealth of creative potential, but it is quirky by nature and will definitely require a little bit of homework. The good news is, you’ll be rewarded with some excellent results!

Hands-on demos

Korg

Alternatives

Specifications

Italian brand Frap Tools is known in the modular realm for its range of Eurorack gear, which centres around a collection of West Coast-inspired modules that balance gnarly sonics with neatly-labelled, stylish user interfaces.

Now the company is taking an ambitious step up with the launch of Magnolia, its debut analogue polysynth. The sleek-looking Magnolia takes a variety of the concepts Frap Tools has previously explored in its individual modules and combines them in a self-contained instrument equipped with a poly aftertouch keyboard.

According the company's announcement, "Inside [Magnolia] we put all of our most iconic analogue sounds: searing wavefolders, screaming filters, sweeping flip sync and, most importantly, through-zero linear FM."

The synth features eight analogue voices, each with two oscillators arranged in a modulator-carrier relationship. This set-up makes use of through-zero FM, a variation on the style of frequency modulation usually found in analogue synths that allows for a more natural and musical sound.

According to Frap Tools, these oscillators take inspiration from both West Coast synth design – in the vein of brands like Buchla and Serge – and more common East Coast elements. The first of the two oscillators is described as being the West Coast one, including a wavefolder and flip sync capabilities, while the second offers East Coast tools like pulse width modulation and fine tune.

Each voice also goes through a dual low- and high-pass filter setup. Each of these filters is 24db with adjustable resonance, and can be modulated at audio rates for further FM possibilities.

Given the emphasis on modulation, it’s unsurprising that Magnolia sports an easy-to-use mod routing system that allows users to assign destinations at the touch of a button and toggle modulation on and off.

Alongside its three LFOs and three envelopes, modulation is provided by Magnolia's Polymove function, a randomization generator that creates a random control signal for every voice and every destination within that voice.

For further expressive capabilities, the synth comes attached to a Fatar keybed with routable polyphonic aftertouch.

Magnolia is bi-timbral, with single, dual, split and morph modes, and features a per-part arpeggiator and per-part 16 step sequencer. On the effects front, multiple flavours of digital chorus and delay are available alongside stereo analogue distortion on the output.

In all, it looks like a lot of synth power in a single package, and has the potential to offer something quite unique against the backdrop of the current polysynth market.

If it all sounds somewhat complex, rest assured, Frap Tools claim Magnolia is an "analogue FM synth that's actually fun to play", where you can "forget about operators and just have fun exploring".

Magnolia is priced at £3699/€4199.

Find out more on Frap Tools' website.

Synth developer ACME Synth Works has unveiled what it describes as the “world’s first fully 8-voice Roland JP8 clone.”

ACME is the work of German synth expert Markus Malik, who has been repairing vintage synths for a number of years, as well as developing replacements for hard-to-find components such as the Roland IR3R01 envelope chip found in various ‘80s Junos and Jupiters.

Last year, ACME announced its first full instruments, the XP60, billed as a ‘modern hardware reinterpretation’ of the Oberheim Xpander.

Much like the XP60, ACME’s Jupiter-8 clone is clearly a labour of love that has been in the works for a number of years. In a video posted to YouTube earlier this week, ACME demos the project, which is now "95% finished" – and it looks and sounds pretty much on the money.

According to details posted alongside the video, ACME’s JP-8 has eight discreet voices and uses the original voice architecture of the Jupiter-8. Its filter section uses IR3109 and BA662 chips, while the envelopes are, apparently, “implemented in analogue form using different ICs, while preserving the original behaviour.”

It looks great, but sadly it’s unlikely any of us will be getting our hands on one any time soon. According to ACME’s post: “At the moment my main focus is completing the XP60 project, so I don’t have the resources to turn this into a product right now.

“Long term, I could imagine building a very small number of units. However, this would be a high-end, small-scale instrument — not a mass-produced product and definitely not in the ‘budget clone’ category.”

The original Jupiter-8 was released in 1981 and was one of the defining polysynths of the decade, used by a vast array of artists including Tangerine Dream, Prince, Orbital and Underworld, as well as being used prominently on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

For those looking for some JP-8 action in a more readily available form, Black Corporation’s ISE-NIN is an eight-voice poly heavily influenced by the Jupiter-8, albeit in desktop form and with the addition of modern features including MPE compatibility. There are also plenty of software emulations, including Roland's own Cloud version and Cherry Audio's Mercury-8.

For more information on ACME's XP60, head to the developer’s website.

NAMM 2026: Korg has announced its new microAUDIO audio interface range, which combines preamp-equipped inputs with some interesting effects tricks – in one case doubling up as a standalone analogue filter.

If the microAUDIO interfaces look somewhat familiar, it’s probably because the company actually previewed the range as a ‘concept’ product all the way back at NAMM 2025.

The new range kicks off with two devices, the microAUDIO 22 and microAUDIO 722, both of which are 2-in, 2-out USB-C interfaces.

On both units, the inputs come in the form of a pair of rear-panel balanced TRS/XLR combo ports. Each of these is equipped with a preamp that Korg states is “tuned for musical gain with minimal noise, prioritizing clarity while avoiding excess circuitry so every nuance of a performance is faithfully preserved.”

Each input channel provides mic, line and Hi-Z connectivity with phantom power available. Input levels are controlled by a pair of front panel gain knobs, which can also be linked for stereo use. These inputs are accompanied by balanced TRS outputs on the rear, along with a rear panel headphone output with a dedicated volume control.

So far, so standard, but the microAUDIO interfaces also feature DSP processing offering assignable noise gates, compressor and limiter per-channel. Interestingly, these aren’t confined to the inputs, and can also be used on audio returning from the computer.

The microAUDIO interfaces also have additional routing options including a loopback mode for easy streaming and recording of computer audio, as well as the ability to assign the headphone output to a click track of DJ cue output.

Of most interest, however, is the addition of an analogue filter on the microAUDIO 722. This is a resonant multimode filter based on the circuit found on the miniKORG 700S. It can function in low-, high- and band-pass configurations, and be assigned to either the inputs and outputs.

The 722 also includes an LFO and envelope follower for modulating the filter. The unit can also be used on its own as a standalone filter, routing audio through the inputs and outputs without connection to a computer.

The microAUDIO 722 also adds rear panel MIDI in and out, both requiring a mini-jack to DIN converter, which can be used for filter modulation or routing MIDI in/out of a DAW.

The filter fun doesn’t stop with the units themselves though. The microAUDIO interfaces also ship with Korg’s new Filter Ark plugin. Described by the company as a "next-generation filter plugin for DAW-based production”, Filter Ark combines models of filters based on the likes of the MS-20, Polysix, miniKORG 700S, and ARP Odyssey with modern modes such as physical modelling and vowel filters.

The plugin allows for up-to four filters to be routed in series or parallel, with feedback capabilities plus modulation tools including morphable LFOs, sequencers, macros, and a scale-aware mode.

As well as being made available to owners of the microAUDIO range, Filter Ark is also available as a standalone release or part of the latest Korg Collection bundle.

Although the microAUDIO 22 looks like an interesting budget interface option, the 722 is the one that really stands out. Even if you have no need for a new audio interface, that combination of a standalone stereo analogue filter and a multifaceted effects plugin looks pretty tempting for the price.

The microAUDIO 22 and 722 are out now, priced at $199/£169 and $269/£229 respectively. Filter Ark is currently available for an intro price of $49 (regular price $99). Head to the Korg site for more info.

UK modular brand ALM Busy Circuits has released a new module, Pamela’s Disco, which allows users to connect a modular system up to a DJ setup via Pro DJ Link.

Disco is a sister module to ALM’s popular Pamela’s Workout range of clocking modules. It’s a simple 4HP module with a LAN input for connecting to DJ gear, plus four analogue outputs – DIN sync-style x24 and Run analogue clock outs, plus Beat and Bar trigger outputs.

Pro DJ Link is a system found on a variety of Pioneer DJ and AlphaTheta products that allows multiple DJ devices to be synchronised using ethernet connections, USB or wi-fi. Pamela’s Disco allows users to connect any ethernet-equipped Pro DJ Link device to a modular system, and convert the incoming master clock into a modular-friendly analogue signal.

Although Disco is designed for use with any Pro DJ Link device, ALM states that the module has only been fully tested with the XDJ-700, XDJ-1000MK2 and CDJ-3000.

Along with its inputs and outputs, Pamela’s Disco has lights to indicate the beat and incoming connection status, along with a button to resync the clock. ALM describes it as an “easy ’just works’ setup with no configuration.”

Despite its simplicity, Pamela’s Disco looks like an enticingly useful device for any DJs and producers looking to dabble in a little live modular alongside a DJ set.

As ALM puts it: “Compact and easy to set up, the Disco opens up new performance possibilities – mix, overdub, spinback and scratch, all locked in time with your modular.”

Pamela’s Disco has a depth of 32mm and is described as ‘skiff friendly with reverse power protection.’

The module is available now priced at £175. Head to the ALM Busy Circuits site for more info.

Moog's 'Mother' synths – the unofficial term we're using for the company's five recent compact, Eurorack-compatible instruments – have all got a tasty $100 discount via Sweetwater this Cyber Weekend.

The Labyrinth, DFAM, Spectravox, Mother-32 and Subharmonicon are down to $499 a piece, which is one of the best prices we've seen, particularly for the newer machines. DFAM, Mother-32 and Subharmonic also come with a free Moog Patch & Tweak book, which is a nice little sweetener too.

You might be sold on that offer already, in which case, feel free to run off and order whichever appeals to you the most. If you're on the fence about the pros and cons of each machine, you'll find our (entirely subjective) ranking of Moog's Mother range below...

Intro: Motherlode

Moog has a deep history with modular synthesis. Bob Moog’s original pioneering synth design was a modular instrument, the patchable elements of which laid the blueprint for over 60 years of hardware synth design.

Despite a history of pioneering modular instruments, Moog was slightly slow to capitalise on the Eurorack boom that happened in the early 2010s. It took until the release of the Mother-32 in 2015 for Moog to properly wade into the modern modular waters.

That first entry into the ‘Mother’ range was a fairly straightforward instrument, a single oscillator monosynth equipped with a 32-step sequencer, 32-point patchbay and classic Moog ladder filter. But it brought the core of the classic Moog modular design to the masses.

In the decade since its release, the Mother-32 has been joined by four siblings, creating a range of Eurorack-compatible, analogue modular instruments designed to compliment one another and provide a jumping off point for modular experimentation. As this ‘Mother’ range approaches its 10th birthday, we’ve put the range head-to-head to rank them from worst to best.

Let’s start with a major caveat here – we are not ranking every one of Moog’s semi modular synths here. Even in the current line-up, the company has the likes of the keyboard-equipped Matriarch and Grandmother, plus the DIY Werkstatt and Mavis. While these are all impressive instruments, we’re excluding them here in favour of focussing on a side-by-side comparison of the five instruments that share a form-factor, design approach and similar price point.

In the video above, you can watch MusicRadar’s Reviews Editor Simon Arblaster and Managing Editor Si Truss argue about our choices.

Of course, while all synths in the range can be used standalone, these patchable instruments are designed to be in combination with each other and other modular gear. In that spirit, in our video we challenge ourselves to convince one another of the best two-synth pairing, and each put a patch together to make our case.

Honestly, we’re fans of the range as a whole, but which is the least essential and which is the cream of the crop? Let’s count them down…

5. Subhamonicon

There’s a lot we really love about Subharmonicon. Its unique sequencer design puts an emphasis on polyrhythms and subharmonic frequencies. Two sequencer lanes can be driven in a mix-and-match fashion by four rhythm generators, the combination of which can create patterns that evolve and move in hard-to-predict ways.

These sequencers can be routed to the synth’s two oscillators, each of which comes accompanied by two sub oscillators, which can be tuned to pitches quantised to either equal temperament or just intonation tuning systems. The result creates evolving chords with up to six tones, encouraging harmonic and rhythmic experimentation.

For all its experimental tendencies though, the actual sound of Subharmonicon can be a little vanilla for our tastes. The oscillators have square and saw modes, and there’s an A/D envelope and resonant ladder filter on offer to shape the sound, but compared to some of the other machines in this line-up, there’s not masses of sound design potential without patching in some external gear.

For our money, Subharmonicon comes alive when drenched in reverb and delay. Great for evolving ambience, but a little one-dimensional when it comes to sound design.

4. Spectravox

Spectravox is the least self-contained of Moog’s semi-modular range. Billed as an analogue vocoder and filter bank, while Spectravox does pack a single oscillator that allows it to be played as a simple synth, it really comes to life when fed an external input.

We’d argue that Spectravox is best when not being treated like a traditional vocoder. The Program input can be fed a variety of sources as well as the human voice, and can do some fascinating things when fed distorted drum beats or resonant acid-like synths.

This is a theme for Spectravox as a whole – the more hardware you have to pair with it, the better it becomes. Of all Moog’s semi-modulars, this is the one that makes the least sense as a standalone purchase.

The ability to use each filter band as a CV envelope follower, routed to modulate other hardware, is a highlight and has the potential to keep you entertained long after the novelty of the ‘robot voice’ vocoder sound wears off.

3. Labyrinth

The newest addition to Moog’s semi-modular lineup is one of the most experimental synthesizers we’ve seen in recent years.

Moog describes Labyrinth as a ‘parallel generative analogue synth’. In practice, the first two of these words refer to two distinctive elements of Labyrinth’s design – its unique dual-path synth engine, and its sequencer, which uses randomisation tools in order to create some unpredictable, polymetric patterns.

We love its West Coast sound and experimental design. While some of Moog’s semi-modular instruments are only likely to appeal in specific contexts or paired with other bits of modular gear, as with Spectravox or Subharmonicon, there’s a lot to recommend Labyrinth, whether it's used as a self-contained desktop synth, as a part of a wider Moog rig or installed as a synth voice-come-sequencer in a Eurorack system.

On the downside, we find the interface here fiddly – a running theme with these compact synths, but it’s particularly evident here with the cramped UI and annoying sequencer buttons. The slightly out-there design of the signal path won’t suit everybody either. For those happy to look past these factors though, there’s a lot of inspiration to be found here.

2. Mother-32

Mother-32 was Moog’s first foray into this Eurorack-friendly, semi-modular format. In many ways, Moher-32 is the most traditional instrument in the range, based around a fairly straightforward semi-modular design.

With just a single oscillator and fairly basic modulation sources, Moog’s Mother-32 might look a little under-powered compared to some of its semi-modular rivals – both from Moog and elsewhere – but its handy patch bay and excellent sounding components give it more punch than you might expect.

If nothing else, Mother-32 offers the easiest way to get that classic ‘Moog sound’ – and the audio input lets your route signals through its gorgeous-sounding ladder filter. Its sequencer and MIDI input are handy too, both for use with its internal sound engine and for acting as a base when paired with other semi-modulars.

Potentially, this is a great gateway into the world of modular synthesis for those looking to dip their toes in the water for the first time. So be warned - buying one may lead you to purchasing another two, and then shelling out on a full Eurorack rig.

1. DFAM

An initialisation of Drummer From Another Mother, DFAM sits in the space somewhere between drum machine and synthesiser. On the one hand, its monophonic signal path with dual oscillators and resonant ladder filter is classic Moog synth fodder. However, the snappy envelopes – with control over just the decay length – combined with its routable noise generator and basic eight-step sequencer, means the instrument is particularly well-suited to punchy, percussive sounds.

Core to DFAM’s character is the way its oscillators interact. The two VCOs have a particularly wide range, and can be synced as well as used for audio rate modulation. Each oscillator also has its own punchy pitch envelope, all of which makes the synth capable of excellent metallic perc tones, tuned drums and sweeping kicks that can really cut through a mix.

It’s not perfect. The sequencer can be annoyingly fiddly, and the lack of MIDI sync makes incorporating it into a wider setup a pain – although it’s arguable that both of these aspects contribute to its unique character.

When we’re out in the real world visiting artists in the studio, DFAM appears to be one of those synths almost every producer seems to own – particularly among the techno fraternity. A must-have and a modern classic.

The announcement of a new Sequential synthesizer is always a big deal. The introduction of an all-analogue polyphonic powerhouse that retails for just $999 (£799) is something else entirely.

Since its founding as Sequential Circuits in 1974 the company’s output has been coveted by everyone from Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads to Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. The attraction? Amazing sound quality, innovative features, and premium hardware – with pricing to match. In that context, the newly released Fourm steps out in a new direction, and extends a hand to a new audience.

“This product is in search of that customer who hasn't had the Sequential experience before,” declares Sequential CEO David Gibbons. “We wanted to make the barrier as low as we could.”

Why this new focus on accessible pricing, you might ask? “There's a lot of people who can't afford our instruments,” Product Designer Carson Day answers simply. “Things are getting more and more expensive for people and we want to really factor that into what we're making, to fill out our product line at all sorts of different price points and make things accessible.”

As you get your hands on this instrument it becomes obvious that accessibility has not come at the sacrifice of quality. Fourm – so titled for its four voices and small form factor – still boasts world-class sound, polyphonic aftertouch, an intuitive modulation system, and a tank-like build quality. It’s a wonder they managed to pull this thing together and stay on budget.

“We didn't want to just do something that was cheap for its own sake,” states Gibbons. “We wanted to figure out how to take the strengths of Sequential and the experience of an analogue poly and make it available to people who had previously figured Sequential was unobtainable.”

Affordability is all well and good, but to get a sense of Fourm’s real punching power, look no further than its flagship feature: polyphonic aftertouch.

Ever given a keyboard a massage? Trust us, it sounds amazing. For those who’ve never tried poly aftertouch, it’s a simple premise: once you’ve played a note on a keyboard, keep your fingers in place and push down further. That pressure serves as a modulation source, same as a Mod-Wheel, which can be used to control filter cutoff, LFO rate and more.

On paper, that might not seem particularly exciting, but in practice it’s a surprisingly effective way to add nuance, depth and expressivity to a sound. On Fourm, not only is the polyphonic aftertouch exquisitely calibrated, it feels genuinely fun and musically rewarding to perform with – giving a fluid and tactile sense of play quite different from twiddling knobs. This is due in large part to the ‘start from scratch’ approach the team took when designing their now-trademarked Tactive keyboard.

“I don't think we started off by saying ‘we must make our own keyboard,’” recalls Gibbons. “But we began to realise the advantages of doing just that – from a cost perspective and also from the perspective of tying the design of the polyphonic aftertouch to the design of the voice and the personality of the synth.

“We started to throw all these ideas into a document and realised that there's a lot more that you can do with it than just pitch-bend or opening up the filter,” Gibbons continues. “I think it’s kind of surprising and delighting, and is maybe something that people who haven't had experience with polyphonic aftertouch will start to realise once they get their hands on it.”

It’s worth noting that this is not Sequential’s first outing with aftertouch. Way back in 1983 they released the T8. One of the finest synths of the decade, it boasted eight voices, multiple keyboard modes, one of the first implementations of MIDI, and, of course, polyphonic aftertouch.

In retrospect, however, the T8 was one of those times when Sequential was perhaps too far ahead of the game. Aftertouch was prohibitively complex to implement at scale, and user demand for the feature wasn’t exactly overwhelming. “I think the whole company felt like, ‘wow, it was not worth going down that path,’” says Gibbons. “It was so much work; it was an entirely new key-sensing mechanism and it required per-key calibration in a very labor-intensive way.”

While synths with polyphonic aftertouch never went extinct, they’ve always been a relatively rare breed – until fairly recently. With the steady adoption of MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE), there has also been a renewed interest in polyphonic aftertouch. “Our other instruments that do not have polyphonic aftertouch have been gaining MPE through software updates,” Gibbons notes. “There just seems to be a building interest amongst the synth community. So we figured, all right, let's start down that path again.”

Decades later, the tech has finally gone mainstream, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the complexity of actually implementing it. “It's a big learning process developing something from scratch,” offers Day when asked about the challenges of designing Fourm’s custom keyboard.

He goes on to cite the impossibility of finding suitable off-the-shelf parts, the delicate balance between prototyping and cost over-runs, and the pedantic process of running the design through “a million cycles” of key presses to test its responsiveness, the hinges, the rubber contact points, and every element that could fail or degrade with long-term use.

“Perhaps enough time had passed that no one remembered how hard it was,” Gibbons jokes about Sequential’s return to the world of aftertouch. “It was such a lot of work, but we’re super proud of the results.”

Given all the performance potential that aftertouch offers, the decision to opt for slim keys has hit a bum note with some users. On paper, smaller keys may not sound inviting to those with large hands or a well-honed keyboard technique – however, in Day’s opinion, the design choice hits the right balance of feel, build quality, and yes, price point. “It was really important to not make it feel toy-like,” he states. “And to have level of a control and a response that is of a higher quality than one might think initially when you hear ‘slim keys.’”

The keyboard might be the big attention-grabber, but it would be a mistake to think of this instrument as a one trick pony. It’s got significant sound design chops thanks to a simple but effective modulation matrix which sits along Fourm’s left-hand side. There’s a familiar selection of sources and destinations here to modulate, but the neat trick is how easy it is to set up and tweak routings.

The matrix is directly inspired by the company’s Pro-One synth, which hit shelves all the way back in 1981, enhanced with a colour-coded traffic light system. A direct connection between source and destination is coloured red, modulation received from the Mod-Wheel is coded Blue, and if you want a destination to receive control data from both sources simultaneously, the button will turn purple. All of this is performed using repeated button presses to toggle through different routings.

“It's only two buses, but you can do a lot of different combinations within that mod matrix,” Day points out. “I've always wanted to do a Pro-One type reissue, and the conception of the synth started with this broad idea around certain components of a synth, including the mod matrix, and we worked to refine things so that, at a glance, you can understand what’s going on.”

That “at a glance” ethos is evident across Fourm’s front panel which largely adopts a one-knob-per-function paradigm. “It's always been very important that what you have on the panel is what you really need,” states Day. “We want to really minimise the time spent in the menu, so having buttons and knobs for the most fundamental elements of creating or shaping sound, or having these secondary functions on the front panel when you hold a button to get directly to that parameter, those are ways to lighten the load and make things quick and intuitive.”

“I think that's really essential to the user experience,” adds Gibbons. “Especially with an analogue pol,y because you're expecting to make tweaks on the fly. So, we’re always thinking very seriously about ‘do I want this control to be on the panel? Is it important for performance? If yes, then am I cluttering the panel?”

In addition to a streamlined UI, we also get a new post-filter feedback module which does an admirable job of beefing up the sonics, and an understated but surprisingly powerful arpeggiator.

“Initially, we were going to have an arpeggiator but no sequencer,” recalls Day. “I thought ‘well, we actually could make a simple thing where you trigger the sequencer as if it were an arpeggiator.’” Simply hit the ‘record’ button within the arpeggiator module and you get 64-steps that can contain notes or chords. There’s also options to glide between individual steps, input rests, tie notes, and transpose your sequence to any key. Not too shabby.

That’s not all: there’s also an additional mode that turns the sequencer into a modulation source. In this setting, each note on the keyboard represents a value from 0 to 127 and can be routed to any of the normal modulation destinations. “It's just another fun modulation source that you can do interesting things with,” says Day. “The notes you've entered into the sequence can be directed to multiple parameters in the synth – individual oscillators, the filter, or the amount of modulation being applied.”

Fourm has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, but one thing it does not have is onboard effects. That might frustrate some who are looking for an all-in-one solution for stage or studio, but it's easy enough to see why certain trade-offs were made. Packing the “Sequential experience” into a sub-$1000 instrument was always going to require some sacrifices, and the design team have wisely ignored secondary concerns to concentrate their efforts where it really counts: the core sound.

Fourm’s Prophet-derived oscillators and filter section are the beating heart of a 100% analogue architecture, producing the kind of tones and timbres that have kept fans coming back for over five decades.

“We could have had a bunch of wavefolders and all this other stuff in the signal path,” Day allows, perhaps referencing another affordable synth from an established brand released this year. “But it’s about the balance between the feature set and what your target is for the instrument – is it going to be a classic feel or is it going to be more forward-looking and become more-synthesis focused?”

“The sonority of the voice is very classic,” Day says of the direction the team ultimately settled on with Fourm. “It's analogue VCOs, analogue VCAs, analogue filters. The chips we're using sound fantastic, and there's a lot of circuitry, gain staging, and tweaking between those modules to create a voice that is powerful, reminiscent of the Sequential sound, as well as having some character of its own.”

The sound is undeniably premium, and so is the tour-ready build quality. “Once you start making smaller synths,” Gibbons says. “You realise it's going to be appealing to people who are on the move. In the early stages we were assuming we’d have to give up on giving it a steel chassis, but our lead mechanical engineer really dug in with some of our vendors and figured out how to keep it.”

“It was really important to have something that was well-built,” affirms Day. “You can take this thing on the road and it's not going to break. Trying to do that affordably involves a lot of back and forth with a lot of different departments; mechanical engineering, hardware engineering, me in the design department. It's a big dance between all of these separate factors and ultimately, I think we came to a really great place.”

