350 sounds achievable … if not, we’ll have to convince some to get both the copper and silver versions 
Would love to see what people put in that breadboard … distortion? modulation? logic?
Sorry, I’m new here but very interested in this synth! And…I’m torn between this and 0-Coast so seeing what you posted- I have questions.
If you were me which would you get? I don’t have any modular or eurorack experience but want to dip my toes in the ocean. For my existing setup the 0-Coast has MIDI and would integrate well with my other synths. I like the sounds of both Mescaline and 0-Coast. The Folktek doesn’t have MIDI but I do have Reaktor 6 Blocks. So, I guess I could convert MIDI TO CV. Folktek seems to have more sonic capabilities than 0-Coast as Mescaline is 3 modules…which also means Mescaline can create more advanced and varying ‘compositions’ as a standalone unit. I could also just send audio into the unit. What kind of waves does the synth have and filter? Value wise it seems the Folktek wins and is a system to grow with, while 0-Coast is probably better for where I’m currently at? Any advice would be very much appreciated! I like experimental, and ambient/drone and glitch oriented music…but also sometimes incorporate more traditional song structure and melody/harmony etc. if that helps at all?! THANKS AGAIN! 
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Bad bad bad timing for me on this thing. Like, I know I want to buy this at some point. 250 dollar discount is AMAZING, but real life is realer than music right now, unfortunately; so I have no choice but to pass up this great price for this amazing sounding piece 
Infinite
I suggest checking the demo videos from the manufs’ vimeo channel. While I am not a modular expert by any means, I’d say the mesc looks much more flexible.
It’s difficult to say at this point in time, Mescaline or 0-Coast as there are not much details available on the Mescaline.
However, if I had to pick one now, I would choose the Mescaline for the below reasons.
- It is fully contained including effects, sequencer and drums
- It can be racked up into Eurorack if you decide to go down that path
- You get a $250 discount, if you don’t like it you can always sell it off without losing much $$$$
- 0-coast I believe is one note polyphony, Mescaline has 10
If you are not into modular already and search the extraordinary … I would recommend, get the O-Coast.
The O-Coast is a semi-modular synth to make many different kinds of noises with. It has some interesting concepts of the East/West-Coast philosophy inside, well picked parts of both worlds, I would say.
The Mescaline is an experimental device. IMHO … if you are not up to plug - sooner or later - any kind of hardware to the breadboard of the Mental, you might just miss one of the high-lights of this machine. The Mescaline seems to be more or less supposed to generate drone or swarm synth like sounds, which sound great in the videos. I expect, it covers a particular sonic territory, which is not available from many other synths, but it could also be that the Mescaline is quite restricted to just this territory. Well, a couple of speculations, though
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Are you sure? The Mescaline has 10 oscillators, but I thought there is only one central tunig option … as in “one to tune them all”
There are trim-pots at the rear, so we can dial in 10 different “static” tunes and then control them from the front like in unison. If this is true, I wouldn’t call this polyphony.
I think you can tune each individually, and-if I understand it correctly- there’s also a universal tuner for transposing, I think
You may be right … but this was, what I found on their web-site as a description …
citation: …
" … A touch-based synth which provides a sweet sounding 10 key oscillation.
Each key is tuned individually and can be tuned to specific notes on the back via tuning trim pots so you can create intervals or pitch arrangements as you like.
Master pitch control/control voltage lets you change the tuning of all notes simultaneously…"
I read from this that we do not to have an option to control each of the 10 voices independently, like on a keyboard, where we could play 10 different keys and get 10 different tuned voices. From their description I guess we can tune the essemble of the voices relatively to each other with the rear-pots and then all of them in unison with the master tuning.
Was there anywhere mentioned that for each voice a CV-tuning control exists? Would be great, though
Or missed I something like 10 different touch-plate positions, one for each voice?
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Dude. That would be fantastic! I’ve got an A4 and no substantial use for the CV outs, I love the sound of the mescaline, and that combo sounds like a dream. However, the thing looms so tiny I kinda doubt they’ll have CVs on it(keep in mind, I have no modular and haven’t the slightest clue about it) but if I could get precise pitching and sequencing from the A4 through it, then this would be a dream come true once I hit gold
Warning! Off-topic!
Have you ever had the SOMA Lyra-8 on your radar? https://somasynths.com/lyra-organismic-synthesizer/
It’s a weird box with many knobs and switches, but the sound examples are very intersting … AND … they have a decent manual, which explains very good, how this machine is doing, what it does
Would be nice to have a manual for the Mescaline to understand it better.
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I’ve heard of that a while ago! Just rewatched a few videos definitely has an interesting sound to it! Though all the demos I’ve seen seem to sell it as being a more aggressive sound than I’d be interesting in using. I dunno, the mescaline sound just immediately wooed me
Thats what I gather from the Mescaline. It sounds great in the vids but all the sounds seem to be the same-ish. How versatile is the Mescsline?
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Depends who is playing it … after some videos I think it’s inventor likes more the rough side of it but watch this …
But be aware … you might not like the optical colors
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That is, ultimately, kindof the problem with art-synths and the issue I’ve had with other Folktek things - they often look better than they sound, and have typically been priced so high as to be more art-pieces than music pieces. (But when they started getting into Eurorack with the Matter module, I happily grabbed one and have had fun with it).
Mescaline seems close to Folkteks Aether/Materia/Mentalis Triad which costs $4100.
The Dirty Electronics people who brought us the Mute Synth and Mute Synth II have a new series called Polytik. I think this too will cost around $400… Seems a little more limited than Mescaline (much fewer jump points) and still in that funky-little-art-synth category. I have their Mute Synth II. It’s fun. But limited. It’s nice to see things break out of the typical subtractive synth workflow. But … yeah, I’ve just burnt out on these things. You can often find some cheap little 555 based instruments on Etsy for less and still have fun.
Back to the Mescaline - one of the soundcloud demos reminded me a lot of ambient-era Hafler Trio which really really did pique my interest. I think it’ll be a pretty good bit of kit, all in all, but still a bit limited. But when you integrate it into a studio, you will get sounds out of it that are harder to get elsewhere.
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That video is pretty inspirational! Makes me want regain my gumption and throw any aspect of pop appeal out the window and just make a noisy purposely experimental record. AND I DO give the instrument props for looking like it came out of some old sci-fi movie
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Yes.
I’m on the waiting list. I’ve no doubt I’ll get my Mescaline long before the Lyra-8 arrives. I think the two will complement each other well.
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Greetings friends!!
Wanted to bring this post back because I’m seriously considering getting a used Folktek Mescaline.
Now that it’s been out for a while, what are people’s thoughts??
Anyone that has used one want to share?
Pluses and minuses / would you buy it again / other gear that sounds similar that you like better?
I have several other synths, drum machines & samplers - but this would be my first step into modular.
I don’t want to get too obsessed with modular like some of my friends…so the fact that this is self contained seems like a more “safe” bet.
To clarify, I am drawn to the Mescaline because of it’s sound!!
I also like it’s experimental nature…but I’ve become obsessed with the raw and dirty sounds that I’ve heard on Youtube.
I have not been able to match these sounds with either my current hardware or software.
That said - I gets another question would be - are there other pieces of gear that you can think if that sound similar??
(My second post here - glad to be here 
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I’ve had the Mescaline since the Kickstarter campaign.
I really didn’t get a long with it as I found the sound to be very limited and considered selling it many times.
However, recently I’ve managed to adjust and calibrate the pots at the back of the module and it has opened the sound pallatte up! This is now a keeper for me. It’s definately a very experimental synth.
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