t3hhWell that was intense weekend following the #superpooth25 coverage on #synth #media channels. I did not go to #Berlin this year but it was nice to see such a great event even from the distance. For me, there were many interesting new #instrument #designs presented so that's cool. Lot of new #eurorack #modules but also #MIDI #controllers, more traditional synths and #desktop instruments. It's good to see eurorack #manufacturers crossing over to other instrument types, it's good survival strategy.
I already mentioned #Instruō small #analog #desktop #semimodular #synth #Seashell that looks like a work of art. I've been wondering for years why there are so few #hardware #instruments with a tight integration to #computer software and #DAWs, so here's one. It also sounds amazing in demos, can't wait to hear one IRL.
I was impressed by #MakeNoise new #Maths iteration called #Polimaths (not Polymaths). I've been looking for an #envelope #modulator for my noise rack so maybe I will try it out whenever it's available at the end of the 2025 summer. Despite all the hype in #eurorack community, I do not own the original Maths but this one looks interesting.
Mark Reid@t3hh A fellow never-Maths! There are dozens of us. Dozens!
#EricaSynths #HexDrums #desktop #drum #machine sounded great in demo and looked like a ton of fun with very accessible #sequencer to #program. Very different from #Pērkons, it has an #analog voice structure but with a crushing compressor. Not sure if the sequencer allows to non-quantized input but if it does, even better.
#FlameModular #MaeanderM #analog #filterbank #sequencer sounded amazing in demos, way better than it should have according its size and #controls. I'm not a big fan of their #robotic sequencer (they call a looper for some weird reason) that has been quantised to death, but in this case it matters little, because it's not a precise movement that counts. It looks more like a #vibes machine that with a little effort would almost mangle a simple input voice to something with depth and character.
Many interesting new #MIDI #controllers in #Superbooth25 this year. #Melbourne #Instruments #Roto-Control has a new orange-on-black #design that looks way better and has #plugin and mix #mode integration with #Bitwig. #Novation new #LaunchControlXL3 works now also as a standalone controller for #hardware instruments and is cheaper than almost anything in #Superbooth25. #NeuzeitInstruments #Drop controller allows to cue up saved parameters for more dynamic #tempo-synced #performance.
On the same note, the new #Doepfer #ribbon #controller A-198-2 now sends out also #MIDI. How cool is that. It's great to see #eurorack manufacturers embracing more MIDI. This is how everybody is winning. CV and gate for modular instruments and MIDI for everything else in the studio.
#Kaona #eurorack #generative #controller #modules #Skippy and #Zazou look like from a different planet. Skippy looks more like an advanced #gate #sequencer with unorthodox control over its parameters, allowing polyrhythms and operating with time divisions instead of a beat structure. It does not have start and reset input/output so it can #synchronised only to the clock. Zazou looks like a 4 channel #algorithmic #melody generator with start and reset input and #MIDI output.