Novation’s Next Level Analog Synth and Sequencer: Circuit Mono Station
Novation’s Next Level Synth and Sequencer: Circuit Mono Station For weeks now, we’ve been hearing rumblings of Novation’s latest, the Circuit Mono Station, so with its unveiling at last week’s Superbooth trade fair in Berlin, we thought we’d check it out. Our first impression is this synth/sequencer has a lot of really cool, applicable features, and it looks like a lot of fun. This could be a great tool to add some new flavor to your productions or give a new avenue for songwriting. For anyone familiar with Novation products, the Circuit Mono Station is a cross between the Circuit, Peak, and Bass Station II – taking the layout of knobs from the Peak, combining with the workflow of the Circuit, and mixing those features with the sound engine of the Bass Station II (we have a Bass Station II here and love its ability to produce fat, dirty or …
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The Hyve Touch Synthesizer is a New Breed of Synth
The Hyve Touch Synthesizer is a New Breed of Synth Developed by Skot Weidmann, a technician and instructor, the Hyve Touch began as a soldering kit that could be built in only a few short hours in a workshop setting and then taken home as a playable instrument. Skot thought of the idea to try and inspire interdisciplinary ideas between engineers and musicians at his school’s campus. He wanted to show students how the two seemingly unrelated disciplines were actually very much related and how concepts from one could bring about new ideas in the other. Mainly that music theory and geometry have a commonality that is extremely powerful. The relationship of musical notes ARE mathematical relationships. Here Skot introduces the Hyve Touch: su_youtube_advanced url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-Oo8Gcbpg” showinfo=”no” rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” https=”yes”su_video url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjb4U-cUGSE”/su_youtube_advanced divider style=”clear” The Hyve Touch brings the human element of “touch” into the synthesizer, and as someone …
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Zont – The Gameboy-like Digital Synthesizer
Zont – The Gameboy-like Digital Synthesis This slim pocket-sized digital synthesizer is taking the producer community by storm with its futuristic design and modern digital interface. Zont is designed by New York based industrial and motion graphics designer- Pavel Golovkin. divider style=”clear” Cartridge-like Sound Engine Zont comes with four basic cartridge-like sound engines that are interchangeable like gameboy cartridges. The four sound engines are: Lead, Bass, Rhythm and Noise Lead: “Hundreds of original presets from soft melodic to huge monophonic leads. Customise presets or create your own unique sounds and tones.” Bass: “Beef up even the most bass driven genres, from hip-hop to drum-n-bass. Customise presets or create your own unique sounds and tones.” Rhythm: “Original rhythm synthesizer let’s you create punchy electronic and acoustic drum sounds” Noise: “Pure sound design with no presets or patterns. Perfect for warm ambience or meditative soundscapes.” Zont will also be …
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Korg Volca FM Synthesizer – Fresh Off the Line
Korg Volca FM Synthesizer Korg has just released a new product in their growing arsenal of Volca instruments, the Korg Volca FM Synthesizer. The little piece of machinery is a three voice digital synthesizer, packed into an intuitive interface surface a 16-step sequencer, (typical in all Korg Volca’s,) and is equipped with a warp active step and a pattern chain that allows you to dig deep with the rhythmic patterns. The Volca series revolves around simplicity, so sound synthesis is made easy, with a set of modulator and carrier knobs, which are mapped to multiple parameters, making it easy for anyone to hop into synthesis. You are also equipped with a chorus effect to add an extra layer of depth to all your sounds. Two new key features of the Volca Synth is the warp feature and the arpeggiator. The warp feature allows you to warp certain patterns and can make for …
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E Touché – New Expression Controller
E Touché – New Expression Controller The evolution of electronic instruments can prove to be slower than the growth of electronic music. A key difference between electronic and acoustic instruments is the lack of expression on the electronic side. We’ve seen recent products, like the the ROLI Seaboard, attempt, (and succeed, to a certain extent,) in minimizing that gap, but nothing like the Express E Touché has been seen before. A hyper sensitive macro control, built into a sleek wood casing, is designed to add expression to any electronic instrument. The idea behind the Touché is best explained by the founders themselves: Synthesizers allow for a vast variety of complex sounds. Nonetheless, knobs and faders are sometimes not suitable for expressive play. Touché’s wood surface has been designed to react to the smallest vibration, the slightest pressure of your hand, allowing synth players to shape sounds spontaneously, like an acoustic instrument. Its companion …
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Korg Minilogue – Powerful Analog Synth on a Budget
Korg Minilogue – Powerful Analog Synth on a Budget Korg has been a front runner of the analog synthesizer world since the production of the Prototype No.1 in the 1970’s. Since then, they have continuously pioneered the scene by reinventing themselves, while sticking true to their roots. Korg may have just pushed the envelope again with the release of the Minilogue, a compact, powerful and affordable polyphonic synthesizer. The Minilogue provides you with a classic analog sound with a maximum of four voices. There are 200 programs, with 100 presets and 100 programmable slots. There is a 16 step polyphonic sequencer with a motion sequencer that can be assigned up to four different parameters. Korg provided you 41 control parameters which allows you to have immediate control over your sound. Some of the more noteworthy, the “standout,” features if we may, is the OLED oscilloscope and the voice mode option. The oscilloscope …
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