A discount on a synth is one thing, but throw in a free drum machine too and then we’re really talking. That’s exactly what you get with these Black Friday deals on Pittsburgh Modular synths.
The synths in question are the Pittsburgh Modular Voltage Lab 2 and the Taiga Keyboard, both self-contained Eurorack-compatible synths housed in their own bespoke cases.
With between $/£200 and $/£500 reductions on each at various retailers, there’s pretty solid prices to be had on these quality instruments anyway. Those prices also net you a compact drum machine though, in the form of Cre8audio’s recent Boom Chick.
Voltage Lab 2 is an instrument with a decidedly West Coast vibe, taking influence from the likes of the Buchla Music Easel. It has two oscillator modules, which offer slightly differing takes on wavefolding. These are also capable of ring modulation, FM and bi-directional hard sync.
The oscillators are combined with a pair of function generators, which can be linked together to create complex modulation setups, plus two of Pittsburgh’s Dynamics Controllers.
Voltage Lab 2 also features an arpeggiator, random sequencer, flanger/chorus and delay effects, and a two channel touch controller. Its interface has 101 patch points allowing for a wide variety of synthesis and modulation setups.
It’s not exactly a beginner-friendly instrument, but for adventurous synthesists and those looking to explore West Coast concepts like wavefolding or complex cross modulation, it’s a powerful tool.
The Taigi Keyboard is a three-oscillator synth with waveshaping and wavefolding capabilities, along with FM. It has a multimode filter, four channel mixer and Dynamics Controller module. Again, there’s an arp and random sequencer, however, the Taigi also features a 37-note keyboard with aftertouch.
It’s a little more of a conventional synth than the Voltage Lab 2, with familiar elements like ADSR envelope generators and multimode LFOs. It’s still capable of plenty of creative patching possibilities though. There’s some handy utilities here too, such as a clock divider, MIDI-CV interface and preamp-equipped external input.
Boom Chick, meanwhile, is a semi-modular analogue drum machine with five drum voices and a six track sequencer. Its Eurorack-friendly patch points mean it should integrate nicely with either Pittsburgh synth.
At prices upwards of £800/$900, we might not be in impulse buy territory, but of the deals I’ve seen this Black Friday so far, these are the ones that have really caught my eye. We tried Boom Chick at Superbooth this year and came away thoroughly impressed. Bearing in mind it retails for around £270/$399 on its own, as an added extra it’s nothing to scoff at.
What’s more, the combination of adventurous synth and punchy drums makes these two combos look like ready-made setups for live sonic exploration. For those looking to explore modular synthesis or DAW-free performance, this could potentially be a great gateway.
Check out deals from Thomann and Sweetwater below.
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