Isla Instruments, makers of the KordBot Music Production Assistant and the S2400 Sampling Drum Machine, has introduced Caladan, an 8-part multi-timbral polyphonic analog / digital hybrid synthesizer.
The Caladan builds on the legacy of the FutureSonus Parva. Isla says that it’s building on the Parva’s DNA and putting their own twist on it, to make it the perfect partner for their S2400. The Caladan will have the same form factor and same aesthetic as the S2400.
Out of the box, Caladan will support polyphonic playback of multi-sampled instruments (SF2, SFZ, +).
The ‘special sauce’, though, is that the instrument will feature 8x expansion slots inside the case. Isla says that this will allow them “to go completely fucking nuts with add-in voicecards.” This opens up the possibility of adding analog or digital voice expansion cards, and they’ve mentioned OPL3, SID, SEM, SH-101, MiniMoog & Pro-1 expansion cards – all accessed by a common UI.
Their intention is to open the platform, so 3rd party developers can create cards.
Isla Instruments says that the Caladan is ready for fabrication of the first hardware prototypes. Details on pricing and availability are to be announced.
Images of the upcoming Behringer BQ-10 sequencer – a Euro format copy of the vintage Korg SQ-10 step sequencer – are showing up on social media, Facebook.
Behringer hasn’t made an official announcement for the new step sequencer yet, but, in 2020, they previewed the PCB for the BQ-10, above.
The Behringer BQ-10 appears to be a close copy of the Korg SQ-10 step sequencer, but shrunk down to fit into Eurorack format, and with some compromises to make it cheap to manufacture.
Behringer has reduced the sequencer’s stages, from the original’s 3 rows of 12 stages to 3 rows of 8 stages. The company made a similar compromise on its ARP 1027 sequencer knockoff, reducing the stages from 10 to 8.
Other than that, the BQ-10 has controls that are very similar to the original, and the sequencer looks like it is designed to pair nicely with the company’s K-2 synth, which is based on Korg’s MS-20.
Official details on the Behringer BQ-10 are to be announced.
Has Behringer managed to create a “premium” 10-input analogue mixer for $129?
Behringer has confirmed the availability of Xenyx 1003B.
Behringer today introduced the Xenyx 1003B, a new 10-input analogue mixer with five mic preamps and a battery power option.
The Xenyx 1003B is described as a “premium” mixer, designed for live work, streaming, podcasting and recording.
Each of the Xenyx preamps has a 48v phantom power option, and there is also a dedicated stereo line input channel. Each channel has a 60mm fader, 3-band EQ, and a post-fader FX send control for utilising external effects.
In addition, there are per-channel pre-EQ monitor send controls that can be used to set up an independent monitoring mix, along with RCA streaming, 1/4-inch main and headphone outputs.
The Xenyx 1003B has a list price of $129/£119.00, and is said to be shipping now. Find out more on the Behringer website.
