Dreadbox NYX - Analog Paraphonic Semi Modular Synthesizer

The Lounge Other Gear
83

The V1 has quite fast ones but I’m not sure how slow they can actually go:

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I’m listening to them at the moment and the slower LFOs could definitely be a good reason for getting a reissue (for me), that and the noise plus easy duophony toggle rather than opening the case to get to a dip switch inside.

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Before…

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And after…

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Some notes:

  • The build is easy, and the instructions on the Dreadbox site are super clear.
  • The built quality is really good, feels solid as a rock. Oh one thing to mention; the USB power port is on the side, which IMO isn’t a great location
  • The reverb is enormous, going all the way to infinite/freeze times, it seems to have some built-in filtering (LP I guess) so it does get quieter as you crank the mix up. But still sounds really good.
  • I have no idea what I’m doing, really need to read the manual on this one! For 5 minutes I thought it was bust as the filter cutoff knob was doing nothing, but I’d just put it into a bypass routing mode.
  • This is not your not your typical analogue mono, with the dual VCFs and dual VCOs and a bunch of interesting routing options.
  • I think I can see me using it for ambient and experimental sounds, rather than basses and those more classic analogue-mono sounds
  • I’m in the UK and got stung with about £60 of import duty to pay, oh well.
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86

I love my Nyx, really good value. Great for plucks, leads (duo or mono) and soundscapes with the reverb. It’s really opened my eyes to boutique and maybe even… dare I say it a gateway to modular oh no. What sort of complimentary devices are you using with it?

The USB port on the side sucks, doesn’t even have a on/off switch, I have to plug/unplug it to turn it on

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You can get an inline USB switch to solve that problem; I also use one of these to provide power and easy switches to all manner of USB-powered devices without using it as a hub:

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I mostly use mine in a semi-modular corner with an Erebus V2 and an MFB Kraftzwerg II controlled by an MFB Urzwerg Pro sequencer; I just like having them all as a standalone analogue group where the reverb on the Nyx and the delay on the Erebus all play their parts.

They were my gateway to modular, in fact, but for some reason I’ve not integrated them into the main cases. Perhaps one day I’ll shift everything around though.

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