Superbooth has returned for the first time since a pre-pandemic 2019—but given how the show has been going so far, it's clear that the world of synthesizer development hasn't been resting. A much-needed opportunity for synth manufacturers to show what they've been working on the past couple of years, Superbooth 2021 has already revealed a ton of exciting new developments.

Knobcon in Chicago already revealed several exciting releases from companies like ASM and others, but now we're seeing synth announcement season in full force, with Eurorack-format Buchla modules, a desktop format UDO Super 6, a new Erica Synths drum machine, and much much more. We'll continue to update this article as Superbooth continues, so be sure to come back and check it out. For now, here's some of the gear we're most excited about.

Welcome to the Family: ASM Hydrasynth Explorer + Deluxe

It shouldn't come as a surprise that we at Perfect Circuit love ASM's Hydrasynth—it's no doubt one of the most powerful synthesizers to be released in years, capable of everything from wavetable and virtual analog sounds to generative patches, outrageous FM, and plenty of sounds unlike any synthesizer I've ever heard. In fact, many of the staff at Perfect Circuit are proud owners of a Hydrasynth keyboard or desktop. And as such, we are beyond excited to see two new members of the Hydrasynth family: the Hydrasynth Explorer and Hydrasynth Deluxe.

Buchla + Tiptop Audio Eurorack Collaboration

Buchla USA and Tiptop Audio announced the first results of an interesting collaboration, the 200t series: Buchla 200 Series modules in Eurorack format. Many have long wondered why Buchla hadn't dipped their toes into the bustling Eurorack ecosystem, instead sticking to their proprietary 200e format. Their initial release of Red Panel 100 Series reissues in Eurorack format resulted in several interesting modules, but for many, these modules didn't quite fit into the "Buchla ethos"—the 100 Series predated many concepts we consider critical in "West Coast" synthesis, such as looping envelopes, complex oscillators, lowpass gates, etc.

The 200t series, though, taps right into the core of the West Coast synthesis philosophy, offering new interpretations of some of Don Buchla's most iconic modules. The 258t and 292t should help get you to a Buchla-esque sound in no time: the 258t Dual Oscillator offers two oscillators with variable waveshape and deep, rich FM possibilities, while the 292t is comprised of four lowpass gates with an integrated signal mixer. The 281t Quad Function Generator contains four looping envelope generators with quadrature operation and internal analog logic, and the 245t is a four-output addressable five-step sequencer capable of an astounding range of interesting functions from crude quantization to straight-ahead signal sequencing. The 257t voltage processor allows for mixing, inversion, scaling, offset, and crossfading functions, and the 266t offers a new rendering of the Source of Uncertainty, one of Buchla's most important and peculiar designs: a multiple random voltage source capable of a huge range of functions from basic S&H to fluctuating randomness, several flavors of stepped random voltage, and more.

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The user interface on some modules has necessarily been adapted in order to fit into a 3U Eurorack system, voltage levels have been adjusted to be fully Eurorack-compliant, and all connectors are standard 3.5mm jacks rather than Buchla's famous combination of banana and Tinijax. It remains to be seen just how similar these modules' circuitry is to the original designs; I expect that (even signal level adjustments aside) several changes are necessary to get everything working smoothly in the Eurorack ecosystem, but I do trust that Tiptop is fully capable of bringing this vision to reality.

These modules are scheduled to be released individually or in small groups across the next year or so, and while prices haven't been disclosed for all models, the target price of ~$200USD for the 258t Dual Oscillator and 281t Quad Function Generator leave me hopeful that these will actually wind up being fairly affordable. Given the rather high price tag associated with many alternatives (even those within Eurorack format), we're excited at the prospect of these new modules are are super excited to see and hear more as they develop. Buchla and Tiptop have also suggested plans for modules beyond these initial offerings, so who knows—perhaps someday we'll see a 259 Programmable Complex Waveform Generator or 248 Multiple Arbitrary Function Generator in Eurorack format as well!