Part of what makes that balancing act possible is the company structure itself. Despite a number of recent changes – including the sale of the company to Focusrite in 2021 and the passing of their legendary founder, Dave Smith, in 2022 – it's still a tight-knit group at Sequential. “We're a small company,” Day emphasises. “Even with Focusrite owning us, we're still the same core team. When Dave was at the helm it was a very horizontally arranged company, the whole team worked together and you were really able to dabble in what you wanted.

“This isn’t the first product we've done since Dave’s passing,” Day continues. “We finished the Trigon-6 and the TEO-5 with the Oberheim team, but this was really the first brand new thing that we had done without him. It’s not the most complex or crazy synth, but it also felt like the team had really gotten a great idea and worked together on it in his absence.”

Day makes clear that Dave Smith’s influence is still felt throughout Sequential, and that, looking ahead, his design philosophy is something that they intend to preserve. “I think we're all pretty dedicated to continuing that legacy,” states Day. “It's pretty important to not mess with that underlying DNA which makes Sequential synths great.”

At the same time, novelty and innovation are integral to the brand. Remember, this is the company that gave us the first programmable polyphonic synth in the Prophet-5, the first MIDI capable instrument with the Prophet-600, and the first implementation of vector synthesis in the Prophet VS. Smith was instrumental in developing the very foundations of the MIDI communication protocol – an impact on music history that is difficult to overstate.

“The boundaries are pretty wide,” agrees Gibbons. “If you look back at Sequential's history we’ve got current products like the Pro 3 that has wavetable oscillators built in, the Prophet 12 has got analogue with digital oscillators, the Prophet X is effectively streaming sample playback combined with analogue synthesis and analogue filtering. So I don't think it's constrained. There’s a wide palette to work from without violating anything we've done in the past.”

With Fourm now out in the world, both Gibbons and Day make clear that the company’s new interest in affordability doesn’t mean that they’ll be focusing only on cheaper products from now on. “I think accessibility is a good thing to do generally,” says Gibbons. “But it's not the only direction we're going in. We're constantly trying to figure out what higher-end things we could do, so I don't think we'll be only hitting the downmarket.”

Big or small, however, one thing that comes across in conversation with the Sequential team is the level of passion and focus they bring to each instrument. As Day puts it: “The goal, regardless of how many you sell, is to make something that sounds good, that's fun to play, something that’s not disposable, something that will last you a long time, and just to give more people the joy of playing a good, well-made instrument.”

What is it?

There are people who thought that Focusrite’s purchase of Sequential in 2021 would mean a lessening of quality for subsequent releases – like a big company can’t be as focused and 100% on its game as a smaller group of R&D experts just concentrating on designing great synths.

It’s the same group of people who cast similar aspersions when InMusic snaffled up Moog Music and started releasing cheap Moogs like the Messenger. Those same people will certainly jump on Sequential’s latest release, Fourm, and cite it as their ‘I told you so’ synth moment.

That’s because Fourm’s specs are limited and it has a price tag that puts it in Behringer territory, just $999.99/€949.99/£799.99. Its maximum number of four notes of polyphony is, well, not even the number of digits on a typical hand, and those slim keys might be a chore to wrestle with (by that typical hand). Fourm’s other specs can be seen as pretty basic too – two oscillators, little in the way of effects, and a very typical subtractive signal path.

However, the only problem with this particular bandwagon jump is that it turns out that Fourm delivers way more than its asking price promises. It’s a pure analogue poly synth for a start, and has native polyphonic aftertouch by way of its own specially-designed ‘Tactive’ keybed (previous Sequentials are reactive to poly aftertouch, but don’t feature this rather exclusive keybed).

Then there’s the (almost) knob-per-function workflow, a Prophet-lineage’ resonant filter, plus a sequencer and arpeggiator all wrapped up in a quality steel chassis. It’s not so much a dumbed-down Sequential, then, but more a release that could cause ripples not only in the synth market, but in your bank account.

Performance

Unboxing Fourm and you already feel that this synth is worth more than it initially promises. It’s built like a tank with an all-steel chassis, and tied with its small form factor, makes it feel rather like one of those 1970s monster monosynths, possibly boasting a Russian name.

However, Fourm is pure American – or, ok, American owned by a Brit company – and still very much screams ‘Sequential’ in both design and sound. The modulation area (see box below) is on the left and familiar, and the rest of the sections – oscillator, filter envelopes, LFO etc – are laid out as you’d expect to see on any Prophet. It’s easy to use, too. That one button per function philosophy doesn’t quite extend to everything, but you’re never more than a couple of presses away from where you need to be.

Skating over the main sections and the screen area is where you’ll navigate around the presets, Global options (36 including MIDI, tuning and aftertouch setup) and other parameters. 30 of these – think noise level, number of unison voices, bpm and arpeggiator modes – are available through a Param button below the screen. You can choose to step through and adjust these with the value dial, which selects a parameter with a press and adjusts it with a dial.

However, these parameters also mirror the controls on Fourm with dual functions indicated by blue text, so you can either access these via the main Param button or by holding down the control on any dual function to access its second option and then tweak it.

While we’ve probably made this sound way more complicated than it is, both routes allow you to quickly access any dual function and edit it via the screen, indicating its value. What the screen /doesn’t/ show, however, is the value of other options like each oscillator’s mix level, and the envelope values for each of the four stages – anything that has its own dedicated knob, basically.

Whether this bothers you or not is really up to how you work. It didn’t make much difference to us, as it’s pretty obvious to gauge a parameter’s value by its knob position, and after using Fourm for a while, we were accessing the primary and secondary functions almost automatically.

Presets are dialled in around the screen too, so we might as well cover Fourm’s sound while we’re here. Don’t make the mistake of simply dialling through these to audition them – as we did – as you might feel the sounds are all a bit 'samey’, and that’s because they are! Sequential has spread them by category (we counted 17 different ones, including a Favourites area), so you select pads, strings, bass, organ or whatever first, and then audition up to around 30 different ones within each category.

There are 128 presets (plus 128 more due on October 14) plus 256 user slots, and while Fourm is typically analogue in style, it is also typically analogue in depth and colour. So while you might think your VA softsynth will handle much of what is on offer – and probably more in terms of polyphony – it won’t deliver the richness and punchiness that you get here. Pads are deep and full – even with just four notes – and the basses punch well above their weight.

The original Prophet was not just famed for its ‘synth’ sounds as it tried to emulate many ‘real’ instruments too, and its keyboard sounds – especially its electric pianos – have won many fans over the years, including Radiohead. Fortunately, many keys, organs and other bells and whistles are included here too, and most are just as evocative and usable as on the original Prophet.

The sounds can easily be tweaked by way of Fourm’s simple signal path, with each oscillator having simultaneously-selectable waveforms (again using button presses), and the second featuring a low frequency mode. Noise is available to dial in, and the filter, while basic, is that classic Prophet style 4-pole resonant low-pass. You may not get the meandering and evolving atmosphere that you’ll find on much more expensive digital and analogue synths – think Groove Synthesis or Waldorf – but you can use the fantastic modulation to create your own (see below).

Finally, other bonus features include Feedback and Vintage parameters to introduce more grit and imperfections, four Glide modes for flexible note transitions and 303-style effects, a 64-step sequencer (via the arp), plus an extensive list of 64 tunings to choose from in the Global menu.

You’re getting a lot more in Fourm than you might initially expect, then, especially considering that asking price. It has a welcoming design for any synth user, and beginners will certainly learn a lot and find their way around its architecture and signal flow with ease. Where it stands out is the sound – which has all the character you’d expect from pure analogue – the modulation, and hands-on controls, which allow you to take that sound on many a sonic journey and very quickly.

Quite simply, if you’ve ever yearned for a Sequential – the classic (or new) Prophet-5s, the Oberheim partnerships, or newer Prophet-6 and Trigon – but been put off by their prices, then this is the analogue synth you need to audition. It turns out we needn’t have feared Focusrite’s input after all, as with Fourm, the company has introduced economies of scale to the Sequential model, so now we can all enjoy that classic analogue sound. Bottom line: it’s one of the best analogue polys for the price, in any way, shape or form.

Fourm's modulation

If you’ll excuse the pun, Sequential has very good form when it comes to modulation, most often choosing simplicity over depth, so you can quickly and easily get hands-on and dynamic with your sound, without having endless options that you think you need to pursue. This makes programming Sequential synths a dream, because you can very quickly think that you have become a top sound designer without digging too deeply.

Fourm certainly continues this trend with its Pro-One style mod matrix. It features four main modulators: Filter Envelope, Oscillator B, LFO and Aftertouch, and an Amount dial to set each source level. There are destinations dedicated to each, which you use a matrix of buttons to access.

With the top three modulators, you get colour-coded button presses for the eight destinations, which was initially confusing. You press each of these eight destination buttons to cycle through three colours: red, blue and purple, which indicate which sources are being applied.

Blue indicates modulation by the mod wheel, while the red is direct from the source only; light off is no modulation. The purple option is the red and blue bus combined, so both mod wheel and your selected source modulate.

Finally, the fantastic polyphonic aftertouch (at the bottom) – which means each of the four voices can be modulated separately according to key pressure – can be applied to: the frequency of either or both oscillators, the filter or amp envelope (or both), and the LFO frequency or amount (or both). Tie in the filter and amp envelopes for more time-based modulation, and it’s a very easy and elegant setup – what we love most about Sequential synths (after their sound).

Verdict

Yes, Fourm has limitations – four notes will certainly be to some players – but what Sequential has done here is pack its best design practice and sounds into a hugely attractive, well-built, and value package that bucks the trend of worldwide inflation to become one of our top synth recommendations of the year.

Alternatives

Specifications

Released in 1982 and sold throughout the mid-’80s, Roland’s SH-101 is a classic analogue monosynth with a broad and lasting mass-market appeal.

On the one hand, its simplistic and approachable design masks a surprising level of versatility, capable of producing punchy basses, biting leads and rasping acid lines. All of which contribute to its status as a longtime staple tool within dance music.

That same simplicity, however, also makes it one of the best entry-level synth designs. The 101 interface, laid out in a linear left-to-right fashion, with a slider for each of its major functions, offers a wonderfully tactile way to explore the basics of synthesis. Raise each slider in the oscillator section in turn to hear the difference between its pulse, saw and sub outputs; combine two or more of these to start creating more complex wave shapes; tweak the filter, LFO and envelope to shape the sound – you’ll be a master of subtractive synthesis in no time.

The problem, at least when it comes to the original SH-101, is that second hand prices are now far higher than the thoroughly affordable £249 that it retailed for on its original release. The 101 is a great first synth – but it’s not worth spending upwards of £/$1k on.

All of which is a roundabout way of saying that I’m glad that in 2025 we have plenty of affordable SH-101 clones and emulations to choose from. Roland itself has both software and hardware based on the core 101 design. Behringer has the MS-1, which sticks fairly close to the template of the original, while the likes of D16, Softube and TAL offer solid virtual recreations.

Pricing

• L1: £249/$259
• L1 & KB-32M: £359/$369
• KB-32M: £109/$109

Donner Essential L1: What is it?

Into this mix enters Donner’s Essential L1, a new analogue monosynth heavily inspired by the design of the SH-101. On the spectrum between clone (Behringer’s MS-1) and modern evolution (Roland’s Aira S1) this sits somewhere in the middle. Its oscillator, filter and VCA chips are faithful to those found in the original instrument, aiming to recreate the classic 101 sound, but it adds several new features to the design, including an additional ADSR envelope generator and a variety of amp envelope modes.

One of the most notable evolutions offered by the L1 is its detachable keyboard – sold as a separate product, the KB-32M, but available as a bundle with the L1. This allows the instrument to function both as a desktop module and a playable standalone instrument.

Despite years of experience in the guitar, piano and e-drum realms, Chinese brand Donner only has three production-focused instruments to its name, two of which take inspiration from classic Roland hardware. Its first synth release was the B1 Bass Synthesizer, a budget monosynth based on the design of the TB-303.

I reviewed that instrument a few years ago and came away pleasantly surprised – despite a dull aesthetic that looked more admin than acid, the B1 nailed the low-end heft and squelchy filter sound you expect from a 303 clone.

Broadly speaking, the L1 is another impressive update to the Roland template. It’s a better looking instrument than the B1 – its all black, slider-clad interface is a nicely modernised take on the design of the original.

The core elements of the 101 sound engine are all available here, and sound pretty on the money to my ears. The single oscillator has blendable sub, saw and noise outputs, along with a pulse output with PWM that can be routed from the LFO or envelope, or modulated by hand.

These feed into the low-pass filter that sounds appropriately acidic with the resonance raised and modulation applied. There’s a glide function too – another important element of the classic 101 sound, allowing for the creation of bendy portamento basses and leads.

Broadly speaking, the L1 is another impressive update to the Roland template. It’s a better looking instrument than the B1 – its all black, slider-clad interface is a nicely modernised take on the design of the original.

The core elements of the 101 sound engine are all available here, and sound pretty on the money to my ears. The single oscillator has blendable sub, saw and noise outputs, along with a pulse output with PWM that can be routed from the LFO or envelope, or modulated by hand.

These feed into the low-pass filter that sounds appropriately acidic with the resonance raised and modulation applied. There’s a glide function too – another important element of the classic 101 sound, allowing for the creation of bendy portamento basses and leads.

SH-101 evolved

There are extras throughout the signal chain that offer additional sound design options without radically overhauling the format. Alongside the waveshapes offered by the original, the L1 also has a triangle wave output slide in the oscillator section.

The LFO adds additional functionality too, via the ability to sync to either the internal or an external clock, and the option to extend into audio rate modulation. This latter feature is a particularly nice touch, allowing for some gritty FM tones and filter modulation on top of the classic 101 sounds.

The most significant upgrade compared to the original is the inclusion of an additional ADSR envelope, meaning that the L1 has separate generators for the filter and amp envelope. I was a little skeptical about this when I first saw the L1 – the fact that the 101 shares a single envelope for its filter and amp is a significant part of its character, and separating these elements risks sacrificing authenticity in favour of flexibility.

Donner has smartly chosen to make this second envelope optional by including an envelope merge function in its menu, whereby the second ADSR mimics the settings of the first. The L1 also adds a selection of trigger modes for the amp, expanding the capabilities further.

In Env 2 mode, the second ADSR will affect the amp while the first remains routed to the filter. In Gate mode, meanwhile, the amp is simply turned on/off by incoming gate messages (ie a note being held down) while Env 1 affects the filter.

Cycle mode links the amplifier to the LFO in conjunction with the second ADSR envelope, as could be done on the original 101, which can be great for creating pulsing rhythmic tones, or chaotic synth effects when triggered by a random LFO. Finally, Drone is a new mode for the L1 that bypasses the amp completely to create an endlessly sustained output.

Beyond the sound engine itself, the other notable elements of the original SH-101 design were its arpeggiator and sequencer. This latter element was a fairly simple affair that let users input notes, rests and ties on-by-one in order to string together monophonic patterns. Despite its basic nature, many users did – and still do – find it an inspiring tool for quickly creating riffs and patterns with a characteristic machine-like feel.

Donner’s version keeps the basic workflow of both the arp and the sequencer intact, but improves the interface and adds extra functionality. Whereas the original 101 sequencer couldn’t save patterns, the L1 can recall up-to 128, and also features a song mode, allowing users to chain patterns and save up-to 32 compositions.

The L1 also allows the sequencer buttons to be used as a rudimentary keyboard, for playing and sequencing sounds when not connected up to a MIDI input or the KB-32M keyboard.

KB-32M keyboard

For this review, I’ve had access to both the L1 synth itself and its companion keyboard. Although this latter element is technically a separate product, seeing as the two are available as a bundle and – at the time of writing – the L1 is the only compatible instrument, it’s worth commenting on the KB-32M here.

All told, I like the concept. The mix and match keyboard/synth approach isn’t exactly new – Roland offers a similar accessory for its Boutique modules, although Donner’s version is a little larger and designed more overtly with standalone use in mind.

Although it’s obviously a cheap and compact keyboard, with mini keys and a lightweight, plastic construction, it feels solidly made and the keys themselves are pleasantly firm and responsive, given their size.

Around the back is a minimal selection of I/O – 3.5mm MIDI out (requiring an adapter), a USB-C connection and a hold pedal input. It’s enough to make the KB-32M a potentially handy travel keyboard in its own right, even without the L1 as a companion, although with a price of £109 there are various cheaper options out there if you’re just in the market for a MIDI controller.

My one misgiving about the synth/keyboard combo is the manner in which they connect. The keyboard connects to the L1 magnetically, which is firm enough when the two are placed on a desktop, but isn’t strong enough to keep the two together when picked up, which limits how well they can be used resting on your lap, or on certain keyboard stands. If Donner is committed to the concept, it would be nice to see some kind of case or tray you could place both in to keep them together a little more firmly.

Verdict

As for the L1 itself, it’s an overall impressive take on the SH-101 design, but does suffer from a few weaknesses. The most significant is noise leakage in its signal path. While this isn’t hugely severe, as soon as you turn the synth’s volume, low level background noise is immediately noticeable – likely caused by its digital elements affecting the analogue signal path. This isn’t a problem when playing the synth, and it’s easily gated/edited out, but it’s something to be aware of.

The other factor to bear in mind is what’s out there in terms of competition. Roland has two of its own budget hardware takes on the 101. The first is the Aira S-1, which is more of a digital evolution of the 101 than a clone and significantly upgrades the capabilities of the original. It does nail that classic 101 sound when needed though. That said, the interface bears no resemblance to that of the 101, and I miss the simple slider-based interface.

More faithful to the look and feel of the original is the Boutique SH-01A, which is a digital emulation but one that sounds excellent. It’s smaller than the L1 though, and verging on fiddly. It’s also more expensive.

The L1’s closest rival is Behringer’s MS-1, another analogue recreation. Behringer’s take has a keyboard attached, which gives it a bigger footprint, but it lacks some of the modernisations of Donner’s version. It’s also a little cheaper than the L1 module, and considerably cheaper than the synth and keyboard combo – plus, Behringer’s can be used with a keytar attachment like the original.

I do like the way Donner has evolved the SH-101 template while still capturing the sound of the original, although it must be said that beyond the additional ADSR and Drone more, it’s not hugely different to Behringer’s take. Donner's B-1 added analogue delay and saturation onto the 303 format, and it's a slight shame Donner hasn't take a similar route here.

I’d honestly be hard pressed to recommend an outright favourite of these various modern 101 options, including the L1. Each has its pros and cons and I’d happily take any of them. Essentially, it’s a good time to be in the market for a budget 101, and Donner’s Essential L1 is a welcome addition to the mix.

Hands-on demos

Donner

Alternatives

Specifications

Monosynths lie at the heart of Moog’s heritage. With the Minimoog Model D, Bob Moog not only brought the Moog sound to the masses, but set a template for analogue synth design that still influences designers today.

Throughout the years since the company’s revival at the turn of the millennium, it has offered a variety of mass-market monosynths that pay homage to the legacy of the Model D. From the Minimoog Voyagers of the early-’00s through to the Sub and Subsequent-tagged bass synths of 2010s.

What is it?

Although it might not immediately look like it, Messenger is the latest addition to that lineage. An all-analogue monophonic synth equipped with a 32-note keyboard, Messenger effectively replaces the recently discontinued Subsequent 25 in the company’s lineup, becoming the cheapest way to access the classic Moog sound without venturing into the realm of semi-modulars.

Visually, Messenger is a break from the Moog synths of the 2010s. Gone is the angled, Model D-inspired profile of the Voyagers and Subs, replaced by a flatter design and a matt black look closer to last year’s Muse polysynth.

I’ll be honest, the first time I saw Messenger in person I was a little underwhelmed. It’s a little smaller than it looks in pictures, and the design is more understated than we’re used to from Moog.

On paper too, there’s not much about Messenger that jumps out as truly innovative or exciting within the context of modern monosynths. It touts wavefolding capabilities and an updated Ladder filter, but beyond that it all looks a bit business-as-usual.

Pricing

• £699/$899

Performance

I’m pleased to report, however, that those first impressions were mistaken. In terms of the hardware itself, although it’s modestly-sized, Messenger’s metal chassis and sturdy controls feel robust and professional.

It also finds space on the rear panel for an impressive amount of I/O, including full sized MIDI connections, an audio input, sustain and expression ports, as well as CV/gate inputs and outputs.

As for the sound engine, although this is very much a traditional analogue monosynth at heart, the more you dig into its capabilities, the more you find creative ideas and design flourishes that lend themselves to distinctive, characteristic sound design.

At its core

The basic layout of Messenger is heavily influenced by the classic Minimoog design. It features two main oscillators joined by a simple sub oscillator, which feed into a resonant Ladder filter, with two ADSR envelopes and two LFOs providing modulation.

A feedback/ext input control at the filter stage allows Messenger to be overdriven for some classic Model D-style grit, while the pre-patched connection between LFO 2 and the synth’s mod wheel lends itself to the vibrato flourishes typical of classic Moog synth performances.

Throughout this design, however, are touches that elevate Messenger into more modern, adventurous territory.

Each of the synth’s oscillators, including the sub, has a continuous waveshape control that can be morphed and modulated to shift the shape of the output whilst playing. For the sub oscillator, this ranges from triangle through to various widths of pulse wave.

The two main oscillators span from various pulse widths through saw and triangle waves, with waveshaping at the leftmost point of the dial. This distorts the triangle waveshape by folding the peak back in on itself.

It’s a common feature of Buchla-inspired modular synths – and also present on Moog’s own Labyrinth semi-modular – and works great for creating raspy, metallic tones.

Messenger also features various oscillator modulation options. The front-panel Mod control lets users apply frequency modulation between oscillators 1 and 2, or modulate oscillator 2’s pitch or the shapes of osc 2 or the sub osc via the ADSR filter envelope. Further audio rate modulation can be set up using Messenger’s simple touch-to-assign routing (more on this shortly).

Messenger’s filter updates the capabilities of the classic ladder filter design too. Whereas traditional Moog filters were usually all 4-pole (24db), Messenger’s can also be switched into 2-pole low-pass, high-pass and band-pass modes. The key innovation here, however, is a Res Bass switch that engages a multi-pole mode to maintain bass presence as you turn up the resonance.

Classic low-pass ladder filter designs have a tendency to sound thin in the low end as you boost the resonance. By engaging the Res Bass switch here it’s possible to achieve those raspy, acidic high resonance tones without losing low-end punch.

Messenger’s filter section also comes equipped with audio-rate modulation that can be dialled in from oscillator 2. This, along with the feedback option, can help to quickly dial in gritty, harmonically complex distortion.

One of my favourite elements of Messenger’s design is its loopable envelopes. When engaged for either of the two ADSR envelopes, this will cause them to act more like an additional, multi-stage LFO, which can be great for creating pulsing, rhythmic tones.

Although the synth’s front panel has a variety of pre-routed options for its envelopes and LFOs, any one of its front panel controls can be assigned as a modulation destination using its Quick Assign functionality. With a simple button press, it’s possible to assign any of the modulators to any control you can get your hands on, with the row of sequencer buttons lighting up to indicate the depth of the modulation.

Beyond the LFOs and envelopes, modulation can be routed from the keyboard in several ways, with Quick Assign options for keyboard tracking, keyboard sample & hold, velocity, aftertouch and expression.

Speaking of the sequencer, that provides another highlight of Messenger’s design. The synth can make use of both arp and step sequencer functions, each of which offers some neat creative tricks.

The arpeggiator has a total of 13 patterns and a variety of octave range options, including various randomised modes.

The 64-step sequencer, meanwhile, inherits a variety of creative tools from the flagship Muse poly. Highlights here include note and gate probability, and the Note Pool functionality, which allows the user to assign a variety of note options to a single step, and then have the sequencer randomly select between these options each time it cycles.

Messenger’s sequencer also allows users to record automation for any of its front panel controls to each step, which allows for the creation of some wonderfully varied and characterful patterns, particularly when you start adjusting audio-rate modulation and wavefolding from step-to-step.

Verdict

At first glance Messenger appears to be a fairly straightforward monosynth, and to an extent this is true. Its Model D inspired signal flow is more than capable of classic, simple bass and lead patches that nail the vintage sound many are looking for from a Moog-branded monosynth.

The largely knob-per-function UI makes Messenger one of the most immediately approachable instruments in Moog’s current line-up too. This immediacy is aided significantly by its crop of well-designed, highly usable presets too.

Dig a little deeper though, and the synth’s modulation, sequencing and sound-shaping tools offer a multitude of inspiring options allowing for adventurous and characterful sound design.

On its own terms then, Messenger is a definite success, and a worthy addition to Moog’s long history of analogue synths. Where it potentially stumbles, however, is when placed in the wider context of the contemporary monosynth market.

