Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, Stylophone has introduced the CPM DF-8 Analog Dynamic Multi-Filter, the second in their Compact Portable Modular line.
It joins the Stylophone DS-2 Analog Drone Synth, introduced last year, around this time.
The official intro video:
What they have to say about the Stylophone CPM DF-8:
Dubbed “Beauty and the Beast,” the DF-8 offers unparalleled flexibility. The 2045 filter delivers a silky 24 dB/octave Lowpass mode, while the GEN R-8 snarls and howls in all four modes—Lowpass, Bandpass, Highpass and Notch. Together, these filters unlock three additional combination types: Bandpass+, Band Reject+, and a wide Notch+ mode, providing an expansive palette of unique filter sounds.
Both filter channels have all eight filter types and are controlled by two full ADSR envelopes with multiple trigger modes to cater for every need. They can be triggered by a gate signal, by an audio signal threshold, by a manual trigger button and they can even auto-repeat in a loop mode acting as LFOs.
The DF-8 is so much more than a dual filter box—it’s a complete sound design tool. Equipped with two white noise sources, a Sample & Hold modulation source with adjustable slew, and a crunchy PT2399 delay with modulation, it serves as a sound source capable of everything from subtle atmospheres to all out sonic chaos.
Features:
Multiple power options, including AA batteries, external PSU, or Eurorack power bus
A built-in 2W speaker for instant listening without amplification, plus stereo outputs
Stylophone’s enclosure design with side ribs allow multiple CPM units to be locked together, for stability
2 Analog multi-mode filter channels with high resonance self-oscillation
8 Filter types per channel:
4 types of GEN R-8 (12 dB/oct) filters with LP, BP, HP and NOTCH modes
1 type of 2045 (24 dB/oct) filter with LP mode
3 combination types (12/24 dB/oct) with BP+, BR+ and NOTCH+ modes
2 ADSR envelopes with linear and exponential response
4 Envelope trigger/gate modes:
Analog CV trigger/gate signal input
Audio signal input with adjustable trigger/gate threshold
Manual trigger/gate button
Auto-repeat AR envelope loop mode
2 VCAs with envelope inverters
2 White noise sources with volume controls
3 Envelope depth attenuverters
4 Bypass switches for filters and VCAs
1 Sample & Hold modulation source with sync input and adjustable slew
1 Vintage PT2399 tape-style delay with modulation
14 Modular patch points for audio, envelopes, filters, VCAs and S&H
3-Into-1 mixer with stereo or mono output
2 Stereo outputs (line level/phones) with seperate volume controls
1 Built-in 2 Watt speaker
6 AA battery compartment
1 Eurorack power bus connector
42 HP Eurorack front panel format
Stylophone says that details on the release date and pricing for the CPM DF-8 Analog Dynamic Multi-Filter will be coming mid 2025. They have a waiting list at their site.
Ahead of the 2025 NAMM Show, being held January 21–25 in Anaheim, California, Melbourne Instruments teases a controller that features the specially developed, self-rotating knobs from its Nina and Delia synths.
Australian manufacturer Melbourne Instruments had the synth world in a spin back in 2022 when it announced the release of Nina, a 12-voice analogue poly equipped with specially-developed motorized knobs that respond to parameter changes in real time.
Three years on, and it appears that Melbourne Instruments has placed those motorized knobs in a MIDI controller. While no official announcement has yet been made, images and video have appeared on Synth Anatomy, MatrixSynth and the Elektronauts forum that show a modestly-sized rectangular controller equipped with eight of Melbourne’s self-rotating knobs.
The video – which unfortunately has no audio – appears to show the controller hooked up to Ableton Live, its eight knobs mapped to specific parameters in the DAW.
A row of LED-equipped, keyboard-style buttons sit below the screens, mapped to the Mute controls for eight tracks in Ableton’s mixer; the track names are visible on small displays above each button. On the controller’s right hand side is a keypad with several more buttons, and it seems to be equipped with both a USB-C and MIDI DIN port.
To our ears, applying the motorized knob concept from the Nina and Delia synths to a MIDI controller sounds like a stroke of genius, giving the user real-time feedback on parameter values without having to refer to a screen, and making it far more convenient to use the same knobs for multiple parameters.
It seems likely that Melbourne Instruments will be officially unveiling the mysterious controller next week. The company says “Melbourne Instruments will be in California for NAMM 2025 and the Buchla & Friends events. We’ll have new products on show!”
Upcoming Events:
NAMM 2025 – January 23-25, Booth 10608, Anaheim Exibition Center, Anaheim CA, USA
Buchla & Friends – January 25-26, 1759 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles CA, USA
