Got this email below from Cyma - seems interesting:
hi
today, we’re releasing RND synth, an instrument that embodies quite a unique take on how a synth can be played, and what it can be used for.
it all started exactly 2 years ago, when our friend Jérémy (Bambounou), messaged us saying “guys, i have a great idea. let’s make a one button synth. that’s it. only random”.
what a weird and fun idea.
after the initial ‘wtf’ reaction, we started discussing it, imagining how we would make it, how it would sound, what it would look like.
a few months later, we started meeting Jérémy regularly and we got to work.
the extremely limited control - one button! - contrasted with the potentially unlimited array of features inside the instrument.
synthesis engines, modulation, sequencing, effects, musical scales, filters, ins and outs, it was all a blank canvas that gave us complete freedom.
after 2 years of trial and error, hesitations, iterations, decisions… and a lot of fun, it’s finally coming out.
what is it?
RND synth is a digital synth.
we developed it in collaboration with Bambounou, and with the huge help of Nick Donaldson from Infrasonic Audio.
it’s got 8 synthesis engines, so it sounds extremely diverse.
the engines are: subtractive, fm, acid, noise, speech, karplus-strong, supersaw, and additive, and more to come.
every time you press the button, all of the many parameters across all features are set to carefully weighted random values, giving birth to what we call a musical idea, that only exists until the next press of the button.
each musical idea is assigned a random tempo, a random scale, and is made of up to 4 distinct tracks.
each track draws from any of the 8 engines, whose parameters are fully randomized.
each track will also run its own randomized euclidian sequence.
there are also many modulation sources and destinations, 5 filter types, time signatures, and a reverb. all random.
what is it for?
RND synth is an inspiration machine. there are 4,29 billion random seeds, meaning 4,29 billion different musical ideas.
if you want to make music but don’t know where to start, or if you’re stuck in the middle of a track of yours, or if you just want to space out, just press the button.
you’ll definitely find something interesting.
one of the cool things about RND synth is that on top of the stereo output over mini jack, it also features 4-track audio over usb-c.
that means that for each musical idea, you can mix and record each of the 4 tracks individually.
if you want to mute or solo each track, you can.
it’s also got 4 channel midi in and out, and analog sync in and out.
midi can be used 9 different ways : global transpose + individual track sequence take over — with the other tracks playing (4 modes) or solo (4 modes).
so yes, it’s only got one button, but we made sure it can fit into any music set up.
preorders
RND synth will be released today at:
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paris: 6pm (18:00)
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london: 5pm
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new york: 12pm (noon)
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los angeles: 9am
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tokyo: 1am (tomorrow)
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sydney: 2am (tomorrow)
at this time, we’ll also post a youtube video with sound examples.
RND synth price is 125€ excluding VAT. shipping is expected late june.
to place your order, go to www.cymaforma.com, click “store”.
on there, you will also find a very special RND crossbody flexcase made by our friends at ALT LAB, and other merch.
superbooth
come try ALT and RND synth at superbooth in berlin this week.
our booth is in the tents outside, number Z245.
(we have a special 10% discount code on ALT for those who attend superbooth, just come and ask us).
we are very proud of how RND synth turned out, particularly of its usability.
what was more of a toy at first, became a powerful and very useful instrument.
it’s also meant to grow wider with future firmware updates.
it’s come a long way since Jérémy’s initial message. we hope you like it.
