If you don’t know what it is, it’s two Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) sound chips (Yamaha 2612 in V1, and uhh, some other number in V2) in a small aluminium box with a boatload of faders to control every aspect of each operator, some LFOs to modulate them, and an arpeggiator/sequencer (I never use).
You might think it sounds like a Sega Genesis game all the time, but it does not. The LFOs really open up the 2612. It does some amazing performance tricks you certainly don’t hear in Sonic the Hedgehog. But, it does those, too. Channel your inner Yuzo Koshiro, then make it sound like something entirely else.
A while back, Twisted Electrons saw fit to make the firmware open source, and it’s wonderful how much functionality they’ve added. Looping envelopes that can loop from different points in the six-stage envelopes, new voicing options, a MIDI tool to change settings from your PC, heck, a couple weeks ago they added the ability to change the scaling of the envelopes. It came out four years ago, and the updates keep on coming.
Just so I don’t sound too much like a fanboy, I will qualify that it is a bit of a janky box. Voice stealing is weird sometimes, and these chips are noisy and scummy sounding. It’s probably the most analog sounding digital thing I’ve ever heard. I guess there are still a few minor bugs with the firmware, but none that I personally notice.
Still, it’s only 450 Euros and eminently worth it.
It does seem really cool! I thought of getting a Mega Synthesis from Sonicware to scratch the FM/Sega itch but man the control of the MegaFm just seems to be unreal
Yeah, I admit twitching a bit when I saw Sonicware releasing that one. It’s cheaper, and less janky than the OG YM2612s in the MEGAfm. The interface really doesn’t have much on the MEGAfm’s though. The sliders really do get everything up in your face.
Yeah man interface makes such a huge difference. Like I’m not plug in adverse but a piece of hardware with actual controls just truly breaks me into the zone.
Interface is so important in fact Ive considered slowly replacing my eurorack for 4u, Kosmo, or 5u modular
modular
Modular frightens me. I only have so much money and space.
There are cheaper ways to do it. Paying for the big names gets you a lot of functionality sooner which helps you actually making music I’ve learned. There is just a romanticism to reaching critical mass of utilities and building blocks to me. A truly large well thought out Modular is incredible for sound design.
But there is also VCV rack which can do the exact same thing for free haha.
But there is also VCV rack which can do the exact same thing for free haha.
Yeah, this is another sticking point for me with modular. I can spend a hundred on a single LFO module. I can code up infinite LFOs in Csound for free. It’s a hard sell. I absolutely would love to plan out a wall of knobs and buttons, but yeah. I’ll stick to the free coding for now.
That’s my plan haha. The only big modular thing I’m planning at the moment is using logic circuits and CMOS chips. They call them Lunettas, really cool noisy synths. It’s not very interoperable with my set up, but I figured I’d at least have fun jamming and get some wonderful samples to mangle :)
Lunettas
Whoa. Those look like fun. A bit limited like you say, but still a lot of noisy, farty fun.
Edit: “limited” was not the correct word. More like “insane”.
Well, I’ve been messing with 3.6, and I’m not entirely sure when they fixed it, but the voice stealing that I had trouble with before (hold a note, and the sixth/twelfth note you play along with it depending on the voicing mode you have chosen steals the held note) appears to be gone. You can hold notes indefinitely while playing other notes, and as long as you don’t play more notes than your chosen voicing option, the held note stays. That might have been my biggest issue with it, and it’s gone. Hnnngggh! SO good.
I opened mine up and resoldered a bad LED. Funny how doing that makes you more attached to a piece of hardware.