NAMM is fully underway now with loads of new products hitting the show floor from Korg’s new polyphonic synth Prologue to new Universal Audio interfaces and the latest Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operators. After introducing the Digitakt 8-track Drum Machine/Sampler and easily making our list for Best of NAMM 2017, Elektron is back in 2018 with its latest musical gadget.
Known for its quirky and yet extremely powerful sequencer design along with a growing line-up of incredible hardware instruments, Elektron is now unveiling the new Digitone polyphonic digital synthesizer.
As you can likely tell by the physical design of the box, it is made to go hand-in-hand with the Digitakt drum machine. It also shares a number of other interesting features with Elektron’s existing (and much more expensive) hardware.
Essentially, we are talking about an 8-voice digital FM synthesizer with loads of Elektron-like sequencing capabilities and more. While FM synthesis is known for being significantly more complicated than more traditional methods, Elektron is implementing a classic subtractive synthesis signal flow here. FM audio generation followed by subtractive sound design elements are used to make things much more understandable.
Digitone represents our vision of how FM synthesis can be revitalized and modernized. Here’s how: combine FM sound generation with a classic subtractive synthesis signal flow. From jagged chaos to mellow soundscapes in less than a second. Digitone is one unique box.
Along with the 8-voice polyphony, you’ll find one multi-mode filter, a base/width filter and an overdrive as well as a pair of assignable LFOs on a per voice basis. The polyphonic sequencer is quite powerful by the sounds of it with 4 synth tracks and 4 external MIDI tracks, parameter locks, individual track lengths and Elektron’s wild Trig conditions (you can record just about any little move you make on any control to each step of the sequencer).
The box is also Overbridge compatible. That means it will essentially work as a virtual plug-in with Logic Pro X and other DAWs. You can learn more about Overbridge in our review right here.
Here are some more details regarding the I/O, build quality and dimensions:
- 2 × ¼” audio input
- 2 × ¼” balanced audio output
- Headphones output
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port
- MIDI IN/OUT/THRU ports with DIN sync out
- W215 × D176 × H63mm (8.5 × 7.2 × 2.5”) including knobs and rubber feet
- Ultra-crisp OLED screen (for optimal visibility in dimly lit environments)
- Tough, durable and precise rubber knobs and backlit keys good for 50 million presses
- Weight approximately 1.45 kg (3.2 lbs)
The new Digitone 8-Voice Digital FM Synthesizer is going for $759, but it appears to have already sold out. It won’t belong before it pops up everywhere though.
Stay locked to Toys as NAMM 2018 rolls on for all the most interesting product announcements in the world of music production.
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