WMD has released the Kraken, a new physical modeling snare drum Eurorack module that’s designed to create realistic snare sounds.

The heart of Kraken is a digital synthesis engine that uses filters, delay, and feedback networks to create the sound of two heads and a resonant cavity. Shell, Low Tune, Pitch, and Overtone knobs all interact with each other, creating the physical model of the drum itself. This resonator then acts as an exciter for a network of noise generation to provide the sound of the snare springs rattling on the bottom head.

The Model switch provides three distinct modeling sounds. The first uses digital noise to create the sound of the “snares”, providing a repeatable, sample-like sound. The second model uses analog noise, which makes each hit a bit different. It mimicks the subtle inconsistencies of a real drummer hitting the head with alternating stick patterns. The third model uses the digital noise to generate the snares, then engages a pitch shifter on the output that transforms the sound to a vintage pitched up or down style sound.

The Wreck switch provides 3 unique distortion characters that can be dialed in or modulated via the corresponding CV input. The analog style distortion ranges from saturation to clipping. The wavefolder selection gets that compressed crunch, and bit depth reduction resembles vintage, digital sampler-like sounds.

Stick and Rim inputs give the user two gate inputs for hitting the head of the drum or the rim. When both inputs receive a trigger simultaneously, a realistic “rimshot” sound is generated, offering even more ability to sequence a realistic sounding snare pattern.

Here’s a demo of the Kraken inn action:

Pricing and Availability

WMD released the Kraken and it’s available now, priced at $299 USD.