... But Wait! There's More! Tiptop Audio's FSU and MODFX

Buchla's New Music Easel

The Tiptop Audio collaboration isn't the only news from Buchla, either: they've revealed a prototype of the much-anticipated revision of the classic Music Easel design. For many, the recently-released Easel Command has proven to be a perfect entry point into the weird and wonderful world of Buchla. A standalone instrument comprised of a 208C Stored Program Sound Source with extensive options for interfacing with other devices via MIDI or Eurorack-style CV/Gate, it has proven to be attractive to both Eurorack users looking for a different take on the modular experience as well as keyboardists and studio musicians looking to understand Buchla's unique perspective on how synthesis should work. Many, though, have been left wondering when the full Music Easel would return—and now, that seems imminent.

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The original Buchla Music Easel was produced in the early/mid-1970s, pairing a 208 voice module with a 218 touchplate keyboard in a small suitcase: a portable-yet-powerful distillation of many concepts from Buchla's larger 200 Series modular instruments. It wasn't produced in great numbers, but it became a sort of iconic cult instrument, likely due to its combination of peculiar sounds and colorful design. The Music Easel was re-released with some modern modifications in 2013, but later discontinued due to complexities of design that prevented scalable production. Buchla USA has been hard at work correcting those complexities, though—first re-designing the 208 to be considerably easier to produce and more feature-rich (hence the Easel Command), and now turning their eyes to the other missing pieces: the enclosure and the 218 Touch Activated Voltage Source.

First displayed at Knobcon last week, this newest iteration of the Music Easel seems to feature a 10-space suitcase, housing the 208, 218, a breakout/utility module, and space for one additional Buchla-format module. The breakout/utility module appears to include all the MIDI/CV connections from the rear panel of the Easel Command, along with some extra connections pertaining to the 218 keyboard, some voltage processing utilities, and a section pertaining to preset recall for the 208—allowing users to recall patches at a moment's notice. We're told that there will be other options for this slot rather than the preset recall system (perhaps the stereo effects processor discussed at the 208c's introduction?); however, it seems that this breakout module's design is not finalized, and changes are still likely forthcoming.

The 218 keyboard does have some exciting additions—a new touchstrip a la Buchla 217 provides variable CV and pulse outputs, and the four-pad "preset voltage source" on the upper right hand side of the keyboard now includes a pulse output as well, turning the 218 into a considerably more flexible controller than before. While we were expecting something visually more similar to BEMI's previous version of the Easel, this new rendition does seem to offer a lot of promise. Target street price for the new Easel seems to be $3999 (without the preset management option), with orders opening later this year, and yes—Buchla has indicated that there will be an option available for Easel Command owners to purchase the case + 218 keyboard separately. Hopefully we'll see these out in the wild soon!

Classic Wavetable Synthesis: Waldorf M

Following in the desktop-sized footsteps of Kyra and Iridium, M represents a return to Waldorf's roots. Where its siblings respectively cover the synthesis territories of virtual analog and modern wavetable, granular, and physical modeling, the M very much continues in the vein of the classic Waldorf Microwave. Indeed, like its ancestor, the M has a digital heart of two wavetable oscillators that are then shaped by an analog filter and VCA. But M embraces many of the advancements in synthesizer production over the past 30 years, offering four-part multitimbrality, an incredible abundance of presets, and much more.

But M is more than its oscillators! The analog filter is a luscious lowpass design based on the SSI2144, a modern revamp of the classic SSM2044 chip used in the PPG Wave 2.3. An onboard arpeggiator with a number of patterns and chord options enhances performability, and each of its eight-voices can be distributed in any way among the four multimbral parts, with four auxiliary outputs available for external mixing or effects processing. It truly brings the magic of the Microwave sound into a more modern, parameter-accessible package, and fits in nicely with the other members of the Waldorf family.

Bringing the Thunder: Erica Synths PĒRKONS HD-01

Erica Synths is bringing the roaring heavens to ground level with PĒRKONS HD-01, a thunderous hybrid-voice drum machine packed with tons of controls & connectability and coated in a well-suited electric blue enclosure. This beast sports four voices that can utilize one of three digital sound modes that pass through analog filtering and drive, giving you the best of both worlds in this hybrid setup. All eight parameters per voice can be automated via the very flexible four-track sequencer, offering clock multiplication/division per track and ratcheting and probability per step. You can save up to 64 patterns and 64 kits, but with an SD card for expandable memory, PĒRKONS takes away any hindrances of your creativity.