We’ve seen a lot of analogue monosynths hit the market in the past decade or so, and particularly in the sub-£1000 bracket where Messenger finds itself, things are very competitive.

While the £699/$899 price tag of Messenger is far from the most expensive monosynth on the market (or even in Moog’s own lineup), it's also a significant step up from the likes of the Korg Monologue, Arturia MiniBrute or PWM Mantis, each of which can be had for under £400/$500 – and none of which are a huge step down in terms of features.

Bass off

To my mind, Messenger’s closest comparison is the Novation Bass Station II, which is an excellent analogue monosynth that currently retails for almost exactly half the price of Messenger, at least in the UK.

To be fair, this isn’t entirely surprising. The Bass Station II is over 10 years old, and Messenger does boast some premium features that warrant a bump in price, including an aftertouch-equipped keyboard and a more comprehensive sequencer.

Sonically the two machines have their own distinct personalities too – the BS II is a touch grittier and noisier, while the Messenger is punchier and better at tight, rounded basses.

Given the company’s legacy, Moog gear tends to be priced with a bit of a ‘Moog premium’, which places it a little above the competition. Whether this is still warranted in the days of inMusic ownership and overseas production is debatable, but Messenger is undoubtedly a quality, professional-level monosynth.

I feel like, at this price point, it's a shame Messenger packs no onboard effects, which could have set it apart from the competition a little more.

Whether you think it’s worth taking the plunge now, waiting a while for the price to come down or opting for a more affordable competitor is up to you.

Hands-on demos

Moog

Alternatives

Specifications

California has been - and remains - home to a surprisingly large number of synthesizer companies, from Buchla to Oberheim to Sequential and many more. But why is the Golden State so verdant with technological innovators?

Here’s the story of how California turned into a synth Mecca - and why so many of its major players ended up working together.

When we think of where synthesizers come from geographically, we tend to think of countries: the big, brash sounds of American Moogs, and then there’s the polite and versatile Japanese Rolands.

Look closer at the countries, though, and you’ll find the companies are spread out all over the map. Synth engineers live all over; they tend to set up shop where they are.

California is different though.

The American state is home to a staggeringly large number of companies, a roll call that includes such luminaries as Buchla, Oberheim and Sequential. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Dig a little deeper into the history of California synthesizers and you’ll find not only a wealth of companies but important connections to some of the state’s other major industries, technology and entertainment, as well as a unique spirit of collaboration achieving a real-world synthesis that mirrored what was happening musically.

California in the 1960s was a wild and fertile place. Although you could argue that the California technological revolution started in 1939 with the establishment of Hewlett-Packard in a garage in Palo Alto - part of what would come to be called Silicon Valley - it was the 1960s when things really started to happen, both technologically and, yes, chemically.

Stanford University was the home of bleeding edge experiments in computer science, artificial intelligence, and digital synthesis thanks to John Chowning’s work with frequency modulation.

Although you may think of engineers as being buttoned-down and straight-laced, the book What the Dormouse Said by John Markoff paints a different picture, one of psychedelic awakenings happening concurrently with technological ones.

“His idea is that the San Francisco ‘60s utopian counterculture, psychedelic drugs, defying authority, breaking rules, and a general sense of severing from the past for a brighter future all led to an explosion of new ideas,” says California native and instrument luminary Roger Linn.

Another place where psychedelics and the counter culture were building up steam was in San Francisco, just up the road from Palo Alto.

It was here, specifically at the San Francisco Tape Music Center, that the seed for the Buchla 100 modular was born out of a need for a new kind of instrument that could allow a single musician to create full compositions on their own.

Don Buchla was in the right place at the right time to make that instrument for the Tape Music Center, and his revolutionary circuits would go on to inspire countless other musicians, not to mention soundtracking some of Ken Kesey’s ‘Acid Test’ parties.

Don would remain at the forefront of synthesizer design for his entire life, particularly pioneering alternative control systems such as touch-sensitive keyboards and even collaborating with Moog on the Piano Bar, a non-invasive device that turned any piano into a MIDI controller.

Another engineer to benefit from Don’s brilliance was Serge Tcherepnin. A European transplant, Serge made the move to California to teach at the California Institute of the Arts in the early 1970s. Also known as CalArts, this was to be the headquarters for Serge’s own modular experiments, many of which were inspired by Don’s open source circuit designs, an unusual business choice but one in keeping with the counter-culture spirit, and certainly one encouraging collaboration.

In 1956, a 20-year-old from Kansas named Tom Oberheim moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the jazz music that he loved. While taking classes at the University of California, Los Angeles, he befriended a number of musicians and began making effects units for them. This started him designing circuits for pedal company Maestro and eventually his own synth, the ‘Synthesizer Expander Module’, also known as the SEM.

Being the center of the entertainment industry, Los Angeles was a great place to headquarter a synthesizer company - especially when your products were as good as Oberheim’s.

“The Northern Californians got the benefit of proximity to technology, while us Southern Californians had the benefit of proximity to artists and the L.A. session scene,” says Marcus Ryle, who would join Oberheim in the ‘80s and spearhead development of the Xpander and Matrix-12. “Sometimes the synths got used on records before they even shipped.”

Artists who used Oberheim synths are legion, including Prince, Van Halen and Rush, as well as Joe Zawinul of Weather Report, who benefitted from a personal lesson from Tom at his home in Los Angeles on how to program his new 8-Voice, a session that ended up yielding the signature sound on Birdland.

Oberheim also benefitted from collaboration with engineers from outside the company. Tom was already friendly with ARP, having been the company’s sales representative for the Los Angeles area, and so was able to tap Dennis Colin to design the state variable filter for the SEM.

“Those of us in the business are friends with East Coast folks, British folks, on and on,” explains Tom. “That's what is great about our business.”

Another engineer who lent a hand with the SEM was E-mu’s Dave Rossum, who not only worked on the expander unit’s oscillator, he designed the digital polyphonic keybed that allowed Oberheim’s 4-Voice to be the first polyphonic synthesizer in shops - as well as the one for the Prophet-5.

Dave Rossum is something of an unsung hero in the history of synths, his name not nearly as widely recognised as that of some of his contemporaries. He’s known for his work at E-mu Systems, most notably the Emulator series and SP-1200 sampling drum machine, but his contributions go not only deeper but also, crucially, wider, with his work on the Oberheim SEM just one example of his work outside of E-mu.

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dave caught the synthesizer bug while studying graduate-level molecular biology of the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1970.

Invited to unpack a new Moog Model 10 for the music department, he soon found himself studying its schematics and, eventually, starting E-mu Systems with a number of friends, chiefly Scott Wedge, who would go on to play a major part in the company. Their first product was the E-mu Modular System, with customers including Frank Zappa, Hans Zimmer and Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Hideki Matsutake.

Here was where Dave’s influence began to expand. Dave was a prolific circuit designer, and many of these ended up as chips for California’s Solid State Music Technology. Better known as SSM, the company emerged out of Silicon Valley’s Homebrew Computer Club, which also counted Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak as members.

Some of Dave’s chip designs included the SSM2040 VCF, 2020 VCA, and 2030 VCO. Not coincidentally, all three of these are in the first revision of the Sequential Prophet-5.

Dave and Scott designed a polyphonic keyboard for the E-mu Modular that could play up to four notes. Called the E-mu 4050 Modular Keyboard, it was also licensed to Oberheim for the 4-Voice. “What made our polyphonic keyboard unique was that we chose to make the logic so that rather than assign voices by lowest and highest note, we assigned them by first played, second played, etc.,” Dave told Amazona.de.

“We were the first to market with a solution that actually worked.”

The follow-up to the 4050 was the 4060 Microprocessor Keyboard. Again designed for the E-mu Modular System, it supported up to 16 voices and included a polyphonic sequencer. It would also be licensed, this time by another California engineer, Dave Smith.

There are so many smart people here in Northern California, and there’s a freedom of thought that doesn’t exist elsewhere,” says Roger Linn, a Southern California native who moved north later in his career. “There’s a wave of intellectual momentum that is both rare and a pleasure to surf on.”

The San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s was a hotbed of technological innovations. The two Steves were famously developing the first Macintosh computer in a garage, but not too far away another fledgling company was working on a different technological revolution.

Dave Smith founded Sequential Circuits in 1974 and, along with a handful of SSM chips, the keyboard licensed from E-mu, and a Z80 processor, he and John Bowen were able to create a first: a polyphonic analogue synth with patch memory. Called the Prophet-5, the programmable poly beat many established companies to market and became the synth to have in the late 1970s.

Of all of the California synthesizer companies, Sequential is probably the most representative - and long-lasting, having come back officially in 2015 when Yamaha, who had bought the company in 1987, returned the name to Dave as a goodwill gesture.

Among many of its releases was 2016’s OB-6, the first pairing up of Sequential and Oberheim. That collaboration, which Tom says is a ‘one of a kind’ thing, continued with 2022’s OB-X8, the same year that Oberheim was officially revived under its original name.

Tom, for his part, doesn’t agree that California synthesizer companies are so different from those in other parts of the world. “For the most part, collaboration has been rare,” he insists, likely referring to the kind of deep partnership he achieved with Sequential. Taiho Yamada, the Head of Marketing at Sequential and Oberheim, believes instead that the real force of collaboration in the state was Dave himself.

“Unfortunately, we can't ask for his take directly,” Taiho says, “but I think Dave Smith was the common denominator in some standout collaborations. Beyond the revival of Oberheim that he worked on with Tom, there was his relationship with Ikutaro Kakehashi of Roland that spawned MIDI and earned them a joint Grammy. And we'd be remiss not to mention Dave's collaboration with Roger Linn on the Tempest drum machine.”

Released in 2011 under the Dave Smith Instruments brand, the Tempest drum machine was a true collaboration between Dave and Roger Linn, who had developed the LM-1 (with a little help from Dave Rossum!), LinnDrum and Akai MPC60, among other instruments.

When asked how that collaboration came about, Roger casually explains, “Dave and I were hanging out and it was something like, ‘Roger is the drum machine guy and Dave is the synth guy, so let’s make a drum synth together.’” So very California.

Roger sums up the spirit of California collaborations like this: “When I and the other people were starting out, we weren’t business people but rather people with a strong passion about what we viewed as the magical intersection of music and technology. There weren’t many of us, so it wasn’t long before we all met each other, which eventually led to collaborations. What’s better than meeting people who share your passion?”

When we launched our Superbooth live report last week, we prefaced it by saying that “Superbooth has grown to become the most significant date in the annual music technology calendar.” That statement remains true, but in retrospect feels like an understatement.

For a few years now, the Berlin synth show has been a focal point for music technology gear announcements, but the 2025 iteration took this to another level. The sheer volume and variety of new music making gear on display in and around the FEZ event space was beyond anything we’ve seen in previous years.

In 2025, Superbooth is more than just a significant date in the annual music technology calendar – it feels like the focal point of the whole industry. Even brands that weren’t at the show itself, such as Roland, got in on the action with conveniently timed synth news. From small DIY projects to major brands releasing flagship instruments, this year’s Superbooth had something fresh around every corner.

If there was anything that was going to sour the vibe at this year's show, it was the looming spectre of tariffs. The implications of Donald Trump’s baffling trade war lent an unspoken air of uncertainty to this year’s Superbooth. More often than not, when we asked brands about price and availability of upcoming products, any information was accompanied by a caveat that uncontrollable factors might change things.

From our perspective, the main problem with this year’s Superbooth was that such a massive volume of exciting new releases makes narrowing things down to a manageable ‘best of’ list incredibly tough. Honestly, we could waffle on here for thousands of words.

As it is, our team on the ground has argued out their favourites and whittled it down to 12 highlights – plus a few honourable mentions. You can hear more of our reasoning along with audio demos of everything mnetioned in the video above. Visit our Superbooth live report for even more from the show.

Synths and keyboards

Frap Tools Magnolia

Italy’s Frap Tools has made a name for itself in the modular world, but Superbooth 2025 sees the company stepping up with its first full polysynth. Based on ideas previously explored in the company’s Bresno oscillator module and Cunsa filter, this 8-voice analogue synth combines ideas from conventional subtractive synthesis with ‘West Coast’ features such as wavefolding, flip sync and audio rate modulation.

Key to the synth’s sound is through-zero FM, applicable between each voice’s two oscillators, but FM can also be applied to the high and low pass filters. Combined, it produces some wonderful metallic tones that can morph into edgy, aggressive territory easily. The company described it to us as like exploring digital sounds in the analogue realm, which seems pretty fitting.

Another important element of Magnolia’s sound is the bi-timbral design, which allows two sounds to be split into dual, keyboard split, morph and unison modes. Assigning these layers appears to be very easy, and in our demos the synth really comes alive when combining elements of bright FM tone with rich, traditional poly patches.

The keyboard has poly aftertouch, along with a user-friendly mod matrix, and assigning expressivity looks like it would open up a lot of interesting sonic potential. It reminds us quite a lot of UDO’s synth designs, which is no bad thing, but already seems to have a distinct sonic palette of its own.

Availability: Towards the end of 2025

Price: TBC, but we’d expect top-end

Moog Messenger

Moog Messenger may be a monosynth with a simple architecture and an accessible knob-per-function interface, but the instrument has a few tricks up its sleeve, specifically wavefolding oscillators inherited from the recently-released Labyrinth and a “next-generation” ladder filter that delivers four modes (4-pole low-pass, 2-pole low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass) thanks to its versatile pole-mixing design.

Filling a hole in Moog’s product catalogue left by the recent discontinuation of the Subsequent 25, Messenger gives music-makers a way to access the classic Moog sound for under $1000, without losing a keyboard and venturing into semi-modular territory.

And it’s clear that with Messenger - as with several recent releases - Moog is attempting to complement the sound that the company is known for with modern enhancements and an exploratory new direction.

In person, Messenger surprised us a little with how compact it is, and we feel this form factor might be divisive. It’s also got some tough competition from other monosynths at this price point. We’ll never complain about getting our hands on a new Moog monosynth though.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: £699/$899

Instruō Seashell

Bridging the knob-twiddling hardware world of modular synthesis with the software landscape via an accompanying plugin, Seashell aims to bring perfect integration with your DAW or software control environment.

The synth itself has a semi-modular architecture fuelled by dual analogue sawtooth-core VCOs sporting sync and cross modulation. There’s a wave folder and lowpass filter (CV controlled) and on the modulation front, there’s an LFO, a flexible envelope generator and a stereo diffusion effect. All of these elements can be manipulated via the accompanying software. It’s also patchable via CV inputs for external signal manipulation.

Connecting to your computer (Mac, Windows or Linux) via USB-C, users can modify any and all of the Seashell's analogue components via the plugin’s fairly contemporary-looking UI, with high resolution digital control (14 bit) over its main areas.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: £649

Drum machines, samplers and grooveboxes

Erica Synth HexDrums

The big news from Erica Synths at Superbooth this year is the release of HexDrums, an analogue drum machine that inherits the DNA of percussion modules from now-defunct Eurorack brand Hexinverter Electronique.

In typical Erica Synths fashion, it’s a beastly-sounding instrument that packs all the percussive firepower one could need into its sleek black-and-yellow shell. It also packs a master compressor, based on Hexinverter’s Mutant Hot Glue module.

We love the chunky sequencer buttons and abundance of hands on control here. In use, HexDrums feels very intuitive and its meaty sound is perfect for raw techno, capable of serving hard-hitting percussion and meaty bass parts side by side.

Availability: Late 2025

Price: TBC

Cre8audio Boom Chick

Boom Chick is a Eurorack-friendly drum machine from Cre8audio and Pittsburgh Modular. Its five drum voices feature the expected kick, snare and hi-hat alongside two multifunctional voices that can be used to craft toms, claps, cymbals and experimental percussive textures through waveshaping and frequency modulation.

The sequencer is surprisingly deep and flexible for such an affordable instrument ($399) and there’s more than enough connectivity here with individual outputs per voice. We’re impressed.

Availability: Mid-May 2025

Price: $399

1010music Bento

Bento is an eight track sampler and sequencer, designed to be the hub of a DAW-free setup. Its neat form factor feels just right to us - small enough to feel light and truly portable, but not fiddly. Its touchscreen is clear and responsive, although it remains to be seen how well it works as an interface for deeper editing.

First impressions are that Bento feels a lot like Polyend’s Tracker, albeit designed for those put off by the more esoteric elements of that machine’s retro-influenced design. With the ability to live play its pads, step sequence and edit on a piano roll via the touchscreen, there’s plenty of ways to sculpt patterns.

Although sample content is very much the focus, with one-shot, looping and multi samples catered for, the inclusion of the granular engine from 1010music’s Lemondrop adds a touch of textural synthesis to the sound palette. We like the overall look and feel of Bento. And the inclusion of plenty of MIDI and audio connectivity.

It’s worth noting that while the instrument is available to purchase now, some notable features are yet to be implemented, including some clip functions and the ability to process external sounds through effects. These are said to be on the roadmap for the very near future.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: £849/$899

MIDI controllers and sequencers

Novation Launch Control XL 3

Launched in 2014 as a dedicated Ableton Live controller that expanded the capabilities of the dinky Launch Control, Novation’s Launch Control XL has since gained a reputation as a reliable and affordable DAW controller, though it hasn’t been updated since the MK2 version gave it a mostly visual refresh back in 2017 - until now.

Novation’s Launch Control XL 3 sees the controller transitioning from a primarily Ableton-focused device into something that’s aimed equally at users of all DAWS - and those who have ditched them altogether. It’s got out-of-the-box integration with Ableton, Logic, Cubase, FL Studio and more, and now thanks to its new MIDI I/O, it’s a viable option for those looking to control a hardware-based set-up.

XL 3’s hardware also received a complete redesign: its new OLED display makes it easy to reference parameter values and assignments while performing, while LEDs under each encoder denote values via their brightness and colour. It’s also got a sleek and minimalist new look. Launch Control XL has historically been a pretty decent controller at a reasonable price point, but it was looking rather outdated in 2025: this is the update it needed.

Availability: Available to order now

Price: $249/£189/€193

Neuzeit Instruments Drop

Arriving out of nowhere this year is something entirely unexpected from Neuzeit Instruments, a manufacturer best known for its experimentally inclined Eurorack modules. Drop is a formidably powerful snapshot-based MIDI and CV controller: 32 LED-equipped knobs, eight faders, eight mutes, and 20 buttons (all duplicated across two layers) give you tons of control, while 4x MIDI ins and outs and 2x CV ins and outs provide ample connectivity.

The concept at the core of Drop is right there in the name: it’s designed to make it easy to create impactful build-ups, transitions and drops. 20 banks of 20 snapshots can be used to program multiple scenes, which can be pre-scheduled. Line up your drop for a chosen number of bars, then go nuts on the effects to create a dramatic build-up, knowing that the next section of your song will automatically drop in at the specified time.

If you’re working on live performances that incorporate multiple instruments and pieces of gear with complex arrangements and transitions, this could be the controller for you.

Availability: Late-summer 2025

Price: €799

Effects processors

Polyend Mess

The latest in Polyend’s relatively new line in stompboxes, Mess is an abbreviation of Multi-Effect Step Sequencer. There are 125 effects under the hood, including reverbs and delays, granular and glitch processors, overdrives and bitcrushers, pitchshifters, loopers and slicers.

You can use all of these without the sequencer if you wish, stacking them in any combination you like, but there’s almost certainly more fun to be had if you start tweaking those parameters over time.

You can set the speed and length of each track to create polyrhythmic or polymetric patterns, while the chance/probability options introduce elements of randomness and ensure that the effects just keep on changing. 200 presets are included, along with 1000 slots for your own concoctions.

The knob-per-function interface should help to ensure that preset building is as fun as playing, with sequences being built across 16 step pads. Connectivity includes MIDI I/O, Stereo TRS audio I/O, an expression pedal input, USB-C and a slot for a Micro SD card.

On the show floor we got to test Mess on a guitar, and loved the way it could turn simple chords into richly modulated soundscapes. We can’t wait to see what it can do on things like synths or drums.

Availability: June 2025

Price: $599

Innovations

Korg Berlin Phase8

Launched as an experimental offshoot of the Japanese synth company, headed up by Volca designer Tatsuya “Tats” Takahashi, Korg Berlin has spent the last few Superbooths demonstrating its acoustic synthesis concepts in various forms of development.

At Superbooth 2025, the team is finally showing a (near) finished product. Phase8 is a desktop synth built around the concept of acoustic synthesis. Its eight independent voices are electromechanical. Sounds are created using tunable metal resonators–- these can be sequenced and tweaked using envelopes, waveshaping and audio modulation.

Sonically, Phase8 certainly falls into experimental territory. Its sound is somewhere between percussive and melodic, and can initially come across as a little flat and one-dimensional. The beauty of the synth reveals itself, however, as you explore how subtle changes to the velocity of each note, the shape of the envelope and depth of modulation can alter both the tone and rhythm of the sound.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Phase8 is the way its resonators can be physically manipulated. Placing a hand or any sort of object on to the resonators can mute the sound or alter the tone in a similar manner to working with a prepared piano.

Availability: Early 2026

Price: TBC, but aiming for below £/€1000

Clank Uranograph

Uranograph is undoubtedly one of the most unique instruments at Superbooth 2025 (and that’s a tough category). Its creator describes it as an instrument that "merges the expressive depth of classical instruments with the limitless possibilities of synthesis.”

In practice, this involves a five voice microtonal synthesizer controlled by dual capacitive keyboards inspired by the expressive articulations of MPE instruments. These keyboards are highly customisable to work with different scales and tunings, and the instrument comes loaded with over 50 keyboard layouts.

The keyboards respond to velocity and aftertouch. There are also articulation plates for creating glissando, staccato and trillo effects.

The synthesis core makes use of additive and phase morphing synthesis, with wavefolding capabilities as well as asymmetrical distortion. There’s also a delay-focused DSP effects engine that can process both internal and external sounds.

This is certainly not an entry level synth – Uranograph looks deep, complex and utterly unique. It sounds pretty fantastic too.

Availability: Available to pre-order

Price: 1st batch €1552, after that €2240

Eternal Research Demon Box

Demon Box works based on the concept of sensing and converting electromagnetic fields. It does this using the 33 ‘hand tuned’ inductors placed on its top panel, which can pick up signals from everyday objects – the company’s Superbooth display had people using phones, power tools, toys and more.

The electromagnetic fields are converted to raw audio, which Demon Box can output via the individual audio outputs. Demon Box can also output signals via MIDI, CV and USB in order to act as a control device for other gear.

Whether used as a way to generate soundscapes from the world around you, or an interesting way to get expressive with other music hardware, Demon Box looks like a fun and innovative device with lots of potential.

Availability: Available to pre-order

Price: $999

Honourable mentions

These are our highlights from the Superbooth show floor, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what Superbooth 2025 had to offer.

Alongside new gear, there were numerous updated products on display, including some of our favourite bits of kit from recent years. Polyend’s Synth, for example, gained a new dual-sample engine, while Ableton updated its compact Move groovebox with much-requested sample slicing as well as better MIDI capabilities.

Several existing products gained impressive looking new siblings too. Groove Synthesis’ excellent 3rd Wave is one of our favourite synths of recent years, but it’s expensive and probably has more voices than a lot of us need. That’s why its new smaller, relatively affordable sibling the 3rd Wave 8M is a welcome addition.

Bastl has added another addition to its always-fun Kastl 2 range of mini synths. The latest Kastl model, named Wave Bard, is a stereo sample player that looks like it will be great fun for experimental sound mangling.

Superbooth 2025 also saw the release of a huge wealth of Eurorack and modular gear we’ve barely had a chance to touch in this roundup. If we were forced to highlight a single module, it would have to be Make Noise’s new Polimaths – an eight-channel function generator that expands on the design of its widely-loved Maths module.

Superbooth 25: : The annals of Moog history are lined with monophonic synthesizers, from the Minimoog Model D and Voyager right through to the Subsequent 37 and Mavis.

Today, the company kicks off Superbooth 25 by introducing another monosynth to its line-up with Messenger, an instrument that Moog says honours the company's heritage while "embracing the future of analogue synthesis".

Priced at $899, Messenger is a portable analogue monosynth based around a 32-key, semi-weighted keyboard and knob-per-function interface. Featuring two continuously variable-shape VCOs capable of sync and FM, it also (like the Mavis and the Labyrinth) incorporates wavefolding, a technique historically associated with West Coast synthesis that can be used to produce characterful metallic timbres with complex harmonics. There's also a sub-oscillator onboard with three continuously-variable waveforms.

The synth's dual oscillators run through a “reimagined” version of Moog's classic transistor ladder filter that introduces a new "pole-mixing design" to the Moog family, offering 4-pole low-pass, 2-pole low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass modes, along with a resonance bass compensation switch that preserves low-end at high resonance settings.

On modulation duties we have two loopable ADSR envelopes with multi-trigger and velocity response, alongside two LFOs: one triangle-wave LFO hooked up to the mod wheel, and one variable-shape LFO with sync and reset. Sequencing comes courtesy of a 64-step sequencer with parameter recording and probabilistic and generative capabilities, along with a multimode arpeggiator.

