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Artium Instruments let us know that their new synth, The Swarm, is now available ‘everywhere’.

The initial production release of The Swarm was funded via a successful Kickstarter campaign. With the Kickstarter campaign now wrapped up and all rewards fulfilled, The Swarm can be purchased directly from the Artium Instruments website and through a range of third-party retailers, including eBay, Amazon, and Reverb.com.

The Swarm is a versatile desktop synthesizer, offering 8-note polyphony, a dynamic arpeggiator, and a detunable SuperSaw oscillator. It features USB MIDI Host compatibility for seamless integration with other gear and includes four onboard effects that can also process external audio sources independently.

Features:

• Polyphonic Desktop Synth w/ Onboard Effects – The Swarm features a SuperSaw oscillator with 8-note polyphony, curated onboard effects, and a full-featured arpeggiator
• Knob-For-Knob Functionality – Every feature of The Swarm is directly mapped to a knob, button, switch, or jack, ensuring effortless control. There’s no need for menu-diving or complex button presses to access features; everything is immediately accessible.
• Onboard Effects – These are designed to complement the synth core, including freeze, delay, reverb & chorus. You can also use the onboard effects with other equipment, allowing you to route external audio through the inputs on the back.
• Plug and Play Functionality – The Swarm utilizes a USB-C MIDI host for simplicity and ease of use. Most modern class-compliant MIDI controllers with USB functionality should plug in and work immediately with zero setup. Additionally, The Swarm provides power to your controller, streamlining your setup process. For older controllers that only have DIN connections, a USB to DIN converter can be used to ensure compatibility. (These converters typically cost $10-20)
• Open Source Platform – Artium desktop synths use an open source platform known as Axoloti or Ksoloti for development and implementation of its products.

The Swarm is available now for $379.10.

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Today, Behringer shared a sneak preview of the POLYOsc, a compact polyphonic keyboard, based on the voice of the Oxford Synthesiser Company OSCar synthesizer.

Based on the photo, it looks like this will be Behringer’s first minisynth keyboard.

What they have to say about it:

“Once upon a time, the OSCar synthesizer was born—a groundbreaking instrument crafted by the Oxford Synthesiser Company between 1983 and 1985. Ahead of its time in many ways, the OSCar was one of the few mono-synths of its era to feature MIDI, making it a sought-after tool for musicians. With only around 2,000 units produced, it became a cult classic known for its distinctive sound and innovative design.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve taken inspiration from this iconic synth to develop the POLYOsc prototype. This modern version builds on the legacy of the OSCar, incorporating many additional features while staying true to the original’s spirit.”

While the photo looks like a finished keyboard, it’s a pre-production prototype. Behringer says that they have not made a decision on whether or not to move forward with this design. It’s not clear from their post whether this will be a true polyphonic synth design, or a paraphonic design, like the ‘Poly D’.

Early feedback on the sneak preview suggest that people want full-size keys, and want the POLYOsc to be a true polyphonic synth design, not a paraphonic design like their ‘Poly D’.

Should Behringer start making minisynth keyboards? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Today, Teenage Engineering introduces Ep-1320, and it’s being described by Teenage Engineering as “the ultimate, and only, medieval beat machine”.

Here’s what they say about it:

“introducing EP–1320 medieval – the world’s very first medieval electronic instrument by teenage engineering.

EP–1320 medieval includes hundreds of expertly recorded playable medieval instruments – processed through analogue dynamics, tape, vinyl and more; from strings and bows, to drums, percussion, and foley”.

embarking on a harrowing quest? this pint-sized medieval instrument is perfect for the treacherous road ahead.

The EP-1320 has been decked out in gold, with button labelling translated to Latin and printed in a decidedly Dark Ages font. In addition to its new design and graphics, the sampler has been kitted out with redesigned effects, including Dungeon Echo, Bardic Ensemble, Medieval Punch-in Pocus, Dimension Expander and Torture Chamber Reverb, and a new arpeggiator.

The EP-1320 features with an extensive bank of medieval-themed sounds that covers farm animals, witches, “rowdy peasants” and “an actual dragon” and multi-sampled medieval instruments such as the hurdy gurdy, gittern, citole and bowed harp. Teenage Engineering says the sampler comes with “cocoa-scented” pads.

The EP-1320 is the same machine as the EP-133 K.O. II, aside from a doubled memory of 128MB – though much of that will be taken up with the new sound bank. The EP-133 K.O. II is a successor to the PO-33 KO sampler that features 46kHz/16-bit sampling, six stereo or 12 mono voices and a built-in mic and speaker, alongside a variety of punch-in effects.

EP-1320 Medieval Features:

• Expanded version of the EP-133 KO with 128MB of memory (32MB User, 96MB built-in)
• Medieval samples featuring goats, cattle, peasants, hurdy-gurdy, mouth harp, and more
• Esoteric aesthetics
• Stereo audio support
• 4 Tracks with independent 99 bar sequencers
• Velocity sensitive keys
• Punch-in effects with pressure sensitive performance
• Assignable performance fader
• Built-in speaker and mic
• Stereo audio I/O
• MIDI TRS-A I/O
• Analog sync
• USB-C for data and power
• AAA Battery powered (optional)

The EP-1320 comes in a 10” box including a quick start guide and sticker set.

Teenage Engineering EP-1320 Madieval is now available for $299, and if you really want to go all in on the medieval vibes, you can buy a medieval quilt bag to carry it in.

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