Hermetic Modular - Launch Announcement - New Open Source Eurorack Manufacture

video upload by Hermetic Modular

"Introducing a new modular synthesis company. Shipping early July.

Hermeticmodular.com

Open source!

Thank you to Victory Nguyen for performing, Justin Benjamin for the good camera work (all bad camera work should be attributed to me), and Greg Dixon for some of the excellent sound design demos."

How do you test 36,700 LEDs?

video upload by Hermetic Modular

"Run a burn in test! Enjoy 10 minutes of the uninterrupted test - an important step in the QA process. This runs for a minimum of five hours per board.

Proper eurorack LED ring pot feedback.

And all 3060 of these LEDs pictured passed :)

Music credit to @adamwonak on IG - "abstract" from 202606 on Bandcamp now."

ECHOA STEREO DUAL DELAY AND REVERB PROCESSOR

Four delay lines total — two per stereo channel. Morph delay into reverb from first principles, from clean digital delay to smeared, textured reflections. Route the four lines in series, parallel, isolation, or spectrally. Presets, parameter lock on every pot, character engines, and more.

TIME
Delay time from 1 ms to 16 seconds, up to four taps per delay line, configurable for your sound design. Feedback up to and past unity, and a dry/wet mix per channel. Freeze delay buffers, set tempo with tap on the line buttons, or patch a clock and lock each line to a musical division. Linear or logarithmic time taper options: a full featured, clean delay line.

SPACE
Bend echoes into reverb. Diffusion sweeps a four-stage Schroeder all-pass network from discrete repeats to a wash. Bloom grows short, fixed loops into long modulated plate and hall tails. Damping is bipolar from noon — counter-clockwise darkens the tail, clockwise thins and brightens it.

ENGINE
Degrade each line's voice across with four engines — digital, BBD, tape, vinyl. Saturation, bandwidth limiting, compander, wow and flutter, hiss, crackle, digital glitches. Depth scales from bit-pristine bypass, to a gentle touch of character, to destruction.

CONFIGURABLE FOR PERFORMANCE ROUTING
Parallel, series, mono, or spectral delay-line topologies.

CV MAPPING
Per-CV destination, with attenuverters on every input.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Turn your PS Vita Into a USB Music Workstation [ DS-8 0.6 Update ]

video upload by Intermynd Instruments

"One tiny handheld. A complete music setup. Download the latest DS-8 update now, completely free:

https://intermynd-instruments.itch.io...

Sync the DS-8 directly to your PC or compatible hardware like the Teenage Engineering OP-XY over USB MIDI. Or connect it to your computer and send multitrack USB audio straight into your DAW for recording and mixing.

New DS8 features:

Multitrack, class-compliant USB audio for recording individual DS-8 tracks directly into a DAW
No drivers needed
MIDI sync over USB: send or receive clock, start and stop

Mixing and workflow improvements:

Dedicated Mixer with left and right panning
Per-track MPC60-style swing
More intuitive extending and shrinking of 16, 32 and 64-step patterns
Simplified track engine selector
Instant note preview when programming melodic synth parts

In the video, we demonstrate multitrack recording into Ableton Live and use the OP-XY as the master clock for a synchronized, laptop-free techno liveset.

Download the latest DS-8 update now, completely free."

CLICK FOR MORE »

Kawai K3 as a plugin | FB3 from Full Bucket (and it's awesome)

video upload by Espen Kraft

"I've got access to the work-in-progress FB3 from Full Bucket Music and it's fantastic. I love having the K3 in a plugin form and it's very close to my hardware.
At the time of this video it's not yet released, but I will link to it once it's out.

If you're looking for a editor and librarian for your K3/K3, hardware, I've made one recently. You can download it for free from my web shop here: https://espenkraft.com/b/6r5k7"

https://www.fullbucket.de/music/vst.html - not yet on their site as of this post, but check back later. You will also find other free soft synth emulations of classic vintage hardware synths, drum machines, and effects.

XpandrLink, a native Mac/Windows editor and DAW plugin for Xpander/Matrix-12 (beta)

This one came in on the xpantastic Oberheim Matrix-12 and Xpander list. Details from the creator follow:

"I'm Jake, a Matrix-12 & Xpander owner and synth repair tech. For the past few months I've been building something that has gotten a lot of use in my studio: XpandrLink, a from-scratch C++/JUCE editor for these synths built using XplorerEditor's protocol and design as reference, with standalone, AU, and VST3 builds for both macOS and Windows. I've been really enjoying having this tool for my own purposes and wanted to share it with the community if anyone else might also find it useful.