Messenger is reasonably well-equipped in the connectivity department: six CV patch points (CV in/out, gate in/out and clock in/out) are joined by 5-pin MIDI in/out and USB-C. There's also an input for running external audio through Messenger's filter, along with expression and sustain pedal inputs and 1/4" audio and headphone outs.

Filling a hole in Moog's product catalogue left by the recent discontinuation of the Subsequent 25, Messenger gives music-makers a way to access the classic Moog sound for under $1000, without losing a keyboard and venturing into semi-modular territory. And it's clear that with Messenger - as with several recent releases - Moog is attempting to complement the sound that the company is known for with modern enhancements and an exploratory new direction.

"Messenger embodies our commitment to advancing analog synthesis while staying true to the Moog legacy and innovative spirit of Dr. Robert Moog," said inMusic's Erik Norlander in a statement.

"Our goal was to create a synthesizer that invites immediate exploration, welcoming first-time Moog players and offering the depth and expressiveness that experienced musicians expect. With wavefolding oscillators, a dynamic shape sub-oscillator, a next-generation ladder filter, and comprehensive connectivity options, Messenger is as inspiring as it is accessible."

Moog Messenger will be available on June 2. Find out more on Moog's website.

What is it?

PWM is the brainchild of Paul Whittington who, besides the name, bestows the company with a wealth of music-related product design experience. The brand's products so far have very much been a collaborative effort, and with some distinct nods to the past.

Paul has stated that PWM’s initial aim was to create three different synths, each embracing different sound-generation approaches. The first (Malevolent) was a modular, all-analogue collab with Future Sound Systems, and the third is likely to be an all-digital affair. The focus of this review though is a product that sits firmly between these two camps – Mantis, a ‘Duophonic Hybrid-Analogue Synthesizer’. In simple terms, this equates to digital oscillators running through analogue filters and VCAs, and the duophonic bit being an ability to play two notes at the same time – though as we’ll see, it’s a little more complex than this, and depends on how a sound is set up and played.

Before we move on to specifics, it is worth noting the lineage into which the Mantis fits, both in terms of design and personnel involved in its creation. The synth is heavily influenced by the, now legendary, EDP Wasp – a (relatively) low-cost hybrid synth from over 40 years ago. In fact, Chris Huggett, its original designer, contributed directly to Mantis, with his signature taking pride of place on its rear panel. Sadly, Chris died before the Mantis arrived in shops, but if his back-catalogue is anything to go by (OSC Oscar, Akai S1000, Novation BassStation, Supernova…), potential purchasers would be crazy not to at least take it for a spin.

On paper the Mantis is a duophonic hybrid-analogue synth, though you only get the full range of sound-shaping options in monophonic mode. This provides two oscillators and a sub-oscillator (plus ring modulator and noise source) running into a filter section consisting of 12 or 24dB/octave filters in a range of shapes alongside two LFOs and two independent envelopes. Control comes from the keyboard and arpeggiator or MIDI, and polish is provided by digital reverb and chorus.

Pricing

• Original price: $1,499 | £1,349 | €1,599

PWM Mantis was originally announced at Superboth 23, but it was a while before we got to see the hybrid synth on sale.

Prices have dropped since launch in most territories, with the biggest savings to be had in the UK, where you can get up to £300 off the original launch price.

Performance

Take the Mantis out of its box and you’ll find a dark knob-laden front panel and three-octave full-size keyboard. Oddly, you will also have to attach the two green side panels, which stay in place magnetically. Well, as long as you don’t try and lift the synth, in which case they’ll detach and you’ll be left holding them in your hand. We're not quite sure this approach works as well as it might.

Other than this oddity, the synth doesn’t present anything too out of the ordinary in terms of connectivity or interface design. One quibble might be that the parameter controls themselves feel a little small (with some lateral movement), and those that function as rotary switches do also feel a little stiff to turn. A bigger issue, for us at least, is the rather small font used for control names. We're sure this could have been a little larger and clearer without sacrificing anything in terms of real estate.

That being said, the controls are laid out in a familiar and logical way, which shouldn’t present any problems to those with a broad familiarity with subtractive synthesis. In fact, we initially navigated presets and tweaked sounds without referring to the manual. It was at this point, when we wanted to delve deeper and see if we were missing anything, that it became apparent there was no manual in the box or even available to download. This is a real shame, as a decent manual, as well as serving as a useful reference, can really help sell a synth and point both active and prospective users to hidden functions or just cool and interesting stuff. This means that all views of the synth were based solely on interaction and the published spec list.

Delve a bit deeper into the architecture and and you’ll find some neat features which take Mantis beyond conventional subtractive monosynth territory. Each oscillator has additional ‘non-analogue’ wave options and a shape control which can be easily modulated, and Oscillator 2 adds a Density and Density Rate for dialling up ‘supersaw’ and other layered and detuned waves.

Also, if you are happy to forgo the 24dB/octave and ‘Wide’ filter types then the synth can play two voices at once. There is a also a Quad mode, but this loses independent filtering per voice and, though nice to have, can be a little frustrating in practice. In reality this means that the Mantis is more capable than many other monosynths with a paraphonic/duophonic feature.

Verdict

Overall, we enjoyed using the Mantis. It is a decent-sounding and flexible synth. The oscillator topology allows you to create thick and complex audio even before you hit the filters. We really like the nicely resonant 12dB/octave low-pass filter, with our only criticism here being that the Mantis could have taken its usability up a significant notch if only PWM had added a couple more filter circuits, therefore allowing true 4-note polyphony. An overall high-pass filter (a la Roland’s '80s analogous) would also have been nice (and quite easy to implement we think), alongside an extra option of delay instead of the mono-only reverb.

There is no such thing as a perfect synth, but Mantis embraces aspects of past and present to deliver a synthesizer that is both easy to use and fun to play whilst maintaining a decent degree of programming depth and flexibility.

Hands-on demos

PWMusic

Alternatives

Specifications

“I started getting messages from strangers asking if I knew about this other product called the Stylosette. I had no idea what they were talking about. I was surprised by how many people reached out to me.”

David Levi is an inventor and founder of MicroKits, a small company that makes STEM-focused musical instruments like the Theremin Kit and Synth-a-Sette, a tiny analogue synthesizer in the shape of a cassette tape. Released in 2022, it’s gone through a number of revisions but the basic idea has stayed the same, that of a cassette-shaped analogue synthesizer. On this day in December, 2024, however, there was now another product for sale with a strikingly similar design and feature set.

“I thought it was another case of a clone made by a no-name brand,” David told us. “But then when I looked it up, I realized that the Stylosette is made by Dubreq.”

You’ve likely heard of Dubreq. The company makes the Stylophone, among many other instruments, and has been on something of a roll the last few years, releasing a number of unusual instruments that build on the legacy of the classic Stylophone and push it in fascinating new directions, like the Stylophone Theremin. A Stylophone in cassette form fits right in with this bold new direction.

And yet there’s no denying that the two bear more than a passing resemblance. They’re both of cassette size and come packaged in a cassette case. They’re both analogue synthesizers that output a square wave, with touch-capacitive keys, an octave switch and vibrato. And, what’s more, they both come packaged with alligator clips and leads for ‘playing’ the instrument with conductive objects, like fruit.

Is this a case of parallel development, where two companies coincidentally happen to create and release similar projects? It’s not unheard of.

The Synth-a-Sette actually began its evolution as a synth in a business card. Originally called the MicroSynth, it evolved over 12 iterations into the cassette version that is now on sale.

“There have been a few cassette-sized synths before, like the MMXX T-APE,” David admitted. “However, I made sure my product had a different look and a different way of being played from anything on the market. It's not hard to make something fresh and distinct in this industry.”

Dubreq declined to participate in this story but it has commented on the similarities between its instrument and David’s in public in the past. In comments (now deleted) below a video on YouTube, Dubreq pointed out, “There have been quite a few cassette formatted synthesizers over the years, as well as lots of kit banana/fruit type synthesizers.”

The company also stated that its original goal was to put a Stylophone into a cassette-style package, suggesting that the MicroKits instrument takes influence from the Stylophone. “Many have taken inspiration from the Stylophone (including the one mentioned – one octave keyboard, with tuning control, octave switch and vibrato).”

David hasn’t pinpointed any specific inspirations for the sound of the Synth-a-Sette, but looking through his early development logs on Hackaday - where he has been documenting the project since 2021 - the Stylophone isn’t mentioned. Listening to the two products, there’s no getting around the fact that there are similarities in sound. However, there are also differences. The Stylosette is brighter while the Synth-a-Sette has a more mellow tone, the result of filtering.

There are also differences between the two in terms of functionality. Dubreq’s instrument is more feature-rich. You can adjust the vibrato speed and depth, for one, and there’s also a delay effect (“a PT2399 chip,” according to David). There’s also an “expansion port that also works with a sequencer,” said Dubreq in the YouTube comment. “You can also create a master slave function to drive two Stylosettes at once. So there’s much more than just conductive objects.”

As for those conductive objects, where David’s allows you to connect clips to each key individually, Dubreq’s product features a tiny patchbay under the keys with ports for Dupont wires, tiny exposed jacks like the ones in the Volca Modular, except that in this case, the other end of the lead has a clip for attaching to organic objects.

David isn’t the only one who has noticed the similarities. Many have remarked on them online, usually siding with David as the originator of the idea. “I mean, philosophically, this is interesting,” said Fluxus in the comments section in an article on Synthtopia.

“You can’t copyright circuits per se, and looking at the circuit boards, the two have obvious differences. But for most end users, a ‘copy’ comes down to look/feel, and I would disagree that the Synth-a-Sette has a lot of direct look/feel influence from the original Stylophone. It’s a different kind of interface, and the aesthetic of the cassette thing is very specific.”

As for David, the whole experience has left him a little disappointed. “I respect Dubreq,” he said. “They’ve contracted with other electrical engineers when making some of their new products, so it’s disappointing they never considered collaborating with me. We could have made something really special if we worked together.”

David is already moving past this controversy, though, having shown his latest instrument, the Banan-a-Synth, at NAMM this past January. “It’s in that fun exploration stage of design,” he said, “where I’m still trying out new ideas. It will offer new ways of being played and new sound possibilities.

“I’m a solo inventor who’s learned so much as I grow my business and set up manufacturing,” he said. “Now that I've launched one successful synth, the next one will go faster. The Synth-a-Sette took so long to perfect, but the Banan-a-Synth should be out this year.”

What is it?

The AS500-SEQ from UK-based Analogue Solutions is a beast of a step sequencer, fully analogue and offering a total of 64 steps with a variety of hands-on play modes.

Originally available as part of the huge Colossus synth that retails for a whopping £32,000, the AS500 can now be purchased separately for those whose budget doesn’t stretch quite that far.

The sequencer comes in a sturdy metal case with the majority of the front panel taken up with an 8 x 8 grid of knobs and switches. Firing it up from the internal clock, the knobs light in yellow to show the active step with the patterns running vertically down the unit, and then from left to right.

Each knob controls the pitch output with a switch that sends the gate to either the X or Y gate output or JUMPs to the next column. The Y gate output can be used either to trigger a different voice or to mute a step if left unconnected. JUMP is a novel feature that we haven’t seen elsewhere and allows a lot of hands-on control to vary the sequence. The top row of switches offer RESET rather than JUMP which as you would expect takes the pitch back to step one.

The 64 steps of the AS500 are split into two banks, each with its own CV and X/Y gate outputs. These can be used as a single set of 64 steps or two sets of 32.

Performance and verdict

There is no separate clock input for the right-hand side but the MODE selector knob offers some options here. When set to SERIAL the sequencer will play all 64 steps but if you flip the FILL mode switch and tap the FILL button the sequencer will flip from the left-hand side to the right-hand side set at the end of the bar. The number of times you activate the FILL button controls how many times the fill will loop before returning to the main sequence.

The other three modes either play both sides synced at the same clock rate or offset the rate for the right-hand side by a half or a quarter. With these modes you can either play two different melodic lines or a lead and a bass for example. Alternatively you can use the right-hand side as a modulator; with RANGE and GLIDE at maximum it makes for a great filter cutoff modulator.

Both outputs feature a master range and a glide control; unfortunately there is no per step slide.

There is an internal clock available with a knob and a dedicated CV input, as well as an external clock in and a clock out; a button and input allows master reset.

The AS500 prides itself on being 100% analogue; unlike its predecessor the Megacity, there is no quantisation built in so you’ll have to use a tuner or tune by ear. The STEP button is used to step through each knob sequentially to help you tune them in.

Although housed in a sturdy metal case, the potentiometers, toggle switches and jacks are what we would describe as Behringer style. By this we mean they are not secured to the case at all, they just poke through the panel and we would imagine are soldered directly onto the PCB below. We feel like this is likely to cause issues, particularly with the switches, as these are designed to be played not just switched occasionally. You can feel the whole switch moving when you toggle it so it’s hard to see how the stress on the solder joints is not going to cause these to fail eventually.

This is without a doubt the most hands-on, playable step sequencer on the market – the large format makes it a joy to use. The AS500 is a marketed as a premium product, designed and hand-built in the UK. While the design and functionality are superb, sadly the build quality is not quite what we would expect for the high price tag.

MusicRadar verdict: The biggest and best all-in-one modular step sequencer, offering flexibility and playability. If you can afford it you’re set for serious fun!

Hands-on demos

Analogue Solutions

Specifications

• 64 steps (series mode) or 2 x 32 steps (2-channel parallel mode)
• 2 CV outputs with Range and Glide (Portamento)
• 4 Gate outs (2 per channel)
• Jump and Reset – activate from MIDI note, Push Button and external Gate
• Fill In and clock divide modes for variation
• Compatible with Eurorack and most analogue synths with CV/Gate input
• Voltage-controlled clock
• Many options for sequence control
• Solid steel and aluminium construction
• High-quality sealed potentiometers, sturdy switches
• Unique LED matrix-style teardrop-raining LEDs
• Power Supply: Mains adapter.
• Dimensions: 292 x 85 x 382mm.
• Weight: 2,200g.
• CONTACT: Analogue Solutions

Housed in London’s Musical Museum, the new Korg Gallery exhibit plays host to almost every synth, keyboard and drum machine the Japanese giant has released in its 70 year history.

We recently paid a visit, taking a tour through Korg’s history via a collection of its most influential instruments. While we were there though, we were also curious to explore some of the more unusual and rare exhibits on display.

We asked Korg’s Luke Edwards to talk us through a few of Korg’s more obscure and unusual releases, which you can watch in the video above. How many have you tried?

A whole bunch of Behringer gear has come down to historic low prices of late. Just yesterday, we reported on the fact that Andertons is offering mk1 editions of its SH-101-inspired MS-1 for an incredibly tempting price of £149.

Even compared to that deal, however, I think the Cyber Monday price for Behringer’s Pro-800 at Thomann is frankly mindblowing. In fact, by some metrics, I think it might be the cheapest analogue polysynth of all time.

The Pro-800 is a desktop analogue synthesizer inspired by Sequential Circuits Prophet 600. Designed by synth icon Dave Smith, the original P600 was released in 1982 and was the first commercially available synthesizer to incorporate MIDI. Sonically, it sits in a similar ballpark to Roland’s Juno-106, albeit with a slightly edgier tone. It also had a button pad that let users save and recall up-to 100 patches.

Behringer’s take is fairly faithful to the design of the P600 albeit in desktop form, so you’ll need to connect a MIDI keyboard or DAW to get sounds out of it. It has two oscillators per voice, each with saw, triangle, and square waves as well as pulse width control. These feed into a resonant 24db low-pass filter. Two ADSR envelopes and an LFO provide modulation.

It’s a fairly simple synth design, but one that works great for rich Juno-style pads or retro synth brass. There’s also an onboard arpeggiator and the ability to save up-to 400 presets. Behringer’s design does upgrade the P600 in one significant way – it ups the voice count from six to eight. And this is where my ‘cheapest analogue poly’ theory comes into play.

“£235? Sure, that’s cheap, but it’s not the cheapest polysynth ever,” I hear you shouting at your screen with rage. And you’re right, of course. Korg’s Volca Keys, for example, is a three-voice analogue poly that’s currently selling for £129.

But for eight fully analogue voices? That’s less than £30 per voice. I’ve been reviewing synths for over a decade, right through the ‘affordable analogue’ boom, and I can’t think of anything that’s ever offered that sort of analogue bang-for-your-buck.

Am I wrong? Possibly, it's been a long day. Is there some even more budget friendly poly out there I’m forgetting about? (All analogue, remember, don’t come at me with your Circuits or your Airas.) I’m willing to be proved incorrect, but either way you’ve got to admit – it is very cheap.

Now, full disclosure, I’ve not used Behringer’s Pro-800 extensively, unlike some other Behringer synths. I’ve given one a quick demo, and it sounds pretty on the money, but I can’t vouch for its finer details. That being said, at this price I’m currently doing some quick mental arithmetic to see if I can order one and still afford to buy my kids Christmas presents. So I’ll report back in a couple of weeks…

Struggling to think of what to buy yourself that synth-playing loved one for Christmas this year? Well, look no further, because it looks like Gear4Music has the ideal solution for you with these nifty little noise-makers from Japanese manufacturer Reon.

The Driftbox format is a range of small analogue machines designed for hands-on manipulation and sonic experimentation covering, synthesis, sequencing and controller-based activities.

Five Driftboxes are on offer at Gear4Music this Black Friday and Cyber Monday but there is one caveat, only three are currently in stock. Fear not, for the retailer has dropped the price for all five models to a tantalising £99 each. Not bad considering they retailed around the £400 mark on release. Not only that, you'll be hard-pushed to find any of these for sale generally, so it feels like this is the last-chance saloon.

The two out-of-stock models, the Driftbox R and SE synths are available at the same low price as the others but only on order, with an estimated delivery time of eight to nine weeks.

**UPDATE** The Driftbox SE seems to be no longer on sale, but we'll keep you up-to-date on that. Driftbox R, however, is still available to order, with an estimated delivery time of eight to nine weeks.

The remaining three models in stock are the Drifbox J, a programmable joystick synth, the C an audio CV mixer, and the W a multi-modulation analogue synthesizer.

The deals don't end there, because we have scoured the internet to fins all the best music deals for you which you can find on our mega Cyber Monday hub page.

It’s Black Friday weekend, a time when we’re all overloaded with deals, offers and bargains. It can seem like the entire world is trying to persuade you to buy new music gear. But I am here to remind you of an important fact – new gear probably isn’t the answer to your problems.

Perhaps you’re struggling to finish tracks and think that you just need more plugins? You probably don’t. Maybe you think your music isn’t good enough because you’re using a digital synth rather than a genuine analogue one? That’s almost certainly not true. Do you think that better monitors will instantly make your mixes sound better? It’s unlikely.

Yes, new gear can help us do things quicker, or explore new ideas, or make the overall music-making process easier. But the fundamental truth is that some of the best electronic music of all time has been made with limited, cheap setups. Essentially, more gear does not necessarily equate to better music.

With all that being said, while I don’t want you to think that you need new gear this Black Friday weekend, you might still want it – and I totally get that. I’m lucky enough to review synths and drum machines for a living, and I know how exciting getting your hands on some new creative tool can be.

Although it's not always the route to better music, getting to grips with a new instrument, controller or effect can be a great way to spark creativity. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of exploring the features and capabilities of something, only to hit upon one of those lighting-in-a-bottle moments, when the pieces suddenly come together and you realise, ‘wow, what if I tried doing *this*!?’

With that in mind, I’ve been searching through this weekend’s best synth and drum machine deals, and these are my recommendations. I won’t promise that any of them will make you a better producer or musician. But if you’ve been waiting for Cyber Weekend to drop your hard earned money on something new, exciting and fun, then these are the deals to check out.

I’m going to focus on hardware gear here, but there’s a lot of solid deals on software about this weekend too, which you can keep tabs on in our Black Friday plugin deals hub page.

US Deals

I’m a really big fan of Korg’s recent 37-key digital synths, which each put an innovative spin on classic synth formats. Modwave II is one of the best in the range. It’s a wavetable synth, loosely inspired by Korg’s cult classic DW-8000, but its approach is genuinely innovative, allowing users to craft custom oscillators by blending different wavetables and applying a range of playback modifiers.

Yes, it’s purely digital. And the plastic build and keybed are nothing to write home about. But there’s so much depth and power to this synth. If you’re looking for an instrument that will have you lost down sound design rabbit holes for hours, this is a great purchase for $679.

Sticking to Korg for a moment, Sweetwater is also offering $10 off for most of Korg’s Volca range this weekend. That’s not a massive discount, but the Volcas were a bargain to begin with – and they’re great fun for the price. Personally, I think the Volca Bass and Volca Drum are the ones to go for. Watch our video ranking below for more.

I’ve been using Ableton Live for almost 20 years and, I’ll be honest, as much as versions 1 and 2 of Push impressed me, I drifted away from both and ended up reverting to using a mouse and keyboard. Push 3 is a different story though – I’ve been using it since before it came out last year, and I absolutely love it.

The MPE pads are fantastic, and Ableton has finally cracked its goal of making a controller that feels like a proper instrument. Paired with expressive presets from Live’s Drift and Meld synths, I find Push really expressive (it’s great for me who is, I’ll admit, not a great keys player).

I have the standalone version of Push, which I really rate, although honestly I think the non-CPU-equipped model would be fine for most users, unless you’re planning on performing live or really desperate to be free of your laptop. Either way, both are available at Sweetwater with some sizable discounts this weekend.

Roland's SH-4d was one of my favourite releases of last year, and Amazon has it down to the lowest price I’ve seen this weekend.

Like a lot of Roland’s current crop of hardware instruments, the SH-4d makes use of the company’s Zen-Core engine, but its unique design sets it apart from the bulk of the company’s Zen-Core keyboards. The SH-4d is a five-part groovebox, with four polyphonic synth channels and one multi-track drum machine. Its sound engine makes use of a mixture of virtual analogue, digital synthesis and sampling in order to offer a spectrum of sounds that range from vintage gear emulations to modern tones and an array of percussive kits.

It’s a unique and creative machine, and personally I find it very inspiring. Its characteristic design means that it won’t suit everyone – the lack of a keyboard being an obvious downside for some users – but for less than $400 it’s a lot of synth power for the money.

Donner is better known for its cheap guitars, electronic drums and pianos, but has recently entered the synth market. The B1 was its debut instrument, which takes heavy influence from Roland’s iconic acid machine the TB-303.

The B1 doesn’t look like much – its grey styling looks more like something you’d use to calculate your taxes – but it sounds seriously great. Its analogue oscillator and filter nail the aggressive tones associated with the 303, and the included drive and delay effects really bring the sound to life.

With Donner’s extra 25% this weekend, you can pick up the B1 for $103.99. Trust me, this sounds way better than any $100 analogue synth has any right to.

UK Deals

Waldorf’s Iridium synths are seriously powerful machines. While the top-end Iridium Keys and Desktop have the most bells and whistles, the cut down Iridium Core still has a hell of a lot of power for the money, and at a price only a little over a grand, I think it’s a bit of a bargain.

The Core is a 12 voice digital synth with three oscillators per voice. It makes use of a variety of really interesting synthesis approaches, ranging from flexible wavetable and granular capabilities to the unique Particle, Resonator and Kernel synthesis modes. There’s a ton of deep modulation and filtering options on offer too.

When we reviewed the Iridium Core earlier this year, we described it as offering “boundless amounts of creativity in the smallest of footprints”. If you’re looking for a deep synth to get lost in, this should keep you occupied for a very long time.

Say what you want about Behringer and its approach to synth emulations – or ‘tributes’ as the company prefers – but you can’t knock it for value. This weekend you can pick up Behringer gear over at Thomann for some ludicrously cheap prices.

There are too many instruments on offer to name all of them, but a few stand out as highlights. At a price of £235, the Sequential-inspired Pro-800 is stupidly cheap for an analogue polysynth. Elsewhere, Behinger’s original synth Deepmind 6 has lots of power and flexibility for its price. A steal at less than £400.

I own the RD-8 and RD-9 drum machines, inspired by Roland’s TR-808 and TR-909 respectively, and I think they’re really solid for the money. Obviously, it’s simply not worth spending the money on a real 808 or 909 in 2024. Roland’s own recreations are great, but what I like most about Behringer’s takes are their satisfyingly chunky size and rugged sequencers. While their current prices aren’t actually a Black Friday deal – they’ve simply come down recently – at under £250 a pop it’s still hard to argue.

Personally, I have no real experience with Behringer’s Eurorack modules, so I can’t vouch for them, but the prices look very tempting. £1,150 for the System-55 is a crazily cheap price for a full modular system.

