SynthFest France 2024 -- (April 19-21)

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

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News is starting to break – do we dare go inside ?

The show is April 19, 20, 21 ( 2024 ) in Nantes France.
Main page.

There is a full list of exhibitors. This list includes both exhibitors and performers, so i’ve put together an abbreviated list that may be of more use here, but is also incomplete.

Exhibitors of special interest

1010music
Arturia
Arturia University
Baloran
BLL instruments ( Elyra )
BVR instruments
Embodme
Enjoy Electronics
Expressive E
Faselunare
Fred’s Lab
Fulgur audio
Haken Audio
Heritage Synthesizers
Joranalogue
Kiviak Instruments
Kodamo
Korg
La Voix du Luthier
Larix-elektro
Morphor
Nanopolis
Nord
Novation
NRSynth
Oberheim
PH Modular
Travel Piano
PWM
Schmidt
Sequential
Shure
SSL
SynthFood
Theresyn
This Is Not Rocket Science
Touellskouarn
UVI
Yves Usson

I’d expect to see this list grow. ( There is also at least one withdrawal so far too. )

Feel free to post anything you spot that is showing there, whether new or old. Also if you’d like to coordinate meetups, or post other miscellaneous information related to the show let’s see it.

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"La voix du luthier" coneless acoustic speakers for electronic instruments
#2

Will Arturia show their BIG new product announcements ?

There was a unintended leak a short time ago, but i’ll keep that a “secret” for now.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Embodme will be showing their new ERAE II touch interface.

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#3

About Fred's lab - Manatee - Multitimbral MPE Synthesizer, seeing the last updates, one would expect to see at least a couple of production units on a stand, letting people tweak and play. Media coverage, perhaps first reviewers?

(if distribution doesn’t start before, that is)

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#4

Getting close to SB timing there. I wonder if any of those manufacturers will try to get a jump on the SB onslaught by dropping something at SF to build pre SB buzz? We’ll see!

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#5

Last year the three big shows ( NAMM, SFF, SB ) all happened in less than a month. So i set up one thread to cover all three..

My recollection of that was much like you suggest, jiffybox, companies did use one show to set up for another, and were less concerned with trying to hold back.

Of course Superbooth is the bigger show for things of most interest in this forum, and there were definitely plenty of companies that just picked one of the shows for their big presentations.

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#6

There are two other exhibitors who have imminent product releases as well.

WoFi from Kiviak ( thread ) is something around a month from getting their synth into customers hands.

Mantis from PWM ( thread ) is likely having their synth showing up in stores even sooner.

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#7

Both synths could be seen and played at Superbooth 2023. It’s amazing how long it can take to go from one prototype that will look and feel “almost finished” in a event booth and a product actually available to buy.

#8

Like last year I will have a stand with my collection of TB303 clones :slight_smile:

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@LyingDalai was with me last year, but I will be alone this year !

I hope I will see some of you ! I will bring some elektron devices for sure :slight_smile: (Syntakt is a great way to sequence some of the keyboardless clones !

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#9
off-topic

Plus, during all that time, someone, usually one or several investors, needs to be willing to provide for the costs, without seeing a single dime coming in through sales.

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#10

The French synth developers can be a close community. ( As synth developers can often be, in general. )

For instance Fred of Fred’s Labs helped out Kiviak in an early design phase.

On the other hand, close can also sometimes unavoidably mean stepping on toes. We’ll maybe see if any of that happens this year.

#11

Has anything ever been announced at this festival? Or do they wait for Superbooth?

#12

Been thinking about this as well, I was gonna blow some money on the old version but the leak came out and I decided to wait for the other to release. Still not sure tho, does anyone record all the exhibits at SFF or document them?

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#13

Definitely wait on that item and the likely other thing as well.

As far as coverage, both print and youtube, Les Sondiers is a top resource, but others like perhaps Sonic State are possible, we’ll see what’s planned.

ADDED : SynthAnatomy will be there and will be giving video coverage of the show.

As far as new new new announcements, probably less of that, but there is less competition for attention, and like last year there was some smaller mainly French companies bringing it on.

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#14

Someday Expressive E will have another new product.
( I’m thinking a lower cost, controller only version of Osmose. )

Would SFF be a good time for them, to be showing something new ?

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#15

Years ago Jean Michel Jarre would have been all over this kind of thing. I remember him saying in the late 70’s how he was bringing Electronic Music to to the French who are more traditional type music. I believe he recorded Oxygene on a Farm as well.

#16

He might well have said that and maybe meant to French popular music, but Éliane Radigue, Pierre Henry, the whole of IRCAM and many, many others were making electronic music long before then.

And there was this too, which was very popular:

As was Jean-Jacques Perrey.

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#17

I saw her in the documentary Sisters with Transisitors which is a fantastic watch.

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#18

She’s amazing - especially how she used the Arp 2500.

Éliane Radigue really should be a guest of honour at SFF.

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#19

Is she still with us? Delia Derbyshire is a bit of a hero of mine.

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Sisters with Transistors — Documentary
#20

Good thread for more discussion :

Sisters with Transistors

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