Asura 6-Voice Wavetable Synthesizer

Animal Factory Asura

The Asura from Animal Factory is a 6 voice polyphonic wavetable synth that nestled neatly on a desk or tucked in a gig bag. Built around custom designed DSP oscillators and a digitally controlled analog fuzz circuit, this is as brutal as it is versatile. The sound generation starts with a dual wave oscillator that features independent pitch knobs and wavetable position scanners. ADditionally, add a little bit of classic analog synth behavior with the Melt control that adds instability and randomness to the sound. An FM control allows Oscillator A to modulate Oscillator B.

Once you have you sound dialed in, the next step is to completely annihilate it and that's exactly what the distortion section is for. Use the analog circuit to add some extra warmth and tuck in the second layer controls is a built-in delay. Using both the distortion and delay, you have a robust toolkit for possible sound exploration. Sound aside, the only other thing that would be necessary is a robust modulation matrix. Fortunately that's what we have with the on-board sources: 2x envelopes generator, 2x LFOs, 2x CV inputs, and a keyboard pressure modulation parameter.

The Asura is a standalone device in the truest sense with a built-in 1 octave pressure plate keyboard that makes performances simple and exploratory. If performing on the device isn't your thing, use the sequencer to compose the perfect series of notes to manipulate. Or perhaps a blend of the two might suit you, in which case, the arpeggiator was designed for just such a duty. Once you have a sound you like, you can easily save the parameters to one of the preset location. Grip the Asura from Animal Factory and expand you sonic palette exponentially.

Asura Features

• Six-voice polyphonic wavetable synthesizer built around custom-designed DSP oscillators with FM, wavetable scanning, and detune controls
• Digitally controlled analog fuzz/distortion circuit with a dedicated filter (Rakta), feedback control capable of self-oscillation (Ketu), and a fuzz/dry blend
• Dual assignable LFOs and envelopes that can be freely routed to nearly any knob via a color-coded modulation-assignment system
• Multiple voice modes—including 6-voice, 3-voice, full unison (all 12 oscillators stacked), and a dedicated Chord Mode with selectable inversions
• 8-step sequencer with parameter locks, real-time recording, and per-knob or full automation clearing
• Built-in arpeggiator with four modes (Down, Up, Down/Up, Random) plus half- and full-latch functions
• Smart randomizer that generates variations of active parameters, with pressure-sensitive control over the amount of randomization