WORLD OF MUSIC ; PORTABLE KEYBOARD - Latest Portable Music Keyboards, Synthesizers and Music News

At Superbooth 2025, held May 8-10 at the FEZ-Berlin, Vermona previewed the drumDING, a new hybrid drum machine.

The drumDING features an analog drum voice that can be used to create a wide range of percussive sounds, plus the ability to sample and sequence these sounds.

Here’s a hands-on demo, via Bonedo Synthesizers:

The sequencer combines old-school tactile controls with modern features, like the ability to lock parameters to individual steps. The drumDING also has built-in effects, which can also be sequenced.

Details are still to be announced, but Vermona is planning on releasing drumDING by the end of 2025.

Superbooth 2025: Genki Instruments has officially introduced KATLA, a five-voice analog synthesizer that they say features “volcanic modulation, tactile sliders, and lava rock knobs and side-panels.”

KATLA’s sound engine offers five-voice polyphony and a range of modes, including dynamic round robin and unison, for a blend of polyphonic and paraphonic options. Each voice has an analog signal path and modulation sources, like loopable envelopes and integrated LFOs. The interface also offers direct access to timbre controls and onboard effects.

Each synth is handmade in Iceland, with side panels crafted from environmentally sourced basalt.

The official KATLA intro video:

Features:

• Five digiloc voices
• Handmade basalt side-panels
• “Paraphonic-inpired” polyphony
• “Volcanic modulation matrix”
• 80s-inspired digital reverb
• Analog filter, mixer, wavefolder and distortion
• Mountable in standard rack
• Katla Hardware:
  • Lava rock knobs
  • Lava rock side-panels
  • Rigid aluminum enclosure
  • Dimensions are 43 by 33 by 25 cm³
  • Weights roughly 3 kg
• Two preset modes:
  • Store panel state as user preset
  • Store each row independently
• In the box:
  • KATLA
  • 2x rack ears
  • 2x basalt side-panels
  • 2x aluminum rack ears

KATLA is available to pre-order now, priced at $4,990, including shipping and handling.

At Superbooth 2025, ELTA Music introduced the TSC 12 Touch Sensitive Controller for Eurorack modular systems.
The TSC-12 module, based on Solar-42 Ambient Machine keyboard, is a performance-oriented touch controller, featuring 12 capacitively sensitive plates, equipped with highly accurate Volt/octave outputs.

Features:

• External clock input. When a clock pulse is received the keyboard automatically switches to external clock source. Recommended level: 0 to +5V, though higher voltages are accepted.
• Volt/octave output, ranges over 8 octaves from 0V to +8V. By default the signal present on this output is normalized to the Volt/octave input of the VCOs (VCO A and VCO B)
• 0 to 10V gate output. By default the signal present on this output is normalized to the gate input of the envelope generators controlling the voltage controlled amplifiers of VCO A and VCO B.
• 0 to 10V gate output.
• Control voltage or Volt/octave output, ranges over 8 octaves from 0V to +8V. The signal on this output is determind by
• ‘Behaviour’ and ‘Pressure output’ parameters.
• Arpeggiato reset input. A raising edge on this input resets the arpeggiator to its first step. Recommended level 0 to +5V, though higher voltages are accepted.

Details on the TSC 12 Touch Sensitive Controller are to come at the ELTA Music site.