Erica Synths has announced that three new modules in their Fusion series – a new line of vacuum tube Eurorack modules – are now available.
The Erica Synths Fusion series combine vacuum tubes and semiconductors to bring the ‘warm, powerful sound and crazy overdrive possibilities of vacuum tubes’ into your modular system.
Five modules have been announced: VCO Mixer, Delay/Chorus, VCA, Ring Modulator and Filter.
Here are details on the new Fusion vacuum tube modules:
Fusion VCO Mixer
The Erica Fusion dual VCO Mixer module is designed to mix several waveforms from your VCOs in order to get interesting and unique waveshapes. It also can be used as a waveshaper, if you apply PW modulated pulse signal to one of the inputs – it will radically change resulting waveform in real time.
A special feature of this mixer – tube distortion effects, with the level knobs all the way clockwise.
You are not limited to mixing only VCO signals – the module works with any audio signal. Since the module features two mixers, you can use it even for stereo applications.
The Fusion VCO mixer is priced at 290EUR, +21% VAT for individual customers in EU without EU VAT registration number. See the Erica Synths site for details.
Fusion VCA
The Erica Fusion VCA module uses pentode tube 6Z1P and works as classical VCA, with great tube distortion when the input level knob is full up.
The Fusion VCA is priced at 170EUR, +21% VAT for individual customers in EU without EU VAT registration number. See the Erica Synths site for details.
Fusion Ring Modulator
The Erica Fusion Ring modulator module uses pentode tube 6Z1P and it multiplies two signals to create unique waveforms rich in partials, bell like sounds, as well as tube distortion effects.
The Fusion Ring Modulator is priced at 170EUR, +21% VAT for individual customers in EU without EU VAT registration number. See the Erica Synths site for more information.
Note: Erica Fusion modules have insignificant (max 15mA) power consumption from eurorack power supply unit (PSU), but they require separate, easy to install 6VAC PSU for tube heaters. Erica Fusion 6VAC PSU is designed to power up to 7 Erica Fusion modules and is available from Erica Synths SHOP or comes for free with purchase of 2 or more Erica Fusion modules.
Sexiest new modules in a long time!
These look very interesting, I’ve been thinking tube modules since those Korg tubes got announced – but always nice to see the glow of a tube in a box.
The analog synth market is booming.
That’s great. But in some sense, the analog resurgence is clinging to the past. Who is advancing synths in a new direction? Where is new hardware stuff like the old Korg Wavestation and Z1 and later Roland V-Synth, synths that took sound design in a whole new direction?
These seem very forward to me.
We do have some forward thinking companies making modules and synths, but it is a rare thing, like everything today you need to wad thorough the rubbish to find the odd gem. I do understand what you are saying, and it isn’t really a modular issue, analogue synth companies in general are stuck in the 1970’s. But I think part of that is looking for new ideas in a market that doesn’t have them, and that is I guess more of an issue of the fine line between producing a musical sound and noise – if you go too far away from basic harmonic principles then you have dissonant noise. I think new things will always come, but they will always be the rare exception, and you won’t need to seek them out as everyone will be talking about it. The fact we are never focused on the same new thing, shows how stale the remit currently is. I think this is why some modern genres play about with the notion of what is music or musical, because they need to move forward the ideology of what is music in order to incorporate a new sound.
All that forward thinking stuff produces better music than analog gear. Is that what you are saying?
No, but I find people, listening or producing, get excited about a new sound, more so than a new melody of riff. If you look at most big genres of music, how did they come about? Technology, and usually a bastardization of technology. Electric guitars got misused to create rock music, samplers and decks misused for creating hip hop, samplers and drum machines misused for dance. Modern dance is mainly a misuse of computer software, like that Skrillez sound is a bastardization of FM computer synthesis. Processes and genres get stale quick, and if new technology doesn’t happen to create a new sound then the right people will always warp the use of other technology to create what they want. I guess, what I am saying is that you can’t wait for someone to make the technology so you can then make your sound, you have to try and make it regardlessly – something like the MPC was invented because the misuse of samplers had called for a new technology, it was shaped by emerging use of new genres.
Nitpicking: The first MPC wasn’t at all invented as a reaction to the “misuse” of samplers. It was just a natural evolution of Roger Linn’s previous drum machines (he had already used the same the concept with the Linn 9000 as early as 1984) and was only intended as a drum machine/MIDI sequencer combo that allowed you to sample your own drum sounds and map them to the pads. Innovative musicians then realized that they could “misuse” the technology by sampling complete drum/instrumental/vocal loops and trigger them from the pads.
It isn’t nitpicking, you are more than justified to correct that. And the evolution of any such device is bi-direction feedback. I was thinking of early hip hop and sampling, and the MPC wasn’t around of that, but later became appropriated into that world, and then grow to define that genre. It took ten years for that to happen, lack of technology, vision whatever – it is interesting this slow cause and effect, and we need to nitpick over things to understand this process and history fully to better ourselves.
Do you need to have innovation ‘spoon fed’ to you?
Want to use wave table oscillators with a Pro One filter and a tube vca to create your dream synth? No problem.
We’ve never had as many options available!
uhh you could do that for about 34 years. 🙂 pro one and ppg wave came out in 81.
now, it is cheaper and more accessible…which could be good.
imo it’s not the options it’s that most people approach it american chinese buffet style and just load up on stuff without any clear ideas of what to do or what they want other than they want a little bit of everything all at once.
the tools are there if you bring the innovation and ideas.
HAve you checked out the new stuff from Mutable Instruments?? The Elements module is very innovative, using digital physical modelling, and all under cv control!
http://mutable-instruments.net/modules/elements
True innovation mostly comes from neccessity or by accident (or both). True innovations are rare and almost never immediately adopted by the masses (commercial musicians, large consumer groups). They are more than likey being used by individuals and academic institutions and require specialized knowledge to operate… Even subtractive synthesis needed decades before it could be adopted and standardized and terminology and techniques developed.
Maybe the other reason why there isn’t as much innovation as you would have hoped is because people still don’t know how to squeeze all the juice out of the tech we already possess. Most of the seasoned synth guys I know could spend their whole lives exploring the possibilities of a 9u eurorack and still leave some rocks unturned.
Omnisphere?
I just hope they’ve ironed out the CNC confussion.
What CNC confusion?
the VCA is tasty. thick as a brick.
The panels read Fussion but the name is listed as Fusion, anyone know why? Not trying to nitpick just curious since I guess it can get confusing.
There’s some cool ideas from this company, but the logo really creeps me out – and they always feature it so prominently. It doesn’t help knowing that it’s supposed to be a doll. I would feel all like “the doll is watching you… do not displease the doll or it will skin you alive in your dreams… ” but maybe that’s just the acid flashbacks talking.