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Ahead of Superbooth 2025, scheduled for May 8-10 at the FEZ-Berlin, Neuzeit Instruments has introduced Drop, described as “a snapshot-based MIDI control center for live performance”.

Here’s what they have to say about it:

“With Drop, you can now map your MIDI equipment across devices and easily store different controller positions as snapshots. During performance, you can jump back to these snapshots at any time (JUMP mode) and trigger them. All of this can be quantized and with variable fade time, allowing you to use a snapshot for slowly building tension and automatically have multiple controllers move simultaneously.

A particularly useful feature, is firing snapshots in DROP mode at exactly the right moment, precisely at the end of a pattern of, for example, 8 bars. For this purpose, Drop features an integrated master clock that counts any number between 1 and 32 bars (= cycle). In DROP mode, you can schedule a snapshot to trigger at the end of a cycle, build tension and go crazy on effects until then, and lean back as the snapshot automatically turns the controllers at exactly the right moment, bringing your live set back to solid ground.

Saving and recalling snapshots is quick and simple even during live situations, allowing you to work spontaneously with new snapshots on-the-fly during your performance. The LED buttons always provide clear visual feedback about what’s happening.

If you want to plan further ahead, you can prepare sequences of DROP snapshots according to your song arrangement in the studio. Then use CHAIN mode to automatically trigger them sequentially on stage. Multiple chains and banks of snapshots are available, allowing you to configure your live set according to a song-by-song structure.”

Features:

• Connect all your live performance gear to one master controller
• 20 banks with 20 snapshots to store and recall the state of all controls
• 32 push-encoders without detents, 8 mutes, 8 faders, duplicated on 2 layers A/B
• 2 x MIDI USB-C port, automatic device or host detection
• 4 x MIDI In and 4 x MIDI Out via TRS type A or B
• 2 x CV-In and 2 x CV-Out for clocks and 0-5V control signals
• Macro mappings, up to 8 MIDI targets and individual curves per control
• Merge incoming MIDI (e.g. from a sequencer) with Drop‘s MIDI out
• MIDI clock in/out with individual millisec delays to perfectly sync all gear
• CCs, Notes, 14-bit CCs, program+bank change, Aftertouch, Pitchbend
• Ableton clip launcher (script available) and note keyboard mode
• Fast and intuitive mapping on the device itself – no external software required
• Powered through USB-C or external power supply (included)
• Solid metal chassis, metal shaft encoders, built to last

The Neuzeit Drop is scheduled for release in Summer 2025. Pricing is to be announced.

via Sonic State

Waldorf has released Blofeld for iPad, a port of the hardware synth engine, including AUv3 for use in DAWs like Logic, Garageband, Cubasis, AUM and others.

The Blofeld app can also be used to control your hardware and is compatible with existing Blofeld soundsets.

What Waldorf has to say about Blofeld for iPad:

“The sound generation of the Blofeld plugin delivers the typical fat and rich Waldorf sound character that so many Waldorf users worldwide love when they are playing their Blofeld, Q, Q+, Microwave, Microwave II/XT or even the flagship, the Wave. The secret of its sound is a powerful wavetable engine that enables these intense and expressive sounds.

This unique synthesis system is based on the revolutionary PPG synthesizers of the early 80s. When you hear the Blofeld for the first time, you’ll immediately remember those edgy, assertive or bell-like timbres that have been an integral part of countless worldwide hits since the PPG era.”

Blofeld for iPad is available now, with an intro price of $12.99.

Sound designer Stefan Heinrichs (Limbic Bits) shared this ‘shut up and play’ style demo of the Dreadbox Artemis synthesizer.

The Artemis is a 6-voice desktop polyphonic analog synthesizer, with 2 VCOs with wave shaping, PWM and FM, High and Low Pass VCFs, 4 Sinevibes effects, polyphonic sequencer and 640 presets on board.

“It features that great vintage tone I love so much on other dreadbox devices, largely thanks to its creamy-sounding filters. Both filters offer resonance, and the low-pass filter can be switched between 12dB and 24dB slopes,” notes Heinrichs. “But it doesn’t stop there. Thanks to TZFM and filter FM, it can sound very modern as well, making it great for all sorts of electronic music.”

“Although it offers quite a lot of modulation options, I still found myself wishing for features like key tracking for LFO rate, negative envelope amounts, noise as a modulation source in the menu, or meta-modulations,” he adds. “After reaching out to dreadbox about these features, they told me they are already working on them for a future update and/or will look into them.”

View the video and share your thoughts on the Dreadbox Artemis in the comments!

Timings:

0:00 Quick Rundown

1:41 Apocalypse Pad

2:19 Works I

3:04 Goblin Sweep

3:46 Solitude Pad

4:52 Works II

5:53 Classic House Pad

6:52 Filigrane Pad

7:44 Works III

8:20 Kitty Pad

9:06 Digi Pad

9:50 Heavenly

11:03 LEAD Massive

11:40 Accelerator Lead I

12:31 Commerce Lead

13:12 Kitty Lead

13:52 FM Lead

14:13 Accelerate Lead II

14:43 Saw Under Lead

15:28 BASS Boarder Bass

15:47 Electronica Bass

16:28 Unisono Bass

16:44 Wall Bass

17:28 Tanz Bass

18:23 Father Bass

19:03 PWM Bass

19:45 Dub Chord 1

20:41 Dub Chord 2

21:09 FX Kick Bass

21:21 Soylent Blue

21:28 Glitch Bells