Integrated Musical Systems: Boredbrain Eurorack Modules

Boredbrain Music has been in the game for awhile, starting in the world of creative effects pedal routing, with their incredibly handy Patchulator, which led to the Optx, EQx5, and Injectr. All three offer helpful tools in bringing your Eurorack into the realm of other musical formats, whether it's easily bringing your computer into the flow, or injecting a guitar, and other instruments into Eurorack (or both), these modules can sculpt your signal to perfection.

The Optx is an 8-in/8-out ADAT lightpipe module that is designed to actually make use of that expansion port you forgot your interface has. Send CV and audio from your computer to your rack and then back again with ease. The Injectr feels close to the roots of Boredbrain acting as a line level booster, as well as an amp simulator that has a nice distortion circuit, and effects loop. The beautiful thing about the growing Eurorack field is that now, more than ever, there is a case to be made for a fully effects-based system. Getting your external signal into the rack, however, has always been a bit of a quandary. If you get your signal up to modular levels, you often sacrifice tone; try to then send that back into an amp and the signal might be too hot. The Injectr also has an envelope follower to give you a little more dynamism when interacting with your system: it's pretty rad. The EQx5 is a 5-band parametric, stereo EQ with CV control over all parameters. It's functional and a great way to carve out space in timbrally rich sonic space.

Mix with Friends: Bastl Instruments Buddy

Ethereal and Vintage: Dreadbox Nymphes

The Dreadbox Nymphes is the newest member of their portable desktop synth line, following last year's model, Typhon. Nymphes offers six voices of analog polyphony with a classic subtractive synthesis layout of oscillator, filters, envelopes and LFOs for shaping leads, basses, pads, keys, and anything your heart desires. True analog warmth packed in a small form factor, each control has a normal state and at least one shift state for maximum control.

Small and Full: Super 6 Desktop from UDO

Triple the Fun: Moog Sound Studio - Mother-32 + DFAM + Subharmonicon

Moog's newest installation of the Sound Studio series comes with the ultimate trio of their mother ecosystem: the Sound Studio - Mother-32 + DFAM + Subharmonicon. Stacking the full lineup of their semi-modular synths with three-tier rack ears, a summing mixer, a cable holder, and tons of fun and functional additions makes the new Sound Studio the most immersive Moog experience you could ask for. Themed in a playful and colorful way, every item added to complement this Sound Studio is to continue the idea of carnival and amazement that the wonders of synthesis has to provide.

Analog Goodness Straight out of Belgium: Joranalogue's New Modules

In an increasingly digital world, Joranalogue have been consistently producing some of the most intriguing analogue designs in the world of Eurorack, equally covering the ground of basic utilities combined with adventurous takes on essential components of synthesis. For Superbooth this year, they've shown once again that analog electronics are still valid in 2021 with not one, but three incredible new designs.

First up, Enhance 2 promises to be the perfect tool to manage all of those cool stereo modules and effects to come out in the past few years. Panning and stereo Width are its most basic functions, but it also operates as a Mid/Side encoder/decoder, with handy tilt filtering available for the Mid and Side components. This works exceptionally well for polishing a mix with focus in the center and tidying up messy frequencies on the sides, and also opens the door to external Mid/Side effects processing.

Next is Orbit 3, which is an analog model of a double-scroll-style strange attractor. If you imagine the movement of a particle in 3D space around two points of equilibrium, Orbit 3 serves as a source of chaotic modulations and audio-rate oscillations, ranging from pure instability to fairly periodic repetitions. Chaos is different from pure random, as it is deterministic and certain settings impart repetition and predictability, with a wide range of territory to explore beyond that.

Finally, Step 8 is Joranalogue's long-awaited take on sequencing, and in the same way the Filter 8 and Generate 3 turned the idea of filtering and oscillation on their head, this module is sure to do the same. Specifically, they call Step 8 a "Sequential Tracking/Sampling Register," which is quite the mouthful. But in looking a bit deeper, it actually makes perfect sense—a 1:8 multiplexer, like in a sequential switch, routes a single input to eight channels, but instead of just going straight to an output, each stage also contains a highly precise sample/track-and-hold. This means that once another stage becomes active, the previous voltage can remain held for up to several minutes. Add in shift register functionality, reversible advance direction, and the ability to address stages with a continuous voltage, Step 8 is patch programmable in the truest sense—its open-ended functionality allows it to fill different roles depending on how it is patched.

