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The ISE-NIN synth is almost ready for prime time

Good news – The good news is you can pre-order Black Corporation’s イセーニン (or ISE-NIN) synth, and it should be available in a few weeks time.

Inspired by Roland’s Jupiter-8, we first heard about the ISE-NIN in 2021, and it was scheduled to be released by the end of last year. But, the date was missed due to logistical problems and a delay in part delivery.

The ISE-NIN features eight voices, each of which comprises a fully-analogue voltage-controlled oscillator, analogue low-pass/high-pass filter, a noise generator, two ADSR envelopes and a VCA.

Two different presets can be layered, and each layer can have its own fully assignable velocity and poly-aftertouch controls and global MPE settings.

The ISE-NIN can be controlled via MIDI and can store 10 banks of 128 presets. Additionally, there is micro-tuning and an arpeggiator.

The full desktop version of the ISE-NIN costs $3749; a $1,199 deposit is required to pre-order it, with the balance tobe paid when it is ready to ship, which is expected to be in March. The PCB kit version costs $999 and requires a $299 if you want to pre-order it.

Find out more and pre-order on the Black Corporation website.

ROLI has released a one-minute video, teasing the upcoming debut of a new Seaboard keyboard.

The ROLI Seaboard keyboard is a unique MIDI controller that gives you deep polyphonic control of compatible synthesizers. ROLI’s Seaboard devices give you five types of expressive control:

• Strike corresponds to the MIDI message of note-on velocity;
• Press to aftertouch or pressure;
• Glide to pitch bend;
• Slide to CC 74; and
• Lift to note-off (release) velocity.

ROLI’s teaser promises an updated take on the Seaboard keyboard:

“A Legend returns. Better than ever before.

An iconic instrument that revolutionized music-making forever. Now reimagined, refined and re-engineered for ultimate musical expression. Be the first to experience the next generation of Seaboard.”

The future of ROLI’s professional line of MPE controllers has been in question recently, because of the company’s recent bankruptcy and reorganization as Luminary. The company had also focused much of its energy on creating products with a broader audience.

Details are to come in March 2022.

Teenage Engineering has shared a series of DIY modular synth projects, based on their POM-1 line of barebones module components.

The three DIY projects use modules from the POM range in a variety of ways, including a compact modular, a LEGO LFO  a Jamaican-style dub siren.

The projects include:

• Square Box – This project is using all the modules from the POM-400 kit, together panels from Oddvolt, to create a complete Eurorack system.
• Dub Siren – a siren effect box, with an LFO, a square module and PSU.
• Mechanical LFO – this project features a LEGO robot, designed to work as a mechanical LFO.

Watch the LEGO project in action:

The individual POM-1 barebones modules are available now, with most modules priced around $30.

Find out more on the Teenage Engineering website.