Version 2 of Elektron’s Digitakt sampler-come-drum machine dropped earlier this year. While v2 is undoubtedly more powerful than the original in almost every way, it doesn’t fundamentally change what made the original Digitakt great. In short, while Digitakt 2 is the best version, Digitakt v1 is still an excellent hardware machine – and because v2 now exists, you can pick up the original for a bargain price.

I have the original Digitakt at home, and although I’ve recently reviewed and enjoyed my time with Digitakt 2, the original still provides a great source of hands-on beat-making inspiration. While v1 has fewer audio tracks, it still packs an excellent, deep sequencer, powerful modulation tools and can work smoothly within your DAW thanks to Elektron’s Overbridge software. For a price below £500, I certainly wouldn’t feel bad about missing out on the latest version.

Arturia’s hybrid MiniFreak synth has quickly become one of my go-to tools. What I love about it is its easy-to-use yet broad digital synthesis engine. This lets users combine a multitude of synthesis approaches, including wavetable, granular, FM, additive and more. These are deep and powerful tools, but MiniFreak’s neat interface and user-friendly mod matrix make programming sounds a breeze.

MiniFreak pairs this engine with powerful, gorgeous digital effects. Its smooth analogue filter is the cherry on the cake.

Andertons has a deal on the stylish-looking all-black Stellar Edition. I’ve seen the original version for cheaper than this, but it’s a nice discount for the special edition and a good price overall.

Novation’s Circuit Tracks has always been a lot of instrument for the money. It has two capable digital polysynth engines, four sample-based drum tracks and four MIDI channels that make it perfect for driving external hardware gear.

Honestly, there are deeper synths out there if you’re interested in sound design – to get the most out of Circuit you’ll need to use the browser-based editor – but this makes a really great hub for a studio setup. Its sequencer is fast and surprisingly flexible too. On top of all this, it’s down to a really low price this weekend.

Albert Hammond Jr of the Strokes has followed in the footsteps of Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, Rancid and Placebo – and, yes, even budget gear giant Harley Benton – and has opened an official online store on Reverb.

This, of course, is not the first time Hammond Jr has done this. In 2018, he partnered with the internet gear retail giant to raise some money for charity. He sounds a little unsure whether this is a good idea or not but the money is going to a good cause so maybe we should buy before he changes his mind.

“It’s kind of scary to go through these…like, ‘Oh I’m going to take that back!” he says. “My hope is that they find a home within you.”

And this gear is on sale right now. Sadly, his Gibson SG with the Bigsby (apparently he was “going through a Bigsby phase”) has already been sold, because that looked like one super-cool electric guitar. We’re not surprised it has gone – especially at that price. But this being Hammond Jr, there is more than just guitars.

The multi-instrumentalist has cymbals, kick-drum heads, hard-shell guitar cases, and even an old Roland Jupiter-6 analogue synth is up for sale. Now that is an object of interest.

This polyphonic synthesizer, launched in ’83, discontinued a couple of years later and it belongs to Hammond Sr, who is hopefully aware that his boy is flogging it on the internet. Those things are worth a bit of money.

As are Custom Shop Fender Strats. Hammond Jr is selling one, already relic’d by the luthiers at Fender’s Corona, California facility but bearing some of the scars from being the Strokes guitarist’s back-up Strat.

Now, this actually looks eerily similar to the one pictured at the top of the page and even though it needs a setup it looks a decent buy for $5,000. C’mon, it’s Friday night, just buy the thing, bookmark MusicRadar’s guide to setting up your electric guitar and you’ll have it fixed up in no time.

Strokes fans have plenty to get into here. There’s a Guild acoustic that was Hammond Jr’s number one acoustic guitar on the 2007 Yours To Keep Tour.

There’s some damage to the finish but it’s from Hammond Jr so that makes it worth a bit more – relic’ing, the old-fashioned way. “All the dings are real,” he assures us. “They look like they’re from my belt.”

Another that caught our eye was a 1959 Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster Relic, which has a Mastery bridge and a lot of vibe, even though it is missing its whammy bar. Hey, spares are readily available. The Rhythm circuit is disconnected but that’s an easy mod and who uses that anyway?

There is also a Telecaster that’s been retro-fitted with a P-94 (a P-90 soapbar in a humbucker casing) and was used to shoot a Fender commercial. “The neck felt so nice and I asked them if I could keep it because it made me feel like I was going to practice more,” says Hammond Jr.

Bassists, we haven’t forgotten you. If you liked the bass guitar tone on 2013’s Comedown Machine you can now buy the Precision Bass Hammond Jr used on it.

For more details, head over to the Official Albert Hammond Jr of the Strokes Reverb Shop.

Korg has recently opened the Korg Gallery at The Musical Museum in Brentford, London. This permanent exhibition is dedicated to the history of Korg synthesizers, from the company’s launch in 1962, all the way up to its current line-up.

To mark the opening, we headed up to the Gallery to take a private tour, guided by Korg’s Luke Edwards. In the video above, he takes us on a whistle-stop tour of the most important and influential instruments in Korg’s history, including ‘70s analogue icons, ‘80s digital innovations, ‘90s workstations, and more.

All the way back in 2020, Dreadbox teamed up with plugin developer Sinevibes to create Typhon, a compact and affordable analogue monosynth that featured an array of Sinevibes' digital effects.

This month, Dreadbox celebrates its 10th anniversary, and in recognition of the milestone has announced the release of a new synthesizer that takes influence from Typhon's user interface, while bringing five extra voices to the table, along with a variety of additional features and functionality.   

Artemis is a 6-voice desktop polysynth equipped with two of Dreadbox's analogue VCOs. Capable of waveshaping, FM, PWM and voice spreading, and joined by a sub oscillator and noise generator, the synth's oscillators run through dual resonant filters with key-tracking and filter FM - we've got a low-pass filter here with 12dB/oct and 24dB/oct modes alongside a dedicated high-pass filter. 

Modulation is provided by two multimode LFOs capable of cross-mod, while two ADSR envelope generators, accessible through four dedicated sliders, shape the output of the VCA and the filter. Artemis' effects section is equipped with a collection of digital stereo effects from Sinevibes, including a reverb, delay, chorus and distortion. An MPE-compatible synth, Artemis supports polyphonic aftertouch.

Presets can be stored and recalled via the display in the corner of the interface, and you can sequence Artemis using its onboard polyphonic step sequencer and arpeggiator, or hook up external sequencers and controllers via MIDI in/out. Connectivity-wise, you'll also find a USB connection, along with a headphone output and stereo line out. 

Dreadbox Artemis is priced at $1399 and can be pre-ordered now.

Find out more on Dreadbox's website. 

Elektron Digitakt II: What is it?

Released in 2017, Elektron’s original Digitakt was an influential release not just for the Swedish brand itself, but the wider hardware market. Having spent the previous decade focused on its top-end Analog range, the sub-$/£1k Digitakt, though hardly a budget instrument, saw Elektron bringing its distinctive designs back to the masses.

There’s no doubt those designs have influenced other gear that has followed it too – Elektron itself has replicated the format with its Digitone and Syntakt synths, and a number of Digitakt’s distinctive features have been widely adopted as standard across the industry too, including probability sequencing and parameter lock automation.

Described as a ‘drum computer and sampler’, Digitakt sits in a realm somewhere between a drum machine and a traditional sampler while – for reasons both for the better and worse, which we’ll come to – not quite fitting neatly into either category.

Earlier this year, Elektron lifted the lid on a direct sequel that significantly upgrades the design of the original without making any radical changes to the overall formula. Those upgrades include doubling the audio track count of the original from eight to 16. What’s more, each of these tracks is now capable of stereo playback, in contrast to the mono sampling of the original. Digitakt II also increases the modulation, filtering and effect options, as well as upgrading the capabilities of the sequencer.

Elektron Digitakt II: Performance and verdict

Let’s get the top level stuff out of the way first – Digitakt II is an all-round upgrade to the formula of the original, but it’s unlikely to convince any sceptics. While there are some significant improvements added for version II, nothing about this revamp fundamentally changes the Digitakt workflow, for better or worse.

The additional audio capabilities are the most immediately obvious enhancement. While you could certainly create fleshed-out compositions on the original machine, the additional audio tracks and incorporation of stereo source material – shown off nicely by the included presets – mean that it’s far easier to create near-finished sounding compositions.

This is assisted in no small part by the vastly improved storage capacity for Digitakt II. This ups the original’s somewhat meagre 1GB of sample storage to 20GB, and ups the RAM from 64MB to 400MB. As a result, the amount of samples that can be loaded to a particular project rises from 128 to 1016.

Each of its tracks can also be switched to act as a MIDI sequencer, meaning that, as before, Digitakt remains an excellent hub for a wider hardware setup.

The updated filters are excellent too. Whereas the original Digitakt had a resonant multimode filter and bi-directional Base filter for each audio track, this new version has the ability to alter the filter in that first slot. Alongside the existing filter model from Digitakt Mk I – here renamed Legacy – and parametric EQ, each track can now also make use of either a new multimode filter that can be swept or modulated through low-, band- and high-pass states, a more aggressive 4-pole low-pass filter, or a comb filter.

All of these new options are very welcome, but the comb filter in particular really adds to the flexibility of Digitakt’s sound engine, capable of bringing harsher and more synthetic qualities to the source samples.

These new filters work excellently alongside the sampler’s other major new feature – its expanded modulation capabilities. The headline addition here is that of an additional LFO per-track.

The implementation of flexible LFOs within Elektron’s instruments has long been one of our favourite aspects of their design. The setup is both flexible – capable of a variety of sync and shape options with controls for fades and retriggers – and easy to assign. As a result it’s easy to create patterns that are full of movement and life even before turning to the automation capabilities of the sequencer.

Having an extra modulator available for each audio track only enhances this, and given how much fun it can be to sweep the new multimode filter or slowly modulate the resonance of the comb filter, it’s an extremely welcome addition.

Digitakt II benefits from enhanced effects too, with a chorus added to the send effects – joining reverb and delay, along with a master compressor – as a whole new per-track effects page. This offers three types of digital distortion: Overdrive, which was also available on Digitakt Mk I, now joined by bit reduction and sample rate reduction, the latter of which can be configured to sit pre- or post-filter.

In sequence

Elektron’s sequencers have long been one of the most appealing elements of its instrument designs, despite hardly being what we’d call intuitive. Between conditional triggers, fills, parameter locks, micro-timings and much more, Digitakt’s sequencer will have newcomers regularly reaching for the manual, although you’ll always come away pleasantly surprised at just how flexible the whole setup is.

There’s nothing here that we’d describe as a radical overhaul to the sequencer, although there are a few significant upgrades. First and foremost, the maximum step length of patterns has been raised from 64 to 128, allowing for the creation of longer compositions without the need to chain two patterns together.

Digitakt II also gains a new Euclidean sequencer mode. This works by using two pulse generators to create evenly spaced patterns of triggers across a user-defined step length, and then uses a Boolean operator system to dictate how these two sets of pulses interact. It adds a nicely Eurorack-inspired touch of rhythmic creativity to the overall capabilities, which suits Digitakt well.

These are the topline changes, but there are a multitude of smaller tweaks throughout the OS too. One easily missed change that we’re particularly keen on is the increased flexibility in the way Digitakt routes audio over USB.

All of which adds up to a whole lot more depth, really doubling down on the things Digitakt was already capable of. There are also, however, areas where little has changed from the Mk I, and it’s these that may prove a continued sticking point for those that weren’t won over by the original.

For one thing, Elektron machines can be notorious for how convoluted their operating systems are and how much menu diving can be involved in the creative flow. Digitakt II does nothing to address this, adding more menu screens, rather than simplifying anything. We’ve long felt that the combination of +Drive, Projects, Sample Pools, Songs and Patterns feels like it adds too many layers of complexity to the overall architecture – although we’ll concede it’s very flexible.

Significantly, aside from the stereo capabilities, nothing much has changed in regards to how Digitakt plays back the samples themselves. As before, Digitakt makes use of four playback ‘machines’ – added in a firmware update during the Mk I's life cycle – labelled One Shot, Werp, Repitch and Slice. Respectively, these will either play a sample back in a linear manner, warp the sample to fit project tempo, repitch a sample to fit project tempo, or slice a sample into segments that can be triggered individually.

Verdict

To expect Digitakt to be a do-everything sampler misses the point somewhat though. It’s the specific functionality of Digitakt that makes it an appealing and inspiring device, and that comes from the confluence of complex sequencing and its characteristic, if in some ways limited, sample engines.

Which brings us back to our earlier point of Digitakt fitting somewhere between the realms of drum machine and sampler. If you try to use it purely as either one of these things, you’re liable to wind up disappointed. Those looking for the immediacy of a hardware drum machine will likely be put off by its complex and unintuitive workflow, while those who want flexible sampling will butt up against some of its limitations. It’s in the space between these two realms where you find Elektron’s most unique ideas and where Digitakt II shines.

To put it simply, if you were already sold on the original Digitakt, this offers more of the same, with considerably more depth and power. While it’s not quite as cheap as it once was, the bump in price feels reasonable given the additional audio capabilities. Those that were unconvinced by the original, however, are unlikely to have their minds changed by this upgrade – as impressive as it is.

MusicRadar verdict: Those that got on well with the original Digitakt will love the extra tools and flexibility, but naysayers may remain unconvinced.

Elektron Digitakt II: Hands-on demos

Bo Beats

Loopop

AudioPilz

Elektron Digitakt II: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: 16 × stereo or mono audio tracks, or MIDI tracks. 1 × digital base-width filter per track. 1 × digital overdrive per track. 1 × digital bit reduction. 1 × digital sample rate reduction. 1 × overdrive master effect . 1 × stereo compressor master effect. 3 × assignable LFOs per track. 400 MB sample memory. 20 GB +Drive storage.
• CONTACT: Elektron

UK synth brand Future Sound Systems has made a name for itself with a string of innovative and distinctive Eurorack modules. Now the company is preparing to take a significant step up with its most substantial hardware product to date, Cric.

Cric is an all-analogue, semi-modular synth that makes use of a number of design elements lifted from the company’s Eurorack modules. This includes a three-VCO oscillator section based on the brand’s Recombination Engine, which uses the output of a Scissor operator to combine the outputs of two DNA oscillators. As a result it’s able to create some fairly complex harmonics and unique timbres.

Cric also features a filter section based around the excellent Timbral Sculptor, a module that combines elements of West Coast-style wave folding with a more common state variable VCF. The synth’s modular influence carries through to its modulation tools too, which include a sample & hold generator along with four cycling function generators capable of acting like both envelopes and LFOs.

The synth’s most visually distinctive feature, however, is the pin matrix used for patching its various elements together. This features 24 input sources and 32 destinations. This too has heritage elsewhere in FSS’ line-up – the brand previously released a standalone MTX8 matrix for patching external inputs.

Cric takes influences from beyond Future Sound Systems’ own back catalogue too. Speaking to Sonic State at the recent Machina Bristronica event, FSS founder Finlay Shakespeare described the inspiration behind the synth.

“It’s not just those [previous] modules in a box”, he explains. “There’s been a lot of tweaking to make sure these things play well together.

“It’s kind of what I’ve wanted to see on the synth market for a long time,” Shakespeare continues. “It’s taking experiences from playing with some of the greats and taking influence from what is brilliant about those and what I think maybe could be added to them now that we’re in the 2020s.”

Cric is equipped with four DC-coupled inputs and outputs for multi-channel audio and/or CV use. Input 1 has a mic preamp, while there’s a headphone amplifier on output 1.

According to FSS, all these elements can be combined using the matrix to allow Cric to function as a standard triple-VCO subtractive synth, a paraphonic synth, a drum machine, noise box and more.

Cric will be available to order from 7 November priced at £2,499. Find out more at the Future Sound Systems site. Hear it in action via the audio demos below.

In recent years, US developer Cherry Audio has emerged as an incredibly prolific emulator of vintage instruments, giving even Arturia a run for its money. In the past twelve months alone, Cherry has released virtual recreations of the Rhodes Chroma, Korg PS-3300, GG Audio Blue3 organ, Wurlitzer 140B, ARP Pro Soloist, Oberheim’s SEM modules and Roland’s CR-78 drum machine.

Churning out plugins is one thing, but what’s been most impressive about Cherry Audio’s recent output is its consistent quality – its instruments have picked up multiple five-star ratings in our reviews over the past few years.

With its latest plugin Atomika, Cherry Audio’s sights are set on the Soviet-era Formanta Polivoks, a two-voice analogue synthesizer produced and sold in the USSR during the 1980s. Although rare in the West at the time of its production, the Polivoks has become sought-after on the second hand market due to its distinctive sound, which comes from its notoriously unstable oscillators, gritty filter and quick-to-distort signal path.

Atomika aims to capture that personality, but also expands on the design of the original in several important ways. The polyphony is raised from the Polivoks’ two-voices to a total of 16, with the extra addition of a unison mode. Atomika also expands on the flexibility of the original’s low/band-pass filter with new high-pass, notch and peak modes.

The LFO section has been expanded here too, with more waveshape options. Atomika also broadens the performance and modulation options by letting users route velocity, aftertouch, key-tracking, pitch and mod wheel into the synth engine.

On top of this, Atomika also throws a new effect section into the mix, with phaser, flange/chorus, delay and reverb modules, along with a simple arpeggiator.

Like other Cherry Audio plugins, Atomika benefits from a smart, resizable UI with a ‘focus’ zoom feature, and user-definable oversampling. While the plugin’s interface is labelled in English by default, users can also opt for a theme that reverts to the original Cyrillic script.

Atomika is out now priced at $49. Interested parties can try the synth out with a 30-day free trial. Find out more at the Cherry Audio site.

It’s been a busy week for esoteric synth brand Soma Laboratory. Fresh off the back of releasing Messeiver, a soundscape device that promises to ‘change your perception of radio’, the company is now relaunching its Lyra-4 synthesizer.

Lyra-4 is a more compact and affordable take on the Lyra-8, Soma’s original and best-known synthesizer. Like its big sibling, it’s described as an ‘organismic’ instrument, a term intended to denote the influence these designs take from living organisms. 

In more concrete terms, the Lyra-4 is based around four voice generators, divided into two pairs, which can function either like an electric organ or in an FM synthesis arrangement. These can be triggered in a number of ways, including by the touch-sensitive pads along the lower edge of the unit, which contribute to its ‘organismic’ character. The synth also features something called a hyper LFO, which is a complex low-frequency oscillator created through the sum of two standard LFOs.

The Lyra synths also benefit from some very characterful effects. A Mod Delay unit has a feedback loop that can self modulate, and also features modulation of the delay sample rate. The Distortion, meanwhile, is designed to add characterful grit at the end of the signal chain. 

Lyra-4 is available in both black and white colourways, and Soma is suggesting that users might want to consider ordering one of each. 

“Playing two Lyra-4s can actually sound very different than just one Lyra-8,” Soma claims. “A set of two Lyra-4s creates a stereo image, with each channel having its own effects! We really want people to experience the magic of stereo Lyra.”

To that end, Soma is offering a special launch deal of two units for a combined price of €580 (excluding tax). If you feel like one is enough, a single Lyra-4 can be purchased for €360 (excluding tax). Find out more and place an order over at the Soma Labs site.

Moog Muse: What is it?

Back in 2018, Moog released its first proper analogue polysynth in decades – the Moog One. Available in both 8 and 16-voice iterations, the One was a beast of a synth that combined classic Moog analogue elements with digital processing and copious modulation tools. For all that was impressive about the One though, with a price that started at upwards of £5,000 for the 8-voice version, it was out of reach of many musicians – which possibly influenced Moog’s decision to discontinue it.

In its place, we now have Muse – a new flagship at the top of Moog’s synth line. While Muse maintains much of what the Moog One had to offer, including eight analogue voices, a multi-timbral design – reduced from three to two timbral layers – and a similarly flexible approach to modulation, it does dial back the all-bells-and-whistles approach somewhat. Crucially, it also comes in with a price point over £2k lower than the cheapest Moog One; hardly a budget synth, but more competitive in relation to today’s polysynth market.

Visually, Muse has a slightly different style to most Moog synths of recent decades. Where the likes of the Sub-37, One and Minimoog Voyager all share an obvious design lineage with the original 1970s Minimoog, Muse’s chunky plastic buttons and sliders give it a touch of Roland influence, perhaps via Behringer’s Deepmind. To our eye, there’s something a little uncanny about Muse’s aesthetic; it could pass for an unofficial Moog ‘tribute’ as opposed to a genuine Moog poly.

This, utterly subjective, point aside, Muse feels reassuringly solid with sturdy front-panel controls and a semi-weighted Fatar keybed. On this latter point, it’s worth noting that Muse offers channel, not polyphonic, aftertouch. This could either be a dealbreaker or an irrelevance depending on the type of synthesist you are, but it does put Muse at a notable disadvantage compared to some similarly-priced polys. For us, the only real letdowns in terms of Muse’s build are its thin plastic pitch and mod wheels.

Moog Muse: Performance and verdict

Muse’s sound engine makes use of three voltage-controlled oscillators. Two of these are standard audio-rate VCOs, while the third – much like on Moog’s recent Labyrinth – is labelled as a Modulation Oscillator, and is capable of operating in both audible and LFO ranges. 

Even the more conventional VCOs offer plenty of flexibility. Each of these has a Wave Mix slider used for blending between triangle/saw and variable pulse outputs, with individual dials for adjusting the shape and width of each. Between these, there’s a nice amount of waveshape control on offer, even before you factor in the ability to modulate those parameters. 

It’s worth saying that even at their most ‘vanilla’ – with the mix and dial controls far over to triangle mode – Muse’s oscillators still have a touch of harmonic edge to them. This lack of a pure sine output (although this can be achieved with the mod osc) gives the synth a welcome gritty character from the off. Further heft can be created using the two oscillators’ cross-modulation capabilities, which allow for either oscillator to modulate the frequency of the other, as well as offering a separate ring-modulated output at the mixer stage.

The modulation oscillator takes these capabilities further still. Whether used at audible or LFO rates – selectable via a switch – the modulation oscillator can be routed simultaneously to the pitch of both/either of the oscillators, the cutoff of Muse’s dual filters, provide pulse-width modulation or modulate the VCA level. Using a phase inversion switch, it can also be used to provide stereo width. This oscillator has a choice of five fixed wave shapes, including noise, and options to track and/or be retriggered by the keyboard.

These various oscillator sources, along with a white noise generator, can be combined using Muse’s slider-controlled mixer section. This also includes an additional Overload slider, which overdrives the overall mix in order to create lovely clipping using a circuit inspired by Moog’s 1960s CP-3 module, which emphasises even harmonics.

Muse’s filter section makes use of two resonant ladder filters, the first of which can function in either low- or high-pass modes, the second fixed as a low-pass filter. These filters can be arranged in serial, parallel or stereo modes. When we first read the specs for Muse, we initially thought that having two near-identical filters seemed like a missed opportunity compared to, for example, Arturia’s PolyBrute, which has both Ladder and Steiner-Parker filters with their own distinct character. The stereo mode makes this decision more sensible though, as it allows the synth to create patches with interesting stereo characteristics via variations in the left and right filters.

It’s arguably still a shame not to have a little more filter variation, such as additional options to alter the mode and slope of each filter. A link button does mean that, in serial mode, the two filters can be combined to create a single band-pass, but separate band-pass, band-reject or shelving modes for each filter would have added flexibility. That being said, in typical Moog fashion, the filters sound great, particularly with a slight resonance boost used to add punch and bite to basses and leads.

There are a couple of interesting features in the VCA section that further enhance Muse’s stereo capabilities. The first is a simple Pan control; basic on its own, but when layering two sounds in bi-timbral mode, it effectively allows the user to design binaural patches using two panned layers. The second is a Pan Spread function, which can be used to distribute the synth’s voices across the left and right channels.

Possibly our favourite element of Muse’s design is its Diffusion Delay. This is a digital effect module, inspired by vintage rack delays. It’s capable of creating long delay lines with washed-out, reverb-like density that don’t change in pitch as you alter the delay rate. Individual front panel controls allow for hands-on adjustment of both its left and right channel separately, along with the feedback length, while a Character control applies filtering to shape the frequency of the effect. It uses adjustable bit rates to create lo-fi, gritty tones that sound absolutely fantastic, and it’s endless fun for hands-on tweaking. While having just this single effect module puts Muse at a disadvantage compared to some similarly-priced polys, the sheer character of the effect – and how well it suits the overall sound – makes up for some lack of versatility.

The hands-on approach of the design is one of Muse’s strengths across the board. Most elements of the synth come equipped with chunky rotaries to control the core elements, and where menus are involved, they’re easily accessed using neat buttons appended to the corner of each module. Modulation routing is easy to access too, with the main mod sources all offering simple ‘assign’ buttons that let them be routed to any front panel control. Aside from the modulation oscillator, these sources include two loopable ADSR envelopes, a designated pitch LFO, and two additional, user-customisable LFOs. Modulation can also be routed from aftertouch, velocity, pedal inputs, two CV inputs, the synth’s mod wheel and a dedicated front panel macro knob.

