At the 2006 Winter NAMM Show, Paul Schreiber, right, of Synthesis Technologies was on-hand at the Analog Haven booth, showing off the latest members of the SynthTech MOTM modular synthesizer line.
The Analog Haven space was a complete synth orgy, with gear from Doepfer, MOTM, Modcan, Future Retro, Cwejman, Macbeth, Memotron and much more. MOTM had a relatively small rig set up, but the quality of the gear stood out nonetheless.
Schreiber was showing several new modules, including modules for SynthTech’s large format line and a new line of smaller modules that will be sold through Analog Haven.
Two large modules that MOTM fans have been waiting for a long time made their NAMM appearance.
The MOTM-650 4-Channel MIDI-CV converter, shown below in the top rack in the left-most position, is a 2U wide, full-featured 4-channel MIDI-CV converter. Schreiber said that this unit was used on Rich’s latest MOTM-heavy CD.
Also on display was the MOTM-600 MicroSequencer, show below in the top rack, second from the left. The MicroSequencer (uSeq) is a 3U wide module that generates 2 control voltages and 2 gates. Sequences are stored in non-volatile flash memory.
Based on discussions with Schreiber, it sounds like the MicroSequencer is being redesigned. The basic functionality and layout will be the same, but the hardware it’s built with will be changing.
Schreiber also had several new modules in Frac-Rack format. These modules are shown above in the top row of the lower cabinet. This format, along with SynthTech’s larger format, is emerging as one of the main standards for modular synths. Schreiber is redesigning many of his more popular modules in the Frac-Rack format. He also has some new modules making their debut in the smaller format.
Modules on display included the MOTM-1490 Moog style ladder filter ($199), MOTM-1485 Yamaha GX filter ($229), MOTM-1190 dual VCA ($249), and MOTM-1800 looping ADSR ($139). Several addition modules are promised including MOTM’s famous VCO. The Frac-Rack format modules are named with a “1” prefix, so the MOTM 650 MIDI to CV converter is the MOTM-1650 in the smaller format.
The looping ADSR is a unique module that seems to incorporate some of the features of the Encore Electronics Universal Event Generator. Long-time MOTM fans might be jealous that the module is appearing in the smaller format before it shows up in SynthTech’s traditional large-scale modules. Schreiber promises, though, that the new ADSR will be even more powerful in the large format, with voltage control of each ADSR stage.
More information is available at the SynthTech site.