Joranalogue is currently presenting all three of these modules at Superbooth, and estimates to begin shipping each sequentially from late 2021 to early 2022, with orders opening up as soon as more details become available.

Newton Enters Modular: New Systems Instruments Inertia and Headphone Amp

Bringing physics to the world of modular, Inertia is New Systems Instruments' newest module, offering multi-functional movement to add to your Eurorack system. Inertia is able to act as an envelope generator , LFO/VCO, filter, LFO divider, slew limiter, and much more. With an all analog design loosely based on the Serge Dual Universal Slope Generator, Inertia showcases two function generators in series. The first provides your typical rise and fall features and can process any input signal, be triggered as an envelope and be controlled via a 1v/oct input to pitch track as a cyclical and skewable waveshape. Inertia shines where no other module has gone and incorporates a second function generator named "momentum", where it pushes the original function past its intended target until it returns to its original destination (Newtonian!).

Schlapp-happy with Boundary from Schlappi Engineering

Beefy Noise from Befaco: Noise Plethora and MEX Expander

New from Befaco are the Noise Plethora and an expander for their Muxlicer module called the MEX. Their Muxlicer has been a wonder for straight-forward sequencing and switching, but lacked the ability to select which steps fire out gates. The MEX fixes that and essentially adds an additional All Gates output with eight switches letting you choose which steps fire out a gate. These little expanders are also chainable.

Noise Plethora is a very nifty three channel noise generator. The first two channels are identical and will be shipping with 40 different selectable noise algorithms ranging from crispy hisses to more tonal sounds. The third channel has three separate outputs: a white noise, a grit—which can be tuned to be dense clouds of particles to sporadic crackles—, and a filtered output that can use one or both of the aforementioned. Each channel has its own analog, multimode filter that is CV controllable.

Playable Tiny Friend: Autodub from SSF

Scintillating Oscillations: Poly Cinematic Oscillator from Knobula

Weaving in the CV: Ardabil and Switch from TINRS

Boom, Clap, Zoom, ZAPS by Winter Plankton

ZAPS is the lovechild of Winter Plankton, a combination of the renowned Winer Modular and Plankton Electronics, bringing stellar analog percussion with loads of digital controls to make the most of each parameter. The monophonic sound source is centered around two analog VCOs that offer a variety of waveshapes and noise to sculpt, processed through a high pass filter and VCA. ZAPS' signal is then shaped by amplitude and frequency modulation, taking an independent wave out from VCO2 or using VCO1 for XFM as the modulator — AM and FM tones evoke amazing tonal options for anything from subtle to abrasive textures. Handling amplitude, pitch decay and AM & FM shaping, ZAPS comes with two AHR envelopes that can be held out for sustained drums such as longer hi hats or 808s. The final sound is a mixed balance of both VCOs with a master high pass and an individual high pass on the noise oscillator within VCO2.

Hi Fi or Lo Fi? Osiris from Modbap Modular

Stereo Savvy Superbooth: XAOC Devices Modules

With their track record of feature-filled Eurorack modules with a recognizable aesthetic, it should be no surprise that XAOC Devices showed up to Superbooth 2021 with a trio of stellar modules that are sure to see a lot of love when they start shipping.

First up, Mińsk is a hybrid analog/digital stereo image processor. Using on-board DSP, it can convert mono signals into faux-stereo, and it can also convert standard stereo audio channels into their Mid/Side components for polish and further processing. There's also internal highpass filters for the Side elements, with fixed cutoff frequency options at 50Hz and 300Hz. A different take on the same idea as the Joranalogue Enhance 2 that also debuted this year at Superbooth, both modules are sure to find homes in many of the increasingly stereo-centric Eurorack systems out there.