Sequencer tricks

Muse’s sequencer is pleasingly deep. Patterns can be recorded live or step sequenced, with each step capable of recording polyphonic pitch data, velocity, gate length, micro timings and timbre assignment. Each step can also contain automation data for the front panel controls. What’s more, as the sequencer and patch banks exist separately, it's possible for sequence patch changes. The sequencer also offers several varieties of probability. It’s possible to give each step a probability amount, either in uni- or bi-polar ranges above/below the sequenced pitch, which can be fixed to a defined scale. Most interesting though is the Coin Toss lane, which allows the user to program alternative notes or parameters for each step, and then allows Muse to ‘toss a coin’ over which of the versions will be played with each repetition. 

Verdict

With its price point just shy of £3k, Muse invites inevitable comparison with a number of other polys. Within a few hundred pounds either way, you have Arturia’s PolyBrute 12, UDO’s Super Gemini, Novation’s Summit, and Sequential’s Prophet-5 and 6, among others. 

For Muse’s part, it’s neither the outright biggest-sounding nor the most versatile of the bunch. Several of the synths named above outstrip Muse in terms of voice count, and we’d argue that those that embrace more of a hybrid analogue-digital design offer a wider spectrum of potential sounds. This is particularly evident when layering patches – for all that Muse is capable of, it can’t match the textural intricacies of some rivals. Muse’s stereo capabilities are very impressive, although it must be said, they’re obviously heavily influenced by what UDO has been doing in recent years.

To find where Muse really shines, use its layers to create a split patch with a rich mono bass in the low ranges and a gritty stereo pad playing chords in the octaves above. This might be the purest form of what one hopes to hear when imagining a ‘Moog poly’; rich, characterful and full of life. Unlike the all-guns-blazing One, Muse nails the balance between modern depth and approachable, hands-on design. It’s not perfect, but this could be the source of inspiration you’ve been waiting for. 

MusicRadar verdict: Muse has its weak points, but it’s also the purest, most characterful poly that Moog has made in recent memory.

Moog Muse: The web says

"With its considered feature set, tactile control surfaces, and an oh-so-premium analogue sound, Muse has an addictive quality that keeps you coming back for more, and more, and more."
MusicTech

Moog Muse: Hands-on demos

Moog Music

Sanjay C

ANDREW HUANG

loopop

Moog Muse: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: 8-voice analogue polysynth with stereo signal path, arp, sequencer, chord mode, diffusion delay effect. i/0: 2x 1/4-inch TRS main out, headphone out, sustain and pedal inputs, 2x CV in, 2x CV out, MIDI in, out and thru, analogue clock in and out, 2x USB.
• CONTACT: Moog

Thanks to his parents’ eclectic vinyl collection, Tino Piontek grew up listening to the prog rock of Genesis and formed a surprising adulation for Phil Collins. 

However, after discovering the Dresden nightlife he soon became an advocate of house music, fell in love with Daft Punk and began producing with a limited hardware setup. By the mid-’90s, Piontek had become an active DJ, although his first Purple Disco Machine release would not appear until 2017 with his disco-drenched debut album Soulmatic appearing five years later.

Soulmatic immediately struck a chord with the disco fraternity and after the release of a second album, Exotica (2021), Purple Disco Machine was arguably one of the most successful contemporary house/disco producers of his generation. For his third album, Paradise, Piontek decided to pay tribute to the disco genre’s forefathers by adapting his approach to production. 

Reaching for his contacts book, he invited live players and session musicians into the studio with a stellar cast of dance acts including Nile Rodgers, Jake Shears, Metronomy and Chromeo. 

Your father was a record collector. How important was that to you becoming the artist you are today?

“Both of my parents brought me to music. It wasn’t something I’d just hear in the background on the radio but a hobby I actively spent my money on. Like you said, my father was a collector in East Germany at a time when it wasn’t easy to find music and you had to spend a lot of time, effort and money going to the black market in Czechia or Hungary to get vinyl. He had a big collection and played it all day, so I grew up with the notion that quality music has a certain value.”

When did you discover a sound or genre that was personal to you?

“I found my own path around 15 or 16 when I explored techno and the whole electronic thing. The techno influence from Berlin became big in my area in the mid-‘90s and that was the first time that I felt a style of the music that had nothing to do with my parents – in fact, they hated techno. I was obsessed with DJs and watched Love Parade and the Mayday festival on TV, so I saved up money for my first turntables and started going to record stores. 

“The problem was that I never really liked techno. I wanted to do something different and it was only when I heard Homework from Daft Punk that I discovered exactly the music I liked. It was a nice combination of techno, disco, funk and old-school hip-hop elements and I knew this was the music I wanted to make so I started sampling disco songs from my parents’ collection, just like Daft Punk did.”

You’ve said that “everyone has a connection to the ‘80s”. Do you have a bigger affinity to that era of dance or electronic music than late ‘60s or ‘70s disco?

“I have an affinity for disco music because I always liked its positive vibe and funky, happy spirit, but at the same time I liked that disco was on the border of being a little bit trashy and silly. Italo disco was huge in Germany – even bigger than Italy, so the italo disco legends were superstars here. I’m mostly obsessed with disco music from the late ‘70s when real people played real instruments and late in the decade legends like Giorgio Moroder combined that with electronic instruments. For me, this period was the best time for music because 50% of it was organic with a lot of soul and 50% was synthesizer and sequencer-based.”

Did you have any idea of how that music was made?

“I had no idea how Daft Punk did it or what gear they used. I bought some gear that I read other people had used but had no clue how to use it myself. The first things I bought were the Korg Electribe sampler series and a vocoder to try to replicate what I was hearing but I didn’t have the patience for it. I had a certain idea in mind, but no idea how to get there and got frustrated because I couldn’t get even close to the artists I was comparing myself to. Daft Punk were top of the league at the time, but my version was completely shit – it sounded shit, the mixing was shit and it was a crap copy of Daft Punk, but I did learn a lot about how synths and oscillators worked, which was important.”

Bringing things up to date, when did you begin to conceive the latest PDM album, Paradise?

“Before I even started working on Paradise I’d had the name in my mind for many years. For every person, paradise means something different – for some it’s a nice beach bar with a cocktail in your hand, but for others it may simply be home. My paradise is my house, my studio and my home town where all my friends and family are - any place I can just be myself. I thought a lot about the kind of music I wanted to make and invited almost every artist to my studio to write the songs in what I consider my paradise.” 

How did that process evolve?

“Before I started working on the album, I listened to a lot of music from the ‘70s and ‘80s to decide what the signature sound should be. A problem for lots of electronic artists like me whose songs feature a lot of singers is that our albums sound more like a compilation. I needed to find that golden thread – a sound that goes from the first song to the last and discovered one or two synths to help me do that. One was the Minimoog for basslines and the Roland JX-8P, which was used on almost every song.”

Why did you turn to the Minimoog and JX-8P for ideas, in particular?

“I knew I wanted to use the Minimoog for basslines and sequences because it sounds super-warm. For the JX-8P, I just wanted to recreate the feeling I had from listening to lots of songs from the ‘80s and Hi-NRG producers like Bobby Orlando, which is when I discovered that a lot of musicians used the JX-8P at that time. 

“The synth only has about 20 presets but each one can be connected to a song from that era and for people who are impatient, like me, you can get quick results without having to work with oscillators or filters for hours. I also used the Solton Arranger for basslines on almost every song because it’s a really rare Italian synth that was used quite a lot on italo disco records.” 

You also started collaborating with, not just vocalists, but session musicians?

“First, I started working on song ideas with Matt Johnson, the keyboard player from Jamiroquai. He came to Dresden for a week to write lots of demos and after we had 30 or 40 I invited songwriters to my home to start writing lyrics and pitched demos to singers and instrumentalists that I’d mostly worked with before. By the end we had 40 or 50 songs, but the most complicated part was finding the 15 best ones. If a song wasn’t going to be released on Paradise I knew that I would never release it again as I’d rather start from scratch on my next album than use old ideas.”

We’re assuming Nile Rodgers is someone you’d longed to work with?

“It was important for me to work with people who share my love for disco, funk and analogue synths. I made a list of names I wanted to work with like Metronomy, who is one of my all-time favourite artists, Chromeo and Jake Shears. When I was in LA sitting with Chromeo in the studio, they had an even bigger collection of analogue synths than me and we spent half of the day talking about why they use what they do. It was like little kids sitting in Legoland having fun. 

“Nile Rodgers was also on my list but we never reached out to him because it’s Nile Rodgers, so why should he work with me? Most of the songs on the album were also high-energy mid-‘80s stuff rather than the funky disco stuff that Niles is into. But after we recorded the live strings for the track Honey Boy, the whole thing turned into a super-classy disco song and I still had Nile on my list so I thought there still might be a 1% chance he would say yes.” 

How did you get his contribution over the line?

“The label reached out to him, but after six months there was no reply so I thought, shit, let’s have one more try as my manager happened to be a good friend of Nile’s manager. I also wrote to Nile on Instagram and within two days he asked to hear the song and then instantly said that he loved it and recorded guitar licks for me. When I got the email and stared unpacking the stems I was like a little kid unpacking my presents at Christmas. The thought of Nile Rodgers recording stems for my song was surreal and then we finally met at the same event and he told me that every time he finishes his live set he plays the track Honey. To me, that’s crazy.”

Was your studio stocked enough for all the other live players that contributed to the album?

“My studio isn’t basic but the setup is perfect for me. I don’t have the space to record drums, we did those in Berlin, but I have my DAW and all the synths are routed to a huge Allen & Heath analogue mixer. I’m not a big piano player, but when I want to trigger a MIDI line, bass or chord on my DAW I can grab every single sound from every analogue synth because they’re all routed to the mixer via a MIDI patch. My analogue synths are basically like having VST plugins, for example, the Oberheim OB-X is on MIDI channel 8 and the Roland Juno-6 is on MIDI channel 9 etc. I also have Sequential’s new Prophet-10, which I absolutely love. It’s linked to all the other synths, so I can use it as a MIDI keyboard or to play sounds from a Juno-106 or Juno-60.”

Presumably, you’re using software for mostly audio effects?

“For me, software is important. My DAW is Cubase and every analogue synth is replicated with the same VST plugin. When I start working on ideas, I start with the VST version because I might not be at the studio or I want to get rough ideas down quickly before trying to adjust to using something like the Minimoog. Once I’ve found the perfect sound, I’ll go to the analogue synth and start recreating. 

“On the effects side, 90% of the effects I use are digital. I used to use analogue effects units like the Space Echo but found that I had to spend too much time routing hardware units to all my synths. I have to say that the effects coming out of Steinberg are super-good. I use Valhalla for 95% of my reverbs and the Space Echo VST emulation or H-Delay plugin for delay.”

Would you say that VST effects are much closer emulations of hardware than their synthesiser counterparts?

“I did some A/B tests and most people would probably not be able to tell the difference between an analogue or VST plugin as the VSTs are so good right now. For my working process, it just feels more natural to work with analogue synths because the haptic is different and I like to work with knobs rather than a mouse. 

“On the effects side, maybe I’m just a bit lazy and spend so much time on a sound that I don’t feel the need to go crazy finding the right delay. I also think that analogue synths sound richer, warmer and brighter. I learned years ago from a mixing engineer that if you have to adjust or EQ a sound too much because it’s clashing with other sounds, then maybe you should find a different one.” 

It sounds like you have a very clear idea from the start of the types of sounds you want to use? 

“When I work on music I have a 3D room in my mind and for every place in this room I try to find the right sound and give it its moment to shine. I’m not a big fan of layering 15 different sounds when you can use one that’s bright, rich and can be easily recognised. That applies to all sounds, whether it’s a bassline, brass or chords and so I spend most of my time looking for the right sound without using too many effects. The only effect I regularly use is chorus. For example, a chorus from the Juno-60 or 106 is the best and a digital chorus will never get close to those.”

Do you think a lot of electronic dance music suffers as it’s too focused on digital production techniques?

“There’s no soul in electronic music anymore. Everything sounds so compressed and the energy is always high-level but there are no dynamics. It’s why I prefer to mix my songs like a band with the singer at the front, the drummer further back etc rather than have everything in the middle fighting against all of the other instruments. Just like a band, if you place everyone or everything in the room wisely, the end result will sound better.”

How do you think you have evolved as a producer on this third album?

“Pre-Covid, I was always working on my own and never a big fan of sharing my studio with other musicians. After Covid, I learned the positive effect of working with people in the same room on a creative level and almost jamming like a band. I think you can hear that the music has more organic elements and is a bit more eclectic, which is why I like making albums. 

“If you just release club singles it gets boring, but on an album I get to work on stuff like downtempo or R&B-influenced songs that I’d never release as a club tune. It’s been inspiring to say, okay, not every idea I have is the best and sometimes a musician’s idea is better than mine. Basically, the best idea wins and thinking like the classic disco bands did 30 or 40 years ago is how I’ll continue to evolve into the future.” 

Purple Disco Machine's, Paradise, is out September 20 on Sony Music. For more information, visit the official website.

For many musicians and sound designers, a selection of effects is a must have, bringing the benefits of additional tools that your instruments may not have, as well as making them available to multiple instruments. 

Look at synth players and you will often find a number of guitar effects pedals and this is true of keyboard based and modular players. But that could be flipped around, or looked at from another perspective. Why not use your Eurorack rig to process external sounds, either instead or in addition?

Using Eurorack to process external audio offers a huge range of possibilities over pedals. There’s the inherent versatility you get. Interoperability makes for some really interesting patching opportunities and, if you’re already a Eurorack user, then you don’t necessarily need to spend much either.

There are some modules you’ll need to get started but these tend to be cheap and readily available. Chief amongst these is some form of input device, to get your audio in at a usable level for Eurorack. A simple I/O like Strymon’s AA.1 could work, or you could take it up a step and use something with a few more options. We like to use Mutable Music Thing’s Ears, as it has not only an input and amplifier but an envelope follower and a gate output, which can be used for some interesting patching, without the need for extra modules. Handy if you want to make a breakout-processing skiff.

The main consideration is to have an idea of what you’d like to achieve with your effects. It could well be that more traditional tasks are all you need but in a different format to effects pedals. This is an easy setup but retains the modular benefits and could mean just a simple delay, reverb, drive and modulation like a phaser. The choices here are pretty varied in size, cost and user experience but most will give you more than pedals.

That said, one consideration is where you’ll be using them. For gigging, modular won’t give you stompbox switching, unless you invest in an external foot switcher, but in the studio it can be fantastic to have everything on the desk, without all the cable clutter a pedal board brings with it. If you’re studio-based you can think about a MIDI interface too, so you can tie in effects with your DAW, something that’s much harder with pedals.

Other than the standard fare effects, you have some exciting tools in Eurorack format to take things a bit further. All the sound-shaping you use for patches can be put into service for effects too, making swells for your reverbs with envelopes, or clocking delays, filter instead of wah and making bitcrushed lo-fi guitar or synth sounds can breathe new life into existing gear.

We’ve put together a little rig to look at how this could work in practice, with some key modules that can do the job. Being modular, there are multiple options for each of these, so work with what you have, the principles will be the same and we all have our own preferences for which modules we prefer. We’ve opted for Ear as an input and AA.1 for output, Rings for some fun resonating, an envelope generator from Wavefonix, Modbap’s new CLRS as a lo-fi effect, Z-DSP as it is a powerhouse effects unit but in this case we’ll be using it as a reverb. We went with Knobula’s Echo Cinematic for delay and a handful of others to experiment with. 

For a really small effects unit look at something like Endorphin.es Ghost (which there is also a pedal variant of) as it offers delta, reverb, filtering and drive. That combined with Ear is an excellent way to dip your toe into the waters of modular effects, as you’ll see in our accompanying video.

Back to basics: create a simple but effective minimalist processing patch

For the most basic patch we can use a multi-effect module. There are lots to choose from, including many DSP-based modules, or go more old school analogue. The first thing you need to do is to get your low level input up to Eurorack’s hotter signal, so you will need an input device. For this we’ve chosen to use Ears, which has a built-in amplifier, suitable for most instruments. For the effects portion we’ve chosen Ghost, paired with Z_DSP, with the halls of Valhalla card installed. This gives a heap of options for effects and modulation and easy integration with a wider setup if you need it. For now, we’ll make it super simple but with a neat trick to make drive sounds more dynamic.

First up you’ll need to plug in your instrument: in our case, a Fender Parallel Universe Strat/Tele hybrid. You’ll need a cable or adapter to ensure your input is 3.5mm. Turn the knob until you see the gate and envelope follower LEDs light up. The brightness indicates the level.

Take the output from Ears and patch it into Ghost’s input and then patch Ear’s envelope follower into Ghost’s dist.cv input and crank the knob to set your maximum distortion. This will vary depending on input levels and pickup type.

Patch into your output device (Strymon AA.1 for us) and you’re done. Dial in any reverb or delay and then play away. Using Ear’s envelope follower like this means that the harder you hit strings, the more distortion you get. You can apply the same techniques to control CV for anything. A really dynamic way to play.

Impact modulations: using dynamics of an audio signal to create modulations  in a patch

Plug your instrument into Ears as in the previous walkthrough. As we’ll make use of the envelope generator for a couple of things. Patch this into a mult, taking the first copy to the distortion CV input of Ghost, so that you get a falloff in the dirt of each note. Use the output knob to balance your signal. The distortion can increase the perceived volume quite a lot, so you might need to tweak to suit.

Patch a second copy into the FRQ socket of Batumi, giving you dynamic control over the LFO speed. Now patch the first sine wave output from Batumi into the repeat CV point on Ghost. This means that every time you strike a note you’ll get a swell of repeated that fades away as the note rings out. Play with other modules too, like reverb size or phaser mix.

Use Ghost’s filter to reduce some of the high end a little. For added interest, modulate this and/or the resonance with a slow gentle LFO, taken from Batumi’s second channel. It can be interesting to add some sharper, sudden, modulation instead, so experiment with wave shapes for this. A random output from a different source could work but we prefer a smoother modulation.

Patch Ghost’s output into your reverb and set to taste. We’re using the Z-DSP, as  our end goal is a huge ambient guitar sound and the Asgard algorithm is perfect for this. A third copy from the mult can be used to control a fading of parameters here too. For us it’s the length stopping things from feeling too slushy and messy. As this and the distortion fade at the same time it gives a more interesting sound.

Take the gate from Ears and patch it into the strum input of Rings and set Rings to orange mode. Tune it to your root note, in my case D, then add any modulation you feel like, and patch the output into a VCA, along with the two outputs from Z-DSP. A mixer works just fine too but a VCA offers extra modulation options, should you want them. 

You may find that certain frequency ranges are a bit much, especially when you add drive or big reverbs. If that happens, use an EQ of some kind to tame things before output. For this we turned to Endorphin.es Golden Master, in Blue mode. We reduced the low end by pressing and holding the Low Band button and turning the knob. From here, you can go to your recording device and the job is done!

Back in May, British synth manufacturer UDO announced the Super 8, a polyphonic analogue synth with a binaural signal path that sits in their product line-up between their debut instrument the Super 6 and its successor the Super Gemini.

This week, the Super 8 is finally available to pre-order and priced at $3,299/£3,111/3,599€ over at Thomann. (If you're in the UK, the synth is available now from Andertons for £2995.) Recap the Super 8's specs below and watch a video from UDO on the synth's self-oscillating filter or read our reviews of the Super Gemini and Super 6. 

Original article

[16/05/2024] UK-based synth maker UDO has unveiled a new instrument at this year's Superbooth gear expo.

Sitting in the middle of their product line-up between their debut synth, the 12-voice Super 6 and the beastly 20-voice, multitimbral Super Gemini, the Super 8 packs many of the features of its bigger brother into a slightly smaller and lighter form factor with a reduced price tag. 

Super 8 offers 16-voice polyphony when not used in its binaural mode, which reduces the number of voices available to 8. Aside from the reduced polyphony, the most notable difference between the Super 8 and Super Gemini is the omission of the Gemini's ribbon controller and the extra set of controls that could be used to control the bitimbral synth's second sound layer. (Super 16 is still bitimbral, but you'll have to switch between layers on one set of controls.) The synth also comes in at 13.4kg, about a kilo lighter than the Super Gemini.

From here on out, the Super 8's architecture is similar to UDO's other synths: it's a hybrid instrument with high-resolution, FPGA-based digital oscillators and two analogue filters (a 4-pole 24dB/oct low pass and a 1-pole 6dB/oct high pass) and it offers the same Binaural Mode, which makes use of the synth's true stereo signal path to pair up its 16 voices into 8 'super voices', each of which gives both the left and right channels an independent synth voice. 

Waveforms available include sine, saw, square, triangle, and noise, along with 32 additional waveforms that can be updated by the user. You'll also find various bells and whistles that include oscillator sync, ring mod, PWM and wave morphing, along with a Super Mode that'll give you six extra unison voices for each oscillator. 

Though it lacks the ribbon controller found on the Super Gemini, Super 8 still has polyphonic aftertouch on its 61-note semi-weighted keyboard, something Super 6 does not. Elsewhere, you'll find the same modulation matrix, multi-mode arpeggiator and 64-step sequencer as the Gemini, along with an effect section that includes stereo chorus and a delay with a freeze function that can be used as a rudimentary looper.

All in all, the Super 8 looks like an excellent choice for those drawn to UDO's unique approach to synth design but torn between the two options in their line-up. If you're after more than 12-voice polyphony but aren't particularly fussed about the independent bitimbral controls or the ribbon controller, this could be the synth for you.  

Super 8 is priced at $3749/£2995/€3669 and will be shipping in July 2024. 

Find out more on UDO's website.

Moog Spectravox: What is it?

Moog’s latest rackable semi-modular first appeared back in 2019 as a DIY project built by attendees of the company’s Moogfest event. Previous Moogfests had seen synths including the DFAM and Subharmonicon make their public debut in the same way, before going on to re-emerge as fully-fledged, non-DIY products a few months later. At the time, it was fairly safe to assume that Spectravox would follow in their footsteps.

A lot has happened since 2019 though, including a global pandemic, disrupted supply chains and on a more specific level, Moog’s sale to InMusic and the significant downsizing of its US operation. When a mass market Spectravox failed to appear, it looked likely it would end-up as an oddball rarity among the wider history of Moog products.

But now Spectravox is back – in a slightly redesigned form – labelled a ‘semi-modular analog spectral processor’. We'll get to exactly what that means in a moment, but first, let’s address the elephant in the room. Spectravox is the first hardware Moog product released since the company was taken over by InMusic, and the first not to be assembled in the company’s North Carolina HQ.

Placing Spectravox next to its sibling products, there’s no obvious drop in quality. Significantly though, a small label on the rear of Spectravox notes that it’s ‘made in Taiwan’. The wood panelling on the ends of the unit is a slightly different tone to that of the DFAM and Subharmonicon we have to hand too, although not noticeably worse quality. Ultimately, it’s difficult to judge any difference in build in the short amount of time available for a review – the real test will be to see how each unit holds up to heavy use over a period of months or years. First impressions are positive though. Also, whereas previous instruments came packaged with a full A4-sized manual/patch sheet, Spectravox has just a fold-out quick start guide, although Moog does also throw in a poster and five cardboard overlays for the synth’s interface that act as basic patch templates.

Moog Spectravox: Performance and verdict

So what actually is Spectravox? It’s a combination of a filter bank, vocoder and simple monosynth. The main attraction here is the bank of 10 individual filters, which break the audio signal down into discrete frequency bands. That audio can be provided either by the internal oscillator and noise generator, or an external signal patched into the carrier input on the patchbay. Each band has its own level control, along with a CV input to modulate the band’s amplitude and a CV output that, in vocoder mode, transforms that frequency into a modulation envelope signal based on the Program (aka modulator) analysis.

All 10 filters share a single resonance control. What sets Spectravox apart from most other filter banks is its ability to shift the frequency range of all these filters simultaneously. This can be done manually, using the Spectral Shift control, or modulated via the internal triangle LFO or patchbay input.

The output of all filter bands is then summed and fed into a VCA, controlled by a basic envelope with a decay control. This envelope can be triggered using the patchbay, a front panel button or respond to the Program input.

Spectravox functions in two modes – Filterbank and Vocoder. In the former it works like a simple monosynth, albeit with a filter bank in the middle of its signal patch and the ability to swap the oscillator for an audio input. It’s worth noting that as Spectravox lacks a keyboard, sequencer or MIDI input; in order to ‘play’ it as a synthesizer, you’ll need something to patch into the 1v/Oct and Trigger inputs in the patchbay.

Switched to Vocoder mode, the Program input comes into play, acting as the modulator signal in a classic vocoder setup. Note that, likely as a result of its all-analogue design, Spectravox is quite noisy as vocoders go, and doesn’t exactly excel at clear, intelligible vocal lines. It is wonderfully characterful though, and by adjusting the relative levels of the frequency bands, as well engaging the resonance and spectral modulation, you can create some lovely odd synthesized tones.

