Archive for May, 2026

SOMA Enigma Synthesizer Debuting At Superbooth 2026 (Sneak Preview)


At Superbooth 2026 – scheduled for May 7-9, 2026 in Berlin – SOMA Laboratory founder Vlad Kreimer will officially introduce the latest in his line of unique synthesizers, the Enigma.

Enigma features a new type of user interface, with the sound controlled by the position and movement of metallic objects placed on the instrument’s surface.

Details on pricing and availability are to be announced

 

 

Erica Synths x Richie Hawtin Bullfrog Drums Now Available To Pre-order


Erica Synths has announced Bullfrog Drums, a drum machine, sampler, and CV/gate sequencer.

They say that it’s optimized for learning drum programming, sampling, working with samples and integrating into various performance setups.

Features:

  • 7 sample-based drum voices
  • 7 banks of factory samples by Richie Hawtin and Erica Synths team
  • Up to 16 banks for user samples
  • 64 Mb total sample memory
  • Line input for sampling
  • Built-in microphone for live sampling
  • Built-in speaker
  • 7 parameters for sample sound design
  • Individual level controls for each voice
  • Parameter locks and automations per track
  • CV/Gate sequencer for synthesizer control (1V/Oct gate)
  • Memory of 4 banks with 16 patterns each
  • Memory of 4 banks with 16 kits each
  • Memory backup via USB-C
  • Versatile, hands-on X0X-style sequencer
  • Sequencer with ratchets, probabilities and microtiming
  • Up to 64 step sequences
  • MIDI IN and MIDI OUT via DIN and USB-C
  • Stereo output
  • 3.5mm headphones output

The Bullfrog Drum is available to pre-order for €600, with shipping expected to start May 6th, 2026.

 

Tim Exile Introduces New Modular System For Mac + Windows


Producer & instrument designer Tim Exile has announced Modular, a new modular system, based on Reaktor 6, for Mac and Windows.

Here’s what he has to say about it:

“ Modular is one of the most creatively alive ways to make sound. The dialogue you get into with a patch — hearing what it wants, responding, shaping it back — is part of what makes it so good.

But there’s always been a gap between building a patch and performing with it. Once you’ve got dozens of interacting parameters, mapping them into something you can actually play in real time is a whole separate project. Flow breaks. You stop patching and start wiring up control schemes.

This system is designed to collapse that gap. Every instrument you build is playable the moment it exists. A controller module is the bridge: drop one in, and your instrument is instantly mapped to a keyboard, a hardware controller, or an automatic process that plays it for you. Swap controllers and the same sounds become a totally different instrument.

The goal is flow — one continuous creative state that runs from the first patch cable all the way to the live show.”

The intro video, embedded above, offers an in-depth overview of Modular.

Modular is available now, as a working prototype, for £49 (normally £69).