Superbooth 2019 in Berlin, a trade show for synthesizer geeks. But this fair is increasingly gaining the status of a musical instrument fair. Large companies, such as Korg, Novation, Elektron, Kurzweil, instead of the Musikmesse in Frankfurt, choose Superbooth when it comes to announcing new products.
But there was plenty to see from the somewhat smaller synthesizer manufacturers. We start with Mark Verbos. New in the Mini Horse.
Verbos Electronic Horse Mini
The Mini Horse is a multi-dimensional touch activated voltage controller. At 42HP wide and ultra thin, it can be added to a synthesizer system either inside the Eurorack or out front in the forthcoming Black Box extra low profile powered enclosure.
Twelve keys run across the front, each with its own Gate out, Pressure out and Position out. In addition to the individual keys’ outputs the master section presents the parameters of which key was last pressed in addition to a tunable from the knob behind the key and a ‘Fixed’ voltage, voltage from 0-10v across the keys from left to right . Position outs have memory or their position when last touched, allowing the user to draw across the keys when connected to voltage controlled mixers as in the Harmonic Oscillator or Filter Processor.
Casebliss stompboxes
No, we are not going to write about guitars, but you will find guitar stompboxes a lot, both the modular and the keyboard world. The Pedals from Casebliss are slightly different from all other stompboxes on the Markt. As they say themselves: “Our goal is to give unprecedented digital control to original and creative analog designs. Our products are not for everyone. They are for people that because something truly different in their stompbox arsenal, and are comfortable paying a little premium for a handmade, US manufactured product that is unlike anything else out there. You know, crazy people that desire that certain analog aesthetic in their tone while still demanding the ability to tweak everything, recall those settings at will, and explore new areas of parameter controllability, modulation, and on-the-fly automation. ”
Holonic Systems
We came across various products to control your modular synthesizer modules, or your software, with movement. This includes the MoveSence from Holonic Systems. Holon.ist is a mobile music platform that allows advanced users to create their own musical mappings from real-world data. You can control Ableton Live, Reaktor or VCV Rack with your iPhone, Suunto Movesense or Apple Watch. With our zero-config auto discovery, connecting is a non-event.
Flame MÄANDER
We already saw the MÄANDER synthesizer from Flame at the NAMM last January, and now also at Superbooth. The MÄANDER is a 4-voice synthesizer with dynamic controllable analog 12 channel filter bank, including live sequencer with 12 filter channel tracks and polyphonic note track wavetable sound synthesis, compatible with 4VOX wavetables individual filter / amp envelopes, morphing filter types full midi-usb functions … and more
Electrofon HUI
We know Swedish Elektrofon from the 4 voice polyphonic controller Klang. Rune Warhuus informed us that his Klang module is ready to be sent to customers. Warhuus also showed us a prototype of a module with which you can control the Philips HUI LED light systems via Cv and Gate.
Superlative SB-1 Space Bee
Superlative has made a clone of the Roland SH-101. And an exact copy according to the designer. The SB-1 Space Bee is not an exact copy. It is lightweight, ultra thin and has a built-in battery. Whether the SB-1 will stand its ground with a price of a used SH-101, so say between 800 to 1000 euros, with a Behringer clone, which is also an exact copy of the SH-101, which costs only 299 euros is just the question.
Novation Summit
Novation’s new flagship is a two-part 16-voice 61-key polyphonic synthesizer. In fact, they are two Peak’s, with keys. Summit’s digital New Oxford Oscillators offer subtractive, FM and wavetable synthesis, and feed into genuine analogue dual filters, distortion and VCAs. The multitimbral engine allows merging and combining or two complete and independent patches, while up to 16 simultaneous voices deliver enough harmonic depth for even the richest of pads.