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Synth maker Aodyo Instruments has announced the failure of their Kickstarter project to produce the Anyma Omega polysynth and that they now in liquidation.

They say that most of the campaign funds were spent on product development, and that the company now has no cash flow and is under the liquidator’s control. It is unlikely that contributors will recover their investment.

What they shared on Kickstarter:

“First and foremost, we want to express our sincere apologies for this prolonged silence. It was never our intention to ignore your concerns, but we were working tirelessly to explore every possible solution that could allow us to continue our operations and deliver on the projects you supported. We understand your frustration and disappointment with the lack of communication and transparency over the past few months. We know you were expecting updates from us, and we regret not living up to your expectations.

The truth is that we have been going through a very challenging period since the safeguard procedure was initiated on the June 24. This legal process was supposed to help us restructure and avoid bankruptcy, but it also required us not to disclose any information that could discourage potential investors or buyers.

During the summer, we continued to work on the Loom and Omega, convinced that we would find a solution. Unfortunately, our efforts did not succeed, and we are now forced to announce what some of you may already know: Aodyo Instruments is now in liquidation.

This means that the company will cease its operations on November 1st, and that a court-appointed liquidator is overseeing the process of closing the company and managing its remaining assets to repay creditors.

We understand that this is a hard blow, and although there are details we are not at liberty to disclose due to our legal situation, we want to try and address the key concerns you raised during these last few weeks.”

Backers should see the project site for details.

*Note: Crowdfunding projects essentially ask you to be an investor in a project, which comes with risk, in exchange for early access to new gear, and reduced prices. Kickstarter says that about 7% of project backers never get their chosen reward, with risks pretty similar across product categories.

World Of Music always includes a risk statement when we cover crowdfunded synth projects including this project, because these projects sometimes fail and backers never get their rewards. If you want to avoid this risk completely, skip crowdfunding projects and buy the gear, at the higher price, when it is commercially available.

Elektron yesterday introduced the Digitone II, a major update that adds new synthesis options, double the polyphony and 16-track sequencing.

Here’s a roundup of early reviews and demos for the new Elektron Digitone II:

First up is the Loopop review, video above. Host Ziv Eliraz offers an in-depth overview of the new synth, plenty of audio examples and his take on the device’s pros and cons. Eliraz says that “Digitone II is an excellent sounding, versatile multi-timbral synth,” but also notes that it’s a deep synth that comes with a steep learning curve and lots of key combinations to memorize.

Next up is a review from synthesist Sarah Belle Reid:

Reid is new to the Elektron workflow, and her video focuses primarily on the synth engine and audio demos, but does not dig deep into its sequencing and other capabilities.

This video, via hissquiet, is a No Talking & Play style demo, featuring about 40 minutes of extended patch demos that highlight the range of the Digitone II:

Next up is a demo from Cuckoo, which captures him creating his first track on the Digitone II:

Synthesist Gino Cortesi says that ‘This is the best Elektron box to date” in his review, highlighting the deep synthesis engine combining with the Elektron sequencer’s capabilities:

Synthesist Jogging House shared this ambient track that features the Elektron Digitone 2 Ambient recorded to 1/4″ analog tape:

Watch the reviews and demos, and share your thoughts on the Digitone II in the comments!

Cableguys’ new Snapback plugin puts a “secret trick of pro producers” at your fingertips.

The plugin brand’s BT collaboration promises next-level drum layering tools.

ShaperBox developer Cableguys has just released its latest plugin, a collaboration with storied US producer Brian Transeau, aka BT. Named Snapback, this latest tool is designed to automate the process of layering sampled transients over drum hits.

Snapback features two modules. The first of these is named Transient, which is used for layering samples directly on top of existing drum sounds. Rather than editing the two elements together, Snapback works in real time to trigger playback of the transient sample based on an incoming audio signal.

Transients can be sourced from a library of stock sound featuring samples provided by BT, as well as others created by Goldbaby, Virtual Riot and Cyclick. An assortment of controls including envelope shaping, pitch adjustment and filtering help tailor the samples to fit over the input drums. Snapback also features a visual analyser that lets users see the waveforms of both layers imposed on top of one another, to help align them visually.

The second module is the titular Snapback element. Rather than layering transient samples on top of the incoming drum hits, this places samples just before the main drum transient. According to Cableguys, placing samples before your drums in this way is “a secret trick of pro producers for ‘living’ grooves”. The idea is that these subtle pre-transients can add groove and swing to otherwise static beats.

This isn’t BT’s first plugin collaboration. He’s previously put his name to iZotope’s BreakTweaker and StutterEdit. Cableguys has previously partnered with Nicky Romero for its popular Kickstart ducking plugin.

Snapback is available now. The regular price is $49/€49, but it’s currently available for a launch price of $29/€29. Find out more at the CableGuys site.