Radikal Technologies has announced the availability of its RT-311 Swarm Oscillator – an advanced Eurorack-compatible oscillator module that offers up to 16 oscillators in one module.
Here’s designer Jörg Schaaf giving us a demo of the Swarm Oscillator, along with his Dual Multimode Filter, at Superbooth 16:
The RT-311 Swarm Oscillator can store up to 8 memory setups with 8 snapshots each, holding all oscillator settings and memorizes them even after powering down your modular synth.
A highlight of this module is the opportunity to interpolate between these parameter snaphots. Interpolation can be controlled with an external control voltage or with a built in LFO. The speed of the internal LFO can be controlled with an external control voltage as well. The interpolator has even an external output to interpolate one parameter of an attached module. Both oscillators can built swarms of oscillator clones.
Up to 16 Oscillators are running simultaneously at the highest setting. The detune knob changes the pitch of all oscillator clones between ultra slow oscillator frequency beating effects and multiple frequency drones and chords. The swarm can be pitched in musical intervals, chords, clusters or fat detunes. The swarm tuning can be stored into the snapshots too. That allows for to built up to 8 different chords with different sound settings one can change while playing in a setup.
Both oscillator swarms have independent outputs. If one sets the exponential FM inputs depth to maximum, the inputs run with Volt per Octave scaling. The oscillator swarms can then be used like two independent Synth voices. The scale inputs can also get quantized to musical scales. That makes it easy to control the swarm from a step sequencer. Just select the root key with the tune knob and a pentatonic scale and turn the knobs of your sequencer for always matching tonal sequences.
Pricing and Availability
The RT-311 Swarm Oscillator is available now, with an MSRP of €598.00 EUR (in Europe) and $659.00 USD (in the US).
I assume this uses a DSP core with an analog front end to sample the knobs, switches and output audio.
It would be great if Radikal could implement this as a VST for PC/Mac and/or Apple iOS for iPad.
Won’t the E370 offer 16 oscillators?
I believe that is correct sir. Proud backer of 2.
not sure if it’s DSP or analog, most likely DSP but ether way it sounds really great. DSP sound sources sent through analog filters and such is a great signal chain to me, like the Prophet 12 and Modal 002.