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Element One is the 8-voice virtual-analog synthesizer designed to feel like an instrument, not a science project.

Today, Model Electronics launching the first day of Berlin’s Superbooth 2026 show comes the Element One, a diminutive 37-key synth designed for musicians who, in Modal’s words, ‘want to play with sound’ albeit without requiring any deep technical knowledge.

Developed in collaboration with the world-renowned Axel Hartmann Design team, the 4.5kg minimalist steel and polycarbonate-enclosed Element One’s ultra-reactive USP is spotlighted by expressive aftertouch and a versatile 4-axis joystick.

Then, there’s 17 direct-access control knobs for instantaneous sound shaping. It looks like the perfect antidote to tedious menu-scrolling…

The Element One is being posited as more of a responsive instrument, then – an instrument that attendees of this year’s Superbooth can test out with their own hands over at Modal Electronics booth (H101).

“Element One is for musicians and producers who want more sound and more expression without turning into full-time programmers,” says the Modal team. “It doesn’t ask you to learn the rules; it dares you to play.”

But that simplicity belies the fact that, under the hood, the Element One sports some impressive specs: 64 high-resolution oscillators (up to 8 per voice) can provide textured warmth right through to more modern-leaning sounds. Then there’s 30 resonant filter types including morphable and static options.

Then, there’s what Modal describes as ‘studio-grade FX’ – consisting of three independent stereo engines which can conjure reverb, delay, chorus and much more – arrangeable in any order you see fit.

But, if you’d rather leave all the exploring and just dive straight into some staple sonics, Modal has kindly provided 300 factory presets (categorised by character)  will undoubtedly serve you right.
Modal states that the Element One has been designed to fit into any musical ecosystem, spanning a guitarist’s pedalboard to a DJ’s live rig, or the standard DAW-based producer’s home setup.

In terms of ins and outs, the Element One sports USB-C MIDI, MIDI In/Out, Sync I/O, and a stereo audio input that allows external sources to be processed through its internal FX engines. For deeper editing, Modal provide a free app – aka, the ‘MODALapp’ which provides a visual interface (available for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android).

Element One is available through authorised retailers for MSRP 649 €/ or MAP $599. For more information, visit the MODAL Electronics website.

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The deconstruct series has arrived – redefining musical structure.

Built for the hypnotic grooves of minimal techno and minimal house.

SUPERBOOTH 2026: Japanese synth brand Sonicware has announced Deconstruct Minimal, a new hardware groovebox said to be “built on the rhythmic and pitch drift of legendary drum machines”.

Sonicware is perhaps best known for its Liven series, a range of compact digital synths that specialise in lo-fi sounds and ambient textures. According to the company, Minimal marks the first entry in a new range designed to sit alongside the Liven instruments.

“While the Liven series focuses on sound itself — making it easy to create music tailored to each sound engine — the deconstruct series focuses on musical structure, analyzing and reconstructing it to enable deeper musical expression.”

Described as being ‘designed to create hypnotic minimal grooves’, Deconstruct Minimal is a 10-track groovebox featuring a drum machine accompanied by a virtual analogue bass synth and sampler capabilities.

deconstruct MINIMAL | Hypnotic Groove Machine [Official Demo Jam]

The sequencer tracks are designed for creative drum programming, equipped with per-track accents, sub-steps, randomised velocity, swing and phrase rotation. Rather than channeling the sound of vintage drum machines, Minimal instead aims to recapture the ‘groove DNA’ of classic hardware by replicating the grooves of vintage machines, along with their subtle drifts in rhythm and pitch drift.

The drum sounds themselves are mostly sample-based, but Minimal uses synthesis for its BD1 and SD tracks. The instrument comes stocked with 16 drum kits, divided into 10 banks, totalling 130 sounds.

Alongside the drum tracks Minimal also features a ‘Sonic Expansion Sampler’, which is described as a ‘drum machine–integrated 4-track sampler with a 4-bar loop track’.

Tracks 7-9 are one-shot sampler tracks that can load 2 or 4 second mono samples (48kHz/16-bit) with repitch to tempo functionality. Track 10 is a dedicated loop sampler, supporting stereo samples of up-to 8 seconds (48kHz/16-bit) with added time stretching.

Minimal’s Elastic Bass Synth is a newly-developed analogue-modelled engine with front panel controls for filter cutoff, resonance, envelope and decay – giving it a distinctly 303-style flavour.

According to Sonicware, the bass synth also offers “extensive sound shaping possibilities” via additional waveforms, a sub-bass and dedicated overdrive, plus real-time control over glide time and curve, decay curve, and gate time.

The groovebox also packs in a range of effects including a sweepable filter, phaser, distortion, reverb and more.

Minimal has a built-in speaker and can be powered by batteries or a 9v power supply, although the latter needs to be purchased separately.

deconstruct Minimal is available to Pre-order now, priced at £359/$399/€399. The first 1000 units are available for a specially discounted price of £269/$299/€299. Shipping Starts on Mid-June.

Head to the Sonicware site to find out more.

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Kiviak Instruments promises to bring the old-school sampling fun for less with the cut-price WoFi LE.

Ahead of Superbooth 2026, Kiviak Instruments unveils WoFI LE Sample Synthesizer. WoFI LE bringing the iconic original WoFi experience to a sleek, portable, and affordable package but, does away with the piano-style keyboard and replaces it with a padded configuration.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

Everything you loved about the original WoFi in a new affordable design. Sample, edit, sequence and rearrange any sound with a fun workflow, surpercharged by the mywo.fi companion app.

WoFi LE is here—and it’s bringing the iconic WoFi experience to a sleek, portable, and affordable package. No compromises. No shortcuts. Just pure, hands-on sampling and sound design, inspired by the original WoFi and built for spontaneity.

Five focused features that put hands-on sampling within reach. Direct, portable, expandable.

There are some other differences – no built-in speaker or battery, for example – but Kiviak reckons that the WoFi’s best features remain intact. You can record directly into the hardware and then chop and manipulate your samples on the fly, and the rubber keys double as a sequencer. A MicroSD card slot means that storage should be a non-issue, and the workflow is said to cater for live performance.

WoFi LE will be available at the end of 2026 or early 2027 at $349/€299.

If you’re interested, you can sign up for development progress updates on the Kiviak Instruments website.

Kiviak Instruments unveiling the WoFI LE prototype at Superbooth (W325). Come by to discover it and chat with the Kiviak team and see what’s next for the WoFI family.

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