Today, Behringer announced that its Syncussion SY-1 – a knockoff of the vintage Pearl Syncussion SY-1 – is now shipping from its factory.
The SY-1 offers two drum synth voices, with six oscillator modes, each with a different character and timbre. You can choose from single oscillator, FM, dual oscillator mix, dynamic oscillator mix, FM/noise mix, and pure noise. Each mode can be shaped by adjusting the tune, decay, and filter cutoff controls. This lets you create a range of ’70s synth drum effects.
The Behringer SY-1 can be triggered by drum pads or sequenced via MIDI or analog gate signals.
Features:
Copies original Pearl Syncussion SY-1 circuitry
6 oscillator modes featuring single oscillator, FM, dual oscillator mix, dynamic oscillator mix, FM/noise mix and pure noise
Tune, decay and filter cutoff controls for a wide range of percussive sounds and effects
Pitch sweep with speed, range and up/down controls for dramatic pitch dives and rises
LFO with square and triangle waves for unique vibrato effects
Sample and hold control for random pitch changes with each hit
30 controls for direct and real-time access to important parameters
Module can be transferred to a standard Eurorack case
Trigger via MIDI or Trig inputs
The Behringer Syncussion SY-1 is shipping from the factory now, priced at $199. It can take a month or so for their shipping items to be available at retailers.
Aberrant DSP is the maker of some of our favorite software tools. The company has announced a new product Liar.
We had high expectations, and Aberrant hasn’t let us down. Described as an “occult reverberator”, Lair is one of the weirdest reverb plugins we have come across in a very long time – this is without a doubt the only plugin release we’re aware of that’s been accompanied by a mysterious short story that describes the maker of the plugin sacrificing his ring finger in order to gain access to an interdimensional portal.
Beyond the occult theme, Lair is a capable reverb plugin, equipped with three reverb modes: Artifact is a spring reverb, Mirror offers something similar to a plate reverb, while Rift is something else entirely, generating “mystical echoes from other planes”. Each reverb mode has two unique modifiers that apply effects to the sound such as pitch-shifting and parameter randomization.
You’ll also find tone controls to filter the reverb that behave differently in each reverb mode, and a modulation control equipped with three waveforms. There’s also a drive module with three different modes, one of which is said to incorporate a “broken compressor” and the other applying a heavy flavour of distortion to the output.
In addition, Lair is equipped with the global controls you’d expect from a reverb plugin, including mix, reverb level, sparsity and pre-delay, alongside various controls for stereo width and ducking. Plus, there are 77 factory presets onboard with some rather imaginative names, such as Dusted Artifact, Secret Stairway and Mithril Foundry.
Priced at a discounted $24, Lair is available now for macOS and Windows in VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Sunday Synth Jam: German synthesist Martin Stürtzer shared this live ambient performance, the 63rd in his series of Home Concerts.
He launched the series at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020. He plays a live show from his studio on the first Sunday of each month.
What Stürtzer shared about the technical details of his performance:
“In this set, I present five new Ambient tracks, arranged with my hardware synths, Daweseome Myth, U-He Repro-5 and Ableton 12. For live looping I used Enso by Audio Damage.
This set left me a lot of space for improvisation, the use of my Juno 60 was completely spontaneous.”
