We feature our fair share of interesting gear and instruments for Mac/iOS musicians and producers around here. Just last week Elektron debuted the new Analog Heat external FX processor just after the fully-loaded Synth One iPad Synthesizer hit the App Store for free. A couple of months back Moog brought us the new Grandmother semi-modular analog synth, but today we are looking at the brand new SKULPT from British designer Modal.
Most recently known for its mini lineup of semi modular instruments like the Craft Rhythm machine, Modal is stepping into the portable digital space with the new SKULPT synth.
Those familiar with the company’s 002 might be expecting an astronomical price tag here, considering those machines can go for up to $5,000 USD, but instead Modal has opted to offer up a much more accessible box this time around. The new SKULPT brings just about anything a producer, writer and sound designer might need, in a portable and considerably more affordable package.
SKULPT is essentially a 4-voice polyphonic DSP-based synthesizer. The tiny footprint is quite feature rich as well. You get 8 oscillators per voice (32 total) with fully selectable and smoothly morphable waveforms with unison and spread options. Eight modulation slots, three envelope generators, a pair of audio rate LFOs and a multi mode resonant filter roundup the most important modulation sources and destinations.
There is also a 128-note sequencer that supports recording up to as many as 4 parameter changes in a single pattern, an arpeggiator, delay and distortion (waveshaping overdrive, not bitcrushing) effects and more.
The whole thing is powered over USB or 5 AA batteries making it perfect for impromptu raves or writing sessions. Loads of patch memories are available and there are optional desktop/mobile editing apps available for all platforms including iOS, Mac, Windows and Android.
The Modal SKULPT synth is now available on Kickstarter for £208 which is roughly $274 USD. It is scheduled to begin shipping in November 2018. That’s a pretty amazing price here all things considered, even for a DSP-based machine. We can’t wait to get hands on with this sucker.
While there some analog machines out there like the MicroBrute that is somewhat comparable in price, you certainly aren’t going to get the same level of voice control or the sheer number of oscillators that you are getting on the SKULPT. It would suggest that if you’re into hardware synths and aren’t overly picky about having analog tones, this is definitely one to keep your eye one.
Do yourself a favor and go check out some of the audio demos Modal has put up on Soundcloud.
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