Erica Synths

Notes: The excellent Bullfrog synth gets a new bigger brother in the form of the XL, an expanded and enhanced version of this collaborative analogue instrument, featuring built-in speakers, oscilloscope and plenty of new synth options.

Supplier's Notes:
Bullfrog invites you to unlock your musicality while combining the thrill of electronic music production with a comprehensive learning experience. Bullfrog XL is designed specifically for teachers to use in front of the classroom and it expands the concept of the regular Bullfrog by inflating its size by a factor of 3 (literally!). With its expanded size and built-in oscilloscope, Bullfrog XL isn't just for classrooms but will be a great addition to any studio.

Features

Fully analogue design
Highly accurate voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) that tracks great over 8 octaves
Manually adjustable and voltage controlled waveshapes - sine-shark fin and pulse wave with pulse width modulation (PWM)
Zener diode-based noise generator
Resonant lowpass voltage controlled filter (VCF)
Voltage controlled amplifier (VCA) with adjustable offset
Delay effect with adjustable delay time and feedback amount
Two looping attack-sustain-release envelope generators (EG)
Sample & Hold circuit with an individual clock
Attenuverter
Slew processor with adjustable slew time
Two buffered splitter circuits
Two channel oscilloscope
6.3 mm jack sockets
Manual gate button
Gate and Trigger out
Voice card slot
Built in speakers
DIN5 MIDI input
USB connector
Keyhole slots on the rear panel
Dimensions (mm): 820x505x65 (250 with the side panels)
Mass: 8.3 kg

What's included:

BULLFROG XL synthesizer with side panels
Universal 12VDC wall wart adapter with the power cable
User manual
12 1/4" patch cables
Sequencer, Sampler/Looper, Acid Bassline, Hi-pass filter, LFO and Electric Organ Voice cards
3 DIY voice cards

Created by Erica Synths & Richie Hawtin, Bullfrog is an educational electronic music instrument designed to captivate and inspire both youth and professionals alike. Bullfrog invites you to unlock musicality while combining the thrill of electronic music production with a comprehensive learning experience.

In order to provide a well-rounded understanding of the functionality of this synthesizer and sound synthesis in general, a comprehensive user manual is created to accompany the learning process.

Notes: Erica's superb Perkons returns with a stealthy new black paint job. Four hybrid voices each with a range of different sound engine modes, paired with analogue filters, overdrive and a superb sequencer.

Supplier's Notes:
PERKONS HD-01 is a unique live performance and sound design instrument that tears down the borders between drum machine, synthesizer, and drone instrument.

PERKONS features four sonically versatile hybrid voices (digital sound engine + analogue multimode filter with overdrive) and a sequencer with simultaneous control over all four percussion tracks.

Each voice has 3 sound engine modes, an HP/BP/LP filter and 8 controls for nuanced sound design, including an internal BBD FX send. All voice parameter settings can be saved as KITS. To add dynamics to the performance, parameter automation is implemented and a modulation LFO can be assigned to all parameters.

For a real thunderstorm, integration with external gear is considered - each voice has a dedicated trigger input, individual output, and FX send and return with 6.3mm jack sockets, along with extensive MIDI implementation. All voices are summed and run through a built-in compressor.

Time to ride the skies!

Erica Synths are pleased to see the enjoyment the PERKONS has brought to users worldwide over the past two years! To celebrate its success, they have decided to transform the beast by giving it a new demeanour - a timelessly black finish to match Erica Synths' other instruments and to visually complement the dark aesthetic that has become synonymous with Erica Synths modules and desktop instruments all over the world.

Notes: No oscillators, 8 voice polyphony.

The Steampipe is a true physical modelling synthesizer developed in close collaboration with Dutch company 112.dB.

The Steampipe has no conventional oscillators. Instead, it mimics the way sound is created in wind instruments and it is fine-tuned to create a wide range of sounds - everything from wind instruments to strings, pipe organs, crazy effects and beyond. The Steampipe has three major sections - STEAM, PIPE and REVERBERATOR.

The STEAM section can be compared to the lungs and mouth of a musician. The generator creates the flow of air or "steam", the envelope in this section determines the force with which it is blown out. DC/noise is the noise you get when blowing out. DC/Noise on the Steampipe can also be replaced with an external audio source.

The PIPE section can be compared to a flute. In the pipe, the tune is formed. Push (in feedback) bounces the steam like it does in a flute and generates the tone. The delay box subsection changes the flute's tuning and shape.

The REVERBERATOR adds space and ambience to the sound.

The Steampipe is optimized for performance with wind MIDI controllers and it works great with any MIDI keyboard. The overtones the Steampipe produces are very organic and rich and it comes with great-sounding presets. The Steampipe is rather versatile and allows for nuanced sonic exploration, conjuring sonic imagery ranging from from wisps of cloud to fairground band organs, then to industrial horns of the railroad and finally, to massive, otherworldly ambiences.

Notes: Updated version of Erica's superb EMS-inspired synth, featuring a powerful dual oscillator synth architecture, piano roll sequencer, modulation matrix and recordable joystick.

Supplier's Notes:
Based on lessons learned from the SYNTRX, Erica Synths decided to create an instrument that would integrate even deeper into contemporary electronic and experimental music setups and cover sonic territory from daunting drones to powerful basslines and glitched noisescapes - the SYNTRX II is a new dark horse for experimental sonic rides.

The SYNTRX II is the culmination of Erica Synths' analogue sound design circuits - two perfectly stable main oscillators with waveshapers, a modulation oscillator with 1V/oct tracking, a versatile multimode filter, supercharged external instrument inputs with an envelope follower, a unique, great-sounding ring modulator, a recordable joystick, built-in piano roll sequencer and stepped modulation sources, all arranged around Erica Synths' signature matrix mixer and topped off with powerful FX on their new DSP platform.

"The SYNTRX 2 is awesome, a very different instrument from V1. My first synths were the VCS3 and the AKS and are still among my favorites today. The Syntrx 2 is pushing the boundaries of possibilities & experimentations much beyond the original analogue version. The Syntrx 2 is an instant classic". - Jean Michel Jarre

Features

Two perfectly stable main oscillators with CV-controlled waveforms
Modulation oscillator with variable waveforms
Highpass and Lowpass filters in series
Free running or gate synced sample and hold circuit
Multi-colour noise generator
DC coupled instrument inputs with signal inversion and envelope follower
Ring modulator of unique design
Looping trapezoid envelope generator and VCA
Two output VCAs
Signal meter with a dedicated audio/CV output
FX section with great sounding Delay and Reverb developed in collaboration with 112db.com
Recordable Joystick
Analogue patch matrix with 3 attenuation levels in each patch point
254 patch memory
Piano roll sequencer and two stepper modulation sources
DIN5 MIDI Input and MIDI Thru
Two assignable outputs
Headphone output
Dimensions: 309mm x 457mm x 115mm (with the joystick in centre position)
Weight: 3.9 kg