SYNTH SPINOFFS AND REVIVALS
“A NOTICEABLE SLOWDOWN IN GEAR RELEASES”
When it came time to take stock at the end of last year, we were genuinely surprised at how much exciting new gear had made its way out into the world, given the circumstances of a global pandemic and general shutdown of much of society. 2021 has been the opposite, to an extent. Possibly as a delayed result of the pandemic, combined with various geopolitical and supply chain issues, there’s been a noticeable slowdown in gear releases – at least when it comes to major hardware synths.
For the most part, the significant new instruments of 2021 have all been additions to or adaptations of existing ranges. Aside from Modwave
– itself a close sibling of last year’s GOTY winners Opsix and Wavestate – we were also impressed this year with IK Multimedia’s UNO Synth Pro. To be fair, although the two versions of the Pro (keyboard and desktop), are essentially evolutions of IK’s cheap-as-chips analogue UNO Synth, both are a significant step up. The addition of dual filters, stereo effects and a vastly more ‘pro’ build turn both iterations of the UNO Synth Pro into properly substantial, flexible analogue instruments. Here’s hoping a polyphonic version is on the horizon.
Elsewhere, two of our favourite synths of recent years spawned new versions. The incredibly powerful Super 6, from UK brand UDO, now has a keyboard-less desktop version, giving potential users access to the instrument’s binaural hybrid synth engine in a unit with a smaller footprint and slightly lower pricetag. ASM’s excellent digital poly Hydrasynth, meanwhile, is now joined by two new variations. The first is a top-end Deluxe version with increased 16 voice polyphony and a 73-note keyboard. More exciting is the affordable Hydrasynth Explorer, which packages the original’s 8-voice wavetable engine into a compact, battery-powered frame for under £600.
Despite delivering our synth of the year, Korg have been a little slow off the mark delivering instruments teased at January’s (virtual) NAMM. At the time of writing, the company’s latest remakes – the MiniKORG 700S and ARP 2600M – are just starting to hit the UK. No word on the DrumLogue.
Two more of 2021’s most interesting synths also offered new spins on classic designs. Waldorf’s M (reviewed on p74) turns the earlywavetable designs of the company’s Microwave synths into a modern digital poly. Sequential, meanwhile, surprised us with the Take 5, a Prophet-5 derived polysynth that’s unusually accessible and affordable for the US brand. It’s a winning combination, and hopefully a sign of things to come for the newly Focusrite-owned brand.