First, the part that matters most to me. Like many of you, I've used XplorerEditor for years. It's a big reason these synths are still practical to own and play, and this project only exists because of the groundwork it laid. I started down this road after reading a note more than a year ago in the XplorerEditor README: the developer had no time to add new features but welcomed forks and PRs, and recommended a long-term JUCE port for a more modern cross-platform foundation.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Meet OBSIDIAN by Vannes Devices

video upload by VannesDevices

"Jamming with the 303 sequencer and OBSIDIAN, just having fun!
#synthesizer #303 #roland #sequencer #obsidian"

OBSIDIAN - Short Demo's

Via Vannes Devices OBSIDIAN.

Forged from fast-cooling lava, this volcanic stone becomes a black mirror that, when used with purpose, awakens and channels your creative energy.

OBSIDIAN is a unique semi-modular analog synthesizer with its own characteristic sound. Its analog circuitry combines different worlds of synthesis techniques, opening space for creative sound design and composition.

Inside OBSIDIAN.

Oscillators
West-coast style oscillator section.
Waveshaper, wavefolder and cross-modulation.
1V/oct tracking across eight octaves.
Sub-oscillator for thick foundations.

Voltage Controlled Filter
Two-channel mixer with optional external inputs.
Multi-mode: low-pass, high-pass and band-pass.
Continuous modulation between filter modes.
Voltage controlled mode, cutoff and resonance (peak).
Bipolar envelope modulation.
Voltage controlled amplifier with CV inputs.

Voltage Controlled Envelope Generators
ADSR envelope.
AD(R) envelope.
Gate and velocity input per envelope.
Voltage controlled slew rates and levels.
Inverted output.

LFO · Delay
LFO
Saw, ramp, sine, pulse and random outputs.
Frequency range from 0.01 Hz up to 100 Hz.
Clock syncable to tap tempo, external (eurorack) clock and MIDI clock.
Rhythmical clock divisions (¼, ⅓, ½, ¾, 1/16).
TAPE-STYLE DIGITAL DELAY
Voltage controlled time and feedback.
Clock syncable to tap tempo, external (eurorack) clock and MIDI clock.
Rhythmical clock divisions (¼, ⅓, ½, ¾, 1/16).

Sequencer
West-coast style five-step sequencer.
Selectable 4 or 5 step sequence.
External and manual sequence reset.
Clock syncable to tap tempo, external (eurorack) clock and MIDI clock.
Patchable to oscillators, filter and any CV destination.

Alesis Andromeda VST Incoming From Isla Instruments?

via bradholland of Isla Instruments:

"Lots of love for the Andromeda here...
Fully sysex compatible with modelled ASICs in the oven.."

Soundtoys Summer Sale!

Soundtoys is currently having a summer sale on their Soundtoys Bundle suite, Decapacitator, and EchoBoy. Click through for details on each. The sale ends on July 28, so be sure to act before then.

MORPH-6: Algorithmic Lifeforms Synthesizer (First Explorations)

video upload by Laboratory 0

"Six observed entities share the same communication protocol, yet exhibit entirely different behaviors. The same signal manifests as a different physical reality within each: some proliferate like concrete, forming vast resonant structures; others retain an untamed, primordial roar; others persist as translucent organisms of granules, metal, rubber, and glass, sustained through endless cycles of fracture and reassembly.

The windows are not control panels, but communication terminals. What you see are not parameters, but cross-sections left behind as another consciousness passes through the medium. No label can faithfully translate them. Each algorithm is another point of contact with a different lifeform.

Or perhaps they have simply chosen to borrow our world as a place to be heard.

—

Designed by Laboratory 0
Available soon on laboratory0.gumroad.com
macOS only, with a potential iPad app in the future."

nonlinear circuits spectrum shaper

video upload by cirtcele

"I'm still learning how to use this thing but here are some excerpts from a patch with Tinkle and FM OP via Product wavefolder both fed into the Spectrum Shaper."

via nonlinear circuits

"36 channel voltage controlled comb filter aka string filter.

This module has some history. In 2018, I was part of a team putting on a show with CellF at the Todays Art festival in Den Haag. I popped down to Rotterdam to visit Dennis (aka Mono-Poly) and his studio of vintage lab gear. Dennis had an incredible patch going centred around a Bruel & Kjaer 36 channel Spectrum Shaper. Listen to his album Testlab to hear how it sounds. I just knew I had to make something like it one day. This type of filter is often called a ‘String filter’, used to emulate stringed instruments tho don’t feel limited by that.