In fact, we’d argue that Spectravox is best when not being treated like a traditional vocoder. The Program input can be fed a variety of sources as well as the human voice, and can do some fascinating things when fed distorted drum beats or resonant acid-like synths. As one would hope, it pairs particularly well with Moog’s own DFAM.

This is a theme for Spectravox as a whole – the more hardware you have to pair with it, the better it becomes. Of all Moog’s semi-modulars, this is the one that makes the least sense as a standalone purchase. Yes, it can function as a monosynth or vocoder – although the lack of MIDI feels like a needless hindrance on this front – but it comes to life when integrated into a wider rig and pushed into more unconventional use cases. The good crop of front panel CV offers a wide array of creative options. The ability to use each filter band as a CV envelope follower, routed to modulate other hardware, is a highlight and has the potential to keep you entertained long after the novelty of the ‘robot voice’ vocoder sound wears off.

MusicRadar verdict: There are better vocoders out there, but Spectravox is at its best when integrated into a wider setup and pushed to its creative limits.

Moog Spectravox: Hands-on demos

Moog Music

Sarah Belle Reid

loopop

Reverb

Moog Spectravox: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: 10-band filter bank and vocoder, with internal oscillator (triangle/square wave), noise generator, plus resonance and spectral modulation with triangle wave LFO.
• I/O: 1⁄4” TRS headphone or 1⁄4” TS Instrument output, Combi XLR/TS input, patchbay: 19 inputs, 17 outputs.
• CONTACT: Moog

Moog Labyrinth: What is it?

Just a few weeks after its last release, Spectravox, Moog’s latest instrument is another semi-modular addition to the US brand’s range that also includes the Mother-32, DFAM and Subharmonicon.

Moog describes Labyrinth as a ‘parallel generative analogue synth’, a set of words that excites my inner Autechre fan, even if it’s not instantly obvious what they might mean combined. In practice, the first two words refer to two distinctive elements of Labyrinth’s design – its unique dual-path synth engine, and its sequencer, which uses randomisation tools in order to create some unpredictable, polymetric patterns.

Let’s set those generative tools aside for a moment. While they’re undoubtedly an important part of its character, even divorced from these sequencing tools, Labyrinth is a fascinating and capable monosynth in its own right.

The design here is based around two oscillators. The first is a simple sine wave VCO, while the second is a triangle wave generator labelled as a Mod VCO. The reason for this distinction is that the latter oscillator has an unusually broad operating range, from an audible 1.3kHz at the top end down to slow LFO speeds in its lower ranges. As a result it can function as both a sound and a modulation source.

These oscillators feed into the mixer section in different ways. Each has its own level control, but there’s also a level control for the combined ring modulated output of the two. Further modulation options come from an FM dial, which modulates the frequency of the sine wave osc by the output of the Mod VCO. 

Each oscillator can also be modulated by the first of Labyrinth’s two envelopes or by one of the sequencer channels. The mixer itself is designed to be overdriven, resulting in a pleasant analogue saturation that nicely rounds off the harsh upper frequencies of more extreme cross-modulation tones.

The key ‘parallel’ element to Labyrinth’s design lies in what happens after the mixer. Here the sound feeds into two distinct processors – one multimode 2-pole filter, one voltage-controlled wavefolder. A switch dictates if these are arranged in serial or parallel configurations. 

By default, the summed mixer output is sent into whichever of these elements is first in the chain, although by making use of the individual inputs and outputs in the patchbay, you can route the oscillators separately for a truly parallel signal path.

The inclusion of the diode-transistor wavefolder adds a nice touch of Buchla-esque, West Coast character to Labyrinth, complementing the audio-rate modulation of the oscillators. This wavefolder creates distortion by folding the incoming waveform back in on itself when driven over a certain threshold.

The VCW Fold control adjusts the level of this effect, which can be modulated using EG1, a CV input or Labyrinth’s sequencer. This is joined by a Bias control, which alters the symmetry of the wavefolding and the harmonics created.

While the 2-pole resonant filter is more straightforward Moog fare, it’s notable for the fact that it can be seamlessly morphed between low- and band-pass configurations. The wavefolder and filter are each given their own voltage-controlled amplifiers, which can be shaped using a shared decay control or individual CV inputs in the patch bay.

The balance of these two outputs is altered using a front panel Blend dial – which also gets a patchbay CV input – allowing users to mix the direct outputs of the wavefolder and filter VCAs whether in parallel or serial configuration.

Backup generator

Labyrinth’s sequencer puts a heavy emphasis on randomisation, albeit in a fairly controllable manner. The sequencer makes use of two lanes – labelled Seq 1 and Seq 2 – that can each be up to eight steps in length. These are primarily designed to be used in parallel, though you can chain the two together to create a single 16-step sequencer.

Rather than contain specific note or parameter information, each sequencer step – referred to here as a ‘Bit’ – is assigned a simple on or off state. When set to on, that step will generate a trigger and a random voltage.

These voltages can have a range between +5 volts and -5 volts, which equates to 10 octaves for Labyrinth’s 1v/oct configuration. This range can be narrowed down, however, using each sequencer’s CV range control. More useful still is the ability to quantise these randomised outputs to one of 16 defined scales.

Further randomisation can be introduced using each sequencer’s Corrupt controls. When set to zero, each sequence will repeat in a predictable, stable manner. Dialling in the Corrupt control up to the 50% mark will introduce changes to the pitches triggered by each Bit. Above 50%, Corrupt begins to alter the rhythm of sequences too, by introducing the possibility that each Bit will flip between off and on with each cycle.

As already alluded to, there are various pre-routed places where these sequenced voltages can be applied to the signal path, including the pitch of each oscillator and the levels of the wavefolder and filter cutoff. The patchbay inputs add further possibilities too.

Particularly interesting is the EG Trig Mix control, which adjusts the level to which each sequencer triggers the synth’s internal envelopes. At either extreme this means that Labyrinth only registers triggers from Seq 1 or Seq 2, while the central position gives equal emphasis to the two.

Any position between these, however, will mean that triggers from one sequencer are registered at a lower velocity than the other, which can be a great tool for introducing an element of variation into sequences, particularly when the two sequencers are set to different lengths or levels of randomisation.

In terms of sound creation tools then, these synth and sequencer elements combine to make one of the most interesting new instruments of recent times. In its self-contained state, the combo of audio-rate modulation, wavefolding and randomisation give Labyrinth a wonderfully experimental feel, making it an ideal gateway into the more esoteric concepts of modular electronic music.

If there’s one criticism I have of its self-contained workflow, it’s that the basic decay-only envelopes necessitate a fairly percussive sound palette, which arguably undersells what the synth engine itself is capable of. This, to be fair, is one area where the semi-modular patchbay pays dividends. The CV inputs for each of the VCAs allow for control via any more complex envelope shapers you have available from external Eurorack gear or another semi-modular synth.

The MIDI input – included on some Moog semi-modulars, but disappointingly absent from others – is another welcome inclusion. This allows for Labyrinth to be played in a more traditional monosynth manner via a keyboard controller or DAW, but also means that the generative sequencers can be synced to an external MIDI clock, enhancing their capabilities as a versatile source of randomisation in the studio.

Moog Labyrinth: Performance and verdict

There’s a lot to like about the overall design of Labyrinth, although I have a few misgivings about the hardware itself. When I reviewed Moog’s Spectravox last issue, I noted that it was the first of Moog’s hardware products to be released since the brand was acquired by InMusic, and since the closure of Moog’s longtime Asheville HQ. While Spectravox notably featured a ‘made in Taiwan’ label on its underside (as does Labyrinth), there was little in the way of an obvious drop in quality compared to previous Moog releases, aside from the lack of a fully printed manual.

This isn’t necessarily the case with Labyrinth, sadly. For one thing, the control surface here makes considerable use of fiddly, uncapped rotaries. These have been a feature of most recent Moog semi-modulars – used for the sequencers of DFAM and Subharmonicon – but they play a more prominent role here, used for adjusting modulation levels, envelope decay and sequencer ranges. The result is an interface that feels unpleasantly fiddly in use.

Worse still are the tiny, loose-feeling buttons used for programming the sequencers, which are both uncomfortable to use and feel like they’re lacking durability. Many deeper sequencer functions rely on awkward, unlabelled combos of button presses. It has to be said too that, at least for our review unit, the Run/Stop button is somewhat unresponsive, often not registering anything other than a firm press.

It’s unclear if any of these things are a direct result of Moog’s new ownership, but it results in Labyrinth feeling somewhat lower quality than some of its stablemates.

To be fair though, none of this detracts too much from the high points of Labyrinth’s design, namely its sound and versatility. While some of Moog’s semi-modular instruments are only likely to appeal in specific contexts or paired with other bits of modular gear, as with Spectravox or Subharmonicon, there’s a lot to recommend Labyrinth, whether it's used as a self-contained desktop synth, as a part of a wider Moog rig or installed as a synth voice-come-sequencer in a Eurorack system.

If you can look past the fiddly interface, there’s a lot to find inspiring here.

MusicRadar verdict: Let down by fiddly rotaries and a cheap-feeling sequencer, but we love its West Coast sound and experimental design

Noise Lab Formantic: What is it?

Filters are the most common tone-shaping tool used in synthesis and no matter what your preferred option, from band-pass to notch, there will be modules that cater to your needs. That said, some offer more than others, so why stick to a simple single mode filter, when there are other, more versatile, possibilities out there?

That’s where Noise Lab of Sweden steps up, with Formantic. This isn’t the smallest filter module on the market at 16hp, but it delivers a lot for the space with some fun and very useful tricks up its sleeves.

Noise Lab Formantic: Performance and verdict

Formantic is more than just a standard filter. It comes with two band-pass filters, plus a 24dB low-pass filter but, unlike some others, it isn’t a case of pick one option and live with it. Formantic revels in the interplay between the different filters and can do so in some novel and very musical ways.

There are two inputs. The first is routed through all the filters, while the second only passes through the low-pass. Each filter has separate controls for resonance, and frequency and the dominating cutoff knob controls all filters at once, so you dial in individual tones, then effect them all together for ease of use while performing or recording.

While there are CV inputs for each filter, a clever move by Noise Lab is the addition of a joystick, which controls the two band-pass filters, one on the X axis and the other on the Y axis. This makes it easy to set up an overall sound, or to make one that evolves via external modulation but can also be played in the moment using the cutoff knob and joystick. The joystick is a touch on the small side but it is responsive and playable, so only a minor niggle.

When it comes to actually creating formants with this module things really start to become fun. While it never quite sounds like a voice as such, Formantic really delivers on expressive tonal changes, which can be achieved a number of ways, or by combining methods.

Other than manipulating the onboard controls, which is very satisfying indeed and works great in a performance setting, the best way is CV input. What works really well is a combination of clocked modulation, alongside more random voltages. So a simple LFO running into band-pass A’s resonance, while band-pass B gets a more random voltage can yield some impressive results that sound organic in a very musical way. If one of these inputs is clocked then you get a semi-synced expressiveness that is hard to achieve otherwise. On top of that you have a band-pass gain knob, which, while never driving hard, does offer a little hair to your signal. 

Then there’s the path switch, which dictates the signal flow behind the scenes, from series to parallel. This makes a marked difference to the output and is worth experimenting with for different tonalities.

MusicRadar verdict: Takes filters to another level, with bucket loads of manual and CV control, and options for a huge variety of tones, all in a solidly-built module.

Noise Lab Formantic: Hands-on demos

Noise Lab Sweden

John Schussler

Noise Lab Formantic: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: I/O: Two resonant band-pass filters, 24dB low-pass filter, CV controllable, Series and parallel path options.
• CONTACT: Noise Lab

SYNTH WEEK 2024: Much like vinyl, ‘analogue’ technology is held in high esteem, but debate rages around the realities of its lauded properties. More than 50 years after the first mass market analogue synthesiser hit the market, their basic format is more widespread than ever. 

Do analogue synths really sound better? What makes this theoretically outdated tech remain so popular in the supposedly forward-thinking realm of electronic music making? 

There are certain things that only software and digital synthesisers can do, such as complex frequency modulation, granular or wavetable synthesis. In theory at least, there’s little an analogue synth can do that can’t be replicated in the digital realm. 

Countless virtual analogue instruments offer exact replicas of classic synth engines, often offering extra convenience through increased voice counts, full parameter recall and – in hardware – a more convenient form factor. So why would anybody want to bother with an analogue synth?

The reality, of course, isn’t quite so simple. Analogue synths are still prized by a multitude of electronic musicians. In fact, with the rise of affordable analogue instruments and Eurorack modular synthesis has meant that true analogue synths have become considerably more accessible and widespread over the past decade.

We put the question of analogue’s longevity to synth designer/aficionado Tom Carpenter, of UK brand Analogue Solutions. “Imagine painting a picture, but your easel is at the end of a long hallway and you have to manipulate the brush from outside, via the letterbox, using some very long tweezers,” he explains, when asked about his adversity to software synths. “Many physical digital hardware synths aren’t much better either. For me, if I have to go even one layer down in a menu then that’s me done.”

This physicality is something that is regularly cited as a primary draw of analogue synths. While digital hardware, obviously, also offers an element of hands-on interactivity, the tacticity of adjusting knobs and faders on a voltage-controlled instrument can be difficult to emulate. This becomes ever more true in the semi-modular and modular realms, where physically patching control voltages (CV) provides not only hands-on interaction, but an element of unpredictability. CV signals can create ‘happy accidents’ in a way unlikely to happen in digital synths.

When it comes to analogue synth design, few can match the career of the late, great Dave Smith. His original Sequential Circuits brand was responsible for some of the most influential instruments of the ’70s and ’80s, such as the Pro One and Prophet-5, and after re-entering the market with Dave Smith Instruments in 2005 (later renamed Sequential) he also created some of the most lauded synths of the 21st century. For him, the draw of analogue all came down to the sonics. 

“They sound better!” he once told us. “I continually have artists telling me how good they sound. They are also much more fun and interactive to play; they feel like a musical instrument should. I could talk about all the subtleties of analogue circuitry, but just use your ears.” 

While Analogue Solutions has, as the brand name suggests, stuck fairly rigidly to analogue circuitry in the design of their synths, Smith’s DSI and Sequential brands dabbled in digital technology on a number of occasions. In the late-’00s Dave Smith Instruments began equipping synths with DCOs – digitally controlled oscillators that offered analogue sound with more stable tuning. 

The Pro-3 went further with the inclusion of a full wavetable oscillator and digital synth engine. When we spoke to him a few years ago, we asked Smith if he believed in a perfect ‘middle ground’ where digital elements can sit alongside analogue.

“Certainly. Technology has come a long way since I designed the Prophet-5 in 1977,” he explained. “We take advantage of that. The sweet spot depends on the instrument design. Sometimes we use a digital oscillator or wavetable oscillator, sometimes VCOs, sometimes a mix. The most critical part is the filter; we always use analogue filters. Other controls like modulation, LFOs, and envelopes are best done digitally these days, for many reasons.”

Fall and rise

The consensus on analogue synths hasn’t been a constant over the past 50 years though, as another synth design icon, Tom Oberheim, explained to us in 2019. “Dave Smith’s Sequential Circuits went under in 1986 and by then I knew Roger Linn really well and his first company went under. Everything was turning digital. The Yamaha DX7 started the digital revolution in 1983 and then there was the Korg M1 and the Roland D50, so analogue became pretty much dead. 

“It became a different world, people wanted perfect strings, perfect brass and a Fender Rhodes that didn’t weigh 200 pounds.” Oberheim credits modern dance music and the Eurorack community as the biggest promoters of the analogue revival. 

“Two things happened when the new century arrived. Dave Smith got back in the business in 2005, but the other thing was this growing monster called Eurorack. Thanks to the dance crowd and the Eurorack crowd, analogue is back and better than ever. It was a bumpy ride for someone like me who had been so involved. I was the second generation – the first generation was Bob Moog and Donald Buchla, but here we are and the synths are back thanks largely to the dance producer folks.”

From a designer’s point of view, how does the process of creating analogue instruments differ now compared to the ’70s? “Generally designing is easier since the design tools are so much better now,” Smith told us. “Some old components have been brought back, like the Curtis parts made by OnChip, Doug’s company, used in the Prophet-5. Other parts are hard or impossible to find, so we find alternate parts with the same analogue flavour.”

Tom Carpenter also sees positives in comparison to when he formed Analogue Solutions in the mid-’90s. “It’s easier in one sense – I now have 25+ years experience, and remember this doesn’t just cover synth design but also running a business and manufacturing. It takes knowledge of sheet metal, printing, packaging. Also shipping, tax laws and all aspects of running a business. But that 25 years+ means that each product evolves as I do, adding more adventurous features.”

For many reasons though, both designers flag how tough the current climate is. “It is getting harder,” Carpenter tells us. “The main reason is skyrocketing costs due to inflation and the global supply issues.” “In the last year, all ICs are hard to find and costs are going way up,” Smith explains.

Fake it 'til you make it

How does the threat look from the digital front? Are emulations close to eclipsing the need for authentic circuitry? Even ardent believer Tom Carpenter admits they’ve come a long way. “Many sound ‘the same’ in a blind test. Does it matter what instrument is used as long as the song is good? Perhaps not.”

The lure of analogue is not dead though. “Personally, I get no joy from using a fake,” he tells us. “A ‘clone’ of a synth is not the original.” 

Dave Smith was more dismissive. “I haven’t tried any in many years,” he told us. “I’m guessing they have improved, though for me it’s about look and feel. I’d much rather be in front of a hardware synth with a set of knobs that never change or move. It’s all about interacting with a real musical instrument.”

What makes analogue effects so special?

It’s not only within the synth realm that analogue circuitry is prized. What does vintage effect technology have to offer over high-spec plugins?

Discussing ‘analogue’ in the effects realm is a little different to talking about synths. We often talk about analogue gear having ‘character’, which is generally always a good thing in a synth, but not necessarily so in an effect. Sure, many creative effects impart a certain sound to our music, but some mixing and mastering tools are best when transparent – doing their job without us really knowing they’re there. 

The physicality is less of a dealbreaker too, as although some effects are great to manipulate by hand – live tweaking a filter, for example – in many cases the state-saving and automation available in software is far more desirable. That said, some effect types still work best in the analogue realm. Let’s take a look at a few notable examples.

Analogue compressors come in various forms, but they tend to be prized for the characterful way they respond to signals, particularly when ‘pushed’ hard. A lot of this comes down to saturation – applying subtle harmonics for a ‘hi-fi’ sheen. This can have the effect of ‘glueing’ sounds together. For a cheap modern option, try UA’s new FET-equipped Volt interfaces.

Tape recorders/delays are still sought after for their distinctive but often desirable unreliability. This results in ‘wow’ and ‘flutter’ – subtle modulations in the speed and pitch of the audio. Tapes also impart a distinctive distortion, and tend to lose high content to create a ‘darker’ sound. To snag the analogue tone without breaking the bank, pick up a cheap tape recorder and bounce down your audio for authentic tape effects.

Channel strips in classic mixing consoles combined amplification, EQ and compression, each of which could impart a distinct character. These can be great for glueing bus channels together by adding subtle ‘warm’ saturation and a unified character across multiple elements. SSL’s SiX mixer offers authentic analogue channel strips at an affordable(ish) price.

It’s tempting to think that creating a new version of an existing synth must be easy - just copy what’s there, right? However, Behringer wants to make it clear that its ongoing mission to emulate and enhance the classic Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 has been no bed of technical roses.

In one of its latest Facebook missives, Behringer has revealed the lengths it’s gone to to create a synth that “stays true to the original while adding modern capabilities”. These include 16 voices of polyphony (as opposed to the original’s 5), multimode filters, 8-mode atrophy settings and polyphonic aftertouch.

“Recreating this synthesizer was no small feat,” says Behringer. “The engineering work involved is extraordinarily complex, requiring meticulous attention to detail and precision.”

The company goes on to explain that “One of the most challenging aspects of this project was the development of an 8-layer printed circuit board (PCB). For those unfamiliar, a PCB is essentially the backbone of any electronic device, housing all the components and ensuring they work together seamlessly.

“An 8-layer board means there are eight layers of circuitry stacked within a single board, allowing us to pack more functionality into a compact space. This complexity is necessary to manage the increased number of voices and new features while maintaining signal integrity and reducing noise.”

The post implies that work has now been completed on this board - there’s a photo of it, in fact - and that the end result will be a synth that blends “classic sound with cutting-edge technology”.

In fact, Behringer is confident that its new take on the Prophet-5 will “push the boundaries of what's possible in a synthesizer.”

There’s still no price or release date, though - expect another Facebook with those details at some unspecified point in the future.

Prior to his death in 2022, the late Dave Smith, designer of the original Prophet-5, created his own updated version in the form of the Rev 4 model.

Earlier this week, Behringer made a number of statements on Facebook concerning its UB-Xa synth, an instrument that takes inspiration from the Oberheim OB-X. 

Under a post celebrating the news that the UB-Xa is now the "best-selling synthesizer" according to sales stats from German retailer Thomann, Behringer claimed in a now-deleted comment that it "discussed the UB-Xa with Tom Oberheim and got his consent" in developing the instrument.

This morning, Tom Oberheim, founder of Oberheim Electronics and designer of the OB-X, clearly keen to distinguish his firm's product from Behringer's offerings, shared a statement appearing to refute Behringer's claim. 

"You may have seen the recent stories online where Behringer is claiming that they have my ‘consent’ to make UB-XA, and that I ‘know their plans’", Oberheim wrote.

"There is, of course, no collaboration between us and no discussions of their plans for synths or anything else.

"They do have limited rights to use the name UB-XA," he continued, "but not the Oberheim name. So they have permission under certain conditions to release a product using the UB-XA name, but that’s all. 

"I hope this doesn’t cause any confusion about the real Oberheim products like OB-X8 and TEO-5 and the others we plan to release!"

• Read more: "This isn't just a synth, it's Tom Oberheim's dream, realized": The TEO-5 gives you the classic Oberheim sound at an affordable price point

It took a while, but it seems that the time Behringer spent developing its UB-Xa synth was worth it, because it’s now “officially the best-selling synthesizer”.

The company appears to be basing its claim on sales stats from German mega-retailer Thomann, which currently has the UB-Xa at the top of its synth chart. 

Celebrating the milestone on Facebook, Behringer said: “It is the world's first and only analogue synthesizer with 16 voices, polyphonic aftertouch, and eight atrophy modes, all for a revolutionary price. 

“Our product development team has spent six years working on delivering this legendary and revolutionary analogue synth.

“Thank you for all your patience and we hope it was worth the wait.”

Further down the thread - and in response to a post praising Tom Oberheim, designer to the OB-Xa synth that the UB-Xa takes inspiration from - Behringer posited that “certainly he designed a fantastic product. However our UB-Xa is no copy but took inspiration from the original synth and brought it to a complete new level.”

Interestingly, the company also added that “we discussed the UB-Xa with Tom Oberheim and got his consent.”

Apropos of nothing, Behringer also took aim at those who question its policy of emulating synth classics from the past. “How many other products such as VSTs take inspiration from legacy products?” it asked. “Why is it OK for others but not for us?”

In a separate post, Behringer highlighted what it views as the high quality of the UB-Xa’s proprietary polyphonic aftertouch keybed, which was entirely designed in house.

“It undergoes a highly automated and precise calibration test to ensure uniform sensitivity across every key,” says Behringer. “Each key is meticulously tested and calibrated to the highest precision.

The UB-Xa is available now priced at $1,199/£1,129. Find out more on the Behringer website. 

UPDATE 24/05: Tom Oberheim has now responded to Behringer's claim that he gave the brand consent to develop the UB-Xa, stating that there was "no collaboration between us and no discussions of their plans for synths or anything else".

SUPERBOOTH 2024:  Oberheim has announced the release of a new polyphonic analogue synthesizer, the TEO-5. Priced at £1499, the TEO-5 could offer a great way to access the classic Oberheim sound in hardware form, for a fraction of the price of the company’s top-end OB-X8 or OB-6 instruments.

Sequential’s Take 5 was the first product released after the brand was acquired by Focusrite in 2021. Based on a similar architecture to Sequential’s iconic Prophet-5, the synth took the core elements of the Sequential sound and packaged them into an instrument that was not only more compact and affordable than its influence, but also felt like a fresh and modernised take.

Now we have the TEO-5 – effectively the same concept but with Oberheim in place of Sequential. Once again released under the Focusrite umbrella (while the modern Oberheim brand is still headed up by Tom Oberheim, it operates in collaboration with Sequential and Focusrite) the TEO-5 is based around many of the same features found on the company’s recent OB-X8. 

These include two analogue oscillators per-voice equipped with Oberheim’s distinctive X-Mod functionality, as well a SEM filter that can function in low-pass, high-pass, notch and band-pass modes.

