WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

Behringer shared this preview of their upcoming Solina String Ensemble, a Euro format clone of the classic Eminent Solina String Ensemble.

When Behringer first mooted the idea of a Solina String Ensemble clone, it admitted that it didn’t even know if or when it would be built, but more than three years later, it’s here.

Released in 1974 and distributed in the US by ARP Instruments, the original String Ensemble is a 49-note keyboard string ensemble synth incorporated violin, viola, trumpet, horn, cello and contrabass sounds, along with a built-in chorus effect. Organ-style ‘divide-down’ technology gave the impression of polyphony. Its classic sound has been used iconically by Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Joy Division and others.

Behringer’s remake (based on the ‘Revision B’ model) adds a phaser (in the style of the Electro-Harmonix Small Stone from the ‘70s), 5-pin/USB MIDI and external modulation/patching connectivity, all in a compact form factor.

What Behringer says about their version:

“SOLINA faithfully delivers the classic string machine sound that we all know and love.

By staying loyal to its unique circuitry, our Engineers have not only managed to deliver the purest revival of SOLINA, but also by including highly demanded features including a built-in phaser (based on the classic 1970s Small-Stone), External Modulation/Patching connectivity, 5-Pin, and USB MIDI, all whilst in a form factor that works within modern-day setups.

There is truly nothing else on the market today that comes close to the character of this extremely sought-after instrument. We are extremely proud to soon open the experience of SOLINA to you all, once we have the required chips to put it into full-scale production.”

Behringer says that recreating the Solina was quite a challenge, but it’s still managed to keep the price down to an anticipated $359. Unfortunately, their Solina is another one of their ‘hardvaporware’ introductions, because they can’t get the parts to put it into production. Solina will go into production once the required chips have been sourced.

Watch the video and share your thoughts on how accurately captures the originals’ sound!

Images of what appear to be a keyboard bearing the MODX+ name have surfaced on Yamaha Musicians.

The mystery of Yamaha’s recent AN-X trademark application may be about to be solved, with a purported leak indicating that this will be the name of a new synth engine in the MODX+, a new mid-range synth workstation.

It looks like it will be the successor to the MODX , the 2018 workstation that took features from Yamaha’s flagship Montage synth and packed them into a more affordable instrument.

MODX comes in three sizes – with 61-, 76- and 88-note keyboards respectively – and we’d expect the plus version to follow suit. The MODX’s AWM2 and FM-X synth engines seem likely to be included in the MODX+, too, but the big question is what AN-X is all about.

The logical conclusion to draw is that this will take sonic cues from the AN1x, the popular virtual analogue synth that Yamaha released in 1997, but this is all speculation at this point.

Yamaha Musicians also believes that the MODX+ will have double the memory of the MODX along with increased polyphony. Other rumours suggest that the Montage range will be getting a firmware update that includes the AN-X engine.

Prices and release dates are still to be confirmed – as, of course, is the actual existence of the MODX+ – but the thinking is that we could get an announcement from Yamaha as early as September.

Global supply chain problems and material shortages are affecting all manner of industries right now, including musical instrument manufacturers. So, it’s not surprising that Moog has announced that the prices of some of its instruments have just gone up.

Moog explains why the prices of some of its instruments have gone up: “it’s not a decision we take lightly”

Any price increases are bad news for buyers. But apparently, many of Moog’s prices increases don’t keep up with inflation or the increased taxes on imported parts:

• The Moog Sound Studio 3  was $1,999 when it was introduced. Now the street price is $2,099, about 5% more.
• The Moog Matriarch  was introduced with a street price of about $2,000. Now it’s listing for about 10% more, around $2,200.
• The Mother-32  and was introduced with a street price of about $600. Now it’s listing for $699. This is about a 15% increase, which $50 less than what you’d expect if the price had kept up with inflation.
• The Moog One 16-voice  price has increased from $7,999 to $8,999. This is a big price increase, but about $500 less than what you’d expect based on inflation alone, since 2018.
• The Moog Subsequent 37 was introduced at $1,499. It’s retailing for $1,899, about a 27% increase.
• The Moog Grandmother  has one of the biggest price jumps and is the biggest outlier. The Grandmother was $899 when it was introduced. Now it’s listing with a $1,249 street price, close to a 40% jump. Inflation has been about 18% since the Grandmother was introduced. So what accounts for the bigger price jump? Moog isn’t saying, but the Grandmother was introduced a month before the Trump administration imposed a 25% tax on electrical components imported from China.(29/6/2018) At the time, Moog said that “These tariffs will immediately and drastically increase the cost of building our instruments.”

Explaining the move on its website, Moog said:

“The ongoing global challenges of material shortages, supply chain limitations, inflation, as well as rising raw goods and shipping costs, have made it necessary to adjust some of our pricing. A price increase is not a decision we take lightly, but one that is needed to ensure we can continue delivering the high-quality products you deserve.

Thank you for your understanding. Please contact us if you have any further questions.”

While Moog is attempting to protect itself from the economic headwinds by raising prices, some other synth manufacturers have been unable to continue operating in the current climate – like Synthesizers.com, Future Retro and WMD – are being driven out of business  by the current global economic environment. Others, like Behringer, have had to resort to describing recent introductions, like their Synthi VCS 3 knockoff, ‘hardvaporware’, because they can’t get the parts that they need to put their new designs into production.

As prices of several Moog synths have fluctuated at some dealers recently,  our advice is to shop around before hitting the order button.