Fast forward to 2026, I read an AES paper by R. Burhans describing his 36 channel comb filter. It reminded me there were some designs in Electronotes, so I looked them up and discovered they were both inspired by and heavily influenced by Burhans, particularly in terms of the comb filter frequencies and spacing. One was a 40 channel version by Ian Fritz using transistor based filters. He had an interesting mod, originally suggested by Lester Ludwig, where each set of 6 filters had a feedback pot. Some screenshots from these articles are at the end of this build guide. The relevant Electronotes issues 107, 115 and 116 can be found online.

The Bernie Hutchins design used 39 regular op amp based filters, along with Ian’s feedback per 6 filters mod and added an inverter so the feedback could be positive or negative (so, centre off). Negative feedback ‘flattens’ the peaks somewhat and smears the sound, positive feedback makes the peaks narrower and higher (if tuned for it, you can make them self-oscillate, see notes). Bernie also added a noise gate on the output, summing 39 channels is always going to be noisy.

CLICK FOR MORE »

Coming Soon: RIPPLER – Preset Showcase

video upload by reFX

"Find out more at https://refx.com/rippler

Our forthcoming physical modeling synthesizer is nearly here! Rippler (VST/AU/AAX) emulates acoustic instruments both real and imagined, and adds a layer of subtractive synthesis to blend, enhance or solidify your sound.

Add expressive modulation, a storehouse of high-quality effects, performance controls and hundreds of presets make Rippler your go-to synth for realistic and hyper-realistic sounds alike!

In this video, you'll hear a few of Rippler's patches, demonstrating the wide variety of sounds that are possible with this synth."

In Memoriam of Kevin Kelley of The Audio Playground

Amy Kelly, wife of Kevin Kelley, wrote in to let me know of her husband Kevin Kelley's passing in 2024. You might remember Kevin Kelley mentioned directly in numerous posts here on MATRIXSYNTH going all the way back to 2007. Kevin ran the Audio Playground aka keyboardmuseum.org which was created back in 2000. (Note keyboardmuseum.org is no longer active, the link takes you to posts referencing the site).

The Audio Playground was a synth museum in Winter Park, Florida. One of the great things I loved about the site was that Kevin hosted samples of the synths featured, including virtual sound sheets, so you could get an idea of what they sounded like. Back then that was actually quite rare.

Kevin was also an owner of the uber rare Technos Acxel synthesizer. You can see it pictured below as well as in previous posts featuring Kevin.

Included below are some pics of Kevin with his daughters and his cats sent in by his wife Amy.


"He was a wonderful and brilliant man as well as a great dad and husband. His three daughters and I miss him tremendously." - Amy

Amy still has his Technos Acxel and is working on bringing it back to life. I've sent her a few leads, but if anyone out there can help with the following, please feel free to reach out (matrixsynth@gmail.com).

"The system successfully powers on and initializes the Grapher console, but it is currently hanging at the initial splash screen ('Forget Technology, think music'). I suspect the data sectors on the original 3.5" boot floppy have degraded over time. I am looking to write a fresh sector-by-sector image to a healthy 720KB DD disk to isolate the issue.

My hope is that someone out there might have a raw disk image (.img or .hfe format) compatible with this era of the hardware."

CLICK FOR MORE »

The Hope - Circuit3 & Vince Clarke [excerpt] from Metanoia: Music From Therapy

video upload by Circuit 3

"Circuit3 announces Metanoia: Music From Therapy, an instrumental album of analogue synthesis, personal reckoning, and a collaboration with Vince Clarke that reshaped the project.

The album closes with ‘The Hope’, the collaboration with Vince Clarke. Across 11 minutes, it builds a melodic drone landscape that holds both hopelessness and hope at the same time. The piece suggests that neither feeling disappears; they sit beside each other, always present, always waiting to be recognised.

Limited CD / LP editions released August 14 2026 through circuit3.bandcamp.com
Unlimited digital edition released August 14 2026 through mortalitytables.bandcamp.com

Not available on streaming services

Circuit3, the retro-futurist project of Dublin-based Peter Fitzpatrick, steps away from his melodic synthpop background on Metanoia. The album moves into spacious, quietly expressive instrumentals. The sound is minimal and tactile, shaped by the classic late‑70s and early‑80s electronic vocabulary without being locked inside it."

