Severance Gets Synthy, First Weighted Grid Controller, Modular News: Synth Journal
The best of the rest of this week’s severed synth news.
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Brighten your innie’s day with eight hours of Severance synth music and more in this week’s Synth Journal.
Synth Journal
Dog Paw Music Dog Paw: MPE Grid Controller and Synth
Dog Paw Music is ramping up to the Kickstarter release of its first product, Dog Paw. A unique hybrid affair, it’s both grid controller plus synth/sampler instrument. The difference between it and other, grid-based synths, however, is in its construction: the pads are weighted and support MPE. Imagine the Osmose Expressive-E but in a grid layout.
The keys support a full range of motions, so you can play violin-like vibrato by wiggling the pad, much as you would an Expressive E key or a Roger Linn Design LinnStrument pad. It outputs both MIDI and MPE as a controller, while instrument mode includes an onboard synth and sampler. And, because it’s built on a Raspberry Pi 5, you can download community-made apps or program your own.
Dog Paw looks to be an interesting instrument. Early bird pricing is $995 with the eventual cost topping out at $1500. Find out more at the links below.
- Dog Paw Music Dog Paw product page
- Dog Paw Kickstarter page
Arcaico Instruments Dominus Is Back
Modular fans, take note. Eurorack manufacturer Arcaico Instruments has put its complex VCO module Dominus back into production. Originally released in 2023, the new version keeps the feature set of the original but updates the faceplate. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as they say.
Dominus is a Buchla-style complex oscillator module, with two complex VCO Saw Cores plus an integrated wavefolder. Each oscillator is independent, with four waveforms and “all the classic basic VCO controls,” according to Arcaico, plus hard sync and FM.
The wavefolder section is also independent and can affect one or both oscillators. Additionally, you get a Radius dial to adjust the range over a certain frequency band plus a large Shape knob to twist and distort the final result.
Arcaico Instruments Dominus is now available for €270.
- Arcaico Instruments Dominus product page
Expert Sleepers disting NT C++ Support
The Eurorack news continues with Expert Sleepers, whose disting NT is the latest in the company’s series of digital multifunction modules. If you’re unaware, disting offers a wide variety of ‘algorithms’, processing functions for both audio and CV up to and now including a polyphonic synth.
Thanks to firmware 1.7, disting NT now allows you to import C++ API plugins, meaning that you can write and import your own plugins to use alongside the factory algorithms. It also offers a toolchain for generating such plug-ins from Faust programs.
- Expert Sleepers disting NT product page
Rob Papen eXplorer 10 Bundle With New SynFex Riser Synth
I have to admit, I’ve never played much with Rob Papen instruments. I’ve long been curious but there are only so many plugins you can own. If you’re like me and have yet to take the Papen plunge, this may be the perfect opportunity, as the veteran developer has just released the latest version of its all-in-one bundle, eXplorer 10.
The pack contains 33 plugins including its most popular titles like Predator-3 and SubBoomBass-2. You also get 10 legacy products as well as Prisma, a combiner for creating super-Papen instruments.
New to the collection is SynFex, a riser-focused synth for creating tempo-based, movement-packed transitions, plus the upgraded RAW-2, and new content for BLUE-III and Albino-3 Legend.
eXplorer 10 is available now. You can grab SynFex separately.
- Rob Papen eXplorer 10 Bundle product page
Severance: Music to Refine To
Hands up, who’s watching Severance? The Apple TV+ show, now in its second season, has become something of a cultural phenomenon. In fact, Severence is now Apple’s most-watched show, surpassing even Ted Lasso.
The drama, which is about a team of office workers whose memories have been split between their work (‘innie’) and personal (‘outie’) lives, has struck a chord with viewers, its surreal depictions of a dystopian late-stage capitalism workplace particularly apt. And, with the season two finale airing soon (that’s tomorrow if you’re reading this in real time!), Apple is ramping up the promotional material, including a web-based ‘refining’ program and this, a mix of new Severance-inspired music from Ninja Tune-signed artist ODESZA.
In a cheeky nod to playlists aimed at helping you focus during your workday, this eight-hour(!) set deftly remixes the show’s soundtrack by Theodore Shapiro into a dazzlingly gorgeous set of chill, downtempo, house, and other synthy electronic genres.
If you’re having trouble focusing on your macrodata refinement work with all the amazing music on offer, may I offer some Severance-inspired words of inspiration:
- Please try to enjoy each track equally, and not show preference for any over the others.
- Your outie is good at EQing his snare.
- Keep a merry humor ever in your heart.
- No music studio shall be repurposed for slumber.
- The music dance experience is officially canceled.
- Apple TV+ Severance page
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