Synthesizer
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After showing off a pre-production prototype at NAMM 2019, Waldorf Music has announced the availability of the Kyra virtual analog (VA) synthesizer. -
Nearly 50 years after the Moog 10 compact modular synthesizer went into production, new models that are faithful to the originals are being reborn.
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Music gear maker Boss has announced a new effects pedal that puts a massive 121 synth sounds at the feet for guitarists and bass players, without them needing to install special pickups or understand complex programming.
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Regular readers will be familiar with the retro wooden wonders of Love Hultén. Over the years, the Swedish designer has created wood-encased games consoles, computer replicas and music makers. His latest project is called the Evoboxx, a synthesizer based on the zero-player Game of Life from 1970.
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Latvia's Gamechanger Audio has revealed the final desktop design of its upcoming Motor Synth, which debuted as a proof of concept at NAMM 2019 back in January. As its name suggests, motors are used to create its tones.
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Hardware synthesizers come in many shapes and sizes, but as a very general rule, those packing a keyboard usually have the keys out front and a control panel up top. Not so the Digitone Keys, where the keyboard sits to the right of the synth control panel.
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Back in 2015, Sensel introduced the Morph, a sensor-packed interface that could accommodate a host of colorful overlays for different tasks. Now the company has introduced its first new overlay since Kickstarter backers began receiving their Morphs in 2017, the Buchla Thunder.
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Moog Music hosted its annual music, art and technology expo – Moogfest – at the weekend, and took the opportunity to show off a new four note paraphonic analog synthesizer called the Matriarch.
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Merging synthesized sounds with rocking riffs on a guitar might involve installing a MIDI pickup, or plugging into a synth stomp box. Now Lucem Custom Instruments has collaborated with Tracktion Corporation for an interesting concept guitar that has a BioTek 2 synthesizer built in.
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Folks who like to play around with synthesized sound usually like to get their hands dirty building hardware systems too. Messing with modular systems can be expensive, but the latest Pocket Operators from Teenage Engineering have been designed to be a "poor man's modular" system.
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Three years ago, Korg announced an affordable polyphonic analog synthesizer called the minilogue. Now, ahead of the NAMM 2019 music industry expo, the company has revealed the next generation model – the minilogue xd. New volca drum and volca modular synths have also been announced.
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Earlier this month we had a look at some of the music gear highpoints of 2018. Though this showed that hardware and software innovation continues apace, there's nothing like a taste of oddness to serve as a reminder that gear makers can still think way outside of the box.
