Create Digital Music’s Peter Kirn today announced a new venture into the hardware synth business – the MeeBlip virtual analog synthesizer:

It’s been several years in development, but now it’s finally here. It’s a hardware box that makes noises – virtual analog synth noises, chip-sounding noises, good noises, bad noises, noises you can make into music. It’s got physical knobs and switches on it, plus a MIDI DIN in port so you can connect that keytar you bought on eBay. It’s also a digital synth you can build, modify, and hack, down to the way every knob is mapped and every sound is blipped.

The MeeBlip, a project of CDM & James Grahame (Reflex Audio), is designed to be an inexpensive, open alternative to the current crop of hardware synths.

At $129, it’s much cheaper than existing monophonic synths from companies like Doepfer, Moog & Dave Smith Instruments, and it’s much more powerful than entry-level synths like the Stylophone or the Korg Monotron.

Check out the sound demos, photos and details below. And let us know what you think about the new MeeBlip!

The MeeBlip is available for order now at the MeeBlip site.

MeeBlip Photos

MeeBlip Audio Demos

BeeBlip Details

Features:

• Out of the box, a monophonic virtual analog synth.
• Eight user-definable knobs and sixteen slide switches, for hands-on control with the immediacy of a classic monosynth.
• Tasty digital synth sounds.
• Use it as-is, or use the source code to remap controls or completely redefine the instrument’s architecture.
• Available ready for simple, solder-free assembly with a case, or as a kit, all on a single board. Build your own, or make a different project with the MeeBlip sound engine.
• 8-bit digital brain.
• MIDI input.
• 4-pole active low-pass antialising filter.
• Open source hardware. Modify anything, buy some kits and sell your own builds, or make new projects. We want to see what you create, and share progress. (Find out more about open source hardware and the MeeBlip.)
• Complete kits ship with a custom front panel illustrated by Nathanael Jeanneret