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"The Persephone is a fingerboard analogue synthesizer with CV and MIDI in and out.
At the first sight, the Persephone reminds of the first electronic fingerboard instruments developed in the 1920s. But beyond this vintage look, the Persephone allies sensors technology and digital controls to a pure analogue generation of sound.
The Persephone musicality will be determined by the way it is played. The Persephone respects the traditional play of the first non-keyboard electronic instruments with the right hand controlling the pitch and the left hand controlling the velocity.
The ribbon zone can allow all kinds of play. When scaled, the Persephone can be played like a regular keyboard. Though there are no fixed preset notes with the ribbon, keyboard players will easily find their way.
Guitars and bass players will certainly play it like a chord instrument and get sounds that are closed to cello or violin, especially when using vibratos. Jazz players will enjoy slapping the Persephone’s ribbon to get wonderful sonorities. Movie music writers and fans of sci-fi effects will enjoy its bi-dimensional structure, which allows creating eerie sounds very easily.
A new fingerboard synthesizer Just like any synthesizer, the Persephone offers a classical synthesis architecture with an oscillator section, a filter section, a modulation section and a LFO section. With its 100% analogue oscillator, the Persephone can generate notes with a range of 10 octaves. Its lower frequencies go from a deep and resonant cello tone to a nearly human voice. On the highest pitches, it can reach very high frequencies. The oscillator waveform can be set between triangle and sawtooth for a more or less brilliant sound. The filter is a 12dB low-pass filter. Its ribbon control surface is pressure and position sensitive. While it requires the most advanced sensor technology and allows all kind of glissando a Theremin or les Ondes Martenot would allow.
A scaling potentiometer allows scaling the Persephone’s ribbon from 1, 2, 5 to 10 octaves. The expression key, controlled by an optic sensor, can transmit the slightest vibrations on the key with an accuracy the mechanical systems never had. All the controls are digital. The four play modes - A, B, C and D - offer different hierarchy of control between the pitch, the velocity, a filter modulation and a LFO. Connections are located on the rear side of the front panel and are protected from dust and other source of deterioration by the Persephone suitcase top when not used.
The Persephone like a CV/MIDI controller The Persephone has a CV out and a MIDI in/out. With its CV out, it can control any other analogue synthesizers and modular systems. With its MIDI in/out, it can also be used as a MIDI controller, what turns it into a powerful new kind of instrument. Technical Specifications Suitcase version or desktop version available Scale : a scaling potentiometer allows to scale the Persephone’s ribbon from 1, 2, 5 to 10 octaves. Tune Finetune Brightness : two waveforms Wave : from sinus to triangle
Hierarchy Of Controls
In mode A, the Persephone will play the 'classical way' with the right hand controlling the pitch via the position on the ribbon and the filter frequency via the pressure on the ribbon. The left hand on the expression key plays on the amplitude of the note while the pedal controls the volume.?In mode B, the pitch is determined by the position of the fingers on the ribbon. The pressure on the ribbon will determine the amplitude of the note. The expression key will control the filter frequency while the pedal controls the volume.?Mode C is the tremolo reproduced by the action of the LFO on the amplitude of the note. The tremolo parameters (depth and speed) will be controlled by the expression key (tremolo depth) and the pedal (for the tremolo speed).?Mode D is the vibrato made by the action of the LFO on the pitch of the note. The vibrato parameters (depth and speed) will be controlled by the expression key (vibrato depth) and the pedal (for the vibrato speed).
Connections
220V/110V?on/off?Fuse?Pedal in?audio out?MIDI in/out?CV out
Manual
FAQs & Questions
Can I change the range of the ribbon?
Set it to 3 octaves for example??Yes, the range of the ribbon can be set from a multi turn trim pot inside the Persephone. ?
Why the 5 octaves range is not really 5 octaves ? ?The Persephone, in its factory setting is set to 1V per octave with 10cm par octave. The ribbon being not accurately 50 cm, we don't get the full 5 octaves. If this is a problem for you, you may set it with the internal multi turn trim pot inside of the instrument
Why is there no keyboard??Well, people are so used to control music with keyboard that they forgot there were other ways. Ribbons are one among many. The advantage of ribbons is that they allow continuous pitches. ??
Why are the Persephone all different??The Persephone are handmade. This is why one can differ from another.??
How many voices of polyphony??The Persephone is a monophonic instrument – like many analogue synths
Are there any preset??No, there is no presets. The Persephone is an analogue synths and has no memory. ??
Are there any technical difference between the desktop version and the suitcase version?? No, the two models are technically the same. ?"
The suitcase version has the advantage of a top cover which can quickly and securely latch over the real wood control surface to both protect and make the Persephone extremely easy to safely carry around.
This is a fantastic synth with a very wide range of unique sounds, largely due to the unique ribbon control interface which gives the user the ability to produce and create audio that is not possible with a keyboard or other typical interfaces. Not only does the built-in synth shine on its own, you will be amazed at the new character and sounds that can now be coaxed from any synths in your collection that are CV or MIDI controllable.
At the first sight, the Persephone reminds of the first electronic fingerboard instruments developed in the 1920s. But beyond this vintage look, the Persephone allies sensors technology and digital controls to a pure analogue generation of sound.
The Persephone musicality will be determined by the way it is played. The Persephone respects the traditional play of the first non-keyboard electronic instruments with the right hand controlling the pitch and the left hand controlling the velocity.
The ribbon zone can allow all kinds of play. When scaled, the Persephone can be played like a regular keyboard. Though there are no fixed preset notes with the ribbon, keyboard players will easily find their way.
Guitars and bass players will certainly play it like a chord instrument and get sounds that are closed to cello or violin, especially when using vibratos. Jazz players will enjoy slapping the Persephone’s ribbon to get wonderful sonorities. Movie music writers and fans of sci-fi effects will enjoy its bi-dimensional structure, which allows creating eerie sounds very easily.
via this auction
flickr by Chris_Carter_
"It outputs CV from the ribbon, which I use the M#@g CP-251 attenuator to tweak a bit. It works really well. For trigger, I use the audio out of the Persephone which works perfectly as well."
Title link takes you there. Video under date, under title. Eric Barbour controls it with the Eowave Persephone picutred below. He also triggers it with the on board joystick. Thought that was pretty cool in that it actually does the triggering in addition to pitchbend so you can control the joystick with one hand and adjust knobs with the other sans midi controller.
