KeyStep Pro Chroma combines new aesthetic elements, including a sleek dark gray exterior, striking blue LEDs and other expressive features that allow users to customize their track colors. These additions are added to the already-impressive list of features of 2019’s KeyStep Pro, the polyphonic controller that remains a benchmark for creative hardware & software sequencing.
With the release of KeyStep Pro Chroma comes a significant new firmware update (2.5), delivering useful new features and long-awaited enhancements, free for existing KeyStep Pro users. The update will be available to download via MIDI Control Center & arturia.com from November 30th, with full release notes viewable on Arturia’s KeyStep Pro web page.
KeyStep Pro Chroma will be available to order from November 30th in the US & Asia, and from mid December in Europe. Customers should contact their preferred dealer for availability information.
Check with dealers on the right for availability.
Highlights:
Sleek dark exterior
An alluring dark gray gives KeyStep Pro an edgy, industrial look.
Vibrant blue LEDs
In perfect contrast to the dark casing, bright blue LEDs illuminate your setup.
New stylish knob caps
Great-feeling knob caps all round to complement KeyStep Pro Chroma’s fresh design.
Customizable track colors
Exclusive for KeyStep Pro Chroma, users can now choose from a range of colors for their tracks.
"Hey Guys,
This is just a little different video for you. I finished the restoration on this Polymoog 203a and was going through all the functional tests including the moog open interface which you see in use here with my 72 era minimoog.This feature allows you to interface other moog synthesizers to the polymoog and use the keyboard of the polymoog to control them. The 280a also has this feature as well.
"I finally found my PSU for my Ambika. I've been very tempted to get the Michigan Synth Works Xena synth... My unit has 3 4P voices and 3 SMR voices (if you see a note activated on the left side of the LEDs, that's a 4P filter, if you see a note activated on the right side, that's an SMR filter.
Well - there's probably no real reason for me to buy the Xena. But maybe this video will help you decide...
"Patch Point is producing 100 Fénix II PP analog modular synthesizers in small batches.
The first batch is 30, and there are 14 left available.
The Fénix II PP is a direct descendant of the Fénix II in collaboration with the designer, Mr. Bert Vermuelen of the original Synton design team.
It is a fully analog synthesizer, with the same components as the original Fénix II, with some upgrades.
VCF3 - Formant Filter - a new modern design using chips instead of vactrols which allows for voltage controlled resonance and an expanded frequency range.
VCF4 - LPG - a new modern design using chips instead of vactrols which allows for an expanded frequency range, and quicker response, and more accurate control of the length parameter.
Delay - The Delay is now a dual delay with a 3rd switch position. delay 1, delay 2, or in the middle both delays mixed! with the additional jack of a second frequency parameter for the 2nd delay. You can now CV control both delays pitches with a separate jack.
3 VCO’s, 3 different VCO's ( Inputs CV, FM, PWM, Sync e.o, Output square, triagle, sawtooth and some has puls, sub, sine e.o) )
4 different VCF´s ( SVF, 24dB Lp, BPF, 12dB Lp). ( Input CV modulation, SVF has Q-CV control
3 EGR and 4 VCA’s and 5 LFO’s. (Many modules are voltage controlled)
7 Mixers ( 3 audio mixers and 4 DC-Audio mixers).
1 Phaser and 1 Delay (BDD). ( off course voltage controlled)
1 8 step analog sequencer with own clock.
1 Waveshapers, 1 wavemultiplier and 1 full wave rectifier. ( voltage controlled, except for the rectifier )
here I'm syncing the pikocore clock and start/stop and beat resetting to the midi output from the roland tb03.
the pikocore midi syncing works using a small device I call the "itty bitty midi". the "itty bitty midi" has a midi input (DIN or trs type A) which is converted out to a serial stream that can be read by the pikocore clock in. the "itty bitty midi" device can be found on my wares website (link in bio) which you can get directly from me or use the schematic to build your own (its open source and only a few components - a DIN, a resistor and two caps at minimum).
the pikocore firmware can be updated to use midi with the online tool (also link in bio) with options to change the midi clock division, synchronization behavior, etc.
hopefully in the future I can get the usb midi working too...but not quite yet. still a goal.
and just a note that I've totally floored by all the astounding pikocore creations - music-wise and hardware-wise. there are now several alternative pikocore firmwares out there (link in bio) which can be used to make pikocore become different things, which is totally amazing and just shows how incredible open-source can be. never stop!"
"itty bitty midi a simple circuit that takes either a midi din input or a midi trs type-a input, and converts it to a logic-level serial bit stream. the resulting bit stream can be used by *core devices (like the pikocore) to listen to midi signals directly through the clock inputs.
there are two versions of this product, select the one that suits you: the active version utilizes a battery-powered circuit with the 6n138 optocoupler to effectively isolate the downstream and upstream devices. the passive version does not use isolation and has no battery.
Analogue Solutions Ample Synthesizer -- All Sounds Ample video upload by rezfilter
"Here's a little retro track I put together using only the Ample synth from Analogue Solutions. All parts were sequenced or played live from the Ample, utilizing the onboard Patternator sequencer throughout.
Ample begs to be touched, sequenced, pinned, and played. It's a culmination of all great things from AS."
Check with the dealers on the right for availability. Press release follows.
