Mutable Instruments refreshes Ripples and Shades for 2020
Mutable Instruments has quietly given Ripples and Shades an upgrade and a spruced up look to bring them more in keeping with the current line-up.
Ripples refresh
Ripples is a classic analogue 4-pole multi-mode “liquid” filter. Since its release in 2013 it’s been a steady favourite in racks everywhere giving a very pleasing Roland-esque vibe. The built-in VCA on the lowpass output was also very welcome in smaller setups.
The refresh loses the distinctive coloured knobs and reduces the FM input attenuverter to a smaller knob. But in addition to the aesthetic choices they’ve added a Highpass output, a selectable slope and an overdrive circuit to the input. You could almost call it a Ripples V2.
Shades refresh
This update to the Shades Mixer/Attenuverter module is purely cosmetic exchanging the coloured knobs for white and adding a second LED to each channel. The top LED displays the intensity of the positive half of the signal, the bottom LED handles to negative half.
Shades is available for €99 and Ripples is €169 and it’s encouraging to see little bits of development emerge from Mutable Instruments.