This synth looks fun! Could make an OT user quite pleased.
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Could we stay on topic, please? 
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It looks like they’re on schedule, and are in process to ship soon.
I’ve listened to several demonstrations, like the one in their latest update, and thought the sound kinda dated, though I’m sure that has to do with the people making the video more than the synth itself.
But the specs on this are good:
Six voice, four part multitimbral, digital with customizable wavetable and FM, with an analog filter, stereo delay and individual outputs.
Here’s the manual;:
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For Germans too. We have a kids cartoon here which is called „Benjamin Blümchen“, and Benjamin is at least half a dozen times tooting in the show with a sound that sounds like this name. „Tööröööööö!“
Here watch it…
I guess, Fred liked the Show and his Synth can sound like Benjamin tooting „Töröö“?
Back to topic:
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This video is a great place to learn about surface mount automation technology. I always like to see the guts on a product, but i’m a nerd and i know it. Also note that this video dates back to February 2nd, and the technical problems talked about are history now.
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The wavetable part sounds just incredible, imo. If this is really guy from Waldorf, this is visible…
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Sounds really good!
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I impulse-bought a Töörö last week, when they announced on Instagram it would be available at a regular big German online music store. I’m usually more on the old-school analog side of things, but I found Espen Kraft’s demo very very interesting and convincing (more so than any other demo). I really like the vintage angle he adopts there.
For those who might be interested, here are my thoughts.
It sounds absolutely lovely. The combination of the wavetables and that special filter is just gorgeous.
Sonic and modulation capabilities are enormous. This little thing can do so much stuff.
However, and sadly, I will most likely return it.
The main reason is the UI. They did a great job given the space and the minimal controls and numeric display. It’s self-explanatory once you get the ideas and you do get to the parameters quickly without looking into the (long and detailed) manual. However, for me it still isn’t fun. I constantly found myself not trying stuff because of the back and forth of mini-button presses, alt mode, etc. And that’s really a pity, as the Töörö offers so much to explore. But if it’s not fun to do so, it doesn’t work for me. Of course this is subjective, but I’m just very much a knob per function kind of person. Also, while the encoders look super sturdy, I’m a bit worried about life expectancy of the very tiny mini-buttons, which remind me of Eurorack modules.
Second reason is noise. There is a very clear click whenever I press a key, almost as prominent as a simulated mechanical noise in the orgran or e-piano program of a stage piano. I managed to tame it to some degree with the attack envelope, but for sharp attacks it’s always present and too much. Even worse, there is some “zip” kind of nose on key press, even when the click is tamed with a very slow attack. It might just be my unit, of course.
Minor point: No headphone out. Not a deal breaker, but I find that strange since the instrument is marketed as your little synth to take in the park, fed with a USB power bank – they even ship it with an absolutely lovely little transport case.
I encourage everyone who is less of a knob addict than I am to give it a try. It really sounds so lovely, and it can do so much. If you are more of a computer musician it might also work, as it has a remarkably complete MIDI implementation. It might also be an option if you have a MIDI controller lying around with dozens of knobs. But for me as a hardware guy with little space for additional controllers it does not work, so I’ll cry some tears and send it back.
Töörö really made me curious about wavetables, especially in combination with analogue filters. I’ll have a look at other offerings on the market, but I’m afraid that both Korg and Modal only have simulated filters.
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This is interesting because the micromonsta 2 has a UI with similar constraints (big exception, it has much more on it’s display) but the way it’s done it’s so easy to hop back and forth between the modulator (LFO or ENV) to modulated (VCF or VCO) with just a single button press. I wonder what you’d make of it. For that matter I wonder what I’d make of that aspect of the Töörö … how similar they are.
FWIW I considered the Töörö but decided that two character display would not work well for me.
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Interesting question! I think the Töörö would benefit greatly form a small dot matrix display that can convey a bit more information. Still, not sure that it would be a game changer for me.
An example from the Töörö that drove me nuts: I’m in the modulation edit mode to set up destination and mod depth for an LFO (or env) but I need to go to the LFO mode to set up shape and frequency and to the destination’s mode (e.g. filter) to set the base value. And, depending on my modulation source and target, possibly combined with the “alt” mode to access the second level of functionality. For all of this, the only thing I see is a hex (!) number of the one parameter I edit. A display would at least allow to show all relevant parameters at the same time.
