Host Ziv Eliraz – in his latest loopop video – reviews the Haken Slim 21 Continuum, a smaller and more affordable version of what some consider the most expressive and powerful synthesizer ever made.
The Slim 21 Continuum offers the full engine and capabilities of Haken’s flagship Continuum expressive instrument, but with a smaller 21-note range. It’s based on the EaganMatrix Sound Engine, which has been designed specifically to deliver an expressiveness and immediacy that rivals traditional acoustic instruments.
The Continuum tracks each finger individually with microscopic accuracy, using up to 12 independent Hall-Effect sensors per finger. The analog output of each sensor is digitized by ultra-high speed A/D converters. A typical note played on the Continuum will have data from hundreds of thousands of Hall-Effect samples, allowing for exponentially more accuracy and sensitivity than traditional keyboards.
The Haken Audio Slim 21 is available now for $1,799 USD.
Pittsburg Modular shared that the Lifeforms SV-1 Mini – an updated version of their Lifeforms SV-1 all-in-one Eurorack synth voice module – will be available in Jan of 2027:
“Update on the Lifeforms SV-1 Mini. We sharpened our pencils and did all the math. Retail will be $599. That is $200 less than the original SV-1! Production SHOULD be finished by mid December and they SHOULD be shipping to buyers mid-January.
All great news. So I want feedback on preorders. Should we take preorders? When should they start? The first run will be 300 units.”
Details are still to come at the Pittsburg Modular site.
Developer Keith Crosley has released Liminal Space 2 for macOS and Windows.
Liminal Space 2 is described as a “wildly programmable digital reverb”. It features a custom library of more than 4,000 reverb algorithms, and delivers everything from intimate 1980s-style rooms to infinite, pitch-warped soundscapes.
Features:
4,636 Profiled Algorithms: Explore everything from short, practical rooms to unstable, pitch-warped spaces. RC3 includes 2,518 new and improved algorithms designed specifically for Liminal Space 2, across 17 banks. Every shipped algorithm has a measured Profile describing characteristics such as decay, brightness, width, onset, and smoothness. Easily filter by character and length to find the ideal reverb, and use the calibrated “Tail Guide” to dial in approximate decay times.
22 Wavetables from KRC Mathwaves: Drive built-in LFO modulation for “bitcrushed” pitch bending, subtle chorus, or VHS-style wow and flutter. New wavetable modifiers allow for advanced modulation effects.
40 Archetypes, 47 Factory Presets, and User Presets: Start with practical small, medium, and large rooms—or explore gated, modulated, pitch-shifted, lo-fi, atmospheric, and deliberately strange designs.
Deep Modulation: Derez LFO, per-tap delay length DLFO, a modulatable Diffusion Matrix, dedicated Shimmer LFO, and 3 freely assignable Modulation LFOs for evolving, layered motion and special effects.
Tone Shaping Sections: In addition to an overall FIR lowpass filter, the “LEXITONE” section offers Bass, Mid, Cross, Treble, and HF Spread controls inspired by the Lexicon 224’s characterful decay shaping. An Output EQ section provides hi/lo shelving and an adjustable mid EQ on the reverb tail.
Pitch-Sweep Path: Apply shimmery or chorus-like motion (or weird pitch bends) directly inside the feedback loop, with phase/depth spread and per-tap targeting. Or swap out the legacy pitch shift effect for new “tank motion” effects.
True Shimmer: Optional pitch-shift shimmer with +/- 24 semitones of shift, detuning, unison, tone control, and a dedicated LFO for unique effects such as vibrato, tremolo, and my unique “field motion” modulation.
Integrated Stereo Widener: Srsly3-style mid/side widening (or focusing!) for the wet signal.
Improved GPU-accelerated GUI: With animated modulation visualization, wavetable phase indicators, and (most importantly) an optional “phosphor glow” effect. New “Easy Panel” makes Regen, Scale, Filter, Mix and Bypass controls easily tweakable throughout the interface. Regen now shows an approximate live RT60 display, NAV jumps directly between major sections, and BYP crossfades to exact dry audio without destroying the running reverb tail.
Gated and Nonlinear Decays: Reshape tails using “Collapse” (Gated), Linear, or “Shadow” contours with adjustable curve behavior. The Collapse envelope can also modulate other parameters, allowing the decay itself to animate pitch, modulation, or wavetable position.
