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"Revamped version of the Dark Star MK1 - MK1 vs XP2 differences: XP2 features 1/4" instead of RCA outputs, 1/4" stereo headphone output, chorus, and special SINEWAVE mode (for OSC2).
British company Red Sound System's first synth, the DarkStar is a table-top 8-voice polyphonic synthesizer suitable for anybody who wants affordable analog sounds for use in most any style of electronic music. Analog sounds are created by DSP-based analog modeling which means you'll get reliable and clean analog-type synth sounds in an economical and professional instrument. The DarkStar features 2 oscillators per voice, 5-part multitimbral set-up, joystick mixing for oscillators, ring modulation, filter resonance and pink/white/blue noise generators.
Its unique look is modeled after RSS's other DJ tools. There are 14 knobs, all of which transmit MIDI data and provide instant hands-on access to the filters and envelopes. The two LFOs and two envelope generators provide plenty of modulation abilities for the oscillators, pulse-width and filter. The filter offers high-, low- and band-Pass filtering with a 12dB/oct slope. It's not spectacular, but it is fairly flexible since both the cutoff and resonance can be modulated by either LFO and EG for a wide range of filter-sweeping effects.
Polyphony - 8 voices
Oscillators - 2 per voice (Osc 1: continuously variable between Sawtooth and square/pulse; OSC 2: Formant or pink / white / blue noise); hard sync-able
LFO - 2 with separate speed and delay controls (Ramp, Triangle, Square, Sine, Pulse, Sample & hold, Random waveforms); MIDI sync-able
Effects - Auto-Panning, Tremolo, Fixed frequency Ring Modulation, Portamento
Filter - 12dB/oct resonant with low-, high- and band-pass
Keyboard - None
Memory - 64 patches
Control - MIDI (5-parts)
The Analogue Synthesiser, mainstay of Seventies' and Eighties' music, is back, reinvented in a new, more reliable and flexible form. Physical modelling via powerful DSPs (Digital Signal Processors) allow all the warmth and control of the synthesizers of yesteryear without the problems of unstable tuning and unrepeatable sounds, and with modern benefits like realtime control and multitimbral access.
Welcome to DARKSTAR XP2, an 8-voice polyphonic synthesiser with all the highlights of the analogue tradition, Pulse Width Modulation, Ring Mod, Resonant Filtering and ADSR Enveloping, combined with all the advantages of modern MIDI instruments like rock-solid tuning, perfect program recall, velocity response and 5 different timbres simultaneously available.
So whether your aim is to recreate 'classic' timbres like 70's Disco Bassline / Screaming PWM Lead, chart new sonic territory with realtime joystick manipulation of filter frequency and resonance, or even combine both approaches in the same MIDI sequence, DARKSTAR XP2 is the perfect tool for you.
In the future, DARKSTAR XP2's capabilities will grow thanks to the ability to install other EPROM-based DSP algorithms. This will allow you to convert DARKSTAR XP2 into many different products such as a vocoder or mono synth.
But DARKSTAR XP2 already offers so much with its marriage of proven synthesis techniques and state-of-the-art control. Now it's time to unlock the potential of analogue-style synthesis with modern control techniques in your music. Be creative!"
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