Black Corporation announces Expander MK2 Multi-FX Processor


Black Corporation have announced the release of Expander Mk2, a multi-effects processor that builds on the capabilities found in the original Expander to create something much more powerful.

Available as a tabletop or rackmount unit, Expander Mk2 is a multi-effects console that offers delay, reverb, chorus, phaser, ring mod, resonator and overdrive. There’s analogue and digital versions of almost every effect here, and many of the effects are built to emulate vintage gear. The Expander’s interface is comprehensive and contains one knob for almost every function.

The Expander’s digital delay is based on the Lexicon PCM42 and was designed in partnership with Gary Hall, the Lexicon’s original designer, while its digital reverb recreates the sound of the “lush and spacious” Lexicon 224. These are complemented by an analogue BBD delay, with a delay time that goes all the way up to 820ms, and a spring reverb that makes use of two 17″ tanks, along with EQ and digital pre-delay.

The Expander is equipped with a chorus section featuring two distinct BBD chorus lines, a phaser section based around a 12-stage analogue phaser circuit, and a quadrant multiplier ring modulator sitting alongside a vintage-style transformer and diode-based ring mod. That’s not all: there’s overdrive, too, courtesy of KORG’s Nutube analogue vacuum tube technology, which can deliver everything from “subtle texture and warmth” to “screaming distortion”.

External effects can be patched in at any stage in the Expander’s chain using the insert section, while the resonator can be used as a subtle tone-sculpting EQ or pushed into experimental territory with the help of the Expander’s “multitude” of LFOs, which are routable to almost any destination.

Expander’s also kitted out with a matrix mixer, making it easy to design effects pathways and play around with different routing patterns. In terms of I/O, there’s two balanced line ins and outs, stereo send and return, expression and switch pedals, USB and MIDI, along with a Hi-Z guitar input and headphone out on the front panel.

The Expander Mk2 is available for preorder price at $4999, with first orders going out early 2024. Find out more on Black Corporation website.

UDO Audio Super Gemini In-Depth Demo

At Superbooth 2023, synth designer George Hearn from UDO Audio introduced their new synthesizer Super Gemini in this Gesprächskonzert.The Super Gemini is a 20-voice polyphonic, bi-timbral analog-hybrid flagship keyboard. UDO says that the keyboard gives you “immediate comprehensive control” over both timbral layers. Like the company’s Super 6, the Gemini can be used as a 20 voice synth, or as a 10-voice, true-stereo binaural synth.

The Super Gemini is equipped with a 61- note semi-weighted keybed with polyphonic aftertouch, in addition to a custom engineered ribbon sensor.

It has a hybrid voice architecture. Digital oscillators offer wave morphing, cross & ring modulation, bi-directional sync and more. These feed into an analog signal path that they say is by classic vintage instruments.

Details on the Super Gemini are still to come at the UDO website.

 

Crosspatch Triggerpad enables You Control Your Modular with a Novation Launchpad


At Superbooth 2023, developer Mitja Cerkvenik introduced Triggerpad, a new Eurorack trigger/gate sequencer that lets you use a Launchpad to control your modular synthesizer.

Triggerpad is an 8-channel trigger/gate sequencer in Eurorack format. A USB MIDI controller with an 8×8 grid like the Launchpad or APC is used to display and edit the patterns.

This lets you create simple rhythms or complex polyrhythms, retrigger at audio rate, create dynamic percussion with velocity triggers or use longer pulses to create steppy modulations.

Features:

  • 8 channels (start/stop individually)
  • 1 to 64 steps pattern length (per channel)
  • 8 substeps per step (128th notes)
  • 7 levels of velocity of the trigger pulses (0-10V)
  • 250us – 1 step adjustable trigger/gate length
  • Session mode: record patterns quantized to substeps or 16th notes
  • Program sequences in step sequencer mode
  • Global and per channel shuffle
  • Program shuffle patterns: define which steps will be shuffled
  • Switch between patterns instantly or chain up to 64 patterns
  • Set the BPM from 0.5 to 400
  • Set clock divider and clock multiplier on clock input and output
  • No deep menu diving, tailored for live performance
  • Store and recall 64 snapshots of all 64 scenes on USB drives

Details on pricing and availability are to come at the Crosspatch website.