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Mine arrived today. It really does sound absolutely lovely! I have big synths and small synths, I’ve tried the micromonsta 2, modal skulpt se, typhon, all sound excellent. This does too. Very unique and a lot of sweet spot. It’s only been a day and I’m still learning the UI and have a great cheat sheet to work with.
I’ll follow up with some thoughts after that, but for sound alone, this thing is a complete delight.
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I got one recently and very quickly fell in love with it, or at least most of it. The matrix-style interface isn’t super immediate of course but I used an Evolver for years so it doesn’t bother me, and I’ve had no problem getting into a flow state with it. Plus, Fred put up the beta version of a standalone editor application that another developer has made for him, and so far it’s been great. As has been mentioned, the wavetables and filter can really sound amazing. However:
Sadly, I’ve experienced the same thing, both the clicks and the zipping sound, and I spoke to Fred about it through the support system. He had this to say:
These noises and “glitches” are coming from the low resolution of the DCAs (digital controlled attenuators). These artifacts are not really due to the envelopes per say but to their discretisation when controlling the patch volume, it’s how this hardware work. It gives it a vintage 80s touch
Even as someone who makes dub techno and loves a noisy, fuzzy vibe, I’m a bit disappointed in this case. As @DCBB said, the clicks and the zipping sound can be quite prominent, and they’re just too distinctive to really work as a charming, lo-fi kind of noise, at least for me. A counterexample as to how this kind of thing works well is the Twisted Electrons MegaFM, whose noise is quite prominent but is still consistent and can be accepted by the ear a bit easier as part of the hardware’s sound. These artifacts with the Töörö, while not entirely unintentional, still sound unintentional. I wish this had been more clear in the official documentation/videos as being part of the deal, or if it was, I must’ve missed it.
I’m very torn as to whether or not I’ll keep it. In almost every other way, it’s the tiny, old-school, characterful hybrid I’ve always wanted, and both the feature set and the overall sound are so good. I really like Fred and think he’s made a fantastic product for the most part, but it’s frustrating to love an instrument so much that has a trait that will really bother me when getting it to work in a mixdown. Doesn’t quite feel right for what I paid after shipping and import duty etc.
Edit: For reference, here are the test recordings I sent to Fred. I find I can maybe accept the initial click and zipping sound, but the final click at the very end of each envelope cycle is really hard for me to not be frustrated by, and is pretty tricky to avoid when programming.
Update: Fred has revisited the issue and is planning to investigate whether or not it can be addressed with firmware changes, which is great! Here’s his message to me:
having second thoughts : I believe some modifications can be made on the firmware side to soften or temperate these glitches. Not eliminating them, this is out of reach. I cannot promise anything, as these types of “sound engine last changes” need extensive testing before landing in a firmware release, to make absolutely sure they only do good and do not introduce other challenging issues such as digital noise or MCU performance problems. In essence, nothing that can be done quick and easy. But be sure I will work on this.
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This thing sounds amazing! Anyone else have one?
No, but I have a lot of interest in their new Manatee
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Yes, I just picked one up last week and I am loving it. It sounds great, and I’ve gotten some surprising results by sending the same MIDI sequence via the parts setup channel selection. Beautiful layering.
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I never thought to do that! I gotta try that sometime (and figure out how lol)
Also bought a Töörö. Looks like a perfect companion for my 1010music Bluebox and Oxi One.
Hope it will arrive soon, looking forward to it.
I thought the Töörö sounded pretty amazing when I had one, especially for the footprint. I wished it was 50% bigger actually… the buttons which were rather fiddly, and room for a proper screen would be welcome.
Soundwise I think it’s up there with Alpha Junos and a lot of other vintage polys. Multitimbrality is a bonus.
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What jack cables do I need for the 3.5mm voices outputs 1/2 and 3/4? Mono or stereo jack cables? I want to connect them to the 1010music bluebox to split the 4 voices. I suspect stereo but want to be sure.
1/8" TRS(stereo) to dual TS(mono)
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