Events and News
Published on 13/05/2025
Berlin, May 2025.
The Superbooth was once again confirmed as the pulsating epicenter of electronic music innovation.
This year's edition presented a panorama of innovations ranging from refined evolutions of classic designs to bold and completely unprecedented sonic concepts. Among the countless presentations, some instruments stood out for their ability to redefine creative boundaries and for their uncompromising build quality.
This article provides an overview of the creations that have most captured our interest.
Abandoning the duality of its predecessor, the Polimaths comes as a modulation powerhouse with eight independent function generators, each capable of sculpting complex envelopes through controls on rise time, rise shape, fall time and fall shape. Its versatility extends beyond the simple envelope, turning each channel into a multifaceted LFO with a wide palette of waves, from classic saw and triangle to more organic shapes derived from envelope curves. The real innovation lies in orchestrating these eight channels through the "activate," "span," "channel index," and "spread" parameters, allowing modulation textures to be woven into the time and space of the module, creating mutually affecting choreographies of signals. Each channel can also act as an oscillator voice, opening up unexplored horizons for modular polyphonic synthesis, especially in synergy with the other elements of the brand new "NUSS" system that Make Noise is developing. The ability to combine two Polimaths units via the "channel index" output into a sixteen-channel system underscores its scalable nature and potential for sprawling modulation architectures.
Erica Synths, in collaboration with the mad genius of Hexinverter, has created HexDrums, a desktop analog drum machine that sounds like a percussive sonic arsenal. Ten independent voices, each meticulously designed to evoke or synthesize a particular rhythmic flavor, from the deep, visceral hits of the bass drum to the metallic scratches of the snare, to the ethereal swoosh of the hi-hat and the sharp reverb of the cymbal. Each voice offers surgical control over its timbral character, allowing envelope, pitch, decay, and sonic peculiarities to be shaped through dedicated parameters, often with the ability to inject analog distortion or waveform manipulation. The beating heart is a 64-step sequencer that does not settle for simple patterns, but offers the possibility of infusing dynamics with per-step accents and manipulating the groove with micro-timing, all seasoned with the controlled randomness of per-step probability. The presence of individual outputs for each voice, in addition to the stereo mix, opens the door wide to detailed external processing and layered percussive sound design.
The MARF, brought back to life by Tiptop Audio in collaboration with Buchla, is a journey into the beating heart of "West Coast" control voltage generation. Its sixteen voltage memory stages are not simply steps in a sequence, but rather landmarks in a modulation landscape that can be traversed with surgical precision or with sinuous fluidity thanks to the glide function. Each stage is a programmable entity, capable of user-defined behaviors, from precise quantization at semitone divisions to complete continuity, from defined temporal persistence to stop and sustain commands that allow nonlinear modulation patterns and complex loops to be sculpted. The two independently addressable output sections allow simultaneous exploration of different facets of the sequence or waveform, while dedicated CV inputs for key parameters such as Start, Stop and Time Multiplier invite dynamic, real-time interaction with external signals.
Magnolia represents Frap Tools' first 8-voice polyphonic analog keyboard synthesizer. Featuring FM through-zero and wavefolding circuits, it offers a wide sound palette ranging from clean timbres to complex and experimental sounds. The poly aftertouch keyboard and intuitive modulation routing system make it an expressive instrument both in the studio and live.With Magnolia, Frap Tools has transfused its philosophy of elegant and functional design into an eight-voice polyphonic analog keyboard synthesizer that is not afraid to experiment. The sonic architecture of each voice revolves around a pair of oscillators: a "West Coast" oscillator with the harmonic richness of through-zero FM, wavefolding timbral manipulation and "flip" synchronization, and an "East Coast" oscillator with pulse-width modulation (PWM) for more classic timbres. The real magic emerges in the modulation section, where assignment is made intuitive by a "push-button" system that allows you to connect sources to destinations with the push of a button and the turn of a knob. The Fatar keyboard with poly aftertouch adds a level of dynamic expressiveness that invites you to shape the sound with individual pressure on each key, opening up complex and nuanced modulations.
Korg's Phase 8 delves into uncharted sonic territory, abandoning traditional oscillators and filters in favor of eight physical metal resonators, each a potential generator of unique timbres. These resonators, tunable and capable of resonating in unexpected ways, are excited and shaped in their envelope and dynamic response through dedicated controls. The eight-step polyrhythmic sequencer allows intricate rhythmic patterns to be orchestrated, with the ability to set independent step lengths for each voice, creating complex temporal interactions. Parameter automation captures sonic evolution over time, while expressive and unusual modulations, such as those based on pitch-bend and harmonic de-tuning, open up a whole new metallic and resonant sound universe.
