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I’m sure this won’t be the only announcement from Erica Synths during the Superbooth 2020 home edition period as they usually have a whole range of goodies for us to check out at Superbooth each year. But the first announcement is for a new Fusion System II and new Fusion series modules. I’m very very fond of Fusion range which is Erica Synths’ venture into vacuum tubes/valves. The Fusion range has been updated over the past few years but I did create a series of demo videos for the original line of the Ring Modulator, VCA, Filter, Delay/Chorus and VCO Mixer for those interested in how all this started.
Fusion System II – Available from June 5th, €1950 exVAT RRP without case lid, €2030 exVAT RRP with case lid. Video – https://youtu.be/nYygk3WLPPE
Erica Synths say this is “a modular synthesiser for sounds of unprecedented pressure, unconventional modulations and creativity-inspiring patching. A 104HP system has 63 patchpoints for extensive experiments in sound design, all analogue signal and CV path; it’s a system for those, who take a sound design seriously. “
It contains two Fusion VCO2s, a Fusion VCF3, Fusion Modulator, Fusion VCA/Waveshaper/RingMod & Fusion Delay/Flanger/Ensemble in a 104HP one row skiff (with or without a lid for the case). You also get 20 patch cables to get you started.
FUSION VCF3 – Available now, RRP €330 exVAT. Video review from Molten Music Tech – https://youtu.be/PVBwMM3u3EQ
The Fusion VCF3 is the third version of the vacuum tube filter design from Erica Synths this time with a 24dB/oct low pass filter with a design that combines vacuum tubes and vactrols this time for a more distinct soft filter sound. They’ve also added independent audio mixing and buffered multiples alongside the addition of a CV recorder that records the live motion of a potentiometer as you twist the knob. Allowing for additional mixing, signal splitting and CV recording for custom modulation.
Other things to note – The design is fully analogue and with vactrols in the control path the VCF will not accept audio rate modulation, the maximum modulation frequency is 10Hz. The input signal mixer offers overdrive when it’s pushed and also when you have recorded CV you can have multiplication and division over the looping CV.
Fusion Modulator – Available now, €310 exVAT RRP. Video review by Molten Music Tech – https://youtu.be/l_vGrrHIXRo
The new Fusion Modulator is an analogue modulation source two EMS Synthi inspiring looping envelope generators. It can be unipolar from 0-10V or bipolar -5/+5V and aside from the envelopes themselves there’s an on board VCA, noise generator and Sample & Hold circuit.
I was lucky in that my time at university left me with access to a pair of EMS VCS3s, which was immense fun and audio experimentation (but I digress) … The Synthi style envelopes will rise, hold, fall then hold again … or … attack, on, decay, off. Allowing you to create modulation that holds and halts between it’s rising and falling stages and cycles. With the addition of noise, VCA and S&H you’ll be sampling random voltages, modulating envelope levels/depths and creating a wide range of playable and interactive modulation and sound easily.
Fusion VCA – Waveshaper – RingMod – Available from June 5th, €290 exVAT RRP
The third new Fusion module is a mixture of functions put together to offer a more complex place to modulate your sounds. Erica Synths say you can operate this as a standard VCA but it’s most fun with advanced modulations with two CVs applied simultaneously to different VCA stages then add in audio rate modulations with the ring modulation and the options are vast.
To highlight a few features – The design is fully analogue with the VCA controlled by two miniature pentode tubes. The two CV ins are not mixed or conventional either, they control different grid voltages on the tubes. You can manually bias the VCAs, manually overdrive, crossfade and switch into more conventional VCA modes if you like. I’m very much looking forward to explore this one!
More information and updates at https://www.ericasynths.lv
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