Haken Audio’s Edmund Eagan has announced that they are retiring their Full-Size and Half-Size Continuum Fingerboard synthesizers:
“With the introduction of the slim models of Continuums at NAMM 2020, we recently have decided to end the production runs of full and half sized Continuums until current stock is depleted. Being such a small company, we can’t be very diverse with the products we provide.
Recently we already expanded our brand into the ContinuuMini world, and increasingly are devoting more time with our new adventure working with Expressive E on the Osmose, and of course working on our new Slim Continuums.
We sold the final full-sized Continuum just last week, and there are only a handful of half sized Continuums left.
This decision is really bittersweet, because we are extremely proud of the Continuum instruments we have delivered, they are quite the beautiful thing! A ton of heart and soul has gone into each one, and it gives Lippold and I much pleasure to see the wonderful things the community has done with them to make this world a better place.
f you have a half or a full, cherish it! We will of course continue to fully support them in the future, including firmware updates and repairs.”
Details on all Continuum Fingerboards are available at the Haken Audio site.
dang….bummer
Most likely the right move to make. Much less controversial than ROLI’s, at least as far as SonicState commentators are concerned. For one thing, it’s obvious that the tiny company remains fully committed to MPE+ and expressiveness and one of the most impressive synth engines around.
Still, a bit sad to hear, as the “end of an era”.
Of course, it’d be awesome if they were able to release a standalone version of the EaganMatrix for use with “regular” MPE devices…
Pity, very expensive but desirable all the same. I kinda hoped that they would release a full sized budget version but all we got was the mini, which way to cut down IMHO.
The s70L6x is just around the corner, so this is definitely for the better – unless you really WANT tall controllers, I guess.
The move makes sense. Flagships are nice, but the secondary releases are the ones that permeate the market and feed the staff. A slimmer Continuum seems more likely to appear next to a ROLI Block or even an Osmose than the top of the line model. Its a natural MPE evolution.
In other news: ROLI doesn’t appear to be doing well… despite the stunning Equator soft synth and the excellent ROLI Seaboard Rise, which, in my opinion, is at least a fair match for the Continuum and way cheaper.
“ROLI doesn’t appear to be doing well… despite the stunning Equator soft synth and the excellent ROLI Seaboard Rise, which, in my opinion, is at least a fair match for the Continuum and way cheaper.”
Haken’s technology is much more sophisticated, and they understand that the market for expressive synth and expressive controllers is a niche.
Which is why ROLI is millions of dollars in debt, in spite of $100+ million of investor capital, while Haken has doubled their sales, expanded their line, and is licensing their technology for the Osmose, which anyone that has tried it considers a game changer.
Name change: Discontinuum…
Nothing really sad here. The slim version of the continuum is still an amazing instrument and very similar to the original. If anything the slim is a greater refinement on the original with built-in USB, a display and other functionality. The only thing we’re losing is two octaves on the full-size continuum, which the slim does not provide even at the largest size (six octaves versus the eight in the original). Keep saving and get one.
I have the Continuumini (two of them actually) and it’s still an amazingly expressive instrument even though, probably, only a sixteenth of the control of a Continuum. It my dip in the toe in this world and I am convinced a full-size Continuum will be in my future. If you can afford the pre-order price for the Slim Continuum, I would go for it. I already have my pre-order in for the Osmose and again, another take on the wonderful EaganMatrix synth.
I have a Seaboard block as well and it’s a very different instrument than the Continuum. The Equator synth is an amazing feat! With the latest news about ROLI, it makes me sad to hear, but it being such a nice platform, I can’t imagine someone won’t snap it up, if they are going down as a company. Perhaps it’ll be Haken Audio! Ha!
MPE+ isn’t going anywhere. Like any new technology, it takes a while for people to grasp on to how to use it well. Plus, as time goes on, the innovation will lead to even more amazing new instruments. The Osmose, I feel, is this second generation of the use of MPE. Exciting times! (Even if we’ll be quarantined for another year or more!)
Doesn’t the Slim Continuums do all that the regular ones does?
Then isn’t it just a matter of evolving a model series rather than discontinuing something?
yeah, the somewhat poor wording has already gotten some kneejerk reactions out, it seems 🙂
Aww man….I was hoping someday (TBH years away) to have the 8 octave, they at the very least will triple in price on the used market in due time.