Erica Fusion System II
The Latvians are back with three new vacuum-tastic modules. Rob Redman gives them a go
Following in the tradition of many Erica Synths modules and full systems, the first thing you notice with the Fusion 2 is the solidity of the physical object. It ships in a 104hp skiff, with textured end cheeks and, although the case is thin bent metal, it feels tough enough to give you confidence for live work.
The fascias similarly show typical Erica Synths stylings, reminiscent of something you might see in the prop cupboard of a B-movie about a mad scientist. Knobs and switches all feel robust, with good resistance and the patch points are well seated.
Erica Synths have a history with aggressive modules that pack a punch but nothing as yet has quite the degree of warmth and grit as these new offerings. Fusion isn’t a new thing to Erica, however they have adapted, upgraded and evolved the concept so that sound designers can access a new palette of possibilities.
Let’s look at this in terms of individual modules in the context of a complete system – as that’s how many people will buy them, with the skiff and power supply as a package.
For many, the journey starts with oscillators, in this case two single voice, three waveshape, Fusion VCO 2s. These have the tools you might expect, such as volts per octave and audio inputs, as well as CV jacks that include separate outputs for the -1oct sub and triangle waves and an input for modulating the pulse width. If that was all that was in place it would be a fine VCO, however Fusion 2 VCOs have a bucket brigade-based short delay driving the detune effect, which sounds wide and glorious (or subtle if that’s your thing). They’ve also embedded a Valve into the circuit, visible through a cutout on the fascia, nicely lit by an orange LED for that vintage glow. It looks cool and sounds better. The more you engage the Tube Crunch control, the more grit is invoked. Further personality can be added by cranking the FM knob, which also sets an upper level when using CV.
Sitting between the two VCOs is the Filter module, a 24dB valve/ vactrol-based circuit, that also includes a buffered mult and a three-channel mixer. Sweeping the filter presents a less wild result than you might expect, although the resonances scream into self oscillation. The trick here is the big button. Pressing this starts the module recording your control voltage changes, so you can preserve mod setups. As a creative tool, this is inspiring as well as downright fun, which sound design tools should be. It should be noted that audio range mods aren’t applicable here due to the limitations of vactrol circuits.
Jump the second VCO to land on the modulator module, a larger device that is home to multiple mod sources. Two looping envelope generators (with a manual trigger button) kick things off, their attack, on, delay, off rotary controls. These are both unipolar and bipolar together, with CV control over the decay time. These twin EGs are core to the module; however, the fun begins with the clockable sample & hold section, that means creating melodic drones and pitched textures is a breeze, although there is no quantisation on offer, so you might want to think about an external solution to that. It’s based on the module’s noise source which has its own output and sounds great; more red noise than white. Patch points are in abundance, across the lower part of the fascia (nice to see them grouped for control access when cable clutter can block the way).
This brings us to the combo VCA/ Waveshaper/Ringmodulator, this time with two miniature pentode valves on show. This module operates in two simultaneous circuits, allowing you to patch dual CVs for the amp. In practical terms you can use the frequencies of VCA and ring mod as waveshaping systems, in turn giving you complex and versatile, yet