Malevolent is the first product from a new British company known as PWM, and promises the flexibility of modular in a playable 32-note keyboard synth.
PWM boss Paul Whittington clearly has high hopes for Malevolent, which promises to deliver ‘best in class’ value.
“We can’t wait for you to see and hear Malevolent, our new unique-sounding keyboard instrument that lives both in the Modular Analogue world and your studio,” says Whittington.
This is a ‘pure analogue’ instrument that’s fully repatchable and supports the Eurorack standard. However, it also promises a logical synth layout that features independent module sections with ‘normalised’ interconnects, making it immediately playable.
Features include two VCOs, two ADSR envelopes, a multimode 2-pole voltage controlled filter, a voltage controlled amplifier with overdrive control and a mixer section with AUX and noise controls.
In addition, you will also find an analogue LFO, plus additional digital performance LFO via the joystick. There is USB-MIDI to CV conversion within the Keys module, along with analogue clock in and out.
Moog Music announced Moog Sound Studio: Mother-32 & DFAM and Subharmonicon, an all-in-one Euro system that is designed to make its family of 60HP semi-modular analog synthesizers more accessible and approachable than ever.
Moog new Sound Studio is a monster semi-modular synth playground.
The newest Moog Sound Studio package includes the full lineup of Moog’s Mother ecosystem instruments:
Mother-32 is a versatile performance and production synthesizer with a step sequencer and 64 slots of sequence memory. Its classic Moog voice delivers “raw analog sound, deep Moog bass, and soaring synth leads.”
DFAM is designed to offer an inspiring approach to drum synthesis and rhythmic pattern creation with rich analog rhythms and percussive patterns.
Subharmonicon offers a unique combination of six-tone subharmonic chord shapes and polyrhythmic sequences.
Both of the previous (and still available) Sound Studios contain the DFAM percussion synth, but force you to choose between the Mother-32 and the Subharmonicon.
By bringing them all together, Moog is taking away that difficult decision, and offering users even more patch design potential. As well as the synths, the new bundle contains a custom dust cover, dedicated audio mixer and power distribution hub, the rack kit, audio cables, patch cables, cable organizer, synth exploration card game, creative learning tools, artwork, and more.
Waldorf returns to its wavetable roots with the Microwave-inspired M hybrid synth
Ahead of Superbooth 2021, Waldorf has announced that it is bringing back classic Microwave and ‘modern’ Microwave II instruments with their M wavetable synthesizer, a new desktop synth, but offers plenty of new features, as well.
Classic tone generation in a next-generation instrument.
Waldorf M is a hybrid eight-voice, four-part multitimbral synth with two wavetable oscillators. These can be switched between Microwave and Microwave II modes, behaving differently in each.
Features:
Two oscillator modes:
Classic Microwave I mode, where 16-bit wavetables are bit-reduced to 8-bit and a 240 kHz non-anti-aliased sample rate is offered.
The Modern Microwave II/XT mode offers a 40 kHz sample rate with band-limited wavetables, although both oscillators — OSC 1 and OSC 2 — offer the same panel parameters.
Two LFOs are available, with adjustable frequency Rate and Shape, that can be used for modulation purposes.
Lowpass 24 dB/Oct VCF (based on the SSI 2144 Improved Ladder Type), with resonance and analog saturation.
Four programmable envelopes
True stereo analogue VCA with panning option
True hard Sync (when working in its Modern Microwave II/XT mode)
ARP with 16 preset patterns & ability to sync to MIDI clock
Chord mode
MIDI-syncable global LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator).
45 knobs and buttons for quick editing
Full-metal housing
2,048 presets (divided into 16 banks, each with 128 sounds, including all of the classic Microwave sound sets, such as MW1 Factory Sound Set, MW1 Soundpool 1-5, the fat-sounding Analogue and Bassco, as well as PPG Wave 2.3 sounds converted for the original Microwave.
Connections:
Six (rear panel-positioned) stereo analogue outputs — arranged as MAIN OUT (L/Mono and R) and AUX OUT (A, B, C, and D), the latter of which can be used to route each of the four Multi (multitimbral) parts to different outputs, if desired;
A stereo headphone output (with an associated Volume knob in addition to the topside Master Volume knob);
5-pin MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU DIN connectors, complimented by a USB 2.0 MIDI port (for computer connection to transmit and receive MIDI data);
An SD Card slot (for updating M’s firmware, importing/saving sound patches, and importing/saving M-specific data, such as user wavetables); and
Kensington-compatible security lock slot.
The official intro video:
(Voltage Controlled Filter), complete with resonance and analogue saturation feature, and a true stereo analogue VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) with panning option. As such, M has hybrid digital/analogue synth status.
There are 96 factory wavetables and the option to import your own, while hands-on control comes courtesy of 45 knobs and a selection of buttons, all nicely-spaced across the all-metal housing.
Other features include two LFOs, an arpeggiator, and four programmable envelopes. On the connectivity front, meanwhile, you get six stereo analogue outputs, a stereo headphone output, MIDI In/Out/Thru/USB, and an SD card slot.
