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At Superbooth 2024, being held May 16-18 in Berlin, Percussa has introduced a new Eurorack uber-module, the XMX.

Percussa founder Bert Schiettecatte says that the XMX is the smaller brother of their Super Signal Processor (SSP) Eurorack module, which is designed to enable Eurorack synthesists to build compact and powerful systems, for sound design, synthesis, effects processing, recording and live performance.

Similarly to the SSP, the XMX combines a variety of functions into one module:

• A digital modular synthesizer engine with built in patching system
• A multichannel direct to disk recorder/sampler/playback engine
• Amultichannel audio interface via USB
• MIDI-to-CV conversion for USB MIDI controllers
• Preset management system

With the XMX, PERCUSSA aims to make the synthesis and effects modules and features of the SSP available to a wider audience at a more affordable price and smaller form factor.

Specifications:

• 28 HP width, less than 30mm deep
• ~500mA @ 12V, ~100mA @ -12V, no 5V supply needed
• Aluminium CNC machined and anodized front panel
• 4 aluminium knobs/encoders with push button feature
• 8 audio/CV/trigger inputs, +/-5V
• 2 audio/CV/trigger outputs, +/-5V
• Stereo headphone output with analog volume control
• All I/O 24bit resolution and 48/96kHz sample rate
• 10 function keys with soft touch and silent action
• 4inch full colour IPS wide angle/visibility display
• Quad core ARM Cortex A35 CPU @ 1.3GHz running Linux (64-bit)
• USB 2.0 Host and Device ports for MIDI (including MPE) controllers and multichannel USB audio
• MicroSD card slot
• Expansion connector w/ I2C port

The XMX ships with nearly all of the SSP’s factory modules, including:

• 3D wavetable oscillator
• Stereo reverb
• Simple and stereo delay
• Granular
• 8 channel sample player
• Step sequencer
• Arpeggiator
• Quad virtual analog (SVF) filter with HP/BP/LP/PK/NT outputs
• Comb filter
• Physical modelling drum/membrane
• Signal switcher
• Quad VCA
• Bit crusher
• Macro module
• Envelope generator
• Quad envelope follower
• Bus
• USB midi input w/ MPE support
• LFO and audio rate square/sawtooth/triangle/sine oscillators
• Input and output including USB audio channels
• Variable frequency noise generator
• Microtonal quantizer
• DC voltage generator
• Waveshaper

The XMX uses the same preset format as the SSP. Users can build and save patches on the XMX and exchange patches with SSP users.

The XMX comes with a fast microSD card and factory firmware and boots from microSD, similarly to the SSP. The XMX allows the user to build patches including multiple instances of the above modules in any combination. The XMX runs the same software as the SSP, with an improved and simplified patching system.

The XMX supports the same open source plugin SDK as available for the SSP, which 3rd party developers can use to develop their own plugins. The XMX is a Linux platform and just like the SSP, also supports development of standalone software which can replace the factory firmware.

The XMX is available through Percussa website with an introductory price of $499, with shipping planned for early July.

At Superbooth 2024, being held May 16-18 in Berlin, Ashun Sound Machines (ASM) has announced the Hydrasynth Keyboard 5th Anniversary Silver Edition and Hydrasynth Deluxe 5th Anniversary Silver Edition.

The two new synths are limited-edition style variations, released to celebrate ASM’s 5th anniversary as a company.

Behind the new liveries, the synths are fundamentally the same as the standard-issue models, but each one does come with an exclusive patch bank.

Each synth is limited to 200-unit runs, and features a sparkling silver finish with a custom 5TH ANNIVERSARY SILVER EDITION print on the top panel. ASM has also collaborated with a team of sound designers to create a custom patch bank for both limited-edition models.

• Hydrasynth Keyboard 5th Anniversary Silver Edition shares the same specifications as the ‘standard’ Hydrasynth Keyboard.
• Hydrasynth Deluxe 5th Anniversary Silver Edition shares the same specifications as the ‘standard’ Hydrasynth Deluxe here.

The Hydrasynth 5th Anniversary Silver Edition synths are expected to ship in June 2024, with the following pricing.

Hydrasynth Keyboard 5th Anniversary Silver Edition and Hydrasynth Deluxe 5th Anniversary Silver Edition will be priced at an MSRP of $1,649.00 ($1,449.00 MAP)/€2,049.00 /£1,799.00 and an MSRP of $2,149.00 ($1,949.00 MAP)/ €2,649.00 /£2,299.00, respectively. Find out more on the ASM website.

At Superbooth 2024, Oberheim today has announced the release of a new polyphonic analogue synthesizer, the TEO-5 synthesizer, a new instrument that they say blends “classic analog warmth and modern versatility”.

The Oberheim TEO-5 is the latest design from synth pioneer Thomas Elroy Oberheim (TEO), which explains the name. “I’m so proud to be able to make a synth like this… compact and affordable, the Oberheim sound for 2024,” he says.

Sequential’s Take 5 was the first product released after the brand was acquired by Focusrite in 2021. Based on a similar architecture to Sequential’s iconic Prophet-5, the synth took the core elements of the Sequential sound and packaged them into an instrument that was not only more compact and affordable than its influence, but also felt like a fresh and modernised take.

Oberheim TEO-5 Intro Video:

Now we have the Oberheim TEO-5 – effectively the same concept but with Oberheim in place of Sequential. Once again released under the Focusrite umbrella (while the modern Oberheim brand is still headed up by Tom Oberheim, it operates in collaboration with Sequential and Focusrite) the TEO-5 is based around many of the same features found on the company’s recent OB-X8.

The TEO-5 is designed to make the classic Oberheim tone palette widely accessible, encapsulating decades of analog engineering experience.

The new synth features a five-voice architecture with genuine analog VCOs and VCFs. But TEO-5 isn’t just a tribute to the past. Additions like through-zero FM, which adds a contemporary twist to its oscillator X-Mod feature, allow for the exploration of entirely new sonic textures. And the legendary Oberheim SEM filter returns, offering the versatility of morphing between low-pass, notch, and high-pass configurations, along with a switchable band-pass mode for extensive tonal shaping.

Beyond its core synthesis architecture, TEO-5 features a comprehensive modulation matrix. Digital effects processors provide classic chorus, delay, reverb, and more, alongside recreations of the classic Oberheim Ring Mod and Phasor effects.

Performance features include a 64-step polyphonic sequencer and multimode arpeggiator, along with a premium Fatar keybed.

“There was a huge surge of interest when Oberheim returned in 2022 with the historically inspired OB-X8,” said David Gibbons, CEO of Oberheim. “But Tom and the design team were keen to show that the magic of Oberheim can be within reach for everyone, and can bringa distinctive modern flavor. TEO-5 is an exciting addition to the Oberheim legacy.”

These include two analogue oscillators per-voice equipped with Oberheim’s distinctive X-Mod functionality, as well a SEM filter that can function in low-pass, high-pass, notch and band-pass modes.

Alongside these core features, the five-voice TEO-5 also packs two DADSR envelopes and two LFOs for modulation, a 64-step polyphonic sequencer and multi-mode arpeggiator.

There is also a ‘vintage’ control that can be used to add a little of the drift and unpredictability inherent in vintage analogue gear. Its signal path is rounded off with overdrive, plus digital reverb and multi-effect slots.

The Oberheim TEO-5 synthesizer is available now for $1,499.99.