Instruo has condensed its mastery of creating robust and elegant Eurorack modules into Seashell, a semi-modular desktop synthesizer that combines the purity of analog sound with the precision and convenience of digital control. Although the audio signal path remains faithfully analog, a dedicated VST3 plugin offers high-resolution (14-bit) control over the circuits, allowing complex patches to be recalled with precision, a rare luxury in the modular analog world. The sound architecture integrates two VCOs with sawtooth cores and internal cross-modulation, shaped by a voltage-controlled wavefolder and resonant low-pass filter. The flexible 4x4 modulation matrix within the software allows sources such as internal LFOs, envelopes and MIDI CC to be assigned to a wide range of analog parameters, exponentially expanding sonic possibilities.
The OXI One was already a sequencer with impressive capabilities, but the MK2 raises the bar even further with a polyphonic and polyrhythmic sequencing engine capable of handling multiple tracks with independent pattern lengths, creating intricate rhythmic architectures. Its advanced step sequencer offers meticulous control over each step, allowing you to define not only pitch and velocity, but also gate duration, ratcheting, trigger probability, and a host of other modulation parameters. Its intuitive performance modes, combined with pattern and scene management, and real-time manipulation via encoders and performance pads, make it an expressive tool both in the studio and on stage.
With the Messenger, Moog seems to want to draw a new line in its illustrious history, offering a compact analog mono synth that does not give up the richness and warmth of its iconic sound, but enriches it with modern features. The two VCOs integrate a hybrid wave folding circuit that opens up new tonal nuances, flanked by a sub-oscillator with variable waveforms. The Moog ladder filter, here in a redesigned version with bass compensation, preserves low-frequency solidity even with high resonances. The two loopable ADSR envelopes and the two LFOs (one with full waveform selection, the other dedicated to the mod wheel) offer a wide range of modulation possibilities, while the 64-step sequencer/arpeggiator and full connectivity make it a versatile tool for a variety of creative needs.
Clank Audio's Uranograph is a portal to an experimental sonic universe, a synthesizer that invites timbral exploration through additive synthesis and phase morphing. Its custom capacitive keyboard is designed for expressive and fluid response, allowing it to navigate micro tunings and shape sound with subtle dynamics. At the heart of its sound engine are five voices, orchestrated by a main oscillator, a three-voice harmonizer that generates rich harmonic textures, and a sub-oscillator that doubles as a versatile modulation source. A dedicated modulation oscillator, capable of operating at both sub-audio (LFO) and audio frequencies, opens the door wide to unexpected timbral transformations. The integration of delay and reverb effects adds spatial depth and rhythmic complexity, while a built-in looper allows sounds to be manipulated and layered in real time, turning the Uranograph into a true performance instrument.
Bela.io presents Trails, a Eurorack prototype that expands the idea of Gliss into a true multichannel environment for recording and manipulating sequences. Maintaining a main LED-illuminated touch area, Trails is distinguished by its ability to capture and edit modulation paths in real time in a fluid and organic way, departing from traditional step sequencers. The module is structured around four independent channels, each with X, Y and Gate outputs, and offers dedicated CV inputs and a clock input for precise synchronization and modulation from external sources. The interface allows performance gestures to be dynamically overlaid, manipulated and reviewed. Once recorded, these control paths can be stretched, warped, or quantized, offering a balance between rhythmic precision and free, unconstrained expression.Trails promises to be an ideal tool for those who want hands-on, tactile control of their modular system, allowing them to literally "draw" sequences with their hands, loop them, and transform them over time. The ability to hook these paths to musical scales or rhythmic subdivisions makes it versatile for creating both melodies and percussive patterns. Bela Trails is scheduled for release later this year.
Enjoy Labs' ELFO focuses on the art of expressive modulation, offering four fully customizable LFOs/envelopes, each with the ability to precisely draw their waveforms directly on the built-in touch display. This intuitive touch interface allows complex and dynamic modulation curves to be shaped. A spacious modulation matrix allows these four modulators to be interconnected with a wide range of system parameters, creating intricate and ever-changing routings. The presence of the "Magic Crystal" function introduces an element of controlled randomness, deviating from conventional modulation rules and opening up to organic and unexpected sonic results.
XAOC Devices' Oradea is presented as a sophisticated multiband dynamics processor, a surgical tool for sculpting sound at the spectral level. It divides the audio signal into several frequency bands, allowing each band to be dynamically manipulated individually through compression, gate, and expansion. Precise controls on dynamic response and spectral manipulation provide detailed timbral control. The Arad expander amplifies Oradea's capabilities, adding additional CV inputs and outputs that allow individual band dynamic and mute parameters to be automated through external control signals, opening up complex, synchronized rhythmic and dynamic effects.
Superbooth 2025 once again highlighted the vitality and creativity of the industry. The products presented demonstrate an ongoing search for new sounds and interfaces that stimulate musical expressiveness.
From the evolutions of iconic modules like the Polimaths to the unique sonic explorations of the Phase 8 and Uranograph to flexible platforms like Bela Trails, the future of sound promises to be rich in diversity and unexplored possibilities. The focus on analog synthesis remains strong, flanked by innovative digital integrations and a renewed interest in expressive control and unconventional sound manipulation.
The Superbooth continues to be the birthplace of ideas that will shape the sound of tomorrow.
Join us today and get 5% off your next order!
Empty cart