A Quantizer packed with Creativity!! // Ziggurat from Acid Rain Technology

video upload by DivKid

"Here's an absolutely MEGA guide to creative and musical uses of quantizers in Eurorack which is our demo of Ziggurat from Acid Rain Technology. Ziggurat is packed full of smart and easy to use features across its 4 channels of quantizing, some features I've not seen on anything else before (hats off to Acid Rain!) but there's lots of patches widely applicable to any quantizer options you may have. I also hope to instill the message that quantizers are super fun even when you have already quantized sources."

via Acid Rain Technology

A melodic playground for your eurorack system

Ziggurat is a 4 channel quantizer designed to turn any combination of control voltage and gate signals into inspiring and unexpected melodies. Ziggurat provides a fresh way to explore harmonic relationships - wandering through different combinations of note masks, input signals, ranges and offsets until the music catches your ear - at which point all settings on the module can be easily saved for later reference

Synthesizers.com Introduces Q210 Complex Noise

video uploads by synthesizersdotcom

Update: videos just released and added above. Note the playlist is in the order released by Synthesizers.com.

Playlist:
1. Meet the Q210 Complex Noise | Synthesizers.com Newest Module
2. A Quick Overview of the Q210 Complex Noise
3. Using Q210 Complex Noise To Clock Q173 Gate Math
4. Q210 Complex Noise Random Gate Discussion
5. A quick Q210 Complex Noise Patch
6. Another Q210 Complex Noise Patch
7. Changing speed of Random Gates on Q210 Complex Noise
8. CHAOS OUTPUT on the Q210 COMPLEX NOISE

via Synthesizers.com

"This is Synthesizers.com's first new module in two years, and we're excited to share it with you: the Q210 Complex Noise.

The Q210 Complex Noise is noisemaker's playground. Though capable of standard white noise fare, the Q210 can help provide you with decidedly boundary pushing timbres, not usually found in your typical 5U module.

Beyond noise, the Q210 is also comfortable generating random gates, which when routed to VCAS or drum sounds, can help launch your next ambient composition into science fiction territory.

Depending on how you approach the module, the Q210 can be a tame texture ready to mix in with a completed track. However if you push it, the Q210 can become the basis of an entire soundscape, especially when paired with filters, VCAS, and envelopes. Sounds both dramatic and explosive are quite easy to conjure."

Korg USA Mobilizes Workforce for Long Island Cares Volunteer Initiative

Press release follows.

Korg USA Mobilizes Workforce for Long Island Cares Volunteer Initiative Supporting Regional Food Security Efforts

MELVILLE, N.Y. — Korg USA Inc. expanded its ongoing community involvement last week through a dedicated employee volunteer day at Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank. The initiative directly supports regional efforts to address food insecurity across Long Island by providing critical operational help to the non-profit organization. The collaborative effort highlights Korg USA’s active corporate citizenship and aligns with a shared strategic vision to mobilize localized resources for neighbors facing humanitarian challenges.

The relationship between the two entities is further strengthened by leadership integration, as Korg USA CFO Diana Cecchini serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Long Island Cares. This organizational connection facilitates direct alignment between Korg USA’s corporate community engagement initiatives and the strategic goals of the food bank. By advancing leadership and active collaboration, the volunteer initiative directly supports Long Island Cares in its core mission to improve food security for families, sponsor programs focused on achieving self-sufficiency and educate the public on the root causes and consequences of hunger.

Long Island Cares formally acknowledged the impact of Korg USA’s workforce following the volunteer day, recognizing the musical instrument company’s ongoing dedication to the organization's regional humanitarian goals. In an official social media statement, Long Island Cares noted that the time, enthusiasm, and dedication of the Korg USA team help make their mission possible, expressing gratitude for the continued partnership and its role in making a difference in the lives of local neighbors.

For more information about Korg USA, please visit www.KorgUSA.com
For more information on Long Island Cares, please visit www.licares.org

Drone 3 Raw Sound Demo

video upload by Ghost In Translation

"The audio is recorded straight from Drone to my output module. The audio out of Drone is stereo so I’m using a stereo splitter cable.

I go through the 16 algorithms to showcase how Drone sound.
Then I take another Drone and connect its MIDI out to the MIDI in of the first one, and I demonstrate that Drone can be MIDI controlled.

Drone is going to be released very soon and for sale on https://www.ghostintranslation.com."

Expressive E Introduces Noisy 2.6

Hear it in action video upload by Expressive E

Noisy 2.6 - Overview

video upload by Expressive E

"🎁 Noisy 2.6 is available now with a limited-time introductory offer. Existing Noisy 2 users receive the update for free.

