Future Music

Hands-on with Analogue Solutions Generator

We take the new CV-spouting sequencing beast out for a test drive

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It’s fair to say that traditiona­l analogue sequencing – the kind that makes use of control voltage and gate signals – has had a revival recently. Once seen as outdated tech, the unstoppabl­e rise of Eurorack, along with a resurgent interest in analogue synthesis, has made classic sequencing tools thoroughly relevant again.

British ‘boutique’ outfit Analogue Solutions have been peddling vintage-style synths and sequencers since before it was fashionabl­e, including modern classics like the Telemark, Nyborgs and Polymath. Their latest offering is Generator, a multi-channel CV and gate sequencer designed for maximum playabilit­y. We got our first look at the – then as yet unnamed – hardware at this year’s Superbooth, and we’ve now got our hands on an early production unit. We hooked it up ahead of a full review…

The hardware

Generator sits in a solid metal chassis roughly similar in size to a compact 25-key MIDI keyboard. It’s lightweigh­t enough to easily transport, but feels properly rugged. We’d have no qualms about trusting it for regular, intense use on stage.

The interface is packed with rotaries, a metal-plated touchstrip, and a few extra buttons and switches, all of which feel sturdy enough to hold up to regular abuse. Although there’s a lot going on in a small space, the interface doesn’t feel too cluttered, and the neat layout makes logical sense.

The sequencer itself is 16-step with three CV channels and one gate. There are a number of cool playable interface features that make Generator a handy device for mixing up and experiment­ing with sequences. The touchstrip acts as an internal voltage generator, which allows it to do a number of things, including transposin­g the currentlyp­laying sequence, reset or re-trigger the sequence, or be played like a traditiona­l keyboard (albeit with only six notes).

Alongside this are four ‘beat’ rotaries – turning these can adjust the intensity of certain sections of your sequence, adding more gate signals for a more chaotic sound. The gate channel also has a ‘flipped’ output, which outputs the opposite of the main channel (ie if the main gate is ‘on’, the flipped output will be ‘off’). There’s also a simple little two-rotary looper, which offers an easy way to mess with the rhythm of a sequence.

Analogue Solutions head honcho Tom Carpenter tells us that the Generator is designed with a ‘what you see is what you get’ ethos, so there’s no hidden functions or menus to dive through. From our first impression­s, this design seems to hit the nail on the head in terms of balancing creative depth with hands-on fun. There are plenty more cool features we’ve yet to dig into – we’ll get to these in a full review – but from our brief time playing, we’re certainly impressed.

WA NT to KNOW MORE?

Generator is available to order now, priced at £629. Head to: analogueso­lutions.com

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