Alongside these core features, the five-voice TEO-5 also packs two DADSR envelopes and two LFOs for modulation, a 64-step polyphonic sequencer and multi-mode arpeggiator. 

There is also a ‘vintage’ control that can be used to add a little of the drift and unpredictability inherent in vintage analogue gear. Its signal path is rounded off with overdrive, plus digital reverb and multi-effect slots.

Find out more on Oberheim's website.

SUPERBOOTH 2024: Erica Synths have gone large at Superbooth 2024 - literally.

Following last year's introduction of its educationally minded single-oscillator synth, developed in collaboration with techno royalty Richie Hawtin, the Latvian firm has whipped a very large cover off of Bullfrog XL, a slightly augmented, but more importantly superized, iteration designed specifically for classroom use.

When the original was announced, Hawtin said "We believe that the hands-on approach and problem solving that is innate to synthesis on a semi-modular synth like the Bullfrog, contains life lessons that go beyond what we can hear."

The newly inflated version, Bullfrog XL, is 3 times the size of its predecessor, measuring 820mmx505x65 (250 with the side panels) and weighing in at just over 8kg, and adds a few key educational features, including the oscilloscope you see at the top of the unit.

Bullfrog XL is available direct from Erica Synths now, priced €1,700

Bullfrog XL key features

• Fully analog design
• Highly accurate voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) that tracks great over 8 octaves
• Manually adjustable and voltage controlled waveshapes – sine-shark fin and pulse wave with pulse width modulation (PWM)
• Zener diode-based noise generator
• Resonant lowpass voltage controlled filter (VCF)
• Voltage controlled amplifier (VCA) with adjustable offset
• Delay effect with adjustable delay time and feedback amount
• Two looping attack-sustain-release envelope generators (EG)
• Sample & Hold circuit with an individual clock
• Attenuverter and two buffered splitter circuits
• Slew processor with adjustable slew time
• Two channel oscilloscope
• 6.3 mm jack sockets
• Manual gate button, Gate and Trigger out
• Voice card slot
• Built in speakers
• DIN5 MIDI input and USB connector
• Dimensions (mm): 820 x 505 x 65 (250 with the side panels)

SUPERBOOTH 2024: Arturia has announced the release of the PolyBrute 12, an updated version of its flagship analogue polysynth with 12 voices and improved aftertouch.

PolyBrute 12 is set to supercharge what's already one of the most popular polys on the market, which offered six voices (with two analogue oscillators per voice), dual filters with flexible routing, multitimbrality and tons of potential for expressive performance thanks to its ribbon controller and Morphée XY pad. 

Aside from the obvious improvement of a doubled voice count, the new PolyBrute keeps things much the same in terms of the synth's architecture, opting instead to augment the synth with a redesigned keybed and new and improved aftertouch capabilities. 

PolyBrute 12's aftertouch operates in three unique modes. You've got standard monophonic aftertouch, wherein pressing down on the keys affects all notes to the same degree, alongside polyphonic aftertouch, where aftertouch can be applied to each note independently.

Where things get interesting is the synth's third aftertouch mode, which Arturia has named FullTouch. In this mode, the whole of each key's range of travel is used for expression rather than just the bottom end. In our review (arriving later today) we described PolyBrute's new MPE capabilities as "the most expressive application of this kind of technology built into a specific hardware instrument" that we've yet to come across.

As for the physical design, PolyBrute 12 is similar in look and feel to its younger brother, but arrives in a fetching cream colourway, with expanded dimensions and heavier weight thanks to additional voice cards and cooling vents.

PolyBrute 12 is priced at 3999€/$4449. Find out more on Arturia's website. 

SUPERBOOTH 2024: Throughout the 2010s, Moog played host to a series of Moogfest weekenders in and around its North Carolina base of operations. Combining live performances, talks and workshops, the events were part music festival, part celebration of the synth brand’s heritage.

One regular fixture at those Moogfest events was an engineering workshop, which not only gave attendees a chance to try their hand at instrument building, but also often provided the wider world with a glimpse into what the company had in the pipeline. Instruments including the DFAM, Mother-32 and Subharmonicon all began life as DIY workshop projects, before re-emerging as official - non-DIY - instrument releases later on.

The last Moogfest happened in 2019, and attendees of that event’s engineering workshop got to build an instrument called Spectravox, a resonant filter bank built into a similar form factor as the DFAM et al. This functioned as both a vocoder and semi-modular synth.

Since 2019, a lot has changed for Moog, including the company being acquired by InMusic and recently downsizing its Asheville factory. To be honest, we’d almost completely forgotten about the Spectravox and assumed it would remain a DIY rarity, but now, five years later, Moog has unveiled an updated version for full release.

The basic concept for Spectravox remains the same as the DIY version. It’s a 10-band filter bank paired with a single analogue oscillator and white noise generator. As before, these allow it to function both as a vocoder - with a combo XLR/jack for external inputs - and a standalone synthesizer. Or, to put it Moog’s way: “Not just an instrument; it's a portal into uncharted sonic realms.”

The most obvious difference from the Moogfest version is the fact that the faders used to control each filter’s VCA on the original have here been replaced by rotaries and CV patch points. Along with the oscillator and noise generator, Spectravox also features a triangle wave LFO for internal modulation.

The unit itself is built into a 60HP case that matches that of the Mother-32, Subharmonicon and DFAM. As with those synths, Spectravox is semi-modular and features a patchbay along the right-hand side with a further 16 CV inputs and outputs.

The signal path enables Spectravox to function as a synth without the need for an external input or any patching. We suspect, however, that Spectravox will likely be at its best when paired with Moog’s other semi-modular hardware.

Spectravox is available to order now priced at $599. Find out more on the Moog website.

SUPERBOOTH 2024: Dreadbox has announced the release of a new and limited-edition version of its Murmux analogue synth, first launched in 2014, and it's a rather beastly 5kg unit clad in tweed with pleasingly retro wooden panels.

Murmux Adept bumps up the specs of its predecessors significantly, offering 8-voice polyphony through two analogue VCOs capable of continuous waveshaping, oscillator sync, detuning and PWM. 

The oscillators run through an analogue filter section with 24dB/oct low-pass and 6dB/oct high-pass filters, along with filter FM and a 6dB/oct low frequency booster to give your bass-heavy patches some heft.

The synth's modulation section offers you two ADSR envelope generators to be shaped with handy sliders, a global LFO and a polyphonic LFO that modulates each of the synth's voices independently. 

What's more, Murmux Adept arrives with built-in effects, including a versatile analogue BBD chorus that can also apply flanger and comb filtering, and a digital stereo delay.

As for connectivity, on the back panel you'll find MIDI in/out and a USB connection alongside a headphone out and stereo out. 

Priced at 2699€, Murmux Adept is a limited-edition synth and only 300 units will be made, so if you're interested, you best move quickly. 

Find out more on Dreadbox's website or watch a demo from Andertons below.

Analogue Solutions Ample: What is it?

For a long time, Analogue Solutions’ synth output mostly consisted of the desktop variety, with now discontinued models such as Polymath, Telemark and Vostok giving way to the newer Fusebox X and Impulse Command. All of these can pride themselves on their pure-analogue signal paths (barring some post-effect circuitry) and a heavy nod to what is often referred to as the golden age of synthesis: the sounds of the ’70s. 

However, Tom Carpenter’s output of late has certainly switched gears in the size stakes. While the all-analogue sensibilities are unwavering, the newer Colossus and Maximus wear their monickers well. These behemoths are definitely once-in-a-lifetime type synths. So it’s with this latest desktop instrument that we see those aspirations brought back to earth with Ample, a desktop synth that comes with some of the best bits from AS’s back catalogue thrown into one. 

Analogue Solutions Ample: Performance and verdict

Ample consists of three VCOs, each with saw, triangle and square waveshapes, pulse-width modulation and the third oscillator can double as a second LFO. Controls for the ring modulator, noise generator and sub-oscillator level live within the Ancillary section, swiftly followed by the Filter section, home to a four-pole low-pass filter with the usual cutoff, resonance and envelope generator modulation controls. 

All of which moves us neatly to the Contouring section, home to two ADSR envelopes that sit atop the VCA and Echo sections, with the latter taking circuitry cues from the Dr Strangelove effects module. According to the site, the main sound elements come from Fusebox, but it’s not clear as to which parts so we’ll just have to take Mr Carpenter’s word for it. Controlling the sound is taken care of with the aid of the Pin Matrix, Patternator and Interval Generator. 

Patternator is a 16-step sequencer with rotary control, from Analogue Solutions’ Generator sequencer, which was also home to the Interval Generator, and found here. As the name suggests, this six-button, touch-capacitive keypad generates six intervals that can be designated for pitch or modulation purposes. There’s also a snare drum noise generator and fixed-pattern CV pulses that you can potentially either send out to external gear or patch back into Ample.

One of Ample’s main USPs is the pin matrix, which let’s face it, is fun to have on any instrument, let alone a synth such as this. The blurb tells us that this is borrowed from the Vostok and on further inspection it doesn’t look like an exact copy, thankfully. Unlike the Vostok, Ample’s pin matrix is nowhere near as fiddly and is far easier to read. Probably down to the fact that the pins are slightly larger and fewer features are patched within the matrix. The audio out section of the matrix lets you route the three oscillators and three ancillary sources back into the VCO1 sync, VCF and Ring Mod. It’s in this section that you’ll want to start patching Ample as you’ll hear nothing until you plug in those oscs. 

While we were first introduced to the Patternator with Generator (now discontinued), a sequencer that was available in both standalone desktop and Eurorack variants, anyone who’s had time with either will be in familiar territory here, or any vintage sequencer for that matter. In Ample we are treated to one and a half of Generator’s sequencing tracks and by that, we mean that you have a master sequence, up to 16 steps, and then a secondary sequence for the snare drum but the patterns will only be triggered if a step is selected within the main sequence. 

Pitch is controlled by the dials of Patternator whereas the steps themselves are triggered by using the four rotaries under the section called Beat. How Beat works is that the first dial selects steps 1, 5, 9 and 13; the second dial is for steps 2, 6, 10 and 14; the third for steps 3, 7… and so on. You get the picture. It’s an interesting approach that’s been explored in previous AS instruments and adds to the exploration factor here. At first, we found ourselves wanting to trigger the steps by simply pressing the encoders but getting more involved with Ample made us realise that the Beat controls are way more fun. 

The Patternator has more than just pitch sequencing tricks up its sleeve and as such feels like the beating heart of Ample. There’s also the option to patch the sequencer into the filter cutoff, then combined with the two CV depth controls located just below the sequencer rotaries you can get some real movement into the patterns. This works well when playing around with the snare drum sequence, adding accents to more complex patterns. 

The keys to the kingdom

Along with the vintage stylings of the Patternator, another component borrowed from the original Generator sequencer is the Interval Generator. From here, you can assign six different voltages and patch them to all three oscillators and/or filter cutoff and pulse width for VCO1. 

IG is the performance portion of Ample. Patching in the oscillators will give you the option to transpose the pitch of the sequence to be performed live. Note that these touch-capacitive keys are not triggers, so you won’t be able to play Ample as you would with a traditional keyboard. For that you’ll need to draft in the help of an external MIDI source. Dialling in pitches with the six rotaries isn’t the easiest and will take time to get right. One way to tame the amount of voltage outputted is to experiment with the different impedance of the patch pins. This will affect the range of voltage at your disposal. You can achieve such varying results by switching out the black (0 Ohms) for the red (10k Ohms) and blue (100k Ohms). Then there’s the option of pressing multiple keys at once, which further yields interesting results. It’s a real hands-on experience.

The snare drum (SD) and pulse outputs expand the sonic offerings of Ample. You can either patch the individual outputs back into the filter via the four VCF inputs or send them out and control other modules. Those four VCF inputs are a real boon and give you the option to route four external audio sources into the filter which can then be modulated by the sequencer. It’s certainly a great way to glue patterns together, further expanding the sonic palette. 

While there’s plenty to like here, there are some (genuinely minor) notes. In its raw form, Ample is not the most ‘musical’ of instruments, it very much aligns itself to the esoteric percussive crowd. And while it’s great at that job (and more besides), we’d possibly switch out the Interval Generator for the keyboard from Colossus. Which is probably physically impossible due to the size, but for our tastes, having a little more control over the tonality would be preferable. There is a workaround for this but it will require some external gear, specifically a MIDI keyboard. Connecting your own MIDI keys to Ample will let you play the root note for the Patternator and trigger the onboard EGs to play Ample more traditionally. 

Out of the box, there’s no physical manual or guide, which is annoying. A quick start guide would be a welcome addition here. There’s also a distinct lack of patch notes and ideas, despite it being an upcoming feature of the website. Not to say that blind exploration doesn’t come with, um… ample… rewards, but we think everyone would benefit from a helping hand. 

Another minor gripe would be the threat of losing the patch pins. Keep these little guys safe. The website states that Ample only ships with 15 pins (although this unit came with nine of each colour). That’s five each in three different impedances (0, 10k and 100k Ohms) and as they’re 2.5mm, you’ll not find them elsewhere. A pack of 15 will set you back £35 from the AS site. 

Verdict

Ample is not exactly an AS greatest hits package, but combining circuits from previous and mostly defunct instruments keeps them alive and it’s no doubt a great way to recycle existing componentry. But this isn’t some kind of disjointed Frankenstein synth, assembled for the hell of it. The right componentry has been clearly chosen to create a very cohesive instrument here. Ample sums up what we love about Analogue Solutions’ instruments: each has its own personality and shows off all that is good in all-analogue circuitry.

In a nutshell, Ample is ace and reminds us that the ’70s was truly the golden era for synthesis. As soon as you fire it up and begin patching those pins, you instantly tap into a bygone era, wielding an EMS VCS3: it’s chock full of explorative inspiration. Here, you can keep your digitally controlled rigidity, there’s nothing but pure freewheeling analogue vibes (MIDI chip notwithstanding). That said, it’s anything but a model from yesteryear. The percussive elements combined with a vintage sequencing experience still feel bang up to date if that’s your bag – a good blend of old school/nu school if you will. 

So whether you want to explore rhythms with the Patternator, Beat controls and patching the SD or Pulse outputs back into the filter, or just dimming the lights and switching up the VCA for an ambient drone marathon, Ample is truly a sonic wonderland. 

MusicRadar verdict: Ample is more than generously sufficient in the fun stakes. A veritable playground of vintage synthesis and exploration.

Analogue Solutions Ample: The web says

"A pretty versatile synthesizer with incredible possibilities. It’s a real treasure trove for simple but also quite complex sounds."
gearnews.com

Analogue Solutions Ample: Hands-on demos

Analogue Solutions

Starsky Carr

Michael Manning

Analogue Solutions Ample: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: All-analogue signal path with elements from Analogue Solutions’ illustrious past including 3x VCO; 1x VCF; 2x LFO; 2x ADSR EGs; patch-pin matrix; vintage style 16-step sequencer; touch keys; onboard snare drum and pulse outputs.
• I/O: MIDI (5-pin) In/Thru; 24x 3.5mm jack patch points; 1/4” jack output.
• CONTACT: Analogue Solutions

UDO Audio Super Gemini: What is it?

UDO Audio’s Super Gemini synth is designed as the perfect marriage of effectively two synths – hence the name – in one almighty design. But it’s more about how these synths co-exist, work together, and how they complement one another in an incredibly well-designed dual environment. 

The synth is bi-timbral and binaural – bi-everything, really – so you can have 20-voice mono sounds, or 10 big stereo sounds, or keyboard splits with five stereo/10 mono voices on each of the upper and lower registers, or just have your sequencer triggering two completely independent synths, each sent to individual pairs of outputs. 

The easiest, and possibly laziest way to describe Gemini is as two of UDO’s own Super 6 synths – which we looked at back in 2021, the company’s first synth entry and a great debut – together in one case. Indeed both synths use the aforementioned binaural architecture, where two duplicate voices are used to create true stereo sounds. 

Super 6 has six binaural voices or 12 mono voices of polyphony. Gemini has 10 binaural voices (five per layer) or 20 mono voices. So it’s not really (quite) two Super 6s – it would need a couple more binaural voices for that – but who are we to quibble? And to be honest, the overall Gemini package, with two sets of controls for each synth layer, does scream ‘double synth power’, and the two synth engines also share a lot more.

This extends down to the hybrid analogue/digital architecture, at the core of which lie two DDS (Direct Digital Synthesis) oscillators per synth layer. These boast a ridiculously high sample-rate to output-frequency ratio meaning that, according to UDO, they are capable of generating “frequency content far above the limits of the human auditory system”. 

It’s the kind of best digital/analogue core that synths like Novation’s Summit boast – which also uses similar Field Programmable Gate Array-based oscillators – so you get super analogue if you want it, but also a side helping of digital stability with no aliasing. The rest of the synth boasts a mainly analogue signal path, which can be a true stereo one, including dual 12dB/octave filters (with six different low-, high- and band-pass combinations). 

The first oscillator, DDS 1, includes analogue-style waves – sine, sawtooth, square, triangle, noise – plus, via a sixth option at the far right of the dial, access to 32 more ‘digital sounding’ waveforms (via two banks of 16). The manual actually states 64 so we’ll assume the other 32 are the user areas, in which you can import your own, even with simple 16-bit WAV files, if you like. 

A big difference over Super 6 is that the Gemini’s DDS 1 oscillator can now morph between waveforms. On a simple level, this is using the PW/Wave fader to move between the adjacent waveforms, or with the Waveform control engaged, between waveforms loaded in from those two banks of 16 into channels A and B. If this sounds complicated, it isn’t; it just means you get a very usable form or sound morphing which, while not up there with full wavetable synthesis, does give you a lot of flexibility, especially when it comes to modulation, of which we’ll see that there is plenty to sink your teeth into with Gemini. 

Before that, we should quickly mention DDS 2 though, as it’s quite different from DDS 1. It still has the five analogue waveforms, but its very right-hand position delivers pulse width modulation. It can also be used as an LFO and sub oscillator to beef up DDS 1, and also features tuning relative to that first oscillator. 

UDO Audio Super Gemini: Performance and verdict

Performing modulation

The first modulation area is the Performance Control Section which is where you will start to get the big Gemini picture. With its hands-on ribbon controller and polyphonic aftertouch, this synth is all about playing about with sounds in real time, and the PCS is where the modulation choices to further this aim start to reveal themselves. 

First of all, the pitch-bend can modulate the pitch of the oscillators and the LPF cutoff frequency either left/right or by pushing up. Then, LFO 2 (choose from six waveforms) can also quickly be assigned to oscillators (for vibrato), filter cutoff (harmonic changes) or VCA (tremolo). You can control it with aftertouch or by pushing the pitch stick up, or have it permanently switched on. There’s also an Oscillator and Layer Selection that controls which of the oscillators LFO2 or the bender will be modulating (choose either DDS 1 or 2 or both) and synth layer they are acting on (upper, lower or both). 

This is already a great hands-on start, but there is a lot more modulation by way of the 16 buttons above the right of the ribbon controller. These not only access Gemini’s presets, sequencer (see box), and digital waveforms for DDS1, but can access global parameters. Their fifth function, by way of the Mod Assign button, is to access an 8 x 8 modulation matrix where eight sources can easily be applied to eight destinations, or get access to other destinations by moving the chosen control on the synth. In short, that’s a lot of modulation and ways to perform with the sounds.

Sounds moving

And stepping through the presets, you might have to shut the world out for a while, and prepare to enter dreamland. You will be in your own performance for quite a while playing dual fat sounds, or a lot of split setups, with not only different sounds on the upper and lower part of the keyboard but different arpeggiators playing. We’ve rarely felt this way playing a synth: that we’re creating quite magical pieces of music pretty easily with splits, direct hands-on control tweaks and performance tools providing the necessary variations. We’re not even skilled players, but Gemini makes you feel you are. That said, as we conclude later, having some dexterity could be a bonus. Overall though, prepare to be swept away by majestic pads, extraordinary shimmering electronica pulses, many incredible arpeggios, and classic sweeping synth grandeur. 

But what really separates this synth from the rest – and it really does stand head and shoulders above them because of this – is the excellent ribbon controller running along the main panel, the polyphonic aftertouch, and all that modulation we’ve covered, particularly by way of the Performance Control Section. These combine to add an extraordinary amount of expression when playing. Indeed references have been made to the Yamaha CS-80 in terms of how dramatic and moving Gemini’s sounds can be because of them, and quite rightly so. Just stepping through presets, playing arpeggios, layering sounds, and bending and shaping them will have you stuck playing on this thing for far longer than you’d planned. “Your tea’s ready!” Yeah, whatever. I’ll starve for now. And record everything, because after an hour of messing about you’ll have that long-awaited album you’d been planning.

Some other neat touches

One of the most joyful aspects of Gemini is seeing and hearing the dual features work with one another on each keyboard layer, so with the arpeggiator, for example, you can set an independent one for each layer, with different patterns and timings but they sync together so don’t sound out of place. 

Another feature is the Freeze delay which is an additional pedal input around the back that lets you keep a sound looping smoothly while you play over it, great for building up even bigger sounds or for live jamming. And as with everything in Gemini, you can do this per layer – it kind of turns a double synth into a treble or even quad sonic experience and makes Gemini one of the most hands-on ‘just another five minutes’ synths we’ve played. 

Phew, just space to cover the sequencer – and we are very aware that Gemini’s surface has only been scratched in this review. The sequencer sits alongside the arpeggiator and just a couple of buttons let you program up to 16 sequences of up to 64 notes in length. Again, you use the 16 buttons that access presets, waves, modulation, etc – this being at least their fifth function. You can play in each step with chords or notes and the sequencer automatically jumps to the next step (or group of 16 from four) after you release the note. You can also add slides (by pressing both steps simultaneously), accents, rests, and set the sequence length. As with pretty much everything on Gemini, it’s well thought out and done quite brilliantly without the use of a screen.

Gemini launch?

Gemini is a synth to be messed with, that is for certain. It’s not really, in truth, the kind of bi-timbral synth where you play a bass on the bottom half and a lead on the top and then everybody’s happy. This is more about how the layers interact and about how you perform with them, the sounds in them and the controls over them. We would even say that Gemini is more of a keyboard player’s synth – or at least one that you want to get physical with – compared to many we have looked at of late, because knowing what you are playing, mixing sounds, adding arpeggios, tweaking with aftertouch and using the ribbon controller all pay huge dividends. 

Gemini is not cheap, but like other polys including 3rd Wave (almost) in this price range, when you look at its specs and power, it’s hard to argue with the price. And when you play with all of these performance options, push the limits of its layering, morphing and polyphonic options, this synth can sound more beautiful than pretty much any other on the market. This might make it a bit too ‘nice’ for some – maybe too ‘electronica’ as opposed to hard-edge dance – but personally, we could get lost in its sound for eons. 

We won’t say that ‘Gemini is the XXX of the 21st century’, even though the synth is almost demanding we do – *cough* that CS-80 again *cough* – because while it might lack a 21st-century screen and other niceties, this could and should take its place as one of the great 21st-century polysynths.

MusicRadar verdict: One of the best performance synths on the market. We’re in a golden age of polysynths at the moment and this is one of its stars.

UDO Audio Super Gemini: Hands-on demos

MusicRadar Tech

UDO Audio

sonicstate

Andertons Synths, Keys and Tech

J3PO

UDO Audio Super Gemini: Specifications

• 20-voice (10 binaural/stereo) hybrid analogue/digital synth
• 2-part multi-timbral
• Two DDS oscillators per layer
• 61-note semi-weighted keyboard with velocity and polyphonic aftertouch
• 8 x 8 modulation matrix plus 25 extra mod destinations and Performance Control Section
• Ribbon controller
• MPE support
• 4-pole 24dB/octave LPF, 1-pole 6dB/octave HPF
• 2 x envelopes and LFOs per layer
• Stereo chorus and delay (with delay freeze).
• CONTACT: UDO Audio

Earlier this year, a new synth from Moog featured in Usher's Super Bowl half-time show and subsequently revealed by YouTuber and musician Andrew Huang in a Facebook post.

That synth, then thought to be named Moog Mirror, has now been confirmed as Moog Muse, in a glimpse shared by producer Mike Dean to his Instagram page. Last week, Dean shared an image of the synth's mixer section to his Instagram story, before posting a demo video to his account yesterday that shows off some of the Muse's sounds. 

In the post, embedded below, Dean describes the Muse as "that new synth you all been waiting on" and confirms that the instrument features on the new album from Metro Boomin and Future, WE STILL DON'T TRUST YOU. The video shows Dean dialling in sounds and shredding synth solos over hip-hop instrumentals. 

Moog has not shared any official specs on the Muse, but we know from Huang's original post that it's a polyphonic instrument with two analogue oscillators and a 5-octave, 61-key keyboard. The Muse is bi-timbral and offers ring modulation, an overload circuit, an arpeggiator and a chord memory function.

While it doesn't tell us much more than we already know, Dean's demo is an opportunity to hear the Muse in action for the first time. When we know more, so will you.