KICK ASS! – for February 2018.
Yet again, it's another crazed month (right after NAMM...go figure) for new Eurorack toys. So let's dive in and have a look at some of the new entries here in Modulargrid that I find particularly jazzy and cool. Shall we...?
1) Antimatter Audio Crossfold. OK, this thing is just...well, if you're into timbral wavefolding, this thing just knocks it out of the park. It's amazingly capable, taking two audio signals and applying what Antimatter called 'crossfolding' to combine and distort their respective waveforms. It also has a limiter onboard for nice, nasty clipping. Go have a look at this thing; they say that this gives you West Coast-type complex oscillator behavior from any two VCOs, but the audio clips hint at this being even more nuts than that!
2) CaviSynth Bufflide. Simple and smart: put a buffered 1-3 mult on the same 4 hp panel as a basic slew limiter. It's cheap, it's convenient...so simple that you kinda wonder why you don't see more utility-type modules like this. Did I say cheap? Yeah... A one-stop for CV prep for multiple VCOs.
3) TAKAAB's at it again! I mentioned their LFO module last time, and now they've got some new and CHEAP basic things to tempt us with, such as a dual 1-3 buffered mult for $34, a THAT2180 VCA with dual inputs and dual attenuated Cvs for $62, and a basic 3 channel DC-coupled mixer for yet another $34. This is very cool, even though none of these are very 'sexy', because you still need plenty of basic devices like this and Siam Modular (that's who's behind these) is making 'em affordable enough to have in piles. And no, I didn't stutter...'Siam'...as in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is where they're located. It's an interesting development; I'd always thought that if/when module design and manufacture made it to SE Asia, we'd start to see some meteoric price drops, and this does appear to be the case. I really wonder what they're going to drop next?!
4) Audiospektri HG-30. From Thailand to Finland now...no, it's not cheap, but given what they've managed to jam into 32 hp, you shouldn't expect it to be! Howsabout a 30-band additive spectrum generator that can double as a vocoder? And more besides? This thing is massively capable...go and see the material they have on their website at http://www.audiospektri.com and you'll agree that it's all that and a bag o' chips for about a grand.
5) Super Synthesis 2OPFM. OK, that last one was spendy...but this isn't, and it's neat. A 2-op digital FM voice with analog controls for $99? Huh...you can cram a DX7's worth of FM generators into your Eurorack for $297, you say? Why, yes, son...and just as cool and digital is...
6) DSP Synthesizers CZ1. Also $99 (assembled, I presume...the kit on their wordpress page is $75). It's what you think, a Casio CZ-type VCO using the wonderful phase-distortion synthesis method from the CZ-101 and others of that Casio line, but in this case it's here under analog control. In a very real sense, this thing can function as a self-contained voice jammed into a measly 3 hp.
7) Seismic Industries spink0. No price on this yet, but Ableton Live users are going to plotz over this. It's a 6 hp device that works with Ableton Live Link so that you can lock up clocks between your DAW and your modular, all based on Raspberry Pi so that tweaks to its firmware over time and further development are doable. Hopefully we'll see this module in a broader release before long...?
8) Malekko Drum. A 4-channel drum sequencer, this also links with their Varigate-based architecture, allowing data saves to that module as well as lockup and control functions. This is pretty smart; I like the ideas behind the Varigate and Voltage Block, and this just adds another blade to that Swiss Army Knife. Supposed to drop in April.
9) Golt! Red Light District. Ohhhh, yeah...now this is a piece of kit! A straightforward CV/gate sequencer, but with loads of clock mutability, plenty of hands-on performance control, MIDI and DINsync capabilities. Not cheap, but very much worth the $895. Capabilities are way too complex for this short blurb here...you need to check this out for yourself!
10) Erica Black Mute Mixer. Now, this is another of those 'why aren't there more of these'-type modules. It's a basic AC-coupled three-channel mixer...but Erica's gone a little further and added some nice convenience touches that make it more than just your average audio mixer. How about mutes on each channel? Or a three-out buffered mult at the output stage? And diode protection against reverse voltage oopses? It's got 'em. Simple, not sexy, but damned smart.
11) Ladik A-570. No price here yet (I tried, couldn't find one on Ladik's site) but it's worth keeping an eye on for when that comes up, because Ladik stuff is a great value for simple, useful tools. In this case, it's a little more than just that, though...it's an output module, but with some amazing twists, such as programmable metering, a separate 3.5mm out that can either be jumpered for line level or synth level voltages, and a balanced 1/4” TRS line out for pro-grade audio connection. Most output modules tend to fit in 4 or 6 hp, and while this is only a single channel in 4 hp, this is going to be an important piece of circuitry for synthesists using multichannel rigs for making sure your four (or more) channels are all symmetrically balanced. Buy 'em by the sackful!
So that's it for this month's installment. What...you say it's a day early? Well, sometimes good things are worth NOT waiting for!