Noisy 2 just got bigger.

Discover Noisy 2.6, a highly versatile synthesizer built around expressive sounds you can shape, play and automate.

In this overview, Chris explores what makes Noisy unique, from its expressive workflow to the new sonic possibilities introduced in version 2.6.

With five new resonators, new effects, new noise types and 1,400 presets, Noisy now spans acoustic, analog, FM, harmonic and wavetable synthesis while staying true to its unique philosophy: play sounds that react to you.

⏱ Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Sounds That Respond to You
1:24 Your Gestures, Your Way
2:01 Broaden the Synth's Range
2:20 New Analog Resonator
2:35 New FM Resonators
3:04 New Harmonic & Wavetable Resonators
3:37 New Noise Types
3:41 New Fluid Effects
4:49 Ready to Play Away
5:07 Conclusion

🎁 Get Noisy 2.6: https://www.expressivee.com/88-noisy-two"

Carousel: Five-Voice Round-Robin Polyphonic Synthesizer (VST3 / AU)

video upload by Laboratory 0

"Carousel is a five-voice round-robin polyphonic synthesizer built around a simple idea: a circle. Its five voices sit like seats on a carousel, and every note you play is assigned to a different one - in sequence, random, or all at once.

Each voice is a complete synth with its own oscillator, filter, and envelopes. Differences in tuning and timbre drift across the stereo field, creating a sound that is organic and quietly imperfect - like an old carousel left in the sun.

Carousel is designed to be simple. No LFOs, no presets, no complex synthesis - just pure play. A childhood that exists only in memory.

---

Designed by Laboratory 0
Download Carousel for free: https://laboratory0.gumroad.com"

SINTH 2 - Polska Myśl Techniczna

video upload by muzykujkropkacom

Click CC in the player once it starts for subtitles. Some initial specs and pics follow. Note it appears a desktop version is in the works as well based on the last image below.

Specs:

60 voice polyphony
5 sample oscillators
3GB of waveforms
Noise oscillator
4 Lfo generators
2 Envelopes
18db LPF, BPF, HPF
Motion recording for all the knobs!
FX Dsp
4 oled displays
16 steps polyphonic sequencer
120 potentiometers
9 encoders
36 butons
1920 cells for presets
XLR Symmetrical audio output
Stereo audio input to FX Processor
Solid wood casing
Fatar dynamic keyboard..

https://sinth2.com

CLICK FOR MORE »

SUPERBOOTH 27 Set for May 6 - 8, 2027 at FEZ Berlin

Press release follows:

Berlin, the 21st of July 2026

The SUPERBOOTH BERLIN — the world’s biggest trade fair and festival for electronic musical instruments — is excited to announce the date for next year’s SUPERBOOTH27 along with a look back at this year’s SB26, featuring this year’s visitor numbers and more.

SUPERBOOTH27 DATE
The SB27 will be happening from the 6th to the 8th of May 2027 at the FEZ Berlin.

More information about the start of ticket pre-order sales and other details related to next year’s SuperBooth will follow later in the year.

SB26: NUMBERS & STATS

The SUPERBOOTH saw a total of 9600 visitors (excluding staff and exhibitors) at the FEZ across all three days of the event.

The total number of brands and manufacturers exhibiting their newest developments was 320, with those exhibitors coming from 35 different countries across the globe.

The SB26’s stages featured performances from over 50 international artists, with an outstanding closing b2b performance from Tunegirl and Colin Benders.

Covering the event were over 230 members of the press, including dozens of well-known YouTubers and content creators.

SB26: HIGHLIGHTS & ADDITIONS
Overall, the SB26 was another successful edition of the SuperBooth, with all involved parties coming together to channel the event’s unique mix of tradeshow passion and relaxed festival vibes across the exhibition areas, concerts and sold-out workshops.

A very positively received new addition this year were two headphone-only areas in half of area W and two tents in outside area Z.

The new FLINTA* area for female, non-binary, transgender and gender-diverse people was received very well by those attending it.

There was a new talks stage in the Bungalowdorf area, the Stromkult stage that featured live conversations with artists like Polygonia and Anna Z and brands like Verbos and Doepfer.

At the Strandbühne stage, there was a new product presentation format with Korg Berlin and Schwarzmann (Henrik Schwarz and Frank Wiedemann).

There were also new installation projects, including installations in the circus tent and foyer entry area. There are already plans for more installations next year.

For more information, please visit www.Superbooth.com

See the SUPERBOOTH label below for coverage of previous events.