Speaking of stereo, XAOC also presented the Zagrzeb, a multimode stereo filter focused on performability. At only 8HP, it offers synthesists the bare essentials: stereo input, stereo outputs for lowpass, highpass, and bandpass responses, a big and tactile knob for controlling cutoff frequency, and a resonance slider. Even so, Zagrzeb has some tricks up its sleeve. Upon plugging in a mono input signal, an enhancement circuit creates a vivid stereo image, and a Spread CV input applies inverse modulations to the left and right filter cutoff frequencies. Additionally, the bandpass filter offers three slope configurations to skew it in favor of more high or low frequencies, or equal two-pole slopes around the cutoff.

Both the Mińsk and Zagrzeb should be available by the end of the year, but XAOC Devices did show one more module that's due for release at a later point. Erfurt, the latest member of their Leibniz subsystem of binary modules, is a divider centered around an internal eight-bit counter. When used standalone, it divides clock (or audio) signals by powers of two—that is, two, four, eight, 16, 32, 64, and 128. But connecting it to other members of the Leibniz system—Drezno, Lipsk, Jena—its capabilities extend dramatically.

Acid Rain's Junction and a Sneak Peek of Constellation

Horizontal's the New Vertical: Endorphin.es 1U series

Endorphin.es enters the 1U world with recreations of their amazing Cockpit, Milky Way, and Golden Master. Fit to match the 1U Intellijel standard, these wonderful modules are perfectly sized for routing mixes, inserting effects, and adding multiband compression. The Cockpit 1U provides the same stereo mixing capabilities and sidechaining, but now has split channels 2 through 4 into dual mono inputs that're normalled left to right — you can also label these channels with permanent marker in the provided white label space above each channel. The Golden Master 1U and Milkyway 1U still provide the same great processing with control for control matching as the original 3U unit.

The redesign keeps cables decluttered and parameters accessible as the jacks are located on the bottom and the controls are toward the top of the modules. Included on the back of each module is a section for routing via jumper cables for less cable clutter on the front end. The Milky Way 1U provides a mix out that can jumper to other 1U modules or act as a connection straight to the I/O of any Intellijel case, and the Cockpit 1U and Golden Master 1U have an auxiliary input and a mix output for jumping between 1U modules and a stereo line output dedicated for the 1U Intellijel I/O. Additionally, Endorphin.es has created 1U Panels in 4 & 6 HP sizes to fill out the rest of your case and protect from dust and damage.

If you're looking for more tools to polish your modular sound in a 1U format, look to Endorphin.es in the near future. Current expected prices for each module are $200 USD.

Continuous Creation: Doepfer's Six New Modules

Doepfer continues to be as prolific as ever offering up six new products: five modules and one keyboard. The keyboard is designed to integrate using only one cable that powers and provides MIDI to a companion module. Portability is the main purpose behind this smaller, 37 key controller, and it was designed to fold into a case such as the A-100PBSW. While small, it is a semi-weighted, Fatar keyboard, so it feels quite luxurious.

As far as Eurorack modules go, the A-126-2 Frequency Shifter is one of the main focuses with two ring modulators, two dome filters, and the ability to fade between Up and Down shifts, this is a useful addition to the Eurorack-o-sphere. It works well with oscillators and audio signals to create strange sci-fi textures and other frequency shift delights. Another tasty offering is the A-149-4 Quad VC Random which is a very compact, 4hp, 4-channel random voltage generator. It takes in up to 4 triggers which shoot out a random, selectable voltage when high. You can choose between octaves, oct+5th, chord, scale, semitones, or continuous (not quantized).

Rounding out the collection are a couple solid utilities: the A-182-4 Rotary switch is a 2-channel, bidirectional, passive selector module that sends one-of-four inputs to a single output, or vice versa. As well as the A-138f, a 2-channel crossfader that takes 3 inputs—audio or CV—and outputs them on a single channel. Inputs are faded using a rotary knob with A at full CCW, B at noon, and C at full CW. The last module is a light sensor with an onboard sensor, or the option to connect an external light sensor via patch cable to be placed wherever you want. You get a positive and negative CV output, as well as a gate out, with offset, level, and gate threshold knobs. Oh, all of these three are also just 4hp, so quite handy.