FXpansion Cypher2
We decode the advanced feature set of this long-awaited synthesiser
The sequel to the most intriguing member of the (now disbanded) DCAM Synth Squad trio was announced in 2015, with release scheduled for the following year. However, the big FXpansion news of 2016 was their surprise acquisition by Roli. Would Cypher2 still see the light of day? Heck, would FXpansion as we know them even continue to exist? The answer, it turns out, is: you bet! Because Cypher2 is here!
Audaciously trumpeted as “simply the most powerful 5D, MPE-enabled, TransModpowered synthesiser ever” (spoiler: the only other instrument to fit this overly specific category is FXpansion’s own Strobe2), the makers say that “literally every part of the engine has been overhauled.”
It all starts with three analogue-modelled oscillators with “realistic” FM capabilities. Linear through-zero FM behaviour means sounds “stay in tune over the entire keyboard, even with extreme FM.” You can morph waveforms, and apply audio-rate wave modulation, sample & hold, ring modulation, and sync.
Next, there’s a dual waveshaper/filter setup. Nine Shaper Modes include diode clipping, op amp and sine types, with pre- or post-filter routing. The filters each feature five vintage-style models (four new) and one comb-filter model. Thirty modulatable effects cover EQ, Dynamics, Delay and Reverb, Modulation and Distortion.
Speaking of modulation, the TransMod assignment system is “far more intuitive”, with three times the Mod Slots, and there are many new mod sources. Basics include two LFOs, three envelopes, and ramp generators.
On the more advanced side, there are macro controls, “Curve” processors, a sequencer, and mathematical modules. There’s even one that uses “Euclidean geometry and a spring model to provide…
chaotic and complex modulation.” Blimey. MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) allows compatible controllers to modulate notes inside chords. Presets number 1300, with 500 for controllers with five dimensions of expression (eg, Roli’s Seaboard). The all-new interface is fully scalable, too.
Cypher2 is £159, or a £64 upgrade from Strobe2 or DCAM Synth Squad.
URL www.fxpansion.com