Analogue Solutions announces availability of Ample as ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER blending best of past and present products
SHATTERFORD, UK: after a successful soft-launch at SynthFest 2023 in Sheffield, UK on October 7, British boutique electronic instruments innovator Analogue Solutions is proud to announce availability of Ample to a wider audience as a desktop-friendly ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER — beautifully blending the best elements of several of its past and present products to form a truly analogue modular system skilfully presented as a precision- engineered electronic musical instrument in a spacious (550mm x 262mm x 83mm) steel and aluminium case that also embraces ergonomic features such as VESA mount compliance, should desktop space be at a premium, all of which adds up to being a perfect fit for its appropriate appellation — as of November 29…
Ample adheres to Analogue Solutions’ tried-and-tested no-compromise construction formula, featuring a full rugged steel and aluminium case — no plastic mouldings here; high-quality metal potentiometers with smooth action, fully sealed against dust intrusion; high-quality knobs with spun aluminium caps; high-quality double-sided circuit boards; high-quality 16-bit DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Convertor) for stable MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) to CV (Control Voltage) conversion; stable analogue oscillators; gold-plated touch plates; plus true retro analogue voice and modulation circuits to give an authentic retro sound. Since Analogue Solutions’ innovative instruments are applauded for proudly possessing a truly vintage sound — synthesisers featuring fully-analogue audio paths with analogue LFOs (Low Frequency Oscillators) and EGs (Envelope Generators), in other words, Ample is in good company as an ANALOGUE 3 VCO PATCH PIN SYNTHESISER.
But by beautifully blending the best elements of several past and present products — namely, the sound elements of Fusebox fabricated originally as an aptly-named, three-VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) true analogue monophonic synthesiser that favourably fuses the company’s characterful vintage sound with an advanced choice of modulation and melodic possibilities in a beautifully-built box; the jack points introduced in the long-discontinued line of Concussor modular synth drum modules (themselves dating back to the time when Analogue Solutions was the third company to start producing Eurorack format-compatible modules, magical as that might sound in today’s ever-expanding era of thousands of Eurorack modules being produced by hundreds — if not thousands — of developers, both bigger and smaller); the patch pin matrix introduced in the long-lasting Vostok semi-modular synthesiser series (that knowingly nodded and winked at its Russian ‘roots’ from a visual standpoint); the lo-fi echo featured in Dr Strangelove as a small and affordable desktop signal processor (that ushered in Analogue Solutions’ so-called synthBlocks series); and last, but by no means least, the sequencer and CV touch plates introduced in Generator as a highly-versatile multi-channel analogue step sequencer — to form a truly analogue modular system skilfully presented as a precision-engineered electronic musical instrument is what really makes Ample stand out amongst Analogue Solutions’ present-day products.
Put it this way: while Ample shares all of those features from some of Analogue Solutions’ ‘greatest hits’, it still has a sound of its own thanks to the circuits on offer: OSCILLATING is handled by three analogue VCOs (Voltage-Controlled Oscillators), each providing a wealth of features and modulation choices, with the VCO3/LFO 1 legend visually highlighting that the third oscillator can easily be utilised as an LFO (with saw, square, and triangle wave modulation signals), while LFO2/SYNC has a triangle wave output to total two LFOs; the LP VCF (Voltage-Controlled Filter) section is anchored around a four-pole 24dB-per-octave low-pass filter; the VCA (Voltage-Controlled Amplifier) can be set to THRU so it is always ‘open’ (allowing Ample to be used as an effect processor); the two envelope generators — EG 1 and EG 2 — each offer full control over ATTACK, DECAY, SUSTAIN, and RELEASE; extensive modulation routing choices allow for a wide range of resultant sounds extending into percussion and ‘modular’ territory, further extended by patching with the jack sockets and pin matrix; MIDI is intentionally kept simple so users can concentrate on creating new sounds and making music, with all- important control over filter cutoff available via MIDI Velocity; patchable CV control sockets allow the synth in question to effectively be rewired to make new sounds, as well as easily patched together with external Eurorack and other modular systems; the PATTERNATOR is a vintage-style 16-step sequencer; the six touch plates each output a set voltage, so can be used to pitch notes or as modulation signals — either way, they are truly inspirational in action; the pin matrix represents a neat (and flexible) way to patch the synth; and the ECHO section provides easy access to adding a little lo-fi echo or delay.
Audio applications abound when working with Ample as a synthesiser — excelling at analogue sound effects, as well as fat basses, screaming leads, and all manner of other crazy sounds associated with analogue synthesis; an effect processor — perfect for feeding external sounds through the onboard analogue filter and ECHO sections via external audio inputs; a drum synthesiser — suited to producing electronic percussion, including cymbal, hi-hat, kick, and snare sounds; and as a modular synthesiser — partially pre-patched, but with such a wide range of modulation routing possibilities that it is almost as versatile as a full-blown modular system, and capable of producing the same types of sounds but dispensing with telephone exchange-like cabling confusion in favour of making space-saving connections with removable coloured pins, yet still providing a flexible selection of patch sockets so it can quickly be re-patched into itself or to/from external Eurorack and other modular systems.
It is also worth noting in conclusion that while Ample can be used with an external MIDI keyboard or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), or an external CV keyboard or analogue sequencer, it is equally at home being worked with on its own using its internal step sequencer or pitch played via its six-touch plate ‘keyboard’. Whatever way anyone chooses to work with Ample, it could conceivably be argued that it is the best desktop synth of all — Analogue Solutions-wise or otherwise!
Limited quantities of Ample are already available to purchase directly from Analogue Solutions for £1,999.00 GBP (excluding tax/VAT) via its dedicated webpage (https://www.analoguesolutions.com/ample) while stock will soon be arriving at selected dealers (https://www.analoguesolutions.com/dealers).
KeyStep Pro Chroma combines new aesthetic elements, including a sleek dark gray exterior, striking blue LEDs and other expressive features that allow users to customize their track colors. These additions are added to the already-impressive list of features of 2019’s KeyStep Pro, the polyphonic controller that remains a benchmark for creative hardware & software sequencing.
