Heritage Audio has introduced Synth Buddy, a 10 to 1 reversible and fully passive stereo switch for managing large synth rigs.
Synth Buddy lets you connect up to 10 stereo (or 20 mono) line level sources and toggle between them with the turn of a knob.
Synth Buddy is a passive design, meaning that it does not require power and it passes your signals through transparently.
That’s the dream made real by Heritage Audio’s Synth Buddy, a compact, desktop-friendly, reversible and fully passive stereo switch.
It’s basically a mixer…… And so, so useful.
And it’s reversible, meaning that all those new inputs could just as easily become outputs.
The ins and outs of it
The Synth Buddy has 20 mono TS jack inputs, wired to act as stereo pairs, and one stereo/two mono TS jacks. Its all-passive design ensures crystal-clear line-level signals with no added colouration and it doesn’t even need a power source.
Heritage audio promises that it’s “built like a tank”, and it’s small enough to fit on any crowded desktop, measuring 190mm x 105mm x 80mm, while weighing a pleasingly robust 988g.
Here’s the official Synth Buddy intro video:
Heritage Audio’s claim that this is a ‘world first’ – with this many inputs and options.
Specifications:
Inputs: 10 x Stereo / 20 x Mono TS Jacks.
Outputs: 1 x Stereo / 2 x Mono TS Jacks.
Inputs and outputs reversible.
Full passive circuit.
Weight: 988 gr.
Dimensions: L: 190mm x D: 105mm x H: 80mm.
Synth Buddy is available now for $199/€199. Find out more on the Heritage Audio website.
This year’s Buchla & Friends Synth Maker Showcase is scheduled for Jan 25 & 26 in Los Angeles, CA.
The event complements the 2025 NAMM Show, and will feature over 70 boutique synth makers. It’s being held in Silverlake, in East-Central LA.
The hands-on, headphones-only gathering offers a chance to try a wide range of synth gear, ranging from additive to subtractive, analog to digital, keyboards to breath, audio to visual, modular to full-size polyphonic, and Eurorack to Serge to Buchla.
Food will be available from Moby Rick’s fish tacos, along with carbonated beverages from United Wild Brew.
Exhibitors: 1010music • 4ms • After Later Audio • AIAIAI • AJH • ALM Busy Circuits • Animal Factory • Ashton Research • ASM • Bastl Instruments • Bitwig • Black Corporation • Bored Brain • Buchla • Catalyst • Circuit Happy • Crosspatch • Days of Yore • Rain City Modular • Doepfer • Dogbotic Labs • Dreadbox • Drift DJ • Elektron • Endorphines • eowave • Eternal Research • Five12 • Flame • Frap Tools • Future Retro • Genki Instruments • Groove Synthesis • Jomox • LA Synth Club • Mega Modular Corp • Melbourne instruments • MEMS project • Meris • Modbap • Moog Foundation • Mystic Circuits • Netherblade • New Systems Instruments • Noise Engineering • Noisebug • Novation • Null Modular • OXI Instruments • Polyend • Prism Circuits • Roger Linn • Schlappi Engineering • Sleepy Circuits • SoCal Synth Society • SOMA • Soundwork Shop • Studio Electronics • Supercritical • SynthRISE • TipTop • Tobinski • Touellskouarn • U.D.O. • Vermona • Wavea • Waveform Magazine • Wavesequencer • Weston Precision Audio • WMD
Tickets are available now. The event is free to attend.
Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, being held January 21–25 in Anaheim, California, Korg has introduced the FISA SUPREMA C ‘synthcordion’, a compact version of their FISA SUPREMA digital accordion. It’s available in two versions, with button- or keyboard-style keys.
The FISA SUPREMA C combines the performance, versatile tones, and immersive sound of the standard SUPREMA model, but with a focus on portability and comfort.
The built-in speakers have been downsized, and the number of physical register switches has been adjusted from 14 to 12, while still maintaining access to all 14 register options. The keyboard has been streamlined from 41 keys to 37 keys, and advanced features such as the master bar and after-touch have been simplified to make the instrument more accessible and user-friendly.
Here’s an intro to their FISA SUPREMA lineup:
The Korg FISA SUPREMA C digital accordion is available to pre-order, with a street price around $700.
